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Movie Review: Exodus: Gods and Kings

by Mitchell Moss 

Source: 20th Century Fox

In interviews during the early stages of production on Exodus: Gods and Kings, Ridley Scott said that what intrigued him the most about the story of Moses was the relationship between him and his adopted brother, Pharaoh Ramses. That human aspect, he explained, would be what he would explore in the film. Those statements, as well as what I hoped to be incredible visual effects of the supernatural plagues of Egypt are what drew me to see this movie.
Sadly, the film delivers on neither.
First, the relationship between Moses and Ramses. The movie attempts to tread familiar ground in the form of sibling rivalry. Ramses, the promised heir, is a boy in a man’s body, less talented and less capable than his brother Moses, who is smart, talented and the one whom their father, Pharaoh Seti, trusts more. But rather than spending time developing that complicated relationship, we are meant to understand their dynamic by a few unconvincingly delivered lines in two or three scenes at the beginning, with their relationship never being given time to develop during the rest of the movie. Where as Cecile B. DeMille’s 1956 classic The Ten Commandments melodramatically oversold that rivalry, Exodus disappointingly undersells it.
So onto the epic showdown between God and man—or rather, the lack there of. It’s a bit of a mystery to me how the most compelling aspects of the Exodus story from the Bible could be completely stripped from a movie made during the height of the billion-dollar business of superhero blockbusters. I’m referring to God’s spectacular intervention through Moses in the form of devastating plagues on the people of Egypt—you know the ones: water into blood, frogs, flies, pestilence, hail, etc. etc. all leading up to the big one: death of the firstborn of Egypt.
Oh, it’s not like they aren’t in the film at all, on the contrary: each one is indeed depicted—as natural phenomena on steroids. I’ve read the explanations of the plagues logically following on from one another before, and they even make sense to me as a possibility of how things went down. But instead of allowing the plagues to serve as dramatic punctuation marks, ratcheting up the conflict between the self-proclaimed god Ramses and the true God of Israel—as the biblical narrative does—these are nothing more than neat computer generated effects, one right after another in a montage of discomfort for the Egyptians. Worse still, Moses has literally no part in communicating that the plagues are coming or being an instrument to mark their beginning. As I said, he and Ramses don’t interact much face-to-face. (Not to be completely negative on the plagues; I was very impressed by the very accurate portrayal of the parting of the Red Sea, as well as a tastefully subtle depiction of the Passover plague itself.)
Now, none of this is to give the impression that God is completely absent from this film. Intriguingly, Mr. Scott chose to personify God as a little boy, whom Moses has conversations with face-to-face. Many would object to this outright as belittling to God, or perhaps as an outright willful breaking of the second commandment—and indeed, it’s something I’d never attempt if I were retelling this story on film. That said, I find the idea of making God into a character that can be developed on-screen, that can interact with other characters in order to develop those relationships, and which the audience can relate to on a human level, interesting. Once again, though, the movie lets us down on, failing to deliver on any of those potential gains. None of the interactions Moses and the boy have allow us to relate to either character better, no less help to develop their relationship into anything as time goes on.
How does Exodus compare to that other major Hollywood film to tackle a traditional Bible story this year—the Darren Aronofsky-directed Noah? Both movies are thoroughly modern reinterpretations of classic biblical stories. Both draw on extra-biblical themes. Both are products of modern biblical criticism and secular humanism, which treat the Bible as just another religious text from the ancient world. So it should be no surprise to anybody that both fail to deliver on accuracy and that both movies replace the spiritual lessons of the biblical narrative with new/different lessons. As far as that goes, though, at least the bizarre Jewish Gnosticism that Noah drew on gave us some weird but neat entertainment (spirit beings trapped in weird rock creatures? sure, ok, whatever; weird, but at least neat). Exodus, on the other hand, replaces the powerful spiritual involvement of God with nothing more than empty modern shallowness, reducing God to a boy, reducing Moses’ role as his chosen servant/messenger to an unwilling bystander, and taking away from us the possibility of seeing a sweet pillar of fire rendered in glorious 4K 3D.
Sadly, I came away from Exodus being disappointed in nearly every way. If Ridley Scott had delivered on just one of my two major expectations of the film, perhaps I’d have been able to glean more good. But instead of a modern epic blockbuster with incredible visual effects of amazing supernatural events—or a consequential look at the deeply human dynamic at play between two powerful brothers in a changing relationship—what we get is a vain and frivolous blockbuster pretending to be something it isn’t.

Who Started Yuletide worship?

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Who Started It?

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article by George Carter

Who started Yuletide worship of Sun, mother and child?

Source: Scott Brady

She was beautiful, powerful, and devious – a perfect foil for the ancient serpent’s deceptions. Her husband Nimrod had made himself king over the migrants who came into the new land of Sumeria, a very rich alluvial plain in which things grew quickly, but wild beasts also multiplied and became a constant menace. The people had no weapons and they needed protection. Nimrod invited them to live together in one place and built a wall all around it to protect them. (The points expressed about the background to Nimrod and Semiramis are found in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews .)
He became their king, a warrior king who built an army and taught men to make and use weapons, and he led them on profitable hunts to provide meat. Business was good, so he built other cities as populations increased, but he had a problem.
People still worshipped the One true God and looked to Shem, the son of Noah, as the man of God and leader of their faith. Faith was a powerful thing and Nimrod wanted that power, but how would he turn the people’s faith toward himself? His beautiful, scheming wife Semiramis provided the answer. She began to laud her husband Nimrod as their great provider and protector. We don't know exact details, but there are abundant examples in history from which we can draw such conclusions. (Bible verses about Semiramis; Bible Tools.org)
The Devil, that most subtle of deceivers (Genesis:3:1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?) and god of this world (2 Corinthians:4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them., Ephesians:6:10-12 [10] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
[11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.) is most likely the ancient source that inspired them (many people are tempted of themselves (James:1:14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.). This gave Satan an in and he cunningly inspired them to worship him as the Sun god, the source of knowledge and of life for all things on Earth. He backed up this idea by performing signs and wonders as people were converted to this new faith. It effectively turned people’s hearts to pleasure and to worshipping their god as they pleased. It was heady stuff and men and women of all kinds responded in droves.
It all made Shem very anxious for the people. He was very angry with the man who had brought about this growing apostasy and he acted at once to execute the self-proclaimed king and high priest of the Sun god. Ultimately, he had Nimrod's body cut in pieces to be distributed to the various civic centers as a dire warning of what would happen to others who had been deceived into forsaking the Creator by worshipping idols and demon spirits. (See Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews ).
Semiramis knew better than to openly defy Shem, but developed a mystery religion with herself as high priestess. Her followers used secret signs and symbols so as not to let on. She led them in worship of the god of love and fertility and took many lovers in her conquest of men. She then became pregnant and when she gave birth to Tammuz (meaning ‘son of life’). Semiramis daringly presented him at the Winter solstice as the son of Baal, the long expected Seed of the woman forecast in the Garden of Eden. Most likely everyone on Earth at that time knew the prophecy given to Adam, Eve and the Serpent before they were cast out of Paradise, because Noah and his family spread the gospel after the Flood. Satan used this knowledge to help thwart the coming truth that was to come.
Semiramis also had caused Nimrod to be venerated as a god after his death. She said he was made one with the "Sun in Heaven". She said that her son Tammuz had been supernaturally conceived in her womb by him, thus claiming to be "that" woman. Her child then represented new birth and the possibility of resurrection for all who believed. As the sun regained strength and rose up after the Winter solstice, so would mankind experience rebirth after death. After Tammuz died by being nailed or bound to an evergreen tree, she wailed for him until he was restored to her. Women of many nations thereafter wept for Tammuz, even in Israel. (Ezekiel:8:14Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.) So began the worship of mother and child.
Meanwhile, the men of Babel were busy building a huge tower to reach high into the sky and make them famous and their city the foremost in the world. They planned to stay there in that place and not spread out and replenish and fill the whole earth as God had commanded. The Lord came down to see for Himself what they were up to and saw that they were of one evil mind and working together they would invent and create things far too quickly. People had corrupted themselves before and managed to pollute everything in the old world. They shared only one language, so God miraculously confused their ability to communicate, which forced them to move out in groups, each group bound by a different language and so they went about establishing separate lands of their own.
The small families scattered from Babel and became fully fledged nations, but unfortunately took with them the worship of mother and child as they had learned from Semiramis. Thus began many counterfeit faiths spread around the world and even today cause so much confusion.
Whatever else we might say about the devil, he is industrious and clever in his opposition to God and the only church founded by Jesus Christ. This article simply illustrates some of the basic truths of Revelation 17, especially with regard to mother and child and the whole pantheon of gods and false worship.
Semiramis appears to be the source that started it all in human history, inspired by the devil who backed her up with visions and mirages. It all began more than 2000 years before Jesus Christ was born of Mary and it is no wonder that there are so many pagan parallels with modern Christianity. The counterfeit religion is that of the great deceiver and god of this world who actively blinds mankind to the truth, (2 Corinthians:4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.) but we are not ignorant of his designs (2 Corinthians:2:11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.). Satan has convinced so many that they are righteous in their false code of beliefs as they worship God.
History says Nimrod was the first mighty one ‘deified’ after the Flood. He was represented by a winged bull and called the ‘father of the gods’. His wife Semiramis became the ‘mother of the gods’ and Queen of heaven. The characteristics of that initial Chaldean mystery religion which she founded were: rejection of our Creator God, denial of His commandments, refusal to acknowledge Him as the source of all life, and a paranoid desire for self-exaltation – the making of God in man’s image! ‘You shall be as gods’ the Serpent told Eve, but in effect he became their god, the one whom they obeyed. (Romans:6:16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?). Little have men in all history realized that the devil could deceive them into worshipping him and his counterfeit churches.
For more information on what God truly wants us to celebrate, request the free study aids, Holidays or Holy Days: Does it Matter What We Observe? and God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise for all Mankind .

• Antiquities of the Jews
• Beyond Today
• Doctrinal Beliefs
• Hislop
• history
• holiday
• Josephus
• Nimrod. Shem
• Noah
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• Semiramis
• Tammuz
• The Two Babylons
• Tower of Babel

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Hail, Mary?

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article by Andy Diemer

Jesus Is Our Intercessor, Not Mary.

L'Annonciation de 1644, Philippe de Champaigne

Source: Wikimedia Commons/Metropolitan Museum of Art

I was raised a Catholic. Sunday Mass at our neighborhood Catholic Church was a regular part of the weekly observance of our religion. As a young boy I was taught the Catholic observance of Confession and Communion. For several years I served as an altar boy at daily and Sunday mass. In my late teens I even investigated the possibility of joining the Catholic priesthood.
Then as I was attending Catholic university, I began to read and study the Bible more than I had ever in all my years of Catholic upbringing. I saw things in the Bible that contradicted my Catholic religion. This led to my search for religious faith founded on the Bible, not on Catholic tradition.
In my search, one of the first things that I came to see is that there is no intermediary between God and man other than Jesus Christ. I had been taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the mediator and advocate to intercede to God on our behalf. I had said the “Hail Mary” countless times at family rosary and in my nightly prayers. But in studying the Bible, I found that Jesus Christ is the true intercessor between God and man. Here are some key scriptures that confirm this.
“It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us,” (Romans:8:34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.).
“Therefore He (Jesus) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them,” (Hebrews:7:25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.).
“For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us," (Hebrews:9:24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:).

The function of a mediator and an advocate is to intercede on behalf of others. The Catholic tradition I learned assigns this position to Mary. On the other hand, Scripture is plain about the identity of man’s true intercessor before God the Father. Mary is never mentioned in the Bible as an intercessor between God and man. The Bible teaches that anyone who comes to the Father must go through Jesus Christ. It is clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only intercessor between God and man.
My understanding of scripture has led me to reject the teachings of the Catholic Church in which I was raised. I concluded that its doctrines are not based on the Bible. Rather, they are based on the teachings of men apart from the Bible. I must therefore agree with Jesus’ statement directed at the Pharisees and apply it to the Catholic Church or any church that teaches man’s doctrine and not God’s.
“In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” Matthew:15:9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men..

It is not me or any man that condemns the teaching of the Catholic Church. Rather, it is the Bible itself, the Word of God, with which Catholic doctrine does not agree.
There are many other doctrines in the Catholic theology that I learned as a child for which I could find no Biblical proof. In fact, many churches share beliefs in common with the Catholic Church that do not square with scripture. Among them are the observance of Sunday as the Lord’s Day instead of keeping holy the seventh day Sabbath; the teaching that the reward of the saved is heaven instead of living with Christ in a Kingdom that comes to earth; the belief in the Trinity, which does not define the true nature of God.
Investigate further for yourself and you will find much in scripture contradicting the doctrines of the Catholic Church and many of the churches of our day.

• Family of God
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• Beyond Today
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The Koran vs. The Bible

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article by Good News Editor

The messages that became the Koran, or Quran, make up a volume about four-fifths the size of the New Testament.

Source: iStockphoto

The Koran is divided into 114 chapters, or suras, which are arranged in order of decreasing length, with the exception of the brief first sura, which is part of a Muslim's daily prayer.
Muslims reject the Bible—and by extension, Christianity and Judaism—as being corrupt and superseded by the Koran. "Muslims regard the Old and New Testaments as sharing two defects from which the Quran is free ... They record only portions of the Truth ... [and] the Jewish and Christian Bibles were partially corrupted in transmission, a fact that explains the occasional discrepancies that occur between their accounts and parallel ones in the Quran ... The Quran [is] the final and infallible revelation of God's will. Its second chapter says explicitly: 'This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt'" (John Miller and Aaron Kenedi, Inside Islam, 2002, p. 22).
"Muhammad was at political odds with the Christians when he had acquired a certain amount of supplementary information concerning Christian beliefs ... The Christians were wrong in saying that Jesus ... was the son of Allah ... There was only one God, Allah ... He [Jesus] was not God ... Islam, the last prophetic revelation, which had been granted to the Arabs, was therefore the supreme and definitive religion" (Maxime Rodinson, Muhammad, 1980, p. 240).
There are many conflicts between the Bible and various passages in the Koran. Sura 19:34-35 refers to Jesus as merely the son of Mary and denies that He was the Son of God. Sura 4:157 denies that Jesus was killed in the crucifixion, saying that it was another who looked like Him.
Sura 61:6 states: "Jesus son of Mary, ... said to the Israelites: 'I am sent forth to you from [Allah] to confirm the Torah already revealed, and to give news of an apostle that will come after me whose name is Ahmad [the Praised One]'"—the latter being a reference to Muhammad, whose name meant "Praiseworthy." Jesus is here presented as declaring Himself as merely the forerunner of the greater and final prophet Muhammad.
The Bible, of course, presents Jesus as the Son of God, the ultimate Prophet and the way to salvation. As Paul wrote, "There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy:2:5-6 [5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
[6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.).
Yet based on what the Koran states, "Muslims respect Jesus as one of perhaps 124,000 messengers or prophets Allah has sent, and one of the 25 listed in the Quran, but not as our Redeemer" (Marvin Olasky, "Islam vs. Liberty," World, Sept. 10, 2011).
Some branches of Islam teach that Jesus will return to earth—not as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as the Bible teaches, but rather to accompany the mahdi, an Islamic messiah, and to convert the world, including Christians, to Islam by force.
Clearly, there is a stark contrast between the Holy Book of God and the revelation to Muhammad and teachings of Islam. And there cannot be two opposing revelations from the same God, as God cannot lie (Titus:1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;). Only one source is true—the Bible. For evidence of its trustworthiness, send for or download our free booklet Is the Bible True?

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God Condemns Idolatry and Greed

article by William (Skip) Miller

Many people do not realize that popular holidays are negative influences in their lives

Source: Clipart.com

Out of all of the prophets, Jeremiah is the one who most leads me to believe that God condemns idolatry and greed. Idolatry can be seen in Christmas, Easter Sunday and Halloween, all of which work against God and God’s way of life.
First, Christmas is about getting not giving. Many say it is a holiday for children, and it is! It teaches a child to want to get, and then later we wonder why many children are so materialistic (Jeremiah:8:10Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.). And its pagan origins are apparent by doing a little research within and outside the Bible. It is clear how God feels about mixing pagan practices with His truth (Jeremiah:10:2-5 [2] Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
[3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
[4] They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
[5] They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.).
Next, Easter Sunday, originating in worship for the ancient Babylonian goddess Astarte's family, is confusing (Jeremiah:7:18The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.…Jeremiah here uses another of Astarte’s names; “queen of heaven”).Instead of recognizing that Jesus died to save us, the world unwittingly rejoices in the resurrection of Astarte's mythical son Tammuz. God wants us to recognize the sacrifice of His Son the most (Jeremiah:2:11-13 [11] Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
[12] Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
[13] For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.). People watch the sunrise on Easter Sunday and rejoice, not realizing they are diminishing Christ's sacrifice and perpetuating sun worship.
Finally, Halloween (or as I choose to call it -- “Hollow Evening”) is a night to masquerade as anything but truth. Again, we say it is a holiday for children, but it is a night to teach the very young the most abominable tactic: trick or treat! Again, it's about get, and this time it is get or else there may be negative consequences. Why don’t we admit what we have embraced by observing these days? These three major holidays of the Western world all teach children to grasp, grab, and want more. Is it any wonder that many grow up with greed and a sense of entitlement as their principal attitudes?
Jeremiah hated idolatry, but he also hated how his people had become so forgetful of the Eternal, the Provider of the benefits they enjoyed. They ceased to be concerned for the poor, the maimed and the widows. The social network had been so unraveled that those slipping through it were abandoned and unnoticed (Jeremiah:5:26-29 [26] For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
[27] As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
[28] They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
[29] Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?).
God showed Jeremiah that idolatry and selfishness go together. When we fail to acknowledge God as the giver of every good gift, we tend to think of ourselves as the originator and sustainer of all the benefits we enjoy, and our attitudes proclaim, “Look what my hands have made!” (Jeremiah:17:5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD., 9; 9:23-24; 23:17). God told Jeremiah to cry out without ceasing and to show the people these two detestable sins. Should we do anything less?
To understand many of the truths behind the world’s most popular holidays, please request our free Bible study aid booklet Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?

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What is idolatry?

What exactly constitutes idolatry, and how does God's command against idolatry apply to Christians today?

Answer: Most people today who have any concept of idolatry probably think of pagans bowing down and worshipping a strange-looking idol—a carved image or statue. That's part of what idolatry means, but since most of us today don't do that, how do God's commands against idolatry apply to Christians now?

In the King James Version of the Bible, there are three different words translated as "idolatry." Each one ( teraphiym ,  kateidolos  and  eidololatria ) has at its core the concept of serving or worshipping something other than the one true God.

The apostle Paul provides us with a modern application of idolatry in the middle of a sentence in his letter to the Colossians. He mentions "covetousness [greed, New International Version], which is idolatry" (Colossians:3:5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:).

So idolatry is not just venerating a statue, carving or painting. Idolatry occurs when we begin to value anything more than we value God. If we spend more time thinking about our hero than God, that's idolatry. If our every thought is about the latest gadget or our personal appearance, that's idolatry. If the first priority in our lives is our family, even that's idolatry.

When God said, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus:20:3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.), He wasn't just talking about the imaginary deities that seem so ridiculous to us today. He was talking about  anything  that usurps His place as number one in our hearts. The solution to this problem is as simple (and as difficult) as Christ's admonition in Matthew:6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."

Everything else  must  come after.

For more understanding, please read our booklet What is Your Destiny?

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In Brief...World News Review Vatican Releases Text of Fatima Vision

article by Cecil Maranville, Darris McNeely

The Vatican has released the text and commentary on the famous third vision of Fatima.

The Vatican has released the text and commentary on the famous third vision of Fatima. This comes one month after the pope beatified two of the Portuguese children to whom the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in a series of visions in 1917. Long held a secret in the Vatican archives, the third vision was thought to contain apocalyptic visions foretelling the end of the world.
A reading of the text seems to portray a bishop dressed in white who is killed amidst the bodies of other saints and martyrs. The vision is being interpreted as foretelling the attempted assassination of John Paul II on May 13, 1981. The pope has credited the Virgin Mary for sparing his life. It is interesting that the first of the Fatima visions occurred on May 13, 1917.
While the visions do not reveal any dramatic future events, the Vatican affirms the "personal revelatory" nature of the visions, thus giving credence to the role of visions to the church's faithful. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, writing in a comment upon the visions said, "'the events to which the third part of the "secret" of Fatima refers now seem part of the past.' Insofar as individual events are described, they belong to the past. Those who expected exciting apocalyptic revelations about the end of the world or the future course of history are bound to be disappointed."
The first two secrets have been known for some time. They deal with the outbreak of World War II, divine punishment for human sin and Russian Communism's attempt to eradicate religion. All three visions are officially relegated to past events.
In the long-term, those within the Catholic Church, the present Pope included, who represent the cult of Mary worship will likely gain the most. (BBC News.)

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Will I Go to Heaven When I Die?

article by Steve Myers

The idea of going consciously to heaven at death seems comforting. But does that make it true? The Bible's answer may astonish you!

How does Jesus Himself describe death? He simply compares it to sleep.

Source: Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock

Funerals are sad experiences. It's heartbreaking to pay your final respects to someone you knew and loved.
Perhaps you've had to say farewell to a mother or father, laid to rest a brother, sister or perhaps say goodbye to a spouse or best friend. Have you wondered: What's happened to them? Where have they gone? Why do I doubt?
You may feel unexpected emotions such as shock and disbelief—making it difficult to accept what's happened.
You desperately want to know the truth. Supposing the person is safe and looking down from heaven is just not enough. You're skeptical, not completely satisfied with mere speculation. And you think: What about me? What will happen to me when I die?
You need to know what God has said. Is there a sure word from Him that will help you?

Going to heaven at death—truth or empty hope?

Sometimes you have a need to believe, especially at those times in life that force you to think about your mortality. We all know that in the end no one beats death. But it's one thing to know it in the back of your mind, and something else to come face to face with it.
When you're looking in the face of death, the idea of heaven can seem comforting. It can seem beautiful—but does that make it true? Is it just wishful thinking, or can you know the facts? Is it just a matter of faith?
Now here's what may be surprising: What the Bible says about death and heaven is probably quite different from what you may think you know or what you believe.
So how can you be sure of what you believe? The majority of Americans and Britons still believe in life after death. According to a Gallup poll, 81 percent of Americans and 55 percent of Britons say they believe in going to heaven.
We want to believe that our loved ones who have died are okay and that we'll be okay. So surveys show that most people are confident, or at least they have a feeling, that life doesn't end at the grave.

Only Jesus has gone to heaven

How would you answer this question: Where do your ideas about heaven come from? Most Christians would say they come from the Bible. Yet some have an image of floating on clouds. Some believe they'll be given wings like angels. Others believe that they'll gaze into the face of God for eternity.
Yet did you know that none of these are what the Bible actually says is in store for us? None of these are ideas that God has given us in the pages of His Word. It's time to examine your concept of death and your belief in going to heaven!
Don't just believe what someone else has said, or what a Sunday school teacher may have taught you, or what a church or religion says, or what this article says. Why not? If it's not based on the truth, what good is it? So don't believe any person's opinion—believe your Bible! You must believe what God says in the pages of His Word. That's the challenge today. Are you willing to look at what Scripture actually teaches? That's where our understanding of life and death must come from—the Word of God!
Notice what is stated in John:3:13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (emphasis added throughout): "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven" —and that one Being is Jesus Christ, who has returned to heaven!
Now that may be startling to you—but the Bible here is clear and plain. How does what it teaches here compare with what you've thought was true? If you look in the New International Version, it renders the statement as, "No one has ever gone into heaven." The Message says, "No one has ever gone up into the presence of God." God's Word Translation says, "No one has gone to heaven." The only exception is Jesus Christ Himself!
Jesus' disciple Peter echoed this sentiment in Acts 2: "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day . . . For David did not ascend into the heavens" (Acts:2:29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day., Acts:2:34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,).
So Jesus' disciples did not teach that life beyond the grave meant going to live forever in heaven. Jesus Himself never promised that Christians would go consciously to heaven at death!
Hebrews 11, speaking of great men and women of faith of past ages, tells us that they are still awaiting their future reward of being made perfect in God's Kingdom: "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise . . . that they should not be made perfect apart from us" (Hebrews:11:39-40 [39] And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
[40] God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.).

Death compared to sleep—that is, temporary

So why haven't they yet received the promise of eternal life? And if they aren't in heaven, where are they?
When Jesus' friend Lazarus died, Christ's reaction was very telling. Jesus Himself said, "'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.' Then His disciples said, 'Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.' However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead'" (John:11:11-14 [11] These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
[12] Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
[13] Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
[14] Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.).
That tells us something important. How does Jesus Himself describe death? He doesn't say that people who died immediately went to heaven or hell at death. He simply compares it to sleep.
So let's think of that comparison for a moment. When someone is in a deep sleep, they have no awareness of the passing of time or any knowledge of events that are occurring while they're asleep. It's like they're unconscious. They're oblivious to circumstances. So throughout the Bible, we see that it describes the dead as figuratively in a state of sleep. They're unaware. They're waiting in the grave.
King Solomon confirmed the fact that death is like a deep, unconscious sleep: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes:9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.). Just before that he wrote, "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes:9:5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.).
So it becomes clear that the Bible consistently teaches that good people don't go to heaven or anything like heaven at death—instead they sleep in the grave. All of the dead—the good and the not-so-good alike— wait in the grave.
Now that's quite a change in perspective! We don't have to be overwhelmed and consumed by grief because we're told that even in death there is hope. As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians:4:13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope., "I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." So instead of the chilling thought of our loved ones having ceased to be, we're told that we can be comforted. We can be encouraged by thinking of them as being asleep in Christ!

A greater promise than heaven as commonly imagined

Think of the common concept of heaven. Supposedly heaven is where you, your best friends and your relatives go after you die. Many believe that their departed family members are looking down on them from paradise.
But if so, have you ever wondered what that paradise would really be like? Would it really be a place of perfect happiness? Would it really be a place of ideal joy and bliss? Imagine if it were true: How could it really be heavenly?
Imagine if you were in heaven, looking down and seeing this world. What would you see? You'd see a world of pain. You'd see a world of war and grief. Imagine watching your loved ones—seeing their shortcomings, seeing their blunders, watching them go through terrible trials, seeing their sinful acts—witnessing a world of evil! Would that be paradise? No. That would be torture and misery. Rather than some dreamy paradise, it would be your worst nightmare!
The Bible reveals a much greater truth and fate for those who die. Let's see again what Jesus Himself taught.
Since the dead are waiting in the grave as if asleep, what are they waiting for? When and how will they be awakened from that sleep?
The answer to that question is one of the great revelations of Scripture. God's promise of the resurrection of the dead truly brings us hope. It is not just a resurrection to life, but to a life of meaning and purpose with Jesus Christ here on earth, ruling for a thousand years (Revelation:20:4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.). This all begins with the return of Christ, at which point His faithful followers are resurrected (1 Thessalonians:4:16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:).
The Old Testament patriarch Job understood the gravity and full meaning of this future resurrection. Notice what he said in Job:14:14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.: "If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come" (King James Version). Job understood that he would one day be resurrected.
Even more importantly, he understood that a change would occur. This same change is described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 as a change from mortality to immortality—from physical, mortal flesh to immortal, glorified spirit. That is what the coming resurrection of the dead in Christ is all about—not an aimless eternity in heaven, but a real change to becoming like Jesus Christ (1 John:3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.).

Change your life now to be part of the change at the resurrection

This is the wonderful truth of God's plan for His people. It's God's purpose for your life. The Bible speaks clearly of a resurrection and a change from physical life to spiritual life. Understanding how one can have a part in that resurrection is so very important to having an understanding of what our life today is about and certainly a genuine hope for the future.
It tells us how we need to live right now. Our understanding of and belief in God's plan should make a difference in who we are and how we live our lives. Jesus clearly showed us what our priorities in life should be: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew:6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.).
When you look to the truth of the Word of God instead of human tradition, you can have hope. You see that death, like sleep, is not permanent. You see that there will be an awakening and a change to an incorruptible life with Jesus Christ as your King!
This beautiful picture of the future is not a figment of your imagination. It comes directly from the Bible—the Word of God.
When you look to the one true source, the source of all things, you find incredibly good news. The time will come when the dead in Christ will be resurrected from sleep to immortal life at Jesus Christ's return to earth.
So be faithful. Look forward to His return!

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow on twitter here: https://twitter.com/UCGElPaso.

Why No Spectacular Miracles Today?

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article by David Sandland

The Bible is full of descriptions of fantastic miracles. Many wonder, why don't we see great public miracles today?

Over the years, working in Personal Correspondence for the Church of God, I have been confronted with many stimulating and thought-provoking questions that deserve an answer. One such question recently came into the United Church of God office here in Australia asking the question: "Why are no miracles being performed today?"
The writer went on to ask:
"Why doesn't God speak and interact directly with us today, as He did with the likes of Elijah and Elisha, and others? Why can't we—God's people—make, for example, the head of an axe to float? Why is it that we don't have that power today?
"Nothing spectacular is happening anymore. In the first century, supernatural things were going on all the time. Did the disciples have more of the Holy Spirit than we do or did they just have more faith? Because miracles were taking place on a daily basis.
"I think Jesus expects us to perform miracles; after all that was part of His message and ministry."
Certainly an interesting challenge. Why are there so few miracles, in the sense of spectacular public displays of God's power within His Church and by His people? Does God expect us to perform such miracles today, to somehow prove He is "on our side"?
True, many people do know that God does perform many miracles today. Many of us have witnessed miracles with practical benefits, such as the miracles of healing, protection, solving problems, etc. And then there's the miracle of conversion, which is the greatest miracle of all. However, that was not the type of miracle our writer was questioning. He spoke of the public displays of God's hand in the first and earlier centuries.
How would you have answered?
Perhaps a good place to start is in Hebrews:1:1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets." Those "various ways" did indeed include unmistakable and public miracles. Witness the life and work of the prophet Elijah and the judge Samson.
However, today He works in another way, as the explanation continues in verse 2. He "has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." Not necessarily through miracles, but through the life, message and teachings of Jesus Christ as recorded for us in the New Testament.
The miracles we read about in the Bible were examples of the power and love of God that are important to our understanding. But now that we have the biblical record, there is not the need to continually repeat all the different types of miracles.
Miracles were used at times to attract large audiences, and this was especially important in the founding of the New Testament Church. Today, we have the benefit of mass media technology.
The Bible shows that God doesn't want to force everyone to see His truth and where He is working during this age, so that He doesn't have to hold them fully accountable and they can be extended more mercy (Matthew:13:10-17 [10] And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
[11] He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
[12] For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
[13] Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
[14] And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
[15] For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
[17] For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.; Romans:11:7-10 [7] What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
[8] (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
[9] And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
[10] Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway., 32). Proving Himself through miracles would make the audience more accountable.
And miracles aren't necessarily good for us. God gave many members of the Corinthian church miraculous spiritual gifts, but they seem to have done more harm than good in that the gifts went to the heads of the members.
Why Miracles?
Now let's consider a major question, What spiritual value are miracles anyway? What value are they in terms of conversion and salvation? Especially the public miracles that draw attention to God's work and people. Consider, as a first example, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16.
When the rich man begged for a miracle (as our writer seems to be doing), a miracle of a resurrection from the dead, notice Abraham's reply in verse 31:
"If they do not hear Moses and the prophets [many of whom did perform miracles], neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."
Abraham explained that miracles would not necessarily convert the rich man's relatives.
What about the miracles performed by Christ Himself? Did they make any real difference? Would they have converted that rich man's family?
In Matthew:12:10-13 [10] And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
[11] And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
[12] How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
[13] Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. we read the miracle of Christ healing the man with a withered hand—a dramatic and undeniable miracle. What was the reaction of the unconverted and carnal Pharisees? Verse 14 says, "Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him." So much for any positive effect, even when a miracle was performed by Christ Himself!
Again, back in Matthew:9:1-3 [1] And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
[2] And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
[3] And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth., we read of another of Christ's public miracles. This time a paralytic was miraculously healed. The reaction from the scribes? "This Man blasphemes!"
Another equally discouraging example is recorded in Matthew:9:32-34 [32] As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
[33] And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
[34] But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.. "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons," was the pathetic response. The same reaction is recorded in Matthew:12:22-24 [22] Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
[23] And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
[24] But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils..
Apart from the mercy and kindness extended to those He healed, Christ would have saved Himself a great deal of opposition by not performing any miracles at all. But then Christ would have been asked, "Why do you not perform miracles like Elijah? Show yourself to be the Christ by performing a miracle." So would have gone the challenge and criticism.
Incidentally, even being a miracle worker, so-called, does not prove conversion or spirituality. Matthew:7:21-23 [21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. gives us the haunting and sobering warning that even those who have "cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name" will be confronted by Christ Himself with the chilling challenge, "I never knew you." Compare also Matthew:16:1-4 [1] The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
[2] He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
[3] And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
[4] A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed..
So miracles don't necessarily have lasting or deep effects on those witnessing them. So, why none today? I guess you could say, Why bother?
Deceptive and Ineffective Miracles
We also need to consider that miracles can be used to deceive. Matthew:24:24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. warns, "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." If we are looking for such signs and wonders as some kind of proof as to where God is working today, then we run the risk of being deceived.
Perhaps one of the soberest warnings and examples of just how ineffective a miracle can be in getting people to change, is seen by considering the people alive just before Christ's return, who witness endless miracles as described throughout the book of Revelation. What will be the ultimate reaction of such a godless generation to the divine intervention of God?
"But the rest of mankind...did not repent...And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts" (Revelation:9:20-21 [20] And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
[21] Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.). Thus Christ has to return in undeniable power and might to convince that generation of unthankful, unholy and stubbornly resistant people. Miracles, of and by themselves, don't convince or convict people. Only the presence of Christ Himself will gain the permanent attention of that end-time generation. And many people will have to die and be resurrected before their minds are receptive to God's revelation.
Also in the book of Revelation, consider the miracles and wonders performed through the power of God by the two witnesses as recorded in Revelation:11:3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth., 5 and 6. These two individuals will be given power: fire will proceed out of their mouths; they will have power to shut up the heavens and power over the waters of the earth.
Will men repent in the face of such power? We know otherwise. Verses 7 through 10 show war will be made against them and they will be murdered. The earth will rejoice, not over their miracles and power, but over their death! So much, again, for the power of miracles.
A Great Denial
Many of you will have been thinking about one of the greatest denials of miracle-working power ever experienced by mankind—the denial by ancient Israel of the God who miraculously brought them out of bondage in Egypt. As you have the time, you might want to read the entirety of Psalm 78. Verses 12-16 remind us of the "marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers," how He "divided the sea," how He "led them with the cloud" and "brought streams out of the rock."
Their reaction? Entirely predictable by now: "But they sinned even more against Him" (verse 17) to the point God's anger was kindled (verse 21).
We could have expected Pharaoh, even in the face of miracle after miracle, to have continually hardened his heart (which, by the way, was hard from the beginning—he simply became more and more stubborn), but Israel? How many more miracles would it have taken?
If you wonder how many, read the story of Korah in Numbers 16. A mighty miracle was witnessed by the Israelites—the miracle of the ground literally opening up before their stunned eyes and swallowing Korah and his fellow complainers. Surely that would be enough to convince anyone that God was working through Moses and was a God to be reckoned with. Surely the letter writer would be satisfied if a similar miracle took place today?
What was the reaction? One of humble repentance? Hardly. Read verse 41: "On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the people of the Lord.'" Absolutely astonishing. How did they think Moses pulled off such a feat—opening the earth and swallowing them up?
In all this, there's not too much evidence that miracles—in the sense of public displays of power—are the answer to the needs of man.
As we draw to an end, please also consider Hebrews:3:7-12 [7] Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
[8] Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
[9] When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
[10] Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
[11] So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
[12] Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God..
Even in the face of undeniable miracles, sin can and does deceitfully harden our hearts. The most important power for softening hard hearts is the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. God's calling and the gift of the Holy Spirit is what all people ultimately need. Sure, miracles—signs and wonders—gain initial attention. But not always, as we have seen, positive or life-changing attention. The answer to the needs of man is found in scriptures such as Hebrews:10:15-16 [15] Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
[16] This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;, which tells of the writing of God's laws in our hearts.
I would like to quote from the answer we sent the letter writer who was looking for miracles to prove God is working in our midst.
"Even when God does speak and interact directly with us as He did with the likes of Elijah and Enoch, man will still not repent. No, miracles are not the answer, at least not the miracles you spoke about in your letter, but rather the miracle of true conversion is what man so desperately needs.
"Were their needs greater than ours, as you posed in your letter? No. All mankind has the same need—the Spirit of the Living God, miraculously dwelling and working in their hearts and minds. Let us be searching for that lasting miracle, not the fleeting, attention-getting miracles that usually lead no one anywhere.
"As much as miracles are great and wonderful, they never have and never will convert the hard, stony heart of man. Only the miracle of the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit will ever perform that miracle. And that is what God is doing today, through the work of His Church and people, as He offers the opportunity for the miracle of a transformed, Spirit-led life to those who are willing to accept that gift—that miracle." UN