Q&A – Page 52 – Church of the Eternal God

Who is a Hebrew?

February 13, 2015February 12, 2015

Both the Old and the New Testament use the word “Hebrew” in several passages. However, the word has different meanings, depending on the context.

Technically, the first time the word “Hebrew” is used is in Genesis 14:13, where it is applied to Abram, in connection with the defeat of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah in battle and the captivity of Lot. We read: “Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew…”

Commentaries give several explanations for the use of this word in this passage.

The Ryrie Study Bible says:

“Abraham was the first person to be referred as a Hebrew, an ethnic designation that his descendants derived from him. The word comes from the name of his ancestor, Eber (11:10-14). It also had a wider use as a general designation for nomadic people like Abraham, who would have been considered a migrant by the Canaanites, since he came from Ur and Haran.”

Is it Impossible for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God?

February 6, 2015February 5, 2015

In Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10:17-27 and Luke 18:18-27, we are introduced to a young rich ruler who came to Christ and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Christ told him that he had to keep the commandments and He added the need for him to sell what he had, and to follow Him. However, the rich man was unwilling to depart from his riches. We discuss Christ’s “invitation” to the rich man to become one of His disciples in previous Q&As, including whether God hears the prayers of sinners, and whether Christ offered the rich ruler a ministerial position. In that last Q&A, we said the following:

“Some commentaries agree that Christ offered the rich ruler a ministerial position. They point out that Christ’s command to the rich ruler to sell everything that he had was specifically given to that ruler because Christ saw that one thing was lacking in his qualification to become a minister, and that one thing was his love for money and his trust in riches … it appears that He was indeed willing to call him into the ministry, but sadly, the ruler loved money more than God and he rejected this unique opportunity to follow Christ as a minister and to perhaps later become even one of His apostles. In refusing to accept his ministerial calling, Christ pointed out that it will be very difficult for a rich person to even enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:25-26; Mark 10:23-25).”

What Will We Remember as God Beings?

January 30, 2015January 29, 2015

When we are God Beings, will we remember our own past sins and the sins of others, including the sins of our close friends and family members?

The Bible teaches that we will enter the Family of God and become God Beings at the time of the return of Jesus Christ, when we have God’s Holy Spirit within us at the time of our death or of our change. As God Beings, we will think and behave like God the Father and Jesus Christ. How then does God look at the sins of others?

First of all, let us quickly review the question whether we are even going to remember our close friends, family members or mates in the resurrection. We addressed this question in our Q&A about Isaiah 65:17 (“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”).

Would You Please Explain Proverbs 27:14?

January 23, 2015January 22, 2015

Proverbs 27:14 reads: “He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.”

This seems to be a rather straight-forward statement, easy to understand. But upon further and deeper scrutiny, some very remarkable and easily overlooked truisms may come to light. This is a good example for the fact that the Bible must be read with great care and diligence, and that just a superficial glancing at biblical passages will not suffice.

(1) First, we should note that the person blesses, praises or thanks his friend “with a loud voice.”

The Broadman Bible Commentary states:

“Verse 14 is aimed at insincerity in greeting concealed by a loud but hypocritical voice.”

The Lamsa Bible renders the verse:

What Does it Mean for a Christian to Come Out of the World?

January 16, 2015January 15, 2015

We often hear about the need for a Christian to “come out of the world.” In order to understand what this means, it is important to look at where this instruction is given, and how to apply it in life practically.

A good place to begin is with Revelation 18:4-5, which reads “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’” This follows an explanation of how the fallen system of Babylon has influenced people and nations, and clearly indicates an instruction for God’s people to come out of it. Babylon here is indicted in sin, which is something that God obviously does not want people to be involved in. As a result, the instruction to come out of Babylon is an instruction to come out of sin.

Would you please explain Proverbs 27:10?

January 9, 2015January 10, 2015

Proverbs 27:10 reads: “Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.”

This statement could be easily misunderstood if we do not read the passage carefully. First of all, we must understand that Proverb 27:10 does not address “spiritual” brothers and sisters, but physical “brothers.”

The Pulpit Commentary states the following:

“A father’s friend is one who is connected with a family by hereditary and ancestral bonds… Such a one is to be cherished and regarded with the utmost affection… The tried friend is more likely to help and sympathize with you than even your own brother, for a friend is born for adversity, and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother… The mere blood relationship, which is the result of circumstances over which one has had no control, is inferior to the affectionate connection which arises from moral considerations and is the effect of deliberate choice.

Should Christians wear wedding rings?

January 2, 2015January 1, 2015

Some have advanced the idea that Christians should not wear wedding rings, as this custom is allegedly pagan, and some have even gone so far as to claim that it was adopted from occult practices. We understand that the Bible prohibits us to worship the true God with pagan symbolism or activities which were adopted from the way in which pagans worshipped their gods. But we must be careful that we do not carry this injunction too far and prohibit everything, whether it is used in worship services or otherwise, only because pagans might have engaged in it.

We addressed this issue in a recent Q&A, which answered the question as to whether Christians should use symbols which are used by pagans. Among other symbols, we discussed the symbol of the heart, certain symbols which are being used in sign language, the Star of David and the symbols of stars in general. We also pointed out that the mere fact that pagans and occultists attach a particular meaning and human interpretation to certain symbols should not compel a Christian to refrain from using these symbols.

Is it foolish to set dates regarding the return of Jesus Christ?

December 26, 2014December 31, 2014

The definition of the words “foolish” or “folly” can be “a lack of good sense; foolishness: a foolish act, idea, or practice.” In other words, it is just not a good idea!

For almost 2,000 years, there have been many predictions about the return of Christ. Damian Thompson wrote a book called “The End of Time”. In his book of 393 pages, he lists hundreds of failed predictions over the last nearly 2,000 years. This book covers not only the return of Jesus Christ but the beliefs of many other religions and movements over two millennia.

The book was written in 1999 when there was the fear of what Y2K might produce which Mr Thompson describes as “three little digits signifying a crisis of spectacular proportions caused by just two digits. A few years ago, only those initiated into the mysteries of the software code knew or cared what this meant. By 1998, however, most people in the West knew about the problem and were beginning – just beginning – to feel seriously worried by it” (page 334).

What is the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:16-17?

December 19, 2014

In Revelation 13, we read about two “beasts.” The first “beast” (Revelation 13:1-10) is a political and military power and describes the ancient Roman Empire and its ten European revivals (see our last Q&A on the number of the Beast). The second beast is introduced in Revelation 13:11 and describes a religious power. We state the following in chapter 14 of our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation”:

“This second beast had two horns. It looked like a lamb (Jesus Christ is referred to as the Lamb of God throughout the New Testament, compare John 1:29), but it spoke like a dragon (Remember that Satan is identified as a dragon in Revelation 12:3, 9). This second beast is obviously a religious power, which is influenced by Satan, while pretending to speak on behalf of Christ…

What is the Number of the Beast?

December 12, 2014

In Revelation 13:1, John sees in a vision a fantastic beast rising out of the sea, which has SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS. It is like a leopard, with feet of a bear and a mouth of a lion (Revelation 13:2). In the book of Daniel, chapters 2, 5, 7 and 8, we are told […]