A Kinder, Gentler Hell?

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A Kinder, Gentler Hell?


As opinions about hell have changed over the years, so have the teachings of many churches. But what does the Bible say?

by David Treybig

Syncretism-the combination of differing beliefs and practices-has long been a hallmark of mainstream Christianity. Centuries ago church leaders set aside biblically assigned days of worship in favor of Sunday, Christmas and Easter. Similarly, popular tradition long ago replaced the biblical teaching about hell.



Beliefs about hell are changing again. A recent poll revealed a dramatic shift in opinion among Americans regarding concepts of hell. True to historical form, major religious organizations are adjusting their teachings accordingly. The latest beliefs and teachings concerning the fate of sinners could be called a "kinder, gentler" hell.



According to U.S. News & World Report, in 1997 the majority belief among U.S. citizens was that "hell is a real place where people suffer eternal fiery torments." Now 53 percent believe "hell is an anguished state of existence eternally separated from God" ("Hell Hath No Fury," Jeffrey Sheler, Jan. 31, 2000, p. 47).



This shift in thinking can be attributed to several factors. "Lampooned by modern intellectuals and increasingly sidelined by preachers preferring to dwell on more uplifting themes, the threat of post-mortem punishment of the impenitent in an eternal lake of fire all but disappeared from the religious mainstream by the 1960s. Theological discourse on the subject at the nation's divinity schools almost evaporated. And while polls showed that the majority of Americans professed to believe in hell's existence, almost no one thought he would go there" (ibid.).



The reasoning behind the shift often paints punishment as a childish fear tactic that is no longer valid or needed by mature adults. Others reason that a good God couldn't possibly punish people forever, as that would be against His very nature. "'Once we discovered we could create hell on Earth,' says John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University in Chicago, 'it became silly to talk about it in a literal sense'" (ibid., p. 50).



Authenticating this modern interpretation for Roman Catholics, Pope John Paul II stated last summer that, "rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitely separate themselves from God." In so doing he described hell as something figuratively portrayed in the Bible as a "pool of fire" or a "second death" (ibid., p. 45).



Catholic funeral masses have changed to reflect this view. White priestly garments have replaced black ones, and prayers such as Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), which describe the torture of the wicked, have been set aside in favor of ones dealing with hope and the resurrection.



In concert with this socially driven change, "the doctrine commission of the Church of England recently recommended a hell of 'final and irrevocable choosing of that which is opposed to God' instead of medieval fire and torment. And the newest Presbyterian catechism hardly mentions the subject at all ... Even among evangelicals, hell as a subject from the pulpit is less ubiquitous than before" (USA Today, "Churches Give Hell a Makeover," Gerald Zelizer, Feb. 21, 2000, p. 15A).



The modern religious consumer

In an effort to explain recent changes in teachings about hell, Gerald Zelizer, rabbi of a Conservative congregation serving Jewish residents of Metuchen and Edison, New Jersey, offers three reasons he believes hell is being refashioned. First is the religious consumer's view that he needs positive things, including love, hope, peace and marriage enrichment, more than being saved from hell. Second is the American psyche, which thinks people are entitled to be happy and successful. Third is ambiguity within Christianity over what Matthew meant when he said that evildoers would be "cast into a furnace of fire."



In an age of consumer-driven markets, churches are not only striving to meet the individual where he stands emotionally and intellectually but are adjusting doctrines to attract and retain people. Like a technician who can't resist the urge to tweak the knobs of an already perfectly operating system, theologians and parishioners regularly adjust doctrinal positions to fit their changing perspectives. Jesus Christ's first-century condemnation of substituting "the commandments of men" for the teachings of God (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7) has gone unheeded.



Yet, strangely, some theologians paint their revisions as honorable, carefully thought-out methods of taking the gospel to contemporary culture. Thomas Reese, editor of the Jesuit journal America, reasons that today's gentler hell, based on relationships and psychological experiences such as loneliness, wouldn't have made sense to earlier generations.



U.S. News & World Report's religion writer Jeffrey Sheler notes that this most recent change in the view of hell is similar to other changes in Christian teaching. But not everyone agrees with such humanly devised changes of biblical teachings.



The history of change

Evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics (who comprise much of the 34 percent of Americans who hold to the traditional view that hell is a literal place of eternal punishment) do not accept the kinder, gentler hell.



Yet, ironically, many of those resistant to the recent change are unaware that their traditional beliefs are nothing more than revisions of the true biblical teaching. The major difference lies in the fact that their revisions were made many centuries ago.



Surprising as it may sound, the idea of hell as a literal place where evildoers are punished for eternity did not arise until centuries after Jesus' life on earth and subsequent crucifixion. As Rabbi Zelizer explained: "In the Hebrew Bible, there is no mention of hell at all, but only a deep ravine of rocky earth outside the Old City of Jerusalem, where the Israelites burned garbage and emptied sewage, and Sheol, a non-descript underworld into which both the good and the bad descended after death."



So where did the idea of hell as a place of eternal punishment come from?

In Mark 9:43-48 Jesus spoke of hell as a place where "the fire is not quenched." Did He mean evildoers would be punished forever? Or did He mean no one would quench the fire, that it would not go out until the wicked were consumed? This question has left many confused, as have disagreements among third- and fourth-century theologians over whether the punishment would be sensory or only symbolic of separation from God.



Origen, another early church theologian, offered this theory: Hell is remedial in nature, a place where sinners could be rehabilitated. The Council of Constantinople in 543 rejected Origen's view. From that time forward, people were divided between two perspectives, the majority believing in a never- ending punishment of the wicked (who would necessarily be immortal), the minority believing in a one-time annihilation of the wicked (who by definition would be mortals, capable of dying and being destroyed).



Little changed until the 14th century when Dante presented a fictional description of hell in his work the Divine Comedy. Using vivid imagery of the horrors associated with a multileveled subterranean chamber, Dante galvanized popular opinion about sensory punishment.



However, the doctrinal evolution did not end there.



"Two hundred years later, leaders of the Protestant Reformation rejected the terrifying depictions of hell in art and literature," wrote Jeffrey Sheler. "While Martin Luther and John Calvin regarded hell as a real place, they believed its fiery torments were figurative. Hell's worst agonies, they said, were the terror and utter despair of spending eternity cut off from God."



Given the options, what should one believe? Is there no definitive, biblically based answer?



Yes, there is. An often-overlooked passage sheds a brilliant light on the entire debate.



The Bible's explanation

Although many have noted Christ's references to punishment for evildoers in Mark 9:43-48 and Revelation 20:15, few have made the connection between this subject and Malachi 4. Written 400 years before the birth of Christ, Malachi's book has been assumed by many to be simply a historical record of the time. Yet its last two chapters (3 and 4) focus on Jesus' second coming.



Malachi 4:1-3 explains what will happen to the wicked: "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,' says the LORD of hosts."



As their punishment, says Malachi, evildoers will be burned up. This is not a case of divinely administered eternal torture but of a mercifully quick capital punishment-the annihilation and eternal elimination of the wicked. The wicked will not burn forever. Indeed, they will be reduced to ashes.



This is the "everlasting punishment"-a death after which there is no hope of a resurrection-Jesus speaks of in Matthew 25:46. This punishment is eternal in the sense that it has eternal consequences: No one will return to life once punished in this manner. The punishing is instantaneous, but its effect is eternal.



The idea that one can work his way out of this punishment is also a mistaken concept.



Understanding annihilationism

The understanding that the wicked will be destroyed is called annihilationism.



Addressing this concept, Sheler reports: "A small but growing number of conservative theologians are promoting a third position: that the end of the wicked is destruction, not eternal suffering. Evangelical scholars such as Clark H. Pinnock, theology professor at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario; John R.W. Stott, founder of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity; and Philip E. Hughes, a noted Anglican clergyman and author, contend that those who ultimately reject God will simply be put out of existence in the 'consuming fire' of hell," Sheler wrote.



These theologians correctly point out, as Sheler writes, that "the traditional belief in unending torment is based more on pagan philosophy than on a correct understanding of Scripture. They base their belief on New Testament passages that warn of 'eternal destruction' (2 Thessalonians 1:9) and 'the second death' (Revelation 20:14) for those who reject God, and on the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel's admonition that 'the soul that sins shall die' (Ezekiel 18:4).



"They also raise ethical arguments. 'How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness' as to inflict 'everlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinful they may have been?' asks Pinnock in the Criswell Theological Review. A God who would do such a thing, Pinnock argues, is 'more nearly like Satan than like God.'"





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There is much more to the story. For a thorough explanation of what happens to people when they die, request our eye-opening booklets Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach? and What Happens After Death? Both are free online!

Halloween's Dark Roots

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Halloween's Dark Roots


In recent years eye-opening materials have been published about the questionable background of Halloween. Consider these excerpts:



"Halloween-a holiday that mixes generic religious beliefs with ancient folk customs-is supposed to be fun. But for many conservative Christians, it has become a dark and spiritually dangerous celebration ... Many are boycotting the bats, witches, goblins and ghouls that symbolize the holiday because they consider such things to be lures in the satanic struggle for human souls ...



"Halloween's pagan roots are real, as are those of Christmas and Easter. Santa Claus comes from an ancient woodland spirit honored by pagans, and Easter's non-Christian ancestry is derived from a Germanic fertility goddess, thus the Easter eggs and Easter bunny ... Halloween was called samhain in the pagan world-part harvest festival, partly a day to honor the dead" (Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, Oct. 28, 1993, "Conservative Christians Urge Halloween Alternative").



"The ancient Celtic [Irish, Scottish, Welsh] festival called Samhain is considered by many to be a predecessor of our contemporary Halloween. Samhain was the New Year's Day of the Celts, celebrated on 1 November. It was also a day of the dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access to the land of the dead. It was related to the season: by Samhain, the crops should be harvested and the animals brought in from the distant fields.



"Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain, most notable that night was the time of the wandering dead, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires, continued to be practiced on 31 October, known as the Eve of All Saints, the Eve of All Hallows, or Hallow Even. It is the glossing of the name Hallow Even that has given us the name Hallowe'en.



"... The customs associated with Halloween included representations of ghosts and human skeletons-symbols of the dead-and of the devil and other malevolent, evil creatures, such as witches.



"The first week of November is marked in many countries, especially those with a strong Catholic influence, with festivals concerned with death, in a playful but serious way. In Catholic countries we often find some cognate of Halloween associated with All Saints' or All Souls' days.



"... Unlike the American Halloween, in Mexico people build home altars, adorned with religious icons and special breads and other food for the dead. The Day of the Dead incorporates recognition of death as a concept with rituals that remember the deaths of individuals" (Jack Santino, Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, 1994). GN











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Hollywood's Horrendous Consequences

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/ or call 1-888-886-8632.
 


Mass Culture's Horrendous Consequences


The 21st century sees the entertainment-centered culture of the Western world spread around the globe through movies, television, music and the Internet. Rather than genuinely "entertaining" in a wholesome sense, the effect appears to encourage self-indulgence of the crudest and rawest elements of human nature.

by Cecil E. Maranville

Entertainment is both pleasurable and necessary for establishing and maintaining good health. By "entertainment," I mean the type of activity that uplifts, inspires or relaxes the human spirit. The biblical "There Is a Season" poem acknowledges this truth with its declaration that there is "a time to laugh...and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:4).



One of the saddest realities of the present culture of the Western world is that it broadcasts a type of "entertainment" that pulls one down much more than it uplifts. The themes marketed as entertainment typically focus on self-destructive behaviors that would ruin the life of any individual who practiced them. Further, the pursuit of the way of life shown on the big screen, the television screen or "screamed" from musical presentations would also corrupt the broader community.



The fabulous wealth and influence of the West have enabled it to spread this poisonous product worldwide. Millions of people living in the West would immediately protest, saying their personal values are in no way reflected by the entertainment industry. Nonetheless, the all-pervasive Western entertainment is a prime illustration used by radical religious extremists to recruit terrorists to destroy "the corrupt West."



In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks, many Americans asked: "Why do so many people in other countries hate us?" "Part of any honest response involves the movies, TV shows and popular music we export around the globe" (Michael Medved, "Can Hollywood Change Its Ugly Version of USA?" Oct. 18, 2001). Many Americans may look at their beautiful homes, pleasant neighborhoods, fabulously-equipped schools or at the freedoms they enjoy and think, "This is America!" If they spent a day watching the latest Hollywood releases, the latest television programs and listening to the most popular music—without looking at any other aspect of America, they would realize in horror, "This is the America that the rest of the world sees."



Medved noted in the above piece that a Pakistani theater had been destroyed recently by anti-American rioters when showing the R-rated film Desperado. Americans know that Hollywood productions are more fantasy than fact, but people in other parts of the world may not know that. "If you live in Indonesia or Nigeria...you'll get little chance to balance the negative impressions you draw from The X-Files, Hannibal or Natural Born Killers... No wonder so many Islamic extremists (and so many others) now look upon the USA as a cruel, godless, brutal and vulgar society—a 'Great Satan,' indeed."



Americans say, "Don't portray us this way!"



In spite of the fact that survey after survey shows that the American public prefers the type of entertainment material that portrays and encourages the values of family, faith and flag, nearly 65 percent of all movie releases in the United States are R-rated, according to Medved.



He made the claim that R-rated movies are the least profitable nearly 10 years ago in his book, Hollywood vs. America (1992). Several years later, a professor of economics at the University of California, Irvine, conducted a major scientific study on this claim. Arthur DeVany's sophisticated study proved that Medved was correct. R-rated films fared more poorly than "G, PG, and PG13 in all three dimensions of revenues, costs, return on production cost, and profits" (Medved, "Politicos, Hollywood Heavies: They Can't Both Be Right About Public Preferences," Feb. 23, 2001).



TV writers, programmers, performers and executives were called the "vulgarians at the gate" by the late Steve Allen in his book by that title. Consider the following statistics: 77 percent of people polled by Family Circle magazine (reported in its May 15, 2001 issue) have a problem with the sexual content of television; 61 percent won't watch some shows because of the sexual content; 84 percent won't allow their children to watch some shows for the same reason; 93 percent changed the channel or turned off the television entirely, because of sexual content of a program (Cal Thomas, "Must-Sleaze TV?" 2001 LA Times Syndicate).



Thomas also cited a Newsweek survey from 2000, which showed that over 90 percent of parents of children ages 5 to 17 said that limiting the amount of violence children are exposed to in the media is an important factor in reducing crime.



Why "entertainment" is low quality



Why would the entertainment industry continue to generate a classless and crude product, if people do not want it? There are three fundamental answers to that question. First, they market their product to a small niche of the population—young people who have the money and the inclination to indulge themselves in what Hollywood has to offer. Medved calls them "a relative handful of drooling, subliterate, hormone addled adolescent males" (Medved, Feb. 23, 2001). (I don't believe he meant to imply that all teens are of this caliber!) Cal Thomas referred to a Federal Trade Commission report of 2000, which found that the entertainment industry is targeting violent films, music and video games to young people (Thomas, Aug. 9, 2001).



Parents may not be happy with television programming, but they're allowing their children to watch it in record amounts—probably due in part to not knowing how to say "no" to the demands that their children make. According to a Nielsen Media Research report of 1993, children spend nearly as much time learning about life through media as in formal schooling. The average child spends approximately 28 hours a week watching television, not including movies and/or Internet games.



The Parents Music Resource Center reports that American teenagers listen to an estimated 10,500 hours of rock music between the seventh and 12th grades alone—which is more than 95 percent of the time they spend in school over 12 years (Entertainment Monitor, December 1995)!



Second, some producers of Western entertainment are more interested in the respect and accolades that they receive from their peers than they are in turning a profit at the box office. They are independently wealthy enough that they can afford to be so incredibly self-absorbed.



Citing Martin Scorsese as an example of a director with a string of financial failures, Michael Medved wrote: "The horrific, chillingly rendered violence, the loveless sex and gutter language that characterize most of his films may help to alienate millions of moviegoers but they only add to the luster of his industry reputation as a cutting edge artist, worthy of support... Peer respect matters more than box office success to many industry insiders... Instead [of pursuing quality programming that emphasizes wholesome values] industry veterans passionately pursue good reviews, respectability, and serious esteem-providing reassurance to the nagging insecurity that often accompanies the artistic temperament" (Medved, Feb. 23, 2001).



The third reason that Hollywood can afford to continue to produce and market its corrupt form of entertainment brings us back to the sober reality of how Western culture has impacted the world. That is, Hollywood now receives a majority of its income from foreign audiences. As recently as 20 years ago, foreign revenue accounted for only approximately a third of Hollywood's income, "but in the year 2000, these foreign audiences generate[d] more than 60% of Tinseltown's cash flow" (ibid, emphasis added).



Consider the irony: Many Americans decry Western "entertainment," and many foreigners are aghast at the America they see portrayed in the electronic media. At the same time, millions, both in America and in other countries, have an increasing appetite for this type of trash. And they are willing to pay for it. The result: there will continue to be more of the same.



Evil vs. good



At the root of this battle is a spiritual struggle of evil vs. good. It's not, as many tend to portray it, "good vs. evil," because good doesn't struggle against evil—good is inherently better. Nor is this a new struggle, in spite of the fact that human pride causes some to point back a few decades to a time when some godly values were more widely accepted than they are today.



The truth is, whenever men give in to their basest impulses, evil prevails. It's been so since the beginning.



One of the oldest texts in the Bible is Job. He lamented in his day about an over-indulged generation of children, which did nothing more than pursue entertainment. "They spend their time singing and dancing. They are wealthy and need deny themselves nothing; they are prosperous to the end" (Job 21:12-13, The Living Bible). Because their lives were so prosperous, the youths saw no practical need for God and subsequently had no respect for what He had to say.



And so it will be until the end of the age of mankind. Warning of the end-time world conditions, Jesus said, "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day [of My return to the earth] come on you unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34).



Playing with the devil



Satan is a real being to most people of the world, apart from the West. But evil spirits are relegated to horrifying super-criminals or slow-minded buffoons in much Western entertainment.



Witchblade is a movie cum television series in which a female police officer is both master and servant to a mysterious supernatural weapon. This weapon was supposedly wielded by Joan of Arc and many other "warrior women" down through history in times of great crisis. Dark Angel is another supernatural show about a genetically-enhanced human prototype who battles evil in a run-down world. The main character is also a woman, which is part of a trend to portray women as dominant heroines in a modern world.



People the world around are familiar with the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, based upon the first of J.K. Rowling's series of novels about a young boy in a school for witchcraft and wizardry. With each new novel, the boy grows a year older and a year further educated in the "art of wizardry."



Charmed is a show about three sultry sisters, who are witches. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel are similar programs, which mix the typical immorality of Hollywood with the Western proclivity to make demons into dancers. A more childish version of the same tripe is Sabrina, the Teenage Witch—a "comedy" about a bumbling girl with supernatural powers.



Of course, producing programs about demons and other evil, whether in a comedic or horror setting, isn't new to Hollywood. But now the Hollywood image of "spiritism" has a worldwide audience. How must these programs and movies like The Mummy, Pet Cemetery, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc., come across to the world?



Producers of movies, television or music do not shun evil spirits; they use them as bit players in an entertainment-addicted world. The devil's power isn't a laughing matter. He has godlike power over this present world and is committed to using his formidable resources to prevent its citizens from enjoying what is truly good (2 Corinthians 4:4).



Study after study shows that children exposed to violent themes in entertainment are seriously damaged. Sadly, these facts are quickly swept aside in the rush to the ticket counter, the TV remote or the music store. An eye-opening study—for those with eyes to see—has been conducted in various countries to measure the increase of murder after the introduction of television. The shocking truth: Homicide rates doubled within 10 to 15 years. TV was introduced at different times in the countries studied, but the results were the same (B.S. Centerwall, Comstock G. [ed.], "Exposure to Television as a Cause of Violence," Public Education as Behavior, 1989, 2:1-58).



Crimes of a sexual nature are part of the results, too. "Did we really think that there would be no consequences—no hell to pay—as we slowly repealed personal and corporate codes of conduct? Images and music say to young boys that women are nothing but sex objects. Why are we surprised when they learn and act out that lesson? Their cultural and political icons speak as if sex is a personal entitlement and that women are as disposable as rags" (Cal Thomas, "The Abusive Date. Why Are We Surprised?" 2001, LA Times Syndicate).



The Old Testament concludes with an encouraging promise from God, coupled with a truly sobering warning. The good news is that He has promised to do a work at the end of the age of mankind, which would turn the hearts of fathers back to the children and the hearts of children back to their fathers—restoring the family. The sobering news is, were it not for this work of God, the human family would become so corrupt that even God could not save the resultant world (Malachi 4:4-6).



The heritage of Western culture is that evil—the family is that important—the work of the Church of God is that vital. WNP

Satan's False Advertising—Even in Christianity

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/

Satan's False Advertising—Even in Christianity


If you could see and meet the devil face to face, what would he look like? He is commonly depicted as a cartoon character in a red suit with a pitchfork or as a hideous-looking ghoul.



But neither of these characterizations is anywhere close to the truth. In reality, if you were to meet the devil, you would find him attractive, engaging and persuasive. Though he is really the prince of darkness, Satan successfully presents himself as "an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).



Satan is a master of misrepresentation. He is the world's greatest advertiser, packaging his product so it seems attractive and appealing, while in reality it is poisonous and deadly. He wants his clients to see him as good, beneficent and trustworthy. He wants his product—sin and rejection of God—to appear enticing and inviting, and he is usually quite successful.



Satan never presents sin as it really is. He never presents both sides of the story, pro and con. He presents only what he wants us to see, something that appears fun and exciting. He wants us to focus on pleasure, on what feels or looks good at the moment. He wants long-term consequences to be the last thing on our minds while he entices us to sin.



The vast majority of people have lost sight of the real connection between cause and effect. We rarely hear or see that concept mentioned, much less discussed. Instead we hear people clamor for quick fixes to every problem, ease for every discomfort and a pill for every ailment. We seldom stop to consider the long-term consequences of our actions. (To better understand these principles, download or request your free copy of the booklet Why Does God Allow Suffering?)



Our approach is shortsighted and foolish. "Do not be deceived," cautions Paul. "God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" (Galatians 6:7, New Revised Standard Version).



We live in a world that pays little attention to the long-term results of sin. We don't think through the consequences of our words and deeds, and we're constantly under pressure from a society that is built on Satan's standards and values rather than God's.



It's neither easy nor popular, considering the culture surrounding us, to adopt a different set of values and standards—those that God reveals. As Jesus said: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world...the world hates you" (John 15:18-19). God's way will never be popular in this day and age.



Nevertheless, most people appear supremely confident that their ways are pleasing to God. They defend their religious beliefs and practices as being perfectly satisfactory and acceptable in God's eyes. They assume that all, or most, teachers and churches bearing the Christian name teach the truth. Few indeed stop to consider that Satan's great deception is not only worldwide, but has deeply infiltrated Christianity.



Notice the context of Paul's words when he writes that Satan appears as "an angel of light." In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Paul warns of "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." We shouldn't be surprised at this, writes Paul, because "Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."



Is that possible? How could people who claim to represent Jesus Christ in reality be Satan's "ministers," his servants, used by the devil to spread deception?



Jesus Himself repeatedly warned of this very thing! He said that many would appropriate His name but deny Him by their actions. He stated: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:22-23). Of such, he asked, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).



Jesus and His true apostles spoke of false apostles, false prophets and false brethren. Jesus further warned: "Take heed that no once deceives you. For many will come in My name and deceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5, 11). He knew that false teachers would arise who would teach a distorted, corrupted version of Christianity. That deception began in the first century, when Paul wrote that some were already teaching a "different gospel" and "pervert[ing] the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-7).



To carry out his purpose, Satan uses some people to deceive other people. This is especially true when they are motivated by personal ambition to be teachers of spiritual matters but lack a proper understanding of the Scriptures. Satan simply takes advantage of that desire and seduces susceptible individuals to represent Christ falsely, though often sincerely, while advancing the devil's own deceptive, disguised agenda. Indeed, such teachers are usually unwitting agents of Satan, being deceived themselves along with everyone else.



Lest you be misled by this greatest of all of Satan's deceptions, you need to be sure that your beliefs are based firmly on the Bible. (For more on how pervasive Satan's deceptions are among churches that profess to be Christian, see "The Great Counterfeiter". And be sure to download or request a free copy of our booklet The Church Jesus Built.)

Do Good People Really Go to Heaven When They Die?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  

Do Good People Really Go to Heaven When They Die?


Most churchgoers believe that when they die they will go to heaven, But will they? The Bible reveals some astounding truths about the mystery of life beyond the grave.

by Jerold Aust

William was a teenager when his father died. He was devastated because he loved his dad. He remembered the times when he walked beside his dad with his little fingers clutching his father's much larger hand.



He couldn't help but wonder why a loving God, if indeed there were such a Being, would allow his father to die prematurely, before his time. It just didn't make sense. His anger turned him away from the God that he had learned about in Sunday school. "If God works this way, I want nothing to do with him," he lamented.



He sought answers from his pastor, but the minister said he didn't understand it either, that God worked in mysterious ways. This didn't help young William get over his anger. After a few years, he simply gave up in frustration with the thought that there was no answer as to why or where God took his father.



Sometimes, thinking his father was up in heaven and could somehow hear him, William would try to talk to his dad—but, as always, there was no response. Little did he know that what the Bible revealed about where his father went and his father's future were quite different from what he had been taught.



Are good people promised heaven?

When good people die, do they go directly to heaven as so many believe? Since life here is so short and eternity is so very long, shouldn't we want to clearly understand the truth on this crucial subject?



To comprehend what the Bible teaches about heaven, we first need to understand that there is more than one heaven. Often the Bible refers to heavens, plural. In fact, three distinct "heavens" are mentioned in the Bible.



The first of these is simply the sky above us—earth's atmosphere, containing the air we breathe. It is in this heaven that birds fly and clouds give rain and snow (2 Samuel 21:10; Job 35:11; Isaiah 55:10).



The second biblical heaven is the realm beyond earth's atmosphere, what we commonly call outer space. Here we find the "stars of heaven"—the planets, stars, constellations and galaxies of this awesome physical universe (Genesis 22:17; 26:4; Deuteronomy 1:10; Isaiah 13:10).



The "third heaven" is different still—it is the location of God's majestic throne (2 Corinthians 12:2).



Obviously the deceased, Christian or not, are not floating around unnoticed in the first two heavens. No one seriously believes they can be found drifting about the sky or in outer space. Therefore they must be in the third of these heavens, right?



Many people assume so, but the whole argument about heaven being the reward of deceased Christians runs into a brick wall with these words from the apostle Peter's first sermon: "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day . . . For David did not ascend to heaven . . ." (Acts 2:29, 34, New International Version, emphasis added throughout).



God called this same King David "a man after My own heart," one who would "do all My will" (Acts 13:22). Surely, if anyone had a right to heaven, wouldn't it be a person such as David? Yet Peter tells us God did not carry David off to heaven. The only one who had ascended to heaven, said Peter, was Jesus Christ (Acts 2:29-35).



Was Peter mistaken? Did he simply misspeak?



We might assume so, but notice what the Gospel of John says: "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man [Jesus Christ]" (John 3:13, NIV).



Jesus never promised Christians heaven after they died. The New Testament plainly says that of the faithful men and women who had gone before—such spiritual giants as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, to name some of those listed in Hebrews 11—not one has ascended to heaven. In fact, says verse 39 of Hebrews 11, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised" (NIV).



If they aren't in heaven, where are they? And what was it they were promised, if it wasn't heaven?



No consciousness in the grave

Many people are surprised to discover what the Bible really says about what happens to us when we die. Yet, when we remove our preconceived notions, the answer becomes quite clear from the Scriptures—and it is immensely encouraging to all.



Notice what God inspired King Solomon to write about the state of the dead: "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten" (Ecclesiastes 9:5).



Scripture clearly tells us that at death we cease to know anything. The dead are unconscious and unaware. All our emotions, thoughts, knowledge and feelings go to the grave with us. No consciousness continues living in another place or state. We do not have an immortal soul that goes on living somewhere else. In Ezekiel 18, verses 4 and 20, God plainly tells us that "the soul who sins shall die"—not continue living apart from the body.



The patriarch Job echoes Solomon's words. He writes: ". . . Man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? As water disappears from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dries up, so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep" (Job 14:10-12).



Job goes on to ask the most crucial question about life after death: "If a man dies, shall he live again?" (verse 14). His answer is found in Jesus Christ's own words.



Death's mystery solved

The key to the mystery of life after death is revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25-26).



It is because Christ was resurrected from the grave that we can be assured we, too, will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:12-21). Throughout the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul eloquently argues this important fact—that since Jesus was resurrected from the grave, He will resurrect all those who have been faithful to Him.



Job, as we saw above, raised the question of life after death. Notice how he answered it: "O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time [the time of the resurrection], and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee . . ." (Job 14:13-15, King James Version).



Job understood that life after death comes about by God's divine power. Speaking of each person whom the Father would call to understand His truth, Jesus explains, "I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).



The promise of life after death hinges on Jesus Christ's resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). The fact that Jesus Christ was resurrected to become "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5) means that He has opened the way for others to follow in a resurrection from the grave. The raising of the dead is a mighty and magnificent part of God's great master plan. Through it, mankind has the opportunity to live again, as faithful Job knew and confirmed.



The doctrine of the resurrection is listed among the fundamental doctrines of the Bible (Hebrews 6:1-2). It is the hope of all true Christians, for it nullifies and makes void death itself (1 Corinthians 15:54).



The resurrection voids death

Paul confirms that many people were eyewitnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ had indeed risen from the grave:



"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then by the twelve [apostles]. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep [in death]. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).



Too many credible witnesses saw and interacted with Christ Jesus after He was raised from the dead for His resurrection to be denied.



Paul also offers a simple but incontestable logic about how our resurrection from the dead is directly tied to Jesus' resurrection: "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.



"More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.



"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]. For since death came through a man [Adam], the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man [Jesus Christ]" (1 Corinthians 15:12-21, NIV).



The mystery of what happens to human beings after they die is incontrovertibly solved in the vibrant life of the resurrected Christ. Our future life beyond the grave is directly connected to the resurrected Jesus Christ and the fact that He is the One who will raise us from the dead. When this happens—and it surely will—the Bible reveals it will not be so that we can go to live in heaven forever.



Death likened to sleep

When Christians—or any others—die, they do not go directly to heaven or to any equivalent of heaven. Their bodies simply decay in the grave, returning to the dust from which they were made (Genesis 3:19).



Solomon confirmed the fact that the dead are unconscious, knowing nothing. He illustrated the superiority of life over death with an interesting analogy: "Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing . . ." (Ecclesiastes 9:4-5, NIV).



The writers of the Bible describe our experience after death not as going to heaven or hell, but simply as sleep. Notice, for example, how Daniel refers to the state of the dead in this prophecy of the resurrection: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). When an individual is in a deep sleep, he has absolutely no conscious awareness of the passing of time nor any knowledge of events that are occurring while he is asleep.



Paul repeatedly compared death to sleep (1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15). Peter similarly writes of the patriarchs who "fell asleep" in death (2 Peter 3:4).



Jesus Himself also spoke of death as sleep. Speaking of a deceased girl whom He intended to raise from the dead, He told the mourners, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping" (Luke 8:52; compare Matthew 9:24).



Before He resurrected Lazarus, He told the disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." The disciples misunderstood, thinking Lazarus was sleeping because he was ill. "However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep" (John 11:11, 13).



When will the dead be resurrected?

We can see that the Bible clearly teaches that good people don't go to heaven at death; instead they sleep in the grave awaiting the resurrection of the dead. All of the dead —good and not so good alike—will eventually be resurrected, each in his own time (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).



The dead in Christ will be resurrected to immortal life at Jesus Christ's return to earth, and those faithful servants who are still alive at that time will be changed from mortal to immortal. Specifically, this happens at the sounding of "the trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), called "the last trumpet" in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and corresponding to the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15.



This event is called "the first resurrection" in Revelation 20:5. In John's vision of the future, those in this resurrection came to life and "reigned with Christ for a thousand years" (verse 4), during the period commonly known as the Millennium. Notice that they do not go to dwell in heaven—they live and reign with Jesus on earth, to which He has returned to establish God's Kingdom!



Verse 6 goes on to explain: "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power [because they will then be the resurrected, immortal children of God], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Revelation 5:10 confirms that they will be "a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth" (NIV). (For more details, see "God's Awesome Purpose for Those in the First Resurrection,".)



Since Christ is coming back to earth (Zechariah 14:3-4), it makes good sense that that's where we will be. After all, Jesus said that we would be with Him: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3; compare Isaiah 11:1-9). Clearly, Jesus is coming back to earth and we will reign with Him here, not in or from heaven.



Another resurrection follows

So if there is a first resurrection in which God's faithful servants are raised to immortality to reign with Jesus Christ, will there be other resurrections? And what happens to those who lived and died without ever knowing or hearing the name of Jesus, the only name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12)?



Those who died without knowing Christ will be resurrected to physical life and given their time to repent and receive salvation 1,000 years later (Revelation 20:11-13). Verse 5 tells us clearly that "the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished."



Ezekiel 37 vividly describes a second resurrection to a temporary physical existence, when human beings who have never understood God's truth in this life will be raised from the dust of the earth to learn God's way for the first time. God is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" and "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). He will not unjustly condemn those who never had an opportunity to come to that knowledge, repent and receive His gift of eternal life.



Each person raised to life again in this great resurrection will be given sufficient time to learn God's way of life (see Ezekiel 37:12-14, 23-24), during which they will be judged or evaluated according to their works, by the standards and values "which were written in the books" (Revelation 20:12).



These "books" (biblion in Greek, from which we get the word Bible) are the Scriptures, the only source of the knowledge of eternal life and the basic standard by which all are ultimately judged. Most, probably the vast majority, will go on to receive eternal life because the Bible tells us that "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26)—and by extension most of the gentile world likely will be saved as well. (To learn more about this resurrection, see "All Those in the Tombs Will Hear His Voice".)



Some individuals, regrettably, will stubbornly choose to reject this marvelous opportunity for eternal life. But rather than suffer torment for eternity in hell (as many people incorrectly assume the Bible teaches), Scripture shows their fate will be to be consumed in the lake of fire, "the second death." As Malachi 4:3 states, they will be burned to ashes and simply cease to exist.



You can take something with you

People of many ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians, buried items of physical worth with their dead. They believed that the deceased would be able to use those important things in the next life. Yet the patriarch Job refuted this idea: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there" (Job 1:21). This may be where we get the oft-repeated saying, "You can't take it with you."



However, this old cliché is not entirely true. In a sense, God will allow you to take something with you when you die—godly character. A true Christian is one who builds God's character for the duration of his Christian life (1 Corinthians 3:9-15). When raised to life again in the resurrection, that same character will be a part of us in our new life. For the true Christian, that godly character will be with him forever (1 John 2:15-17).



The Egyptians and many other long-dead peoples didn't know this, or they would not have buried valuable physical objects with their dead. But a young teen learned this truth from God's Word, the Bible.



A teen learns the truth

Do you remember William, whose father died prematurely while he was a teenager? That youngster is the author of this article; William is my middle name. Eventually I came to understand the purpose of life and the fact that the dead are not lost in the grave, that all men, women, children and babies who have ever lived will be resurrected, each in his or her own time. All will eventually have the opportunity to learn God's truth.



In time I came to comprehend that the common denominator to all human death was and is the resurrection of Jesus Christ to eternal life, and that His resurrection guarantees our resurrection, too. Although death is a great enemy of human beings—and it has hurt and stung me deeply three separate times—we can take great comfort in God's truth. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, the resurrection from the dead removes this great enemy and its sting!



Jesus Christ reveals that in time God the Father will come to the earth (Revelation 21:1-3, 10). Listen to Jesus Christ's description of this time: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).



Knowing God's ultimate plan for mankind—that human death doesn't end it all—gives us a great and wonderful comfort and sets us free from the myth of a passive eternity in heaven or eternal torment in hell. Finally, the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 urges us to share this holy truth with others: "Therefore comfort one another with these words." GN







Related Resources

What Happens After Death?

Few understand what the Bible really teaches about life beyond the grave. This booklet will guide you through the Scriptures to discover the encouraging and awe-inspiring truth so few understand.



What Does the Bible Say About the "Immortal Soul"?

Many people think the Bible says we have an immortal soul destined, at death, for heaven, hell or purgatory. What does the Bible say?



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

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?

The Spirit World's Dangerous Dark Side

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  



The Spirit World's Dangerous Dark Side


Strange practices and religions such as Wicca, Santeria, voodoo and channeling are growing in popularity. What's behind them? Are such things harmless, or is there more to them than meets the eye?

by Mario Seiglie

As traditional Christianity has lost its appeal for many people, growing numbers have sought to fill that vacuum in their lives in other ways. Some turn to alternate religions popular in other parts of the world. Some turn to witchcraft and pre-Christian paganism. Some seek answers in the occult. A few even knowingly turn to Satanism and evil spirits.



Some are simply curious; others are very serious. But whether they recognize it or not, all are dabbling in dangers that likely are well beyond their limited comprehension. That's why these dangers are often referred to as the occult—things that are secretive, mysterious and concealed.



Maybe you've never directly seen Satan or his demons, but certainly those familiar with the Bible recognize their influence in this rapidly degenerating world. No wonder the Scriptures describe Satan as "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4).



His influence is not new, but its prevalence in modern society certainly is. What was once banned or very limited in dealing with the dark spirit realm is now mostly out in the open. Satanism is rampant in movies, and movements based on it, such as Wicca, Santeria, voodoo and consultation with mediums, are thriving, especially with the young.



The apostle Paul tells us we should be wary of such practices, "lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11).



Wicca, Santeria and voodoo

One of the fastest growing movements in Western nations is Wicca, a modern version of witchcraft. Part of its popularity is due to American TV programs such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angeland Charmed. Wicca is so popular that the United States, Great Britain and many other nations now recognize it as a legitimate religion with legal rights.



The term Wicca was popularized in 1954 by the British leader of the movement, Gerald Gardner, who described it as a return to the "Old Religion" popular in Europe before Christianity.



Wicca, from on an Old English word for "witch," incorporates many of the trappings of ancient British witchcraft practices. The satanic pentagram is used as its symbol, and one of its main tenets is adoring nature through different rituals and deities. Some, but not all, covens, or groups, practice casting spells, divination and magic. Wicca is an umbrella group or movement that gathers under its fold very different beliefs and practices—but is at its core a thinly disguised type of old-fashioned witchcraft.



Santeria is a Caribbean religion based on mixing African witchcraft with Roman Catholic beliefs—similar in many ways to voodoo or pure African witchcraft. Its followers practice animal sacrifices and perform feverish dancing during Santerian rituals that can lead to possession of a person by an orisha or "saint" being invoked. The individual then is said to speak and act as that saint. If this is an actual spiritual experience, however, it is nothing more than demonic possession.



All of these practices have this in common: Satan is their originator and they should be absolutely avoided. God, who knows exactly how Satan and his demons work, emphatically warns us not to have anything to do with them. He tells us to not "give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:27, New International Version).



We should not consult with people associated with these practices, in spite of what they claim are good intentions to help us. God says: "There shall not be found among you anyone who . . . practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, emphasis added throughout).



What are mediums and familiar spirits?

What about mediums and people who use such things as tarot cards and Ouija boards to consult with the spirits?



Mediums—also sometimes called "seers" or "clairvoyants"—are people who may be used by the fallen angels the Bible calls demons. They might appear normal and helpful, but those who are not fakes (and many are) can genuinely have contact with deceitful spirits who seek to attract and use human beings for their own evil purposes. For this reason these evil angelic beings are called in the Bible "deceiving spirits" (1 Timothy 4:1).



A true medium has a "familiar spirit" in him, and the term comes from the Hebrew word obh, meaning "a leather bottle." To the ancient Hebrews, the hollow sound of the voice of a familiar spirit, speaking through a medium, sounded as if it came out of a skin bottle. Just as a skin bottle is a type of vessel, so a person who has a familiar spirit serves as a vessel or a "medium" that contains the spirit.



Familiar spirits, in reality disguised demons, can have an intimate knowledge of people, alive or dead. They have at their disposal an extensive network of information from fellow demons who are more than willing to share their knowledge with the deceived "host." In this way, they will entice many more people to be deceived and hooked—ending sometimes as pawns to these spirits.



This is the grave danger of participating in any of these practices—at first these spirits appear as willing servants, but inevitably they end up as harsh taskmasters.



That is why we should avoid coming into any contact with people who claim they can communicate with the dead. God, who is intimately familiar with this spirit world, warns us that "the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people" (Leviticus 20:6).



The Scriptures candidly admit that legitimate mediums do exist and can establish contact with demons, who disguise themselves as departed loved ones, to attract the unsuspecting into their dark spirit world.



Tarot cards and Ouija boards

Some use manual devices such as tarot cards or Ouija boards to consult directly with these familiar spirits. These objects should be avoided at all costs—they are not innocent "games" but ancient ways of attracting these familiar spirits.



Think of these instruments as potential passports into your mind—possibly opening an entry to the zone that should only be inhabited by your own thoughts and God's Holy Spirit. If you do not invite these evil spirits, they cannot enter. Yet sometimes even an unsuspecting invitation through these devices can give demons a green light! Sadly, many people have unknowingly invited evil spirits into their minds—never to be quite the same again.



As the Scriptures reveal, these spirits need to be cast out by genuine ministers of God. Acts 19 records an instance where some would-be exorcists tried to cast a demon out of a person and the demon turned on them, saying, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Much to their surprise, "the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded" (verses 15-16).



This is therefore no laughing matter or cute entertainment—it is deadly serious! Scripture records several instances of people falling into such forbidden practices with disastrous results.



Saul and the medium of En Dor

In the Old Testament, we find the tragic example of King Saul going to a medium. He had first tried to consult with God, but because of his multiple sins, especially his slaughter of 85 priests and an untold number of innocent inhabitants of the town of Nob, he did not receive any answers (1 Samuel 22:18-19).



Saul then broke God's law and consulted with a medium at En Dor (1 Sam- uel 28:7). She invoked a figure of one appearing as the prophet Samuel. Yet Saul never saw him; he only heard a voice. This is one reason why God prohibits such consultations—demons are very clever and can impersonate the person being summoned. Notice the Bible had said God would not answer Saul's inquiries "either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets" (verse 6). This clearly was not the prophet Samuel!



The spirit the medium saw ascending out of the earth (verse 13) was in fact a demon. Saul only thought it was Samuel, but this demon had tricked him. As the apostle Paul explains: "For Satan himself transforms himself into [or disguises himself as] an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into [or impersonate] ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).



It was not unusual, therefore, for a demon to have impersonated the dead prophet Samuel. The Scriptures clearly tell us Samuel was dead, buried and unconscious: "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5).



Saul was left with the dire prediction that he would die the next day. He never did turn back to God. That is one of the reasons he is such a tragic figure in the Scriptures.



Paul confronts a spirit of divination

Another case of a medium is found in the New Testament, and it is quite instructive.



We read in Acts 16:16-19: "Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, 'These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.'



"And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities" (emphasis added throughout).



This passage tells us quite a bit about the dark side of the spirit world. First, it reveals there are some cases where people actually do have the spirit of divination and are quite economically successful at what they do. Nowhere does this section deny the fact that people can tap into this source for valuable information. Also, it shows there are others willing to promote such a business, which can be quite profitable. Today, millions if not billions of dollars are made from this ancient and harmful practice.



One can find many programs on radio or TV, backed by successful businessmen, where people with a spirit of divination can greatly impress audiences with their apparent intimate knowledge of those they interview. Most of the time these persons openly call themselves channelers, psychics or mediums. Of course, not all who practice this profession are genuine mediums, for there are many clever charlatans as well, but some are authentic!



As the biblical case in Acts 16 shows, the slave girl with the spirit of divination was a real medium. We know this because when the demon left her, she could no longer reveal intimate details of a person's life or predict the future.



Another insight from this account is that the message from a spirit can be positive and true. After all, the Bible plainly says the young girl used by the spirit of divination announced that Paul and his companions came from God and preached the way of salvation. This was true, so what was the problem?



The problem wasn't the message itself, but the source of the information. We see here the subtle element of deceit. Many times, the initial message of a spirit of divination, or a demon, can seem positive, harmless and helpful. Just as a fisherman entices fish with succulent bait, so these spirits know they must attract innocent victims with something useful and agreeable. They know, once their victims are hooked, there will be plenty of time later for them to change their message.



Simply say "No!"

We must simply say "No!" when enticed to play with this dark spirit world. Don't fold under pressure from friends, family or anyone else. Put God and His Word first! Literally, your life and your mental welfare could depend on it!



God, who knows exactly how Satan and his demons work, emphatically warns us not to have anything to do with them. We should not consult with people associated with these spirits in spite of any stated intentions to help us. God's Word is clear: "Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19:31).



Ask, "Would Christ approve of this?" Certainly He would not! So we should avoid all contact with mediums, fortune-tellers, witches and their devices—and not be fooled by whatever means they might use to try to entice us. GN









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Recommended Reading

The dark side of the spirit world is very real and nothing we should dabble in. The Bible has a great deal to say about the leader of that dark side, a powerful and evil being called Satan the devil. Where did this being come from? What are his goals, his methods? What are his followers, the demons? To learn more, request our free booklet Is There Really a Devil?

Is Everyone Being Judged Now?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/



Is Everyone Being Judged Now?


What about those who haven't accepted Jesus Christ or have never heard even a word about His message? What happens to them?



The wonderful answer to that question illustrates the hope God holds out to all people who have ever lived!



God is a loving Father. We are all His creation and children. No father wants to see bad things happen to his children, although he may allow problems to come upon them.



Our heavenly Father also allows us to suffer as part of His higher and greater purpose for us. Why? Because God's whole purpose is to bring mankind into the knowledge of Him and His way for eternity.



Surely a loving Father would not doom most people to the fiery hell preached by most churches. In fact, He does not doom ignorant people to hell. He has a plan that provides all with ample opportunity to choose to live forever.



"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). Other translations of the Bible show that "the day of salvation" is better translated "a day of salvation." Notice Green's Literal Translation: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation I helped you" (verse 2).



Paul told his fellow minister, Timothy, that God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Putting these two passages together, it becomes apparent that the Father's intent is that everyone will have a chance to learn and understand His way of life. If someone hasn't been called in this life, at another time he will be raised to physical life and learn about God's plan for him and all mankind.



More than one resurrection

Revelation 20 speaks of the return of Christ and the restraint to be placed upon Satan the devil. It also speaks of Christians, martyred for their faithfulness to Jesus Christ, living and reigning with Him for a thousand years. Of those resurrected to reign with Christ, it says, "This is the first resurrection" (verse 5, emphasis added throughout).



That same verse, however, speaks of an additional resurrection too. "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished." Since the first resurrection of those faithful to Christ occurs at His return, and "the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished," it becomes obvious that other people are raised to live again.



Why does God raise additional people after the 1,000 years? So they can learn the truth about the message of Jesus Christ and have an opportunity to accept the One they have never been taught about as their personal Savior!



How does "hell" fit into all this? The Hebrew word sheol is the word translated "hell" throughout the Old Testament. It means simply "the grave." The Greek word hades is translated the same way and has the same meaning. So in a sense we all go to hell, the grave, when we die. While we are there, we have no knowledge of anything earthly or heavenly.



But that is not the end. All the dead will be resurrected. Some will be raised to life at the return of Christ, and "the rest of the dead" not until the first 1,000 years of Christ's reign ends. At that time all those who never heard of Jesus Christ, and never learned God's way, will be given their opportunity for salvation.



In contrast to those who are resurrected to immortality at Christ's return (1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 51-54), those in this resurrection are physical and mortal (as shown by the vision in Ezekiel 37:1-14). They are given physical life and the opportunity to learn God's way of life, recognize and repent of their sins and submit to God's rule over them. This is not a "second chance" for salvation, but is truly their first opportunity to learn of God's precious truth and wonderful plan for them.



Fate of those who refuse to repent

However, some will utterly refuse to allow God to rule over them. Their fate will not be the traditional ever-burning hell in which the wicked are tortured forever. They will experience a consuming hell that will burn them up completely.



Speaking through the prophet Malachi, God describes the fate of those who willingly reject His way of life and Christ's sacrifice for them. "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name . . . you shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,' says the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 4:1-3).



The Bible calls this "the lake of fire" (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14-15). Those who choose to reject God's way will not be allowed to continue living in the misery their choice will bring on them and others. They will die, not suffer forever. As Malachi wrote, they will be consumed in this fire, leaving nothing but ashes. Their fate is far more merciful than the popular-and unbiblical-view of the wicked suffering forever in hell.



Awesome fate foretold

All ungodly things will be ultimately purged from the earth. The physical elements will melt and disappear (2 Peter 3:7-13). What is left? The glorious Kingdom of God and His immortal glorified children remain.



"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God'" (Revelation 21:1-3).



The cares of life will become a thing of the past. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (verse 4).



What an incredible destiny for the human race! GN



-- Les McCullough

Halloween: Behind the Mask

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  



Halloween: Behind the Mask


Every year, on the evening of Oct. 31, millions of families celebrate a distinctly odd holiday known as Halloween. For your own good, you need to know what lurks behind the mask of Halloween.

by Jerold Aust

Halloween is undoubtedly one of the strangest holidays people celebrate, with its symbolism of witches, devils, skeletons, bats and black cats. Is it not a little bizarre that children are taught to dress up as ghosts and monsters to go from house to house demanding "trick or treat!" (with the threat of a trick or prank constituting a playful form of extortion)?



While tricks are no longer the norm in most places, it used to be common in many areas that refusal to give trick-or-treaters candy invited minor acts of vandalism, such as having one's windows marred with a bar of soap, trash dumped on the lawn, toilet paper unrolled across tree limbs, and raw eggs thrown against the house and car.



Where, how and when did such strange customs begin? And why do they continue?



Many parents encourage their children to celebrate Halloween, assuming it to be harmless and innocent fun. But why? Would parents honor this holiday if they knew what's behind it—behind the mask?



Halloween's origins

Few people really understand the origins of Halloween. However, many clues are obvious from the trappings of the holiday—witches, ghosts, jack-o'-lanterns, skeletons and the like.



History shows that behind the dark mask of this popular children's holiday reside the terrors of an ancient Celtic festival renamed All Hallows Eve. It was originally a holiday marking the mythical time when the dead supposedly rose from their graves to walk the earth.



To better understand the origins of Halloween one needs to be introduced to the ancient pagan festival of Samhain (usually pronounced sow-en).



In The Encyclopedia of Religion, under the heading "Halloween," the authors link Halloween to the eve of Samhain, "a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year within the ancient Celtic culture of the British Isles."



This encyclopedia explains that "the time of Samhain comprised the eve of the feast and the day itself (31 October and 1 November). This event was a crucial seam in the social and religious fabric of the Celtic year, and the eve of Samhain set the tone for the annual celebration as a threatening, fantastic, mysterious rite of passage to a new year" (1987, p. 176).



Both the eve and day of Samhain were thought to be a time when the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken, allowing passage between the two. "Other worldly entities, such as the souls of the dead, were able to visit earthly inhabitants, and humans could take the opportunity to penetrate the domains of the gods and supernatural creatures.



"Fiery tributes and sacrifices of animals, crops, and possibly human beings were made to appease supernatural powers that controlled the fertility of the land. Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during that period" (ibid., p. 177).



The Encyclopedia of Religion then explains the origin of the bizarre customs that survive in today's Halloween: "Divination activities remained a popular practice. Adults, dressed in fantastic disguises and masks, imitated supernatural beings and visited homes where occupants would offer tributes of food and drink to them. A fear of nocturnal creatures, such as bats and owls, persisted, since these animals were believed to communicate with the spirits of the dead" (emphasis added).



Halloween comes to the New World

Centuries later, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the custom of Halloween with them to the New World. After massive immigration of the Irish to the United States during the great potato famine in Ireland (1845-46), Halloween eventually became a national event.



Today, says The Encyclopedia of Religion, "modern Halloween activities have centered on mischief making and masquerading in costumes, often resembling otherworldly characters. Folk customs, now treated as games (such as bobbing for apples), have continued from the various divination practices of the ancient celebrants of this occasion. Supernatural figures (such as the ghost, the witch, the vampire, the devil) play a key role in supplying an aura of the mysterious to the evening, whether or not they originally had an association with the festival.



"Children are particularly susceptible to the imagery of Halloween, as can be seen in their fascination with the demonic likeness of a carved and illuminated pumpkin, known as the jack-o'-lantern. In recent times, children have taken up the practice of dressing in Halloween costumes and visiting homes in search of edible and monetary treats, lightly threatening to play a trick on the owner if a treat is not produced . . .



"There also has been renewed interest in Halloween as a time when adults can also cross cultural boundaries and shed their identities by indulging in an uninhibited evening of frivolity. Thus, the basic Celtic quality of the festival as an evening of annual escape from normal realities and expectations has remained into the twentieth century" (p. 177).



God unmasks Halloween

Does the Bible have anything to say about strange customs and holidays such as this? In fact, it does—and none of it is good.



While God's Holy Days in the Bible celebrate the role of Jesus Christ in bringing mankind to salvation in the eternal family of God (as explained in the following article and our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind), Halloween is a celebration of the opposite—of demonism, witchcraft, death and evil spirits.



God's Word makes it clear that no one should dare entertain witchcraft or act as a sorcerer. "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, emphasis added throughout).



God pronounced death on any Israelites who would dare dally with demonism or Satanism: "A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:27). "You shall not permit a sorceress to live" (Exodus 22:18).



Why such a harsh penalty? God did not want such perverted, demonic practices to spread among His people and corrupt others. "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst" (Deuteronomy 13:5).



Would God be against something as harmless as Halloween, especially since it allows children to have fun and enjoy a little entertainment? Can't we let them have a little harmless fun?



Frankly, Halloween is anything but harmless. It focuses one's attention on witchcraft and demonism, which flies in the face of the holy God Almighty! When parents not only allow but also encourage their children to celebrate witches and goblins, they are teaching them that it's acceptable to deal in demonism.



And we have seen what God thinks of that. God is a God of light and truth (1 John 1:5). Satan, "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), is a very real being—a being of darkness, deception and death (Revelation 12:9; John 8:44). We are to have nothing to do with his ways. (To learn more, request our free booklet Is There Really a Devil?)



Do not assume that Halloween is a harmless holiday. God hates mankind's dabbling in the spirit world of Satan and his demons!



If there were no other reason available, that should be enough. But there are more reasons. Halloween keeps humankind, and many Christians, confused, disoriented and separated from the one and only true God.



God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Nor is He the author of Halloween or any other "Christianized" pagan holidays (Amos 5:21). Why would the only true God who loves mankind support any worldly holiday that blinds human beings to Him and His truth and that holds men, women and children captive to deception?



What does God expect from you on Halloween?

You now know what lurks behind Halloween's mask: Satan the devil! God will one day unmask the ritual and tradition of Halloween to all people (Hebrews 8:10-11).



If you believe that God exists and you understand that He is highly offended by the holidays designed and perpetuated by the god of this age, then you have a choice: whether you will begin honoring God the way He expects to be honored and be blessed for doing it, or whether you will ignore the truth revealed in history and His Word. Don't wait!



God is not a god of masks, but a God of truth. God says that if you honor Him, He will honor you (1 Samuel 2:30). Ignore God and He will leave you subject to the god of this world and all that entails. God expects all who love and honor Him to repent from dead works and turn in faith toward Him, the only true God. GN









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Related Resources

Is Halloween Harmless?

Every year at Halloween, well-meaning parents dress their children in grotesque and ghoulish costumes. Is Halloween really harmless? Who and what's behind this bizarre holiday?



Halloween's Dark Roots

In recent years eye-opening materials have been published about the questionable background of Halloween



Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins

It seems like such harmless fun—children dressed as witches, skeletons or Darth Vader ringing the doorbell, enthusiastically announcing, "Trick or treat!" But is this preoccupation with the dead, witches and demons really harmless? And do you realize that Halloween was originally an important religious holiday—and still is in many parts of the world?



Can Halloween Be Christianized?

What should you do in deciding how you will approach this hotly debated issue?



Who's Getting Tricked by Halloween?

Why do witches, goblins, jack-o'-lanterns, cobwebs, graveyards and symbols of the occult surround this holiday? You need to know the real story.



Halloween: A Celebration of Evil

Modern celebrations of Halloween may appear on the surface to be quite harmless, but the spiritual implications of dabbling with the spirit world are extremely serious.



Holidays or Holy Days: Does it Matter Which Days We Celebrate?

It's ironic that so many of today's popular holidays—including major religious celebrations like Christmas and Easter—originated in ancient pagan festivals and customs, while God's Holy Days revealed in the Bible are almost universally ignored. Which should you celebrate and why?



God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind

Is it possible to know what the future holds for us? The Creator of mankind does have a plan for us, and He reveals it to us through an annual cycle of festivals described in the Scriptures. It is an astounding plan offering an incredible future to every man, woman, and child who has ever lived.

Frankenstein Cloning: A Dangerous Journey Into Uncharted Waters?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  



Cloning: A Dangerous Journey Into Uncharted Waters?


What's behind the concerted efforts to clone human beings? Is this another attempt to climb to the loftiest heights of knowledge and defy our Creator?

by Mario Seiglie

It seems science fiction has a knack of becoming reality.



In 1818 Mary Shelley wrote a brooding novel about the dreadful consequences of a scientist's attempt to artificially create a human being. By trying to imitate what only God had done before—the creation of human life—this doctor brought enormous sorrow on himself and those he loved.



Her novel, Frankenstein, is actually a far cry from the Hollywood horror movie that made it famous. It is rather a warning to mankind about the dangers of delving into certain realms of science, such as attempting by artificial means to create human life. Such attempts may go beyond man's ability to control the outcome and unleash terrible effects. As in the novel, the created being can end up turning on its fallible creator.



Another science fiction novel that is slowly becoming a reality is the work by Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, written in 1932. It describes a futuristic world where all births are produced from test tubes in a factory. Thousands of containers are filled with genetic material engineered to produce preprogrammed individuals ranging from scientists to dim-witted laborers.



Their free will is limited, since they cannot choose what to become, being fit only for their preassigned tasks. In the end, this supposed dream society turns into a nightmare as well.



As 2003 began, the firm Clonaid announced it had cloned the first human being. The name of the girl, Eve, apparently was chosen to emphasize that just as God had created Eve, the first woman, so those in this group had now created a person, but according to their own design. However, since Clonaid failed to provide any verification of their claims, many have concluded that their announcement was only a publicity hoax designed to capitalize on the public's fascination with the subject.



Nonetheless, scientists in laboratories scattered around the world have been furiously racing to become the first to produce a cloned baby, and many are predicting that a cloned human being will be a reality during 2003.



To these scientists, this pursuit has become the scientific equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. They all know that fame and fortune awaits the first to achieve the feat, while hardly anyone will remember who came in second place. So the race is on to be the first to the top, and a lot of money and skills are being invested in the effort.



Man's conquest of knowledge

Over the last century man's discovery of vast realms of knowledge has been breathtaking. We have gone from the horse-drawn carriage to the automobile, from gas lamps to electric lights, from looking at the sky to flying through it, from the abacus to the computer and from harnessing animals to harnessing atomic power.



In 1997, a man-made machine named Deep Blue defeated the world's chess master, showing it could on some level outthink him (though a match earlier this year against another machine, Deep Junior, ended in a draw). We are now witnessing the converging of technologies. Man is creating smarter machines, and machines used by men are creating artificially cloned creatures—such as Dolly, the first cloned sheep, in 1996.



Sadly, it is a historical fact that all too many technologies developed by man have eventually been used not only for good, but for evil.



Gunpowder, for example, was first used by the Chinese to delight the multitudes with fireworks, but eventually it was used for evil-to more effectively kill human beings. TNT was first used in mining and road building, but was soon used to make terrible bombs. Finally came atomic power, used not only to generate electricity, but also to produce nuclear bombs, which for the last 58 years have threatened humanity with annihilation.



Opening a Pandora's box?

Now a new Pandora's box is being opened. In the famous Greek myth Pandora was sent a box by the gods—but warned never to open it. Eventually her curiosity got the best of her and, upon opening it, she loosed on the world a host of evils.



The avid pursuit of cloning by scientists—some well-intentioned, some unscrupulous—certainly looks as if it could open another Pandora's box upon the world.



Cloning may be one of the last frontiers of knowledge available to man. He has already delved into the oceans, into space and into the atom. Now he is exploring deep into the human body—the most exquisite and intricate object of God's creation. With the recent unlocking of the human genome and the possibility of creating engineered human beings through cloning, what awaits mankind as it delves into these long-hidden secrets?



"Nothing they propose will be withheld from them"



At least once before, human beings sought to climb to the loftiest heights of knowledge and defy their Creator.



From the fertile Mesopotamian plains of Babel, the Bible describes a time when men spoke a common language and quickly multiplied their technical skills-not only for good but for evil.



The Bible tells us: "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar [modern Iraq], and they dwelt there . . . And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them'" (Genesis 11:1-6).



God saw that with growing technology and a common language, men would soon be entering into the realms of science that would eventually spell their undoing. So He supernaturally imposed many languages on them, and successfully divided mankind into different cultures, spreading them into diverse lands-thus slowing the pace of technology.



Now humankind again essentially has a common language and forum, given international communication in English among the world's most educated and powerful tools such as supercomputers and the Internet, by which discoveries can be relayed throughout the world in seconds.



Troubling questions and possibilities

One great question about human cloning is: As a clone's physical development would already be "mapped out" based on the life of the original person cloned, would the clone lose his ability to choose freely what to become? A similar question could be asked in regard to any child—cloned or not—who is the product of genetic manipulation.



One of God's greatest gifts to human beings is the free will to determine their own destiny. He told the ancient Israelites: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). Yet, with genetically engineered and cloned individuals, there is not a healthy mixing of the mother's and father's genes, but a prepackaged individual made according to the whims of some scientists.



Besides, science journals have reported significant harmful side effects to cloning. Dolly, the cloned sheep, did not acquire youthful cells, but replicated the cells of her seven-year-old mother. The sheep, which was recently put to sleep because of a lung infection, suffered from maladies such as arthritis and premature aging.



Moreover, what will happen if cloning technology falls into the hands of evil-minded dictators? Could they then protect themselves and their corrupt regimes with armies of fighting men built like Arnold Schwarzenegger and an array of scientists replicated from the cells of an Albert Einstein?



Could we see scientists curious enough to create genetically engineered creatures like something out of H.G. Wells' novel The Island of Dr. Moreau? After the cloning of the sheep Dolly, and the successful combining of genes from different plant and animal species, these prospects are no longer completely in the realm of science fiction.



The possibilities are endless-and frightening. Some have already proposed the production of cloned torsos to grow organs for transplanting. Indeed, some scientists in this field are already dreaming up anything you could imagine.



"Knowledge shall increase"

Interestingly, the Bible foretold a time when such astounding scientific leaps would come to pass. The angel Gabriel said: "At that time [the time of the end] . . . there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time . . . But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase' (Daniel 12:1, 4, emphasis added).



Yes, there would be a time of massive, worldwide rapid transportation and communication during which "knowledge shall increase." This would lead to a period in history described as "the time of the end," a time when God would be forced to intervene in world affairs and save mankind from itself.



Clearly man is building up a figurative "tower of Babel" with all his technology and scientific advances taking him into such dangerous realms as cloning. Regrettably, such new technologies rarely escape the pressures and pursuit of fame and power.



The good news beyond

Despite man's incessant curiosity and drive for fame, power, glory and wealth, God has not totally abandoned humanity to its own designs. The good news is that He is well aware of what is going on, and will not let mankind destroy itself, either through war or genetic manipulation.



The end of the book of Revelation shows that God will ultimately succeed in directing mankind to fulfill the purpose for which He created us. Yes, there will be difficult times ahead, but God has promised to take care of His own and establish His wonderful and peaceful Kingdom on this earth. One of the keys to remaining faithful at this time is to keep His commandments to the end. Christ said, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12).



Writing to the church in Philadelphia, Christ describes a terrifying time to come when great tribulation will come on the entire world. But He tells His faithful people: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10). (For more information, please request the free booklets The Church Jesus Built and Are We Living in the Time of the End?).



It certainly appears that man is crossing into a most dangerous realm of knowledge-the science of replicating and reengineering himself. As so many science-fiction writers -and now also leading world figures-have warned, the consequences of unleashing this knowledge are dire and unpredictable.



But we have a caring Creator watching what is happening and, as was the case when the Tower of Babel was being built, He is again observing that "nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them." Thus He will assuredly intervene again, just as He did back then. May the time for establishing His glorious Kingdom on this earth not be far off! GN