Mankind’s Inheritance – Michael Kelley ucg.org
The Bible teaches that God is in the process of expanding the divine family. God the Father and the Son are reproducing Themselves in the form of perhaps billions of spirit beings, who will be like Them, sharing Their level of existence: “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18) This is a radically different…
The Time That Matters – Jeremy Lallier sabbaththoughts.com
Does it matter to God how we spend our time – the decisions we make, the lives we lead, the paths we choose to follow? Analyzing scripture and the time dedicated to specific events would indicate that it does. Found in the Bible, there are very specific moments in time that focus and attention is given while other expanses of time are given little to…
Hell: Origins of an Idea – Richard Burky, Jeannette B. Anderson vision.org
The authors of this article set out to answer a simple question – “how can anyone worship a god who sets up fallible humans to be forever tormented in hell?” The idea of perpetual torment for the dead that in some way fell short in life is held by most of this world’s religions. This includes two of the three Abrahamic religions (Christian and Muslim)…
Halloween – Bill Butler vision.org
Halloween is rooted in ancient pagan rites and customs. Why do those who claim Christian identity keep it? Paul told the followers of Christ to disassociate themselves such customs when he said “…what accord has Christ with Belial? …‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord’” (2 Corinthians 6:14–17). Christians ought to reject this overtly pagan festival. Halloween’s history goes back 2,000…
Halloween: Treat, or Trick? – Richard A. Wilson tomorrowsworld.org
There is a Gaelic tradition that says, at Samhain, the doors to the underworld open— allowing dead souls and harmful spirits to enter our world. Modern Halloween costumes originated as an attempt to mask one’s identity as protection from those harmful spirits. This tradition melded with the practice of “souling”. This was a practice where children and the poor would go house to house offering…
Where Is God? – Jim Servidio lifehopeandtruth.com
Why does God stay hidden from mankind? This is a question that many have asked. The answer can be surprising and enlightening. In short, we hide ourselves from God through our sins. Our sinful nature separates us from God. He spoke face to face with Adam and Eve until they sinned. That sin caused the breach in their relationship followed by Adam and Eve hiding…
Are People Lost Because of Adam’s Sin? – Herbert Armstrong hwalibrary.com
Christian teachings concerning the “fall of man” hold that God made man complete, perfect, with an immortal spirit soul. Further, that this creation was then corrupted by Satan, forever condemning humanity to hell, and that God has ever since been trying to “save” men in a contest with Satan for these fallen souls. That’s not what the Bible says. Man is mortal. He does not…
The Last Great Day – Martin Collins bibletools.org
The Last Great Day is the 7th and final Holy Day in God’s annual calendar. It looks forward to a time after the return of Jesus Christ, and after the 1,000 year period in which Christ rules over the Earth with peace and prosperity, when everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected to physical life and given a chance to know Christ, to have…
Pride, Humility, and the Day of Atonement – John W. Ritenbaugh cgg.org
The Day of Atonement and fasting – God devotes one Feast Day, picturing being at one with Him. A day in which He commanding us to go through an exercise in self-affliction designed to promote humility. This is done to impress upon us that the root of all that is wrong in this world is the result of pride. This also foreshadows the great humbling…
Remember Your Creator – Ulysses Ronquillo thefatherscall.org
King Solomon’s depth of experience – good and bad – allowed him to accumulate (with God’s help), a great deal of wisdom. Toward the end of his life he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in order to leave a legacy of his wise conclusions. The final chapter of the book pulls together his powerful observations regarding life and life’s priorities. It begins with an admonition…
Did Paul Do Away With the Law? thebiblesaysthat.com
Did Paul do away with the law? Many believe that he did just that…though scripture, and specifically Paul’s words do not support this belief. The Ten commandments are the foundation of the law of God and Paul speaks of each law specifically. (1 Cor 6:9-10) “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators,…
Original Sin – Sam Sweat ucg.org
Original Sin is a cornerstone of popular Christianity that claims human beings are born evil; i.e. Adam transmitted guilt for his sin to each of us by virtue of simple heredity. This is a fundamentally wrong premise with far reaching bad consequences throughout modern history for both Christians and non-Christians. The doctrine was championed by St. Augustine, who was a Gnostic blending paganism and Greek…
Examining Our Assumptions – Tim Vail thefatherscall.org
We all have the proclivity to make assumptions. We make them in our relationships with each other and in our relationship with God. An assumption assumes a certain reality that can be very different to the truth of a matter. Assumptions often lead to incorrect conclusions which in turn can lead to building walls and barriers. Satan the Devil is a master at inducing us…
The Feast of Trumpets: A Turning Point in History ucg.org
As depicted in Revelation, with seven trumpet blasts, the Feast of Trumpets represents the actual return of Jesus Christ to this earth – establishing the Kingdom of God! With Old Testament prophetic ideas like a conquering Messiah from the Davidic line ruling with power and authority, this second return has been anticipated since Christ’s resurrection. Being that trumpets are perfect for attracting attention, the exciting…
Paths of the Sea, Highways of the Heart – Bryan Fall tomorrowsworld.org
It is hard to look at the ocean up close and personal and not be impressed with the majesty of its unending waves and tides. It’s power, rhythm and beauty is so immense that it beckons millions to come to its shores or out into its depths. Even so, there is far more to it than meets the eye. The Psalmist was inspired to write…
DNA: The Tiny Code That’s Toppling Evolution – Mario Seiglie ucg.org
Darwin Wrote about his theory of evolution in 1859. Life appeared much simpler at that time. Viewed through the primitive microscopes of the day, the cell appeared to be a simple blob of jelly. Almost 100 years after Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species was published, Scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick, discovered deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). What scientists have learned since it’s discovery is that DNA actually…
Christian Fellowship – Dave Johnson lifehopeandtruth.com
The Sabbath was set aside to be a day of rest from secular work, but it is more than a day of rest. It is also a holy convocation. What is a “holy convocation”? It means a divinely commanded assembly, a summoned assembly. Hebrews 10:25 is a vital chapter of the Bible partly devoted to church attendance. Many are familiar with Paul’s words to not…
Are Fathers Necessary? – Jerry de Gier vision.org
While many today attack, degrade and blame men for all the world’s troubles, what seems to be lost is how important the role of a good father is. Many of this world’s problems can be traced to men, men that have neglected their responsibility as loving husbands and fathers. Several studies sited in this article link absent fathers with higher levels of behavioral issues. Issues…
Proverbs 26: When Should You Answer a Fool? – Mike Hanisko lifehopeandtruth.com
There is a Proverb that at first glance might seem contradictory (Proverbs 26:4-5). It reads, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly.” Yet, the very next verse reads, “Answer a fool according to his folly.” Actually, these two verses are not contradictory, but a closer study shows that they are complementary. When to apply either verse, the principle taught by what either verse teaches, depends on the…
How do we know that the Bible is the true word of God? thebiblesaysthat.com
There are many articles that set out to answer “is the Bible true”? Being that there are many “proofs of the Bible” it seems interesting that many articles highlight and focus on what could be seen as opinions. This quick Q&A offers the proofs from a high level, leaving it to the reader to delve into each one. It begins: As an ancient text, the…