The short answer is that modern humans (Adam and Eve) were indeed created about 6,000 years ago, and that God has a 6,000- or 7,000-year plan for man. In our Q&A on Hebrews 4:9, we stated the following: “Paul draws an… analogy between the weekly Sabbath and the Millennial rest at the end of man’s […]

Continue reading "Do you teach that modern man is only about 6,000 years old? Do you believe in a 6,000-year plan of God?"

The Church of the Eternal God states that the location of the weekly Sabbath services and annual Feast days that it conducts are held in the place where God places His name. The location of worship in the past, today, and in the future is ordained by God, and is not something that is arbitrary. Why is this the way that the Church conducts its operations? Where does this instruction come from? Why is it important?

From the early days of prescribed worship for the nation of Israel, God provided clear instruction to conduct the holy functions of the Church in a location where God places His name. In Exodus 20:24, God sets a basic foundation regarding location for worshiping Him properly, stating that “…where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.” This statement appears right after the pronouncement of the Ten Commandments, and in the context of worship. As God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land, He makes a clear proclamation that His people are to worship in a location where He places His name, and He promises a blessing to go along with it.

As God led His people into the land He promised, the instruction to seek the place where God places His name is reinforced. In Deuteronomy 12:5-7 we read about the places where the nation of Israel will go to dispossess the current inhabitants. God instructs His people not to follow in the way of worship of those inhabitants, but rather to “… seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.” From this, it is clear that the place of correct worship is not arbitrary, but deliberately chosen.

From both of the previous examples, we can see that the placement of God’s name in a specific location involves much more than merely naming a place. When God places His name somewhere, this is a location where He chooses to dwell. We must understand what it means for God to dwell in a location, however. When Solomon was in the process of building a temple for worship, he acknowledged that there is no physical place where God’s presence can be contained (1 Kings 8:27). Solomon’s prayer was for God to hear his request, and to grant favor to the place of the temple, so that He might place His name there (1 Kings 8:29). As a place of worship, Solomon knew how critical it was to have God’s name placed, so that His presence might bless it. In 1 Kings 9:3, we see that God grants His approval, and establishes His presence by casting His eyes and putting His heart there. All of this occurs in conjunction with the placement of His name. The placement of His name includes the approval of a place for worship, His oversight and blessing, as well as His guidance, direction and inspiration during the worship services.

While it is true that general worship must be conducted at a place where God places His name, we most frequently hear about this practice in the context of the annual Feast days. In Deuteronomy 16, we read about the three seasons of holy days – the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost, and the Fall Holy Days – and in each of these descriptions, a command is given to observe the Feasts at the place where God places His name (Deuteronomy 16:2, Deuteronomy 16:11, Deuteronomy 16:15). For this reason, God’s people travel as they are able in order to worship God in the place where He abides.

It is clear that the location where God places His name could be, but may not have to be, near the place where one lives. In some circumstances, there are legitimate physical constraints that may prevent someone from traveling to worship God at the place where He places His name, whether it is for the weekly Sabbaths, or for the annual Feasts. In those circumstances, the Church provides live internet broadcasts of its services for those who are physically unable to attend. Mere inconvenience, however, is not a reason to preclude physically gathering for worship. We have a more comprehensive Q&A that answers the question, “Does the Bible command regular personal attendance of Church members at weekly Sabbath and annual Holy Days services?” 

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In the last three installments of this series, we explained that God created the earth in a beautiful and peaceful state, and that He had placed Lucifer and one-third of His angels on this earth to administer God’s government. We also showed that they rebelled against God and became known as Satan and his demons. The earth became void and empty and God renewed the face of the earth within six days and created man.

Before these cataclysmic and chaotic events, dinosaurs and other pre-Adamic animals roamed the earth. We showed that they were not vicious creatures when God created them, but they became that way under Satan’s influence.

In this installment, we will dig deeper into the purpose of Lucifer’s and his angels’ placement on earth. What exactly were they supposed to do here? We will also try to shed additional light on the question as to how some of the dinosaurs became aggressive and ferocious creatures, such as the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Continue reading "Does the Bible allow for the existence of dinosaurs prior to the creation of man? (Part 4)"

We saw in the last two installments of this series that “in the beginning” God created the heavens and the earth, but that Satan’s rebellion caused the earth to become void and empty. We also showed that God restored the surface of the earth within six days. In addition, as we will see today, He also brought some order into the chaotic condition of the earth’s atmosphere and the universe which had become affected as well by Satan’s rebellion.

Some claim that Exodus 20:11 and Exodus 31:17 show that God created the universe and the earth, including man, within six days; and that there was no time gap and no catastrophe between His initial creation of the heavens and the earth and the creation of modern animals and man. 

We read in Exodus 20:11:

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day….”

Also, we read in Exodus 31:17:

“… for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested…”

However, rightly understood, these passages do not state that God created heavens and earth, including modern man, within six days.

Genesis 1:1 records that in the beginning, God “created” (Hebrew “bara”) the heavens and the earth. However, in Exodus 20:11 and 31:17, we read that He “made” (Hebrew “asah”) the heavens and the earth. In many cases, the word “create” describes an act of bringing something into existence, which did not exist before, while the word “made” refers to the prior existence of something which is “formed” into a certain recognizable appearance. For instance, God “created” man (Genesis 1:27; 5:2; 6:7), but He also “made” man (Genesis 1:26), and He “formed” man (Genesis 2:7). These three terms are not identical, as some suggest, but they express three different aspects of God’s actions. God “created” man—that is, no man existed prior to this; but He also “made” him from pre-existing “material” (the dust of the ground), and He “formed” him from that dust to give him a certain appearance. Later God “made” (literally “built”) Eve from one of Adam’s ribs (Genesis 2:22). In other words, the dust of the ground existed before Adam was made from it, and Adam’s rib existed before Eve was made from it.

On the other hand, nothing physical existed when God “created” the heavens and the earth. Rather, God brought the physical heavens (the universe) and the earth into existence at that time (Hebrews 11:3).

When we read in Exodus 20:11 and 31:17 that God “made” the heavens and the earth in six days, the reference is to the RENEWAL of the earth’s surface after Satan’s rebellion, as well as the renewal of the earth’s atmosphere (the first heaven) and apparently a certain renewal or restoration of order for the universe which had also suffered turmoil due to Satan’s rebellion. (Meteorites and asteroids, as well as stars which exploded millions of years ago might give testimony to the fact that the universe suffered some destruction, even though God had not created it that way.) God speaks of three heavens—the first heaven describes the earth’s atmosphere with its clouds and birds; the second heaven refers to the universe with its many galaxies, suns and planets; and the third heaven refers to the spiritual heaven of God, where He and His angels dwell. In this regard and for further explanation, please see our Q&A on the three heavens.

As an aside, we stated in that Q&A that the “third heaven is, according to the Bible, located ‘on the farthest sides of the north.’ Lucifer described his plan to dethrone God in this way, in Isaiah 14:13-14, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne [here on earth] above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High [or, I will be the Most High.’ We also read that ‘promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south’ (Psalm 75:6, Authorized Version). Rather, it comes from the north — from God’s dwelling place in the third heaven.”

God renewed—“made”—the earth in six days by giving it the topography, form and appearance (with mountains, oceans etc.), which it generally still has today.

We read in Genesis 1:7 that God “made” the firmament by dividing “the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament,” as He had divided earlier the light from the darkness (verse 4). All of these “divisions” and their exact meaning are explained in our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—A Fairy Tale for Adults?” In short, Satan’s rebellion had caused the earth to be covered with water (verse 2), and it had also brought darkness on the earth due to the dust and debris (verse 4). Conditions had to be restored which made the earth’s atmosphere breathable and the earth’s surface habitable for plants, animals and men. 

To repeat, God renewed the surface of the earth, and He renewed or “made” the first heaven in six days, in that He removed the dust and debris from the atmosphere and “made” it breathable for physical beings.

But since we read that God “made” – not “created”– the heavens (plural) in six days, He did not only create or restore conditions pertaining to the first heaven—the earth’s atmosphere—but He also dealt with the second heaven—the universe. He restored some order in and to the universe, as we read that Jesus Christ upholds or sustains the universe today by His mighty word (Hebrews 1:3). The Living Bible translates this passage as follows: “He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command.” The Revised English Bible states that “he sustains the universe by his word of power.”

Jeremiah 31:35 adds that God gives the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,” showing again God’s involvement in the universe. David was amazed about the stars which God had created and some of which he could observe in a clear night (Psalm 8:3-4), stating that God counts them all by name (Psalm 147:4). Isaiah adds that God “BRINGS OUT their host by number” (40:26).

Continue reading "Does the Bible allow for the existence of dinosaurs prior to the creation of man? (Part 3)"

In the first part of this series, we explained that “in the beginning” God created the heavens (the entire physical universe) and the earth, but that due to a catastrophe, the earth BECAME void and empty and that God restored the surface of the earth within six days. We also pointed out that God made […]

Continue reading "Does the Bible allow for the existence of dinosaurs prior to the creation of man? (Part 2)"

As we will see in this new series, the answer to the question in this Q&A is clearly yes. We will explain that the dinosaurs were created and existed PRIOR TO modern MAN, and that they became extinct BEFORE the creation of man (Adam and Eve), due to a universal catastrophe which engulfed the entire […]

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Many of the writers and reviewers of this publication once belonged to a different church organization. For the purpose of this Q&A, it does not matter whether or not you, as the reader, are familiar with that organization. Even if you have never heard of that organization, the following should still be very revealing. The organization referred to (the Worldwide Church of God under its human leader, Herbert W. Armstrong, who died  in 1986)  had taught the truth for decades. A few years after its founder died, the new leadership began to introduce doctrinal changes. The changes were subtly introduced, and it was claimed at the time that they were just clarifications or changes in terminology.

Before explaining in detail what actually happened, let us examine the nation of Israel and the building of the first temple under King Solomon to extract historical lessons from  it. 

Continue reading "What are major reasons leading to the downfall and dismantling of our former association, the Worldwide Church of God?"

In Genesis 1:22, we are introduced for the first time to the concept of blessing. God created sea animals and birds and, in blessing them, He said that they were to be fruitful and multiply. In Genesis 1:28, God blessed the first man and the first woman and said that they were to be fruitful and multiply as well (compare also Genesis 5:2). Then, in Genesis 2:3, we are introduced to the third blessing of God—He blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it (compare also Exodus 20:11).

The Pulpit Commentary writes that blessing means, “to wish well… As on the introduction of animal life the Divine Creator conferred on the creatures his blessing, so when the first pair of human beings are formed they are likewise enriched by their Creator’s benediction.”

Continue reading "Does the Bible say how blessings are bestowed on others? Is this only done in a general way, or are specific procedures also involved?"

Before answering this question, here is some background first:

The Church of England website stated the following (as at 14th July 2014):

“The General Synod of the Church of England has today given its final approval for women to become bishops in the Church of England.   The vote in the General Synod on the measure was carried by the required two-thirds majority in the three constituent parts of the Synod:  the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity.  This means the first woman bishop could potentially be appointed by the end of the year.

“Today’s vote comes 18 months after the proposal was last voted upon in November 2012 when the proposal failed to achieve the required two thirds majority in the House of Laity.

Continue reading "The Church of England has recently voted in favour of Women Bishops. Is this Biblical?"

This question addresses some important issues about the Christian Way of Life.

As we pointed out in our previous Q&A, “Does God Give His Holy Spirit to People Who Have Not Been Baptized?”, since the establishment of the New Testament Church, a person needs to be properly baptized to receive the Holy Spirit, and he will not enter the Kingdom of God at the time of his resurrection if he did not have God’s Holy Spirit within him at the time of his death. Normally, he must spiritually grow after the receipt of the Holy Spirit, until he has qualified for the entrance of the Kingdom of God. (To clarify, when the Bible or we speak of a Christian in the masculine gender, the feminine gender is ALWAYS included, unless the context demands a different understanding in a given case.)

Continue reading "Will a newly-baptized person be in God’s Kingdom if he dies shortly after baptism?"