Saw an article titled, 15 questions that religious people struggle to answer - MSN Lisa O. 15 questions that religious people struggle to answer. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/15-questions-that-religious-people-struggle-to-answer/ss-AA1WwJem
While the world's religions may struggle to answer them, we in the Continuing Church of God have actually answered them in our literature and sermons.
So, this article helps answer these questions that many have had. The 15 in the article are all quoted here as they appear in the article, and sometimes with additional comments that were in the article.
The answer is found in the Bible and we have that in our free eBook The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?:
4. Why Does God Allow Suffering?
If Jesus came so that we could have life “more abundantly” (John 10:10), does God allow suffering?
Yes.
Is there a purpose for it?
Yes.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever. 32 Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. 33 For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men. (Lamentations 3:31-33)
Notice that God does not willingly afflict nor grieve us. He wants us to do well (cf. 3 John 2).
Seemingly bad things happen to decent people.
Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15), but suffered for us (1 Peter 2:21). And “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).
Why does God allow humans to suffer?
There are a couple of reasons. Since God gives us choices (cf. Deuteronomy 30:19), with our free will we can make wrong choices so we should not complain when we suffer because of them (Lamentations 3:39). Thus, one reason for suffering is for punishment for the result of our sins to encourage us to not sin and to turn back to God (Lamentations 3:39-40; Leviticus 26:18). And, we should understand that the Bible teaches that God punishes us less than our iniquities deserve (cf. Ezra 9:13; Job 11:6). Now, even people who believe at least those parts of the Bible, realize that.
But there is another, more complicated, reason.
The Apostle Paul tells us that “the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope” (Romans 8:20). He also wrote:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
People are in the process of being refined—which includes grief and affliction--yet there is hope. Those not called in this age are refined one way (Isaiah 48:10; Jeremiah 9:7), whereas those called are to be refined and purified more like silver and/or gold (Zechariah 13:9; Psalm 66:10; Daniel 11:35, 12:10; 1 Peter 1:7; cf. Revelation 3:18). Hence there are “fiery” trials in this age (1 Peter 1:7; 4:12).
There is a hope for what will be better:
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12)
Thus, we are to be patient and confident that God’s ways will result in “better things.”
Patiently enduring suffering is a sign of love:
4 Love is long-suffering, it is kind, love does not envy, love does not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, 5 does not act unseemly, does not seek its own things, is not provoked, does not impute evil, 6 [does] not rejoice over unrighteousness, and rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, 7 it believes all, it hopes all, it endures all. 8 Love never fails; (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Literal Standard Version)
The Greek word translated as love is transliterated as ‘agape’—and this type of love rejoices in the truth and will bear all things. A mystery of real love is that suffering can be involved in the development of love. Real love will not fail.
Sometimes people suffer for doing good:
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:17)
Note that the above does NOT SAY it is the will of God to inflict suffering on ourselves so that we would be miserable. God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and aspects of love are a mystery in God’s plan (cf. Ephesians 5:25-32).
Now, the Bible is clear that there are benefits that will arise from the suffering that afflicts us:
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4)
16 The Spirit itself bears witness conjointly with our own spirit, testifying that we are the children of God. 17 Now if we are children, we are also heirs—truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer together with Him, so that we may also be glorified together with Him. (Romans 8:16-17, AFV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12)
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-11)
Suffering is allowed so that people will be corrected, be trained, build character, and be better from it (see also Romans 5:3-4, 8:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Peter 1:5-8; Revelation 21:7-8). Trials and problems help build faith, teach humility, teach us lessons, and can help us draw closer to God.
While it can seem overwhelming now, God understands and makes it so His people can bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Jesus essentially taught to take it one day at a time (Matthew 6:34). And what He has planned in the future is so beyond what physical sufferings will be in this life (Romans 8:18).
Jesus and God’s people have suffered:
1 Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, leaving behind all the weight of the sin which surrounds us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who having been offered joy, endured the cross {Gr. stauros – stake}, despising the shame and was seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied in your souls and faint. (Hebrews 12:1-3, Jubilee Bible)
Suffering will end:
12 … Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more; 13 For now I will break off his yoke from you, And burst your bonds apart. (Nahum 1:12-13)
While this was given as a prophesy related to Nineveh, other scriptures confirm that suffering will end (Revelation 21:4) and the yoke of Satan will be broken (Isaiah 14:12-17; Revelation 20:1-3).
It needs to be pointed out that suffering does not always result from our actions. We, like Jesus, can suffer wrongfully:
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (1 Peter 2:19-23)
Jesus set an example to us about suffering (1 Peter 2:21-24). As did the prophets (James 5:10-11).
We are to imitate Jesus (1 Peter 2:21-24), as well as the prophet Paul (1 Corinthians 13:2) as he imitated Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Children
What about children who suffer?
The Bible tells of children who suffer. At least one man was born blind so “that the works of God should be revealed in him” (John 9:3). But the other reason is so that they will build character as well.
God has a plan for us, even before we are born:
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139:16)
What about children who die, are aborted, or killed at an early age?
While those are human tragedies, God has a plan for them—He has not forgotten them (cf. Isaiah 49:15). They, like others uncalled and unchosen in this age, will be part of the second resurrection (Revelation 20:5, 11). And, the Bible says that they will live again—but that time for 100 years per Isaiah 65:20.
Moving Towards Perfection
In the Old Testament, Moses wrote that God’s “work is perfect” (Deuteronomy 32:4). In the New Testament, the Apostle James wrote:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2-5)
Suffering looks to be part of moving towards perfection. This DOES NOT mean we are to torture ourselves intentionally like some do, but to patiently endure the trials and sufferings we encounter.
And yes, that is easier to write than to experience—and God knows this (cf. Hebrews 12:11):
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; (Psalm 138:8)
God is working to perfect YOU!
Consider that the Bible teaches Jesus learned obedience from suffering:
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, (Hebrews 5:8-9)
His followers should learn that as well.
Jesus taught:
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
Does that mean Christians are now perfect?
No.
The Apostle John clearly taught that true Christians still sin and need forgiveness (1 John 1:8-10).
So, does this mean that Christians should just conclude since this is impossible, that it is okay not to try?
No.
Christians are to overcome with God’s help (Romans 12:21; Philippians 4:13; 1 John 4:4) the tests and trials in this life, which helps bring us closer to perfection (James 1:2-4).
The Apostle Paul, while suffering from an affliction, related something Jesus told him:
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
We are being perfected now through what we go through.
God allows suffering because He loves us as the suffering helps to teach and perfect us so eternity will be better for us and all others.
It is when Christians are resurrected as God’s children that they will be fully perfected (cf. Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 11:40).
So, yes God allows suffering because it has a purpose that will be better for us.
Notice that even Jesus was made "perfect" through His sufferings:
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)
And we are to imitate Him (1 Corinthians 11:1).
The short answer is because 1) He does not often physically manifest Himself and 2) people mainly refuse to seek Him the proper way.
When Jesus was here, which was the longest time we are aware of that a member of the Godhead was on the earth and spoke, notice something that He said:
8 "These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:8-9)
Jesus also warned:
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Why?
According to scriptures, because of things like improper traditions, deceit, societal & family pressures, and the refusal to not practice lawlessness.
As far as societal deceit goes, remember that it is "the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).
Related to family pressures, Jesus taught:
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross {stauron-post}and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
Notice what Jesus said about many people who would call Him Lord:
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus continued with:
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (Matthew 7:24-27)
By hearing His words, Jesus meant actually changing and doing what He taught. Most who profess knowing Him do not do that.
Isaiah the prophet wrote:
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6-9)
Notice that one must 1) seek God and 2) change to following God's ways, which 3) are above our ways. Most will not do that.
Jesus taught:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
Those who will first the kingdom of God will have what they need to be added to them.
The New Testament also teaches:
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
God can be found, not by those who desparately want responses without obeying God, but by those who will diligently seek Him, His way.
The God of the Bible did not do that!
Here are answers that are in our free eBook :
Overview: Will All Be Offered Salvation?
Does God have a plan of salvation that makes sense?
The Bible teaches that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), “God is the God of salvation” (Psalm 68:20), God is good (Mark 10:18), and God is all-powerful, all-knowing (Isaiah 46:9-11).
Would not such a God be wise enough to come up with a plan of salvation that works, and does not doom the overwhelming majority of humans that ever lived to punishing that never ends?
Could that be a major part of why He sent His Son (John 3:16-17; 10:10)?
Will God offer salvation to all human beings who ever lived?
Is the view that God plans to offer salvation to all human beings biblical?
Has such a view had at least a degree of historical support, even among certain religious leaders still praised by the Greco-Roman-Protestant churches?
The answer to these questions is, yes, absolutely! And this book is jam-packed with scriptures that help prove that.
Sadly, however, most people who claim to believe the Bible have been taught that salvation will not be offered to all and most will have to suffer eternally for not being saved in this age.
Notice, though, what the New Testament and the Old Testament plainly teach:
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6, NKJV, throughout this book unless otherwise specified. Note this verse is translated precisely the same in the Roman Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible, DRB)
10 … And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10; also the same in the DRB)Some have called versions of this teaching “the age to come” (cf. Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Hebrews 6:5) or the Greek word ἀποκαταστάστεως, transliterated as ‘apokatastasis’ (sometimes also spelled in English as ‘apocatastasis’).
Apocatastasis basically means ‘restoration.’ The Greek word ἀποκαταστάστεως is used in the Book of Acts 3:21 (Green’s Interlinear Bible. 1986, p. 824). God's government, the only real hope for world peace, will be restored (see also our free book, available online at www.ccog.org, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God). Utopia will prevail. ...
In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter explains that God’s schedule is not the same as some:
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ...
God will offer salvation to all that ever lived. That is what the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3) teaches in His word.
The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) believes that the Bible teaches that all will ultimately be given an opportunity for salvation through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 17:2-3; Luke 3:6) and that nearly all people who ever lived (likely over 99.9%--cf. Luke 15:4-6) will accept that opportunity and thus gain eternal life in the kingdom of God and the relatively few who do not will not be eternally tormented, but will be put out of their misery. So, yes, theologically speaking we are also annihilists (Malachi 4:3), and that differs from some who promote apocatastasis who believe that all must be saved.
Therefore, although the CCOG does not teach universal salvation, we teach that the opportunity for salvation will be offered to all. Either in this age, or the age to come. ...
Luke 2:10, states:
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
There is to be good tidings for ALL PEOPLE. All will have an opportunity for salvation (cf. Luke 3:6).
Jesus will be joy to all people who will accept Him.
Is there joy in eternal torment and torture?
Of course not!
It should also be noted that the Bible does not teach some version of the Infernus from 14th century writer Dantes’ Divine Comedy that many seem to think it does.
It is a human tragedy that pagan influence (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21), secular writers (cf. Colossians 2:8), misguided family members (cf. Matthew 10:34-37), ministers that appear better than they are (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Ezekiel 34:2-4, Isaiah 56:10-11), and non-biblical traditionalists (Matthew 15:3-9) have influenced most who profess Christianity to be misled that God’s plan is not a source of joy for most, but tortuous suffering for the vast majority of those who have ever lived. ...
In John 3:16-17, Jesus said:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Notice that love was the motivator for God to send His Son to die so that the world may not be condemned but may be saved. This means that ALL MIGHT be saved (not that all will be saved). All will have an opportunity. God’s plan is NOT limited to a few elect like many groups teach—God’s plan includes the vast majority of human beings, which have often been categorized as the ‘unsaved’.
Do you believe that Jesus died for the world or only a relative few? Would not a wise God of love have a plan that would result in nearly everyone being saved through the sacrifice of His Son? ...
Psalm 145:21 teaches:
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.Now, while the Hebrew terms commonly translated as ‘all’ do not necessarily mean every single one, certainly they mean at least the vast majority. The only way that most flesh shall bless God’s name is if He has a plan that will give them an opportunity to understand His loving plan of salvation later.
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul teaches:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Notice that Paul clearly teaches that Jesus has died for all. Not only a few elect (like the Calvinists essentially teach), not the relative few that accept Christ in this age (as most Protestant/Baptist/Evangelicals teach), not a minority of humankind (as most Roman Catholics have taught).
For Jesus to die for all, ALL must have an opportunity for salvation. And since God is all knowing, certainly He knows how to have a plan of salvation where the most possible will be saved.
The New Testament shows:
6 ... all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6)
18 … through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men (Romans 5:18).
The free gift of salvation will be offered to all who ever lived, with a relative few understanding the offer in this age, and everyone else in the age to come. ...
Now,... the old Worldwide Church of God taught:
Vast Majority to Be Saved
1. Isaiah envisioned the final days of the judgment period when the resurrected billions will receive their call to participate in God’s plan. How does he describe it? Isa. 65:20-25. …
COMMENT: Imagine, if you can, the astonishment of those resurrected at the beginning of this period of judgment. Each person will be in his first moment of consciousness since death. At first, some may think they are in heaven, hell or purgatory. Most will simply be confused—bewildered. Nothing that many had been taught about an afterlife will turn out to be true. Faced with undeniable evidence that their old teachings and ways were false, they will be more willing to start over and be taught the truth. Untold millions who have not had any religious teaching whatsoever will start learning from scratch. Who will teach these thousands of millions? Millions of teachers who will have been born into God’s Family in the first resurrection and during the Millennium! Those resurrected to mortal life will then undergo a process of conversion similar to that of Spirit begotten Christians today. They will be taught God’s laws, and will learn they are guilty of sin and deserving of the death penalty. They will learn of God’s mercy, and that Christ paid the penalty for them, if they will accept His payment. The vast majority will repent. Upon repentance and faith in Christ as their personal Savior, they will be forgiven and God’s Spirit will be given to them. Then they, as Spirit begotten children of God, can begin growing spiritually—developing God’s holy, righteous and perfect character within them. Unlearning all the falsehoods learned in their first life and learning God’s true ways will take time. And building character will take time, because character can be developed only through time and experience. ...
Your Bible shows that the vast majority of those who have ever lived will finally be born into God’s Family at the end of their coming period of judgment. God’s Master Plan of salvation for all mankind will then be complete.
... How wonderful and reassuring is the truth of our all-wise, loving and merciful Creator God! (Lesson 31 - Last Great Day - God’s Master Plan Completed! Ambassador College, 1984) ...
It would seem, since Peter said all the prophets spoke of apocatastasis (Acts 3:19-21), that more knowledge of it was prophesied to be restored.
The reality is that the vast majority of people have never heard the entirety of the true Gospel—particularly the truth of the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. And of those who have heard it, most have not understood that message because Satan has deceived them (cf. Revelation 12:9). And even less have heard, in context, the hundreds of scriptures related to apocatastasis and God’s plan of salvation. ...
Consider that Isaiah 44:17-18 reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding, but in verse 22 He indicates they will be forgiven:
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand ...22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
Thus, is God going to permanently condemn those who worship idols for what He has not let them understand?
Protestant theology tends to say yes.
Those in the Continuing Church of God say no. Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin (which is unlikely) they will be judged as other uncalled people are.
Acts 17:29-30 teaches:
29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked ... now commands all men everywhere to repent.
So even though God does want repentance from all (cf. Luke 13:3), the New Testament teaches that He overlooks idolatry and things done in ignorance. While God wants all to repent, He realized that most would not be willing to do so in this age, hence His plan features an age to come. ...
Now God destroyed Sodom for its wicked works (Genesis 18:20; 19:24)--wicked works, that according to Paul’s writings make it impossible for them to inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). If what most Protestants believe is correct, then all in Sodom will be destroyed and will be no better off than those in Capernaum--but that is a clear contradiction of what Jesus taught.
In Luke 10:8-15, Jesus taught:
8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be thrust down to Hades.
Notice that Jesus is holding those to a higher standard who saw miracles and should have understood His message, than those who were idolaters, pagans, and sexually immoral (including those that lived in Sodom). Jesus makes this concept clear in many other passages (cf. Luke 12:48).
Jesus said He came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
God’s plan is to provide for pleasures forever:
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Consider now that Ezekiel 18:32 teaches:
2 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!
Notice that God clearly wants people to live. Would He then have devised a plan that results in the vast majority of humans facing the second death?He would not have and did not.
Hebrews 9:26-28 teaches:
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Notice that it was the plan since the foundation of the world that Jesus would be slain for the many. Not only the few. God knew that humans would abuse the freedom of choice He gave them, therefore He had a plan. Plus, notice that people are appointed to die (“the wages of sin is death” per Romans 6:23), hence they will have guilt for sin, but that afterwards is the judgment and that Jesus is coming again for salvation. ...
In Acts 2:21, the Apostle Peter taught:
21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.
God’s will and His plan of salvation will come to pass. ...
In this age, only a few will truly find Christ as Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:13-14:
13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Remember that this is the same Jesus who came to save more than a few. And He will in the age to come, since only a few were prophesied to remain faithful in this age.
Would a loving God make the way so difficult that few would ever be able to be saved?
No, of course not!
God made it difficult in this age so that the vast majority of people who ever lived could be saved. That is the plan.
In Luke 13:29-30, Jesus taught (consistent with Isaiah 49:12) that many who will be first come from places (like Asia in the east, Russia in the north, Africa and Latin America in the south, plus all the islands) that will end up being first in the Kingdom of God:
29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.
Throughout history, most who claimed Christianity came from what has been commonly called the west—the Western Hemisphere and Europe. Although there will be people from the west, notice that they are no more prominent than those from the other regions.
How does your church understand this?
We in the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God, specifically in the Continuing Church of God, understand that God will offer salvation to everyone either in this age or the age to come and even those in nations without many Bibles will respond. ...
So, the second death is not like physical death—it is a permanent annihilation. ...15 there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. (Acts 24:15)
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:13-15)
For believers, the change at the “third resurrection” will be like what happens to living Christians at the time of the first resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
But at this ‘third resurrection” change, consistent with Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28, the wicked who will not repent and support God’s Kingdom will be condemned (John 5:28-29), burnt up (Revelation 20:14), annihilated, totally destroyed:
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. ...
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. ...
20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. ...38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. (Psalm 37:1-2,9-10,20,38)
4 You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. 5 God shall likewise destroy you forever; (Psalm 52:4-5)
2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. (Psalm 68:2)
1 “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:1-3)The Bible calls this the ‘second death’:
11... He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14)
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Thus, it is a type of death, but permanent. Note: The fact of the boy God had Elijah raise (1 Kings 17:17-22), Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead, (John 11:11-44), and all those who were raised after Jesus was executed (Matthew 27:52-53) shows that human beings can physically die more than once. For those who have been resurrected to physical life prior to the 21st century, their experiencing physical death again is NOT the second death of Revelation 20:14 and Matthew 10:28. THE SECOND DEATH IS DEFINED IN REVELATION 20:14 AS WHEN DEATH AND HADES ARE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. It is not a reference to any humans who, after being resurrected, die again.
Now, the permanent second death, is not eternal torturing like many claim. Jesus came so we would not have to PERISH, but have eternal life:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (Hebrews 9:27)
Jesus did not come so that people would not experience physical death—He came to help prevent the second death (Revelation 20:14).
And since the Apostle Paul was inspired to write that it is appointed for people to die (Hebrews 9:27), the PERISHING in John 3:16 has to do with what happens after the resurrections.
James 5:11 states:
11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Permanent torment is not merciful nor very compassionate--but putting the wicked permanently out of their misery is. God is very compassionate and merciful.
Nahum 1:12 teaches:
12 Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more;
Thus, this prophetic book is teaching that there is not a permanent, torturing affliction.
Revelation 21:4 teaches:
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
There will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. Thus, there will not be an ever-burning torment and torture of sinners throughout eternity. All things will become new.Remember that Malachi 4:1-3 teaches that the wicked (those who will not repent) will be burned up and will be ashes (see also Luke 13:1-3; Matthew 10:28). This is not an everlasting torment, but a destruction of those that refuse God.
The Bible does NOT teach eternal torment, but that those who will refuse God after the second resurrection will be put out of their misery for their own good as well as to not cause misery for others who will accept God's way. Those who would be miserable for eternity will be annihilated, not tortured.
The idea of "modern morality" implies that morality is supposed to change, so by that definition there are no timeless ethical principles.
That said, there are timeless ethical principles.
As far as the Bible goes, there are a couple distiguishments to make here.
One is that many of the statutes were for the governing of the physical nation of Israel thousands of years ago. As such, some of the specifics are not wrong, and if they are in conflict with "modern morality" then modern morality is at fault.
Various penalties were seemingly designed to discourage wrong and criminal behaviours.
For example, consider the following:
1 If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. ... 4 If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double. (Exodus 22:1,4)
The principles here look to be that the more valuable the object stolen, the more times the thief has to pay to make restitution. However, if the thief still has the stolen goods so the loser gets what is stolen back, then paying double is appropriate. This principle should be applied now and its timelessness is not limited to sheep or oxen.
That said, the Bible also prohibits the eating of certain types of animals. Science has proven that some of these are unhealthy and often subject to being too toxic--at least part of the time in California people are warned not to eat shellfish for that reason. Furthermore, it is known that many viruses have been associated with the consumption of biblically-unclean animals. My own speculation is having looked at viral protein models, it appears that viruses can form from improper digested unclean animals. So, there was and is timeless benefit to obey this, despite it going against "modern morality."
That said, many aspects of so-called modern morality are not new. They have been immoral from the beginning. Here are some items considered immoral two thousand years ago which remain immoral today:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32)
Modern morality is often not based on the word of God.
It is better for people to obey the commands of the Bible then to claim that they cannot or should not.
The Bible tells of an early event that occurred in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah between three thousand and four thousand years ago:
24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (Genesis 19:24-25)
And why did it happen?
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7)
Homosexuality is a form of sexual immorality that involves going after "strange flesh."
Why mention this in the 21st century?
Because God turned:
6…the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly (2 Peter 2:6)
Thus, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were to serve as an example to those who would live as they did. Yet despite biblical warnings, many modern leaders are endorsing so-called homosexual "rights" and "same-sex marriage." The Bible, however, warns about such leaders:
12…Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths. (Isaiah 3:12)
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:16).
So, leaders that ignore what the Bible teaches are leading others toward destruction. Aspects of modern morality are simply ancient immorality that is not good for the immoral.
Additionally, the Bible specifically prophesies immorality in our time. The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-8)
So, despite what some claim about modern morality, aspects are immoral and most are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
This is prophesied to result in persecution against the truly moral:
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:12-15)
And while some moderns claim that God's commandments are harsh, the reality is that they show love.
The Bible teaches:
5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. (1 Timothy 1:5-7)
True love is moral.
Many aspects of modern morality are not.
Well, there are and have been many healing miracles that cannot be explained away naturally.
That said, the Bible teaches:
1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)
It is not always God's time for public dramatic healings.
While there were times in the New Testament for that, notice:
57 Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:57-58)
Therefore, unbelief is another reason.
That being said, there were sporatic dramatic healings in the Book of Acts. Even though God did many through the Apostle Paul (Acs 19:11), He did not heal Paul of some infirmity Paul wanted to be healed of in 2 Corinthians 12:7-8). God's answer was: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
So, there are reasons and time issues. Since the Bible teaches:
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
There are reasons that various dramatic public miracles do not take place for the better good for people.
That said, I believe we will see miracles consistent with some in the Book of Acts before Jesus returns.
Furthermore, the Bible shows that the two witnesses will do what would be considered as dramatic public miracles:
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. (Revelation 11:3-6)
Despite that, the Bible shows most will not believe (Revelation 11:7-10).
Let me also add that Jesus did major public miracles and most would not believe Him. He also taught Abraham will declare, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead" (Luke 16:31).
So, while many think they need a dramatic public miracle to believe, God and His word say that for most that simply is not the case. The Bible actually warns that people will fall for signs and wonders from the false influenced by Satan because they did not have real love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
However, as Ecclesiastes and Revelation point out, there will be a time, though, God Himself will have dramatic public miracles happen again.
The simple answer is that they do not all come from God!
Most religions are from Satan:
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
There is only the true God as God in Exodus 9:14 states, "there is none like Me in all the earth."
Sadly, some aspects of "modern morality" equate all religions as being equal pathways to God and righteousness, but that is not so.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)
Notice also:
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods? (Jeremiah 16:20)26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. (Acts 19:26)
8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. (Galatians 4:8)
The Bible is adamant that there is a true Godhead and no other gods:
35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. (Deuteronomy 4:35)
9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,'
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it. (Isaiah 46:9-11)
Furthermore, the New Testament warns Christians from incorporating practices of other religions:
19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (1 Corinthians 10:19-21)
The New Testament warns that real Christians to be separate from other faiths:
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
18 'I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
All religions do not come from God.
Because of that, yes, they will often contradict one another.
God does not ignore prayers. And He often does answer desparate prayers.
But He does not always answer them the way we want.
Why?
In most cases, because it is not in our long term best interest.
But there is another specific reason to be pointed out:
27 When your fear comes as destruction, "" And your calamity comes as a windstorm, "" When adversity and distress come on you.
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, "" They seek me earnestly, and do not find me. 29 Because that they have hated knowledge, "" And have not chosen the fear of YHWH.
30 They have not consented to my counsel, "" They have despised all my reproof, 31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, "" And they are filled from their own counsels.
32 For the turning of the simple slays them, "" And the security of the foolish destroys them. (Proverbs 1:27-32, Literal Standard Version)
Many simply do not love the truth, so that is one reason their prayers are not answered the way they hope.
To assist with prayers, we have a free eBook Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? Here are some excerpts in it:
Tip Number 2: Worship God in Truth
Many people do not understand who or what God is. Because of that they often do not pray to the true God of the Bible.
Because of the ‘progress’ of the interfaith and ecumenical approaches to religion, many think that praying to some vague ‘spirit being’ or to an idol of a Hindu deity is the same as praying to the true God of the Bible. But that is not the case.
Notice something that the Apostle Paul taught:
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)
Notice what Jesus Himself taught:
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)
Many think that it does not matter what or how they worship, only that they make some attempt. That is not what Jesus said that the Father wants.
Jesus also taught:
8 "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:8-9)
People may pray out loud or silently, but notice that they can be worshiping God in vain if they are following the imaginations of their own mind or ‘traditions’ of human beings which are contrary to God’s ways. Intentionally praying to the east (Ezekiel 8:16) and certain holidays that many who claim Christianity observe, do not come from the Bible, but from compromises with pagan “traditions of men” (see also our booklet Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?).
Since Jesus warned that one can worship God in vain and that the Father seeks those who will worship Him in truth, those who want to truly worship God and receive answers to their prayers should not rationalize away disobedience to Him and His ways.
Notice something that Jesus prayed:
1 Father, the hour has come… 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. (John 17:1, 16-19)
Jesus also taught:
4 It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' (Matthew 4:4)
The world compromises with the truth and does not adequately believe that the word of God is truth. While many pay lip-service to the idea of believing the Bible, most accept ‘traditions of men’ that the Bible does not condone above truly living by every word of God.
However, it is not that God never hears the prayers of those that do not really know Him, but if one truly intends to worship God, they should worship the true God.
Even if you do not believe that you are worshiping God in vain, consider examining your own life (Galatians 6:3-4) as there are probably areas in it that are not true to God. Do not overlook this tip as it also specifically applies to true Christians in these end times (cf. Revelation 3:1-22).
Tip Number 3: Believe God
The Bible warns that there are those who do not really believe God, and because of that, they do not get their prayers answered.
Notice:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Jesus taught that those who pray need to have faith in God:
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)
You need to believe that God will answer you. If it is God’s will, yes, the prayers of the truly faithful can move mountains. The time will come when this likely will literally happen.
Where does faith come from? The Bible says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). (For more on faith, check out our free booklet Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen.) Study and believe God's word.
While God is aware of all prayers, some prayers God listens to. Notice whose prayers God listens to:
2 Says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. (Isaiah 66:2)
Tremble at His word—do you really believe the Bible over false traditions of human beings?
In the Bible, God declares:
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Do you really believe that? While that can seem to be hard to accept at times, the reality is that God “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:5) and knows so much more than any of us possibly can. That is part of why it is good, wise, and right to submit to His will.
Jesus said:
46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46)
Are you humble enough that you will believe God over your own opinions and feelings? All the time?
Really?
Tip Number 4: Obey God: Do More than the Demons
Christians are to obey God.
The demons believe that God is, but they do not wish to obey
God. Your faith needs to go beyond simply believing that there is a God. Notice:
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:18-20)
True followers of God realize that faith without works is dead. The demons have faith in God, but do not obey Him. They have the works of Satan the devil. And the demons have influenced many to go the way of Satan.
The demons accepted temptations and failed to be kept “from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Do not be like the demons, realize that Satan’s temptations are not good to follow.
Speaking of the demons, even those who seem to have cast them out, are themselves subject to being cast out if they do not obey God:
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23)
Notice what the Apostle John wrote about who really knows Jesus:
4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:4-6)
The demons do not obey, nor do those that have been highly influenced by them. Do you? ...
Tip Number 10: Remember God’s Will and Have Your Priorities in Order
You need to have the right priorities when you pray. Jesus laid out an outline of prayer as He taught:
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your
kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
I personally try to keep that outline in mind when I pray. Not that I simply repeat the above words vainly, but I add details. Details about doing the work of God (the Kingdom, for example, will not come until Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled), details about the daily needs of others, forgiveness, details of the daily needs for myself and family, details about my own sins/debts and sins/debts of others.
We truly are to want God’s will to be done. Furthermore, Jesus specifically taught that His faithful followers should have the right priorities. Notice some of what He taught after teaching His disciples how to pray:
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34)
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:38)
Your prayers and entire approach to life need to have the correct focus, including God’s kingdom and work. The spiritual needs of others and yourself are more important than your physical needs. Yet, few truly have faith.
Notice also what the Apostle John wrote:
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)
We need to accept God’s will and align our priorities with Him.
More on prayer, as well as tips related to making the impossible, possible, check out the free eBook: Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?
Why are the questions that other religions struggle with that the Continuing Church of God does not struggle with?
Because we believe the word of God.
We rely on what the Bible says. The Apostle Paul wrote:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Bible is the source of our doctrine and it contains instruction in righteousness.
While many say the Bible is the source of doctrine, many actually rely more on traditions of men, which is why they do not have proper answers to many questions that people struggle with.
Because most accept cultural traditions and societal pressures.
Most fail to so what Jesus said and the Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" — 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 "These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:1-9)21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)
Because of family and societal pressures, most accept a lot of religious traditions.
Yet, if people would test all things ("prove all things" as the KJV puts it), they would not accept false religious beliefs and traditions.
Related to family pressures, Jesus taught:
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:37)
Partially because of familarity and partially because of Satan's influence, people accept false religion. Notice a couple of scriptures that support that view:
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25)9 ... that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; (Revelation 12:9)
It is not comfortable to change. Jesus said the following:
37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'" (Luke 5:37-39)
While older wine reportedly tastes better than new wine, Jesus is teaching that many are unwilling to change and are more comfortable with the ways they were previously taught.
John Halford wrote the following:
In New Testament times glass bottles were rare, so wine was often transported in animal skins, usually from goats. They made a strong, airtight and moisture — proof container, but you had to be careful. New wine that had not finished fermenting gave off gas that would expand the skins. A new wineskin had some "give" to it, and would allow for the expansion. But old, used skins lost their elasticity. They would burst. The wine would be spilled and the wineskin ruined.
But why tell people that? Jesus Christ's business was not to give the multitude helpful household hints. Jesus was using a familiar situation to teach an aspect of Christian living.Withdrawal symptoms
When someone begins to understand the teachings of the
Bible, it is a totally new experience — unlike anything he or she has ever known — like new wine or an unused piece of cloth.
Now, what most of us do is try to fit this new truth into our old way of life. That is only natural, because it is hard to change, and no one likes to admit having been wrong. The old way of life is familiar and comfortable, and we want to hang on to as much of it as possible.
How about you? Perhaps you have fond memories of the Easter sunrise service, the fun of Halloween and those beautiful candlelight carol services down at the old family church. The truth comes smashing into inherited religious ideas and preconceived notions of right and wrong. It challenges comfortable beliefs, making you question things you have always done.
This new way — even if it is right — sometimes seems like an unwelcome intruder, and you find yourself resenting it.
Jesus warned us that that could happen: "And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better' " (verse 39).
It is not surprising that so many people, even though they acknowledge the truth, still prefer to cling to their old beliefs. ...
All the way
Don't make that mistake. ... As you take the plunge and follow God's way of life, you will begin to miss the "old wine" less and less. You will see it for what it is — a hollow counterfeit of the real thing.
God is showing you the way to freedom from all that. Instead of looking back at the fraudulent ways of this world, you will begin to anticipate the excitement of helping others learn the truth in the world tomorrow. (Halford J. New Wine and Old Bottles Good News, December 1985)
Many are comfortable with wrong ways.
However, people have a choice. Moses said:
15 "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)
However, most, end up not choosing the way of God.
But if they diligently seek Him, His way, they could.
Jesus said:
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)
But such seekers must believe and be diligent:
17 I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me. (Proverbs 8:17)6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
But most will not diligently seek Him, because they are more comfortable with their traditions, etc.
God does not need worship. He commands it for our good, not His. Yet many religions that claim Christianity do not understand that.
Related to aspects of this, notice some of what is in our free eBook The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?:
Unlike Buddhists, Muslims believe in a divine Creator who has a purpose for humans. ... the following Islamic source gives a reason:
God created man to serve Him, meaning that men should believe in the One God and do good. This is the object of human life. God says, “I have not created men except that they should serve Me.” (The Winds That Scatter, 51:56) (What is the purpose of human life in Islam? Muslim Converts Association of Singapore, accessed 03/21/19)
While humans should do good, much of the rest of the above is similar to certain Protestant views as to why God made humans, which we will look at next. ...
There are reportedly just over 800 million Protestants, and they are divided by many denominations, ministries, and sects (note: the Continuing Church of God is NOT Protestant—details as to why are found in our free eBooks: Continuing History of the Church of God and Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism).
However, despite the variety of Protestants, there seems to be some general agreements on why God made anything.
Notice one Protestant view of why God made humans:
Why Did God Create Humans?
He did so to give himself glory. God created us to live and enjoy relationships as he did. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). ...
To bring glory to God—that is, to exalt him, lift him up, give him praise, to reflect upon him honorable—is in fact our purpose in life. (Bell S. Josh McDowell Ministry. posted April 11, 2016)
We in the CCOG would disagree. God did not create us because He is some ego-driven spiritual entity that needed people to give Him glory. Nor is giving glory to God the purpose of human life. But it is true that God wanted to increase joy.
Here is another, somewhat similar Protestant response:
Why did God create in the first place? Was He bored? Was He lonely? Why did God go through the trouble of making humans?
The Bible tells us that God's ultimate purpose for the universe is to reveal His glory. The Bible tells us that God's ultimate purpose for mankind is to reveal His love. (Was God Bored? All About God Ministries, accessed 03/21/19)
Well, this is slightly closer as love is part of it, but again the implication is that God made everything because of His need to have His ego stroked. God is not vain and does not need that. God is love (1 John 4:16) and is not some egotistical being wanting worship for His vanity. Notice also:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. (Acts 17:24-25)
God is a giver. He, personally, does not need worship.
Yet, here is a more egotistical view from two other Protestants:
Why Did God Create the World?
The short answer that resounds through the whole Bible like rolling thunder is: God created the world for his glory. (Piper J. September 22, 2012. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/why-did-god-create-the-world accessed 01/16/19)
Why Did God Create?
God did not create because of some limitation within Himself. Instead, He created everything out of nothing in order to put His glory on display for the delight of His created beings and that they might declare His greatness. (Lawson J. Ligonier Ministries, July 3, 2017)
Two more claiming God made things for His personal glory.
So, those Protestant (including Baptist) sources seem to agree. But we in CCOG do not believe they really understand the mystery of God’s plan. ...
The Beatific Vision
Some feel that eternity will be spent primarily gazing upon the face of God. This is known as the ‘Beatific Vision.’
While the Bible teaches we can see God’s face forever (Psalm 41:12), the Beatific Vision is taught by some as the Christian reward and purpose of the creation.
Here is how the New World Encyclopedia describes it:
The Beatific Vision is a term in Catholic theology describing the direct perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness or blessedness. In this view, humans' understanding of God while alive is necessarily indirect (mediated), while the Beatific Vision is direct (immediate). ...
Thomas Aquinas explained the Beatific Vision as the ultimate goal of human existence after physical death. Aquinas' formulation of beholding God in Heaven parallels
Plato's description of beholding the Good in the world of the Forms, which is not possible while still in the physical body. ...
The philosophy of Plato hints at the concept of the Beatific Vision in the Allegory of the cave, which appears in the Republic Book 7 (514a-520a), speaking through the character of Socrates:
My opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good (the Good) appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual (517b,c).
For Plato, the Good appears to correspond to God in Christian theology. ...
St. Cyprian of Carthage (third century) wrote of the saved seeing God in the Kingdom of Heaven:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God… to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of Heaven with the righteous and God's friends. ...
In the thirteenth century, philosopher-theologian Thomas Aquinas, following his teacher Albertus Magnus, described the ultimate goal of a human life as consisting in the intellectual Beatific Vision of God's essence after death. According to Aquinas, the Beatific Vision surpasses both faith and reason. ...
Hindu and Buddhist thought have long spoken of the experience of samadhi, in which the soul finds union with the divine while still in the body. The mystical tradition in Islam speaks of literally seeing with God's eyes: “When I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears; and his sight by which he sees; his hand by which he strikes; and his foot by which he walks” (Hadith of An-Nawawi 38).
George Fox and the other early Quakers believed that direct experience of God was available to all people, without mediation. (Beatific Vision. New World Encyclopedia, 2013. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Beatific_Vision accessed 04/16/19)
Note: The Bible is clear that God will come down to the earth (Revelation 21:1-3), hence scripture negates the view of a beatific vision in heaven.
The editor of the Lutheran Journal of Ethics wrote:
But the end goal of God’s purpose for the human creature shines through an eschatological understanding of sanctification, where we are promised the beatific vision of holiness and full communion with God in eternity. (Santos C. Editor's Introduction: Lutherans and Sanctification. © September/October 2017. Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Volume 17, Issue 5)
Many Protestants that believe in the Beatific Vision lean toward the view that this vision is a spiritual, not physical sight (e.g. Ortlund G. Why We Misunderstand the Beatific Vision. First Baptist Church of Ojai, September 26, 2018).
Those who accept versions of the Beatific Vision as the end goal tend to think that seeing God will fill them with His or their own happiness.
Here is an opposing view of that vision from a onetime Church of God writer:
Yes, God made what He did so that eternity could be better.If eternity is to be spent gazing blissfully up into God's face, or having our every wish immediately fulfilled — as many religions teach — after a few months (or after a few octillion years, it doesn't really matter), life would get boring. And once life got boring, it would be sickeningly and fiendishly terrifying. Because there would remain nothing but an unending eternity of boredom to come — with death a wonderful but impossible way of escape (see Luke 20:35-38). This would indeed be the ultimate torture.
But our Eternal Father has a better idea. He has designed a plan in which eternity will not grow progressively more boring. But, as unbelievable as it seems, eternity will grow progressively more exciting, more scintillating, and more enjoyable as each eon follows eon. (Kuhn RL. The God Family - Part Three: To Inhabit Eternity. Good News, July 1974)
Contrary to the views of many Muslims, Protestants, and Greco-Roman Catholics, God did not make humans to worship Him. He made humans because of love.
Praise and worship of God is really for the benefit of the worshipper. That way he or she is not subject to as much self and other deception.
More on God's plan can be found in our free eBook: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?
God knows that many believe He exists. Actually, He made the world such that if people would honestly examine aspects of it, they would be able to conclude that He does exist.
The Psalmist wrote:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork. (Psalms 19:1)
The Apostle Paul wrote:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:18-23)
Humans can easily prove that the Creation shows that God exists.
Consider the following from our free eBook Is God’s Existence Logical?:
A Series of Impossibilities Should Lead One to Realize the Existence of God
The Bible teaches it is:
13 ... God who gives life to all things, (1 Timothy 6:13)
But many evolutionists will not allow for that, they believe that life spontaneously appeared. Even if we allow the possibility of spontaneous primitive life to have occurred, what would happen? The primitive life would have to die. Part of the reason for this is that even a single-cell is so complex, and so full of various biological subsystems, that scientists have learned that many systems are essentially necessary for life to exist or continue. Science recognizes that living organisms must be selfcontained, eat, digest, and reproduce to continue to exist. ...
Amino acids do not have such details. Of themselves, they are just a string of atoms/molecules and are not biological structures.
- All living organisms need biological structures such as organelles and membranes. Within the membranes they contain intracellular water-soluble components. Without a membranous structure, the proteins would ultimately diffuse and destroy the living organism. Living organisms must be somewhat self-contained.
- All living organisms need nourishment and direction. Since randomness would not have created the biological structure known as a DNA-containing nucleus (or some primitive equivalent, like a nucleoid), the cell would die. Even if it had some type of nucleus to provide direction, the nucleus would have to have come into existence with the ability to determine what to eat and how to find food, another impossibility.
- Proteins cannot survive without DNA and DNA cannot exist without proteins, hence there is no way both happened at the same time.
- Even if the cell had all the above with simultaneous protein and DNA, it would die, because there would have been no reason for it to have spontaneously generated a digestive system in order to utilize the food.
- Even if evolutionists are granted all the improbabilities and impossibilities this book discusses, the primitive life would quickly die out as there would have been no reason for it to have spontaneously generated an ability to reproduce, nor would it have any innate ability to do so.
Let’s look at this in a slightly different way:
- If all the necessary amino acids were to align (as improbable as that would be), it will not become alive. So that step is impossible.
- If this primitive amino acid “cell” were to somehow become alive, it would die. Why? Because cells contain intracellular water-soluble components, and it is a fact of physics that water-soluble components will dissipate/destruct without a membrane. Thus, going beyond this step is impossible.
- If this “cell” did have a membrane, what would happen next? It would die. Why? Because it needs organelles to survive.
- Even if it had some organelles it would not have the innate ability to deduce that it needed to eat as it did not form with a nucleus or nucleoid. The nucleus/nucleoid is the part of the cell that contains DNA and other instructions and it would not have randomly had DNA.
- Presuming the primitive amino acid ‘cell’ is in liquid and it runs into food, what will happen? Yes, it will die. Why? Because it was not randomly formed with digestive ability, it will not be able to digest and utilize the food. Thus, going beyond this step is impossible.
- Presuming it was randomly formed with a nucleus and digestive abilities, what will happen? It will die out. Why? Because it would also have had to be randomly formed with the instructions that it needed to be able to reproduce as well as the ability to do so. Evolution as the origin of life is not just improbable, it is impossible.
It is in the Bible that we are told that when God made life He intended it to reproduce (Genesis 1:11,28,29).
God is different than the physical universe:
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
24 God is Spirit (John 4:24).
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:5)
Scientists may claim that they know what happened at the beginning, but they are physical (not Spirit) and their understanding is finite, not infinite.
Furthermore, consider the fact that the ecosystem does not support the view that randomness could have caused it. Animals give off carbon dioxide and breath in oxygen, yet plants do the opposite. Furthermore, animals eat plants and plants are fertilized by the waste of animals. These are by design, not coincidence.
The fact that we have precipitation around the entire planet (cf. Matthew 5:45), or even have it at all, should give some pause to consider that there is a Sustainer of the universe.
In addition to rain, snow, and ice, there is also water around the world, including underground, that allows human beings to live all over the Earth as God instructed (Genesis 9:1; cf. 11:9).
Consider also the following:
8 But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. (Job 32:8)
This “spirit in man” is a reason humans can think as we do, have free will, and have a conscience/morality. Evolution does not have a proper explanation of that either.
The idea of an ‘intelligent design’ by a Spirit Being is the only explanation that does not defy scientifically provable knowledge—for all other explanations result in something that would not come alive, and even if it did, must die out.
Proteins cannot of themselves reproduce. Proteins need deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
DNA cannot exist without proteins, and proteins cannot exist without DNA (Pietzsch J. Understanding the RNAissance. Nature, c. 2003).
DNA can basically do nothing of itself, it needs proteins.
Does any truly scientifically rational person actually believe that DNA and proteins randomly developed and got together at the same time for life as we know it to exist without
Divine intervention?
The answer should be obvious. No.
By the way, as mentioned before, God expects humans to realize that He exists through various aspects of His creation (Romans 1:20).
Thus, since life could not have randomly sprung forth from non-living matter, eaten, and reproduced, only a different type of entity (God) could have caused it to begin. ...
Charles ... Darwin himself seemed to acknowledge that life could not have started on its own. He seemed, to some degree, to rely on the biblical account in the Book of Genesis as he wrote:
There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one (The Origin of Species By Charles Darwin, 2nd and subsequent editions).
Thus, apparently Darwin recognized the impossibility of life starting on its own without a Creator (God). His statement seems to have been a reference to the following:
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
Charles Darwin acknowledged what modern evolutionists do not.
Darwin Denounced Those Who Made a Religion of His Origin Positions
What many do not know is that Charles Darwin disapproved of how many overly accepted his theories. And many scientists have accepted beliefs that are not highly logical.
The atheistic philosopher Karl Marx, who was an evolutionist and a contemporary of Charles Darwin, once called religion the “opium of the people.” Yet, in our day, Darwin’stheories and their successors have become the “opium,” or “religion,” of many who consider themselves to be educated alike.
Charles Darwin saw people making too much out of his writings when he was alive:
Darwin himself said: “I am in a hopeless muddle concerning the origin of things. Our ignorance of the derivation of things is very profound. I must be content to remain agnostic.”
However, as he lay dying, he embraced the concept of creation. He also reflected on his life work, saying: “I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion out of them. (Keith B. Scopes II: The Great Debate : Creation Vs. Evolution. Huntington House, 1982, p. 47)
Sadly, many who wanted reasons NOT to believe in God pointed to his writings and claimed that they were more enlightened and/or scientific than the biblical account. They made a religion out of his theories.
Nobel Prize winner Dr. George Wald, from Harvard University, stated the following:
The reasonable view was to believe in spontaneous generation (life from nothing); the only alternative, to believe in a single, primary act of supernatural creation. There is no third position . . . One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this task to concede that the spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible. Yet here we are, as a result I believe, of spontaneous generation. (Scott I. The God Solution: Are You Ready? Xlibris Corporation, 2013, p. 41)
This is an astounding admission. Dr. Wald is saying that he chose to believe the impossible. And “scientists” claim that those who believe in a Creator have blind faith with no proof, but instead believe the impossible!
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines impossible as “incapable of being or of occurring.”
It is a falsehood to believe in something that is impossible.
Consider the following from the Bible:
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-15)
Would not professing belief in something you know is impossible be loving and believing a lie?
It rarely fails to astound me how the supposedly educated can insist that evolution is scientifically accurate and why they want people to mindlessly accept such a preposterous explanation of the origins of life.
The fact is that evolution functions as a false religion that many cling to. Therefore, many who hold to it do not bother to look into the truth about why they are on this planet nor what their life really is supposed to be about.
It is the fact that many ignore the truth and do not have a sufficient love of the truth that people do not accept that God created everything.
That said, demons believe in God as the Apostle James wrote:
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:19-20)
What God wants is for people to turn their lives over to obey Him and His ways as they are what is best for them. Simply believing and not obeying is not what God wants.
Consider:
9 And having been perfected, He {Jesus} ecame the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, (Hebrews 5:9)
It is because most are unwilling to obey God that many do not acknowledge Him as Creator.
The universe shows that God exists. More on that can be found in our free eBook: Is God’s Existence Logical?
The Bible teaches:
33 ... God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
So, partially because of the contradictions, we can be certain that the vast majority of the so-called religious experiences simply do not come from the God of the Bible.
Many experiences are emotional. Ego is also often involved.
Some of these experiences are the result of demonic/satanic influece.
The Bible teaches to Christians to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
It also warns Christians not to be taken in by prophets whose signs or wonders come to pass, but do not teach God's commandments:
1"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods' — which you have not known — 'and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)
So, even if something appears to be true, if the source does not advocate serving God and obeying His commandments, that is not a religious experience from God.
As far as relying on emotions for so-called religious experiences, notice the following:
How Do the Dead Know We Miss and Love Them?
Sometimes you feel it. Other times, you witness it in the subtle signs around you. But how do the dead know we miss and love them? Well, it's not exactly a black-and-white matter.
The answer is going to differ from person to person. But one thing is clear. It takes spiritual perception to attain a higher awareness and to transcend earthly boundaries.
Nevertheless, you are surrounded by spiritual energies. Some of that energy forms a direct link with those who passed away. Through that link, we radiate love and care.
This ethereal connection is so powerful that it can convey your feelings without effort from your side. If you're thinking about them, that energy traverses the two domains.
They receive your positivity and reflect it to you in miraculous ways. ...
Do the dead know we miss and love them? Yes, and sometimes they bless us with their ethereal, spiritual presence. Like guardian angels, your loved ones may watch over you.
Some people swear by it. They feel it. They sense their loved one's presence, keeping them on the right path and out of harm's way. This sharpens their spiritual awareness.
More than that, their intuition deepens, providing an endless well of inner wisdom. ...
Even though they are no longer among the living, you can commune with their spirit.
And if you want to know how to speak with the dead, there are more ways than one.
Some people are visited by the deceased in their dreams. Others see their faint glimmers of auras in the physical world around them. Either way, the experience is always distinctive.
Sometimes, it's just a matter of sitting down and talking to their spirit as if they are standing right in front of you. It may seem silly, but this can help you overcome grief. (Hill W. Do the dead know we miss and love them? MSN, March 23, 2026 Do the dead know we miss and love them?)
The above is false. The Bible teaches:
5 For the living know that they will die;
But the dead know nothing, (Ecclesiastes 9:5)17 The dead do not praise the Lord, (Psalms 115:17)
The dead are NOT communicating with us. But some claim that is a religious experience that they have.
Jesus, Himself, taught that even casting out demons in His name is not proof of being one of His true followers:
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23)
So, even prophesying in Jesus' name, doing wonders, and even casting out demons that way are NOT true experiences from God for those who practice lawlessness.
And that is part of why so-called religious experiences contradict. Most are not from God.
God allows people to make choices.
Herbert W. Arsmtrong wrote:
God’s ways, had they been followed, would have led inevitably to peace, happiness, prosperity and joy. God always has revealed to humanity His ways. Always He has pleaded with the human family.
Suppose God had taken the only alternative. Suppose He had FORCED human beings, against their wills, to have lived according to His laws?
Can’t you almost hear the defiant, rebellious, stiff-necked human race indignantly screaming at the Almighty, “You can’t cram your religion down my throat!”
For it is a matter of religion. Can’t we see that, had God followed that course, more than ever mankind would have shouted, “GOD ISN’T FAIR!”
For 6,000 years men and women have lived in defiance of God’s laws. Had God denied them this right to be wrong, they would have accused God of injustice, demanding freedom to follow their own ways.
God’s plan has for its purpose the creating of perfect CHARACTER in beings that are separate entities from God, yet members of the very Family of God. Character cannot be created automatically by fiat - it must be developed through experience! (Is God Fair? Good News, June-July 1985)
If people do not choose His way, they go the way of death:
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,<br>
But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)
God gave instructions to Adam, which he apparently passed on to Eve:
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17)
They should have listened to God, instead notice what happened:
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (Genesis 3:1-7)
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1 Timothy 2:14)
So personal desire/lusts led to sin and being deceived.
Basically, God gave humans a choice and they have mainly choosen to go the wrong way.
The Bible says:
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)
Anyway, because allows people to make choices, humans tend to often deceive themselves, rely on their own understanding, and that allows for them to accept false religions.
God's morality did not change.
Now, as far as why God commanded genocide, that was because it was in the best interest of those being killed.
Notice something about the peoples that God told the children of Israel to eliminate:
16 Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. (Deuteronomy 7:16)
9 "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)
So, basically God had them killed because they were committing abominations and to diminish their ability to wrongly influence others.
Most do not understand that God will resurrect those not called in this age.
Ancient slavery was generally not like what was faced by slaves in the US South, etc. It was often related to having a job. Let's look at something from the Old Testament:
1"Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: 2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him. forever. (Exodus 21:1-6)
Furthermore, the New Testament adds more about how slaves were supposed to be treated:
1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 4:1)
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. (Ephesians 6:5-9)
The above is timeless for employers throughout the ages.
As far as the death penalty for certain offenses, consider that God is the Creator and knows what is best.
20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Romans 9:20-21)
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words." 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. (Jeremiah 18:1-10)
The Bible also contains the following:
6 Know therefore that God exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves. (Job 11:6)
The other point is that many act like death is the end.
But the Bible is clear that all will be resurrected.
This includes all who were killed because of genocide or the penalty of breatking laws, etc.
In God's view, the death penalty is not unnecessarily harsh, but a means to have people stop sinning so He can explain various matters to them after they are again made alive in the second resurrection.
Related to second resurrection, here is some of what is in our free eBook Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation:
Notice that Jesus gave Himself as a ransom/Savior for ALL IN DUE TIME and this should be taught.
Notice how the Berean Literal Bible translates 1 Timothy 2:6:
6 the One having given Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony in their own proper times,
Jesus is a ransom for ALL IN THEIR OWN PROPER TIMES. For some, the proper time is to be called now. For others, this is not the time and they will be given that opportunity later, after the second resurrection.
And that helps explain part of the following:
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach. (1 Timothy 4:9-11)
God is the Savior of all—some in this age and others in the age to come. ...
The Bible then tells of a time called the great white throne judgment, which happens after the second resurrection:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (Revelation 20:11-12)
So, the Bible tells of judgment for those not judged by God in this life. And that books would be opened. Yes, people will be found guilty of sin (cf. Romans 3:23), but remember, that eternal life will be granted to repentant sinners who accept Jesus (Romans 6:23). ...
Furthermore, do God’s promises only refer to the relatively few Gentiles that are being called in this Church age? Or does it include those who have died and believe that their hope is cut off?
Notice what Ezekiel 37:1-2 teaches about dry bones:
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
Those bones had not partaken of God’s living waters (cf. Jeremiah 2:13; Isaiah 44:3; John 4:10). Furthermore, God then asks Ezekiel a question:
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” (Ezekiel 37:4)
Ezekiel did not respond with faulty human reasoning. He wisely deferred to God. Ezekiel, unlike many today, did not conclude that ancient bones could not be brought to life.
Continuing in Ezekiel 37:
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ‘ “
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ‘ “
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’
12 “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’ “
These are people who are dead, who falsely believed that because they were lost they have no hope, and who falsely believed they were completely cut off.
Notice that they will be resurrected, have hope, and shall know that the LORD is God! Because these people claim that their hope is cut off, these are clearly not converted, Spirit-filled, believers--hence what this has to do with is sometimes referred to as the second resurrection.
There is HOPE for those considered LOST!
So, God does have a plan for those who died or will killed in genocide or other manners.
More details about that are in our free eBook: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.
True followers of God do not commit terrible acts in His names. It is those who follow false religions that do so.
Belief in God should help motivate better behavior, yet many use that as an excuse.
Political leaders, starting with Emperor Constantine, have pushed anti-biblical ideas, including military warfare for Christians.
Early Christians, as well as most of the Greco-Roman Catholics, would not participate as miltiary soldiers before Emperor Constantine (for details, check out the article: Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence?).
Then after him, not only did the Greco-Roman Catholics embrace carnal warfare, their leaders--including popes and patriarchs--endorsed and called for it--like the Crusades.
They also implemented/pushed murderous persecutions (for more details, see also the article: Persecutions by Church and State).
This happened, consistent with something that Jesus warned:
2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. (John 16:2-3)
So, yes false Christians and other non-Christians were prophesied to become murderous persecutors who want to believe that they are on the true God's side, even though they are not.
Back in 1983, the late Herbert W. Armstrong asked:
How many times have you heard non-Christians, judging one who professes Christ, say in disgust, "Well if that's Christianity, I don't want any of it!" (Armstrong HW. Personal. Plain Truth, February 1983)
Yes, many who claim Christianity are hypocrites or otherwise to do not live as a true believer should.
That being said, the Bible teaches that, yes, some who do not know God lead better lives than some others that claim to know God:
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) (Romans 2:14-15)
While the truly faithful have not violently misused religion, many have for personal, military, and/or political reasons.
The Bible warns:
13 for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; (Romans 2:13)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:22-27)
Yes, not being a doer of the word is a useless religion.
Those who hear and obey are the true religious ones with proper behavior. But yes, even some who strive to live more like them (whether they heard God's law or not) tend to live more moral lives than hypocrites who claim the true religion but do not live it.
The short answer is that He does not want people to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and commit what is known as the unpardonable sin.
Furthermore, faith is only one part. It is by God's grace through the sacrifice of Jesus that we are saved.
As mentioned before, the demons believe, but will not obey.
Now let's look at more about God's plan from our free eBook :
Astounding as it may seem, God has deliberately clouded the meaning of His message so the vast majority would not understand (cf. Isaiah 28:13)
Do you know that God said that the word was such that many would be snared and caught as it teaches in Isaiah 28:13—not that most would initially understand it?
Don’t you think that an all-knowing Creator would have a fantastically good reason to do it that way?
Consider also that the Apostle Peter wrote that some things were ‘hard to understand’ and that people wrongly twisted the meaning of various scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).
God intended that only those whom He is calling and choosing would understand in this age.
Since God wants all saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4), why would He have His word written that way unless He had a plan to ultimately call everyone?
Notice something about the timing:
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”
And He answered:
“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, 12 The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. (Isaiah 6:9-12)
In other words, the Word of God teaches that the bulk of the people are not to understand until after a time of utter desolation.
Since that desolation still has not happened—this must happen in the future!
Furthermore, the Bible reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding:
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand. (Isaiah 44:17-18)
Thus, is God going to permanently condemn those who worship idols for what He has not let them understand?
Protestant theology tends to say yes.
Those in the Continuing Church of God say no.
Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin, they will be judged as other uncalled people are. Jesus taught that an opportunity for forgiveness will happen “in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32).
Salvation will be offered to all who ever lived. With only a relatively few to properly get that offer in this age, and everyone else in the age to come (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30). ...
Consider also that the Apostle Peter taught that Christians are judged now:
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17a)
This is one reason that not all are called now—not all are willing to bear the effects of that judgment now. It is better not to be called now than to turn against that calling (cf. 2 Peter 2:21).
Peter also taught:
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. (2 Peter 2:20-21)
Since God wants all saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and would not want humans to commit the unpardonable sin (cf. I John 5:16; James 4:17), this explains why only few are chosen in this age
(Matthew 22:14) while nearly all others will be forgiven in the age to come (Matthew 12:32).
This differs greatly from much of what passes for mainstream Christianity as the Roman Catholics and Protestants often teach that most who ever lived are such horrible people that God will torture them for all eternity. ...
Although all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), most people were not incorrigibly wicked and have NOT committed the ‘unpardonable sin.’ ...
In Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-29, Jesus teaches about what is commonly referred to as ‘the unpardonable sin’:
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
Notice two very important points:
- Jesus taught with one exception every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven in this age or in the age to come. Thus, contrary to those who claim that God has passed final judgment upon everyone who died before the great white throne judgement mentioned in the Bible (Revelation 20:11-12), God has not already condemned all non-believers. This is also consistent with 1 John 5:16-17, to cite another example.
- There is one sin, and one sin only, that “will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come”. Therefore, although almost everyone will be forgiven/pardoned and have the opportunity for salvation, there will be some small amount--those who blaspheme against the Spirit--who have been condemned.
And who are those that have blasphemed against the Spirit?
They are those who clearly knew the plan of God, but would not humble themselves enough to accept and live it. These are those who are incorrigibly wicked and will not humble themselves when clearly faced with the truth. Yet, very few really understand the truth now. God is only calling few now so that more will not blaspheme the Holy Spirit and not ultimately be saved. If God called everyone in this age, pride would be a factor in many not getting saved.
Notice a contrast between those who doubt God (but are generally not incorrigible) and God’s actual people:
13 “Your words have been harsh against Me, “Says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the Lord of hosts? 15 So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’”
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.
17 “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him. (Malachi 3:13-18)
Most in this age are not able (for lack of sufficient information and/or ability to resist various pressures) and/or not willing to humble themselves to the point they will truly believe and obey God in this age—and that is necessary for salvation (Acts 5:32; Hebrews 5:9).
Notice, that the Psalms and Proverbs do show that God will save those He considers to be the humble:
4 He will beautify the humble with salvation (Psalm 149:4).
34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. 35 The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools. (Proverbs 3:34-35)All of those who will humble themselves and accept God’s offer will be saved. But most are not truly convinced of this.
So for most, salvation will not happen until after the seeds of the gospel are laid in this age and more fully come to fruition in harvest in the age to come.
Notice Mark 4:26-29:
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
A massive harvest is coming! And that latter harvest has always been part of God’s plan.
It is not a matter of simply believing that there is a God.
There is ONE WAY that is best.
Most humans have not accepted that in this age (see also the article What was the Parting from the Way?).
But after the second resurrection nearly all will.
Why?
First of all nearly all will realize what God says to them is the truth.
Consider also the following, also in our free eBook Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation:
Jesus, Himself, taught that if God did not have a plan to intervene, that humankind will totally destroy itself (Matthew 24:22). Planet earth will, to a major degree, be desolate.
However, the Bible shows that during the millennium, under God’s government, His kingdom will be restored on the earth and transform the world:
33 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 36:33-36)
Those not called in this age will realize that not going God’s way led to destruction, and that under God’s government in the millennial Kingdom of God, the beauty of Eden will be restored.
That will be a powerful witness.
Consider again that the Bible teaches that God made everything and it was very good (Genesis 1:1-31). God made humans upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Yet, humans thought that they could disobey God’s commands (Genesis 3:6). Because of that disobedience, God stopped humans from having immediate access to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-24) on their own (John 6:44). God had a plan of redemption from before the foundation of the world involving Jesus Christ (Revelation 13:8). Plus, the Father also planned to send Jesus a second time after 6,000 years were up.
The Bible reveals that humans will mess things up so badly towards the end those 6,000 years, unless those days were shortened, “no one would survive” (Matthew 24:22, NIV).
Then after Jesus return, the millennium begins. While humans got to start with a beautiful planet, the millennium will begin with the planet on life support. But after that 1,000 years it will be transformed into a fantastic place—demonstrating the wisdom and goodness of God’s plan.
God will then resurrect those who were alive before the millennium (Revelation 20:5) and God will judge them (Revelation 20: 11-12).
Despite them being found guilty (cf. Romans 3:23; Matthew 12:36-37), Ezekiel 20:36,42-44 shows that after God pleads with them, people will finally see what they were like:
36 Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God...
42 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. 44 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.
They will see that their ways ended terribly, but that those that lived under God’s millennial governance will have restored a destroyed planet. That contrast will get most who thought they had a better way to truly realize that God’s ways are best. ...
James 2:13 teaches (in multiple translations):
13 ... Mercy triumphs over judgment. (NKJV, NIV, ESV, BSB, BLB, NASB, CSB, GNT, HCSB, ISV, NET, NHEB, NAS, KJ2000, WNT, WEB, RSV, RSV-Catholic, NABRE, OSB, AFV)
God's merciful and loving plan is beyond what most have considered. The Bible teaches:
9 But as it is written:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)
More on God's loving plan can be found in our literature, such as the following eBooks and related videos:
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in over numerous languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair?, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
Anyway, while the world and those of its various religions struggle to answer many questions, those listed in the article 15 questions that religious people struggle to answer by Lisa O, are not a struggle for us in the Continuing Church of God.
Many of these questions have prophetic connections.
In the Continuing Church of God "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).
We also have answers to other basic questions such as why did God create anything and why He created humans.
The Bible has the answers.
And scripture shows that a proper ministry is key to helping people understand the Bible per Acts 8:30-31 and the following from the Apostle Paul:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Yes, you can know many mysteries that the world and its religions do not have the answers to.
Thiel B. 15 Questions Non-Church of God Faiths Struggle to Answer. COGwriter (c) 2026 https://www.cogwriter.com/15questions.htm