The God Who Became a Human Being

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

The God Who Became a Human Being

How could someone who is spirit, having lived for all eternity in the past, become human? Was Jesus a human being just like us? And when He was a human being, was He still God?

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (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...).



How could someone who is spirit, having lived for all eternity in the past, become human? Was Jesus a human being just like us? And when He was a human being, was He still God?



Jesus was prophesied to be "God with us" (Matthew 1:23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.



See All...). Jesus was a human being and He was also God. There was never a time when He ceased to be who He always was. His identity did not change. When He was in the womb of Mary, He was God. When He was a baby boy lying in the manger, He was God. When He was a youngster growing up in Nazareth, He was God. And when He was dying, He was God.



As a spirit being, prior to His human birth, He was infinite in knowledge, power and presence. As God He would know everything and have unlimited power to act on any object, anywhere. But if He was human, He could not do everything. He would be limited to the normal abilities any normal human being would have. He could not have been both infinite and finite simultaneously.



A physical body with physical limitations



When Jesus became flesh He was still God in terms of His identity, but He was nevertheless a human being in every sense of the word.



Jesus had a physical body. His closest disciple attests that He was a physical person: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness" (1 John 1:1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;



See All...). John is establishing the humanity of Jesus Christ when he says they heard, saw and touched Jesus.



He had a fully human body. He was born. He grew and developed just like any other child.



Jesus was subject to the same physical limitations as other human beings, because He had the same kind of body. He experienced hunger when He fasted (Matthew 4:2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.



See All...) and thirst (John 19:28After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.



See All...). He experienced fatigue from a long walk (John 4:6Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.



See All...).



Jesus suffered physically and died. Hebrews 2:10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.



See All... tells us that He was made "perfect through sufferings." Physiologically, He was a human being just as we are human, subject to death. "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (verse 14, NRSV). He was made flesh "that He ...might taste death for everyone" (verse 9).



Jesus suffered terribly when He died, as is evident in the crucifixion accounts. When the spear was thrust in His side, water and blood poured out. His body was the same as ours. There can be no doubt that He felt physical suffering as genuinely as we do when He was beaten and scourged, when the crown of thorns was shoved onto His head and when the nails were driven into His wrists and feet.



Jesus felt human emotions



Jesus also experienced many of the same emotional and intellectual qualities we do. He thought, reasoned and felt the full range of human emotions. He had strong affection for people (John 11:5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.



See All...; 13:23; 19:26). He felt compassion and pity for those who were hungry or physically or spiritually afflicted (Matthew 9:36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.



See All...; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34).



He could be distressed and troubled, as was evident to His disciples when He anticipated His impending suffering and death (Luke 12:50But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!



See All...; John 12:27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.



See All...). He was deeply troubled when considering that one of His disciples would betray Him (John 13:21When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.



See All...). He grieved and wept over the mourning of Lazarus' family and friends when Lazarus died (John 11:33-35 [33] When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

[34] And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

[35] Jesus wept.





See All...).



Jesus was "deeply distressed" and "exceedingly sorrowful" and didn't want to be left alone when He was struggling with His thoughts and feelings just before His arrest (Matthew 26:37-40 [37] And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

[38] Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

[39] And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

[40] And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?





See All...). Obviously Jesus possessed the same human capacity to feel sorrow and anguish as deeply as we sometimes do.



He also experienced joy (John 15:11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.



See All...; 17:13). He could be angry and grieved with people's attitudes (Mark 3:5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.



See All...) and indignant toward His own disciples (Mark 10:14But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.



See All..., NRSV).



Jesus' intellectual abilities



Yet the Gospels clearly reveal that Jesus had knowledge of the past, present and future in a way that was far beyond what any ordinary man would have. However, these remarkable abilities were not something that He had inherently. They were given to Him by the Father. As Jesus clearly said, "I can of Myself do nothing" (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...)—that is, nothing supernatural on His own. We will explore this idea more when we discuss the works of Jesus.



What are some of the ways Jesus had knowledge beyond normal human abilities? We first see this when, at the age of 12, He showed understanding far beyond His age in His discussions with the teachers at the temple (Luke 2:46-47 [46] And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

[47] And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.





See All...).



He knew the thoughts of both His friends (Luke 9:47And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,



See All...) and His enemies (Matthew 9:4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?



See All...). He knew the Samaritan woman had five husbands and at the time was living with a man to whom she was not married (John 4:18For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.



See All...). He knew that Lazarus had died from his illness even though He and the disciples were miles away (John 11:1Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.



See All..., 11-14).



He knew which disciple would betray Him long before Judas had made the decision to turn Jesus over to those who wanted to kill Him (John 6:70-71 [70] Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

[71] He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.





See All...). He told Peter that he would deny Him three times on the night He was arrested and that a rooster would crow after the third denial (Luke 22:34And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.



See All...).



At the same time, He did not know everything. There was knowledge that He did not have and therefore asked to find out. He inquired from the father of the child who had the mute spirit, "How long has this been happening to him?" (Mark 9:21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.



See All...). When Jesus gave the amazing prophecies about the end of the age and His return, He acknowledged that He did not know the exact time of His coming. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.



See All...).



Jesus here is relying on the Father to present Him with the time of His return. This helps us to understand that the Father also gave Him the understanding of the hearts of men, prophetic events and other information that He wasn't told.



Jesus constantly depended on God the Father for guidance on what to do, what to say and how to answer, for insight into the hearts of men and for anything else the Father might see fit to give to Him. He relied on God the Father for help to obey, to have power over demonic spirits and to have strength to resist and overcome temptation.



Sometimes He prayed for long periods (Luke 5:16And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.



See All...; Mark 1:35And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.



See All...). Before choosing the 12 apostles He prayed all night (Luke 6:12-16 [12] And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

[13] And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

[14] Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

[15] Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,

[16] And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.





See All...). On the night before His crucifixion, He prayed repeatedly in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Father sent an angel to strengthen Him during this terrible ordeal (Luke 22:41-44 [41] And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

[42] Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

[43] And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

[44] And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.





See All...).



Hebrews 5:7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;



See All... tells us, "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission" (NRSV). As a human being, Jesus trusted the Father completely for the strength He needed to prevail against the forces that worked so fervently against Him.



Could Jesus have sinned?



This brings us to another question about Jesus' humanity. Was it possible for Jesus to sin? The Bible is quite clear that Jesus did not sin. Paul says that Jesus "knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.



See All...). John confirms that "in Him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.



See All...). None of His enemies could convict Him of sin (John 8:46Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?



See All...).



But could He have 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... tells us that "we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." If it wasn't possible for Jesus to sin, then was His temptation genuine?



It's more fitting to say that while He could have sinned, it was certain that He would not. He faced genuine struggles and temptations, but refused to give in to the temptation to sin.



When He was tempted of the devil for 40 days and nights (Luke 4:1-2 [1] And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

[2] Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.





See All...), was this real temptation or merely a pointless exercise? One could hardly say that His "prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death" were not a result of experiencing strong temptation.



Such a time came when He prayed under such duress immediately before His arrest that, "being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.



See All...). Jesus then urged His disciples to "rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation" (verse 46).



For Jesus to fully know how human beings have to deal with sin, "...he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested" (Hebrews 2:17-18 [17] Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

[18] For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.





See All..., NRSV).



How could He be our example if He wasn't human and therefore wasn't tempted exactly as we are? This is why He had to be tempted in every way as we are. Yet He went beyond. If a person yields to temptation, he has not felt its full power, but has given in while he has yet more to resist. Only the one who successfully prevails against a particular temptation and remains sinless knows the full extent of that temptation.



Was He really God?



We have explained that Jesus was God as the Bible explicitly says (John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.



See All...). What was the difference, then, between how He was God prior to His human birth and when He was a human being?



Paul addresses this very question in Philippians 2. Paul tells us what He left behind and what He took upon Himself. "He, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his privileges as God's equal." Instead He "stripped himself of every advantage by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born a man" (verses 6-7, NTME).



Verse 8 tells us that "he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, to the point of death, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal" (NTME).



In taking on the form of a human being, Jesus gave up the independent exercise of His attributes that He had when He was with the Father. This doesn't mean that He lost them but that, to become truly human, it was necessary that He voluntarily give up the ability to exercise them on His own. And having given them up, He no longer had these attributes inherently while a man. Indeed, as quoted above, Jesus clearly said He did not have the ability to perform supernatural works on His own: "I can of Myself do nothing" (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...). He could exercise the attributes of divinity only in submission to the will of the Father.



Jesus performed many wondrous works, but He emphatically told His disciples that "I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works" (John 14:10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.



See All...). Again and again, Jesus declared that the works He did were the Father's, not His own, and He pointed to the works as proof that He had been sent from the Father (John 10:32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?



See All..., 37-38).



While in prior centuries Jesus had authority to speak as YHWH of the Old Testament, He now spoke and acted under authority to God and in full dependence on Him. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.



See All...).



The One who existed with the Father from before the beginning of the universe, now as a human being, explained the relationship: "I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things" (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...).



Jesus' salvation



Jesus placed His entire future squarely in the hands of the Father. The self-existing One now would have no life unless it were through the Father (John 6:57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.



See All...). If He were to again have eternal life, He would now have to obtain it as a human being, in the same way you and I would achieve salvation—through submission to the Father and the resurrection from the dead.



Hebrews 5:9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;



See All... explains that Jesus became "the author of eternal salvation" by experiencing the process of salvation as a human being—with one exception. Jesus didn't have to repent of sin. But He did have to remain sinless. And "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (verse 8).



He was always obedient. Yet His obedience and character were tested and strengthened through hardships and trials. "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (verse 9). He was already perfect before His human birth. Now He was perfected as a human being. He is "declared to be the Son of God ...by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:



See All...). However, He already was the Son of God by virtue of who He was (verse 3).



It becomes clear that "in all things He had to be made like His brethren" (Hebrews 2:17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.



See All...).



The enormity of the sacrifice Jesus made becomes difficult for us to comprehend when we realize the position He voluntarily put Himself in. His very existence was on the line. If Jesus had sinned, then who would be the sacrifice for Him? If He had made a choice to sin, just once, He would have incurred the penalty of death—death for all time. The very law that He spoke Himself as God from Mt. Sinai would require it.



Could God die?



When talking about God, some people don't like to consider the possibility that God could die. How could God cease to exist? As an infinite, immortal spirit Being, He couldn't. But if He volunteered to become a human being and to possess all the attributes of human nature and a physical existence, then He could die. And indeed He did die—and when He died, He was really dead. If He wasn't really dead, in the same way we would be dead if someone killed us, then it couldn't really be a genuine substitution—His life for ours.



It would have been only make-believe, an illusion. Not only did Jesus die, but He also could have died the death from which there was no resurrection—the death of a sinner without any redemption.



His salvation was through the Father in whom He had complete confidence. That relationship was one that could only be described as total, complete and utter trust in and reliance on His Father (John 8:29And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.



See All...). Jesus submitted His will to His Father (John 6:38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.



See All...). He asked for no glory as a human being (John 17:5And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.



See All...). He was obedient all the way to His death (Philippians 2:8).



He put His salvation on the same basis as ours . We have a forerunner, an example, an author of salvation, a captain of salvation. Who He would forever be hung in the balance of a few short years on earth (Philippians 2:8-11).



Was there ever a doubt in the outcome? There was none—not because He couldn't fail, but because He and the Father knew what each could do and would do. The strength of God is the greatest strength there is, and the faith of Jesus was absolute. It is the same faith through which we are saved (Galatians 2:20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.



See All..., KJV).

The Feast of Trumpets: A Turning Point in History

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

The Feast of Trumpets: A Turning Point in History

The Feast of Trumpets depicts the return of Jesus Christ to earth to establish the Kingdom of God.



The Feast of Trumpets introduces the autumn festivals—representing the culmination of the present age of man and the beginning of an incredible time during which God will play a much more direct part in world events. The previous festivals constitute personal responses to the workings of God in the people He calls and chooses. But the Day of Trumpets heralds the intervention of God in the affairs of humanity on a global basis. This Holy Day represents a dramatic turning point in world history.



This particular festival also marks the beginning of the third and final feast season (Exodus 23:14Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.



See All...; Deuteronomy 16:16Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:



See All...), which includes the final four Holy Days of the year.



The return of Jesus Christ!



The Feast of Trumpets depicts nothing less than the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to establish the Kingdom of God! The book of Revelation reveals a sequence of earth-shaking events heralded by angels sounding a series of seven trumpet blasts. The seventh angel's sounding of the last trumpet signifies that "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ" (Revelation 11:15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.



See All..., NIV). The Bible foretells that at this time Jesus Christ will at last return to the earth. Of all the prophecies in the Bible, this one surely heralds the most exciting news possible for this weary, sin-filled world!



The Feast of Trumpets also marks the future fulfillment of the many Old Testament prophecies that speak of a Messiah coming as a king of the line of David who will sit on the throne of Israel and rule with power and authority over all nations. The concept of a conquering Messiah was on the minds of the apostles immediately after Jesus' resurrection. When He appeared to them in those early days, they asked Him, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?



See All...).



Even in His earthly ministry, Jesus had spoken of distinctions between His first and second comings. When Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, questioned Him just before the crucifixion, Jesus stated clearly that He had not come to rule at that time.



"My kingdom is not of this world," Jesus told the governor. "If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." So Pilate asked Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered in the affirmative: "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth" (John 18:36-37 [36] Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

[37] Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.





See All...).



After Christ's resurrection, the apostles excitedly anticipated the fulfillment of Jesus' promises. They were aware of messianic prophecies such as Isaiah's that describe a time during which "the government will be upon His shoulder" and "of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:6-7 [6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

[7] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.





See All...).



In answer to the apostles' question as to whether He would soon establish the Kingdom, Jesus told them it was not for them to know the "times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority" (Acts 1:7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.



See All...). Instead, Christ told them to focus on spreading the gospel—the good news—throughout the world. Later, in due time, the apostles realized that Christ's second coming was not necessarily imminent. Numerous scriptures describe the saints as eagerly looking forward to His return.



Why the symbolism of trumpets?



The excitement of this Holy Day, picturing these monumental events, is captured in the symbolism of this festival. Ancient Israel celebrated it with "a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts" (Leviticus 23:24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.



See All..., NIV).



Actually, the word "trumpet" does not appear in this verse. The phrase "trumpet blasts" translates a single Hebrew word, teruah , which means a loud, resounding noise—a great shout or blaring, or an awakening blast. This was the sound of a "trumpet," but not the metal, musical kind also used by the Israelites. The God's Word Translation renders this phrase as "a holy assembly announced by the blowing of ram's horns." In that day a hollow animal horn, known as a shofar, was used to communicate important messages.



Such horns, blaring an alarm like a modern air-raid or tornado siren, were used to warn of impending danger, such as imminent war. As the prophet Jeremiah lamented: "O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet [ shofar ], the alarm of war" (Jeremiah 4:19My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.



See All...; compare Amos 3:6Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?



See All...).



This ties in with the fact that the events of the Day of the Lord that will usher in Christ's return will be cataclysmic, announced, as already mentioned, with angels blowing trumpets (Revelation 8-9; compare Zephaniah 1:14-16 [14] The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

[15] That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

[16] A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.





See All...).



With their ability to transmit sound over great distances, trumpets were in ancient times excellent instruments for attracting people's attention. God even used the sound of a shofar to herald His meeting with Israel when He descended on Mount Sinai to speak the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:16And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.



See All...). Moreover, the shofar was used in coronation ceremonies (1 Kings 1:34And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.



See All..., 39), and we've already seen that Christ assumes rule over the earth at the last trumpet.In connection with this Feast Day, Psalm 81:3Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.



See All... exhorts, "Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon . . . on our solemn feast day."



Amplification of the meaning of trumpets



The writers of the New Testament revealed additional understanding of the significance of the blowing of trumpets. Notice Paul's description of the return of Jesus Christ: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 [16] For 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:

[17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.





See All...).



Paul also spoke of the day when the firstfruits pictured by Pentecost will be resurrected to immortal life. In 1 Corinthians 15:52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.



See All... he says this will happen "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye , at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Thus the awakening blast of this last trumpet will awaken the dead!



Although the Trumpets festival isn't mentioned by name in the New Testament, we have no valid reason for assuming that this Holy Day should not be observed today. On the contrary, the early Church used the Hebrew Scriptures as the foundation for doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:



See All...). Like the Ten Commandments (James 2:10-11 [10] For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

[11] For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.





See All...), each of God's festivals is intimately and intricately related to the others. By keeping all of them, we can understand God's remarkable plan for humanity as it unfolds. We should not ignore some of His Holy Days while observing others.



Jesus' prophetic teaching



Near the end of Christ's earthly ministry, the apostles asked Him about the end of the present era. Notice Matthew 24:3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?



See All...: "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'"



Earlier, Daniel had prophesied about the establishment of the Kingdom of God and how the saints, or God's people, would inherit that Kingdom (Daniel 2:44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.



See All...; 7:18). Like the disciples, however, Daniel did not understand when the Kingdom would come.



Jesus, in response to His disciples' questions, laid out for them a series of events that would lead up to His return. He mentioned to them religious deception, wars, famines, disease, earthquakes and other calamities (Matthew 24:4-13 [4] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

[6] And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

[7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

[8] All these are the beginning of sorrows.

[9] Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

[10] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

[11] And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

[12] And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

[13] But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.





See All...). He characterized the time of His return as an era of hatred and lawlessness. In this setting Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (verse 14).



More details in the book of Revelation



Later Jesus Christ revealed many more details about this pivotal time. The book of Revelation is described as "the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place" (Revelation 1:1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:



See All...). Here Christ repeated through the apostle John the same events He had described to His disciples decades earlier. Now, however, Jesus used the symbolism of a series of seals He would open one by one (Revelation 6).



After this, at the beginning of God's anger against the disobedient nations, seven plagues will be poured out on a sinning world, with a trumpet blast announcing each, as we've seen (Revelation 8-9). Finally God will send two "witnesses," or "prophets," to proclaim His truth to a rebellious world (Revelation 11). Such prophetic witness is compared to a trumpet warning (Isaiah 58:1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.



See All...). Tragically, the godless society of the last days will reject these two servants of God and kill them (verses 7-10).



These dramatic events set the stage for the seventh angel's trumpet sounding and Jesus Christ's return to begin the rule of His government over the entire earth (Revelation 11:15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.



See All...).



Of this same scenario, Matthew 24 says that "immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (verses 29-31).



Unprecedented events at Christ's return



Incredibly, when Jesus Christ returns to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the nations of the earth will gather to fight against Him (Zechariah 14:1-4 [1] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

[2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

[3] Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

[4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.





See All...). Revelation 19:19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.



See All... describes this impending battle: "And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Jesus Christ] who sat on the horse and against His army."



Why would anyone want to fight the Messiah? The armies will try to destroy Christ because Satan has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.



See All...). The devil's influence will inspire the nations to fight against Jesus when He returns.



Also at the time of Christ's return, His faithful followers will be resurrected to immortality. Revelation 20:5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.



See All... describes this as the "first resurrection," which is also a "better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:



See All...). This change to immortal life was the hope of early Christians and remains the fervent hope of those who understand God's plan.



In the book of Romans, Paul depicts this resurrection as a glorious deliverance from bondage: "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God . . . because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God . . . And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.



See All..., 21, 23).



We see that, even though tragic events lie ahead, the good news is that God will intervene to save humanity and guide mankind into His abundant way of life.



Jesus Christ will return to raise His followers from death and establish God's perfect rule over the earth. This is the wonderful, inspiring meaning of the Feast of Trumpets. Christ taught us to pray to the Father, "Thy kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.



See All..., KJV). How urgently we need the answer to that prayer!

Debate About Islam Continues: Is It a Religion of Peace?

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

Debate About Islam Continues: Is It a Religion of Peace?

article by Cecil Maranville





Muslim officials have declared their peaceful intentions through messages at their annual hajj. U.S. President Bush and British Prime Minister Blair have publicly praised Islam as a religion of peace. Others challenge that assertion, as the debate goes on.



Muslims' annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which ended Feb. 24, provided Saudi Arabia with an opportunity to distance Islam from the black deeds of Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda Islamic militants. King Fahd sought to strike the desired tone in his address to the pilgrims: "The Muslim in this universe has a positive role to play in endeavors to fulfill it. The objective of this role is to work for the good of mankind and protect the means of life and achieve stability" ("Defending Islam Was the Theme of Hajj" by Hamca Hendawi, AP, Feb. 24, 2002).



The pilgrimage is required of each able-bodied Muslim male at least once in his life; estimates indicate over 2 million visited Saudi Arabia in 2002's hajj. The world focused upon the words of a sermon given there by Sheik Abdul-Aziz bin Al al-Sheik, Saudi Arabia's top cleric. "How can terrorism fit in a religion that gives peace precedence over war?" asked the sheik. He continued, "How could terrorism fit in a faith that calls for the respective agreements, the offering of pacts?"



Hendawi described the collective messages as a mix of defensiveness and defiance, noting that the Saudi kingdom feels it is under a cloud of suspicion for a presumed guilt-by-association role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Of the 19 airline hijackers, 15 were from Saudi Arabia, as is bin Laden himself.)



The hajj ended with a symbolic "stoning of the devil" in which hundreds of thousands of pilgrims threw pebbles at three stone pillars in the valley of Mina, outside Mecca.



Harsh words against Islam



Coincidental with the hajj, a different type of "stoning the devil" was taking place in the United States. Television evangelist Pat Robertson artlessly disputed the soothing comments of Muslims, along with those of Britain's and America's top politicians, about Islam being a religion of peace on his Feb. 22 Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club.



Making no allowances for Muslims who do not share his interpretation of the Koran, Robertson generalized, "The Koran makes it very clear, if you see an infidel, you are to kill him."



Reporting on Robertson's biting analysis, Alan Cooperman of The Washington Post quotes Robertson's conclusion--that Islam "is not a peaceful religion that wants to coexist. They want to coexist until they can control, dominate and then if need be destroy" ("Robertson Calls Islam a Religion of Violence, Mayhem," Feb. 22, 2002).



A firestorm of protest erupted from the American Muslim community, as well as from numerous pundits. In addition to the perceived gracelessness of his current comments, Robertson is tainted by an off-the-cuff commentary he made last September on the same program with associated TV preacher, Jerry Falwell. Within days of the attacks suffered by New York City and Washington, D.C., the two offered opinions on why they believed God's protection had been removed from the United States, citing examples of sins and sinners. They came across as judgmental, callous and self-righteous to many.



Ellis Henican of Newsday rolled Robertson's most recent statements about Islam in with the inelegant remarks the two ministers made in mid-September. "These bizarre remarks were met with the expected eye rolling. And, eventually, Falwell and Robertson sort of apologized. But you don't think they learned anything from their brush with utter stupidity? I can promise you Robertson didn't. Because here he was again this past week, on the very same TV show, talking terror again. This time, he didn't limit his blame to the actual suicide hijackers or to the terror groups that backed them. Or even to the governments that trained and financed the terror groups. He took what we might call a broader approach. He blamed the whole Islamic world. He blamed Islam itself" ("Pat Robertson Is at It Again," Feb. 24, 2002).



CBN did not apologize this time. Instead, the network charged The Washington Post with inaccurate reporting, failing, for example, to spotlight "the bulk of Arab Muslim opinion that supports terrorist actions as an expression of their faith." CBN's defense included anecdotes from interviews conducted by an Arabic-speaking CBN reporter at the recent annual convention of American-Muslims.



The reporter related opinions from a Muslim-American attending the conference, an Egyptian Muslim and an Algerian Muslim--also presumably attending the conference, although CBN's statement was unclear on this point. The composite of the interviews is a defense of terrorism and sharp criticism of American foreign policy, but the identities of the speakers weren't given other than what is noted above. Because such anecdotal evidence can't be confirmed, it keeps the debate in the realm of arguing over opinions and hearsay.



Anti-Semitic element to Muslim message



We should stick to the facts, and let them speak for themselves.



The Muslim faithful heard many other sermons during this year's hajj, besides the one quoted above. While clerics generally followed the orders of the royal family to stay away from politics, Sheik Osama Abdullah Khayyat preached to the faithful: "God give your glory but to Islam and Moslems. The Lord...defeat those tyrant Jews" ("No 'Sermon on the Mount' From Mecca" by Don Feder, Creators Syndicate, Feb. 25, 2002, emphasis added).



Words expressed by at least one Saudi official before the hajj weren't as carefully crafted for international consumption. An official of the Saudi ministry of Islamic affairs, Abdullah bin Matruk al-Haddal, called Jews "brothers of the apes and pigs." He declared that the World Trade Center attack was the product of a Jewish-Zionist conspiracy and advised the United States to "get rid of the Jews" (Feder, p. 1).



A recent Zogby poll of Muslim-Americans shows that the community doesn't support the current U.S. military action. Seven percent endorsed the use of military force in the war against terrorism, while 67 percent chose "changing America's Middle East policy" as the best way to do the job, in their opinion. Clearly, that means that they believe the United States should withdraw from supporting Israel.



What the Koran says



Are there statements in the Koran that could be taken as incitements to violence? Let's take an objective look at the Koran, allowing it to speak for itself instead of debating personal opinions. The following are quotes from the Koran, as translated by Yusuf Ali (http://db.islam.org:81/Quran/FMPro  , emphasis added).



"Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): 'I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil [sic] terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.' Say to the Unbelievers, if (now) they desist (from Unbelief), their past would be forgiven them; but if they persist, the punishment of those before them is already (a matter of warning for them)...And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do" ("Spoils of War," 12, 39).



"But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an[d] seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)" ("The Repentance," 5).



"Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority: their abode will be the Fire: And evil is the home of the wrong-doers!" ("The Family of Imran," 151.)



"When ye travel through the earth, there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers, for fear the Unbelievers May attack you: For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies...For the Unbelievers Allah hath prepared a humiliating punishment" ("Women," 101-102).



These passages certainly have a violent tone and seem to direct the faithful to make war on, mutilate and kill unbelievers.



One might argue that it's like Christians have taken selected verses out of the Bible to justify opinions that the Bible as a whole does not endorse. Again, to keep from merely debating over words, let's ask and answer this fair question: How are such passages generally interpreted by teachers of Islam?



An Islamic journalist speaks out



Amir Taheri, an Iranian journalist and author, is the editor of the Paris-based Politique Internationale (International Politics). He is also a Muslim, meaning his words cannot be dismissed as those of an ultraconservative Christian or Jew with political prejudices. He wrote a startlingly frank editorial for the Internet edition of the Wall Street Journal last Oct. 27. (An important word of qualification: More moderate Muslim leaders do not always interpret the Koran in the manner mentioned below.)



"Al Queda did not materialize out of thin air. Nor have they been operating in a vacuum. Bin Laden belongs to a prominent Yemeni-Saudi family that makes much of its Islamic credentials. He began his militant career in 1984 as a fund-raiser for Afghans fighting the communist regime in Kabul in the name of Islam. He had offices in a dozen Muslim countries, none of which regarded his activities as un-Islamic...



"Anyone familiar with text books in most Muslim countries would know the twisted view of the world they propagate and the hatred they promote. Anyone who follows the media in the Muslim world would know that the verbal version of the Sept. 11 attacks is almost daily fare. Go to the Internet and check the editorials of virtually any Muslim paper on Sept. 10 and see what they were saying about the West in general and the U.S. in particular. Anyone listening to a sermon in virtually any mosque, including many in the West, would be shocked by the vehemence of the anti-Western, especially anti-American, sentiments expressed.



"It is both dishonest and dangerous for Muslims to remain in a state of denial. And yet a state of denial is what we have...



"The Muslim world today is full of bigotry, fanaticism, hypocrisy and plain ignorance--all of which create a breeding ground for criminals like bin Laden. The principal victims of these criminals are Muslims, who were prevented from developing a modern political culture without which they cannot reform their societies and rebuild their economies."



These are powerful and sobering words, coming from a Muslim about his own faith.



Not the means to the desired end



The present mix of defensiveness, suspicions, accusations and political papering over real differences isn't going to result in the harmonious world that most claim they would like to see, regardless of their religious persuasion. World peace will come, neither by proselytizing nor by persecuting, but rather through the intervention of the Creator God. Not surprisingly, based upon the chaos we see in today's world, neither Christian nor Muslim has realized the plan He has in mind.



Few can appreciate how different the Church Jesus built is from the mosques, temples and churches that dot the present-day's landscape. Do you know? Read our booklet, The Church Jesus Built. WNP

.

A Drug User's Story

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

My Story

by Jayn Keller





"Hi, my name is Jayn, and I am an alcoholic/addict" are words that I never thought I would ever hear; much less have come out of my own mouth. They must have been meant for the person behind me. Yet they have come out of my mouth over and over again in the past four years. Truth be told I have been an addict since birth and didn't know it. Being an undiagnosed bipolar has all kinds of attendant problems—addictions of all kinds being among them.



I started drinking alcohol when I was in elementary school with friends on weekends. I liked the taste and the warm glow that I felt and couldn't wait for another weekend to come around so I could do it again. As I got older, I began to sneak alcohol from my father's cabinet. By the time I was 16 I could drink almost anyone under the table, and I was the life of all the parties.



Slowly my circle of friends narrowed to only those who drank and did drugs. I was introduced to amphetamines in my junior year of high school, and I took to them like a fish to water. Several of my drinking friends were rich kids who stole diet pills from their parents' medicine cabinets and passed them around at parties, and I was hooked from my first pill. The quest was on to keep an ever-flowing source of pills coming in (to get the alcohol was no problem).



I married young, had a family and was too preoccupied with husband and children to think about my selfish wants and needs of alcohol and drugs. It wasn't until after my divorce that I began to self-medicate to ease the pain of a broken and fractured family. It was easier to do that than to face life head-on and get on with it. My parents who lived in denial, enabled me to continue to live in my alcoholic/drug-filled lifestyle; they would babysit my children while I was out in pursuit of life, liberty, alcohol and drugs.



The 1970's were a blur, and the early '80s saw me starting to get my life together, and by the mid '80s God's Church had found me. I was baptized in 1986 and the need for alcohol and drugs had left me, or so I thought. Don't get me wrong, there were times in my life when the need for alcohol and drugs were totally absent. I would go for many months or even several years without drinking or doing drugs, and then suddenly one day the urges would return as suddenly as they had gone. Little did I know that this was the bipolar part of me. Had I known that this was the problem would I have done something about it? I doubt it. I felt as though God had not truly dealt with me yet.



Almost 20 years saw me alcohol and drug free. Since I missed out on college I decided to return as a full-time student when I was 53 years old in 1999. By that time I had a lot of life experience behind me and was able to maintain a 4.0 grade average, and was sought out by lesser grade average students to do their homework or papers. It started innocently enough, a few dollars here and a few dollars there, until one day a student offered me some methamphetamine, and another a bottle of scotch, and I was off and running, again.



I had seen the breakup of my Church in the mid 80's, and the break up of the splinter groups into the 90's, but even that was not enough to set off my drinking and drugging. Yet something as worldly as college did. I guess it was an effort on my part to fit in. I even took up smoking so I could be part of the crowd. I was still attending Sabbath services, so I had to learn ways to hide all my addictions from the brethren, which I became very adept at. Looking back, it seems to me that God was setting me up for my fall from grace, which was yet to come.



Slowly I began to put my spiritual life on the back burner and to withdraw from the Church and the brethren, thinking I could deal with my life and its attendant problems on my own. Over time, God was the furthest thing from my mind, and He let me know what He thought about that. Only I was still too blind to see it. I felt as though God was slapping me upside the head with a two by four and literally bringing me to my knees before I finally got it.



It started with the alienation of my immediate family, which I love more than my own life, especially my grandsons. Then came the loss of income and eventually I ended up homeless. But this was still not enough in God's eyes. I had yet more to go through and to learn. Even this much did not stop my drinking and drugging because I self-medicated to ease my problems instead of doing anything about them. Being forced to live in shelters and on the streets put me closer to what I thought I needed. What it finally took was me being so drunk, suicidal and full of enough drugs to get 10 men and a boy high to bring me down, not to mention the loss of everything I owned in the world.



God knew that I needed the help that He was going to provide, so it was up to me to accept it or not; and believe me, half dead and scared witless, I was in no condition to fight it. So He opened the floodgate of blessings. First I was sent to a psychiatric crisis house where I was diagnosed as being bipolar, put on medication and could detoxify from the alcohol and drugs. The crisis house also helped me to apply to a rehabilitation house for women and to an outpatient psychiatric center for therapy and medication.



A mandatory part of the rehabilitation program was that I attend three Alcoholic Anonymous meetings a week, plus the house meeting. Or one Narcotics Anonymous meeting and two Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, plus the house meeting, and I had to have a sponsor within the first month of being there. All of which I complied with. I did so well there that I was elected to the house peer council, a group of women who oversee how the house is run. The Crossroads Program is two and a half years long, and I managed seven months. I wanted to stay the whole term, but my daughter had cancer and needed me to come home and take care of my grandsons. I believe that this was also God's doing that my daughter trusted me enough to do that.



While staying with my daughter this last time, I rejoined the Church, this time with United. The church I was with before United would not accept me back because I was too great a sinner. The United congregation in San Diego has accepted me warts and all and could care less about my past, and accepts my entire positive input. I am greatly blessed to be in the United Church of God. I also applied for Social Security Disability, which finally came through in November of 2005, and I moved into my own apartment in August of 2006. My financial situation at the time was very tenuous, but again God opened the blessing floodgate and I am making it. I still go to twice weekly meetings, take my medication on a daily basis and talk with my sponsor as often as necessary, work my steps over and over and pray on a daily basis that I never find myself in that position ever again. It takes some of us longer than others to finally get it, and I now get it and do not plan to forget it or let it go.



Now when I hear the words "Hi, my name is Jayn, I am an alcoholic/addict," I know that it is me I am talking about and that I can truly be proud of the fact that I am in the company of other people who are in the various stages of recovery. Although many of them are worldly, we all have one factor in common: we rely on the God of our understanding for our strength to overcome; and as long as I rely on God, my sponsor and keep working my program, I will stay clean and sober.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heading Off the Four Major Steps to Divorce

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

Heading Off the Four Major Steps to Divorce

article by Rex Sexton





Marriage is in a sad state in the Western world.



Marriage is in a sad state in the Western world. Divorce rates skyrocketed from barely 2 percent of marriages in 1900 to nearly 50 percent by the year 1990. In more recent years these rates have leveled off, not because larger numbers of people are successful in marriage, but because so many couples today simply "cohabit"—bypassing the commitment of marriage.



What are the primary reasons the initial joy, passion and commitment of marriage evaporate? What leads couples who have vowed dedication to each other to abandon their marriage relationship?



The four most common steps in a marriage's progression to divorce are:



1. Breakdown of communication.



2. Buildup of resentments.



3. Open conflict, laced with harmful behaviors.



4. Final separation.



For years marriage counselors concentrated almost entirely on step number 3. My early training in this field was in how to "create peace" by teaching self-control and awareness. In my naiveté I thought what I was doing would solve the problem. I learned later that most couples reverted back to their old habits. What they really needed was assistance in dealing with the root cause of their problems, not just the symptoms.



Couples normally seek help from ministers and professional counselors only when they are well into the final stage of alienation—with their marriage at the breaking point. In most cases, by the time a couple seeks assistance to save their marriage, they are already doing too many harmful things to each other—either with words or deeds. Salvaging the relationship at this point is always difficult. But, in my experience, it can be achieved if both husband and wife are willing to learn how to communicate with each other appropriately.



In recent years counseling professionals have recognized the importance of teaching communication skills to couples in trouble. Ceasing harmful behaviors toward each other is always important, but unless a couple learns how to communicate in a healthy, beneficial and regular manner, the pause in marital warfare will only be temporary.



These four destructive steps also apply to other relationships: children, employers, employees and, believe it or not, even in our relationship with our Creator. To have a meaningful relationship with God we need to stay in contact with Him through prayer and personal Bible study. The Scriptures tell us, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.



See All...).



A good marriage is nourished by lots of regular and positive communication. However, the very nature of our present society seems to keep us from learning how to really communicate or to even make time to communicate. We live very busy lives. We work and hurry constantly but never seem to have enough time for each other.



Relaxation time is often spent watching televised entertainment. Television may do more harm than good to relationships because it is an easy escape from reality.



Also, we are often tethered to gadgets such as computers and cell phones, even when we are at home. Rush, hurry, focus, get it done! If these words describe your daily routine, then perhaps, in your marriage, you are well into step number 1 and are not even aware of it.



The best insurance we have for marriage is learning how to communicate with each other in a respectful and loving manner. We then need to make sure we always do it. The Bible admonishes us to love and respect one another: "Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband" (Ephesians 5:33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.



See All..., NRSV). Love and respect cannot be built or maintained in a marriage unless there is regular and consistent give and take of feelings, ideas, shared goals, needs and observations.



Marriage can and should be a mutual admiration relationship. Make it a habit to spend time alone together. Ideally, at the end of each day it is good to make time to relax together and communicate. Yes, you may miss a day or two occasionally but work at keeping those interruptions of your private communication time to a bare minimum.



So what I'm saying is this: Do whatever it takes to guarantee that you have a regular time and place to communicate with your spouse! Don't just hope that it will happen—make sure it does. The key to avoiding the four steps that end in divorce is to never let step number 1 rear its ugly head. Learn how to communicate with your mate regularly and effectively. UN

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Are the Koran and Islam similar to the Bible and Christianity?

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


Are the Koran and Islam similar to the Bible and Christianity?


Are they inspired writings?



Answer:



To answer your question, lets look at how Islam came to be. Quoting from the World Book Encyclopedia :



"Islam is the name given to the religion preached by the Prophet, Mohammed [also spelled Muhammad] in the A.D. 600s. Mohammed was an Arab who was born in Mecca about A.D. 570. He believed he had been sent to warn and guide his people and to call them to worship God (Allah). Mohammed preached that there is only one God and that he, Mohammed, was Gods messenger. Mohammed began preaching in Mecca about A.D. 610. He made slow progress at first. Most of the rich and powerful citizens scorned him and his preaching. His preaching angered and frightened the Meccans, and some of them even plotted to kill him.



"In 622, Mohammed fled to the city of Medina, where a group of people received and helped him. In 630, Mohammed and his followers returned to Mecca and occupied the city. They destroyed all the idols in the heathen temple, the Kaaba, and turned the area surrounding the Kaaba into a mosque (Moslem [Muslim] house of worship). The Meccans then accepted Islam and acknowledged Mohammed as a prophet. Mecca and Medina became the sacred cities of Islam.



"The companions of Mohammed preserved his revelations by memorizing them or writing them down during his lifetime. Moslem scholars believe Mohammed approved these teachings. Later, the materials were combined to form the holy book of the Moslems. It is called the Koran. Moslems consider the Koran the words of God Himself, spoken to Mohammed by an angel. Parts of the Koran resemble the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Talmud. The Koran also has stories from the New Testament about Jesus Christ, whom it calls the Word of God.



"The Koran teaches the absolute unity and power of God, the creator of the whole universe. It also teaches that God is just and merciful, and wishes man to repent and purify himself while on earth so that he can attain Paradise after death. Therefore God sends prophets with sacred books to teach man his duty to God and his fellow man. The Moslems believe Mohammed was the last of the prophets. Jesus and the Old Testament prophets were his predecessors."



This just scratches the surface of the information that is available about Islam, but through reading the information above, you can see both similarities to and differences from what the Bible teaches.



Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, but that He was only a human being and not the Son of God who has existed with God since the beginning (John 1:1-3 [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[2] The same was in the beginning with God.

[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.





See All..., 14). They do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind, whose shed blood cleanses us before God and permits us to enter into a relationship with our Father in heaven. Islam also teaches that, since the Bible and the Koran disagree on many points, the Bible became corrupted and was superceded by the Koran.



Various religions possess bits and pieces of truth, as do both Islam and Judaism. But neither understands the role of Jesus Christ in our lives. The book of 1 John discusses the absolute necessity of Jesus Christs involvement in our worship of God.



Notice 1 John 2:21-23 [21] I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

[22] Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

[23] Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.





See All...: "I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."



If we accept the authority of the Bible as the Word of God, then by reading this passage we come to the conclusion that Islam, because it denies the divinity of Jesus Christ, cannot be of God. There are many other beliefs of Islam that contradict the Bible that you can find in your own studies. We encourage you to read the entire book of 1 John as well as our booklet titled Is the Bible True?

What the West Doesn't Realize: It's in a Fight for Survival

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

What the West Doesn't Realize: It's in a Fight for Survival

article by Melvin Rhodes





Islamic fundamentalism became front-page news after Sept. 11. There certainly had been plenty of warning, although nobody could have predicted the precise way in which terrorists would get the West's attention. Few would have listened anyway.



Parviz Radji was the Iranian ambassador to London in the years leading up to the overthrow of the shah in January 1979, a few weeks before British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher came to office. Before that, Mrs. Thatcher was the leader of the opposition Conservative Party.



In his book In the Service of the Peacock Throne, Mr. Radji recounts a dinner with Mrs. Thatcher before a visit she was to make to Tehran, capital of Iran. The account from his diary entry of Wednesday, April 26, 1978, reads: "I try to impress Mrs. Thatcher with my analysis of the Iranian/Middle Eastern situation but I suspect that I somehow fail. There is, to be sure, 'perfect understanding,' to use the hackneyed diplomatic phrase, on such subjects as the dangers of world communist expansionism, the need for strong defenses, and a firm hand in dealing with terrorism. But on less clear-cut issues, such as the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and its anti-Western bias, I don't believe I retain her interest" (1983, p. 172, emphasis added).



As we see here, even some of the greatest leaders can make serious misjudgments. It's easy to understand why in this case. The post-Christian West no longer takes religion seriously, so it is difficult for Western leaders to comprehend the threat that could come to the West from non-Christian religions.



A few months after that dinner, America learned firsthand the threat of Islamic fundamentalism when Iranian students, followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini, whose supporters overthrew the shah, stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held embassy staffers as hostages for 444 days. For the next two decades Americans would look back and blame the drawn-out affair on the perceived weakness of their president.



Sadly, the West lost an opportunity to prepare for a major assault by the forces of Islamic fundamentalism. Even more sadly, there still seems to be little understanding of the serious threat to the free world that Islamic fundamentalist terrorism poses. Sometimes the problem is simply a failure to connect the dots, to put two and two together.



Increased challenges for allies

For months now there has been talk of forcibly replacing Saddam Hussein as president of Iraq. While talk of the ambitious military action this would require has continued, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has flared up with a new, even more deadly round of violence. Coincidence? Not when you consider that Saddam has offered to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers $25,000, a lot of money to people who have spent decades in refugee camps with little prospect of an end to their misery.



As long as the heightened tensions continue in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, it is more difficult for the United States to act against Saddam. To say that this is a victory for Saddam does not detract from the reality that he is a despotic tyrant who poses a major threat to the West. Try telling that to the Europeans, who are busily making money from trade ties to Iraq and other Mideast nations that sponsor terrorism.



Consider also Kashmir, the mountainous region of northern India. Attacks by Kashmir-based Islamic militants on Indian villages and military camps have brought Pakistan (whose sympathies lie with the militants) and India to the brink of another military conflict—one that this time could go nuclear. Any outbreak of hostilities between these two powers will automatically put a stop to any allied efforts to find Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and any leftover al-Qaeda diehards who might still roam the mountains of the Hindu Kush. This will be another victory for the forces of militant Islamic fundamentalism.



A further victory for Islam became apparent during President Bush's visit to Europe several months ago. The deterioration in relations between Europe and America since Sept. 11 is extraordinary. The Bush administration, reacting to the biggest attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor, understandably has made the war on terror a top priority. But many Europeans have a different perspective. A few even think the United States deserved what happened on Sept. 11. Demonstrators accused the president of being a "cowboy," ready to aggressively attack poor and backward nations to pursue American interests.



It's difficult for Americans to understand this attitude. Earlier this year French nationals were killed in a terrorist attack on a bus in Pakistan and German tourists died in Tunisia in an attack on a synagogue. But perhaps the tendency toward appeasement goes back to the end of the colonial period, when Western Europeans began to sympathize with nationalist movements rebelling against the ruling Western powers.



Also part of the equation is Europeans' sense of guilt over their wealth in contrast to the relative poverty of some of their former colonies.



In reality, the Soviet Union was the greatest imperialist power of the latter half of the 20th century. Liberal (socialist) ideas swept across Europe in advance of the Soviet army. But reality has little to do with perception, particularly when many of the news media are dominated by left-leaning reporters with their own agenda. The Palestinians are usually portrayed as poor, oppressed, subject peoples, while the Israelis seem like the big, bad Western colonialists. In reality, Israel is a small country with a small population surrounded by hostile powers having vastly larger populations.



Just as Europe and America are drifting apart, Americans themselves are increasingly divided. Some in the United States realize terrorism poses perhaps the greatest threat to the American republic ever. Increasingly, others believe in business as usual, wanting to return to the party politics of personal self-aggrandizement and the pursuit of their own interests.



My own local newspaper in Michigan is back to long articles on the rights of gays and minorities, including Muslims. Perhaps it's simply a case of denial, a refusal deep down to contemplate the realities facing the United States. One American commentator described the United States as the only country that suffers from national ADD (attention-deficit disorder). Nine months after Sept. 11 a growing number of Americans just want to put it all behind them and forget about it.



Fight for survival

Not so for conservative columnist Cal Thomas. In a May editorial titled "U.S. Is in Fight for Its Survival," he wrote about Vice President Dick Cheney's warning one week earlier that "another terror attack on the United States is 'inevitable'" and the warning from the FBI director that it's only a matter of time until suicide bombers attack America again.



Reminding readers that the Senate Intelligence Committee estimates that 100 al-Qaeda terrorist cells exist in the United States, Mr. Thomas asks how the U.S. government will react when the terrorists in these cells "decide to simultaneously blow themselves up in shopping malls, apartment buildings, a mega church, a synagogue and several airports all on the same day, killing thousands of people?"



Continuing, Mr. Thomas writes: "An acquaintance of mine predicts 'vigilante-ism of a kind like we've never seen before' following any new terrorist attacks." In proposing solutions, he adds: "We must find new ways of keeping people out of America who come from regions of the world with a record of exporting death. That means no more 'students' from Middle Eastern countries and no more immigration until we can do a better job of profiling those who come here. If that means stationing troops along both borders, electric fences, high walls, guarding our ports and installing listening devices, so be it."



In summation he adds: "Should another terrorist attack occur, we'd better be prepared to strike at home and abroad without warning, without hesitation and with the full force of American military, political and moral might." The point is that, if America's will to win falters, the advantage then shifts to the terrorists.



The ailing 82-year-old pope also sees the impending threat, though his concern is not focused on the United States. Visiting Azerbaijan the day before President Bush recently arrived in Europe, the pope again reached out to Islam in the hope of averting further religious conflict. With only 150 Catholics in the country, his visit was not to his own flock. It was political. The Catholic Church has all too often been at the center of the 1,400-year-old struggle between Islam and Christianity.



Others see the increasing threat too. First France and then the Netherlands were shocked at recent election results that saw big gains for the extreme-right political parties. They join Austria, Italy and Denmark, making five ancient European nations whose citizens show an increased fear of foreigners and, in particular since Sept. 11, Muslims.



It will be interesting to see who wins the next German election. Germany's Social Democratic government may be replaced by conservatives led by the Bavarian Edmund Stoiber, whose mentor was Munich-born Franz Josef Strauss (1915-1988), once prominent in the West German government.



Russia also sees the threat from Islamic fundamentalists. The deaths of Russian veterans and children in a terrorist bomb blast on Victory Day, commemorating the end of World War II, visibly angered President Putin, who blamed Chechen rebels—Muslims supported by al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.



Prophesied Mideast threat

Bible prophecy is interesting in the light of these developments.



Daniel 11 gives us an overview of the Middle East in prophecy. Although most of the chapter was fulfilled more than 2,000 years ago in the centuries after Daniel's death, the last few verses are yet to be fulfilled. With no Jewish nation in the Middle East from the time of the Romans until the restoration of a Jewish homeland in 1948, this chapter reflects a long time gap. Suddenly in verse 40 we read: "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships ..."



A power to the south of Jerusalem is prophesied to attack ("push at," KJV) a power to the north of Jerusalem. Remember that directions are relative. The king of the south in ancient times was Egypt under the Ptolemaic dynasty; the king of the north was Syria under the Seleucids. These two powers often fought over Jerusalem and its environs, as did the later Roman Empire. Their repeated invasions followed the Middle East's ancient invasion routes from the south and the north.



Could the modern king of the south be associated with resurgent Islam? For two centuries the Western colonial powers dominated the Middle East. Since World War II the West has been progressively pushed out of the area as first Arab nationalism and then Islamic fundamentalism took over. The biggest single turning point was the rebirth of the Jewish homeland in May 1948. Immediately five Arab armies surrounded Israel and tried to crush the half million Jews who were the controlling occupants of the new nation. They failed. But their failure has not stopped attempts to destroy the Jewish state.



The humiliation of the Arab armies led to revolutions in some Arab nations. In 1952 King Farouk of Egypt was overthrown. Six years later the king of Iraq and most of his family were murdered in a bloody military coup that led in time to Saddam Hussein's coming to power. Many attempts were made on the life of the late King Hussein of Jordan.



The British were pushed out of Aden and withdrew from the Gulf states; the French lost Algeria. King Idris of Libya was overthrown in 1969 by the fanatical nationalist Muammar Gadhafi. Ten years later Islamic fundamentalism overthrew the non-Arab shah of Iran. One after the other, pro-Western governments were replaced by more-radical regimes, either Arab nationalist or Islamic fundamentalist.



Now we see the two coming together. Though Saddam Hussein is an Arab nationalist, he was never seen as a religious man—until now. Since Sept. 11 he is increasingly portrayed at prayer on Iraqi television and billboards and is lavishly spending millions of dollars to build the biggest mosque in the world. He offers total support to the Palestinians in their struggle with Israel, as does Osama bin Laden. The distinction between nationalists and fundamentalists is increasingly blurred.



At the same time, cooperation between al-Qaeda leaders and the leaders of the Islamic nations is on the rise as peoples throughout the Islamic world are increasingly incensed at what is seen as Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.



Why now? Satellite television, that's why. Until four years ago there was no Arabic-language satellite TV station. Now there is. Now Muslims across the region can see Palestinians suffering 18 hours a day broadcast from Abu Dhabi. Naturally, there is no film of Israelis suffering daily homicide bombings.



American newscaster Ted Koppel, monitoring the al-Jazeera television network shortly after the September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, was shocked at how anti-American all callers into a four-hour phone-in program were. Graphically illustrated was a simple logic: "Israel is trying to kill the Palestinians. Israel must die. America supports Israel. America must die."



Whether he is dead or alive, Osama bin Laden's perceived victories against the Soviets in Afghanistan in 1989 and against the United States in September 2001 have inspired Muslims across the world to push against the West.



This attitude had been building for some time. J.T. Caruso, assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, told a congressional committee on Dec. 18 that "al-Qaida had supported 'Islamic fighters' in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Chechnya and the Philippines" (Neil Clark, "Colonial Wars," The Spectator (UK), April 13, p. 24). And, yes, your memory is working correctly—the United States was on the same side as al-Qaeda, helping it, in fact, in the first three of those five conflicts.



The future troubles. Islamic fundamentalism is obviously on the rise. Ironically, if the United States can remove Saddam from power, the most likely eventual replacement for his regime will be an Islamic-fundamentalist government—though that could perhaps be forestalled for a while.



The same is true in other nations across Islam. Pakistan is particularly vulnerable in this area. Islamic, or sharia, law is already in force in the country, as it also is in distant northern Nigeria, where Christian meeting places have been burned to the ground with worshipers inside them. The Sudanese civil war continues with the ruling northern Muslims persecuting southern Christians and even taking them as slaves. Indonesia, too, has seen Muslims attack Christians.



Perception lags behind reality

Connecting the dots, we see that Islamic forces across the globe are increasingly cooperating, working together to defeat their common enemy, the West. Those jubilant crowds on the streets of the Islamic world within minutes of the successful terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 were not atypical. What we see here is the beginning of another world war, in the sense that the conflict is international, with outbreaks of violence occurring on four continents.



Meanwhile, the West has scarcely moved on since that Iranian ambassador's dinner with Mrs. Thatcher in 1978. Western governments still maintain that the threat is not Islam in general but a few militants in particular. Immigration policies remain largely unchanged, allowing the internal threat to worsen with every arriving plane. Hollywood still churns out entertainment garbage that only feeds the universal hatred of Western values. Little if anything is done anywhere to reduce dependence on Middle Eastern oil.



George Orwell, author of the classic works 1984 and Animal Farm, is acknowledged as one of the great writers of the 20th century. Orwell involved himself in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) on the side of the leftist republicans against the fascists aided by Nazi Germany and Italy's Mussolini. Vainly trying to warn the dominant Western power of the time, Great Britain, Orwell wrote an essay called "While England Sleeps," warning of the impending threat from fascism. Meanwhile, Britain's prime minister was negotiating with Hitler and promising "peace in our time."



The West is still asleep to the crisis that is building daily. Today almost all the wars that dominate our nightly news have a certain commonality that can be summed up in one word: Islam. Events are moving inexorably closer to the emergence of a final king of the South.



We may be seeing the prophesied biblical scenario coming to pass before our eyes. GN

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