We continue our review of biblical assumptions that, upon proper understanding, may be different from that which may have been understood by some earlier in life as being true.
FALSE ASSUMPTION No.9
Whenever you see a painting of Jesus on the cross (better: stake), generally there seems to be very little blood on His face or body. You would have thought that after all the beatings and thrashings that He had had, it would be shown clearly in any such paintings, but not so, and the reality will come as a shock to many.
Wikipedia observes that the movie “‘The Passion of the Christ’ is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald and primarily covers the final twelve hours before Jesus Christ’s death, known as ‘the Passion’. Pilate attempts to appease the crowd by ordering Jesus flogged, and [He] is brutally scourged by the Roman guards.”
This film, amongst all those that have been made about the life and death of Jesus, probably came closest to the horrendous and appalling action that took place on that fateful day. It seemed to shock so many in its gruesome portrayal, no doubt because of the “sanitised” versions that they may have been used to previously, due to a complete lack of reality and understanding by the artists’ portrayal of Jesus’ crucifixion over the course of the last 2,000 years. Of course, nobody knows how Jesus looked, and the portrayal of Him in the movie is most probably wrong; we are just commenting on the brutal nature of His suffering. When it comes to His appearance as a Man, we do not know Him as such any longer (2 Corinthians 5:16). His real appearance today, in His powerful glorified state, and not as the helpless suffering Messiah on the cross, is described in Revelation 1:12-16.
We read in Isaiah 52:13-14:
“Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men…”
Verse 13 shows that it must be about Jesus as the context shows. Likewise, in Psalm 22 where the sub-heading in some Bibles is “The Suffering, Praise and Posterity of the Messiah,” we read in verse 1 that Jesus cried out with the words that begin this Psalm: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” In Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, these very words are quoted. The Father forsook Him at this moment for a very short time as Jesus bore the sins of all humanity, and God is of purer eyes than to behold and to look on such great wickedness and iniquity (Habakuk 1:13). There are many more references in this Psalm which show how Jesus suffered for us all.
Countless people will have been misled by many artists’ impressions of the Saviour of mankind due to the fact that He was unrecognisable after a brutal beating and will have, therefore, made false assumptions through the actions of others!
What we need to recognize is the enormous degree of pain and suffering inflicted on Christ for our sakes, and every time we sin, we should remember the fact that each sin necessitated His suffering and death. It also shows that we, and we alone, are guilty and responsible for His Sacrifice.
FALSE ASSUMPTION No.10
One of God’s Commandments is not to tell lies, as we read in Exodus 20:16: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
It was interesting to read on the “LiveScience” website an article in 2015, entitled “Understanding the Most Destructive Human Behaviours.” It talked about why we do stupid stuff. It stated that: “Compared with most animals, we humans engage in a host of behaviours that are destructive to our own kind and to ourselves.”
It showed that human beings lie which is not that surprising, and one survey showed that people lie frequently, with 60 percent lying at least once during a 10-minute conversation!
In Acts 5, we read about Ananias and Sapphira lying when answering Peter after they sold a possession. We read this account in Acts 5:1-11. They kept back part of the price of the land for themselves while giving the impression that they had given all. The outcome was that they both died for lying. In verse 4, we read: “…You have not lied to men but to God.”
Their sin was not in holding back part of the proceeds. It was their land, and they did not have to give anything to the Church. Their sin was that they said they sold it all and gave everything to the Church.
The Bible doesn’t give the reason for their behavior but maybe they fell into the trap of wanting to be seen as giving more than they actually were giving, thereby longing for the praise of men, and they may have felt that a little lie never hurt anyone.
In Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, we read about Acts 5:1-11:
“The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminentdisciples, when they were not true disciples… They thought to deceive the apostles… But whatever Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the heart of Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, which so manifestly spoke and acted by the apostles. The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavouring to impose upon the apostles with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. But if we think to put a cheat upon God, we shall put a fatal cheat upon our own souls.”
Many feel today, that a little white lie doesn’t harm anyone, and it is true that anyone can make a mistake on the spur of the moment and give false information, but it can become a habit. Liars will not make it into the Kingdom of God and they are an abomination to God (see Proverbs 12:22; Colossians 3:9; Revelation 21:8 and Revelation 22:15). Lying is part and parcel of everyday life and can rub off on us if we are not careful.
White lies are often described as being about rather small, insignificant, trivial or unimportant matters, and as being harmless to others. They are harmful to others as they can break trust with people but, more importantly, they are forbidden by God.
The false assumption is that we can lie when we feel it necessary, maybe even to cover up for someone else, but that is not good enough for God. We must always remember Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
FALSE ASSUMPTION No.11
The Place of Safety is something that has long been discussed within the Church of God. In our Q&A “What are the biblical proofs for your teaching that members of the Church of God will be protected at a particular ‘place of safety,’ here on earth, during the Great Tribulation?”, we write the following:
“One of the key passages, promising God’s end-time Church protection on this earth, at a particular place, can be found in Revelation 12:13-17. The passage reads:
“(13) Now when the dragon (Satan the devil, Revelation 12:9) saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child (Jesus Christ). (14) But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness TO HER PLACE [New International Version: “to the place prepared for her in the desert”], where she is nourished [Living Bible: “cared for and protected”; Amplified Bible: “where she is to be kept safe and fed”] FOR A TIME AND TIMES AND HALF A TIME [Living Bible: “for three and a half years”], from the presence of the serpent. (15) So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. (16) But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. (17) And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The Place of Safety will be located here on earth, not in heaven. Some members of the true Church of God will be protected by God at that place. The Bible does not teach that they are taken up to heaven to be protected there during the time of the Great Tribulation. The concept of the “secret rapture” is wrong and of demonic origin.
There was a time when many thought that Petra in Jordan might be the place, and perhaps there may still be some with that same persuasion today. But the Bible doesn’t explicitly say so, and Mr. Armstrong made very clear that the Bible does NOT reveal the location.
The Topical Encyclopedia states that “The concept of ‘The Place of Safety’ is a topic of interest and debate among biblical scholars and theologians, often associated with eschatological themes and God’s protection of His people during times of tribulation.
“Throughout history, various Christian groups have identified specific locations as potential places of safety, often based on prophetic interpretations. These include Petra in Jordan and other remote or fortified areas believed to offer protection during times of persecution or tribulation.”
In addition to the fact that we do not know where the Place of Safety will be located, we do notknow either when members of God’s Church will be protected there. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 about His return to earth: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
No one knows the exact time of Jesus’ return to earth and the Bible shows that God’s people will be protected for 3½ years here on earth, prior to His return. However, whenever and wherever it will be, it will be revealed in God’s perfect timing, and God will also make sure that those whom He wants there will get there. We must beware of making any false assumptions on this matter.
FALSE ASSUMPTION No.12
There is one Old Testament book that clearly shows that we have to be careful about making false assumptions. It is the book of Job where he and his three friends engage in a discussion about why his suffering was so intense. God allowed Job to be tempted by Satan who was “not allowed to lay a hand on his person” (see Job 1:12). Job lost his property and children in a series of calamitous events and while Satan was not allowed to kill him, he troubled him greatly, as we read in Job 2:7: “So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
Job’s three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar made an erroneous judgment in simplistically assuming all that Job was going through was due to very specific sinful conduct. They accused him very harshly, but wrongly, because they were unable to see that Job’s sin was that of self-righteousness. Satan was unable to see that either, and Job was only able to recognize his sin at the very end of the book. To accuse someone wrongfully is easy to do; to come to a wrong conclusion which we will all have done at one time or another.
Job learned about the dangers of self-righteousness, of comparing himself with others. He even felt that he was more righteous than God. He will have learned other things, as we all do, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our great God. Job repented and lived after his afflictions one hundred and forty years, and then died old and full of days (Job 42:16-17).
We see that God used Satan to deal with Job to make him realize that even he was not without sin and that his self-righteousness was much inferior to God’s righteousness.
This case is a classic one of making false assumptions, although, in the end, Job’s friends will have realised this.
(To be continued)
Lead Writers: Brian Gale and Norbert Link