Before sitting at my computer to write this editorial, I decided to
catch the mid-day national and international news on television. There
was a breaking story in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), India. Eight
(8) bombs had been set off on trains in Mumbai with the result that
hundreds of people were either killed or injured!

It seems no
matter where one looks today, turmoil is erupting somewhere in the
world. The United States and Britain, as well as other nations, are at
war in Iraq; and within the country of Iraq, factions have erupted into
civil war. The Gaza Strip has become a powder keg as emotions between
Israel and Palestine are about to burst. Iran continues to cause
concern for all peace-loving nations. And there seems to be no peace
anywhere within the Middle East. In fact, we are presently witnessing an outright war in that region.

And now, Korea has begun flexing
its muscles, causing anxiety throughout that part of the world, with
Japan, China, and South Korea all being put on alert by the actions of
the North Koreans.

What is happening within the family of man? Why does there seem to be no peace on the earth? Where did this all begin?

When
God created mankind some 6,000 years ago, He explained to the original
human parents of all mankind the Way that would lead to peace in the
world. But Adam and Eve chose at that time to reject God’s instruction,
choosing, rather, to walk in the way of “good and evil.” Thus, having
rejected the Way of peace, mankind has reaped the fruit of their
choice! The history of mankind reflects the result that was derived
from their choice!

As prophesied, mankind finds himself on the
brink of total annihilation. Many see no hope for the future of
mankind. Yet, the Eternal God has a totally different idea for the
future – a specific and glorious purpose for man’s destiny!

God
is in the process of building and enlarging His own Family through
which the creation will be preserved into the future. God the Father
will build His own Family on the foundation already laid by the first
of the firstfruits of God’s Family, Jesus Christ. Jesus became the
chief cornerstone of a foundation of strength, based upon the
principles God has established whereby all must live. It is the same
foundation which was rejected in the beginning by Adam and Eve!

We
have been called to become firstfruits within God’s Family. We must be
walking in the Way Christ walked while on the earth – He being the
First of the firstfruits! We are to learn of that Way as we prepare to
become future sons and daughters in that Family of God.

Will we
be diligent in following that Way? It is possible through the power of
God’s Holy Spirit of which we received an earnest payment following our
baptism and the laying on of hands of God’s ministry! We must never
reject that Spirit and, as David did, we should be praying that God
will not take His Holy Spirit from us! In fact, we should be asking Him
for more of His Spirit, which He says He will give us if we ask in
faith! It is through that power working within us that we will enter
the Kingdom as born-again members of the Family of God!

We must
not fail in this calling as we grow from being members of the family of
man to become members of the Family of God! If we are faithful, we will
be changed to become as Christ is – at the seventh trump!

As the light slowly dimmed in the arena, a hush grew over the crowd
when the ring announcer entered the ring, wearing a black tuxedo and a
white shirt, with his dark hair glistening under the lights. In a
booming voice he started to introduce the two contestants for the title
bout of the evening. After welcoming the two fighters, he raised the
tone of his bass voice and said: “For the thousands of fans in the
arena and the millions watching around the world, LET’S GET READY TO
RUUUMBLE.” After months of preparation, training and conditioning the
two fighters faced off for the title bout of the evening.

Some
time in the future, after the culmination of a lot of suffering and
endurance for God’s children and the world for that matter, we will be
dressed in white robes (Revelation 6:11 and 7:9). The white robes are
the righteousness of the saints. A crown will be placed on our heads
and we will be seated at the marriage supper of the Lamb when Christ
Himself will come and serve us. At some point during this glorious
ceremony, Christ, in a booming voice, could make an announcement
similar to this:

“For the millions who have suffered for the past
six thousand years, and especially for the last  three and a half
years, and for the whole creation which groans, waiting for the sons
and daughters of God to be born, LET’S GET READY TO RULE.”

This
event of taking over the rulership from Satan and the demons will occur
in the future. The question we have to ask ourselves is, how ready are
we now? Peter refers to us as “a chosen generation, a  royal
priesthood, His own special people” (1 Peter 2:9). We are also
described as kings and priests in Revelation 5:10.

Anciently, the
kings of  Israel and Judah were instructed to be familiar with the
law of God. They were to read it daily–“all the days of his life”
(Deuteronomy 17:19). As future kings and priests we must be familiar
with the Word of God–our preparation, training and conditioning must
be in the application of the law as it pertains to our lives now and to
those we will rule over in the future.

Let’s not let down in
this most important task, so that we will be ready to move forward with
joy and anticipation when we hear those words, perhaps spoken by Christ
in the future: “LET’S GET READY TO RULE.”

Recently, I listened for a few minutes to an interview between a
rather well known minister and an author who had written about the
support the nation of Israel is receiving from this preacher and
like-minded religious leaders in the United States.

The Jewish
author commented that both he and the minister believed the same
thing—that when the Bible speaks of Israel, it is referring to the
Jews! Indeed, that is what most people who profess Christianity believe!

The
fact that the modern nation that is called Israel is occupied
predominately by just one of the original twelve tribes (Judah) is
little understood. Most believe that the other tribes of Israel have
simply faded into history. In accepting this explanation, the
prophecies for the House of Israel and for the House of Judah lack any
real meaning and relevance. As a consequence, far too many Christians
read only the New Testament, because the Old Testament seems irrelevant
to them (For the amazing prophecies about the modern descendants of
Jacob, please refer to our booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and
America”).

This episode served to again remind me of just how
different true Christianity is from that which masquerades itself by
that name. It also once more strongly impressed me about the unique
understanding that we have been given.

Along with our calling,
God has given to us an understanding heart. What we can now comprehend
is God’s Word. Make no mistake; those who profess Christianity may be
well schooled in the intricacies of their doctrinal beliefs! They can
quote chapter and verse in support of their stand. However, their minds
have not been opened to understand the truth of God’s Word.

Consider,
that for all their vast familiarity with the Old Testament, the
religious Jews at the time of Christ did not comprehend who He was. Ask
someone, today, about the Sabbath or Holy Days, about the return of
Jesus Christ, about prophecy being fulfilled in our day or any number
of other topics, and you will quickly find yourself very alone in your
beliefs. Discuss death, and rather than the dead awaiting a
resurrection, most would confidently say that good people who die go to
heaven and the evil ones end up being tormented in hell for eternity!

When
we do have an opportunity to represent the truth of God to others, we
have this instruction: “…always be ready to give a defense to
everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with
meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Our newest booklet, “Mysteries of
the Bible,” is a tremendously eye-opening presentation covering many of
the doctrinal truths contained in the Word of God.

It is vitally
important for us to recognize the astounding gift of understanding we
have received from God. Don’t take it lightly. Don’t let it become
dormant and die within you. Sharpen your skills in the truth. Grow! Ask
God for help. Ask God for even more of an understanding heart!

As I watch the soccer matches on TV during the world’s greatest
sports’ event–the Worldcup 2006, which is being held in Germany–I
find myself cheering for “my” teams. Actually, I have been cheering for
two teams–the Germans and the Americans. Having grown up in Germany, I
know what the German soccer team is capable of accomplishing–but
having lived for over 25 years in the United States and having seen the
rise of the US national team from insignificant beginnings to a
respectable level, I hoped that they would do well during this Worldcup
(which is only held every four years for one month).

At the same
time, I am reminded of the former days when–at least sometimes–teams
played with joy, dignity and class. I remember many occasions when
German or English players helped an injured opponent, while the game
was going on. And I know how impressed I was as a child or young man
when I saw the team’s fans applaud the opponent for a good
accomplishment. While some national teams were known for playing
somewhat “unfair,” there were other national teams which hardly, if
ever, fouled their opponent. Especially England’s teams and fans were
known for a sportsmanship and gentleman-like attitude–but today,
English fans are considered to be amongst the worst in the world.

Sadly,
all sports have terribly deteriorated, and soccer is by no means an
exception. Although originally designed as a “no-touch” game, which did
not permit a player to as much as intentionally “touch” another player
(except for using one’s shoulder to touch the opponent’s shoulder), we
see more and more “professional fouls,” and we are used to referees
issuing warnings and giving out yellow cards and even red cards
(signifying expulsion from the game).

Therefore, some have
concluded that God does not approve of any competitive sports. But this
conclusion is not necessarily correct.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-26,
Paul draws a spiritual analogy to competition in sports. This passage
does not seem to allow for the conclusion that such competition is
necessarily wrong. Paul says:

“Do you not know that those who run
in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that
you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for
an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty…”

David
draws another analogy in the book of Psalms, comparing the sun with “a
bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to
run its race” (Psalm 19:5).

As is true for every walk of life,
God wants us to enjoy what we are doing (Ecclesiastes 8:15; 9:7, 9;
11:9). This applies to both a team and supporting fans. But God does
not want us to have an attitude of harming or injuring an opponent, or
of wishing that he be injured so that “our” team will get an advantage.
When “competition” reaches that destructive level, it is wrong. But to
want “our” team to win in a game is not wrong. And “our” team had
better make every right effort to win, so that it is deserving of “our”
support (Ecclesiastes 9:10). But once a game is finished, we are to go
on with life and our responsibilities. I remember Mr. Armstrong
commenting once that he was enjoying watching a basketball game with
the L.A. Lakers, but once the game was over, he would return to his
duties. Some get so involved in the support of their team that they get
all upset and can’t sleep at night if their team has lost. They might
even get drunk to “forget their pain.” That, of course, is not
indicative of a healthy and Christian attitude.

Sports can be
good entertainment. They can contribute to our health and relaxation.
They can be exciting. But they must never take first place in our
lives. Recently, an overseas Worldwide Church of God congregation
reportedly changed the time for their worship services, so that the
members could watch a soccer game of their national team during the
Worldcup. This, of course, shows that the heart of these people is
really not where it should be. And even though watching sporting events
can be good and clean fun, that should be all. In this world, “the race
is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong… Nor favor to men
of skill; But time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

So,
let’s enjoy sporting matches in a right way, while never getting our
priorities mixed up. And if we do it the right way, watching sports can
be entertaining, exciting and relaxing at the same time.

I read a book a little while ago, which concentrated on strategies
for preventing and reversing cancer.  In the forward, a writer
made these observations. “We need to address the environmental causes
of cancer: not only the physical environmental pollution, but the
emotional pollution. I don’t think we know the power [that] negative
emotions have in the forming of cancer. Negative emotions that are held
onto–lack of forgiveness, hostility, depression, anxiety, loneliness
and lack of love that is felt all over the world–these have negative
powers”.

Powerful words. And the author went on to develop that
same theme. He said: “No drug on the market even comes close to
producing the positive effects of love. If scientists could find a way
to encapsulate love, they would have the marketing dream of the
century–the breakthrough of the millennium.  Although love
research is in its infancy, studies are beginning to confirm its
positive effects.  If we love, we are happy; those around us make
up a part of our positive world and don’t wear down our defences. I
welcome research on love.  Perhaps when its value is proven,
doctors will take advantage of this powerful knowledge in their daily
practice.”

These are very interesting comments from two members
of the medical profession! We recently celebrated Pentecost, a highly
significant event in God’s Holy Day calendar. God founded the New
Testament Church on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and the Holy Spirit
became available to all those who “repent and are baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The fruit of
the Spirit is clearly spelled out in Galatians 5:22-23, and all nine
elements, as you would expect, are positive. The first element of the
fruit is love – outgoing concern for the good and well being of others.
God’s way is positive, and as members of the medical profession have
found out, love helps and assists in our physiological well being.

How
grateful we should all be for such knowledge, particularly the
spiritual knowledge that is revealed to us when we received God’s Holy
Spirit.   We are truly a blessed people.

Those “in the know” estimate that between 5-10% of ALL humans that have ever lived, are alive TODAY. This is a phenomenal figure when we realize that over the last 6000 years of the history of man, we have the opportunity to address such a significant portion right this very moment.

God has enjoined us to preach the Gospel to these people, which we are doing to the best of our ability by means of the StandingWatch program, NetServices, literature, Public Bible Lectures, etc.  The Internet alone has the possibility of being one of the greatest tools at getting the Truth into the hands of the world like never before.

Yet, we remain comparatively small in numbers as many continue to disregard the truth. This being the case we need to hold our head up high and keep on putting one foot in front of the other, because we were told this would happen. In Ecclesiastes 11:1 it says: “Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.”  Though we put the “bread of life” (John 6:33,35), that is Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that He brought with Him, in front of a sea of people, we should not be surprised when only very few eat from it.

That being so, we are to keep our course because it is serving a purpose. In Isaiah 55:11 we read, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”  

We do not always know God’s immediate intent for our efforts. Perhaps it is a witness, or maybe a seed is being planted for others to water. But, there is a time coming when we will not be able to do the good Work that God would have us do (John 9:4). This time is nearly upon us as we see end-time prophecy unfold before our eyes.  

In reality there could be billions who have yet to hear God’s Word and we do not want to miss one of them…because what if that person was YOU?

For more information on this topic, please read the following literature, which is posted on our Web: “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God” and “Europe in Prophecy.”

Paul writes to the Corinthians of his day and he cautions God’s
people down through the ages: “… for you are still carnal. For where
there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and
behaving like mere men” (1 Corinthians 3:3)?

God has called His
people to become firstfruits of the Spirit, which is pictured by the
Feast of Pentecost. As we approach Pentecost for the year 2006, let us
never forget the overall purpose of our calling, which is to become as
God is!

Yet, Satan continues his pursuit to cause havoc in the
Church of God; creating an atmosphere leading to divisions and strife
amongst the people of God. He does this by spreading a spirit
throughout the church, causing many to continue to be influenced by the
principles which govern the people of this world. Thus it becomes more
difficult for one to consistently apply the principles which God has
proclaimed to us whereby we ought to live our lives! Satan’s approach
results in a spirit of strife, emulation, and contention, even for the
people of God!

Envy is a fruitful cause of strife and divisions.
It is alive in the church of God. Thus Paul warns us to not allow such
contentions, disputes, dissentions, and quarrels to continue to affect
us as they do people of the world. We are to be coming out of the ways
of this world!

Paul tells us in this verse that when we allow
such within our lives we are walking as mere men, being filled with the
unruly approach of this world rather than being filled with love; being
united and harmonious as members of God’s family are to become and as
God the Father and Jesus Christ are today!

Christ prayed to the
Father (in John 17:17-23) for those who comprise His Church. In this
wonderful prayer for you and for me Christ prayed that the Father
sanctify us by His truth. As we are living by the principles of God’s
truth, Christ prayed that we become “one” as He and the Father are
“one.” One mind, one body, one Spirit – in truth! Christ gave us His
Spirit such that this is a true possibility!

We read (in 1
Corinthians 15:20): “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has
become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” James wrote
the sobering words found in James 1:18 for our edification, which say:
“Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we
might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

Is your life reflective to all that you are one of God’s “Firstfruits?”

The company I work for has invested large sums of money on in-house
training. It reimburses its employees for traveling to out-of-town
training locations. It does not mind spending money to train its
employees and upgrade their knowledge and skills. The company benefits
by this–and so does the employee who enjoys the perks of traveling
across Canada, the United States and even Europe.

The company
also used to have a manager training program. It interviewed everyone
who applied and selected a few for the program, which usually lasted
for about a year. Successful trainees were promoted to management
positions.

We might not always think of our calling as God’s
training program for us–but it truly is. We have been selected among
countless millions of potential candidates to be trained for a
wonderful future. Let us look at what Peter says about our
calling and future potential, in 1 Peter 2:9-10: “But you are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are
now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained
mercy.”

What a wonderful and magnanimous opportunity we have in
this calling. Ironically, God did not call the intelligentsia of this
world, as stated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27: “For you see your
calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the
weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are
mighty.” Notice, He chose the foolish and unwise of the world.

This
does not mean we are to stay weak and foolish, as it were. Rather, we
are to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). In this
context, we need to grasp the significance of the importance of Bible
study. After all, the Bible is our training manual to assist us in
fulfilling our future roles as rulers and priests, as outlined in
Revelation 5:10: “And [You, that is, the Lamb, Jesus Christ] have made
us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the
earth.”

We are in training now for the most challenging,
awesome career anyone on this earth could possibly aspire to. We need
to ensure we are growing in grace and knowledge, by our daily study of
the training manual God has given us–the Bible. And, we must never
forget that we are not training for management positions in this
present world, but to become God beings in the future, assisting Christ
to rule and reign on this earth.

Have you ever said or heard it said, “The same to you”? Was this stated with good intentions or as a spiteful retort?

The Bible presents this concept in a much more personal form. Here is what Jesus taught: “‘For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you’” (Matthew 7:2). He adds this emphasis: “‘Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 7:12).

You see, then, the responsibility we have for others begins with how we treat them—not with how they treat us!

This takes predetermined action on our part. It begins with how we think, and it transitions into our words and actions. Christians are to become like Jesus Christ—to learn to even think as He does (compare Philippians 2:5). In doing that, they grow toward godly perfection. There is no more forthright way of directing their thoughts than to do all that they do based on love, and they can establish their lives in love because they have the Holy Spirit of God—for God IS love! (1 John 4:8, 16).

Do you want to be loved? The Father shows us how through His own example: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

To be loved, we must love, and as Christians, we are to be the FIRST to love others. Love is the light we bring into this world of darkness: “‘But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil’” (Luke 6:35).

The next time a “the same to you” moment arises, be Christ-like! Whether you are responding or whether you initiate the first move, you do the unexpected—you act in love!

“American Hiroshima”… “Nuclear Nightmare for America”… “Nuclear
Attack against Iran”… “Preparations for Nuclear Holocaust within the
USA.” These are frightening news reports, which should wake us up to
the dangerous and terrible times in which we are living. Man’s
civilization, as we know it, is drawing closer to its end. Devastating
and disastrous events– unparalleled in the history of man– are fast
approaching.

Is there no hope for any of us? Is there no protection even for those who are obedient to God and who are pleasing Him?

Theologians
have felt the need to explain God’s mercy and justice by developing the
concept of the “secret rapture.” The assumption is that Jesus will
first come secretly for His disciples or saints by “rapturing” them to
heaven where they will be protected during the time of the “Great
Tribulation” which will ravage the earth. According to that theory,
Christ will return with His disciples or saints from heaven to this
earth after that terrible time of devastation has past. Books and
movies have popularized this idea in recent years–known as the “Left
Behind” series.

However, as “The Plain Truth” magazine explains
in an article, which was published in February of 1963, “The idea of a
secret rapture of the saints was unknown to any Christian body before
the sixteenth century. Joseph Ribera, Cardinal Bellarmine and Alcasar,
Jesuit Priests of the sixteenth century, were the first Christian
authorities to promulgate this idea. Even in their day the idea was
unclear, but the basic roots of the doctrine began at this time
(Sources omitted). Later, around 1825, Samuel R. Maitland, Librarian to
the Archbishop of Canterbury, embraced the belief, although its basic
tenets were still unclear in his day. It wasn’t until 1830 that this
belief began to take its modern definition. ‘The Catholic Apostolic
Church had its beginning in 1830. It was founded in Britain… by men
who claimed divine inspiration. They said the Holy Spirit revealed to
them that the last days had come, that the Lord was about to return,
that first He would “rapture” the believers who were ready, at a secret
coming… after which [the great tribulation] Christ would come in
manifest power’ (Sources omitted).”

The Bible does not teach a
secret rapture. Rather, God’s Word reveals that Christ will return
ONCE, NOT TWICE (Hebrews 9:28). He will come openly, not in secret
(Matthew 24:21-31; Revelation 1:7; Acts 1:10-11), and He will END the
Great Tribulation at the time of His Coming by establishing the Kingdom
of God here on earth (Revelation 11:15-18). Mark 13:24-27 specifically
states: “But in those days, AFTER that tribulation, the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven
will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. THEN they will
SEE the Son of Man COMING in the clouds with great power and glory. And
THEN [not before then] He will send His angels, and gather together His
elect…”

Christ will come at the time of the LAST TRUMPET when
His elect will be resurrected from the dead or changed to immortality
(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:50-52). There can only be
ONE last trumpet, which means, there can only be ONE return of Christ.

However,
the Bible reveals that there can be protection from the terrible times
to come–but that protection will not be provided in heaven, but on
earth. As we explain in our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and
the Day of the Lord,” beginning on page 58, Christ promises His people,
who are worthy, a way to “escape all these things that will come to
pass” (Luke 21:34-36; compare Revelation 3:10; Zephaniah 2:3; Psalm
31:19-20). That “place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26) will be on this
earth–not in heaven (Revelation 12:14; Isaiah 33:16; Isaiah 26:20-21).
Yes, God will have prepared “a place for us” to protect us from the
Great Tribulation. Even though God CAN protect us anywhere He wants, He
has decreed that His people will be protected at a certain place here
on earth–the place of safety and “shelter” (Joel 3:14-16). Christ
compares the time preceding His coming with the time of Noah (Matthew
24:37-39), and as God protected Noah and his family in the ark, here on
earth, so He will protect His people on this earth in the way that HE
has chosen. And He will NOT protect them by “rapturing” them to heaven!

The
idea of a rapture to heaven–secret or otherwise–is nowhere taught in
Scripture. It is an invention by man which can give us no real hope, as
it is not based on God’s Word. But God does offer us His protection, if
we prove ourselves worthy to receive it.