I remember going to my first Feast of Tabernacles as a child of 12. I did not have a clue what we were getting ourselves into, especially since we had only been attending church services for a few months. We went to our assigned feast site which was Big Sandy at the time, and camped in Piney Woods.

As a child, with no money, one of the first Scriptures that caught my eye and had great personal meaning for me was Deuteronomy 14:26 where it speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles, saying, “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.”

You may have to constantly tell your child to clean up his room, brush his hair before he goes to school, take a bath after playing in the mud, BUT you will not have to tell him twice that when he goes to the Feast, he can have WHATEVER his heart desires.

For me that year, breakfast consisted of chocolate milk and a six-pack of chocolate Donettes… every day! This was not because we were poor or that there were no other choices, but simply this was what my heart desired. Since I am older, my eating habits have changed. Now, during the feast, my heart desires a thick juicy premium cut of steak (and only one Krispy Kreme every morning).

Most of us have found that as we have matured, what we digest has changed. We started out with milk and moved on to heartier meats. In the same way, our spiritual lives should parallel this. We start with the milk of the Word and move on to the meat of God’s Word. We start with the simple principles, the ones a child can understand, and grow in grace and knowledge of the deeper understanding of the Ways of Righteousness, even being able to teach others as situations may permit.

We cannot afford to be as those Paul addressed in Hebrews 5:12-13: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”

At the Feast of Tabernacles this year, we can and should take our second tithe and spend it on the desires of our heart as is commanded. But far more importantly, at this precursor to the Kingdom of God, we should desire and seek to be fed and nourished by the rich and plentiful spiritual banquet that will be available and be filled with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

God poses an interesting question in the book of Malachi. In Malachi 3:8, He asks: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.”

I don’t know of any Christian who would walk into a bank with a gun to make a “withdrawal.” He would not do this, since he would not want to blatantly violate God’s Law in such a fashion, and he would also be afraid of doing so for fear of being caught, prosecuted and jailed for committing such a terrible crime. Nor would any Christian sneak at night into his neighbor’s garden to steal vegetables and fruit, knowing full well that stealing is against one of the Ten Commandments. In addition, he knows that being caught and punished for committing such an act would ruin his reputation in the community. Yet, why is it that some Christians neglect to tithe altogether, or why do they sit at their office desk at home or the kitchen table and write a check in support of the Church that does not represent a full tithe–even though they realize that the tithing commandment is one of the basic requirements for a Christian?

It is not rocket science! One only needs to look at the amount on the salary check from the employer and move the decimal point one figure to the left, and that represents ten percent. A grade school child could be taught this.

Since there do not seem to be immediate consequences for their shortchanging God, some Christians conclude that it is somehow all right to pay God less than what is commanded. Others think that when they faithfully tithe a full ten percent of their increase, that is all that is required of them. They overlook that even then, they are still called unprofitable servants because they simply fulfilled their duty to God to tithe. But we rob God when we don’t faithfully tithe or when we don’t give Him acceptable offerings. It appears that the people described in the book of Malachi were shortchanging God in their tithes and that they were only giving “nominal” offerings–or that they did not pay any tithes and failed to give any offerings at all.

Tithing from the entire amount of our increase is a requirement, and so are offerings which are over and above God’s tithe. When giving an offering, we demonstrate to God where our heart really is. Both Cain and Abel gave offerings, but God rejected the offering of wicked and evil Cain, while accepting the offering of righteous Abel. It is interesting to note that there is no specific instruction as to how much of an offering we need to give–other than the fact that we are to consider and evaluate how much God has blessed us physically and spiritually. When we give an offering, we take advantage of the opportunity to show God how truly we appreciate His involvement in our lives, by giving cheerfully and not grudgingly (Deuteronomy 16:17; 2 Corinthians 9:7).

We are fast approaching the Fall Festival Season, with the first of the annual Fall Holy Days, the Feast of Trumpets, beginning this Friday, at sunset. God commanded us to give offerings during this autumn season. Our offering on each annual Holy Day should not only be for the purpose of proving to God that we would never want to rob Him, but also to demonstrate to Him our deep appreciation for His blessings and for the privilege to be part of and support the most important Work on the face of the earth today–that of announcing, preaching and publishing the gospel or good news of the soon coming Kingdom of God to a sick and dying world. God knows and has decreed that His Work will be accomplished with or without our faithful tithes and generous offerings–but God has granted us the opportunity to participate in His great plan and purpose–and what a GREAT privilege it is!

Many health care professionals state that a person can live anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks without food, and a week without water. According to the World Health Organization, “hunger is the gravest single threat to the world’s public health… [It] is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality… [It] currently affects more than one billion (1 out of 6) people on earth.” Prolonged starvation can also cause permanent organ damage and eventually death. Images of starving children with distended bellies, swarming flies and little or no clothing have almost become commonplace in society.

Many look at this suffering and blame God for “His lack of compassion and involvement in humanity.” But quite the opposite is true! God warned humanity that if they lost love for Him and focused their concern away from God, our present world would be the result: “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything…”  (Deuteronomy 28:47-48).

Christ survived starvation for 40 days and was strengthened because of the event. He accomplished this feat because He was filled with—not starving for—the Spirit of God. His thirst for God’s Spirit was never quenched, even though it was given to Him without measure. Christ stated: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). 

What mankind eats and partakes of today does not satiate. A prophet wrote: “You shall eat, but not be satisfied; Hunger shall be in your midst” (Micah 6:14). To God, this world, which is spiritually starving, must appear much like famine-stricken people throughout the world. Mankind is starving, yet refuses to take in the nourishment that would ultimately save them!

A proverb states: “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger” (Proverbs 19:15). It takes effort and commitment on our part to satisfy our hunger and fulfill our desire for the understanding of God’s Word. We were spoon-fed as babes, but as adults, WE must lift the fork to our mouth. If we have that willingness, Christ promises: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

Recently, Norbert Link has begun an important and eye-opening series of sermons about the book of Galatians. One aspect that immediately stands out is his clarification of the true source of a Christian’s faith–that it is Jesus Christ and not ourselves!

Galatians 2, verse 16, states: “‘…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith [of] Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith [of] Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.'”

Note that the NKJV along with most translations do not accurately portray the real meaning of this powerful verse; hence the bracketed word “of”–instead of “in”–renders more accurately what Paul actually wrote. The continuing verses (17-19) reinforce this meaning, and verse 20 is very explicit in showing that it is Christ’s living faith at work in us that we now have:

“‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith [of] the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'”

We have been taught–and we should know with certainty–that Jesus Christ, our Savior, is not only alive and seated at the right hand of God acting as High Priest on our behalf, but He and the Father live in us through the Holy Spirit (compare John 14:23). Without such a godly relationship, we would have no basis for hope beyond this life! Note how Paul explained this in writing to the brethren in Colosse about the mystery God was revealing to them:

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

People talk about Jesus Christ–and hundreds of millions of people have said He is the Messiah. This is not enough, and Jesus very specifically warned His followers to not be deceived by these proclamations (compare Matthew 24:4-5).

The real test to know for sure is to know that Christ is living His life in us, and Paul challenges us on this point:

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU?–unless indeed you [do not stand the test]” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The relevancy for us could not be more urgent! Just take time to consider the trials faced by those called to the knowledge of the Truth in both this and past decades. Now also think about what we know from God’s Word about prophecies for the times ahead! In speaking about what His servants would face–especially, in the closing generation of this age–Jesus makes a promise. His statement shows the absolute proof that He both is and will continue living in His followers to impart His faith, His wisdom and whatever we need from Him:

“‘[F]or I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist'” (Luke 21:15).

The Word of God abounds with the true understanding of the relationship we are to have with the Father and His Son. That same document challenges everyone to make certain–even to “test yourselves”!

For many, prophecy is an intriguing subject–and it seems that every wind of speculation finds its itching ears in those who want to hear “something new” (Acts 17:21). But only God’s Spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10) can show us what truly lies ahead (John 16:13). Unless men are speaking under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, their prognostications are useless–nothing more than wild imaginations and fairy tales (2 Peter 1:20).

Recently, more and more wrong concepts have been circulated on the Internet. A popular new book claims that the “Antichrist” will be a Muslim. Biblically, this idea is absurd. First of all, the Bible does not even mention once “THE” Antichrist (see our Q&A on that subject). But the Bible does talk about the “beast” and the “false prophet”–a coming military leader as well as a future religious leader. However, neither will be a Muslim. The true Church of God under the late Herbert W. Armstrong has proclaimed correctly for almost a century that these personages will be part of the last revival of the ancient Roman Empire. But it seems that now, even some in diverse Church of God organizations have lost focus.

There are those who claim that the woman and the beast in Revelation 17 are America and Europe–an absolutely preposterous concept. As history and the biblical records reveal, the woman is the Catholic Church which was prophesied to sit on the last seven revivals of the Roman Empire. America has never played any role in any of the last six revivals which have already occurred–and it won’t do so in the last one, either, which is already beginning to occur in Europe before our very eyes.

(All of this is clearly explained in many of our free booklets, including, “Europe in Prophecy“; “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord“; “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America“; “Is That in the Bible?–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation!”; and “The Book of Zechariah–Prophecies for Today!” )

Then there are those who question the biblical teaching that God will protect many of His loyal disciples at a place of safety here on earth. Others falsely believe that God will secretly rapture His saints to heaven and protect them there for several months or years, prior to Christ’s return to rule all nations.

Some–in misinterpreting a passage in Daniel 9–erroneously claim that Europe will make a covenant with the state of Israel for seven years, which will be broken after 3 1/2 years–even though the true Church of God never taught this in the past, while it correctly understood and explained for decades that, according to Scripture, Europe will be in a confederation with Arab nations AGAINST Israel. (See our Q&A on that subject)

Others insist that an end-time “king of the south,” still to come, will consist of numerous Arab nations rising against Europe–a concept contradicting the biblical fact that Europe and Arab nations will be united against Israel. The true Church of God has consistently taught that IF there is still a king of the south yet to arrive on the world scene just prior to Christ’s return, it would have to be Ethiopia. (See our Q&As on that subject, and also note an interesting news report in this week’s “Current Events.”)

Some, if not many, are determined to somehow figure out the “approximate” year of Christ’s return–sometimes quoting Scriptures out of context to “prove” their case–even though Christ has told us that ONLY God the Father knows the exact time. [One “minister,” claiming to be part of the Church of God, has said that Christ will return on Saturday, May 26, 2012, and that he and his wife are the two witnesses. What incredible nonsense and deception!] We are warned NOT to try to determine the year or the month or the day of Christ’s Second Coming (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44).

The list of false prophetic pronouncements seems to be endless and ever-growing. Hardly a week goes by without someone raising his (or her) voice to proclaim some newly “revealed” special prophetic knowledge regarding end-time events.

The right understanding of prophecy MUST be taught in God’s Church. It must not be ignored. Prophecy is indeed very helpful, good and important, if it is understood correctly and used wisely and properly–not for the purpose of wanting to be someone with insightful knowledge, upon whom God has placed His “stamp of approval,” but as a motivation and an incentive to qualify and to be counted worthy for the kingdom of God (Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).

Don’t be deceived! It’s easy, perhaps, to become uncertain of the truth when even some of those who claim to be a part of the body of Christ begin to teach false doctrines and to disseminate wrong prophetic “speculations.” Christ says to watch and pray so that we don’t fall into temptation–because it is prophesied that many will be deceived by wrong teachers and the love of many–including for the truth–will grow cold (Matthew 24:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) .

Stick to the trunk of the tree–and don’t become obsessed with some leaves which, upon closer scrutiny, might have fallen off the tree–or which were not even part of the tree in the first place.

The phrase “Moving On” is an interesting one that can have different interpretations behind just those two simple words. And we, as Christians, have to make sure that we don’t fall into the trap that others often do when using this phrase.

It can mean wanting to avoid further questioning or interrogation–it’s time to move on. This is a favorite approach of politicians who want to squirm out of problems that won’t seem to go away. Instead of saying “sorry, I was wrong”–an admission of wrongdoing, errors of judgment or just plain poor decision making–they shy away from what we, as Christians must do. This is not for us. If we’re wrong, we have to admit it and repent, not say that we are moving on to avoid any further embarrassment or questioning.

A second way that this phrase is used is that it is now 2009 and it’s time to move on! This can often be used in connection with biblical truth, thinking that the Bible is outdated. But the date has nothing to do with right and wrong. Living in the year 2009 does not give us the liberty to change immutable truths and instructions from our great Creator. Moving on, to so many people today, means getting rid of previous standards and replacing them with their own ideas. When the original information is from the Creator of the universe, then to think that that doesn’t apply and is old fashioned today is stupidity of the highest order. 

And a third way of using this phrase is where someone abandons the truth that they once understood because they have “moved on.” This is the most serious of them all–and we have to ensure that we take our calling very seriously at all times, never treating it lightly and putting ourselves into great danger, so that we could miss out on being a member of God’s family for eternity.

Moving on? Not in the three areas mentioned herein–but with our calling, yes, we have to move on by growing in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). That is the “moving on” that we should all be involved with!

God created us with the ability to develop an immune system. Beginning at birth, a child is not fully equipped to fight off the onslaught of germs, though the mother is able to immediately aid in this by nursing. As we grow older, we grow stronger and more resistant to the common infectious agents that attack us.

When God calls us into a new way of life, He implements an additional system, as it were. As babes in the church, He infuses us with a small amount of His Holy Spirit. Initially and to a large extent, we are nurtured (1 Peter 2:2) by the mother of us all, which is the church (Galatians 4:26). This enables us to fight the spiritual diseases that bombard our system and seek to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). As we grow along the Way (2 Peter 3:18), our spiritual immunity becomes robust and resilient. The ills that used to plague us, no longer do, because we have matured and overcome them.

To ensure that we continue to stay in good spiritual health, we should make every effort to maintain the best spiritual immune system possible. We can facilitate this by eating right (John 6:48), exercising (1 Timothy 4:7) and getting plenty of rest (Hebrews 4:9; Matthew 11:28-29).

One of the downsides of seeking a promotion in a union-based environment is that the most qualified candidate might not get the position. The position will often go to the senior candidate (senior as far as union seniority is concerned, not age), who meets the minimum requirements for the job. A junior candidate may have more experience, taken more courses and may be better qualified, but under the rules of union-filled positions, the senior person will be chosen.

When it comes to who is best qualified to judge mankind, we might suppose it would be God the Father. However, we read that the Father committed all judgment to Jesus Christ (John 5:22, 26-27), and for a good reason. There is a saying that you should never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. Christ took on human flesh (Hebrews 2:9, 14 ; 1 Peter 4:5). As a human being, He was tempted in all things as we are, which is something the Father never experienced. Of course, God the Father saw the results of sin and human suffering. He does have feelings. Christ, on the other hand, walked on this earth and experienced trials, tests, temptations and human suffering even unto death.

He has been there and knows our weaknesses and strengths. He can relate to humanity in a way that God the Father, or Christ prior to His birth as a human being, could not. Therefore, Christ is in the best position to judge mankind.

It is true that Christ never experienced EVERY kind of trial, test or suffering that one can endure in this life. For example, He never had to deal with a loss of a limb; and He was not born blind; yet, He did heal the blind and crippled, so He knows how they felt; also, how they reacted when they were healed. He experienced enough to know what it is like to live as a human being. Christ never sinned; yet, He saw the horrible consequences of sin. He could have been executed in a swift fashion, but He willingly endured a long, slow, suffering path to taste death. He did it for everyone, so He could be a faithful and merciful high priest (Hebrews 2:17), and convey to the Father human weaknesses which He witnessed and human suffering which He endured.

It is also true that the saints will judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2). Because of our human past, we will be able to accurately do this; yet, Christ, due to His unique position in the Godhead and having gone through His human experience as He did, is the most qualified.

In addition, we also read that the saints will judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). Paul chided the Corinthians for going to the worldly courts over matters that should have been dealt with internally. He asked them why they could not judge things that pertain to this life when they would judge angels. All of us sin and have sinned–we have broken every commandment, either in the letter or in the spirit. You might say, “Wait a minute! I never murdered anyone.” Did or do you hate someone? If so, then you are guilty of murder (1 John 3:15), because murder starts with hate and resentment (compare Matthew 5:21-22). Since we have sinned, but repented of our sins, we can be qualified to rule with Christ over man and to even determine the outcome of angels who have sinned. As members of the God Family, we can evaluate and consider peer pressure, coercion or threats, when we judge to see if there is perhaps any repentance in man, as well as in those angels that decided to follow Satan. Perhaps some rebelled because of “peer pressure,” Satanic “coercion” or wrongly-understood government–thinking they had to follow Lucifer, no matter what–but they did not really sin wholeheartedly. As we suggested in our previous Q&A, some may perhaps be able to reach a repentant state of mind and come under the good graces of God in the future. We may be able to have compassion on them and extend mercy to those who may want to change.

Our God is a merciful God. Consider, for example, what He said to Jonah at the end of the book, in Jonah 4:11: “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” If God has compassion on animals, surely He wants to extend every opportunity to sinning angels who might be willing and able to repent.

Unlike what we experience in this world, God will see to it that only the most qualified candidates will be given the opportunity and responsibility to judge others, be it men or angels. God has committed all judgment to Jesus Christ, and Christ is willing to share this opportunity with us. We need to make sure, then, that we qualify in this life for this great potential, so that we can become kings and priests (Revelation 5:10) “to” and “of” God the Father and Jesus Christ, reigning with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6)–and then, forever and ever (Revelation 22:5).

The Bible claims to be the instruction manual for life. True to this claim, it is overflowing with instructions on almost every aspect of life.

It tells us how to do basic things:

• What to eat, and what not to eat (Leviticus 11).
• What to wear and put on (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3-4; Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:12-14), and what not to wear (Deuteronomy 22:5).
• When to work (Exodus 20:9), and when to stop working (Exodus 20:10), and why (Exodus 20:11, Exodus 31:13-17).
• It even tells us what to do (Leviticus 23:3), and what not do (Isaiah 58:13), on days we stop working.
• It tells us how to treat people:
• How to treat our spouse (Ephesians 5:22-28, 33) and other people’s spouses (Deuteronomy 5:21; Matthew 5:27-28).
• How to treat our children (Proverbs 29:17; Colossians 3:21; Titus 2:4); our parents (Ephesians 6:1-3); and grandparents (1 Timothy 5:4).
• How to treat older people (Leviticus 19:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-2).
• How to treat our neighbors (Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 22:36-40); strangers (Exodus 23:9; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Matthew 25:38, 40); our friends (Proverbs 27:6,10); and our enemies (Luke 6:27-36).
• How to treat people who have offended us (Matthew 18:15; Luke 17:3-4); or whom we have offended (Matthew 5:23-24).
• How to treat government officials (Ecclesiastes 10:20; Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1-2) and even tax collectors (Romans 13:6-7; Matthew 22:17-21).
• How to treat rich people (Leviticus 19:15) and poor people (James 2:1-7; Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Proverbs 19:17; 28:27; 31:9; Isaiah 58:6-7).
• How to treat bosses (Ephesians 6:5-7; Titus 2:9-10; Colossians 3:22) and employees (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1). 
• How to treat ministers (1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:7, 17) and brethren (2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Peter 5:1-3).
• It even tells us how to treat ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The Bible contains instructions on subjects as diverse as building codes (Deuteronomy 22:8); weights and measures (Leviticus 19:35-36); animal husbandry (Leviticus 19:19); animal care (Proverbs 12:10); plant genetics (Leviticus 19:19); crop management (Leviticus 19:23-25); waste disposal (Deuteronomy 23:12-14); disease prevention and hygiene (Leviticus 11:24-25, 31-35); disease containment (Leviticus 13); personal finances (Proverbs 22:7, 9; Malachi 3:8-10); national finances (Leviticus 25:8-17; Deuteronomy 15:1-6; 28:10-14); going to court (1 Corinthians 6:1-11); going to war (Matthew 26:52); and even lost and found (Exodus 23:4-5).

And that is just a small sample.

We need to take the time to study these verses. Imagine if the world lived by them, then we would see a world without abortion, pornography, profanity, lying, stealing, murder, over-burdensome governments or lazy citizens, abandoned widows, abandoned children or abandoned marriages. Perhaps hundreds of millions of deaths could have been prevented over the centuries by following the Bible’s health laws alone. What other national and personal tragedies could be prevented if people followed all of these laws?

The Bible is the most amazing, comprehensive, and compelling instruction manual ever written. The question is, are we willing to follow the instructions?

There is a reason for the prophecies of the Bible that tell of the end times!

God has inspired very specific details that will coincide with and begin to usher in the final days of human government under the stifling dominance of Satan. These prophetic warnings are something we must not ignore; furthermore, we need to understand our times and the events that lie just ahead.

Only the very few are destined to comprehend the truth God is revealing, and, sadly, even fewer yet will actively take it all to heart.

In a prophecy found in the Book of Daniel that directly speaks of the End Time, a contrast between the wicked and the wise is drawn: “‘…and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand'” (Daniel 12:10). This kind of understanding is coupled with action.

Jesus Christ compared the last generation alive before the Flood to the future generation who will experience the time of “great tribulation.” In Matthew 24:39, Jesus pointed to the fact that complacency will blind people of our time–just as it did those people of the ancient world.

Our particular challenge goes beyond just knowing the truth of prophecy. That, by itself, isn’t nearly enough!

If we are to follow the example of how Jesus Christ lived His life, then we must honestly admit that He put His knowledge to work! He preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God; He willingly sacrificed His own desires–even to the point of yielding to His own death; He established the Church of God; and, He continues now as our living High Priest–intervening on our behalf before God the Father!

There is no statement nor is there any hint in God’s Word that Jesus was self-satisfied and unconcerned about what He understood. In fact, just the opposite is true!

Like Jesus Christ did, so must we, and that is to answer our calling. Let’s take it just as SERIOUSLY as He did, and that means, we must be doing it NOW!