Letter to the Brethren – January 10, 2005

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Dear Brethren and Friends:

We are indeed living in dangerous times of uncertainty and ever-increasing suffering and disaster. The most recent tragedy in Asia has shown how quickly everything can change in this world. Many thousands of people, including vacationing tourists, seemingly enjoying peace and tranquillity, were wiped out within minutes. Truly, as the Bible predicts, when man says, “we have peace and safety,” sudden destruction comes upon him (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:3). When I listened to explanations from theologians and other “experts” of this world, as to why the terrible disaster struck in Asia, little, if any, understanding was expressed. Man, being cut off from the true God, just does not comprehend that this is not God’s world. Man, under Satan’s influence, has abused this planet for about 6,000 years, and the combined efforts of the devil and man have produced misery and pain in magnifying proportions.

We, in God’s Church, must not become emotionally affected to such a degree by the trauma that is all around us, that we lose our clear focus as to why we are here. Of course, since we are living in this world, we cannot be indifferent to its trials and troubles. We grieve with those who have lost their loved ones in catastrophes and natural disasters; we share their pain, and we long for a better world to come soon. But we must not lose hope. It is human to despair and become discouraged. The Bible records that God’s servants were not immune from those feelings. At times, the Biblical giants of faith rather wished to die than have to continue to endure the misery of this life. Moses felt that way (compare Numbers 11:14-15), and so did Elijah (1 Kings 19:4, 10). Job, Jonah and Jeremiah occasionally questioned God’s actions, thinking He behaved unrighteously. Jeremiah even said to God: “Yet you have failed me in my time of need… Your help is as uncertain as a seasonal mountain brook, sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone” (Jeremiah 15:17-18, Living Bible).

In times of discouragement because of trials, when we might question why bad things happen to innocent or even to righteous people, God is there to offer us hope. He does not forsake us, as long as we don’t forsake Him. When Jeremiah argued with God, complaining about His apparent lack of help and His seeming failure of intervention or of preventing evil, He simply told him: “Stop the foolishness and talk some sense …Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman. You are to influence them, not let them influence you!” (Jeremiah 15:19, Living Bible). Yes, the “wisdom” of this world CAN influence us, if we are not careful. God wants us to think as He does. Even in the midst of traumatic problems, God’s thoughts are those of hope and peace. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

All those people in Asia who died in terrible tsunamis, caused by a huge earthquake, DO HAVE a future! God WILL bring them back to life, under better circumstances, and in a much more peaceful environment. Insofar as we are concerned, those whom God has already called in this life to qualify for His Kingdom, what an AWESOME hope and future He has prepared for us! Christ, the hope of our glory, lives in us (Colossians 1:27). Our hope is not limited to THIS life. We are looking beyond our limitations and embrace the hope of an ETERNAL, glorious life (Titus 1:2). And we can be ASSURED of that future. We can KNOW that God Who has called us will see to it THAT we qualify! Our success is guaranteed, as long as WE don’t give up.

Let us remind ourselves, in these times of terrible uncertainties, pain and suffering, of some of the unbreakable, POSITIVE promises of God. These promises leave no room for doubt. God takes it for granted that we will succeed, as long as we let Christ live His life in us. Peter confirmed this fact. In his second letter he wrote that God’s “divine power has given us all things that pertain to [eternal] life” (2 Peter 1:3). If we do our part, we will not stumble (verse 10), but God will supply to us ABUNDANTLY an entrance into His Kingdom (verse 11). Having God’s mind, and knowing His thoughts toward us, Paul could confidently say: “He who has begun a good work in you WILL COMPLETE it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). He went even further by stating: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who ‘walk’ according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). In Ephesians 1:11-14, Paul pointed out that we have already obtained an inheritance (verse 11), and that we are already sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is a guarantee or a PROOF of our inheritance (verses 13-14).

How did God begin His work in us? How much preparation was necessary? The awe-inspiring truth is perhaps too difficult for our human minds to comprehend, and that may be the reason why one may be tempted to “interpret” the following passages in a more “humanly acceptable” way, but let us just read the inspired words of the Bible and ACCEPT, in faith, what they say. Paul told us in the eighth chapter of the letter to the Romans: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30). Just note these tremendous statements of fact: God foreknew US. God predestined US. God called US. God justified US. God HAS GLORIFIED US. Yes, this is correct. We are ALREADY glorified. That is, in God’s eyes, it is as good as done. We read in Romans 4:17 (Living Bible) that God speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.  When Christ lives in us, and when we follow His lead, nothing can hinder or defeat us. Rather, “we come through all these things triumphantly victoriously by the power of him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, New Jerusalem Bible).

How long ago did God decide to call you and me? Paul tells us in the first chapter of the letter to the Ephesians that God chose us “before the foundation of the world”; that we have been “predestined… as sons” (Ephesians 1:4-5). We are called the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:2). Paul told the Thessalonian church that “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit, and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Paul stated in 2 Timothy 1:9 that God “called US with a holy calling… according to His own purpose and grace which was given to US in Christ Jesus before time began.”

God carefully prepared both your calling and my calling to eternal life. The fact that God called YOU is not an accident. If YOU have been called today, you have been preordained to inherit eternal life and only YOU can prevent that from happening. When God calls today, He wants the person to succeed. We read in Acts 2:47 that God added to the Church those who “should be saved” (Authorized Version). The New Jerusalem Bible refers to those called ones as people “destined to be saved” In Acts 13:48, we are being told that “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Notice, the appointment to eternal life comes first, then the individual reaction of faith toward the gospel. The New Revised Standard Version states: “As many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.” The Revised English Bible translates: “Those who were marked out for eternal life became believers.” Moffat writes about all ‘who had been ordained for eternal life.’ Finally, the Menge Bible states: “And all, as long as they were ordained for eternal life, became believers.”

God has called us, in this present time, to be successful. We read Christ’s words in Matthew 25:34: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.í They had responded to God’s call and qualified for the Kingdom. But we read in Colossians 1:12-13 that the Father ‘HAS [already] qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He HAS [already] delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.’ As far as God is concerned, you and I will qualify. We will be there. Christ makes this point very clear, when He states in John 5:24: “MOST ASSUREDLY, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me HAS everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but HAS PASSED from death into life.” He adds in John 3:36 (Revised Standard Version): “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life.”

Our names have been written in God’s Book of Life (compare Revelation 3:5; Philippians 4:3; Luke 10:17- 20; Hebrews 12:22-23). God has the confidence that our names stay in that Book. Only the names of those who commit the unpardonable sin will be erased from God’s Book (compare Exodus 32:33; Psalm 69:28). Paul was convinced that he would be in the Kingdom. So were Peter and John. But they were not just talking about themselves. Rather, we read in 1 John 3:1-2: “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on US, that WE should be called children of God, we know that when He is revealed, WE shall be like Him, for WE shall see Him as He is.”

In times of great personal, national or even international tragedies, we can be influenced to question the wisdom of God. We can become discouraged, frustrated, unwilling to go on. But when we consider our great purpose and our awe-inspiring future, which has been GUARANTEED to us, we can get renewed strength to continue (Isaiah 40:31). After all, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which SHALL BE revealed in US (Romans 8:18). Paul states in Hebrews 6:18-20 (Living Bible): “Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurance from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them. This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest, with the honor and rank of Melchizedek. With God on our side, we need never lose hope or confidence. We can know that we WILL succeed. A glorious future awaits us. God has told us so. Do we believe Him?

In Christian love,

Norbert Link

The Fall and Rise of Britain and America

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Foreword

This booklet is made available to the nations of Great Britain, the United States of America and other English-speaking peoples—part of the modern descendants of the ancient houses of Israel and Judah—as well as to everyone who is willing to heed God’s message of the imminent fall, and ultimate rise of, Britain and America. It is in true loving concern, but with a sense of urgency, that we seek to bring attention to the need to repent of the sin of rebellion against the great God and His way of life as revealed in the Holy Bible. Only by turning to God will ANYONE be saved from, or out of, the Great Tribulation that will strike this earth in the near future! This warning applies to God’s true Church, as well as to the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel. The nations where these descendants are currently located are clearly identified in the Bible; therefore, this important message is being brought to the attention of these specific nations. The good news is that ultimately, most will listen to the warning; for many, however, serious lessons will first have to be learned the hard way.

Introduction – What Lies Ahead for Great Britain and the United States?

Ezekiel’s Warning

God gave Ezekiel a powerful message regarding his responsibility in warning the house of Israel in his time. He said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). Hosea confirms: “The watchman of Ephraim is with my God… Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure” (Hosea 9:8; 5:9).

According to comments made by the New Open Bible Study Edition Commentary, Ezekiel’s principal Godly-ordained mission was to speak out to the ancient Israelites, including the nation of Judah and those who were born during the days of Judah’s exile in Babylon; and to (a) tell them the reason for Judah’s destruction by a gentile nation and (b) encourage them regarding their future restoration. For although God punished them and all Israel for their national sins; He would not forever forget them because of His eternal abiding love and mercy.

It is important to understand that Ezekiel’s prophecies were dual in nature, thus they also foretell the forthcoming punishment, and rescue, of the modern houses of both Israel and Judah. Just who are these people today? What was it that Ezekiel was to warn them about, and what does it have to do with us today? Why should we be concerned about something that happened in “Old Testament times”? This booklet will address these issues and in doing so, will have cast forth the warning that God gave to Ezekiel, so that perhaps some might take heed and be saved from an otherwise certain demise.

Chapter 1 – Biblical Identity of the British Commonwealth and the United States

Overview

It is not the purpose of this booklet to give the reader ALL of the existing material available from archaeology, history and the Holy Scriptures that prove that the United States and the British Commonwealth nations belong, in fact, to the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel. Many historians and scholars have understood this truth over the centuries and much has been written about it. The evidence is overwhelming and is readily available should one choose to pursue an in-depth study.

The focus of this booklet, instead, is to bring to the forefront the imminent downfall of the modern house of Israel, unless they turn to God and repent. At times, we will give the reader a sample of the evidence as to modern Israel’s identity, but the main intent of the booklet is to discuss what comes next in the near future for those nations.

The Modern House of Israel is Not the Present-Day Jewish Nation

We will explain later in this booklet how and why the modern house of Israel will play a major role, according to Biblical prophecy, in end-time events. It is important to note at this juncture, however, that the modern “Israelites” are not the Jewish people! As it will be explained in more detail, the Jewish people comprise just ONE tribe of the original TWELVE tribes of Israel. The present-day Jewish people are the descendants of the tribe of Judah. They, together with the tribe of Benjamin and parts of the tribe of Levi, formed the original house of Judah, which is altogether different from the house of Israel. The people of the present-day Jewish nation, known by the name of Israel, with its capital in Jerusalem, are actually descendants of the house of Judah, NOT the house of Israel. It is necessary for the reader to understand, then, that when we refer to the house of Israel in this booklet, we are not referring to the present-day nation of Israel and we include here just some of the references that substantiate this fact.

The ten tribes of the house of Israel were lost from public view by the time of Jesus. Jesus referred to them as the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Today, most people still have no idea where these “lost” tribes of the house of Israel are located. As we will see, the modern nations of the United States and the British Commonwealth, mainly Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, have been identified as being major tribes of the house of Israel. As the Jewish Encyclopedia points out: “If the ten tribes… have not disappeared, obviously they must exist under a different name.”

Under King David and King Solomon, the house of Israel and the house of Judah were united as one nation. It is critical to understand, however, that under King Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, the nation of Israel became divided following the death of Solomon. Two separate nations began to develop, known as the “house of Israel,” with its capital at Samaria, north of Jerusalem, and the “house of Judah,” with Jerusalem as its capital. We read in 1 Kings 12:19–20 (Authorized Version): “So Israel (being ruled by King Rehoboam, son of King Solomon) rebelled against the house of David… And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam (a prominent officer) was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.”

King Rehoboam of Judah tried to reunite the two kingdoms—the house of Israel and the house of Judah—by force, but God prevented him from doing so. We read in 1 Kings 12:21, 24: “And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon… ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’ Therefore they obeyed the word of the LORD, and turned back, according to the word of the LORD.”

The two houses or kingdoms did not unite again throughout their history. They remained as two separate kingdoms. The “house of Israel” comprised the ten northern tribes and the “house of Judah” comprised the southern tribes of Judah. The house of Judah was later joined by the tribes of Benjamin and part of the tribe of Levi (compare 1 Kings 12:21).

We read also in 2 Kings 16:5–8 about a war between Israel and Judah. Later the northern ten tribes, led by the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, became “lost” from public view. These two tribes can be found today mainly in English-speaking nations around the world, a provable fact that is not widely perceived around the world.

To reiterate, many people believe that the Jews are identical with the modern house of Israel, but this is simply not true. Christ spoke of the “LOST sheep (tribes) of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Note that the tribe of Judah was never “lost” from sight. James referred to all of Israel and Judah as “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1; compare Revelation 7:4–8). Note also that the tribe of Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, consists of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. We read that at some point in the near FUTURE, the houses of Israel AND Judah will be reunified in the Promised Land. Note, once again, that this will be after they come out of the prophesied future captivity (Jeremiah 30:3, 33:7).

The ancient house of Israel went into captivity in 721–718 BC by the hand of the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5–6, 23). The house of Judah did not go into captivity until about 120 years later by the hand of the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:1–10) for the same reason the northern tribes were deported; i.e., because of their persistent practice of disobeying God.

But the ancient house of Israel did not return to the Promised Land. Josephus wrote in about 100 AD: “The entire body of the people of Israel remained in that country, wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers.” So we see that the ten tribes of the house of Israel did not return to the Promised Land after their captivity; only the house of Judah subsequently returned.

The Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 1, p. 15, added: “The captives of Israel exiled beyond the Euphrates did not return as a whole to Palestine along with their brethren the captives of Judah; at least there is no mention made of this event in the documents at our disposal.”

And the Jewish Chronicle wrote: “The Ten Tribes are certainly in existence. All that has to be done is to discover which people represent them.”

Historical records show without doubt that after they were freed from their captivity by the ancient Assyrians, the ancient ten tribes of the house of Israel migrated to Western Europe and to the British Isles, where mainly the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh settled. Note from the Old Testament that Ephraim and Manasseh were two of the sons of Joseph. In time, the tribe of Manasseh migrated to the “New World,” which eventually became known as the United States, while the tribe of Ephraim stayed in the British Isles and, from there, colonized other countries, such as Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The Bible shows that while Manasseh was to become one great nation, Ephraim was to become a company of nations (compare Genesis 48:19).

Notice carefully what happened in Genesis 32:28: Following his all-night wrestling match with the God of the Old Testament—the One who became Jesus Christ; the One who spoke with the prophets—Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” by that same divine being: “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Birthright Blessings of Abraham Were Passed On

Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons, among whom were Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel (Genesis 35:22–26). In time, Joseph took his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to see their grandfather Jacob. Joseph had been told that Jacob was sick. When Joseph presented his sons to their grandfather, Jacob or Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. Then Jacob told his son Joseph in Genesis 48:5: “And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt… are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine” [i.e., Jacob adopted the two lads.].

The account shows that Joseph, facing Jacob, took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Jacob’s left hand, and Manasseh (the firstborn) with his left hand toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them near him. Then Israel, crossing his hands over the lads, stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head (who was the younger) and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the first-born. This is notable because normally the first-born is given the greater blessing. So Jacob blessed Joseph and said: “Let my name [Israel] be named upon them” (verse 16). Now when Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim [his second-born], it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head and to lay it on Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father: “‘Not so, my father, for this one [Manasseh] is the first-born; put your right hand on his head.’ But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude [or a company or a “Commonwealth”] of nations’” (compare Genesis 48:17–19).

So the birthright of Abraham was passed to Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. Manasseh was to become a single great nation, known today as the United States. Ephraim was to become a multitude or a company of nations, which we know as the Commonwealth nations of the British Empire. The birthright was indeed Joseph’s and was passed on to his two sons. Notice: “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel [Jacob]—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy (in this case) is not listed according to the birthright… the birthright was Joseph’s” (1 Chronicles 5:1–2).

We also read in Genesis 27:28–29 that the blessings of the birthright to Jacob and his descendants (i.e., Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh) included the following: “Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”

Blessings Withheld for Disobedience

It should be noted that because of their sins, the immediate descendants of Joseph did not receive the full blessings of the fabulous wealth and power of the birthright through Abraham. The kingdom of the house of Israel was taken captive by the Assyrian Empire as a result of God’s anger with them. “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the [southern] tribe of Judah alone” (2 Kings 17:18; emphasis added throughout Biblical quotations).

How long were the blessings of the birthright to be withheld from Ephraim and Manasseh (Great Britain and the United States) because of their disobedience of the laws of God?

The Bible teaches that because of ancient Israel’s continued disobedience, the blessings that God originally promised unconditionally to Abraham’s descendants (compare Genesis 17:5; 21:3; 22:17) would be withheld for a certain period of time, after they would first have to be punished by having to go into Assyrian captivity (in 721–718 BC). A principle of the withholding of a blessing because of sin can be found in Numbers 14:34 when ancient Israel was not allowed to enter the Promised Land for forty years after the spies had explored the Promised Land for forty days: “According to the numbers of the days… forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know my rejection.”

Beginning with the Assyrian captivity (compare 2 Kings 17:23), God would withhold the birthright blessings for seven times (Leviticus 26:18), or seven years (the Hebrew words for “times” and “years” are used interchangeably). A year consists of 360 days, according to the  Hebrew calendar. God’s blessing would be withheld for seven times 360 days, but since this is a prophecy, it would be withheld for seven times 360 years, or 2,520 years. In prophecy, a day represents a year. Compare Ezekiel 4:4-6: “I have laid on you a day for a year.” This principle of a day for a year, and vice versa, can be seen throughout the Bible. We read, for instance, that the restored Roman Empire would rule for 42 months (compare Revelation 13:5). Since a month has 30 days, the restored Roman Empire was prophesied to rule for 1,260 prophetic days or years, which it did from 554 AD under Justinian until 1814 AD when the fall of Napoleon I occurred. (For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”)

God pronounced that Israel’s blessing to become a world-ruling power would be withheld for “seven times.” The 2,520 prophetic days, or literal years after the Assyrian captivity of the house of Israel, brings us to the beginning of the 1800’s. It is no coincidence that at that time, Great Britain, and then the United States, became world powers. Great Britain began her rise to tremendous wealth and power as the worldwide British Empire. At the same time, the United States more than doubled in size in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase from France. Eventually the United States began to take over leadership of the birthright during World War II, which has continued even to this day.

Once God had fulfilled His promises that He had given to Abraham, He was no longer bound to continue to bless Israel, if they should continue to sin. Note that both Great Britain and the United States are now in a state of continuous decline, a decline that they can owe to their own persistent sins of disobedience to God; sins that they have literally “heaped up” against themselves. The United States, though still all-powerful from a military standpoint, has lost a great deal of prestige, especially in recent years. Many nations no longer have confidence in the United States because of its involvement in the conflicts of Korea, Vietnam, and more recently, Afghanistan and Iraq. Americans and Britons have also steadily reneged on their God-given responsibilities to observe God’s Commandments. They have progressively forgotten God as their leader, their provider and their protector.

As former American President Abraham Lincoln once said: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace; too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

Throne of David to Continue Until the Return of Christ

In addition to the birthright blessings, God promised that the kingly rule would not depart from Judah (Genesis 49:10), and that a descendant of the house of David (David was a descendant of Judah) would always rule over at least one tribe of Israel (2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Chronicles 13:5). When Nebuchadnezzar conquered the house of Judah and dethroned Zedekiah, a descendant of David, and killed all of his sons, it seemed like God’s promise failed. But the opposite is true.

Let us carefully notice what happened. God had promised King David: “… your house (dynasty) and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise was unconditional: “…I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom… If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you” (2 Samuel 7:12, 14–15). God spoke to King David about his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 22:10: “He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”

This promise to King Solomon was conditional: “Only may the LORD give you [Solomon] wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel…” (1 Chronicles 22:12–13).

King Solomon, however, broke his Coronation Oath. God later said to King Solomon: “Because you have done this [gone after other gods], and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11).

Although Solomon’s son remained king over the house of Judah, Solomon’s servant Jeroboam became king over the house of Israel. Also, we find that Mary, mother of Jesus, did not descend from Solomon, but from David’s son Nathan (compare Luke 3:31, explaining that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a descendant of “Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse…”).

Even in the very last generation, at the time of Christ’s return, there would still be a king sitting on the throne of David. God says, through the prophet Jeremiah: “‘Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness! And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together’, says the LORD. ‘I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but I will destroy them’… Say to the king and to the queen mother, ‘Humble yourselves; Sit down, For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory’” (Jeremiah 13:13–14, 18).

And again: “Hear the word of the LORD, O King of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! Thus says the LORD: ‘Execute judgment and righteousness… But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,’ says the LORD, ‘that this house shall become a desolation’…[Why?] “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods and served them” (Jeremiah 22:2–3, 5, 9).

The Coronation Oath, the condition by which King Solomon ruled in Israel, has been God’s measuring stick for the kings of the dynasty of David as to whether they are to be beaten with the rod of men: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore” (Amos 7:8). Note that God’s people were expected to be true to His standards, but, as the New International Version Commentary put it, were completely “out of plumb” [not straight] when tested. “The high places (of pagan worship) of Isaac (Jacob’s father, and by extension, Jacob himself, i.e., Israel) shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam” (Amos 7:9).

The prophet Amos continues: “On that day [alluding to a future restoration in the Millennium] I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins” (Amos 9:11). The word “fallen” in Hebrew means to cease, to perish or to become fugitives, according to Strong’s #5307. The word “ruin” in Hebrew means “demolished, destroyed, thrown down utterly” (Strong’s #2034, 2040). The final king of the house of David, prior to Christ’s return, may cease to rule for a very short period of time: “At dawn the king of Israel Shall be cut off utterly” (Hosea 10:15).

But this does not mean that the throne of David will ever cease to exist, as clearly explained in Scripture: “For thus says the LORD: ‘David shall never lack a man [a descendant or a person] to sit on the throne of the house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 33:17). God had promised David that a descendant of David would always occupy his throne. And this has been the case from the dynasty of David to the present dynasty of Queen Elizabeth II.

God promised David that a descendant of his line would rule over Israel from the time he put David on the throne until the actual return of Jesus Christ. This promise has seen fulfillment in the line of David ruling over at least one tribe from all the tribes of Israel, either, as was the case until the Babylonian captivity over the house of Judah, or has been the case thereafter, over the house of Israel.

David’s Throne Overturned?

The Bible foretells that the throne of David would be overthrown or transferred three times (compare Ezekiel 21:27). And so it happened. As we will discuss now, it was transferred from Jerusalem to Ireland, then from Ireland to Scotland, and finally from Scotland to England. Today, it is in ENGLAND, from where the Queen rules, sitting on the throne of David, over one of the tribes of Israel (i.e., Ephraim).

Ezekiel tells us: “And Thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [to] him” (Ezekiel 21:25–27, Authorized Version).

The Hebrew word for “overturn” means to be overthrown for committing iniquity leading to ruin (Strong’s #5762). This happened three times to David’s dynasty from the time Ezekiel wrote this prophecy. The first “overturn” involved King Zedekiah, the last king of David’s dynasty in Jerusalem, who became exalted, but was to be made low. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and all of his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. King Zedekiah fled out of the city but was captured by the Babylonians. The King of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah, as well as all the nobles of Judah. Moreover, he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and carried him off to Babylon (Jeremiah 39:1, 4–5, 6–7). “But Johanan (a warrior) took…the king’s daughters (of Zedekiah)…and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah [and] they went to the land of Egypt” (Jeremiah 43:5–7).

God stated that “none …shall return [from Egypt] except those who escape” (Jeremiah 44:14). Subsequently Jeremiah, Baruch and the king’s two daughters [known in history as Tea and Scota] did escape from Egypt. They were taken to Ireland.

It was Jeremiah’s commission to uproot and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10). He had to uproot the kingship of Zedekiah over Judah, and he had to plant the kingship of Zedekiah’s daughters over another tribe or tribes of Israel. According to Irish records, shortly after the time of Jerusalem’s fall in 600 B.C., two princesses arrived in Ireland from Egypt with two wise men. We are even told that the one princess, identified as Tea or Tea-Tephi, married the Irish king, Eochaidh, while Scota married into a noble family, perhaps giving her name to Scotland. Irish scholars maintain that the later kings of Ireland knew that they were descendants of King David. Both princesses feature in many Irish poems, songs and legends.

Thus David’s line continued the new dynasty in Ireland. This dynasty was later moved to Scotland, which, in accordance with prophecy, was the second time the crown was “overturned.” Ultimately, it was moved to England, thus fulfilling the prophetic third time it was “overturned,” when the Stewart line of David came to England in 1603 in the person of James I. Two monarchs of this line, Mary, Queen of Scots, and James II both tried to re-impose the Catholic religion on England, contrary to God’s plan. Satan also tried to thwart the blessings of the promised birthright of Abraham that were to be given to Great Britain and the United States of America in the course of time. But Satan could not prevent God from fulfilling His promise to bless Abraham’s descendants in due time. With regard to America, this did happen in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase from France, greatly expanding the nation—after 2,520 years of the promised blessings being withheld because of Israel’s sins. The blessings were, indeed, finally given to modern Ephraim and Manasseh, not that they were righteous or deserving of these special blessings, but only because God had unconditionally promised Abraham that He would bless his descendants in due time.

But it doesn’t end there. Remember, this is a dual prophecy and the line of David was prophesied to continue ruling over the house of Israel up until the return of Jesus Christ, Who will then take over this same throne. God has this to say about this future event: “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17).

Are the “Lost” Ten Tribes Really Lost?

Biblical prophecies tell us clearly where the ancient house of Israel would settle after their Assyrian captivity, and where the throne of David would be: “For surely I will command, And will sift the house of Israel among all nations, As grain is sifted in a sieve; Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground” (Amos 9:9). Notice that this prophecy is talking about the house of Israel, not just the Jewish people. The house of Judah would be sifted among many nations as well, and we still find today many Jews outside the borders of the state of Israel, but the prophecy in Amos specifically addresses the modern descendants of the house of Israel, actually, the “lost” ten tribes.

How Do We Identify Today Where These “Lost” Ten Tribes Are?

The tribes of the house of Israel went to a new land. In prophetic context, God said to King David: “…I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously…” (2 Samuel 7:10). When David wrote these words, ancient Israel had already taken possession of the Promised Land. But God inspired David to write that God would, in the future, appoint a place for the house of Israel from which they would no longer have to move. Where was this place to be located? “Listen, O isles (Ephraim)…Behold, these [tribes] shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west…” (Isaiah 49:1, 12, Authorized Version).

Keep in mind that geographical references are always to be judged from the location of Jerusalem. That is, when we read that someone appears “from the north,” we understand that the meaning is “north of Jerusalem.”

The appointed place was northwest of Jerusalem in the “isles of the sea;” that is, the British Isles (compare Isaiah 24:15 in the Authorized Version).

God prophesied that He would uproot the house of Israel from the Promised Land and “scatter them beyond the [Euphrates] River” (1 Kings 14:15). But they would not stay there. Rather, God’s Word was to be proclaimed in these last days to God’s people “toward the north” (Jeremiah 3:11–12). They would come back to the Promised Land, in the future, “from the north and the west” (Isaiah 49:12). That is, from an area “northwest” of Jerusalem. We are also told that Israel would have migrated to the west: “Ephraim… pursues [or follows] the east wind” (Hosea 12:1), the wind that comes from the east and blows west. David was also inspired to write that his throne would be established “over the sea” (Psalm 89:20, 25).

Also, Jeremiah 31:8 (Authorized Version) states that God would, in the future, gather modern Israel from “the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth,” and that He wants His word proclaimed in “the isles afar off” (verse 10). Isaiah 41:1 addresses modern Israel (compare verse 8) in saying: “Keep silence before me, O islands (Authorized Version).”

If we were to take a world map and draw a line from Jerusalem in a northwest direction, it leads us to the British Isles, where the throne would be located. But we are also told that once some of the ten tribes of the house of Israel, especially Ephraim and Manasseh, had reached the British Isles, they would continue to colonize other countries, to possess land and sea gates—strategically important ports and passages—controlling crucial military and trade routes, such as Gibraltar, the Suez and Panama canals (compare Genesis 22:17). And so we see that the modern tribe of Manasseh settled in the United States of America, while those from the modern tribe of Ephraim migrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and other nations. Yair Davidy wrote in his book, “The Tribes: The Israelite Origins of Western People”: “In the course of time they [some of the tribes of Israel] reached the British Isles and north-west Europe.”

Even Christ told His early apostles to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (compare Matthew 10:6). It is interesting that historical records prove that the apostles Peter, Simon the Zelot, and James actually preached the gospel in Britain.

For instance, Caves wrote in Antiquitates Apostlicae that Peter stayed for a long time in Britain; that Simon the Zelot preached in Britain; and that James reached England and Ireland. Eusebius reports in Evangelical Demonstrations that some of the apostles preached the gospel in the British Isles. Jesus most certainly knew where the lost ten tribes were located, and so did the early apostles. James wrote his letter “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). He undoubtedly knew where they were and felt confident that his letter would reach them.

So we can actually trace the migration of ancient Israel—under the names of Celts, Scythians and Anglo-Saxons—from Assyria (northeast of Jerusalem in what is now Iraq), passing northwest through Europe, and centuries later, to the British Isles. Ultimately, part of ancient Israel would then migrate to the United States of America. So the “lost” ten tribes are not lost at all. They are identifiable if one follows the records of history and the Biblical accounts.

In this chapter we have given you a brief overview of the roots of the peoples of Britain and the United States. This understanding provides the backdrop for the rest of this booklet, which is to show how the prophecies are unfolding for present-day Britain and its associated Commonwealth countries, as well as for the United States.

We still have available a full color, 66-page booklet, explaining in detail the identity of the nations of ancient Israel in today’s world. The booklet is titled, “America and Britain in Prophecy.” We are offering a copy of the same for distribution, free of charge, on a first come-first serve basis.

Chapter 2 – The Soon-Coming World War III

A Call to Repentance

This booklet is a call to repentance to the nations of the British Commonwealth and the United States, as well as to everyone who is willing to listen and understand the gravity of the world scene. A call to repentance from what? As we will show, repentance from national AND personal sins that have been committed against the great God and Creator of all things visible and invisible. Why? So as to avoid total destruction, the inevitable penalty for sin. Sin is defined by God Himself in His Holy Word as “lawlessness” or “transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version).

Romans 6:23 tells us that “…the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As Solomon tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverb 14:12). God’s prophet Isaiah called for repentance: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him… ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways’”, says the LORD. “‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:6–9).

If modern Israel and other nations REFUSE to repent, rejecting God’s way of life in favor of doing whatever they want to do, then they WILL BE DESTROYED by the prophesied rising superpower in Europe (the last and final resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire). The surviving peoples of the modern house of Israel will be scattered—actually enslaved by other nations. Ultimately, only one-tenth of the population will remain alive. Hard to believe? The Bible is unequivocal and does not lie. Israel’s sins will result in this disastrous punishment if they do not repent.

In the context of the commission God gave His prophet Isaiah to declare what is to come upon ancient AND modern Judah, as well as the nations of the house of Israel, Isaiah questioned God as to how long he must warn the people. God’s reply to him was: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate” (Isaiah 6:11). God said in Isaiah 6:12 and 13: “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return…”

The New International Version completes verse 13: “it will again be laid waste.” These prophecies are dual. They pertained to ancient Israel, but they also pertain to the modern nations of Israel, including Judah, thus the reference “will again be laid waste.” This remnant will only be saved from death by the return of Jesus Christ to this earth as King of kings to take over rulership of the earth, along with His saints, following 3½ years of GLOBAL destruction!

Understanding the Prophecies of Ezekiel

In a Church of God member letter dated November 19, 1976, Herbert W. Armstrong (1892–1986), former human leader of the Worldwide Church of God, explained how he came to the vital understanding of the meaning of the prophecies of Ezekiel in the early years of his conversion and ministry:

 “In those early days I was especially interested in the book of Ezekiel. A special reason was that I saw Ezekiel was first given God’s message in PROPHECY, while he was a Jewish slave, by the River Chebar in the land of Babylon. Now this was close to 120 years after the House of Israel had been taken captive to Assyria. My astonishment was aroused when I saw that his message was to be taken to the House of Israel. Now Ezekiel was a slave among the House of Judah—not Israel. By this time many of the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel’ had migrated north and west from Assyria. They were, by Ezekiel’s time, in Britain and Western Europe.

“The first message, or instruction from God, comes, beginning [with] the second chapter [of the book of Ezekiel, AV], ‘And He said unto me, son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation… [and they shall know] that there hath been a prophet among them’ (Ezekiel 2:3, 5. In Chapter 3:1 God says,’…GO speak unto the House of Israel.’ Again in verse 4, ‘Son of man, GO, get thee unto the House of Israel, and speak with My words unto them.’ NOWHERE in the Bible are JEWS called ‘the House of Israel.’ This term applies ONLY to the TEN-tribe Kingdom of Israel taken into Assyrian captivity more than a hundred years before Ezekiel and the Jews of the House of JUDAH. Nowhere in the book does Ezekiel record his journey from where he was in Babylon to those of the House of Israel who were then in Britain and Western Europe. Nowhere does he record his giving of the message to them. He merely RECEIVED the message. He merely RECORDED IT IN WRITING. There is no reason to think his message was ever delivered to the House of Israel in Ezekiel’s time. The message in fact is dual and is for us at this end-time—and contained a WARNING of things to happen to Britain, America and the other Israelite nations including parts of western Europe NOW in OUR DAY.”

What we should notice very carefully from the foregoing is that Ezekiel, a young Jew, was in captivity in Babylon when he received messages from God to be delivered to the house of Israel and other nations, including the ancient Ammonites (Ezekiel 25:2), Moabites (Ezekiel 25:8), Edomites (Ezekiel 25:12), the Philistines (Ezekiel 25:15), and the people of Tyre (Ezekiel 26:2–3) and Egypt (Ezekiel 29:2)—all a great distance from his location in Babylon. Note, too, that Ezekiel saw visions of impending destruction upon Israel “in the fifth day of the month,” which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity” (Ezekiel 1:1–3). Jehoiachin went into captivity in 596 B.C. The fifth year brings us to about 592 B.C—over 125 years AFTER the removal and captivity of the house of Israel in 721–718 B.C.! Ezekiel, then, was given a future prophetic message for the modern house of ISRAEL, including a message about their future punishment and slavery. This message had been given AFTER the removal and captivity of the ancient house of ISRAEL. The ancient house of Israel had already been punished and gone into captivity. Ezekiel’s prophetic message was never delivered to the ancient house of Israel.

As explained in our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” the modern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are comprised of mainly the English-speaking nations in the world, including the United States of America, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. God has given His end-time Church the commission to proclaim the “Ezekiel warning message” in Ezekiel 3:16–21 to those very peoples! This is a charge that we in God’s Church MUST take seriously! It is part of the gospel message of the Kingdom of God that must be preached before the wonderful world tomorrow can be ushered in (Matthew 24:14). The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, which will be a time of terrible trouble for the modern nations of the houses of Israel AND Judah, as well as the entire world, must first be fulfilled. Notice what Paul told Timothy, “…know this that in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

In Ezekiel 2:3–5 we find this commission from God to His prophet Ezekiel: “…Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

This warning from God, through Ezekiel, was written for OUR day! It MUST BE PROCLAIMED to the people whom God designated. The responsibility to proclaim the message has been passed along to the true Church of God, which is still in existence today. You are reading that message in this booklet.

Watchman for the House of Israel

The prophet Ezekiel is referred to as a “watchman” (Ezekiel 3:17). And since this prophecy is for OUR time, it is, therefore, God’s end-time Church that is to function as “a watchman” or “watchmen.” Notice, for example, Ezekiel 33:7, “So you, son of man, I have made you a WATCHMAN for the HOUSE OF ISRAEL; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.”

Additionally, consider these Scriptures that explain the job of a watchman: “I have set WATCHMEN on your walls, O Jerusalem; THEY shall never hold THEIR peace day or night. You [plural in Hebrew] who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent” (Isaiah 62:6).

“Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, that WATCHERS come from a far country. And raise THEIR voice against the cities of Judah” (Jeremiah 4:16).

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set WATCHMEN over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, you NATIONS, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O EARTH! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded My words nor My law, but rejected it’” (Jeremiah 6:16–19).

God’s Church, then, is to WATCH current events all around us (Matthew 24:42), discerning the times in order to be effective WATCHMEN in God’s service (compare Amos 3:7), warning others of what will surely come to pass. Notice Hosea 5:9: “Ephraim [modern Great Britain] shall be DESOLATE in the day of rebuke; among the TRIBES OF ISRAEL I make known what is sure.” Hosea 7:12 adds, “I will CHASTISE THEM [the people of Ephraim] according to what their congregation HAS HEARD.”

Ezekiel 33:2–6 explains to us WHY God’s Church is to proclaim His warning message: “When I bring the sword upon the land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their WATCHMAN, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet… [and] takes the warning will save his life. But if the WATCHMAN sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the WATCHMAN’S hands.”

God instructs His Church to teach that God’s Kingdom will be established here on this earth, one element of the true Gospel message. (For more information on this subject, please read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”) This assignment includes “blowing the trumpet” and warning of impending disaster. Some will listen and change their ways so that they, too, may ultimately enter the Kingdom. Many others, however, will not heed the message. Still, if God’s Church shrinks back from its God-given responsibility, God will have no pleasure in it (Hebrews 10:37–39).

World War III

God is completely fair in His dealings with men. He will give them time to repent of their sins and false way of life and turn to Him and the true way of life that yields blessings. Failure to heed His warnings and repent will eventually bring on the most destructive time in all of human history—World War III. It will be a time of GLOBAL DESTRUCTION and it is ominously near at hand! As Christ warned: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be [again]. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive], but for the elects’ sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22).

Who are the “elect”? Those whom God has called, chosen and sanctified to be His “firstfruits” (compare Romans 8:23). They will be part of the Kingdom of God, ruling under Christ on this earth (not in heaven) following Christ’s return (Revelation 5:10; 20:6).

A prophesied World War will occur just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. As the prophet Ezekiel warned, “…prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to [them], ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you… You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together (a sign of grief). The third time let the sword do double damage (in punishment)… I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That the heart may melt and many may stumble…’” (Ezekiel 21:2–3, 14–15). God’s warnings are not mere words! They have great force!

God’s servants, His true ministers, must “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob [Israel—as noted, Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel] their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). This is what they are to tell the people: “‘Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the LORD God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” (Ezekiel 18:31–32).

Why? Because God yearns for the modern houses of both Israel and Judah to turn to Him and repent. Speaking of the house of Judah, the house of Israel, and, in fact, all nations, God says through the prophet Jeremiah: “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin… It may be that they will present their supplication before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and fury [a reference to the seven last plagues in the book of Revelation, compare Revelation 15:1] that the LORD has pronounced against this people” (Jeremiah 36:3, 7).


Satan Deceives the Whole World

The cherub Lucifer, now called Satan the devil (“Satan” meaning “adversary”), started today’s evil way of rebellion against God. This created spirit being is described in Scripture in this way: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering…[They were] prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers [over- shadowing and protecting the world prior to the creation of man]; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God… You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created Till iniquity was found in you…You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God…Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground…” (Ezekiel 28:12-17).

The prophet Isaiah confirms: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!… For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven…’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol” (Isaiah 14:12-13, 15).

The Scriptures also report about another spiritual war to occur in the end-time, just prior to Christ’s return: “And war broke out in heaven…and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail… So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and

Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels [demons] were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

How does Satan deceive the whole world? Paul, one of Christ’s apostles, gives us the answer when addressing the former lifestyles of those who had become converted: “…you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

But Paul continued: “…God… made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (verses 4-5).

Satan deceives and influences all of mankind by his spirit of disobedience toward God. Those being called are told to “[r]epent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall re- ceive the gift of the Holy Spirit”— the Spirit of understanding spiritual matters (Acts 2:38). Satan is still on his earthly throne and the true people of God (those called and sanctified by the Holy Spirit) can and must resist him at all times through the help of the Holy Spirit: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7; compare 1 Peter 5:8-9). All of mankind is continually faced with fighting against the wiles of Satan, and in this modern world of loathsome sins, he is manifesting his power of persuasion! But not for much longer!


Blessings and Cursings

Today the birthright blessings that God bestowed on modern Israel because of Abraham’s obedience are being gradually removed from Great Britain and the United States and the other Israelite “birthright” nations of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. There is a reason for this. In the context of blessings for obedience and cursings for disobedience, God told the ancient Israelites, and He is likewise telling the modern-day Israelites: “The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me” (Deuteronomy 28:20).

We cannot avoid noticing the burgeoning tide of wars, sexual perversion, crimes, abortions, hedonistic and homosexual lifestyles, and idolatry. These various forms of evil fill our theaters and TV screens and news reports. God promised vast blessings upon the nation of Israel IF they obeyed Him, and contrasted these blessings with curses for disobedience (compare chapter 28 of the book of Deuteronomy). We are now witnessing the blessings being removed and, as a result, inevitable cursings.

Notice also Leviticus 26:14–20 where God warned the Israelites following their release from slavery in Egypt, giving them specific instructions on how to worship Him. He also told them—as He is telling modern Israel and Judah today—that if they disobeyed Him, they would suffer certain penalties: “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all [My] commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron (hot and without rain) and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.”

God states in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” But to the United States and Great Britain, as well as modern Judah, He says: “For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces… Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodguilt upon him, And return his reproach upon him” (Hosea 8:14; 12:14).

God has been preparing for the prophesied end-time events, “…that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act…for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption [destruction], even determined upon the whole earth” (Isaiah 28:21–22, Authorized Version). The United States and Great Britain, as well as the rest of the world, will not escape, unless they repent of their sins.

On the international level, and being mindful that Biblical prophecy is quite frequently dual in nature, an ancient fulfillment and a modern end-time fulfillment become evident by historic events: “Look among the nations and watch—Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans [originally referring to ancient Babylon, but in modern times, it is referring to the descendants of the Babylonians, which can be found today in Europe], A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful…” (Habakkuk 1:5–7).

The end result of this is explained in Hosea 8:8–10: “Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles… For they have gone up to Assyria [prophetically alluding to modern Germany and other German-speaking nations], Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers. Yes…they have hired among the nations…” This might be a prophetic reference to the temporary present-day relationship between Ephraim—the United Kingdom—and the developing European Union.

We also read that “… the Assyrian shall be his [captor] king, Because they [Israel] refused to repent” (Hosea 11:5). A descendant of ancient Assyria—a modern German-speaking leader—will conquer and rule over Great Britain and the United States. Judah also will fall to them. “Therefore Israel [mainly Manasseh—the United States] and Ephraim [Great Britain] stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them” (Hosea 5:5).

On the national level, in the northern ancient kingdom of Israel, prior to their captivity, the people settled into spiritual demise and a state of apostasy, riddled with sin and idolatry. God spoke to them through His prophet Hosea: “…I will be like a lion to Ephraim [the major tribe of the house of Israel at that time, but since this is a dual prophecy, it refers today to Great Britain], And like a young lion to the house of Judah [the southern kingdom of the house of Judah, today the modern Jewish nation]. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue” (Hosea 5:14). Prophetically national destruction will likewise come upon the modern houses of Israel and Judah in the days ahead if they do not repent of their sins.

On the personal level, God is testing every individual. “Go over what is left of Israel’s vineyard, scan her as a gardener scans twig after twig; is there a man whom I can warn…?” (Jeremiah 6:9–10, Moffatt translation). A twig represents an individual person, as Ezekiel 17:22 explains: “I (the LORD) will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain.”

From these passages we see that God is greatly concerned and occupied with carrying out His master plan. The modern houses of Israel and Judah will most likely reject God’s warning messages, if we judge based on the experience of history, although, if they were to repent, God’s terrible punishment would not have to be carried out. Notice Jeremiah 18:7–8: “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.”

But looking at history, God warned ancient Judah by the prophet Jeremiah over a period of 40 years of their many sins: “…I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen’” (Jeremiah 6:17). The same warning, and likely response, applies to the houses of Judah and Israel today.

The question for you, the reader, is this: Will you personally reject these warnings given by a loving God? Notice Solomon’s blunt assessment: “… he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverb 12:1). God says in Hosea 7:8–11: “Ephraim [Great Britain and the former Commonwealth nations] has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned [a metaphor describing unwise policies, as the NIV commentary points out]. Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the LORD their God, Nor seek Him for all this. Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense—They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria.”

In the context of political idolatry, God says in Hosea 8:9: “Ephraim has hired lovers.” Hosea 7:12 adds: “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.”

The only solution for the nations of Israel and Judah; for the entire world; and for individuals—whatever their heritage, ethnic background, color, race, or religion—is to sincerely and fully repent for their transgressions of God’s way of life. This must include rejection of the customs and norms of this world, if they are in contradiction to God’s standards. The Bible refers to this process of repentance as change or RETURN. We are called upon to RETURN to God whom we have forsaken. If this world repents, then there is hope. If it refuses to repent and to return to God, destruction and desolation WILL come. The Bible leaves no doubt about that.

Chapter 3 – Impending Downfall of Great Britain, the United States and Other English-Speaking Nations

At this point, you might be wondering why God would be so angry with the modern houses of Israel—including Great Britain and the United States—and Judah; that He would ultimately bring them to their knees, literally.

Listen to this indictment from God: “Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend [strive] with the priest. Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother [the whole nation of the modern house of Israel]. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:1–6).

Note what the prophet Isaiah said when he spoke of the house of Israel, both ancient and modern: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your [Israel’s] iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies; Your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity” (Isaiah 59:1–4).

Penalty for Sins

Those in ancient Israel who contended with the priest were sentenced to death. We read in Deuteronomy 17:12: “Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest [today God’s true ministers who rightly teach God’s Law and teach the people to obey God] who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel.” This sentence of death was, and still is, upon the modern houses of Israel and Judah. It even applies to God’s true end-time Church. In Revelation 3:16, Christ condemns those among His Church who are complacent. He says to them: “…because you are lukewarm…, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

How will God’s awesome sentence of death be carried out upon the modern nations of Israel? This is revealed in Ezekiel 5:2 and 6:6: “You [God, compare Ezekiel 5:8] shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter to the wind: I will draw out a sword after them… In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.”

Notice Ezekiel 5:12 and 13: “One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury [God’s seven last plagues mentioned in the book of Revelation] upon them.”

This great siege is described prophetically in Deuteronomy 28:47–48, 52: “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you… They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you.”

Notice the very graphic horror spoken of in verse 53: “You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.” Can you believe that the world will come to such devastation that people will actually be eating their own children in order to stay alive? God says it WILL happen!

About 60 million people live in the British Isles. How can one-third, as Ezekiel 5:12 said, that is, about 20 million die within a short period of time? In addition to famine and disease, Psalm 91:3 refers to modern Israel’s eventual deliverance from “the noisome pestilence” (Authorized Version). Strong’s Concordance (Hebrew #1942) defines the Hebrew word for “noisome” as “rushing, falling, ruin, calamity and very wickedness.” It seems to refer to a disaster from the sky, conceivably from rockets, missiles and bombs, and would most likely include chemical and biological substances. By this means around 20 million—one-third of the nation of Ephraim—will die, in addition to the proportionate deaths of those of the other tribes of the houses of Israel and Judah. Such a horrendous punishment is certainly difficult to contemplate!

Now consider these staggering figures: About 296,530,000 people live in the United States; about 32,508,000 live in Canada; about 19,913,000 live in Australia; almost 4,000,000 live in New Zealand; and almost 43,000,000 people live in South Africa. According to
Biblical prophecy, one third of all of those will die within a short period of time.

But wait, that’s not all!

The next one-third of the people will be struck with the sword [weapons of war], thus another 20 million of the people of the British nation, and also one-third of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will die, presumably by hydrogen or atomic bombs or other weapons exploding onto the modern cities of the United States, Great Britain and other English-speaking nations in the world. So now, we can envisage a very extreme scenario with a full two-thirds of the people DEAD! What happens next?

The final third will be sold as slaves around the world. The Scriptures tell us that “…the LORD will scatter you [the modern houses of Israel and Judah] among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and…you shall find no rest…Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life” (Deuteronomy 28:64–66).

Why will God bring on such terrible punishment? Because of SINS—personal and national sins! Let’s take a look at what some of those specific sins are.

Idolatry

One of the sins about which God is very angry is the sin of idolatry—denying God by replacing the true God with idols, and worshipping the work of our own hands. We commonly tend to think of idolatry as having a statue of some sort and kneeling before it in worship. Although certainly included, idolatry manifests itself in many additional different forms. Idolatry is placing your trust in, or having your mind set on, anything or anyone other than God. It takes the form of worshipping almost anything that we have created. But God told ancient Israel: “Thus says the LORD: ‘…because they (Israel) have forsaken Me and burned incense [succumbed to idolatry] to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched’”
(2 Kings 22:16–17). The message is the same for us today, because God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He does not change.

Sabbath-breaking

Breaking the Sabbath is also a sin! God tells us very clearly in Isaiah 58:13–14: “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; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Notice that the true Sabbath [the time from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset] is equated with the seventh day of the week, Saturday, not with the first day, Sunday (compare Genesis 2:2–3; Ezekiel 20:12–13, 16, 19–20; Mark 2:27–28). Christ NEVER observed Sunday as the true Sabbath. Recognition of Sunday as “the Lord’s Day” has caused mainstream Christianity to SIN! How? By working and/or engaging in pleasure on the true Sabbath day—Saturday, the seventh day—thus BREAKING the Fourth Commandment! By extension, orthodox Christianity has also abolished God’s annual Holy Days, which are also called “Sabbaths” in the Bible, and has replaced them with holidays that are totally rooted in paganism, days which God says we are not to keep! Please read, for more information, our free booklets, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” and “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

Killing

Another sin that God is very angry about, is killing in all of its gruesome forms including killing in war, murder in times of peace and abortions! God tells us in Exodus 20:13 that we are not to murder; that is, we are not to take human life. Only God, the One Who gave us life has the right to take it. This is especially true for the killing of innocent children, born or unborn. Notice 2 Kings 24:3–4: “Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh [an evil King of Judah], according to all that he had done, and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not forgive.”

Punishment for the spilling of innocent blood of unborn children—a viable human being at conception—will be required of our nations. Notice what King David confirms in Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.” God is fully aware of the formation of a human life form from the very moment of conception! Notice also Matthew 1:20, where the angel of the Lord said to Joseph: “…do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” The Bible clearly teaches that a conceived baby is a human being. In this case it was Jesus Christ Himself, following a miraculous conception. Why would God, by using the power of His Holy Spirit, create a non-viable human being? Life begins at the moment of conception; therefore, abortion at any stage of gestational development breaks the Sixth Commandment. A woman’s purported right to do as she pleases with an embryo or a fetus does not negate the sin of murder, whether we agree with that or not! It is God who has put down the law—for our good—so that we can know right from wrong. He hasn’t kept it a secret, but He does give us the choice. We had better be sure that we CHOOSE to do the right thing, from God’s point of view.

There were 181,600 abortions in the United Kingdom in 2003, 80% of which were funded by the NHS (National Health Service), thus directly implicating the government! About 46 million abortions were performed worldwide between the years 1973 and 2000, and about 20 million of these were carried out in “backroom” clinics. In the United States, in the year 2000 alone, there were 1.31 million abortions! In January of 2005 in the United Kingdom, academics were calling for a scrapping of the 24-week limit on legalized abortions. The Pro-Choice Forum argued that this idea was “little short of legalized infanticide,” with babies aborted for CONVENIENCE. How gruesomely true! God instructed Jeremiah to proclaim to Judah: “Behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place, that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle… [for having] filled this place with the blood of the innocents…” (Jeremiah 19:3–4). Are not abortionists guilty of the blood of innocent children? Indeed they are! But, of course, so are those who kill in war; especially when we consider the “casualties” of war, a “nice” description for totally innocent civilians being slaughtered by friend or foe. And included in the innocent tally are the murder victims of such a rampant trend of senseless killings, including genocide, in our generation. For an additional discussion on the subject of killing and abortion, please read our free booklets, “Are You Already Born Again?”, and “Should You Fight in War?”

Sexual Perversion

God hates ALL forms of sexual perversion, including prostitution, sodomy, pedophilia and homosexuality. Notice carefully God’s words: “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel” (Deuteronomy 23:17, Authorized Version). God states emphatically: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an ABOMINATION” (Leviticus 18:22). Contrary to what God has to say about sexual perversion, it is sadly tolerated or even promoted in our present day societies. In fact, those who do condemn the acts of homosexuality are labeled as “homophobic.” Would they dare label God Almighty likewise? The nations of Manasseh and Ephraim have, in effect, sanctioned the “gay” life style, and in a growing number of cases, even within their churches! The education authorities in the United Kingdom recently promoted, and financed, lessons for young students on the gay lifestyle.

But, for a moment, let’s go back to the beginning to get our bearings on the subject. Notice in Genesis 1:27–28: “…God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…’” Two men or two women cannot be fruitful and reproduce in the same manner that a man and a woman can reproduce. Further to that, physical marriage is a figurative pattern—a type—of the spiritual marriage between Christ and His Church. And it is by the means of physical marriage and reproduction that we can understand that God will ultimately add to His own spiritual Family. It is the potential of man to become—through a future resurrection at the return of Christ—a spirit being, a member of the God Family, provided that humans repent of their sins so that they can be forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Does this amaze you? This is precisely why God is so concerned, and so angry, with those nations who promote and succumb to such sexual practices which He labels as “ABOMINABLE!”

Adultery and Fornication

God is also very angry about the sins of adultery and fornication. God commands us in Exodus 20:14: “You shall not commit adultery.” Yet the act of adultery in this modern age is rife—it is prevalent everywhere! Christ expanded the definition of adultery in His Sermon on the Mount. Notice: “You have heard that it was said…‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28). And in verse 32, Christ tells us: “…whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” Notice James 1:14–15, “…each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death (Compare Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”).”

A related sin is that of fornication. While adultery includes at least one married person, fornication involves two unmarried partners. But the principles and consequences apply equally. Paul tells us very clearly: “Flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18).

Sometimes, perhaps far too many times, adultery and fornication can result in either of the people involved contracting a case of HIV and AIDS or other sexually transmissible diseases. Paul tells us in Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Adultery within marriage hurts both partners, their children (if any), and their immediate families. Fornication hurts the future marriage. Notice in Exodus 34:7 God’s warning of the continuing consequences of such “iniquity of the fathers [including sexually transmissible diseases] upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” This is no idle warning! The God-ordained institution of marriage is holy; so much so that, as noted previously, it is used in God’s Word to typify the spiritual relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22–33). [For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families.”]

Man’s whole way of life must change and conform to God’s way of life, such that God left an instruction book for us to understand how to do that. The Ten Commandments are the basis of those instructions. God has not kept it a secret from man. When man deviates or turns his back on God’s instructions, God will punish those involved. In the very near future, Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as the whole world, will eventually be confronted with the need to repent of their evil ways by having experienced a period of 3½ years of utter turmoil, initially brought on by Satan’s wrath. God will allow this to occur to bring about His purpose, but He will ultimately intervene so that they will come to know who He is.

Warning to Judah

God specifically warns modern Judah in no uncertain terms. He says in Hosea 5:10: “The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark [or boundary]; I will pour out wrath on them like water.”

Hosea 5:13 tells us: “When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound [apparently inflicted in a war yet to come], Then Ephraim went to Assyria [inferring the modern German-speaking people] and sent to King Jareb [the future king or leader over the German-speaking people and the United States of Europe]; Yet he cannot cure you nor heal you of your wound.”

The word “Jareb” in Hebrew connotes a fighter, one who is quarrelsome or one who will contend, and he certainly will do just that! This prophecy seems to indicate that Ephraim and Judah are on good terms initially with modern Assyria [German-speaking people]. They even ask them for help, but it won’t come to pass. Soon thereafter, any friendly relationship will soon dissipate, to the utter surprise of many. Today continental Europe enjoys a fairly good relationship with Great Britain and the United States, although recently there has been a degree of political animosity, particularly over the invasion of Iraq and EU farm subsidies. But this semi-cozy relationship will not last, and the whole world will be astonished at the change that will occur!

In view of Judah’s sins, God’s instructions to Judah are these: “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan [Southern Ireland or Denmark] And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim [Great Britain]” (Jeremiah 4:14–15).

God said of ancient Judah through the prophet Jeremiah: “…do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me, for I will not hear you” (Jeremiah 7:16). Also: “So do not pray for this people… I will not hear them” (Jeremiah 11:14). But this was not just an instruction for ancient Judah. The time will come, just prior to the Great Tribulation, when God will utter the same warning for modern Judah: “Do not pray for this people… I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence” (Jeremiah 14:11–12). But note that this time spoken of has not arrived yet, so we are still to pray for modern Judah. God said to Jeremiah in Lamentations 1:9, which is also a prophecy for our times: “…her (Jerusalem’s) collapse was awesome.”

As Ezekiel 23:4–5 says in a parable about two sisters, again in both an historical and a prophetically future sense: “Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria [capital of ancient Israel] is Oholah, and Jerusalem [Judah] is Oholibah. Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine; And she lusted for her lovers, the neighbouring Assyrians.”

Verses 11, 12, 22 and 25 continue: “…although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust [inordinate love] than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry. She lusted for the neighbouring Assyrians, Captains and rulers, Clothed most gorgeously, Horsemen riding on horses, All of them desirable young men… Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the LORD God: ‘Behold I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side… I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.’”

The Coming European Superpower

The United States, Great Britain and the State of Israel in the Middle East will suffer at the hands of the rising superpower which is now developing in Europe. Scripture identifies the superpower as the prophesied seventh and last revival of the Holy Roman Empire in the form of ten nations or groups of nations. Europe will be led by an Assyrian king (“King Jareb”), that is, by a powerful German-speaking leader. God will use Europe and especially the modern Assyrian “king” to punish modern Israel and Judah for their spiritual treachery toward Him. Hosea 6:7 states: “… they (Ephraim and the modern house of Israel, as well as modern Judah, compare verse 4) transgressed the covenant…they dealt treacherously with Me.” Notice, too, Hosea 8:7: “They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind.”

God prophesies through Hosea: “As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird…Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left…when I depart from them!” (Hosea 9:11–12, Authorized Version). As Hosea 9:17 prophesies: “My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they [modern Ephraim, verse 16] shall be wanderers among the nations” (Authorized Version).

As if to emphasize God’s wrath for the sins of modern Israel and Judah, let us prayerfully and soberly consider what will happen to Israel’s lands and cities. God warned His prophet Jeremiah that for ancient Israel’s sins their lands and cities would be “waste”: “…His cities are burned, without inhabitant” (Jeremiah 2:15). Again God warned Judah that they are “wasted and desolate” (Jeremiah 44:6). And this will happen again to modern Israel and Judah. Note God’s anger against Jerusalem: “…In the day of the LORD’S anger There was no refugee or survivor,” or as the Authorized Version reads, “… none escaped nor remained [in the land]” (Lamentations 2:22).

In light of Manasseh’s (America’s) current superpower status and their close relationship with Ephraim (UK), will there be any retaliation against the rising end-time European superpower by the United States and Great Britain? The answer is, No. Modern Israel won’t be in a position to retaliate. In the context of the ancient Babylonian conquest of Israel, God gave Ezekiel a vision for the future—for our days: “…the vision [of what is to happen] concerns the whole multitude, And it shall not turn back; No one will strengthen himself Who lives in iniquity. They have blown the trumpet [for war] and made everyone ready [for war], But no one goes to battle; For My wrath is on all their [Israel’s] multitude” (Ezekiel 7:13–14). God will thwart any attempts of the modern house of Israel to retaliate.

The end result for those who proclaim God’s warnings will make it all worthwhile since God WILL accomplish His purpose: “How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7).

Modern Ezekiel

Who is charged by God to proclaim this message of warning and the physical and spiritual salvation to come, including deliverance from a future physical captivity? God’s true Church—the modern Ezekiel—is prophesied to bring, and NOW IS bringing this vital message directly to you, the reader. God says of His Church in Revelation 3:8, 11: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you… have kept My word and have not denied My name… Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

Hosea 9:8 (NIV) adds the following thoughts about the end-time Work of God’s Church: “The prophet, along with my God, is the WATCHMAN over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.”

In this context, it should be noted that the true Church of God, to which, in part, these warnings are addressed, is a spiritual organism, comprised of all baptized members who have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, after genuine repentance and faith in Christ and His Sacrifice, through the laying on of hands by a true minister of God (compare Romans 8:9).

Take note that those of God’s true servants who do this work of warning the nations won’t have an easy job. Both those who proclaim the kingdom of God and those who diligently support them in this task, will encounter snares and hostility, even in “the house of God”—the Church. We are also told that God’s true disciples will be protected at a place of safety during the 3½ years of the Great Tribulation. For God says: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10). And again: “But the woman [the Church of God] was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time [3½ years], from the presence of the serpent [Satan]” (Revelation 12:14).

Chapter 4 – The Return of Jesus Christ to this Earth to Save All of Israel

God Extends His Mercy When Israel Repents

We read in Hebrews 12:7: “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” Ultimately, those few of the modern nations of Israel and Judah who survive the terrible punishment of God (first by allowing Satan to torment them, and then through God directly) will repent and change! In this context, note God’s promise to restore to Israel the blessings and the birthright. God’s servant Hosea prophesied for modern Israel: “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’” (Hosea 14:8)

He also wrote that repentant Israel will say in the future: “…Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods…’ [And God will answer:] ‘I will heal their (Israel’s) backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him’” (Hosea 14:3–4).

At that time, the way of salvation will be opened and the blessings of Israel’s birthright will be restored. As Scripture says: “His [Israel’s, including Ephraim’s] branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like the vine…” (Hosea 14:6–7).

The Scriptures promise that the modern house of Israel will say: “For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). And again: “For thus says the LORD: ‘Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, “O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!” Behold, I will bring them from the North country [north and northwest of Jerusalem where they are going to be held captive], And gather them from the ends of the earth…For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn’” (Jeremiah 31:7–9).

Once the modern nations of Israel and Judah repent of their whole wrong way of life, as the great city of Nineveh did at the preaching of Jonah, they will be saved out of the awful punishment that will come upon them, the worst punishment in all of human history! Note the story of Nineveh: “…Jonah began to enter the city…Then he cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ So the people of Nineveh believed God…from the greatest to the least of them…Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:4–5, 10). God is a merciful God, but to receive that mercy, Israel needs genuinely to repent of their sins.

God does not change. God said to the nations of ancient Israel, and He is saying the same thing to us today: “For I am the LORD, I do not change…” (Malachi 3:6). God will bless the modern-day Israelite nations when they sincerely repent. Sadly, though, it appears they will repent only after they have first been severely punished by God. God says: “I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph [the father of the birthright tribes of Israel]…” (Zechariah 10:6). Although it is highly unlikely that these nations will repent prior to their great punishment—beginning with the Great Tribulation—you, as an individual, can and should repent prior to that terrible time. Once they are in captivity, they will repent, and God has promised that He will eventually bring modern Israel and Judah back into the Promised Land, extending His great mercy to them. Verse 6 continues: “… They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the LORD their God, And I will hear them.”

God will do this for His great name’s sake. In the context of Israel returning to the LORD, we read in the book of Ezekiel: “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes… Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations’” (Ezekiel 36:22–23, 31).

Those from the modern houses of Israel and Judah shall say in their state of desolation and slavery: “Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth” (Hosea 6:1–3).

Jeremiah, once again, prophesies in a letter to Israelite exiles, pointing out that God will say to the nations and peoples of the modern houses of Israel and Judah: “…I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive” (Jeremiah 29:11–14).

Here is yet another prophecy by Jeremiah for Israel’s future: “… I will bring them back to this place (the Holy Land)… And I will make an everlasting covenant with them… I will put fear in their hearts SO THAT they will not depart from Me” (Jeremiah 32:37, 40).

Isaiah 54:10: “‘For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you (Israel), nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has mercy on you.’”

On this great day of Israel’s restoration, Zechariah prophesied: “Behold, the day of the LORD is coming…And in that day His (Christ’s) feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two…And the LORD shall be King over all the earth…The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited” (Zechariah 14:1, 4, 9, 11).

Of Ephraim God passionately asks the question: “Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore, My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:20).


Restoration and Rulership in the Millennium

When Christ returns to this earth in a few years from now, He will not only free modern Israel and Judah from captivity and bring them back into the Promised Land, but He will also give possession of this earth and rulership over this earth to those who qualified in this life for such a tremendous task. Notice the following examples from Scripture:

Psalm 37:9–11: “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more… But the meek [who are of a humble, obedient nature] shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Compare Matthew 5:5).

Revelation 5:9–10: “For You [Christ] were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Daniel 7:27: “Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

Revelation 20:4–5: “… then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… This is the first resurrection…”

When Christ’s rule over this earth begins at His Second Coming, and those who have qualified in this life to rule with and under Him, modern Israel and Judah, as well as all nations, will want to learn God’s Way and live under His government:

Isaiah 2:2–4: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain [government] of the LORD’S house Shall be established on top of the mountains [above all governments], And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And shall rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Following the initial 1,000-year time period of Christ’s rule on this earth, a new Jerusalem will ultimately become the universal headquarters of God the Father and Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:1–6). Notice verse 4 in particular: “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.” What a joyful thought! These blessings are for the righteous—those who repent of their sins and overcome them, and those who joyfully obey God and apply His way of life. In contrast, note carefully Revelation 21:8: “But the cowardly, 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.” These people will be dead permanently—forever—without consciousness, not burning consciously forever in a hell fire. They will have ceased to exist, never again to be resurrected! Think about it! Is that where you want to end up?

To the righteous God says: “… he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still… Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:11, 14).


And again by the prophet Hosea, God says: “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? …My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred… I will not again destroy Ephraim… They shall walk after the LORD…” (Hosea 11:8–10).

Notice the following Scriptures that give hope for the future of Israel and the whole world after the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, when Jesus Christ returns to restore a very devastated earth and disheartened peoples.

Jeremiah 46:27–28: “‘But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid. Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,’ says the LORD. ‘For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you… I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.’”

Jeremiah 50:6, 20: “‘My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place… In those days and in that time,’ says the LORD, ‘The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found, For I will pardon those whom I preserve.’”

Jeremiah 33:7–9, 14: “‘And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear of all the good I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it… Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.”

Joel 3:20: “…Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.”

You have now read how Biblical prophecies have manifested themselves through the pages of history. Therefore, no valid reason exists to doubt that the end-times prophecies pertaining to the years just ahead of us, will also be fulfilled, exactly as foretold in Scripture.

Jesus Christ will return to earth and rescue the house of Israel and the house of Judah, as well as all mankind, from an otherwise complete annihilation. Christ said that if He were not to return, no flesh would be saved alive (Matthew 24:22). But just before His return, God will protect 144,000 of the tribes of the children of Israel from His wrath (compare Revelation 6:17; 7:1-8). This is the beginning of the promise that God made to Israel through Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Right now, the modern nations of Israel and Judah, have “not attained to the law of righteousness” (Romans 9:31). They are described today as “a disobedient and contrary people” (Romans 10:21). But Paul tells us that “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:2). “For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” (verse 32). “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away the ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins’” (verses 26–27).

God forgives upon repentance. As a nation, Israel will not repent, it seems, until they have been severely punished. But these things don’t have to happen to you. With so much encouragement to repent of sins, can you afford to ignore these warnings?

God asks: “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Can the nations of Israel—can the world itself—walk with God if they do not agree with God’s ways? Christ tells us in Luke 21:36: “WATCH therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

God tells us what to watch. We are to watch events, which are surely coming to pass. But notice: “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets… The LORD GOD has spoken! Who [of God’s true servants] can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7–8).

For further vital information on this subject, please request our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

You, the reader, have been warned! You are called upon to DO something with this warning! We urge you to CHOOSE to do the right thing—to turn to God and repent.

Letter to the Brethren – December 13, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

We have come once again to that time of year when we hear those most familiar words, “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Leaders of the free world continually speak of this ideal of peace between nations. And yet, it seems whatever course these well meaning leaders take in this regard, peace continues to elude them.

As we examine the conditions in the world, between men and between nations, we find conflict, we find turmoil, and we find a world devoid of the peace which is so keenly desired. But why is that? Why does peace continually elude the nations of the world; with so much effort being put forth in the form of negotiations between nations, and with the religious leaders in much of the world speaking continually of peace? Why is the reality so far removed from the ideal?

This particular time of year (the time of Christmas, which is a time when many who do not understand its origins use this occasion to exchange gifts among themselves), the idea of peace seems to be even more prevalent in the minds of men. And yet, this season always seems to be one of the most chaotic, especially in the homes of many who participate in this annual event.

Of course, this quote from the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible states that there was …a multitude of the ‘heavenly’ host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13-14). This Scripture has long been the concept upon which this festival is purportedly kept, but historically, this event did not take place anywhere near December 25. And yet, so many of the practices of this festival are in direct conflict with the concept of peace, as is taught in the Holy Scriptures!

For a more complete understanding of what is wrong with the keeping of this festival, and why God reveals in His Holy Word we are not to participate in such activities, be sure to read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.” The Biblical revelation of why God tells us to avoid such observances is thoroughly explained in the booklet. But what, then, is this heavenly host proclaiming to these shepherds, as they were tending their flocks on that very eventful, autumn night some two thousand years ago?

The Amplified Bible more correctly translates this Scripture (Luke 2:14), as follows: “Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well- pleased, men of good will, of His favor.”

The Living Bible quotes the Scripture in a similar fashion: “Glory to God in the highest heaven …and peace on earth for all those pleasing him.”

The Ryrie Study Bible notes that this phrase, “good will toward men,” would more accurately be translated, “among men with whom He is pleased.” Ryrie goes further to say that “The peace promised is not given universally to men who possess good will toward God but individually to men who are the recipients of His favor and grace.”

Adam Clark’s “Commentary on the holy bible” states, in reference to this passage which reads “Peace, good will toward men,” that “Men are in a state of hostility with Heaven and with each other. The carnal mind is enmity against God. He who sins wars against his Maker. When men become reconciled to God, through the death of His Son, they love one another. They have peace with God, peace in their own consciences, and peace with their neighbors; good will dwells among them, speaks in them, and works by them.”

In fact, while the world proclaims Christmas, a pagan holiday observed in defiance of Almighty God, as a time of peace, we have come to understand that the observance of this holiday brings with that observance hostility, and promotes concepts which are many times totally contrary to the way of peace. Jesus Christ, the One Whom this holiday purports to honor in the name of peace, states in the book of Matthew, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-inlaw against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34- 36). At the time of Christ’s First Coming, He did not bring universal peace to this world. One of the purposes for His coming was to establish His Church, calling some out of this world to acquire and develop a different mindset. Christ predicted that this would cause conflict with those not called by God. But how does one receive favor and grace from Almighty God? One must learn the way to peace! Notice, from the book of Isaiah: “Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace” (Isaiah 59:7-8).

And from the book of Jeremiah: “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, “Peace, peace!” When there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:13-14). Ezekiel prophesies for the end-time: “Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there shall be none” (Ezekiel 7:25). But why is this? God tells us that man does not know the way to peace. The reason is, of course, they reject the Way of God. This festival of Christmas is an example. While men keep these pagan festivals in direct rebellion to the command of God, they also refuse to keep His Festivals, which He requires. (For more information as to what Festivals to keep, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”) They observe Sunday worship, but refuse to keep God’s Sabbath. They are selective as to which of God’s commands they will keep and how they will attempt to obey Him in their own selective ways.

David asks the question in Psalm 34: ìWho is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue itî (Psalm 34:12-14).

David continues in Psalm 37: “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:9-11). And, again, David states in Psalm 119:165: “Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.” As God’s law continues to come into David’s mind, he states: “LORD, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments. My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly. I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You” (Psalm 119:166-168).

Of course we see in these words why God referred to David as a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). The Scripture tells us in Proverbs 14: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). This way which the world has accepted and followed is Satan’s way and this is presently Satan’s world; but the ways of Satan must be rejected!

Such action, of course, requires God’s intervention, with the individual life as well as with this world. For the world to come in line with God’s Way He will have to intervene powerfully to end Satan’s hold on the earth. But the good news is that God intends to do just that! In fact, if He did not intervene at just the right time, all life would cease on the earth.

Note Christ’s words in Matthew 24: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).

Christ did not come to this earth two thousand years ago to bring peace on the earth. He came in the flesh to live a perfect life for our example; He came to defeat the ruler of this world, Satan the devil; and He came to qualify as our Savior! But when He returns, He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), and He will establish perfect rulership on the earth, which will embrace God’s Way of life, with perfect peace forevermore! (Compare Micah 4:3-5).

In Christian love,

J. Edwin Pope

Tithing – Today?

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Introduction

MONEY—a sensitive subject for many people. Those who have money, don’t want to part with it. Those who don’t have it, long for it. Yet from the time of man’s creation on this earth, God has given instructions on tithing—paying ten percent of our income to God who gave it in the first place.

But what about today? Is tithing important? Does it make a difference to God whether we tithe or not? If so, where do we send our tithes? In this booklet we will explore the Biblical teaching on tithing in order to fully understand what relevance it has for us today.

What Is Tithing?

Tithing—the practice of giving or paying ten percent to God—is an ancient concept that is well-known to both pagans and worshippers of the true God. The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1959, Vol. 22, points out, on page 252: “Tithes, a form of tribute consisting of a tenth of a man’s property or produce, connected politically with taxation, and religiously with the offering of first fruits to deity. This custom was almost universal in the ancient world, and can be traced in Babylonia, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Rome and even in China.”

The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, edited by James Hastings, 1921, Vol. 12, elaborates on page 350: “Many nations and tribes, if not nearly all, have had the custom of setting apart a portion of their goods for the gods; and when, as was sometimes the case, the king or chief was a sort of god, he took his share by compulsion… The Pelasgians are said by Stephanus to have offered the tithe, which in later days they dedicated at Delphi.”

The same work explains on page 347: “Tithes are connected… religiously with offerings of firstfruits… In Babylon… its use is found in the time of Nebuchadnezzar II…”

Tithing has also been taught, of course, throughout the Bible. Although no Biblical scholar questions that tithing is Biblical, many claim that the tithing LAW was only instituted at the time of Moses, and that it was abolished at the time of Christ.

Is this true?

Many people who have learned that tithing is still valid for us today, and who have begun to tithe, have noticed inexplicable financial, physical and spiritual blessings in their lives. This is because God promises physical and spiritual blessings if one is obedient to Him, and that includes obedience to His command to tithe. Why, then, would God deprive man of this BLESSING by abolishing the tithing law with Christ’s death? After all, Christ did say that He came so that man could live even more abundantly (compare John 10:10).

It is reported of John D. Rockefeller that he began to tithe at the age of eight. Mr. Colgate, who produced and distributed Colgate toothpaste, also began to tithe as a little boy. We are not saying, of course, that everyone who tithes will become a multimillionaire, but we are reporting the fact that these multimillionaires began to tithe at a very early age.

Again, we ask—Why would God do away with tithing, if it is a law that is meant to bless man?

Tithing Before Moses

Biblical scholars recognize that righteous men practiced tithing long before Moses. Many so-called scholars claim, however, that those men individually and independently came up with the idea of tithing on their own as a means of worshipping God, or that they did it voluntarily, without being under any obligation from God to do so. This, however, distorts and stretches the Biblical account.

One of the ancients who honored God with tithing was righteous Abraham. We are told that Abraham gave a tithe of his income to the high priest, Melchizedek. We read in Genesis 14:20 that Abraham gave him “a tithe [or one-tenth] of all.” In the book of Hebrews, it is again mentioned that Abraham gave Melchizedek “a tenth of the spoils” (Hebrews 7:4).

In passing, some teach today that tithing only relates to agricultural products and farm produce of livestock, while excluding all other forms of income; i.e., wages, income from a business or investments. Through- out the pages of this booklet we will refute this concept. We may also state that such a teaching can have the result of doing away with tith- ing in most cases. We may want to ask the question: WHY would some- one want to teach this? What is their motive?

In any event, we read that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of “all” and a tenth of the “spoils.” Notice that the spoils included “all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all of their provisions” (Genesis 14:11). Abraham said later that those goods even included “a thread to a sandal strap” (verse 23). Clearly, the tithe of these goods was not limited to just agricultural and farm produce.

So then, why did Abraham give the high priest the tithe? Had Abraham done it before, or was this the first time? And if it was the first time, how did this thought enter his mind?

The context of both passages in Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 shows that Abraham practiced tithing as a way of life. We read that Abraham kept God’s “charge.” We also find this statement from God Himself regarding Abraham, that “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). In other words, Abraham was OBEDIENT TO GOD IN EVERYTHING, and that included tithing in accordance with God’s instructions.

We also read of the patriarch, Jacob, who became obedient to God’s instructions on tithing, as well. When he fled for his life from his brother Esau, God appeared to him in a dream. When Jacob awoke, he made a vow, stating, “… of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth [or tithe] to You” (Genesis 28:22).

Note that Jacob did not limit God’s tithe to just agricultural or farm produce. Rather, he said: “… of ALL that You give me I will give a tenth to You.” The principle should be clear—God’s tithe refers to ALL the increase.

Again, how did Jacob know that God required this of him? The obvious answer is that Abraham, his grandfather, and Isaac, his father, had taught him. However, Jacob had not yet begun to tithe, because he had not yet accepted God as his God. Rather, he said, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, THEN the Lord shall be my God” (Genesis 28:20–21).

It has been said that Jacob’s vow was not conditional, but that he made a commitment in Bethel to faithfully depend on God. This is, however, not the meaning of the Scripture. The Hebrew is very clear that Jacob wanted PROOF first that God would be with him, BEFORE he was willing to commit to Him and to tithe to Him. Jacob said: “IF God is with me…” He did not say: “Since God is with me,” or, “Because God is with me…” The Interlinear Bible renders verses 20–22 in this way: “‘If God is with me… and I return in peace to the house of my father, THEN Jehovah SHALL BECOME my God… and all which You shall give me, I will tithe the tenth to You.’”

Jacob did what so many people do today. Rather than tithing and reaping the benefits that flow from it, he wanted the benefits first! He wanted PROOF that God would bless him BEFORE he made a com- mitment! But God says, in effect, in Malachi 3:8–10, you tithe to Me, as you should, and THEN will I open for you the windows of heaven.

Jacob had to serve his deceitful uncle Laban for fourteen years, amidst fraud and suffering, before he became wealthy. If he had diligently obeyed God earlier in his life, perhaps things would have worked out better for him.

Tithing Since Moses

Most Bible students know the tithing law, as codified in writing at the time of Moses. But, as we saw, this does not mean that it came into existence at that time; rather, at the time of Moses, it was reduced to the written word. We also find that God gave, at that time, the administration of the tithe to the Levites. Prior to Moses, the tithe was apparently given to the high priest Melchizedek. But God made it clear throughout that the tithe BELONGED to Him, not the Levites. To not tithe always meant—and still means—to WITHHOLD FROM GOD WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY HIS!

God says in Leviticus 27:30, 32: “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S. It is holy to the LORD… And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.”

The Levites received the tithe as compensation for their work for God, but they themselves had to tithe from their reward. Numbers 18:21, 24, 26, 28, 30–31 explains: “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting… For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance… Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe… Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel…’ Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward [margin, wages] for your work in the tabernacle of meeting.’”

God’s tithing law was to be obeyed by the Israelites throughout their generations, but in time, they refused to obey it, just as they refused to obey many of God’s other laws. In due time, the nations of Israel and Judah were defeated by their enemies and were taken into slavery. Many from the house of Judah returned to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. They knew WHY God had allowed them to be sold into slavery, and so they made a covenant with God to pledge their obedience.

Nehemiah records this in chapter 10, verse 35–39: “And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; to bring the firstborn of our sons [note again, this is not limiting God’s tithe to agricultural or farm produce] and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.”

We read in Nehemiah 13:12 that Judah obeyed the tithing law, which had also been made a part of their covenant with God: “Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.”

The Tithing Law—Still in Effect Today!

The nation of Judah had come to realize that their violation of God’s command to tithe was part of the reason why they had gone into slavery. They had been WARNED by God’s prophets not to violate God’s commandments, but they had not listened! Even after their return, they had become lax and indifferent regarding God’s commandments, including the instruction to faithfully tithe.

Malachi, a prophet who was active around that time, told them that they were CURSED for disobeying God in that respect! God inspired him to record His stirring warning in Malachi 3:8–10: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.’”

The Jews understood, coming out of Babylonian captivity, that they had to obey God’s tithing law. But God’s warning in the book of Malachi was not written just to ancient Judah. It is a challenge for us today! Although recorded in the Old Testament, the statement refers equally, if not more so, to God’s New Testament Church, as well as to all of mankind just prior to Christ’s return. This is made clear, for example, in 1 Corinthians 10:11: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”The entire context of the book of Malachi has to do with OUR immediate future!

For instance, we read in Malachi 4:1–4: “‘For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments.’”

This is a challenge God extends to us today! Malachi’s prophecies apply to us today AND to our immediate future! The Law of Moses—with its statutes and judgments—includes God’s law to tithe. God says to remember this and to cease from robbing Him—cease neglecting to tithe to Him His HOLY tithe! To those who obey Him, God says in Malachi 3:17: “‘They shall be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.’”

Jesus Christ confirmed that the tithing law was still in effect at the time of His first coming. While emphasizing that tithing is not an end in itself, He nevertheless endorsed its validity: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).

Note that Christ talked about “paying” tithes, even confirming that this OUGHT TO BE DONE! Some say that Christ did away with the law of tithing when He died. They support their claim by referring to the seventh chapter of the book of Hebrews. They misunderstand, however, what this passage tells us.

Let’s read Hebrews 7:5 and understand what it says: “And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law.”

The law referred to here is the law of the Levites—that portion of the laws of God that regulates the collection of tithes through the Levites. Note how that portion of God’s laws is referred to in Nehemiah 12:44: “And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites.” The Levites had been given the right, from God, to collect the tithes. God had issued a specific law to grant them such responsibility.

But, some might ask: Wasn’t there a change in the law?

Back in Hebrews 7, let’s continue in verses 11–12: “Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change in the law.”

The law that was changed had to do with the Levitical priesthood. It is referred to as “the law of a fleshly commandment” (Hebrews 7:16), as the Levites were human beings—flesh and blood. That portion of the entirety of God’s laws giving authority to the Levites to collect tithes was “annulled,” as we read in verse 18, “because of its weakness and unprofitableness.” The Levites were weak by reason of human nature. The law that gave them the right to collect tithes “made nothing perfect” (verse 19). But the “change of that law for the Levites” did not do away with the commandment to pay tithes—it had only to do with who has the right and responsibility today to collect tithes from God’s people.

The tithing law was, in fact, in existence long before the law was given to the Levites to collect those tithes. Notice Hebrews 7:9–10: “Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.” We read about this incident in Genesis 14:20, where Abraham gave Melchizedek “a tithe of all.” Remember that Abraham did not pay tithe only from agricultural or farm produce.

God’s people, we see, paid a tithe of their income long before there were Levites to collect the tithes. And today, it is no longer the Levites who have the responsibility to collect God’s tithes. This right has now been given to “another priest” who arose “according to the order of Melchizedek”—Jesus Christ.

He is the everlasting High Priest who collects the tithes today, just as He did prior to the Levites. We read in Hebrews 7:4–8: “Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed, those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.”

Notice, too, Hebrews 7:28: “For the law [regulating the collection of tithes through the Levites] appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath, which came after the law [pertaining to the Levites], appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”

Christ, who is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (verse 17), was none other than Melchizedek Himself. Melchizedek is described as the “‘king of peace,’ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remain[ing] a priest continually” (verses 2–3). It is said about Melchizedek that he “receives them [tithes], of whom it is witnessed that he LIVES” (verse 8).

The ONLY human who has been resurrected from death to ETERNAL LIFE is Jesus Christ. We read that David is still dead and buried and that he did not go to heaven (Acts 2:29, 34; 13:36). None of the righteous have received the promise of eternal life (compare Hebrews 11:39–40). They are still dead, waiting for the resurrection from the dead at the time of Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 15:50–55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Note, too, that Paul shows the greatness of Melchizedek, or Christ, as being ALIVE, by comparing Him with the mortal Levites, who are dead (Hebrews 7:8).

This means, then, that Melchizedek and Jesus Christ are one and the same person! We read that Melchizedek was without beginning—and so was Christ, the Eternal One, about whom we read: “In the beginning was the WORD [the Spokesman], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Christ IS the Beginning or the Beginner (Revelation 1:8). There was never a time when He did not exist! We also read that Melchizedek LIVES—and so does Christ. We read Christ’s own words in Revelation 1:18: “I am He who lives.”

Before God gave His holy tithe to the Levites, to be collected by them, He Himself, through the person of Melchizedek or Jesus Christ, the Son of God, collected the tithe (for instance, from Abraham). We are told, in the book of Hebrews, that with Christ’s death and resurrection, a change in the ADMINISTRATION of the tithing obligation occurred. As it was prior to Moses, so it is today: God’s tithe, holy to Him, is to be paid directly to Christ. But how can we do it? Since Christ is in heaven, how are we to pay HIM, DIRECTLY, God’s tithe?

To Whom Do We Pay God’s Tithe?

The answer is made clear by the Scriptures. Christ is ALIVE IN HIS BODY, the Church. We read that Christ is the “head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18). Again, Paul said that he was suffering “for the sake of His [Christ’s] body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).

We read in Ephesians 4:11–16 that Christ gave Himself for the body, His Church, and that He gave to His body the ministry. The ministry is to teach, guide and direct, so that ultimately “we should no longer be children, 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—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (verses 14–16).

Today, God’s true ministers who are upholding and forcefully and boldly teaching God’s LAW, are in the same position that the Levites were, in Old Testament times, and these ministers, as spiritual Levites, are to be “rewarded” (compare Numbers 18:31) through tithes and offerings. Notice 1 Corinthians 9:13–14: “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”

Paul’s words are very clear: Financial support for the preaching of the gospel is an actual command of Christ Himself! Christ minced no words when He sent out His disciples to proclaim the gospel. He instructed them in Luke 10:3–9: “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals… But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, FOR THE LABORER IS WORTHY OF HIS WAGES… Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

Support of God’s true and faithful ministry—through tithes and offerings—is an ongoing and binding command, and those who claim to follow Christ must do what He tells them to do (compare Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21–23).

Paul said very clearly in 1 Timothy 5:17–18 (Living Bible): “Pastors who do their work well should be paid well and should be highly appreciated, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scriptures say, ‘Never tie up the mouth of an ox when it is treading out the grain—let him eat as he goes along!’ And in another place, ‘Those who work deserve their pay!’”

And once we have paid God’s tithe, our duty in that regard ceases! It is not up to us to determine whether the donated money is to be used in exactly the way that we would use it. If God’s ministers make a wrong judgment call, they will have to give account for it to God, as it is His tithe. God’s true ministers would, of course, never defraud people or misuse contributions in a way that would constitute inappropriate or even criminal conduct.

Yes, we are still duty-bound today to pay tithes; otherwise, we are robbing God and are under a curse. And since it is God’s tithe, and since we OWE it to God, we must pay it, even if we are also indebted to others. God must always come first in our lives! And one way we show that to God is by faithfully tithing to Him. This requires faith—faith that we can do what God requires of us. With God, all things are possible, and without faith, we cannot even please God (compare Hebrews 11:6). At the same time, “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (same verse).

Today, it is no longer the Levites who are to collect the tithes. That part of the law was changed, but the tithing LAW was not abolished! It is now Christ—through His Church—who has the responsibility of collecting God’s tithes.

We don’t want to be found guilty of robbing God, do we? The priest Eli once asked a very poignant question that we can apply to our ongoing duty of paying God’s tithe to Him. Eli warned his sons to cease eating those portions of the offerings that were to be given to God (compare 1 Samuel 2:12–17). We read in 1 Samuel 2:25: “If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?”

So we see that our tithing obligation is not a light matter in God’s eyes. God thunders at us: “You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me”!


God’s Tithes Belong to Him!

We are all aware that April 15 in the United States is income tax day. It is time to settle with Uncle Sam for another year. Of course, it is relatively painless for the majority of taxpayers with the establishment of the current withholding system to collect taxes at the time a person gets paid, thus transferring a good part of the burden of the collection effort to the employers in this country.

God also has a system for the collection of funds due to Him to be used in carrying out His work on the earth. He calls that system tithing. The big difference in the two systems is that God focuses on the honor of the individual, thus allowing the person to individually pay the funds due Him.

What many do not consider is that the obligation to pay God’s tithes is just as binding under God’s system, if not more so, as the obligation to pay the government for taxes due. Most people today are not even aware that they are duty-bound to such an obligation. But those called of God have been apprised of the truth in this matter. Still, many have begun looking for any, and every, reason not to pay God’s tithes. This is a serious error!

Christ tells us in Luke 20:25 to “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

God told Adam, in the Garden of Eden, that he was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest he die (Genesis 2:16–17). He and his wife chose to go contrary to that command and established a pattern, leading to death for all of mankind.

Today, God raises the question in Malachi 3:8: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me.” When asked the question, “In what way have we robbed You?”, the answer comes back: “In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, even this whole nation” (verse 9).


To Whom Do We Tithe—Exactly?

The tithe belongs to God. But it is clear that we cannot go to heaven to place God’s tithe in front of His heavenly altar. God has decreed that in the time period prior to Christ’s return, His tithe is to be paid to His Church, for the dual purposes of proclaiming the gospel in all the world as a witness, and of feeding or taking care of the flock, the members. God’s Church is a spiritual organism, consisting of all those Church members in whom God’s Holy Spirit dwells. However, in order to be able to properly fulfill its commission and responsibilities in this world and in this age, the Church needs to be humanly organized. It must be able to work through humans in an organized manner.

Not every human organization is part of the true Church—the spiritual body of Christ—regardless of their claim to be so. This means, then, that God’s tithe is not to be paid to organizations that falsely claim to be part of the Church of God. God has decreed that His tithe is to be paid to HIS Church today, not to an impostor!

Christ told us that by their fruits we can determine whether or not ministers are of God (compare Matthew 7:15–20). The same can be said about human organizations, entities or corporations, which claim that they belong to, or even comprise the entirety of, the Church of God.

God’s true Church today will still bear the correct name (“Church of God,” or a name in which the words “Church of God” appear), as in early New Testament times, but that alone is not a sufficient basis to determine the true identity of the particular organization(s). It is equally important to evaluate the doctrines and teachings of the church organization(s).

God’s true ministers will teach the ongoing validity of God’s commandments, statutes and judgments. They will teach the difference between right and wrong, holy and profane (Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23–24). They will teach, for example: the necessity to keep HOLY the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days; to uphold God’s dietary laws; and to tithe faithfully, because these are things that are holy to God. At the same time, God’s Church will not compromise with the true worship of God by introducing or incorporating pagan festivals and holidays. This means that the true Church of God will not celebrate Sunday as the weekly day of worship, nor will it observe such holidays as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentine’s Day, as those are all clearly derived from paganism. The Church of God will also teach against participation in war, as this constitutes a violation of God’s commandment against murder. How many churches in this world do you know that actually teach ALL of these things?

Further, God’s true Church will teach the correct understanding of the nature of God the Father AND Jesus Christ—two separate beings—explaining how the Holy Spirit is not a third personage at all, but is the power emanating from both the Father and the Son! God’s Church teaches that it is only through Jesus Christ that one can be saved, and that baptism, as an adult, is a necessary prerequisite.

There are also other important teachings that you will hear from the true Church of God. Our Statement of Beliefs gives additional information regarding those critical AND salvational issues. For instance, since God’s Holy Spirit is a spirit of prophecy (compare Revelation 19:10), God’s true Church will have a good understanding as to what is going to happen in the near future, as revealed in the Bible and through God’s Holy Spirit working through the Church (compare John 16:13). It will reject unfounded speculations and human imaginations! And most importantly, God’s true Church will be active in proclaiming the true gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness (presently facilitated by the invention of the printing press and the technology of the Internet). The true Church will also take care of those whom God has added to the fold, by counseling and correctly explaining God’s Word, thereby encouraging God’s people to be faithful to the truth by applying it in their personal lives as they move forward in their conversion, with the ultimate goal of being in the Kingdom of God.

This nation is cursed because, among other things, it has failed God in the payment of His tithes and free-will offerings. But even more critical, many in God’s Church today, are suffering from this same curse, because of disobedience. Let us not be guilty of committing this sin against our Creator!

Again, we ask: How many organizations do you know that meet ALL of these requirements?

But, one might say: Although this disqualifies many organizations that keep Sunday and Christmas and other holidays instead of the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, there are still many organizations out there that seem to meet all of the requirements that we list in this booklet. It is therefore immaterial as to which of those many organizations we send God’s tithe, as long as we do tithe, right?

Not really!

Of course, it is true that we need to go “somewhere,” and that we must pay God’s tithe to “someone.” You are not to “pay” God’s tithe to yourself; nor to store it away.

At the time of Christ, the situation was not that much different. Although the Jews kept, or at least believed in—more or less—the Old Testament laws, we still find the following interesting statement about Christ recorded in Matthew 9:36: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

Some at the time of Christ were “scattered.” They did not seek out Christ’s true disciples in order to associate with them and receive the benefits from doing so. Sadly, this is still true today, perhaps even more so. Some who formerly understood the truth still claim to be a part of the Church of God, despite the fact that they have decided to stay at home and have their own private services, without the presence of a faithful ordained minister! They have also decided that they can just keep God’s tithe to themselves, placing it in a bank account to wait for “better days.” In doing so, they ignore the unapparent danger in this approach! God tells us that we must pay His tithe, not store it away!

Some have pointed to the parable in Luke 19:11–27 to support the idea that we can place God’s tithe in a bank account, rather than paying it to the Church. After all, didn’t the master in the parable—representing Jesus Christ—ask the unprofitable servant, “Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?”

However, it is dishonest to use this parable as justification for not paying God’s tithe to God’s Church. We must first of all realize that the Scripture in question is a parable, to show certain principles—not, to deduce from it an entire way of life. For instance, Christ used other parables to stress certain principles of life. In one parable, He referred to a king going to war (Luke 14:31). Christ did not intend to teach in that parable that it is acceptable to fight in the wars of today’s world, as He told Peter to put his sword away, “for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

In the parable in Luke 19:11–17, Christ compared money with individual talents or abilities, as well as with the measure of God’s Holy Spirit given to a Christian. The master expected that his servants would use those abilities to overcome their weaknesses. The “money” was not to be hidden, and even the unprofitable servant was supposed to do something with the “money”—at least, he could have put it in the bank, to receive interest for the master. Even if we were to look at this parable in a literal way—as distinguished from the intended spiritual meaning—then it could still not be applied to tithing. Please note that the profitable servants were allowed to keep all the money, including what they gained (compare verse 24). If we were to apply this to tithing, Christ would have done away here with the entire concept of tithing. Other Scriptures show, however, that tithing is still a law to be obeyed today. Also, note that the profitable servants did not put the money in the bank—only the unprofitable servant should at least have done that. The money was given to the servants to be used by them. The parable speaks, in its literal application, about money as a business loan, which the servants received to trade with. It does not address the concept of tithing, as God’s tithe is not to be used by the individual servants, but it is to be paid to the Church.

There are reasons why God instructed that His tithe be paid to His Church. Paul tells us, in Ephesians 4:11–16, that Christ gave ministers to His Church to feed and edify the flock, so that “we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (verse 14).

Brethren need Christ’s ministers! Romans 10:14 tells us that we cannot hear “without a preacher.” We are also told, however, that God must send the “preacher” (verse 15). We are encouraged to “test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets [or preachers] have gone into the world” (1 John 4:1).

So then, we need to go “somewhere.” We need to send God’s tithe to “someone.” The questions remain: Where to go? Where to pay God’s tithe?

The fact that somebody claims he believes and preaches certain doctrines does not necessarily mean that this is so. Again, you shall know them by their fruits.

Some may decide to follow ministers who seem to uphold the truth, just as it had been taught earlier in God’s Church. Some ministers, however, went off-track, claiming that they would never change or alter anything within their teaching. This claim proved to be incorrect in many cases when reviewing their doctrines and practices. However, to even make such a claim neglects the fact that we are to “grow in the …knowledge of…Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18; compare Ephesians 4:13). When the BIBLE proves to us that we may have to alter a certain teaching or understanding in order to follow God more perfectly, we must do so! Otherwise, we are placing tradition ahead of God, which we must never do!

On the other hand, it must be the BIBLE—God’s Word—that convinces us of the need to GROW in the knowledge of Christ. Far too often, ministers and brethren change their understanding of God’s truth because of certain pet ideas they have developed in their own minds, based on their own research of historical and other worldly records.

The understanding of prophecy is a key example. Some are proposing alternate prophetic concepts, calling them speculation but teaching them, nevertheless, as truth and new understanding. In virtually every case, their understanding is based on human reasoning and on a limited view of present circumstances and world conditions, not on the clear prophetic word of the Bible (compare 2 Peter 1:19–21). God’s Word tells us: “Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples… To the law and to the TESTIMONY! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:16, 20). Revelation 19:10 states that the “TESTIMONY of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” We are also told in Jeremiah 6:16–17: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.” Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said, “We will not listen.”’”

The questions still remain: “Where do we go? Where do we pay God’s tithe?”

Some have started a campaign, asking the members of their group to reach out to a number of “our former brethren” and encourage them to return to the truth, that is, supposedly, to their particular group. We in the Church of the Eternal God and our affiliated corporate organizations will not engage in such conduct, although we will happily communicate with everyone who wants us to. We are certainly praying to God that He will cause “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, [to] shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are reminded, however, in the same passage, that we “do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (verses 5–6).

We in the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God and its affiliates are not here to commend ourselves (2 Corinthians 10:17–18: “But ‘he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.’ For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends”). We are here to help, and we are happy to answer truthfully any questions, which might arise. We will not directly contact our “former” or our “future” brethren, however, trying to proselytize and to “convince” them to join with us. Our literature and sermon material are both freely available to everyone, via our Webpage or upon request. However, we feel we need to leave it to God to inspire anyone to make personal contact with us, including those who may have left the truth and may want to return to it. It is God who has allowed the sheep to be scattered by their shepherds, and it is God who will gather them together again (Jeremiah 23:1–4). In keeping with this, if we should become aware of a “lost sheep” that seeks to return to the fold, we would most certainly work with such a person. But this would be a different matter.

We believe that God must call a person, and we believe that God will lead His people to the place where He wants them to be—whatever and wherever that place might be. Christ said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber [This would also apply to some self-appointed “leaders” who write books and disseminate their false teachings, although they were never Biblically ordained to the ministry.] But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:1–5).

So, “where to go?” To answer this, we each need to look at ourselves. Where are we now, personally? We need to examine ourselves whether we are in, or moving toward, the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If we find ourselves lacking, we need to become zealous for the truth and repent (Revelation 3:19; compare, too, Revelation 2:4–5; 2:14–16; 2:20–21; 3:1–3). At the same time, we need to pray to God that HE points out where to go, and where to send His tithe. Also, in light of Matthew 7:20, we truly believe that God will make it clear, if one really wants to know. Remember, too, that it is God and only God Who calls anyone into His truth (compare Matthew 16:17). If God is calling you, then you must look to God for your ultimate answers. Ask Him in heart-rendering prayer and fasting how to recognize where His truth is flourishing, and ask Him to open your mind to understand CLEARLY what you should do. Psalm 119 offers us deep insight in this regard. The central aspect of this Psalm is that understanding comes through obedience—that is how we can truly GROW in our relationship with God and Jesus Christ!


Does God Require Tithes and Offerings Today?

With the apostasy that came upon the Church of God, many of God’s people have turned to false teachings, as Paul clearly stated would happen, in 2 Timothy 4:3–4. Many have changed their whole approach in dealing with God’s Truths, which they had learned AND had been practicing, including those relative to their own financial obligations to God and His Church. They have become “very sensitive” when it comes to the subject of “giving” to God’s Church.

Yet, there are numerous examples in Scripture where God shows He requires tithes and offerings from His people. We see such an example in Exodus 25, where God required offerings from the children of Israel for the building of the Tabernacle of God. Note God’s instructions to Moses, the one who was responsible for conveying to God’s people what God required relative to this offering.

God’s requirement was and is, “… that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering” (Exodus 25:2). Two things should be noted here:

First of all, God REQUIRED an offering. Although the person giving the offering can determine the particular amount of the offering, based on Biblical guidelines, the offering itself does not belong to the person who gives it. Simply put, it is not his! The offering belongs to God! That is true, even before the offering is given.

Secondly, God accepts the offering under a specific condition. That is, it is only an acceptable offering to God if it is from one who gives it WILLINGLY, as the Scripture points out: “From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.” Paul, one of Christ’s apostles, also boldly proclaims this same principle in 2 Corinthians 9:7, where he states, “…for God loves a cheerful giver.”

There is concern that the contribution of free-will offerings may be one area where many in the Church of God today have let down in their relationship with God. It is true, that God owns all wealth. He can see to it that the finances needed by the Church are provided, whatever the need may be. However, He chooses the method of financing His end-time Work. It is, for each of us, our responsibility—individually and collectively—to be faithful in our financial obligations so that the commission of preaching and publishing the gospel of the soon-coming Kingdom to the world as a witness, as well as the feeding of God’s sheep, will be accomplished.

This requirement by God is a “test” command for all of God’s people, including those in positions of leadership—the appointed ministers of God. Notice this clear admonition found in Malachi 3:10: “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.’”

Moses, by the way, did not hesitate to convey the exhortation of God to willingly bring offerings in Exodus 35:5, 29.

There are a number of such financial requirements that God has placed on His people and has administered through those He put in positions of service to those He is calling.

In addition to free-will offerings, God requires the payment of His tithe. While the particular amount of voluntary offerings is at the discretion of the individual, the specific amount of the tithe has been determined by God as being ten percent of one’s income. The tithe has always belonged to God (Leviticus 27:30)! It is HOLY to Him! He did give the tithe, for a period of time, to the sons of Levi “…as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform[ed], the work of the tabernacle of meeting” (Numbers 18:21).

Yet, we see in Hebrews 7:9 that the law of tithing existed long before God made an agreement with the sons of Levi, which agreement gave them the right and responsibility to collect tithes for a certain time. We can see in verses 15–28 of Hebrews 7 that this right to receive tithes later reverted back to Jesus Christ, whose right it was from the beginning! Today, Christ collects tithes through His Body—the Church—to be used to carry out the end-time Work of God.

Christ showed that this system of financing the Work of God is definitely applicable today (Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, Luke 18:12). And, of course, God shows in Malachi 3:8–9 that one thing He is angry about at the time of the end is that His people are failing Him in this requirement!

So much confusion exists today, especially since the apostasy set in, indicating that many of God’s people do not know what to do. There must be a clear voice in this end-time that is willing to speak out and teach the correct way, or else we will all be held accountable for the error that exists in the Church.

We are told in Isaiah 58:1: “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.” We must not be fearful in doing this! We here point out these truths as a reminder to those God has called and given understanding, and yet now appear to be holding back because they are uncertain where God’s Work is being done. They must not continue to hold back, but must come to the realization that they have an obligation to determine where that Work is being done, based upon the clear evidence they see and the clear word they hear. Once having proven this, they have a responsibility to carry out God’s command and to support His Work where they see it being faithfully carried out, just as the people of Israel, willingly and with a joyful heart, contributed to the construction of the Tabernacle.

The tithe belongs to God! It is His! To withhold His tithe, God says, is stealing from Him! God requires that His tithe be paid, so that His Work will be done (Malachi 3:10).


How to Calculate God’s Tithe

How much exactly should we pay? Should we pay from the gross or from the net? Do we have to pay from gifts and inheritance? Are we allowed to first deduct our expenses, before calculating the tithe?

In this booklet, we will not attempt to answer each and every question that may arise regarding the correct calculation of God’s tithe. Rather, we will set forth some general guidelines. If you have specific questions, we recommend contacting one of our ministers for advice, counsel and guidance.

How much?

The question has been asked many times whether we are to pay tithe from the gross (before taxes are deducted from our paychecks) or from the net (after deduction of taxes). It has been the long-standing policy of the Church to advise that there is no duty to tithe on the gross, as this would be impossible in certain countries, where taxes are so high. At the same time, the Church has always emphasized that it is up to the individual whether he or she wants to tithe from the gross or the net. Many tithe from the gross, following the principle as expressed in Luke 17:10, but this is a personal decision, based on personal circumstances. God looks at the heart of a person. If one chooses to tithe from the net, he would then be obligated, of course, to pay tithe on any tax refunds he might receive in the next year.

Some have asked the question whether we can calculate our titheable income by first deducting “stealth taxes,” “value added taxes,” “sales taxes” or “use taxes.” These are all taxes, which are added or related to the goods that we normally buy for our personal use. Some countries have also introduced “sin taxes,” such as duty on alcohol, cigarettes and high-profile environmental taxes. However, all of these are taxes, which we pay, when we buy goods or services [Of course, we should not buy cigarettes in the first place, as smoking is detrimental to our health]. These taxes have nothing to do with our income or increase—what we receive for our work. Therefore, these kinds of taxes should clearly not be deducted from our titheable income. On the other hand, if certain goods were bought for the operation of a business, they—including the “use tax” on those purchases—would be part of business expenses, which could be deducted by a sole proprietor in arriving at his or her titheable income (see next paragraph).


Not Just One Tithe?

God has instituted THREE different types of tithes—commonly referred to as the first, second and third tithe.

Some teach that the Bible never instructed second and third tithes. However, this conclusion is clearly false. Historical records do show that ancient Israel practiced a tithing system of three tithes.

The apocryphal book of Tobit, which was apparently written about 250 BC (compare Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 22, p. 264, copyright 1959, under “Tobit”), confirms the practice in ancient Judah of a three-tithe system. Although apocryphal, the book of Tobit is useful from a strictly historical standpoint to show that the Jews of that day were knowledgeable of, and practiced, the same tithing commands as revealed through Moses. Tobit 1:6–8 (New Revised Standard Version) states the following:

“But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the festivals, as it is prescribed for all Israel by an everlasting decree. I would hurry off to Jerusalem with the first fruits of the crops and the firstlings of the flock, the tithes of the cattle, and the first shearings of the sheep [describing the FIRST tithe]. I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar; likewise the tenth of the grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and the rest of the fruits to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem. Also… I would save up a SECOND tenth in money and go and distribute it [use or spend it] in Jerusalem. A THIRD tenth I would give to the orphans and widows and to the converts who had attached themselves to Israel. I would bring it and give it to them in the THIRD year, and we would eat it according to the ordinance decreed concerning it in the law of Moses and according to the instructions of Deborah, the mother of my father Tobiel, for my father had died and left me an orphan.”

Our Statement of Beliefs discusses the FIRST tithe as follows: “We believe in the Godly institution of tithing to enable the Church to carry out its commission of preaching the gospel and feeding the flock.”

The first tithe is the first ten percent of one’s “increase” (compare Proverbs 3:9), referring to his or her job earnings and/or other income (such as proceeds from rental, interest, gains from stocks, etc.). The Church of God made the administrative decision in 1982, that in certain countries, such as Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, because of the extremely high income tax rates and the inability to deduct most or all contributions from individual tax returns, “increase” is defined as the amount of earnings after the deduction of the income tax. The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates are following this teaching and practice. On the other hand, each individual is responsible before God to determine the amount of his or her “increase” in his or her individual circumstances.

The first tithe is to be sent to the Church on a regular basis (compare the principle in Exodus 22:29–30), to be used by the Church for preaching the gospel and feeding the flock. Since the Church has to rely on such regular contributions to be able to meet its expenses, it is important, of course, that those contributions are generally received on at least a monthly basis. It is also important for the contributor to recognize that the first ten per cent of his or her earnings or increase belong to God (Leviticus 27:30, 32), and that we honor God best if we give Him what is due to Him first.

An interesting example of the reinforcement of the tithing command in ancient Judah can be found in 2 Chronicles 31:4–12. As the people had become slack in paying God’s tithe, Hezekiah, the king, “commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD” (verse 4). The Scripture continues, in verses 5–6: “As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; AND they brought in abundantly the tithe of EVERYTHING [not just from the produce of the field]. And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; ALSO the tithe of HOLY THINGS which were consecrated to the LORD their God they laid in heaps [again, showing that God’s tithe was not limited to agricultural products].” Verse 12 explains that they “faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the dedicated things.”

The SECOND tithe (or a second ten percent of one’s earnings or other income) is an additional tithe of one’s “increase” (Deuteronomy 14:22–26). Soncino confirms that Deuteronomy 14:23 discusses the “second tithe.” They state, “This refers to the second tithe, because the first tithe was to be given to the Levites who were allowed to eat it anywhere (cf. Num. xviii. 26, 31).” The Ryrie Study Bible has a similar comment pertaining to Deuteronomy 14:22–27, confirming the existence of a “second tithe.” So does “The New Bible Commentary: Revised,” copyright 1970, on page 220: “This is the so-called ‘second tithe,’ as contrasted with that tithe of the produce given to maintain the Levites (see Nu. 18:26–28).”

The individual saves the second tithe each year for use in observing God’s annual Holy Days, mainly the Feast of Tabernacles (FOT), as members are commanded to travel for the FOT to one of God’s designated feast sites. (For more information, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”) This tithe is to be saved for use by the individual. Only “excess second tithe”—the portion of the second tithe exceeding necessary individual use—should be sent to the Church. The Church will distribute such amount to members who were unable to save sufficient second tithe for the Holy Days, and it might use remaining funds for necessary Church-related Feast expenses (such as hall rentals).

In addition, God instituted a THIRD tithe system for the purpose of assisting and helping “Levites, widows and orphans.” The third tithe is an additional tithe of one’s “produce” or “increase” and is described in passages such as Deuteronomy 14:28–29 and Deuteronomy 26:12–15. (The third tithe was paid on the third and sixth year out of a cycle of seven years. On the seventh year, no third tithe was to be paid, as the land rested during the seventh year, Leviticus 25:4.)”

Soncino confirms this understanding. They comment on Deuteronomy 26:12: “[The term] in the third year [refers to] the tithe of the produce of the third year…the year of tithing, i.e. the third in the cycle of seven years in which a special tithe was to be given to the poor.”

The principle of paying third tithe on the third and sixth year out of a cycle of seven years still applies today. Many members begin counting their third tithe years from the annual festival nearest the date of their baptism. Others decide to begin from the date that they first began tithing. It is the responsibility of each member to decide when he or she should begin the cycle, and the observance of that cycle should be carefully maintained.

Our Statement of Beliefs addresses the third-tithe system as follows, “We believe that needy members are to be helped and taken care of, through the tithing system described in the Bible, by other members of the Church (Luke 3:11; 1Timothy 5:8; James 2:15–16).”

Traditionally, God’s Church had previously taught for over 25 years that the Church can use third tithe income for first tithe expenses, if the Church has enough third tithe funds and is able to provide adequately for those of its members who need third tithe assistance. Conversely, it has been understood that if the Church does not have enough third tithe to help its needy members, it can use first tithe income for this purpose. The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates are following this teaching and practice.

It should also be mentioned that “third tithe” is FOR the poor and needy, not BY the poor and needy. It is, therefore, not necessary for a “poor” person to pay third tithe. Someone who receives assistance from the government does not have to pay third tithe. It would also be following a wrong principle to take out a loan in order to be able to pay third tithe. Based on this principle, God’s Church made the administrative decision in the late 70’s and early 80’s to excuse Church members in certain countries, such as the United Kingdom, from paying third tithe because of the high rate of taxation and mandatory social security payments in those countries. In addition, much of social security benefits constitutes, to an extent, the equivalent of third tithe payments in those countries. The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate international affiliates are following this teaching and practice. However, each individual is responsible before God to determine whether he or she is “poor” or “needy” and therefore excused from paying third tithe.

God expects us to obey His tithing commands faithfully. God is the Giver of all things, but He wants to know how much we appreciate His blessings. One way we show Him our thankfulness is by obeying Him cheerfully and willingly in tithing.


Deduction of Expenses

God requires that we pay tithe from our increase. This would include everything that we have acquired through our own labor or our own money (such as salaries and profits from our business, as well as profits from capital investments, interest from savings accounts, or money from renting out property). We are permitted to deduct from our titheable income the amount we need to use in order to achieve the increase. For instance, if we own a business, we are permitted to deduct all the costs we spend to run the business. We are only required to pay tithe from the actual increase or profit. But a word of caution is in order here.

As was the case with the Levites, so ministers today are obligated to tithe from their salaries, even if they are full-time employees of the Church. Some ministers in certain fellowships treat their parsonage allowance, which is a portion of their salary that is excused from tax, as non-titheable income. They pay no tithe on that. That is defrauding God, pure and simple! Others have created for themselves a very big expense account. They deduct those “expenses” from their titheable income until there is nothing left to tithe from. Likewise, some members who earn good salaries erroneously “justify” deducting from their salaries all their monthly living expenses, including bills for power, gas, water, gasoline, food, rent, mortgage, car and house repair costs, etc., so that they end up having acquired no “increase” at all. (Obviously, such expenses are not to be deducted from the amount on which to tithe). This is simply playing games with God! Again, God looks at the heart. So we would caution you to be very careful, especially if you are self-employed, what expenses you deduct before you tithe to God. You might be able to deceive yourself and other people, but you will not be able to deceive God.

Show God that your heart is in the right place by being generous. I would like to interject here a very brief personal comment. As long as I have been a member of the Church of God, which is now over 30 years, I have never sent a check to the Church in the amount of, let’s say, 34 dollars and 89 cents. I rounded it up to 35 dollars, at least. We are not to develop the attitude of the Pharisees, wanting to make sure that we don’t pay God one cent more than what He is entitled to, so to speak. The Pharisees were very diligent in counting exactly the amount of produce to be tithed on, to make sure that they paid God exactly the “right” amount—not too little, and certainly not too much!

How Often to Pay

This depends on the circumstances. If we are employed and are paid on a regular basis, we should pay God’s tithe every time we receive a paycheck. Again, the principle is clear: God should come first in our lives. It is not advisable, for our own spiritual growth and our relationship with God, to retain the tithe for a considerable period of time before paying it.

In order to develop a habit of obeying God fully and promptly, without delay, we strongly advise to pay God’s tithe at least once a month, even if it is not much. One may think: Why should I pay $10.00 when I can wait until I have saved $50.00. No, pay the $10.00. The Church will certainly not fail if you don’t, but it will help you to develop the habit of obeying God promptly. The first ten percent of our increase belongs to God, so even before paying other debts, we need to pay our debt to God first. We owe it to God to pay Him His tithe because it is, in fact, His, not ours!

If you are self-employed, you should make it a habit to pay God’s tithe as soon as possible, at least on a monthly basis. Make it a point to at least look at your own affairs once a month; determine what your increase has been during that month, and pay God’s tithe.

Tithing on Inheritance, Pension, Unemployment, Social Security and Gifts?

God requires that we tithe from our increase—what we ourselves produce through our efforts or investment. Gifts or inheritances are not acquired through our own labor and don’t have to be tithed on. The same is true for money given to us in the form of unemployment benefits, pensions or social security. However, it would be advisable, at least in some of those cases, to consider whether a generous special offering would be appropriate. If in doubt, it is always better to err on the side of generosity, again, showing God where our heart is.

Giving—A Way of Life

There is another fundamentally important reason why God insists that we pay Him His holy tithe, and that we be generous in free-will offerings. God wants us to learn to share what we have, thus exhibiting a way of life that helps others. There are only two ways by which people live, easily summarized as the way of GET, and the way of GIVE. God is LOVE, and love is outgoing concern for the welfare and benefit of others. LOVE shares and gives, while greed and lust are products of the way of get—a way that is only interested in self, rather than others.

God GIVES. He GAVE His only-begotten Son so that the world could be saved. God wants us to develop the kind of character that He has—essentially, His nature! He wants us to become LOVING, SHARING and HELPING individuals who practice His way of giving as a WAY OF LIFE!

For us humans, it can be very difficult to part with money, and if we are not careful, money can become our idol—our “god.” Christ told the rich young man that he had to give up his wealth and follow Christ (compare Matthew 19:16–22). Christ knew that his riches were preventing this young man from living the way of give. Sadly, the young ruler refused to do what Christ told him. He loved his riches too much. Christ pointed out to His disciples that those who trust in riches (compare Mark 10:24) will have a very hard time entering the Kingdom of God.

Paying God His tithe and giving free-will offerings is one way of showing where our heart truly is. It is not as if God needs our money. He owns everything. He owns all the riches of the universe. In fact, He owns you and me! If God would not keep us alive by giving us—every second—the air needed for breathing, we would die!

There have been examples where people who followed God’s command to tithe and give free-will offerings, came to realize that they had only given a small portion back to God that had come out of God’s hands to begin with. David understood this. He gave a moving prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:13–14: “Now, therefore, our God, We thank you And praise Your glorious name… For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.”

God has decreed that His Work be financed through the tithing system. It is not a matter of deciding whether or not it is right for us to tithe, it is only a matter of choosing whether or not we want to obey God. God has told us what He expects of us, and He has said that, even though we may claim that we are faithful and obedient Christians, we are, in fact, no better than ordinary thieves and robbers if we refuse to pay Him His holy tithe. This is true for ministers and members alike, and even for those who are not yet members of the Church of God. All people are ordered by God to pay Him His tithe. God says that the entire nation is cursed for flagrantly disobeying His command regarding tithing and free-will offerings!

More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

God WANTS to bless us! And when we accept God’s love in our lives, we WILL be blessed! It might be difficult for the carnal human mind to understand that God promises His blessings when we give to others, but that is exactly what is revealed to us in God’s holy Word, and with a spiritual mindset, it is not all that difficult to understand how God’s way of give works in practice.

We are told, in Acts 20:35, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. How can this be true? Why—and in what way—are we more blessed when we give? Is it really more blessed to give someone a gift, than to win a $5 million mansion in the lottery?

Scripture reveals how it really works!

Christ told us in Matthew 5:10 that we are blessed when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, because when that happens, we know that we are on our way toward God’s Kingdom. So our blessing has to do mainly, but not exclusively, with our future! It has to do with the fact that we, as we give the right way, develop an attitude that is essential in order to be able to enter God’s Kingdom.

Again, God is LOVE (1 John 4:16)—the kind of love that exhibits outgoing concern for the welfare, benefit and the happiness of others. It is also correct to say that God is a GIVER. We read that God so LOVED the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son to die for the world (John 3:16). In addition, Jesus Christ GAVE His life for the world (John 6:51).

God the Father and Christ did what they did, because of their LOVE for man, and their love manifested itself in GIVING. It wasn’t just empty, idle words!

Notice how God’s love for man can be seen in many different ways. And notice, at the same time, that we are to imitate God’s love. We are to become God’s children. Actually, we are to become God beings in His very Family (For more information on this very important issue, please read our free booklets, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” and “God Is A Family”). We need to acquire the very same LOVE that God has, so, as to ultimately BECOME what God IS. And God is a LOVING and GIVING God! WE, then, must become loving and giving people! We must develop an attitude of loving, giving and sharing what we have with others, because, only if we develop that kind of an attitude will we be able to enter God’s Kingdom—His very Family. THAT is the main reason, albeit not the only one, why it is MORE blessed to GIVE than to receive.

We Must Exhibit Godly Love

We are told in the Bible that God is good to all (Psalm 145:9). Matthew 5:43–48 adds: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be [become] perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

God does good things, even to the unthankful. It is His nature to do good to all of His creation. His love does not differentiate between those who follow Him and those who don’t follow Him (yet). God proved His love for us, in that Christ died for us when WE were still sinners; more so, when we were still God’s enemies (Romans 5:8–10).

Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in [better, of] the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Christ LOVED Paul, and then He died for him. When He died for Paul, Paul was still known as Saul, an enemy of Christ who would later persecute the Church, commit Christians to prison and consent to their death (Philippians 3:6; Acts 8:1, 3), thereby persecuting Christ Himself (Acts 9:1–5). Yes, Christ loved His enemies, including Saul, so much that He was willing to die for them.

We must develop the same attitude of love toward everyone, including our enemies, so that we are willing to help them when they need our help. Romans 12:20 points out: “Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’”

When we tithe to God in a correct and Biblically-endorsed way, we know that the money is used in furtherance of the commission to preach the gospel in all the world as a witness. We know that preaching the gospel shows our love for all the people of the world who have not yet learned about a better way of life, nor their future and their potential when Christ sets up His Kingdom here on earth. Most people today will not want to hear Christ’s gospel. Some, if not many, may turn against us—in hate—when they hear Christ’s message. Still, we must continue to preach the gospel in all the world, because we love the world (but not the things of the world, compare 1 John 2:15–17), the same as Christ loved the world and gave Himself for it. The time will come when people will remember what they were told, and they will realize that they, indeed, had been told the words of God Himself. Then, they may cease to be our enemies and may even become our friends. But we must love them before that happens. God still adds people to His Church, even today, but people would not be called into the truth if they had not heard the truth first, and there cannot be a preaching of God’s Word without God’s ministers (compare Romans 10:14–15).

We must develop the godly characteristic of LOVE for others, the kind of love that manifests itself in giving to and sharing with others. We read in Ephesians 5:2: “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” We need to walk in love, as Christ loved us when we were still His enemies and sinners.

Evaluate Our Motive

Whatever we do in our lives, including tithing and giving free-will offerings, we must be motivated by love toward God and others. 1 Corinthians 13:3 tells us: “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

Even if we did the outward acts of sharing our goods with others, including tithing and generous free-will offerings, if we did them grudgingly, as of necessity—if our motives were anything but LOVE for God and others—then it would profit us nothing.

Why is that?

Because we would not develop the attitude of LOVE that is necessary in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

That is why Christ admonished us to evaluate why we do the things we do. He told us in Matthew 6:1–4: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward [from men]. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

This Scripture does not mean to say that we must give anonymous donations to God’s Church. In the United States and Canada, contributions and donations to tax-exempt Church organizations, such as the Church of the Eternal God in the United States and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, are tax-deductible. Unfortunately, these tax advantages do not apply to religious organizations in the United Kingdom, such as the Global Church of God. It is not wrong to send contributions to the Church by identifying the donor in order to receive contribution receipts from the Church that can be used for income tax returns. On the other hand, it is still true that the motive of the donation must be one of love toward God and neighbor, and not one of wanting to receive glory and honor from the Church leadership (or whoever may open the envelope with the enclosed contribution).

God Rewards a Genuine Heart

A person who looks to God for reward for his charitable deeds will enter the Kingdom, because he has developed the attitude of love toward others. He has done it to help and to give and to share, because he was concerned for the wellbeing and happiness of others. He did not do it to be praised by others. God said that if he did it for the reason of receiving praise from men, he will have his reward from men, but he will not receive the reward from God because he did not develop the kind of love that God has.

Even Satan offers us gifts. But he does not love us. He only wants to destroy us in order to prevent us from attaining our ultimate potential—entrance into the Kingdom of God as spirit beings. His motives are wrong, although he may appear as, or transform himself into, “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). In Matthew 4:9, Satan offered Christ all the kingdoms of the world if Christ were to worship him. Satan tried to “copy” God’s attitude of giving, but he did it with the intent to destroy Christ.

We read that the early Church had everything in common (Acts 2:44; 4:32). This was NOT a form of communism. Communism is not based on Godly love. It is not based on a motive to develop an attitude of love toward others—a character trait of God that we are to emulate. Communism DENIES God! Communism is, in reality, a Satanic counterfeit of true Christianity. Satan’s nature is not one of love and giving and sharing, but it is one of TAKING! He tried to TAKE God’s authority from Him when he attempted to take over God’s throne (compare Isaiah 14:13–14). With communism and other philosophical ideas, including the theory of evolution, Satan tries to convince people that God does not even exist! Satan started the very first WAR in the history of creation when he tried to defeat God in war. WAR is totally detrimental to God’s Way of giving and sharing. If we desire to FIGHT against our enemies, then we are not showing them LOVE. And, of course, we have given in to Satan’s devices and his warped way of thinking (compare James 4:1–8). Satan is the one who inspires us to try to GET from others, even by the means of war, if need be.

We must reject Satan’s way of get in all of its different forms. We need to let God rule in our hearts. We need to cleanse our hearts from double-mindedness (compare James 4:8). Our hearts must be single-minded—totally focused on what God tells us. And God is a LOVING GIVER, not a greedy TAKER!

We read in Acts 17:25–28: “Nor is He worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things… they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being…”

God gives to ALL MEN life, breath and ALL things. God does not NEED our worship. But He does want us to come to Him and learn from Him, and to acknowledge Him as the authority in our lives, as He knows that this is the only way to be happy. And God WANTS us to be happy! And when we worship God by doing what He tells us to do, we WILL BE HAPPY.

Tithing and giving free-will offerings are also a form of worship. God will give us eternal life only when we make it clear to Him that we are willing to live eternally in happiness. He certainly does not want us to live eternally in misery, and unless we develop an attitude of love toward God and others, we would live in misery.

James 1:5 tells us that God gives to ALL liberally and without reproach. We, too, must develop an attitude of giving and sharing the love of God with others. It is the purpose of our life to “do good and to share” (Hebrews 13:16), and if we keep doing that, we are acquiring the very divine nature of God (compare 2 Peter 1:4).

Galatians 6:9–10 tells us: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap [from God] if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

We need to continue to do good to others. If we do, we will be blessed—we will reap, or receive our reward, in the future. Why? Because we sow to the Spirit of God, as verse 8 explains. That is, we develop a spiritual attitude and mindset that is in harmony and conformity with God.

God Loves a Cheerful Giver

Let us notice 2 Corinthians 9:7: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity [or compulsion]; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Although this Scripture was written in the context of free-will offerings, it can be applied to our attitude in tithing. God loves a CHEERFUL GIVER, because GOD IS a CHEERFUL GIVER! If we give grudgingly or if we pay God His tithe only because we HAVE to, that is, if obligation is our only motivation to give offerings or pay God’s tithe, then we expose the fact that we do not really have the love of God in us, and God, in turn, will not accept that kind of giving or payment. In Matthew 10:8 Christ told His disciples: “Freely you have received, freely give.” As the disciples had gifts from God FREELY, so they were to also FREELY give to others. God was teaching them that GIVING to others was to become their way of life!

In Matthew 25:31–40 Christ told a parable about His true servants who gave to others, not realizing that Christ looked at such acts of Christian love as actually being directed toward Him. They had done those things as a way of life, not even thinking about their reward or that they were actually giving those gifts to Christ. Rather, God’s giving attitude had become their second nature—their way of thinking, and their way of living. They helped others because that is what they WANTED and LOVED to do!

Christ also described a different group in Matthew 25:41–46. This group had refused to help their fellow men, likewise not realizing that if they had done good deeds, these would have been done for Christ. Now, perhaps they WOULD have done the same things as the first group had done, IF they had only known that Christ felt they would have done them to Him. However, their giving would have been prompted and motivated by ulterior motives—they would have given to the needy in order to GET a reward! They would not have done it out of true Godly love and concern for the needy. They would have given grudgingly and of necessity, so to speak. They would not have been cheerful givers. They would not really have WANTED to give, but they would have said, grudgingly, I HAVE to do it, otherwise I won’t GET into the Kingdom. Such an attitude, however, would have prevented them from qualifying to be in the Kingdom.

Withholding Gifts

Giving is not only the opposite of getting or taking. Giving is really the opposite of NOT giving, actually of WITHHOLDING gifts that we could and should give! Christ told us to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21). Christ expects His disciples to fulfill their obligations toward God (such as paying tithes and free-will offerings) and also toward man (such as paying taxes), and to do it faithfully and willingly.

James 2:15–16 states: “If a brother or a sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

It would not profit them, but it would not profit you, either. You have missed a golden opportunity to develop the character that God wants to see in you. Rather than helping the person because you LOVE him or her enough to HELP and to GIVE to him or her, you do nothing but utter a few unprofitable words in that situation. This passage can also be read in a spiritual way. Today, most people are naked and destitute of God’s daily food—His Word (compare Matthew 4:4). God’s Church has a commission to proclaim to the world God’s gospel, explaining a better way of life. Those who respond are to be taught God’s Word so that they can be clothed and be freed from their spiritual nakedness (compare Revelation 3:18). The Church fulfills this duty, in part, by using tithe money and other contributions to engage the means to spread that very message. Those who know that they should tithe and don’t, are WITHHOLDING FROM GOD AND HIS CHURCH what is due!

Proverbs 3:27–28 says: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.” Proverbs 11:24–25 adds: “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”

When we water, or give, we will also be watered, or given to, now in this life AND for eternal life. We read in Malachi 3:8–10 that God promises us physical blessings if we tithe faithfully to Him. Physical blessings will be an automatic consequence of our tithing. But to receive physical blessings from God must NOT be our motivation as to WHY we pay God’s tithe or give free-will offerings. Our motivation must become that we WANT to give, that we WANT to share and help BECAUSE we LOVE the other person enough to do that for him or her.

There is another way of withholding gifts from others. That is, by not working and making money so that we have no money to give to God or to others. We are not talking about those who are looking for work and who are temporarily unable to find work or those who cannot work for health reasons or for other valid reasons. Neither are we addressing, of course, mothers with small children who should not work (unless they have to, because of becoming victims of this evil society and are forced to work in order to survive). We are only talking about people who could and should work, but just don’t want to. They would rather walk “in a disorderly manner” (2 Thessalonians 3:11). Paul says that those should not even eat because they refuse to work (compare verse 10).

At the same time, Paul says that those who can work and do work, minding their own business and leading a quiet life, are walking “properly” even toward those who are outside of the body of Christ—either by helping them or by living righteously—and in doing so, they are lacking nothing (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12).

Working for the Purpose of Sharing

How does the issue of working or not working tie in with paying or not paying God’s tithe, and presenting or withholding gifts from others? Ephesians 4:28 points out: “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”

The reason we are to work is so that we can have something to GIVE to others when they are in need, including paying God’s tithes and giving free-will offerings so that those in spiritual need can be fed as well! Working and making money is not for the purpose of becoming rich so that WE have plenty. It is for the purpose of sharing with those in need!

When observing the really rich people in this world, we may wonder whether they have ever read or understood what the Bible tells them. For instance, Paul states very specifically in 1 Timothy 6:17–19: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Rather than storing up their riches, they first need to understand that GOD gave them the riches FOR A REASON! And that reason is to share their riches with others! If they were to do that, they would develop an attitude of love for others so that God COULD ultimately give them eternal life in the Kingdom. Some—very few—rich people are very generous. But even then, what is their motive? Is it because they have to give money away as tax-deductible contributions so they can lower their income taxes? Is THAT the reason they give? Or, is it so that they will be KNOWN publicly as generous people? Do they act like the rich people Christ observed, who put money out of their abundance into the treasury (compare Mark 12:41–44)? Christ was not at all impressed by that. He pointed out a poor widow who gave very little, by comparison, but she gave ALL that she had. And Christ praised her for that because He saw an ATTITUDE in her that He had not seen in many of the rich people. Christ knew that He could entrust to that poor widow the real riches of the world to come (compare Luke 16:11), because He knew, based on what she had done in this life, that she WOULD use those true riches for the benefit of others.

Christ’s words in Matthew 6:19–21 still ring loud and clear today: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”


The “Tithe of the Tithe”

More than 30 years ago, God’s Church made the administrative decision to ask Church members and co-workers to send one tenth of their second tithe to the Church to be used for necessary Feast of Tabernacles expenses, including rental for Church halls. Since then, the Church has usually referred to this amount as the “tithe of the tithe.” Church members and co-workers were asked to calculate the amount of second tithe that would be available to them at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, and to send ten percent of that (calculated) amount to the Church, in advance as directed by the Church. This practice has allowed the Church to avoid using general contributions for the payment of Feast expenses, instead of being used for preaching the gospel and feeding the flock.

At the time of the institution of the “tithe of tithe,” and a few times since then, consideration has been given to the possibility of charging each individual Feast attendee with the same amount for his or her Feast attendance, instead of sending in a tithe of the tithe. This possibility was rejected, however, as it was judged to be arbitrary and unfair. Some Church members do not have jobs or they live on small pensions, while others earn good salaries. Following Biblical principles (compare Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–35; 2 Corinthians 8:12–15), it was determined that the institution of the “tithe of the tithe” was the most equitable way for all concerned to provide for the payment of necessary Feast expenses incurred by the Church, and also to help those less fortunate, as much as possible, to attend the Feast.

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates see no Biblical reason to change the Church’s decision, realizing the Biblical wisdom for the decision, and acknowledging that the Church has the administrative authority to bind and loose matters like these (compare Matthew 16:19; 18:18).


Withholding Tithes is Robbery!

With a generous heart, motivated by the same love that God has, it would not occur to us to not tithe. Only those with a selfish heart try to invent arguments that are meant to “justify” their disobedience toward God—their refusal to tithe, which God calls robbery!

Christ was addressing an attitude—our outlook on life and our focus on possessions. If we work to lay up treasures here on earth for ourselves, we have missed the whole reason why we need to make money, which is so that we HAVE money to SHARE with others, if need be. This is how we build up a treasure in heaven. Not by how much money we give, but by our attitude in giving. God is taking note of how we develop the attitude of love for others—the same outgoing love and concern that HE has. It pleases Him to see a change deep in our hearts away from selfish carnal desires and toward Godly love and genuine concern for others.

Let us notice what Paul says in Philippians 4:17: “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.” God does not seek His tithe for the tithe’s sake, but He looks at our heart—our inward intent. He looks at the fruit of a loving heart that will WANT to lay up treasure in heaven rather than stockpiling on earth. When we give, both our attitude and our motive show God what is really in our heart. We show that we don’t love God OR our neighbor if we don’t keep His commandments (compare John 14:21; 1 John 5:2–3), and one of His commandments is to tithe.

Tithing Develops Right Character

When we give in the right way—with the right attitude and motive—we are developing the character that God has, one of outgoing concern for the benefit of others. That is the kind of fruit Paul is talking about here that will abound to our account. When Christ says that we can even determine whether ministers are true or false servants of God, we can look at those kinds of fruits as well. Are they devouring the widows’ houses or money (compare Matthew 23:14), or are they genuinely concerned about them, trying to help when they can?

In Luke 12:13–21, Christ gave us the famous parable of the rich fool who built greater barns for his harvest rather than sharing his fortune with others. He thought he had many more years to live in pleasure and ease, but that very night, God took his life. Christ concluded His parable, in verse 21: “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Christ gave this parable because of the greedy attitude of those who were fighting over an inheritance (compare verse 13). He saw the covetousness in them—the intent to take, rather than to give. Conversely, when the servants of Abraham and Lot fought over the land, Abraham was willing to have Lot choose what land he wanted to have, rather than having the servants continue to fight over it (compare Genesis 13:7–11).

The rich fool did not have genuine love or concern for others. He was only interested in figuring out how he could store his abundant riches for HIMSELF. He was not rich before God—he had not laid up treasures in heaven—when God took his life.

Abraham, on the other hand, was very rich, but he did not have an attitude of greediness. We know that he tithed to God, in the person of Christ. He did not do it grudgingly, but rather, Abraham was developing a heart of love for God and others. He did not even withhold his only son from God. And because he was willing to give up everything he had in order to serve God and to be obedient to Him, God BLESSED him abundantly (Genesis 22:12–18).

We have heard it said that you cannot “out-give” God. And that is so true! God owns everything and He wants to share everything He has with us. So then, since we are to become God, can the same be said about us NOW? Are WE willing to share EVERYTHING we have with others, if need be?

God is watching us. He notices how we act in little things. If we are faithful in small matters, God knows that we will also be faithful in big matters. If, on the other hand, we are not even willing to share small things with God and others, how would we ever develop the godly attitude to be willing to share the rulership over the universe with others?

God gave up His only begotten Son. Abraham was willing to give up his son. Moses was willing to give up the riches of Egypt to be able to serve God (compare Hebrews 11:24–26). Christ was willing to give His life for us, and He left everything behind that He owned. He WAS God, owning—together with the Father—everything there has ever been, but He gave it all up just for you and for me.


Church Teaching on Tithing

Tithing is an institution commanded by our Eternal God. It was established early in the Old Testament, and is endorsed in both the Old and the New Testaments. The command to tithe—to pay ten percent of one’s income—is a duty of man, not just of members in certain churches. It has always been understood by the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations that this duty is a personal, individual obligation toward God.

The mere act of tithing does not establish a contract, legally or otherwise, between the Church and its members. Although the Church teaches that it is a sin for a person (member or not) not to tithe, the Church also teaches that sin, as well as repentance, is toward God. If the Church should become aware of constant neglect of one of its members to tithe, the Church would counsel with the member and remind the person of his or her spiritual obligations, before and toward God, to repent of his or her sin and commence tithing, as commanded by God.


Christ’s Obedience to God Sets Standard

Christ came to this earth as a human being to do what the Father had asked Him to do. He explained in John 5:36 that He had come to do the Work that the Father had given Him to do. Christ understood that the Father GAVE Him a work to do. Rather than saying, God commanded or ordered Me to do it—which would also have been a correct statement—He said, in essence, that HE GAVE Me the opportunity to please Him. This shows a totally different mindset and attitude, recognizing that God the Father is a great GIVER. Christ knew that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father (compare James 1:17). Whatever God GIVES to us is good for us and for others.

We read in Hebrews 12:2 that Christ gave up everything and that He was even willing to die for us, “for the joy that was set before Him.” Christ was willing to endure all of these things because He loved God the Father, and because He also loved us. He did it for the joy that was set before Him, the joy of having made it possible that you and I could become members of the Family of God. He rejoiced in that He would soon, quite literally, have brothers and sisters, and that the Father would soon have additional sons and daughters (compare 1 John 3:1–2).

What about us? Are we developing the same kind of attitude of love toward God and others, which is manifested in our obedient giving to and sharing with others? When we obey God’s commandments, including the command to faithfully tithe and give free-will offerings to God’s Church, we can KNOW that we are on our way toward the Kingdom of God, because we show in our lives that God’s love in us is producing a perfect work in us. As we continue to live a life of give, we will experience in our lives the joy that is set before us—a spiritual joy that transcends any physical feeling of fulfillment (compare John 15:9–11). We will gladly admit and agree with Christ that it is more blessed to give than to receive, or, to “get.” We will experience a deep feeling of gratitude that we are permitted to play a part in God’s awesome Work, proclaiming to the world a better way of life.

Letter to the Brethren – November 17, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Events, long ago foretold by God, are now taking shape in OUR lifetime! Sometimes it is hard to recognize the obvious, but little by little (and sometimes in breath-taking ways), we are witnessing the unrelenting emergence of a new world power in Europe that is destined to change life as we know it, and for the modern nations comprising the British Empire, the United States and Israel, these are indeed ominous times!

The Bible warns that the immediate time ahead will usher in a period of national punishment. Jeremiah 30 reveals that there will be dreadful events that will include enslavement, the captivity of the remnants of these now powerful nations! Consider this very specific warning: “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Verse 7).

Why? Why will God bring down the vast power and sweeping influence of America and Great Britain along with the destruction of the Jewish nation of Israel? Jeremiah 30 also answers this question:”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. All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one. For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you” (Verses 12-15).

Our sins have increased mightily, and our generation does not really take notice nor repent and turn whole-heartedly to God for forgiveness and restoration! The murder of helpless children through abortion is an abominable stench before God! Marriages end in divorce, something God says He HATES! (Malachi 2:16). We are now fighting fruitless wars and further eroding our international prestige and earning a bully’s reputation, the very pride of our power is being broken as we watch (Leviticus 26:19). Murder and violence fill our cities, and our churches talk about God but don’t obey Him! On the contrary, the very name of God is flippantly spoken of or invoked in profane and obscene terms!

In short, God, His laws and His way of living have been rejected. People simply don’t take God seriously! Hosea sums up our current state with these words from God: ìHear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed” (Hosea 4:1-2).

This should not come as a surprise to US! In the remarkable prophecies of Ezekiel we find that during the Babylonian captivity of Judah, Ezekiel was “sent” to the House of Israel. However, the ten tribes comprising the nation of Israel had already gone into captivity well over one hundred years earlier (722-721 B.C.)!

We find this commission from God to Ezekiel: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.î As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are a rebellious house, yet they will know that a prophet has been among them'” (Ezekiel 2:3-5).

Ezekiel’s message has become a part of God’s Word. This warning from God is for our day, and it MUST BE PROCLAIMED, along with many other prophecies preserved in the Bible for us! That responsibility has passed along to the Church of God!

A further example of prophetic messages recorded for the time of the end is found in Habakkuk 2:2-3: ìThen the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie, Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”

Note this message found in Jeremiah: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.” Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said, “We will not listen.” Therefore hear, you nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people, The fruit of their thoughts, Because they have not heeded My words Nor My law, but rejected it'” (Jeremiah 6:16-19).

We find a similar message in Zechariah 7, verses 9-10: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.” The record shows that those who heard then, rejected God’s warning: “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 7:11-12).

Once again, the descendants of Jacob in this generation face the great wrath of God because of rebellion and stubborn disobedience. Only those who turn to God in utter repentance will receive His protection.

God has called some few to faithfully warn, to powerfully cry out the message of hope for those who will indeed listen! In fact, God promises that a warning proclamation WILL go out! We find this commitment of God’s full warning to His people: “Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure” (Hosea 5:9). Later, in this same book of Hosea, God speaks of a coming period of chastisement for Ephraim (the nations of the British Empire) with a reminder that they had been warned: “According to what their congregation has heard” (Hosea 7:12). More specifically, this promise is given to those faithful to God: “Surely the LORD God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

Jesus Christ spoke in Matthew 24 of the time of the end and of that period just prior to His return. Along with instructing His servants to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom to ALL NATIONS in ALL THE WORLD (Compare verse 14), He said we who would follow Him should WATCH and be READY (Compare verses 42 and 44).

Brethren, this is the TASK of the Church today, it is the work of God entrusted to His Church, including you and me, for OUR time!

Over the years, we have been reminded of a statement found in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts.” When we weigh our responsibilities against our resources, we must always remember that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

This lesson was poignantly taught to the disciples of Jesus. Unable to cast out a powerful demon, they asked, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you'” (Matthew 17:19-20).

However, Jesus also revealed a vital key in verse 21, when He further stated: “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” To accomplish the work of God that falls to the Church, all of us must be close to God.

Although our individual responsibilities differ, we have ALL been called to participate in the work of the Church of God. That work involves a message of warning, but it also includes a message of hope.

Consider these encouraging words from God: “Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob, says the LORD, Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you, says the LORD, to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished” (Jeremiah 30:10-11).

Jesus also preached the gospel of the kingdom, the same message of hope we are to proclaim. We find this record of Him in Matthew 9:36-38: ìBut when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Time is closing in on us to accomplish the work, which God has given us to do. Jesus was aware of the urgency of His work, and He told His disciples: “must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

Brethren, we will all give account for our labors on behalf of God and Jesus Christ (Compare Matthew 25). Let us pray the more fervently for God’s help as we enter even greater times of peril leading to the return of Jesus Christ!

Thank all of you for your faithful part in this work. May God strengthen you for the awesome job we must complete!

In Christ’s Service,

David J. Harris

Letter to the Brethren – October 25, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Co-workers with Christ:

My wife Johanna and I have just returned from Europe, where we kept the Feast in England. Afterwards, we visited with our relatives in Germany. In my last member letter to you, dated July 13, 2004, I wrote this:

“I reflected on the awesome job, which God gave His Church ñ the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God in all the world as a witness or testimony ñ so that Jesus Christ can return to this earth. Do we realize how much this world needs to hear the good news or gospel message ñ the same message that Jesus Christ preached, when He was here on the earth?”

It may sound like a broken record, but I want to continue with this theme in this letter. There is a reason for doing so. Some have apparently forgotten what the commission of the Church of God is. Over the years, some have even left our fellowship, because they no longer believe that we are to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God into all the world. They allege that the Work is over and done with – all that is left for us to do is to prepare, individually and collectively, for the return of Christ.

There can be no doubt that the Church – the bride of Christ – is to make herself ready (Revelation 19:7). The ministry has an awesome responsibility to assist in this regard. It’s another way of saying that the Church has – and always has had – a two-fold commission: to preach the gospel and to feed the flock. Both aspects of that one commission go hand in hand. But do we realize, dear brethren, that we prepare the best – overcome our weaknesses the best – if our heart is in the Work; if we are involved in the preaching of the gospel? If all we are concentrating on is how to get into the kingdom ñ how to get salvation for ourselves – then we are acting selfishly, lacking the outpouring godly love for the welfare and benefit of others. The gospel of the Kingdom of God is the BEST NEWS that this world can ever hear. Why would a person led by God’s Holy Spirit NOT want to participate in announcing this precious and priceless truth to a spiritually starving and destitute mankind???

The idea that the Work of preaching the gospel is over and done with is biblically insupportable. Those who believe and teach this teach biblical heresy!

Notice the clear instructions and teachings of God’s Word, regarding the end of this present civilization and the beginning of the Kingdom of God:

Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness [or testimony] to all the nations, and then the end [of this present civilization] will come [not before then].”

Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in[to] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age [this present civilization].”

Mark 13:10-13: “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nationsÖ And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end [of this present civilization] shall be saved.”

Time and again we are being told that the preaching of the gospel and the teaching of those who are being called must endure until the very end. There is not even a hint that this task would have to stop prior to Christ’s return. Quite the contrary is true.

Notice Matthew 10:22-23: “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel [let alone the rest of the world] before the Son of Man comes.”

Christ expects His disciples to be involved in the task of preaching the gospel in all the world, when He returns. They will not even have reached, by that time, all the cities of Israel! Are you willing to believe these clear statements, as they have been preserved for centuries in your Bible? IF it were true that the Work of preaching the gospel has ended, what about the role of the two witnesses, who will still appear on this earth, prior to Christ’s return? Revelation 11:3, 7 tells us that they will prophesy [including preach under godly inspiration] for 3 ½ years, and when they have finished “their testimony” or “witness” of preaching the gospel [compare again Matthew 24:14], they will be killed. But even then, the gospel will still have to be preached. Revelation 14:6 reports that at the time of the fall of modern Babylon (verse 8), the “everlasting gospel must still be preached – to those who dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.” Note, too, that this Scripture does not necessarily say that the third angel will preach it. It is the angel who has the everlasting gospel that must be preached. The preaching itself will probably be done through the Church – as this has ALWAYS been its commission.

Now see the proof that God intends the CHURCH to preach the gospel, which INCLUDES warning the nations of impending disaster. We read in Isaiah 62:6-7: “I have set watchmen [notice the plural here!] on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD [His Church!], DO NOT KEEP SILENT, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

Isaiah 52:7-8 describes the ongoing DUTY of God’s Church to proclaim the gospel as God’s watchmen: “How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news [the gospel], Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings [the gospel] of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion.” They will be there when this happens. They will see and experience the return of Christ. And they will still be His watchmen at that very time, LIFTING UP THEIR VOICES! In Romans 10:14-18, this passage is quoted in the context of preaching the gospel to Israel!

We also read about the responsibility of the modern-day watchman – a reference to the endtime Church of God – in the 33rd chapter of the book of Ezekiel. Again, it is emphasized that the Church – the watchman – is to WARN the nations of disaster and WAR because of their sins! Isaiah 58:1 adds: “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the HOUSE OF JACOB [modern Israel, including the United States of America, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand] their SINS.”

God EXPECTS of His Church to blow the trumpet – to warn the nations! Joel 2:1 tells us: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the DAY OF THE LORD [of Christ’s RETURN] is coming, For it is at hand.” This “trumpet message” must also be addressed to the Church membership, as verses 15-17 clearly show.

Hosea 8:1 enjoins the Church, too, to blow the trumpet to warn modern Israel of impending disaster, because they have violated God’s covenant and law. Those who claim that the Work is over and REFUSE to fulfill the responsibility assigned to them by God, will have to give account to God for their disobedience!

God’s true ministers are especially charged by God to do, what Paul told Timothy, a “fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ” (1 Thessalonians 3:2): “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).

We, in the Church of the Eternal God, the Global Church of God, and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship, take this charge very seriously. We say with Paul: “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (compare 1 Corinthians 9:16). We cannot but do what God commissioned us to do ñ even if some don’t approve of it and a few may even leave our fellowship. With Peter we say, We must obey God rather than man (compare Acts 5:29).

That the end-time Church must still be engaged in preaching the gospel cannot be in doubt. Jesus Christ told the Philadelphians in Revelation 3:8-10: ìI know your works. See, I have set before you an open door [which includes the door of preaching the gospel, compare 2 Corinthians 2:12], and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word [including His word to preach the gospel], and have not denied My name [telling the nations that Christ’s name is the ONLY name by which we can be saved, Acts 4:12] ” Because you have kept My command to persevere [to do what we ought to do, even in the face of resistance], I also will keep you from the hour of trial [or Great Tribulation] which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Since Christ will protect Philadelphians from the Great Tribulation, there must still be Philadelphians around when the Great Tribulation begins. And as long as we are Philadelphians, Christ has given us an open door to preach the gospel, and He expects us to go through that open door! From 1933 forward, God provided radio and television as well as the printing press as an open door for the message to go out. Today, He has also made available the technology of the Internet. As long as we remain faithful, He will see to it that a door is opened to us.

Christ said that the harvest is plentiful and that we are to pray that God will send laborers – true ministers – into the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). The harvest is indeed plentiful. It will include 144,000 from the modern houses of Israel and Judah (Revelation 7:4-8), in addition to the great multitude of ALL tribes and nations (Revelation 7:9). They, too, will come to repentance PRIOR to the Day of the Lord (compare Revelation 7:14). They will have HEARD the gospel preached to them – otherwise, they could not respond and repent (compare Romans 10:14-15).

Dear brethren, don’t become shaky in your persuasion of what the Church of God ought to do today. Don’t listen to those who are of a different persuasion. They will have to give account for their false teaching, but we don’t want you to fall prey to their error and perhaps stumble and fall.

Let us abound in the Work of the Lord! And if we do it wholeheartedly, as to God and not to man, we will receive our reward in due time. Let us never forget the promise of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

In Christian love,

Norbert Link

Letter to the Brethren – September 7, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

The world of today is becoming more and more filled with hopeless violence. Implacable enemies are arising, committing unspeakable atrocities! On the near horizon of this generation’s future, insurmountable difficulties loom! The societies of this age are selfishly focused on power, on money and on vainly serving the desires of the flesh, all built on the false promises of human governments who are always proclaiming, but never quite able to deliver, a time of peace (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

We who have been called by God and who have continued to walk in His way of life, look forward to a much different future. We KNOW that God will soon establish His Kingdom on this earth. We KNOW that God will send Jesus Christ, the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), to intervene in great power to actually bring peace to the entire planet, forcing a rebellious mankind to accept God’s peace on His terms. Under His rule, man will not “learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

As we enter the observance of these Fall Holy Days as commanded by God, we need to carefully consider the awesome GIFT that has been bestowed upon us. We understand God’s will, and we have the unparalleled and certain hope of a future of real peace, a peace that will transform this world!

In this context, let us also think about OUR PART in the Work of God: “For [consider] your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

In the wonder of this revelation, we are, on the one hand, humbled; while, on the other hand, we are called upon to take seriously the great responsibility that accompanies our calling at this time!

We have a message to deliver to this world, the GOOD NEWS that the way of living that brings only misery and death will soon come to an end. But, as we understand, there is MORE to that GOOD NEWS! It includes the establishment of God’s rule here on earth, the beginning of a BETTER way of life. This is news from God! It is the very same announcement given by Jesus Christ and continually proclaimed by the Church of God throughout the generations.

Here is the direct statement by Jesus Christ concerning the gospel or good news that comes from God: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end [of this present evil age] will come” (Matthew 24:14). We are doing our part in this awesome commission through the work of the Church of the Eternal God and our corporate affiliates in Canada and Great Britain. We are carrying on with this commission given to us in the Word of God. We all have our part as God has established us. Consider this statement in 1 Corinthians 12:18: “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body JUST AS HE PLEASED.”

God has very specifically chosen each one of us to be called at this time! He has done so with purpose: First, it is a part of His plan to call all in His Church to continued repentance and to offer all of us the chance for eternal life (Compare 2 Peter 3:9); Second, He is giving us the opportunity to be in the first resurrection and to be part of the government Jesus Christ will bring to the earth (Note the messages to the Churches in Revelation 2 and 3); Third, He has called us to be ambassadors of this future Kingdom, NOW! (Compare 2 Corinthians 5:20).

As the Word of God does so often, we, too, want to encourage all to walk in ways that truly reflect the character of God. Jesus said that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). In verse 16 of this same chapter, He says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Brethren, we accomplish this by living a life patterned after that of Jesus Christ. Especially during these approaching Holy Days, we should be extra mindful of our role in the body of Christ, the Church of God. All of God,s Feast Days picture His great master plan, and they continue to give us increased insight, understanding and occasions for personal growth. You may want to look again at our publication, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” which sets forth in detail the meaning of these annual Festivals. For instance, Paul pointed out: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). He understood that the Feast Days (in this case, Passover) played a significant role in revealing the unfolding plan of God. Passover, reflecting on Christ’s death, is just the beginning, already pointing to Christ’s return and His rule over man. Passover is followed by the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, all these Days picture critical events in Gods plan for mankind, and for those whom He has called in this time and age. In faithfully obeying God’s command to observe His special Holy Days, we, as Christ’s ambassadors and special “newscasters,” are representing the promise of God to offer salvation to all of mankind.

What we do will certainly serve as a chance to let our light shine. When we gather together to be strengthened and to encourage one another, we will also be assembling as representatives of God’s Way of living.

In this joyous and special time of the Fall Festivals, we are to REJOICE: “And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates” (Deuteronomy 16:14).

Let us also direct our gratitude to God and to Jesus Christ in preparation for, and during God’s Fall Festivals! At one time, Jesus healed ten lepers; however, only one returned to give thanks and glory to God for his healing: “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16).

Brethren, as we keep the Fall Festivals, let us walk thankfully in the confidence of our calling. Let us rejoice in the hope that God has given us, and let us be very mindful of the fact that we are representatives of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Let us all become rejuvenated and refreshed during the Fall Festival season, praying to God for, and expecting to receive from Him, His strength (compare Isaiah 40:31). We need God’s strength to continue, in ever-increasing boldness and power, to do our job of proclaiming the good news of God’s soon-coming Kingdom to this world, an hallucinating, self-deceived and dying world, which hopes for peace, while living a way of life, which only brings about war (Romans 3:10-18). God’s Kingdom, pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles, is the ONLY hope for mankind. Let us never forget to pray: “Thy Kingdom Come!” And let us, as ambassadors of Christ, continue, without fear of persecution or reprisal, to PROCLAIM to this war-stricken world the gospel of PEACE (Ephesians 6:15), as this is indeed “beautiful” in God’s sight (Isaiah 52:7). We wish all of you a spiritually rewarding and peaceful Fall Festival season.

In Christ’s Service,

J. Edwin Pope

Norbert Link

David J. Harris

Rene Messier

Brian Gale

Letter to the Brethren – August 19, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends;

As we approach the end of the summer months (I say this with the temperature outside at 96 degrees and just fifty miles to the East of here is Palm Springs with a torrid 106 degrees), we are beginning to move into the period of time of the fall festivals: the Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.

We are anxiously looking forward, with anticipation, to our gathering together with the brethren, in one of two beautifully millennial settings where God’s name has been placed for us to observe the Feast this year: 1) The Sea Pines Golf resort in Los Osos, California, located on the banks of Morro Bay on the central coast of California or 2) Chatsworth House, this being the wonderful peak district home of the late Duke who died recently and still the home of the Duchess of Devonshire, located in Derbyshire, England.

We will assemble ourselves together as admonished in God’s Word in observance of the eight day festival which we all know as The Feast of Tabernacles; which, in fact, is inclusive of the two separate festivals; of the seven day “Feast of Tabernacles” and the separate festival of God which is called the “Last Great Day.”

The four fall festivals noted above portray great events prophesied in God’s Word to be coming soon to the earth and will culminate into the wonderful Kingdom of God, with Jesus Christ ruling on the earth for 1,000 years. But before all these events, which are prophesied to affect all the people of the earth, God reveals to us through the prophet, Daniel, that at the time of the end, knowledge will increase and people will be going to and fro over the earth.

But, we must ask the question, is this knowledge which will be increasing in the earth, something that is desirable? Is this increased knowledge something which will move the peoples of the earth closer to their Creator and to the Way of life He has chosen for us to be living? In fact, the Scriptures reveal to us that there is a knowledge which has been given to mankind which is to be desired! But is this desired knowledge, the knowledge that is being referred to as being increased at the time of the end?

The Scriptures also reveal to us that there is a knowledge in the world which leads to grief and sorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:18). God, in fact, in the beginning of man’s existence on the earth, introduced to the man and to the woman the fact that there were two approaches to life, represented by the two trees in the midst of the garden; and they must make a choice as to which way they would go (Genesis 2:9, 16-17). And so, we find in the book of Hosea, there would come a time during which knowledge is being increased in the land; at the same time, the prophet Hosea quotes the LORD as saying, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

But what knowledge is Hosea referring to? Surely not the knowledge that is increasing in the land! In the first verse of Hosea 4 the LORD explains what knowledge He is referring to. He states, ìThere is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.î No truth of God’s Way! No understanding of God’s mercy and the fact that we should be showing mercy as He shows mercy! No knowledge of God, of His Law, of His Truth, or of His Way of life! What is the result of this lack? When there is no knowledge of God, He tells us (in Hosea 4:6) that the people are destroyed!

So, there is a body of knowledge which God refers to as true! This knowledge is revealed knowledge, which comes from God and which builds up the people who have received this revelation. But then, God also shows, there is a body of knowledge which is of this world and is destructive to mankind. It is true that included within this body of destructive knowledge are things which are good. But this body of knowledge also includes things which are evil. And these things are not easily discernable without the true knowledge of God. All of this becomes very clear to those whom God has called and who have had these truths revealed to them and who have God’s Spirit leading them in their lives.

Paul understood the value of this body of true knowledge and revealed that fact when he made the statement in Romans 7:7 (KJV) which said, ìÖI had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, “Thou shalt not covet.” Of course, we understand that this law Paul is referring to is one of the Ten Commandments, which existed from the beginning, but which was again revealed to the nation of Israel as God was leading them out of the land of Egypt, where they had been in captivity following the death of Joseph.

But much of the understanding of the Way of God has been lost down through the ages, and, today, we find ourselves in a world pretty much devoid of God and His Truth. We find ourselves living in that time prophesied by Daniel and others when knowledge would be increased. Yet this increased knowledge is not of God and His Way but is the knowledge of this world and its ways, which are a reflection of Satan’s ways, he being, at present, the god of this world. God proclaims this knowledge is that which is derived from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and tells us we must come out of that way!

Paul tells us that mankind rejected the knowledge of God which had been given to them. The result was that God allowed their minds to go off into error, which is where the majority of mankind find themselves today (Romans 1:16-28). Even Israel, God’s chosen people, had a zeal for God, but that zeal was not according to the knowledge of God (Romans 10:1-2). Thus, Paul admonishes us, in the book of Colossians, that his desire for those God calls is that they be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding”; and, that we “increase in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10).

Paul continues in chapter 3 of the book of Colossians, admonishing us to ìSet your minds on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2).î He continues to develop this concept in this chapter showing that we must be renewed in the knowledge of God, giving detailed instructions as to how we are to do this.

Interestingly, Paul, on numerous occasions used a key phrase in his letters to the Thessalonians, to Timothy and to the Hebrews whereby he admonished them at that time, and you and me today, to “hold fast” to that which is good, to the confidence, to the confession, to the pattern of sound words he had delivered to them. He realized the importance of the knowledge God had given to them in opening their minds to receive this knowledge. And he understood how it is so easy, if one is not diligent, to allow one’s’ self to be swayed from these truths.

And John, as he was diligent in recording the words of our Lord in the book of Revelation, noted to three of the last four of the seven churches recorded in Revelation 2 and 3, where Christ specifically admonishes them to continue to “hold fast” to the true knowledge God had revealed to them until His return to this earth to establish the Kingdom. To the church of the Laodiceans, He said only, “be zealous and repent.” Apparently, Christ saw they were letting these wonderful truths slip away!

Brethren, we have been called to live this Way of God. This festival season we are about to enter is given to us by our Heavenly Father to provide special time for us to be renewed in the knowledge of His Way, and to grow and increase in God’s knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). Let us all take full advantage of this blessing God has given us. Let us prepare our hearts and our minds to receive the Spiritual food God has for us and let’s prepare to go to this Feast of Tabernacles and rejoice in the sure knowledge of God and of His Way of life!

Continue to “hold fast,” dear brethren!

In Christian love,

J. Edwin Pope

Letter to the Brethren – July 13, 2004

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Dear Brethren, Co-workers and Friends!

At the very beginning of this letter, my wife Johanna and I would like to thank all of you, from the very bottom of our hearts, for the generous outpouring of love extended by you to my family and me, in regard to the death of my father. My dad died on June 13, 2004, and I was able to attend the funeral in Germany on June 18. Although my dad lived a long life of 95 years, it is still very difficult to accept his death, especially for my mother who is suffering tremendously because of this loss. She is presently visiting with us at our place in Ramona, until the end of the month, and I know how much she would appreciate your prayers for strength in these difficult times.

While in Germany, I reflected on the awesome job, which God gave His Church, the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God in all the world as a witness or testimony, so that Jesus Christ can return to this earth. Do we realize how much this world needs to hear the good news or gospel message, the same message that Jesus Christ preached, when He was here on the earth?

The true gospel message gives us hope. It includes the understanding as to what happens to us when we die. The religions of this world do not provide an answer. They are ignorant about this all-important question, and their teachings are inconsistent and confusing. Although some Christian churches teach the resurrection from the dead, they believe that at the time of one’s death, the soul of the dead person continues to live. They are unable to answer why there should be, then, a resurrection. (Martin Luther posed this very same question and concluded that the “soul” does not go to heaven or hell, when man dies, but awaits a resurrection from the dead.) Loved ones mourn for their “departed ones” and some still talk to them, thinking, but not really knowing, that the dead might still hear them. Others are uncertain whether they will ever see them again. What tragedy and unnecessary grief, pain and sorrow.

At the same time, we see how the different “branches” of the Christian churches of this world, in spite of their inconsistent and contradictory teachings, are recognized as belonging together. Although there are many “Protestant” churches, they all feel somewhat united as Protestants, based on several “core” teachings. And although there are many orders and archdioceses within the Catholic Church, holding different teachings to an extent, they clearly understand themselves as belonging to the Catholic faith.

Non-Christian observers analyzing the two big Christian churches, the Catholic and the Protestant Church, immediately note common denominators even between the two, identifying those as similar religions. Some have pointed out that the main distinguishing factor between the Catholic and the Protestant Churches is their belief as to what occurs during the administration of the bread and the wine at the time of the communion or Last Supper. This, seemingly theoretical, question has been declared as more important than even the issue of the role and function of the Pope and church government, the Virgin Mary, purgatory, or other doctrinal issues. It is safe to say that in regard to most questions, both church groupings are united, whether it is in their belief of the Trinity; the immortal soul; heaven and hell; Sunday; Christmas or Easter.

When contemplating this fact, I had to wonder about the Sabbath-keeping churches of God. There was a time when many of us were united within one big organization, the Worldwide Church of God. However, there have always been those, even under Herbert W. Armstrong, the late leader of the Worldwide Church of God, who had separated themselves, many times in rebellion against Church government, and had formed their own little groups, but these were few, small and insignificant, by comparison.

After Mr. Armstrong died in January of 1986, the prophesied apostasy set in (compare 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-3), and we witnessed a scattering of God’s people in many countries around the world. This scattering and regrouping has resulted in a weakening of the ability to preach the gospel by one somewhat powerful and recognizable organization, but, at the same time, it might have added, in some way, to the preaching of the gospel.

We read in Matthew 26:31 that when Christ, the Shepherd, was stricken, the sheep of the flock were scattered. This was primarily fulfilled when Christ was arrested and the apostles fled, but there is also a secondary meaning implied in this passage. Every time when Satan strikes powerfully against the Church of God, the body of the Shepherd, Jesus Christ, scatterings of the flock oftentimes occur as a consequence. But God allows such scatterings to happen for a reason. When Saul persecuted the church in Jerusalem, “they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1). But notice what happened next. We read in verse 4: “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” We also notice a similar occurrence in Acts 11:19-20. We find that today, too, some, who are scattered, preach the word of truth all over the world.

Many of God’s people are scattered today, belonging to different organizations, but as long as God’s Spirit dwells within them, they are a part of the body of Christ, which is a spiritual organism, consisting of all those in whom God’s Spirit dwells. Christ is not limited or restricted to just one corporate organization. At the same time, every member of the body of Christ does have the responsibility to decide what human organization to be affiliated with, based on right and proper Scriptural reasons. Everyone should be “fair-minded,” searching the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things, as taught by the ministry of a particular organization, are true (compare Acts 17:11). Members are to judge, discern, evaluate, based on Scripture, what is being preached (1 Corinthians 14:29). In order to do so correctly, members need to have God’s wisdom to discern properly (1 Corinthians 10:15). This requires that brethren dig deep (compare Luke 6:48) into the truth, it does make a difference to them whether and where the truth is preached fully, and when trials and obstacles occur, we all must be wise, not giving up these precious truths of God which have been received through the inspiration of God’s Spirit. We must hold fast to the pattern of sound words (compare 2 Timothy 1:13), rejecting and avoiding strange or useless teachings (Hebrews 13:9).

There is a reason why we are not all united at this time in one human organization. Some smaller organizations might be able to preach the gospel message in a more powerful way than they would be able to, if they were part of another organization (which might have procedures in ó 3 ó place that require a common denominator of teachings acceptable by all or the majority, or that bestow on just one person the right for a, more or less, autocratic determination as to what to preach).

At the same time, in spite of certain differences between corporate organizations and entities within the Church of God, we need to realize that members of those different organizations are part of the body of Christ, as long as God’s Spirit dwells within them. All of us are to faithfully hold to the truths revealed in Scripture through God’s Holy Spirit, so that Christ does not vomit us out of His mouth (Revelation 3:17). In addition, an outsider should be able to look at the fundamental teachings and clearly see a common uniting body of beliefs, just as he should be able to designate someone as a Catholic or a Protestant, or a Hindu, a Buddhist or a Muslim. He should be able to find within such organizations comprising the Sabbath-keeping Churches of God that they believe in the Sabbath and the Holy Days; the Family of God; the human potential; the return of Jesus Christ to restore the government of God here on this earth; the Millennium; the spirit in man; the non-existence of an immortal soul; life after death through the resurrections; the rejection of unclean meats and pagan festivals; etc.

Although there are reasons for the existence of different organizations within the body of Christ, all should be united in one goal of preaching the gospel message to this dying world, so that Christ can return to this earth soon to restore the Kingdom of God on this earth. The Church must be ready for this awesome event. The unifying beliefs of true Christians should be reflected in what they say and do in their lives. We must all be doers of the Word. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:9: “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another”, which, of course, is a reflection of God’s Commandments.

Christ said that all would know that we are His disciples if we have love for one another (John 13:35). And He was not just talking about love for brethren in our particular fellowship or organization. Christ warned that the love of many within the Church would grow cold (compare Matthew 24:12). Paul warned us not to devour each other (Galatians 5:15). He said that if we do, we are carnal (compare 1 Corinthians 3:1-3), more carnal, perhaps, than some of those who have not yet understood the truth, but who do show natural affection for others. There is never a reason for a Christian in one human fellowship or organization within the body of Christ to look down on, condemn or shun other Christians in different fellowships within Christ’s body. Christ told us that if someone is not against us, he is for us, on our side (Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50). On the other hand, we must use discretion to avoid being deceived by false teachings. But even then, we must not allow ourselves to assume a self-righteous approach when dealing with the people of God outside our own fellowship. We must let our light shine before all, and that includes even speaking to those who may now be cast in adversarial roles. However, that would not include, of course, listening to false teachings, including via literature or tape, or spiritually fellowshipping with those who have chosen to follow and promote wrong doctrines. Paul warned the church at Corinth: “that a little leaven leavens the whole lump”(1 Corinthians 5:6).

Although we might (have to) operate in different human organizations at this time, all true believers are still to be united by the bond of peace and love and respect for each other and by the Truth which God has revealed to us. How can we reject those and refuse to have any social contact with them, when God has accepted them (compare Romans 14:4)? If problems between Christians exist, they need to be resolved. Sometimes, it may appear easier to just ignore a problem, to avoid the other person, and to go our separate ways. But that would not be in accordance with the wisdom of God. And without the wisdom of God we will, in time, fall for and accept wrong teachings, concepts and practices.

As I said at the beginning of this letter, my family and I were greatly moved by the numerous e-mail messages, cards and phone calls from our relatives, friends and brethren, expressing to us their condolences for the death of my dad. When he was still alive, many had prayed for him, my mother and our family. This showed out-flowing love for the welfare and benefit of others, and this manifestation of love came from many members belonging to a number of different organizations within the body of Christ. This is how it should be. Love, true, genuine love, transcends man-made borders and limitations.

May God bless you all.

With Christian love,

Norbert Link

Jesus Christ—A Great Mystery!

To Request a FREE hard copy of this booklet, please write to: contact@eternalgod.org

Part 1

Did Jesus Exist?

Is there any historical proof that a person called Jesus Christ ever existed? Although it is sometimes claimed by atheists and agnostics that the very person of Jesus was an invention by early writers, very few educated people down through history have doubted the existence of Christ. There are more than 1,000 works of literature that were written very early in Church history affirming the existence of Christ, and much of it was written by pagans or Jews—people who acknowledged His existence, but denied that He was, indeed, the Son of God.

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

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

Consider also this brief synopsis of many other non-Biblical sources attesting to the historical authenticity of Jesus Christ:

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

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

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

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

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

Some “scholars” regard the whole passage as spurious—totally false. Others regard the passage as authentic, with some spurious additions. Then, there are scholars who regard the entire passage as completely genuine. The Catholic Encyclopedia points out: “The main arguments for the genuineness of the Josephan passage are the following: … all codices or manuscripts of Josephus’ work contain the text in question; to maintain the spuriousness of the text, we must suppose that all the copies of Josephus were in the hands of Christians, and were changed in the same way… Eusebius…, Sozomen…, Isidore of Pelusium…, St. Jerome…, Ambrose, Cassiodorus, etc., appeal to the testimony of Josephus; there must have been no doubt as to its authenticity at the time of these illustrious writers.”

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

The evidence of Jesus’ existence becomes, of course, indisputably compelling when considering the Biblical record. Some scholars of the “Historical Jesus” movement hold that the Gospels were fabricated or seriously distorted as the stories of Jesus evolved in the late 1st or early 2nd centuries. However, such a theory is not supported by evidence.

Time and again the New Testament writers claim to be eyewitnesses to the facts. For instance, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, died during Nero’s persecution in 64 A.D. Paul was still alive at the close of Acts, so Acts must have been written sometime before 64 A.D. Since Acts was a continuation of Luke’s Gospel, that Gospel must have been written even earlier still. Any scholar, including those in the ‘Historical Jesus’ movement, will admit that the Gospel of Mark predates the Gospel of Luke. This supports the writing of Mark in the 50s A.D., only about two decades after the crucifixion of Jesus. In addition, Paul wrote Romans in the mid-50s. In Romans, Paul declares that Jesus is the resurrected Son of God. Galatians is another undisputed letter of Paul written in the mid-50s. In Galatians 1:18 and 2:1, Paul discusses his interaction with Peter and James, two of Jesus’ primary disciples, at least 14 years earlier. Finally, in 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, Paul states that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead three days later. Scholars, using the historical records of Paul and his early travels to Damascus and Jerusalem, place the above “creed” at about 35 A.D., just 3 to 5 years after the death of Jesus Christ.

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

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

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

Part 2

Who Was Jesus?

Although historical records clearly prove that a person called Jesus Christ did exist, the question remains as to who He was. This is a subject that has been grossly misunderstood by many, including orthodox Christianity! The CORRECT understanding of this topic has been sadly lacking, even in some, if not many of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations. We dare to say that this is perhaps the TOPIC WITH MORE ERRONEOUS BELIEFS THAN ANY OTHER! Yet it is fundamentally important that we understand the truth of the matter; otherwise, we are in jeopardy of DENYING the very sacrifice of Jesus Christ! While orthodox Christianity, as well as the world as a whole, are in total ignorance on this vital subject, some in the Sabbath-keeping Churches of God are dangerously close to rejecting Christ and His sacrifice without realizing it, because they do not fully understand and appreciate who Jesus was when He lived here on earth as a human being!

Some have come up with their own ideas on the matter and they refuse to change, even rejecting the very plain teaching from the Bible. Some use terminology that is not Biblical, and in doing so, fall into the trap of accepting concepts that are taught by orthodox Christianity, clouding the issue rather than clearly explaining it.

Some have gone back to Judaic thought, adopting a full-fledged monotheistic viewpoint of just one God being prior to Jesus’ birth, and thereby have rejected the sacrifice of Christ.

What, then, is the Biblical teaching on who Jesus was when He was here on this earth?

In order to fully understand what is a mystery to many, we must first briefly address who Jesus was before He came to this earth. The Biblical record is very clear on who Christ was before He was born of the virgin Mary, and all who teach something different are WRONG. They are, in fact, DECEIVERS!

Christ was God Before He Came to This Earth!

Yes, Christ was God before He came to this earth! This all-important statement is supported Biblically in many places. Paul explains in 1 Timothy 3:16: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD was manifest in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.”

HOW, exactly, was “God” manifest in the flesh? Some claim that God is just one Being and that He somehow placed some of His thoughts into the mind of a human being called Jesus. But they are wrong. Jesus actually did exist as a God being—a second, individual God being to God, the Father—prior to His birth as a human. The Bible clearly confirms this.

Philippians 2:5–7 reads: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of GOD, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, TAKING THE FORM OF A BONDSERVANT, and coming IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN.”

Notice, too, John 1:1–3: “In the beginning was the WORD [Note that Christ is still referred to as the “Word of God,” for instance in Revelation 19:13], and the Word was with God, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. He was in the beginning with God [that means there were two God beings—Christ, the “Word of God,” and God the FATHER]. All things were made through Him [the Word, Jesus Christ, compare Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1–2], and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

These passages are clear and speak for themselves. Unless one wants to deceitfully twist, change and pervert the Scriptures, the Biblical testimony is unequivocal: Jesus Christ was GOD before He came to this earth! For more explanation and Scriptural proof, see our booklet, “God Is A Family,” specifically, page 14.

We have established the fact that Christ did exist as a human being, and we have shown from the Scriptures that He was a God being before His human birth. So then, where is Christ now? What kind of being is He? And what is He doing?

Christ Is God!

Again, the Bible is very clear that Christ IS God! For undeniable proof, notice Titus 2:11–14: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

Jesus Christ, who had been a God being (the “Son of God”) before His human birth, is a God being today, functioning now as our High Priest. He sits next to God, the Father, in heaven and intervenes on our behalf so that we can obtain mercy in time of need (Hebrews 1:3; 4:14–16; 5:5–10; 7:8, 24; 9:11, 24–28; 10:12, 19–22).

But now, let’s go back a bit and address in much more detail, one of the most important mysteries about Jesus Christ.

Who Was Jesus When He was Here on Earth?

The question of who Jesus was when He was here on earth elicits a multitude of responses, suggestions, and interpretations. Some say that He was “God and man”; that He was “truly God and truly man”; that He was “fully God and fully man”; that He was “only and fully God, and not man”; that He was “fully man, and not God”; and, that He was “fully man, but still God in some ways.”

Are any of these concepts right? How can we know the truth of the matter? Again, we look into God’s written Word to find the truth. But before we do that, let’s consider what effect some of these concepts have had on people.

Those who claim that Christ was “fully God and fully man” have, first of all, created a contradiction. If you are fully one thing, then you can’t be fully something else; even more so if the two things don’t correlate. So, if we say that Christ was “fully God,” then He could not also have been “fully man.” In the same way, if something is fully animal, then it cannot be fully human (a scientific fact that is true in spite of the erroneous ideas of the satanic concept of evolution, according to which a man is just the last evolutionary step within the animal world. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”) A horse cannot be fully a horse and fully a cat. A flower cannot be fully a flower and fully a bird. To think that Christ was fully God and fully man is just as ludicrous as the aforementioned examples! The retort that this is a mystery which cannot be understood is Biblically incongruous, as the Bible is God’s word in print, and He HAS REVEALED to His disciples just who and what Christ was when He was here on earth, and for a very good reason! Without an understanding of the mystery of Christ, we could not accept His sacrifice, our sins would not be forgiven, and we would have no hope of our ultimate resurrection!

The Bible is clear that humanity and immortality are exclusive of each other—they are separate. Paul says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). The Bible teaches that it is the potential of man to become a member of the God Family. (This important truth is more fully explained in our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”) This means that man must be changed into spirit (1 Corinthians 15:51–52, 42–49) before he can attain immortality and enter the Kingdom of God. We read that God is not a man that He would lie (Numbers 23:19). We read that it is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2). It is impossible for God to SIN! He cannot even be tempted to sin (James 1:13). And most importantly, it is impossible for God to DIE (compare 1 Timothy 6:16; see also Luke 20:35–36). But we read that Christ is the One “who lives, and was dead, and behold,” He is “alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:18). We are told that Christ, as God, now “lives forever and ever” (Revelation 4:9). But as a human, He did die, and was then resurrected from the DEAD (1 Corinthians 15:12–13, 16).

So, then, if Christ was fully God when He was here on earth, as some have reasoned, He could not have died; therefore, He could not have become a sacrifice for us. In addition, if Christ was fully God while He was here on earth, He could not have overcome sin in the flesh (compare Romans 8:3). Again, He could not have become the perfect sacrifice for us.

Some say that Christ did not die. They use the argument that He was fully God and somehow covered Himself with a fleshly mantle, like a piece of cloth, and so did not die. They reason that while Jesus—the earthly shell—died, the true Son of God—Christ—stood right next to Him. Orthodox Christianity, in fact, teaches the concept that the Son of God never died. In doing so, they reject the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They say that since Christ was fully God, He did not really overcome sin because it was impossible for Him to sin. They further reason that Satan thought he could tempt Christ to sin, but Christ, as God, could not be tempted to sin, as God cannot be tempted to sin. Therefore, Christ did not really have to struggle against sin, as it was impossible for Him to sin, so the argument goes.

Sadly, some of these ideas have been embraced over time by some of the splintering entities of the true Church of God, but ALL of these concepts are unbiblical and dangerously WRONG! Casting all wrong concepts aside then, let’s turn to the Bible, the inspired Word of God, for the truth.

Jesus Christ Came in the Flesh

God clearly reveals who and what Christ was when He was here on earth, and He also tells us that people have been deceived by the “spirit of antichrist” if they don’t accept this clear Biblical revelation. 1 John 2:22–23 warns us: “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

What, exactly, is the “spirit of antichrist”? We are told that one follows the “spirit of antichrist” if one denies Jesus Christ. But in what way, specifically, does the “spirit of antichrist” deny Jesus Christ? 1 John 4:2 tells us: “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ HAS COME IN THE FLESH is of God.”

The “spirit of antichrist,” then, denies that Jesus Christ actually CAME IN THE FLESH. But just how did Christ come in the flesh? By clothing Himself with a flesh-like mantle? Or by materializing or manifesting Himself as a human being like angels are able to do (compare Hebrews 13:2)? Did Christ only “manifest” Himself as a human being without actually BECOMING a human being? We know that Christ—before He was born of the virgin Mary—appeared to the ancients, like Abraham, looking like a human being without actually being human (John 8:54–58). Is that the way Christ “came in the flesh” as referenced in 1 John 4:2?

A closer look at the Biblical explanation reveals just HOW Christ “came in the flesh.” 1 John 4:14 points out: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” Christ came in the flesh to be the SAVIOR of man. This means that whatever He did while in the flesh would lead to man’s ultimate salvation. As we will see, when Christ came in the flesh—lived as a human being—HE HAD TO OVERCOME SIN. He had to CONQUER SIN IN THE FLESH!

Notice 2 John 7: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” The New King James Bible correctly translates that the spirit of antichrist denies Christ as “coming” in the flesh. Christ not only came in the flesh in the past, but He is still coming in the flesh TODAY! That is to say that Christ lives today IN His disciples who are flesh and blood (compare Galatians 2:20). In so doing, He gives His disciples the power to overcome sin while in the flesh.

Do you see the parallel? Christ came in the flesh—born as a human being—to overcome sin in the flesh. He was able to do that only through the power of God’s Holy Spirit within Him. Today, we who are in the flesh have the same power available to us to overcome sin—the power of the Holy Spirit in us, which is the power of God, the Father, AND of Jesus Christ, the Son.

Jesus Christ was Fully Man

How, exactly, did Christ come in the flesh? Was He, at that very time, “fully God and fully man”? Was He “fully God”? Or was He “fully man”?

Notice the clear revelation of this mystery in John 1:14: “And the Word [the “Word” referring to Jesus Christ, Who in the beginning was God and was with God the Father, John 1:1–2] 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.”

Did you catch this all-important statement? Read it again! Are you willing to BELIEVE what God says here without arguing against it? Are you willing to release your preconceived notions and ideas about Christ “coming in the flesh” and to replace them with the truth as revealed by God Himself in the Bible?

God clearly tells us that the Word—Jesus Christ—who was God before His human birth, BECAME flesh. Christ came in the flesh by BECOMING flesh. This means that He became totally and fully flesh and blood, like you and I! This is CRUCIAL for you to understand! When Christ BECAME flesh, He was no longer Spirit. He was no longer fully God, because He had become fully man!

Think for a moment about the word “became.” When a poor person becomes rich, he is no longer poor. When a person becomes sick, he is, at that point in time, no longer healthy. When a woman becomes pregnant, she is, at that point in time, no longer barren. Likewise, when the Word became flesh, He was no longer Spirit. He was no longer an immortal God being as He was before.

When Mary became pregnant with Jesus, how did that happen? We read that the Holy Spirit of God, the Father, came upon her—that the power of God overshadowed her (Luke 1:35). From this we can understand that through the Holy Spirit, God, the Father, changed the all-powerful Spirit being, Jesus Christ, into a tiny physical human sperm, fertilizing the egg in the womb of Mary, thus impregnating her. The fetus grew within Mary’s womb like any other human fetus. Jesus was born as a little baby like every other human baby. He was fully flesh, just like you and I are fully flesh.

Every human being has within him or her, the spirit in man, and, if converted, we also have dwelling within us the Spirit of God (Romans 8:12–16; 1 Corinthians 2:9–12). The same was true, then, for Jesus Christ. He had the spirit in man from conception because He was fully human. In addition, Christ had God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within Him, but He had God’s Spirit without measure or limit—given at conception—which is how he was able to overcome sin in the flesh.

We read in John 3:34, in the Authorized Version, that God the Father gave Christ the Spirit without measure: “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” Some feel that the words “unto him”—as referring to Christ—are not in the original text. Whether they are or not, John was clearly talking about Christ in the context of the One whom God, the Father, had sent to speak the words of God. When it comes to us, we DO receive the Holy Spirit “with measure,” meaning in a limited way. (Compare 2 Corinthians 1:22, New American Bible: “[God the Father] has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.”) When we are baptized, we don’t immediately receive all of the fullness of God’s Spirit. Rather, we need to GROW into all the fullness of God. Christ, however, had the entirety of God’s Spirit, which is a Spirit of POWER. This is HOW He was able to do the mighty miracles that He did.

Notice Acts 10:36–38: “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM.”

Christ said about Himself, that left to His own humanity, He could do nothing, and that the Father, through His Spirit, gave Christ the power and strength to do what He was able to do as a human being (John 5:30).

Some say that Christ was fully God, when here on earth, as it says that the fullness of God dwells in Him bodily, referring to Colossians 2:9–10 to support their claim. However, this passage does not say what they claim it says. We read: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of God bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

First of all, this passage talks about the present—not necessarily the past. It says that the fullness of God “dwells,” not “dwelled,” in Christ bodily. Today, God’s fullness dwells in Christ because Christ is God. Some claim that this could not be talking about Christ today as Christ, as a Spirit being does not have a “body.” This retort is unfounded, as the Bible clearly teaches that Spirit beings have spiritual bodies; that is, their bodies are composed of Spirit (compare 1 Corinthians 15:44. There is much more detail about this in our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”) But even if we were to apply this Scripture to Christ when He was here on earth and in the flesh, it would be accurate as well, in this way: God’s Spirit dwelled in Christ without measure. Therefore, the fullness of God, through His Holy Spirit, dwelled in Christ when He was in the flesh.

Breaking this down further, let us discuss the word “bodily.” The Greek word for “bodily” is “somatikos.” This word is derived from the Greek word, “soma,” meaning “body.” It refers many times to the church, the BODY of Christ (compare Colossians 1:18, 24; 2:19). Christ is today the Head of the church. His fullness dwells in His body, the church. Notice the analogy in Colossians 2:10 (“…you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”). Because Christ’s fullness dwells in His body, the church, we are complete in Him. This is not to say that we are already perfect or that the fullness of God dwells already in each and every one of us. But it does show that the fullness of Christ is available to us. We’ll come back to this in a moment.

Now notice Colossians 1:19: “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.”

Again, this statement could refer to Christ now, as a God being, and it could refer to the fullness of God’s Spirit dwelling in Christ when He was here on the earth as a human being. Notice that the Scripture does NOT say that Christ was fully God when He was here on earth. Rather, that the fullness of God (the Father) should dwell IN Him, in the same way as the fullness of God should dwell in US. Notice Ephesians 3:19: “… to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

The fullness of God should dwell in us too, ultimately. It is already available to us today through the Holy Spirit in us, but due to our human limitations, we have not been able to take advantage of the FULLNESS of God’s Holy Spirit. Rather, we are told that we have to GROW in the knowledge of Christ to “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Or, as the New Jerusalem Bible translates Ephesians 4:13, we need to become “fully mature, with the fullness of Christ Himself.”

We are to become perfect, as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). We are to grow in the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are to receive more and more of God’s Holy Spirit, until finally, the fullness of God can dwell in us, too, so that, at the time of our resurrection, we will be changed to a God being. Then we will be fully God, as Jesus Christ today is fully God. But until then, we are not fully God, just as Christ was not fully God before His resurrection.

Now notice Ephesians 1:22–23: “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Here “the fullness of Him” could refer to God the Father’s fullness dwelling in Christ, but it could also refer to God’s fullness dwelling in Christ’s body, the church, again pointing out that the church is to grow spiritually to reach perfection in order to come to “the measure of the stature of the FULLNESS of Christ.”

It is interesting how the Philips translation renders Ephesians 1:23: “…and in that body lives fully the one who fills the whole universe.”

No matter how we look at the Scriptures dealing with the fullness of God in Christ and the fullness of Christ in us, none of the passages say that Christ was fully God when He was here on earth in the flesh. They do not contradict the truth that Christ was fully man, like you and I are fully human today, even though God’s Spirit dwells in us. Christ even told us that we will be able, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, to do mightier works and miracles than He did (John 14:12).

We read that Jesus said that He could do nothing of Himself (John 5:19, 30). When in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to God, the Father, for strength and God sent an angel to strengthen Him. He knew that the Father could do everything and that nothing was impossible for the Father (Luke 22:40–46; Matthew 26:39–42).

Jesus Christ Died a Physical Death

It was absolutely NECESSARY for Christ to become FULLY MAN, because only in that way could He become the Savior of man. Notice this in 1 Corinthians 15:21: “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.” We are told that “by MAN came the resurrection of the dead.” We read that Christ was DEAD. HE HIMSELF had died—the person that He was—the Son of God Who had become Man. Revelation 1:18 confirms that HE was dead, not just a part of Him.

Philippians 2:8 adds that “He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of DEATH, even the death of the cross.”

He died the first death, a physical death. He did not die the second death, the final death, mentioned in Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; and 21:8. If He had died the second death, then, again, we would have no Savior, and God, the Father, would not have resurrected Him to eternal life. Neither would we have any hope of being resurrected to eternal life in the future.

Romans 6:9 confirms that Christ DID die the first death: “… knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death NO LONGER has dominion over Him.” So, we see that death had dominion over Him, when He was here on earth, in the flesh—He died the first death.

Romans 14:9 adds: “For to this end Christ DIED and rose and LIVED AGAIN, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” This passage defines death and life as opposites: Christ died, and when He was resurrected, He lived again. He did NOT LIVE while He was dead!

1 Corinthians 15:3–4, 13, 15–16, 20 reveal that orthodox Christianity is hopelessly confused on the issue of life and death. When we are dead, we are no longer alive. When Christ died, HE WAS DEAD. Paul says in the aforementioned Scriptures: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures… But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen… Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen… But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” If there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ was not raised from the dead. This would mean that Christ would still be dead, and, again, we would have no hope of our future resurrection.

Some teach that Christ rose Himself up from the dead, since, so they say, Christ, the Son of God, never died, only His “human mantle” did. They falsely claim that the alleged immortal Son of God—Christ—raised Himself up. They postulate that Christ—the Son of God—raised up the human mortal Jesus. This ABOMINABLE HERESY is nowhere taught in the Bible! We just read the truth of the matter—it was God, the FATHER, who raised CHRIST from the dead.

Some regard John 2:18–22 as alleged proof that Christ raised Himself up. This passage does not teach this. It says: “So the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, since you do these things?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”

Christ prophesied that He would raise the temple of His body within three days. We know from other Scriptures that Christ died, and that the Father brought Him back to life. The Bible teaches that the Father raised up Christ. (Compare Galatians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)…”). When a person dies, his spirit—the spirit in man—returns to God who gave it (compare 1 Corinthians 2:11; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:46).

For instance, Scripture reports an incident of God resurrecting a girl from the dead so soon after death that her body had not decayed. God placed the spirit of that person back into the same body (compare Luke 8:51–55). Of course, when the body has decayed, God creates a new body—either physical or spiritual—into which He gives the spirit of that person (Ezekiel 37:1–8; 1 Corinthians 15:35–49). When Christ died and was brought back to life shortly thereafter as an immortal spirit being, God CHANGED His physical body (which had not yet decayed) into a spirit body. That is why Christ, after His resurrection, could go through closed doors (John 20:19), and it is also why He could disappear after He had materialized Himself in a bodily, albeit different form (Mark 16:12; Luke 24:13–16, 31). In fact, when Christ returns, His disciples will be resurrected to immortality and those who will still be alive at that time will be CHANGED to spirit beings (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

After three days and three nights in the grave, God the Father changed Christ’s physical dead body to spirit and gave Him the spirit in man that He had when He was human, as well as God’s Holy Spirit that He had from conception. Christ was brought back to life. He got up, and at THAT moment, He fulfilled the prophecy that He had given to the Jews—He raised up His body. In other words, He was lying on the ground, but when He received life from God the Father, He got up from the ground. The word for “raise up” (in Greek, “egeiro”), as used in John 2:19, is used many times to describe someone who simply stands up. It is used in Mark 1:31; 9:27, and in Acts 3:7, as well as in James 5:15. In all of those cases, sick people stood up from their sick bed. God “raises or lifts” them up by giving them the power or strength to stand or to get up.

So then we see that John 2:18–22 does not teach that Christ raised Himself up from the dead. Rather, it teaches that after God the Father resurrected Him from the dead, Christ raised up the temple of His body, by getting up.

Some say that John 10:17–18 teaches that Christ was not really dead but that He raised Himself up from the dead. Let’s note what this Scripture says: “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

The Greek word for power is “exousia” and means “privilege or authority.” It is not the word “dunamis,” which is more commonly used and is also translated as power, which describes power in the way of ability. In other words, God, the Father, granted Christ the privilege to die for man. Christ then willingly gave His life. He said that man did not really take it away from Him, against His will. He came to die for the world, willingly.

He said, “…I have power [better—the privilege] to take it again.” The Greek word for “take” is “lambano.” It can also mean “receive” (compare Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible). For instance, we read in Matthew 7:8 that everyone who asks “receives.” In the Greek, the word for “receives” is “lambano.” The Authorized Version translates Galatians 2:6 as, “God accepteth no man’s person.” In the Greek, the word for “accepteth” is “lambano.” In other words, Christ took—received or accepted—what was given to Him. God, the Father, gave Him eternal life, and He received, or took, or accepted it.

Jesus was not preaching here that He would raise Himself up by giving Himself eternal life. That very idea is preposterous!

We have established, then, that Christ did die. Further confirmation can be found in 2 Corinthians 5:15. So then, in order to be able to die a physical death, He had to be a human being.

Hebrews 2:9 teaches very powerfully that Christ died just as all humans die. In fact, He HAD to die that way in order to “…taste death for everyone.” We read: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little 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.”

Christ was made lower than the angels, which means that He became a human being so that He could die. We are told that He was made lower than the angels FOR the suffering of DEATH. As a Spirit being, He could not have died. He had to become a human being in order to DIE. He was to taste DEATH for everyone!

This concept is extremely important to fully grasp and understand! And it is essential that we correctly understand the ramifications and consequences of Christ’s humanity. We have read multiple Scriptures that show that Jesus Christ became flesh—that He came in the flesh—so that He could die. The only way that Christ—who had been GOD since all eternity—could die, was to become flesh. When He became flesh, He was totally human! He was no longer God, the all-powerful Spirit being! He was certainly not half god/half human like the Greek mythological figure, Hercules, who is portrayed as being the offspring of the Greek god Zeus and a human mother, having great powers but still being earth-bound.

When Christ became flesh, He gave up all of His divine attributes and powers. Simply put, He became a man so that He could die! He was no longer a Spirit being, He was no longer God as we think of God, since God, a Spirit being, cannot die (compare Luke 20:35–36; Isaiah 57:15; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 Timothy 1:17).

Christ Overcame Sin in the Flesh

We have hammered home the point that the reason Christ became human was so that he could die a physical death. However, there is another reason why He became human. Christ became flesh so that He could overcome sin in the flesh. He had to prove that it is possible for man, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit within him, to overcome sin! In fact, Christ COMMANDS us to overcome sin so that we can inherit the Kingdom of God.

We read in Hebrews 2:14–18: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren… For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted…”

Christ was tempted in all points, as we are, but He stayed sinless (Hebrews 4:15, “[He] was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”). He overcame sin in the flesh, resisting temptation (Revelation 3:21). God, a powerful perfect Spirit being—cannot be tempted (compare James 1:13). But we read that Christ WAS tempted. This proves that He was not the all-powerful perfect Spirit being when He was here on this earth that He HAD been prior to His birth as a human being. It shows that it was NOT IMPOSSIBLE for Christ to sin. Christ had become a flesh-and-blood human being, with human nature, who COULD HAVE SINNED.

Romans 8:3 tells us: “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh [human beings, all by themselves, without God’s Spirit dwelling in them, are too weak to keep the law], God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” In other words, He OVERCAME SIN as a human being.

In that Christ condemned sin in the flesh, He made it possible for us to do the same, as Romans 8:4 explains: “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

We understand, of course, that God, the Father, had total and complete confidence in Christ that He would not sin. But success was not guaranteed. There was always the possibility, however slim, of failure as long as He was human. It was not impossible for Christ to sin. That is why He had to struggle in the days of His flesh, so that He would not sin. Notice Hebrews 5:7: “… who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear…”

God, the Father, heard His pleas. The Father gave Christ strength to not sin, through His Holy Spirit, thereby saving Him from the SECOND death—permanent, eternal death. Christ was not saved from the first death—physical death as a human being. In fact, He had to experience the first death in order to free all of us who want to be freed from the second death!

As further proof that Christ was fully man, consider these additional Scriptures:

John 4:6 tells us: “Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.” Notice that Christ was wearied from His journey. God, of course, the all-powerful Spirit being called God, is never weary as Isaiah 40:28 tells us. When Christ was in the God-state before His human birth, He did not become weary. But when Christ lived in the man-state, He did become weary, just as we human beings do.

Matthew 9 describes one of the mighty miracles that Christ performed. Verse 8 concludes: “Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified GOD, who had given such power TO MEN.” God, the Father, had given the power to perform miracles to the Man, Jesus Christ, as well as to Christ’s disciples.

It was Christ, the Son of God—the One who had been God and who became Man—who overcame sin in the flesh and died for us so that we need not die “the second death” for our sins (Revelation 2:11). When we accept Christ’s sacrifice, we fully understand that the immortal and eternal God being, Jesus Christ—the second member of the God Family—gave up His divine nature and BECAME a flesh-and-blood human being so that He could die for you and me. As the God being that He was, His life was much more valuable than the lives of all human beings combined, since He was the one who created all of mankind. And in becoming a human being, He paid—as a human being—the death penalty that human beings brought upon themselves by sinning against God’s law. (The wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23.) When we understand all of that and choose to embrace Christ’s way of life, but then willfully turn away and reject Him permanently, there is no further sacrifice available to us. Hebrews 10:29 points out: “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

Notice from the above Scripture that it was “the Son of God” who died for us. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died, there was only one God being left alive—God, the Father. For three long days and three long nights the Father was alone, until He brought Jesus Christ back to life as the eternal and immortal God being He had been before He became human. He was God, the Son—the “Word”—through whom all things were made (again, see John 1:1–3).

It is therefore Scripturally false to say that Christ, when He was here on this earth, was fully God and fully man. CHRIST WAS FULLY MAN! He was no longer the powerful and immortal God being that He had been before.

God With Us?

Having established that fact, why, then, do we read that Christ would be called “Immanuel,” which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23)? And why do we read that people worshipped Christ (Matthew 8:2), since only God is worthy of worship (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8–9)?

Based on what we have already read in the Bible, the answer should be obvious. Christ had been an immortal God being. He was changed into a human being, but He was still the same personage He had been since all eternity. Christ, who became human, was still the personage He had always been. He was still the one who had previously met with Abraham, the one who created Adam and Eve, and the one who spoke to Moses face-to-face. He lived as a human being—growing as children do, developing into a young man, and then becoming a rabbi, or teacher, in Judah. But He was still the same individual that He had always been. He had been an immortal God being and He knew that He would become an immortal God being again, subject to qualifying by being and remaining sinless.

By way of analogy, a powerful ruler over a nation may become a poor slave of a conquering empire. But he would always remember who he had been—the king. When King David had to flee from Absalom when he took over Jerusalem, usurping David’s power and becoming king over Jerusalem (compare 2 Samuel 15:34; 16:16), David was still referred to as “King David” (2 Samuel 16:5). David was not in a position to carry out his powers as king at that moment in time, but he had been the king, and he would again become the ruling king over Jerusalem.

Also, in the United States, we still call former presidents by the title of president even though they do not carry out the function of president after they leave office. We still refer to the late President Reagan, President Carter, President Ford, President Clinton, or President George Bush, although they no longer carry out the office of president. In the same way, the Bible referred to someone as a “high priest” even though he was not currently a high priest, but was a former high priest. (Compare John 18:13, 19, 24 where both Annas and Caiaphas are called “high priest,” although only Caiaphas was the high priest “that year.”)

The same is true, in that sense, for Christ. He HAD BEEN God since all eternity. It was HE who had created man. He Himself identified Himself as the “I am.” He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). In John 18:5–6, He identified Himself to those who had come to arrest Him, as the “I AM.” (The word “He” is in italics; it is not in the original Greek and was added by the translators). Christ, when He was here on earth, was, quite literally, Immanuel, or, “God with us.” He was the Son of God who had become a man.

Herbert Armstrong wrote in his article, “Is Jesus God?”: “Jesus was God made mortal human flesh, ‘for the suffering of death.’ So Jesus… was changed into flesh so He could die for our sins… Christ… had now been changed into flesh—still having the personality and will to do right which distinguished Him as an entity—yet now had become human, having human nature with all of its desires, weaknesses and lusts… God cannot be tempted. Yet Jesus Christ was tempted in all points like we are. He was human. He was tempted through the lusts of His human nature (inherited from Mary)…”

Who WAS Christ? Christ was God Eternal, who BECAME man, so that man COULD ultimately become God! Christ was tempted, He suffered, and He died as a man.

Who IS Christ Now? Christ is God. Christ, the man, was resurrected by God, the Father, as the mighty and powerful God being that He had always been before His days in the flesh. He is now the mighty God for whom we wait to bring us redemption, salvation, and eternal life in the very Kingdom of God (Titus 2:11–14)!

Part 3

Christ’s Relatives

Was Jesus the only child of Joseph and Mary? Did Mary have other children, or did she stay a perpetual virgin, as some claim? And if Christ did have brothers and sisters, does the Bible tell us about them, or are there other historical records that correlate with the Biblical record?

The question of whether Jesus was Mary’s only Son has confused many people and has even caused at least one major religion to come to very erroneous and, for that matter, unbiblical concepts. Let us examine what God’s Word tells us about Christ’s relatives.

We find a description of Christ’s physical genealogy in the 1st chapter of the book of Matthew. Verse 16 tells us that this record explains Christ’s lineage through His stepfather Joseph: “Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”

When we turn to the 3rd chapter of the book of Luke, beginning in verse 23, we find another record of Christ’s genealogy. This record does not describe Christ’s lineage through Joseph, but His descent from His mother, Mary. Verse 23 reads, as translated in the New King James Bible: “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli…”

This rendering gives the impression that Joseph was the son of Heli, and that Luke is describing Christ’s genealogy through His stepfather Joseph. This is not correct, however, as Joseph was not a son of Heli, but of Jacob, as we read in Matthew 1:16.

Luke is, in fact, setting forth Christ’s genealogy through His mother Mary, NOT through His stepfather Joseph. Accurately translated, Luke 3:23 should read: “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, (being, as was supposed the son of Joseph), which was of Heli…” The parenthesis should start with the words, “being, as was supposed,” and it should end after “the son of Joseph.”

The word “son” in “son of Heli” cannot be found in the original Greek text. It was added by the translators. So Jesus, who was supposed to be a son of Joseph, was, through Mary, a grandson of Heli. To put it still differently, Heli was the father of Mary.

Luke 3:23 tells us, though, that Jesus was considered to be a son of Joseph, since people at that time did not accept the idea that Jesus had been supernaturally conceived in Mary’s womb through God’s Holy Spirit (compare Luke 1:26–35).

The reaction to this truth by the people at Christ’s time can be found in several passages. For instance, we read in Luke 4:22: “So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’”

They erroneously believed that Christ was the natural offspring of Joseph and Mary. John 6:41–42 tells us: “The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ And they said: ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?’”

To summarize, the genealogy of Matthew sets forth the legal lineage of Jesus through His stepfather Joseph, while the genealogy in Luke sets forth the real lineage of Jesus through His mother Mary.

When returning to Matthew’s record of Christ’s genealogy, we notice that Matthew does not neglect to mention that Jesus’ legal genealogy included ancestors who had committed adultery (such as Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, verse 6). Ruth, the Moabitess (compare Ruth 2:2), who married Boaz (Matthew 1:5), is also included. Some claim that Ruth was an Israelite in a foreign land—that she was a “Moabitess” because of geography rather than by natural birth. In any event, we find that God does not have any prejudice against any nation or race, and that any sinner—regardless of his race, ethnic background, color or descent—who repents can obtain forgiveness and become a member of the Family of God (compare Galatians 3:26–29).

Mary’s Betrothal to Joseph

We should take note of another important fact when considering the relationship of Joseph and Mary prior to Mary’s conception. We read in Matthew 1:18–20: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’”

The angel told Joseph that he and Mary were already considered to be husband and wife. But they had not consummated the marriage yet—they were living in the state of betrothal. Legally speaking, they were married, but they had not come together, sexually, as husband and wife.

The concept of betrothal is quite different from today’s concept of engagement. In our society the word “engagement” does not seem to carry much value, as people commonly get engaged and then dissolve the engagement without legal consequence. In ancient Israel and Judah, a betrothal was considered to be a binding agreement, and could only be dissolved through divorce. This is why Joseph wanted to “put her away,” a Biblical expression for divorce.

The Luther Bible comments on “betrothal”: “The Jewish engagement constitutes a legally binding marital promise. The marital intercourse only occurs, however, after the wedding, when the bridegroom takes the bride into his home.”

Eerdman’s Handbook to the Bible states, “Betrothal, unlike modern engagement, was legally binding and could be broken only by divorce.”

Since Mary became pregnant through God’s Holy Spirit prior to the consummation of her marriage to Joseph, the Jews would later claim that Mary had committed fornication and that Jesus was the product of such fornication. We read in John 8:41: “… Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication…’”

When Joseph realized that Mary was pregnant, he, too, believed that Mary had committed fornication and initially wanted to put her away. But since Joseph was a just man, he did not want to make a public example of Mary, so he was trying to divorce her secretly. As an example of the seriousness of fornication or adultery at that time in that society, the hypocritical and merciless Pharisees would later drag a woman caught in the act of adultery into a public spectacle before Christ to have Him condemn her (compare John 8: 3). Joseph, by contrast, was not anxious to announce Mary’s supposed sin to the world. Having made a commitment to marry her, he was obviously deeply hurt, but because he loved Mary, he was willing to cover her sin rather than make a display of her (compare Proverbs 10:12).

It is interesting to realize that both Joseph and Mary were righteous people who were diligent in keeping God’s laws, including God’s ritual laws, which were still in effect at that time. (Only when Christ died were the temporary sacrifices and rituals done away.)

We read in the book of Luke that Mary and Joseph carefully observed the temporary ritual laws, still in force and effect at the time of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:21–24, 27, 39), as well as God’s permanent laws (Luke 2:41–42).

This does not mean, however, that Mary and Joseph were converted. There is no hint in the Bible that Joseph became converted during his life, and neither do we read that Mary was converted during the time of Jesus’ human life here on earth.

Returning to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ lineage, we realize that Matthew, who described Christ’s lineage through Joseph, actually emphasized the role Joseph had in his own family and toward Jesus. Matthew wanted to stress the Biblical teaching that Joseph, as long as he was alive, was the rightful leader of the family—the head of the family—not Mary and not Jesus.

We have already read in Matthew 1:20 that the angel appeared to Joseph to give him instructions as to how to conduct himself in this regard. Matthew 1:21, 25 points out that the angel told Joseph to call the name of the child, “JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins,” and that Joseph in fact “called His name JESUS.”

Matthew emphasized Joseph’s role in giving the boy the name “Jesus.” In the parallel account in Luke 1:31, we find that the angel tells Mary to name the boy. There is no contradiction, however, for we read in Luke 2:21: “His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel.”

Since the angel told both Joseph and Mary, on different occasions, what the name of the boy should be, it is clear that both Joseph and Mary named the boy—there was no doubt in the minds of either one of them that this had to be the name for the boy. But Joseph was the leader, so he did it, while Mary, of course, agreed with that decision, knowing that it was in accordance with the will of God.

We find further confirmation of Joseph’s dominant role as head of the family in Matthew’s account in the 2nd chapter of Matthew, verses 13–14, 19–22. The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to take the mother and the child and to flee to Egypt, and then later to return to the region of Galilee. Within this region, Joseph then was inspired to choose the city of Nazareth for his family to dwell in (verse 23).

In the account of Luke, however, there is emphasis on the important role of Christ’s mother, Mary. Recall that Luke described Christ’s genealogy through Mary and the appearance of the angel to Mary. Luke also mentioned Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, and when the shepherds approached the young couple and Jesus, Mary was mentioned first (Luke 2:16). The prophet Simeon spoke directly to Mary in the temple (Luke 2:34–35). Also, when the couple was looking for the 12 year-old Jesus and found Him in the temple, it is, again, Mary who spoke (not, however, as the leader of the household) in Luke 2:48: “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” Christ did not rebel against the leadership of His mother and His stepfather; in fact, we read: “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject [margin: obedient] to them…” (Luke 2:51).

There was no question who was leading the family. But Luke’s emphasis of Mary makes one thing very clear: that Mary was an extraordinary woman, and God, when dealing with people, does not distinguish between men and women—all are potentially heirs and co-heirs with Christ.

We need to understand, too, that Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, who would have expected to see that emphasis was placed on the husband as the leader of the family. Also, Matthew started the genealogy with Abraham, stressing the point to the Jewish audience that Christ—through Joseph—was a descendant of Abraham.

Luke, on the other hand, wrote to a Gentile convert, the “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3). His genealogy of Christ, through Mary, went all the way back to Adam, showing that Mary, Christ’s mother, was the descendant from all generations of humans. Luke wanted to show, as well, how God had dealt with a Jewish woman, since women were known to be quite influential in Roman and Greek families.

It is also believed by some scholars that Matthew received his account, at least in regard to the birth of Christ and Christ’s early years, directly from Joseph, while Luke is believed to have received the information for his account directly from Mary (compare Halley’s Bible Handbook, copyright 1959, page 488).

Jesus Had Brothers and Sisters

How extraordinary the woman was who became the mother of Christ can be seen by the fact that Mary was a virgin when she conceived, thereby fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. We read in Matthew 1:22–25: “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her…”

Mary was a virgin. She brought forth Jesus Christ, although she had not known a man. The fact of the “Virgin Birth” has been questioned, even by so-called professing Christians. Halley counters this criticism as succinctly as anybody, when he writes: “Both [accounts in Matthew and Luke] state plainly, explicitly, unmistakably and unequivocally that Jesus was born of a virgin. From the beginning, in unbroken sequence, it has been held as a tenet of the church, till the rise of modern criticism. If we believe in the deity of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead, what is gained by discrediting the virgin birth? The resurrection is the greatest of miracles. If we do not believe that, why concern ourselves with Christ at all? If we do believe it, then why carp at the other parts of the miraculous story? His supernatural exit from the world pre-supposes a supernatural entrance into the world. To call Jesus an illegitimate child is nothing less than blasphemy” (p. 488).

The “Virgin Birth” is clearly taught in Scripture. However, the Bible does not teach that Mary stayed a virgin for the rest of her life. We read in Matthew 1:25 that Joseph “did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.”

The word “till” or “until” signifies that after the birth of Jesus, Joseph DID “know her,” that is, he did have a sexual relationship with her. Let us note several passages, where the word “till” or “until” is used.

Matthew 2:15 tells us that Joseph, Mary and Christ were in Egypt “until the death of Herod.” In Matthew 5:26, Christ said that a debtor will not get out of prison “till” he has paid the last penny. In both cases, the word “till” or “until” describes a change in circumstances.

After Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph did have intercourse, and they did produce children. That means that Christ did have brothers and sisters! And it also means that Mary did not remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus!

Luke 2:6–7 confirms this: “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son…” The Greek word for “firstborn” is, “prototokon.” It means, “first-born,” but it does not describe an only child. The word for “only-born” is “monogenes.” In Luke 7:12, the word “monogenes” is used, when describing a person who was “the only son of his mother.”

The Jews knew that Jesus was not the only son of Mary. They knew very well that Jesus had brothers and sisters. We read the account in Matthew 13:53–56: “Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?’”

Christ’s audience knew that He had brothers and sisters. Four brothers are mentioned by name—James; Joses or Joseph; Simon; and Judas or Jude. Notice also the Jews’ reference to ALL of His sisters. They asked whether ALL His sisters were with them. This seems to strongly indicate that Christ had at least three sisters. If He had only two, the Jews would have said, “Are not His sisters with us?” or, “Are not both of His sisters with us?”

Still, some doubt that Christ had brothers and sisters. In relying on some apocryphal sources and rejecting the “most normal interpretation of the New Testament,” as the Anchor Bible Dictionary puts it (under, “James, Brother of Jesus”), they say that the brothers and sisters were Joseph’s children from a prior marriage. This view is favored by the Greek Orthodox Church and other Eastern churches. But the Bible says nowhere that Joseph had been married before. This idea also contradicts the fact that Christ is called Mary’s FIRST-BORN Son, and that the Bible said that Joseph waited to “know” Mary UNTIL she had brought forth her FIRSTBORN Son.

Halley’s Bible Handbook points out on pages 416, 418: “[Joseph] was a carpenter, and the head of a family of at least seven children… He surely must have been a good and exemplary man…Who were the ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ of Jesus…Mary’s own children? Or children of Joseph by a former marriage? The plain, simple, natural meaning of these passages is that they were Mary’s own children. This is the opinion commonly held among Bible commentaries.”

Some teach that Christ’s “brothers” were in fact Christ’s cousins. This is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church, although this has recently been criticized by Catholic scholars who have concluded that the brothers were, in fact, Christ’s real brothers and not His cousins. The word for brother is “adelphos.” This Greek word is used in Matthew 1:2 and 4:21, clearly referring to literal brothers. The word for cousin is “exadelphos,” meaning “from brothers.” When the Jews pointed out in Matthew 13 that Christ’s brothers were with them, they used the word “adelphos,” not the word “exadelphos.”

Some propose that the brothers and sisters mentioned in Matthew 13 were Christ’s spiritual brothers and sisters, not His physical siblings. But as we will see, the Bible makes a clear distinction between Christ’s physical brothers and His spiritual brothers. In addition, as we will explain, Christ’s physical relatives did not believe in Him and so they could not possibly have been referred to as Christ’s spiritual brothers and sisters.

It is, therefore, clear from the Biblical evidence that: 1) Mary did not remain a virgin throughout her life; and 2) Jesus Christ had at least four brothers and most likely at least three or more sisters.

Jesus’ Relatives were not Initially Converted

Consider these revealing facts about Mary and her sons and daughters. We read in Matthew 12:46–50: “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.’ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’”

This passage affords proof that Christ’s “brothers” were not synonymous with His “disciples.” At that time, His brothers did not believe in Him—they were not His disciples. In addition, Christ made it clear that He would not permit His mother and His brothers to prevent Him from teaching and living God’s Word. In the parallel Scripture, in the 3rd chapter of the book of Mark, we are given an additional detail to show why Christ’s mother and His brothers came to “speak” with Him. We read in verse 21: “But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.’” Verse 31 continues, “Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.”

This account strongly suggests that they had come down to seize Him, thinking He had gone mad. After all, Christ’s brothers did NOT believe on Him, as we are told in John 7:5. Christ told them that the world did not hate them, as they were still part of this world (verses 6–7).

But how could Mary have doubted in Christ? How could she have thought that Christ had gone mad? After all, she had received a special revelation from an angel of God. How could she have ended up NOT believing in Christ?

This is even more astonishing when we remember what was said about Mary after she had received the message from the angel: “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45). Mary believed the angel’s message that she was pregnant of the Holy Spirit and that her Child would fulfill a special role. But there were things regarding Jesus that she clearly did not understand, and neither did Joseph. We read, in Luke 2:19, that “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Later, in Luke 2:33, we are told that “Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.” Subsequently, they “did not understand the statement which He spoke to them… but His mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:50–51).

They did not understand what role Jesus had to fulfill, and when He later acted in a way that Mary had not anticipated, she thought He had gone mad. We can find somewhat of a parallel in the life of John the Baptist. He had clearly understood who Jesus Christ was, but when he was in prison, he was wondering whether it was really Him or whether he should wait for another (compare, John 1:29–34; Luke 7:18–23; Matthew 11:2–6).

Likewise, Mary and Joseph were uncertain as to what Jesus had to accomplish and Mary could not understand why He did the things He did.

On the other hand, at the wedding in Cana, Mary was totally convinced that Christ could help the bridegroom who was short of wine. Perhaps she believed that Christ could even do a miracle (John 2:3–5). If so, Mary’s subsequent attempt to seize Christ and to stop Him from doing what He was doing would be even more surprising and, at the same time, “human.” Don’t we sometimes have doubts, too, about what God is doing in our life, especially when things don’t go the way we would like?

Note that Joseph is not mentioned when Mary and Christ’s brothers are standing outside to talk to and to seize Christ. After Joseph and Mary were looking for the 12-year old Christ in the temple, Joseph is not mentioned anymore in the Scriptures, except when people talk about him. Many have therefore concluded that Joseph died some time after Christ turned 12 years of age and before He started His public ministry at the age of 30. We can conclude that Joseph must have died before Christ’s crucifixion, since Jesus had committed the care of His mother to His disciple John. In any event, it is very probable that Joseph was already dead when Christ began His public ministry. He was dead, then, when Mary and her sons were trying to seize Christ.

In regard to this episode, we might wonder if Christ’s response showed lack of respect and care for His mother and His brothers. But this is not the case. Rather, Christ wanted to make it clear at that time that His mother and His brothers, and, by implication, His sisters, were NOT doing the will of God when they tried to seize Christ to prevent Him from preaching God’s Word. Since they were not converted at that time, they did not fully understand God’s Will. (Compare Matthew 12:50: “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”) Luke 8:21 adds: “My mother and My brothers are these who HEAR the word of God and DO it.” On the other hand, His disciples, both men and women—spiritual brothers and sisters—WERE doing God’s Will at that moment in time, when they listened to Christ. (At other times Christ had to rebuke Peter, before his conversion, calling him “Satan,” when he desired the things of men and not of God, compare Matthew 16:23). Christ did not try to dishonor His mother or His brothers; rather, He used this opportunity to point out accurately just who His real brethren were.

We might also want to take note of Luke 11:27–28: “And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!’ But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’” Again, we see the clear implication that Mary was not converted—she was not hearing and keeping the word of God as Christ taught it.

Christ tells us that if we love anything or anyone more than Him, including our own life, our mate, our parents, our children, or any of our relatives, we cannot enter God’s Kingdom. He even pointed out that it may become necessary to leave “houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for [Christ’s] name’s sake,” that is, when they prevent us from worshipping God in spirit and in truth (Matthew 19:29).

The Ryrie Study Bible has this comment on Matthew 12:50: “The spiritual relationship between Christ and believers is closer than the closest of blood ties. Obedience to God takes precedence over responsibilities to family.”

Some have erroneously claimed that Christ hated His mother and His brothers and sisters, and that we must do the same. They quote Luke 14:26 to support this assertion, where Christ said: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

But when comparing this passage with the parallel Scripture in Matthew 10:37, we realize that the Greek word for “hate,” as translated in Luke 14:26, has the meaning of “to love less in comparison.” Matthew 10:37 says: “He who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” We must love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might. In comparison with that love for God, we must love everything else less, including our own lives.

Still others claim, from John 2:4, that Jesus did dishonor His mother when He said to her (Authorized Version): “‘Woman, what have I to do with thee?’”

We must realize that if Jesus Christ committed just one sin, we would not have a Savior. If He had violated the Fifth Commandment (“Honor your father and your mother…,” Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 20:12), He would have sinned, as “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version). Many Scriptures make it clear that the law spoken of in the New Testament includes the Ten Commandments (compare James 2:8–12).

We read that Christ never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). He practiced what He preached. When a young man came to Him to find out what he had to do to have eternal life, Christ told him to keep the commandments (Matthew 19:16–17). He then specifically listed the Fifth Commandment in verse 19. Christ also emphasized in Mark 7:7–13 the continued obligation for children to honor their parents (Compare, too, Ephesians 6:1–3).

Christ NEVER transgressed the Fifth Commandment! When He was twelve years old, He was subject, that is, obedient, to His parents (Luke 2:51). He never dishonored His parents throughout His life.

The potential problem with His statement in John 2:3–4 is caused by the translation of the Authorized Version, stating: “And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”

First, let us notice that the expression “woman” did not convey disrespect. When Christ hung on the cross, He told John to take care of His mother. Christ was in agonizing pain, knowing that He would soon die. Still, His thoughts and concerns were directed toward the welfare of His mother. Notice that He called Mary “woman” at that critical time as well (John 19:26). Halley’s Handbook points out on page 533 that the word “woman” was a title of respect in the usage of the day.

Returning to John 2, we should also notice that Mary did not consider Christ’s answer as one of disrespect. In verse 5, she told the bridegroom’s servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” The annotation in Eerdman’s Handbook to the Bible, page 536 says: “No one, not even his mother, has the right to put pressure on Jesus. But his reply is not as harsh as some translations make it sound. [The rendering in the] New English Bible, ‘Your concern, mother, is not mine,’ is better.”

Other translations agree with the conclusion that the rendering in the Authorized Version is too harsh. The New King James Bible translates verse 4 as, “‘Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?’” The New International Version states, “‘Dear woman, why do you involve Me?’”

Halley’s Handbook comments further, on page 533: “The point of his remark seems to be, ‘Suppose the wine is gone, what have I to do with it? It is not my affair. My time to work miracles has not yet come.’ Probably he had just told her of the new miraculous powers bestowed on him by the descent of the Holy Spirit at baptism. She saw in the situation an opportunity for him. While he did this miracle at her suggestion, his ‘hour’ for the general use of his miraculous powers came about four months after, at the official beginning of his public ministry in Jerusalem at Passover time (John 2:13).”

Christ also wanted to tell His mother that the main purpose for His coming was not to perform those kinds of miracles. That is why the New English Bible’s rendering of verse 5, “‘Your concern, mother, is not mine,’” is quite good. Because of respect for His mother, however, He acquiesced, as the performance of that miracle was not against God’s commandments or His will.

Rather than conveying that Christ disobeyed the Fifth Commandment, John 2:1–4, when correctly understood, shows the deep honor and respect that Christ had for His mother, prompting Him to fulfill her desires that were not against God’s Will.

Christ knew, of course, that His mother did not fully understand why He had come. It is also interesting to note when reading John 2:11, that His disciples believed on Him because of this very sign. Apparently His mother and His brothers did not. They are distinguished from His disciples in verse 12, showing that Christ did not regard His brothers as His disciples at that time.

Christ’s Relatives Converted after His Resurrection

Although we do not read that Christ appeared to His mother after His resurrection, we DO read something remarkable about Mary and Christ’s brothers after His resurrection in Acts 1:13–14: “And when they [the apostles] had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

By this time, Mary and Christ’s brothers WERE counted as Christ’s disciples. We are not specifically told whether all four of Christ’s brothers were present, but this is clearly the indication, as it says, “with His brothers.”

Halley makes the following comments, on page 561: “Esteemed and honored as she was as mother of the savior, the apostles gave not the slightest indication of feeling the need of her mediation between them and Christ.”

A change obviously took place that caused Mary and her sons to believe in Christ and the message He preached. 1 Corinthians 15:3–8 gives us some insight: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”

After His resurrection, Christ appeared to Cephas or Peter, and then to all of the twelve apostles. He also appeared to James. When Paul wrote this letter, James was referred to as an apostle, at least by implication (as verse 7 says: “He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.”). Who was this James?

Remember that the names of Christ’s four brothers were James, Joseph, Simeon and Jude (Matthew 13:55). It was this James, the oldest of Christ’s four brothers, who saw Christ after His resurrection and who became one of the most important apostles in the early New Testament Church.

Barclay states in his commentary on the book of Acts, on page 95: “In the East, it would have been the natural thing for the next brother to take on the work of an elder brother who had been killed; but from the gospels we learn that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him (John 7:5) and that they actually thought him mad (Mark 3: 21).”

So at first, the apostle Peter was in a leading position, even insofar as the church in Jerusalem was concerned. But James became more and more a predominant apostle, to the extent to which he dedicated his life to Christ, and to which the other apostles began to travel into foreign countries to preach the gospel in all the world. (Compare, as to the prominent role of James, the brother of Christ, Galatians 1:18–19; 2:9, 11–12; Acts 12:16–17; 15:13–20; 21:18).

In regard to the first ministerial conference in Jerusalem described in Acts 15, Eerdman explains on page 560: “The final summing-up and verdict given by James, the Lord’s brother and leader of the Jerusalem church, finds general acceptance.”

We see, then, that James, the brother of Christ, had at that time the position of the presiding apostle of the church in Jerusalem. Barclay points out, on p. 115: “His leadership was not a formal office; it was a moral leadership conceded to him because he was an outstanding man.”

Finally, James wrote the epistle of James, one of the last letters in the Bible. James was called “the Just,” as Eusebius reports. According to historian Hegesippus (180 AD), his knees were said to be as hard as a camel’s because he knelt in prayer so often and so long. Tradition has it that James, after he had heard about Christ’s resurrection, made a vow that he would neither eat nor drink until he himself saw Jesus—and we know that Jesus did appear to him.

According to Josephus, James was stoned right after he had finished his epistle, around 62 AD, for allegedly having violated the law. If this account is true, then the charge would be in reference to James’ decision in Acts 15 that certain rituals were no longer binding.

Another tradition describes the events of James’ death this way: The Pharisees and the Scribes placed James at the pinnacle of the temple and demanded that he deny Christ. When he refused, they threw him down. Although severely injured, he did not die because of the fall. He prayed for forgiveness of his enemies. Then, he was stoned and beaten to death with clubs. He was buried, according to Hegesippus, on the spot by the temple where he was killed.

Also, according to tradition, James was replaced at the time of his death by Christ’s brother Simeon, who became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Simeon died around 100 AD.

Neither the Bible nor tradition tells us anything specifically about Jesus’ second-oldest brother, Jose or Joseph, but as we pointed out, Acts 1 seems to suggest that he, too, had become one of Christ’s disciples. We also read in 1 Corinthians 9:5 that the “brothers of the Lord” had become Christ’s disciples. And we are told that they were married and that their wives, who had also become converted, were accompanying them on their travels.

The Bible contains an additional epistle that was written by another of Christ’s brothers, Jude, whose epistle bears his name. Apparently, Jude was the youngest of Christ’s brothers. He states in verse 1 of the book of Jude that he was the brother of James, the oldest of Christ’s brothers. Jude wrote his letter around 65 to 80 AD.

We know from both the Bible and tradition that at least three of Christ’s brothers, and in all likelihood all four of them, became converted, although they did not at first believe in Jesus. And the same is true for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Tradition tells us that the apostle John was accompanied on his travels by an older woman, obviously Mary, whom John had taken to his own home, faithfully adhering to Christ’s command on the cross to take care of her.

The fact that the resurrected Jesus appeared to James seemed to have started the change. We can visualize how it, perhaps, happened: Now he understood who Christ really was, and he told his experience to his mother and his relatives. Now Mary remembered and comprehended what the angel had told her; what the shepherds had said; what the wise men from the East had done; what the prophet Simeon had proclaimed; and what Jesus had said and done. She realized that Christ had to die, as Simeon had told her, but that the resurrected Christ would come back to rule over all the world. It all made sense to them after Christ appeared to James.

And so, Mary and her sons became influential members of the early New Testament church. They eventually died too and were buried, and they wait in their graves with all the other dead Christians for the resurrection to eternal life. They are not in heaven (compare John 3:13; Acts 2:29, 34; Hebrews 11:39; 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17).

Neither Mary nor any of Christ’s disciples were resurrected after they died. Only Christ Himself was resurrected as a Spirit being and ascended to heaven. Mary did not ascend to heaven, and she does not sit next to Christ to mediate between us and Him or God, the Father. This concept is derived from paganism and is totally without any Biblical foundation. In fact, it contradicts God’s revelation that Christ is the ONLY Mediator between all of mankind and God (compare 1 Timothy 2:5). The Assyrians and Babylonians believed in a “queen of heaven” to whom they could pray. But God condemns this practice in the book of Jeremiah (compare Jeremiah 7:18) and other places. We don’t need any mediator between us and Christ. Rather, we can pray directly to the Father, with Christ as our Mediator. He is the one who represents us before God because, having lived as a human being, He is well-acquainted with our shortcomings and our struggles, and having died as a human being, He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Christ’s brothers and presumably His sisters, too, were married. Obviously, they had children. And who knows, maybe Christ’s relatives are living on this earth today. But from a spiritual standpoint, we do, in fact, have contact with the direct descendants of Christ—His brethren. Remember Christ’s words: “For whosoever shall do the will of the Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Part 4

The Trial of Jesus

Christ committed no sin. He never transgressed God’s Law. We read that there was no deceit in His mouth. We read that He committed no violence to anyone, and that He was only numbered with the transgressors—regarded as a criminal—for our sakes, so that He even became sin for us. He came into sinful flesh because of us, but it is clear that He never violated God’s Law.

But what about man’s law? Was He properly sentenced to death according to man’s law at the time? There are many legal scholars who have concluded, looking at the Jewish and the Roman law, that Jesus Christ was justly convicted; that He was justly executed; and that He was justly killed in harmony with the law of man.

For instance, law professor and lawyer Richard Wellington Husband claimed in his book, The Persecution of Jesus, that Christ’s arrest was legal; that the hearing before the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish High Court at the time, was legal; that the trial before the Roman Pontius Pilate was legal; that Christ’s conviction was legal; that the evidence provided was sufficient to substantiate the charges; and that the execution of Jesus was legal. Another law professor, Max Radin, also claimed in his book, The Trial of Jesus of Nazareth, that Jesus was legally convicted and legally executed. But not all legal scholars and lawyers share this view.

In 1964, the Hon. James C. McRuer, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Justice in Ontario, Canada, and former President of the Canadian Bar Association, published a little book, entitled, The Trial of Jesus. McRuer concluded that Jesus Christ was not legally convicted and executed.

To find out whether Christ’s arrest, trial, and execution was legal or illegal, we need to look into the pages of the Bible. Let us start our survey with Matthew 26:3–4: “Then the chief priest, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas [the high priest at that time was Caiaphas], and plotted to take Jesus by trickery [margin: deception] [to] kill Him.”

The Revised Standard Version translates the word for “trickery” or “deception” as “stealth.” They adopted a secret and clandestine procedure to arrest Christ.

Continuing with John 18:3, we are told that they came to arrest Christ by sending officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, as well as a detachment of the troops.

Alfred Edersheim, in Jesus the Messiah, points out: “But in the fortress of Antonia, close to the Temple and connected with it by two stairs, lay the Roman garrison. During the Feast, the Temple itself was guarded by an armed cohort, consisting of from 400 to 600 men, so as to prevent or quell any tumult among the numerous pilgrims. It was to the captain of this ‘cohort’ that the Chief Priests and leaders of the Pharisees would, in the first place, apply for an armed guard to affect the arrest of Jesus, on the ground that it might lead to some popular tumult. This, without necessarily having to state the charge that was to be brought against Him, which might have led to other complications… This Roman detachment, armed with swords and ‘staves’ … was accompanied by servants from the High-Priest’s Palace, and other Jewish officers, to direct the arrest of Jesus.”

No Charge Against Christ Upon His Arrest

No charge was brought against Christ when He was arrested. No charge had been made yet. He was arrested in order to prevent “a potential tumult.” They came by night. Jesus Himself said that they came as against a robber, as if they had to arrest Him right away.

Matthew 26:55 continues: “In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.” Christ was saying that there was really no need to arrest Him in such a way—in today’s terminology, “without a warrant.” Christ had not done anything to justify this kind of a procedure. But Christ knew, of course, that Satan was behind all of this.

Satan had already entered Judas Iscariot to influence him to betray Christ for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–15; John 13:2; Luke 22:3). And Satan had, of course, influenced the Pharisees and the Sadducees to have Christ arrested illegally, with the ultimate goal to kill Him.

Luke 22:47–53 continues the story of events: “And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’ When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, ‘Lord, shall we strike them with the sword?’ And one of them [Peter, compare John 18:10] struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, ‘Permit even this.’ [Matthew 26:52 points out that He also said, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”] And He touched his ear and healed him [He undid what Peter had done. Peter injured this man and Christ healed him.] Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, ‘Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.’”

Christ knew who was behind this. He knew that Satan was the one who had influenced them to do all these things. That was the hour of Satan. That was the hour of darkness.

When Satan possessed Judas, Judas left Christ and the other disciples. When this happened, John 13:30 tells us that “it was night.” Why is this fact emphasized? Because this was the hour of darkness.

Let us emphasize again that Christ was not arrested based on any formal charge of any crime that He had allegedly committed. There was no legal basis for the arrest. Nobody had presented evidence or even testified before the Sanhedrin, to justify or warrant an arrest.

First, Christ was brought before Annas. During that year, Annas was not the high priest, but Caiaphas. Annas was the father-in-law of the high priest Caiaphas, and he had been the high priest in previous years. The Bible still referred to Annas as high priest, although technically the one who was actually fulfilling the role of the high priest that year was Caiaphas.

Illegal Interrogation

Christ’s interrogation before Annas was illegal. First of all, they brought Him to Annas by night. But the Jewish law prohibited all proceedings by night. No session of the court could take place before the offering of the morning sacrifice. The Sanhedrin only sat in session from the close of the morning sacrifice until the time of the evening sacrifice; that is, they would only sit in session during the day. They would never sit in session during the night.

Acts 4:1–3 confirms this fact: “Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.” They knew that if they wanted to abide by their own law, they couldn’t do anything during the night.

Verse 5 continues: “And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.” They got together the next day to start the trial against the apostles—they didn’t do it during the night.

Another example can be found in Acts 5:17: “Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.’ And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together [this happened during the day], with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.” They didn’t convene any interrogation or trial during the night. They understood that their own law prohibited that, and so they waited until the next morning. But they did not act this way in the case of Jesus Christ. They went ahead in violation of their own law and began to try Him during the night.

Secondly, the interrogation was conducted by a former high priest, Annas, not Caiaphas. It wasn’t even an official interrogation; but rather, it was a private one. Annas had no legal authority to conduct such an interrogation at all. The Jewish law said: “An accused man was never subject to private or secret examination.” But that is exactly what happened in Christ’s case. He was being interrogated by a person who was no longer in any official capacity. Annas had no authority whatsoever to do it.

Why did they even do it? Why did they bring Christ to Annas and not to the high priest, Caiaphas, right away? Because Christ was brought to Annas to be interrogated by him privately for the purpose of gathering evidence to bring a charge against Him. They hadn’t charged Him with anything yet! They didn’t have any evidence for a charge! They didn’t know what to charge Him with! So they tried to get evidence through this private and illegal interrogation by Annas. But Christ responded to all of his questions with dignity and with intelligence.

Christ understood the Jewish law very well. Christ was a Jew. He grew up in the Jewish community. He knew what His Jewish rights were. John 18:19–21: “The [former] high priest [Annas] then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus answered him, ‘I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have done nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.’” Christ didn’t answer the question directly. He said, in effect: “Let them bring forth the charges and the evidence which you say are against Me.” That was not the answer that Annas wanted to hear. Annas and his accomplices resorted to violence and torture in order to try to extract a confession from the prisoner.

John 18:22–23 continues: “And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, ‘Do You answer the high priest like that?’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?’” Since nothing further could be gained, Annas sent Christ, bound, to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the current high priest.

Illegal Trial

To quote from McRuer, “The Trial of Jesus,” on page 52: “Nothing was to be accomplished by private interrogation. The whole proceeding before Annas was illegal from beginning to end according to the Hebraic law. Every accused had the right to be free from any private or personal interrogation until he was sent for public trial… Annas had Jesus bound and sent him to Caiaphas to stand his trial before the Great Sanhedrin.”

Matthew 26:57–58 reports: “And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders where assembled. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.”

Christ was brought to the high priest’s private home, and all the scribes and elders were assembled there. But it was still night, and nobody could be tried during the night. In addition, the Sanhedrin was not permitted to meet and conduct a trial of a capital offense before an annual Holy Day.

As will be explained in the next chapter of this booklet, Christ was arrested on Tuesday night, and He was killed on Wednesday, before the evening of an annual Holy Day, the first day of Unleavened Bread. Under Jewish law, this was illegal, because a capital case could not be concluded within just one day, unless there was an acquittal. The law demanded that a trial had to last for at least two consecutive days in order to convict someone to death. And because it had to last for at least two consecutive days, a capital case couldn’t start on a Friday or on the day previous to an annual Holy Day, because no proceedings could be held on a weekly Sabbath or an annual Holy Day. The requirement to have a trial of a capital crime last for at least two days was part of an elaborate safeguard procedure in order to make sure that no one could be executed unless it was absolutely certain that the person charged with the capital crime was, in fact, guilty.

To quote from McRuer, The Trial of Jesus, on pages 56–57: “When there was a conviction, sentence could not be passed on the same day. The members of the court were required to go in pairs, eating very little and drinking no wine, to discuss the matter all night and come together the following morning. On the following morning commencing with the most junior member of the court lest he be influenced by his seniors, each was required to make his declaration. Those in favour of acquittal would say: ‘I declared him innocent yesterday and I still declare him innocent.’ And those in favour of conviction would say: ‘I declared him guilty yesterday and I still declare him guilty.’ He who favoured conviction might afterwards acquit, but he who favoured acquittal might not retract and favour conviction. It was said, ‘A Sanhedrin that puts one man to death in a week of years is called ‘destructive.’ The safeguards against the execution of an innocent man did not end with the judgment of the court and with the sentence. The law required the execution which was carried out on the same day as the sentence was passed, to take place outside the walls… A herald led the procession, calling out the name of the condemned man and announcing the offence for which he was convicted and the sentence imposed, adding: ‘ If any man knoweth aught in favour of his acquittal let him come and plead it.’ If it came to the attention of the court that anyone, whether a member of the court or not, wished to advance some further argument, the sentry with the towel signalled the horseman, and the latter thereupon halted the procession and returned the prisoner to the court. Even if the prisoner during the procession said: ‘I have somewhat to argue in favour of my acquittal,’ the law required that he be brought back for further trial, be it four or five times, if there was substance in what he had to say.”

As we will recall, the “trial” took place in the house of the high priest, Caiaphas. This was another violation, because it should have taken place at the regular meeting hall of the Sanhedrin. But, it could not, as the court could not officially convene during the night.

In addition, when Christ was brought before the high priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, no charge had been made against Him. This is important, because under Jewish law, the Sanhedrin could not originate charges. If somebody was brought before the Sanhedrin and there was no charge made against them, they had to let him go. The Sanhedrin violated their own law, as they were not interested in letting Christ go. They tried to originate charges during the trial. They attempted to do so by producing witnesses.

In order to convict somebody of a criminal offense, you had to have at least two witnesses who had to agree. The Sanhedrin could not even produce two (false) witnesses who would both make the same (false) accusation.

Let us notice the account in Mark 14:53, 55–59: “And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes… Now the chief priests and all the counsel sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree. Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.”’ But not even then did their testimony agree.”

The testimony of these witnesses, like the testimony of most false witnesses, didn’t agree. Since they failed to agree, their testimony, according to Jewish law, had to be discarded. Any evidence given by them had to be treated as not having been given. In addition, the law did not permit the judges to consider the testimony of just one witness to convict the accused.

Mark 14:60–61 continues: “And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’ But He kept silent and answered nothing…”

Christ refused to answer. He knew the Jewish law. Since the testimony didn’t agree, there was still no charge. So the high priest’s conduct was, again, in violation of the law. Christ had to answer nothing because there was nothing to answer. And so, Christ kept silent.

McRuer explains, on page 59 (emphasis added): “At this stage, Caiaphas forsook his role as the judge, and violating all the rules of Hebraic procedure, he undertook to accomplish what his minions had failed to do—to get Jesus to make a self-convicting statement… Until the case was established by the evidence of two or three witnesses given publicly, one standing trial for crime was not only presumed to be innocent but to be unaccused. It was the evidence of the leading witnesses that constituted the charge. When they spoke and agreed, their evidence constituted the indictment. There being no evidence and hence no charge, Caiaphas stood up and heaped illegality upon illegality by calling upon Jesus to testify against Himself.”

Mark 14:61–64 continues: “…Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”

This conduct of the high priest was an egregious, flagrant violation of Jewish law. The Jewish contemporary scholar Marimonius wrote in his book, Sanhedrin: “We have it as a fundamental principle of our
jurisprudence, that no one can bring an accusation against himself. Should a man make a confession of guilt before a legally constituted tribunal, such confession is not to be used against him unless properly attested by two other witnesses.”

Even if an accused made a confession, it had to be disregarded, unless it was collaborated by two additional witnesses. A confession, all by itself, was not sufficient for a conviction.

That fact is also confirmed by Mendelsohn, Criminal Jurisprudence of the Ancient Hebrews. He points out, on page 133: “No attempt is ever made to lead a man on to self-incrimination. Moreover, a voluntary confession on his part is not admitted in evidence, and therefore not competent to convict him, unless a legal number of witnesses minutely corroborate his self- accusation.”

The high priest’s conduct, attempting to get Christ to incriminate Himself, and to then use His “confession” as evidence, was blatantly illegal.

In addition, we also read that “all” condemned Him to death. The verdict against Christ was unanimous. But under Jewish law, a unanimous verdict against a criminal, who had been charged with a criminal capital offense, had the effect of an acquittal. Jewish law decreed that at least one of the judges had to defend the accused. Wise writes in Martyrdom of Jesus: “If none of the judges defends the culprit, i.e., if all pronounce him guilty, having no defender in the court, the verdict guilty was invalid and sentence of death could not be executed.”

Mendelsohn, Criminal Jurisprudence of the Ancient Hebrews, adds the following: “A simultaneous and unanimous verdict of guilt rendered on the day of the trial has the effect of an acquittal.”

Christ had to be released. But that was not according to plan. The verdict was predetermined. Nothing Christ could have done would have made a difference, because this was the hour of darkness.

The fact that Christ’s verdict was predetermined by all of His judges poses another problem, since under Jewish law, judges had to be impartial. Nobody could judge over a person who was his enemy. Benny writes in “Criminal Code of the Jews,” on page 37:

“Not under any circumstance was a man, known to be at enmity with the accused person, committed to occupy a position among the judges.”

All of the judges were, of course, Christ’s enemies. This means that none of them had any jurisdiction based on procedural rules of the Jewish law, to even try Him.

Their predetermined purpose was clearly revealed in the 11th chapter of the book of John. Beginning with verse 46, we read: “But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.’ And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.’ Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.”

The high priest prophesied that Christ would die for all of us so that we wouldn’t have to die. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of the high priest, he was saying this to bring Christ to death. He did not understand that Christ’s death was necessary for us to be forgiven of our sins. He wanted to see Christ killed because he was afraid that the Romans would come and take away the authority they had. They had plotted to kill Christ even before they had arrested Him.

This whole trial is somewhat reminiscent of the People’s Court sessions in Nazi Germany under Judge Freisler. In The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William Schirer reports about the trial of those German officers under Count Stauffenberg who had unsuccessfully attempted to kill Hitler in 1944 (pages 1273–1275, copyright 1960): “Hitler … himself laid down the procedure for dispatching them. ‘This time [he said]… the criminals will be given short shrift. No military tribunals. We’ll hail them before the People’s Court. No long speeches from them. The court will act with lightning speed. And two hours after the sentence it will be carried out. By hanging—without mercy.’ These instructions from on high were carried out literally by Ronald Freisler, the president of the People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof), a vile, vituperative maniac, who as a prisoner of war in Russia during the first war had become a fanatical Bolshevik and who, even after he became, in 1924, an equally fanatical Nazi, remained a warm admirer of Soviet terror and a keen student of his methods… The court-appointed defence lawyers were more than ludicrous. Their cowardice… is almost unbelievable. Witzleben’s attorney… outdid the state prosecutor and almost equalled Freisler, in denouncing his client as a ‘murderer,’ as completely guilty and as deserving the worst punishment… All that summer, autumn and winter and into the new year of 1945 the grisly People’s Court sat in session, racing through its macabre trials and grinding out death sentences, until finally an American bomb fell directly on the courthouse on the morning of February 3, 1945… killing Judge Freisler and destroying the records of most of the accused who still survived.”

Although terrible convictions of innocent people happened throughout history, nothing can remotely equal anything that Christ had to endure. Quoting from page 62 of McRuer’s book, The Trial of Jesus: “Jesus was unlawfully arrested and unlawfully interrogated in secret by one of the highest ranking members of the court, one who was to sit among his judges. The court was unlawfully convened by night. No lawful charge supported by the evidence of two witnesses was ever formulated. When he was questioned by Caiaphas Jesus was, according to Hebrew law, innocent. No charge had been laid against Him. As he stood at the bar of justice he was unlawfully sworn as witness against himself. He was unlawfully condemned to death on words from his own mouth. ‘Our law,’ says Marmonidis, ‘condemns no one to death upon his own confession.’ ‘It is a fundamental principle with us’ says Bartenora, ‘that no one can damage himself by what he says in judgment.’”

To add insult to injury, let us notice what happened next, in Mark 14:65: “Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, ‘Prophesy!’ And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.”

To hit a convicted prisoner was against the Jewish law, too. The Jewish law provided that a person condemned to death could not be previously scorned in any way. Following this, the Sanhedrin delivered the bound Jesus Christ to Pontius Pilate to be crucified by him.

Let us notice, in passing, an interesting account in John 18:28: “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium [“hall of judgment,” Authorized Version], and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.”

Within the palace of Pilate were the altars of Roman gods. The Hebrew priests and the scribes wouldn’t want to go to such a place during the Passover week, so that they would not be “defiled.” Some have claimed that this passage proves that all the Jews kept the Passover on a different day than Jesus Christ did, because Jesus and His disciples had already taken the Passover the previous night. But this Scripture may or may not actually say that, because, according to some commentaries, the reference in John 18:28 to the word “Passover” might be a reference to the goat which had to be sacrificed on the first annual Holy Day, which sacrifice was also called the “Passover.” There was also a dispute at the time between the Pharisees and the Sadducees as to when to slaughter the Passover lamb. The Pharisees believed it should be a day later, but the Sadducees believed it should be on the day when Christ and the disciples ate it. The Sadducees, not the Pharisees, were in charge of the temple. Although some Jews, following the Pharisees, kept the Passover one day late, others followed the Sadducees and kept it when Christ and the disciples ate it.

Continuing with John 18:29: “Pilate then went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this Man?’” That was a very pointed question. He wanted to know, what they were charging Him with? McRuer points out, on page 67: “The request for the charge made it quite clear that there was to be no formal confirmation of the judgment of the Sanhedrin. It was evident that Pilate intended to do his duty as a dispenser of Roman justice and dispose of the case on its merits. Before the Sanhedrin there had been no accusation. The verdict had determined the charge. The problem that perplexed Jesus’ accusers was this: if they said, ‘We have tried him and found him guilty of blasphemy,’ Pilate would regard the whole matter as a religious dispute which could well be left to the Jewish court. In that case, the Roman governor would not likely ratify any death sentence.”

John 18:30 continues: “They answered and said to [Pilate], ‘If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

They didn’t want to answer Pilate’s question. They were calling for a pro-forma confirmation of the judgment of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrists were surprised, though, about Pilate’s conduct for another reason. Edersheim points out, on page 590, that “the inquiry would come upon them the more unexpectedly, that Pilate must, on the previous evening, have given his consent to the employment of the Roman guards which effected the arrest of Jesus.”

But, apparently, Pilate had not consented to arresting Christ for the purpose of killing Him. And now, Pilate was trying to find out what it was that they charged Christ with.

Continuing in John 18:31: “Then Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and judge Him according to your law.’ Therefore the Jews said to him, ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.’”

Now they stated plainly what they really wanted to do. McRuer explains, on page 67: “To the members of the Sanhedrin Pilate’s conduct of the proceedings was becoming alarming. He was about to do the very thing they didn’t want him to do—leave the matter to the Jewish courts. So they changed their strategy. Ceasing to rely on the judgment of the Sanhedrin which found Jesus guilty of blasphemy, they resorted to something which was calculated to stimulate in Pilate a greater interest in the case. With no reference to the offence for which Jesus had been convicted in the Hebrew court, new accusations were put forward.”

These new accusations are set forth in Luke 23:2: “And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’”

McRuer points out, on pages 67 and 68: “The first and second charges were patently false and the third a half-truth presented in such a way as to be entirely false. Taken together, these charges were accusations that Jesus had challenged the authority of the Roman state and attacked its majestic sovereignty.”

At one time, the Jews had asked Christ whether they should pay taxes, whether it was lawful to pay taxes, and Christ’s answer was, Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. In addition, Christ had never asked the Jews to rebel against the Romans. So all of these new allegations were blatantly false accusations. And they knew it. But they were becoming desperate now because they wanted to get Christ, no matter what.

To continue with the quote from McRuer, on page 68: “This was majestatis (treason), the greatest crime known to the state… The Roman procedure required that every accusation of treason against a Roman citizen be made by a written charge and the accused, if a Roman citizen, was entitled to all the protection of a properly conducted Roman trial. A Jew, who was not a Roman citizen, [Christ was a Jew, and not a Roman citizen] had no such protection. With Jesus before him, Pilate as Procurator of Caesar, had absolute power limited only by his sense of justice [Pilate could do whatever he wanted. He had absolute total discretion]… The Jews were driven on a course they did not want to take because they well knew there was not the necessary evidence to support the charge. They had tried to get evidence to support the first two allegations but failed. Had not Jesus said: ‘Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s’? Pilate must have detected malice in the hearts of the Sanhedrists… Pilate must have discerned that it was from no loyalty to Caesar that the chief priests and elders came with the prisoner at the early hour of the morning, charging that he had been forbidding them to give tribute to Caesar; Pilate well knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. The third accusation—that Jesus had said He was Christ the King—could not pass unnoticed, even though Pilate did know that it was ‘out of envy’ that he had been brought there. A charge that anyone who had created such an impact on the Jewish people had claimed any rights of temporal power must necessarily be investigated.”

Let us turn now to John 18:33–38: “Then Pilate entered the Praetorium [margin: “the governor’s headquarters”] again, called Jesus, and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ [This was the only accusation that Pilate addressed—not the first two]. Jesus answered him, ’Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all.’”

Let us take note of the legal significance: Pilate had interrogated the prisoner. He had declared that He was guiltless, that He was innocent. He pronounced the judgment. Christ should have been released right there and then. But Pilate was a weak man. He had been in trouble before with Caesar for having slaughtered some of the Jews. Not that Caesar loved the Jews, but he wanted peace in his empire. Christ had referred to that incident in Luke 13:1, stating that Pilate had mingled the blood of the Galileans with the Jewish sacrifices.

The story continues in Luke 23:5–7: “But they were the more fierce [when Pilate said, “I find no fault in this Man,” verse 4], saying, ‘He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.’ When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.”

This Herod was Herod Antipas, a cruel, cunning and deceitful individual. He was the one who had beheaded John the Baptist (Matthew 14:9–10), and then thought that Christ might have been John the Baptist rising from the dead (Mark 6:14). Christ knew exactly with whom He was dealing. He had called Herod a fox (Luke 13:32) after He heard that Herod, too, was trying to kill Him.

Herod had come to stay in the old Maccabean palace close to that of the high priest. Luke 23:8 reports: “Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.” Herod was always willing to talk to John the Baptist, but he did not accept anything John the Baptist was saying. Now, Herod was trying to see whether Christ could do a miracle for him. But Christ didn’t perform any miracle here. Had Christ done it, He would have performed the role of a magician and He would have given into Satan, who had asked Him earlier to perform a miracle by making bread out of stone. Rather, Christ was exercising His elementary legal rights when He remained silent, because He had already been declared innocent by Pilate. What was there to say? His outcome was predetermined. Christ understood that. Whatever He would have said would have made no difference.

While Jesus was brought before Herod Antipas, another interesting event happened. Judas Iscariot, Christ’s betrayer, approached the Sanhedrin in defense of Christ. We read in Matthew 27:3–4: “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’”

Recall that even after the sentence had been issued, the Sanhedrin had the legal duty to reconvene if a new witness in favor of the accused showed up. Judas was that new witness. He said, “I have betrayed innocent blood.” The Sanhedrin, however, violated that legal duty as well.

McRuer points out on page 76: “Judas said: ‘I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.’ He probably knew the requirements of the Jewish law in capital cases that the court must hear any witness in favour of an acquittal even after judgment was rendered, as long as the sentence had not been carried out. If Judas didn’t know the law, the court most certainly did. Defying it they said: ‘What is that to us? See to it yourself.’”

Instead, they went to Herod and accused Christ of additional crimes. Luke 23:10–12 continues to report to us the horrible events: “And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.”

Herod sent Christ back to Pilate without convicting Him of anything. He made a mockery of Christ to please the accusers, but he did not pass judgment and convict Christ to death.

Luke 23:13–15 continues: “Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, ‘You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him [better: “he sent Him back to us,” compare margin]; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.”

This was Pilate’s second declaration of judgment. For the second time, Pilate found Christ innocent! He declared Him to be, “innocent, not guilty.” He went on to say that his judgment was even confirmed by Herod. Obviously, Pilate should have let Christ go, but Pilate was a weak ruler. He was more interested in what the people felt. He was not at all interested in man’s law, let alone God’s law. And so he compromised and he tampered with justice. First, he stated in Luke 23:16: “‘I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.’” He had just found Him innocent twice! Still, he said, “I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.” Chastise Him for what? Christ had committed no offense! But Pilate wanted to please the people. This sign of weakness was all the Jews needed. Now they knew that they could still win.

Matthew 27:15–17 picks up the story: “Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’”

Christ was Legally Innocent

But Christ had already been found to be legally innocent. He should have been released as an innocent man. Pilate, though, proposed His release as a convicted criminal, to whom amnesty might be granted. This additional sign of weakness convinced Christ’s accusers that Pilate would go on compromising until they had accomplished their murderous intent.

Matthew 27:20–23 reports: “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said, ‘Barabbas!’ Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified!’”

Pilate was still not willing to do that. He had just been told by his wife—probably a Jewish proselyte—not to have anything to do with this just man Jesus since she had been warned in a dream and had suffered many things in that dream because of Him (Matthew 27:19).

John 19:1–4 continues: “So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.’”

The Revised Standard Version (RSV) translates verse 4 as, “I found no crime in him.” This was the third declaration of innocence! And each declaration was delivered with authority and in the name of the emperor of Rome, because Pilate had full legal authority of the Roman emperor.

John 19:6 states: “Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” Again the RSV says, “I find no crime in him.” This is the fourth time that the Roman governor acquitted Christ of the charges brought against Him! And Herod had acquitted Him, as well. Remember that the Sanhedrin had not even made a charge against Him and still “convicted” this innocent man. Pilate stated again that he did not confirm the “judgment” of the Sanhedrin.

McRuer explains, on page 80: “Having failed to secure a conviction for treason, the accusers fell back on a demand for confirmation of the death sentence passed by the Sanhedrin which was based on a conviction of blasphemy.”

Continuing with John 19:7–9: “The Jews answered him [Pilate], ‘We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God’ [in other words, they resurrect the charge of blasphemy]. Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid [presumably, because the charge that Christ was the “Son of God” struck fear and caution in him, and because he realized how desperate Christ’s accusers were to have Him executed], and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer.”

McRuer states, on page 80: “No answer was forthcoming from the prisoner. All charges of treason having been disposed of, Jesus relied on His simple legal right to remain silent.”

John 19:10–12 reports: “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’ From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, ‘If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.’”

What did they do now? They went right back to the charge of treason, not because there was any evidence to support it but because they knew how to strike Pilate at his weakest spot. John 19:13–16 says: “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour [midday]. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.”

Pilate made it clear one more time that he had repeatedly and consistently rendered the judgment that Christ was innocent. Matthew 27:24–26 records: “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.” Based on the accounts of all the four gospel writers, it is possible that Christ was scourged twice by Pilate.

Matthew 27:25 has been used by many over the centuries to inflict very anti-Semitic feelings. However, the fact of the matter is that all of the people involved here, except the Romans, were Jewish. Christ Himself was a Jew. The early apostles were Jews, too. This most certainly is not a Scripture that can be used to justify or condone any anti-Semitic feelings; it is simply an historical fact.

McRuer summarizes Christ’s trial on page 82: “The whole catalog of illegality was complete; Jesus Christ, the prisoner, had been betrayed to his enemies for thirty pieces of silver; beaten and tortured by His custodians; illegally tried in the highest court of His nation; illegally
convicted of blasphemy against the God of His people—a conviction never confirmed in the Roman court. Confirmation failing, the prisoner was charged with treason against the Roman emperor and found not guilty; nevertheless, he was ‘handed over to be crucified.’ In all the annals of legal history, it would be difficult to find another case in which the prisoner who had been declared not guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction was delivered to the executioner by the judge who had acquitted him.”

McRuer states on page 83: “As a deterrent to others it was the custom to affix to the cross a board on which was inscribed the offence for which the condemned man had been convicted… In this case Pilate himself prepared the inscription. It was written in Latin, Greek and Aramaic. It read: ‘The King of the Jews.’… The chief priest asked Pilate to change the inscription to read: ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’ If Pilate had stated the offense for which Jesus was crucified as the chief priest asked, it would have meant that Jesus had been found guilty of treason. This was a judgment Pilate had persistently refused to pass.”

Let us at this point consider the final verdict, which was issued on that dark hour and dark day of human injustice. Luke 23:47 reports: “So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, ‘Certainly this was a righteous Man!’” The RSV says: “Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’”

The Bible confirms that Christ was murdered. It was not an execution of a legally charged and legally convicted person. It was a state-approved and state-commanded murder. His disciples were not afraid to say so. They were not afraid to tell the murderers face-to-face what they had done. The following Scriptures will prove this. Again, none of those passages provide any reason for anti-Semitic feelings, because the disciples who said those things were Jews themselves.

In Acts 2:22–23, Peter stated: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.”

In Acts 5, beginning in verse 27, the apostles—Peter among them—were brought again before the Sanhedrin. We read: “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, ‘Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!’ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.” The Authorized Version is more precise here, stating, “… Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.” The plural noun, “ye,” makes it clear that Peter’s response to the high priest’s question was directed to all the members of the Sanhedrin—not just to the high priest only.

Peter was not mincing any words here. He said to those who were guilty that they had murdered Christ.

Stephen said essentially the same in Acts 7:51–52 when the Sanhedrin had dragged him in front of the court: “‘You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers.”

Neither did Paul—a Pharisee of Pharisees before his conversion—mince any words. He said in Acts 13:27–28: “For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.”

Jesus Christ was Murdered!

The Bible emphasizes time and time again that the innocent Jesus Christ was murdered. This is very important to understand because Christ died for you and me! In that sense, we, too, have murdered Him! All of us are as guilty as those who actually delivered and killed Christ, because if it hadn’t been for the sins that we have committed, Christ wouldn’t have had to die. He died for each one of us so that each one of us could obtain forgiveness, providing we repent of our sins and accept His sacrifice.

There is no question that Christ was murdered! Notice 1 Thessalonians 2:14–16: “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” This statement also applies to all of us if we don’t repent of our sins and develop a relationship with God that is pleasing to Him.

Christ knew from the very beginning what would happen to Him. He knew He would have to face human injustices, including His illegal arrest and His illegal prosecution. This was no surprise to Him. He made mention, for instance, in Matthew 20:17–19, that they would torture and kill Him. He also knew from the very beginning, as we read in John 6:64, that it would be Judas who would betray Him.

Hebrews 12:1–2 tells us WHY Christ was willing to come to this earth to die for us: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What joy is meant here? Jesus rejoiced that you and I can become His brothers and His sisters—His followers—so that we can ultimately become the children of God in His Kingdom. Knowing that His torture and death was necessary for our reconciliation with God, He joyfully endured the shame. Christ was willing to undergo the illegalities that He went through—His illegal arrest, His illegal torture, and His illegal crucifixion—because His sacrifice was necessary to pay the penalty we have earned for our sins, the second death.

Similar injustices might happen to Christ’s present day disciples, too. If it happens to us, we are to act as Christ acted. 1 Peter 2:21–23 summarizes His conduct as follows: “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.”

Although Christ had all the angelic and Godly powers at His disposal, He didn’t strike back when He was illegally arrested. He actually restrained Peter, healing the ear of the high priest’s servant whom Peter injured in a probable attempt to kill him (Luke 22:50–51; John 18:10). Christ didn’t revile when He was reviled. He asked God to forgive His accusers and murderers, praying for them on the cross (Isaiah 53:12).

Hebrews 12:3–4 admonishes us to have the same mind that Christ had: “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin [as Christ has].” When Christ was in the garden, He prayed so hard that His sweat became like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Christ was in the flesh. He was fully human. He had to obtain strength from God— not only, when He was in the garden, but throughout His human life—so that He was able to live obediently and godly in the flesh. And we most certainly have to do the same.

Part 5

The Time of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection

The Christian world is confused about the time of Christ’s birth and death. When was Christ born? How long was He dead and in the grave? When was He crucified? When was He resurrected? Did Christ tell us ahead of His death how long He would be dead? And if so, did He fulfill what He had said?

In this chapter, we are discussing the time of Christ’s death and resurrection. For a brief discussion on the time of Christ’s birth, please see the accompanying box.

In Matthew 12:38–40, Christ explains that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights: “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish [Authorized Version: “whale’s belly”; New Revised Standard Version: “belly of the sea monster”], so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’”

Note that Christ talked to the scribes and Pharisees, describing them as an “evil and adulterous generation.” He said that the only sign that would be given to IT was the sign of the prophet Jonah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so Christ would be three days and three nights—a full 72 hours—in the grave. Christ’s statement goes further, however. He made it clear that He would not stay in the grave for less than three days and three nights, and, that He would not stay in the grave longer than 72 hours. As the sea monster vomited Jonah alive onto dry land, so Christ would be brought back to life and leave the grave after three days and three nights.

Christ was not speaking about parts or portions of three days. In John 11:9, He defined the daylight portion of a day as lasting 12 hours, and after that, in verse 10, He implied that the night [as the dark portion of the day], lasted another 12 hours. In addition, Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three entire days and three entire nights, not just a portion of that time period. And Christ said that He would be in the grave for exactly as long a time as Jonah had been in the belly of the fish.


WHEN WAS CHRIST BORN?

Professor J.M. Golby, British historian and co-author of the book titled, “The Making of the Modern Christmas,” made the following comments during a television interview in 1991:

“The Christian church has always been very clever in incorporating other practices and going along with things and then turning them towards Christianity. And in pagan times you had midwinter festivals, and you had religious festivals which were pagan and very much associated with things like the going down of the sun. And during winter it was going down—would it ever return? And so you had a day in which you celebrated the sun. And the Mithraic religion, which was a very important religion in the later Roman Empire, had a particular day that celebrated this. And it so happens that it coincides with December 25th, which the Christian church then adopted as the day of Christ’s birth… There is nothing in the gospels to show that Christ was born on the 25th of December. In fact, it’s clear that he wouldn’t have been. There wouldn’t have been shepherds out in the fields. It’s just the wrong time of year…”

In addition to the fact that shepherds would not have been in the fields on December 25, there is another reason why Christ could not have been born around December 25. Dr. Cunningham Geikie discusses this additional reason in “Holy-Days and Holidays,” in the article, “Christmas at Bethlehem.” He writes: “The twenty-fifth day of December… has little in its favor [for the date of the nativity of Christ] beyond the fact that it was the day on which, in antiquity, the return of the sun from its winter absence was kept… It could hardly have been at that season, however, for such a time would surely not have been chosen by the authorities for a public enrollment, which necessitated the population’s traveling from all parts to their natal districts, storm and rain making journeys both unsafe and unpleasant in winter…”The fact that shepherds were living out in the fields (compare Luke 2:8) and that a public enrollment was conducted at the time of Christ’s birth (compare Luke 2:1–7) clearly proves that Christ could not have been born anywhere near December 25. Sheep were never in the field during the winter months. From the middle of October until the middle of March, the sheep would be kept inside, in stables or barns. During that time, there was too much rain, wind and even frost and snow. The newspaper Wynne Progress published an article on December 21, 1967, titled, “The Christmas Story,” in which it pointed out numerous discrepancies between the Biblical record and Christmas traditions. It stated, “As for the date of December 25, that was chosen by the church during the fourth Century A.D…. The choice seems to have been dictated… by a desire to Christianize the Roman revel that marked the winter solstice. The biblical evidence plainly indicates that Jesus was born during the late summer or early fall. That is the time of year when Palestinian shepherds take their flocks into the field to graze at night” (emphasis added).

The seventh month of the Israelite year, the month of Tishri, in September/October, ends with the beginning of the rainy season. During the eighth month, the month of Marcheschwan, in October/November, the weather is rainy. The ninth month, Chislev, in November/December, marks the beginning of winter, with rain and snow. Christ made it clear, in Matthew 24:20, that a flight of His Church had better not take place “in winter,” as this would be very unpleasant, due to the severe weather conditions. In addition, Song of Solomon 2:11 reads: “…the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.” Note also Ezra 10:9, 13: “It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people [in Jerusalem were] …trembling… because of the heavy rain… ‘But there are many people; it is the season of the heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside.’” Finally, the tenth month, Tebeth, in December/January, is designated as the coldest month of the year, with hail and snow.

There is no way that Christ could have been born at the end of December, while a public enrollment was going on, and while shepherds and sheep were staying overnight in the field. Even if it did not snow at that time, the cold weather and the rain would have made it impossible for both shepherds and sheep to be in the field at night. Further, the Roman authorities would not have chosen that time of year for a public enrollment. Rather than having been born in the winter, it is most likely, as was pointed out before, that Christ was born in late summer or early autumn.

For more information on this subject, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”


Scripture tells us that Christ did indeed fulfill this sign. The angel of the Lord told the women, “‘He is risen, as He said’” (Matthew 28:6). God the Father resurrected His Son, Jesus Christ, exactly at the preordained time, as had been announced by Jesus. This means that Christ could not have been crucified on a Friday and resurrected on a Sunday, as this would not fulfill the sign of being in the grave for three days and three nights. Rather, Christ was killed on a Wednesday and placed in the grave on Wednesday afternoon, just before sunset. He was brought back to life three days and three nights later, leaving the grave on Saturday afternoon, just before sunset, as He said.

The Romans witnessed the fact that the angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone from Christ’s grave. They told the chief priests about it, but were bribed with money in order to conceal the truth (Matthew 28:11–15). The chief priests and elders willfully suppressed and denied the only sign for Christ’s Messiahship.

After His resurrection, Christ appeared to many, proving that He was the Messiah. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3–8 the numerous occasions when Christ appeared to His apostles and disciples. In that passage, Paul did not even list all of Christ’s manifestations (compare, for example, Matthew 28:9–10; Luke 24:13–35).

Christ, as a human being, did many signs and wonders. John said that He performed so many miracles that they could not even all be written down (John 21:25). However, do you realize that none of these signs proved that He was the Messiah? The people at that time recognized Him as a prophet who was able to perform miracles, but those miracles did not prove to them that He was THE Christ. His true disciples recognized Him as the Son of God, but this knowledge had to be revealed to them by God the Father (compare Matthew 16:13–17).

The proof of Christ’s Messiahship was in His resurrection from the dead as a glorified God being. The proof lies in the fact that He was DEAD, and that He would come back to (spiritual, eternal) life. He could not raise Himself up or bring Himself back to life. He said that, “I can of Myself do nothing” (John 5:30). Only God the Father could resurrect Him (compare Acts 2:24; 3:13–15). THAT FACT was the sign of His Messiahship. In other words, Christ said to the people, “If I die and if I am buried for three days and three nights, and afterward come back to life, THEN you will know that I am the Christ.”

We should be able to see clearly that this sign totally negates the false concept that Christ was killed on “Good Friday” and resurrected on “Easter Sunday,” as He would not have been in the grave for 72 hours. This sign also totally disproves the false teaching that Christ, when here on earth, was “fully God and fully man;” that only the “man part” died, but not the “God part;” and that the “God part” resurrected the “man part”—that Christ resurrected Himself. This false teaching of orthodox Christianity (commonly referred to as the “two natures of Christ”) DENIES THE ONLY SIGN that Christ gave to “an evil and adulterous generation,” proving His Messiahship: being dead and buried for 72 hours, and then God, the Father, bringing Him back to life as a glorified God being.

Christ’s supernatural birth was not a sign to the “evil and adulterous generation” of His time, as they did not believe that He had been supernaturally conceived by Mary. They believed that Mary had committed fornication (compare John 8:41). The miraculous events at the time of Christ’s birth were, however, a sign to the shepherds in the field (Luke 2:12), as well as to Mary (Luke 2:19). Mary, of course, had already been prepared for Christ’s supernatural birth by the prior appearance and pronouncements of God’s angel (Luke 1:26–38).

For those of us who believe, Christ’s supernatural birth is a most important fundamental tenet, but to those who don’t believe, it can hardly be considered a sign. It is sad, however, that even many of those calling themselves Christians doubt that Christ was actually conceived as described in Scripture. If they believe, however, that Christ was and is the Messiah, they MUST believe in Christ’s supernatural birth, AND in His existence as a God being, full of glory, PRIOR TO His birth as a human being (compare John 17:5).

Many Scriptures prove that Jesus Christ was dead and in the grave for three days and three nights. In addition to Matthew 12:40, note Christ’s statements in Matthew 27:62–64 and Mark 8:31. Sometimes Christ said that He would be killed and raised again “the third day” (Matthew 16:21; compare Matthew 17:22–23; Luke 9:22). To quote from Milburn Cockrell, “Three Days and Three Nights,” in “Message of the Christian Jew,” April 1983, the editor of the “Berea Baptist Banner”: “Unless we believe that the Bible contains errors, we know that all passages must harmonize. Therefore, ‘after three days’ (Mark 8:31) must mean the same as ‘the third day’ (Matthew 16:21).


DID THE THIEF GO TO PARADISE ON THE DAY OF HIS DEATH?

If Christ was dead for three days and three nights, how are we to understand His promise to the repentant thief on the cross that both would be in Paradise on the very day of their death? We read in Luke 23:39–43, in the translation of the New King James Bible:

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”

The word “Paradise” in Luke 23:43 is derived from the Greek word “paradeisos,” which means, “park” or “garden.” The word “paradeisos” appears two more times in the New Testament.

One passage is found in 2 Corinthians 12:2–4: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man— whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which is not lawful for a man to utter.”

Paul was talking about a human being, obviously himself, who was transferred, in vision, to the third heaven—the place where God’s throne is. Paul equated that third heaven with “Paradise.”

In addition, Revelation 2:7 states: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of lifewhich is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Right now, the Paradise of God and God’s throne are in fact in heaven.

We also read, however, that the New Jerusalem, a city which God is building for us right now in heaven, will descend to this earth (Revelation 3:12). Revelation 22: 1–3 explains:

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits… 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.”

We saw earlier that both the throne of God and the tree of life are in the Paradise of God. Revelation 22:1–3 teaches us that the throne of God and the tree of life will be in the New Jerusalem, when it descends to this earth. This means, then, that the Paradise of God will be here on earth.

Jesus Christ was telling the thief on the cross that he would be with Christ in Paradise, AFTER it had been established on this earth. Christ did not promise him to ascend with Him to heaven; rather, He promised him heaven on earth.

Let us recall what the thief actually asked Christ: “Lord, remember me, when You come INTO Your Kingdom!” The word for “into” (“eis” in Greek) can mean “into” or “in.”

The thief asked Christ to remember him when He would come in or into His Kingdom, which He would establish here on earth, upon His return. The context of the conversation was that the Jews rejected Christ as the King of the Kingdom Who would rule over them—by contrast, this thief was telling Christ, in effect: “I believe in you. I believe that you are the King. I believe that you will establish God’s Kingdom and government here on earth.” And so, Christ assured the thief that he would be there, when the Kingdom of God would be ruling on and over this earth, and when this earth would have become a Paradise.

The thief did not ask Christ to go with him to heaven. Notice, how the Moffat translation renders Luke 23:42: “And he added, Jesus, do not forget me when you come to reign.”

The Jerusalem Bible has the following annotation to this verse: “‘Jesus,’ he said, ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom,’ or else, ‘in your kingly power,’ i.e., to establish your kingdom. Var. ‘when you come with (i.e., in possession of) your kingdom.’”

The German-speaking “Zuercher Bibel” translates Luke 23:42: “Remember me, when you come with your kingly reign.” The Gute Nachricht writes: “Remember Me when you are King.”

The Broadman Bible Commentary states about this verse: “Then the penitent robber turns to Jesus with a plea to be remembered when He comes in His kingly power… [This rendition of the RSV—rather than “in Your Kingdom”] is supported by excellent authorities and fits the context better. “

But, WHY did Christ say that the thief would be with Him in Paradise “today”—that is, at the time of their death? Or, did He say that?

Let’s ask, first, whether Christ Himself went to Paradise on the day He died. The Bible tells us that He did NOT. Rather, He was dead and buried for three days and three nights. He said that this would be the only sign that He was the Messiah. He said that as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so He would be three days and three nights in the grave (Matthew 12:40). And even AFTER He was resurrected, after those three days and three nights, He told Mary in John 20:17: “Do not cling to Me, for I have NOT yet ascended to My Father.”

So, even after three days and three nights in the grave, He had still not gone to Paradise in heaven. Christ had not gone to Paradise the day He died—and neither did the robber. After all, Christ had promised him, in the rendering of the New King James Bible: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

What, then, DID Christ say—and what DID He mean?

In the original Greek, there are no commas. Notice what the Lamsa translation tells us in a footnote to Luke 23:43: “Ancient texts were not punctuated. The comma could come before or after today.”

This means, rather than stating, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,” this passage could also be translated as, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Notice the verbatim or interlinear literal rendition of this passage, as stated in the Englishman’s Greek New Testament: “And said to him Jesus: Verily I say to thee today with Me thou shalt be in Paradise.”

The Companion Bible states in its appendix, in paragraph 173, that the interpretation of this verse depends exclusively on the punctuation, which is totally dependent on human authority. They explain that until the 9th century, Greek manuscripts had no punctuation at all, and even after that time, they only had a dot separating words from each other. The Broadman Bible Commentary admits: “It is possible to place the comma after today…”

Christ did not promise the thief that he would be in Paradise the day he died. But since He saw his repentant attitude, He did promise him on that very day that he would be in Paradise—here on earth, in the future.


Let us now very carefully examine the Scriptures to see when, exactly, Jesus Christ was resurrected. By counting back three days and three nights, we can also determine, then, when Christ was laid in the grave.

We read in Matthew 28:1–6 (Authorized Version): “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it… And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for HE IS RISEN, AS HE SAID.”

We note from the passage that Christ was already resurrected by the time the women came to the grave. We are told that they appeared “in the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week.” Many commentaries point out that this phrase discusses the END of the SABBATH, that is, Saturday evening or late afternoon, and NOT Sunday morning.

The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament renders this verse in this way: “Now late on Sabbath, as it was getting dusk toward (the) first (day) of (the) week, came Mary the Magdalene…”

A.T. Robertson’s Harmony of the Gospel comments: “This phrase once gave much trouble, but the usage of the vernacular Koine Greek amply justifies the translation. The visit of the women to inspect the tomb was thus made before the Sabbath was over (before 6 p.m. on Saturday).”

Cockrell states: “When does the Bible say that Jesus rose from the dead? The two Marys came to the tomb ‘in the end of the sabbath’ (Matth. 28:1). The Sabbath always ended at sunset: ‘From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath’ (Lev. 23:32). Then they went to the tomb before sunset on Saturday. Jesus had risen from the dead before their arrival (Matth. 28:1–8)…”

The Moffat Bible translates: “At the close of the Sabbath, when the first day was dawning…”

The Elberfelder Bibel reads: “But late at the Sabbath, in the dawn of the first day.” It comments: “Days started at sunset.”

The Lamsa Bible states: “In the evening of the Sabbath, when the first day of the week began to dawn…”

The revised Luther Bibel of 1984 translates: “When the Sabbath was over and the first day of the week began…”

The Menge Bible renders this verse as follows: “But after the Sabbath, when the first day after the Sabbath was about to begin.”

Finally, the revised Zürcher Bible of 1942 states: “After the Sabbath, when it was shining (lightening up) towards the first day of the week…” It adds the following comments: “For the Jews a day began with sunset. The expression [in] Luke 23:54, ‘The Sabbath lightened up…’ [The King James Bible states: “The Sabbath drew on” or “drew near”] does not mean that the morning began, but that lights were kindled for the evening… Whether Matthew 28:1 likewise refers to the evening with which the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began, is not clear.”

However, based on the evidence presented herein, it is very clear that Matthew 28:1 refers to the end of the Sabbath, and NOT to Sunday morning.

For instance, please note the following comments from “The Easter Sermons of Gregory of Nyssa,” edited by Andreas Spira and Christoph Klock, 1981, pages 265, 266, and 269: “The only testimony about the time of resurrection is produced by Matthew 28:1: ‘Late on the sabbath’… That means, explains Gregory, it was already late in the evening (this evening being the beginning of the night before the first day of the week) when the angel came… Matthew alone remains testifying the hour of resurrection on Saturday evening… The time of resurrection is Saturday evening according to Matthew 28:1… The time of resurrection [was] ‘late on the Sabbath.’”

This fact is also established, when considering the meaning of the Greek word, translated in Matthew 28:1, as “in the end of the Sabbath.” The Greek for “in the end of ” is “opse.” It is defined as “late in the evening.” It is not a reference to “early in the morning.” Compare Mark 13:35 and Mark 11:19, where the word “opse” is correctly rendered as “even” or “evening.”

Other passages confirm that Christ was resurrected long before Sunday morning. We read that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb on the first day of the week, when it was still dark, and Jesus was already resurrected by that time (John 20:1). This means, Christ was not resurrected on Sunday morning, at sunrise, but He had already been resurrected, “while it was still dark.” In addition, John 20:1 might not even be talking about events that occurred Sunday morning, “while it was still dark,” but it might be talking about events on Saturday evening, when it was getting darker. In the Greek, the word translated as “still” [or “yet” in other translations] is “eti.” It can also be translated as “more,” “yet more,” or, “still more,” as was done in Revelation 9:12 (“Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.” Compare New International Version: “two other woes are yet to come”; and New Jerusalem Bible: “there are still two more to come”). In addition, Hebrews 11:32 states: “‘What more shall I say?’” This could mean that John’s account is telling us that the women came to the grave when it was getting “even more” dark—or “darker,” after they had begun their walk to the grave when it was getting dark, at sunset. This would then also refer to events on Saturday night, not on Sunday morning.

A similar explanation can be given for a passage in Luke 24:1, stating: “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them, came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.” This passage may not be talking about events on Sunday morning, but it could refer to events occurring Saturday night. Word Studies in the New Testament by Martin Vincent, Volume 1, page 433, explains the correct meaning of the phrase, “very early in the morning”: “Literally, ‘at deep dawn, or the dawn being deep.’… Plutarch says of Alexander that he supped ‘at deep evening,’ i.e. late at night.” In any event, Luke 24:1 does not address the time of the resurrection, but the arrival of certain women at the grave, when the stone was already rolled away from the grave (Luke 24:2).

Some claim that the Bible teaches a Sunday morning resurrection, and use Mark 16:9 as proof. The New King James Bible translates: “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.”

Most commentaries and translators recognize that this is a mistranslation. The original Greek reads, “Now having risen early [the] first [day] of the week he appeared first to Mary the Magdalene…” (Compare The Englishman’s Greek New Testament, giving the Greek Text of Stephens 1550… together with an Interlinear Literal Translation).

Mark 16:9 does not say that Christ arose on the first day of the week. This would be in contradiction to the passage in Matthew 28:1, as discussed. The Scripture in Mark 16:9 tells us the time when He appeared to Mary; not, when He rose from the dead. Cockrell points out: “Mark 16:9 tells us Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene early the first day of the week, which was Saturday after sundown. The nearer after sunset this happened, the earlier in the first of the week it was. Mark does not say that she was alone at the time she first saw Jesus, and Matthew tells us that ‘the other Mary was with her.’ (Matth. 28:1).”

Note that there were no punctuation marks in the original Greek manuscripts. The phrase, “early in the morning” is to be linked with the time of Christ’s appearance, not with the time of His resurrection. By simply placing the comma after the word, “risen,” this verse reads (compare the literal translation from The Englishman’s Greek New Testament, as quoted above): “Now having risen, early [the] first [day] of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene…” In other words, when the first day of the week began, Jesus had already risen, the resurrection having taken place just before sundown of the last day of the week, the weekly Sabbath.

In addition, we can also understand Mark 16:9 in this way: Suppose you had been sick for awhile, but became healthy again on Monday evening. You visit your friend a few hours later for the first time in several days. One could correctly describe this situation as follows: “When you were healthy early Tuesday morning, you visited your friend.” This statement does not say that you became healthy Tuesday morning, but when you visited your friend on Tuesday morning, you were healthy. Likewise, Mark 16:9 does not say that Christ was raised on the first day of the week, but rather, when He appeared to Mary on the first day of the week, He was already risen.

At this point, let us quote from another commentary that recognizes the fact that Jesus Christ was resurrected Saturday afternoon, just before sunset. George Carlow, A Defense of the Sabbath, published his book in 1847. He wrote on pages 103 and 111: “Jesus must needs rise in the evening to complete the time prefixed for his laying dead, which time was what Christ had solemnly declared: ‘As Jonahs [sic] was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the son [sic] of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’ Matth. 12:40. It is then reasonable to believe, that seeing Christ died before the day was ended in the time of his crucifixion, he did rise before the third day was quite ended in the time of his resurrection… Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the even when the Sabbath ended.”

However, there is one Scripture, Mark 16:2, which clearly talks about events that took place on Sunday morning, at sunrise. It does not address the time of the resurrection, but rather the time of the women’s arrival at the grave. We read: “Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.”

Since we know from other passages that some of the women visited the grave Saturday evening, and we know that Mark 16:2 describes the arrival of some women at the grave early Sunday morning, we must conclude that these Biblical accounts describe several different trips to the grave by various women. In other words, they did not all happen at the same time. This is also supported by the fact that the purposes of the trips to the grave were different. Matthew 28:1 tells us that women came to see the grave. Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:1 tell us that certain women came to anoint Christ. We also note that it is not always the same women that are mentioned. While Matthew 28:1 mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, Mark 16:1 mentions the two Marys and Salome. Luke 24:1 does not identify the women, but implies that quite a number of women went, at certain times, to the grave (compare Luke 23:55). John 20:1 and Mark 16:9 only mention Mary Magdalene.

Some, in a last ditch effort to preach a Sunday morning resurrection, point out an apparent discrepancy between Matthew 28:9 and John 20:17. While Christ does not allow Mary to touch Him in the book of John, as He had not yet ascended to heaven, He is touched by certain women in Matthew’s account. The rationale given is that in the meantime, He had ascended to heaven and returned to earth, and could now be touched. Therefore, so the argument goes, the account in Matthew must follow the account in John.

But as we saw, John’s account may not be talking about events that occurred on Sunday morning, but on Saturday evening, when it was getting darker. In this case, there would be no contradiction between the two accounts. In addition, we might want to note that Matthew and John are using different words in referring to “touching” Christ. In Matthew 28:9, we are told that they held Him by the feet and worshipped Him. In John’s account, the concept is conveyed that the women, in their joy, were trying to seize Him. The Ryrie Study Bible comments: “Touch Me not—More accurately the command was, ‘Do not continue holding or clinging to Me’ (in order to restrain Him).” The NIV translates: “Do not hold on to me.” The New King James Bible says: “Do not cling to Me.” The RSV says: “Do not hold me.”


HOW DID CHRIST DIE?

This question might perhaps surprise some. Isn’t it obvious that Christ died by crucifixion? This is true, of course, but the question still needs to be asked and answered, How— exactly—did He die?

Christ died by shedding His blood (Mark 14:24), and it is through His precious shed blood that we can be saved (1 Peter 1:18–19).

When we read Matthew’s account, in the New King James Bible, we will not find exactly how Christ died. The reason is that this translation omits a crucial verse, at the end of Matthew 27:49. Several translations, as well as many old manuscripts, have retained this missing verse. For instance, verses 49 and 50 read in the Moffat translation: “But the others said, ‘Stop, let us see if Elijah does come to save him!’ (Seizing a lance, another pricked [better, pierced] his side, and out came water and blood.) Jesus again uttered a loud scream, and gave up his spirit.”

The Fenton Bible translates the missing verse as follows: “But another taking a spear pierced His side, when blood and water came out.”

A.T. Robertson, Harmony of the Gospels, states in a footnote to Matthew 27:49: “Many ancient authorities add: And another took a spear and pierced his side, and there came out water and blood.”

The Revised Standard Version, and the New Revised Standard Version, add the following footnote: “Other ancient authorities insert And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out came water and blood.”

The Vaticanus—a Greek New Testament written in the 300’s A.D., contains the missing verse as well. It reads: “And another took a spear and pierced his side and there came forth water and blood.” The Sinaiticus Codex also contains the verse, and so does the Codex Ephraemi. According to The Testament in Greek, by Wescott and Hort, published in 1896, the missing verse also appears in most Syrian, Egyptian, Armenian, Gothic, and Ethiopic translations. It also appears in Origen’s work [around 200 A.D.]. Walton’s Biblia Sacra Polyglotta, published in 1657, claims, in Vol. VI, on page 6 of the appendix, that this missing verse was still a marginal reading of the Greek text when the King James Version was made.

We need to take note of an additional passage in John’s account. We read in John 19:32–34: “Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”

This Scripture, the way it is rendered, seems to say that the soldier pierced Christ’s side after He had already died. However, the word “pierced” is in the aorist tense in the original Greek, designating a kind of action, not the time of action. It describes an action done at a single moment, and not continuously, but it does not tell us when the action takes place. Only the context can make this clear. Therefore, in John 19:34, the passage could also be correctly translated as, “But one of the soldiers HAD PIERCED His side with a spear.” From the missing verse in Matthew 27:49, we know that John 19:34 has to be translated, in fact, in the past tense.

Christ shed His blood and died when a soldier pierced His side. Revelation 1:7 testifies: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even theywho pierced Him.” Compare, too, Zechariah 12:10. We also read, in Luke 2:34–35: “Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’” Finally, Isaiah 53:5 prophesied about Christ: “But He was wounded [margin, pierced through] for our transgressions.” The New Testament record confirms that this is how Christ died.


The difference in Christ’s reaction toward certain ones of the women was this: Mary Magdalene wanted to cling on to Him, refusing to let Him go (John 20:17). The women in Matthew’s account were afraid (Matthew 28:8, 10). They needed to touch Him to be given comfort and reassurance that it was He (compare Luke 24:36–39; John 20:25). In any event, John’s account cannot be used to support a Sunday morning resurrection!

Since Christ was resurrected on Saturday afternoon—three days and three nights after lying dead in the grave—He would have had to be killed and buried on Wednesday afternoon, exactly 72 hours earlier. But how can this be? How could Christ have been killed and buried on a Wednesday?

Those who have never heard this truth before might be quite astonished to learn that the Bible, indeed, teaches that Christ was killed and buried on Wednesday. Cockrell points out: “According to the Bible, Jesus Christ arose before sunset on Saturday… Having shown from Matthew 28:1 that Jesus rose from the grave as the Sabbath ended at sunset and the first day of the week began, this would put the crucifixion on Wednesday at sunset… According to the gospel writers, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3:00 p.m. our time) and was buried about sunset that same day… If Jesus was buried at sunset on Wednesday and arose at sunset on Saturday, He fulfilled the sign of Jonah. He would have been in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night—a full ‘three nights.’ He would have been in the grave during the daylight of Thursday, Friday and Saturday—a full ‘three days.’ All together a full ‘three days and three nights.’ Thus we have a literal fulfillment of the words of Christ in Matthew 12:40.”

Numerous commentators have confirmed and agree with the historical and Biblical fact that Jesus Christ died and was buried on a WEDNESDAY. Please note the following selection:

Donald Grey Barnhouse, Eternity, June 1958: “… in ancient Christian traditions, attested to by the Didascalia Apostolorum as well as by Epiphanius and Victorinus of Petau (who died in 304 A.D.), gives Tuesday evening as the date of the Last Supper and prescribes a fast for Wednesday to commemorate the capture [and subsequent trial and crucifixion] of Christ.”

W.L. Pettingill, Bible Questions Answered, p. 182: “To us it is perfectly obvious that crucifixion was on Wednesday.”

Finis Dake, Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, page 13, note on Matthew 12:40: “Christ was dead for three full days and three full nights. He was put in the grave Wednesday just before sunset and was resurrected at the end of Saturday at sunset.”

R. A. Torrey, Difficulties and Alleged Errors and Contradictions in the Bible, 1907, pp. 104–109: “… the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified was Wednesday… everything in Scripture is perfectly harmonized by Wednesday crucifixion. It is remarkable how many prophetical and typical passages of the Old Testament are fulfilled and how many seeming discrepancies in the gospel narratives are straightened out when we once come to understand that Jesus died on Wednesday, and not on Friday.”

George Carlow, A Defense of the Sabbath, states on page 109: “Christ was crucified and died… Wednesday, at the end of which day our blessed Jesus was buried, from which time to the end of the seventh-day Sabbath was three days and three nights, the term of time that our Lord foretold he should lie in the grave. Matt. 12:40.”

James A. Walther, The Chronology of Passion Week, in Journal of Biblical Literature, June 1958: “References in the Didascalia, in Epiphanius, in Victorinus of Petau… support the Tuesday [night] Passover dating and the subsequent arrest of Jesus in the morning hours of Wednesday.”

Finally, the Companion Bible, published by Oxford University Press, explains in its Appendix 156 that Christ was crucified on a Wednesday.

But again, we ask, How could it be that Christ was crucified on a Wednesday? Isn’t it obvious from John 19:30–42 that Christ was crucified on the “preparation day before the Sabbath,” that is, on Friday?

Again, let us carefully review the passage in the 19th chapter of John. We read: “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Therefore, because it was THE PREPARATION DAY that the bodies should not remain on the cross ON THE SABBATH (FOR THAT SABBATH WAS A HIGH DAY), the Jews asked Pilate… that they might be taken away… After this, Joseph of Arimathea… asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus… So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus… also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the spices… Now in the place where He was crucified there was… a new tomb… So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ PREPARATION DAY, for the tomb was NEARBY” (verses 30–31, 38–42).

From this, some claim that the “preparation day” refers to the day before the weekly Sabbath, and so they teach that Christ was crucified on Friday. If this were true, then Christ was not our Messiah, as He would have FAILED TO FULFILL THE ONLY SIGN that He gave as PROOF of His Messiahship! If He was crucified on Friday, then He did NOT lie in the grave for three days and three nights! Therefore, Jesus Christ would have been an IMPOSTER, and YOU and I would not have our sins forgiven.

Those who claim that the preparation day refers to the day before the weekly Sabbath overlook the fact that the word “Sabbath” can refer to the weekly Sabbath, as well as to the seven annual Holy Days, which are also called Sabbaths in the Bible (compare Leviticus 16:29–31; 23:24, 26–32, 34–35, 39). Annual Sabbaths can fall on any day in a given week. The Elberfelder Bible explains that the preparation day was “a weekday before the Sabbath or a Festival.” For a thorough discussion of this fact, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

In John 19, the reference is to the Preparation Day of an annual Holy Day, NOT of the weekly Sabbath. It was the Preparation Day of the Passover (John 19:14), which, by the way, refers to the entire Passover season and, in particular, the First Day of Unleavened Bread—the first annual Holy Day of the year—according to the Hebrew calendar. The Bible says that “that” particular Sabbath was a “high day”—an annual Holy Day. In the crucifixion year, that particular annual Holy Day or HIGH Sabbath fell on Thursday.

Cockrell points out: “The first day of the Passover week, no matter on what day of the week it came, was always an annual Sabbath… The Bible makes it plain, Jesus was crucified and buried on ‘…the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:42). John tells us: ‘And it was the preparation of the Passover’ (John 19:14)…. It was the preparation to keep the Passover Sabbath—the annual Sabbath which always came on the 15th day of the first ecclesiastical month. John 19:31 adds: ‘for that Sabbath day was an high day…’ Its greatness was due to the fact that it was the annual Sabbath of the Passover Festival.”

The Menge Bible includes the following annotation to John 19:31: “This Sabbath day was a high Feast day.”

In addition, Matthew 28:1 also reveals—correctly translated—that there were actually two “Sabbaths” during the crucifixion week, a weekly Sabbath and an annual Sabbath. Cockrell points out: “Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths had passed since Jesus was crucified. The KJV [Authorized Version] has this rendering: ‘In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre’ (Matth. 28:1). On this verse nearly all translators have allowed tradition to control their translation. It is not ‘Sabbath’ but ‘Sabbaths’ in the Greek text (the genitive case and the plural number). The verse properly translated would read: ‘In the end of the Sabbaths…’ This allows for an annual Sabbath on Thursday and a regular Sabbath on Saturday.”

The Fenton Bible renders this verse correctly as, “after the Sabbaths,” and it includes the following footnote: “The Greek original is in the plural, ‘Sabbaths,’ which is retained.”

Alfred Marshall’s Parallel New Testament in Greek and English likewise translate the clause as, “after the Sabbaths.”

In the Greek, the word for “Sabbath” in the clause, “after the Sabbath,” is “sabbata.” This is the plural form of “sabbaton,” and it is translated elsewhere many times (but unfortunately, not always, and not consistently) in the plural.

For instance, we read in Matthew 12:5 (Authorized Version): “… how that on the sabbath days [in Greek, “sabbata”] the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath [Greek, “sabbaton”].”

Matthew 12:10 (AV) states: “‘Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?’” The Greek is, “sabbata.”

Luke 4:31 (AV) reads: “… and taught them on the sabbath days [Greek, “sabbata.”].” The New King James Bible translates this word quite accurately here as, “Sabbaths.”

Further examples can be found in Luke 6:2, 9; Colossians 2:16; and Acts 17:2.

An interesting example can be gleaned from Acts 16:13. The AV translates, quite inaccurately, “And on the sabbath we went out to the city by a river side…” In the Greek, the word for Sabbath” is “sabbata”—the plural form—and should be translated as Sabbath days, or Sabbaths. Commentaries point out that this happened on the day of Pentecost. So the Sabbaths referred to here, describe the weekly Sabbath and the following annual Holy Day of Pentecost, which always falls on a Sunday. The word “sabbata” describes the time period of two Sabbaths. The same concept is conveyed in Matthew 28:1. Here, too, the Greek word is “sabbata,” so it should read: “In the end of the Sabbaths,” or “…Sabbath days.”

There is additional proof that there had to be two Sabbaths during the crucifixion week. We read in Mark 16:1: “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.” [Note that the Authorized Version incorrectly translates, “had bought sweet spices.” This rendering is blatantly false. The Greek text is clear that the tense is past, not past perfect. It reads correctly, as rendered by virtually all other translations, “… bought spices.”]

But, we read in Luke 23:54–56: “… the Sabbath drew near… They observed the tomb and how the body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”

Do you notice the apparent contradiction if one holds on to the idea that there was only one Sabbath—the weekly Sabbath—during the crucifixion week? Mark 16:1 tells us that the women bought the spices after the Sabbath. Luke 23:56 tells us that they prepared the spices before the Sabbath. Obviously, before one can prepare the spices, one must have first bought them. This means, then, unless one wants to claim that the Bible contains contradictions (but if it does, it is worthless), that there must have been two Sabbaths that week: The women bought the spices and prepared them after the annual Sabbath on Thursday (compare Mark 16:1), then they rested on the weekly Sabbath on Saturday (compare Luke 23:54–56), and then they came, after the weekly Sabbath, to anoint Christ.

Cockrell points out: “The traditional interpretation makes Mark and Luke contradict each other. In Mark 16:1 we are informed that the Sabbath was past when the spices were purchased. ‘Had’ is inserted [in the Authorized Version] without any authority from the Greek text. ‘No reason can be given for the variation—bought sweet spices. Not had bought’ (An American Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. 11, p. 251). In Luke 23:56 we are told that the women prepared the spices and ointments, and rested on the Sabbath day. If Jesus lay in the grave on Sabbath only, Mark and Luke contradict each other. But if He lay there two Sabbaths having a work day between them, then Mark and Luke harmonize to perfection.”

Some claim that Luke 24:21 denies the fact that Christ was crucified on Wednesday and that He was resurrected Saturday afternoon, just before sunset. They say that this passage negates the fact that Christ was dead in the grave for three days and three nights. Luke reports about the two disciples on the road to the village on Emmaus. They are traveling Sunday morning and say that “today is the third day since these things happened.” However, this claim is ludicrous.

As Cockrell explains: “Some make much over the ‘third day’ in Luke 24:21, and they affirm that if the crucifixion took place on Wednesday, Sunday would be the fourth day since these things were done. But the answer is simple. These things were done [including the setting of the seal and the watch over the tomb the following day, or Thursday] just as Thursday was beginning at sunset on Wednesday. They were thereby completed on Thursday, and the first day since Thursday would be Friday, the second day since Thursday would be Saturday, and the ‘third day since’ Thursday would be Sunday, the first day of the week. So the supposed objection in reality supports the Wednesday crucifixion. But if the crucifixion took place on Friday, by no manner of reckoning could Sunday be made ‘the third day since’ these things were done” (Emphasis added).

Jesus Christ is our Messiah. He fulfilled the sign of His Messiahship just as He had said. He was dead, and in the grave for three days and three nights. But He is not dead anymore. He is alive today! He serves as our High Priest, and we are waiting for His Coming!


CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS DURING CRUCIFIXION WEEK

Tuesday evening until Wednesday evening*

  • Jesus and His disciples eat the Passover on Tuesday evening, after sunset.
  • Jesus is betrayed and arrested Tuesday night (Matthew 26:47)
  • Jesus is brought before Annas and Caiaphas Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, after midnight (John 18:13, 24)
  • Jesus is mocked and beaten in the early dark hours of Wednesday morning (Luke 22:63)
  • Jesus is scourged and crucified during the daylight hours on Wednesday. He dies Wednesday afternoon about 3 p.m. (Matthew 27:46–50). This is the Preparation Day before the annual Holy Day or Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread (Luke 23:54; Mark 15:42; John 19:31)
  • Jesus is buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus on Wednesday, at sunset (Matthew 27:57–66)

Thursday

  • First Day of Unleavened Bread, the High Day, an annual Sabbath.
  • The women rest on this annual Sabbath (Mark 16:1)
  • This is the first 24 hours day during which Jesus is in the grave.

Friday

  • The women buy and prepare spices (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56)
  • This is the second 24 hours day during which Jesus is in the grave.

Saturday

  • Weekly Sabbath, on which women rest, who had purchased and prepared the spices (Luke 23:56)
  • This is the third 24 hours day during which Jesus is in the grave.
  • Christ rises Saturday evening, at the end of the weekly Sabbath, around sunset, exactly three days and three nights after He has been buried and placed in the grave (Matthew 28:1)
  • Women come to see the grave, in the end of the weekly Sabbath (Matthew 28:1).

Saturday evening, after sunset

  • Mary Magdalene visits the grave, when it is getting darker (John 20:1)
  • Women visit the grave at “deep dawn,” or late at night (Luke 24:1)

Sunday morning

  • Women visit the grave Sunday morning, at sunrise (Mark 16:2)
  • Two disciples walk to Emmaus and discuss the events that took place, beginning with Thursday (Luke 24:13–21)

*Remember that days start and end with sunset, in accordance with the Hebrew Calendar


Part 6

The Need For Christ’s Sacrifice

We have all heard it said that “Christ died for our sins.” What does this mean for mankind? What does it mean to you as an individual? Why is it important that you understand this statement? Or is it important at all? Have you given any thought as to why it should make a difference to you?

In this chapter, we will help you understand why it was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY that Jesus Christ die for you and me! AND what consequences Christ’s death should have in the way we live our lives! You will then be able to answer the question: What does it really mean when we say that “Christ died for our sins”?

We All Have Sinned!

To begin with, it is foundational that you understand that every human being is a sinner—EVERYONE SINS! Only one human being did not, and that was Jesus Christ. But you and I are not that person. We cannot say of ourselves that we have not sinned and that we will not sin anymore. 1 Kings 8:46 tells us that there is no one who does not sin. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says: “there is not a just man on earth who…does not sin.” 1 John 1:8–10 explains that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, and that if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Job deceived himself because he thought he was without sin (Job 10:6–7). Do we sometimes believe that too? If we do, we make God a liar, because it is God who says that we ALL have sinned and still DO sin. Every human being needs constant forgiveness of his or her sins, because every human being has sinned, and still does sin.

Romans 5:12 also tells us that all human beings have sinned, and consequently, all are guilty and are condemned to death. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death.” Wages are something we earn for our work. If we sin, we are paid for that: our wages for sin is death—eternal death—from which there is NO RESURRECTION to life. Romans 3:9, 23 explains that we are all under sin and have fallen short of God’s glory. Being under sin means that sin rules over us. We are slaves of sin. And as sinners, we cannot attain to God’s glory. God wants us to have His glory—eternal life—but we will not acquire it as long as we are “sinners”—as long as we practice the way of sin.

The ONLY way to attain the glory that God wants to give us through a resurrection, is by realizing and accepting what CHRIST did for us, and by acting accordingly in our daily living.

In order to fully appreciate that it is ONLY through the death and resurrection and the life of Jesus Christ that we can be spared from eternal death and attain eternal life, we need to first comprehend that there is NOTHING you and I can do in this life to eradicate the death penalty that we have already incurred through our sins. For example, penance—voluntary self-punishment in order to “atone” for some wrongdoing—is a concept not taught at all in Scripture.

We are, in essence, convicted criminals who wait for our execution, which would surely be carried out unless someone pardons us—unless we somehow obtain mercy so that our execution will not be carried out. Romans 3:19–20 makes it clear that keeping the law today does not, and would not, justify or nullify our past sins. Proverbs 20:9 asks the rhetorical question: “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean? I am pure from my sin’?” It is a rhetorical question, as no human being can say that. NOTHING we can do now can save us from the death penalty that we have already earned because of violating God’s law. We cannot dismiss our sins!

Christ Never Sinned!

As alluded to before, there is only ONE human being who has never sinned. That human being was Jesus Christ. As we fully covered in Part II, He gave up His divinity to become a human being. But He had God’s Holy Spirit within Him from the day of His conception, without measure or limit (John 3:34), and it was this Spirit within Him that gave Him the power to resist and overcome sin. Christ never sinned! He asked in John 8:46: “Which of you convicts Me of sin?”

1 Peter 2:21–22 confirms that Christ committed no sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He was without sin, although He was tempted in all points just as we are tempted today.

But to remain sinless was not an easy task for Christ. As a human being, He faced the same temptations that you and I face, AND it WAS POSSIBLE for Christ to sin! Why else would Satan have tried to tempt Him to sin? Why else did Christ have to pray to God to give Him the power and strength to resist sin? Why else did He ask God to give Him the ability to submit His will to the Father’s will?

Hebrews 5:7–9 explains that Christ prayed to God with vehement cries and tears in order to be saved from the second death—the eternal death. Luke 12:49–50; 22:44 show that He was DISTRESSED about His death. As a human being, He did not want to die such a terrible death. Luke 22:39–44 reports that God, the Father, sent an angel to Christ to strengthen Him, so that He could go through His preordained trial and crucifixion. Matthew 26:36–39 tells us that Christ prayed to the Father to obtain the help needed to submit His will to the Father’s will.

And so we see that, although it was humanly POSSIBLE for Christ to sin, He did not sin! Christ conquered sin! He was victorious over sin! He NEVER gave in to temptation! This is important for us to understand because by, and through His death, our sins can be paid for and forgiven. WHY is this the case? Because Christ’s life was more valuable than the lives of all of mankind combined, because it was He who created mankind (compare Colossians 1:17). The value of the Creator is undeniably far more than the total value of everything He creates.

Christ Paid for Our Sins

Again, Christ became a human being to free us from sin and from the penalty for sinning. Do we fully understand and appreciate what this means and what it includes?

John 1:29 identifies Christ as a lamb upon which the sins of the world were placed—like a burden under which the world is suffering. He carried those sins away. Isaiah 53:6, 11, confirms that God the Father laid our sins on Christ. He bore OUR iniquity! Jesus was, throughout His human life, the lamb that would have to die, thereby carrying our sins away (Isaiah 53:7).

As the Lamb of God, He was made the “propitiation” by His blood for those who have “faith in Jesus,” as Romans 3:25–26 explains. The margin of the New King James Bible explains that the word “propitiation” has the meaning of “mercy seat.” In Hebrews 9:5 it is translated as “mercy seat.” The NIV renders it as “sacrifice for atonement.” The meaning conveyed then, is that Jesus Christ paid for our sins through His blood.

God the Father passes over our sins when He sees Christ’s blood covering them, just as the death angel passed over the ancient Israelites when he saw the blood on the doorposts of the houses. The death angel would not kill the Israelites where there was the blood of the Passover lamb. Our sins will not kill us either, because of what Christ—the true Passover Lamb—did for us. HOWEVER, Christ’s blood covers only those sins that we PREVIOUSLY committed. That means, once we repent of our sins and turn to God and accept forgiveness for our sins by claiming Christ’s sacrifice, we are NOT to turn back and start sinning again. We have no LICENSE to sin after our previous sins have been forgiven (compare Romans 6:1–2).

Just as Christ died a human death, so WE are to die to sin. That means we are to “sin no more!” Christ removed our sins from each of us and placed them on Himself, like a sheep carries a load, and He died with them. WE are not to resurrect those sins for which, and with which, Christ died!

But, we read earlier that we WILL sin from time to time. Even now, there is NO ONE who does not sin. This happens because we are weak and because we still have bad habits that sometimes come to the surface. We might easily just give in to them, perhaps because we are not as close to God as we should be. In any event, we sin because we are still flesh and blood, but we don’t like it. We try to get rid of it. We don’t want to do it. When it happens, however, and when we come to our senses and repent and try desperately not to continue in it, God will forgive us even then—because of Christ’s death. 1 John 2:1–2 tells us: “… And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” Christ came to die for us, to pay the death penalty on our behalf, so that we—you and I—don’t have to die the SECOND death.

Perfect Sacrifice

In order to come to the point of DYING for our SINS—to be a perfect sacrifice that the Father would accept—Christ had to fulfill certain requirements, as follows:

  1. He had to become a human being. Galatians 4:4–5 explains that He had to be born of a woman; that is, He had to become flesh and blood, a human being. Spirit beings do not and cannot die.
  2. He had to become sin for us, as 2 Corinthians 5: 21 explains. This does not mean that He sinned while He was human. But it does mean that He BECAME sin, that He personified sin in the Father’s eyes, so that His shed blood could COVER sin and wipe it away. He—the Lamb of God—placed our sins on Himself, and He, in that sense, BECAME THOSE SINS. In God’s eyes, when Christ was killed, all those sins were eradicated with Him.
  3. He had to become a curse for us, as Galatians 3:13 points out. He became a curse for us when He was crucified. In becoming a curse for us, He freed us from the curse that we were under. When we violated God’s law and sinned, the curse of the law—the death penalty—was upon us. Notice that when we sin, we are placed under the curse of the law. Galatians 3:10 tells us: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” James 2:10 adds: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” When we break one of God’s commandments, we are guilty of transgressing God’s law, and the curse of God’s law—the death penalty for sin—is upon us. If this curse were not removed, we would die the second death—eternal death. Notice this in the sobering example given by Christ in Matthew 25:41–46 where Christ is referring to people who have sinned, because when they had the ability to help others in need, they actually held back and refused to extend the needed help. They apparently sinned willfully and maliciously, so that their penalty—their curse—was eternal death in gehenna fire. But Christ became that curse for us so that the curse CAN be removed from us, IF, and WHEN we repent and claim His perfect sacrifice.
  4. He had to come in the form of sinful flesh, as Romans 8:3 explains: “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh [humans were too weak to keep it], God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” Christ was a human being, like you and I. He was exposed to the same human temptations that confront us. He had the same human nature that we have. He was in the form of sinful flesh. He did not sin, but His sinful flesh tempted Him many times to sin. However, Christ overcame His sinful desires, and by doing so, He “condemned sin in His flesh,” that is, He showed that man, with the help of God’s Spirit within him, can overcome sin. He came, as a human being, “on account of sin.” He had to, and did, overcome sin IN THE FLESH.
  5. Christ had to experience being separated from God the Father. Matthew 27:45–46 records that just prior to Christ’s death, while hanging on the cross, He asked the Father: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” Yes, indeed, WHY?

WHY did God forsake Him? Before we answer that, we need to understand what sin does to us. Isaiah 59:1–2 explains that our sins, unrepented of, separate us from God. God will not hear our prayers if we live in sin. It can be compared with a wall between God and us.

Habakuk 1:13 adds that God cannot look on, or accept, wickedness. Good and evil are not compatible, and God, who is good, cannot and will not accept evil. So, God does not regard the prayers of an unrepentant sinner. Deuteronomy 23:12–14 explains the principle that God does not want to see something unclean in a person. If the uncleanness is not taken care of, He will turn away from us and forsake us. Finally, Psalm 5:5 points out that God will not allow a boastful evil person to stand before Him. God will not hear somebody who is proud about his or her sins and who is not willing to repent of them.

But why did God forsake Christ who never sinned, who was never boastful or unclean or wicked or evil?

We know already that Christ had become sin for us, that the curse of the law for our sins was upon Him when He was crucified. We also read that at the time of His crucifixion, just prior to His death, something remarkable happened. We are told that it became DARK over all the land from the sixth to the ninth hour. What is the significance of this period of darkness?

Darkness symbolizes sin, as many Scriptures reveal (Compare Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:8–14). When Christ had all the sins of mankind placed upon Him, thereby having “become” sin, in that sense, He had to experience separation from God, the Father! God, the Father saw all of the sins of man placed on His Son and He could not look at them. His eyes were “purer than to behold” those sins. Remember, those sins included mass murders, rapes, terrible wars, tortures, sorceries, demonic idolatries, holocausts, martyrdom of the saints—all of the wicked, evil, rotten, despicable and deplorable abominations man has done, and continues to do—and all of these were placed on Christ!

Christ was WILLING to offer Himself as this sacrifice for us. And the Father was WILLING to have His Son go through this ordeal, knowing that He would have to withdraw from Him at the time of Christ’s death.

And what a sacrifice it was! Christ, who had been forsaken by everybody, had always found comfort in the fact that God, the Father, would never forsake Him (compare John 16:32). But at that moment in time, God, the Father, would HAVE TO FORSAKE HIM, not because of anything that Christ had done, but because of what WE had done and would still do.

Christ Died So We Could Be Reconciled to the Father

We have seen that Christ’s death and sacrifice were necessary to make it possible for us to obtain God’s forgiveness for our sins. What else did Christ’s death accomplish?

Christ died for us, so that we could gain personal access to God, the Father. We were cut off from God—separated from God—because of our sins. We could not get through to God in a personal way. But, when Christ died, something happened. Matthew 27:50–51 reports that the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom. This temple in Jerusalem symbolized the temple of God in heaven. The veil was torn from top to bottom, showing that God in heaven did it, not anyone on the earth. This event depicted the fact that from that point on, man’s prayers could reach God in His heavenly temple, because our sins, which previously separated us from God, had been forgiven. We now had personal access to God, as Revelation 8:3–4 describes. Compare, too, Hebrews 10:19–22: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest [God’s throne in heaven] by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God [the Church], let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

The veil that prevented our prayers from reaching God, the Father, was torn by God Himself, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice as sufficient payment for our sins! It also showed that our prayers could now come before God and that they would be accepted. We have this special access to God, the Father, as long as we are in a state of purity from sin, that is sinless, and as long as we are sincerely repentant if and when we do sin, so that He can “forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Christ died for us so that we could be reconciled to God the Father.

We read in Romans 5:10: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…” Colossians 1:21–22 adds: “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…”

Christ reconciled us to God the Father. We became God’s friends. The animosity ceased. Reconciliation means, “to bring back to friendship after an estrangement.” But more is involved. In German, the word for “reconciliation” is “Versöhnung.” This word includes the word, “Sohn” [in English, “son”]. Reconciliation with God describes a process of becoming His literal sons and daughters. Without Christ’s death, we would still be God’s enemies and could never become His friends, let alone His sons and daughters.

Christ Died So We Could Be Set Free

Christ died so that we could be released. Matthew 20:28 tells us that Christ came to give His life as a “ransom” for many. To give something as a ransom for a person means to “secure the release of a person for a required price, as from captivity or detention.”

From what, exactly, did Christ release us?

Christ released us—set us free—from transgressions, sins, iniquity and our sinful nature. Hebrews 9:12 tells us that we have obtained “eternal redemption.” “Redemption” means, “to regain possession of by paying a price; to pay off, to set free.” We have been set free, eternally, from transgressions or sins (compare Hebrews 9:15). Titus 2:14 adds: “… who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” We have been freed from “every lawless deed.” Sin is not supposed to RULE over us anymore. Rather, we are now supposed to rule over sin.

In addition, Christ released us from Satan, the devil. We read in Colossians 1:13–14 that we are delivered from the power of darkness and that we have redemption through Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of sins. We have been set free or delivered from Satan through the forgiveness of our sins! Originally, Satan had power over us, because through our sins, we were his slaves and, at the same time, we were God’s enemies. But as we are told in Hebrews 2:14–15: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power over death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

Christ released us from the devil and his power. The devil was a mankiller or murderer from the beginning. He deceived mankind to sin. Since death is the penalty of sin, Satan was ruling over them. We were not God’s children, but Satan’s. Notice John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning…”

Mankind had become captured by the devil and was subsequently enslaved to his ways of rebellion, competition, hatred, murder, and deceitfulness. Christ came to release man from his spiritual captivity by paying the required ransom price. He set us free from sin and Satan. BUT, if we continue sinning, we come again under Satan’s rule, and unless we repent, Satan will have enslaved us again—he will have WON! Notice 2 Timothy 2:24–26: “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

We have seen, then, that Christ died to release us from our sinful nature, from sin itself, and from the devil and his power. Christ bought us through His death! We became the property of Christ and God, the Father. The ransom price that Christ paid was His very own blood (compare Acts 20:28; 2 Peter 2:1, 18–20; 1 Corinthians 7:23; Revelation 5:9). We were redeemed or purchased by God, to become His property. God gained possession of us! As God’s property, we are to follow and live the way we are told by our owner, God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. Romans 6:11, 13, 22, tells us: “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord… present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God… But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

We saw that Christ’s death redeemed us. Our redemption BEGAN with His death. But our ultimate redemption—being born again—is still in the future. We read in Ephesians 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom [better, which] you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Note, too, Ephesians 1:13–14: “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who [better, which] is the guarantee [margin: down payment, earnest] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

What, then, is our ultimate redemption? From what are we to be set free ultimately?

Romans 8:23 explains: “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption [better, sonship], the redemption of our body.” Our ultimate redemption is to be free from this mortal, temporary body of flesh and blood, and to obtain a glorious, immortal, eternal spiritual body. If we are alive at the return of Christ, we will be changed instantly to spirit, or, if we died before His return, we will be resurrected to immortality (compare 1 Corinthians 15:51–54).

Christ Died So We Could Become Justified

Finally, Christ died so that we could become justified. Romans 5:9 points out: “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” But justification does not mean that we can now continue to live in sin. Rather, we read in the very next verse: “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.” Christ’s life brings about our salvation, after His death justified us and reconciled us with God. But how?

Romans 8:3–4 explains: “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

The righteous requirements of God’s law will be fulfilled IN us. This is only possible when Christ lives IN us, through the Holy Spirit! This is how we can be saved and live through His life. Christ lives IN US His life of overcoming and conquering sin. He IS COMING again, in the flesh (2 John 7), to live His life in the flesh—OUR flesh. He lives in us through the Holy Spirit and we must follow the lead of the Holy Spirit as we go about our daily lives (compare Romans 8:14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”). We must allow Christ to live His life in us.

We are not just or righteous because of our own selves. God alone is just and righteous. We have to look for, search, and try to attain God’s righteousness. God has to give us His righteousness as a gift (compare Romans 5:17). We have to replace whatever righteousness we may think we have on our own with God’s righteousness. That is something Job, who did not want to give up “his” righteousness, had to learn. Once we receive that gift of God’s righteousness, we have to allow the righteous Christ to live, and to continue to live, His life in us. Paul said about himself, in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in [better: of] the Son of God.”

We are asked to find out to what extent Christ lives His life in us (compare 2 Corinthians 13:5). We are asked to find out to what extent we are willing to let Christ in us overcome and conquer sin and our sinful nature.

It all starts with our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Some have wondered whether we should use the expression, “We must accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.” The reason for their concern is that this expression is used by many Protestant churches to say that Christ accepts us as we are, without any need on our part to change. This concept of not needing to change is, of course, entirely false. The Bible teaches that we MUST CHANGE, and that Jesus Christ does not accept us “as we are.” Our booklet, Baptism—a Requirement for Salvation?” explains in detail that we must repent BEFORE Christ will accept us, and, before we can even properly “accept” the sacrifice He made for us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

We Must Accept Jesus Christ

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

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

Before baptism, we must accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the one who was willing, through His sacrifice, to pay on our behalf the death penalty for our sins (compare Romans 6:23). We must also accept Jesus Christ as the One who is now living His life in us. After all, as we saw already, we WILL BE SAVED BY CHRIST LIVING IN US. Romans 5:8–10 reads: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we SHALL BE SAVED from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son [by accepting Christ’s sacrifice, the process of our salvation began], much more, having been reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE.” Christ is willing to live His life in us, but we must follow and be submissive to His lead. Our ultimate salvation will come when we will be changed into Spirit beings.

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

Christ, who was God, became man. He died for us. God the Father resurrected Him and restored Him to His former glory as a God being. He is ALIVE! He is the Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He is our High Priest, intervening on our behalf before God, the Father. He helps us in time of need, having experienced how it is to live in the flesh. And most importantly, He is living His life in us now, through the Holy Spirit of God, to help us to become more and more perfect, so that we, too, can become glorified God beings in the Family and Kingdom of God.

Paul explains this process, and the awesome task and function of Jesus Christ, in Ephesians 5:25–27: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water [baptism] by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

In letting Christ live His life in us, the Church will have made herself ready when the time of ultimate redemption arrives (compare Revelation 19:7–8). The question is, Will you be ready?

Part 7

The Day of Christ’s Return

Christ promised that He would return to this earth—at the end of this age—to establish the Kingdom of God.

In Matthew 24:3, the disciples asked Christ three questions: “‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the SIGN of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” Christ had just spoken about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (vv. 1–2). The disciples wanted to know more about the destruction of the temple, erroneously believing that that event would coincide with Christ’s return. As it turned out, the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., but Christ’s return would not occur for quite some time. Christ explained to them that numerous significant events would have to happen before He would return.

In Mark 13:4, the disciples are quoted as asking, “‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the SIGN when all these things will be fulfilled?’”

In the accounts of both Matthew and Mark, Christ pointed out that the preaching of the gospel in all the world to all nations must precede His coming and the end of the age. He said in 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.” He is quoted as saying in Mark 13:10, “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.” The fact that the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world was given as a SIGN for Christ’s return, shows that this gospel had NOT been preached to the world for a long time. Of course, “a” gospel was preached—the gospel “about” Christ—but not the gospel OF Christ—the very same message that Christ brought. Christ was a messenger with a message from God the Father, and He brought and proclaimed the gospel or good news about the Kingdom of God (compare Mark 1:1, 14–15). The Church of God has the commission—the obligation and responsibility—to proclaim this very same gospel message today.

The Sign of Christ’s Return

As stated above, the disciples asked Christ for the “SIGN” of His coming. The Greek word for “SIGN” is “semeion.” It conveys the meaning of a “signal” (Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible) or an “indication” (W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). It can also convey the meaning of “miracle” or “wonder”” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible).

For instance, the unbelieving Jews at Christ’s time—called by Christ a “wicked and adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:4)—were only given the “SIGN” of Jonah to confirm that Christ was the Messiah. As Jonah became a “SIGN” to the Ninevites (Luke 11:30)—being three days and three nights in the belly of the whale—so Christ would become a “SIGN” to the Jews of His time—being three days and three nights (72 hours) in the grave (Matthew 12:39–40). Tragically, orthodox Christianity has rejected the ONLY sign that Christ gave to the Jews, proving His Messiahship. Many professing Christians falsely claim that Christ was only in the grave from Friday evening to Sunday morning, much less than the prophesied 72 hours. They have, thereby, rejected Jesus Christ—the only name through which man can be saved (Acts 4:12).

In addition, an angel gave the shepherds in the field a SIGN that Christ had been born, the sign of “a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

These SIGNS were to prove to the people at the time of Christ that the Messiah was born, that Christ was the long-awaited Messiah. In the same way, the fact that the true gospel of the KINGDOM OF GOD is being preached in all the world as a witness or testimony—for instance through the tools of the printing press and the Internet—is a SIGN today, to those with understanding (Daniel 12:10), that Christ’s return is imminent.

It is an undeniable fact that the true gospel of the Kingdom of God was being preached to the world during the lifetime of Herbert W. Armstrong, the late human leader of the Church of God. Consider this quote from those who strongly opposed what was taught: “But for the modest size of his movement, Herbert W. Armstrong was a well-known figure in religious circles for most of half a century. It was hard to find anyone who had not seen an issue of The Plain Truth magazine or heard The World Tomorrow radio and television broadcasts” (Christianity Today, June 10, 2002, Vol. 46, No. 7, article titled, “From the Fringe to the Fold”).

It is likewise an undeniable fact that Mr. Armstrong died in 1986, and that Christ has not yet returned. This means, then, that God’s Church has the continuing obligation to preach the gospel in all the world as a witness. Christ made it very clear that the gospel would still be preached at the time of His return. He told His disciples in Matthew 28:19–20 that He would be with them “always, even to the END of the age,” while they were “making disciples of all the nations” (a logical consequence of the Church’s preaching the gospel in all the world, compare Romans 10:14–15). Christ also said that those who would be doing God’s Work of preaching His gospel would not have finished it, even in the cities of Israel, when He returns (Matthew 10:23).

Christ told His servants that they must not be unprofitable, but that they must be found DOING the Work of God when Christ returns (Matthew 24:46; James 1:25). If they were to refuse to preach the gospel, although possessing the means to do so, and if they were falsely believing and proclaiming the Work to be over, they would be held accountable by Christ. There are those today who have different ideas that don’t correspond with Scripture, thinking that they know better. If that is the case and they have an egotistical and self-centered attitude, they certainly WILL NOT BE counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass (Luke 21:36)!

In addition to the SIGN of seeing the true gospel being preached in all the world, Christ spoke about “great SIGNS from heaven” (Luke 21:11). This is a reference to the “heavenly signs” mentioned in Revelation 6:12–17, following the Great Tribulation and immediately preceding the Day of the Lord (which will begin one year before Christ’s return). The Great Tribulation, spoken of in many Biblical passages, describes national captivity of the modern houses of Israel and Judah (the Commonwealth nations and the USA, as well as the modern Jews) and a martyrdom of many of the saints (Revelation 6:9–11).

Christ mentioned that at that time, there would be “SIGNS in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25–26). Notice the immediate context of these events: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (vv. 27–28).

We see, then, that the “heavenly signs” are also an indication of the imminence of Christ’s return, as they signal the beginning of the Day of the Lord—God’s rule over man. Christ elaborated in Matthew 24:29–30: “Immediately after the [great] tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the SIGN of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

If this SIGN is different from the “heavenly signs” mentioned earlier, then what is it? It might be referred to in Revelation 15:1: “Then I saw another SIGN in heaven, great and marvelous.” This sign points at the pouring out of the seven last plagues—after the Day of the Lord has begun—which complete the wrath of God. Some of these plagues will be poured out immediately FOLLOWING Christ’s return. However, the Bible does not say what exactly the “SIGN of the Son of Man” of Matthew 24:30 is. Some have suggested that it may refer to Christ Himself appearing in heaven. The Broadman Bible Commentary states, “The sign of the Son of man is of unknown meaning, although it is more directly related to Jesus than are the astronomical signs. The Greek genitive allows for the idea that the Son of man is himself the sign, i.e., “the sign, which is the Son of man.’”

If so, this would prove that Christ returns visibly, not in secret. On the other hand, this SIGN of the Son of Man could not be the one given in answer to the disciples’ question of what the SIGN of His return and the end of the age would be. Christ obviously did not say, “The sign of My return is My return.” Rather, He clearly gave as the sign of His immediate return the ongoing preaching of His true gospel in all the world, while additional recognizable global events would occur (including, for example, the rise of a political/military/economic/religious power bloc in Europe, as the tenth and last resurrection of the ancient Holy Roman Empire; a war in the Middle East; a military attack on the United States of America, Great Britain, and the state of Israel; and cosmic signs or disturbances).

Referring to that very time, Christ warned His disciples not to be deceived by false SIGNS or miracles and wonders. He said that during the time of the Great Tribulation, beginning perhaps just before that time, “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great SIGNS and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). One of their deceptions will include the false teaching that Christ has returned, waiting to meet His disciples “in the desert” (v. 26). In other words, they will preach a version of the well-known “secret rapture” theory, claiming that Christ will return twice—firstly, to take His disciples to Himself, and secondly, to restore God’s Kingdom on this earth. “False,” Christ said. “Don’t believe those false teachings,” He warned. Rather, “… as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, SO ALSO WILL THE COMING of the Son of Man be” (verse 27).

Christ warned that just prior to His return, “the man of sin” would be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This person is elsewhere identified as the “false prophet.” He will be alive at Christ’s return, and Christ will “consume [him] with the breath of His mouth” (v. 8). This man of sin—also called the “lawless one”—will be given Satan’s powers, “with all… SIGNS, and lying wonders” (v. 9). The book of Revelation tells us that this “false prophet” will deceive people with his signs. We read in Revelation 13:14: “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those SIGNS which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast.” We are told, too, in Revelation 19:20 that “the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked SIGNS in his presence, by which he deceived…”

We see, then, that the power to work SIGNS or miracles is NOT necessarily proof that God is with that person. Some want desperately to receive power to work signs and miracles, like Simon Magus, who offered Peter money to receive the power to bestow the Holy Spirit on others through the laying on of his hands (Acts 8:18–19). Peter told him, though, that his “heart” was not “right in the sight of God” (verse 21), and that he needed to repent (verse 22). The historical record shows that he did not repent, but that he continued to perform his sorceries (verse 9), thereby deceiving many people. Christ warned that in the end time, just preceding His coming, “false prophets” or “preachers” (not just THE false prophet) would appear, deceiving “many” with false signs and wonders. If possible, Christ said, they would even deceive the “elect.”

Christ told us not to fall asleep or to give up. He said that only those who endure until the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). Rather than concentrating on signs and wonders, we must make sure that we will be READY when Christ returns, for He will come at an hour we do not expect (compare Matthew 24:44).

The fact that Jesus Christ will return to this earth is important. Equally important, and perhaps even more so, is the question of WHY Jesus Christ will return.

Why Jesus Christ Will Return

As was already mentioned, the return of Jesus Christ is one of the most fundamental and foundational teachings and doctrines in the Bible. It is perhaps THE most critical teaching in true Christianity insofar as our future is concerned. WITHOUT the return of Christ, you and I would have NO future.

Some have tried to spiritualize away the return of Christ, by saying that Christ already returned on the day of Pentecost when He poured out His Spirit on the early disciples. But this is NOT what the Bible teaches. Rather, according to the Word of our Savior, Christ will come back quite literally, in person. There are dozens, if not hundreds of passages, which make this truth abundantly clear. When reviewing some of those Scriptures, we will plainly see WHY Christ is going to come back to this earth.

Acts 1:9–11 informs us: “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’”

Christ will come back in the same manner as the disciples saw Him go into heaven. He will not come secretly, and He will not come figuratively, that is, only through His Holy Spirit. He departed from the Mount of Olives, fully visible to man, and He will return, fully visible to man, to the Mount of Olives (compare Zechariah 14:4).

John 14:1–3 tells us one of the reasons why Christ will return. We read: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions [or, positions]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Christ is presently preparing mansions or dwellings or positions for us, and then He will return or come again, so that we will ALWAYS be with Him wherever He is going to be.

This shows the tremendous desire of Christ to have US close to Him. Notice John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

At the same time, Christ expects that WE have that same desire, to BE with Christ, as John 12:26 points out: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.”

Christ wants us to have the same intimate relationship with Him that He has with the Father. We read in John 1:18 that He is “in the bosom of the Father.” And so, we are to be “in the bosom of Christ”; that is, we are to have a very close relationship with Christ. Christ’s return to this earth will make it possible for us to always be with Him.

A second reason for Christ’s return is stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Here we see an additional aspect associated with Christ’s return—our resurrection and change to immortal or eternal life, so that we CAN always be with Christ.

To put it differently, Christ will return in order to resurrect or change us, to GIVE us eternal life! John 5:25 states: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming… when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Those who are now dead will HEAR the voice of the returning Jesus Christ.

John 5:28–29 adds: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation [better, judgment].”

Those who have already died in Christ will be resurrected to eternal life. They will hear the voice of Christ calling them to come out of their graves. The others—those who died without having known and understood the true gospel message that Christ brought—will not hear Christ’s voice then. They will hear it later, as the book of Revelation, chapter 20, and other passages teach us.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 reveals to us the same truth—that the dead in Christ will be raised to incorruptibility when they hear the voice of the returning Jesus Christ at the time of the last trumpet. Some who are in Christ, will still be alive when Christ returns. These will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds.

Matthew 24:31 tells us that the returning Christ will send out His angels, who come with Him, to gather together His elect from the four winds. The angels will bring all of His elect to Christ, to meet Him in the air, when He returns to this earth. Christ will return “as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west,” (verse 27) before He sets foot on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4). (This description points to the glory He will have when He returns. Recall that Jesus said in Luke 10:18 that He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.)

A third reason for Christ’s return is revealed in Hebrews 9:27–28. We read: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

Christ will appear for our salvation. He comes to bring us our salvation—to resurrect us or change us to immortality—to place us into the very Family of God as born-again members. Note 1 John 3:1–2: “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.”

We shall be like He is, a glorious God being! Colossians 3:4 explains: “When Christ who is our life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory.” However, we will not be equal in authority to Christ—just as Christ is not equal in authority to the Father. We will be kings and priests under Christ.

A fourth reason why Christ will return to this earth is to give man FREEDOM! When all the terrible events described in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 take place, we are encouraged to think of our immediate future. Luke 21:27–28 states: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” At that time, our redemption or liberation or release is near. Philips translates this last verse as, “For you will soon be free.”

Mankind has spent the entirety of his existence wanting to be free, and even using war as an excuse to bring freedom. Yet freedom is globally elusive. So what is this “freedom” that Christ will bring us?

Christ will free us from death (compare 1 Corinthians 15:54–55). We will never die again. We cannot die again. Death will no longer be a reality for us when we are changed to spirit.

Christ will free us from sin, which leads to death (compare Romans 7:22–25). We will never sin again. As God beings, we cannot sin again (1 John 3:9). Sin will no longer be a reality for us when we are changed.

Christ will free us from the Satanic influences which, to a large extent, motivate and inspire us today to sin (compare Romans 16:20; 2 Timothy 2:26). When Christ returns, He will displace Satan’s rule over this world in which we live, and Satan will be bound for 1,000 years, unable to deceive anyone.

Christ will free us from war, by giving us peace (compare Psalm 2:1–9; 46:9; Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 9:5–7). When Christ returns, this world will be in turmoil. Armies will be fighting each other to the extent that, if Christ were not to come back to stop this madness, no person would survive. Christ will come back in order to STOP WAR! He does NOT come back IN ORDER to start a war. Do we see the difference? Of course, when Christ comes back, He will initially fight against those who turn against Him. But His desire and motivation is to bring peace, not war.

Christ will free the modern houses of Israel and Judahfrom literal slavery (compare Isaiah 27:13). Christ comes back to make war cease on this planet; to reveal Himself as God to the nations of Israel; to bring them out of slavery and to lead them to the Promised Land (Jeremiah 16:14–15; 23:7–8); and to ultimately give them the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 37:11–14). This will happen when the great trumpet sounds. It will happen at the time of the first resurrection—which will include, of course, the resurrection of king David (compare Jeremiah 30:8–9).

One of the most important reasons why Christ will return to this earth can be found in Acts 3:19–23. Christ—the Prophet—will return to restore ALL THINGS. He will restore what had been taken away from this planet—the kingdom or government or rule of God over this earth. Satan took it away and replaced it with his rule of greed, pride, selfishness, competition, vainglory, hate and war. But Christ will return to replace Satan. He will set up the Kingdom or government of God on this earth.

The conversion of the Gentiles—in addition to the conversion of the houses of Israel and Judah—is another reason WHY Christ will return to this earth. When Christ returns and begins to rule—sitting on the throne of David—the Gentiles will begin to listen (compare Acts 15:16–17).

Another important reason why Christ will return to this earth is that He will give His elect rulership—with and under Him—on and over this earth, as it is clearly stated in Revelation 2:26–27; 3:21; and 20:4, 6. Christ will return in order to REWARD us in accordance with our works—how we did live in this life. If we did very well, we will receive higher rulership positions than if we did not do so well.

However, He will come, not only to reward the just, but also, to punish the unjust (compare Malachi 3:2, 5). We read in Jude 14–15 that God comes with His saints “to execute judgment.”

Will We Be Ready for His Return?

We have seen, in this booklet, who Jesus Christ was, and who and what He is and does today. It is critical that we understand and believe the great mystery of Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other, and there is “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We have seen that Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior, will return to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth.

We must make sure that we are preparing ourselves to be ready for Christ’s return. Christ utters this warning in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Christ promised us that He would return. He tells us—those of us who are living in the last generation, in the “end times”: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book… And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me… He who testifies to these things, says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly’” (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20).

Let us answer Christ in the same way that John did in Revelation 22:20: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

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