May 1996 1

May 1996May 1996

When Will We See Peace in the Middle East? • Living a Great MiracleThe Bible and Archaeology • God’s Family—the Reason You Were BornWhen Will We See Peace in the Middle East? • Living a Great MiracleThe Bible and Archaeology • God’s Family—the Reason You Were Born

From the publisher

Facing the Big Questions in LifeJERUSALEM–The city that has seen so much conflict over the centuries

is in the midst of a celebration. This is the observance of an approximateanniversary, since it commemorates the estimated 3,000th year since Israel’shero king, David, chose Jerusalem to be the nation’s capital. No matter theexact date, this place has an antiquity that intrigues us all. And it is not justthe stones that captivate the visitor. There is definitely something about thespiritual implications of it all that affects the sensibilities. This land of bibli-cal origins forces us to ask the deeper questions of life. On this visit I’veoverheard travelers talk about life’s mysteries in a way they seldom do athome. There is the undeniable impact of simply being in this place.

The message Jesus Christ broughtWhen Jesus came to the synagogue in Nazareth around A.D. 27, He

announced His mission to His own townsfolk. He said, “The Spirit of theLORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to thepoor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to thecaptives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who areoppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Luke 4:18, 19).

Jesus Christ’s words capture the ever-present human dilemma: How dowe overcome poverty, heartbreak, oppression, lack of freedom and spiri-tual blindness? More big questions. The difference between today’s HolyLand visitor and Jesus was that He was able to provide the sure answers.His questions struck a chord in a Roman-dominated world, and they strikea chord today. His answers were powerful then, and they are powerfulnow. Jesus said that God had sent him to show the way to the Kingdom of God. This, He said, was the “gospel,” or good news.

Not everyone valued that message. Indeed they eventually killed themessenger. Jesus taught that “men loved darkness rather than light,because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). He knew that the penetratinglight of truth would prove too much for some. “For everyone practicingevil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should beexposed” (verse 20).

Yes, Jesus Christ’s message was revolutionary and still is. As visitors tothis city ponder the events of biblical days, it is hard to avoid the conse-quences of the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth: “. . . He who does the truthcomes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have beendone in God” (verse 21).

Finding solutions to age-old problemsHow do we measure up in these closing years of the 20th century, this

age of anxiety and total war? The Book of Books holds the key to our verysurvival if we can grasp its significance in an era of doubt and skepticism.It holds out to us the truth of God for our contemplation and action. Isn’t ittime we took it more seriously and faced life’s big questions?

This issue of The Good News will help us all do that. When the apostlePaul wrote about the Christian’s role in this life, he didn’t spare his wordsor his advice: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that youmay become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in themidst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine aslights in the world, holding fast the word of life . . .” (Philippians 2:14-16).

The Word of God is the word of life. It is the written expression of God’struth, of Jesus Christ’s gospel. It is the answer to the human dilemma.

—David Hulme

May 1996 Volume 1, Number 3

The Good News (ISSN: 1086-9514) is publishedbimonthly by the United Church of God, an InternationalAssociation, 444 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 206, Arcadia,CA 91066-3678. © 1996 United Church of God, anInternational Association. Printed in U.S.A. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited. Second-class postage paid atArcadia, Calif., 91006, and at additional mailing offices.

Publisher: David HulmeManaging editor: Scott Ashley

Copy editors: Dixon Cartwright, Peter MooreArt director: Shaun Venish

Editorial reviewers:

John Bald, Robert Boraker, Roger Foster, Bruce Gore,Paul Kieffer, Rod McQueen, John Meakin,

Brian Orchard, John Ross Schroeder, Richard Thompson, Lyle Welty, Dean Wilson

United Church of God Council of Elders:

Gary Antion, Robert Dick (chairman), Jim Franks, Roy Holladay, Doug Horchak, David Hulme,

Victor Kubik, Dennis Luker, Burk McNair, Peter Nathan, Leon Walker, Donald Ward

Scriptural references are from the New King JamesVersion (© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers) unlessotherwise noted.Subscriptions: The Good News is sent automatically tomembers of the United Church of God and is free to allwho request it. Your subscription is provided by the gen-erous, voluntary contributions of members of the UnitedChurch of God, an International Association, and their co-workers. Donations are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible in the United States. To request a subscription,call (818) 294-0800 or write to The Good News, UnitedChurch of God, P.O. Box 661780, Arcadia, CA 91066-1780, or to the international addresses below.Personal contact: The United Church of God has almost300 congregations and more than 450 ministers in moststates and many international areas. For locations andtimes of services nearest you, write or call the addresseslisted or dial our fax information service at (818) 294-0818. You can access our World Wide Web home pageat http://www.ucg.org/ on the Internet.Address changes: POSTMASTER—Send addresschanges to The Good News, Box 661780, Arcadia,CA 91066-1780.

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United Kingdom: United Church of God (UK) P.O. Box 5929, Thatcham, Berkshire RG19 6YX,United Kingdom Phone: 01635-528063 Fax: 01635-522797

2 The Good News

Contents

Page 4

Page 42

Page 24

Page 16

COVER FEATURE

The Lesson of the Feast of Firstfruits

If Jesus Christ intended to save the world, has the worldtruly been saved? Is it logical to conclude, when weobserve man’s inhumanity to man on an unprecedentedscale, that the world is saved? Did Christ fail in His mis-sion, or have we greatly misunderstood His intentions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

FEATURE ARTICLES

God’s Family: the Reason You Were BornYou can know the astounding truth about the purpose of this life . . . . . 10The Wave-Sheaf Offering Discover the great spiritual significance of this ancient ceremony . . . . . 14When Will Peace Come to the Middle East?Why is this land, birthplace of major religions, in such turmoil? . . . . . . . . . 16The Only Sure ThingThere is one sure bet in your life—are you ready to collect on it? . . . . . . 20The Bible and ArchaeologyDoes archaeology prove or disprove the biblical record? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Stir Up the SpiritHere’s how you can rekindle the flame of God’s Spirit within you . . . . . 32Living a Great Miracle—Being Led by God’s SpiritHow the Feast of Pentecost celebrates another great miracle . . . . . . . . . 34Just What Is the Holy Spirit?Is it the third person of the Trinity, or something altogether different? . . . 36The Juggling ActHow working mothers can cope with competing pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

REGULAR FEATURES

World News and TrendsBritain’s need to return to the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Profiles in FaithRuth: an example of faith and devotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Understanding God’s WordWhat the Bible says about baptism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Letters From Our Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Just for YouthIs intelligence the most important factor for success? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

May 1996 3

esus Christ Himself said He “didnot come to judge the world butto save the world” (John 12:47).But in a world in which hundredsof people die every day from

wars, civil unrest and murder—in whichthousands die daily from starvation, dis-ease and natural disasters; accidentaldeaths claim hundreds more; injustice,immorality and every godless actabounds; professing Christians go towar against and kill other Christians;thousands die daily without havingheard the name of Jesus Christ or evenseen a Bible, much less read one—canwe truly say that Christ’s mission wassuccessful?

Was Jesus Christ mistaken? Has He not succeeded at what He said Hewould do? Doesn’t the very conditionof the world itself show that God hasfailed in the very purpose for whichJesus said He was sent into this world?After all, we are told that “God did notsend His Son into the world to condemnthe world, but that the world throughHim might be saved” (John 3:17).

If Jesus intended to save the world,then has the world truly been saved? Isit logical to conclude, when we observeman’s inhumanity to man on an unpre-cedented scale, that the world is saved?

Enigmatic questionsThese questions have always posed

an enigma to thoughtful people willingto face the facts. If the Christian Churchhad as its mission to take the messageof Christ in power to the world so theworld could be saved, why is the worldin such religious disarray? Further, ifthe gospel Jesus Christ brought holdsthe answers to man’s problems, why isthe world in such sad moral shape?

Did Christ fail to gain the coopera-tion of His own Church to carry out thismission? Is that the problem? Is He notable to inspire the faith in His professedfollowers to do greater works than He(John 14:12), as He promised? Or arethe opposing forces simply too power-ful for faithless mankind? The answer isnone of the above.

However, there are answers to allthese questions, and, remarkably, theyare illustrated in a festival called theFeast of Firstfruits (Exodus 23:16). Thisobservance, along with other of God’sannual Holy Days, is commanded byGod in Leviticus 23:15-21.

In describing this and other sacredobservances, God said, “Speak to thechildren of Israel, and say to them: ‘Thefeasts of the LORD, which you shall pro-claim to be holy convocations, these areMy feasts’” (verse 2).

Later, we find the Church Jesusfounded also observed this festival,known by Jesus’ followers as the Dayof (or Feast of) Pentecost. As a matterof fact, the founding of New TestamentChurch occurred on this very day, andwas accompanied by other miraculousevents (Acts 2:1-41). It has great rele-vance and importance for Christianstoday.

God had a reason for His nationIsrael to keep His festivals and later forHis Church to observe them. Throughthese observances, God reveals to Hispeople the stages of His plan of salva-tion for humanity. In particular, the feastcelebrating the harvest of the firstfruits,or Pentecost, has a meaning that revealsone of the major phases of God’s planfor salvation.

The Lesson of the Feast of Firstfruits

If Jesus Christ came to save mankind, why is the world in such sad shape?

C O V E R F E A T U R E

Jb y B i l l B r a d f o r d

If Jesus intended to save the world,

then has He succeeded?

Is it logical to conclude, when

we observe man’s cruelty on an

unprecedented scale, that the world is truly

saved?

4 The Good News

May 1996 5

Common, but erroneous, assumptions

Most branches of professing Chris-tianity assume that God intended foreveryone to hear the message of salva-tion, starting immediately after JesusChrist’s resurrection.

Further, most believe that every per-son hearing that message would at thatpoint have his opportunity for salvationnow, in this life. The various churches’mission was thus to bring this messageto every living person, giving him theopportunity to accept Christ before itwould be too late. This general view,adopted by most of the Christian world,has resulted in churchesbelieving they must bring asmany people as possible toaccept Christ immediately,regardless of the depth oftheir interest or commitment.

But, you should ask your-self, how many people havenever accepted Christ? Andhow many untold millionsover the centuries have neverheard of Him? If salvation isa matter of accepting Christin this physical life, what isthe fate of the hundreds ofmillions of people who livedand died before Jesus Christwas born and for whom itwas impossible to accept Christ?

Faced with these questions, must weconclude that the power Jesus promisedHis disciples simply never translatedinto the saving work He envisioned?

No, we should not doubt the savingpower of Jesus Christ. Instead, perhapswe should examine our understandingof His intentions. We should take along look at several commonly heldbeliefs.

If Christ intended to bring the worldto Himself and make the world under-stand, He certainly could have exer-cised the authority and power toaccomplish that task. After all, He saidthat “all authority has been given to Mein heaven and on earth” (Matthew28:18).

The apostle Paul wrote that Christwas resurrected and sits with God theFather “. . . in the heavenly places, farabove all principality and power andmight and dominion . . .” (Ephesians1:20, 21).

If Christ’s power and authority,which are far greater than any other, arenot strong enough to triumph over theopposing powers of darkness, then per-haps we should feel a little nervous.

Or perhaps God has had somethingelse in mind all along.

How this feast fits in God’s plan for humanity

What does the Feast of Firstfruits,also known as the Day of Pentecost,have to do with these all-importantquestions?

There is great significance in thename, Feast of Firstfruits. By its very

name, this festival indicates that there ismore than one time of harvest.

As we will see, this festival fore-shadows God’s intention to reap a smallharvest of people for salvation (called“firstfruits” in the Scriptures), and tolater call a vastly greater number ofpeople to salvation.

One might say that God put into usea systematic procedure to lead the vastmajority of mankind to His light andsalvation: bringing first the firstfruits,and later the greater harvest ofhumankind, to salvation.

Let us notice this amazing truth asdemonstrated by the divinely revealedfestivals of God. God timed His feaststo coincide with the agricultural cycleof the two harvests in Palestine—one inspring and the other in the autumn—toteach His people an important lesson.

The Feast of Firstfruits coincidedwith the first harvest, the barley andwheat harvest in that area (Exodus34:22). This festival was also known as

the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9,10). The Greek name for this feast isPentecost, meaning “fiftieth,” in thiscase implying “fiftieth day.” It was sonamed because it was celebrated 50days from the harvest of the first sheafof grain.

On this day, the Israelites offeredtwo loaves of bread made from flourtaken from the new grain of the harvest.These loaves were called “the firstfruitsto the LORD” (Leviticus 23:16, 17). Thepeople were to “do no customarywork” on this day and gather for asacred religious assembly (verse 21).This was a very significant occasion.

A later festival, the Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering(Exodus 34:22), coincidedwith the conclusion of thelater harvest when all the produce, including cucum-bers, melons, lentils, chick-peas, nuts and especiallydates, figs, olives and grapeshad been gathered. Thethreshing and winnowing ofthe grain had continuedthroughout the summer andwas finally completed by theFeast of Tabernacles (Leviti-cus 23:39; Deuteronomy16:13). This, too, was anevent of great significance

marked by sacred religious assembliesand cessation from work.

These two feasts both representmajor stages in the spiritual harvest of mankind for salvation. The Feast ofFirstfruits, or Pentecost, symbolizesthe calling and preparing of the churchin this age. This is the first spiritualharvest.

The later spiritual harvest will takeplace in the age to come. God’s firstharvest of people occurs in preparationfor that coming age when Jesus Christwill bring His Kingdom to earth.

The physical depicts the spiritualThe spiritual significance of the first

harvest, celebrated by the Feast ofFirstfruits, is made clear in the Scrip-tures. “. . . Now Christ is risen fromthe dead, and has become the firstfruitsof those who have fallen asleep . . . Foras in Adam all die, even so in Christ allshall be made alive. But each one inhis own order: Christ the firstfruits,Ph

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afterward those who are Christ’s at Hiscoming” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22, 23;author’s emphasis throughout).

The wave sheaf offering, whichbegan the barley harvest 50 days priorto Pentecost, pictured the resurrectedChrist ascending to His Father (See“The Wave Sheaf Offering: A Cere-mony Foreshadowing Salvation,” p. 14).The offering of the firstfruits of thewheat harvest on Pentecost (Leviticus23:17) was then symbolic of the first-fruits of God’s harvest of humankindfor salvation.

Did you notice that Paul, in 1 Cor-inthians 15, clearly states that God willresurrect the dead in a specific order?First was Jesus Christ, who was resur-rected as “the firstfruits of those whohave fallen asleep,” to be followed byothers at Jesus Christ’s return.

Paul states that the resurrection of thesaints at Christ’s coming to immortal,spiritual bodies (verses 44, 53) will takeplace in an instant “at the last trumpet”(verse 52)—the mighty, supernaturalclarion call that will announce thereturn of Jesus Christ to rule the earth(Revelation 11:15).

At that time, God will resurrect thedead who had previously been faithfulto Christ, and He will change to immor-tal children of God—raising them tomeet Jesus Christ in the air—those whoare still alive and have likewise beenfaithful (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

This miraculous event is described as “the first resurrection” in Revelation20:6: “Blessed and holy is he who haspart in the first resurrection. Over suchthe second death has no power, but theyshall be priests of God and of Christ,and shall reign with Him a thousandyears.”

The world under Christ’s ruleDuring this reign of Jesus Christ and

the resurrected saints on earth (Revela-tion 5:10), the second harvest ofhumanity for salvation will begin.God’s knowledge will at last be widelyavailable, “For the earth will be filledwith the knowledge of the glory of theLORD, as the waters cover the sea”(Habakkuk 2:14). All people will expe-rience firsthand the wonderful Kingdomof God, which Jesus Christ proclaimedduring His earthly ministry (Matthew4:17; Mark 1:14; Luke 4:43).

Isaiah 2:2, 3 provides us a picture ofthe beginning of this latter and greatharvest: “Now it shall come to pass inthe latter days that the mountain of theLORD’s house shall be established onthe top of the mountains, and shall beexalted above the hills; and all nationsshall flow to it. Many people shall comeand say, ‘Come, and let us go up to themountain of the LORD, to the house ofthe God of Jacob; He will teach us Hisways, and we shall walk in His paths.’For out of Zion shall go forth the law,and the word of the LORD fromJerusalem.”

Humanity will then have the oppor-tunity to learn and live according to

God’s ways. “No more shall every manteach his neighbor, and every man hisbrother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ forthey all shall know Me, from the leastof them to the greatest of them, says theLORD. For I will forgive their iniquity,and their sin I will remember no more”(Jeremiah 31:34).

What of those who have lived anddied in the past, having never knownanything of God the Father and JesusChrist? Revelation 20:6, quoted above,shows that God’s faithful saints are in“the first resurrection.” But, if there is afirst resurrection, there must be another.And indeed there is. The book of Reve-lation makes it clear that there will beanother resurrection of the dead. Afterthe 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ andthe resurrected saints on earth (Revela-tion 5:10), “the rest of the dead did notlive again until the thousand years werefinished” (Revelation 20:5).

This will continue God’s great sec-ond harvest of humanity for salvation.At that time, all who have ever lived butdid not have the opportunity to learn of

God’s ways or hear of Jesus Christ’satoning sacrifice will enjoy their oppor-tunity for salvation. This resurrection ofcountless millions of people to a physi-cal, perishable life is described inEzekiel 37:1-11; Matthew 12:41, 42and Revelation 20:5, 13. These peoplewill gain the opportunity—for the firsttime—to repent and be convertedthrough God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38;3:19). Then they, too, will inherit eter-nal life.

We see in this wonderful plan thefulfillment of God’s desire for “all mento be saved and to come to the knowl-edge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

God is “not willing that any shouldperish but that all should come to repen-tance” (2 Peter 3:9), and through Hisplan all who have never had the oppor-tunity for salvation in their physicallives can be saved.

Firstfruits to overcome the worldThe firstfruits of God’s plan are those

who are called now, in this age, and arehaving their minds and attitudeschanged to become like Jesus Christthrough God’s Spirit working withinthem. The apostle James noted that God“chose to give us birth through the wordof truth, that we might be a kind offirstfruits of all he created” (James 1:18,New International Version).

Paul well understood that thosecalled and converted now, in this age,are the firstfruits of God’s plan for thesalvation of humanity. He referred toseveral first-century Christians as thefirstfruits of God’s calling in specificlocations (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians16:15). Looking forward to the resur-rection of those who remain faithful totheir calling, he said, “We also whohave the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,eagerly waiting for the adoption, theredemption of our body” (Romans8:23).

However, the firstfruits of God’splan, those who are called now, findthemselves in a vastly different situationfrom that of those who will follow inthe latter harvest. Jesus said that thosewho are His followers in this age arenot to be “of the world, just as I am notof the world” (John 17:16). They arecalled out of the world and are expectedto develop the character of Christ, while

Through theseobservances, God

reveals to His people the stages of His plan for the salvation of humanity.

6 The Good News

May 1996 7

the rest of mankind is deceived (Reve-lation 12:9) and following values thatare abhorrent to Christ (1 John 2:15-17).

The present evil ageThe firstfruits—God’s people—are

called and strive to obey God while liv-ing in “this present evil age” (Galatians1:4), of which Satan is the actual ruler(2 Corinthians 4:4). The harvest of first-fruits is small, because at this time rela-tively few will accept God’s calling,repent, be converted and remain faithfulto God’s way of life. That is why Jesussaid, “Narrow is the gate and difficult isthe way which leads to life, and thereare few who find it” (Matthew 7:14).

After Christ’s return, which willusher in a new age, the world—societyas a whole—will learn to live by thelaws and values of God. In that age,God will bind Satan and not allow himto deceive the nations (Revelation 20:2,3). Without Satan’s influence, the worldwill at last know peace. Everyone willknow the LORD (Hebrews 8:11).

Those who have not conformed tothe world (Romans 12:2) will be thosewho assist Christ in bringing all nationsto His truth (Revelation 20:4). Theywill overcome the world just as Jesusovercame the world, and Christ will usethem in bringing all other people toserve Him (Revelation 2:26; 3:21).

Gift of the Holy SpiritGod enables His people to fulfill His

purpose for them.Significantly, God chose the Day of

Pentecost to begin His Church by send-ing the Holy Spirit to His few faithfuldisciples (Acts 1:15; 2:1-4). Manythink of a church as a building, but thatis a relatively modern use of the word.The word translated “church” in theNew Testament is ekklesia, meaning“called out (ones).” The Church is thecollective body of people who arecalled out of the world to carry thegospel to every nation (Matthew 24:14;28:19, 20).

Through the Holy Spirit, whichGod gives to those who are a part ofGod’s Church, members are empow-ered to overcome the world. It isthrough God’s Holy Spirit that theChurch can preach the gospel to theworld and make disciples of allnations (Matthew 24:14; 28:19). It is

this Spirit that enables a person tobelong to Jesus Christ and be a part ofthe Church (Romans 8:9). For there tobe a Church, it was necessary for Godto send His Holy Spirit. The Day ofPentecost marks the beginning of theChurch of God.

The firstfruits of God’s plan for sal-vation are those called to be in God’sChurch in this age. The Church, alsospoken of as “the body of Christ”(1 Corinthians 12:27), is made up ofindividuals in whom dwells the HolySpirit. They have repented of their sinsand turned to Jesus Christ as their per-sonal Savior. They have committedthemselves to obedience to His holy

and righteous laws. They are willing togive up everything to remain faithful toJesus Christ (Luke 14:33).

Firstfruits follow Jesus ChristRevelation 14:4 speaks of God’s

people who are “firstfruits to God andto the Lamb.” The preceding and suc-ceeding verses provide insight into thecharacter of those who are the firstfruitsand why they accompany Jesus Christ.

Why are they so valued by God?They are described as having theFather’s name written in their foreheads(verse 1); God is foremost in their mindand thoughts. These have not beenseduced by a false religious system(Revelation 14:4), which is depicted asan immoral woman seducing humanity(Revelation 2:20-22; 17:1-6).

The firstfruits have come out of andavoided the political and religious sys-tem that has dominated the world (Rev-elation 17:1-6). When they were calledby Jesus Christ, they understood thatthey were to come out of this system(Revelation 18:3, 4).

In addition, the firstfruits “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (verse 4).They are faithfully devoted to JesusChrist. They will allow nothing toentice them from their personal loyaltyto Him. Since Jesus will use them toassist Him to bring His knowledge tothe world, it is vital that His firstfruitswill forever be true to their Lord andSavior, Jesus Christ.

They “have been redeemed fromamong men” (verse 4). They have beenpurchased by God with the preciousblood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18, 19).Having been bought by God, theyknow that their lives no longer belongto them, but rather to Jesus Christ(Galatians 2:20). They are now to glo-rify God in body and spirit (1 Corinthi-ans 6:20).

Also, “in their mouth was found noguile” (verse 5). They have learned todeal with the malice commonly foundin the hearts of men. There is no decep-tion, plotting or feigning in their actionsor words. They have learned about the genuineness, sincerity and simplicity ofChrist. They have, in short, come togrips with the deceit of their own heartsand have fully submitted to the pureand unspotted life of Christ dwelling inthem. For these things, “they are with-out fault before the throne of God”(verse 5).

Picturing the plan of God

This most important step in God’splan for the salvation of mankind isrevealed in the observing of his HolyDays. Naturally, those who are of thefirstfruits will be observing the veryday that pictures the calling and harvestof the firstfruits of God’s plan, the Dayof Pentecost.

They will gratefully observe the veryday that celebrates another milestone inGod’s great plan, the founding of theChurch through the granting of God’sHoly Spirit.

We now live in the age of the first-fruits, the time during which God ispreparing a special, chosen people toreign with Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:9).Are you part of that group? You will beif you heed the counsel of the apostlePeter when he admonished us to “beeven more diligent to make your callingand election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). GN

The firstfruits arethose who are

called now and arehaving their minds

and attitudeschanged to becomelike Jesus Christ.

LONDON—In spite of some popu-lar television advertisements to thecontrary, this is most certainly not theage of the train in Britain. Time waswhen railways dominated the transportlandscape here. No more. Today theystruggle just to keep a small share ofthe freight and passenger market.

There is a parallel in this story withthe Bible here in Britain. In an impor-tant sense, this is certainly not the ageof the Bible, either. Or, to put itanother way, it is not the age of faith.Jesus Christ Himself once asked thequestion: When the Son of Mancomes, shall He find faith on the earth?

True, the availability of the HolyScriptures is at an all-time high, but theanomaly is that demand for biblicalknowledge is at a new low. We who aretrying our best to convey this preciousgood news in England constantly runright into this massive barrier of biblicalignorance. Our work of publishing thegospel has been greatly impeded simplybecause the majority of people arelargely unaware of the contents of thismost basic of textbooks.

The Bible of centuries pastIn the time of translator William

Tyndale, the people of Britain wouldrisk death to own just a few pages ofthe Bible in their native language.Today we can buy the Bible in a vari-ety of translations for relatively littlemoney. Yet sad to say real public inter-est is all too lacking.

A new biography profiles the Eng-lish visionary William Blake. It turnsout that Blake’s closest and most sig-nificant attachment was to the Bible.As Blake’s biographer Peter Ackroydmarvels: “It is hard to re-imagine aculture in which that book was thecentral and pre-eminent text, throughwhich the world itself was to be under-

stood” (Blake, p. 25).Yet, according to British historian

Christopher Hill, “The Bible was cen-tral to all intellectual as well as morallife in the sixteenth and seventeenthcenturies” (The English Bible, p. 21).Clearly, at one time the Scriptures werean integral part of the British culture.No more is that true in this secular age.

How did we lose respect for theBible as a book of ultimate religiousauthority? Why is it viewed by somany as just another classic piece ofliterature?

A great many reasons are involved,not the least of which were two faith-destroying world wars in this centuryin which much of British manhoodwas lost in the trenches. This is not tomention the earlier effects of Darwin-ism, which challenged the very idea ofGod and the authority of the Bible.

Blatant disregard for proper tradition

But there are other important rea-sons. One is that our modern taste foralmost anything new and different hasaltered the scales of sound judgment inour century

Why, for instance, did the 20th century descend, in many writers’opinion, into barbarity? And why, asveteran Czech author Ivan Klima asks,“in a century in which human geniushas achieved so much, had there beenmass exterminations and deathcamps?” (The Spirit of Prague, p.146). Could all of this possibly haveanything to do with our general rejec-tion of the traditions, values and time-less wisdom of the Bible?

In 1898, Mexican writer VictorianoSalado Alvarez penned a remarkablyaccurate depiction of 20th-centuryEngland and Europe.

“In Europe, the advantages of urbanand private comfort, a variety of cheapentertainment, the distaste for every-thing that has already been used andthe longing to try something quite

new, has brought with it a certain sat-edness, a degeneration, a neurosis,countless forms of hysteria and manykinds of folly.”

In some ways, patterns of livingextant for thousands of years havebeen destroyed in less than a couple of generations. Today far too much hasgone wrong in too short a time.

Effects and causes of spiritual instability

American historians Will and ArielDurant wrapped their minds aroundthe lessons that could be learned fromthe panorama of history and came upwith this gem: “As the sanity of theindividual lies in the continuity of hismemories, so the sanity of the grouplies in the continuity of its traditions;in either case a break in the chaininvites a neurotic reaction” (TheLessons of History, page 72).

Visionary writers and historians pick up on this theme. Ivan Klima isno stranger to it and, in fact, expandsupon it.

“At a certain moment in modern his-tory, it seemed to many that memoryand tradition were merely a burdenthat had to be cast off. The social cata-strophes that befell humanity in ourcentury were assisted by an art thatworshiped originality, change, irre-sponsibility, avant-gardism, thatridiculed all formal traditions and . . .that took a smug delight in shockingthe reader instead of responding to thequestions that tormented him” (TheSpirit of Prague, p. 38).

Of course, some traditions are mani-festly manmade and are in clear con-travention of the commandments ofGod (Mark 7:6-13). These are rightlyto be rejected. Our concern is aboutthose who rubbish sound traditions thatare clearly based on biblical values.

So what’s the cure? Certainly we arenot advocating a blind rejection of thenew or saying that we shouldn’t pro-mote or encourage creative personalities

Britain’s Need toReturn to the Bible

8 The Good News

May 1996 9

who lift the veil from stubborn myster-ies and solve some of our problems.

Some do know that the cure isnearly always in the realm of the spiritif we are to save the flesh. That willbe found in the Kingdom of Godrather than the kingdoms of men. Menand women desperately need the sta-bilizing qualities that emerge fromtrue religion. As the Durants so wiselyobserved: “Even the skeptical histo-rian develops a humble respect forreligion . . . To the unhappy, the suf-fering, the bereaved, the old, it hasbrought supernatural comforts valuedby millions of souls as more preciousthan any natural aid” (The Lessons ofHistory, p. 43).

Britain’s desperate needThe late J.B. Priestley wrote that

“religion alone can carry the load,defend us against the de-humanizingcollectives [and] restore true person-ality” (Literature and Western Man,p. 444).

However, more than just “religion,”basic to the full recovery of Westernreligious health is the knowledgefound in the Bible. There are manycopies of the Bible in Britain, but mostgo unread and undisturbed on ourbookshelves. Highly knowledgeablecontestants on radio shows such asThe Brain of Britain consistently dis-play appalling ignorance when asked,for example, to name the four Gospelsof the Bible.

Most Britons are unaware thatmany everyday English expressionscome directly from the Bible. For anation that prizes its national literature,we are all too ignorant of the remark-able lessons of history and humanityengraved in the Scriptures.

Somehow even Christians, whospend much time digging precioustruths out of God’s Word, have failedto bring even a working knowledge ofbiblical values to the vast majority ofthe British public.

How can we begin to remedy thisappalling lack? Chiefly by praying!We must ask that God would lead usto see how we can best disperse therich knowledge of the Bible all the

way from the geographical extremitiesof the south of England to the north ofScotland—and to the cities, towns andvillages in between.

The apostle Paul repeatedly askedhis readers and listeners to pray for thework he was doing. He expected peo-ple to entreat God, and he expectedGod to answer prayers of sincere con-cern for others. Here are a few exam-ples from the New Testament.

Paul asked the Thessalonian breth-ren to “pray for us that the word ofthe Lord may have free course . . .”(2 Thessalonians 3:1). Because the

Word of God does not have freecourse here in Britain, with manymass-media windows of opportunityclosed to us, it is challenging to fig-ure out how to effectively deliver themessage of the Bible to the Britishpeople today. This is not 16th- or17th-century England.

Only God can change the circum-stances and lead true Christians topreach Christ’s gospel in an effectivemanner. Only God can soften thehearts of people to receive the gospel.

Paul exhorted the Colossian churchto “continue earnestly in prayer, beingvigilant in it with thanksgiving; mean-while praying also for us, that Godwould open to us a door for the word,to speak the mystery of Christ . . . thatI may make it manifest, as I ought tospeak” (Colossians 4:3, 4). Again, weneed additional effective doors to

reach Britain with the gospel. In prac-tical terms, Britain simply does nothave the relatively unimpeded accessto do the work that we thankfully seedone in the United States.

But God can alter circumstances sothe work gets done and the messagegets out. He has done so in the past.Notice Paul’s declaration to the Cor-inthian brethren: “For I will tarry[wait] in Ephesus until Pentecost. Fora great and effective door has openedto me . . .” (1 Corinthians 16:8, 9).

Look for open doors, but also actGod opened doors for Paul in the

first century, and he can do the samefor us. The apostle did not leave mat-ters to time, chance and circum-stances; he asked the brethren to prayabout those doors, as ought we Chris-tians today! Paul himself sought outnew openings to preach the gospel,actively using every opportunity hefound available.

Paul uttered the same request forprayer to the Ephesian church: “Pray-ing always with all prayer and suppli-cation in the Spirit . . . and for me, thatutterance may be given to me, that Imay open my mouth boldly to makeknown the mystery of the gospel . . .”(Ephesians 6:18, 19).

Paul was in prison when he madethis particular request to the Ephe-sians. How could he possibly preachthe gospel while bound in chains? Yethe had the faith to ask the brethren forhelp, no matter what his physical cir-cumstances.

Well over a century ago, noted trav-eler and author George Borrow tookthe Bible to Spain and Portugal onbehalf of the British & Foreign BibleSociety. He risked persecution andloss of life to get the Scriptures to theIberian Peninsula.

Today we in the United Kingdomand the Irish Republic are in desperateneed of many such people to make theprecious knowledge of the Bibleknown again to the British Isles. Weinvite you to join us in earnest prayerthat the gospel can go out in greaterstrength in this part of the world. GN

—John Ross Schroeder

The availability ofthe Holy Scripturesis at an all-time

high, but theanomaly is that thedemand for biblicalknowledge remains

at a new low.

b y R o g e r F o s t e r

God’sFamilyThe ReasonYou Were Born

God’sFamilyThe ReasonYou Were Born

10 The Good News

ave you ever wondered why you exist, why you wereborn? Have you ever suspected there isn’t a purpose tolife at all? What is the meaning of life? Is there anythingbeyond this physical life?

If you’ve ever pondered questions like these, you’re not alone.Mankind has pondered these questions for millennia. Philoso-phers, scientists and theologians have tried to resolve them, butwith confusing and contradictory results.

Can you know the answers to these questions?Yes, you can! The astonishing answers can be found in the

pages of your Bible.Did you know that the main reason the Bible was written was to

explain how God is creating His own family, the sons of God? It isamazing how few people grasp this incredible truth, yet it is soplain in the Bible.

At the beginning of the Bible is the account of the creation ofAdam and Eve. All human beings are their descendants. We are,by natural descent, their great, extended family. Adam was,according to his natural parentage, a son of God (Luke 3:38).Therefore, in our natural descent, we are all the children of God.He is our Father by physical creation.

Creating immortal childrenBut God’s purpose is far greater than the creation of corruptible

and perishable human beings. God is in the process of creating Hisown spiritual children who will be incorruptible—children witheternal life who have His divine nature or character.

He refers to this new creation in terms of “the old man,” in con-trast with “the new man,” who is “renewed in the spirit of [his]mind” and is “created according to God in true righteousness andholiness” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

The apostle Paul defined the new creation as a spiritual transfor-mation, at first a change only in a person’s nature and character,followed by a change into a literal spiritual being with eternal life.The Bible refers to this process as salvation.

The Bible refers to those who are receiving salvation as the“sons of God” in a sense that goes beyond our descendancy fromour first two human parents. God is accomplishing a marvelousspiritual transformation in the lives of His followers through HisHoly Spirit.

Paul explained that “the Spirit itself beareth witness with ourspirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer withHim, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16, 17).

Do you grasp the enormous significance of Paul’s statement? Itexplains why we are here, the very reason for our existence, whywe were born. It gives meaning to life itself. It explains why Godwants all human beings to come to the knowledge of the truth.God is creating a family, His own family. We have the pricelessopportunity to be a part of that family.

That family relationship—our becoming children of God theFather—is the heart and core of God’s great plan for humanity.Notice how Paul expresses it: “In bringing many sons to glory[salvation], it was fitting that God, for whom and through whomeverything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfectthrough suffering. Both the one who makes men holy [Christ] andthose who are made holy [converted human beings] are of thesame family” (Hebrews 2:10, 11, New International Version). Ph

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May 1996 11

That’s right! That truly converted Christians are

all of the same Father makes themmembers of the same family: God’sfamily! Paul continues: “So Jesus isnot ashamed to call them brothers.He says, ‘I will declare your name tomy brothers; in the presence of thecongregation I will sing yourpraises.’And again, ‘I will put mytrust in him.’And again he says,‘Here am I, and the children God hasgiven me’” (verses 11-13, NIV).

Notice that Jesus is not ashamedto regard converted members of Hischurch as His own brothers (or sis-ters). That is how close and personalthis family relationship is.

Humans created to be like GodFrom the beginning of the Bible,

this is the clearly stated purpose ofGod. “Then God said, ‘Let Us makeman in Our image, according to Ourlikeness; let them have dominionover the fish of the sea, over thebirds of the air, and over the cattle,over all the earth and over everycreeping thing that creeps on theearth.’ So God created man in Hisown image . . .” (Genesis 1:26, 27).

Both men and women are createdto be like God. The Bible oftenspeaks of physical children as “sons”because that was the custom at thetime the Bible was written, and hasbeen in many languages, includingEnglish, over the centuries. In theHebrew and Greek languages, inwhich the Bible was written, “sons”was used to mean “descendants.”When used in this sense, the Hebrewand Greek words for “sons” refer tomale and female descendants alike.Today, we use the words mankindand brethren in a similar sense.

God makes it clear that His familyincludes people who are now physi-cal men and women, both sons anddaughters. “For you are all sons ofGod through faith in Christ Jesus.For as many of you as were baptizedinto Christ have put on Christ. Thereis neither Jew nor Greek, there isneither slave nor free, there is neithermale nor female; for you are all onein Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).

Also, “I will be a Father to you,and you shall be My sons and

daughters, says the LORD Almighty”(2 Corinthians 6:18). Men andwomen are God’s children.

Now to the point of Genesis 1:26,27, which tells us we are made inGod’s image and likeness. At thefirst mention of human beings in theBible, God declares His intent tomake us like Him. But to whatextent are we made like Him?

God’s purpose is to make us fullylike Jesus Christ! In Ephesians, Paulmakes this clear. He explains thatGod established a ministry to servethe church. That ministry is to workwith those in the church, until, he

says in verse 13, “we all come to . . .the measure of the stature of the full-ness of Christ.”

Paul’s statement in Galatians 4:19,“My little children, for whom I laborin birth again until Christ is formedin you,” expresses the same conceptin different words. Do you grasp thesignificance of Paul’s statement? Weare to become fully and completelylike Jesus Christ. His character is tobe formed in us. As Jesus is God’sSon, we will also be God’s sons.

The apostle John is explicit:“Behold what manner of love theFather has bestowed on us, that weshould be called children of God!Therefore the world does not knowus, because it did not know Him.Beloved, now we are children ofGod; and it has not yet been revealedwhat we shall be, but we know thatwhen He is revealed, we shall be likeHim, for we shall see Him as He is”(1 John 3:1-3).

Resurrected to glorified stateHuman beings who are inducted

into the family that God is creating

will be given the glorious honor tobe like the resurrected Jesus Christ,who today reigns in His glorifiedstate at the right hand of God inheaven. The awesome potential ofany human being as it is presented tous by Christ and His apostles seemsso incredible that most people find itdifficult to grasp when they first readit. But it is plainly stated in theBible, even though people read rightover it. In fact, it is the whole pur-pose for salvation. It is the reasonGod made mankind. It is why wewere born.

In Psalm 82:6, we read: “I said,‘You are gods, and all of you arechildren of the Most High.’” That ishow God wants us human beings torelate to Him: as children of the MostHigh. It is truly an awesome familyrelationship—God’s own personalfamily! Jesus quoted the precedingverse from Psalm 82 to show theJews that He was not blasphemingGod by claiming to be God’s Son(see John 10:34).

Even the promises made toancient Israel pertained to God’sintention to eventually bring Hispeople into a family relationshipwith Him. The apostle Paul said:“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for mybrethren, my kinsmen according tothe flesh, who are Israelites, towhom pertain the adoption, theglory, the covenants, the giving ofthe law, the service of God, and thepromises” (Romans 9:3, 4).

Of a humbled remnant of Israel inthe future, God gives this prophecy:“But now, this is what the LORD

says—he who created you, O Jacob,he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fearnot, for I have redeemed you; I havesummoned you by name; you aremine . . . Do not be afraid, for I amwith you; I will bring your childrenfrom the east and gather you fromthe west. I will say to the north,“Give them up!” and to the south,“Do not hold them back.” Bring mysons from afar and my daughtersfrom the ends of the earth—every-one who is called by my name,whom I created for my glory, whomI formed and made’” (Isaiah 43:1, 5-7 NIV).

We are to becomecompletely likeJesus Christ. As

Jesus is God’s Son,we will also be

God’s sons.

12 The Good News

God has always kept His purpose,of making human beings His children,as the guiding principle of how Hedeals with human beings. He gave usHis laws to teach us how to treat oneanother in a godly manner—the sameway Christ treated people. God hasalways offered forgiveness to anyonewho would repent of sin, which is thetransgression of His laws. God showsno partiality (Romans 2:11). He saysplainly that Christ came so the wholeworld—all people—can be saved(John 3:16, 17).

Israelites to set an exampleMany readers of the Bible have

wondered why God chose thedescendants of Abraham—ancientIsrael—as a special people if He isimpartial in offering salvation to allpeople.

Abraham was a righteous man whowas called the friend of God. Godpromised him that, if he would walkwholeheartedly before Him, He woulduse Abraham’s children in a specialway. God chose to build a nationalfamily from Abraham’s descendantsso they could, if they would cooperate,set an example as a type, or model, ofGod’s own family.

God told Abraham’s descendants:“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutesand the judgments which I teach youto observe . . . Therefore be careful toobserve them; for this is your wisdomand your understanding in the sightof the peoples who will hear all thesestatutes, and say, ‘Surely this greatnation is a wise and understandingpeople.’ For what great nation is therethat has God so near to it, as theLORD our God is to us, for whateverreason we may call upon Him? Andwhat great nation is there that hassuch statutes and righteous judgmentsas are in all this law which I setbefore you this day?” (Deuteronomy4:1, 6-8).

The people of Israel agreed tobecome just such an example nation.But they still had a carnal, selfishnature, just as do all other humanbeings. Knowledge alone was notenough. God gave the Israelites Hislaws—the knowledge of right andwrong—but they did not have a con-verted mind whereby they could obey

God from the heart. As a nation, theyfailed to set the obedient example theyhad promised God they would do.

The example they did set, that ofconsistently abandoning their com-mitments to obey God, preserves animportant lesson for the rest ofmankind. Neither nations nor individ-uals can produce godly behaviorwithout God’s Holy Spirit dwellingwithin them, even if God personallygives them explicit knowledge ofright and wrong.

The only family that can ever setthe proper example of godliness andrighteousness for mankind is God’sown family, His own sons and daugh-ters, when they will have beengranted immortality and incorruptibil-

ity. God is creating that family, andyou can be a part of it!

Who will be in God’s family?Who are the children of God, and

who will become a part of God’sfamily?

The family of God will consist ofthose who sincerely repented of sin,which is the transgression of God’slaw (1 John 3:4), who had been bap-tized and were imparted God’s HolySpirit as a gift (Acts 2:38). By receiv-ing that Spirit, they had becomemembers of Christ’s spiritual body (1 Corinthians 12:12, 13), which isHis Church (1 Corinthians 12:27;Colossians 1:24).

Paul explains the importance of the Holy Spirit to salvation and tobecoming children of God: “But ifthe Spirit of Him who raised Jesusfrom the dead dwells in you, He whoraised Christ from the dead will alsogive life to your mortal bodiesthrough His Spirit [that] dwells inyou” (Romans 8:11).

Paul makes it clear that “if anyonedoes not have the Spirit of Christ, he

is not His” (verse 9). Why do thosewithout that Spirit not belong toGod? Because “as many as are led bythe Spirit of God, these are sons ofGod” (verse 14).

God’s children are only those whoare being led by God through HisHoly Spirit. The Holy Spirit is thepower and presence of God workingin them (2 Timothy 1:6; Psalm 51:11;Philippians 2:13).

How do we receive God’s Spirit?The apostle Peter said we must“repent and be baptized, every one ofyou, in the name of Jesus Christ forthe forgiveness of your sins. And youwill receive the gift of the HolySpirit” (Acts 2:38). Because of thisrepentance and baptism, we are thenconsidered to be children of God(1 John 3:1).

But that is nothing compared withwhat we will be like at Jesus Christ’sreturn, when the dead are resurrected:“So will it be with the resurrection ofthe dead. The body that is sown isperishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised inglory; it is sown in weakness, it israised in power; it is sown a naturalbody, it is raised a spiritual body. Ifthere is a natural body, there is also aspiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, NIV).

These verses depict an awesomechange indeed! That is why Paulsays: “The Spirit itself beareth wit-ness with our spirit, that we are thechildren of God: and if children, thenheirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirswith Christ; if so be that we sufferwith him, that we may be also glori-fied together. For I reckon that thesufferings of this present time are notworthy to be compared with the glorywhich shall be revealed in us”(Romans 8:16-18, KJV).

Glory beyond compareDo you get the picture? Being

born into God’s family as a verychild of God, a part of God’s ownfamily, is so magnificent that it isfutile to try to compare to anythingwe have ever known. No amount ofhuman trials, problems and sufferingin this life could ever approach theinestimable value of eternal life aschildren of God, of our actually

How can we everhope to share withJesus Christ such

incredible responsibility?

becoming like God and Jesus Christ.That is what life is all about. That iswhy you were born. God wants youto be like Him in every way as Hisson or daughter so you will be partof His very family at the time of theresurrection.

No wonder Paul exclaimed, “Thecreation waits in eager expectationfor the sons of God to be revealed”(Romans 8:19, NIV). God’s purposeexplains why Peter says, “The Lordis not slow in keeping his promise,as some understand slowness. He ispatient with you, not wanting anyoneto perish, but everyone to come torepentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).

Paul writes that God “wants allmen to be saved and to come to aknowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy2:4, NIV).

These scriptures tell us that God ispatient, and He desires to bring allhuman beings into His family. Healso tells us that “he who overcomesshall inherit all things, and I will behis God and he shall be My son”(Revelation 21:7).

The wonderful world of tomorrowwill be inaugurated at the return ofJesus Christ, who returns to rule asKing of Kings and Lord of Lords(Revelation 19:16). All the kingdomsof the world will be brought underHis dominion (Revelation 11:15). Hewill establish the Kingdom of God,which is the heart of the message—the gospel, or good news—that Hepreached.

Those sons and daughters of Godwho have been faithful to their com-mitment to obey Him—who haveovercome their own carnal, selfishnature and the temptation to return to a life of sin and lawlessness—willshare in that rule with Jesus Christ assons of God. Notice Christ’spromise: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on Mythrone, as I also overcame and satdown with My Father on His throne”(Revelation 3:21). Those who over-come will be given responsibility askings and priests of God in thatKingdom (Revelation 1:5, 6).

Change to immortalityHow can we mere human beings

ever hope that Jesus Christ would

share with us such incredible respon-sibility? Certainly, we can never doso while we are still weak, imperfecthuman beings.

That is just the point of these andmany other scriptures. We must bechanged.

“Now this I say, brethren, thatflesh and blood cannot inherit thekingdom of God; nor does corrup-tion inherit incorruption. Behold, Itell you a mystery: We shall not allsleep, but we shall all be changed; ina moment, in the twinkling of aneye, at the last trumpet. For the trum-pet will sound, and the dead will beraised incorruptible, and we shall bechanged” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52).

It is a gross understatement to say

that the Kingdom of God, under therule of Christ, will be wonderful.What will make it wonderful? It willbe the leadership of all the sons ofGod, each changed to immortal spiritbeing under the leadership of JesusChrist, who will reign as King ofKings and is “the firstborn amongmany brethren” (Romans 8:29). We,the present sons and daughters ofGod, will share with Christ the man-agement of that wonderful Kingdom.As we read earlier, those who are ledby God’s Spirit are the children ofGod and Christ’s brothers and sis-ters: God’s family!

The prophet Daniel received fromGod a marvelous vision of the estab-lishment of that Kingdom underJesus Christ on His receiving it fromGod the Father. “I was watching inthe night visions, and behold, Onelike the Son of Man, coming withthe clouds of heaven! He came to theAncient of Days, and they broughtHim near before Him. Then to Himwas given dominion and glory and akingdom, that all peoples, nations,and languages should serve Him. His

dominion is an everlasting dominion,which shall not pass away, and Hiskingdom the one which shall not bedestroyed” (Daniel 7:13, 14).

Who shares that Kingdom withJesus Christ? “Then the kingdom anddominion, and the greatness of thekingdoms under the whole heaven,shall be given to the people, thesaints of the Most High. His king-dom is an everlasting kingdom, andall dominions shall serve and obeyHim” (verse 27). Here again, we cansee that people who are the “saints ofthe Most High” will be kings orrulers with Christ.

But certainly they will not rule likesome unscrupulous worldly tyrant.Jesus said: “The kings of the Gentilesexercise lordship over them, andthose who exercise authority overthem are called ‘benefactors.’ But notso among you; on the contrary, hewho is greatest among you, let himbe as the younger, and he who gov-erns as he who serves” (Luke 22:25,26). God is creating not just a familyin which are kings, but kings who, asservants, will pass on wonderfulblessings to those they serve!

Rulership based on loveGod’s character is based on love

(1 John 4:8, 16). The loving charac-ter of God must be manifest in allwho are truly His children. It is thatloving character that distinguishesthe true children of God, that makesevident who is really a part of Hisfamily. “In this the children of Godand the children of the devil aremanifest: Whoever does not practicerighteousness is not of God, nor ishe who does not love his brother”(1 John 3:10).

Jesus taught the same. “You haveheard that it was said, ‘You shalllove your neighbor and hate yourenemy.’ But I say to you, love yourenemies, bless those who curse you,do good to those who hate you, andpray for those who spitefully useyou and persecute you, that you maybe sons of your Father in heaven . . .You shall be perfect, just as yourFather in heaven is perfect”(Matthew 5:43-45, 48).

The implementation of that love

Our becoming children of God isthe heart and coreof God’s great plan

for humanity.

Continued on page 31

13 The Good News

The Wave-Sheaf OfferingA Ceremony Foreshadowing Salvation

In ancient Israel, the beginning of the spring grain harvest was markedwith an unusual ceremony—the waving of the first sheaf of grain to be

accepted by God. This simple act holds great spiritual significance!

The agricultural cycle ofancient Israel revolvedaround two harvests, one inthe spring and the other inthe autumn. Before any

grain could be harvested in the spring,an unusual ceremony took place toinaugurate the spring harvest season.

This ceremony was the waving ofthe first sheaf of grain to be acceptedby God. Instructions for this ceremonyare detailed in Leviticus 23:10-14. Noone was to eat any of the grain of theharvest until the first sheaf of the har-vest was brought to the priest, who inturn waved it before God.

What was the significance of thisceremony?

Jesus Christ “the firstfruits ofthose who have fallen asleep”

This first sheaf of grain was calledthe “firstfruits” (verse 10). It was thefirstfruits of the barley harvest, the firstpart of the grain harvest. Thousands ofyears later, we find the same term usedagain in the Bible—describing JesusChrist! “But now Christ is risen fromthe dead, and has become the firstfruitsof those who have fallen asleep”(1 Corinthians 15:20, author’s empha-sis throughout).

We also find that Jesus Christ iscalled “the firstborn over all creation”and “the firstborn from the dead”(Colossians 1:15, 18). The apostlePaul said that Christ was prophesiedto be “the first to rise from the dead”(Acts 26:23).

What is the connection between thefirst grain offering, called the firstfruits,and Jesus Christ, the firstfruits and

firstborn from the dead?This understanding is tied in with

the symbolism of the two harvestsmentioned earlier and the Feast of Pen-tecost, observed at the conclusion of 50days that began with the day of thewave-sheaf offering. On Pentecost, two

loaves were offered from the firstfruitsof the wheat harvest, which followedseveral weeks after the barley harvest.

For a fuller understanding of thesymbolism of the two harvest periods,be sure to read “The Lesson of theFeast of Firstfruits,” beginning on page4 of this issue. The article shows that,just as there were two periods of phys-ical harvesting in ancient Israel, sothere would be two periods of spiritualharvesting in God’s great plan for thesalvation of humanity. This astounding

truth is shown through the symbolismof the Feast of Pentecost.

Meanings of PentecostPentecost has several meanings,

each significant in its own right. Theword Pentecost means “fiftieth (day).”In the Old Testament, this festival wasknown as the Feast of Weeks (sevencomplete weeks plus one day, Leviticus23:15-17; Deuteronomy 16:10, 16). Itwas also called the Feast of Harvest orFirstfruits (Exodus 23:16; 34:22).

The word firstfruits suggests an ini-tial harvest that will be followed byanother harvest. The firstfruits of thewheat harvest are preceded by thewave-sheaf offering of the earlier-ripening barley harvest. The wavesheaf is symbolic of Jesus Christ.

Pentecost is an annual reminder ofthe coming of the Holy Spirit and thebeginning of the Church (Acts 2:1-4).However, the festival holds even moresignificance. A clear understanding ofthe events leading up to the Feast ofPentecost makes its importance muchmore clear.

Pentecost deals directly with our sal-vation, our ability to follow Christ’sexample through the power of God’sHoly Spirit and our capacity for under-standing God’s spiritual truth throughHis Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-14).

None of this understanding is possi-ble without the fulfillment of thewave-sheaf offering: Jesus Christ’sacceptance by God the Father.

Wave-sheaf offering a forerunnerThe wave-sheaf offering was the

forerunner of an additional offering

b y J e r o l d A u s t

Without the truewave-sheaf offering,Jesus Christ, therewould be no HolySpirit to lead us,

no Church to spiritually nurtureus and no harvestfor the salvation

of humanity.

14 The Good News

brought later, on the Feast of Pente-cost. On Pentecost, two loaves ofbread, “the firstfruits to the LORD,”were offered (Leviticus 23:16, 17).

As the wave-sheaf offering repre-sented Jesus Christ, so did theseloaves represent God’s spiritual first-fruits, those who are called and faith-fully obey God in this life (Romans8:24; James 1:18). As the wave-sheaf offering was the necessaryforerunner of the Pentecost offering,so was Jesus Christ the necessaryforerunner of God’s people, who areHis spiritual firstfruits.

These symbols demonstrate howGod’s Holy Days relate to eachother and are designed to convey theinterdependence of the events inGod’s plan for humanity.

For example, Passover is the firstof God’s annual festivals (Leviticus23:5). God’s plan for the salvationof mankind is built upon the deathof Jesus Christ our Passover(1 Corinthians 5:7), as the atoningsacrifice for humanity (John 1:29).Christians cannot attain to everlast-ing life without Christ’s sacrifice,which reconciles us to God.

The wave sheaf, offered duringthe Feast of Unleavened Bread(Leviticus 23:6-11), portrays a resur-rected Jesus now serving as our HighPriest (Hebrews 4:14). Without theprior sacrifice of Jesus Christ, thefulfillment of Pentecost—the callingand salvation of the firstfruits, thosein God’s Church—could not occur.

Christ’s return to the FatherLet’s notice a few scriptures that

demonstrate these points. The Israelites’ harvest season

could not begin until the wave-sheafoffering was made to and acceptedby God. In like manner, the HolySpirit was not poured out on human-ity until after Jesus returned to theFather (Acts 1:1-8; 2:1-4). JesusChrist Himself had told His follow-ers that He had to leave before theHoly Spirit could come to them(John 16:5-14).

Even after His resurrection, JesusChrist had to tell His followers notto touch Him until after He hadgone to His Father (John 20:17).Only after Jesus had risen to the

Father and returned to them againwere they allowed to touch Him(verses 19, 26, 27).

Notice the apostle Paul’s depic-tion of Christ, our resurrected wave-sheaf offering: “If then you wereraised with Christ, seek those thingswhich are above, where Christ is,sitting at the right hand of God. Foryou died, and your life is hiddenwith Christ in God. When Christwho is our life appears, then youalso will appear with Him in glory”(Colossians 3:1, 3, 4).

Paul reveals that our Savior occu-pies a place for us in the very pres-ence of our Father and that we areaccepted by Him through ChristJesus.

Symbols of firstfruits ceremonyall pointed to Christ

In addition to the wave-sheafoffering, the other sacrifices andofferings commanded by God at thetime of this ceremony also pointedforward to Jesus Christ.

Jesus was represented by a malelamb without blemish (Leviticus23:12), which was symbolic ofChrist’s spiritual purity. Christ wascalled “the Lamb of God who takesaway the sin of the world” (John1:29).

He was also represented by fineflour (Leviticus 23:17), symbolic ofthe beating, scourging and sufferingthrough which He was perfected(Hebrews 5:8, 9). This fine flourwas to be mixed with oil (verse 13),representing Christ’s being filledwith the Holy Spirit.

The lamb was to be a burnt offer-ing, totally consumed by fire (verse12). In the same way, Jesus Christwas tested and tried in the crucibleof life’s trials and problems and thenHe surrendered Himself totally andcompletely as a sacrificial offeringon our behalf (Hebrews 10:12). Hissupreme sacrifice was as a sweetaroma (Ephesians 5:2; Leviticus23:13) to God because Jesus hadgiven Himself voluntarily andunconditionally for sinful mankind.

The accompanying drink offeringof wine (verse 13) was symbolic ofChrist’s pouring out His blood to

WHY A 50-DAY SPAN?Starting with the day of the

wave-sheaf offering, God’s peo-ple are to count 50 days, thenobserve Pentecost as a day holyto God (Leviticus 23:15, 16).

Pentecost symbolizes majorevents in God’s plan for man-kind, including the granting ofHis Spirit to mankind and thebeginning of the Church of Godthrough Spirit-led Christians (see“The Lesson of the Feast of First-fruits,” page 4). As recorded forus in Acts 2, both of these eventstook place on the first Pentecostafter Christ’s resurrection.

Every fiftieth year was calledthe Jubilee (Leviticus 25:28), alsocalled the year of liberty (Eze-kiel 46:17). Every 50 years, atthe Jubilee, properties revertedto their original owners (Leviti-cus 25:8-38). This preventedpoverty from plaguing succes-sive generations of the samefamilies. The Jubilee was cele-brated as a time of liberty andfreedom (verse 10).

The number 50 implies com-plete freedom from captivity, atheme frequently found in God’sfestivals and Holy Days. Passoverand the Feast of UnleavenedBread marked ancient Israel’sfreedom from Egyptian slavery,as well as our freedom from sinand death through Jesus Christ.The theme of freedom from cap-tivity also continues in the wave-sheaf offering and the Feast ofPentecost.

The meanings of Jubilee (50years) and Pentecost (50 days)are designed to illustrate similarblessings. God marvelouslyreveals His awesome plan of sal-vation for all humanity throughsymbolism such as ceremonies,harvests and holy festival sea-sons, and understanding of thatplan is available to those whokeep the Holy Days God com-manded. GNContinued on page 23

May 1996 15

elieve it or not, the Bible—not the sword of murderand mayhem—is going tohave the last word in theMiddle East.

Yet today, along with understandablehopes for the current peace process, weare still in the presence of stubborn anddifficult antagonisms that baffle anddispirit anyone who hopes for satisfac-tory solutions.

Thorny Mideast conflicts are animmense drain on both human and nat-ural resources. Israeli’s Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin died the victim of aninternal terrorist act earlier this year, andconstant political undercurrents over oilare always percolating.

A shifting world sceneOn today’s complex international

scene, terrorism in cities like Jerusalemand Tel Aviv constantly impedes thepeace process. One or two bombs wipeout thousands of hours of diplomacy.It’s difficult to keep your mind on peacewhen your homeland is under attack byterrorists.

The March 9, 1996, issue of TheEconomist summed up the harsh realityof the situation: “Israelis, traumatisedby the slaughter of some 60 people,believe they have been cheated in theirland-for-peace deal with the Palestini-ans. But the alternative is bleak: threeyears of courageous risk-taking undone;a cruel war of attrition; an end toIsrael’s hopes of normal relations withthe Muslim world. The evil men behindthe suicide-bombers can congratulatethemselves. Seldom, it seems has terror-ism been more effective at achieving itsends.”

Bombings truly test a nation’s com-mitment to the peace process. The

potential threat of thousands standingready for suicide bombing missionscasts a shadow across all of Israel. Theformer chief rabbi of London, LordJakobovits, has written that “we mustpursue the peace efforts as if there wasno terrorism, and fight the terrorists as ifthere were no peace efforts.”

But terrorism is not the only threat topeace in the Middle East. Wars foughtusing traditional methods haveabounded in this blood-stained century.

More than a decade ago, Kuwaitfeared an invasion from Iran. Later theonslaught actually came from Iraq.Today the credibility of the Conserva-tive government in the United Kingdomremains suspect because of the investi-gation of British arms sales to Iraq.

Who knows what nation or terroristgroup we will hear from next? As vet-eran British newsman PeregrineWorsthorne commented in the aftermathof the Gulf War: “Saddam Hussein isnot unique. There will be other ThirdWorld chancers [opportunists] encour-aged by the example of how nearly hegot away with his bold and ruthlessplan.”

So the foibles and follies of humannature transcend time, geography andpolitical borders.

Oil and antagonismsYet there is every reason for real

hope in the long run. In reality, the Mid-dle East has a glorious future that wecan understand when we come to hold asound biblical vision of the area.

Let’s begin an assessment of theregion’s problems by briefly surveyingthe enormously important backgroundbehind present conditions.

Fully 50 percent of the world’sknown crude-oil reserves exist in the

When WillPeace Come tothe Middle East?

b y J o h n R o s s S c h r o e d e r

Terrorism is not the only

threat to peace in the Middle East.

Wars fought using traditional

methods haveabounded in this

blood-stained century.

B

16 The Good News

Middle East. According to a map pro-duced by the National Geographic Soci-ety, Iraq and Kuwait possess oilreserves of nearly 200 billion barrelsbetween them. Such is the strategicimportance of these Mideast countriesthat compel the attention of the entireworld.

So oil is the real king (or all-power-ful sheikh) in the Middle East. One ofthe reasons the Western powers went towar in 1991 in the Gulf War was to pre-vent a possible Iraqi monopoly fromcontrolling these precious black-liquidreserves. Remember that oil is alwaysthe unseen player in the Persian Gulfregion.

But far more fundamental than evenprecious petroleum reserves are thearea’s age-old antagonisms. In spite ofdefinable diplomatic progress betweenIsrael and the Palestinians in pursuit ofa separate state for the latter, ancient ter-ritorial ambitions continue to assail theregion. Iraq and Kuwait have long-standing disputes that have alternatelysmoldered and cooled according to theprevailing political climate.

So have Iraq and Iran. The twofought an eight-year war, killing mil-lions of people, only to later settle their famous border dispute in a suppos-edly amicable manner under thepressure of Westernpresence in the Gulf.

Does war ever make sense in thelong run? Does it really solve any of these dilemmas?

Where it all beganPerhaps more than any other place

on the globe, the Middle East is an areain which the past meets the future. Noother humanconflict is sofirmly rootedin antiquity. The Bibleshows that the Middle East is wherehumankind consciously began to thinkabout its spiritual purposes in the world.

It is where man first per-ceived that he is not just aphysical creature, but onewith abstract, intangible longings andemotional needs. As the early chaptersof Genesis make plain, reli-gion (true and false) began

in that fabled area of the globe.The Middle East is the home of three

major belief systems that have signifi-cantly influenced the way we under-stand life and death, good and evil, rightand wrong. The roots of three worldreligions—Islam, Judaism and Chris-tianity—reside there.

Frankly every one of these faiths hasits serious divisions. Fundamentalistrevolutionaries lobby for extremist solu-tions to territorial problems. The mod-ern nation of Israel has periodicallyclaimed the biblical boundaries ofJudaea and Samaria. Jihad—or holywar—is the recurring Arab cry the Westhas become accustomed to hearing. A

holy war is not unfamiliar tothe mainstream

Christian tradition if we remember theCrusades.

Today the Middle East is not thesource of spiritual enlightenment Godintended it to be in this chaotic and con-fused world. Instead, the atmospherethere has been marked by armed con-flict, hostility and, most of all, misun-derstanding—not the things the Creatorwanted it to provide. Surely positivedirection, opportunity and hope shouldhave emanated from the Middle East.

Certainly serious physical and spiri-tual problems will be present for theforeseeable future. The potential forbreaking the Sixth Commandment, thebiblical injunction against murder,remains enormous. Arms proliferationis the dominant tendency in the Middle

Eastern sector of theMediter-

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May 1996 17

ranean. No one knows when thisbuildup of weapons will explode intothe next war.

Israel to be an exampleIn the Bible, God told ancient Israel

that its peoples were to serve as a goodand right example to other nations.They were presented with an unparal-leled legal system that, if obeyed, wouldhave provided peace and justice for allits citizens.

God meant for other nations tobehold in wonderment the wisdom thatwould naturally stem from Israel’s wayof life and voluntarily choose it forthemselves.

Notice this biblical passage writtenby the hand of Moses. “Observe them[statutes and laws] carefully, for therebyyou will display your wisdom andunderstanding to other peoples. Whenthey hear about all these statutes andlaws, they will say, ‘What a wise andunderstanding people this great nationis!’What great nation has a god close athand as the LORD our God is close to uswhenever we call to him?” (Deuteron-omy 4:6, 7, Revised English Bible).

A desperate need exists for a biblicaland spiritual inspiration in the MiddleEast today. There is also a need tounderstand the area’s history. Sinceantiquity, it has been a center of theworld’s attention. All nations are teth-ered to its geopolitical swings because itencompasses the basic story ofhumankind. To comprehend the present,we must, as always, examine the past.

We should never forget that theBible, in its geographic origins, comesfrom the Middle East. The Garden ofEden lay somewhere near the conflu-ence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.God called Abraham in lowerMesopotamia, the land between thesetwo ancient rivers.

Continuing conflict in the cradle of civilization

How ironic in one sense that this cra-dle of civilization should often be thesite of conflict, hatred and hostility.From Eden we have progressed toBabel. Yet it is not so ironic in the lightof the account in Genesis. How manyrealize that the present Middle Easternantagonisms are rooted in eventsdescribed in the Bible’s first book?

After all, nations are nothing more

than families grown great. For instance,much of the Arab world stems fromTerah, the father of Abraham.

An ancient passage of biblical wis-dom does advise us to “look unto Abra-ham your father” (Isaiah 51:2). Threemajor faiths trace their ancestry back tothis patriarch. Yet historically the chil-dren of Abraham have split into bitterlyfeuding family factions.

It is a fact that this legacy of brokenfamilies has led indirectly to today’sproblems in the Middle East. Battlesbetween brothers are a recurring theme:Abel was murdered at the hands of

Cain; Ishmael was banished in a familydispute; Jacob and Esau struggled fortheir father’s blessings; the 10 brotherssold Joseph into slavery. On it goes,even to the present.

Clearly the Genesis saga is about tospill over into the 21st century. In theGulf War, an Egyptian woman’s threesons were engaged in battle, one in theEgyptian army, one in the Saudi armyand another as an Iraqi solder. Hergreatest fear was that one son might kill his brother. How little has reallychanged in the world.

The Bible and cycles of warNo war brings permanent peace.

Fighting only helps assure another war,and much suffering en route. Real peaceis something that must be built whenthe battles have stopped and the partici-pants can truly comprehend the futilityof their combative conduct.

But the spilled blood begs forvengeance from the bereaved, and onwe go again. World War I (supposedlythe war to end all wars) begot WorldWar II, which led to the Cold War.

Not surprisingly, the Gulf conflictalso grew in the soil of aggression. The

eight-year Iran-Iraqi war helped spawnthe invasion of Kuwait and the pre-dictable Allied response.

So war stands discredited as a per-manent solution to human conflict. AsBasil O’Conner once said in his addressto the National Conference of Chris-tians and Jews: “The world cannot con-tinue to wage war like physical giantsand to seek peace like intellectual pyg-mies.”

Yet there could be real hope on ourcommon ground. True understanding ofthe roots of a problem is a step towardsa solution. God has not left humankindwithout solutions. Long-neglected spiri-tual tools are still extant that men andwomen ignore at their peril.

The Bible actually joins Christians,Muslims and Jews in a spiritual inheri-tance. Although that commonality isneither complete nor perfectlyexpressed, they are all “the people ofthe book.”

Spiritual principles in commonTherefore, Bible principles could act

as a valuable bridge of understandingbetween the three great Mediterraneanreligions. Consider just three majorspiritual precepts. We are instructed tolove God (Deuteronomy 6:5), love ourneighbor (Leviticus 19:18) and treatothers as we would have them treat us.These three spiritual principles areenjoined in the sacred scriptures ofChristianity, Judaism and Islam.

But in the Middle East today thehighest ideals of three faiths are largelywashed aside in secular struggles forpower, land and oil. Idealism has beenlost in the compromises wrought byhuman greed and expediency. The sameold desires for expansion and revengesoon submerge the lofty heights of apotentially devout life. However, if weare ever to work out our differences, wemust first implement the basic princi-ples on which these three major reli-gions agree.

The chief rabbi of Great Britain andthe Commonwealth succinctly illus-trated what is desperately needed in anarticle in The London Times. “The mes-sage is clear,” he wrote. “You cannothave peace without communicating,without dialogue between faiths,between nations and races. The moderndialogues were spawned by the great

There is every reason for real

hope in the longrun. The Middle

East has a glorious future.

18 The Good News

May 1996 19

religions, and religion must once againbecome the principal communicator tobridge divisions.”

Hope in a fresh biblical perspectiveAfter some 45 years of the Cold

War, the United States and the formerSoviet Union have now experiencedseveral years of at least trying to under-stand one another. Perhaps they hadmore in common than they previouslythought. So building bridges in andbetween major regions is essential totrue peace and real progress. Today theMediterranean region has the potentialto serve as a positive example.

The apostle Paul crisscrossed thisancient area several times, spreading anew way of life that embraces the basictenets of two major religions. He, how-ever, saw the two as one. Problems cansometimes be faced in the context ofcommonality. What do we share andhow do we make the most of our com-mon ground?

Humanly speaking, the only otheroption is catastrophe. Armageddonwould soon be at our door. Weaponsare deadlier by the day. The ancientwords of Moses still ring in our ears:“I call heaven and earth as witnessesagainst, that I have set before you lifeand death, blessing and cursing; there-fore choose life, that both you and yourdescendants may live” (Deuteronomy30:19). This should be an anthem forhumanity.

An even broader perspective thandifferent people’s common religiousground compels our consideration. Weare all of the same species. We weremade “of one blood,” as Paul remindedthe men of Athens (Acts 17:26). Thebreathtaking view of our planet fromspace reminds us that we are a globalvillage. Clumsy human border disputesmust seem bizarre from God’s vantagepoint.

Somehow we have to turn both ourgenetic and geographic intimacy to ouradvantage. Selflessness—the key toeverything from the welfare of theplanet to solving the bloodstained con-flicts of the Middle East—is an art thatmust be learned.

As many concerned observers agree,certain essential priorities must be putbefore selfish interests. We desperatelyneed a new vision, a new way of think-

ing, a new world order truly based onbiblical principles.

The Messiah arrivesWhatever happens in the meantime,

our only permanent hope lies in thepages of the Bible. According to itsown words, what began in the MiddleEast will also end there. Scriptureprophesies a great end-time conflictinvolving Arabs, Jews and Europeans(see Daniel 11 and 12). This final con-flagration will finish only with thereturn of the King of all kings, JesusChrist, to earth (Revelation 19:11-21).

Then the Holy Scriptures assure usthat human values will changeovernight for the better. God’s greatlaw of love will be practiced inJerusalem, and nations will flow to thisnew world capital (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah4:1-4). Jerusalem, the city of peace,will finally live up to its name.

Oil and land will cease to be the pri-mary focus of interest. One geographicfact will dominate the globe: The spiri-tual headquarters of the future Ruler ofthis earth will be in the Middle East.From there the reigning Christ will lookafter the best interests of all countries,peoples and races. National representa-tives will then flow to Jerusalem, not towage jihad, but to learn the way topeace.

At that time, men and women in theMiddle East will surrender their lives totheir Creator. The word Muslim actuallymeans one who surrenders himself toGod. Arabs and Israelis alike will yieldtheir lives to a righteous God, giving uptheir narrow biases, prejudices and self-ish interests.

Then all Mediterranean nations willeventually become one with each other,one with the world and, most impor-tantly, one with God. The Middle Eastwill once again be the land of promise,a place that will spread peace and truespirituality to this entire globe.

But such a radical transformationwill take a new spirit and new heart(Jeremiah 31:31). It will require a freshburst of spiritual energy directly fromGod.

This is what Jesus Christ brought usat His first coming. What began atBethlehem and Nazareth will graduallyspread to the entire world when Christreturns to this earth a second time as thetrue Messiah. GN

NOT ENEMIES FOREVERIn spite of the best efforts of

the players in the current MiddleEast peace process, today the Araband Jewish nations still have diffi-culty coexisting peacefully. Yetthey have not always been ene-mies. Indeed, for centuries Jewsthrived in an Arab civilization.

Shortly after the death ofMohammed in A.D. 632, Arabsbegan conquering vast tracts ofthe known world. Soon they pos-sessed North Africa, Arabia, Pales-tine, Persia, Sicily, southern Italyand much of Turkey and Spain. Forthe next few centuries, the Arabcivilization was considerably moreadvanced than its European coun-terpart.

Bertrand Russell described theway the Jews flourished under theArabs in his book History of West-ern Philosophy. After describingthe persecution of Jews in Christ-ian Europe, and the correspondinglack of Jewish cultural contribu-tions, Russell continued:

“In Mohammedan countries, onthe contrary, Jews at most timeswere not in any way ill treated.Especially in Moorish Spain, theycontributed to learning . . . [Then,when] the Christians reconqueredSpain, it was largely the Jews whotransmitted to them the learningof the Moors. Learned Jews, whoknew Hebrew, Greek and Arabic,and were acquainted with the phi-losophy of Aristotle, impartedtheir knowledge to less learnedschoolmen” (George Allen &Unwin Ltd., London, 1969, p. 324).

Europe’s rediscovery, by Arabsand Jews, of many Greek texts ledeventually to the Renaissance andthe rise of European culture.Today Europeans, Arabs and Jewscould gain much from coopera-tion. Unfortunately, crusades, per-secutions and Jihads have been alltoo common in their history.

Nevertheless, in the comingreign of the Messiah, the Christ,the descendants of all threegroups will learn to flourish incooperation and peace. GN

The inveterate gambler is always onthe lookout for the sure thing,the bet he can’t lose. The only

problem is, the sure bet doesn’t exist—with one exception. If you are a gam-bler, there is one thing you can betyour life on. The odds of losing thisbet are nil.

Of course, the payoff may comewhen you least expect it. And, eventhough you’re sure to win, winning thisbet is no fun. But all of us, whether weplace the bet or not, are sure to win.

The sure thing I’m speaking of isdeath.

Death is far more certain than life. A newly conceived human has a 20percent chance of never seeing birth.However, there is zero percent chancethat, once born, you will not ultimatelysee death.

Is this not a pleasant subject to findyourself reading about?

Indeed, it is not pleasant, and it’s nosurprise that so many are uninformedabout the subject. Refusing to thinkabout death does not make it go away.It just makes it harder for those left liv-ing to deal with this unpleasant fact oflife once it has occurred.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted assaying that the only sure thing in lifeis death and taxes. History has provenhim right. Taxes are a reality of lifewhether we live in Africa, Europe, theFar East or North or South America.

But taxes do change, even thoughusually for the worse. Most nationslevy heavy taxes on their citizens, andeveryone has to pay them. Personalincome, fuel, airline tickets, property,hotel accommodations—you name itand it is taxed.

Consistent and inevitableThe taxes we are levied can vary,

but death doesn’t change. Events lead-

ing up to it may vary, but death itself isalways the same. Some forms of gov-ernment may bring the onset of deathabout more quickly, and some eco-nomic conditions may hasten it, butdeath catches up with people of allnationalities, creeds and backgrounds.No one is exempt.

Francis Bacon said that “old men go to death, but death comes to youngmen.” It is never expected by theyoung. When it comes, it is usuallyunbidden and unwanted.

When death arrives early in life, theresult is devastating. Hopes and dreamsare snuffed out. Some ill or elderlymay welcome it and die willingly, butin other cases they may fight it with awarrior’s ferociousness.

Although some people in some circumstances die willingly, death isnever really a friend. It is an enemythat at times is heroically fought, butultimately it is given in to.

When death occurs, how should youfeel about it? Should you be angry? Isit wrong to be relieved? Should you bedestroyed by the death of a loved one?Should you grieve? Should you mournopenly and unashamedly? Should youweep behind closed doors, concealingyour feelings? How much should yougrieve?

We’ll get to those questions, butfirst let’s understand more about thesubject.

When does death occur? Only inour modern age has there been a needfor such a question to be asked. Pagesof opinions have been written andhours of arguments have taken placeover this simple question. Does deathoccur when one stops breathing, whenthe heart ceases to function or when allbrain activity has ceased?

These are important questions inthis day of medical miracles. The body

The Only Sure Thing“The only sure thing in life is death and taxes.”

—Benjamin Franklin

b y L e s M c C u l l o u g h

Refusing to think about death does not make it go away. It justmakes it harder

for those left living to deal with

this unpleasant fact of life once it

has occurred.

20 The Good News

May 1996 21

can be maintained artificially long pastthe time of consciousness and poten-tial recovery by simply forcing thecontinued action of the heart and lungsthrough a life-support system. In somecases, pregnant women have been kepton life support for weeks so their babycan be born. The debate continues onthe ethics of these procedures in med-ical and religious circles. It is one thatis never fully answered to everyone’ssatisfaction.

You are going to die. No one canchange that. Death may be delayed fora time, but the inevitable will come topass. All living things are subject todeath, from the lowliest microscopicanimal or plant to the giant spermwhale and all living things in between,from a simple spore to the majesticgiant sequoia and redwood trees. Sci-entists say even stars die and eventu-ally dissipate into the vastness of theuniverse.

What happens at death?At death, the plant or organism

ceases to function and then begins tocrumble and disintegrate. What oncewas is no more. This may be all weneed to know about the death ofplants and animals, but what aboutpeople? Surely, man does not simplycease to be. What occurs when a per-son dies?

The body ceases to function. Itdecays and before long returns to thedust of the earth.

But isn’t man more than just abody? He, of all creatures, seems tohave an inner being. If this is so, whathappens to that inner person?

More basic than that, why do wehave to die? How did death come tobe? Why can’t life go on? The answerto those age-old questions is found inthe second law of thermodynamics. Inessence, it states and acknowledgesthat all physical things have a begin-ning and then start the process of run-ning down.

Death is one of the subjects aboutwhich none of us likes to think. This is partly because we may not have ananswer and partly because we areafraid of finding the answer. Fearingwhat the answer might be, we wouldrather ignore the question and hopewe don’t have to face the reality for a

long time.But face it we shall, so we might as

well try to understand more about thesubject.

What happens after death?What happens when we die? Do we

go somewhere? Many tell of out-of-body experiences during which theyfeel they have died, or been close todying, and then recovered. In mostcases, they say the incident was apleasant one.

Some describe a near-death expe-rience as like being in a long tunnelwith a light at the end while listeningto lovely music and feeling comfort-ably warm, then returning to theirbody. Are these people experiencingsomething real or an illusion? Why?Why do they come back? If theyhave no control over whether theyleave their body or stay, then whodoes?

Any discussion of death can quicklytake on a theological or religious tone.In Westernized nations, most peopleclaim to be either Christian or recog-nize the Judeo-Christian roots of theircivilization. They may not attendchurch or synagogue, but they are atleast aware of the claims of a FirstCause, Creator or God.

So let’s look into the handbook forliving that has been given by God, theBible.

The first mention of death in theBible is in Genesis 2:16, 17. It is apart of the knowledge, the instructionif you will, God gave to the first manand woman. “And the LORD God com-manded the man, saying, ‘Of everytree of the garden you may freely eat;but of the tree of the knowledge ofgood and evil you shall not eat, for inthe day that you eat of it you shallsurely die.’”

Adam’s penalty for disobedienceAs the narrative goes, Adam ate of

the tree and did not die, at least notuntil much later. Others died before heceased to live, as revealed in the exam-ple of Adam’s son, Abel, who waskilled by his brother, Cain.

Adam did eventually die, however,because of his rejection of God’sinstruction. Although delayed forAdam personally 930 years, death

entered the world—for Cain andeveryone else—at the time of Adam’srebellion and disobedience to theFather. This is clearly stated in theNew Testament:

“. . . Through one man [Adam] sinentered the world, and death throughsin, and thus death spread to all men,because all sinned . . .” (Romans 5:12).

Death exists because it is thepenalty for sin. “For the wages of sinis death, but the gift of God is eternallife . . .” (Romans 6:23). Death cameupon mankind because of the actionsof one man at the beginning of humanlife on earth. Along with the guaranteeof death came the even greaterpromise of the opportunity for eternallife. We mustn’t lose sight of thatpromise, although that is a subject fora different article.

The responsibility for the actionsthat led to his death lies with Adam,even though the cause of Adam’saction was Satan, who tempted the firstman and woman. Death is a weaponSatan uses against mankind to thwartGod’s purpose for man. Satan inspiresman to wield death and the threat ofdeath against his fellowman throughhatred, fear and jealousy. The devildelights in the pain caused by death.

How death comesThe cessation of life comes about in

three ways: accidentally, naturally anddeliberately.

• Accidental death is difficult todeal with, occurring when leastexpected, often to those in their primeyears of life. It leaves no time to pre-pare oneself. The shock of accidentaldeath is numbing, sometimes over-whelming.

• “He died of natural causes” canmean someone has lived his years andgently slipped into the deep slumber ofthe grave as the result of his body sim-ply wearing out. The heart just turnsoff. You seldom read of this kind ofpeaceful, natural cessation of lifetoday. In the modern age, death by nat-ural causes is often premature, includ-ing death by disease in its many forms.

• Premeditated death includes mur-der, loss of life on the battlefield andsuicide. These deaths are perhaps themost senseless and difficult for thoseremaining and trying to understand.Ph

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God frequently ends up being blamed.“Why did God allow it to happen?” isthe anguished cry of those left behind.

Suicide can be the result ofextreme unhappiness and the pain thata person is trying to escape. A suc-cessful suicide, however, brings greatunhappiness and pain on family andloved ones.

Everybody, rich or poor, noble orbase, will die. The One who created all things says that “it is appointed formen to die once, but after this thejudgment” (Hebrews 9:27). You maynot do anything else in this life, butyou will die.

Death is hard to describeDeath isn’t adequately described by

expressions such as kicking the bucket,passing away, falling off the perch,buying the farm, shuffling off this mor-tal coil or meeting our Maker. Youdon’t go anywhere, other than thegrave, when you die. You don’t dosomething when you die. You just die.

“For what happens to the sons ofmen also happens to beasts; one thingbefalls them: as one dies, so dies theother. Surely, they all have one breath;man has no advantage over beasts, forall is vanity. All go to one place: all arefrom the dust, and all return to dust”(Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20).

In the sense of the preceding scrip-tural reference, man is no differentfrom the plants or animals, an amoebaor the stars. Man does have somethingthese other created beings or things donot have. He has the promise of thejudgment and the possibility of eternallife. But, again, that is another topic.

Even though it is a morbid subject,you should make some preparationsfor your death. Don’t leave the “finalarrangements,” as they are called inadvertisements for mortuaries, tobereaved family members. If yourexpiration is decades away, so muchthe better, but be prepared for when-ever it comes.

We can control our affairs while welive and make it easier for our lovedones after we die. In the past fewmonths, several of my friends havedied, some young and some older.Their families have had to live throughthe experience. In some cases, deathwas expected, but in others it was a

complete surprise. It was traumatic inevery case.

Preparing for the inevitableOne of the first steps you might

want to take is to face the reality ofyour mortality. When all is over, thegreatest value is not the cash value ofthe life-insurance policy in yourspouse’s bank account, but how con-tent you were with your life. “Butgodliness with contentment is greatgain. For we brought nothing into thisworld, and it is certain we can carrynothing out” (1 Timothy 6:6, 7).

The examples of the men andwomen of the Bible show they oftenprepared for death’s inevitability. Theybought burial grounds or tombs forthemselves and their families. Theyknew where they would be buried andtook comfort and satisfaction fromthat. Conscious of their mortality, theyprepared for it.

“A good man leaves an inheritanceto his children’s children . . .” (Prov-erbs 13:22). Not everyone can leave aninheritance, but we can all be certainnot to leave the burden of the monetarycost of our death to add to the ordealof a grieving family.

Most people have never bothered tomake a will. It is a simple action butone they do not want to take. Yet bythat simple act you can assure your

family, husband, wife or children ofreceiving what should be theirs.

In some countries, not having a willmeans the government takes a muchlarger portion, or in some cases all, ofwhat is left. It could mean the forcedsale of the home you thought you wereproviding for your family. Other rela-tives might decide they have a claim toyour estate, and a hopeless muddlecould result.

In spite of advances in technologyand medicine, the life span of mantoday is much the same as mentionedin Psalm 90:10: “The days of our livesare seventy years; and if by reason ofstrength they are eighty years, yet theirboast is only labor and sorrow; for it issoon cut off, and we fly away.” Verse12 continues: “So teach us to numberour days, that we may gain a heart ofwisdom.”

It is true, at least in the UnitedStates, that there are more centenari-ans today than ever before. A few havelived to even 110 or 120. They are therare exception. Although life expect-ancy has increased in some countries,in others it is still low. The averagehasn’t changed much. Recognizing thelimitation we may have can help us touse our allotted time more effectively.

Expressing our feeling of loss

When death occurs, we need to real-ize that grief is natural. It should beallowed; it should be expressed. Vari-ous cultures express themselves differ-ently. A funeral in Africa is a majorevent. Family, friends, neighbors comefrom miles around to help grieve aswell as to express their feelings for theone who died.

In some cultures, a prolonged timeof mourning takes place. In others, it isalmost business as usual. Whatever theculture, we shouldn’t try to consolewith platitudes about how the individ-ual has gone to a better place or howone should buck up and not let otherssee one’s sorrow.

Sorrow is a personal thing. There is nothing wrong with feeling it andexpressing it. King Solomon acknowl-edged that there is a time to weep andmourn (Ecclesiastes 3:4). A certainamount of sorrow is a good thing. Incases in which there has been pro-

When death occurs,how should you feel

about it? Shouldyou be destroyed bythe death of a loved

one? Should youweep behind closeddoors, concealing

your feelings? How much should

you grieve?

22 The Good News

May 1996 23

pay the penalty for our sins (Matthew26:27, 28; 1 John 1:7).

The very day of the wave-sheaf cer-emony pointed forward to Christ. His-tory records that the sheaf washarvested on Saturday night, whichbegan the first day of the week. It wasthen waved before and accepted byGod on the first day of the week (Sun-day) during the Feast of UnleavenedBread (Leviticus 23:11).

As mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ,after His resurrection, would not letHis followers touch Him until He hadreturned to God the Father (John20:17). Later that same day, after Hewent to the Father, they could touchHim (verses 19, 26, 27).

This occurred on the first day of theweek (verse 19), the Sunday duringthe Feast of Unleavened Bread(Matthew 26:2, 17; 28:1). The wave-sheaf offering foretold the precise dayof the week Christ would return to theFather more than 1,400 years beforethat day actually occurred!

These astounding parallels give us amuch deeper appreciation of the sig-nificance of the wave-sheaf offeringGod commanded. Reading Leviticus23:10-14 with this understanding helpsus to better grasp both Jesus Christ’ssupreme importance in God’s plan aswell as the meaning of the wave sheaf.Without a Savior who would give Hislife and be resurrected to life again,there could be no later harvesting ofhumankind for salvation.

Christ’s purpose foretold

Almost 1,500 years later, JesusChrist explained His purpose to Hisfollowers, using the analogy of grain:“. . . ‘The hour has come that the Sonof Man should be glorified. Mostassuredly, I say to you, unless a grainof wheat falls into the ground anddies, it remains alone; but if it dies, itproduces much grain’” (John 12:23,24). This imagery connects JesusChrist’s sacrifice to the salvation of allmankind: Only if Jesus Christ gaveHis own life could more life—addi-tional sons of God—be produced(Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:10).

Christ’s role as depicted by thewave-sheaf offering differs somewhatfrom His role as depicted by thePassover sacrifice. Both reflect differ-ent aspects of His sacrifice and pur-pose in God’s plan for the salvation ofhumanity.

During His crucifixion, JesusChrist declared that His sacrifice, asforeshadowed by the Passover, wascompleted: “So when Jesus hadreceived the sour wine, He said, ‘It isfinished!’ And bowing His head, Hegave up His spirit” (John 19:30).

Christ wasn’t saying that God’splan for saving humankind was fin-ished at His death. He was saying thatthe crucial, all-important giving ofHis life as our Passover sacrifice wasfinished. The death of Jesus Christmeant that mankind could and wouldbe reconciled to God the Father.

But, beyond that sacrifice, there isanother vital aspect of our salvationthat is not yet complete. Jesus Christ’ssacrifice alone, through His crucifix-ion, did not and does not save human-kind. It did, however, reconcilehumanity to God. Beyond this recon-ciliation lies another truth signified bythe wave-sheaf offering: “For if wewere reconciled to God through thedeath of His Son, much more, havingbeen reconciled, we shall be saved byHis life” (Romans 5:10).

As the Passover precedes the wave-sheaf offering, so reconciliation pre-cedes our salvation. We are saved byChrist’s resurrected, divine life.

All made possible through Jesus Christ

Those who keep the Feast of Pente-cost appreciate the relationship to Pen-tecost of the wave-sheaf offering.Without the true wave-sheaf offering,Jesus Christ, there would be no HolySpirit to lead us, no Church to spiritu-ally nurture us and no harvest for thesalvation of humanity.

Through these things, God continu-ally assures and reminds His peoplethat we have the promise of eternal lifethrough the gift of the Holy Spirit.This promise was made possiblethrough God, who resurrected andaccepted Jesus Christ, our wave-sheafoffering. GN

longed suffering, sorrow can be arelief. Whatever the case, most peopleneed time to express their sadness,whether alone or with friends.

It is inane and cruel to say to a childwhose mother has just died, “Godwanted your mother more than youdo.” What a dreadful saying, and I amaware of this actually being said. Thepoor child who hears this is devastatedby the loss and is made to feel guiltybecause he didn’t want the motherenough, even though the child lovedhis mother with all his being.

Realize that your friend who lost aloved one may desperately need to talkabout the deceased. Honor that need.You can bear with your friend for afew days. It may well be that all youcan say is a sincere “I’m sorry.” Deathis sad, and it affects us all in differentways. You need to be understandingand sympathetic and take your cuefrom the bereaved. Time will heal.

There is hopeThe apostle Paul addressed the sub-

ject of death: “But I do not want you tobe ignorant, brethren, concerning thosewho have fallen asleep, lest you sorrowas others who have no hope” (1 Thes-salonians 4:13). Paul didn’t intend thatwe should not sorrow. Grieving is anatural process. It is therapeutic, scrip-tural and a part of life.

What Paul did say is that weshouldn’t mourn as those who have nohope, knowledge or understandingabout death. In the book of Job, thetruth of the state of the dead is given:“If a man dies, shall he live again? Allthe days of my hard service I willwait, till my change comes. You shallcall, and I will answer You; You shalldesire the work of Your hands” (Job14:14, 15).

There will come a time when allwho have died will live again. Theywill rise to a life much better than theone they have known and to a time ofgreat joy and happiness.

There will come a time when deathswill no longer occur. Mankind’s great-est enemy shall cease to exist (1 Cor-inthians 15:26; Revelation 21:4).

Death will be no more, and life willreign supreme. Look to that day withconfidence. GN

Wave SheafContinued from page 15

May 1996 2424 The Good News

tell you that if these shouldkeep silent, the stones wouldimmediately cry out,” saidJesus (Luke 19:40). He wasreferring to what would hap-

pen if His disciples did not bear testi-mony of Him.

The original disciples aren’t aroundto provide their eyewitness accounts of Jesus Christ, but we do have theinspired Word of God, which they,along with many others, wrote.

Significantly enough, we also havethe testimony of stones that really canbear witness to the veracity and inspi-ration of God’s Word. The physicalevidence unearthed by present-day scientists can and does speak to usthrough biblical archaeology.

Archae, which comes from theGreek, means “ancient,” and ology,which comes from the Greek logia,means “science.” Archaeology, then, isthe scientific study of ancient things.

Unearthing the origins of archaeology

Englishman Flinders Petrie is gen-erally considered the individual whoput archaeological methodology on ascientific footing. He is credited withtransforming archaeology from a trea-sure hunt into a disciplined search forinformation about the past. It was notuntil the 19th century that scientificmethods were rigorously applied toexcavations of historical sites.

A curious fact of history is that theperson who indirectly contributed tothis process was not a scientist but theFrench emperor and conquerorNapoleon Bonaparte. During his con-quests of Europe and the Middle East,Napoleon arrived in Egypt in the late1700s hoping to build the Suez Canaland drastically reduce the navigation

time for the trade route from France toIndia. In Egypt, before a battle in thevicinity of the famous pyramids ofGizeh, he told his soldiers, “Forty cen-turies are looking down upon youfrom these pyramids.”

His inquisitive mind led him tostudy the Egyptian culture and try todecipher strange drawings he saw inthe ancient monuments. For that pur-pose, he brought along 175 Frenchscholars and researchers, and togetherthey set up an institute in Egypt tostudy the writings and ancient relicsof the area.

The deciphering of the Egyptianhieroglyphics (a word meaningpriestly or sacred writings) can beattributed mostly to a young scientistof that time, Jean François Champol-lion. Accurate translations were madepossible largely by the discovery in1799 of a large black basalt rock byFrench soldiers at the town of Rosetta.Later to be known as the RosettaStone, it bore a trilingual inscription inOld Egyptian hieroglyphic, demotic (alater, simplified form of Egyptianhieroglyphics) and Greek. With thisstone as a key, Champollion in 1822could finally decipher the ancienthieroglyphics.

The deciphering of the Egyptianhieroglyphics brought the culture ofthe Pharaohs to light, and the educatedclasses of Europe gained insight intothis fascinating subject. Soon, manyamateur archaeologists were on theirway to fame and fortune, finding fabu-lous monuments and other treasures.Museums throughout Europe andAmerica vied with each other to housethese marvelous finds. The treasure-laden tomb of Tutankhamen, discov-ered in 1922, was one of the most

How Archaeology Confirms the Biblical Record

b y M a r i o S e i g l i e

How Archaeology Confirms the Biblical Record

I“

Scholars have queued up to

ridicule the biblical accounts

as mere myth. A tug of war

continues between scoffers and believers

in the inspirationand accuracy of

the Bible.

May 1996 25May 1996 25

spectacular. Many early archaeologistswould be honored for their efforts andwould become a part of history in theirown right.

Deciphering ancient writingElsewhere in the region, strange

writings on monuments and otherobjects were waiting to be deciphered.

Curious scratches, resemblingbird footprints, were found onthousands of hardened claytablets. Initially, some scien-tists thought they were deco-rations rather than writing.Since the marks had appar-ently been made with awedgelike knife in soft clay,the experts called themcuneiform, or letterformsmade by cunei, Latin for“wedges.”

The credit for the deciphering ofcuneiform would go mostly to an agentof the British government, Henry C.Rawlinson, stationed in Persia. Hebegan a systematic study of cuneiformwriting found on the Behistun Rockinscription, sometimes known as the“Rosetta Stone of cuneiform.”

Thousands of years earlier, Darius the

Great, king of Persia, had on the face ofthis 1,700-foot cliff overlooking a valleyengraved an account of his exploits. Theinscription appeared in three scripts:Persian, Elamite and Babylonian in thecuneiform style of writing.

Over a period of two years, Rawlin-son traveled to the site and made theperilous climb, dangling from a ropewhile painstakingly transcribing theinscription. By 1847, he had deci-phered cuneiform writing, openingunderstanding of Babylonian cultureand history to theworld. Forhis

efforts, Rawlinson received a knight-hood from Queen Victoria in 1855.

Digging up forgotten citiesAnother young British subject,

Austen Henry Layard, drew inspirationfrom such discoveries and the fame it

had brought men like Champollion andRawlinson. Layard began digging inIraq, home of the Assyrian and Baby-lonian empires thousands of yearsbefore. He unearthed great cities mentioned in the Bible, including theancient Assyrian capital, Nineveh, andCalah. Many of his finds, includingenormous winged bulls and otherimportant Babylonian and Assyrianartifacts, made their way to the BritishMuseum. He, too, was knighted byQueen Victoria.

Not to be outdone by theFrench and British, Germanarchaeologists also began theirquest for riches and fame. Onesuch explorer, Heinrich Schlie-mann, began searching for thelegendary city of Troy,described by the ancient

Greek poet Homer. Believ-ing Homer’s sagas to bepure imagination, con-

temporaries ridiculedSchliemann’s efforts,thinking him to beon a fanciful search.But, incrediblyenough, heeding thedescriptions inHomer’s Iliad andthose by otherGreek writers,Schliemann beganto excavate. In1871, he found theremains of the

ancient city of Troy. Following in the

footsteps of these dash-ing adventurers came the

patient archaeologists whowould study and classify these

discoveries in a systematic way, giv-ing birth to the scientific methodologyof field archaeology.

The age of skepticismUnfortunately, the zeal for fame and

treasure of many of these early archae-ologists also led to unfounded claimsof the discoveries of biblical sites.Some of these claims, such as the sup-posed discovery of King Solomon’smines and David’s tomb, were later

Jean François Champolliondeciphered Egyptian hieroglyph-ics, which opened the door tounderstanding the culture ofancient Egypt.

The Rosetta Stone, with its trilingualinscription, was key to understandingEgyptian hieroglyphics.

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26 The Good News

proved false. Seeds of doubt began tobe planted regarding the accuracy ofthe biblical account.

The 20th century inherited the skep-ticism of the preceding hundred years.Charles Darwin and others, espousingtheories of evolution, had positedexplanations for the origin and devel-opment of living creatures apart from a divine Creator. Such notions encour-aged a questioning of the historicityof the Bible.

Also strong in Europe was thethinking inspired by Karl Marx,who in an economic, materialisticinterpretation of history, dis-counted God and miracles.Many scholars ridiculed the bib-lical accounts as myth. The Biblebecame fair game for higher crit-icism; a tugging match ensuedbetween believers in the inspira-tion and accuracy of the Bibleand scoffers.

Biblical and theologicalscholars of the day declared theBible was more recent in originthan it claimed; some arguedthe people of the Old Testa-ment did not even know howto read and write. Somescholars concluded that most ofthe Old Testament was littlemore than myth.

Authors Norman Geisler andPaul Feinberg observe: “Perhapsthe best example of those whohold the ‘reason over revelation’view are known as ‘liberals’ or ‘highercritics.’ Roughly speaking, this refersto a theological movement that sprungfrom the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European thought. It wasinfluenced by Spinoza, Kant, andHegel, who concluded by human rea-son that parts or all of the Bible arenot a revelation from God. Otherhigher critics have included men suchas Jean Astruc (1684-1766) and JuliusWellhausen (1844-1918).

“In contrast to the historic, orthodoxview that the Bible is the Word of God,liberals believe that the Bible merelycontains the Word of God. When theyapply the canons of human reason or

modern scholarship to the Bible theyfeel that some parts of it are ‘contradic-tory,’ and others are simply myths orfables. Some Old Testament stories arerejected by these critics because theevents seemed to be ‘immoral’”(Introduction to Philosophy, a Christian Perspective, 1980, p. 261).

Rejecting the divine inspiration ofthe Bible, archaeologists from liberal

biblical institutes allowed

themselves to be influenced by the ageof skepticism in theology. Consciouslyor unconsciously, they became biasedagainst the biblical account.

Skeptical of fall of JerichoAn example of such bias surfaced

recently in the matter of dating the fallof Jericho. According to the biblicalrecord, Jericho was destroyed by theIsraelites under Joshua when theybegan their conquest of the promisedland. However, excavations of the siteof Jericho led some—most notably,renowned British archaeologist

Kathleen Kenyon—to reject the bibli-cal version.

In Biblical Archaeology Review,archaeologist Bryant Wood explainsthe earlier antibiblical view: “Thearchaeological evidence conflicted with the Biblical account—indeed,disproved it. Based on [archaeologistKathleen] Kenyon’s conclusions,Jericho has become the parade exampleof the difficulties encountered inattempting to correlate the findings of

archaeology with the Biblicalaccount of a military conquestof Canaan. Scholars by andlarge have written off the Biblical record as so muchfolklore and religious rhetoric.And this is where the matterhas stood for the past 25 years”(Bryant Wood, Biblical Archaeology Review, March-April, 1990, p. 49).

Evidence reexamined Yet a reevaluation of Ken-

yon’s work showed that herconclusions challenging biblicalchronology were suspect, whilethe biblical account gained thestrongest supporting evidence.Wood observes that Kenyon’s“thoroughgoing excavationmethods and detailed reportingof her findings, however, did notcarry over into her analyticalwork. When the evidence is criti-cally examined there is no basisfor her contention that City IV

[the level of the city that was thoughtto correspond to Joshua’s time] wasdestroyed . . . in the mid-16th centuryB.C.E. [before the Christian era]”(ibid., p. 57).

Time magazine added the following:“Over the past three decades, the con-sensus has gone against the biblicalversion [of the fall of Jericho]. The lateBritish archaeologist Kathleen Kenyonestablished in the 1950s that while theancient city was indeed destroyed, ithappened around 1550 B.C., some 150years before Joshua could have shownup. But archaeologist Bryant Wood . . .claims that Kenyon was wrong. Basedon a re-evaluation of her research,

Sir Henry C. Rawlinson decipheredcuneiform, the style of writing used inthe ancient Babylonian empire.

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ettm

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hive

Wood says that the city’s walls couldhave come tumbling down at just theright time to match the biblical account. . . Says Wood: ‘It looks to me asthough the biblical stories are correct’(Time, March 5, 1990, p. 43).

And so, the lively debate regardingthe Bible’s accuracy continues betweenconservative and liberal archaeologists.

Discoveries verify biblical accountsAs the 20th century has progressed,

several archaeological finds verifying

the biblical record have come to light.In the early 1900s, German excavatorsunder Robert Koldewey mapped theancient capital of Babylon and foundthat it closely corresponded to the bib-

Continued on page 41

What can we say about the relationship betweenthe Bible and archaeology? An illustration canhelp. Let us imagine two jigsaw puzzles. The

first is the Bible, put together under the inspiration ofGod Himself. The pieces fit together perfectly. As God’sWord says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc-tion, for instruction in righteousness, that the man ofGod may be complete, thoroughly equipped for everygood work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, emphasis added).

This first puzzle’s primary purpose is to reveal notscience and history per se but the record of God’s deal-ings with humankind. Much of this revelation is knowl-edge that cannot be examined under a microscope orperceived through our senses. It is knowledge revealedby God.

Throughout the Bible, a common theme is God’s par-ticipation in human history. Whether it be the creationaccount, His dealings with Israel or the early New Testament Church, God is central.

Much of this information is not the kind that archae-ology can discover through the study of ancient remains.Yet God’s inspired account of His interaction with living,breathing people is inserted into writings about thephysical surroundings of those people. Such informationis genuine and true, since God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).

Limits of archaeologyThe physical evidence can be likened to a second

jigsaw puzzle, one based on scientific evidence andthat is valuable to our faith by its ability to confirmthe veracity of the biblical accounts.

The second jigsaw puzzle concerns how archaeologyand related disciplines can reveal physical evidence con-cerning biblical history. The picture presented is partial;not all archaeological evidence has survived. Conclusionsderived from archaeological discoveries are necessarilyuncertain. Like a puzzle, pieces can be initially misplaced.As new discoveries are made or better interpretationsare offered, the position of some pieces can shift. Manypieces are faded and worn, making placement difficult.

Dating of biblical sites is based primarily on survivingpottery, with its distinctive styles associated with specifichistorical periods. What remains is an incomplete pic-ture of the past. As archaeologist Paul W. Lapp com-

mented, “Palestinian archaeology may be past infancybut has hardly gotten beyond childhood.” Archaeologyis a developing and imperfect science.

Some archaeologists estimate that only one thou-sandth of the original artifacts have survived. Some5,000 sites are known to scientists in Palestine, and onlyabout 350 have been excavated. Of these, fewer than 2 percent have been extensively excavated. All conclu-sions, then, are based on small amounts of evidence.

Significant portions of the Bible now corroboratedHow should the relative scarcity of evidence affect

our Christian beliefs? Our faith should not be based onpossession of all the material and historical evidence.Definitive analysis is not a prerequisite for determiningwhether or not the Bible is historically accurate and true.

In spite of the relatively small amount of materialthat has been excavated and analyzed, considerableevidence confirming the biblical account is available.More is being uncovered all the time. Significant por-tions of the Old Testament historical record have nowbeen corroborated by archaeology.

Bryant Wood notes the consensus of archaeologistson the following point: “The purpose of Biblical archae-ology is to enhance our comprehension of the Bible,and so its greatest achievement, in my view, has beenthe extraordinary illumination of the . . . time of theIsraelite monarchy” (Biblical Archaeology Review, May-June, 1995, p. 33).

From c. 1000 B.C. through the New Testamentperiod, the archaeological evidence is strong. Beforethat time, it is sparse. This is quite natural, consideringthe circumstances. As Wood explains: “Exploring thatpre-history [before 1000 B.C.] is challenging: It requirestracing the archaeological record of a pastoral commu-nity, rather than an agrarian-based political entity thatbuilt cities and made contacts with surroundingnations” (ibid., p. 35).

We will never possess all the physical evidence. Most has been destroyed by time and wear. We cannotreproduce miracles, nor can God’s presence be exam-ined and confirmed in a laboratory. Faith will always bebased primarily on spiritual discernment and trust inGod’s Word. GN

—Mario Seiglie

TWO JIGSAW PUZZLES, TWO PURPOSES

May 1996 27