Only Sunshine

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Only Sunshine





Rain in the right amounts and at the right time is what gives flowers to the earth, seed to the sower and bread to the eater (Isaiah 55:10For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:



See All...).



Jesus described the mercy and goodness of God when He stated that God made the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.



See All...). Too much sunshine or too much rain is destructive.



Some equate sunshine with happy and good times and rain with troubles or bothersome times. Our Creator knows that strong and good character develops when challenges are present and when we rise to meet those challenges. He has made us as we are purposely (Ecclesiastes 1:13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.



See All...). Sunshine may be a time to relax, rejoice and recoup oneself, but it is also a time for work that cannot be done in the rainy season. Rain may be a time to let growth develop, but that too brings the need for work. Life needs periods of sunshine and rain to be fulfilling and complete. Appreciate that balance.

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Why Are the Big Issues Not Being Discussed?

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Why Are the Big Issues Not Being Discussed?


A commentary by Melvin Rhodes




The Bible warns of economic consequences when a nation's citizens turn away from God.



I was sitting in downtown Accra, Ghana's capital, talking to a resident of the city whom I've known for almost thirty years. He was telling me that he had won the lottery. Not the national lottery that would have given him millions of extra Ghana cedis to spend, but rather the U.S. immigration lottery. This meant that he and his family could now enter the United States legally and that he would be given a green card.



It was disclosed a few months ago that since September 11, 2001 more than ten million new people have moved to the United States, both legally and illegally. That adds more than one million people per year. Some enter because of family connections, others because they have skills needed in the United States, still others because they are refugees or victims of persecution in their own lands. Many enter as students and never leave. The immigration lottery is another opportunity to enter the United States—one in which anybody can enter his name.



I asked my friend what he hoped to do when he arrived in America. He told me that Ghanaians will do jobs that Americans won't do! I told him that my son who has a business degree is now cleaning apartments and offices since losing his job a few months ago. I also mentioned that I've frequently been waited on in restaurants by people who have a masters degree but can't find a job. He was shocked at hearing this.



Another Ghanaian explained to me that all who enter the United States are expected to support family members back home by sending back a significant part of their earnings. Billions of dollars leave the United States annually in support of overseas family members.







Shortly after I returned home, I heard that the number of people who have lost their jobs since the beginning of this year is over 600,000.



It's time somebody did the math. With over 600,000 jobs already lost and unlikely to be replaced due to economic concerns plus almost 1.5 million new immigrants (including children) every twelve months, we could have well over a million extra people in the job market by the end of this year. And this assumes that the immigrants who have come to the United States in previous years all have jobs!



As job uncertainty increases you would think that by now this massive annual influx of immigrant workers would be a major national issue. But it isn't.



After returning to the United States, I was struck by how consistent our national media is in not highlighting these major issues facing this country—whether immigration, legal as well as illegal, or the growing federal deficit, which may worsen with the bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.



The way the U.S. government will likely come up with the funds to save those two gigantic lending institutions is by printing more money or by borrowing more money, which increases America's indebtedness to other nations.



It all sounds like crazy economics to me!



But the basic problem is spiritual! When people forsake God they cannot see anything clearly. As more American citizens lose their jobs, often replaced by cheaper imported labor, and the country progressively increases its indebtedness to other nations, Americans will increasingly lose out just as God anciently predicted they would as a consequence of their turning away from Him.



Isaiah's appraisal of ancient Judah was: "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it …" (Isaiah 1:5-6 [5] Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

[6] From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.





See All...). The Bible warns that this will be the case for nations whose citizens turn away from God.



Deuteronomy 28 contains a warning applicable to the modern descendants of Israel who settled much of the United States. In the first part of the chapter, promises are made for obedience. Included in them is the promise: "You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow" (verse 12). This was the case for many decades, both in ancient Israel and in modern America.



Later on in the chapter this warning is given as a consequence of citizens turning away from God: "The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head and you shall be the tail" (verses 43-44).

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World News and Trends: Rape crisis in South Africa

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World News and Trends: Rape crisis in South Africa






article by Good News Editor





Reports from Johannesburg say a woman is raped every 17 to 28 seconds in South Africa. According to Interpol, these statistics make South Africa the rape capital of the world.



Said Time magazine: "In 1998 the official South African rate was 104.1 rapes per 100,000 people; in the U.S., the rate was 34.4 per 100,000." However, rape researchers say only one in 35 rapes in South Africa is reported, which if accurate renders the situation far more critical than the official figures indicate.



David Jones, reporting from Johannesburg, closes his Daily Mail feature article with good advice for the government: "For the sake of every South African woman—whatever her colour—the leaders of this nation, in many ways so potent with promise, must address their growing humanitarian scandal with considerable urgency."



The Bible takes an even more serious view. "... For just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter" (Deuteronomy 22:26But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:



See All...). The context makes it clear that the subject under discussion is rape (verses 25, 27). To God, rape is as serious a crime as murder because it destroys something that can never be replaced. (Sources: The Daily Mail [London], Time .)

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In Brief World News Review Zimbabwe a Crisis Torn Country

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In Brief World News Review Zimbabwe a Crisis Torn Country






article by Cecil Maranville, Darris McNeely, John Ross Schroeder





Zimbabwe, a once prosperous African nation, is seriously short of food.



Zimbabwe, a once prosperous African nation, is seriously short of food, and its lack of fuel has brought industry to a standstill. The country's infrastructure is fraying badly at the edges with schools and hospitals struggling to survive. Most blame these humanly caused misfortunes on President Robert Mugabe's brutal regime.



As The Sunday Telegraph reported, "With the country's economy in tatters, thanks to years of misrule, Mugabe thought he had a guaranteed vote winner when his loyal constitutional panel drew up clause 57, to enshrine land confiscation and demand compensation for white farmers by [from] the old colonial power: Britain."



Zimbabwe's government was in shock after the people produced the courage to stand up to the regime by voting "no" in the recent constitutional referendum. Yet there are reports of the illegal occupation of quite a number of white-owned farms in spite of that national vote.



Moreover, the Zimbabwe dollar was worth 50 British pence when President Mugabe assumed power. It is now valued at 1.5 pence. And as The Independent on Sunday reported, "Every week 1,200 Zimbabweans die of AIDS and life expectancy since 1980 has fallen from 59 to 42."



A beautiful country has apparently been laid waste and many of British descent are applying for passports at the British High Commission in the nation's capital, Harare, preparing to emigrate. ( The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent on Sunday, The Daily Mail (all London).)

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Unrest in Kenya

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Unrest in Kenya


by Darris McNeely Submitted January 4, 2008

This update was prepared by John Elliot, our senior pastor for Kenya. He gives details UCG members in Kenya: For a news update check this NYTimes article .



Thank you for your concern for our members in Kenya during the ongoing turmoil there. I won't comment on the various news reports which can be viewed online.



Today's editorial "Comment" in the excellent Daily Nation newspaper begins..."Our beloved country, the Republic of Kenya, is a burnt-out, smouldering ruin. The economy is at a virtual standstill and the armies of destruction are on the march... It is unbelievable foolishness for Kenyans to destroy their economy, their homes and their entire way of life in the name of politics and on behalf of people whose lives of comfort and luxury are going on normally." www.nationmedia.com/dailynation



Kenya is home to 700 UCG brethren who attend Sabbath services throughout the country each week. Tribal clashes, which are uncommon here but not rare, are typically fueled by political maneuvering. A little background to the current situation will help provide context for events of the past week.



In 1963 Kenya gained independence from Britain and its first elected leader was Jomo Kenyatta. Mr. Armstrong visited Mr. Kenyatta as well as his eventual successor, Daniel Arap Moi (picture in photo). Mr. Moi began his presidency well. Soon however, those with power and opportunity sucked the country dry of both its financial resources and the aid coming in to help its needy citizens. In 2001 Mwai Kibaki ran for president on promises of ending corruption and won by a landslide. However, governmental corruption at all levels has continued to increase. While members of Parliament are paid salaries equal to that of the President of the USA, plus huge sums for humanitarian projects for their constituencies, local citizens are left to fend for themselves.



In the run up to last week's presidential election, a flamboyant Raila Odinga from the Luo tribe promised all Kenyans a sharing of the financial resources and an end to corruption. Hopes were raised among the masses for an enhanced standard of living. But, reported vote tampering returned the incumbent president to power who is from the Kikuyu tribe. Emotions raged between gun wielding police and angry Lou and other tribal peoples. Then ethic retaliations flared up against Kikuyus everywhere. In a country where owning weapons is outlawed, killings are mostly done with crude weapons and fire. The news has been filled with such atrocities.



Phone calls and e-mails between me and some of our leaders in East Africa indicate that all of our brethren have been spared physical loss. However, the tensions and emotional strains are present as they live among a frustrated and sometimes lawless society. In some cases, church services had to be cancelled for the safety of our members.

Obtaining food in areas that experienced drought has become even more complicated and expensive. Deacon John Otieno from the Luo town of Migori spoke of twelve killed there one day and another four the next. He wrote today, "I found that most of the local members are starving and did not have even anything to buy food, so I did manage to withdraw some funds from the church account in town on Monday when there was little bit calm." Kisumu, Kenya's third largest city was essentially gutted by looters and will take months to restore. Deaths and violence have crisscrossed the entire nation.



Antonio Ndung'u, our office manager in Nairobi, told me by telephone that he has been in touch with the other deacons and several local leaders every day. All the brethren are okay. The only close call we have heard of was member Josiah living in the Eldoret area who manned a lookout on top of his house to watch for the thousands of attackers, some of whom burned a church with 35 women and children inside. Antonio rallied the church leadership to remind the brethren they serve not to become polarized or involved in political or tribal matters. "This is a matter that we have no control over as Church members and we belong to the future Kingdom of God, not the local government," he said.



Your prayers for peace in the region are appreciated to enable safety for the membership and to permit the work of God in East Africa to continue to flourish. A first-ever meeting with Bible Study Course graduates in Ethiopia is planned for April when Ed Dowd and I visit the region. A stable environment would certainly benefit everyone.

World News and Trends- Crime and sexual freedom: a relationship?

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World News and Trends- Crime and sexual freedom: a relationship?






article by John Ross Schroeder, Scott Ashley





Does male teenage promiscuity have anything to do with rising crime rates?



According to a report by the Institute of Economic Affairs in Britain, it does. Newspaper coverage in The Independent showed that "the freedom of young men to engage in sexual intercourse without being powerfully restrained by the pressure to become monogamous husbands or fathers is closely linked to crime."



A similar article in The Observer reluctantly agreed that "it is ludicrous to deny the relationship between fatherlessness and crime. The areas of high unemployment, highest lone parenthood and worst crime are coterminous."



The report's author, Norman Dennis, maintained that cultural mechanisms that once sent messages of "responsibility, striving, self-help and self-improvement" to the next generation have broken down.



American historians Will and Ariel Durant understood this principle well. "A youth boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires," they wrote; "and if he is unchecked by custom, morals or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group."



Undeniable, yet often overlooked, is the relationship between the biblical commandments against promiscuity in thought, word and deed and those forbidding the crimes of stealing and murder. The apostle James noted this connection: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 4:10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.



See All...).



The adulterer steals affection that belongs to another. The news and entertainment media regularly bear out that sexual promiscuity can lead even to murder. Both Old and New Testaments command us to love our neighbor by refraining from these illicit acts that enslave and to diligently teach our children to follow this royal law of liberty (verse 12). (Sources: The Independent; The Observer ; Will and Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History , Simon & Schuster, New York, 1968, pp. 35-36.)

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Warnings for America

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Warnings for America





article by Scott Ashley





"America must rediscover the qualities that originally made it great. That will not be easy."







Source: Photos.comTwo newspaper articles in particular caught my eye recently. The first, "U.S. Funding for Future Promises Lags by Trillions," appeared in USA Today (Dennis Cauchan, June 7, 2011). It covered a sobering phenomenon we've discussed previously in several articles—the skyrocketing amount of financial obligations created by the U.S. government with no realistic way to pay for them.



While the federal government took on $1.5 trillion last year to finance the budget deficit, it shockingly added 3 1 ⁄ 2 times that amount, "$5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security," according to the article. The net effect? "That brings to a record $61.6 trillion the total of financial promises not paid for" (emphasis added throughout).



Numbers like these are so huge that people find them almost meaningless. To put it in perspective, if you spent $1 per second, 24 hours a day, you would spend $86,400 per day and more than $31.5 million per year. It would take you over 32,000 years to spend a trillion dollars!



Multiply that by 61 times, and you have some idea of that one part of America's debt problem. If you're an American, your share is $534,000 per U.S. household, " more than five times what Americans have borrowed for everything else —mortgages, car loans and other debt."



The other article, titled "Decline and Fall of the American Empire," was written by Larry Elliott, economics editor for the British news-paper The Guardian (June 6, 2011). It's a stern warning for a nation on a perilous path, and shocking coming from such a left-leaning paper:



"America clocked up a record last week. The latest drop in house prices meant that the cost of real estate has fallen by 33% since the peak —even bigger than the 31% slide seen when John Steinbeck was writing The Grapes of Wrath," the famous novel of Depression-era America.



Elliot points to America's 9.1 percent unemployment rate, to one in six Americans relying on government food stamps and to budget deficits that, percentage-wise, rival those of Greece, which is on the verge of financial implosion.



His sobering conclusion? "America in 2011 is Rome in 200AD or Britain on the eve of the first world war: an empire at the zenith of its power but with cracks beginning to show.



"The experience of both Rome and Britain suggests that it is hard to stop the rot once it has set in, so here are a few of the warning signs of trouble ahead: military overstretch, a widening gulf between rich and poor, a hollowed-out economy, citizens using debt to live beyond their means . . . The high levels of violent crime, epidemic of obesity, addiction to pornography and excessive use of energy may be telling us something: the US is in an advanced state of cultural decadence."



For years The Good News has warned about America's cultural, societal and spiritual decline. It's becoming so obvious now that even a secular economics editor writing for a highly liberal newspaper can recognize the connection between the nation's "cultural decadence," as he put it, and its downward economic spiral.



Elliott's article concludes with this: "Above all, America must rediscover the qualities that originally made it great. That will not be easy."



We couldn't agree more! In the following pages we'll examine some of those qualities that "originally made [America] great." We hope and pray that you personally, and all of our readers, will rediscover and apply those qualities!

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Did Israel Attack a Syrian Nuclear Site?

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Did Israel Attack a Syrian Nuclear Site?


by Darris McNeely Submitted September 18, 2007

I mentioned yesterday the Stratfor report about the September 6 raid by Israeli jets on a Syrian position. Speculation is that it could have been a raid on a cache of North Korean nuclear material stored in Syria as some sort of pact between the two countries. Other thought is it might have been a trial run for a future attack on Iran. Something happened but there are no concrete reports coming out of Syria or Israel.

This article in this mornings WSJ keeps the story alive.







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Europe's Simmering Financial Crisis

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Europe's Simmering Financial Crisis


by Darris McNeely




Source: Photos.comThe crisis in Europe is still simmering even though it is not dominating headlines right now. Greece is rioting, Spain, Italy, and Austria have received credit downgrades. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being accused of leading Germany and Europe down the wrong path. No one has a solution even though the obvious answer is staring them right in the face.



Germany is the leading manager of this crisis and in truth the one country that is responsible for the current situation. Germany pushed hard for the single currency but, like all other EU members, did not want to give up sovereignty to another authority. The result was a single currency, the Euro, without effective political union. What many predicted more than ten years ago has now come to pass. A massive debt crisis with no effective way to manage and remove it. One observer describes it as "a machine from hell". The need for political union is obvious but it is the most feared of solutions.



The Financial Times (subscription required) puts it this way. "...the current crisis shows that Greeks, Germans and Italians do have one important thing in common – a deep aversion to ceding control of their national budgets. The result is that the euro is in a dangerous and unstable position. The actions that are being urged on Germany are unreasonable. But Germany’s own solution – structural reform now, political union later – is unworkable".



The fear of a strong Germany controlling the future of Greece or any or insolvent European country immediately evokes words like "Auschwitz" or "Nazism".



Behind the scenes leaders are very worried about the outcome. The crisis simmers waiting for a bold solution from somewhere.



Germany is the only nation that can steer Europe back into calm and stable waters. Watch for some further crisis to appear and create the right conditions for a group of core nations to cede political and operational control to a power that can right the ship. It will come and when it does it will redraw the current European scene.

Insurmountable Challenges Plague the Middle East Today

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Insurmountable Challenges Plague the Middle East Today






article by Good News Editor





While the Arab-Jewish conflict remains the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East, other grave conflicts that torment this region have their origins in ancient history.



While the Arab-Jewish conflict remains the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East, other grave conflicts that torment this region have their origins in ancient history.



The division between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam goes back to shortly after the death of the prophet Muhammad in A.D. 632 and centers on who were to be his rightful successors. While they are at times at peace, centuries of dislike and distrust between the two sometimes breaks out into violence, as the world has witnessed in recent years in Iraq.



About 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni, but some countries in the Middle East are predominantly Shiite, notably Iran, Yemen, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. Iraq is also about 60 percent Shiite, but was ruled by a Sunni for decades—Ahmad Al-Bakr and then Saddam Hussein. The U.S.-led invasion of the country has led to Shiites playing a more significant role and could mean a close relationship between Iraq and Iran in the future.



Iran has been under the rule of Islamic fundamentalists since 1979 and is now trying to acquire nuclear weapons, which would drastically alter the balance of power in the region. Not only does Israel feel threatened by this development, but so do the countries adhering to Sunni Islam, notably Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.



Iran's influence extends far beyond its borders, into Iraq and other countries. In Lebanon, the infamous Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah is supported by Iran. The Iranians also support the radical Hamas movement, which rules the Palestinians in Gaza and also has considerable support among those in the West Bank. Many Western nations, including the United States, Canada and the European Union, have declared Hamas a terrorist organization.



Radical Islam first gained world attention in modern times in the 1979 Iranian revolution that overthrew the pro-Western shah of Iran. Iran became a theocratic republic under the domination of the ayatollahs, the religious leaders. Iran's influence has spread far and wide, even into Sunni Islam.



Al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, is of radical Sunni origin. It operates to the east of Iran in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. The former rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban, gave refuge to al-Qaeda before, during and after the attacks of 9/11, but were defeated during the U.S.-led invasion of the country later the same year. Still, the Taliban continues to fight against coalition forces in the country.



At the same time, there are various other regional conflicts. Egypt's southern neighbor Sudan has had an ongoing civil war for most of the years since independence from Britain in 1956. Somalia has spent the last two decades in an ungovernable state. Yemen suffers from intertribal conflict. And Lebanon's various factions often flare up.



In addition to these ongoing conflicts that could explode and become far worse at any time, many Islamic nations in the region suffer under cruel and despotic dictatorships that lack the support of their own people. This has enabled radical Muslims to gain influence as they work among the common people and provide them with needs their governments don't. So there's an ever-present danger of radical Islam spreading and gaining power in different countries.



It is difficult to find a country in the region that is truly stable other than Israel, which is constantly threatened by external conflict. Israel is so small it has to win every single war it fights—for if it loses one, it may cease to exist!



We should also note that Turkey, the country with the closest ties to the West after Israel (and formerly a good friend of the Jewish state), seems to be changing course and turning away from the West. A member of NATO since 1952, Turkey has been seeking membership in the European Union for more than 20 years, having first applied for acceptance on April 14, 1987. Although there is considerable support from some European countries to Turkey's membership, there is also a lot of opposition, notably from Germany.



On top of the divisive rejection from Europe, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives voted March 5 to proclaim Turkey's suppression of Armenians in 1915 an act of genocide rather than an act of war, as the Turks claim. This will undoubtedly have a negative effect on U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey for some months has been pursuing closer relations with other Islamic nations at the expense of the United States, the European Union and Israel. This is likely to continue.



The entire Middle East region, culturally and religiously extending into North Africa and South Asia, continues to be very volatile, with no sign of this abating.



While the biblically prophesied end-time "king of the South" could arise as a result of tumult in the region, the Arab-Israeli conflict is a separate issue, one which has caused a number of wars since the birth of Israel in 1948. It remains the world's most dangerous unresolved issue in the world's most dangerous region. GN

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Should You Participate in Valentine's Day?

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Should You Participate in Valentine's Day?

by John LaBissoniere




Source: Photos.comEach year millions of people observe Valentine's Day. By sending cards and giving flowers, candy and other gifts, many consider the holiday as an opportunity to show affection to their special sweethearts.



Of course buying presents and doing nice things for one's true love is admirable. But should you and I participate in Valentine's Day as a means of showing fondness and esteem? More importantly, is this something our Creator God endorses and honors?



The foundation of Valentine's Day goes back nearly 2,400 years to the 4th century B.C. Among various customs of the time, youthful Romans engaged in the annual fertility rite of Lupercalia in honor of the pagan god Lupercus. During this practice it was customary for the names of adolescent girls to be written on pieces of paper and placed in a box. Then teenage boys each drew out a girl's name. Afterwards the girls were consigned to the boys for their mutual sexual gratification.



Replacing a pagan deity with a "lovers saint"

The Roman Catholic Church sought to end this fertility rite in the late 4th century A.D. by replacing the deity Lupercus with a "lovers saint." They found the ideal candidate in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred 200 years earlier. As a result, in A.D. 496 Pope Gelasius I changed the February 14th celebration to honor St. Valentine.



Interestingly, the Church maintained the festival's name-drawing feature. However, rather than having boys choose the names of available girls, now each boy and girl selected the name of a "saint." The purpose of this activity was to encourage young people to emulate the life of their chosen saint throughout the year. Nevertheless, because the former pagan festival had been so popular, that custom was short-lived. Soon young men began sending cards to young women they wanted to court. These became known as Valentine's Day cards.



When the Roman Catholic Church instituted the change from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day, its objective was to transform a former, popular pagan fertility rite into a "Christian holiday." By instituting this and other such practices, pagans were influenced to embrace the church while still continuing in "Christianized" pagan traditions.



Practices rooted in immoral conduct

Considering the origins of this popular lover's holiday, let's go back to my original question. Does it make any difference whether you and I participate in Valentine's Day? Well, it doesn't really matter if God doesn't exist. But God does exist, and He censures customs and practices rooted in false worship and immoral conduct (Ephesians 4:22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;



See All..., 1 Peter 1:15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;



See All..., 2 Peter 3:11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,



See All...). Also, putting a new face on an old, ungodly observance is as wrong as the original evil. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!



See All...).



God says to those who diligently want to follow Him, "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.



See All...). Also, the apostle Paul wrote, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 2:12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;



See All...). God's Word is clear to those who have "ears to hear" (Mark 4:9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.



See All...).



Avoiding wrong customs and observances

When it comes to showing appreciation and affection to a sweetheart, a God-centered person doesn't need a pagan-originated holiday to motivate him. We should all be careful to follow God's desires by diligently keeping His commandments and carefully avoiding customs and observances He does not sanction.



There is much more to the story of Valentine's Day, as well as vital information on the true annual Holy Days which God has instituted for all humanity. To discover many additional details we welcome you to read the articles referenced below.







St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus Christ



Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...



Bible FAQ: Where did Valentine's Day come from? Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate it?







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The Difference Between Infatuation and Love

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The Difference Between Infatuation and Love





article by Jeremy Lallier





In the heady world of male-female relationships, how can one know the difference between love and infatuation?



"But I love him!"

Those four words (along with "But I love her!" for the guys) have probably served as the ­justification for more life-altering decisions than can be counted. But have we stopped to ask ourselves what those words really mean?



"What," in the immortal words of Alexander Nestor Haddaway's 1993 hit song, "is love?"



A tragic misunderstanding

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has often been hailed as the greatest love story ever told. Two young lovers, in their desire to be with one another against the wishes of their feuding families, ultimately take their own lives, each unwilling to endure the cold, hopeless ­wasteland of a life without the other.



And it's all very touching and sentimental until you take a second look and realize that the whole story unfolds over the span of a whopping four days. Did the two teenaged "star-cross'd lovers" really have a chance to get to know each other? They marry the day after they meet, and two days later they are willing to kill themselves over the loss of a person who, to their knowledge, didn't exist just five days before.



It's hard to disagree that Shakespeare's lines about love are beautiful: "With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; for stony limits cannot hold love out," for example. But it's even harder to argue that his leading characters ever understood what these statements really meant.



We should consider that the approach Romeo and Juliet took toward "love" in Shakespeare's play bears a striking resemblance to the approach many take today, if slightly exaggerated.



The Bible's love chapter

The apostle Paul, under inspiration from God, wrote a passage in a letter to the Christians in the city of Corinth that has come to be known as "the love chapter." It provides an explanation of what true, godly love is at its core. Among other things, we are told: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud…Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance" (1 Corinthians 13:4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,



See All..., 7, New Living Translation ).



Does that sound like what Romeo and Juliet had? Was Romeo really thinking about what was best for Juliet when he decided to secretly marry the 13-year-old? By the biblical definition, what they felt wasn't love. It was something else.



How many real-life examples of the same thing have you seen? The words "I love you" are tossed around like a crumpled piece of paper and carry about the same weight for most people. All the expressions of love are there, but so many throw in the towel in a relationship when things stop going the way they want.



That's not love.



Love "does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil...Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;



See All..., 8).



The disconnect

So it seems that what most people are calling love isn't love. Just what is it then?



The simple truth of the matter is that our modern world has confused love with infatuation. Think about it: Almost every time we hear love referenced in popular culture, it's something people fall into. Unexpectedly. Accidentally. All of a sudden your heart is aflutter and you feel an intense attraction to another person. That pounding in your chest sounds like "love at first sight" rather than "raging hormones."



But the Bible makes it clear that godly love is a conscious choice one makes—an action, not an accident.



Jack Scruggs, a mental health therapist in the United Church of God with degrees from both the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, declares the ­dividing line between love and infatuation as simple as one word— feelings.



"Infatuation offers the possibilities of feeling good when affections are returned in kind, feeling bad when those affections are spurned," Scruggs says. "Infatuation is mostly concerned with feelings."



So what does this mean about love versus infatuation? Scruggs continues: "The direction of infatuation is inward. The direction of love is outward. Infatuation is most often temporary and depends on reciprocation to survive. Love stands alone, depending on nothing for its survival. Love is an imitation of God, while infatuation is a recognition of our attraction for the opposite sex. Love is a way of life."



Time and place

Infatuation is, as Scruggs notes, a "natural attraction for a young person to feel for a member of the opposite sex." In other words, it'll happen whether you want it to or not.



The tough part we face, as Christians, is knowing what to do with that attraction. Experience has likely already taught each of us that such a feeling can easily blind us to reality, keeping us from seeing another person as he or she actually is and causing us to miss important warning signs.



It takes wisdom to be able to acknowledge an attraction to another person while at the same time keeping that attraction in check. (That's another article for another time.) While there's nothing wrong with being attracted to someone, we must be sure to handle that attraction responsibly, without giving in to its foolish desires or recklessness.



After we've taken the time to get to know the other person, to understand his or her values, personality and character as objectively as possible, to seek and consider God's guidance as well as input from trusted friends and family members, and after we've come before God to commit ourselves to that person for the rest of our days, then comes the time to get swept up in mutual attraction.



The book of Proverbs contains these happy instructions for the married man: "Rejoice with the wife of your youth … and always be enraptured with her love" (Proverbs 5:18-19 [18] Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

[19] Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.





See All...). It's worth noting that the Hebrew word translated "enraptured" can literally mean "intoxicated" as well. A husband and wife are then finally able to let their guards down completely, each always enraptured with the love of the other.



A time for love?

While being enraptured has a proper time and place within marriage, the Bible is clear that another type of love—that directed toward others—is to be timeless and without boundary. So important is true, godly love that Jesus Christ Himself emphasized it as the defining characteristic of Christians everywhere: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.



See All...).



Our love—our outgoing concern for others—should be such a part of us that it defines us in the eyes of those around us. Love is not to be directed at just one individual or a select few, but the entire world.



What, then, is the real difference between love and infatuation? Infatuation is about pleasing the self. But love—love is all about becoming like God! VT

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Ronald Reagan Remembered

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

Ronald Reagan Remembered

A commentary by Melvin Rhodes





It's hard to believe looking back now, but there was a time not so long ago when the "domino theory" seemed inevitable. One country after another was falling to international communism. Until Ronald Reagan.



The first communist country in the aftermath of World War I was Russia, renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). Millions in the West thought that the new U.S.S.R. was "the workers' paradise." American journalist John Reed visited the country and proclaimed, "I have seen the future and it works."



Neighboring Mongolia soon followed. After World War II more countries joined the communist empire–the nations of Eastern Europe forcibly annexed into the Stalinist Soviet system. China's communist government took power in 1949. North Korea and North Vietnam soon followed; Cuba a decade later.



In the 1970s communists took control of much of Indochina (South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Angola. Grenada in the Caribbean and Yemen on the Arabian peninsula had also fallen to communism.



One after another they fell like dominoes until almost half the world's landmass was communist and a great deal of the rest flirted with various forms of socialism, communism watered down.



Until Ronald Reagan.



The 40th President of the United States took over the leadership of the country at a troubled time.



Americans had lost confidence in their institutions during the Watergate scandal and the defeat in Vietnam. The resignation in disgrace of President Richard Nixon in 1974 came at a time of economic trouble caused by events in the Middle East. The brief interim presidency of Gerald Ford was followed by that of Jimmy Carter. Well-meaning and idealistic President Carter was seen around the world as a lightweight, more interested in advancing humanitarian programs than in leading the free world.



The 1979 revolution in Iran was a turning point in Mr. Carter's presidency and led inevitably to his fall from power. The seizure of American diplomatic staff as hostages and their 444-day captivity showed the impotence of the United States and the incompetence of its leadership at the end of a bad 15-year period.



Within minutes of Ronald Reagan being sworn in as President in January 1981, it was announced that the hostages had been released by Iran's revolutionary Islamic government.



By the end of his presidency, the communist system was in a state of collapse, the handwriting on the wall. At least four other leaders can be given some credit for this. Among them were the Polish Pope, John Paul II, who inspired the people of Poland to revolt against their atheistic leaders; British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who turned back the tide of socialism in her own country and inspired the Polish dockyard workers of Gdansk to do the same; Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who chose not to resist the inevitable, and the Pakistani President General Zia who shipped American arms through his territory to help those rebelling against the Soviet invaders.



But, without Ronald Reagan, communism would still be a threat to the peace and security of the world. It was his single-minded vision—"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" —which brought down the Berlin Wall and ended over four decades of division in Europe.



At the beginning of his presidency he described the Soviet empire as an "evil empire," thereby going directly against the diplomacy of decades. Just a few months after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan he chose to substantially increase U.S. defense spending. Unable to match the increase, bogged down in a war it could not win and with an economic system that had failed miserably to deliver the goods, Moscow was doomed. The Soviet Union staggered on until 1991, but it was Reagan's vision that led directly to its fall.



American columnist George Will wrote following Mr. Reagan's death: "One measure of a leader's greatness is this: By the time he dies, the dangers that summoned him to greatness have been so thoroughly defeated, in no small measure by what he did, it is difficult to recall the magnitude of those dangers, or of his achievements."



Certainly, communism is totally discredited and no longer remains a credible threat.



Proverbs 29:18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.



See All... says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Americans were floundering when Ronald Reagan became president. After his eight years in the White House, Americans once again had a vision, a sense of purpose and a determined resolve.



In remembering Mr. Reagan we should also take notice of the presence of one other world leader at his state funeral. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, now in ill health following a series of strokes, will be there. Mrs. Thatcher, now Baroness Thatcher, did for Britain what Mr. Reagan accomplished in America–turning a country around after a period of decline. Together, the two revived the strong Anglo-American alliance that continues to this day.



To better understand America's place in the world, and how it was foretold thousands of years ago in the Bible, please request or download our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy .

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Does the Koran Promote Peace and Cooperation?

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

Does the Koran Promote Peace and Cooperation?





article by Scott Ashley





Although many try to explain away much of the militant teaching of the Koran, a straightforward interpretation of the following sampling of verses plainly demonstrates Islam's views toward non-Muslims, including authorizing jihad - holy wars - against them.







A Koran bearing an ornate cover.



Source: WikimediaAll are quoted from the Dawood translation of the Koran.



• "Fight against them until idolatry [worship of any god other than Allah] is no more and [Allah's] religion [Islam] reigns supreme" (Sura 2:193).



• "Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the cause of [Allah]; whoever fights for the cause of [Allah], whether he dies or triumphs, on him we shall bestow a rich recompense . . . The true believers fight for the cause of [Allah], but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan" (Sura 4:74-76).



• "Those that make war against Allah and His apostle [Muhammad] and spread disorder in the land shall be slain or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter" (Sura 5:33).



• "Believers, take neither Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship becomes one of their number. [Allah] does not guide the wrongdoers" (Sura 5:51).



• "[Allah] revealed His will to the angels, saying: 'I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers!' That was because they defied [Allah] and His apostle [Muhammad]. He that defies [Allah] and His apostle shall be sternly punished by [Allah]" (Sura 8:12-13).



• "[Allah] will separate the wicked from the just. He will heap all the wicked [i.e. non-Muslims] one upon another and cast them into Hell. These will surely be the losers" (Sura 8:37).



• "Let not the unbelievers [non-Muslims] think that they will ever get away. Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of [Allah] and your enemy, and others besides them who are unknown to you but known to [Allah]" (Sura 8:59-60).



• "Prophet, rouse the faithful to arms. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they shall vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding" (Sura 8:65).



• "A prophet may not take captives until he has fought and triumphed in the land" (Sura 8:67).



• "Make war on them. [Allah] will chastise them at your hands and humble them" (Sura 9:14).



• "Believers, why is it that when you are told: 'March in the cause of [Allah],' you linger slothfully in the land? Are you content with this life in preference to the life to come? Few indeed are the blessings of this life, compared with those of the life to come. If you do not go to war, He will punish you sternly, and will replace you by other men . . . March on and fight for the cause of [Allah], with your wealth and with your persons" (Sura 9:38-41).



• "Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate" (Sura 9:73).



• "They [faithful Muslims] will fight for the cause of [Allah], they will slay and be slain" (Sura 9:111).



• "Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that [Allah] is with the righteous" (Sura 9:123).



• "When We resolve to raze a city, We first give warning to those of its people who live in comfort. If they persist in sin, judgment is irrevocably passed, and We destroy it utterly" (Sura 17:16).



• "We have destroyed many a sinful nation and replaced them by other men. And when they felt Our might they took to their heels and fled. They were told: 'Do not run away. Return to your comforts and to your dwellings. You shall be questioned all.' 'Woe betide us, we have done wrong' was their reply. And this they kept repeating until We mowed them down and put out their light" (Sura 21:11-15).



• "When you meet the unbelievers on the battlefield strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly. Then grant them their freedom or take a ransom from them, until war shall lay down her burdens" (Sura 47:4).



• "Mohammed is [Allah's] apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another" (Sura 48:29).



• "It is He [Allah] who has sent forth His apostle [Muhammad] with guidance and the True Faith [Islam], so that he may exalt it above all religions, much as the idolaters [those who worship gods other than Allah] may dislike it" (Sura 61:9).

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Is God Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?

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


Is God Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?






article by Don Hooser





The abortion question examined from the Biblical point of view.



Confusion and misunderstandings often occur over the definitions of words and terms. What does "pro-life" mean? What does "pro-choice" mean? Let's consider these words from a biblical viewpoint.



To say God is pro-life is an understatement. God is the Creator, Sustainer and Protector of life. One of His Ten Commandments prohibits taking life (Exodus 20:13Thou shalt not kill.



See All...).



God is also pro-choice in the sense that He created human beings with freedom of choice. He does not control us in a way that robs us of the freedom to choose our own way. Human life is an ongoing series of choices.



But choices are not all equal. There are wise and foolish, good and bad, and right and wrong choices. Some would have us believe that one choice is as good as another and merely a matter of personal preference. Such thinking is based on the idea that there are no absolutes.



But there is absolute truth. The Bible is God's revelation of ultimate truth. Jesus Christ said of God the Father, "Your word is truth" (John 17:17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.



See All...). The Ten Commandments summarize God's standards of right and wrong.



God doesn't force His standards on anyone. He does, however, reveal what is right, show some of the consequences for our actions and exhort us to choose what is right. But then He leaves it up to us to choose.



For example, God instructed Adam and Eve, forewarned them of consequences and allowed them to make their own choice—and then they paid the penalties for their wrong decision.



God inspired Joshua to tell the Israelites, "... Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve"—whether the false gods of the pagans around them or the one true God (Joshua 24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.



See All...). In Isaiah 65:12Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.



See All... God pronounces judgment on the Israelites "because, when I called, you did not answer; ... but did evil before My eyes, and chose that in which I do not delight."



For unborn babies, parents should choose life rather than death. Abortion is the wrong choice. God is pro-life. He abhors killing, including killing unborn babies.



The terms pro-life and pro-choice have taken on an additional meaning in many countries. Politically speaking, pro-life refers largely to people seeking legislation and the help of courts to outlaw or restrict abortion.



Pro-choice refers largely to people seeking the opposite—to remove restrictions on abortion. Though God is pleased with the goal of saving babies, one must be careful not to assume God approves of every pro-life tactic, especially when they involve physical harm or destruction of property. Nor should we assume He is behind every pro-lifer's efforts or various legal and political actions.



Legislation, you see, will not be the ultimate solution for the evil of abortion or any of the other evils of society.



What this world so desperately needs is a change of the human heart from selfish to selfless, from carnal to caring. What we need is a change from spiritual blindness to a clear understanding of right values.



Rather than a philosophy of hedonism ("If it feels good, do it"), we need to consider the long-term results of sexual promiscuity—rampant venereal diseases, broken homes, shattered relationships, drug abuse, suicide and, yes, the continuing slaughter of the innocents conceived from such unions. They have certainly done nothing that deserves one of the most nightmarish deaths one could imagine.



We desperately need to learn God's perspective of right and wrong. For most of mankind, this will not happen until Jesus Christ returns to establish His Kingdom on earth.



In all our thinking, God encourages us to choose life-life in general as well as the way that leads ultimately to eternal life. He tells us: "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 30:19I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:



See All..., emphasis added).GN

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Who Was Jesus?

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

Who Was Jesus?


While Jesus was human in the fullest sense, He was also more than simply human—for He was, in fact, the divine Son of God with all that name implies. Indeed, as we have seen, He was the Creator God made flesh. And when His human life was over, He returned to the divine glory He shared with the Father from eternity past.



"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.



See All...).



Except perhaps for the book of Hebrews, the Gospel of John gives the most complete explanation in the New Testament about the divinity of Jesus Christ. As previously noted, verses 1-3 and 14 of John 1 clearly explain that the Word was God and dwelt with the Father until He later became the Messiah or Christ, meaning "Anointed One."



As British scholar F.F. Bruce commented regarding Jesus: "The New Testament indicates that he existed before he lived on earth as a historical character. We are thus encouraged to ask not only, 'What was the mode of this earlier existence of his?' ... but also, 'What is he said to have done in that earlier existence?'" ( Jesus Past, Present and Future: The Work of Christ, 1979, pp. 11-12).



As The New Bible Commentary: Revised explains about the opening passage of John's Gospel: "In the prologue the pre-existence and deity of Christ are expressed explicitly. The Logos [the Greek term rendered 'Word' here] was not only with God in the beginning, but was God (1:1), and it was this Logos who became flesh and is identified with Christ" (p. 928).



Several other passages in John's Gospel reveal significant details that help us understand even more fully. Consider an account later in chapter 1: "The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward Him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me"'" (verses 29-30; compare verse 15).



John the Baptist was born before Jesus (Luke 1:35-36 [35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

[36] And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.





See All..., 57-60) and began his ministry before Christ began His. Yet John still said of Jesus, "He was before me." Why? Considering the whole of John 1, the reason must be that Jesus was the preexistent Word prior to His human birth (John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.



See All...).



His existence before Abraham

In dealing with accusations from the Pharisees in John 8, Jesus said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from [beside the Father in heaven] and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going" (verse 14).



Later the apostle Paul commented on their lack of understanding: "The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, or understand the words of the prophets which are read sabbath by sabbath; indeed, they fulfilled them by condemning him" (Acts 13:27For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.



See All..., REB).



Just as in the first century, relatively few people today truly comprehend who Jesus was, where He came from, what He is doing and what He will yet do.



Later in John 8, the Jews gathered about Jesus asked Him, "Who do You make Yourself out to be?" (verse 53). They simply had no idea of the real identity of the One with whom they were speaking. It is the same today. Few people really understand the true origins of Jesus Christ.



He patiently explained, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (verse 56). But how was this possible? The patriarch Abraham lived around 2,000 years before Jesus' birth. So those who heard Him challenged, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" (verse 57). To this question Jesus gave a stunning response: "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" (verse 58).



We should pause for a moment to digest what Jesus said.



He was declaring that His existence preceded that of Abraham. Moreover, the phrase "I AM" was a well-known title of divinity to the Jews. This goes back to Moses' first encounter with God at the burning bush.



A crucial encounter with Moses

Moses was concerned about how the Israelites would receive him and the commission God gave him, so he asked God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name? What shall I say to them?'" (Exodus 3:13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?



See All...).



Observe the Creator's reply: "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3:14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.



See All...).



Note also the next verse: "Moreover God said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations" (verse 15).



As is common throughout most English translations of the Old Testament, the word "Lord" here with capital letters is substituted for the Hebrew consonants Y-H-W-H (commonly known as the Tetragrammaton, meaning four letters). No one today knows for certain how to pronounce this name, but the most common pronunciation now is Yahweh. (A common, though errant, earlier rendering was Jehovah .)



The name YHWH is similar in meaning to "I AM" (Hebrew EHYH or Eheyeh ). Both imply eternal, self-inherent existence (compare John 5:26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;



See All...). No one created God. We should understand that He has many names in Scripture, each of which tells us something about His wonderful, divine nature and character.



Given this background, therefore, when Jesus said in John 8:58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.



See All... that He preceded Abraham and referred to Himself with continuous existence using the term "I AM," there really should be no doubt as to just what He meant. The Jews well knew what He meant, which is why they immediately tried to stone Him to death (verse 59). Jesus was saying that He was the very God of Israel.



Who was the God of the Old Testament?

The fact is, Jesus Christ is the "I AM"of the Bible. He was the guiding Rock who was with the children of Israel in the wilderness when they left Egypt (see Deuteronomy 32:4He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.



See All...). Paul wrote: "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed [accompanied] them, and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 [1] Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

[2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

[3] And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

[4] And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.





See All...).



The "I AM"of the Old Testament is further described as abounding in "goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,



See All...). Similarly, the New Testament tells us that Jesus was "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.



See All...). Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.



See All...).



There are, it should be noted, places in the Old Testament where YHWH clearly refers to God the Father. For instance, in Psalm 110:1(A Psalm of David.) The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.



See All..., which we've noted earlier, King David stated, "The Lord [ YHWH ] said to My Lord . . ." YHWH here is the Father speaking to David's Lord, the One who became Jesus Christ. Often, however, the name YHWH refers to the One who became Christ—and sometimes it refers to both the Father and Christ together, just as the name God often does.



Consider that except for Jesus, no human being has ever seen the Father (John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.



See All...; 5:37; 6:46; 1 John 4:12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.



See All...). Yet Abraham, Jacob, Moses and others all saw God (Genesis 18; 32:30; Exodus 24:9-11 [9] Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

[10] And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

[11] And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.





See All...; 33:17-23). So the YHWH, the "I AM," the Word, who later became Jesus Christ, was the One they saw. It was He who dealt directly with human beings as God in Old Testament times. Christ later died for our sins and became the ultimate mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;



See All...), a role He had already partially fulfilled as the preexistent Word before His human birth.



So the Word was indeed the God of the Old Testament—and yet the Father fulfilled this role in a very real sense as well. For Jesus dealt with mankind on the Father's behalf as His Spokesman (compare John 8:28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.



See All...; 12:49-50). Moreover, in many passages in the Old Testament it can be difficult to separate these two great personages, whereas the New Testament is usually clear in this respect.



Of course, since Jesus came to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.



See All...), the logical conclusion is that the Father was not generally known by those in Old Testament times except for a few of the Hebrew patriarchs and prophets. King David, for example, is one who understood.



Partially quoted earlier, Hebrews 1:1-2 [1] God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

[2] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;





See All... states: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds."



In this opening passage of the book of Hebrews the clear implication is that the Father is the moving force behind the whole Old Testament. In context, verse 2 interprets verse 1. Though God the Father is the prime mover behind the Hebrew Bible, it is through Jesus Christ that He created the entire universe.



Also, the vital principle of the Bible interpreting the Bible helps us to understand the intent of Hebrews 1:1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,



See All... in the light of other scriptures. Since God made the worlds through Christ and created all things by Him (Ephesians 3:9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:



See All...; Colossians 1:16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:



See All...; John 1:3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.



See All...), He dealt with man through the agency of the preexistent Word, Christ.



Jesus—both God and man

Jesus Christ today is the mediator between God the Father and man. But to perfectly fulfill that crucial role He had to have been both God and man. He was truly a man in every sense of that word or we have no salvation from our sins. The apostle Paul calls Him "the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;



See All...), as does the apostle Peter (Acts 2:22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:



See All...).



Paul tells us, in a verse quoted earlier from a different translation, that we should have the same humble, serving attitude of Jesus Christ, "who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped [i.e., held onto], but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8, New American Standard Bible).



Jesus' manhood was full and complete in the sense that He lived a life as a physical human being that ended in death. He became hungry and ate, grew tired and rested, and walked and talked just like any other human being. There was nothing in His physical appearance to distinguish Him from other Jewish men



of His time (Isaiah 53:2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.



See All...).



The essential difference was in the realm of the spiritual. Jesus continually received needed spiritual power from the Father (compare John 5:30I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.



See All...; 14:10). In fact, He possessed God's Spirit from conception, actually being begotten in Mary's womb through the Holy Spirit. Although tempted like every one of us, Jesus never transgressed God's law. He never once sinned (Hebrews 4:15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.



See All...; 1 Peter 2:22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:



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One of the most insidious heresies in the 2,000-year history of Christendom is that Jesus Christ was not really a man—that He was not really tempted to sin. The apostle John condemned this teaching in the strongest terms (1 John 4:3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.



See All...; 2 John 7).



This heresy began in the first century and it persists even today, continuing to lead people away from the truth of God. We need to recognize that if Jesus had not really been human, then His sacrifice for our sins would be null and void.



The Son of Man and the Son of God

Jesus Christ is called "the Son of Man" more than 80 times in the New Testament. It was the term He most commonly used in referring to Himself.



Christ repeatedly referred to Himself as the Son of Man in connection with His sufferings and sacrificial death for the sins of mankind (Matthew 17:22And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:



See All...; 26:45; Mark 9:31For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.



See All...; 14:41). Although of divine origin, He deliberately identified with our human plight—the sorrows and sufferings of the human race. The prophet Isaiah foresaw Him as "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.



See All...).



Sympathizing with our human frailties and difficulties, Jesus tells us: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30 [28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.





See All...).



He also called Himself the Son of Man when referring to His role as the coming Ruler of humanity in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.



See All...). He even used it when He described Himself as "the Lord of the Sabbath," explaining how the seventh-day Sabbath should be observed with mercy and compassion (Mark 2:27-28 [27] And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

[28] Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.





See All...; Matthew 12:8For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.



See All...; Luke 6:5And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.



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Then, when He came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (Matthew 16:13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?



See All...). They replied by recounting several commonly held but erroneous beliefs about Jesus' identity. Simon Peter responded by saying, "You are the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of the living God" (verse 16). Jesus observed that the Father Himself had revealed this wonderful truth to Peter (verse 17). And all of His apostles came to recognize the same truth, which is reiterated elsewhere in the New Testament (Matthew 14:33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.



See All...; John 20:31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.



See All...; Romans 1:3-4 [3] Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

[3] Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

[4] And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

[4] And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:





See All...).

Indeed, while Jesus was human in the fullest sense, He was also more than simply human—for He was, in fact, the divine Son of God with all that name implies. Indeed, as we have seen, He was the Creator God made flesh. And when His human life was over, He returned to the divine glory He shared with the Father from eternity past. (To learn much more about who Jesus was and the events of His life, death and resurrection, be sure to read our free booklet Jesus Christ: The Real Story .)