One of our many booklets is entitled, “Sickness and Healing – What the Bible Tells Us,” and the aim of this Q&A can be likened to a trailer which is a preview, generally, for a film or book coming out in the future.   However, in this case, it is for a booklet that was first published in 2004.

With the coronavirus pandemic, most people are looking to the medical profession and scientists for answers, although politicians and other leaders are also involved in the implementation of the recommendations that the scientists and the medics make.   Hopefully, the people of God will have their priorities right and the last sub-heading in our booklet is, “Let God’s Will Be Done”—where it states the following:

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

Continue reading "Can Physicians Be Helpful to God’s People Today?"

We conclude this series with further examples of hyperbole from the Word of God.

Matthew 18:23-35:

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

^{23 “‘}Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

^{24 “‘}And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

^{25 “‘}But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.

^{26 “‘}The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.”

^{27 “‘}Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ “‘But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, “Pay me what you owe!”

Continue reading "Hyperbole in the Bible (Part 3)"

In the first part in this series, we discussed and reviewed what hyperbole is and what its uses are in the Bible.

When it comes to Scripture, we have many examples which we will now review.

2 Samuel 1:23:

“Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.”

The National Eagle Centre states that “Eagles can achieve 30 mph using powerful wing-beats and even faster when diving after prey (stoop). Bald eagles can dive at up to 100 mph; golden eagles at up to 150 mph.   However, “The fastest recorded human sprinter ever is Usain Bolt. At the World Championship in Berlin in 2009, he hit 27.78 miles per hour between meters 60 and 80 during the 100-meter sprint. Over the full 100 meters, he averaged 23.35 miles per hour, finishing in 9.58 seconds and setting a new world record.”

Continue reading "Hyperbole in the Bible (Part 2)"

In the previous Q & A we discussed the question “Doesn’t Psalm 139:8 show that we either go to heaven or hell at death?” and showed that this was hyperbole.   Wordnik defines this as “A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.  In rhetoric, an obvious exaggeration; an extravagant statement or assertion not intended to be understood literally.”

We read on the pediaa.com website the following:

“Main Difference – Exaggeration vs Hyperbole

“Both exaggeration and hyperbole are representations of something in an excessive manner. Exaggeration is presenting something as better or worse than it really is whereas hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a literary or rhetorical device. This is the main difference between exaggeration and hyperbole.

Continue reading "Hyperbole in the Bible (Part 1)"

First of all, let us read this verse: “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

This is a psalm that Church of God members will have sung many times as it features as hymn 105 in the Church’s Bible Hymnal.

In the previous verse we read: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” which shows that king David understood that God had perfect knowledge of man which is the heading of the Psalm.   God knows our very thoughts (verse 2) which means that even if we are praying silently, He still hears.   Therefore, verse 8 sums up the fact that wherever we are, God knows.

However, this verse can be seized upon by some to say that at death we go to heaven or to an ever burning fiery hell, neither of which are correct.   In fact, the Bible speaks of three heavens and for those who are not aware of these facts, or those who may wish to refresh their memories on this subject, please see https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/q-a-3756/

Continue reading "Doesn’t Psalm 139:8 show that we either go to heaven or hell at death?"

On the National Geographic website, we read: “Wolves are the largest members of the dog family.   Adaptable gray wolves are by far the most common and were once found all over the Northern Hemisphere.  But wolves and humans have a long adversarial history. Though they almost never attack humans, wolves are considered one of the animal world’s most fearsome natural villains.  They do attack domestic animals, and countless wolves have been shot, trapped, and poisoned because of this tendency.”

In Acts 20:28-30 we read: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.   Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

Continue reading "Why does the Bible use wolves in the context of false doctrine?"

For members of the Church of God who have been attending services for many years, they may recall that they have never observed the Day of Atonement on a Friday or a Sunday. It does not matter whether they attended the Worldwide Church of God, the Global Church of God, the Church of the Eternal God, or most other Church of God fellowships. In fact, in examining a calendar listing dates between 1845 and 2072, the Day of Atonement has not and will not occur on a Friday or a Sunday in any of these years.

This may seem strange seeing how, in our Gregorian calendar, a fixed date can occur on any day of the week. And, in fact, with a solar-lunar calendar, a fixed date would normally be expected to occur on any day of the week. And yet it does not. This is a feature of God’s sacred calendar, of which the basics will be described below.

Continue reading "Why Does the Day of Atonement Never Occur on Friday or a Sunday?"

In the previous parts of this series, we discussed many concepts taught by the Roman Catholic church, related to their doctrine of indulgences. We saw that indulgences are required, according to Catholic tradition and theology, to ensure that help and assistance is given in Purgatory (a place that doesn’t exist and has no validity from Scripture), so that humans can go to Heaven (which Scripture clearly shows is not the place for the dead, nor is Hell, as commonly understood in orthodox Christianity!)  We also pointed out that the idea of indulgences applies in different ways: It addresses those who are in “Purgatory” and for whom prayers and “indulgences” are given by the living or the “saints in Heaven”, so that they can be freed from Purgatory; and it can apply to people in this life who give indulgences (for themselves and others) so that they do not have to suffer in Purgatory (or Hell) for as long as they otherwise would have to.

Continue reading "The Pope has recently spoken about indulgences. How do you understand this? (Part 8)"

In the previous parts of this series, we began to discuss many concepts taught by the Roman Catholic church, related to their doctrine of indulgences. We saw that indulgences are required, according to Catholic tradition and theology, to ensure that help and assistance is given in Purgatory (a place that doesn’t exist and has no validity from Scripture), so that humans can go to Heaven (which Scripture clearly shows is not the place for the dead, nor is Hell, as commonly understood in orthodox Christianity!)  We also pointed out that the idea of indulgences applies in different ways: It addresses those who are in “Purgatory” (or “Hell”) and for whom prayers and “indulgences” are given by the living or the “saints in Heaven”, so that they can be freed from Purgatory (or Hell); and it can apply to people in this life who give indulgences (for themselves) so that they do not have to suffer in Purgatory (or Hell) for as long as they otherwise would have to.

Continue reading "The Pope has recently spoken about indulgences. How do you understand this? (Part 7)"

In the previous parts of this series, we began to discuss the concept taught by the Roman Catholic church that the “immortal souls” of departed ones may be in Hell or Purgatory, and that “indulgences” or prayers for the dead can allegedly remove, partially (“plenary”) or completely (“in full”), punishment for sin, so that their souls can be freed from Purgatory or even Hell to go to Heaven. In order to answer the question regarding indulgences, we reviewed, among other questions, related issues such as the fact that we do not have an immortal soul; that we neither go to Heaven (where we, as immortal saints in Heaven, could allegedly receive prayers from the living and intervene on their behalf), nor do we go to Hell (as defined by orthodox Christianity) or Purgatory when we die.

Continue reading "The Pope has recently spoken about indulgences. How do you understand this? (Part 6)"