May 1996 1

May 1996May 1996

When Will We See Peace in the Middle East? • Living a Great MiracleThe Bible and Archaeology • God’s Family—the Reason You Were BornWhen Will We See Peace in the Middle East? • Living a Great MiracleThe Bible and Archaeology • God’s Family—the Reason You Were Born

From the publisher

Facing the Big Questions in LifeJERUSALEM–The city that has seen so much conflict o ver the centuries

is in the midst of a celebration. This is the observance of an approximateanniversary, since it commemorates the estimated 3,000th year since Israel’shero king, David, chose Jerusalem to be the nation’s capital. No matter theexact date, this place has an antiquity that intrigues us all. And it is not justthe stones that captivate the visitor. There is definitely something about thespiritual implications of it all that affects the sensibilities. This land of bibli-cal origins forces us to ask the dee per questions of life. On this visit I’veoverheard travelers talk about life’s mysteries in a way they seldom do athome. There is the undeniable impact of simply being in this place.

The message Jesus Christ broughtWhen Jesus came to the synagogue in Nazareth around A.D. 27, He

announced His mission to His own townsfolk. He said, “The Spirit of theLORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to thepoor; He has sent Me to heal the br okenhearted, to proclaim liberty to thecaptives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who areoppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the L ORD” (Luke 4:18, 19).

Jesus Christ’s words capture the ever-present human dilemma: How dowe overcome poverty, heartbreak, oppression, lack of freedom and spiri-tual blindness? More big questions. The difference between today’s HolyLand visitor and Jesus was that He was able to provide the sure answers.His questions struck a chord in a Roman-dominated w orld, and they strikea chord today. His answers were powerful then, and they are powerfulnow. Jesus said that God had sent him to sho w the way to the Kingdom of God. This, He said, was the “gospel,” or good news.

Not everyone valued that message. Indeed they eventually killed themessenger. Jesus taught that “men loved darkness rather than light,because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). He knew that the penetratinglight of truth would prove too much for some. “For everyone practicingevil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should beexposed” (verse 20).

Yes, Jesus Christ’s message was revolutionary and still is. As visitors tothis city ponder the events of biblical days, it is hard to avoid the conse-quences of the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth: “. . . He who does the truthcomes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have beendone in God” (verse 21).

Finding solutions to age-old problemsHow do we measure up in these closing years of the 20th century , this

age of anxiety and total war? The Book of Books holds the key to our verysurvival if we can grasp its signif icance in an era of doubt and sk epticism.It holds out to us the truth of God for our contemplation and action. Isn’ t ittime we took it more seriously and f aced life’s big questions?

This issue of The Good News will help us all do that. When the apostlePaul wrote about the Christian’s role in this life, he didn’t spare his wordsor his advice: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that youmay become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in themidst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine aslights in the world, holding fast the word of life . . .” (Philippians 2:14-16).

The Word of God is the word of life. It is the written e xpression of God’struth, of Jesus Christ’s gospel. It is the answer to the human dilemma.

—David Hulme

May 1996 Volume 1, Number 3

The Good News (ISSN: 1086-9514) is publishedbimonthly by the United Church of God, an InternationalAssociation, 444 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 206, Arcadia,CA 91066-3678. © 1996 United Church of God, anInternational Association. Printed in U.S.A. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited. Second-class postage paid atArcadia, Calif., 91006, and at additional mailing offices.

Publisher: David HulmeManaging editor: Scott Ashley

Copy editors: Dixon Cartwright, Peter MooreArt director: Shaun Venish

Editorial reviewers:

John Bald, Robert Boraker, Roger Foster, Bruce Gore,Paul Kieffer, Rod McQueen, John Meakin,

Brian Orchard, John Ross Schroeder, Richard Thompson, Lyle Welty, Dean Wilson

United Church of God Council of Elders:

Gary Antion, Robert Dick (chairman), Jim Franks, Roy Holladay, Doug Horchak, David Hulme,

Victor Kubik, Dennis Luker, Burk McNair, Peter Nathan, Leon Walker, Donald Ward

Scriptural references are from the New King JamesVersion (© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers) unlessotherwise noted.Subscriptions: The Good News is sent automatically tomembers of the United Church of God and is free to allwho request it. Your subscription is provided by the gen-erous, voluntary contributions of members of the UnitedChurch of God, an International Association, and their co-workers. Donations are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible in the United States. To request a subscription,call (818) 294-0800 or write to The Good News, UnitedChurch of God, P.O. Box 661780, Arcadia, CA 91066-1780, or to the international addresses below.Personal contact: The United Church of God has almost300 congregations and more than 450 ministers in moststates and many international areas. For locations andtimes of services nearest you, write or call the addresseslisted or dial our fax information service at (818) 294-0818. You can access our World Wide Web home pageat http://www.ucg.org/ on the Internet.Address changes: POSTMASTER—Send addresschanges to The Good News, Box 661780, Arcadia,CA 91066-1780.

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2 The Good News

Contents

Page 4

Page 42

Page 24

Page 16

COVER FEATURE

The Lesson of the Feast of Firstfruits

If Jesus Christ intended to save the world, has the worldtruly been saved? Is it logical to conclude, when weobserve man’s inhumanity to man on an unprecedentedscale, that the world is saved? Did Christ fail in His mis-sion, or have we greatly misunderstood His intentions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

FEATURE ARTICLES

God’s Family: the Reason You Were BornYou can know the astounding truth about the purpose of this life . . . . . 10The Wave-Sheaf Offering Discover the great spiritual significance of this ancient ceremony . . . . . 14When Will Peace Come to the Middle East?Why is this land, birthplace of major religions, in such turmoil? . . . . . . . . . 16The Only Sure ThingThere is one sure bet in your life—are you ready to collect on it? . . . . . . 20The Bible and ArchaeologyDoes archaeology prove or disprove the biblical record? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Stir Up the SpiritHere’s how you can rekindle the flame of God’s Spirit within you . . . . . 32Living a Great Miracle—Being Led by God’s SpiritHow the Feast of Pentecost celebrates another great miracle . . . . . . . . . 34Just What Is the Holy Spirit?Is it the third person of the Trinity, or something altogether different? . . . 36The Juggling ActHow working mothers can cope with competing pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

REGULAR FEATURES

World News and TrendsBritain’s need to return to the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Profiles in FaithRuth: an example of faith and devotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Understanding God’s WordWhat the Bible says about baptism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Letters From Our Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Just for YouthIs intelligence the most important factor for success? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

May 1996 3

esus Christ Himself said He “didnot come to judge the world butto save the world” (John 12:47).But in a world in which hundredsof people die every day from

wars, civil unrest and murder—in whichthousands die daily from starvation, dis-ease and natural disasters; accidentaldeaths claim hundreds more; injustice,immorality and every godless actabounds; professing Christians go towar against and kill other Christians;thousands die daily without havingheard the name of Jesus Christ or e venseen a Bible, much less read one—canwe truly say that Christ’s mission wassuccessful?

Was Jesus Christ mistaken? Has He not succeeded at what He said Hewould do? Doesn’t the very conditionof the world itself show that God hasfailed in the very purpose for whichJesus said He was sent into this world?After all, we are told that “God did notsend His Son into the world to condemnthe world, but that the world throughHim might be saved” (John 3:17).

If Jesus intended to save the world,then has the world truly been saved? Isit logical to conclude, when we observeman’s inhumanity to man on an unpre-cedented scale, that the world is saved?Enigmatic questions

These questions have always posedan enigma to thoughtful people willingto face the facts. If the Christian Churchhad as its mission to take the messageof Christ in power to the world so theworld could be saved, why is the worldin such religious disarray? Further, ifthe gospel Jesus Christ brought holdsthe answers to man’s problems, why isthe world in such sad moral shape?

Did Christ fail to gain the coopera-tion of His own Church to carry out thismission? Is that the problem? Is He notable to inspire the faith in His professedfollowers to do greater works than He(John 14:12), as He promised? Or arethe opposing forces simply too power-ful for faithless mankind? The answer isnone of the above.

However, there are answers to allthese questions, and, remarkably, theyare illustrated in a festival called theFeast of Firstfruits (Exodus 23:16). Thisobservance, along with other of God’sannual Holy Days, is commanded byGod in Leviticus 23:15-21.

In describing this and other sacredobservances, God said, “Speak to thechildren of Israel, and say to them: ‘Thefeasts of the LORD, which you shall pro-claim to be holy convocations, these areMy feasts’” (verse 2).

Later, we find the Church Jesusfounded also observed this festival,known by Jesus’ followers as the Dayof (or Feast of) Pentecost. As a matterof fact, the founding of New TestamentChurch occurred on this very day, andwas accompanied by other miraculousevents (Acts 2:1-41). It has great rele-vance and importance for Christianstoday.

God had a reason for His nationIsrael to keep His festivals and later forHis Church to observe them. Throughthese observances, God reveals to Hispeople the stages of His plan of salva-tion for humanity. In particular, the feastcelebrating the harvest of the firstfruits,or Pentecost, has a meaning that revealsone of the major phases of God’s planfor salvation.

The Lesson of the Feast of Firstfruits

If Jesus Christ came to save mankind, why is the world in such sad shape?

C O V E R F E A T U R E

Jb y B i l l B r a d f o r d

If Jesus intended to save the world,

then has He succeeded?

Is it logical to conclude, when

we observe man’s cruelty on an

unprecedented scale, that the world is truly

saved?

4 The Good News

May 1996 5

Common, but erroneous, assumptions

Most branches of professing Chris-tianity assume that God intended foreveryone to hear the message of salva-tion, starting immediately after JesusChrist’s resurrection.

Further, most believe that every per-son hearing that message would at thatpoint have his opportunity for salvationnow, in this life. The various churches’mission was thus to bring this messageto every living person, giving him theopportunity to accept Christ before itwould be too late. This general view,adopted by most of the Christian world,has resulted in churchesbelieving they must bring asmany people as possible toaccept Christ immediately,regardless of the depth oftheir interest or commitment.

But, you should ask your-self, how many people havenever accepted Christ? Andhow many untold millionsover the centuries have neverheard of Him? If salvation isa matter of accepting Christin this physical life, what isthe fate of the hundreds ofmillions of people who livedand died before Jesus Christwas born and for whom itwas impossible to accept Christ?

Faced with these questions, must weconclude that the power Jesus promisedHis disciples simply never translatedinto the saving work He envisioned?

No, we should not doubt the savingpower of Jesus Christ. Instead, perhapswe should examine our understandingof His intentions. We should take along look at several commonly heldbeliefs.

If Christ intended to bring the worldto Himself and make the world under-stand, He certainly could have exer-cised the authority and power toaccomplish that task. After all, He saidthat “all authority has been given to Mein heaven and on earth” (Matthew28:18).

The apostle Paul wrote that Christwas resurrected and sits with God theFather “. . . in the heavenly places, farabove all principality and power andmight and dominion . . .” (Ephesians1:20, 21).

If Christ’s power and authority,which are far greater than any other, arenot strong enough to triumph over theopposing powers of darkness, then per-haps we should feel a little nervous.

Or perhaps God has had somethingelse in mind all along.How this feast fits in God’s plan for humanity

What does the Feast of Firstfruits,also known as the Day of Pentecost,have to do with these all-importantquestions?

There is great significance in thename, Feast of Firstfruits. By its very

name, this festival indicates that there ismore than one time of harvest.

As we will see, this festival fore-shadows God’s intention to reap a smallharvest of people for salvation (called“firstfruits” in the Scriptures), and tolater call a vastly greater number ofpeople to salvation.

One might say that God put into usea systematic procedure to lead the vastmajority of mankind to His light andsalvation: bringing first the firstfruits,and later the greater harvest ofhumankind, to salvation.

Let us notice this amazing truth asdemonstrated by the divinely revealedfestivals of God. God timed His feaststo coincide with the agricultural cycleof the two harvests in Palestine—one inspring and the other in the autumn—toteach His people an important lesson.

The Feast of Firstfruits coincidedwith the first harvest, the barley andwheat harvest in that area (Exodus34:22). This festival was also known as

the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9,10). The Greek name for this feast isPentecost, meaning “fiftieth,” in thiscase implying “fiftieth day.” It was sonamed because it was celebrated 50days from the harvest of the first sheafof grain.

On this day, the Israelites offeredtwo loaves of bread made from flourtaken from the new grain of the harvest.These loaves were called “the firstfruitsto the LORD” (Leviticus 23:16, 17). Thepeople were to “do no customarywork” on this day and gather for asacred religious assembly (verse 21).This was a very significant occasion.

A later festival, the Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering(Exodus 34:22), coincidedwith the conclusion of thelater harvest when all the produce, including cucum-bers, melons, lentils, chick-peas, nuts and especiallydates, figs, olives and grapeshad been gathered. Thethreshing and winnowing ofthe grain had continuedthroughout the summer andwas finally completed by theFeast of Tabernacles (Leviti-cus 23:39; Deuteronomy16:13). This, too, was anevent of great significance

marked by sacred religious assembliesand cessation from work.

These two feasts both representmajor stages in the spiritual harvest of mankind for salvation. The Feast ofFirstfruits, or Pentecost, symbolizesthe calling and preparing of the churchin this age. This is the first spiritualharvest.

The later spiritual harvest will takeplace in the age to come. God’s firstharvest of people occurs in preparationfor that coming age when Jesus Christwill bring His Kingdom to earth. The physical depicts the spiritual

The spiritual significance of the firstharvest, celebrated by the Feast ofFirstfruits, is made clear in the Scrip-tures. “. . . Now Christ is risen fromthe dead, and has become the firstfruitsof those who have fallen asleep . . . Foras in Adam all die, even so in Christ allshall be made alive. But each one inhis own order: Christ the firstfruits,Ph

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afterward those who are Christ’s at Hiscoming” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22, 23;author’s emphasis throughout).

The wave sheaf offering, whichbegan the barley harvest 50 days priorto Pentecost, pictured the resurrectedChrist ascending to His Father (See“The Wave Sheaf Offering: A Cere-mony Foreshadowing Salvation,” p. 14).The offering of the firstfruits of thewheat harvest on Pentecost (Leviticus23:17) was then symbolic of the first-fruits of God’s harvest of humankindfor salvation.

Did you notice that Paul, in 1 Cor-inthians 15, clearly states that God willresurrect the dead in a specific order?First was Jesus Christ, who was resur-rected as “the firstfruits of those whohave fallen asleep,” to be followed byothers at Jesus Christ’s return.

Paul states that the resurrection of thesaints at Christ’s coming to immortal,spiritual bodies (verses 44, 53) will takeplace in an instant “at the last trumpet”(verse 52)—the mighty, supernaturalclarion call that will announce thereturn of Jesus Christ to rule the earth(Revelation 11:15).

At that time, God will resurrect thedead who had previously been faithfulto Christ, and He will change to immor-tal children of God—raising them tomeet Jesus Christ in the air—those whoare still alive and have likewise beenfaithful (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

This miraculous event is described as “the first resurrection” in Revelation20:6: “Blessed and holy is he who haspart in the first resurrection. Over suchthe second death has no power, but theyshall be priests of God and of Christ,and shall reign with Him a thousandyears.”The world under Christ’s rule

During this reign of Jesus Christ andthe resurrected saints on earth (Revela-tion 5:10), the second harvest ofhumanity for salvation will begin.God’s knowledge will at last be widelyavailable, “For the earth will be filledwith the knowledge of the glory of theLORD, as the waters cover the sea”(Habakkuk 2:14). All people will expe-rience firsthand the wonderful Kingdomof God, which Jesus Christ proclaimedduring His earthly ministry (Matthew4:17; Mark 1:14; Luke 4:43).

Isaiah 2:2, 3 provides us a picture ofthe beginning of this latter and greatharvest: “Now it shall come to pass inthe latter days that the mountain of theLORD’s house shall be established onthe top of the mountains, and shall beexalted above the hills; and all nationsshall flow to it. Many people shall comeand say, ‘Come, and let us go up to themountain of the LORD, to the house ofthe God of Jacob; He will teach us Hisways, and we shall walk in His paths.’For out of Zion shall go forth the la w,and the word of the LORD fromJerusalem.”

Humanity will then have the oppor-tunity to learn and live according to

God’s ways. “No more shall every manteach his neighbor, and every man hisbrother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ forthey all shall know Me, from the leastof them to the greatest of them, says theLORD. For I will forgive their iniquity,and their sin I will remember no more”(Jeremiah 31:34).

What of those who have lived anddied in the past, having never knownanything of God the Father and JesusChrist? Revelation 20:6, quoted above,shows that God’s faithful saints are in“the first resurrection.” But, if there is afirst resurrection, there must be another.And indeed there is. The book of Reve-lation makes it clear that there will beanother resurrection of the dead. Afterthe 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ andthe resurrected saints on earth (Revela-tion 5:10), “the rest of the dead did notlive again until the thousand years werefinished” (Revelation 20:5).

This will continue God’s great sec-ond harvest of humanity for salvation.At that time, all who have ever lived butdid not have the opportunity to learn of

God’s ways or hear of Jesus Christ’satoning sacrifice will enjoy their oppor-tunity for salvation. This resurrection ofcountless millions of people to a physi-cal, perishable life is described inEzekiel 37:1-11; Matthew 12:41, 42and Revelation 20:5, 13. These peoplewill gain the opportunity—for the firsttime—to repent and be convertedthrough God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38;3:19). Then they, too, will inherit eter-nal life.

We see in this wonderful plan thefulfillment of God’s desire for “all mento be saved and to come to the knowl-edge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

God is “not willing that any shouldperish but that all should come to repen-tance” (2 Peter 3:9), and through Hisplan all who have never had the oppor-tunity for salvation in their physicallives can be saved.Firstfruits to overcome the world

The firstfruits of God’s plan are thosewho are called now, in this age, and arehaving their minds and attitudeschanged to become like Jesus Christthrough God’s Spirit working withinthem. The apostle James noted that God“chose to give us birth through the wordof truth, that we might be a kind offirstfruits of all he created” (James 1:18,New International Version).

Paul well understood that thosecalled and converted now, in this age,are the firstfruits of God’s plan for thesalvation of humanity. He referred toseveral first-century Christians as thefirstfruits of God’s calling in specificlocations (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians16:15). Looking forward to the resur-rection of those who remain faithful totheir calling, he said, “We also whohave the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,eagerly waiting for the adoption, theredemption of our body” (Romans8:23).

However, the firstfruits of God’splan, those who are called now, findthemselves in a vastly different situationfrom that of those who will follow inthe latter harvest. Jesus said that thosewho are His followers in this age arenot to be “of the world, just as I am notof the world” (John 17:16). They arecalled out of the world and are expectedto develop the character of Christ, while

Through theseobservances, God

reveals to His people the stages of His plan for the salvation of humanity.

6 The Good News

May 1996 7

the rest of mankind is deceived (Reve-lation 12:9) and following values thatare abhorrent to Christ (1 John 2:15-17).The present evil age

The firstfruits—God’s people—arecalled and strive to obey God while liv-ing in “this present evil age” (Galatians1:4), of which Satan is the actual ruler(2 Corinthians 4:4). The harvest of first-fruits is small, because at this time rela-tively few will accept God’s calling,repent, be converted and remain faithfulto God’s way of life. That is why Jesussaid, “Narrow is the gate and difficult isthe way which leads to life, and thereare few who find it” (Matthew 7:14).

After Christ’s return, which willusher in a new age, the world—societyas a whole—will learn to live by thelaws and values of God. In that age,God will bind Satan and not allow himto deceive the nations (Revelation 20:2,3). Without Satan’s influence, the worldwill at last know peace. Everyone willknow the LORD (Hebrews 8:11).

Those who have not conformed tothe world (Romans 12:2) will be thosewho assist Christ in bringing all nationsto His truth (Revelation 20:4). Theywill overcome the world just as Jesusovercame the world, and Christ will usethem in bringing all other people toserve Him (Revelation 2:26; 3:21). Gift of the Holy Spirit

God enables His people to fulfill Hispurpose for them.

Significantly, God chose the Day ofPentecost to begin His Church by send-ing the Holy Spirit to His few faithfuldisciples (Acts 1:15; 2:1-4). Manythink of a church as a building, but thatis a relatively modern use of the word.The word translated “church” in theNew Testament is ekklesia, meaning“called out (ones).” The Church is thecollective body of people who arecalled out of the world to carry thegospel to every nation (Matthew 24:14;28:19, 20).

Through the Holy Spirit, whichGod gives to those who are a part ofGod’s Church, members are empow-ered to overcome the world. It isthrough God’s Holy Spirit that theChurch can preach the gospel to theworld and make disciples of allnations (Matthew 24:14; 28:19). It is

this Spirit that enables a person tobelong to Jesus Christ and be a part ofthe Church (Romans 8:9). For there tobe a Church, it was necessary for Godto send His Holy Spirit. The Day ofPentecost marks the beginning of theChurch of God.

The firstfruits of God’s plan for sal-vation are those called to be in God’sChurch in this age. The Church, alsospoken of as “the body of Christ”(1 Corinthians 12:27), is made up ofindividuals in whom dwells the HolySpirit. They have repented of their sinsand turned to Jesus Christ as their per-sonal Savior. They have committedthemselves to obedience to His holy

and righteous laws. They are willing togive up everything to remain faithful toJesus Christ (Luke 14:33).

Firstfruits follow Jesus ChristRevelation 14:4 speaks of God’s

people who are “firstfruits to God andto the Lamb.” The preceding and suc-ceeding verses provide insight into thecharacter of those who are the f irstfruitsand why they accompany Jesus Christ.

Why are they so valued by God?They are described as having theFather’s name written in their foreheads(verse 1); God is foremost in their mindand thoughts. These have not beenseduced by a false religious system(Revelation 14:4), which is depicted asan immoral woman seducing humanity(Revelation 2:20-22; 17:1-6).

The firstfruits have come out of andavoided the political and religious sys-tem that has dominated the world (Rev-elation 17:1-6). When they were calledby Jesus Christ, they understood thatthey were to come out of this system(Revelation 18:3, 4).

In addition, the firstfruits “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (verse 4).They are faithfully devoted to JesusChrist. They will allow nothing toentice them from their personal loyaltyto Him. Since Jesus will use them toassist Him to bring His knowledge tothe world, it is vital that His firstfruitswill forever be true to their Lord andSavior, Jesus Christ.

They “have been redeemed fromamong men” (verse 4). They have beenpurchased by God with the preciousblood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18, 19).Having been bought by God, theyknow that their lives no longer belongto them, but rather to Jesus Christ(Galatians 2:20). They are now to glo-rify God in body and spirit (1 Corinthi-ans 6:20).

Also, “in their mouth was found noguile” (verse 5). They have learned todeal with the malice commonly foundin the hearts of men. There is no decep-tion, plotting or feigning in their actionsor words. They have learned about the genuineness, sincerity and simplicity ofChrist. They have, in short, come togrips with the deceit of their own heartsand have fully submitted to the pureand unspotted life of Christ dwelling inthem. For these things, “they are with-out fault before the throne of God”(verse 5).

Picturing the plan of God

This most important step in God’splan for the salvation of mankind isrevealed in the observing of his HolyDays. Naturally, those who are of thefirstfruits will be observing the veryday that pictures the calling and harvestof the firstfruits of God’s plan, the Dayof Pentecost.

They will gratefully observe the veryday that celebrates another milestone inGod’s great plan, the founding of theChurch through the granting of God’sHoly Spirit.

We now live in the age of the f irst-fruits, the time during which God ispreparing a special, chosen people toreign with Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:9).Are you part of that group? You will beif you heed the counsel of the apostlePeter when he admonished us to “beeven more diligent to make your callingand election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). GN

The firstfruits arethose who are

called now and arehaving their minds

and attitudeschanged to becomelike Jesus Christ.

LONDON—In spite of some popu-lar television advertisements to thecontrary, this is most certainly not theage of the train in Britain. Time waswhen railways dominated the transportlandscape here. No more. Today theystruggle just to keep a small share ofthe freight and passenger market.

There is a parallel in this story withthe Bible here in Britain. In an impor-tant sense, this is certainly not the ageof the Bible, either. Or, to put itanother way, it is not the age of f aith.Jesus Christ Himself once asked thequestion: When the Son of Mancomes, shall He find faith on the earth?

True, the availability of the HolyScriptures is at an all-time high, but theanomaly is that demand for biblicalknowledge is at a new low. We who aretrying our best to convey this preciousgood news in England constantly runright into this massive barrier of biblicalignorance. Our work of publishing thegospel has been greatly impeded simplybecause the majority of people arelargely unaware of the contents of thismost basic of textbooks.The Bible of centuries past

In the time of translator WilliamTyndale, the people of Britain wouldrisk death to own just a few pages ofthe Bible in their native language.Today we can buy the Bible in a vari-ety of translations for relatively littlemoney. Yet sad to say real public inter-est is all too lacking.

A new biography profiles the Eng-lish visionary William Blake. It turnsout that Blake’s closest and most sig-nificant attachment was to the Bible.As Blake’s biographer Peter Ackroydmarvels: “It is hard to re-imagine aculture in which that book was thecentral and pre-eminent text, throughwhich the world itself was to be under-

stood” (Blake, p. 25).Yet, according to British historian

Christopher Hill, “The Bible was cen-tral to all intellectual as well as morallife in the sixteenth and seventeenthcenturies” (The English Bible, p. 21).Clearly, at one time the Scriptures werean integral part of the British culture.No more is that true in this secular age.

How did we lose respect for theBible as a book of ultimate religiousauthority? Why is it viewed by somany as just another classic piece ofliterature?

A great many reasons are involved,not the least of which were two faith-destroying world wars in this centuryin which much of British manhoodwas lost in the trenches. This is not tomention the earlier effects of Darwin-ism, which challenged the very idea ofGod and the authority of the Bible. Blatant disregard for proper tradition

But there are other important rea-sons. One is that our modern taste foralmost anything new and different hasaltered the scales of sound judgment inour century

Why, for instance, did the 20th century descend, in many writers’opinion, into barbarity? And why, asveteran Czech author Ivan Klima asks,“in a century in which human geniushas achieved so much, had there beenmass exterminations and deathcamps?” (The Spirit of Prague, p.146). Could all of this possibly haveanything to do with our general rejec-tion of the traditions, values and time-less wisdom of the Bible?

In 1898, Mexican writer VictorianoSalado Alvarez penned a remarkablyaccurate depiction of 20th-centuryEngland and Europe.

“In Europe, the advantages of urbanand private comfort, a variety of cheapentertainment, the distaste for every-thing that has already been used andthe longing to try something quite

new, has brought with it a cer tain sat-edness, a degeneration, a neurosis,countless forms of hysteria and manykinds of folly.”

In some ways, patterns of livingextant for thousands of years havebeen destroyed in less than a couple of generations. Today far too much hasgone wrong in too short a time. Effects and causes of spiritual instability

American historians Will and ArielDurant wrapped their minds aroundthe lessons that could be learned fromthe panorama of history and came upwith this gem: “As the sanity of theindividual lies in the continuity of hismemories, so the sanity of the grouplies in the continuity of its traditions;in either case a break in the chaininvites a neurotic reaction” (TheLessons of History, page 72).

Visionary writers and historians pick up on this theme. Ivan Klima isno stranger to it and, in fact, expandsupon it.

“At a certain moment in modern his-tory, it seemed to many that memoryand tradition were merely a burdenthat had to be cast off. The social cata-strophes that befell humanity in ourcentury were assisted by an art thatworshiped originality, change, irre-sponsibility, avant-gardism, thatridiculed all formal traditions and . . .that took a smug delight in shockingthe reader instead of responding to thequestions that tormented him” (TheSpirit of Prague, p. 38).

Of course, some traditions are mani-festly manmade and are in clear con-travention of the commandments ofGod (Mark 7:6-13). These are rightlyto be rejected. Our concern is aboutthose who rubbish sound traditions thatare clearly based on biblical values.

So what’s the cure? Certainly we arenot advocating a blind rejection of thenew or saying that we shouldn’t pro-mote or encourage creative personalities

Britain’s Need toReturn to the Bible

8 The Good News

May 1996 9

who lift the veil from stubborn myster-ies and solve some of our problems.

Some do know that the cure isnearly always in the realm of the spir itif we are to save the flesh. That willbe found in the Kingdom of Godrather than the kingdoms of men. Menand women desperately need the sta-bilizing qualities that emerge fromtrue religion. As the Durants so wiselyobserved: “Even the skeptical histo-rian develops a humble respect forreligion . . . To the unhappy, the suf-fering, the bereaved, the old, it hasbrought supernatural comforts valuedby millions of souls as more preciousthan any natural aid” (The Lessons ofHistory, p. 43). Britain’s desperate need

The late J.B. Priestley wrote that“religion alone can carry the load,defend us against the de-humanizingcollectives [and] restore true person-ality” (Literature and Western Man,p. 444).

However, more than just “religion,”basic to the full recovery of Westernreligious health is the knowledgefound in the Bible. There are manycopies of the Bible in Britain, but mostgo unread and undisturbed on ourbookshelves. Highly knowledgeablecontestants on radio shows such asThe Brain of Britain consistently dis-play appalling ignorance when asked,for example, to name the four Gospelsof the Bible.

Most Britons are unaware thatmany everyday English expressionscome directly from the Bible. For anation that prizes its national literature,we are all too ignorant of the remark-able lessons of history and humanityengraved in the Scriptures.

Somehow even Christians, whospend much time digging precioustruths out of God’s Word, have failedto bring even a working knowledge ofbiblical values to the vast majority ofthe British public.

How can we begin to remedy thisappalling lack? Chiefly by praying!We must ask that God would lead usto see how we can best disperse therich knowledge of the Bible all the

way from the geographical extremitiesof the south of England to the nor th ofScotland—and to the cities, towns andvillages in between.

The apostle Paul repeatedly askedhis readers and listeners to pray for thework he was doing. He expected peo-ple to entreat God, and he expectedGod to answer prayers of sincere con-cern for others. Here are a few exam-ples from the New Testament.

Paul asked the Thessalonian breth-ren to “pray for us that the w ord ofthe Lord may have free course . . .”(2 Thessalonians 3:1). Because the

Word of God does not have freecourse here in Britain, with manymass-media windows of opportunityclosed to us, it is challenging to fig-ure out how to effectively deliver themessage of the Bible to the Britishpeople today. This is not 16th- or17th-century England.

Only God can change the circum-stances and lead true Christians topreach Christ’s gospel in an effectivemanner. Only God can soften thehearts of people to receive the gospel.

Paul exhorted the Colossian churchto “continue earnestly in prayer, beingvigilant in it with thanksgiving; mean-while praying also for us, that Godwould open to us a door f or the word,to speak the mystery of Christ . . . thatI may make it manifest, as I ought tospeak” (Colossians 4:3, 4). Again, weneed additional effective doors to

reach Britain with the gospel. In prac-tical terms, Britain simply does nothave the relatively unimpeded accessto do the work that we thankfully seedone in the United States.

But God can alter circumstances sothe work gets done and the messagegets out. He has done so in the past.Notice Paul’s declaration to the Cor-inthian brethren: “For I will tarry[wait] in Ephesus until Pentecost. Fora great and effective door has openedto me . . .” (1 Corinthians 16:8, 9). Look for open doors, but also act

God opened doors for Paul in thefirst century, and he can do the samefor us. The apostle did not leave mat-ters to time, chance and circum-stances; he asked the brethren to prayabout those doors, as ought we Chris-tians today! Paul himself sought outnew openings to preach the gospel,actively using every opportunity hefound available.

Paul uttered the same request forprayer to the Ephesian church: “Pray-ing always with all prayer and suppli-cation in the Spirit . . . and for me, thatutterance may be given to me, that Imay open my mouth boldly to makeknown the mystery of the gospel . . .”(Ephesians 6:18, 19).

Paul was in prison when he madethis particular request to the Ephe-sians. How could he possibly preachthe gospel while bound in chains? Yethe had the faith to ask the brethren forhelp, no matter what his physical cir-cumstances.

Well over a century ago, noted trav-eler and author George Borrow tookthe Bible to Spain and Portugal onbehalf of the British & Foreign BibleSociety. He risked persecution andloss of life to get the Scriptures to theIberian Peninsula.

Today we in the United Kingdomand the Irish Republic are in desperateneed of many such people to make theprecious knowledge of the Bibleknown again to the British Isles. Weinvite you to join us in ear nest prayerthat the gospel can go out in greaterstrength in this part of the world. GN

—John Ross Schroeder

The availability ofthe Holy Scripturesis at an all-time

high, but theanomaly is that thedemand for biblicalknowledge remains

at a new low.

b y R o g e r F o s t e r

God’sFamilyThe ReasonYou Were Born

God’sFamilyThe ReasonYou Were Born

10 The Good News

ave you ever wondered why you exist, why you wereborn? Have you ever suspected there isn’t a purpose tolife at all? What is the meaning of life? Is there an ythingbeyond this physical life?

If you’ve ever pondered questions like these, you’re not alone.Mankind has pondered these questions for millennia. Philoso-phers, scientists and theologians have tried to resolve them, butwith confusing and contradictory results.

Can you know the answers to these questions?Yes, you can! The astonishing answers can be found in the

pages of your Bible.Did you know that the main reason the Bible w as written was to

explain how God is creating His own family, the sons of God? It isamazing how few people grasp this incredible truth, yet it is soplain in the Bible.

At the beginning of the Bible is the account of the cr eation ofAdam and Eve. All human beings are their descendants. We are,by natural descent, their great, extended family. Adam was,according to his natural parentage, a son of God (Luke 3:38).Therefore, in our natural descent, we are all the children of God.He is our Father by physical creation.Creating immortal children

But God’s purpose is far greater than the creation of corruptibleand perishable human beings. God is in the pr ocess of creating Hisown spiritual children who will be incorruptible—children witheternal life who have His divine nature or character.

He refers to this new creation in terms of “the old man,” in con-trast with “the new man,” who is “renewed in the spirit of [his]mind” and is “created according to God in true righteousness andholiness” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

The apostle Paul defined the new creation as a spiritual transfor-mation, at first a change only in a person’s nature and character,followed by a change into a literal spiritual being with eternal life.The Bible refers to this process as salv ation.

The Bible refers to those who are recei ving salvation as the“sons of God” in a sense that goes beyond our descendancy fromour first two human parents. God is accomplishing a mar velousspiritual transformation in the lives of His followers through HisHoly Spirit.

Paul explained that “the Spirit itself beareth witness with ourspirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heir s with Christ, if indeed we suffer withHim, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16, 17).

Do you grasp the enormous significance of Paul’s statement? Itexplains why we are here, the very reason for our existence, whywe were born. It gives meaning to life itself. It explains why Godwants all human beings to come to the kno wledge of the truth.God is creating a family, His own family. We have the pricelessopportunity to be a part of that f amily.

That family relationship—our becoming children of God theFather—is the heart and core of God’s great plan for humanity.Notice how Paul expresses it: “In bringing many sons to glory[salvation], it was fitting that God, for whom and through whomeverything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfectthrough suffering. Both the one who makes men holy [Christ] andthose who are made holy [converted human beings] are of thesame family” (Hebrews 2:10, 11, New International Version). Ph

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May 1996 11

That’s right! That truly converted Christians are

all of the same Father makes themmembers of the same family: God’sfamily! Paul continues: “So Jesus isnot ashamed to call them brothers.He says, ‘I will declare your name tomy brothers; in the presence of thecongregation I will sing yourpraises.’And again, ‘I will put mytrust in him.’And again he says,‘Here am I, and the children God hasgiven me’” (verses 11-13, NIV).

Notice that Jesus is not ashamedto regard converted members of Hischurch as His own brothers (or sis-ters). That is how close and personalthis family relationship is. Humans created to be like God

From the beginning of the Bible,this is the clearly stated purpose ofGod. “Then God said, ‘Let Us makeman in Our image, according to Ourlikeness; let them have dominionover the fish of the sea, over thebirds of the air, and over the cattle,over all the earth and over everycreeping thing that creeps on theearth.’ So God created man in Hisown image . . .” (Genesis 1:26, 27).

Both men and women are createdto be like God. The Bible oftenspeaks of physical children as “sons”because that was the custom at thetime the Bible was written, and hasbeen in many languages, includingEnglish, over the centuries. In theHebrew and Greek languages, inwhich the Bible was written, “sons”was used to mean “descendants.”When used in this sense, the Hebrewand Greek words for “sons” refer tomale and female descendants alike.Today, we use the words mankindand brethren in a similar sense.

God makes it clear that His familyincludes people who are now physi-cal men and women, both sons anddaughters. “For you are all sons ofGod through faith in Christ Jesus.For as many of you as were baptizedinto Christ have put on Christ. Thereis neither Jew nor Greek, there isneither slave nor free, there is neithermale nor female; for you are all onein Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).

Also, “I will be a Father to you,and you shall be My sons and

daughters, says the LORD Almighty”(2 Corinthians 6:18). Men andwomen are God’s children.

Now to the point of Genesis 1:26,27, which tells us we are made inGod’s image and likeness. At thefirst mention of human beings in theBible, God declares His intent tomake us like Him. But to whatextent are we made like Him?

God’s purpose is to make us fullylike Jesus Christ! In Ephesians, Paulmakes this clear. He explains thatGod established a ministry to servethe church. That ministry is to workwith those in the church, until, he

says in verse 13, “we all come to . . .the measure of the stature of the full-ness of Christ.”

Paul’s statement in Galatians 4:19,“My little children, for whom I laborin birth again until Christ is formedin you,” expresses the same conceptin different words. Do you grasp thesignificance of Paul’s statement? Weare to become fully and completelylike Jesus Christ. His character is tobe formed in us. As Jesus is God’sSon, we will also be God’s sons.

The apostle John is explicit:“Behold what manner of love theFather has bestowed on us, that weshould be called children of God!Therefore the world does not knowus, because it did not know Him.Beloved, now we are children ofGod; and it has not yet been re vealedwhat we shall be, but we know thatwhen He is revealed, we shall be likeHim, for we shall see Him as He is”(1 John 3:1-3).

Resurrected to glorified stateHuman beings who are inducted

into the family that God is creating

will be given the glorious honor tobe like the resurrected Jesus Christ,who today reigns in His glorifiedstate at the right hand of God inheaven. The awesome potential ofany human being as it is pr esented tous by Christ and His apostles seemsso incredible that most people find itdifficult to grasp when they first readit. But it is plainly stated in theBible, even though people read rightover it. In fact, it is the whole pur-pose for salvation. It is the reasonGod made mankind. It is why wewere born.

In Psalm 82:6, we read: “I said,‘You are gods, and all of you arechildren of the Most High.’” That ishow God wants us human beings torelate to Him: as children of the MostHigh. It is truly an awesome familyrelationship—God’s own personalfamily! Jesus quoted the precedingverse from Psalm 82 to show theJews that He was not blasphemingGod by claiming to be God’s Son(see John 10:34).

Even the promises made toancient Israel pertained to God’sintention to eventually bring Hispeople into a family relationshipwith Him. The apostle Paul said:“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for mybrethren, my kinsmen according tothe flesh, who are Israelites, towhom pertain the adoption, theglory, the covenants, the giving ofthe law, the service of God, and thepromises” (Romans 9:3, 4).

Of a humbled remnant of Israel inthe future, God gives this prophecy:“But now, this is what the LORDsays—he who created you, O Jacob,he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fearnot, for I have redeemed you; I havesummoned you by name; you aremine . . . Do not be afraid, for I amwith you; I will bring your childrenfrom the east and gather you fromthe west. I will say to the north,“Give them up!” and to the south,“Do not hold them back.” Bring mysons from afar and my daughtersfrom the ends of the ear th—every-one who is called by my name,whom I created for my glory, whomI formed and made’” (Isaiah 43:1, 5-7 NIV).

We are to becomecompletely likeJesus Christ. As

Jesus is God’s Son,we will also be

God’s sons.

12 The Good News

God has always kept His purpose,of making human beings His children,as the guiding principle of how Hedeals with human beings. He gave usHis laws to teach us how to treat oneanother in a godly manner—the sameway Christ treated people. God hasalways offered forgiveness to anyonewho would repent of sin, which is thetransgression of His laws. God showsno partiality (Romans 2:11). He saysplainly that Christ came so the wholeworld—all people—can be saved(John 3:16, 17).

Israelites to set an exampleMany readers of the Bible have

wondered why God chose thedescendants of Abraham—ancientIsrael—as a special people if He isimpartial in offering salvation to allpeople.

Abraham was a righteous man whowas called the friend of God. Godpromised him that, if he would walkwholeheartedly before Him, He woulduse Abraham’s children in a specialway. God chose to build a nationalfamily from Abraham’s descendantsso they could, if they would cooperate,set an example as a type, or model, ofGod’s own family.

God told Abraham’s descendants:“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutesand the judgments which I teach youto observe . . . Therefore be careful toobserve them; for this is your wisdomand your understanding in the sightof the peoples who will hear all thesestatutes, and say, ‘Surely this greatnation is a wise and understandingpeople.’ For what great nation is therethat has God so near to it, as theLORD our God is to us, for whateverreason we may call upon Him? Andwhat great nation is there that hassuch statutes and righteous judgmentsas are in all this law which I setbefore you this day?” (Deuteronomy4:1, 6-8).

The people of Israel agreed tobecome just such an example nation.But they still had a carnal, selfishnature, just as do all other humanbeings. Knowledge alone was notenough. God gave the Israelites Hislaws—the knowledge of right andwrong—but they did not have a con-verted mind whereby they could obey

God from the heart. As a nation, theyfailed to set the obedient example theyhad promised God they would do.

The example they did set, that ofconsistently abandoning their com-mitments to obey God, preserves animportant lesson for the rest ofmankind. Neither nations nor individ-uals can produce godly behaviorwithout God’s Holy Spirit dwellingwithin them, even if God personallygives them explicit knowledge ofright and wrong.

The only family that can ever setthe proper example of godliness andrighteousness for mankind is God’sown family, His own sons and daugh-ters, when they will have beengranted immortality and incorruptibil-

ity. God is creating that family, andyou can be a part of it!Who will be in God’s family?

Who are the children of God, andwho will become a part of God’sfamily?

The family of God will consist ofthose who sincerely repented of sin,which is the transgression of God’slaw (1 John 3:4), who had been bap-tized and were imparted God’s HolySpirit as a gift (Acts 2:38). By recei v-ing that Spirit, they had becomemembers of Christ’s spiritual body (1 Corinthians 12:12, 13), which isHis Church (1 Corinthians 12:27;Colossians 1:24).

Paul explains the importance of the Holy Spirit to salvation and tobecoming children of God: “But ifthe Spirit of Him who raised Jesusfrom the dead dwells in you, He whoraised Christ from the dead will alsogive life to your mortal bodiesthrough His Spirit [that] dwells inyou” (Romans 8:11).

Paul makes it clear that “if anyonedoes not have the Spirit of Christ, he

is not His” (verse 9). Why do thosewithout that Spirit not belong toGod? Because “as many as are led bythe Spirit of God, these are sons ofGod” (verse 14).

God’s children are only those whoare being led by God through HisHoly Spirit. The Holy Spirit is thepower and presence of God workingin them (2 Timothy 1:6; Psalm 51:11;Philippians 2:13).

How do we receive God’s Spirit?The apostle Peter said we must“repent and be baptized, every one ofyou, in the name of Jesus Christ forthe forgiveness of your sins. And youwill receive the gift of the HolySpirit” (Acts 2:38). Because of thisrepentance and baptism, we are thenconsidered to be children of God(1 John 3:1).

But that is nothing compared withwhat we will be like at Jesus Christ’sreturn, when the dead are resurrected:“So will it be with the r esurrection ofthe dead. The body that is sown isperishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised inglory; it is sown in weakness, it israised in power; it is sown a naturalbody, it is raised a spiritual body. Ifthere is a natural body, there is also aspiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, NIV).

These verses depict an awesomechange indeed! That is why Paulsays: “The Spirit itself beareth wit-ness with our spirit, that we are thechildren of God: and if children, thenheirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirswith Christ; if so be that we suf ferwith him, that we may be also glori-fied together. For I reckon that thesufferings of this present time are notworthy to be compared with the glorywhich shall be revealed in us”(Romans 8:16-18, KJV).

Glory beyond compareDo you get the picture? Being

born into God’s family as a verychild of God, a part of God’s ownfamily, is so magnificent that it isfutile to try to compare to anythingwe have ever known. No amount ofhuman trials, problems and sufferingin this life could ever approach theinestimable value of eternal life aschildren of God, of our actually

How can we everhope to share withJesus Christ such

incredible responsibility?

becoming like God and Jesus Christ.That is what life is all about. That iswhy you were born. God wants youto be like Him in every way as Hisson or daughter so you will be partof His very family at the time of theresurrection.

No wonder Paul exclaimed, “Thecreation waits in eager expectationfor the sons of God to be r evealed”(Romans 8:19, NIV). God’s purposeexplains why Peter says, “The Lordis not slow in keeping his promise,as some understand slowness. He ispatient with you, not wanting anyoneto perish, but everyone to come torepentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).

Paul writes that God “wants allmen to be saved and to come to aknowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy2:4, NIV).

These scriptures tell us that God ispatient, and He desires to bring allhuman beings into His family. Healso tells us that “he who overcomesshall inherit all things, and I will behis God and he shall be My son”(Revelation 21:7).

The wonderful world of tomorrowwill be inaugurated at the return ofJesus Christ, who returns to rule asKing of Kings and Lord of Lords(Revelation 19:16). All the kingdomsof the world will be brought underHis dominion (Revelation 11:15). Hewill establish the Kingdom of God,which is the heart of the message—the gospel, or good news—that Hepreached.

Those sons and daughters of Godwho have been faithful to their com-mitment to obey Him—who haveovercome their own carnal, selfishnature and the temptation to return to a life of sin and lawlessness—willshare in that rule with Jesus Christ assons of God. Notice Christ’spromise: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on Mythrone, as I also overcame and satdown with My Father on His throne”(Revelation 3:21). Those who over-come will be given responsibility askings and priests of God in thatKingdom (Revelation 1:5, 6).Change to immortality

How can we mere human beingsever hope that Jesus Christ would

share with us such incredible respon-sibility? Certainly, we can never doso while we are still weak, imperfecthuman beings.

That is just the point of these andmany other scriptures. We must bechanged.

“Now this I say, brethren, thatflesh and blood cannot inherit thekingdom of God; nor does cor rup-tion inherit incorruption. Behold, Itell you a mystery: We shall not allsleep, but we shall all be changed; ina moment, in the twinkling of aneye, at the last trumpet. For the trum-pet will sound, and the dead will beraised incorruptible, and we shall bechanged” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52).

It is a gross understatement to say

that the Kingdom of God, under therule of Christ, will be wonderful.What will make it wonderful? It willbe the leadership of all the sons ofGod, each changed to immortal spiritbeing under the leadership of JesusChrist, who will reign as King ofKings and is “the firstborn amongmany brethren” (Romans 8:29). We,the present sons and daughters ofGod, will share with Christ the man-agement of that wonderful Kingdom.As we read earlier, those who are ledby God’s Spirit are the children ofGod and Christ’s brothers and sis-ters: God’s family!

The prophet Daniel received fromGod a marvelous vision of the estab-lishment of that Kingdom underJesus Christ on His receiving it fromGod the Father. “I was watching inthe night visions, and behold, Onelike the Son of Man, coming withthe clouds of heaven! He came to theAncient of Days, and they broughtHim near before Him. Then to Himwas given dominion and glory and akingdom, that all peoples, nations,and languages should serve Him. His

dominion is an everlasting dominion,which shall not pass away, and Hiskingdom the one which shall not bedestroyed” (Daniel 7:13, 14).

Who shares that Kingdom withJesus Christ? “Then the kingdom anddominion, and the greatness of thekingdoms under the whole heaven,shall be given to the people, thesaints of the Most High. His king-dom is an everlasting kingdom, andall dominions shall serve and obeyHim” (verse 27). Here again, we cansee that people who are the “saints ofthe Most High” will be kings orrulers with Christ.

But certainly they will not rule likesome unscrupulous worldly tyrant.Jesus said: “The kings of the Gentilesexercise lordship over them, andthose who exercise authority overthem are called ‘benefactors.’ But notso among you; on the contrary, hewho is greatest among you, let himbe as the younger, and he who gov-erns as he who serves” (Luke 22:25,26). God is creating not just a f amilyin which are kings, but kings who, asservants, will pass on wonderfulblessings to those they serve!

Rulership based on loveGod’s character is based on love

(1 John 4:8, 16). The loving charac-ter of God must be manifest in allwho are truly His children. It is thatloving character that distinguishesthe true children of God, that makesevident who is really a part of Hisfamily. “In this the children of Godand the children of the devil aremanifest: Whoever does not practicerighteousness is not of God, nor ishe who does not love his brother”(1 John 3:10).

Jesus taught the same. “You haveheard that it was said, ‘You shalllove your neighbor and hate yourenemy.’ But I say to you, love yourenemies, bless those who curse you,do good to those who hate you, andpray for those who spitefully useyou and persecute you, that you maybe sons of your Father in heaven . . .You shall be perfect, just as yourFather in heaven is perfect”(Matthew 5:43-45, 48).

The implementation of that love

Our becoming children of God isthe heart and coreof God’s great plan

for humanity.

Continued on page 31

13 The Good News

The Wave-Sheaf OfferingA Ceremony Foreshadowing Salvation

In ancient Israel, the beginning of the spring grain harvest was markedwith an unusual ceremony—the waving of the first sheaf of grain to be

accepted by God. This simple act holds great spiritual significance!

The agricultural cycle ofancient Israel revolvedaround two harvests, one inthe spring and the other inthe autumn. Before any

grain could be harvested in the spring,an unusual ceremony took place toinaugurate the spring harvest season.

This ceremony was the waving ofthe first sheaf of grain to be acceptedby God. Instructions for this ceremonyare detailed in Leviticus 23:10-14. Noone was to eat any of the grain of theharvest until the first sheaf of the har-vest was brought to the priest, who inturn waved it before God.

What was the significance of thisceremony?Jesus Christ “the firstfruits ofthose who have fallen asleep”

This first sheaf of grain was calledthe “firstfruits” (verse 10). It was thefirstfruits of the barley harvest, the firstpart of the grain harvest. Thousands ofyears later, we find the same term usedagain in the Bible—describing JesusChrist! “But now Christ is risen fromthe dead, and has become the firstfruitsof those who have fallen asleep”(1 Corinthians 15:20, author’s empha-sis throughout).

We also find that Jesus Christ iscalled “the firstborn over all creation”and “the firstborn from the dead”(Colossians 1:15, 18). The apostlePaul said that Christ was prophesiedto be “the first to rise from the dead”(Acts 26:23).

What is the connection between thefirst grain offering, called the firstfruits,and Jesus Christ, the firstfruits and

firstborn from the dead?This understanding is tied in with

the symbolism of the two harvestsmentioned earlier and the Feast of Pen-tecost, observed at the conclusion of 50days that began with the day of thewave-sheaf offering. On Pentecost, two

loaves were offered from the firstfruitsof the wheat harvest, which followedseveral weeks after the barley harvest.

For a fuller understanding of thesymbolism of the two harvest periods,be sure to read “The Lesson of theFeast of Firstfruits,” beginning on page4 of this issue. The article shows that,just as there were two periods of phys-ical harvesting in ancient Israel, sothere would be two periods of spiritualharvesting in God’s great plan for thesalvation of humanity. This astounding

truth is shown through the symbolismof the Feast of Pentecost.Meanings of Pentecost

Pentecost has several meanings,each significant in its own right. Theword Pentecost means “fiftieth (day).”In the Old Testament, this festival wasknown as the Feast of Weeks (sevencomplete weeks plus one day, Leviticus23:15-17; Deuteronomy 16:10, 16). Itwas also called the Feast of Harvest orFirstfruits (Exodus 23:16; 34:22).

The word firstfruits suggests an ini-tial harvest that will be followed byanother harvest. The firstfruits of thewheat harvest are preceded by thewave-sheaf offering of the earlier-ripening barley harvest. The wavesheaf is symbolic of Jesus Christ.

Pentecost is an annual reminder ofthe coming of the Holy Spirit and thebeginning of the Church (Acts 2:1-4).However, the festival holds even moresignificance. A clear understanding ofthe events leading up to the Feast ofPentecost makes its importance muchmore clear.

Pentecost deals directly with our sal-vation, our ability to follow Christ’sexample through the power of God’sHoly Spirit and our capacity for under-standing God’s spiritual truth throughHis Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-14).

None of this understanding is possi-ble without the fulfillment of thewave-sheaf offering: Jesus Christ’sacceptance by God the Father.Wave-sheaf offering a forerunner

The wave-sheaf offering was theforerunner of an additional offering

b y J e r o l d A u s t

Without the truewave-sheaf offering,Jesus Christ, therewould be no HolySpirit to lead us,

no Church to spiritually nurtureus and no harvestfor the salvation

of humanity.

14 The Good News

brought later, on the Feast of Pente-cost. On Pentecost, two loaves ofbread, “the firstfruits to the LORD,”were offered (Leviticus 23:16, 17).

As the wave-sheaf offering repre-sented Jesus Christ, so did theseloaves represent God’s spiritual first-fruits, those who are called and faith-fully obey God in this life (Romans8:24; James 1:18). As the wave-sheaf offering was the necessaryforerunner of the Pentecost offering,so was Jesus Christ the necessaryforerunner of God’s people, who areHis spiritual firstfruits.

These symbols demonstrate howGod’s Holy Days relate to eachother and are designed to convey theinterdependence of the events inGod’s plan for humanity.

For example, Passover is the firstof God’s annual festivals (Leviticus23:5). God’s plan for the salvationof mankind is built upon the deathof Jesus Christ our Passover(1 Corinthians 5:7), as the atoningsacrifice for humanity (John 1:29).Christians cannot attain to everlast-ing life without Christ’s sacrifice,which reconciles us to God.

The wave sheaf, offered duringthe Feast of Unleavened Bread(Leviticus 23:6-11), portrays a resur-rected Jesus now serving as our HighPriest (Hebrews 4:14). Without theprior sacrifice of Jesus Christ, thefulfillment of Pentecost—the callingand salvation of the firstfruits, thosein God’s Church—could not occur. Christ’s return to the Father

Let’s notice a few scriptures thatdemonstrate these points.

The Israelites’ harvest seasoncould not begin until the wave-sheafoffering was made to and acceptedby God. In like manner, the HolySpirit was not poured out on human-ity until after Jesus returned to theFather (Acts 1:1-8; 2:1-4). JesusChrist Himself had told His follow-ers that He had to leave before theHoly Spirit could come to them(John 16:5-14).

Even after His resurrection, JesusChrist had to tell His followers notto touch Him until after He hadgone to His Father (John 20:17).Only after Jesus had risen to the

Father and returned to them againwere they allowed to touch Him(verses 19, 26, 27).

Notice the apostle Paul’s depic-tion of Christ, our resurrected wave-sheaf offering: “If then you wereraised with Christ, seek those thingswhich are above, where Christ is,sitting at the right hand of God . Foryou died, and your life is hiddenwith Christ in God. When Christwho is our life appears, then youalso will appear with Him in glor y”(Colossians 3:1, 3, 4).

Paul reveals that our Savior occu-pies a place for us in the v ery pres-ence of our Father and that we areaccepted by Him through ChristJesus. Symbols of firstfruits ceremonyall pointed to Christ

In addition to the wave-sheafoffering, the other sacrifices andofferings commanded by God at thetime of this ceremony also pointedforward to Jesus Christ.

Jesus was represented by a malelamb without blemish (Leviticus23:12), which was symbolic ofChrist’s spiritual purity. Christ wascalled “the Lamb of God who takesaway the sin of the world” (John1:29).

He was also represented by fineflour (Leviticus 23:17), symbolic ofthe beating, scourging and sufferingthrough which He was perfected(Hebrews 5:8, 9). This fine flourwas to be mixed with oil (verse 13),representing Christ’s being filledwith the Holy Spirit.

The lamb was to be a burnt offer-ing, totally consumed by fire (verse12). In the same way, Jesus Christwas tested and tried in the crucibleof life’s trials and problems and thenHe surrendered Himself totally andcompletely as a sacrificial offeringon our behalf (Hebrews 10:12). Hissupreme sacrifice was as a sweetaroma (Ephesians 5:2; Leviticus23:13) to God because Jesus hadgiven Himself voluntarily andunconditionally for sinful mankind.

The accompanying drink offeringof wine (verse 13) was symbolic ofChrist’s pouring out His blood to

WHY A 50-DAY SPAN?Starting with the day of the

wave-sheaf offering, God’s peo-ple are to count 50 days, thenobserve Pentecost as a day holyto God (Leviticus 23:15, 16).

Pentecost symbolizes majorevents in God’s plan for man-kind, including the granting ofHis Spirit to mankind and thebeginning of the Church of Godthrough Spirit-led Christians (see“The Lesson of the Feast of First-fruits,” page 4). As recorded forus in Acts 2, both of these eventstook place on the first Pentecostafter Christ’s resurrection.

Every fiftieth year was calledthe Jubilee (Leviticus 25:28), alsocalled the year of liberty (Eze-kiel 46:17). Every 50 years, atthe Jubilee, properties revertedto their original owners (Leviti-cus 25:8-38). This preventedpoverty from plaguing succes-sive generations of the samefamilies. The Jubilee was cele-brated as a time of liberty andfreedom (verse 10).

The number 50 implies com-plete freedom from captivity, atheme frequently found in God’sfestivals and Holy Days. Passoverand the Feast of UnleavenedBread marked ancient Israel’sfreedom from Egyptian slavery,as well as our freedom from sinand death through Jesus Christ.The theme of freedom from cap-tivity also continues in the wave-sheaf offering and the Feast ofPentecost.

The meanings of Jubilee (50years) and Pentecost (50 days)are designed to illustrate similarblessings. God marvelouslyreveals His awesome plan of sal-vation for all humanity throughsymbolism such as ceremonies,harvests and holy festival sea-sons, and understanding of thatplan is available to those whokeep the Holy Days God com-manded. GNContinued on page 23

May 1996 15

elieve it or not, the Bible—not the sword of murderand mayhem—is going tohave the last word in theMiddle East.

Yet today, along with understandablehopes for the current peace process, weare still in the presence of stubborn anddifficult antagonisms that baffle anddispirit anyone who hopes for satisfac-tory solutions.

Thorny Mideast conflicts are animmense drain on both human and nat-ural resources. Israeli’s Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin died the victim of aninternal terrorist act earlier this year, andconstant political undercurrents over oilare always percolating. A shifting world scene

On today’s complex internationalscene, terrorism in cities like Jerusalemand Tel Aviv constantly impedes thepeace process. One or two bombs wipeout thousands of hours of diplomacy.It’s difficult to keep your mind on peacewhen your homeland is under attack byterrorists.

The March 9, 1996, issue of TheEconomist summed up the harsh realityof the situation: “Israelis, traumatisedby the slaughter of some 60 people,believe they have been cheated in theirland-for-peace deal with the Palestini-ans. But the alternative is bleak: threeyears of courageous risk-taking undone;a cruel war of attrition; an end toIsrael’s hopes of normal relations withthe Muslim world. The evil men behindthe suicide-bombers can congratulatethemselves. Seldom, it seems has terror-ism been more effective at achieving itsends.”

Bombings truly test a nation’s com-mitment to the peace process. The

potential threat of thousands standingready for suicide bombing missionscasts a shadow across all of Israel. Theformer chief rabbi of London, LordJakobovits, has written that “we mustpursue the peace efforts as if there wasno terrorism, and fight the terrorists as ifthere were no peace efforts.”

But terrorism is not the only threat topeace in the Middle East. Wars foughtusing traditional methods haveabounded in this blood-stained century.

More than a decade ago, Kuwaitfeared an invasion from Iran. Later theonslaught actually came from Iraq.Today the credibility of the Conserva-tive government in the United Kingdomremains suspect because of the investi-gation of British arms sales to Iraq.

Who knows what nation or terroristgroup we will hear from next? As vet-eran British newsman PeregrineWorsthorne commented in the aftermathof the Gulf War: “Saddam Hussein isnot unique. There will be other ThirdWorld chancers [opportunists] encour-aged by the example of how nearly hegot away with his bold and ruthlessplan.”

So the foibles and follies of humannature transcend time, geography andpolitical borders.Oil and antagonisms

Yet there is every reason for realhope in the long run. In reality, the Mid-dle East has a glorious future that wecan understand when we come to hold asound biblical vision of the area.

Let’s begin an assessment of theregion’s problems by briefly surveyingthe enormously important backgroundbehind present conditions.

Fully 50 percent of the world’sknown crude-oil reserves exist in the

When WillPeace Come tothe Middle East?

b y J o h n R o s s S c h r o e d e r

Terrorism is not the only

threat to peace in the Middle East.

Wars fought using traditional

methods haveabounded in this

blood-stained century.

B

16 The Good News

Middle East. According to a map pro-duced by the National Geographic Soci-ety, Iraq and Kuwait possess oilreserves of nearly 200 billion barrelsbetween them. Such is the strategicimportance of these Mideast countriesthat compel the attention of the entireworld.

So oil is the real king (or all-power-ful sheikh) in the Middle East. One ofthe reasons the Western powers went towar in 1991 in the Gulf War was to pre-vent a possible Iraqi monopoly fromcontrolling these precious black-liquidreserves. Remember that oil is alwaysthe unseen player in the Persian Gulfregion.

But far more fundamental than evenprecious petroleum reserves are thearea’s age-old antagonisms. In spite ofdefinable diplomatic progress betweenIsrael and the Palestinians in pursuit ofa separate state for the latter, ancient ter-ritorial ambitions continue to assail theregion. Iraq and Kuwait have long-standing disputes that have alternatelysmoldered and cooled according to theprevailing political climate.

So have Iraq and Iran. The twofought an eight-year war, killing mil-lions of people, only to later settle their famous border dispute in a suppos-edly amicable manner under thepressure of Westernpresence in the Gulf.

Does war ever make sense in thelong run? Does it really solve any of these dilemmas?Where it all began

Perhaps more than any other placeon the globe, the Middle East is an areain which the past meets the future. Noother humanconflict is sofirmly rootedin antiquity. The Bibleshows that the Middle East is wherehumankind consciously began to thinkabout its spiritual purposes in the world.

It is where man first per-ceived that he is not just aphysical creature, but onewith abstract, intangible longings andemotional needs. As the early chaptersof Genesis make plain, reli-gion (true and false) began

in that fabled area of the globe.The Middle East is the home of three

major belief systems that have signifi-cantly influenced the way we under-stand life and death, good and evil, rightand wrong. The roots of three worldreligions—Islam, Judaism and Chris-tianity—reside there.

Frankly every one of these faiths hasits serious divisions. Fundamentalistrevolutionaries lobby for extremist solu-tions to territorial problems. The mod-ern nation of Israel has periodicallyclaimed the biblical boundaries ofJudaea and Samaria. Jihad—or holywar—is the recurring Arab cry the Westhas become accustomed to hearing. A

holy war is not unfamiliar tothe mainstream

Christian tradition if we remember theCrusades.

Today the Middle East is not thesource of spiritual enlightenment Godintended it to be in this chaotic and con-fused world. Instead, the atmospherethere has been marked by armed con-flict, hostility and, most of all, misun-derstanding—not the things the Creatorwanted it to provide. Surely positivedirection, opportunity and hope shouldhave emanated from the Middle East.

Certainly serious physical and spiri-tual problems will be present for theforeseeable future. The potential forbreaking the Sixth Commandment, thebiblical injunction against murder,remains enormous. Arms proliferationis the dominant tendency in the Middle

Eastern sector of theMediter-

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May 1996 17

ranean. No one knows when thisbuildup of weapons will explode intothe next war. Israel to be an example

In the Bible, God told ancient Israelthat its peoples were to serve as a goodand right example to other nations.They were presented with an unparal-leled legal system that, if obeyed, wouldhave provided peace and justice for allits citizens.

God meant for other nations tobehold in wonderment the wisdom thatwould naturally stem from Israel’s wayof life and voluntarily choose it forthemselves.

Notice this biblical passage writtenby the hand of Moses. “Observe them[statutes and laws] carefully, for therebyyou will display your wisdom andunderstanding to other peoples. Whenthey hear about all these statutes andlaws, they will say, ‘What a wise andunderstanding people this great nationis!’What great nation has a god close athand as the LORD our God is close to uswhenever we call to him?” (Deuteron-omy 4:6, 7, Revised English Bible).

A desperate need exists for a biblicaland spiritual inspiration in the MiddleEast today. There is also a need tounderstand the area’s history. Sinceantiquity, it has been a center of theworld’s attention. All nations are teth-ered to its geopolitical swings because itencompasses the basic story ofhumankind. To comprehend the present,we must, as always, examine the past.

We should never forget that theBible, in its geographic origins, comesfrom the Middle East. The Garden ofEden lay somewhere near the conflu-ence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.God called Abraham in lowerMesopotamia, the land between thesetwo ancient rivers. Continuing conflict in the cradle of civilization

How ironic in one sense that this cra-dle of civilization should often be thesite of conflict, hatred and hostility.From Eden we have progressed toBabel. Yet it is not so ironic in the lightof the account in Genesis. How manyrealize that the present Middle Easternantagonisms are rooted in eventsdescribed in the Bible’s first book?

After all, nations are nothing more

than families grown great. For instance,much of the Arab world stems fromTerah, the father of Abraham.

An ancient passage of biblical wis-dom does advise us to “look unto Abra-ham your father” (Isaiah 51:2). Threemajor faiths trace their ancestry back tothis patriarch. Yet historically the chil-dren of Abraham have split into bitterlyfeuding family factions.

It is a fact that this legacy of brokenfamilies has led indirectly to today’sproblems in the Middle East. Battlesbetween brothers are a recurring theme:Abel was murdered at the hands of

Cain; Ishmael was banished in a familydispute; Jacob and Esau struggled fortheir father’s blessings; the 10 brotherssold Joseph into slavery. On it goes,even to the present.

Clearly the Genesis saga is about tospill over into the 21st century. In theGulf War, an Egyptian woman’s threesons were engaged in battle, one in theEgyptian army, one in the Saudi armyand another as an Iraqi solder. Hergreatest fear was that one son might kill his brother. How little has reallychanged in the world.The Bible and cycles of war

No war brings permanent peace.Fighting only helps assure another war,and much suffering en route. Real peaceis something that must be built whenthe battles have stopped and the partici-pants can truly comprehend the futilityof their combative conduct.

But the spilled blood begs forvengeance from the bereaved, and onwe go again. World War I (supposedlythe war to end all wars) begot WorldWar II, which led to the Cold War.

Not surprisingly, the Gulf conflictalso grew in the soil of aggression. The

eight-year Iran-Iraqi war helped spawnthe invasion of Kuwait and the pre-dictable Allied response.

So war stands discredited as a per-manent solution to human conflict. AsBasil O’Conner once said in his addressto the National Conference of Chris-tians and Jews: “The world cannot con-tinue to wage war like physical giantsand to seek peace like intellectual pyg-mies.”

Yet there could be real hope on ourcommon ground. True understanding ofthe roots of a problem is a step to wardsa solution. God has not left humankindwithout solutions. Long-neglected spiri-tual tools are still extant that men andwomen ignore at their peril.

The Bible actually joins Christians,Muslims and Jews in a spiritual inheri-tance. Although that commonality isneither complete nor perfectlyexpressed, they are all “the people ofthe book.”Spiritual principles in common

Therefore, Bible principles could actas a valuable bridge of understandingbetween the three great Mediterraneanreligions. Consider just three majorspiritual precepts. We are instructed tolove God (Deuteronomy 6:5), love ourneighbor (Leviticus 19:18) and treatothers as we would have them treat us.These three spiritual principles areenjoined in the sacred scriptures ofChristianity, Judaism and Islam.

But in the Middle East today thehighest ideals of three faiths are largelywashed aside in secular struggles forpower, land and oil. Idealism has beenlost in the compromises wrought byhuman greed and expediency. The sameold desires for expansion and revengesoon submerge the lofty heights of apotentially devout life. However, if weare ever to work out our differences, wemust first implement the basic princi-ples on which these three major reli-gions agree.

The chief rabbi of Great Britain andthe Commonwealth succinctly illus-trated what is desperately needed in anarticle in The London Times. “The mes-sage is clear,” he wrote. “You cannothave peace without communicating,without dialogue between faiths,between nations and races. The moderndialogues were spawned by the great

There is every reason for real

hope in the longrun. The Middle

East has a glorious future.

18 The Good News

May 1996 19

religions, and religion must once againbecome the principal communicator tobridge divisions.”Hope in a fresh biblical perspective

After some 45 years of the ColdWar, the United States and the formerSoviet Union have now experiencedseveral years of at least trying to under-stand one another. Perhaps they hadmore in common than they previouslythought. So building bridges in andbetween major regions is essential totrue peace and real progress. Today theMediterranean region has the potentialto serve as a positive example.

The apostle Paul crisscrossed thisancient area several times, spreading anew way of life that embraces the basictenets of two major religions. He, how-ever, saw the two as one. Problems cansometimes be faced in the context ofcommonality. What do we share andhow do we make the most of our com-mon ground?

Humanly speaking, the only otheroption is catastrophe. Armageddonwould soon be at our door. Weaponsare deadlier by the day. The ancientwords of Moses still ring in our ears:“I call heaven and earth as witnessesagainst, that I have set before you lifeand death, blessing and cursing; there-fore choose life, that both you and yourdescendants may live” (Deuteronomy30:19). This should be an anthem forhumanity.

An even broader perspective thandifferent people’s common religiousground compels our consideration. Weare all of the same species. We weremade “of one blood,” as Paul remindedthe men of Athens (Acts 17:26). Thebreathtaking view of our planet fromspace reminds us that we are a globalvillage. Clumsy human border disputesmust seem bizarre from God’s vantagepoint.

Somehow we have to turn both ourgenetic and geographic intimacy to ouradvantage. Selflessness—the key toeverything from the welfare of theplanet to solving the bloodstained con-flicts of the Middle East—is an art thatmust be learned.

As many concerned observers agree,certain essential priorities must be putbefore selfish interests. We desperatelyneed a new vision, a new way of think-

ing, a new world order truly based onbiblical principles. The Messiah arrives

Whatever happens in the meantime,our only permanent hope lies in thepages of the Bible. According to itsown words, what began in the MiddleEast will also end there. Scriptureprophesies a great end-time conflictinvolving Arabs, Jews and Europeans(see Daniel 11 and 12). This final con-flagration will finish only with thereturn of the King of all kings, JesusChrist, to earth (Revelation 19:11-21).

Then the Holy Scriptures assure usthat human values will changeovernight for the better. God’s greatlaw of love will be practiced inJerusalem, and nations will flow to thisnew world capital (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah4:1-4). Jerusalem, the city of peace,will finally live up to its name.

Oil and land will cease to be the pr i-mary focus of interest. One geographicfact will dominate the globe: The spiri-tual headquarters of the future Ruler ofthis earth will be in the Middle East.From there the reigning Christ will lookafter the best interests of all countries,peoples and races. National representa-tives will then flow to Jerusalem, not towage jihad, but to learn the way topeace.

At that time, men and women in theMiddle East will surrender their lives totheir Creator. The word Muslim actuallymeans one who surrenders himself toGod. Arabs and Israelis alike will yieldtheir lives to a righteous God, giving uptheir narrow biases, prejudices and self-ish interests.

Then all Mediterranean nations willeventually become one with each other,one with the world and, most impor-tantly, one with God. The Middle Eastwill once again be the land of promise,a place that will spread peace and truespirituality to this entire globe.

But such a radical transformationwill take a new spirit and new heart(Jeremiah 31:31). It will require a freshburst of spiritual energy directly fromGod.

This is what Jesus Christ brought usat His first coming. What began atBethlehem and Nazareth will graduallyspread to the entire world when Christreturns to this earth a second time as thetrue Messiah. GN

NOT ENEMIES FOREVERIn spite of the best efforts of

the players in the current MiddleEast peace process, today the Araband Jewish nations still have diffi-culty coexisting peacefully. Yetthey have not always been ene-mies. Indeed, for centuries Jewsthrived in an Arab civilization.

Shortly after the death ofMohammed in A.D. 632, Arabsbegan conquering vast tracts ofthe known world. Soon they pos-sessed North Africa, Arabia, Pales-tine, Persia, Sicily, southern Italyand much of Turkey and Spain. Forthe next few centuries, the Arabcivilization was considerably moreadvanced than its European coun-terpart.

Bertrand Russell described theway the Jews flourished under theArabs in his book History of West-ern Philosophy. After describingthe persecution of Jews in Christ-ian Europe, and the correspondinglack of Jewish cultural contribu-tions, Russell continued:

“In Mohammedan countries, onthe contrary, Jews at most timeswere not in any way ill treated.Especially in Moorish Spain, theycontributed to learning . . . [Then,when] the Christians reconqueredSpain, it was largely the Jews whotransmitted to them the learningof the Moors. Learned Jews, whoknew Hebrew, Greek and Arabic,and were acquainted with the phi-losophy of Aristotle, impartedtheir knowledge to less learnedschoolmen” (George Allen &Unwin Ltd., London, 1969, p. 324).

Europe’s rediscovery, by Arabsand Jews, of many Greek texts ledeventually to the Renaissance andthe rise of European culture.Today Europeans, Arabs and Jewscould gain much from coopera-tion. Unfortunately, crusades, per-secutions and Jihads have been alltoo common in their history.

Nevertheless, in the comingreign of the Messiah, the Christ,the descendants of all threegroups will learn to flourish incooperation and peace. GN

The inveterate gambler is always onthe lookout for the sure thing,the bet he can’t lose. The only

problem is, the sure bet doesn’t exist—with one exception. If you are a gam-bler, there is one thing you can betyour life on. The odds of losing thisbet are nil.

Of course, the payoff may comewhen you least expect it. And, eventhough you’re sure to win, winning thisbet is no fun. But all of us, whether weplace the bet or not, are sure to win.

The sure thing I’m speaking of isdeath.

Death is far more certain than life. A newly conceived human has a 20percent chance of never seeing birth.However, there is zero percent chancethat, once born, you will not ultimatelysee death.

Is this not a pleasant subject to f indyourself reading about?

Indeed, it is not pleasant, and it’s nosurprise that so many are uninformedabout the subject. Refusing to thinkabout death does not make it go away.It just makes it harder for those left liv-ing to deal with this unpleasant fact oflife once it has occurred.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted assaying that the only sure thing in lifeis death and taxes. History has provenhim right. Taxes are a reality of lifewhether we live in Africa, Europe, theFar East or North or South America.

But taxes do change, even thoughusually for the worse. Most nationslevy heavy taxes on their citizens, andeveryone has to pay them. Personalincome, fuel, airline tickets, property,hotel accommodations—you name itand it is taxed.Consistent and inevitable

The taxes we are levied can vary,but death doesn’t change. Events lead-

ing up to it may vary, but death itself isalways the same. Some forms of gov-ernment may bring the onset of deathabout more quickly, and some eco-nomic conditions may hasten it, butdeath catches up with people of allnationalities, creeds and backgrounds.No one is exempt.

Francis Bacon said that “old men go to death, but death comes to youngmen.” It is never expected by theyoung. When it comes, it is usuallyunbidden and unwanted.

When death arrives early in life, theresult is devastating. Hopes and dreamsare snuffed out. Some ill or elder lymay welcome it and die willingly, butin other cases they may fight it with awarrior’s ferociousness.

Although some people in some circumstances die willingly, death isnever really a friend. It is an enemythat at times is heroically fought, butultimately it is given in to.

When death occurs, how should youfeel about it? Should you be angry? Isit wrong to be relieved? Should you bedestroyed by the death of a loved one?Should you grieve? Should you mournopenly and unashamedly? Should youweep behind closed doors, concealingyour feelings? How much should yougrieve?

We’ll get to those questions, butfirst let’s understand more about thesubject.

When does death occur? Only inour modern age has there been a needfor such a question to be asked. P agesof opinions have been written andhours of arguments have taken placeover this simple question. Does dea thoccur when one stops breathing, whenthe heart ceases to function or w hen allbrain activity has ceased?

These are important questions inthis day of medical miracles. The body

The Only Sure Thing“The only sure thing in life is death and taxes.”

—Benjamin Franklin

b y L e s M c C u l l o u g h

Refusing to think about death does not make it go away. It justmakes it harder

for those left living to deal with

this unpleasant fact of life once it

has occurred.

20 The Good News

May 1996 21

can be maintained artificially long pastthe time of consciousness and poten-tial recovery by simply forcing thecontinued action of the heart and lungsthrough a life-support system. In somecases, pregnant women have been kepton life support for weeks so their babycan be born. The debate continues onthe ethics of these procedures in med-ical and religious circles. It is one thatis never fully answered to everyone’ssatisfaction.

You are going to die. No one canchange that. Death may be delayed fora time, but the inevitable will come topass. All living things are subject todeath, from the lowliest microscopicanimal or plant to the g iant spermwhale and all living things in between,from a simple spore to the majesticgiant sequoia and redwood trees. Sci-entists say even stars die and eventu-ally dissipate into the vastness of theuniverse.What happens at death?

At death, the plant or organismceases to function and then begins tocrumble and disintegrate. What oncewas is no more. This may be all weneed to know about the death ofplants and animals, but what aboutpeople? Surely, man does not simplycease to be. What occurs when a per-son dies?

The body ceases to function. Itdecays and before long returns to thedust of the earth.

But isn’t man more than just abody? He, of all creatures, seems tohave an inner being. If this is so, whathappens to that inner person?

More basic than that, why do wehave to die? How did death come tobe? Why can’t life go on? The answerto those age-old questions is found inthe second law of thermodynamics. Inessence, it states and acknowledgesthat all physical things have a begin-ning and then start the process of run-ning down.

Death is one of the subjects a boutwhich none of us likes to think. This is partly because we may not have ananswer and partly because we areafraid of finding the answer. Fearingwhat the answer might be, we wouldrather ignore the question and hopewe don’t have to face the reality for a

long time.But face it we shall, so we might as

well try to understand more about thesubject.What happens after death?

What happens when we die? Do wego somewhere? Many tell of out-of-body experiences during which theyfeel they have died, or been close todying, and then recovered. In mostcases, they say the incident was apleasant one.

Some describe a near-death expe-rience as like being in a long tunnelwith a light at the end while listeningto lovely music and feeling comfort-ably warm, then returning to theirbody. Are these people experiencingsomething real or an illusion? Why?Why do they come back? If theyhave no control over whether theyleave their body or stay, then whodoes?

Any discussion of death can quicklytake on a theological or religious tone.In Westernized nations, most peopleclaim to be either Christian or recog-nize the Judeo-Christian roots of theircivilization. They may not attendchurch or synagogue, but they are atleast aware of the claims of a FirstCause, Creator or God.

So let’s look into the handbook forliving that has been given by God, theBible.

The first mention of death in theBible is in Genesis 2:16, 17. It is apart of the knowledge, the instructionif you will, God gave to the first manand woman. “And the LORD God com-manded the man, saying, ‘Of everytree of the garden you may freely eat;but of the tree of the knowledge ofgood and evil you shall not eat, for inthe day that you eat of it you shallsurely die.’”Adam’s penalty for disobedience

As the narrative goes, Adam ate ofthe tree and did not die, at least notuntil much later. Others died before heceased to live, as revealed in the exam-ple of Adam’s son, Abel, who waskilled by his brother, Cain.

Adam did eventually die, however,because of his rejection of God’sinstruction. Although delayed forAdam personally 930 years, death

entered the world—for Cain andeveryone else—at the time of Adam’srebellion and disobedience to theFather. This is clearly stated in theNew Testament:

“. . . Through one man [Adam] sinentered the world, and death throughsin, and thus death spread to all men,because all sinned . . .” (Romans 5:12).

Death exists because it is thepenalty for sin. “For the wages of sinis death, but the gift of God is eternallife . . .” (Romans 6:23). Death cameupon mankind because of the actionsof one man at the beginning of humanlife on earth. Along with the guaranteeof death came the even greaterpromise of the opportunity for eternallife. We mustn’t lose sight of thatpromise, although that is a subject fora different article.

The responsibility for the actionsthat led to his death lies with Adam,even though the cause of Adam’saction was Satan, who tempted the firstman and woman. Death is a weaponSatan uses against mankind to thwartGod’s purpose for man. Satan inspiresman to wield death and the threat ofdeath against his fellowman throughhatred, fear and jealousy. The devildelights in the pain caused by death. How death comes

The cessation of life comes about inthree ways: accidentally, naturally anddeliberately.

• Accidental death is difficult todeal with, occurring when leastexpected, often to those in their pr imeyears of life. It leaves no time to pre-pare oneself. The shock of accidentaldeath is numbing, sometimes over-whelming.

• “He died of natural causes” canmean someone has lived his years andgently slipped into the deep slumber ofthe grave as the result of his body sim-ply wearing out. The heart just turnsoff. You seldom read of this kind ofpeaceful, natural cessation of lifetoday. In the modern age, death by nat-ural causes is often premature, includ-ing death by disease in its many forms.

• Premeditated death includes mur-der, loss of life on the battlefield andsuicide. These deaths are perhaps themost senseless and difficult for thoseremaining and trying to understand.Ph

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c.

God frequently ends up being blamed.“Why did God allow it to happen?” isthe anguished cry of those left behind .

Suicide can be the result ofextreme unhappiness and the pain thata person is trying to escape. A suc-cessful suicide, however, brings greatunhappiness and pain on family andloved ones.

Everybody, rich or poor, noble orbase, will die. The One who created all things says that “it is appointed formen to die once, but after this thejudgment” (Hebrews 9:27). You maynot do anything else in this life, butyou will die.Death is hard to describe

Death isn’t adequately described byexpressions such as kicking the bucket,passing away, falling off the perch,buying the farm, shuffling off this mor-tal coil or meeting our Maker. Youdon’t go anywhere, other than thegrave, when you die. You don’t dosomething when you die. You just die.

“For what happens to the sons ofmen also happens to beasts; one thingbefalls them: as one dies, so dies theother. Surely, they all have one breath;man has no advantage over beasts, forall is vanity. All go to one place: all arefrom the dust, and all return to dust”(Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20).

In the sense of the preceding scrip-tural reference, man is no differentfrom the plants or animals, an amoebaor the stars. Man does have somethingthese other created beings or things donot have. He has the promise of thejudgment and the possibility of eternallife. But, again, that is another topic.

Even though it is a morbid subject,you should make some preparationsfor your death. Don’t leave the “finalarrangements,” as they are called inadvertisements for mortuaries, tobereaved family members. If yourexpiration is decades away, so muchthe better, but be prepared for when-ever it comes.

We can control our affairs while welive and make it easier for our lovedones after we die. In the past fe wmonths, several of my friends havedied, some young and some older.Their families have had to live throughthe experience. In some cases, deathwas expected, but in others it was a

complete surprise. It was traumatic inevery case.Preparing for the inevitable

One of the first steps you mightwant to take is to face the reality ofyour mortality. When all is over, thegreatest value is not the cash value ofthe life-insurance policy in yourspouse’s bank account, but how con-tent you were with your life. “Butgodliness with contentment is greatgain. For we brought nothing into thisworld, and it is certain we can carrynothing out” (1 Timothy 6:6, 7).

The examples of the men andwomen of the Bible show they oftenprepared for death’s inevitability. Theybought burial grounds or tombs forthemselves and their families. Theyknew where they would be buried andtook comfort and satisfaction fromthat. Conscious of their mortality, theyprepared for it.

“A good man leaves an inheritanceto his children’s children . . .” (Prov-erbs 13:22). Not everyone can leave aninheritance, but we can all be certainnot to leave the burden of the monetarycost of our death to add to the ordealof a grieving family.

Most people have never bothered tomake a will. It is a simple action b utone they do not want to take. Yet bythat simple act you can assure your

family, husband, wife or children ofreceiving what should be theirs.

In some countries, not having a willmeans the government takes a muchlarger portion, or in some cases all, ofwhat is left. It could mean the f orcedsale of the home you thought you wereproviding for your family. Other rela-tives might decide they have a claim toyour estate, and a hopeless muddlecould result.

In spite of advances in technologyand medicine, the life span of mantoday is much the same as mentionedin Psalm 90:10: “The days of our livesare seventy years; and if by reason ofstrength they are eighty years, yet theirboast is only labor and sorrow; for it issoon cut off, and we fly away.” Verse12 continues: “So teach us to numberour days, that we may gain a heart ofwisdom.”

It is true, at least in the UnitedStates, that there are more centenari-ans today than ever before. A few havelived to even 110 or 120. They are therare exception. Although life expect-ancy has increased in some countr ies,in others it is still low. The averagehasn’t changed much. Recognizing thelimitation we may have can help us touse our allotted time more effectively.

Expressing our feeling of loss

When death occurs, we need to real-ize that grief is natural. It should beallowed; it should be expressed. Vari-ous cultures express themselves differ-ently. A funeral in Africa is a majorevent. Family, friends, neighbors comefrom miles around to help grieve aswell as to express their feelings for theone who died.

In some cultures, a prolonged timeof mourning takes place. In others, it isalmost business as usual. Whatever theculture, we shouldn’t try to consolewith platitudes about how the individ-ual has gone to a better place or ho wone should buck up and not let otherssee one’s sorrow.

Sorrow is a personal thing. There is nothing wrong with feeling it andexpressing it. King Solomon acknowl-edged that there is a time to weep andmourn (Ecclesiastes 3:4). A certainamount of sorrow is a good thing. Incases in which there has been pro-

When death occurs,how should you feel

about it? Shouldyou be destroyed bythe death of a loved

one? Should youweep behind closeddoors, concealing

your feelings? How much should

you grieve?

22 The Good News

May 1996 23

pay the penalty for our sins (Matthew26:27, 28; 1 John 1:7).

The very day of the wave-sheaf cer-emony pointed forward to Christ. His-tory records that the sheaf washarvested on Saturday night, whichbegan the first day of the week. It wasthen waved before and accepted byGod on the first day of the week (Sun-day) during the Feast of UnleavenedBread (Leviticus 23:11).

As mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ,after His resurrection, would not letHis followers touch Him until He hadreturned to God the Father (John20:17). Later that same day, after Hewent to the Father, they could touchHim (verses 19, 26, 27).

This occurred on the first day of theweek (verse 19), the Sunday duringthe Feast of Unleavened Bread(Matthew 26:2, 17; 28:1). The wave-sheaf offering foretold the precise dayof the week Christ would return to theFather more than 1,400 years beforethat day actually occurred!

These astounding parallels give us amuch deeper appreciation of the sig-nificance of the wave-sheaf offeringGod commanded. Reading Leviticus23:10-14 with this understanding helpsus to better grasp both Jesus Christ’ssupreme importance in God’s plan aswell as the meaning of the wave sheaf.Without a Savior who would give Hislife and be resurrected to life again,there could be no later harvesting ofhumankind for salvation.

Christ’s purpose foretold

Almost 1,500 years later, JesusChrist explained His purpose to Hisfollowers, using the analogy of grain:“. . . ‘The hour has come tha t the Sonof Man should be glorified. Mostassuredly, I say to you, unless a grainof wheat falls into the ground anddies, it remains alone; but if it dies, itproduces much grain’” (John 12:23,24). This imagery connects JesusChrist’s sacrifice to the salvation of allmankind: Only if Jesus Christ gaveHis own life could more life—addi-tional sons of God—be produced(Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:10).

Christ’s role as depicted by thewave-sheaf offering differs somewhatfrom His role as depicted by thePassover sacrifice. Both reflect differ-ent aspects of His sacrifice and pur-pose in God’s plan for the salvation ofhumanity.

During His crucifixion, JesusChrist declared that His sacrifice, asforeshadowed by the Passover, wascompleted: “So when Jesus hadreceived the sour wine, He said, ‘It isfinished!’ And bowing His head, Hegave up His spirit” (John 19:30).

Christ wasn’t saying that God’splan for saving humankind was fin-ished at His death. He was saying thatthe crucial, all-important giving ofHis life as our Passover sacrifice wasfinished. The death of Jesus Christmeant that mankind could and wouldbe reconciled to God the Father.

But, beyond that sacrifice, there isanother vital aspect of our salvationthat is not yet complete. Jesus Christ’ssacrifice alone, through His crucifix-ion, did not and does not save human-kind. It did, however, reconcilehumanity to God. Beyond this recon-ciliation lies another truth signified bythe wave-sheaf offering: “For if wewere reconciled to God through thedeath of His Son, much more, havingbeen reconciled, we shall be saved byHis life” (Romans 5:10).

As the Passover precedes the wave-sheaf offering, so reconciliation pre-cedes our salvation. We are saved byChrist’s resurrected, divine life.

All made possible through Jesus Christ

Those who keep the Feast of Pente-cost appreciate the relationship to Pen-tecost of the wave-sheaf offering.Without the true wave-sheaf offering,Jesus Christ, there would be no HolySpirit to lead us, no Church to spiritu-ally nurture us and no harvest for thesalvation of humanity.

Through these things, God continu-ally assures and reminds His peoplethat we have the promise of eternal lifethrough the gift of the Holy Spirit.This promise was made possiblethrough God, who resurrected andaccepted Jesus Christ, our wave-sheafoffering. GN

longed suffering, sorrow can be arelief. Whatever the case, most peopleneed time to express their sadness,whether alone or with friends.

It is inane and cruel to say to a childwhose mother has just died, “Godwanted your mother more than youdo.” What a dreadful saying, and I amaware of this actually being said. Thepoor child who hears this is devastatedby the loss and is made to f eel guiltybecause he didn’t want the motherenough, even though the child lovedhis mother with all his being .

Realize that your friend who lost aloved one may desperately need to talkabout the deceased. Honor that need.You can bear with your friend for afew days. It may well be that all youcan say is a sincere “I’m sorry.” Deathis sad, and it affects us all in differentways. You need to be understandingand sympathetic and take your cuefrom the bereaved. Time will heal.

There is hopeThe apostle Paul addressed the sub-

ject of death: “But I do not want you tobe ignorant, brethren, concerning thosewho have fallen asleep, lest you sorrowas others who have no hope” (1 Thes-salonians 4:13). Paul didn’t intend thatwe should not sorrow. Grieving is anatural process. It is therapeutic, scrip-tural and a part of life.

What Paul did say is that weshouldn’t mourn as those who have nohope, knowledge or understandingabout death. In the book of J ob, thetruth of the state of the dead is g iven:“If a man dies, shall he live again? Allthe days of my hard service I willwait, till my change comes. You shallcall, and I will answer You; You shalldesire the work of Your hands” (Job14:14, 15).

There will come a time when allwho have died will live again. Theywill rise to a life much better than theone they have known and to a time ofgreat joy and happiness.

There will come a time when deathswill no longer occur. Mankind’s great-est enemy shall cease to exist (1 Cor-inthians 15:26; Revelation 21:4).

Death will be no more, and life willreign supreme. Look to that day withconfidence. GN

Wave SheafContinued from page 15

May 1996 2424 The Good News

tell you that if these shouldkeep silent, the stones wouldimmediately cry out,” saidJesus (Luke 19:40). He wasreferring to what would hap-

pen if His disciples did not bear testi -mony of Him.

The original disciples aren’t aroundto provide their eyewitness accounts of Jesus Christ, but we do have theinspired Word of God, which they,along with many others, wrote.

Significantly enough, we also havethe testimony of stones that really canbear witness to the veracity and inspi-ration of God’s Word. The physicalevidence unearthed by present-day scientists can and does speak to usthrough biblical archaeology.

Archae, which comes from theGreek, means “ancient,” and ology,which comes from the Greek logia,means “science.” Archaeology, then, isthe scientific study of ancient things.Unearthing the origins of archaeology

Englishman Flinders Petrie is gen-erally considered the individual whoput archaeological methodology on ascientific footing. He is credited withtransforming archaeology from a trea-sure hunt into a disciplined search forinformation about the past. It was notuntil the 19th century that scientificmethods were rigorously applied toexcavations of historical sites.

A curious fact of history is that theperson who indirectly contributed tothis process was not a scientist but theFrench emperor and conquerorNapoleon Bonaparte. During his con-quests of Europe and the Middle East,Napoleon arrived in Egypt in the late1700s hoping to build the Suez Canaland drastically reduce the navigation

time for the trade route from France toIndia. In Egypt, before a battle in thevicinity of the famous pyramids ofGizeh, he told his soldiers, “Forty cen-turies are looking down upon youfrom these pyramids.”

His inquisitive mind led him tostudy the Egyptian culture and try todecipher strange drawings he saw inthe ancient monuments. For that pur-pose, he brought along 175 Frenchscholars and researchers, and togetherthey set up an institute in Eg ypt tostudy the writings and ancient relicsof the area.

The deciphering of the Egyptianhieroglyphics (a word meaningpriestly or sacred writings) can beattributed mostly to a young scientistof that time, Jean François Champol-lion. Accurate translations were madepossible largely by the discovery in1799 of a large black basalt rock byFrench soldiers at the town of Rosetta.Later to be known as the RosettaStone, it bore a trilingual inscription inOld Egyptian hieroglyphic, demotic (alater, simplified form of Egyptianhieroglyphics) and Greek. With thisstone as a key, Champollion in 1822could finally decipher the ancienthieroglyphics.

The deciphering of the Egyptianhieroglyphics brought the culture ofthe Pharaohs to light, and the educatedclasses of Europe gained insight intothis fascinating subject. Soon, manyamateur archaeologists were on theirway to fame and fortune, finding fabu-lous monuments and other treasures.Museums throughout Europe andAmerica vied with each other to housethese marvelous finds. The treasure-laden tomb of Tutankhamen, discov-ered in 1922, was one of the most

How Archaeology Confirms the Biblical Record

b y M a r i o S e i g l i e

How Archaeology Confirms the Biblical Record

I“

Scholars have queued up to

ridicule the biblical accounts

as mere myth. A tug of war

continues between scoffers and believers

in the inspirationand accuracy of

the Bible.

May 1996 25May 1996 25

spectacular. Many early archaeologistswould be honored for their efforts andwould become a part of history in theirown right.Deciphering ancient writing

Elsewhere in the region, strangewritings on monuments and otherobjects were waiting to be deciphered.

Curious scratches, resemblingbird footprints, were found onthousands of hardened claytablets. Initially, some scien-tists thought they were deco-rations rather than writing.Since the marks had appar-ently been made with awedgelike knife in soft clay,the experts called themcuneiform, or letterformsmade by cunei, Latin for“wedges.”

The credit for the deciphering ofcuneiform would go mostly to an agentof the British government, Henry C.Rawlinson, stationed in Persia. Hebegan a systematic study of cuneiformwriting found on the Behistun Rockinscription, sometimes known as the“Rosetta Stone of cuneiform.”

Thousands of years earlier, Darius the

Great, king of Persia, had on the face ofthis 1,700-foot cliff overlooking a valleyengraved an account of his exploits. Theinscription appeared in three scripts:Persian, Elamite and Babylonian in thecuneiform style of writing.

Over a period of two years, Rawlin-son traveled to the site and made theperilous climb, dangling from a ropewhile painstakingly transcribing theinscription. By 1847, he had deci-phered cuneiform writing, openingunderstanding of Babylonian cultureand history to theworld. Forhis

efforts, Rawlinson received a knight-hood from Queen Victoria in 1855.Digging up forgotten cities

Another young British subject,Austen Henry Layard, drew inspirationfrom such discoveries and the fame it

had brought men like Champollion andRawlinson. Layard began digging inIraq, home of the Assyrian and Baby-lonian empires thousands of yearsbefore. He unearthed great cities mentioned in the Bible, including theancient Assyrian capital, Nineveh, andCalah. Many of his finds, includingenormous winged bulls and otherimportant Babylonian and Assyrianartifacts, made their way to the BritishMuseum. He, too, was knighted byQueen Victoria.

Not to be outdone by theFrench and British, Germanarchaeologists also began theirquest for riches and fame. Onesuch explorer, Heinrich Schlie-mann, began searching for thelegendary city of Troy,described by the ancient

Greek poet Homer. Believ-ing Homer’s sagas to bepure imagination, con-

temporaries ridiculedSchliemann’s efforts,thinking him to beon a fanciful search.But, incrediblyenough, heeding thedescriptions inHomer’s Iliad andthose by otherGreek writers,Schliemann beganto excavate. In1871, he found theremains of the

ancient city of Troy. Following in the

footsteps of these dash-ing adventurers came the

patient archaeologists whowould study and classify these

discoveries in a systematic way, giv-ing birth to the scientific methodologyof field archaeology.The age of skepticism

Unfortunately, the zeal for fame andtreasure of many of these early archae-ologists also led to unfounded claimsof the discoveries of biblical sites.Some of these claims, such as the sup-posed discovery of King Solomon’smines and David’s tomb, were later

Jean François Champolliondeciphered Egyptian hieroglyph-ics, which opened the door tounderstanding the culture ofancient Egypt.

The Rosetta Stone, with its trilingualinscription, was key to understandingEgyptian hieroglyphics.

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26 The Good News

proved false. Seeds of doubt began tobe planted regarding the accuracy ofthe biblical account.

The 20th century inherited the skep-ticism of the preceding hundred years.Charles Darwin and others, espousingtheories of evolution, had positedexplanations for the origin and devel-opment of living creatures apart from a divine Creator. Such notions encour-aged a questioning of the histor icityof the Bible.

Also strong in Europe was thethinking inspired by Karl Marx,who in an economic, materialisticinterpretation of history, dis-counted God and miracles.Many scholars ridiculed the bib-lical accounts as myth. The Biblebecame fair game for higher crit-icism; a tugging match ensuedbetween believers in the inspira-tion and accuracy of the Bibleand scoffers.

Biblical and theologicalscholars of the day declared theBible was more recent in originthan it claimed; some arguedthe people of the Old Testa-ment did not even know howto read and write. Somescholars concluded that most ofthe Old Testament was littlemore than myth.

Authors Norman Geisler andPaul Feinberg observe: “Perhapsthe best example of those whohold the ‘reason over revelation’view are known as ‘liberals’ or ‘highercritics.’ Roughly speaking, this refersto a theological movement that sprungfrom the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European thought. It wasinfluenced by Spinoza, Kant, andHegel, who concluded by human rea-son that parts or all of the Bible arenot a revelation from God. Otherhigher critics have included men suchas Jean Astruc (1684-1766) and JuliusWellhausen (1844-1918).

“In contrast to the historic, orthodoxview that the Bible is the Word of God,liberals believe that the Bible merelycontains the Word of God. When theyapply the canons of human reason or

modern scholarship to the Bible theyfeel that some parts of it are ‘contradic-tory,’ and others are simply myths orfables. Some Old Testament stories arerejected by these critics because theevents seemed to be ‘immoral’”(Introduction to Philosophy, a Christian Perspective, 1980, p. 261).

Rejecting the divine inspiration ofthe Bible, archaeologists from liberal

biblical institutes allowed

themselves to be influenced by the ageof skepticism in theology. Consciouslyor unconsciously, they became biasedagainst the biblical account. Skeptical of fall of Jericho

An example of such bias surfacedrecently in the matter of dating the f allof Jericho. According to the biblicalrecord, Jericho was destroyed by theIsraelites under Joshua when theybegan their conquest of the promisedland. However, excavations of the siteof Jericho led some—most notably,renowned British archaeologist

Kathleen Kenyon—to reject the bibli-cal version.

In Biblical Archaeology Review,archaeologist Bryant Wood explainsthe earlier antibiblical view: “Thearchaeological evidence conflicted with the Biblical account—indeed,disproved it. Based on [archaeologistKathleen] Kenyon’s conclusions,Jericho has become the parade exampleof the difficulties encountered inattempting to correlate the findings of

archaeology with the Biblicalaccount of a military conquestof Canaan. Scholars by andlarge have written off the Biblical record as so muchfolklore and religious rhetoric.And this is where the matterhas stood for the past 25 years”(Bryant Wood, Biblical Archaeology Review, March-April, 1990, p. 49).Evidence reexamined

Yet a reevaluation of Ken-yon’s work showed that herconclusions challenging biblicalchronology were suspect, whilethe biblical account gained thestrongest supporting evidence.Wood observes that Kenyon’s“thoroughgoing excavationmethods and detailed reportingof her findings, however, did notcarry over into her analyticalwork. When the evidence is criti-cally examined there is no basisfor her contention that City IV

[the level of the city that was thoughtto correspond to Joshua’s time] wasdestroyed . . . in the mid-16th centuryB.C.E. [before the Christian era]”(ibid., p. 57).

Time magazine added the following:“Over the past three decades, the con-sensus has gone against the biblicalversion [of the fall of Jericho]. The lateBritish archaeologist Kathleen Kenyonestablished in the 1950s that while theancient city was indeed destroyed, ithappened around 1550 B.C., some 150years before Joshua could have shownup. But archaeologist Bryant Wood . . .claims that Kenyon was wrong. Basedon a re-evaluation of her research,

Sir Henry C. Rawlinson decipheredcuneiform, the style of writing used inthe ancient Babylonian empire.

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sy B

ettm

ann

Arc

hive

Wood says that the city’s walls couldhave come tumbling down at just theright time to match the biblical account. . . Says Wood: ‘It looks to me asthough the biblical stories are correct’(Time, March 5, 1990, p. 43).

And so, the lively debate regardingthe Bible’s accuracy continues betweenconservative and liberal archaeologists. Discoveries verify biblical accounts

As the 20th century has progressed,several archaeological finds verifying

the biblical record have come to light.In the early 1900s, German excavatorsunder Robert Koldewey mapped theancient capital of Babylon and foundthat it closely corresponded to the bib-

Continued on page 41

What can we say about the relationship betweenthe Bible and archaeology? An illustration canhelp. Let us imagine two jigsaw puzzles. The

first is the Bible, put together under the inspiration ofGod Himself. The pieces fit together perfectly. As God’sWord says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc-tion, for instruction in righteousness, that the man ofGod may be complete, thoroughly equipped for everygood work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, emphasis added).

This first puzzle’s primary purpose is to reveal notscience and history per se but the record of God’s deal-ings with humankind. Much of this revelation is knowl-edge that cannot be examined under a microscope orperceived through our senses. It is knowledge revealedby God.

Throughout the Bible, a common theme is God’s par-ticipation in human history. Whether it be the creationaccount, His dealings with Israel or the early New Testament Church, God is central.

Much of this information is not the kind that archae-ology can discover through the study of ancient remains.Yet God’s inspired account of His interaction with living,breathing people is inserted into writings about thephysical surroundings of those people. Such informationis genuine and true, since God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).

Limits of archaeologyThe physical evidence can be likened to a second

jigsaw puzzle, one based on scientific evidence andthat is valuable to our faith by its ability to confirmthe veracity of the biblical accounts.

The second jigsaw puzzle concerns how archaeologyand related disciplines can reveal physical evidence con-cerning biblical history. The picture presented is partial;not all archaeological evidence has survived. Conclusionsderived from archaeological discoveries are necessarilyuncertain. Like a puzzle, pieces can be initially misplaced.As new discoveries are made or better interpretationsare offered, the position of some pieces can shift. Manypieces are faded and worn, making placement difficult.

Dating of biblical sites is based primarily on survivingpottery, with its distinctive styles associated with specifichistorical periods. What remains is an incomplete pic-ture of the past. As archaeologist Paul W. Lapp com-

mented, “Palestinian archaeology may be past infancybut has hardly gotten beyond childhood.” Archaeologyis a developing and imperfect science.

Some archaeologists estimate that only one thou-sandth of the original artifacts have survived. Some5,000 sites are known to scientists in Palestine, and onlyabout 350 have been excavated. Of these, fewer than 2 percent have been extensively excavated. All conclu-sions, then, are based on small amounts of evidence.

Significant portions of the Bible now corroboratedHow should the relative scarcity of evidence affect

our Christian beliefs? Our faith should not be based onpossession of all the material and historical evidence.Definitive analysis is not a prerequisite for determiningwhether or not the Bible is historically accurate and true.

In spite of the relatively small amount of materialthat has been excavated and analyzed, considerableevidence confirming the biblical account is available.More is being uncovered all the time. Significant por-tions of the Old Testament historical record have nowbeen corroborated by archaeology.

Bryant Wood notes the consensus of archaeologistson the following point: “The purpose of Biblical archae-ology is to enhance our comprehension of the Bible,and so its greatest achievement, in my view, has beenthe extraordinary illumination of the . . . time of theIsraelite monarchy” (Biblical Archaeology Review, May-June, 1995, p. 33).

From c. 1000 B.C. through the New Testamentperiod, the archaeological evidence is strong. Beforethat time, it is sparse. This is quite natural, consideringthe circumstances. As Wood explains: “Exploring thatpre-history [before 1000 B.C.] is challenging: It requirestracing the archaeological record of a pastoral commu-nity, rather than an agrarian-based political entity thatbuilt cities and made contacts with surroundingnations” (ibid., p. 35).

We will never possess all the physical evidence. Most has been destroyed by time and wear. We cannotreproduce miracles, nor can God’s presence be exam-ined and confirmed in a laboratory. Faith will always bebased primarily on spiritual discernment and trust inGod’s Word. GN

—Mario Seiglie

TWO JIGSAW PUZZLES, TWO PURPOSES

May 1996 27

herever you go, I will go;and wherever you lodge, I

will lodge; your people shallbe my people, and your God, my God”(Ruth 1:16).

For centuries, men and women unit-ing in holy matrimony have looked toRuth’s famous words as a standard ofunfailing devotion to each other.Although we live more than 3,000years after Ruth, we can almost feel heremotions as we hear these wordsrepeated in the modern marriage cere-mony. Truly her words are timeless.

Few examples can compare to thatof Ruth’s devotion to Naomi. Ruth’sloyal devotion can inspire us to remainfaithful to God, His truth and HisChurch.Blessing out of affliction

Ruth’s story begins in Bethlehem, inJudah, when a father and mother andtheir two sons strike out for greener pas-tures. Their homeland and people weresuffering from a severe shortage of foodand water.

This famine didn’t come upon theland just by chance. There were rea-sons for these dark days in Israel, thenruled by judges: “In those days therewas no king in Israel; everyone did

what was right in his owneyes” (Judges 21:25).

One Bible scholar describes thisepoch: “The period of the judges wasbetween the initial conquest of Pales-tine under Joshua and the establishmentof the monarchy under Saul. It was atime of moral and political chaos inIsrael with no strong central govern-ment or leader. The people repeatedlyturned away from God and neighboringpeoples constantly harassed andinvaded the disorganized nation” (F.B.Huey, Jr., The Expositor’s Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, p. 509).

God had warned that, if the Israelitesforgot His covenant, He would allowpersecution and starvation and otherphysical deprivations (See Deuter-onomy 28).

It was during such a stressful timethat the members of a humble family inIsrael decided they must live as aliens ina foreign land, Moab, on the other sideof the Jordan River.

There was little food in Bethlehemand bleak prospects of garnering any.On the other hand, Moab was a fertileregion with plenty of rain, and thatland provided a haven for many whowere hungry.

So it was that Elimelech, Naomi,Mahlon and Chilion, all members of anIsraelitish family, packed their belong-ings and headed east to a f ertile gardenin Moab. There they settled and were

blessed to find food and shelter.More misfortune

But time and chance take their toll oneveryone, even faithful Elimelech’s fam-ily. Tragedy struck. First Elimelech died,apparently before his time.

Suffering from the shock of life’sfrailty, at the same time bearing theweight of responsibility of carrying onthe family name, both sons took Moab-ite wives. Mahlon wed Ruth; Chilionmarried Orpah (Ruth 1:4, 4:10).

Misfortune struck again, and Naomilost her two sons. Naomi was disheart-ened and determined to return to Beth-lehem, for “she had heard in the coun-try of Moab that the LORD had visitedHis people in giving them bread” (Ruth1:6). She also realized that, in a foreignland, a wife without her husband asprovider would find herself in desper-ate straits.

At first, Naomi assumed her daugh-ters-in-law should return with her (Ruth1:7). But then, as she considered herplight and options, she realized that herfaithful Moabite daughters-in-law wouldundergo extreme difficulty finding newhusbands in Israel. She urged them toremain in their land with their kinsmenand religion (Ruth 1:8, 9).

Ruth and Orpah both could havereturned to Bethlehem with Naomi. Butonly Ruth chose to remain with her,

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Ruthb y J e r o l d A u s t

RuthAn Example of Faith and Devotion

28 The Good News

May 1996 29May 1996 29

even though her prospects of finding ahusband were not good and she wouldlive as a widow in a foreign land.Ruth’s determination to stay withNaomi was eloquent testimony to thesterling example Naomi had set for herdaughters-in-law.

Naomi’s heartfelt urging that Ruthand Orpah return to Moab had to be atouching scene. Naomi told Ruth:“‘Look, your sister-in-law has goneback to her people and to her gods;return after your sister-in-law.’ ButRuth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you,or to turn back from following afteryou; for wherever you go, I will go;and wherever you lodge, I will lodge;your people shall be my people, andyour God, my God. Where you die, Iwill die, and there will I be buried. TheLORD do so to me, and more also, ifanything but death parts you and me’ ”(Ruth 1:15-17).

Orpah returned to her homelandwhile Naomi and Ruth continued on theroad to Bethlehem. Upon their arrival,the town buzzed with excitement, rec-ognizing that one of the two womenwas Naomi. The women exclaimed,“‘Is this Naomi?’ But she said untothem, ‘Do not call me Naomi [meaning“pleasant”]; call me Mara [“bitterlydealt with”], for the Almighty has dealtvery bitterly with me. I went out full,and the LORD has brought me homeagain empty. The Almighty has afflictedme’” (Ruth 1:19-21).

So it was that faithful Naomi returnedto Bethlehem with her Moabite daugh-ter-in-law as the barley harvest was infull swing. Although Ruth couldn’tknow it then, her future blessings wouldspring from these afflictions.Finding favor at harvesttime

The time of the return of Naomi andRuth to Bethlehem was providential, forit was harvesttime and they had no food.The barley harvest and subsequentwheat harvest were their best chance forfinding sustenance. It was during thesegatherings that Ruth labored in Boaz’sfield. Ruth’s attitude while laboring inthe fields, gathering and winnowinggrain, served as a model for later gener-ations of Israelite women.

Little wonder that the book of Ruthwould be read in synagogues centurieslater during the Feast of Weeks, a yearly

festival that concluded the wheat harvest(A.S. Geden, The International Stan-dard Bible Encyclopaedia, Vol. 4, p.2528). This celebration was also knownas Pentecost (“fiftieth [day]”) to theNew Testament Church (Acts 2), and itprophetically symbolized Jesus Christ’sharvest of Christian lives (Matthew9:36-38).

Ruth, in deference to her mother-in-law Naomi, requested permission to goalone into the fields to gather leftovergrain: “Please let me go to the f ield, andglean heads of grain after him in whosesight I may find favor.”

Naomi replied to Ruth: “Go, mydaughter” (Ruth 2:2).

The Scripture provided a precedentfor the custom of gleaning. “The lawexpressly allowed the poor the right toglean in the fields (i.e., in the corners ofthe fields; Leviticus 19:9, 10; 23:22;Deuteronomy 24:19-21), but the ownersof the fields were not always coopera-tive. A hard day’s work under the hot sunfrequently netted only a small amount ofgrain” (F.B. Huey Jr., The Expositor’sBible Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 527).

God had guided Ruth to the f ield ofElimelech’s kinsman, Boaz. Boaz’s

neighbors well knew his character, hold-ing him in high esteem (Ruth 2:4). Thevery word Boaz means “in him isstrength” or “man of strength.” He livedup to his name.Good advice

So it was that Boaz met Ruth, andwould protect her and provided for her.“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘You will lis-ten, my daughter, will you not? Do notgo to glean in another field, nor go fromhere, but stay close by my youngwomen. Let your eyes be on the fieldwhich they reap, and go after them.’

“Then she fell on her face, boweddown to the ground, and said to him,‘Why have I found favor in your eyes,that you should take notice of me, sinceI am a foreigner?’

“And Boaz answered and said to her,‘It has been fully reported to me, all thatyou have done for your mother-in-lawsince the death of your husband, andhow you have left your father and yourmother and the land of your birth, andhave come to a people whom you didnot know before. The LORD repay yourwork, and a full reward be given you bythe LORD God of Israel, under whosewings you have come for refuge” (RuthIll

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God guided Ruth to the field of Elimelech’skinsman, Boaz, a man of good character

2:8-12). Boaz had instructed the

young men working for him to letRuth glean not just in the corners b uteven among the sheaves, where shecould gather much more grain than wasotherwise possible. He also told them todrop some wheat on the ground for herto find.

Gleaning turned out to be far moreproductive for Ruth than she had ima g-ined possible. She brought home toNaomi a good supply of winnowedgrain, enough for several weeks. Inthose times, someone could expect toglean only a few pounds of grain perday. Her amount from gleaning showsthe regard the young men had for Boazand his instructions to allow some oftheir harvested grain to fall to theground in Ruth’s path. It also speakswell of Ruth’s diligence.

Naomi was pleased with such favorshown by Boaz to her daughter-in-lawRuth: “Blessed be he of the LORD, whohas not forsaken His kindness to theliving and the dead! The man is a rela-tive of ours, one of our near kinsmen”(Ruth 2:20).

Ruth honored Naomi’s words ofencouragement and gleaned “until theend” of the barley and wheat harvests(Ruth 2:23). Redemption and blessings

Naomi began to see, once again, thatGod had not forgotten her. This was acritical time for her and Ruth, one thatheld exciting promise, especially forthe daughter-in-law. Boaz was indeed akinsman of Elimelech, Naomi’s deadhusband.

“Under the Levirate law (referred toby Naomi in Ruth 1:1-13), when a mandied childless his brother was bound toraise an heir to him by the widow. Thislaw extended to the next of kin, henceNaomi’s plan. Ruth, by her action inverse 7, was claiming this right” (Davidand Pat Alexander, Eerdmans’Hand-book to the Bible, pp. 227, 228).

Naomi’s plan included carefulinstructions for Ruth, and her wordsenhanced the aura of romance: “Mydaughter, shall I not seek security for

you, that it may be well withyou? Now Boaz,

whose

young women you were with, is he notour kinsman? In fact, he is winnowingbarley tonight at the threshing floor.Therefore wash yourself and anointyourself, put on your best garment andgo down to the threshing floor; but donot make yourself known to the manuntil he has finished eating and drinking.

“Then it shall be, when he lies down,that you shall notice the place where helies; and you shall go in, uncover hisfeet, and lie down; and he will tell youwhat you should do. And [Ruth] said toher, ‘All that you say to me I will do’ ”(Ruth 3:1-5).

What a trusting attitude Ruth had.Remember, she was not an Israelite; she was a Moabite, a gentile. God wasworking out His great purpose throughRuth, whose heart and mind were thoseof a spiritual Israelite led by God’s HolySpirit (compare Romans 2:29 with 2Corinthians 3:3).Boaz would not dishonor Ruth

Let’s understand the literal meaningof “uncover his feet” (Ruth 3:4). Thereader should be aware that the sexu-ally permissive society in which welive is a far cry from the social valuesof Ruth’s time.

“Those who interpret a sexual rela-tion in the events reflect their twenti-eth-century cultural conditioning ofsexual permissiveness. They fail toappreciate the element of Ruth’s trustthat Boaz would not dishonor herwhom he wanted for his wife. They failto appreciate the cultural taboos ofRuth’s time that would have preventeda man of Boaz’s position from takingadvantage of Ruth, thereby destroyingher reputation and perhaps endangeringhis own” (Huey, p. 538).

The moral character of Boaz andRuth remains intact.

Boaz knew of another kinsman moreclosely related to Ruth than he. Boaz,manifesting exemplary integrity,addressed the situation straightfor-wardly: “There is a kinsman nearer thanI,” he told Ruth. “Stay this night, and inthe morning it shall be that if he willperform the duty of a near kinsman foryou—good; let him do it. But if he doesnot want to perform the duty for you,then I will perform the duty for you, asthe LORD lives!” (Ruth 3:12, 13).

The unfolding drama starkly contrasts

the two men. The nearer relative reactedagreeably to Boaz’s mention of Naomi’sland of inheritance, but, when Boaznoted the added responsibility ofredeeming Ruth’s inheritance, the manquickly declined. “And the near kinsmansaid, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, lestI ruin my own inheritance. You redeemmy right of redemption for yourself, forI cannot redeem it. Buy it for yourself ’”(Ruth 4:6, 8).

Today, as we read the account ofRuth, we know that the closest relativeunknowingly denied himself a greatopportunity. Boaz not only redeemed allof Naomi’s inheritance, he claimedRuth’s as well.

“Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, thewife of Mahlon, I have acquired as mywife, to raise up the name of the deadon his inheritance, that the name of thedead may not be cut off from amonghis brethren and from the gate of hisplace. You are witnesses this day. Andall the people said, ‘We are witnesses.The LORD make the woman who iscoming to your house like Rachel andLeah, the two who built the house ofIsrael; and may you prosper in Ephra-thah and be famous in Bethlehem. Mayyour house be like the house of Perez,whom Tamar bore to Judah, because ofthe offspring which the LORD will giveyou from this young woman’” (Ruth4:10-12).

So God blessed Naomi and Ruththrough Boaz. Boaz took Ruth as hiswife, and she bore him a son. ThenNaomi’s friends said to her: “Blessed bethe LORD, who has not left you this daywithout a near kinsman [redeemer]; andmay his name be famous in Israel!”(Ruth 4:14).

Ruth became a forebear of JesusGod blessed Ruth’s faithfulness with

her son, whom she named Obed. It wasthrough Obed that Ruth became thegreat-grandmother of King David anddirect ancestor of our Savior, JesusChrist.

Who would have thought Naomiwould return to Bethlehem with onlyher Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth?Who could have guessed that Ruthwould figure in the lineage of JesusChrist? No human being could haveworked out this scenario. Faith in Godand God’s purpose contribute to such

30 The Good News

May 1996 31

of God by the resurrected, immortalsons of God will produce the wonderfulworld of the future. God is perfectingthat spirit of love and mercy in thosesons and daughters who are the f irst-fruits of His spiritual harvest (James1:18) so they will befit His family anddemonstrate to the world that obedienceto God’s law is the right way of life.

God is creating in His children Hisown divine nature, His holy and right-eous character. The apostle Peterspeaks of that spiritual nature, whichwe can share with Jesus Christ: “Graceand peace be multiplied to you in theknowledge of God and of Jesus ourLord, as His divine power has given tous all things that pertain to life andgodliness, through the knowledge ofHim who called us by glory and virtue,by which have been given to usexceedingly great and preciouspromises, that through these you maybe partakers of the divine nature, hav-ing escaped the corruption that is in theworld through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4).

Those who become like Jesus Christat the resurrection will be more thanjust spirit beings similar to Him. Theywill share with Him the very nature ofthe Father. God gives that godly natureto such people when they receive theHoly Spirit, but only when theybecome fully like Jesus Christ will theyhave those divine characteristics per-fected in them. “The Spirit itselfbeareth witness with our spirit, that weare the children of God: and if chil-dren, then heirs; heirs of God, andjoint-heirs with Christ . . . that we maybe also glorified together” (Romans8:16, 17, KJV).

Never underestimate the value ofyour life. You were born to becomeone of God’s children. You were bornto receive His very nature and, eventu-ally, eternal life. You were born tobecome a member of the very familyof God!

If you want to know more abouthow you can become a par t of God’sfamily, request our free bookletsWhat Is Your Destiny?, The Road toEternal Life and The Gospel of theKingdom. GN

May 1996 31

miraculous results.Had Ruth, a Moabitess, not proved

faithful to her Israelite mother-in-law,she would not have returned with her,nor would Ruth have met and marriedBoaz, nor would she have had a son,Obed, who would become an ancestorof David and Jesus Christ.

Think for a moment all that workedagainst such an extraordinary outcome.By chance, Ruth met Naomi’s son,Mahlon, whose family was forced byhardship to live as resident aliens in hercountry of Moab. By chance, she mar-ried Mahlon. By chance, her father-in-law, her brother-in-law and her husbandall died in her homeland.

By chance, she insisted on returningwith Naomi to Israel, to live as analien in a strange land, away from herfamily, relatives, religion, homeland.By chance, she met Boaz and gainedthe opportunity to be redeemed andmarried.

By chance, Boaz married her, andtogether they had a son who figured inthe direct lineage of the very Son ofGod.

Or did all of this occur by chance? Tothe casual observer, it might seem as ifthis all happened by chance. But, forthose who live by faith—the same faiththat Jesus Christ exercised here onearth—it becomes obvious that thesemiraculous events were directed byAlmighty God. Ruth defied all the odds,and, even though she was a gentile, fig-ures directly in the physical lineage ofour Savior.

Ruth’s faithful example extends farbeyond her physical lineage. She fig-ures prominently as a forerunner ofspiritual Israel, the Church of God. Shetypifies the Old Testament prophecy toAbraham of the New CovenantChurch, which would include gentilesand Israelites alike: “And in you all thefamilies of the earth shall be blessed”through Jesus Christ (Genesis 12:3).Ruth’s example acknowledged

Ruth’s relationship to God whileliving among Israelites is aptlydescribed by Peter in the New Testa-ment when God gave the first gentilesHis Holy Spirit: “In truth I perceivethat God shows no partiality, but inevery nation whoever fears Him andworks righteousness is accepted by

Him” (Acts 10:34, 35).God’s impartiality is a bountiful

blessing that neither Ruth, Boaz, norNaomi could know during their time.But we are privileged to know suchinspiring truths.

Ruth’s example of faith was custom-arily recited in the temple and later inthe synagogues during the Feast ofWeeks, or Pentecost. Her example helpsto signify our role and salvation inGod’s Church.

For instance, in Leviticus 23, Godidentifies two loaves of leavened breadoffered during the Feast of Weeks: “Youshall bring from your habitations twowave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah.They shall be of fine flour; they shall bebaked with leaven. They are the first-fruits to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:17).

These two loaves of leavened breadrepresent, at once, God’s faithful disci-ples in both the old and new dispensa-tions, but they also represent the twoseparate and now fused races of peoplewho comprise the Church: gentiles andIsraelites.

The leaven signifies our humannature, in a general sense, and the sinthat so easily besets us (compare 1 Corinthians 5:6, 7 with Matthew16:12 and Hebrews 12:1). The bakedloaves show that all God’s people,whether gentile or Israelite, whetherpart of the old or new dispensation,will have their faith forged through thefiery trials experienced in this life(1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 Peter 1:7).

The focus of the book of Ruth high-lights the barley and wheat harvests inPalestine, a time of reaping rewardsfrom hard work and a foretaste ofhumanity’s spiritual redemption. EvenBethlehem means “the house of bread.”This motif shows God’s strict adherenceto detail. But, in a broader sense, God’sprophetic plan is revealed through thestory of Ruth and its correlation to theentire New Testament.

It is inspiring to read the contrast ofRuth’s faith to that of the Israel of hertime. Her undying devotion to Naomiand her redemption by Boaz attest to herhumble obedience that transcends time,race and culture.

Although we leave Ruth at the end ofthis story, we can’t forget her righteousand faithful example. GN

God’s FamilyContinued from page 13

Not too many years ago, theability to build a fire was askill that was vital to manypeople’s survival. Today,

most of us simply adjust a thermostatwhen we want to heat our homes and agas or electric furnace quickly bringsthe temperature to a comfortable level.

When my father grew up on a Texasfarm during the 1920s, heating the housewas not that easy. Fires in heating andcooking stoves had to be built almostevery day. Chopping wood and keepingthe wood box full were regular chores.

In time, as my father as a young boygained more experience in building fires,he learned that starting a fire was mucheasier if he kept a live coal from the pre-vious day’s fire. To make a fire last dur-ing the night and provide live coals inthe morning, he would “bank” it at night.Then the next morning, by blowing onor stirring up the coals to get more oxy-gen to them and make them red hot, hecould easily rekindle the flames.

Almost 2,000 years ago, the apostlePaul, a highly educated former memberof the Sanhedrin, used this simple fire-building analogy to remind Timothy ofthe marvelous power of God’s HolySpirit. In 2 Timothy 1:6 he wrote,“Therefore I remind you to stir up thegift of God which is in you through thelaying on of my hands.”

The Greek word for stir, anazopureo,“denotes ‘to kindle afresh’ or ‘keep infull flame’ . . . [It] is used metaphori-cally in 2 Tim. 1:6, where ‘the gift ofGod’ is regarded as a fire capable ofdying out through neglect. The verbwas in common use in the vernacular ofthe time” (Vine’s Complete ExpositoryDictionary of Old and New TestamentWords, “Stir, Stir Up,” p. 600).

This gift of God, which comes to usthrough the laying on of hands, is HisHoly Spirit (Acts 8:18). In essence, Paul

likened God’s Spirit to an ember in adying fire; he encouraged Timothy to stirthat live coal up, to fan it into flames.Timeless encouragement

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy istimeless advice for us. We must stir upGod’s Spirit within us. We must guardagainst letting the fire go out.

Throughout the Bible, God’s HolySpirit is described as one of the mostimportant gifts God makes available tous. The people of ancient Israel, whocould not consistently keep God’s lawsbecause they did not possess His Spirit,were promised that one day God’sSpirit would help them to obey.

Ezekiel 36:26, 27 records God’swords: “I will give you a new heart andput a new spirit within you; I will takethe heart of stone out of your flesh andgive you a heart of flesh. I will put MySpirit within you and cause you to w alkin My statutes, and you will keep Myjudgments and do them.”

Even today, obedience to God’s lawremains as an identifying sign of thosewith God’s Spirit. The apostle Peter tes-tified to this truth when he and the otherapostles had to appear before the reli-gious authorities of their time. On thisoccasion, shortly after the Day of Pentecost, when God gave the HolySpirit to the Church (Acts 2), Peter said,“And we are His witnesses to thesethings, and so also is the Holy Spirit[which] God has given to those whoobey Him” (Acts 5:32).

Paul also wrote to the Romans aboutGod’s Holy Spirit. He said: “The mindof the flesh [is] enmity towards God;for it is not subject to the la w of God,for neither can [it be]. And those beingin the flesh are not able to please God.But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit,since [the] Spirit of God dwells in you.But if anyone has not [the] Spirit of

Christ, this one is not His” (Romans8:7-9, The Literal Translation of theHoly Bible by Jay P. Green).

The Holy Spirit thus makes it possi-ble for us to please God, and identifiesus as Christians. Given the importanceof this gift, we can understand Paul’sreasons for telling Timothy to stir upGod’s Spirit. To help Timothy, Paulcontinued, “For God has not given us aspirit of fear, but of power and of loveand of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Through this statement in his letterto Timothy, the apostle gave his pro-tégé much to consider. Let us examineeach of the four points in this v ersemore closely.“For God has not given us a spirit of fear . . .”

Fear of other people and things andevents around us is something we oftenhave to come to grips with. No one lik esto live in fear, but the sad reality is thatmost of us at times feel fearful. As Godbegan working with Abraham, the manthe Bible calls “the father of all thosewho believe” (Romans 4:11), God toldhim, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I amyour shield, your exceedingly greatreward” (Genesis 15:1). “Fear not,” theKing James Version says.

What a wonderful concept for us tounderstand as we come to God! Hewants us to respect Him, but He doesnot want us to be frightened of any-thing. A simple saying encapsulates thistruth: Know God, no fear. Its corollaryexpresses the opposite effect: No God,know fear.

King David had his ups and downs.On several occasions he fled to avoidbeing killed. Though his enemies oftensought his life, David found a remedyfor his fears.

In Psalm 27:1-3, he wrote: “The Lordis my light and my salvation; whom

Here’s how you can rekindle the flame of God’s Spirit within you!

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Here’s how you can rekindle the flame of God’s Spirit within you!

32 The Good News

shall I fear? The Lord is the strength ofmy life; of whom shall I be afraid?When the wicked came against me toeat up my flesh, my enemies and foes,they stumbled and fell. Though an armyshould encamp against me, my heartshall not fear; though war should riseagainst me, in this I will be confident.”

David found great peace in trustingGod to take care of him. In verse 5 ofthe same psalm, David continued: “Forin the time of trouble He shall hide mein His pavilion; in the secret place ofHis tabernacle He shall hide me; Heshall set me high upon a r ock.” In hisown meditations, David could envisionGod hiding him in a secret place in Hishouse or setting him high on a rock sohis enemies could not reach him.

Small children often seek out secrethiding places so they can escape per-ceived troubles. As God’s children,even we adults should realize we havea hiding place with God, where we canbe cared for and comforted.

God’s Holy Spirit performs this com-forting function for us. It drives awayour fears. David knew his faith in Godsustained him through his difficulttimes. He said, “I would have lost heart,unless I had believed that I would seethe goodness of the LORD in the land ofthe living” (verse 13).

In taking this refuge from fear, Davidknew the importance of coming beforeGod with a pure mind. That is why heasked God to create in him a clean heartand renew a right spirit within him.David realized God could take HisSpirit from him if he did not approachGod in this attitude (Psalm 51:10, 11).When David was able to maintain thisproper outlook, he could pray to Godwith the confidence that God wouldsave him (Psalm 55:16-18).

Paul enumerated for the Christians atRome these same principles: “For youdid not receive a spirit that makes you aslave again to fear, but you received theSpirit of sonship. And by him we cry,‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit [itself] testi-fies with our spirit that we are God’schildren” (Romans 8:15-16, New Inter-national Version).

Abba is Aramaic for “father.” TheLife Application Bible, commenting onthis verse, says: “Paul uses adoption or‘sonship’ to illustrate the believer’s newrelationship with God. In Roman cul-

ture, the adopted person lost all rights inhis old family and gained all the rightsof a legitimate child in his new family.He became a full heir to his ne wfather’s estate. Likewise, when a personbecomes a Christian, he or she gains allthe privileges and responsibilities of achild in God’s family.”

One of God’s gifts that He imparts tous through His Spirit is freedom fromfear. As Paul said in verse 31, “If God isfor us, who can be against us?”“. . . but of power”

The Holy Spirit was prophesied tocome upon Christ’s disciples andempower them to do God’s work. InActs 1:8, Jesus said, “But you shallreceive power when the Holy Spirit hascome upon you; and you shall be wit-

nesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in allJudea and Samaria, and to the end ofthe earth.”

The Greek word for power, dunamis,“denotes ‘inherent ability, capability,ability to perform anything’” (Vine’sComplete Expository Dictionary of Oldand New Testament Words, “Might,” p.406). This same word is used todescribe miracles, supernatural occur-rences (Acts 8:13; Acts 19:11; 1 Cor-inthians 12:10). God’s Spirit, then, is apower that works miracles.

The supernatural power of God’sSpirit often figured in the lives of earlyChristians. The apostle Peter, whodenied Christ on three occasions beforeHis crucifixion (Matthew 26:34, 75),spoke powerfully to the public on theDay of Pentecost after he had receivedGod’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:14).

Stephen, one of the first deacons,“did great wonders and signs among thepeople” through the power of the HolySpirit (Acts 6:8).

Even Simon the magician, who was

thought of as possessing great powerapart from God, was amazed at the miracle-working capacity of the HolySpirit and audaciously offered to buy it(Acts 8:9-11, 13, 18, 19).

This same powerful Spirit is avail-able to us today. There is no need forus to feel afraid or be discouragedbecause of our problems. Relationshipscan be rebuilt, sinful habits can beovercome, and confidence in God canreplace our human fears.

God’s Holy Spirit, at our baptism,makes it all possible (Acts 19:5, 6). Ifyou have not yet been baptized—if youhave not yet received God’s HolySpirit—we invite you to write for ourbooklet The Road to Eternal Life, whichwill show you the steps you must taketo receive this wonderful gift from God.“. . . and of love”

Love is the first of many attributes ofGod’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Paulsaid love is greater than faith or hope(1 Corinthians 13:13). When the Biblespeaks of love, however, it is speakingof something different from what wenormally think of when we hear theword. As humans, we think of love asprimarily an emotion. Humans oftenlook at love as something capricious,almost with a mind of its own, thattakes place outside of our control.

When it comes to religion, many peo-ple believe we don’t really have to doanything out of obedience as long as w elove everyone, as long as we hold warmand emotional feelings for God and ourfellowman.

The Bible, however, describes loveas godly action that builds an emotionalbond. This approach teaches us that wehold certain responsibilities in our rela-tionships with God and our fellowman.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep Mycommandments” (John 14:15).

The apostle John wrote: “By this weknow that we love the children of God,when we love God and keep His com-mandments. For this is the love of God,that we keep His commandments. AndHis commandments are not burden-some” (1 John 5:2, 3).

Though Christ died for us while wewere still sinners (Romans 5:8), Heexpects us to live in obedience to Godand His laws as we grow in godly love.

Continued on page 40

Paul likened God’sSpirit to an ember

in a dying fire. He urged Timothy

to fan that livecoal into flames.

May 1996 33

Living a Great Miracle—Being Led by God’s Spirit

God commands that, in thelate spring of every year, aspecial day be observed(Leviticus 23:15-21). It is

commonly called Pentecost, from theGreek pentekoste. The Jews refer to itin various ways. One is as Shavuot,meaning “Weeks,” because the date ofits observance is determined by count-ing a specific number from an earlierreligious observance.

Another name given it is HagHakatzir, the Festival of the Harvest,for it marks the harvesting of thewheat, the last grain harvest of thespring harvest season. And, in thatcontext, it is also called Yom HaBik-kurim, the Day of the Firstfruits.There is much significance to this fes-tival, which is vitally important forChristians.

When celebrating this festival weknow as Pentecost, the descendants ofthe ancient Israelites are reminded ofone of the greatest events in their his-tory—the giving of the Law at MountSinai. In his book To Be a Jew, RabbiHayim Halevy Donin writes: “Shavuotcommemorates the awesome eventexperienced by the children of Israelseven weeks after the exodus fromEgypt when they camped at the foot ofMt. Sinai somewhere in the SinaiPeninsula. This event was the Revela-tion, when God’s will was revealed toIsrael. It marked the declaration of theTen Commandments . . . While theexact manner of this communicationbetween God and man is not knownand was always subject to various opin-ions by the great thinkers and Sages ofIsrael, it was an event of awesome pro-portions and a unique spiritual experi-ence that indelibly stamped theIsraelites with their unique character,their faith, and their destiny.”

The events leading up to this time—

the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery,the death of Egypt’s firstborn, the cross-ing of the Red Sea, the giving of mannafrom heaven and the giving of the law—were miracles that had a tremendousimpact on the history both of Israel andmuch of the world. As Christians, wesometimes forget that another great mir-acle has taken place in all our lives. It isone of the greatest miracles of all time ,the coming of God’s Holy Spirit.Celebrating another great miracle

The Feast of Pentecost is a celebra-tion of that event, a reminder to each ofus that God works in us through HisSpirit. For humans to be changed andled by God’s Spirit is one of the great-est miracles of all.

When we study the Day of Pentecostin the Bible, we find the beginnings ofthis great miracle. In Acts 1:8, we readChrist’s instructions to His disciples:“But you shall receive power when theHoly Spirit has come upon you; and youshall be My witnesses both in Jerusa-lem, and in all Judea and Samaria, andeven to the remotest part of the earth”(New American Standard Bible).

This promise from Christ was dramat-ically fulfilled within a few days of Hisstatement. This occurred on the Day ofPentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. Peterconcluded his sermon on that day withthese words: “Repent, and let each ofyou be baptized in the name of J esusChrist for the forgiveness of your sins;and you shall receive the gift of the HolySpirit. For the promise is for you andyour children, and for all who are far off,as many as the Lord our God shall callto Himself” (verses 38, 39, NASB).

After the physical manifestationsthat are described in the first verses ofActs 2, we find the Holy Spiritdescending on a large group of people.Their lives were changed dramatically.They were led by God’s Holy Spirit

from that time forward.The book of Acts is replete with the

stories of these people’s lives and theimpact they had on the society of tha tday. The change was so evident thatthey were accused of having “turnedthe world upside down” (Acts 17:6).Such was the dramatic, dynamic powerof the Holy Spirit.Being led by the Holy Spirit

When we make reference to some-one who is led by the Holy Spirit, asthese people were, we must make surewe understand what is being said. Thisis discussed in detail by the apostle P aulin Romans 8:1-28, where he shows howthe Holy Spirit works in the life of aChristian. In verse 14, Paul states: “Forall who are being led by the Spirit ofGod, these are sons of God.” Here wesee that a Christian is defined as onewho is led by the Spirit of God.

We find this same thought in verse9. Here Paul dogmatically states that ifyou don’t have the Spirit dwelling inyou then you do “not belong” to God(NASB).

The implication is that it is throughGod’s Spirit and “Christ in us” (Colos-sians 1:27) that we actually accomplishwhat we do as Christians, rather thanthrough our own efforts. The glory andcredit must go to God.

However, it isn’t enough to simplybe led by God’s Spirit. We must allowGod, through His Spirit, to rule overour lives. The Holy Spirit must beallowed to become the energizing forcein our lives to produce the qualities oftrue Christianity. We must ask ourselvesif we are truly being led by God’s Spiritand if we are allowing it to serve as theguiding force in our lives.Understanding the Holy Spirit

To grasp how God’s Spirit works inour lives, we must understand what

b y J i m F r a n k sb y J i m F r a n k s

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May 1996 35May 1996 35

God’s Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is not anindividual person, along with God theFather and Jesus Christ, forming a“Holy Trinity.” There simply is not bib-lical evidence for the Holy Spirit to bethought of as a separate person, apartfrom the Father and the Son. (See “JustWhat Is the Holy Spirit?,” p. 36.) InScripture, the Holy Spirit is described asthe power of God at work in our lives.This divine power of God emanatesfrom the Father, allowing us to be “ledby the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:14).

What does God’s Holy Spirit do forus as Christians? This question affectsthe very core of our religious beliefs,because without the power of God’sSpirit in our lives we would have norelationship with the Father. It isbecause this Spirit is dwelling withinus that we are the children of God(Romans 8:14-17).

It is important that we understandwhat it means to be “led by the Spirit. ”God’s Spirit doesn’t drive, drag or pushus around; it leads us. It will not pre-vent us from sinning, nor will it forceus to do what is right. It leads us, andwe must be willing to follow. God’s Spirit at work

Exactly how does God’s Spirit leadus? Let’s consider a few ways.

The Holy Spirit keeps us in contactwith God’s mind. God’s Spirit workswith our mind. The apostle Johndescribes it this way: “Now he whokeeps His commandments abides inHim, and He in him. And by this weknow that He abides in us, by theSpirit [which] He has given us” (1John 3:24). Through the Holy Spirit,which is given to us, we can be influ-enced by God for the good. This is incontrast to the situation in the worldaround us and our own human nature.

The Holy Spirit provides a deeperunderstanding of God’s Word and Hiswill for humanity. As 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 tells us: “But as it is written, ‘Eyehas not seen, nor ear heard, nor haveentered into the heart of man the thingswhich God has prepared for those wholove Him.’ But God has revealed themto us through His Spirit. For the Spiritsearches all things, yes, the deep thingsof God. For what man knows the thingsof a man except the spirit of the manwhich is in him? Even so no one knows

the things of God except the Spirit ofGod” (emphasis added throughout).

Without that Spirit, a person cannotunderstand God’s divinely expressedWord and will, “for they are foolish-ness to him; nor can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned”(verse 14).God’s help in overcoming

The Holy Spirit makes overcomingpossible. There is nothing too difficultfor us with the power of God workingin our lives. Romans 8:26 tells us tha tGod’s Spirit helps us in our weak-nesses. Paul, the writer of the letter tothe Romans, speaking for all of us said,“I can do all things through Christ whostrengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Jesus Christ promises Christians,“With God all things are possible”

(Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). TheChristian life is to be one of o vercom-ing. We must not believe that Godwants us to remain just as we are when-ever we are called. Instead, we must“not be conformed to this world, but betransformed by the renewing of yourmind” (Romans 12:2). Christianity is alifetime of overcoming and growing.

The Holy Spirit convicts our con-science and helps us see sin as it r eallyis. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, whichwould be given to His followers afterHis death, Jesus Christ said it would“convict the world of sin . . .” (John16:8). God’s Spirit within us, workingwith our conscience, helps us to recog-nize and avoid sin. The guilt that we feelis real, prompted by recognition of sins.

Hebrews 9:14 tells us that JesusChrist’s sacrifice “cleanse[s] your con-science from dead works to serve theliving God,” meaning that we have for-giveness from God, and, through repen-tance, we no longer need feel guilt for

our sins. Christ’s sacrifice washes awaythe sin in our lives, but we must stillcome to understand sin and how itaffects us. Repentance must precede theforgiveness that God promises to eachone of us, and repentance meanschange and effort to avoid sin.Fruit of God’s Spirit

The Holy Spirit produces godly fruitin our lives. Just as an apple tree pro-duces apples, God’s Spirit produces aparticular type of fruit in the life of aChristian. Galatians 5:22, 23 lists thefruit that should be evident in the lives ofthose who are led by God’s Spirit—love,joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness andself-control. Each aspect of this fruit isworthy of a detailed study in itself, cou-pled with a self-analysis to see to whatdegree it is are manifest in your life.

The Holy Spirit comforts andencourages us. Jesus Christ promisedto send His followers “another com-forter” (John 14:16, KJV). True com-fort and reassurance come from theSpirit of God dwelling in us. We neednot be unduly worried about the futureor what may happen to us. God’s Spiritgives us the assurance that whateverhappens will be for the good “to themthat love God, to them who are thecalled according to His purpose”(Romans 8:28).

This provides an outlook on life thatis quite rare in our world today. It iscertainly possible for a Christian tobecome discouraged, but it is throughthe Holy Spirit that we can begin tolook upon life differently. As notedabove, peace is one aspect of the fruitof God’s Spirit in the life of a Christian.Annual reminder of miracles

The gift of God’s Holy Spirit shouldmake us exceedingly thankful. Just aswe must recognize the great power ofGod to perform miracles in the days ofthe ancient Israelites, so we must not for-get the power of God to work miraclesin our lives.

The Feast of Pentecost is an annualreminder that God is still a miracle-working God. Whenever an individual isgranted God’s Holy Spirit, he becomes awalking miracle. One of the greatest mir-acles of all time is going on in our verymidst. That miracle is for a human beingto be led by God’s Holy Spirit! GN

God’s Spirit doesn’tdrive, drag or pushus around; it leadsus, and we must bewilling to follow.

Exactly who—or what—is theHoly Spirit? Many assume thatthe Holy Spirit, along withGod the Father and Jesus

Christ the Son, form what is commonlyknown as the Trinity. This doctrineexpresses a belief in one God who e xistsin three distinct but equal persons. Is theHoly Spirit a third divine person, alongwith God the Father and Jesus Christ?

The word Trinity doesn’t appearanywhere in the Bible. It didn’t comeinto common use as a religious termuntil after the Council of Nicea (A.D .325), several centuries after the lastbooks of the Bible were completed.

A.W. Tozer, in his book The Knowl-edge of the Holy, writes that the Trinityis an “incomprehensible mystery,” andthat attempts to understand it “must remain forever futile.” Headmits that churches, “without pre-tending to understand,” have neverthe-less continued to teach this doctrine.He concludes, “The fact that it [theTrinity] cannot be satisfactorilyexplained, instead of being against it,is in its favor” (Harper & Row, NewYork, 1961, pp. 17, 18, 23).

Unger’s Bible Dictionary, in its arti-cle on the Trinity, concedes that theTrinitarian concept is humanly incom-prehensible: “It is admitted by all whothoughtfully deal with this subject thatthe Scripture revelation here leads usinto the presence of a deep mystery;and that all human attempts at expres-sion are of necessity imperfect”(Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, p. 1118).

Why is the concept of the Holy Spiritas a third person of a supposedly triuneGodhead, along with God the Fatherand Jesus Christ, so difficult to grasp?

Because the Bible does not teach it!You cannot prove something from theBible that is not biblical. The Bible isour only reliable source of divine reve-lation and truth, and the Trinity con-

cept is not part of God’s revelation tohumankind.The Holy Spirit—the power of God

The Holy Spirit, rather than being adistinct person, is spoken of in theBible as being God’s divine power. TheAnchor Bible Dictionary, in its articleon the Holy Spirit, describes it as “[t]hemanifestation of divine presence andpower perceptible especially inprophetic inspiration” (Vol. 3, Double-day, New York, 1992, p. 260).

Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit asthe power of God (Zechariah 4:6;Micah 3:8). Paul told Timothy that it

is the “spirit of . . . power and of loveand of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7,emphasis added throughout).

Luke 4:14 records that Jesus Christbegan His ministry “in the power of theSpirit.” Speaking of the Holy Spirit,which would be given to His followersafter His death, Jesus told them, “Youshall receive power when the Holy Spirithas come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8).

Peter relates how “God anointedJesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spiritand with power, [and Jesus] went aboutdoing good and healing all who wereoppressed by the devil, for God waswith Him” (Acts 10:38). The HolySpirit is here associated with the powerby which God was with Him—thepower through which Jesus Christ per-

formed mighty miracles during Hisearthly, physical ministry. The HolySpirit is the very presence of God’spower actively working in His servants.

The apostle Paul’s desire was thatthe members of the church in Romewould “abound in hope by the powerof the Holy Spirit,” in the same waythat Jesus Christ had worked throughhim “in mighty signs and wonders , bythe power of the Spirit of God”(Romans 15:13, 19).Divine inspiration by the Spirit

Repeatedly the Scriptures reveal thatGod imparts His divine inspiration toHis prophets and servants through theHoly Spirit. Peter noted that “prophecynever came by the will of man, but holymen of God spoke as they were movedby the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

Paul stated that God’s plan had been“revealed by the Spirit to His holyapostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:5),and that his own teachings wereinspired by the spirit (1 Corinthians2:13). Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:9, 10,explains that God through His Spirithas revealed to us the things which Hehas prepared for those who love Him.God the Father is the Revealer, work-ing through His Spirit in those whoserve Him.

Jesus Christ told His followers thatthe Holy Spirit, which the Father wouldsend to them, “will teach you all things,and bring to your remembrance allthings that I said to you” (John 14:26).

It is through God’s Spirit within usthat we can gain spiritual understand-ing and insight. “For what man know-eth the things of a man, save [through]the spirit of man which is in him? Ev enso the things of God knoweth no man,but [through] the Spirit of God. Nowwe have received, not the spirit of theworld, but the spirit which is of God;that we might know the things that are

b y S c o t t A s h l e y

The Holy Spirit,rather than beinga distinct person, is spoken of in the

Bible as beingGod’s divine power.

Just What Is the Holy Spirit?Is it the third person of the Trinity, or something altogether different?

You might be surprised at what the Bible really says!

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freely given to us of God” (1 Corinth-ians 2:11, 12).

Jesus Christ had this spiritual under-standing in abundance. As the Messiah,He was prophesied to have “the Spiritof wisdom and understanding, theSpirit of counsel and might, the Spiritof knowledge and of the fear of theLORD” (Isaiah 11:2).

Other attributes of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is spoken of in many

ways that demonstrate that it is not adivine person. For example, the HolySpirit is referred to as a gift (Acts 10:45;1 Timothy 4:14). We are told that it canbe quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19),that it can be poured out (Acts 2:17;10:45), and that we are baptized with it(Matthew 3:11). It must be stirred upwithin us (2 Timothy 1:6), and it alsorenews us (Titus 3:5). These are cer-tainly not attributes of a person.

This Spirit is also called “the HolySpirit of promise . . . the guarantee ofour inheritance . . . the spirit of wis-dom and revelation . . .” (Ephesians1:13, 14, 17).

This Spirit is not only the Spirit ofGod the Father; it is also “the Spirit of

Christ” (Romans 8:9; Philippians 1:19;1 Peter 1:11). It dwells within Christ-ians, leading and enabling us to be chil-dren of God (Romans 8:14).

In contrast to God the Father andJesus Christ, who are consistently com-pared to human beings in their f ormand shape, the Holy Spirit is just asconsistently represented in a com-pletely different manner. It is describedas appearing as a dove (Matthew 3:16;Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32) andas “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3). JesusChrist compared it with “living water”(John 7:37-39).

There is further evidence that theHoly Spirit is not a person, but is thedivine power of God. In Matthew 1:20,we read that Jesus was begotten by theHoly Spirit (Moffatt translation). YetJesus Christ continually prayed to andaddressed the Father, not the HolySpirit, as His father (Matthew 10:32,33; 11:25-27; 12:50; 15:13; 16:17, 27;18:10, 35). He never represented theHoly Spirit as His Father.

Paul didn’t acknowledge the TrinityIf God were a Trinity, surely the

apostle Paul, who recorded much of the

theological underpinnings of the earlyChurch, would have understood andtaught this understanding. Yet we findno such concept in his writings.

Paul’s standard greeting in his lettersto churches, as well as individuals towhom he wrote, is, “Grace to you andpeace from God the Father and theLord Jesus Christ.” There is no mentionof the Holy Spirit.

This same greeting, with only minorvariations, appears in every epistle thatbears Paul’s name: Romans 1:7; 1 Cor-inthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Gala-tians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; andPhilemon 3.

The Holy Spirit is always left out ofthese greetings—an unbelievable over-sight if the Holy Spirit were indeed aperson coequal with God and JesusChrist.

This is even more surprising whenwe consider that the churches to whichPaul wrote had many gentile membersfrom polytheistic backgrounds whohad formerly worshiped numerous

May 1996 37

Much of the confusion amongEnglish-speaking peoples(and in English translations

of the Bible) regarding the nature ofthe Holy Spirit centers on the Greeklanguage’s use of gender pronouns.Greek, like the Romance languages(Spanish, French, Italian and others),uses a specific gender for every noun.Every object, animate or inanimate,is referred to as being either mascu -line, feminine or neuter.

A noun’s gender is usually arbi-trary and has nothing to do withwhether it in reality refers to some-thing masculine or feminine. Forexample, in French a book, livre, isreferred to in the masculine sense, asa “he.” In German, a girl, mädchen, isreferred to in the neuter sense, as an“it.” By contrast, in English, nounsthat aren’t specifically masculine or

feminine are referred to as ”it.”In the New Testament, the words

used most often in reference to theHoly Spirit are a mixture of mascu-line and neuter. The Greek wordparakletos is translated “Comforter”or “Helper.” The comforter thatChrist promised He would send tothe disciples in the 14th, 15th and16th chapters of John is a masculineword and thus would be referred toby the pronouns “he,” “him,” “his”and “himself” throughout those chap-ters. However, this is strictly a gram-matical tool and not a sta tement onthe nature of the Holy Spirit.

The other word used most often ofthe Holy Spirit is the Greek wordpneuma. It is translated as “breath”or “spirit” and means breath, breeze,wind or spirit. It is the root of ourmodern word pneumatic, meaning

pertaining to or operated by air orwind. Pneuma is a grammaticallyneuter word and thus should bereferred to in English by such neuterterms as ”it,” “its” or “itself.”

The translators of the King JamesVersion, influenced by the Trinitydoctrine, generally mistranslated pro-nouns referring to pneuma as mascu-line rather than neuter. There are afew exceptions in the KJV in whichthe translation was properly handled,such as Romans 8:16: “The Spirititself beareth witness with our spirit,that we are the children of God.”

Later English translations of theBible, following the lead of the KingJames Version, translated referencesto the Holy Spirit as masculine, thusit is almost always referred to as “he”or “him” in modern versions. GN

—Scott Ashley

GRAMMAR CONFUSES THE NATURE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Continued on page 40

38 The Good News

Before we search the Scriptures for the answers tothese questions, let’s examine some pertinent his-torical factors and language considerations. Baptism is rooted in the Old Testament. For exam-ple, in the book of Exodus, God required the prieststo ritually bathe themselves before offering sacri-fices (Exodus 30:17-20). The Jews properly viewedritual bathing as an act that represented cleansingfrom sin. In time, they applied this principle to gen-tiles desiring to convert to Judaism.

The Holman Bible Dictionary comments: “At somepoint close to the time of Jesus, Judaism began aheavy emphasis on ritual washings to cleanse fromimpurity. This goes back to priestly baths prior tooffering sacrifices (Leviticus 16:4, 24). Probablyshortly prior to the time of Jesus or contemporarywith Him, Jews began baptizing Gentile converts,though circumcision still remained the primaryentrance rite into Judaism” (article “Baptism”).

Because of this precedent, no one considered itstrange for John the Baptist or Jesus to emphasizebaptism in their ministries. Later, the apostles com-pared baptism to Old Testament events, Peterlikening Noah’s protection in the ark (1 Peter 3:20,21) and Paul likewise relating Israel’s crossing theRed Sea (1 Corinthians 10:2) as types, or forerun-ners, of baptism.

As Bible dictionaries show, the word translated intoEnglish as baptism is from the Greek word baptizo,meaning “to dip into” or “immerse.” The Greeklanguage clearly uses different words to expresssprinkling or pouring, none of which ever refers tobaptism. The New Testament reveals that baptismwas usually performed in a river, with those whowere baptized coming out of the water after beingimmersed.

Discussion: God sent a special messenger preced-ing Jesus Christ who taught the need for baptism.What was his message? (John 1:19-27).

• Did John the Baptist emphasize repentance asnecessary for baptism? What did John expect to seedemonstrated as a result of repentance? (Matthew3:1-11).

Note: John’s message regarding baptism differedfrom contemporary religious teaching in that hetaught that baptism was much more than simply asymbol of ceremonial cleansing. He taught a baptismof repentance, confession of sin and the need formoral cleansing (verses 5-8). For more information onrepentance, review the study “What Is Repentance?”in The Good News of January 1996.

• Did Jesus come to John the Baptist to be baptizedby John? How did the Father demonstrate Hisapproval of Christ’s baptism? (Matthew 3:13-17).

Note: The sinless Son of God did not need to bebaptized, but He sought baptism to fulfill all right-eousness and to set an example for His followers.Note verse 16, which states that Jesus “came upimmediately from the water.”

• After Jesus Himself was baptized, did He encour-age His disciples to be baptized and, on His behalf,to baptize others? Why do you think Christ taughtthis? (John 3:22; 4:1, 2).

• With what instructions did Jesus commission HisChurch before He ascended to heaven? (Mark16:16).

Note: Jesus felt that the need for baptism was soimportant He commissioned His Church to go allover the world and baptize disciples who believethe gospel message. Let’s now review in greaterdetail why baptism is so vitally important as aprocess of salvation.

• Why do you think Peter clearly emphasized theneed for repentance and baptism to receive the giftof God’s Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38).

Note: Converting to Christianity is more than simply

What the Bible Says About Baptism

What does the Bible teach about baptism? Baptism is one of the most important beliefsof Christianity, but why? What is this ceremony all about? Is baptism merely an archaicsymbol, or does it hold a deep meaning for the modern Christian? Does it matter

which method of baptism is used: sprinkling, pouring, immersion or some other technique?When should one be baptized? Let’s examine what the Bible says about this important subject.

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May 1996 39

accepting Christ as one’s personal Savior. Evendemons believe and know that Christ is the Son ofGod (James 2:19, 20), yet they are not offered salva-tion. Peter stresses the necessity for repentance andbaptism for the removal of sins. Repentanceinvolves a complete change in our thinking and arecognition of our need for the shed blood of Christto cleanse us from sin. As a result of this under-standing, the next step of salvation is baptism.

Baptism is a serious, life-altering commitment. Forthis reason, baptism is reserved for mature adultswho understand the importance of this meaningfulcommitment. In the whole of the New Testament,there is not a single example of an infant or childbeing baptized.

Discussion: How do you think Paul came to thisimportant understanding, comparing baptism to adeath, burial and resurrection? (Romans 6:3, 4).

Note: The symbolism of the watery grave of baptismcommunicates profound meanings. First, as an ordi-nance, baptism represents our faith in the death, bur-ial and resurrection of Jesus as our Lord and Master.We accept the shed blood of Christ for our sins andpicture the death of our former life in the baptismalgrave. As Christ was resurrected a spirit, our comingout of the grave (rising out of the baptismal waters)symbolizes our new, converted, Spirit-led life. Ourunderstanding the true meaning of repentance andconversion lifts baptism to more than symbol status;it becomes a profound, life-changing event!

Notice how Paul refers to baptism as a call to walkin “newness of life.” In Romans 6:11, he states thatwe, rather than facing death, are now “alive toGod in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Baptism is an out-ward sign of an inward change of heart and mind.This powerful picture of a new life committed toobedience and faith is so important it is also dis-cussed in 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 1:22-2:3; Ephesians4:22; and Colossians 3:10. As Paul mentions inRomans 6:1, 2, our new life in Christ Jesus shouldpropel those of us “who have died to sin” to desireto live in it no longer, that it should not reign overus. Finally, another symbol of baptism is that it pic-tures our faith in Jesus to resurrect us from deathwhen He returns (Romans 6:4; 8:9-11).

• What name should a Christian be baptized into?Why? (Matthew 28:19).

Note: We are baptized into the name of the Father,Son and Holy Spirit, not into any particular sect ordenomination. This does not mean, however, thatChristians should be independently preaching theirown messages. Christ established His Church andactively leads it to powerfully fulfill the commission

of Jesus Christ to baptize disciples and preach thegospel to the world (Mark 16:15, 16).

• What significant event should follow the act ofbaptism? (Acts 8:14-18).

Note: Baptism cleanses us from our past sins, butJesus Christ does not leave us alone to face thefuture. He offers us the precious gift of His HolySpirit to empower us for a life of overcoming andserving others and Him in obedience and faith.God’s Spirit is imparted to us by the “laying on ofhands.”

• In what way was the laying on of hands used inthe Old Testament? (Numbers 8:10-12).

Note: Much like baptism, the practice of laying onof hands has its history in the Old Testament. Inancient times, this practice, often accompanied byanointing with oil, set men apart for the specificoffices of king and priest. It was also invoked to setsacrifices apart for holy use.

Discussion: Since the time of Jesus, the laying on ofhands after baptism signifies the actual receiving ofthe Holy Spirit and the setting apart of a convert asa child of God. It is only through the gift of God’sSpirit that we can develop the godly attitude ofobedience and faith. Scriptures that refer to the lay-ing on of hands include Acts 9:18; Acts 19:6 and 2Timothy 1:6.

Further study: Baptism is an essential part of theprocess of conversion and salvation. All who repentof their sins and accept Jesus Christ as Savior shouldbe baptized. Our Savior was sinless, yet He was bap-tized as our example, and taught His disciples theimportant meaning of baptism. Baptism, performedin water deep enough to immerse or completely dipthe believer, holds profound meaning:

• It represents our faith in the death, burial and res-urrection of Jesus as our Lord and Master.

• It pictures a new, converted life on our comingout of the watery grave.

• It pictures our faith in Jesus Christ to resurrect usfrom death when He returns.

• It pictures our being set apart as children of God,and is followed by the laying on of hands, portray-ing the receiving of the Holy Spirit.

The result of baptism is the opportunity for you tohave a changed life with spiritual guidance anddirection through the indwelling of God’s HolySpirit, leading you into the Kingdom of God! GN

—Greg Thomas

Peter tried to explain this expectation tothe Sadducees when he said, “And weare His witnesses to these things, and soalso is the Holy Spirit [which] God hasgiven to those who obey Him” (Acts5:32). With obedience comes godly love.

Perhaps the actions that identify godly love are best illustrated by Christ’sadmonition to us to love our enemies(Luke 6:27, 32, 35). Our human emo-tions tell us we cannot love our enemies,but, with God’s Spirit, we can.

Godly love, then, is more than just a feeling. It includes action. John said,“My little children, let us not love inword or in tongue, but in deed and intruth” (1 John 3:18).

Paul told us to “pursue the thingswhich make for peace and the things bywhich one may edify another” (Romans14:19). Clearly, godly love entailsactive effort.

When we practice godly love, weestablish an emotional bond betweenus and God and between us and otherChristians. With this as our approach,Paul said nothing would “separate usfrom the love of Christ” (Romans8:35-39). Jesus Christ Himself saidpeople would recognize His disciplesby the love they showed for oneanother (John 13:34, 35).

The ties we Christians have for eachother come in large measure from ourunderstanding that godly love is morethan an unpredictable feeling. Galatians5:14 says: “For all the law is fulfilled inone word, even in this: ‘You shall loveyour neighbor as yourself.’” Some peo-ple believe this means God’s law is nolonger important if one can summon upan emotional feeling for his neighbor.

The preceding scriptures, however,show the error of this approach. In real-ity, someone who loves his neighbor ina godly way is respecting and obeyingGod’s law, not doing away with it. Paulwas not contradicting Jesus, the otherapostles and himself with his wordsabout love. God’s Holy Spirit makes itpossible for us to practice godly love.

“. . . and of a sound mind.”When God’s Holy Spirit lives in us,

we are to think different thoughts. In

Romans 12:2, Paul wrote, “Do not beconformed to this world, but be trans-formed by the renewing of your mind,that you may prove what is that goodand acceptable and perfect will of God.”

God’s Spirit makes it possible for us to prove, or test, God’s way for our-selves. We do not simply take someoneelse’s word for how we should live.

Paul illustrated this concept in his firstletter to the Corinthian church. “And myspeech and my preaching were not withpersuasive words of human wisdom,”Paul wrote, “but in demonstration of theSpirit and of power, that your faithshould not be in the wisdom of men b utin the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4,5). Paul wanted the Corinthian brethrento place their trust in God, not in him oranother human.

Paul continued: “But we speak thewisdom of God in a mystery, the hid-den wisdom which God ordainedbefore the ages for our glory, whichnone of the rulers of this age kne w; forhad they known, they would not havecrucified the Lord of glory. But as it iswritten: ‘Eye has not seen, nor earheard, nor have entered into the heartof man the things which God has pre-pared for those who love Him.’ ButGod has revealed them to us throughHis Spirit” (verses 7-10).

Paul wanted the members of thechurch at Corinth to understand thatGod’s Spirit helped them understandprinciples and truths hidden to others(verses 12, 13). He equated the Spirit-led mind of a Christian with “the mindof Christ” (verse 16). Through God’sHoly Spirit, we, too, can have a soundmind that understands God’s ways.

After Paul told Timothy to “stir upthe gift of God,” he gave him the fourconcepts to meditate upon (2 Timothy1:6, 7). Then he continued, in verse 8,“Therefore do not be ashamed of thetestimony of our Lord, nor of me Hisprisoner, but share with me in the suf-ferings for the gospel according to thepower of God.”

Paul urged Timothy to act on thepower he had been given. We also needto meditate on the Holy Spirit’s work-ing in our lives. Thinking on thesethings can help us to be powerful wit-nesses of His way of life.

Do not forget to stir up God’s gift! GN

Stir UpContinued from page 33

gods. Paul’s epistles record no attempton his part to explain the Trinity orHoly Spirit as a divine person equalwith God the Father and Jesus Christ.

In Paul’s writings, only in 2 Corinth-ians 13:14 is the Holy Spirit mentionedalong with God the Father and JesusChrist, and there only about our “fel-lowship of the Holy Spirit” (New Inter-national Version) with God and Christ.

The apostle Paul states clearly that“there is one God, the Father, of whomare all things . . . and one Lord JesusChrist . . .” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Hemakes no mention of the Holy Spirit asa divine person.Other perspectives

Jesus Christ did not speak of the Hol ySpirit as a third divine person; insteadHe only spoke of the relationshipbetween Him and God the Father(Matthew 26:39; Mark 13:32; 15:34;John 5:18, 22; 8:16, 18; 10:30; 13:3;17:11). Some passages, like Christ’s ref-erence to the “Helper” or “Comforter” inJohn 14, 15 and 16, could easily be readas referring to a person. However, thereis no reason to do so from the originallanguage (see “Grammar Confuses theNature of the Holy Spirit,” p. 37).

Most Bible scholars, as pointed out inmany translation notes, agree that theone biblical passage that most obviouslysupports a Trinity—the latter portion of1 John 5:7 and the beginning of the fol-lowing verse—is readily acknowledgedby Bible scholars as a spurious additionmade long after John’s epistle was writ-ten. The Expositor’s Bible Commentarydismisses this passage as “obviously alate gloss with no merit” (Vol. 12, Zon-dervan Publishing House, GrandRapids, 1981, p. 353).

In the final book of the Bible (andthe last to be written), the Holy Spiritis conspicuously absent. The bookdescribes “a new heaven and a newearth” (Revelation 21:1) wherein “thetabernacle of God is with men, andHe will dwell with them” (verse 3).Jesus Christ, “the Lamb,” is also there(verse 22). The Holy Spirit, however,is completely missing—an incredibleoversight if this Spirit is the third per-son of a Trinity. GN

Holy SpiritContinued from page 37

40 The Good News

May 1996 41May 1996 41

lical description. Egyptian history andculture generally matched the biblicalaccounts.

The archaeologist’s spade hasuncovered evidence of other ancientpeoples mentioned in Scripture. Onesuch example is the Hittite kingdom,mentioned only in the Bible, whichhad been dismissed by many critics as mythological. As Gleason Archermentions: “The references [in theBible] to the Hittites were treatedwith incredulity and condemned asmere fiction on the part of lateauthors of the Torah” (A Survey ofOld Testament Introduction, 1974, p.165). Yet, excavations in Syria andTurkey revealed many Hittite monu-ments and documents. These discov-eries proved the Hittites to have beena mighty nation, with an empireextending from Asia Minor to parts of Israel.

Also important was the discovery ofthe Dead Sea Scrolls, written in ancientHebrew script. The scrolls were foundin caves near the Dead Sea in 1947.Some of them are books of the OldTestament written more than 100 yearsbefore Christ’s time. Nevertheless,questions raised by earlier critics aboutthe Bible’s authenticity have shaken thefaith of many.

Added dimension in understandingThe International Standard Bible

Encyclopedia explains: “There werenineteenth-century scholars who wereconvinced that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,and perhaps even Moses were simplyimaginary creations of later Israeliteauthors. But archaeology has put thesepersons in a real world. As a result, ascholar such as J[ohn] Bright, afterdevoting thirty-six pages to the subject,can write, ‘the Bible’s picture of thepatriarchs is deeply rooted in history’. . . Archaeology supplies means forunderstanding many of the biblical situations[;] it adds the dimension ofreality to pictures that otherwise wouldbe strange and somewhat unreal, andtherefore it provides an element ofcredibility. While the person of faithdoes not ask for proof, he does want to

feel that his faith is reasonable and notmere fantasy. Archaeology, by supply-ing him with material remains frombiblical times and places, and by inter-preting these data, provides a contextof reality for the biblical story and rea-sonability for biblical faith” (1979,Vol. 1, p. 244).

Archaeological discoveries in Egyptand Iraq have been valuable in con-firming the biblical account. However,much evidence still remains beneath

the surface. Much of the territory ofthe biblical kingdoms of Israel andJudah remains to be archaeologicallyexplored.

Not until the end of World War I,when some of this area came underBritish control, did prolonged scientificsurveys and excavations begin.

After the Balfour Declaration in1917, Jews began to arrive in Pales-tine; the British, Americans and otherswere joined in digs by Jews in theirancestral homelands. Today there aresome 300 sizable excavations under-way in Israel, an extraordinary numberfor a country only 200 miles long and60 miles wide.

Archaeology makes a believer

The abundance of archaeologicalevidence in support of the Bible canstrengthen faith, and in some cases ithas greatly contributed to giving birthto belief where none existed before.

An example of physical evidencebuilding one’s faith is the life of Englishman William M. Ramsay(1851-1939). Born in the lap of lux-ury, Ramsay was dutifully raised as anonbeliever by his atheist parents. Hegraduated from Oxford Universitywith a doctorate in philosophy andbecame a professor at the Universityof Aberdeen.

Determined to undermine the histor-ical accuracy of the Bible, he studiedarchaeology with the aim of disprov-ing the biblical account. Once readywith the necessary scientific tools andlearning, he traveled to Palestine andfocused on the book of Acts, which hefully expected to refute as nothingmore than myth.

After a quarter-century of work,Ramsay was awestruck by the accu-racy of the book of Acts. In his questto refute the Bible, Ramsay discov-ered many facts which confirmed itsaccuracy.

He had to concede that Luke’saccount of the events and settingrecorded in the narrative were exacteven in the smallest detail. Far fromattacking the biblical account, Ramsayproduced a book, St. Paul, the Travel-ler and Roman Citizen, which sup-ported it.

Eventually, William Ramsay shookthe intellectual world by writing that hehad converted to Christianity. Ironi-cally, this man who set out to refute the Bible, found himself accepting theBible as God’s Word because of hisexplorations and discoveries. For hiscontribution to biblical knowledge withhis many books, he was knighted also.

The study of archaeology can helpfortify faith. It allows us to take a fasci-nating journey back in time to studythe stones and artifacts that bear mutebut compelling witness to the truth ofScripture.

What else has been found? Futurearticles in The Good News willdescribe discoveries that parallel andilluminate the biblical account. GN

ArchaeologyContinued from page 27

An atheist who set out to refutethe Bible found

himself acceptingthe Bible as God’sWord because ofhis archaeological

discoveries.

It’s the end of the month. The mort-gage and utility bills are due. Yourcar’s water pump just went out.The washing machine is making a

strange noise. Jimmy needs new sneak-ers. Tina wants $30 for her yearbook.The orthodontist is demanding anotherpayment. Money is constantly goingout, and it seems like there is neverenough coming in.

For many women, today’s cost of liv-ing has made working outside the homea virtual necessity, not just a choice.Many working wives would prefer notto work, and they often feel guilty whenthey do. Most feel overextended, andothers are constantly exhausted. Womenof the ’90s find themselves jugglingfamily responsibilities, household dutiesand the demands of an outside job.

If you find yourself in this predica-ment, what should you do? There are nomagic solutions, but perhaps some tips inthis article can make life a little easier.Do you feel guilty?

Do feelings of guilt plague you fromweek to week? Do you feel like you areneglecting your husband and children,preparing less-than-nutritious meals,letting the house go? These are realconcerns that worry working wives and mothers. If these matters are gettingyou down, what can you do?

Ask yourself, Why do I feel guilty?

Your answer will probably have some-thing to do with not spending enoughtime with your husband and children.

Then consider the example of theperfect woman. You can read about herin Proverbs 31:10-31. This archetype ofwife and mother spoken of by thewriter of Proverbs would have to besomething of a businesswoman and doat least some of her work outside herhome. Notice verse 16: “She considersa field and buys it; from her profits sheplants a vineyard.” Also, verse 24, “Shemakes linen garments and sells them,and supplies sashes for the merchants.”

Even this ideal woman of ancienttimes would have helped her husbandprovide for the family’s needs. Noticethat the perfect woman would enjoy agood relationship with her husband andchildren: “She watches over the ways ofher household, and does not eat thebread of idleness. Her children rise upand call her blessed; her husband also,and he praises her” (verses 27, 28).

This woman’s family obviouslywould not feel slighted. Why not? Shewould spend time with her husband andchildren and care for their needs. Shewould not concentrate so much on heroutside pursuits that she would neglecther loved ones. She would have her pri-orities straight, and the fruits of her lifewould prove it.

In reading this portrait of the modelwoman, we need not feel guilty if wecannot emulate all she would do. Youmay collapse in a heap if you try. Afterall, few of us can command householdservants and the financial means tomake major investments in real estate.

But that is not the point of the e xam-ple given for us. God wants us to seethe Proverbs 31 woman as an inspira-tion to help us fully realize our abilities.Learn from her industry, integrity and

resourcefulness, but also consider that,in the midst of all she would do, shewould still spend time with her f amily.With all this in mind, what can you do?Count the cost

Sit down with your husband and goover the cost—in money and time awayfrom your family—for you to work out-side the home. Answer these questions:

• How much extra money do youspend on car maintenance andgasoline? If you have two cars,could you get by with only one ifyou didn’t have a job?

• How much do you spend on childcare?

• Do you eat out in restaurants morethan you otherwise would?

• How much does it cost to buy theclothing appropriate for your job?

• Do you often work overtime?• How many hours are you away

from home each day?• All things considered, how much

extra money do you contribute tothe family income?

When you answer these questions,consider the bottom line—can youafford not to work? If so, then stopworking. Your guilt will disappearalong with your job.

If that’s not feasible, ask yourself ifyou are taking on more at work thanyou really need to. Think twice beforeagreeing to a promotion that will let youearn more money but will also increasestress and demand more of your time.

Instead, consider whether you canreduce the time you work, and still makeends meet. If so, then work fewer hours.You’ll spend more time at home withyour family and shed the guilty feelings.

Obviously, these suggestions won’twork for everyone. If you can’t quit, andyou can’t reduce your work time, you

The Juggling Act

b y D o n n a B u t l e r

For many women,today’s cost of living

has made workingoutside the home

a virtual necessity, not just a choice.

The Juggling ActWorking mothers, do you feel guilty?

42 The Good News

T H E C H R I S T I A N W O M A N

May 1996 43May 1996 43

need to face your situation squarely.Solicit the help of the whole family inan effort to set aside more time in yourlife for your loved ones. You may not beable to get rid of your guilty feelingsentirely, but at least you’ll be on yourway to alleviating them.Talk to your husband

Tell your husband you recognize thenecessity of your working outside thehome and express your willingness to do

so. But let him know that you often feelguilty and tired. Together, discuss howyou both might help lighten the load ofhousehold chores and errands. Discussways you can share the responsibility ofspending time with the children.

Maybe on one or two evenings amonth he or you could take the kidsout alone. This would give you bothtime to catch up on the chores thatalways seem to go undone. After all,the children will enjoy their time alonewith you, and with their father.

Talk about ways you and your hus-band can spend time together. Plan atleast one evening out every few weeks.Or, if your workplaces are near enough,

make a date at least once a week forlunch. Taking this small amount of timeout of your busy schedules will giveyou time together away from the chil-dren and enrich your marriage.Ask the children hard questions

Do your children feel neglected orslighted because you are working? Askthem. You may be surprised to find thatthey don’t think about it nearly as muchas you do.

You’ll probably discover that theircomplaints are more specific than gen-eral. You didn’t have time to go to theschool play, or you missed your son’sball game. They may complain that youare grouchy. Maybe you sometimessnap at them when you are tired.

When everyone has aired his or hercomplaints, work out some compro-mises on ways to be more available forimportant events. Discuss how yourkids can help out around the house tofree up more of the time you do ha ve athome. This will produce more familyinvolvement from you and more under-standing from the children.

Some women feel they have to be

the perfect wife and mother, display thecleanest house on the block, serve upthe best food in the neighborhood, joinseveral neighborhood organizations andattend every child’s every activity, aswell as maintain a full-time job outsidethe house. Nothing short of Super-woman will do.

As my teenage daughter would say,“Get a life!”. Superwoman is a figmentof your imagination. No one can do theimpossible, and you’ll only tire andfrustrate yourself if you try.Arrange your priorities

A better idea is to set in order yourpriorities. Make yourself sit down andmeditate on what is most important toyou. Your relationship with God shouldbe at the top of your list. No matter ho wbusy life seems, making time every dayto communicate with God throughprayer and studying His Word shouldbe your highest priority.

Through communicating with God,you can solicit the power of the uni-verse. Talk to God about the stress youare under. Beseech Him for answers tothe problems that burden you. Explainyour circumstances, and trust Him for

the help you need to put everything inits proper perspective.

Obviously, your husband and chil-dren should be next on your list of pri-orities. How can you improve familyrelationships and show each familymember how much you love him orher? Each week, take time to thinkabout each one individually. Is anyonehypersensitive? Does someone seemdiscouraged or preoccupied? Be alert tosubtle signals from a loved one whomay be feeling neglected and spendextra time with that person.

Resolve to carry out some small actsContinued on page 47

Women today findthemselves jugglingfamily responsibilities,household duties andthe demands of an outside job.

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May 1996 4444 The Good News

College and university entranceexams, IQ tests, grades,scholastic ranking: Educatorsmake use of many tools and

methods to categorize students accord-ing to intelligence.

From primary school well into college and even into the job market,young people are faced with a barrageof tests to determine their intelligence.The underlying assumption, common toboth schools and homes and constantlydrummed into the minds of children, isthat only the most intelligent are mostsuccessful in life.

Is this true? Are those born with nat-ural, hereditary intelligence destined tobe successful while others are doomedto failure? In school, when every child isclassified according to his intelligence,some come to the conclusion that life isunfair, and success is determined by theinherited quality of brain matter.

Quite a few children who eventuallycome to the conclusion that they willnever amount to much because theirgrades are below average, drop out ofschool in despair at ever contributingsomething worthwhile to society. Somemay even let the resentment lead theminto delinquent, destructive life-styles.They think they cannot succeed, so theyset out to prove it.

On the other hand, others who areintellectually gifted think life is theirsfor the taking. They are the proud pos-sessors, according to tests and grades,of a superior intellect and thereforeincorrectly assume they are bound tosucceed.What determines success in life?

Is success in life largely determinedby the intelligence you were born with?What is intelligence, anyway, and howimportant is it in life?

Researchers who study intelligencehave come up with startling results.Some 4-year-old children were sub-

jected to a simple test to see if theirfuture success could be accurately deter-mined. The psychologist in charge tookeach one into a room and told the child,“You can have this marshmallow rightnow if you want. But, if you wait until Icome back, I will give you anothermarshmallow.”

Then he left. Some children immedi-ately ate their marshmallows. Otherswaited a few minutes until the delaybecame unbearable and then theydevoured theirs. But some were deter-mined to wait. Observing the childrenthrough a two-way mirror, researcherswatched as some closed their eyes ortucked their heads to avoid the temptingmorsel, some sang to themselves, othersplayed, and some eventually fell asleep.

When the psychologist returned, thekids received their extra, hard-wonmarshmallow. The results wererecorded, then the children’s perfor-mance was traced through their laterschool years. By the time the childrenreached high school, some trends intheir behavior had become obvious. Theresearchers found that the children whohad waited for the extra marshmallowgenerally were the best adapted, mostpopular, confident and responsibleamong the group. Those who hadyielded early to the temptation stood thebest chance of becoming loners, or eas-ily frustrated or set in their ways.

When the students took the Scholas-tic Aptitude Test (SAT), a gauge used bymany colleges to measure academicaptitude, those who had resisted thetemptation to quickly eat the marshmal-low scored, on average, 20 to 25 percenthigher than the rest of the group.Emotional intelligence vital

It is becoming popular for someresearchers to use the phrase “emotionalintelligence” to describe such attributesas understanding and controlling one’sown emotions, showing empathy

I n t e l l i g e n c eb y M a r i o S e i g l i e

I n t e l l i g e n c eIs intelligence the most important factor for success?

Research shows that many young

people may be mistakenly deciding

to give up early inlife because of wrong

assumptions abouttheir intelligence and their ability

to succeed.

J U S T F O R Y O U T H .

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towards the feelings of others and con-trolling one’s own behavior in a way thatimproves one’s sense of well-being.

Recently Harvard psychologist Dr.Daniel Goleman authored a book on thissubject, titled Emotional Intelligence,after a decade of investigating how themind produces emotions. He sees aneed to redefine what “intelligence”means. His conclusion from hisresearch: When we try to determinewhat produces success, it is character, orthe ability to resist temptation by devel-oping will power, self-control andempathy, which is more important thanthe intellectual power of the brain asmeasured by standard IQ tests and SATexams.

Of course, it is wonderful if both abil-ities, the intellectual capacity and emo-tional strength and maturity, are held inabundance by a person. But, in generalterms, researchers on the subject agreethat the IQ, or the intelligence quotientof a person, contributes to only about 20percent of success in life.

In light of such findings, the tradi-tional idea of intelligence as the majorpredictor of success is being reconsid-ered. Rather than intelligence dictatingone’s success or failure in life,researchers are finding that intelligencemay be, in reality, a relatively minor fac-tor in one’s success in later life.

Their findings should give hope tothose who may have simply lost moti-vation because they thought their per-formance on intelligence tests indicatedthat much of their future was alreadydetermined. The research shows thatmany young people may be makingmisguided decisions about quittingbased on wrong assumptions abouttheir ability to succeed.Five kinds of intelligence

Now, supported with findings fromreal-life experiences, psychologists aretaking a closer look at assumptions re-garding intelligence. While some clas-sify character traits as part of a person’sintelligence, other psychologists divideintelligence into five basic categories:

• Social intelligence: This is the abil-ity to understand another’s actions, feel-ings and motivations. This cannot bemeasured by a standard intelligence test,yet it may well be the most valuablecharacteristic for success in life. Thistype of intelligence leads to getting

along amicably and working well withothers. Often this skill appears early inlife, as when children can sense others’feelings and react appropriately. Forexample, the child may ask, “Why isMommy sad today?”

Normally, those with a high level ofsocial intelligence grow up to be skillfulin developing valuable personal relation-ships. A person with superior abstract

intelligence but who is callous towardothers will usually end up with manyconflicts and disappointments throughlife because of an inability to buildproper social relationships.

• Athletic intelligence: Highly coor-dinated intelligence and communicationbetween the brain and the rest of thebody characterize those with high ath-letic intelligence. Until recently, thisskill was not considered “mental,” now,however, more scientists are accepting

the idea that it is the brain’s superiorcapacity in this area that permits, forexample, athletes and ballerinas to cal-culate the time, length and strength oftheir movements.

Those who have this particular abilitycan easily coordinate even the smallestactions, which are helpful for delicatesurgical procedures, rapid typing andplaying musical instruments.

• Linguistic intelligence: People withthis ability are highly capable in verbaland written expression. This talentenables people to read and quickly graspconcepts. They express themselves easilyand many become able writers, newspa-per reporters, teachers or lawyers.

• Logical intelligence: This is theskill involved in reasoning and solvingcomplex abstract problems. A high levelof logical intelligence can lead to suc-cess in such careers as mathematics,

May 1996 45May 1996 45

Psychologists are learning that being intelligentis not just a matter of having a high IQ. There

are at least five basic types of intelligence:social, athletic, linguistic, logical and spatial.

philosophy, astronomy, engineering,physics and biology.

• Spatial intelligence: Those withhigh levels of spatial intelligence caneasily see relationships between colors,dimensions and perspectives, and theyare usually sensitive toward music andart. They generally are most successfulas painters, sculptors, musicians, archi-tects or designers.

Most people have each of these capa-bilities to varying degrees. However, ittakes time and effort to discover anddevelop your particular strengths. Manyhave needlessly lost hope because theydidn’t have good grades, so they throwin the towel, not knowing they may havehad hidden skills just waiting to bedeveloped.

According to French geneticist AlbertJacquard, “Human beings are born withonly 30 percent of the brain fully con-nected. This means the rest is developedby learning and the environment.” Healso states that one can surpass thepotential intelligence inherited if thereexists a favorable climate for learningand the person truly desires to improvethe capacity for learning.

Famous “failures” from historyIt is surprising how many notable

people did not let their initial failures in school and intelligence tests dampentheir spirits, but through patient and con-stant use were able to develop theirintelligence enormously. Here are a fewexamples.

• Sir Winston Churchill: WhileChurchill was still young, his fatherthought he was so dim-witted that hewould never be able to earn a living inEngland. A hyperactive child, Churchillenjoyed history and literature (he hadgreat linguistic intelligence) but refusedto study math and entered school at thebottom of the class. Twice he failed theentrance exam to Sandhurst, the famousBritish military college. Finally, on thethird try, he passed. Churchill went on tobecome a legendary statesman, includ-ing leading his country as prime minis-ter through World War II. He later wonthe Nobel Prize for literature.

• Albert Einstein: Because he spokehaltingly for the first nine years of hislife and would only answer after a pro-longed period of reflection, Einstein’sparents thought he was mentallyretarded. His grades in school were sopoor (except for math; he had logicalintelligence) that a teacher asked him toquit, saying, “Einstein, you will neveramount to anything.” He failed hisentrance exams to Zurich’s PolytechnicInstitute and had to reapply for the fol-lowing year.

Even after finishing school, he had ahard time finding and holding down ajob. Meanwhile, in his spare time, hewas busy formulating his first conceptsof the theory of relativity. Recently, inan opinion poll taken by The Washing-ton Post, Einstein was voted by histori-ans and scientists as the most impor tantscientist of the last 1,000 years.

• Pablo Picasso: Young Pablo’sfather pulled him out of school at age 10 because as a child, all he wanted todo was paint. He had enormous spatialintelligence, which was undetected bystandard tests. Barely able to read orwrite, to enable him to enter high

school, his father hired a tutor, but theinstructor gave up since Picasso refusedto learn math. Later, although he passedhis art-school examinations with flyingcolors, he soon quit out of boredom.

Then Picasso studied painting on hisown and struggled for years before sell-ing his first work. However, he latercame to be considered a genius in hisfield by many art critics, and his paint-ings have sold for millions of dollars.Yet, by conventional wisdom and thegrades he made, he should have quit try-ing to be a success.Vital lesson to learn

What should we learn from theseexamples? We should learn never togive up. It is more important to developcharacter skills, which depend more ondiligence, perseverance and disciplinethan those based on hereditary intelli-gence. These traits have proven time andtime again to be far more important inachieving success than other factors.

Ross Perot, self-made American mul-timillionaire and presidential candidate,recently addressed the graduating classof a small university. He first directedhis comments to those ranked academi-cally in the top of the class and w arnedthem that many would not succeedbecause they would rely on their intelli-gence and not fully apply themselves.

Then he addressed those who wereranked in the middle of the class. Hesaid they actually held the biggestopportunity to succeed in life becausethey knew the rewards would not comeeasily and would not take their firstachievements for granted. They under-stood they would have to work hard andpersevere to succeed.Who will win the race?

All of this brings to mind one ofAesop’s fables: the race between the tortoise and the hare. At the start of thecontest, the hare, naturally endowedwith great speed, took off and leapt farahead. Then he paused, realized theextent of his lead and took it easy. Heeven lay down for a nap.

When he woke up, however, the tor-toise was nowhere in sight. The haretook off desperately, but, as he nearedthe finish line, he saw that the tortoisehad already won.

The Bible, especially in the book of Proverbs, gives young people manyprinciples about lasting success. TheseGod-inspired proverbs focus more oncharacter-building traits of diligence,effort, perseverance, honesty and therespect of God rather than on thosetraits of raw, natural intelligence.

For instance, Proverbs 12:24, 27says: “The hand of the diligent willrule, but the slothful will be put toforced labor . . . The slothful man doesnot roast what he took in hunting, butdiligence is man’s precious possession.”Dozens of other proverbs make similarpoints about the value of such traits.

According to some scientists, toomuch raw intelligence, and not enoughcharacter values, can lead to an undesir-able imbalance. It seems that the steadyand time-tested character traits such ashumility, patience, discipline, punctual-ity, effort and friendliness have thebiggest chance of helping one achieve a lasting and enjoyable success.

It appears the ancients had it right:The tortoise often does win the race. GN

Albert Einstein’s grades in school were so poor that a teacher asked him to quit, saying he would never amount to anything.

46 The Good News

May 1996 47May 1996 47

of kindness for everyone in the family.They don’t have to be big, expensive ortime-consuming. Include a love note inyour husband’s briefcase or sockdrawer. Read a young child a story.Compliment your teenage daughter onher appearance. Play catch with yourson in the backyard.

Regularly spend some solo timewith each one. Some of the moments I treasure most from my childhood arethe times I spent talking with Mom orDad. In our family of eight, the undi-vided attention of either parent wassomething not to be taken lightly. Bynot neglecting these seemingly smalltasks, you will build memories yourfamily will talk about for years tocome.

When you have placed God andfamily as your top priorities, make alist of every task you think you have toaccomplish, and don’t worry about theorder. Look at each point and ask your-self: What would happen if I didn’t dothis at all? What if I didn’t do this asoften? Can one of the children do this?

Write your answer beside each item.As you go through this list, you willprobably be surprised to find that thereare indeed some things you can get bywith not doing at all or at least notdoing as often.Teach your children

Enlisting the help of your children inother areas can free up time. Sure, thekids might not do certain chores as wellor as thoroughly as you, but at least thechores will get done. In the meantime,you’ll be teaching your children to beresponsible members of the family.

Shorten some tasks by tackling themas a family rather than spending moretime accomplishing them alone. Forexample, ask your son or daughter tohelp you fold the laundry while f illingyou in on what happened at school .

Evaluate your personal practices. Doyou eat right? Are you getting enoughsleep? Do you get any exercise? If youfeel tired and run down all the time, nowonder you’re grouchy. Improper diet,not enough rest and no exercise can robyou of energy and health as well asyour good cheer.

Plan family meals so that you makeone meal do double duty. Spend a littlemore time preparing nutritious foodwhose leftovers you can freeze and useagain next week. Extra time spent oneday can save you hours on an evenbusier day. By carefully planning, youcan minimize time spent in the kitchen,eat less pizza and other fast food andenjoy a healthier diet.

Set a realistic time to go to bed, andthen stick to it. Strive to get seven oreight hours of sleep each night. Don’t lethousehold tasks prevent you from goingto bed on time. When you feel rested,you’ll be more cheerful and have moreenergy to tackle those daily chores, andthey won’t seem nearly so imposing.

You’ve heard it before and you’llprobably hear it again: Women hateexercise. But you might as well f ace it:A balanced exercise program does pro-mote better health. You have to getmoving, even if it’s just to take a walkwith your husband or involve yourselfwith some other physical activity withthe kids. Whatever it takes, move!

After you evaluate your life using thesteps you have just read, you will knowfor sure whether a job outside the homeis necessary. If you have found thatindeed you must work, don’t feel guilty.Formally listing your priorities willmake sure you put God and f amilywhere they belong, at the top of the list,and physical tasks where they belong,at the bottom of the list.

Enlisting your family’s help will freeup time and foster family fellowship.Getting enough rest and exercise andeating properly will provide you theenergy to gain the maximum benefitfrom the time you do have.Trust God to help

Having done this, take the apostlePaul’s advice, which should help yourpeace of mind: “Be anxious for noth-ing, but in everything by prayer andsupplication, with thanksgiving, let yourrequests be made known to God; andthe peace of God, which surpasses allunderstanding, will guard your heartsand minds through Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:6, 7).

Life may not be ideal, but know thatyou are doing your best in an imper -fect world. Trust God to help you withthe rest. GN

JugglingContinued from page 43

We write to thank you for The Good News magazine and to say we aredelighted that it is indeed good news.The gospel has not changed and it isrefreshing to read articles like these thathelp us to appreciate that the numerouspast years have not been wasted, assome would like to have us believe.

Thank you again and please keep upthe high standard of content.

Mr. and Mrs. M. MorreelTauranga, New Zealand

I was happy and thankful to get TheGood News and the booklets. It is sogood to read the truth and to kno w thatothers also stood up for the truth. I didn’t realize just how precious God’struth and calling was to me until otherssaid it doesn’t matter. I could not tradethe truth of God for fable. My very lifedepends on the truth that the lovingFather gave to me.

Cletus PingelMoberly, Missouri

I have supported the Church of Godfor many years even though I wasn’t amember. I followed Mr. Armstrong’steachings and kept all of The PlainTruth and The Good News magazinesfor many years back. It seemed tha t Ijust put off joining the Church. I feelthat I am being led to suppor t theUnited Church of God and I wouldlike to start receiving The Good Newsmagazine.

John Leon Morris, Sr.Portsmouth, Virginia

Thank you for all your work in pro-ducing the booklets and The GoodNews. It is wonderful to finally feel apart of a Church that wants to accom-plish the commission God gave us: toproclaim the gospel to the world. Let’sall stay humble and pray that God willdo His Work through us as He sees f it.

Suzan JohnsLititz, Pennsylvania

Editor’s note: Published letters may beedited for clarity and space. Write to us at: The Good News,Box 661780, Arcadia, CA 91066

Letters FromOur Readers

Your spiritual nourishment isimportant to us, and we’re

ready to help you in any way possi-ble, from simple informationalneeds to personal ministerial coun-sel. Here’s how to learn more:

The United Church of God hasalmost 300 congregations and morethan 450 ministers in virtually allstates and many international areas.For locations and times of servicesin your area, write or call the addres-ses listed inside or dial our f ax infor-mation service. Visitors are alwayswelcome.

Two exciting publications are avail-able to you free of charge: NewBeginnings, which is the newsletter

of the United

Church of God; andThe Good News, the bi-monthly,full-color magazine you are nowholding in your hands. For your freesubscriptions write the address near-est you. The United Church of Godalso offers booklets on a number of

bibli-cal topics ofvital interest. Allare sent free upon request.

Using an ordinary fax machine, youcan dial (818) 294-0818 and getinstant information on a wide range of topics, from doctrine todetails on church services. A com-plete menu of choices guides youthrough how to receive by faxinformation such as the location ofministers and congregations nearyou, current and back issues of NewBeginnings, Bible study and sermonsummaries, news releases, detailson our audio-and videotape service, and more. Simply use the handset on your fax machine to dial the number and fol-low the voice instructions.

If you have no nearby congregationyou can attend, you may have ser-mon and Bible study tapes maileddirectly to you at no cost. Simplymail your request to the homeoffice.

Use your home computer to accessthe United Church of God homepage on the World Wide Web por-tion of the Internet. The address

http://www.ucg.org/ gives youaccess to general information and current news about the Church,automatic E-mail forms for con-tacting the home office, issues of

The Good News and the New Beginnings newsletter, booklets,church locations and ministers, fes-tival information, facts about ourcomputer bulletin board, and more.

How to get more information

Printed Publications

Audiotapes and Videotapes

Local Congregations

Fax Information Service

United Church of Godan International Association

World Wide Web Page