Many of the writers and reviewers of this publication once belonged to a different church organization. For the purpose of this Q&A, it does not matter whether or not you, as the reader, are familiar with that organization. Even if you have never heard of that organization, the following should still be very revealing. The organization referred to (the Worldwide Church of God under its human leader, Herbert W. Armstrong, who died  in 1986)  had taught the truth for decades. A few years after its founder died, the new leadership began to introduce doctrinal changes. The changes were subtly introduced, and it was claimed at the time that they were just clarifications or changes in terminology.

Before explaining in detail what actually happened, let us examine the nation of Israel and the building of the first temple under King Solomon to extract historical lessons from  it. 

Continue reading "What are major reasons leading to the downfall and dismantling of our former association, the Worldwide Church of God?"

In Genesis 1:22, we are introduced for the first time to the concept of blessing. God created sea animals and birds and, in blessing them, He said that they were to be fruitful and multiply. In Genesis 1:28, God blessed the first man and the first woman and said that they were to be fruitful and multiply as well (compare also Genesis 5:2). Then, in Genesis 2:3, we are introduced to the third blessing of God—He blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it (compare also Exodus 20:11).

The Pulpit Commentary writes that blessing means, “to wish well… As on the introduction of animal life the Divine Creator conferred on the creatures his blessing, so when the first pair of human beings are formed they are likewise enriched by their Creator’s benediction.”

Continue reading "Does the Bible say how blessings are bestowed on others? Is this only done in a general way, or are specific procedures also involved?"

Before answering this question, here is some background first:

The Church of England website stated the following (as at 14th July 2014):

“The General Synod of the Church of England has today given its final approval for women to become bishops in the Church of England.   The vote in the General Synod on the measure was carried by the required two-thirds majority in the three constituent parts of the Synod:  the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity.  This means the first woman bishop could potentially be appointed by the end of the year.

“Today’s vote comes 18 months after the proposal was last voted upon in November 2012 when the proposal failed to achieve the required two thirds majority in the House of Laity.

Continue reading "The Church of England has recently voted in favour of Women Bishops. Is this Biblical?"

This question addresses some important issues about the Christian Way of Life.

As we pointed out in our previous Q&A, “Does God Give His Holy Spirit to People Who Have Not Been Baptized?”, since the establishment of the New Testament Church, a person needs to be properly baptized to receive the Holy Spirit, and he will not enter the Kingdom of God at the time of his resurrection if he did not have God’s Holy Spirit within him at the time of his death. Normally, he must spiritually grow after the receipt of the Holy Spirit, until he has qualified for the entrance of the Kingdom of God. (To clarify, when the Bible or we speak of a Christian in the masculine gender, the feminine gender is ALWAYS included, unless the context demands a different understanding in a given case.)

Continue reading "Will a newly-baptized person be in God’s Kingdom if he dies shortly after baptism?"

In the writings of the Bible there are a small number of examples of individuals who received the Holy Spirit without a Christian baptism. Prior to the time of the establishment of the New Testament Church, some received the Holy Spirit without first being baptized. They were used by God at that time for a specific and special purpose. They had a job to do, which involved establishing the truth of God among people on the earth and executing the plan of God.

Following the establishment of the New Testament Church, the standard process for receiving the Holy Spirit involves a Christian baptism followed by the laying on of hands by a minister of God.

We write in our free booklet, Baptism – A Requirement for Salvation?: 

“Without baptism based on biblical teaching, we normally would not receive the Holy Spirit and we would not be in a position to look forward to salvation. (An obvious and extremely rare exception to this rule would be, of course, when it is physically impossible to baptize someone, because the person is physically incapable of being baptized.) We understand, of course, that the situation was different in Old Testament times because God did bestow His Spirit on a few people without prior baptism, so that they could fulfill His specific commission for them.

Continue reading "Does God give His Holy Spirit to people who have not been baptized?"

There are indeed several references to giants in the Bible, and several words are used to describe giants.

In Job 16:14 (Authorized Version), we read about Job’s complaint against God: “He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.” Here, the word for “giant” is “gibbor” and is defined as “mighty” or “a strong one.”

Another word for “giant” is “nephilim,” which can first be found in Genesis 6:4, at the time of Noah: “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became [ note: the word “became” is not in the original and was added by the translator] mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”

Continue reading "Does the Bible teach the existence of giants? Do giants exist today?"

In 1 Timothy 1:18-19, Paul says the following: 

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck…” 

As we pointed out in a previous Q&A about “prophets” in God’s Church today, the concept of “prophecy” and “prophet” does not have to relate to the future, but can include or refer to “inspired” teaching and preaching. We stated the following: 

“… there are most certainly ‘prophets’ in God’s Church today who preach with godly inspiration and who speak on prophecies which are recorded in the Bible. God might also give some of His servants special insight today into prophetic events and details, which might not be specifically mentioned in Scripture, but which would be in line with prophecies contained in the Bible.”

Continue reading "Would you please explain 1 Timothy 1:18. What were the “prophecies” pertaining to Timothy?"

The twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation contains some focal points in the vast role Satan has held in God’s government. In particular, verse 4 reveals the first rebellion of Satan and one-third of the angels who followed him (called “ruler of the demons” in Mark 3:22). This verse also clearly establishes the adversarial position of Satan against “the Child”—Jesus Christ—and “the woman.”

We stated the following about the “woman” in our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation,” page 78: 

“The woman is pictured as being clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a garland of 12 stars on her head (Revelation 12:1). In Genesis 37:9–11, Jacob and his wife Rachel, Joseph’s mother, are symbolized as the sun and the moon, and Joseph’s brothers are symbolized as eleven stars, bowing down to Joseph. It appears, therefore, to be very plausible that the TWELVE stars in Revelation 12:1 refer to the TWELVE tribes of Israel (including Joseph).

Continue reading "Why Has God allowed Satan to appear before Him in heaven, as mentioned in Revelation 12:10?"

In the Authorized Version, Isaiah 45:7 reads as follows:

“I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I the LORD do all these things.”

First, let us briefly focus on the word, “create.” It is “bara” in Hebrew and means, “bringing something into existence which did not exist before.” The word is used in Genesis 1:1, revealing that God created the heavens and the earth. Hebrews 11:3 elaborates that the worlds (the universe as well as the earth) “were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

The Hebrew word for “evil” is “ra” and can have several meanings. In the Authorized Version, it is translated over 400 times as “evil,” but it is also rendered, among others, as “adversity” (Ecclesiastes 7:14; Psalm 94:13); “affliction” (Psalm 34:19; 107:39; Obadiah 13); “calamity” (Psalm 141:5); “distress” (Nehemiah 2:17); “grief” (Jonah 4:6); “harm” (Genesis 31:52; Numbers 35:23; Proverbs 3:30; Jeremiah 39:12); “hurt” (Genesis 26:29; 31:29; Psalm 38:12; 70:2; 71:13, 24; Ecclesiasts 8:9; Jeremiah 7:6; 24:9; 25:7; 38:4); “mischief” (Exodus 32:22; Nehemiah 6:2; Hosea 7:15); and “trouble” (Psalm 27:5; 41:1; Jeremiah 2:27-28; 11:12, 14; Lamentations 1;21).

Before explaining in detail how the word “ra” is to be understood in Isaiah 45:7, we need to consider the following:

We read that God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but He ordered man not to eat from it. He wants man to follow and believe Him as to what He tells man regarding good and evil; rather than man deciding for himself what, in his mind, is good and evil (compare Isaiah 5:20). God wants man to reject evil, but if man refuses, He will bring “evil” (Authorized Version) or “disaster” (New King James Bible) upon him (Jeremiah 4:6).

God did not create man as an evil being; instead, we read that after He had created man, He said that His entire work was very good (Genesis 1:31). We also read, however, that man has chosen evil “schemes” over good and upright behavior (compare Ecclesiastes 7:29), and that man’s heart is evil “from his youth” and “deceitful” (Genesis 8:21; compare also Jeremiah 7:24 and Jeremiah 17:9). This is largely due to Satan’s influence (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:26; Ephesians 2:2). Satan, though, was not created as an evil personage either. He was created as a perfect being, called Lucifer–a bright shining being, a light-bringer or morning star–in whom was no evil and no sin (Ezekiel 28:14-15).  But both Lucifer and all angels, as well as Adam and Eve, were created with free moral agency. They could choose to follow good, or to reject it and follow evil. Lucifer and one third of all angels chose to become evil, and man, following Satan’s influence, chose likewise to follow the way of evil, leading to pain, suffering and death, rather than the way of good, leading to happiness, prosperity and, ultimately, to eternal life.

When God created angels and men as free moral agents, He knew of course that they might choose to reject good and follow evil. God is interested in character development—the free choice to reject evil and adopt and apply what is good. But He does not force anyone to do so. In giving free choice to Lucifer and the other angels, as well as men, He allowed for the possibility that they would turn to evil.

But God is ultimately in charge. Although God permits Satan to stay on the throne of the earth until his successor—Jesus Christ—returns to replace him, Satan and his angels—known today as devils and demons—can only do what God allows them to do. The book of Job shows us that Satan can only operate within the parameters which are granted to him by God. That made God ultimately responsible for the “evil” (Authorized Version) or “adversity” (New King James Bible) that Satan brought upon Job (Job 2:10, first two sentences). When Job said that he was receiving “evil” or “adversity” from God, he told the truth and did not lie (Job 2:10, last sentence). God allowed Satan to afflict Job so that Job could finally recognize his self-righteousness and his wrong feelings of superiority, and that he could realize instead his inferiority and inabilities in comparison with the almighty God.

God wants man to choose good over evil, but when man makes the wrong choice, he will have to live with the “evil” consequences, since God has set in motion laws that regulate the results of good and of evil conduct. Sometimes, in order to drive lessons home, God Himself brings “evil” upon man for man’s ultimate good, either directly, or by allowing Satan and his demons to afflict man with “evil.” God does this, so that man can better understand how and what he is and that he has to repent and change, allowing God to replace man’s evil heart of stone with a heart of flesh that is upright and good.

The question remains, what kind of “evil” is it that God may bring upon man, and which is referred to in Isaiah 45:7?

The New King James Bible renders the word as “calamity,” and most translations use similar wording. In Joshua 23:15, we read that God will bring “evil” (Authorized Version) or “harmful things” (New King James Bible) on those who do not repent.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says, in regard to Isaiah 45:7:

“There is no God beside Jehovah. There is nothing done without him. He makes peace, put here for all good; and creates evil, not the evil of sin, but the evil of punishment. He is the Author of all that is true, holy, good, or happy; and evil, error, and misery, came into the world by his permission, through the… apostacy of his creatures… We must not expect salvation without righteousness…”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible adds:

“‘I make peace, and create evil’; peace between God and men… ‘evil’ is also from him; not the evil of sin… this is of men, though suffered by the Lord… but the evil of punishment for sin, God’s sore judgments, famine, pestilence, evil beasts, and the sword, or war, which latter may more especially be intended, as it is opposed to peace; this usually is the effect of sin [and] permitted by God; moreover, all afflictions, adversities, and calamities, come under this name, and are of God; see Job 2:10…”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary states:

“Isaiah refers also to the Oriental belief in two coexistent, eternal principles, ever struggling with each other, light or good, and darkness or evil, Oromasden and Ahrimanen. God, here, in opposition, asserts His sovereignty over both… create evil—not moral evil (James 1:13), but in contrast to ‘peace’ in the parallel clause, war, disaster (compare […Amos 3:6]).”

This is an interesting comment in light of the fact that there is really no war going on between God and Satan, as if they were both of equal power; rather, God is most powerful, and Satan can only do what God especially allows.

The Amplified Bible writes:

“I make peace [national wellbeing. Moral evil proceeds from the will of men, but physical evil proceeds from the will of God], and I create [physical] evil…”

The distinction between physical evil and moral evil is further emphasized by Dummelow who writes in “The One Volume Bible Commentary”:

“Evil… not moral evil, but misfortune or calamity, the opposite of peace.” The Soncino Commentary agrees with this evaluation.

The new Scoffield Reference Edition says:

“God is not the author of sin [Habakkuk 1:13; 2.Timothy 2:13; Titus 1:2; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5]. One of the meanings of the Hebrew word ‘ra’ carries the idea of ‘adversity’ or ‘calamity,’ and it is evidently so employed here. God has made sorrow and wretchedness to be the sure fruits of sin.”

The Life Application Bible summarizes the essence of the meaning of Isaiah 45:7 in this way:

“God is the ruler over light and darkness, over good times and bad times. Our lives are sprinkled with both types of experiences, and both are needed for us to grow spiritually. When good times come, thank God and use your prosperity for him. When bad times come, don’t resent him, but ask what you can learn from this refining experience to make you a better servant of God.”

Indeed, as God said to Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:7, New King James Bible).

Continue reading "Could you please explain Isaiah 45:7? In what way does God create evil?"

Here are Christ’s words, in context, quoted from Matthew 5:17-19:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

First, we would recommend that you read or re-read our Q&A on the issue as to what Christ meant with His statement that He came to fulfill the Law. We point out that Christ did NOT come to abolish the Law—referring to the spiritual Law of the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments which explain the Law. Rather, He came to magnify the Law and fill it up with its intended spiritual meaning.

Continue reading "Could you please explain Matthew 5:19 where Christ says that certain people will be “least” in God’s Kingdom. Will they be in the Kingdom or not?"