The Living Word of God

The Week in Review - Jan. 27 - Feb. 3, 2012

2012-02-04T08:27:00.000-05:00

Vatican negotiating with Palestinians, U.S. leaving Afghanistan, Spain pushing for Gibraltar, Germany’s secret service spying on its own politicians, China punishing Philippines and Occupy Oakland getting violent.

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Germany Rebuffs Iran, Cements Relations With Israel

2012-02-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

Germany Calls China Its Most Important Economic Partner

2012-02-04T08:21:00.001-05:00

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that China has become Germany’s most important economic partner. Merkel made her remarks in Guangzhou; she is the first European leader to travel to China for talks focused on the economic crisis. Later in the day, Merkel spoke at the German Chinese Economic Forum. The chancellor said she welcomed new opportunities from China’s rapid development and that Germany and China could create a win-win situation.

Although Europe and China do have some trade disputes, China has a huge stake in keeping Europe financially healthy. The 27 nations of the European Union are its largest export market. Expect for Germany and the European Union to develop stronger economic ties. These two power blocs are prophesied to become a “mart of nations.” Europe and China will ultimately form a powerful economic alliance that will dominate global trade.

Satan's Dangerous Deception

2012-02-04T08:19:00.001-05:00

Are you practicing the true Christianity of Jesus Christ? Or has Satan, the enemy of Christians, tricked you into believing in and observing a false Christianity that is keeping you blinded about the true Jesus Christ. You need to know the truth!

The Ten Commandments

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Bible Mini-Study: Real Hope, Practical Answers!

2012-02-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this new feature in The Good News. This first Bible mini-study looks at specific ways that Scripture can help you with the issues that worry and discourage you.

Article by Good News Editor

The Bible is the world's most valuable book on human relations because the Author is also our Creator. Join us in exploring what God tells us in the Bible about how to make your life work—and work right!

How can the Bible help me?

Wouldn't it be great if there was a practical, helpful, trustworthy place to get real answers to the worrisome challenges you face every day? There is! Here's how you can access it and get the help you need now and always.

Have you ever felt like this? "I weep with grief...Arrogant people have made up lies about me...I have suffered much...My life constantly hangs in the balance...Powerful people harass me without cause" (Psalm 119:28, 69, 107, 109, 161, New Living Translation).

We've all felt some of these strong emotions at times. Perhaps even now you're going through a trial that is sapping your strength and draining your hope. Through all of the challenges listed in Psalm 119, the person who wrote this biblical song found strength, encouragement and real help from the words and laws of God recorded in the Holy Bible. And you can as well!

"Your decrees please me; they give me wise advice...Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles...Your law is more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver!...Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path...You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope...Those who love your law have great peace and do not stumble" (Psalm 119:24, 50, 72, 105, 114, 165, NLT).

What does the Bible say about solving your problems?

We all have unique challenges, talents, worries and opportunities. But the Bible has practical help and real hope for you! It wasn't just written for "other people"—those trying to be more religious, those who love to read books or whatever. It was written for teens in Texas, single moms in Sao Paulo, grandparents in Greece, prisoners in Paris— everyone!

Obviously in this small space we can't begin to show all the Bible's practical benefits for your unique circumstances. But we can set a foundation and give you a taste of its practical benefits for today and forever.

Real hope: God cares about you!

Let's start with something it seems everyone longs for—hope! What does the Bible offer as an antidote to the depressing hopelessness spreading around the world today?

At one of the darkest times in the history of Judah, what was God's message through His prophet Jeremiah?
"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I hope in Him!' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:22-25).

The prophet Jeremiah wrote the poetic book of Lamentations in mourning over the fall of Jerusalem, the city where God's temple was. It was in the midst of terrible destruction that Jeremiah recorded these inspiring words of solid hope. Such hope is not merely wishful thinking, but a confident expectation that God will do what He has promised.

Is the Bible designed to give us hope?

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

Here we learn that part of the purpose of the Holy Scriptures—the Bible—is to help us develop endurance and give us encouragement so we can have hope!

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

The Bible gives us hope because the "God of hope" recorded it for us. When things seem hopeless in the storms of this "present evil age" (Galatians 1:4), God gives hope that serves as a steady anchor (Hebrews 6:19).

What makes hope possible?

"And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:3-5, New Revised Standard Version).

The love of God shows Christians that even troubles work for our ultimate good.

"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" (Romans 8:28).

When we love God in return, He can make everything, even the difficult times, work out for our eternal good. Many people have memorized this encouraging scripture to help them in their trials.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

When God—the Creator of everything—is for us, all enemies are powerless to stop Him from blessing us!

Does God understand our problems?

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Jesus Christ experienced the pains and sorrows of human life and the temptations to do wrong. He understands and sympathizes. God has given us the priceless privilege of being able to come boldly before Him in prayer in all our many times of need!

Benefits of the Bible: practical examples

What are some of the benefits of God's way of life?

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed" (Psalm 103:2-6).

God forgives us and wipes away the burden of guilt in a way no self-help program or psychiatrist ever could—a priceless benefit! God's power to heal our minds and bodies, to satisfy our needs, to protect us, to strengthen us—these are things people spend their fortunes on and their lives searching for. But God fulfills them as no one else can. And He looks out for the underdog, the oppressed and those in every kind of crisis as no human being has the power to do. The rest of this inspiring psalm contains many other benefits.

Where can we turn for practical answers?

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints" (Proverbs 2:6-8).

One biblical book full of commonsense advice is the book of Proverbs. It was written and compiled by Israel's King Solomon, whom God blessed with exceptional wisdom. Applying God's wisdom will protect us like a shield—like a force field to deflect people and problems that would otherwise deceive, seduce or hurt us. Think of all the sorrows that could be prevented! Think of the benefits of avoiding financial scams, sexually transmitted diseases, premarital pregnancies, poverty and heartache!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Without God we are lost, but life with Him has direction and meaning. Whatever He sees as best for us He will give us, including prosperity, honor, health, peace and happiness!

Does the Bible give keys to happier relationships with others?

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1).

The natural tendency when someone speaks harshly to us is to respond in kind. But Solomon here points out that this only escalates the conflict. Thinking before we speak and choosing a nonconfrontational tone can help calm the situation.

"Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men ... 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink' ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:17-21).

The apostle Paul also provides tips for getting along with problem people, here quoting from Proverbs. Feeding an enemy may not be an intuitive response, but perhaps that is part of the reason it may surprise and disarm him or her. Overcoming evil with good is a powerful human relations principle given to us by our loving Creator. Check out our helpful booklets Making Life Work and Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension for specific tips to improve your relationships.

Does the Bible give helpful advice for job success?

"Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man" (Proverbs 6:6-11).

"He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Proverbs 10:4).

Solomon uses the colorful analogy of the industrious ant as a lesson in success. Employers look for diligent workers who go above and beyond, improve their skills and work hard whether the boss is looking or not. These are the workers who are most in demand and thus have greater security on the job.

Does the Bible give principles that lead to financial security?

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7).

Our "buy now, pay later" society has forgotten this principle, but avoiding debt and paying back what we already owe is a key to security.

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished ... Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds; for riches are not forever ... " (Proverbs 27:12, 23-24).

Being alert to threats and opportunities is a key to wise planning. Conservative budgeting and planning can avoid countless pitfalls and best lead to sustained and secure growth. Many more helpful tips can be found in our free booklet Managing Your Finances .

The Bible is full of practical principles that offer help and hope in every challenge we face. God's way works today in "the life that now is," and His plan offers incredible promises for our potential in the life "which is to come"—the everlasting life He offers us as His children (see 1 Timothy 4:8; John 3:16; 1 John 3:1)! We hope this sampling of godly wisdom from God's instruction book has whetted your appetite for more! We will cover more on this in future articles and studies.

Apply what you've learned

What is your most challenging, worrisome problem? Listen to what God says: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6-7). God cares, and He wants you to throw all your cares on His broad shoulders to carry! Take your problems, especially that biggest problem, to Him in prayer. That's the vital first step.

Turning our problems over to God doesn't mean we won't have to do the hard studying, counseling, decision making, etc. But knowing that the most powerful being in the universe cares and will help us takes a huge load off our minds!

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

A Rock-solid Friend

2012-02-04T07:34:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: Psalm 27:5, Psalm 62:5-8

Have you ever had a friend you felt you could pour out your heart to? You knew your friend would never betray you. Not only that, but you were confident that, if it were possible, your friend would do whatever he or she could to help you with the concerns of your heart.

David had a friend like that. It was God. And he urged others to develop that same kind of relationship with God--one of love and trust. Let's see what he says about this friendship.

Receive

"My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

"Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:5-8).

    What do you think it means for your soul to "wait silently"?
    Find at least two descriptions of God in these verses that would encourage you to trust Him.
    Because David trusted God, what were some of the results?
    If you were to "pour out your heart before Him" today, what would you say?

Reflect

Everyone needs a friend they can trust implicitly. That's the kind of friendship God offers to those who accept His Son as their Savior. He is Someone whom we can pour our hearts out to and know that He will both listen and act on our behalf. The hymn writer says,

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He'll take and shield thee--
Thou wilt find a solace there.*

Respond

Find a copy of the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." If you know the tune, quietly sing it and notice all the ways Jesus is our friend. If you don't know the tune, read the words. Then prayerfully ask Jesus to help you experience that kind of friendship with Him.

*Scriven and Converse, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," Public domain.

The Week in Review - Jan. 20 - Jan. 27, 2012

2012-01-28T09:32:00.000-05:00

Iran pushes back against the EU; anti-Semitism surges in ‘Arab Spring’ nations; Merkel calls for full-on political union; India bypasses sanctions, drops dollar; and the election year begins to heat up.

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Could You Be Deceived?

2012-01-28T09:29:00.000-05:00

You may have heard the saying, "Deceived people do not know they are deceived." Satan is a powerful deceiver, and he wants to bring as many people to ruin as he can. What steps can you take to be sure that you are not deceived?

Satan's Counterfeit Christianity

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Alberto Series – The Prophet

2012-01-28T09:26:00.000-05:00

Learn how the papacy helped start Islam, only to have this new daughter rebel against her. You’ll understand the Arab’s place in Bible prophecy. Muslims have been saved by reading this book.

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Europe, Iran and Bible Prophecy Come Alive in the Strait of Hormuz!

2012-01-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

The current tension in the Persian Gulf provides a glimpse into the larger conflict looming.
Article by: Brad Macdonald

Thirty-four miles. That’s the width of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway separating Iran and the Arabian peninsula through which 40 percent of global seaborne oil trade occurs. Right now, events in this tiny passageway threaten to transform the global economic malaise into full-scale economic calamity, and quite possibly set off a major war.

Although it’s long been recognized as a point of contention between Iran and the West, the Hormuz passageway has come into sharper focus in recent weeks. Last month, Iran began a 10-day naval exercise in a 1,200-square-mile stretch of the Persian Gulf, including Hormuz. More than a few Iranian politicians were quick to admit that the games were less about demonstrating strength than about showing Iran’s ability to cause global chaos by closing down the key passageway.

“Soon we will hold a military maneuver on how to close the Strait of Hormuz,” a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, Parviz Sarvari, said on December 12. “If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure.” Isa Ja’fari, another politician, made similar remarks before the Iranian Parliament on December 18. “If an oil embargo is placed on Iran, we will not allow a single barrel of oil to pass through here to the belligerent countries,” he said. “America should know that the world’s energy gullet, that is to say, the Strait of Hormuz, is in our hands.”

According to multiple Iranian officials, it is now state policy to close the strait if Iran is attacked.

Naturally, the recent naval exercises, together with the blustery remarks of Iranian politicians, caught the world’s attention. Within days of Iran conducting its war games, Israel and the U.S. announced they had decided to postpone “Austere Challenge,” a large joint military exercise slated to occur in the region in May. This week, the U.S. Treasury declared sanctions against Bank Tejarat, Iran’s third-largest bank.

But the most noteworthy response came from Europe. On Monday, all 27 EU member states agreed to refuse oil imports from Iran, including crude oil, petroleum and petrochemical products. Additionally, the EU announced a variety of financial restrictions on Tehran, including freezing assets held in Europe by Iran’s central bank.

This is significant! Europe has implemented sanctions on Iran before, but not like these. These are by far the toughest Europe has meted out. Following Monday’s announcement, Russia slammed the EU for making a decision that will only make the problem worse. China continues to reject sanctions. Meanwhile, India said it would take full advantage of the cheaper prices Iran will now demand for its oil and purchase as much as possible. Implementing sanctions wasn’t an easy, or popular, decision.

Of course, it still remains to be seen if the EU will stay united and strong. The sanctions won’t be fully implemented till July 1, and the decision will be reassessed in May. Still, the EU has clearly taken its toughness to the next level and shown that it’s willing to confront Iran more directly.

It’s also telling that it was the European Union, not individual member states, that announced this embargo. The EU, at least in this instance, appears to have a single, united foreign policy!

Iran has taken notice too, and has started to direct its criticisms at Europe, in addition to the United States. Speaking on state television, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast rejected the EU’s sanctions as “psychological warfare,” and warned that imposing sanctions “will not stop our nation from obtaining its rights.” Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that the more sanctions were imposed, “the more obstacles there will be to solve the issue.”

Rather than compromise or capitulate, it seems Tehran is ready to play chicken with Europe and the U.S. Iran has also said it’s planning another round of war games in Hormuz next month. Meanwhile, on Sunday the uss Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier, together with warships from France and the UK, entered the Persian Gulf. Both sides appear to be barreling toward the other, with neither appearing ready to swerve any time soon.

The consensus among analysts is that reason and logic will prevail. Many argue that Iran, which is significantly outnumbered and outgunned, will back down, and that a larger conflict will be avoided. In a well-reasoned piece this week, Stratfor ceo George Friedman explained that the U.S. and Iran will likely come to some sort of deal, one that involves a U.S. drawdown in the Middle East in return for a more compliant Iranian foreign policy.

These are rational arguments. And it’s possible, even likely, that in the short term some sort of political arrangement will be reached that will diffuse the tension. We need to be careful, though, of dismissing these events as simple geopolitics. The truth is, no amount of reconciliation or “politics” will ever reconcile the fundamental differences between Iran and the West.

Iran is led by radical Islamists, men who live to annihilate the West and then establish a global Islamic caliphate. For these men, negotiations and compromise are the means to that end. Conciliatory gestures are not genuine acts of peace. Rather, each is calculated to further the greater cause. When conditions are right, when the benefits of confrontation outweigh the costs, they will take the confrontation to the next level.

Understanding this reality requires a basic understanding of human nature. A little insight into history helps too. Many past tyrants, whether Hitler, or medieval kings, or African warlords, have played politics—made promises, made compromises, given ground—simply to buy time. Then, when the right moment came, when the military was ready, the fortification secure, the alliance in place, they replaced diplomacy with destruction.

In addition to history and human nature, another vital asset provides insight into the tension escalating in the Strait of Hormuz. Here at the Trumpet we find it impossible to watch events in the Persian Gulf and not see the prophecy in Daniel 11. In verse 40, God says via His prophet that “at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships ….” Notice first, this event is occurring at the “time of the end,” in the days right before Christ’s Second Coming.

Next, consider the participants in this clash. They are the “king of the south”—the armies of radical Islam led by Iran—and the “king of the north”—the armies of a united Europe led by Germany and the Vatican. You can prove this by reading our booklet The King of the South.

Notice the word “push” in Daniel 11:40. In Hebrew, it means to push at, or to wage war. Think about Iran’s nuclear weapons program, its threat to close down Hormuz, its support of terrorism in Israel and around the world. The primary goal of Iranian foreign policy is to “push” and provoke, to aggravate and infuriate.

This prophecy was written 2,500 years ago—and it describes the present situation in the Persian Gulf perfectly!

Daniel 11:40 says that the “king of the north” will react, and eventually with overpowering force! We are beginning to get a glimpse of how this will happen. On Monday, Europe got tougher with Iran than it ever has. Based on Daniel’s prophecy, expect Europe to get even tougher and more confrontational toward Iran!

Keep watching the Strait of Hormuz. And remember, the tension between Iran and Europe is more than geopolitics—it’s an insight into Daniel 11:40!

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Plays Hard to Get

2012-01-28T09:07:00.001-05:00

Cleverly manipulating the timing, the means and the method of his return to active politics

Article by: Ron Fraser

During his current personally-enforced exile from Germany and its political scene, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is proving that he is becoming a consummate politician.

After carefully adding, by his actions and guarded public statements, to the hype surrounding a possible political comeback by the 2013 German elections, Guttenberg has suddenly conveyed an impression of humbly withdrawing from contention.

Just two weeks ago, the media was anticipating Guttenberg’s return to active party politics in Germany, with indications that a ministerial portfolio could be in the offing. Yet last Thursday, in a carefully choreographed performance, no doubt designed to wrong-foot the establishment in Germany, Guttenberg declared that he was not yet ready to return.

This is brilliant political psychology.

By his latest actions, Guttenberg has left the German electorate with a feeling of unrequited anticipation within an atmosphere where the public are increasingly showing marked disaffection for their current political leadership. This will obviously heighten political tensions in Germany and further add to the frustration of not only his political backers but that of the long-suffering German public.

Guttenberg’s present public stance can only work to increase the cries to invite him back to help fix Germany’s dislocated political process as further fissures develop in its ailing coalition government the closer the nation gets to the 2013 polls. At this point, there’s no one on the political horizon in Germany with the charisma and crowd appeal to match that of the aristocratic Karl-Theodor and his media-savvy wife, the similarly aristocratic Stephanie.

Most Guttenberg watchers will by now be aware of the results of his scheduled meeting with his party boss, Horst Seehoffer, that took place Thursday evening at the Bavarian state chancellery offices in Munich.

According to Seehoffer, during a two-hour meeting at the chancellery, Guttenberg declined to return to active politics at this time. It does not take two hours to make such a declaration. Obviously that amount of time allows for the possibility of a political deal to be tabled, considered, debated and brought to a conclusion. Any deal offered was obviously not acceptable to the baron.

Within two hours of arriving at the chancellery, all deals were off. Guttenberg then met with his closest supporters in his own district of Kulmbach to convey his decision to them. He had come armed with a letter in case he had to use it to prove a point. This he did, releasing the text to the Bild newspaper.

When considering his own political future—which is put on hold for the time being—Guttenberg must consider three factors: the timing, the level of political office on offer, and the prevailing political climate not only in Germany but in Europe and globally as well.

At present, Germany is on the very cusp in Europe. Even with an increasingly weakening chancellor at the helm of a continually fraying government coalition, Germany is accelerating its economic dominance in Europe and forcing its own fiscal demands upon the continent. To this end it has the support of Europe’s present most influential troika of Roman Catholic Jesuit-educated elites—European Council President Herman van Rompuy, Italian President Mario Monti, and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi. Such support also means that the Vatican is also supportive of the direction that Germany is taking. After all, three sons of Rome in vitally important positions within the European Union does allow for the pope to exert a significant degree of influence in the future direction of that institution.

This club of Romans seems to be faring well at the moment in the fulfilling of its given briefs. But the most glaring weakness within the EU administration currently is in the functioning of its hugely unwieldy foreign affairs institution, the European External Action Service (eeas), currently headed by the increasingly unpopular Baroness Ashton.

Catherine Ashton’s appointment to this crucial position within the EU was one of political convenience and ultimate compromise. She has been under constant attack and criticism virtually from the moment she took office. Clearly the eeas is not working under her leadership. If the EU is to be taken seriously as a cohesive entity on the world stage, effective leadership of its foreign service must become a given. It won’t under its present configuration. The institution cries out for an effective, influential and forceful leader.

On the home front in Germany, a similar weakness is most evident in the leadership of its own Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle’s political ratings are about zero. His international profile is scant. This key role is begging for robust leadership to underwrite in foreign affairs the economic clout that Germany presently enjoys both in Europe and on the world scene.

One key to Guttenberg’s continuing interest in foreign affairs was a statement he made in the letter he submitted to Christian Social Union leaders and the party faithful last week. In his concluding remarks, he commented, “I will now take on new tasks. Sometimes I will give my opinion on foreign-policy issues. However, not as a politician but as a political thinker.”

Then there’s the German presidency. With President Christian Wulff under constant media attack for alleged corruption, his days in the German presidency may well be numbered. Though today seen as a largely symbolic office, the power of the German presidency really comes down to the force of personality of the incumbent and his willingness to exert influence on the public and government of the day. The presidency has real power to shape public opinion and set the moral standard for the nation. This office may well fall vacant soon.

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg presently sits in the box seat to fulfill any one of these roles in the future, should he accede to any invitation to become a contender. By playing hard to get while he enjoys the freedom to express his opinions unfettered by political constraints, Guttenberg currently enjoys respected status as a key adviser on the staff of the EU Commission vice president for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes, a non-salaried position.

This task gives Guttenberg an international profile while enabling him to steer clear of EU politics for the moment, allowing him also to continue to be involved in high-status meetings and conventions such as that which he attended in Canada last year.

If Guttenberg is to return to an active, high-profile role in German or EU politics, we have always thought that would be by invitation, not by election to office. By his latest actions, the bright and politically astute young baron has placed himself in a position to encourage such an invitation as the political situation in Germany and the EU continues to fracture.

Given the current volatility of the ongoing euro crisis, the time may become ripe for just such an invitation to be issued to Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, baron of the Holy Roman Empire, much sooner rather than later.

Seven Reasons Why Jesus Was Born

2012-01-28T09:01:00.000-05:00

The Gospels tell us Jesus died in the spring at the time of the Passover. But why did He have to die? To understand, we need to realize why it was Jesus' destiny to enter this chaotic, sin-sick world.

Article by: Donald Ward

Scholars and theologians, ministers and teachers have long pondered the meaning of the life and death of the teacher from Nazareth. Jesus Christ was born and lived on earth for a little more than three decades. But why did He come? Few realize that ultimately there was no other option—Jesus had to be born!

God's great plan for mankind included the necessity of a savior, a redeemer of mankind. Here are seven reasons, leading up to the greatest of all, that Jesus the Messiah , the very Son of God, had to be born.

1. Jesus had to be born because of mankind's sin.

God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful environment that supplied their every need. In the Garden of Eden our original human parents found food plentiful, animals tame and a loving teacher—God Himself—accompanying them and teaching them everything they needed to know.

If Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they could have bridged the gap between mortality and immortality; they had access to the tree of life.

They had every advantage, so what went wrong? Adam and Eve did what every other human being has done: They sinned . They disobeyed God.

God gave our original human parents the gift of free choice. He gave them the ability to decide whether they would obey Him, and they missed the mark. God allowed Satan, in the form of a serpent, to attempt to subvert God's will for mankind (Genesis 3:1-4). The devil appealed to Eve's vanity, convincing her she could be as God Himself, "knowing good and evil" (verse 5).

Satan, in a blatant lie, told Eve she didn't have to depend on God for anything. Satan posed as the liberator, offering Eve instant gratification. Eve was willingly deceived by this appeal to her vanity, so she ate the forbidden fruit and presented the same fruit to her husband. Adam then also ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (verse 6).

Why did Satan's deception of Adam and Eve mean that Christ had to be born? The Savior had to be born because mankind, after the sin of Adam and Eve, would have been eternally lost—cut off from God—had not Jesus come to earth and allowed Himself to be sacrificed to save mankind from its sins, which began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden .

2. Jesus had to be born because God wanted to reveal His own character to humanity.

God wanted to reveal His righteous character to Adam and Eve and to all of mankind so they could become like Him in mind and spirit.

God created our two original parents in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). Accordingly, God instructed them to exercise their free will by urging them to look to Him as the revealer of good and evil. God gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to embrace His divine wisdom.

Tragically, Adam and Eve followed the father of lies, Satan, and both ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This wrong choice, this rebellion against their Creator, severed their close relationship with Him. God cast them out of the Garden of Eden , cutting off their access to the tree of life, which was symbolic of God's Holy Spirit (Genesis 3:22-23).

Why did God's desire to reveal His character to mankind mean Jesus had to be born? Jesus had to be born because Adam and Eve failed to carry out God's mandate to glorify Him in their lives. It was left for the Son of God, thousands of years later, to ultimately fulfill the divine revelation of God's character and purpose for man.

3. Jesus had to be born to remove the sins of humankind through a perfect sacrifice.

Noah and the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—offered sacrifices to God. God asked Abraham, the father of the faithful, to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith and obedience. Though God intervened to stop Abraham from actually going through with it, Abraham's willingness to give up his son foreshadowed the role of God the Father, who "so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" as a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16). Isaac, in offering no resistance, was a forerunner of Jesus, who willingly and obediently offered His life's blood for the sins of the world.

Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, God revealed through His faithful servant Moses a religious system that included animal sacrifices and offerings. ". . . Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle . . . so you shall make it" (Exodus 25:8-9).

God instructed His people during this time to set up in the wilderness the tabernacle, the tent that was the forerunner of the temple. God filled the tabernacle with His glory (Exodus 40:34-35). God's Spirit in this earthly tent pointed forward to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the minds and hearts of Christians.

Why did the need for a perfect sacrifice mean that Jesus had to be born? It was because the earlier, physical sacrifices were imperfect. They could not take away the penalty for sin (Hebrews 10:4).

God instructed the Israelites in the need for sacrifice, but they had access only to physical forerunners of the ultimate sacrifice, which would come later in the form of Christ Himself. God instructed His people to participate in the physical rituals of animal sacrifices not because they were sufficient to remove people's sins, but because of the lessons they taught—that sacrifices were necessary because of mankind's sins.

Jesus had to be born because, without the true sacrifice, humanity was doomed. All would die, with no hope beyond the grave.

4. Jesus had to be born for mankind to have a Mediator.

Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant, God replaced the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood with the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Himself. "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6).

But what were the terms of the New Covenant? God explained that "this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:

I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (verse 10, quoting Jeremiah 31:33).

The law written on the believer's heart under the terms of the New Covenant is the immutable spiritual law of God. Paul wrote that this law, summarized by the Ten Commandments, is "holy, and the commandment holy and just and good . . . For we know that the law is spiritual . . ." (Romans 7:12-14). This law serves as the basis for the covenant agreement. Psalm 19:7
tells us that "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul."

The understanding that Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind makes it easier for us to comprehend that the ministry of Christ is an administration superior to the Levitical priesthood.

This understanding lets the believer purge his conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). Upon acceptance of the terms of the New Covenant, the believer is imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit so God can write His laws on the believer's heart and mind (Hebrews 8:8).

Why does the need for a mediator mean Jesus had to be born? It is because the priesthood, staffed by the Levites, as revealed in the Old Testament , was imperfect. It was only a forerunner. Jesus had to be born because the salvation of mankind requires something better.

5. Jesus had to be born to provide the promised Seed of Abraham.

God promised Abraham that through his (Abraham's) "seed," or descendants, all nations of the world would be blessed (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:14-16).

Through faith in God and His name, people of all nations have access to God's mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation with God the Father. God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). Indeed, His plan of redemption includes all people of all races, of all national and ethnic groups. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:28-29).

The key word here is heirs . Through Christ, believers become sons of God (Romans 8:14). "And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ . . ." (verse 17).

Under the Old Covenant, God chose a physical people, Israel, to set the example for other nations (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). Israel, being unconverted and subject to the frailties of humanity, failed. But the Israelites were forerunners of a converted, spiritual Israel, which includes believers of every ethnicity and nationality (Galatians 3:27-29; 6:15-16; Romans 2:28-29).

Jesus had to be born to provide the promised spiritual fulfillment of the Seed of Israel. Jesus, quite appropriately, was a literal, physical descendant of Abraham. He was Abraham's Seed, through whom all nations of the world would be blessed.

6. Jesus had to be born for God to make His Spirit available to all humankind.

Not only did Jesus have to be born, but He had to pay the penalty for our sins through His own death, then be resurrected to ascend to the Father as our High Priest. Only then would humanity at large be able to receive and benefit from the incredible gift of God's Holy Spirit.

"This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33).

On the Day of Pentecost, only a few weeks after Jesus died and was resurrected, God poured out His Spirit on the few assembled followers of Jesus. Peter, who was among that early gathering, summarized what we must do to receive the Spirit of God. He powerfully proclaimed, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (verse 38).

Why was Jesus' physical birth essential to His followers' receiving of the Holy Spirit? Because no one is worthy to receive the Holy Spirit, and we must be begotten of God through His Spirit to receive eternal life.

Jesus' death—His ultimate sacrifice—made possible the forgiveness of sins, which in turn enables us to look forward to living and reigning with Christ in the Kingdom of God. Without Jesus' birth, none of this would be possible.

Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in the Garden of Eden : access to a right relationship with God and access to the tree of life. Through the sacrifice of Christ, God has made possible this right relationship with mankind. "As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people'" (2 Corinthians 6:16).

God has made it possible for all mankind—every person—to come voluntarily into an intimate relationship with Him. This could not have been possible, in God's great plan, without the birth and subsequent sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

7. Jesus had to be born for God to redeem mankind.

The salvation of mankind was dependent on Jesus coming to earth and living a perfect life, then dying as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world—for every disobedience, by every man and woman who has ever lived, to God's righteous laws.

All of this is another way of saying that Jesus had to be born because He is our Redeemer. God in His infinite mercy foreordained His plan of redemption for sinful mankind through Christ (1 Peter 1:20). Jesus was declared to be "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" to redeem humanity ( Revelation 13:8).

But why does sin require a redeemer? The Bible shows us that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23), and "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Therefore, all have earned the death penalty for sin. People speak of human "rights," yet the only real right anyone has earned is the right to eternal death.

But God has made allowance for sinners to be redeemed, or bought back, from the death penalty by a redeemer. Romans 5 calls Jesus "the second Adam," in contrast to the first, the original man. The first Adam brought sin into the world (verse 12). The second Adam—Jesus Christ—brought redemption, reconciliation and the hope of eternal life (verses 6-10).

Since the wages of sin is death, redemption requires the sacrificial death of the Redeemer.

God promised a redeemer

God promised a redeemer to Adam and Eve even before He cast them out of the Garden of Eden . After the Creator confronted our first parents with their sins, He spoke to Satan, who appeared in the form of the serpent. He told him, ". . . I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15).

What is the meaning of this prophecy, and what does it have to do with the redemption of humanity?

As Walter Kaiser Jr. writes in his book The Messiah in the Old Testament : "Genesis 3:15
has commonly been called the protoevangelium (the 'first gospel') because it was the original proclamation of the promise of God's plan for the whole world . . . The 'seed/offering' mentioned in this verse became the root which the tree of the OT [ Old Testament ] promise of a Messiah grew. This, then, was the 'mother prophecy' that gave birth to all the rest of the [messianic] promises" (1995, p. 38).

In this great prophecy, "woman" can refer to Eve, the mother of all living, who was present in the garden. "Woman" in prophecy can also symbolize Israel—the physical nation or the spiritual Israel, the Church of God ( Revelation 12:1, 6, 13; compare Genesis 37:9-10).

In this particular prophecy, then, we should consider that through the woman Eve, the mother of all living, will come the "woman" Israel. Revelation 12 pictures a child being born of the woman Israel. The nation gives birth to this child through an actual woman. Thus we have here also a picture of Mary, the mother of Jesus: ". . . A woman . . . being with child . . . cried out in labor and in pain to give birth . . . And the dragon [Satan] stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born" ( Revelation 12:1-4).

With this background in mind, we can see the prophecy becoming clearer. The Seed of woman (Christ) bruises the head of Satan by eventually nullifying his influence (Romans 16:20). In the meantime, however, the devil wages war against Jesus.

Satan attempted to "devour" the woman's child by influencing Herod to order the murder of all male children age 2 and younger in Bethlehem, and Satan eventually instigated Jesus' crucifixion.

However, Satan's scheme backfired, for the death of the Son of God provided mankind with a redeemer.

History of redemption

Redemption is a prominent theme throughout the Bible . God, in His love and mercy, is long-suffering, not willing that any should ultimately perish (2 Peter 3:9). He wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of His truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

Because sin results in death—physical and eternal death—and the promised redeemer had not yet been born, God in days of old revealed to Moses a religious system based on animal sacrifices and offerings.

Israel came into God's presence through sacrifices the Levitical priesthood offered at the tabernacle and later the temple. However, these sacrifices could never provide redemption for sins to enable worshipers to receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:1-4). They could provide only a temporary ceremonial cleansing that represented the genuine cleansing to come through Christ's sacrifice.

Lacking the heart and mind for true obedience, Israel as a whole neglected its promise to obey God and keep His commandments. Instead, the Israelites gradually placed far more importance on the sacrificial laws and their oral traditions. Obedience from the heart became far less important than physical sacrifice and ritual.

By the time of Jesus' life on earth, the Israelites were placing more emphasis on their own oral tradition than on the law of God. Jesus asked the Pharisees, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? . . . In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:3-9).

God gave the ancient Israelites His great, immutable spiritual law. But at the same time He gave them a temporary physical system for worshiping Him. The spiritual law revealed to people the basis for conducting their affairs with God and their fellow man (Matthew 22:35-40). The physical system of rituals served mostly to remind them of their sinful nature and the need to be clean and without spot or blemish when they came into God's presence.

This physical dimension was temporary, however, until the promised Redeemer would come and pay the ultimate price for sin (Hebrews 9:9-12).

Jesus the Messiah is the promised Redeemer. He had to be born for humanity to be redeemed from sin.

As we noted earlier, Peter summarized what we must do to be redeemed: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Through Christ's blood God forgives our sins, and by Christ we receive the promise of eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:12-15).

Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in Eden —access to the tree of life. Moreover, repentant people have become the temple of the living God.

"As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (2 Corinthians 6:16). Yes, God has made it possible for all people to enter an intimate relationship with Him—which is why Jesus had to be born.

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

Seven Prophecies That Must Be Fulfilled Before Jesus Christ's Return

2012-01-28T08:52:00.000-05:00

Previous generations have thought that Jesus Christ would return in their lifetimes, but they were proven wrong. Many people alive today think that Christ's return is imminent. Certainly, the Bible contains prophecies that could not have been fulfilled until this generation.

Article by: Melvin Rhodes

Shortly before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus Christ delivered a major prophecy of end-time events, recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. He was asked by His disciples: "When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus responded with a description of conditions and events that would lead up to His second coming. Moreover, He said that when these signs became evident, His return would occur within one generation (Matthew 24:34). Could this be that generation?

Throughout the nearly 2,000 years since Christ gave His prophecy, many have thought that theirs was the time of His return—and turned out to be wrong, of course. But interestingly, there are a number of prophecies in the Bible that could not be fulfilled until our modern era, the post–World War II period.

1. The human race would have the ability to exterminate itself

In Matthew 24:22, describing world conditions prior to His second coming, Jesus said that "if that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God's chosen it will be cut short" (Revised English Bible ).

The main message that Jesus Christ brought was of the coming Kingdom of God. This is described as "the gospel" (Mark 1:14). Gospel means " good news ." While some of the prophecies concerning events prior to the establishment of the Kingdom can seem negative, we should always keep in mind that the central focus of Bible prophecy is the good news (gospel) of the coming Kingdom of God.

Matthew 24:22 shows us that if Jesus Christ does not intervene in world affairs, the human race will be faced with extinction. It's crucial to note that humanity has had the capability for self-annihilation for only a little more than 50 years, since both the United States and the Soviet Union developed and stockpiled hydrogen bombs and the world had to learn to live with "mutually assured destruction."

At that time there were only three nuclear powers (Britain being the other). By the middle of the 1960s France and China had joined the nuclear club. Today at least eight nations have nuclear warheads and the number looks set to increase with a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

Of course, the more nuclear powers we have in the world, the more likely it is that someone will use this deadly force for evil.

Although international attention has been focused on the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran during the last few years, little attention has been given to the possibility of some or all of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of radical Islamists.

During the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, the Taliban and al-Qaeda and their sympathizers have steadily gained more power, territory and influence, making nuclear terrorism more likely. Consider the consequences for the rest of the world if Osama bin Laden (or others like him) had access to nuclear weapons!

Meanwhile, Russia and China are determinedly flexing their military muscles, raising fears of a return to Cold War–era tensions.

The good news in all this is that Christians have an assurance that Jesus Christ will intervene to save mankind from annihilation. This prophecy could not be fulfilled until man had the potential for self-extinction through weapons of mass destruction. Again, only in the last 50 years has this become possible.

2. A Jewish homeland had to be reestablished in the Middle East

Geopolitically, the central focus of end-time events is Jerusalem and its environs, what many people refer to as the Holy Land.

Luke 21 is a parallel chapter to Matthew 24. Notice Luke's account of Christ's long prophecy that answered the disciples' questions: "Teacher, . . . when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?" (Luke 21:7).

In response, Jesus showed that Jerusalem would be the central focus of the political and military upheavals that would immediately precede His return: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near . . . For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (verses 20-22).

Anyone living a century ago would have found these words nearly impossible to comprehend. Jerusalem in ancient times had been fought over countless times, but for four centuries from 1517 the city had been at peace within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire. Jews lived there as a minority under Turkish rule. But this was going to change dramatically during the course of the 20th century.

It had to change for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy to take place.

The Old Testament prophet Zechariah was used by God to reveal a great deal about end-time events and the second coming of the Messiah . Zechariah lived and prophesied more than 500 years before Christ's first coming, yet his prophetic book tells us a great deal about our world of today.

In Zechariah 12:2-3 God says: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah [the Jews inhabiting the land of Israel] and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it."

In verse 9 He adds, "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."

Reading these verses, it is possible to think that they apply to ancient events, as Jerusalem has been fought over repeatedly down through the ages. However, chapter 14 makes clear that this is talking about future, not past, events. The time setting is immediately before Jesus Christ's return.

"Behold, the day of the Lord is coming . . . For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity . . . Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.

"And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south" (Zechariah 14:1-4).

Clearly the last few lines of this prophecy remain to be fulfilled.

Further in this same chapter we read of how those nations that came against Jerusalem will have to go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Jesus Christ (verse 16).

These chapters of Zechariah are a prophecy about the events that precede and include the second coming of Jesus. A Jewish-controlled Jerusalem is notice-ably the central focus.

Shortly before Zechariah, another Jewish prophet named Daniel lived during the time of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. His book speaks of the Jews' daily sacrifices being cut off in the end time (Daniel 12:11; see verses 1-13)—an event that had a forerunner in the temple defilement under Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century B.C.

However, Jesus Christ confirmed this as a future event to precede His return (compare Daniel 11:31; Matthew 24:15). This means that these sacrifices must first be reinstituted in Jerusalem—requiring Jewish rule over the city.

One hundred years ago such developments were hard to imagine for the simple reason that no independent Jewish political entity existed in the Middle East.

After rebelling against the Romans in A.D. 66 and again in 132, Judea was crushed and most of the remaining Jews were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. No Jewish homeland existed again until 1948 when the modern nation of Israel was established.

An independent Jewish homeland was merely a dream for a small group of zealots a century ago. It moved a step nearer during World War I, when forces of the British Commonwealth took control of Jerusalem from the Turks in December 1916. A few months later, the British government pledged itself to the establishment of an independent Jewish homeland in the ancient lands the Jews had inhabited for centuries.

It was to be another 30 years before the dream was realized in 1948. Yet since then tiny Israel has had to fight wars for survival in 1948, 1967 and 1973 and has suffered countless terrorist attacks and threats of annihilation from hostile neighbors determined to eliminate the Jewish state.

Once again, here is a prophecy that can now be fulfilled in our time.

3. The end-time king of the North and king of the South

In Daniel 11 we find an amazing prophecy about two leaders, the kings of the North and South, the heads of regions that were geographically north and south of the Holy Land. To understand this prophecy we have to go to the time of Alexander the Great, who lived near the end of the fourth century B.C., 200 years after Daniel.

Alexander figures prominently throughout the book of Daniel, even though Daniel did not know his name and never knew him personally. He couldn't have, since he died almost two centuries before Alexander appeared on the world stage.

But God revealed to Daniel that after Babylon, Persia would arise as the greatest power of the region, to be followed in turn by Greece. Not surprisingly, the prophecies regarding the rise of Greece are centered on Alexander the Great, one of the greatest conquerors in history.

Daniel 8 gives a vivid account of the coming clash between Persia and Greece. As you read it, remember that a horn symbolizes royal power and authority. Persia had "two horns and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last." This refers to the Medo-Persian Empire, the coming together of two nations or peoples. As foretold here in verse 3, the Persians rose to greatness after the Medes.

In verse 5 we read of Persia's later defeat by Alexander the Great: "And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes" (verse 5).

The "notable horn" or royal leader was Alexander the Great. The prophecy about his army not even touching the ground is a reference to the incredible speed with which he conquered the known world. All this was achieved in a very short time. Alexander died in 323 B.C. when he was only about 33 years old.

Even his sudden, unexpected death was prophesied: "The male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven" (verse 8).

When Alexander died, his empire was eventually divided between four of his generals—the four "notable horns" mentioned here. Two of these established dynasties would have a profound effect on the Jewish people, caught in the middle between them. These two dynasties were the descendants of Seleucus, who ruled a vast empire from Antioch in Syria, north of Jerusalem, and Ptolemy, who ruled Egypt from Alexandria.

Daniel 11 is a long and detailed prophecy about the dynastic conflicts between these two powers, their respective leaders being referred to as "the king of the North" and "the king of the South." Of great significance is that whenever they went to battle against each other, the Jews got trampled on. This was to continue from the time of Alexander until the middle of the second century B.C., a period of almost two centuries.

Then, suddenly, the prophecy jumps down to the end time.

In verse 40 we read: "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land [the Holy Land], and many countries shall be overthrown" (Daniel 11:40-41).

While we don't have space here to cover all the details, the latter part of Daniel's prophecy of the North-South conflict describes a clash of civilizations between the leader of a soon-coming European superpower—a revived Roman Empire (successor to Seleucid Syrian rule)—and a leader who is the successor to the Ptolemaic rule of Egypt, which is now part of the Islamic world. (To learn more, request or download our free booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy.)

We now see geopolitical conditions lining up for this inevitable clash. Here is yet another prophesied circumstance for which the stage has now been set within our lifetime!

4. An end-time union of European nations

In Daniel 2 and 7 we see prophecies about four great gentile empires that would arise in the period between the time of Daniel and the coming establishment of the Kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44). Daniel was himself living in the first of these great empires (Daniel 7:4) as a Jewish exile in ancient Babylon.

Following the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C., Persia would become the greatest power, to be followed by Greece (verses 5-6). After Greece came the Roman Empire, "dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong." This empire was to have "ten horns" and would continue in some form until the establishment of God's Kingdom at Christ's return (verses 7-9).

As we saw in the previous section, horns represent leaders or governments. Here these 10 horns symbolize 10 attempts to restore the Roman Empire to the power it had in ancient times. Various attempts at a restoration have taken place since the fall of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476. A final attempt is to be made shortly before Christ's return.

We find more details in Revelation 17. Here we read of a final attempt to revive the Roman Empire by "ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast" (verses 12-13).

They will also "make war with the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings" (verse 14). Again, it is clear that this prophecy is still future.

Previous attempts to forge a united European empire, from Justinian in the sixth century through Charlemagne, Napoleon, Mussolini and Hitler, all involved force. The final resurrection of the Roman Empire will not be attempted in the same way.

Revelation 17 suggests this will be a voluntary union. When these 10 leaders receive power, they will then give their authority to a single leader. Scripture refers to both this individual and the new superpower he leads as "the beast"—acknowledging it as the continuation of the four gentile empires prophesied in Daniel, each one depicted as a beast or wild animal.

Only now is it possible for this to be fulfilled.

In 1957, the Treaty of Rome was signed by six European nations that formed the European Economic Community. Today the EEC has grown into the European Union (EU) with 27 member nations. Out of these will likely come the 10 nations or 10 leaders that form the final resurrection of the Roman Empire. (For more details, read "The Coming European Superpower ")

Some have speculated that the 10 kings referred to in this prophecy will be leaders of 10 regions of the EU that will redraw the boundaries of Europe, ending the present nation-states. The Bible is not clear on exactly which 10 regions or nations will configure the final revival of the militaristic Roman superpower—only that this new superpower will indeed emerge just before Christ's return.

However, it wasn't until the 10th nation, Greece, was admitted in 1981 that any conceivable fulfillment of this prophecy was even possible.

5. End-time rise and fall of Israel and Judah

" Israel" was the new name God gave the biblical patriarch Jacob in Genesis 32. The 12 tribes of Israel were descended from his 12 sons. These tribes later formed a united kingdom.

It's been almost 3,000 years since the kingdom of Israel was split in two. Ten of the 12 tribes of Israel rebelled against King Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon and grandson of King David . The Bible continued to refer to these 10 tribes as Israel while the other two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) that remained loyal to David 's descendants were known as the kingdom of Judah or simply Judah.

Sometimes Israel is referred to as the northern kingdom and Judah as the southern kingdom. Dominant among the northern tribes were to be the descendants of Jacob's son Joseph through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh—prophesied by Jacob to be the chief nations of the world in the last days (Genesis 49:1, 22-26; compare Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

About 200 years after the kingdom split, the northern tribes of Israel fell to Assyria and were deported by the Assyrians to the northern parts of their empire. Often referred to now as the lost tribes, they later migrated northwest across Europe, eventually settling in new homelands far from the Middle East.

The kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon more than a century after Israel's deportation, but its people were not lost to history. We know them today as the Jews.

The name Ephraim is sometimes used representatively in Scripture for the entire northern kingdom, though it can also refer solely to the descendants of Joseph's son of that name—prophesied to become a "multitude of nations" (Genesis 48:19). Remarkably, this promise to Ephraim was fulfilled in the British Empire and Commonwealth.

Ephraim's older brother Manasseh was also prophesied to become a great nation (same verse), separating himself from the multitude of nations. This prophecy would be fulfilled in the formation, growth and dominance of the United States of America.

In a revealing prophecy regarding the United States and Britain, Jacob (Israel) said, "Let my name be named upon them" (verse 16). References to " Israel" in end-time prophecy often refer to the United States or the English-speaking countries of the British Empire or both. Sometimes " Israel" can mean all 12 tribes. We have to look at specific verses in their context to see which is meant.

"Judah," however, always refers to the Jews, the descendants of the house or kingdom of Judah. We must also understand that the modern nation called Israel is really Judah, made up of Jews. (For much more detail, download or request our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.)

Understanding this critical part of biblical history will help us more fully comprehend a passage of Scripture in the book of Hosea, which is a prophecy about Ephraim (the multitude of nations—Great Britain and some of those nations that came out of her). It warns of destruction to follow the end-time ascendancy of the Israelite nations.

In Hosea 5 we read a prophecy that mentions Israel, Ephraim and Judah: "The pride of Israel testifies to his face; therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them" (verse 5). The prophecy continues: "With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, for they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage" (verses 6-7).

New moons occur a month apart. A new moon "devouring" them would seem to mean that Israel, Ephraim and Judah will all fall within one month.

This prophecy was not fulfilled in ancient times. As already mentioned, ancient Judah fell to Babylon more than a century after Israel fell to Assyria. Yet in the end it appears they will fall together—within one month of each other. This prophecy remains to be fulfilled.

Remember that Israel gave his name to Ephraim and Manasseh, the ancestors in turn of the British and American peoples. As Ephraim is mentioned separately in this prophecy, the reference to " Israel" must apply to the United States, which is now the more dominant of the two nations.

For two centuries prior to World War II, the roles were reversed with the multitude of nations—the British Empire—a greater power than the single nation, the United States. But today America is the greater.

"Judah" refers to the Jewish people, particularly those who now constitute the modern nation in the Middle East that calls itself Israel.

Here then is a prophecy regarding all three nations—the United States, Britain and Israel (Judah). According to this prophecy, it appears that all three will fall within the span of a month. Verse 6 shows these nations turning back to God, but finding it's too late. Because of their sins, He will let them suffer defeat and collapse.

This prophecy could not have been fulfilled until after the rise of Britain and the United States as world powers in the 19th century and the formation of the Jewish state of Israel in the 20th.

Lest the idea seem outlandish, consider that Israel and the United States are perhaps the most maligned and criticized nations on earth. Among Muslim hard-liners, America is commonly called "the great Satan" and Israel and Britain "the little Satans."

6. The gospel will be preached in all the world

In His major end-time prophecy, Jesus answers the question posed by the disciples: "When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).

After listing a number of signs of the nearness of His coming, He reveals that "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" (verse 14).

The gospel is the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. This message could not be preached around the world without the Bible and freedom of religion. Both came gradually with the ascendancy of the English-speaking peoples from the 16th century until the present day.

However, it was only with the technological advances of television and radio and other means of mass communication after World War II and their widespread acceptance that it became possible to reach hundreds of millions of human beings with the message of the Bible . The gospel of the Kingdom of God will continue to be preached to all nations as long as we have the freedom to continue The Good News magazine and our other media efforts.

Even so, during the last 50 years it has not been possible to reach all countries. The former communist nations did not allow freedom of religion. China, with one quarter of the world's people, still does not. Other nations also try to suppress the publication of biblical truth and even the Bible itself. Many Islamic nations do not allow religious freedom. In some countries people risk the death penalty for changing religion.

But the Internet is changing everything. It is much harder for governments to control. The gospel message of the coming Kingdom of God is still going out to the world. It will finish when God has decided that His work is completed and the time is right for the final end-time events to take place.

This is yet another prophecy that could not be fulfilled until recent times.

7. Instant worldwide communications and God's final witnesses

Another end-time Bible prophecy could not be fulfilled until this era of instant worldwide communications.

In His major end-time prophecy of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus gave an outline of disasters that would occur on the world scene with increasing frequency and magnitude—to the point where people would be shaken with fear (Luke 21:26). Discerning an increase in the scale of these events and reacting to them requires knowing about them.

At the time this prophecy was given, it could be many months or years before people heard about various disasters—and many they would never hear about at all, much less be able to put together the fact that catastrophes were on some kind of global increase.

Only with the proliferation of newspapers and other forms of mass communications did this become remotely possible. Yet the level of awareness and consequent fear in many that Christ speaks of implies an even greater availability of information—possible only since the development of rapid electronic communications.

In any case, only with the technological advances of the last few years has it become possible for the events in Revelation 11 to occur—for people around the world to see the fate of God's final two witnesses.

These two witnesses, reminiscent of other biblical prophets like Elijah and Elisha, will carry God's final warning to the world in the last 3 1/2 years leading up to Christ's return.

"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days . . . When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

"Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth" (verses 3, 7-10).

Note that people the world over will be able to see their dead bodies during the 3 1 ⁄ 2 days that they lie on display in Jerusalem. This was not possible before satellite television, portable communications devices and the Internet. Again, only in the last few years has it become possible for this prophecy to be fulfilled . It still lies in the future, of course, but only now it is clearly possible for this to take place.

Will this generation see God's Kingdom established on earth?

We have seen how seven biblically prophesied circumstances could not have come to pass until recent times. In fact, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 was clearly a major turning point in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, as was the acquisition of the hydrogen bomb by the two superpowers of the 1950s that led to the period of mutually assured destruction.

All has now become possible. This, in turn, makes it much more likely that our generation will live to see Jesus Christ return and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. After all, Jesus Himself said that once these things begin, the generation alive at that time "will by no means pass away till all these things take place" (Matthew 24:34).

It's both sobering and encouraging to think that we appear to be living in the generation that will ultimately witness the most important event in the history of mankind. As Jesus Christ tells His followers in Luke 21:28, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

The End of the World: What Does the Bible Say?

2012-01-28T08:42:00.000-05:00

For centuries people have read the Bible and concluded that the world will come to an end. But will it? If so, how? What do the Scriptures teach about the end of the world?

Article by: Noel Hornor

Nearly two millennia ago the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth asked Him a question that has intrigued people ever since: "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3, King James Version).

People in every generation since have wondered about this. Will the world literally end? If so, how? Why? And when? What does the Bible really say about this crucial and disturbing question?

Religious people aren't the only ones asking these questions. In recent decades people from many walks of life have expressed concern about the possibility of the end of the world as we know it. Politicians, educators and scientists foresee the potential destruction of our world from a number of causes —including nuclear warfare, environmental disaster, planetary pollution, overpopulation, killer diseases and collision with a comet or asteroid.

Potential devastation from the sky

Although some of these possibilities are unlikely, others present a real threat. Based on the increasing number of gigantic impact craters discovered in recent years, scientists believe that a collision between earth and a killer asteroid is inevitable.

What would be the result of such a violent encounter? "An asteroid only a kilometer across would create cosmic havoc by impacting on the earth," writes Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at City College of New York. ". . . The shock wave would flatten much of the United States. If it hit the oceans, the tidal wave it created could be a mile high, enough to flood most coastal cities on earth" ( Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century , 1997, p. 317).

In 1908 a meteor or comet exploded over a remote area of Siberia. Though it was relatively small, with an estimated diameter of only about 50 yards, it flattened 1,000 square miles of forest, felling 80 million trees. The energy released by that celestial missile is estimated to be about equal to that of a large hydrogen bomb. The resulting tremors were recorded as far away as London. (To learn how such events might tie in with Bible prophecy, see "Will Civilization End in Global Cataclysm? ")

The increasing nuclear threat

Experts generally agree that, of all possible means of destroying humanity, nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat.

And the genie cannot be put back in the bottle. Austrian theologian Ulrich Kortner put it this way: "The nuclear threat . . . constitutes not a temporary, but rather an irrevocable global threat . The actual possibility of an end to all life is now a constituent part of our reality" ( The End of the World: A Theological Interpretation , 1995, pp. 229-230, emphasis added).

Some sober scientists go even farther, saying that nuclear annihilation is inevitable. The late Carl Sagan, perhaps the world's best-known scientist before his death in 1996, wrote that "the development of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems will, sooner or later, lead to global disaster" ( Cosmos , 1980, p. 328).

With the Cold War ended, the probability of all-out nuclear war between countries has lessened for the time being, but the continuing addition of more nations to the nuclear club ratchets the threat back upward.

If North Korea has successfully developed nuclear weapons—as it has strongly hinted it has done—the nuclear club of nations now totals 10. More than 50,000 nuclear weapons exist in the world, many in dangerously unstable places. No one dares dismiss the idea that terrorist groups, if they can get their hands on nuclear devices, will use them in pursuit of their deadly aims.

Optimistic scientists believe that, thanks to continuing discoveries in science and technology, the nations will realize they must cooperate and work together to develop a unified global civilization. However, admits Dr. Kaku, "in the background always lurks the possibility of a nuclear war, the outbreak of a deadly pandemic, or a collapse of the environment" (p. 19).

Is time running out?

Reagan expressed concern that Armageddon may occur in our generation. His defense secretary, Casper Weinberger, observed: "I believe the world is going to end—by an act of God, I hope—but every day I think time is running out" (quoted by Reginald Stackhouse, The End of the World , 1997, p. viii).

Former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing commented on the state of humanity: "The world is unhappy because it doesn't know where it is going and because it senses that, if it knew, it would discover that it was heading for disaster" (ibid.).

Former U.S. vice president Al Gore speculated on the longevity of the world: "Two world wars, the Holocaust, the invention of nuclear weapons, and now the global environmental crisis have led many of us to wonder if survival . . . is possible" ( Earth in the Balance , 1992, p. 366).

Indeed, experts from many fields share the concern that we could see the end of civilization as we know it. These concerns have created an age of anxiety, especially in a world where so little seems certain anymore.

Many others, however, say there is no need to be concerned about the world ending. They point to epidemics of end-time panic that have raged in the past. They list many failed past predictions regarding the end of the world.

Such criticism is justified to a point. Doomsday predictions have abounded for centuries; date-setters have been wrong many times. The problem with most of these prognostications was that, though well intentioned, the specific chronological details were the ideas of men who badly misinterpreted information in Scripture .

Is there a source to which we can go for reliable information? There is! That one reliable source is the Bible —what it really says. Many people today have a vague idea that the Bible says something about the end of the world. Does it? Most certainly!

The end of an age

Although we do not know the time, one thing we know for sure is that the Bible prophesies the end of the world as we know it. But what does that mean?

When Jesus'disciples asked Him about "the end of the world," they weren't talking about "world" in the sense of our physical planet, the earth. The Greek word translated "world" is aion , from which we get the English word eon . The two mean essentially the same thing—an age, an epoch, an era .

Christ's followers well knew the many prophecies of the Old Testament that foretell the coming age of the Messiah . Our present time, the time of human rule on earth under the deceptive sway of Satan (1 John 5:19), is described by the apostle Paul as "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4).

Another Greek word translated "world" in the New Testament is kosmos , which denotes the ordered world around us—that is, not the physical planet we live on but man's society and geopolitical dominion. This is what will end.

Paul and the other apostles understood that, at the end of this age, man's corrupt civilization will be swept away and a new era will dawn at the return of Christ. Peter described this change as one in which "times of refreshing" will come from God the Father through Jesus, who will return from heaven when "the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3:19-21, New International Version).

This transition from man's mis rule—which is, in reality, the unrecognized rule of Satan—to Christ's divine reign in the Kingdom of God was at the heart of the messages of the biblical prophets as well as the gospel Jesus taught. (For more information, request our free booklets The Gospel of the Kingdom and Is There Really a Devil?)

Scripture proclaims that the present age—the civilization and societies we know today—will terminate in a cascade of unimaginable destruction and violence that will climax at the return of Christ. In the New Testament alone, more than 300 verses refer to these events.

Signs of the end time

When Jesus' disciples asked about the end of the age (Matthew 24:3), He responded by listing several warning signs. The first would be massive religious deception, including religious teachers who, while claiming to represent Him, would not follow His teachings but would deceive many through a counterfeit Christianity.

He also said there would be many wars and other conflicts between nations and ethnic groups. He also spoke of famines,massive disease epidemics and earthquakes.

The problem with trying to precisely predict the end from these signs is that these trends and conditions have been with us in varying degrees from the first century until now. This helps explain why end-time fervor has arisen repeatedly for two millennia.

Many believe that man's development of modern weaponry with the ability to annihilate human life is a sure sign of the last days. As for this destructive potential being a sign of the end, Jesus did say that "if that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive " (Matthew 24:22, Revised English Bible , emphasis added throughout).

Our awesome scientific and technological advancements have bequeathed to this and future generations a heritage over which hangs the ultimate sword of Damocles. Indeed, without miraculous intervention from God the human race has no assurance of survival.

However, we should realize the sobering fact that, no matter when the end of the age comes, people will be living at that time who will dispute the possibility of the world ending. Under inspiration of God, the apostle Peter tells us that "scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'" (2 Peter 3:3-4).

Regardless of when it occurs, there will be people who express disdain even as the very time approaches. No matter how difficult things look, some will assure everyone that man has everything under control. Tragically, such assurances will do nothing but provide a false sense of security, leading people to foolishly continue to trust in human ability rather than in God.

As the end approaches

However long it is until the actual end of the age, one theme the biblical writers emphasized is that it draws nearer every day . Paul warns us that " now it is high time to awake out of sleep ; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11).

And salvation is certainly important to keep in mind as everything falls to pieces around us. The end of the world as we know it, though it includes many catastrophes on a scale never seen in history, is not all bad news for mankind. It includes good news too. God will intervene before it is too late (Matthew 24:21-22). The alternative is not only the destruction of human civilization but the annihilation of the human race itself.

The only wise action for anyone who understands what is coming is to turn to God with repentance and obedience (Acts 3:19). Indeed, "now [God] commands all people everywhere to repent . For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed [i.e., Jesus Christ]" (Acts 17:30-31, NIV).

When Jesus comes in power and glory, He will rebuke the world for its sins. This is part of the message proclaimed from the beginning of the true Christian Church. On the day of the Church's founding, the apostle Peter exhorted his audience, " Be saved from this perverse generation " (Acts 2:40).

This is the message the Church is still commissioned to proclaim. How were the people to be saved? Peter urged them to repent —to turn from their own sinful, selfish ways and to seek God's ways—and to be baptized (Acts 2:38). At His second coming Christ will reward those who do so.

Focus not on timing but preparation

It is not a question of whether the world—man's corrupt civilization—will end. God's Word says it will . Our chief concern should not be when it will end. Jesus said it would be impossible for men to precisely calculate this ahead of time (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44).

Instead, our main focus should be to seek God to be spiritually prepared for the times that are coming. "But keep on the alert at all times," said Jesus, "praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36, New American Standard Bible ).

The Bible describes believers as living in a state of expectancy, in a state of tension, between two worlds. We live in the present world, which we know will end, while we look for the world to come with the return of Christ. "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matthew 24:44, NIV).

We need to seek God in heartfelt repentance and faith, leading to baptism by God's true ministers so we can receive God's Spirit (Acts 2:37-39). Then we are to remain faithfully obedient while awaiting Jesus' return. For "he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Jesus never said the Christian calling would be easy. On the contrary, He said it would be challenging (Matthew 7:13-14). The reward, though, is great, far beyond anything we can imagine.

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

The Bible's Keys to Mental Health

2012-01-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

Why are mental problems and disabilities on the rise? Could it be that we overlook the Bible 's keys to healthy, positive thinking?

Article by: Noel Hornor

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of the World Health Organization, reported in 2000 that "five of the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide ... are mental conditions" ( Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000, 78).

The five conditions she listed are major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, alcohol abuse and obsessive-compulsive disorders. In addition, significant mental-health disorders plaguing humanity include phobias, generalized anxiety and panic disorder. Any of these maladies can be disabling.

Worldwide, mental-health afflictions are increasing. The total share of disability caused by them increased from 10.5 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 1998 and is expected to increase to 15 percent in 2020—almost a 50 percent increase in only three decades. Depression, currently the fifth-leading cause of disability, is projected to jump to second place by 2020.

While treatment options—including medication and counseling—are available, prevention is the better choice.

Why is prevention preferable rather than treating a problem after it arises? Although treatment often works, it usually is much more costly. The costs often include financial losses, physical-health deterioration and trauma to family members—sometimes resulting in family disintegration.

Many mental illnesses can be prevented, and the Bible provides helpful information to that end. After all, it is a handbook from God on what we should think and how our minds should work. Among other things, the Bible tells us how to relieve stress and the kind of stimuli we should allow into our minds. Here are some crucial biblical keys to mental health.

The power of a positive attitude

We start with the obvious merits of simple positive thinking. In Philippians 4:8 the Bible instructs us in proper thinking: "And now, my friends, all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovable and gracious, whatever is excellent and admirable—fill all your thoughts with these things" (New English Bible , emphasis added throughout).

Those who consistently apply these positive words will practice positive thinking, a habit crucial to mental health. "A positive outlook is known to improve recovery from surgery and the immune system's ability to fight off disease as well as aid in cancer recovery, to reduce the fight-or-flight response and hence stress disease [and can] ... restore our tranquillity and turn our unhappy, anxiety-producing hormones into happy ones" (Archibald Hart, M.D., The Anxiety Cure, 1999, p. 217).

The characteristics of an optimistic mind-set include the ability to focus on the positive when the negative seems overwhelming. The key lies in turning a problem into a challenge and then working to meet it.

We also must avoid filling our minds with the negative and degrading aspects of the world around us. The apostle Paul wrote that some things are so shameful we should not even speak of them (Ephesians 5:12). Yet many of the degrading things to which Paul referred fill our print and electronic media.

If we want good mental health, we should discipline our minds to avoid a degrading mental diet. The principle of "garbage in, garbage out" certainly applies with respect to our minds. The net effect of what occupies our minds—and often comes out of our mouths—will be as pure or as corrupt as whatever we let enter our minds. We jeopardize our mental health when we subject our thinking to mental trash. To remain psychologically stable, we must discipline our minds to avoid thinking in the gutter.

Paul practiced the advice he gave to the Christians at Philippi and exhorted them to follow his example (Philippians 4:9), telling them that if they did so the "God of peace" would be with them. Peace of mind and a clear conscience (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Timothy 1:5) are essential characteristics of sound mental health.

Reining in feelings and emotions

Where do feelings and emotions come from? When God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27), He included the human personality, which can express godly feelings.

The primary characteristic that summarizes God's very being is love (1 John 4:8, 16). But Paul describes a greater range of godly characteristics and emotions as aspects of the fruit of His Spirit. They include "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, New International Version). The Bible exhorts us to be full of this Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

If these traits are dominant in our personality, we are less likely to suffer from mental aberrations. Such a mind will be self-controlled; it will be stable and able to endure the difficulties of life. It will be optimistic, and optimism is a vital part of a healthy mind. "Optimistic people are more able to roll with life's punches and slough off stress—and they live longer" (Bradley Wilcox, M.D., Craig Wilcox, Ph.D., and Makoto Suzuki, M.D., The Okinawa Program, 2001, p. 273).

Conversely, "a person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls" (Proverbs 25:28, New Living Translation). This person will be vulnerable and driven frequently by negative emotions. His outcome is described in Galatians 5:19-21. His accompanying problems can include adultery, sexual immorality, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, envy and drunkenness. Living this way exacts an automatic penalty that makes one a candidate for instability, unhappiness and mental problems.

We choose our emotions, and we live with the consequences. The types of emotions that prevail in our minds are a major determining factor in whether we succeed at life itself. "Emotions are a mixed blessing. They are responsible for many of man's finest and greatest achievements. They are also responsible for some of the greatest tragedies in our world" (Norman Wright, The Christian Use of Emotional Power, 1974, p. 13). If we choose healthy emotions, we can be happy and achieve success in life.

Take time out

We live in such a fast-paced world that it is essential to schedule breaks from our routine. "Taking time to rest is not an option in today's world; it is a necessity. Yet more people struggle here than in almost any other area of their lives. It is perilous not to take time to rest" (Hart, p. 118).

Even Jesus and His apostles felt this need. Notice one such occasion in Mark 6:31: "Then Jesus said, 'Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest.' There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat" (NLT).

For mental rejuvenation and avoiding stress overload, we need daily rest. Especially as we get older, an afternoon nap can rejuvenate us. We also need regular vacations if our financial circumstances and work situations permit. Even if one does nothing but stay at home on holidays, breaks from our routines can be beneficial.

In addition, God tells us we need to schedule one day in the week for rest. After completing His work of creation, God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). The Hebrew word for "rested" is shabath, the verb form of the noun translated as "Sabbath" in Exodus 20:10-11, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel and commanded the Israelites to keep His Sabbath holy by resting on the seventh day of every week.

Too much change

Some mental-health practitioners recognize the value of this weekly practice. "One of the most powerful arguments in favor of pushing for a greater emphasis on rest comes from the Bible ... God rested on the seventh day ... From the outset, the Bible presents us with the idea that rest is important, and furthermore, that a specific time has to be set aside for rest ...

"I happen to believe (and a lot of scientific evidence is accumulating to support this belief) that we were designed for camel travel, not supersonic jet behavior ... Today, however, we are exceeding these limits, not just barely, but by a huge margin. The penalty is an epidemic of stress disease and anxiety disorders, especially panic anxiety" (Hart, pp. 118-119).

About 40 years ago a French doctor who taught at Harvard observed: "If psychiatric illnesses are truly increasing in the Western world, the reason is not to be found in the complex and competitive character of our society but rather in the accelerated rate at which old habits and conventions disappear. Even the marginal man can generally achieve some form of equilibrium with his environment if the social order is stable, but he is likely to break down when the extent and rate of change exceed his adaptive potentialities. For this reason mental diseases are likely to become more apparent in areas undergoing rapid cultural transitions" (Rene Dubos, Mirage of Health, 1959, pp. 208-209).

The Sabbath provides a time to take a break from the world of stress and tension. "... We live in a culture that is constantly feeding us stress-producing messages ... With today's round-the-clock access to news we now can receive a twenty-four-hour-a-day parade of mostly negative information ... The news, in fact, has become so stressful that some health experts ... recommend periodic 'news fasts' to improve psychological health" (Wilcox, Wilcox and Suzuki, pp. 237-238).

(To learn more about the biblical Sabbath, please read our free booklet Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest.)

Confront your fears

Everyone is afraid of something. Some fears are healthy, but some are not. When a fear becomes persistent and irrational, it is a phobia. "Specific phobias strike more than one in ten people" (Hart, p. 180). Some major fears are agoraphobia, fear of being in public places, and claustrophobia, fear of confinement or crowded places.

When one has a phobia, he will often anticipate encountering the circumstance that is apt to trigger it, which can set up persistent anxiety. God does not want us to be controlled by such fears. The Bible says, "Do not be afraid of sudden terror ..." (Proverbs 3:25).

How can we overcome phobias? "They must be confronted, but not in a way that reinforces them. It is possible to overcome almost every phobia. It just takes time and effort. Real-life exposure to whatever situation you might fear is the most effective way to overcome that fear" (Hart, p. 179).

It is often beneficial to seek professional counsel when confronting a phobia that seriously impacts your life, but developing a relationship with God is even more important. In doing so, you can grow in His love, and "love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).

Confront anxiety with confidence

Although most people are not phobic, almost everyone has to struggle against worry, which is a form of fear. Our age is the era of anxiety. Everyone experiences some anxiety, and it can be a useful emotion when it triggers us to act to avoid danger. But, if it impacts our life seriously, we must take action to overcome it. "Every anxiety sufferer must learn new ways of thinking and develop methods for changing their former thinking patterns" (Hart, p. 111).

The Bible verifies that this kind of thinking is essential, telling us to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Ephesians 4:23).

How do we do this? One anxiety-reducing technique is to cleanse your mind at day's end. Evening is "a good time to do a 'mental wash' when you review anxieties that are cluttering your thinking and dump those that are not important" (Hart, p. 204).

The Bible confirms that this is sound advice in a passage that tells us what to do at day's end. "Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still" (Psalm 4:4).

Sometimes anxieties relate to meeting our basic needs. Jesus said, "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?'" Jesus also recommended a cure for these worries: "... Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:31, 33, New American Standard Bible ). The point is that, when our priorities conform to God's will, we can live in confidence that He will help us meet our other needs.

A relationship with God is fundamental to overcoming our fears. The Bible exhorts: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5), and, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (4:13). The only way we can develop the mind of Christ is to first repent of ignoring God's biblical instructions, then be baptized and receive God's Spirit (Acts 2:38). In doing so we can cleanse our minds and develop new mental habits. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

The healing power of humor

As simple as it sounds, the ability to laugh is an aid to mental health. Joy is akin to laughter, and it, too, is part of the fruit of God's Spirit (Galatians 5:22). "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance" (Proverbs 15:13), and "a merry heart does good, like medicine" (17:22).

Humor triggers literal physiological and mental changes in your body. Laughter "touches us at a deep emotional and physical level ... By its very nature it changes our perception and invites us to look at things in a different light. It shows us that life can be silly, even crazy at times, but it still can be enjoyable" (Wilcox, Wilcox and Suzuki, pp. 272-273). One doctor notes that "humor, smiles, and laughter are the very best stress-busters" (Herbert Benson, M.D., Timeless Healing, 1996, p. 277).

A relationship with God provides the deepest and most-abiding joy. "The Bible has much to say about the joy, the sheer happiness, of the redeemed ..." ( The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1982, "Humor in the Bible "). In one study of more than 500 men, "significant associations emerged between the participants' religious involvement and their health ... such as less depression" (Kenneth Cooper, M.D., It's Better to Believe, p. 5).

Physical activity such as gardening, walking and other regular exercise can also benefit your mental health.

Avoid dangerous addictions

People suffering from mental problems—including undue stress—often rely on ingestible substances to help them get through the day. But this kind of crutch can easily lead to a collapse and fall. "Many people who suffer from emotional disorders or mental illness turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate, as a way of tolerating feelings that are intolerable. Yet, ironically, this method of self-treating seldom works in the long run and frequently makes matters worse" ( Johns Hopkins Family Health Book, 1999, p. 1225).

Besides addictions to mood-altering substances, sometimes people become addicted to things that are normally proper and healthy. Some, for example, develop addictions to food, sex or work. Though not a problem in moderation and within God's laws, losing control in any of these areas will often lead to greater problems.

The Bible addresses the need for balance and control. "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Corinthians 6:12). We should have but one addiction—and that is a devotion to love God and our fellow man. The supreme power that should rule over us is God through the Holy Spirit.

A social support system

"... Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up," says Ecclesiastes 4:10. The 17th-century poet John Donne had a related thought: "No man is an island." Good mental health requires contact with other people. One of the first revelations of the Bible is that God designed us to need other people: "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

The need for emotionally supporting family and friends is scientifically established. "What happens if we have no close relationships? The message that emerges loud and clear from scientific evidence accumulated since the mid 1970's is that having a reasonable quantity and quality of social relationships is essential for mental and physical wellbeing" (Paul Martin, M.D., The Healing Mind, 1997, p. 157).

Human interaction spawns growth and is essential mentally and physically. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (NIV).

Perhaps the chief benefit of uplifting social contact is that it provides us the opportunity to learn how to love and serve. This is vital to mental health. "I have never met a person who is genuinely focused on helping others who is unhappy or dissatisfied with life ... I can assure you that they are happy because they are directing their attention away from themselves" (Hart, p. 223).

Jesus recognized this and demonstrated that love and service are keys to happiness and mental health. He performed the menial task of washing His disciples' feet to demonstrate that His disciples were to serve one another as He had served them. After washing their feet Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them" (John 13:17, Twentieth Century New Testament ). Later in the same chapter He told them, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (verse 34).

Jesus earlier said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). One of the two great commandments in the Bible (verses 37-40), this is a message that is consistent throughout Scripture : We should all be friends. The book of Proverbs extols the benefits of friendliness and neighborliness. "The neighbourly qualities which Proverbs urges on the reader add up to nothing less than love" (Derek Kidner, Proverbs, an Introduction and Commentary, 1964, p. 44).

Obedience to the commands of the Bible and nurturing a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ form the foundation to completeness and mental well-being. "This is the end of the matter: you have heard it all. Fear God and obey his commandments; this sums up the duty of mankind" (Ecclesiastes 12:13, Revised English Bible ).

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

Will the World End in 2012?

2012-01-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Much has been said about the world ending in the year 2012 - a fact supposedly revealed in the ancient Mayan calendar. Is there any basis or truth to this or in others who predict the end of the world next year? What does the Bible say about the end of the world? Does it tell us whether the world could or will end in the year 2012

Article by: Noel Hornor

Many people would give almost anything to know what the future holds. This has been true as long as human beings have walked the earth.

The apostles of Jesus Christ were no exception. He spoke often to them about His return when He will dwell again on the earth—in the future Kingdom of God, reigning over everything.

Shortly before He died, Jesus was with His 12 disciples in Jerusalem in the area of the splendid Temple Mount. Jesus told them that the temple, in which the Jews of that day took exceptional pride, would one day be razed to the ground (Matthew 24:1-2).

The disciples were likely shocked and surprised at that statement by their Master, and it prompted them to ask the question about which Christians from the first century to this day have earnestly desired to know: "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? " (Matthew 24:3, emphasis added throughout).

This conversation occurred nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus would not return in the lifetime of those to whom He spoke, although it seems they expected Him to for many years. They all died, still waiting for the return of the King of Kings ( Revelation 19:16).

While they were alive, they repeatedly preached the promise of His coming and earnestly longed for His return. One of the 12, Peter, recorded a warning for those of his day that has echoed through time and still speaks today to all who read it. He wrote that some skeptics—"scoffers," he called them—would say, "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Peter 3:4). And he responded in advance, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise" (verse 9).

When Jesus returns, it will be the end of "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4), the end of the world in which human beings rule.

Human-generated prophecies of the coming apocalypse

When Jesus' disciples asked Him when the end would come, He told them of signs and events that would occur during the intervening period. Yet He also told them, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).

Jesus' statement has not dissuaded men from making brazen prophecies. People of every stripe and type have been stricken with prediction addiction. Raymond Hundley's 2010 book Will the World End in 2012? noted one website that "cited 149 different predictions of the apocalypse between AD 44 and 2008" (p. ix).

The predictions of the end of the world did not cease in 2008. If anything, the avalanche has gained momentum. Many of the prophecies even center on a specific day— Dec. 21, 2012 .

This has been called the most intriguing date in history. The orientation of those who pinpoint this date is widely varied—some are religious and some are secular. The events they say will trigger the ultimate cataclysm comprise descriptions of a human-contrived cauldron of horror.

But will they come to pass? It's vital for your spiritual safety and peace of mind that you are well-grounded in the truth of the Bible . There are many deceivers in the world; indeed Scripture tells us that Satan "deceives the whole world" ( Revelation 12:9). For this reason, Jesus warns His disciples, "Don't let anyone mislead you" (Matthew 24:4, New Living Translation).

Many people are putting forth their own interpretations regarding the future, but the Bible must be our sole guide. It brims with prophecy about the end of the world. We must also be careful about the spin that people put on biblical prophecies about the end.

While we can have a better idea of the general time frame of Christ's return as time goes on and we see prophecy being fulfilled around us, the pages of history are strewn with erroneous dates on which some predicted or expected the end to come.

As Mark Hitchcock notes in his book 2012: The Bible and the End of the World : "The oldest surviving prediction of the world's imminent demise was found inscribed upon an Assyrian clay tablet which stated, 'Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are common'" (2009, p. 102).

We will be wise if we stick to what the Bible says rather than pay heed to self-proclaimed prophets. What do some gloom-and-doom prophets do? "The Bible is consulted and considered reliable when they believe it supports their 2012 theory, but when it contradicts and challenges their beliefs it is rejected and in some cases even ridiculed" (p. 92).

The anticipated day: Dec. 21, 2012

Why has Dec. 21, 2012, been selected by many as the day of catastrophe? It is due in large part to calculations on the calendars of the ancient Mayans.

The Mayan people were centered in Central America, the apex of their civilization lasting from around A.D. 250 to 900. The Mayan priests devised a calendrical system connected to astronomical observation that some believe to be more accurate than the calendar we use today. This despite the fact that they had no telescopes, using only the naked eye to study the sky.

What was their calendar like?

"Based on their studies in astronomy, the Maya created a calendar system that plotted the history of time starting with the beginning of the current world on August 11, 3114 BC. Using a lunar calendar system, the Maya measured time in units of twenty. Twenty kin (days) made a winal (month); 18 winals made a tun (year); 20 tuns made a katun (20 years); and 20 katuns made a baktun (400 years).

"To designate a specific date, they recorded it in terms of how far away from the start of creation it was . . . The significance of the Mayan calendar is that it appears to predict 13 baktuns as the end time of the present world age. After dating every year from the beginning of time, the calendar abruptly ends at the close of the thirteenth baktun.

"Translating the Mayan calendar date into the Gregorian calendar system used today produces a date of December 21, 2012, as the end-date for the present age" (Hundley, pp. 7-8). This date coincides with the time of the winter solstice.

"The Mayan obsession with time can be seen in the fact that they developed 20 different calendars . . . the Maya relied upon three main time-tracking calendars—three calendars that are most relevant to the 2012 date . . . The third Mayan measure of time is known as the Long Count calendar. It was used to document the 'world age cycles' that repeat over and over.

"This calendar was divided into five units that extend forward and backward from the mythical creation of the Maya, which they believed was August 11, 3114 B.C. . . . The year 2012 is the year that the fifth great cycle is supposed to end. This is the genesis of the belief that the end of days is 2012" (Hitchcock, p. 32-33).

Beliefs not of godly origin

Where did the Mayan people receive the religious and cosmological conceptions related to their calendar? They certainly didn't come from the God of the Bible . In fact, the Mayans practiced abominable religious rites that are strongly condemned in the Bible , such as human sacrifice .

"The Maya practiced human sacrifice as part of their religion, often using children for the ritual in which the Mayan priest cut open the still-alive child's chest and pulled out the heart as a sacrifice to the gods. In fact, to celebrate the beginning of a new year, the Maya 'ripped out the heart of a sacrificial victim . . . and started a flame with a fire drill in his open chest cavity'" (Hundley, p. 5).

As Mark Hitchcock notes, "Much of the barbaric, bloodthirsty 'worship' of the Mayans, including human sacrifices, can be accounted for if we recognize that it was demonically motivated by the real power behind their gods of stone" (p. 41).

The gods of pagan worship are not real, but the devil and his demons are behind much of false religion—sometimes posing as these false gods. The apostle Paul wrote that "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons" (1 Corinthians 10:20; compare Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:35-38).

What do modern Mayans believe?

While many Westerners seize on Dec. 21, 2012, as a date of unparalleled disaster, modern Mayans generally do not see it that way. Don Alejandro, one present-day Mayan leader, has given his opinion on what the time will mean. He presents in poetic terms a time of positive change:

"According to the Maya Long Count Calendar, we are finalizing the 13 Baktun and . . . thus approaching the Year Zero . . . The world is transformed and we enter a period of understanding and harmonious coexistence where there is social justice and equality for all.

"It is a new way of life. With a new social order there comes a time of freedom where we can move like the clouds, without limitations, without borders. We will travel like the birds, without the need for passports. We will travel like the rivers, all heading towards the same point . . . the same objective" (quoted by John Major Jenkins, The 2012 Story , 2009, p. 369).

Another leader, Benito Ramirez Mendota, offered this perspective: "As the elders said, everything is going to change. The world will be changed by that memorable date. Our children will have a different world view. The time will have passed and other beings will inhabit the universe" (p. 371).

World peace and harmony will not come in 2012, but it will come eventually—as we shall see. Both of these "prophecies" contain some elements of truth. But it's worth noting that these Mayans do not share the catastrophic views many people have of next year.

Why accept Mayan prophecy anyway?

Hundley points out regarding the Mayan legend: "It does seem that if December 21, 2012 was an earth shattering prediction for the Maya of the end of the world, it would have been preserved as an important part of the cultural and religious heritage of that civilization, even today. But apparently, such is not the case. Many modern Maya do not affirm that interpretation of their calendar and belief system but complain that Westerners have forced this interpretation on them from their own perspectives and for their own purposes.

"Having said that, even if it could be proven that the Maya predicted the end of the world in 2012, what would qualify them as prophets? Although the Maya were gifted astronomers, that ability does not necessarily mean they were gifted prophets.

"According to the same logic, do we expect present-day astronomers, who have made incredible discoveries through the use of advanced telescopes and space-traveling satellites, to be qualified to provide us with trustworthy, detailed predictions of the future of our planet? Of course not! The idea that those who make remarkable astronomical observations are therefore qualified to be seers, predictors and prophets of future events is unfounded" (p. 17).

We see, then, that the idea that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 simply lacks credibility. It means nothing, and it's only because our world is in such sad shape that some pay attention to such things.

Other predictions of doom

Pretentious prognosticators prattle about other fearful tales of destruction they say will occur in 2012. They have assembled a catch-all container chock-full of imagined tragedies lurking around the corner!

"Worldwide droughts, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions caused by solar storms, cracks forming in the earth's magnetic field, and mass extinctions brought on by nuclear winter, famine, human disease, wars, economic cataclysm, massive solar flares, polar reversals . . . These have all been predicted to occur in the year 2012" (John Claeys, Apocalypse 2012 , 2010, p. 1).

Yes, some of these things are occurring now in various parts of the earth. And the Bible prophesies that some catastrophes will become global in scope before the very end of the age! But the year 2012 is not the time for the worst of the horrors to come.

And yes, some of these threats are very real. One scenario that seems likely to happen eventually is the eruption of a supervolcano. The Geological Society of London has stated that the eruption of a supervolcano "sooner or later" will chill the planet and threaten human civilization.

The gigantic caldera underlying Yellowstone National Park is a distinct possibility. "The magnitude 5 eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 blew out the side of the mountain, destroyed forests for miles around, caused $3 billion worth of damage, and killed fifty-seven people. The U.S. Geological Survey described it as the 'worst volcanic disaster in the recorded history of the United States.' A super eruption at Yellowstone would be a thousand times more powerful " (Greg Breining, Super Volcano , 2007, p. 229).

"But Yellowstone is not the only magma caldera, even in the United States. There is at least one more at Long Valley in California, near Yosemite National Park and the popular ski resort of Mammoth Lakes. Other possible sites are Japan, New Zealand, the Andes, and Indonesia. Yellowstone is the most frequently studied of these caldera . . . It has been noted that the area is continually undergoing seismic activity, and it certainly will erupt again at some point" (Sharan Newman, The Real History of the End of the World , 2010, p. 288).

The scope of such a disaster defies the imagination. Will this happen in 2012? We don't know. But there's nothing that points to 2012 as the time for it to happen. It could just as well happen this year or in 2013—or years after that. Or it may never happen, at least on the anticipated scale, if Christ takes care of the problem when He returns.

Yet Scripture does indicate there will be volcanic eruptions accompanying the return of Christ: "The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth" (Psalm 97:5). "Bow down your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke" (Psalm 144:5).

What about "Planet X"?

The most cataclysmic of prophesied end-time "natural" disasters is the scenario of a collision or near-miss of another planet with the earth. The mysterious orb that supposedly threatens us has been called "Planet X" or "Planet Nibiru," and some expect it to arrive on Dec. 12, 2012.

But what is the evidence that this will occur? There is no scientific evidence that supports this idea . The idea came "not by radio signals from the cosmos, but [instead has supposedly been] channeled through medium and Zeto envoy Nancy Lieder, who was in contact with . . . altruistic aliens" (Govert Schilling, The Hunt for Planet X , 2009, p. 115).

Who are the Zeto and Nancy Lieder? Here is the story: "Nancy was only nine years old when it happened. What looked like a bright light came from the sky and crashed into the field next to her home. Her parents were out shopping, so Nancy was left alone to investigate the strange event. As she crept near the site of the crash, she was terrified to see what appeared to be a spaceship hovering above the ground. When a door in the ship opened, Nancy fainted.

"When she came to, she was inside the ship, and there were strange beings hovering around her. As she tried to speak, one of the Zetas told her to lie still. A large mechanical arm with a small device at the end of it began to move closer and closer to her head. As the device touched her scalp, she lapsed into unconsciousness again.

"When she awoke, she was inside her home. One of the extraterrestrials was placing her gently into her bed. And then he spoke: 'Nancy, do not be afraid. You have been chosen from all the people on your planet to be our voice on Earth. We are very concerned about what is happening on your planet. The device we placed in your head will enable us to communicate messages to you for all earthlings'" (Hundley, p. 63). This is either a made-up story or an encounter with demons.

Govert Schilling is an internationally acclaimed astronomical writer. He and prominent scientists have debunked the Planet X/Nibiru scheme. Schilling presented this compelling comment about Planet X: "So that means there is plenty to do for the debunkers—the archaeologists and astronomers who take a long and skeptical look at the tidal wave of Nibiru nonsense and explain with scientific precision what is wrong with the cosmic fairy-tale. They will have their work cut out in the next few years.

"And on December 22, 2012 there will be a new pseudoscientific cock-and-bull story doing the rounds and the whole circus will start all over again. Because no matter how many new celestial bodies are found in our solar system, there will always be a need for a mysterious Planet X" (Schilling, p. 117).

What should we expect?

Yes, Dec. 21, 2012, will come and go, Dec. 22 will arrive, and the earth will go on. And so will new theories regarding new exact dates for the end of the world. The cry has been shouted by strident voices for millennia, and you can be sure it will continue.

Sadly, many will take this non-event and other failed predictions as an excuse to dismiss what the Bible foretells is yet ahead. We will no doubt see an even greater increase in scoffers concerning Christ's return, as Peter mentioned. But rest assured: The Bible 's actual prophecies are not false predictions like the 2012 hype . What God has revealed in His Word certainly will come to pass. We just don't know exactly when . So what should we do?

Jesus Christ is quite plain: "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (verse 44).

His point? We need to be ready at all times for the end of the age. Jesus will return—six times in the book of Revelation He states that He is " coming quickly ."

The life of any of us could end today or tomorrow. "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). At whatever time we die, Jesus' return will occur for us in our next second of consciousness. If we have lived a life of serving God, we will then be given eternal life and rewarded according to our works (Matthew 16:27).

This is the good news of the Bible ! It is priceless truth that can add immeasurable meaning to your life.

For too many, life is vacant and lacking in transcendent purpose. Barton Payne in the Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy sums it up well when he writes: "We live in an uncertain world. Men of today are casting about eagerly, and almost pathetically, in search of meaningfulness. For while we have amassed knowledge, we seem to have missed truth. Indeed, apart from God and from His revealed words that constitute the Bible , mankind and life and time do seem to be essentially purposeless.

"Yet the Lord of grace, who once sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem the world (John 3:16), will some day send Him again to lead this world into its intended goal of glorifying God (Romans 11:36). This is the hope which pervades the whole of Scripture " (1973, p. v).

Jesus Christ's second coming is the most certain prophecy in the Bible that is yet to be fulfilled. More than 500 verses in the Bible comment specifically on various facts and aspects of this monumental, earthshaking event.

While we do not know exactly when Jesus will return, signs around us indicate we are in the end time. Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 7:31 looms larger each day: "For this world as we know it will soon pass away" (New Living Translation). As we look around us, many of the foundational pillars that provide order to society are in jeopardy. "And the world is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17).

People have longed for a better world and a better life since the beginning of human history. And it is coming! The time rapidly approaches when God will shake all nations and "the Desire of All Nations" will come (Haggai 2:7).

You must seek the knowledge of God and not allow it to slip from your grasp! You can know what the future holds. More than one quarter of the Bible is prophecy, and most of it is yet to be fulfilled.

The Bible tells us that the millennial reign of Jesus Christ is coming ( Revelation 20:4)—not in the year 2012, but perhaps not much beyond that! All who repent and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and then live a life of obedience to God's commandments will reign with Him during that time in a world of peace. The invitation is extended to you. Now is the time to act!

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

The Resurrection of the Dead: What Does the Bible Really Teach?

2012-01-28T07:56:00.001-05:00

Many people have at least a vague notion that the Bible teaches about a resurrection. But what is the resurrection all about? And how does it fit into God's overall plan for salvation?

Article by: John Ross Schroeder

While defending his teaching as a prisoner bound for Rome, the apostle Paul asked King Herod Agrippa II, "Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?" (Acts 26:8).

We could well ask the same question of the intelligentsia in our modern, secular age. Disbelief in the Bible is rife among our intellectual and media establishment. Few either know or understand what God's plan is for humanity and how the resurrection fits into His overall purpose.

When talking to Agrippa, it's clear from the context that Paul had the resurrection of Jesus Christ foremost in mind. Especially during the Church's early period, preaching Christ's resurrection was a crucial part of the apostles' message. One of the reasons another apostle had to be chosen to replace Judas Iscariot was that "one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection" (Acts 1:22, emphasis added throughout). Notice that "with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 4:33).

Having personally seen and talked with the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8; Acts 22:6-10), Paul carried on, enthusiastically confirming the fact of Jesus' resurrection. He further told Agrippa, "To this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great . . . that the Christ [the Messiah ] would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead" (Acts 26:22-23).

Note that the unmistakable implication from this passage is that others would follow.

The resurrection of God's firstfruits

God uses the analogy of Israel's agricultural harvests to illustrate important aspects of His plan of salvation—the "harvesting" of mankind, in a sense, in which the resurrection of the dead plays a major role. Aspects of this plan are pictured by specific annual festivals and Holy Days, which in turn represent harvest times in ancient Israel . (To understand more fully the links between the harvests, Holy Days and the plan of God, download or request our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.)

"Firstfruits" is a term used to denote the first part of the harvest. This part was considered holy. As God's people, truly converted Christians are considered firstfruits of God's spiritual harvest (James 1:18).

Jesus is the first of the firstfruits—the most holy part. "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]" (1 Corinthians 15:20). The apostle Paul explained that Jesus is "the firstborn over all creation," "the firstborn from the dead" and "the firstborn among many brethren" (Colossians 1:15, 18; Romans 8:29). Clearly others would follow in due time.

The Bible is speaking here of a resurrection to everlasting life as a spirit being— not simply a temporary restoration to life in a physical body. In several places in the Bible individuals were restored to physical life prior to the resurrection of Jesus. But they all died again.

Paul, however, makes the important distinction between these and the resurrection of God's firstfruits: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly [physical, material] body that it may be conformed to His glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21; compare 2 Corinthians 5:1-5).

An entire chapter of the Bible , 1 Corinthians 15, discusses the resurrection. It begins by affirming Jesus' own raising to life, followed by a description of the restoration to similar life of His disciples and true followers—God's firstfruits.

Paul describes the nature of this resurrection of the firstfruits: "It is sown a natural [physical] body, it is raised a spiritual body . . . as we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man [Jesus Christ]. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God " (1 Corinthians 15:44, 49-50).

Even true Christians cannot enter the Kingdom until the return of Jesus Christ to earth, pictured in God's plan by the Feast of Trumpets—one of His annual Holy Days. On the fulfillment of this day, when the last trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and God will harvest His firstfruits in the fullest sense.

Notice 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:16). At that epochal time, Christ's disciples and true followers will experience what the Bible calls the " better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35).

More than one resurrection

Christ plainly stated: "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will" (John 5:21). Both the Father and the Son have the authority and the power to raise the dead. Then Jesus goes on to say: "I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live . . . for the hour is coming in which all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come forth" (verses 25, 29-30).

While several passages in the Bible make it clear that there will be a future resurrection of both just and unjust human beings (John 5:29; Daniel 12:2; Acts 24:15), the long time differential between these two distinct groups is not clarified by the apostle John until Revelation 20: "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them . . . And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" (verse 4).

Notice that the first sentence of the next verse is parenthetical, informing us of a much later second resurrection: "But the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished" (verse 5).

Then the last sentence of verse 5 refers back to and naturally joins with the previous description of the resurrection of the righteous saints in verse 4: "This is the first resurrection." This first resurrection is composed of those who will join Christ in His millennial (i.e., 1,000-year) rule.

Verse 6 continues to define the conditions of the first resurrection: "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."

Revelation 5:9-10 anticipates true Christians' part in assisting Jesus Christ in His millennial rule over the earth: "You [Christ] were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth" (New International Version).

The second resurrection

Doctrinally speaking, Revelation 20 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible . For one thing it is the only chapter that shows the time difference between these resurrections and who will be in which. Both resurrections play crucial roles in God's overall plan and purpose for humanity.

Verses 11 and 12 reveal a significant part of the story: "Then I [the apostle John] saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it . . . And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened . And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books."

What are these books by which these people are judged? Clearly they are the books (plural) of the Bible . God judges all people by the same biblical standard He has always used. This will not change.

In properly understanding this vital passage, we should remember the important principle that the Bible interprets the Bible . Other passages penned by the apostles John and Paul are highly significant in properly comprehending these two verses.

Notice what some theologians call the golden text of Scripture , John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

Christ later said: "'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself . 'This He said, signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:32-33).

Later the apostle Paul summed up God's intentions for humanity: "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth . For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

Many of the people standing before God in this second resurrection will have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ, much less believed in Him. Do we think God is going to consign them in their ignorance to some sort of never-ending punishment in an ever-burning hellfire?

Is salvation only for God's firstfruits in the first resurrection, or doesn't that very term firstfruits imply salvation for others who will follow after?

Will God not give all who have ever lived a full opportunity for salvation? For those who come up in the second resurrection, this is not a second chance, but their real first chance. For billions of people, this will be their first opportunity to ever learn of God's truth and plan, to ever hear of Jesus Christ, the only name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).

The valley of dry bones

The second resurrection to temporary physical life is pictured by Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-9). This Hebrew prophet saw in vision that "breath came into them, and they lived , and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army" (verse 10). They are shown standing just like the resurrected peoples of Revelation 20:11-12.

Then in Ezekiel 37:11 God identifies these dry bones as "the whole house of Israel." It is at this future time that "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26). By no stretch of the imagination is all Israel being saved during this age of man—only a relatively small group the Bible calls "the firstfruits" are being saved now (Romans 8:23; James 1:18; compare Luke 12:32).

But when this extensive resurrection occurs 1,000 years after the first resurrection, "Then you [ Israel ] shall know that I am the Lord , when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves" (Ezekiel 37:13). They never really knew God during their previous lifetimes. Now they will have that opportunity for the first time.

What will God then do? "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live" (verse 14). Many, if not most, will truly repent, be baptized, receive God's Spirit and be converted—following the pattern revealed by the apostle Peter (see Acts 2:37-39; 3:19-21).

When we put together all the scriptures on this subject and understand them properly, we see that this future period is one of judgment, in this case meaning evaluation over time and not an instant sentencing of sinners to an ever-burning hellfire. The apostle Paul wrote, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). A similar judgment is now taking place in the lives of all truly converted Christians—"the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). For others this judgment comes after this second resurrection back to physical life.

Jesus and the judgment

Jesus Christ Himself shows that the peoples of Israel will not be the only ones to rise in the second resurrection to be judged at that time. Jesus makes this point very clear, though few have understood it, not recognizing how God will make salvation available to all in His great plan:

"Then He [Jesus] began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

"'And you Capernaum, . . . if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you" (Matthew 11:20-24).

The peoples of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom were not Hebrews or Israelites. Yet they will also be part of the great resurrection to physical life mentioned in Revelation 20:11-12.

And they won't be the only ones. Christ plainly stated: "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South [Sheba] will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:41-42).

Here Jesus plainly describes the people of Jonah's day and of Solomon's time, who had lived more than 700 and 900 years earlier, being resurrected alongside those who lived in Christ's day! Together all these "will rise in the judgment," He said.

It should be clear that a number of biblical passages support and round out the enormous significance of this period of judgment pictured in Revelation 20:11-12. During this time God will shower His abundant mercy on all those who have lived in the past without either really knowing Him or truly understanding His way of life. They will have the marvellous opportunity to obtain salvation and be a part of God's eternal family.

Our Creator is a God of great mercy. Indeed He is so merciful that after immense patience in hopes of genuine repentance (2 Peter 3:9), He simply will not allow the incurably wicked, those who stubbornly persist in thinking and doing evil to be a part of His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9
; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8).

Their penalty, however, is not a cruel eternal existence in an ever-burning hellfire, but the second death in a lake of fire. (For the true meaning of hell in Scripture , request or download our free booklet Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach? )

God's magnificent purpose for humanity

The awesome result of our Creator's activities on this earth lies "in bringing many sons [and daughters] to glory" (Hebrews 2:10). As the apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23
, God accomplishes His plan in stages: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order."

God is enlarging His family in His own way and according to His own timetable. Many assume that today is the only day of salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth. The first resurrection represents the firstfruits of God's salvation. But a much larger group, representing the greater part of all who have ever lived, will be privileged to be offered salvation some 1,000 years later. They constitute the great later harvest of men and women who will then receive the opportunity for everlasting life in the Kingdom of God!

Reprinted with permission. Published by the United Church of God, an International Association. ©2012 www.ucg.org

Waiting in the Desert

2012-01-28T07:36:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: Isaiah 30:18, Psalm 38:15, Psalm 25:5, Psalm 130:5, Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalm 63:1-8

King David was having a wilderness experience, and it wasn't a good one. In the first place, this wilderness was not a land filled with beautiful fir trees, snow-capped peaks and clear, rushing streams. It was a barren, waterless, sun-scorched, desert wasteland. Secondly, David wasn't there to relax on a camping trip with the family. He was fleeing for his life from his rebellious son, Absalom. David had sought God in the matter and longed to be back at home in the sanctuary of God.

But it was not the moment when God was answering his prayers. David had to pray and wait and wait some more upon God.

Maybe you've been in a spiritual desert. You've prayed. God has been silent. What can you do while you wait on God for an answer? Let's look at David's plight and hopefully learn some biblical lessons about dry times in your spiritual life.

Receive

Read Psalm 63:1-8 (ESV) below and answer the questions that follow.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

How does David describe both his spiritual and physical state (verse 1)?
What three attributes of God gave David unswerving confidence in Him (verses 2-3)?
In spite of David's bleak circumstances, what were the many ways in which he responded to the Lord (verses 4-7)?
How does David express his ongoing faith in God (verse 8)?

Reflect

Why does God sometimes leave you in the "desert" to wait for His answer? How should you respond in a way that honors Him and strengthens you? Look at some promises as you reflect on the following verses:

    Psalm 25:5. What does the psalmist ask God to do while he waits?
    Psalm 38:15. What confidence does the psalmist have while he waits?
    Psalm 130:5. What gives the psalmist confidence that waiting is not hopeless?
    Isaiah 30:18. Why does the Lord sometimes wait? What is granted to the one who waits on God?

Respond

Your desert of dryness is a good place for silently meditating on God.
Your desert of waiting is a good time for actively serving God and others.
Your desert of weakness is a good place for strengthening your faith.

Work in the next few days on memorizing what is likely the greatest passage on "waiting" in the whole Bible:

Isaiah 40:29-31 (ESV)

"He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the L ord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."

When You're Down, Look Up

2012-01-28T07:29:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: Psalm 42:5-6, Psalm 143:1-2, Hebrews 10:23, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 20:5, Deuteronomy 7:9, Lamentations 3:20-24, Psalm 91:1-6, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:2-3

When you're feeling down and discouraged, where is your focus? When I feel that way, I'm usually focused on me--my problems, my worries, my pain--and I really can't see anything else--including God. But as long as we stay self-focused, we can't receive any help. Help comes only when we set our eyes, our hearts and our hope on something better.

Receive

In Psalm 42, the psalmist speaks to his troubled heart:

"Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?"
Then he offers a solution:
"Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God" (42:5-6, ESV).

Why does he "hope" in God? Because he has the sure and certain confidence that God is faithful.

When we're down and discouraged, we need to get our focus back on God where it belongs. That's the perfect time to look to Him for our hope and to trust Him to deliver and take care of us. The rest of Psalm 42:6 says,

"My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you" (ESV).

It's time to remember God who is faithful, good, compassionate, powerful--all the things you need when you're down.

There's a second step included. The first is to look to God and remember who He is and what He can do, but Psalm 42:5 also encourages praise. You see Him as your hope; then you praise Him for that. You remember His faithfulness; then praise Him for that too.

Psalm 20:5 tells us to celebrate:

"May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!" (ESV).

Raise the flags; hang up the banners or set off fireworks; show everybody that you belong to the God who is your salvation. That's what setting up banners is all about. It's how you tell others about God's faithfulness and draw them in to celebrate with you.

Reflect

Of course, before you can celebrate it, it helps to be familiar with God's faithfulness and the hope He offers. Jot down what you learn about God's faithfulness from these verses:

Deuteronomy 7:9

Psalm 86:15

Lamentations 3:22-23

Hebrews 10:23

The fact of God's faithfulness is awesome, but you can also find a reason to celebrate when you see examples of when or how He is faithful. How do you see that in these verses?

Psalm 91:1-6

Psalm 143:1-2

1 Corinthians 10:13

2 Thessalonians 3:2-3

1 John 1:9

Lamentations 3:20-24 is an excellent way to adjust your focus. Put it in your own words or memorize it for future need.

Respond

What are some examples of God's faithfulness you've seen in your life? When you've found your hope in Him? Put those in writing as a concrete reminder for days when you're feeling low and discouraged.

Then follow the example of Psalm 20:5 and "raise a banner." Be specific as you tell your spouse, your children or grandchildren how God has been faithful to you. Drop it into an email or a letter. If your family is around, turn dinnertime into a mini-party and give each member an opportunity to share. You can create a poster or maybe an actual banner that reminds you of God's faithfulness and how you find your hope in Him. Use your imagination to find a way to remember and celebrate today. It's a great cure for those times of self-focused discouragement.

Coping with Change

2012-01-28T07:22:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: Matthew 7:24-29, Psalm 62:6

Have you ever slid out of control on black ice or snow? There's one substance worse: in south Texas, it's known as caliche (a funny word referring to a soft clay soil). When it rains, the caliche turns slick and wheels just spin. Houses built on caliche have a different problem--in the summer heat, the caliche can dry and crack, and a foundation can shift. Wet or dry, hot or cold--you need a solid foundation. Caliche doesn't provide that.

God is different. For life now and for eternity, God is a sure and solid foundation.

Receive

He [God] alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken. (Psalm 62:6, NLT)

    Who does the psalmist claim as his source for living "unshaken"?
    What does he compare God to?
    What image does one metaphor conjure up as compared to the other?

God is not only a sure place to stand but He, and only He, is our salvation--our safety and our security.

The song writer said it like this:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand--
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand--
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.*

Reflect

Have you ever felt like life is going nowhere--you're just spinning your wheels? Or that you're walking on quicksand? Or that nothing is nailed down and everything may be coming apart? You need a place to stand, and a foundation you can trust not to move or give way.

Perhaps you would like to get a report about what to do and not do. Read on.

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority--quite unlike their teachers of religious law" (Matthew 7:24-29, NLT).

Respond

What are you building your life on? Have you done a good foundation check? Make a list of the ways life can seem out of control:

Without God, nothing in life can be counted on. In spite of that, folks try other ways. List some of the ways people attempt to provide security for themselves. Beside each choice, list how change can sink such false foundations.

If you want to know how to build your life on the solid foundation, visit the Jesus Christ, Our Holy Savior and Mighty King post.

Wait on God

2012-01-28T07:15:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: Psalm 62:1-7

Have you ever noticed that one of the hardest things to do is to do nothing? We get frustrated when traffic is stopped. When the line at the supermarket isn't moving, we start fidgeting and look for a line that's moving faster.

And, occasionally, when life is getting really rough; and God doesn't seem to be doing anything at all, some people decide it's time to take matters into their own hands. David, whom we read about in the Bible, certainly had a rough life. Let's see how he handled his difficult times.

Receive

Psalm 62 starts out like this:

"For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2, ESV).

If you didn't know any better, you'd think David was in a pretty good place in life. His words sound like the confident assertions of a happy person. The next two verses paint a different picture though.

"How long will all of you attack a man to batter him,
like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse" (Psalm 62:3-4, ESV).

Instead of being on easy street, David was surrounded by liars and backstabbers. They were people with no fear of God who only wanted power for themselves. David knew they didn't care about him, and the situation was getting desperate.

So, when in verses 5 and 6, David repeats what he said in verses 1 and 2, we see that they are not the shallow sentiments of a person who has it easy. These words are the foundation of David's faith. David knows that no one besides God can improve his life; no actions of his own can ease the pressures. David is content to wait on God, even in the darkest of hours.

"On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God" (Psalm 62:7, ESV).

Waiting silently is hard enough in a trivial traffic jam, but it takes a rock solid faith in God to be tranquil at the eleventh hour. This kind of faith and trust in God's character doesn't come overnight, but it can start today. We'll look into that in the next sections.

Reflect

As you read the verses for today, think about the following questions:

When David repeats himself in verses 5 and 6, there are small differences from his words in verses 1? What are the differences and what do they tell you about David?
What words does David use to describe God's person and character? How does David see God in this time of his life?

Respond

No one would expect you to put your trust in someone you don't know--not even God. That's why He's given us His Word, the Bible. That's why He's given us the testimonies of our friends and family members who have put their faith in God. That's why He's given us the testimony of a precisely ordered nature so even the stars reveal His faithfulness. Spend some time today, and every day this week, getting to know God. Start in His Word and go from there.

NevaHurd WRATH feat Purpose (@Nevahurd @Purposemc)

2012-01-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

NevaHurd WRATH feat Purpose (@Nevahurd @Purpose)pray that it's a blessing to you and your friends. please share

The Week in Review - Jan. 13 - Jan. 20, 2012

2012-01-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

Troubling politics in Egypt, the European Union’s feelings about Israel, the eurozone can’t get any credit, China and Russia’s expanding militaries, and cartel violence crosses the border—northbound.

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A Profile of Courage

2012-01-21T08:38:00.000-05:00

Filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, this telecast will share inspiring lessons from the life of the great reformer, John Huss.

It Is Written

The Sabbath Controversy

2012-01-21T08:33:00.000-05:00

Which day should Christians observe as the Sabbath? Does it even matter? Historians and theologians plainly acknowledge that Jesus and the first Christians kept the seventh-day Sabbath. Should we be doing the same?

Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?

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Tomorrow's World

U.S. Treasury Steals Pension Funds to Avoid Debt Limit

2012-01-21T08:17:00.001-05:00

Where is the money to pay the national debt going to come from?

Acticle by: Robert Morley

The Treasury Department is now spending federal pension money in order to keep the bills paid, Reuters reported yesterday.

But don’t worry. The administration plans to pay the money back after it can start borrowing money from China and Japan again, after the debt ceiling is increased. Feel better?

The good news, if you can call it that, is that the pension grab is largely self-imposed. With Europe in such trouble, the world still seems willing to lend America money despite its unsustainable spending projections. It is America’s own law that is preventing the government from borrowing more money. Yet, a market-imposed foreign creditor boycott is looming larger with each increase of the debt ceiling.

The federal debt hit $15.2 trillion in December—another new record. More ominously, the nation’s debt is now equal to its entire gross domestic product. History shows that once debt levels reach this level, economic growth slows dramatically and thus the odds of a major economic accident go way up.

One day soon America might be “forced” to confiscate its people’s private pension money because no one else will lend it anything. This is what happened in Argentina in 2008. This is what happened in Ireland in 2009. And what happened to Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and France, last year.

Don’t think it couldn’t happen to America.

And don’t think “borrowing” money from pension plans isn’t stealing. If a private corporation “borrowed” money from its employees’ pension plans, someone would be going to jail.

Vatican Seeks Control Over Jerusalem Holy Sites

2012-01-21T08:08:00.001-05:00

Roman Catholic support of the Palestinian cause isn’t what it seems.

Article by: Brad Macdonald

In an article in Arutz Sheva last month, Italian journalist Giulio Meotti explained how Catholic authorities in recent months have “increased their political initiatives for Catholic control over some sites in Jerusalem.”

In December, for example, the head of the Vatican’s Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, said that “peace negotiations in the Middle East must tackle the issue of the status of the holy sites of Jerusalem.” According to Tauran, it’s time that some of Jerusalem’s holy places, including the City of David, were put under Vatican charge.

After all, “it’s practically just the Holy See who is concerned about [Jerusalem],” Tauran stated.

One especially intriguing development has been the Catholic Church’s emergence as a seemingly ardent supporter of Palestinian statehood, including Arab control of Jerusalem. Last fall, the Vatican sided with most of the international community in supporting the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations. In a statement last September, retired Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, together with representatives from various Christian communities in Israel, pledged “support for the diplomatic efforts being deployed to win international recognition for the State of Palestine.”

In his sermon on Christmas Day, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem reiterated Catholic support of Palestinian statehood. “We want a just and comprehensive peace to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We adhere to the position taken by the Holy See, clearly acknowledging the two-state solution with security and internationally recognized borders,” he stated.

In December 2009, Twal and other high-ranking Catholic officials released an overtly anti-Israel, anti-Jewish document detailing the “injustices” against Palestinians by Israel. In it, the Catholic officials implored the international community to “stand by the Palestinian people who have faced oppression, displacement, suffering and clear apartheid for more than six decades.” There was no recognition of the multiple suicide attacks on innocent Jews, or the thousands of missiles launched at Israeli schools, homes and hospitals. The document also included a lengthy section reconciling Palestinian “resistance,” a polite term for violence or terrorism, with the biblical instruction to abstain from violence and war. “The aggression against the Palestinian people which is the Israeli occupation, is an evil that must be resisted,” the officials claimed. “It is an evil and a sin that must be resisted and removed.”

In other words, no measure of Arab “resistance” is too extreme, or morally or spiritually wrong.

In another instance, Twal and his counterparts, who operate under the direction of the Vatican, stated explicitly that they endorse the “establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds [Arabic for Jerusalem] as its capital.”

If you know your history, such effusing support of the Palestinian cause—to the point of ceding Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian nation—is more than a little odd.

After all, can you name a moment in history when the Vatican sincerely endorsed Muslim control of Jerusalem? In fact, history is full of examples of the Vatican opposing, often violently, Muslim control of the Holy Land. Remember Pope Urban ii, the man who set off the crusades in the Middle Ages? “The continued occupation of the holy places—and above all Jerusalem itself—by the infidel was, [Pope Urban ii] declared, an affront to Christendom,” wrote historian John Julius Norwich.

Pope Urban ii delivered his fateful speech November 27, in the countryside just outside the French city of Clermont-Ferrand. “This royal city [Jerusalem] … situated at the center of the world, is now held captive by His enemies,” he lamented. “It is in subjection to those who do not know God, to the worship of the heathens. She seeks therefore and desires to be liberated, and does not cease to implore you to come to her aid.”

Inspired by Urban’s call to arms and intent on earning “salvation,” tens of thousands of Europeans set out for Jerusalem. In the first crusade alone, Catholic crusaders slaughtered some 70,000 Jews and Arabs, all in pursuit of their goal to pry Jerusalem from the “infidel.” The first crusade was followed a few decades later by another, then another, then another—each an attempt to purge the Holy Land of Muslims. History is clear. The Vatican has never supported Muslim control of Jerusalem!

So why is it doing so now?

It is not! There are two reasons the Catholic Church for now is making it appear that it supports a Palestinian state, and greater Muslim influence over Jerusalem. First, the Vatican supports Palestinian statehood because this effort undermines Israel’s control over the city. When it comes to diminishing Israel’s grip on Jerusalem and its holy sites, Catholic officials are happy to let the Palestinians do the dirty work.

Second, the Vatican’s endorsement of Palestinian statehood provides ideal cover for its own ambition to wrest control of Jerusalem. Don’t forget, Jerusalem is as important to the Vatican as it is to Jews and Muslims. For Catholics, Jerusalem is the birthplace of Christianity and the setting of many important biblical events. The Holy City, as Catholic dogma states, is its universal headquarters. Does anyone really think the Vatican is genuinely interested in ceding control of these sites to Muslims?

At the very least, the Vatican’s endorsement of Palestinian statehood is political chicanery. More than likely, it’s a calculated ruse, and part of a Trojan horse strategy by which the Vatican gains the trust of the Palestinians and international community before more actively staking its claim to Jerusalem and its holy sites. Whatever happens, don’t expect the Vatican to stand by and cheer as Muslims assume control of Christianity’s holy sites. That’s never going to happen.

Keep an eye on Jerusalem, and especially on the Vatican’s dalliances in the city. Bible prophecy tells us Jerusalem is the nucleus of end-time events, and that the Catholic Church will make a play for the Holy City in the final days before Christ’s return. We’ve often pointed to Daniel 11:40, which describes a gigantic clash between Catholic Europe and Iran and its radical Islamic supporters. In verse 41, we read that after Europe’s army defeats the king of the south it is invited into “the glorious land [Jerusalem in biblical terminology], and many countries shall be overthrown.”

According to this prophecy, the climactic events that precede the return of Christ revolve around Jerusalem. This city, as Gerald Flurry has explained, is a thermometer for measuring the imminence of Jesus Christ’s Second Coming. The more the tension rises between Jews and Palestinians, and the more the Catholic Church interferes in Jerusalem, the closer we are to this awesome event!

The Week in Review - Jan. 6 - Jan. 13, 2012

2012-01-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

Islamists dominate Egyptian elections, Greek funds to to German weapons-makers, praise for the Vatican intelligence service, a fatal stampede in South Africa, and Scotland weighs a breakup with Britain.

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Blessings from Heaven

2012-01-14T08:41:00.001-05:00

What's the secret to financial security in an age where Bible prophecy is fulfilling?

It Is Written

Faith and Hope

2012-01-14T07:46:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: Romans 8:24-25, Hebrews 11:1, Romans 4:18-22

Sometimes a result cannot be achieved without a combination of factors. For example, water requires that two molecules of hydrogen lock onto one molecule of oxygen or the desired results will never be obtained. Neither the hydrogen nor the oxygen by itself can produce water.

Enjoying the promises of God requires a combination of factors as well: faith and hope. Hope needs to lock arms with faith to fully realize all God promises us. Abraham is a good example.

Receive

"In hope he [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, 'So shall your offspring be.' He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was 'counted to him as righteousness'" (Romans 4:18-22, ESV).

    What hope did Abraham have?
    What circumstances might have destroyed this hope?
    What saved him from losing hope?
    What was the end result of Abraham's faith and hope?

Reflect

Sometimes we use the word hope to describe something we desire, but we're not sure whether we'll actually ever get it. That's not the way the Bible use this word. Because hope is always combined with faith in God's Word, biblical hope is never an uncertainty.

It is said that as Winston Churchill lay critically ill, he reflected on the conditions in the world he had helped to rescue. His dying words were: "There is no hope. There is no hope."

As believers, we never have to reach such a level of despair. Because we know what God promises both for us and this world (the Bible tells us), we can by faith look forward to the fulfillment of those promises. This gives us hope.

Respond

Do you have biblical hope? Make a list of the things you hope for. Then turn to God's Word to see what it says about these hopes. If the Bible confirms your hopes, then, by faith, lay hold of them. When you combine faith with hope, the results are always a certainty.

The Week in Review - Dec. 30, 2011 - Jan. 6, 2012

2012-01-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

Iran closes Hormuz, France and Germany strangle Britain, China’s goals for its space program, U.S. military slashed, and what happens to 40 percent of new human lives in New York City.

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Investing for Eternity

2012-01-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

Join John Bradshaw and special guest Ed Reid as they discuss how a person can face difficult financial times with confidence.

It Is Written

The Fight over Hell

2012-01-07T07:26:00.000-05:00

Some modern theologians are questioning long-held “mainstream” beliefs about Hell. When sinners die, do they really go straight to a burning pit of fire, to suffer for eternity? Are you willing to believe the plain words of your Bible?

Is This the ONLY Day of Salvation?

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Tomorrow's World

Sufficiency

2012-01-07T06:54:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: John 15:5, Colossians 1:9-12, 2 Corinthians 3:4-5

"Lord Jesus, I thank You for saving me, for forgiving all my sins, for making me a part of God's family and giving me a home in heaven. I know You are busy saving others, so I'll take it from here and do all I can for You."

Good prayer, right? Well, the first part is great--but the last part is not so great. Check out what Jesus told us.

Receive

"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NLT).

Christ compares Himself to the vine and us to the branches. What happens to branches that are not attached to the vine?
What does this verse mean when it refers to "fruit"?
What can you do apart from Christ?

Salvation--the beginning (justification or getting saved), the middle (sanctification or living for Jesus) and the end (glorification or being in heaven and being like Jesus) all depends on Jesus: who He is, what He did for me on the cross, what He wants to do in my life now and what He will do for me in eternity.

Reflect

In light of what Jesus told us, read this verse and write out your understanding of sufficiency for a Christ-follower.

"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5, ESV).

Read it again in this translation: "We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4-5, NLT).

Now, explain sufficiency for a believer.

Respond

How do you live for the Lord, so He will be the enabler in your life? Perhaps the apostle Paul can help us.

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light" (Colossians 1:9-12, NLT).

Take time to pray this prayer for yourself. Then thank God that because Jesus is in your life, His sufficiency enables you to live in a way that pleases and honors Him and bears much fruit.

I Against My Brother - a Somali Story

2011-12-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

"I am a Somali Christian, a contradiction." One muslim woman's journey of faith that challenges her ideas about what it means to be a Christian, and drives her to a decision that could cost her everything.

Go to http://somalistory.com for resources for churches and Somalis.

The Week in Review - Dec. 23 - 30, 2011

2011-12-31T08:17:00.000-05:00

Iran threatens the world’s oil supply, Syria faces civil war, democracy gets stifled in Greece, Nigeria sees another religious massacre, and the euro stumbles into a new year.

Click for more

Ropes of Sand

2011-12-31T08:13:00.001-05:00

At a time when many people are making New Year's resolutions, it's time to find out what God's resolutions are, and how His promises to us can change our lives.

It Is Written

Here Comes The Judge

2011-12-31T06:06:00.000-05:00

This judge had a dark side that very few knew about. He would ultimately stand before the Judge who knew it all.

Misogyny

2011-12-31T06:01:00.000-05:00

Gulnaz is a young Afghan woman who was sentenced to twelve years in prison for reporting that she had been raped by her cousin’s husband. Assaulted two years ago, she hid the crime for fear of reprisal, until signs of pregnancy forced her to report the attack. Thankfully, after two years of imprisonment and mounting international pressure on the Afghan government, she was released from incarceration. Now, tragically, she faces pressure to marry the man who previously attacked her! What can she do? What can be done to help her?

Article by: Wyatt Ciesielka
From Tomorrow's World

Gulnaz’ story is not uncommon. Violence against women is a worldwide plague affecting every culture. For example, a 2010 UN report titled The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics found the “proportion of women experiencing physical violence (irrespective of the perpetrator) at least once in their lifetime” in Germany, Denmark, Mexico, Columbia and Finland at nearly 40 percent, while in nations such as Peru, Australia, Mozambique, Czech Republic and Zambia it is 50 percent or greater (p. 131)! A more recent WHO study found that in Ethiopia 70 percent of women experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a close family member or acquaintance, and in South Africa, 42 percent of females between the ages of 13-23 years reported being a victim of physical dating violence (www.who.int/en fact sheet 239, accessed December 27, 2011). And, according to a recent CDC study, in the U.S. alone, “more than one in three women” have been in some form victimized by “an intimate partner during their lifetime” (CNN.com, December 15, 2011).

Almost daily, these heartbreaking stories make the news. Just a few days ago, in the U.S. State of Virginia, a wife and mother was stabbed to death by her husband, before he took his own life. Tragically, the crime was to be found and reported by the couple’s unsuspecting teenage son. Violence against women is a terrible worldwide problem. Violence against women is misogyny, and is sin. Scripture is clear that hatred or violence against anyone regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnicity, or for any reason is sin. The Bible condemns violence (Leviticus 19:17-18), and says that those who even have a hatful or violent attitude are guilty of murder (1 John 3:15).

The Creator of the universe wants His people to be peacemakers, not misogynists. Matthew 5:9 states “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (KJV). True Christians are peacemakers who understand that God lovingly calls His people—whether male or female – His “sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). He says that the value of a virtuous wife is “far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10), and He commands men to treat older women respectfully as mothers, and to treat younger women kindly as sisters, with all purity (1 Timothy 5:2). True Christians do not mistreat women and do not practice violence. Instead, true Christians treat everyone with kindness, and remember that God loves women, who were also created in His image (Genesis 1:27).

Violence against women is one of the many reasons we fervently pray for Christ’s return. When the Kingdom of God is established on this earth, then hatred, wars, murder and all forms of misogyny will be eradicated! Then, people will live in peace (Isaiah 9:7) and there will be no more violence or harm (Isaiah 11:9). Then, all people—men and women, young and old—will dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid (Ezekiel 34:28). Never again will a young woman be attacked and then imprisoned for her “crime” of being a victim! Never again will young or old women fear assault, either by strangers or by those they know!

As Dr. Roderick C. Meredith wrote in his powerful article, “Violence Against Women,” all “decent men should be ashamed of the horrifying brutality and abuse to which increasing millions of women are now being subjected.” Escalating violence against women is yet another reason why all men and women should earnestly pray “Thy Kingdom come!” (Matthew 6:10).

One Year Until Doomsday?

2011-12-31T05:43:00.000-05:00

Well, a milestone of sorts has been reached. From now on, the so-called “Mayan Doomsday” date of December 21, 2012 (or December 23, 2012, depending on whom you ask) is less than a year away. Does mankind have anything to fear from that much-discussed date? How should Christians react?

Article by: Wallace G. Smith
From Tomorrow's World

The idea of a “doomsday” approaching in December 2012 is terribly problematic in a seemingly endless number of ways.

For one, all available evidence—and there is a lot—indicates that the ancient Maya predicted no such thing as any sort of “doomsday” to occur in December 2012! Of all the multiple thousands of inscriptions, carvings, and writings we have found from that ancient Mesoamerican culture, only one—Tortuguero Monument 6—definitely mentions the date, and there is one other disputed reference found on the back of a small building tile from Comalcalco. Neither of these inscriptions describe anything that the Mayan culture would have recognized as a “doomsday” or “apocalypse.”

Only two references out of approximately 15,000 Mayan carved artifacts? If the Maya thought that December 2012 was a “doomsday” date, they sure were quiet about it! As professor of anthropology and specialist in Mayan writings Dr. Stephen Houston of Brown University said while speaking about Monument 6, “It has nothing to do with prophecy or the supposed, dread events that await us in AD 2012. About that the Maya are notably silent… or, truth be told, a bit boring.” Dr. Susan Milbrath of the Florida Museum of Natural History is similarly blunt: “We have no record or knowledge that the Maya would think the world would come to an end in 2012.”

So, where does the idea come from that the Maya thought the world would end in 2012? Frankly, it is a collage of New Age ideas and astrological fantasies mixed with an overlay of Western ideas of apocalypse that would have been foreign to the Maya. You can read more about this in the Tomorrow’s World magazine article, “The Truth About 2012: Hollywood vs. Humanity” and in the Tomorrow’s World telecast, “2012, Bible Prophecy and You!” As explained by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, “Western messianic thought has twisted the cosmovision of ancient civilizations like the Maya.” In truth, the 2012 phenomenon has more to do with “profits” than “prophets.”

But even if the Maya had said something about 2012, God’s word makes it plain that “doomsday” will not happen in 2012! The final events of this world’s age are clearly laid out in Scripture, including a two-and-a-half-year Great Tribulation that will test the world—in particular the United States and the nations of the former British Commonwealth—in a level of suffering that has never before been experienced, and after that a year-long period the biblical authors call the “Day of the Lord” during which God, Himself, will intervene miraculously and dramatically in this world’s affairs! None of these things have begun, and 2012 is not the end of the world.

And yet, world events make it clear that we are moving forward to these prophesied times at an accelerating pace! The year 2011 was unique in many ways! In 2011, the United States continued its plunge into an economic morass and experienced a virtually unprecedented onslaught of weather disasters. The European Union—key to the rise of the prophesied Beast of Revelation—entered into unprecedented turmoil that will spur dramatic changes. And the realignment of nations in the Middle East, necessary for the creation of the prophesied King of the South, is happening before our very eyes!

The “end of the world” will not occur in 2012, but world events in 2012 will affect us in profound ways, setting the stage for further fulfillment of end-time prophecy! Request our free booklet, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return, and take care not to become distracted by New Age silliness. Know the biblically prophesied facts about what lies ahead!

Denying Jesus

2011-12-31T05:30:00.001-05:00

Holy Scripture: Matthew 26:34-35, 1 Peter 5:8-9, Matthew 26:57-75, Matthew 26:47, Matthew 26:56, 1 Corinthians 10:12

In Durrenmatt's radio play, The Double, Diego tells Pedro (his double) that he [Pedro] will be executed for murder. Pedro protests: He never killed anyone and never would.

Diego confesses that he committed the murder but informs Pedro that, had he been in Diego's circumstances, he would have done the same. Pedro vigorously denies he would ever commit such a crime. But before the play is over, Pedro commits murder--not once but twice.

Receive

The apostle Peter was positive that he would never deny Jesus; yet, Peter's denial of his Lord is one of the most poignant narratives in the Bible. Jesus told Peter about his soon-to-occur failure during the Last Supper:

"Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.' Peter said to him, 'Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!' And all the disciples said the same" (Matthew 26:34-35, ESV).

What in this exchange between Jesus and Peter stands out to you?
Why was Peter so sure of himself?
Which of the disciples made the same claim?

After Jesus and His disciples finished eating, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane so Jesus could pray. It was there Judas betrayed Him. Read about it in Matthew 26 verses 47 and 56. Then answer the questions below.

Approximately how much time elapsed between Jesus' encounter with Peter and the time that Judas and the crowd arrived to take Jesus?
What was the crowd carrying?
How did Jesus' disciples respond?

Now, read Matthew 26:57-72.

Where did the crowd take Jesus immediately after they left the Garden?
Where was Peter while Jesus was being taken from the Garden to the residence?
Where did Peter remain while Jesus was taken inside?

"A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, 'You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.'

"Peter swore, 'A curse on me if I'm lying--I don't know the man!' And immediately the rooster crowed.

"Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.' And he went away, weeping bitterly" (Matthew 26:73-75, NLT).

What was happening to Jesus while the bystanders were speaking to Peter?
What did those in the courtyard accuse Peter of?
What was his response?
How did Peter feel when he heard the rooster crow?

Reflect

Do you think you will ever deny Jesus?

What warning does the following verse give?

"If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12, NLT).

Note the words or phrases in the following verse that will help you stand for the Lord.

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are" (1 Peter 5:8-9, NLT).

Respond

Take time to pray now and ask God to help you live for Jesus--when you're alone, at school, with family, at work, with your friends and even when there could be ridicule or danger.

Corageous

2011-12-24T17:31:00.001-05:00

Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, they face danger every day. Yet when tragedy strikes close to home, these fathers are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, and their faith. From this struggle will come a decision that changes all of their lives. With action, drama, and humor, the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures embraces God's promise to "turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers." Souls will be stirred, and hearts will be challenged to be ... courageous!

The Week in Review - Dec. 16 - 23, 2011

2011-12-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

U.S. troops leave Iraq behind, sectarian violence breaks out in Iraq, Pakistanis rally against America, another Catholic child abuse scandal breaks out, Chinese hackers break in to U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Latin America lashes out at the cause of the drug trade.

Click for more

Christmas: The Missing Message

2011-12-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

Was Jesus’ birth meant to usher in a season of consumer spending and holiday stress? Is there something missing from Christmas traditions that, if understood, would reveal the true meaning of Christ’s coming to the earth? You need to know the truth!

Tomorrow's World

Not the reason for the season

2011-12-24T08:26:00.000-05:00

Many people realize that Jesus Christ was not born anywhere near December 25 and that Christmas is rooted in ancient paganism, but will still proclaim that Jesus is “the reason for the season.” Is this true? Who is really being celebrated on December 25? Why the evergreen tree? And most importantly, is Jesus Christ really pleased?

Acticle by: Wyatt Ciesielka
From Tomorrow's World

Luke 2:1-8 tells us that Jesus was born during the time of the Roman census when the shepherds were still abiding in the fields at night. But, the shepherds were not out at night in the fields anywhere close to December 25th! In ancient Palestine, because of heavy winter rainstorms, the shepherds always brought their flocks in from the countryside by no later than mid October. As Ezra 10:9-13 makes clear, by December ancient Palestine was bitter cold and rainy! So, why is Jesus’ birth celebrated on December 25?

The fact is that winter solstice celebrations preceded Jesus’ birth by more than 2,000 years; all the way back to ancient Babylon and the Babylonish “mystery religion” devoted to worshiping Baal. To honor Nimrod, reborn as the infant Tammuz, Semiramis (Nimrod’s widow) claimed that a beautiful evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump! The ancient Babylonians then began to utilize the evergreen tree during the winter-solstice to celebrate Nimrod reborn as the sun-god! This tradition lived through the centuries, manifesting in ancient Egyptian winter solstice festivals, Roman Saturnalia celebrations and Persian Mithras worship! And ancient Israel adopted this pagan custom thousands of years ago (Isaiah 57:5)!

Notice, 2 Kings 17:10, “They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.” And, describing how wicked king Ahaz adopted this Babylonish worship, 2 Chronicles 28:2-4 recounts, he “burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations … and he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills and under every green tree.”

Just years before ancient Judah fell into captivity, the prophet Jeremiah famously rebuked them for their Baal worship. Notice, Jeremiah 3:6, “The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king, ‘Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.’” Jeremiah’s warning to ancient Judah applies today! “‘Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree and you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord” (v. 13).

Ancient Israel and Judah loved their pagan, pre-Christmas winter solstice celebrations! They refused to repent of Baal worship. So, their nations collapsed and they went into captivity. Today, “modern Israel” is repeating the pagan rebelliousness of ancient Israel, and without real repentance soon, modern Israel will suffer the same correction (Jeremiah 30:7).

The vast majority of those who celebrate Christmas are friendly, sincere, but deceived people. But, it is no secret that Christmas is of pagan origin and was not celebrated by the early post-Apostolic church. The Catholic Encyclopedia admits these very facts! “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church … the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.”

Does it really matter? Yes it does! Jesus is not “the reason for the season” – Baal is. True Christians are forbidden from adopting pagan customs to honor God (Deuteronomy 12:29-32, Jeremiah 10:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15) and are commanded to “come out of” this Babylonish system (Revelation 18:4)! God the Father and Jesus Christ are of the same mind (John 10:30), and in Their eyes these pagan celebrations are “abominations” (Jeremiah 10:3-4; Ezekiel 8:13-14)!

To learn about the Holy Days that Jesus Christ wants you to celebrate, please request The Holy Days—God’s Master Plan. And to better understand why celebrating Christmas does not please Jesus, please read the Tomorrow’s World article, “Christmas: Harmful to Children?”

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For More: Intro for Christmas Exposed

Green Trees and Jesus

2011-12-24T08:17:00.000-05:00

Article by: Gary F. Ehman
From Tomorrows World

Looking back over the years, it has become evident to me that the gap between what the Bible says to do, and what its alleged followers actually do, has reached near absurd proportions.
As an example, God carefully instructed ancient Israel to not seek after the ways of the pagan people they were replacing in the Promised Land, especially in the matter of worshiping their gods. He was painfully explicit about not adapting their perverse ways in terms of worshipping Him.

Notice His commands: “These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things” (Deuteronomy 12:2–4).

They were instructed to get rid of pagan places of worship: mountains, hills and “under every green tree.” Interestingly the Bible uses this term in ten places. Each instance it is in reference to pagan rites, rituals and perverted acts of pagan worship in which the Israelites were practicing! (cf., 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4; 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6; 3:13; Ezekiel 6:13.)

What’s the big deal about this, in today’s modern, enlightened world? Does God really mind that the professing Christian church has sanitized pagan worship? After all, they are doing it to honor Jesus, aren’t they? We report, you decide.

The historical record is revealing. Here is just one of hundreds of documented pagan practices:

The man-god Attis, after an unsuccessful courtship of the goddess Cybele, mutilated himself, “under a pine-tree, and bled to death on the spot. ... After his death Attis is said to have been changed into a pine-tree … [in worship practices] a pine-tree was cut in the woods and brought into the sanctuary of Cybele, where it was treated as a great divinity … Stirred by the wild barbaric music of clashing cymbals, rumbling drums, droning horns, and screaming flutes, the inferior clergy whirled about in the dance with waggling heads and streaming hair, until, rapt into a frenzy of excitement and insensible to pain, they gashed their bodies with potsherds or slashed them with knives in order to bespatter the altar and the sacred tree with their flowing blood.” (The Golden Bough, Sir James George Frazer, “The Myth and Ritual of Attis” Chapter 34).

Attis’ bloody act under an evergreen tree, along with—as the historical record points out—subsequent duplications by Attis worshippers, has provided paganism with its seasonal red and green motifs.

It is obvious that “green trees” and what takes place “religiously” under them, is of great concern to God. Any association between the Christmas tree, with its wretchedly rich pagan roots (pun intended), and Jesus Christ, is not found in the Bible. In fact, every aspect of Christmas with its traditions of mistletoe, holly, wreaths, pine boughs (all green with blood-red accents), gift exchanging, wassailing, December 25 (time of the winter solstice) is not found anywhere in God’s Word, except, maybe, the reference to serving their gods“under every green tree.”

What God did put in His Word, is explicit: “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess … do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deut 12:30–32).

God carefully outlined how He wants to be worshipped, but man under the sway of the god of this world perverted that worship, borrowing the name of Jesus Christ and creating a counterfeit religion. Please send for our free booklet Satan’s Counterfeit Christianity. It will open your eyes to what really is hidden in pagan holiday traditions.

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For More: Intro for Christmas Exposed

Pruning for Eternity

2011-12-24T08:09:00.000-05:00

Holy Scripture: John 15:1-2, John 15:8, Ephesians 5:9, Hebrews 12:11, Colossians 1:10, Hebrews 13:15, Philippians 1:9-11, Galatians 5:22-23

"Our rose bush looks so weak and scraggly," my wife said. "It has beautiful blossoms, but somebody needs to prune it."

"No problem," I assured her, as I visualized a splendid crop of big, pink roses blooming the next year. "I'll take care of it."

I did take care of it. I pruned the bush so it was much shorter than it had been and, lo and behold, the next year there were flowers on it--very small, unattractive, pale ones that didn't resemble our beautiful pink blooms at all.

As it turned out, I had pruned the rose bush below the spot where it was originally grafted into a wild rose root. All I had left was an unsightly wild rose plant and an unhappy wife.

This all goes to show that correctly pruning a vine, bush or tree requires some expertise which I apparently lacked.

God, however, is an expert in pruning--both physical and spiritual.

Receive

Jesus says in John 15:1-2 (ESV): "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

Who does the pruning?
What is the expected outcome of pruning?

Reflect

What are some of the fruits that God wants to see in your life? See the following Bible verses; jot down the fruit that is mentioned and answer the questions.

Colossians 1:10. The fruit ____________. What lifestyles do you see that go along with bearing fruit?
Hebrews 13:15. The fruit ____________. How is this spiritual fruit described?
Hebrews 12:11. The fruit ____________. What produces this fruit? (See also Philippians 1:9-11).
Ephesians 5:9. The fruit ____________. In what three things is this fruit found?
Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit ____________. Name the nine aspects of this fruit.

Respond

Consider the different spiritual fruits you listed in the "Reflect" section above. Do you see any areas where your life isn't producing those fruits? Can you identify specific twigs He needs to prune away?

Here is a helpful verse to commit to memory: "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples" (John 15: 8, ESV).

The Week in Review - Dec. 9 - 16, 2011

2011-12-17T08:07:00.001-05:00

An uneasy conclusion to the war in Iraq; Iran takes a drone, threatens the world’s oil supply; Germany dominates Europe, but not without a few headaches of its own; and Putin blows off the opposition.

Click for more

The Counterfeit Faith

2011-12-17T08:04:00.001-05:00

Today's program will take a look at the great controversy between good and evil—a war in Heaven and its resulting implications for planet Earth. The spiritual battle in which we find ourselves is very real, but we can have victory through Christ!

It Is Written

Berlin — Political Turmoil

2011-12-17T07:54:00.001-05:00

Facing Europe’s worst crisis since World War II, Germany’s chancellor adds internal political turmoil to her present list of woes.

Article by: Ron Fraser
From theTrumpet.com

Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing increasing divisions in her coalition government at a time when she can ill afford them.

On Monday, a senior member of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, Justice and Consumer Affairs Minister Michael Braun, was forced to resign from office in the wake of publicity surrounding allegations of his involvement in bad property deals.

Wednesday, the general secretary of Chancellor Merkel’s coalition partner, the Free Democrat Party, stepped down. Christian Lindner, an ally of the economy minister, Merkel’s Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler, resigned over Free Democratic Party (fdp) ructions concerning the EU’s permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism.

Divisions within the fdp run deep and forced the resignation of former party head, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, from the fdp general secretary’s position some months ago. His replacement, Roesler, will be seeking someone who can watch his back to replace Lindner.

To top it all off, German President Christian Wulff returned from a tour of the Middle East on Tuesday facing increasing pressure to explain a questionable loan which he received previous to his presidential appointment. His accusers maintain that by compromising standards of transparency expected of a public official, Wulff disqualified himself from acting as the nation’s moral exemplar.

Each of these situations being hyped by Germany’s liberal press risks Chancellor Merkel becoming distracted at a time when she and her government need both political focus and party unity to ensure that the goal of swiftly attending to the euro crisis is not compromised.

Already the markets are reacting negatively to perceived divisions within Germany and other nations in the wake of last Friday’s fiscal compact deal.

There are no surprises in all of this.

Germany’s coalition government has been divisive since its beginning under Merkel’s leadership. Her grasp on coalition unity is clearly slipping at a most dangerous time in both German and EU politics. Whether Merkel can last the distance till the 2013 elections is a moot point. The loss of two key coalition members in a matter of days this week does not bode well for Merkel’s continuing leadership, for coalition unity in a time of great crisis, nor, least of all, for the survival of the eurozone.

In a comment not welcomed by many EU leaders, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey recently warned: “The eurozone is at great risk. … I know that they’ve taken some measures here with the 17 members of the eurozone to try to better align … monetary and fiscal policy. But it’s unclear, to me at least, that that will be the glue that actually holds it together.”

General Dempsey then expressed a fear that sharper analysts share, warning of “the potential for civil unrest and the breakup of the Union” (ibid). The Intelligence Digest observes that “the fears he expressed are by no means misplaced” (December 14).

To put things in true perspective, the alignment of monetary and fiscal policy, rather than being the glue to hold the EU together, is but a catalyst to break it apart. Already some EU leaders are expressing skepticism as to their being able to effectively enact necessary changes in legislation to permit operation of the pact with the speed that the current escalating crisis demands.

With Chancellor Merkel having to start placing fingers in the leaky dyke of her governing coalition, this mitigates against processing the mooted fiscal pact in the fast lane. There simply is, as yet, no glue activated to bind such a pact together over such a disparate group of 27 nations.

Enter Rome.

Editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the April 2006 issue of the Trumpet: “So the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation existed through subsequent history as a union of two separate authorities—one giving protection to the church, the other supplying the unifying glue of a state religion to bind together the separate nations and cultures within the empire.

“Herbert W. Armstrong believed the same pattern would occur again in our time—that European nations would unite suddenly because of a crisis, and that the Roman Catholic Church would play a huge role in solving that emergency. In times of crisis, religion has a way of pulling people together!”

As farfetched as that prospect may seem to be in reference to the European Union today, it is as sure as tomorrow’s rising sun!

Our research leads us to the conclusion that the Vatican is well advanced in formulating, together with German elites, a process that will soon divide the EU apart and cement together a Roman Catholic core of 10 nations under the spiritual influence of the pope.

We are not alone in this conclusion, as future articles will point out. But we are unique in prophesying its ultimate outcome in detail that you will find from no other source.

Chancellor Merkel is between a rock and a hard place, trying to keep her governing coalition together and satisfy the domestic demands of her German constituents with an important election year looming amid the current challenges of the fiscal compact.

The road ahead is a rocky one that may even cost Merkel her political career. In the process, the way will increasingly be opened up for a Roman Catholic leader to soon sweep into power in Germany and busy himself applying the spiritual “glue” binding 10 EU nations together into a powerful economic, political and military force. The pope’s aggressive new evangelism, slated to move into higher gear in 2012, will only serve to accelerate this process.

Beware Britain, Europe Is Gunning for You!

2011-12-17T07:39:00.002-05:00

Few in Britain are paying much attention to the anti-British vitriol among European leaders and how it might be manifested in coming weeks and months.

Article by: Brad Macdonald
From theTrumpet.com

Britain has been sparring with Europe ever since it joined the European Community in 1973. Last Friday, the tempestuous relationship changed for good when Prime Minister David Cameron landed a haymaker on Germany and its allies.

The gloves are now off, the fight is real, the hatred genuine.

In Britain—where politicians and the media are celebrating Mr. Cameron’s show of strength, and the consensus is that the nation is wisely distancing itself from a collapsing edifice—this new reality has yet to sink in. Few, it appears, are giving much thought to the frustration and rage set off in Europeans—and how this welling anti-British sentiment might manifest itself in the coming weeks and months.

Since Mr. Cameron’s announcement last Friday, Europe’s media and politicians have reacted with regular barrages of impish caricatures, harsh criticisms, and even veiled threats. Perhaps the most public outlet for the rage has been in the European Parliament. Conservative mep Daniel Hannan was in Parliament this week and reported on the scene. “I wish I could adequately convey the intensity of the anti-British feeling in the European Parliament,” he wrote. “In today’s debate on last week’s Brussels summit, speaker after speaker rose to denounce our entire nation as selfish, narrow-minded and arrogant. … You needed to be present, to hear the yowling and shrieking and desk-banging that accompanied every Anglophobic utterance” (emphasis added throughout).

These weren’t minor or fringe EU officials either. They are the voices of the European Union’s largest political parties!

European officials spoke “vaguely but menacingly of retribution,” noted Hannan. British mep Nigel Farage was also in the European Parliament Tuesday, and reported via Twitter that there was a “real hatred of the UK in the EP chamber today.”

One of the most arresting diatribes came from Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium’s former prime minister and an mep. “When you are invited to a table,” he told Britain, “it is either as a guest or you are part of the menu.”

It’s also obvious that European officials have already figured out how to make Britain pay for its actions. Rebecca Harms, leader of the European Greens, warned that Britain’s “selfish strategy” for protecting London as financial hub “cannot [be] tolerate[d] any longer.” European Economics Commissioner Olli Rehn agreed. If Mr. Cameron’s decision to veto the plan was “intended to prevent bankers and financial corporations of the City from being regulated, that’s not going to happen,” he warned.

Europe, it seems, is about to step up its assault on Britain’s financial sector.

That’s not good news for Britain’s economy. In the 2009/10 tax year, the British government collected £53.4 billion in taxes from its financial services sector. That’s more than 10 percent of its taxes for the year. Last year, Britain’s financial services economy had a £35.2 billion trade surplus, and was the only industry that generated a substantial surplus. According to Hannan, the finance industry “is as important to [Britain] as heavy industry is to Germany or agriculture to France.”

It’s been less than a week since Mr. Cameron’s declaration, and rumors are already circulating that global corporations are thinking about pulling out of London because they fear Brussels will impose legislation that will increase the cost of doing business there. If the officials that spoke in the European Parliament get their way, that’s exactly what will happen!

Britain’s financial sector isn’t the only asset Brussels is considering going after. European officials are openly talking about no longer paying Britain its annual rebate check, which last year amounted to £2.7 billion. “The British check … is now up for question,” stated European People’s Party leader Joseph Daul on Tuesday. “Tax monies should be spent on someone else rather than compensating selfish nationalism.”

Asked if he was declaring financial war, Daul haughtily responded: “There will be no tanks, no Kalashnikovs before Christmas.”

Europe has other means of making life uncomfortable for Britain too. For example, European corporations, many of which are simply extensions of national governments, own a disconcerting number of Britain’s strategic assets and resources. The baa (formerly British Airports Authority), owner of Heathrow Airport, is owned by the Spanish Ferrovial group. Arriva, which operates a large number of Britain’s bus and train services, is owned by Deutsche Bahn. edf Energy is one of Britain’s largest gas and electricity firms, and is owned by the French government via the state-owned edf sa. Npower, another electricity firm, is owned by the German energy giant rwe. Even the car division of Rolls Royce is owned by Volkswagen and bmw. Just last weekend, the Sunday Times reported that German state-owned company dfs is bidding for the British government’s stake in Britain’s air traffic control company.

As relations deteriorate and competition with Britain intensifies, don’t think Europe won’t bring its dominance of these strategic assets into play.

The EU has decisive political power over Britain too.

Using carefully crafted legislation, Brussels has for years been expanding its reach into virtually every nook and cranny of British society. In an effort to not appear too forceful or undemocratic and create a public brouhaha with Britain, the EU’s legislative assault has been slow and deft. Until now!

After Britain’s public revolt last Friday, Brussels no longer has to remain silent. Using qualified majority voting, European officials can continue to create and impose all sorts of painful new legislation on Britain. The only difference is, it no longer has to fear a British backlash and subsequent souring of relations. That has already happened!

Of course, by raising this issue we’re not arguing that Mr. Cameron ought not to have vetoed the German plan to rescue Europe. We’re simply saying that now that Britain has rejected it—making Britain’s expulsion from the EU inevitable—it had better brace itself.

Ever since Britain entered the European Community, European states have for the most part treated it, even if only in public, as an ally. Britain has sparred with Brussels over the years, but as long as it appeared to be an agreeable member of the EU it had to be considered a partner, and subsequently treated—at least in public—with tact, care and at least some measure of respect. But those days are now over. Last Friday Britain effectively took itself out of the EU.

This means that in the minds of European leaders, Britain is no longer an ally. In fact, many now consider it the enemy!

Right now Britain is enjoying the sense of freedom and liberation that comes from standing up to Germany and its allies. But in the coming weeks and months a new feeling will set in. It will be a feeling of fear and dread, and eventually horror. You see, without Britain around slowing things down, Europe’s transformation into a German-led United States of Europe will speed up!

And when that European superstate emerges, the only thing standing between it and Britain will be a tiny strip of water!

When Britain first entered the European Community, way back in 1973, Herbert W. Armstrong delivered a remarkable warning. “Britain is going to look back on Monday, Jan. 1, 1973, in all probability, as a most tragically historic date—a date fraught with ominous potentialities!” he wrote (Plain Truth, March 1973).

Today, Britain is coming face to face with those “ominous potentialities.” What will Britain do as the EU increasingly undermines Britain’s financial sector? As it imposes more rules and legislation on British society? And as Europe, under German leadership, makes decisions that it is powerless to stop?

Britain needs to stop celebrating, start praying and realize: Now that it is no longer dining with Germany and its allies at Europe’s table, it is on the menu, waiting to be devoured!

Eurozone Crisis: Lurching Towards The Brink

2011-12-17T07:20:00.003-05:00

When British Prime Minister David Cameron exercised the United Kingdom’s national veto last Friday at the European Union Summit in Brussels—the first EU national veto ever exercised by a British Prime Minister—he surprised most observers and sent shock-waves through the Union as never before in the UK’s 39-year involvement in the grand European project.

Article by: John Meakin (Tomorrow’s World)

Because EU rules state that any new legislation must be ratified by all 27 nations, Cameron’s veto effectively rendered the treaty void. Feeling threatened by the direction and intentions of the German- and French-dominated EU, Cameron felt he could not recommend the newly drafted treaty to his country, especially while Britain was facing the threat of new EU-imposed taxes that would have hobbled London as a world financial center.

Many EU nations saw the veto as a selfish betrayal of the EU’s wider interests at a time when the Union’s very survival is threatened by the collapse of the euro and the increasing tensions between member nations. French President Nicolas Sarkozy pointedly accused Cameron of intransigence and of wrecking the summit.

But did Cameron’s veto really nix the treaty? After discussions stretching into the early morning hours on Friday, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy proposed that the treaty go ahead anyway, bypassing existing EU legal structures. Ratification, he said, would instead be provided by the 17 members of the Eurozone, as well as by any other member countries that supported the aims of the summit. In the hours that followed, all of the remaining 26 EU member nations eventually signed up for the new treaty, leaving the UK isolated and alone.

Shocking as it may seem, all of these events are actually little more than a sideshow. The real issue behind the summit was the very survival of the Eurozone. Knowledgeable observers recognize that the crisis has been caused not by Britain, but rather by structural and systemic problems inherent in the very design of the euro system. Regrettably, despite bitter charges being leveled, very little was actually done at the summit to address the real cause of the EU problems; participants merely tinkered with the symptoms.

The new treaty is touted as a means to provide for fiscal union, but the measures taken do not remotely suffice. There is no lender of last resort to whom EU countries can turn, nor a EU treasury to care for the euro (the European Central Bank is currently denied that role). There is no shared budget, nor joint debt issuance to cover a nation’s indebtedness, a prospect that offends German sensibilities. There are no plans for growth that would allow countries to pay off their debts. And there remains a fixed exchange rate across the entire union, creating massive trade and capital flow imbalances between north and south, with only more and more austerity offered to southern nations as a solution. And all this is happening as the world economy slides towards a new recession.

In this harsh light of reality, the Eurozone crisis looks set to continue into the new year and beyond, with a growing odds-on potential for a massive “Euroquake” implosion—a disorderly market-driven break up of monetary union, with incalculably damaging results for Europe and the world economy. A large black hole is opening up and the Eurozone is lurching inexorably towards the brink!

Where are these events in Europe leading? What is their prophetic significance? Biblical prophecy points towards seismic political and economic events taking place in Europe, with a fundamental realignment of European nations leaving Britain on the outside. This is exactly what now appears to be tortuously coming about, as described in our Tomorrow’s World article, “Coming: A ‘United States of Europe’!”. This Work has for many years been warning of events now coming to pass; watch our telecast “America’s Fall and Europe’s Rise” for more context on this vital subject. And be sure to read “New Europe Rising!” in the upcoming January-February 2012 issue of Tomorrow’s World, which will make plain to you prophetic implications of these events. Events are moving very fast. Prophecy is coming alive before our eyes!

Christmas: The Missing Message

2011-12-17T06:48:00.004-05:00

Feature Story By: Richard F. Ames
From: Tomorrow's World

What does Christmas mean to you? Does observing Christmas bring you closer to God? Or are "Christmas" traditions obscuring the wonderful truth of Jesus Christ's real message?

What does Christmas mean to you? For many people, it is the most festive time of the year. Families come together to exchange gifts under a Christmas tree, perhaps near a fireplace where a Yule log is burning. Children beg Santa Claus to bring them their most desired presents. All around are traditional decorations—holly wreaths, mistletoe, bright lights and tinsel. From time to time, one may even find a "nativity" scene and a sincere desire to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

For most retailers in professing Christian nations, the Christmas season is the most profitable time of the year, accounting for up to 40 percent—sometimes more—of annual sales. Christmas-related promotions may begin weeks—even months—before December 25. Santa Claus and his reindeer have been used to sell products ranging from soda to electric razors!

This year, in a time of economic downturn, businesses are concerned that Christmas revenues may be weak. As one reporter noted during "back to school shopping" season last August, "Consumers who feel threatened by the economy may delay their frugality until November and December. Little Jimmy needs notebooks, pencils and clothes for school. He does not need an XBox Kinect for Christmas" (Back-to-school shoppers aren't scrimping—yet," Minneapolis Star-Tribune, August 18, 2011). It remains to be seen whether 2011 will reverse the anemic trends of some recent years.

Of course, for the wealthy, options abound. One famous upscale department store featured in its 2011 Christmas catalogue a life-sized edible gingerbread playhouse for children—at a price of $15,000!

Even for those of more modest means, "Christmas shopping" is one of the central traditions of the season. But the nature of Christmas shopping is changing in the Internet age. Earlier this year, British marketing firm eDigital Research reported that, in 2011, about one-third of consumers will be spending at least half of their Christmas-shopping budget online, while one in four will do up to three-fourths of their shopping on the Internet ("Gains for mobile shopping," eDigital Research, August 24, 2011).

So, is Jesus' message about consumerism? Is it a message of stress for those who rush about trying to stretch tight finances to purchase coveted consumer goods for friends and loved ones? Is it a message of guilt for those who do not spend enough, and a message of greed for those who are eager to receive the generous gifts of those around them?

Many of the millions who exchange gifts this year will assume they are following a tradition established by the Magi—the "wise men" from the East who came to pay their respects to Jesus. But is there more to that story than the common traditions assume?

The Magi

Scripture describes the arrival of the Magi in Jerusalem as they searched for the prophesied King of the Jews. "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him'" (Matthew 2:1–2).

What happened when they found Him? "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (v. 11).

Had the Magi come to offer "birthday presents"? No! They had come to "worship" a child they had recognized as King of the Jews! They were offering tribute to a king!

Notice that Jesus was in "the house"—not in a manger—by the time the Magi visited Him! The Magi visited when Jesus was no longer a baby or an infant, but rather when He was a "child." The NIV Study Bible comments about this visit: "Contrary to tradition, the Magi did not visit Jesus at the manger on the night of His birth as did the shepherds. They came some months later and visited Him as a 'child' in his 'house'" (pp. 1442, 1444).

Just how old was Jesus when the Magi came to visit? From Scripture we know an upper limit. An angel warned Joseph and Mary to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus (Matthew 2:13). King Herod was not looking for an infant to kill—he ordered the murder of all male children two years old and younger in the Bethlehem area (v. 16). Jesus had to have been at least several months old when the Magi came to worship Him!

Birth of a King

As you can see, the true biblical account is quite different from the traditions that inventive men have created around it. The birth of Jesus was the birth of a king. What purpose was revealed to Mary, Jesus' mother, regarding His birth? "Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end'" (Luke 1:30–33).

About 30 years later, Jesus began His full-time ministry. And what was His message? It was a message of a coming Kingdom—a Kingdom of which there will be no end! "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14–15).

The angel Gabriel announced that Jesus was to rule a Kingdom that would never end. Jesus Himself preached the gospel, the good news, of the coming Kingdom of God! One popular Christmas-time tradition today involves Messiah, the famous oratorio written in 1741 by English composer George Frideric Handel. Many of us have heard, set to Handel's music, the stirring words from the prophet Isaiah, announcing the revelation of the Messiah: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Yes, Jesus Christ—the Messiah—is now preparing to return to this earth and to establish world peace. He is the Prince of Peace. But, how will He establish world peace? Notice the next verse: "Of the increase of His government and peace there willbe no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7).

Can you imagine total world peace? Can you imagine peace and prosperity among all nations? This is what will happen when Christ establishes His Kingdom on earth! The prophet Zechariah wrote of the time when all nations will send representatives to worship in Jerusalem: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16).

Keep the Feast?

The New Testament Church of the first century knew the prophecies of Christ's coming, and they knew Christ's message—yet the New Testament Church did not observe Christmas! Rather, it observed the same Holy Days that Jesus Christ observed.

Have you ever observed the day of Pentecost? The New Testament apostles did. You can read the fascinating story in the book of Acts. You can read how thousands were converted on the day of Pentecost. Why were they observing the day of Pentecost? Because it was one of the annual Holy Days commanded in the Bible. As the NIV Study Bible states: "Pentecost is also called the Feast of Weeks (Dt 16:10), the Feast of Harvest (Ex 23:16) and the day of firstfruits (Nu 28:26)" (p. 1645).

The biblical day of Pentecost began the New Testament Christian Church! If you sincerely want to live by the Bible, you will also want to observe this biblical festival every year! Did you know that the annual Holy Days reveal God's plan of salvation for all humanity? Consider another of the annual biblical Holy Days: the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets signifies the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. If professing Christians would observe the biblical Holy Days, they would understand the missing message. The seven trumpets blown during the year-long Day of the Lord constitute the seventh seal of Revelation, the last book in your Bible. Here is the great announcement that will shake the governments of every nation on earth! "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15).

We all look forward to that time, and I urge you, if you are not already following Christ's instructions, to pray "Your Kingdom come!" The only way the world will ever experience lasting peace among nations is by Christ establishing world peace and teaching the nations how to achieve peace. The world must learn the way to peace. Christ and the saints will re-educate the nations, and teach them to love God and to love their neighbors. Notice this inspiring prophecy, "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" (Isaiah 2:3).

Today, nations are warring against nations. World War III will envelop the whole world in a conflagration that must be stopped by the King of kings. The nations will gather at Megiddo and prepare to fight Christ at His coming. That battle is commonly referred to as Armageddon, and your Bible describes it as "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14).

The nations will lose that war! Christ will reign triumphantly! Thank God, that Christ was born to be the King over planet Earth. The seventh trumpet will announce to the world that the nations now belong to the King of kings. God's loving plan for all humanity is revealed in the biblical festivals and holy days. Jesus and the apostles set us an example in observing biblical festivals and holy days, not pagan days and traditions with a Christian name. It is no accident that your Bible does not show Jesus or the Apostles observing Christmas—or any day set aside to commemorate Jesus' birth. Yet today, billions every year set aside December 25 as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Why?

December 25?

You may be wondering whether anyone can even prove that Jesus was born on December 25. Many will be surprised to learn that we can prove He was not born on that date!

Consider what Scripture tells us. Joseph and Mary had traveled back to Bethlehem for the census mandated by Caesar Augustus. The city was crowded, so Joseph and Mary had to find alternative accommodations. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger or a feeding trough. Notice the setting and the time of year. "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8). Most Bible scholars plainly admit that shepherds were not in the field in December. The cold, rainy season began long before December 25. You can check most reputable Bible commentaries. Jesus was born in late September or early October near the time of an important biblical festival, the Feast of Trumpets.

Who, then, was born on December 25? As you can confirm in any reputable encyclopedia, December 25 was associated with the supposed birth of pre-Christian deities long before anyone tried to claim it as the day of Jesus' birth. Mithra and Sol Invictus are two of the ancient figures for whom a December 25 birthdate is found.

The Missing Message

Mankind's false traditions can distract us from the real meaning of Christ's birth and life. We saw that Jesus was born in the autumn of the year, not on December 25. He was born to be the King of a kingdom that would never end. Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come" (Matthew 6:9–10).

We need the Kingdom of God! We are nearing the end of this age, the end of mankind's historic experiment with carnal societies and governments. The time is growing short, as we see many end-time prophecies coming to pass.

We can look forward to the return of Jesus Christ to this earth as King of kings. We can look forward to the coming Kingdom of God that will bring peace to all nations. Pray for the Kingdom to come! Look forward to His return as King of kings, and Lord of lords, as we read in Revelation 17:14 and Revelation 19:16. Christ and the saints will rule the world for a thousand years, as it states in Revelation 20:4–6. Look forward to a new world of peace and prosperity. All nations will have the opportunity to produce sustainable agriculture: abundant fruits, vegetables, and grains. Christ will stabilize the weather to bring rain in due season. Children will play in the streets in peace (Zechariah 8:5). The nature of animals will become peaceable (Isaiah 11:6). People from all nations will come to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles and to worship the King, Jesus Christ (Zechariah 14:16).

We are moving quickly toward the end of the present troubled age. And we are moving quickly toward the return of Jesus Christ to establish His peaceful millennial reign on planet Earth. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). He is coming as King of kings, and Lord of lords. Thank God that His Kingdom is coming! That is the missing message!

So, as December 25 approaches, what will you do? Will you go along with the fables that hide the true message of Jesus Christ? Will you become caught up in consumerism, and in "Christian" festivities that were actually co-opted from false gods? Will you look to false traditions—or will you look forward to the soon-coming return of the King of kings, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, to establish His Kingdom right here on planet Earth?

Do not let the false "Christmas" tradition distract you from the true message of Jesus Christ!

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For more on the exposed Christmas: Intro for Christmas Exposed
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