Editorials

Joseph Ratzinger, or Pope Benedict XVI as he is known, shocked much of the world this week by breaking with tradition. He is willingly stepping down from his office as opposed to dying in it like his predecessors have for the last 700+ years. Perhaps even more surprising, is the plethora of criticism that has followed what most consider a conservative reign.

Der Spiegel said that “his papacy failed to introduce much-needed reforms.” The Süddeutsche Zeitung writes that he has “no understanding for the third millennium” and that the “church is no longer triumphant, nor is it combative” and “has seldom needed reform as badly as it does at the end of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy.” Die Tageszeitung, echoing similar sentiments, wrote, “It would be good if Pope Benedict XVI was the last of his kind. And if the history books could soon write: ‘The Pope’s resignation heralded a new era, the Catholic Church had understood that it could not continue as before.'”

How does the old adage go, “be careful what you wish for, because you might get it?”

The Bible predicts that there will be a great religious leader that comes from a land in the midst of the seas and from a city that sits on seven mountains. This is none other than Rome! And of course the religious leader of Rome is the Pope. The issue at hand here that many do not realize is that the great religious leader that is prophesied to come out of Rome is none other than the False Prophet.

This Pope will teach wrong doctrines and be anti-law. He will do signs and lying wonders, even making fire come from heaven. These miracles will easily fool the masses, those who will take the “mark of the beast.” He will sit in the “inner sanctuary”, and it appears that he will be sitting in a literal temple in Jerusalem at that time and even claim to be God.

Through direct influence from Satan and demon possession, this man will accomplish these things and more. He will also be able to influence world leaders — to the point that they will gather at Armageddon in preparation to foolishly fight Christ at His return.

Knowing that this is the case and that these exact events will happen, we, as Christians, are still strongly admonished to avoid being deceived by the “man of sin,” the False Prophet. Paul implies that we could succumb to the wiles of this man when he writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first….” This apostle identifies this harbinger as the end time. He actually prophesies that there will indeed be another apostasy, a move from true Christianity to false religion and that this will be at the time of this last leader of “Babylon the Great.”

The Words of the Bible are written for our benefit, to aid us in the days ahead. Not just this particular caution, but all the testimony of God. We must hear them and live them and love them in order to prevent what will inevitably befall many (1 Corinthians 10:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Will this next pope indeed be “the one?” We don’t know, but need to watch.

The world may be producing as much as 5 exabytes of NEW information each year. That is 5 billion gigabytes, which is estimated to be more than what was produced during the almost 6,000 years of man’s past history combined. Technology is increasing exponentially such that by the year 2010 it is predicted to double every 72 hours, which is unfathomable.

In an attempt to access a portion of this nearly incomprehensible amount of information, there are 2.7 billion searches on Google alone each month… give or take a few. Yet, has mankind come up with or found the answers to the truly important questions in life?

Paul actually addresses this exact subject in his second letter to Timothy. In talking about the end time in chapter 3, he continues a thought in verse 7, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This has never been more true than it is today. Current rates of new information production roughly equal 1 gigabyte of unique information per person per year, or, to put it another way, about 1000 Bibles worth of data.

But in reality, all that is needed is just ONE Bible. When it comes to the search for truth, the Book of books is the only foundation that we require. We do not need to run to and fro looking here and there in pursuit of this and that. We already have the inspired Word of God and the Truth that is not going to change.

As we seek to simplify our lives, let us make sure that we invest our time and energy into what is profitable and right, and what will stand the test of time.

John the Baptist had some scathing words for the Pharisees and Sadducees as they approached him while he was baptizing people in the Jordan. Among other things, he chastised them for their misplaced reliance on their affiliation to Abraham (Matthew 3:9). These groups had come to put too much weight on this and had neglected the more important matters.

Paul admonished the Corinthians for nearly the same thing — their gloating about their associations. They were saying, ‘”I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,…”‘ (1 Corinthians 1:12) and ignoring the real issue at hand.

When aligning ourselves with a person, a minister, an organization or even with a church, we can often feel safe because of numbers, past reputation or espoused doctrine. We can believe that by virtue of our alliance with them, we are justified in our current state and position.
But note the admonitions by John and Paul regarding those that were resting on the laurels of others: John the Baptist told the Jews that they needed to repent (Matthew 3:8); Paul goes on to direct those at Corinth, “that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the LORD’” (1 Corinthians 1:31). In other words, we cannot become complacent with our current condition, and we must continue to change it by looking to the Example who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

There have been many, even in our recent history, that have failed to remain on guard, thinking they were in the right place or that they could ride the coattails of another. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13).

As we quickly approach Passover, we are once again reminded of the great sacrifice that Christ made. After divesting Himself of His Godhead, Jesus walked the earth as a righteous man, doing no wrong. For this He was rewarded with ridicule, abuses and ultimately death. Christ willingly did this so that we may have opportunity to have God’s ear when we go before Him on a daily basis, and as well as being offered the chance for salvation.

Having had such great possibilities laid at our feet, what are we willing to sacrifice in order to make the most of what we have been given? Presently, we have not been asked to physically give up our life, but merely to be a LIVING SACRIFICE by means of SERVICE (Romans 12:1).

We read from our booklet “The Sacrificial System and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness”: “As the burnt offering was completely burned (Leviticus 1:9), so we must give ourselves completely and without reservation to God. As members of God’s Church, we have to become without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27).”

We do this through the righteousness which is following God comprehensively and unconditionally with all of our ability (Mark 12:33; Proverbs 21:3; Hebrews 13:16; Romans 14:17-18).

When we contemplate the magnitude of what Christ did for us and contrast it with what we have been asked to do, surely we must come to the conclusion that it is the least that we can do. Every time we choose right over wrong and God’s way over our way, we offer up our spiritual sacrifice (1 Peter 2:5). Let us keep this in mind for this season, the rest of the year and the years that we have remaining, before the return of the One whose sacrifice made this all possible.

“A man cannot be a little virtuous, a little pure, a little true, a little honest.” This comes from an unsigned article written in 1896.  By thinking on each of these we can see that by definition we need to have all these qualities all the time to be considered virtuous, pure, true and honest.

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To be dishonest only on a part-time basis will earn us a reputation as being dishonest, not as being a little honest.  In fact, to be called a little honest would surely be seen as making a statement to the contrary.

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When we live God’s way, we are not to strive in partial measures, but rather, as mentioned in Ephesians 3:19, we are to “be filled with all the fullness of God.”  Can we totally and completely comprehend this?  It is not a fractional aspect of the Way of God, but it is the replete and exhaustive works that we are to live up to… each to our own capacity.

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As usual, we are to follow the example of Christ Who did live up to the prescribed potential (compare Colossians 2:9).  We are to be heading in the same direction to the best of our ability.  So how do we attain this moral fullness? Well… that would fill a book… the size of the Bible.

The attempt to coercively persuade an individual to a “right mindset” is not new to mankind. It has been tried throughout the centuries–by the Papacy during the Medieval Inquisitions; the Russian secret police; the prison systems; the mental healthcare facilities; and so on.

During the Korean War, brainwashing was put forth as the explanation for why captured American soldiers were making anti-American statements and defecting at a higher rate than normal. It was found out later that the Chinese had been using de-humanizing techniques and once the POW’s were out from under the heavy hand of their captors and able to reassert their own will, they quickly reintegrated back into their previous life style. In other words, for mind control to be effective and lasting, there was a need for willing participants.

Though some may believe that “mind control” is a reasonable explanation when it comes to many of the organizations that claim Christianity or any other religious persuasion as their foundation, the truth is that adherents willingly submit themselves to being molded and shaped. As a major tenet of the Christian religion, its followers believe that they are to allow their minds to be changed by the power of the Spirit of God.

However, what must be recognized is that there are two spirits at work which are an antithesis of each other. This is why we are admonished in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…” Satan has the ability to negatively influence the human mind, and he has and is making the most of it by deceiving the whole world. Though many follow the Devil’s lead ignorantly–without realizing that they do so—it is nevertheless true that due to Satan’s deceptions and evil devices from their childhood, they have acquired a will and a desire to follow Satan willingly.

It is this same sway that man’s Adversary, a being of vast power, seeks to foist upon true converted Christians who have received God’s Holy Spirit. Even though we, the Spirit-begotten Children of God, have a hedge set about us, Satan desperately wants to direct our thoughts especially.

If we are to combat the wicked one, we must allow our minds to be transformed in the right way. James says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We are to obey God and truly be led by His Power in us. Doing so will put us in the right frame of mind to overcome all that besets us. To avoid being conformed to Satan’s world and all that is in it, we must willingly replace our mind with the perfect Will of God (Romans 12:2).

When we have come before God in prayer asking fervently, obediently, faithfully, humbly and persistently for something … what are we to do when God says, “No”?

First, we can realize that we are in good company. God has said “No” to many notables in the Bible: David, when he wanted to build the temple; Paul, regarding the thorn in the flesh; and even Jesus when He asked that the cup be taken from Him. If God has said it on occasion to this most illustrious group, then surely we can expect that He is going to be saying it to us at times.

As we look back on the many things that we have prayed about, we may realize that this is already the case – perhaps many times over. What next then? We need to accept it, learn from it, and move on.

Obviously “No” is not the answer we wanted, and it may even be difficult for us to swallow. This is not the time to lack faith or get upset. Understanding that our God is all-knowing and a loving Father, we should realize that He knows and does what is best for us. If God is completely and totally in charge of our life, then we can take solace and comfort in the fact that the right things are going to happen at the right time.

Even though we get a negative as an answer, it is really a positive. God does not capriciously reply to our prayers. When He says “No,” it is for a reason and a purpose. His hope is that a good result will come out of it. We should pray, “Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths” (Psalm 25:4). We need to learn from the way that God is working in our life, so that we may continue to grow in the Godly righteous character He is trying to facilitate in us.

When we petition God, it is for His Will to be done in our lives – and now that we can better understand it, all that is left is for us to move on in the direction that God is guiding us in, and not on the route we thought to take.

God sees us and hears us (Psalm 34:15, 17), and His arm is not too short that He cannot save us (Isaiah 59:1). Know this! Keep it in mind! In the end, God’s ultimate goal is to see us make it into His Family, and He will do what it takes to make sure that we are with Him in the end.

Having just had the Presidential election I can now safely say that in this democratic nation of ours, we are united. Even though the diametrically opposing views of the populace brought out the worst in so many and only served to make us more at odds with one another — we are still in agreement as to how to solve the problems that beset us.

This country was and still is united in the belief that a man of a particular political persuasion can make this a better country. Of course, half of the people believe their guy is the right one for the job and the other half believe theirs is.

Two days ago, Barack Obama was re-elected to the office he has held now for nearly 4 years, and I am telling you now that this once greatly blessed land of ours is going to continue going downhill. Now what you will not read in most editorials and commentaries is that had Mitt Romney been elected or ANYONE else on the ticket for that matter, the same could have been said about them as well.

To have faith that either of the two leading candidates has the answers to this country’s problems is misguided. In the end it did not really matter who won, because we as a nation are going to continue on a path towards self-destruction–and because it is not within man to guide himself or know right from wrong and then do it.

Religion was never heavily brought into this race. Without true Christianity, this society will continue spiraling out of control and into oblivion as is prophesied — it is coming to pass before our very eyes. Our society and the freedom and prosperity it has enjoyed is coming to The End.

After that THEN we will have true unity! This will only happen with God and His Way and the Oneness that comes with His Spirit. No longer will we be divided and laboring in cross purposes and wrong directions. When this time arrives we will begin to act as one body in unison advancing towards the right goals.

For now though, we are to be “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” and pray to Him in all of this that “Your Will be done” and not what we want or think is right and best for us or for this nation.

In counseling for baptism, we were admonished to “count the cost” before accepting the responsibility of receiving God’s Holy Spirit. We were to do an accounting of what we were getting ourselves into, before we took on the lifelong commitment and all it entailed.
In Luke 14:28-30 we read, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish…”

Now that we have taken on this responsibility, how is our tower proceeding? By now we should have laid a foundation of the elementary doctrines of God (compare Hebrews 6:1-2) and built upon the Rock that cannot be shaken (compare Luke 6:48). That having been done, we are to be working on our tower.

When constructing our building, are we using good quality materials? We need to have Christ as our Cornerstone–the One that will last (compare Matthew 21:42). Is our craftsmanship all that it should be? Is the tower crooked or are there gaps in it? Or is it fitted together appropriately (compare Ephesians 2:21)?

If we use the blueprint we have been given, we can be God’s building (compare 1 Corinthians 3:9)–one that will endure to the end (compare Matthew 24:13); one that will mold and shape us (compare Matthew 21:44); and one that will allow us to house the Holy Spirit, for which we initially counted the cost (compare 1 Corinthians 3:16).

When Jesus came to Earth as a human, He was able to live a perfect and sinless life. We are to follow our Example (1 Peter 2:21) and keep all the commandments of God (1 John 5:2-3) and move on towards a sinless perfection (Hebrews 6:1).

Being fully human just as we are, how did Christ manage to live to such a high standard? The simple and quick answer is that He utilized the Holy Spirit and kept His eye on the goal ahead. Now the more pertinent question for us today: how are we to follow in the steps of Christ and lead the same exemplary life? The simple and quick answer is in the same exact way that He did!

We have the goal of the Kingdom of God set before us (Matthew 6:33) and to help us get there, we have at our disposal the same exact means Jesus had …that is the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:6, 11). We have access to the very power of God with which all things are possible (Mark 10:27).

Through the Passover Lamb, Christ, the Spirit of God was made more readily available (John 1:29, 36; 16:7). Now it is incumbent upon us who are imbued with the selfsame Holy Spirit to make the most of it by calling upon God for the help that we need in order to live a more perfect life. If we do ask God for this help, He will hear and answer us, enabling us to accomplish THE goal of eternal life in His Family.