On Sunday, January 16, we will be conducting a memorial service for Lois Bargar in Ramona, California. The services will begin at 1:00 pm Pacific Time.
Our new member letter was sent out this week and posted on the Web.
New pocket Holy Days calendars were enclosed with the member letter and are also posted on the Web, under “Feasts.”
On January 15, 2011, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, respectively, “The Days of Punishment.”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
On January 16, 2011, Norbert Link will officiate the memorial service for Lois Bargar.
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (1:00 pm Pacific Time; 2:00 pm Mountain Time; 3:00 pm Central Time; 4:00 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
Our new booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians—How to Understand It,” was posted on the Web. The files were sent to a printer in the USA.
A new member letter has been written and will be sent out early next week, together with new Holy Days pocket calendars. In the letter, Brian Gale addresses the affairs of this world, which is unwilling to obey God and His Word.
A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, “Birds and Fish Will Waste Away.” What is the meaning of the worldwide deaths of thousands of birds and over 150,000 fish? What will happen next? Is the Great Tribulation about to begin? Will Christ the Messiah return soon? Will mankind rejoice when He appears?
Another StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, “The Origin of New Year’s Traditions.” Why do we observe New Year’s Eve on December 31 and New Year’s Day on January 1? Why do we have fireworks, firecrackers, oracle traditions and party games? What is the origin of many of these and other customs? Should true Christians participate in such activities?
A new German sermon was posted on the Web, titled, “Die Welt der Daemonen, Teil 2” [“The World of Demons, Part 2]”
by John Amorelli
Man’s holiday season of “getting” has just passed.
Recently, I have found myself asking questions on the subject of getting. “Why can’t we get a better home?” “Why can’t I get a better car?” “Why can’t I have more money?” “Why can’t I get a better job?” These were some of the questions that I was reflecting on. The spirit of selfishness and way of “get” had leached into my life!
This forum is a reminder for me to be very careful not to slip into the “old man’s” carnal way of thinking. It is also an unambiguous reminder that my attitude needs a re-assessment and a plan of action towards God’s Way of Life.
I need to learn, with God’s help, to acquire an attitude of gratitude; to be grateful for what I have!
Upon further reflection, the home I live in keeps my wife and me warm in the winter and cool in the summer; my car takes me to where I need to go; I am able to pay my bills; and I have work! No excuse for complaining.
In order to offer an accurate analysis of the fate of the “tares,” we need to look at the entire parable in Matthew 13, in its context. Beginning with verse 24, Jesus states:
“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” The servants said to him, “Do you want us then to go and gather them up?” But he said, “No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”’”
After sending the multitudes away and going into the house, He explained the meaning of the parable to His disciples. We read, beginning with verse 37:
“He answered and said to them: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’”
We need to notice that the parable deals with the time of Christ’s return. We are told that the angels will gather the tares out of His kingdom (that is, the tares will not enter the Kingdom of God at that time), and they will cast them into the furnace of fire. The tares are described as those people who offend and who practice lawlessness. Sin is defined as lawlessness, or transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). The angels will then gather the wheat into the barns; that is, the righteous will become glorified beings in the Kingdom of God the Father, shining forth as the sun (compare Daniel 12:3). They were righteous because they allowed Christ to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law in them (Romans 8:4), and when, even after conversion, they sinned and committed unrighteousness, but then repented and claimed, in faith, Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins, they were being made righteous on an ongoing basis (1 John 1:7-10).
We also need to notice that the tares were sown by Satan, not by God. Satan brought tares into the Church, but Christ said that everyone who has not been sown by God will be uprooted (Matthew 15:13). The tares never received the Holy Spirit. They looked very similar to the wheat. Even though the angels (i.e., the servants, compare verses 27-30 with verses 41-42) could detect the difference, it is sometimes difficult for the human mind to recognize tares among the saints. Christ tells the angels not to remove the tares prematurely, as He does not want to jeopardize the salvation of the saints. This could happen, perhaps, if an unconverted Church member (who is not causing division) is being removed from Church attendance or participation in social Church functions, and the converted member might be negatively affected and become offended by such action.
The People’s New Testament states:
“The roots of the wheat and tares were often so intertwined that one could not be pulled up without the other.”
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible offers this further comment:
“They [the tares] so much resembled the true wheat that even then it would be difficult to separate them. By gathering them, they would tread down the wheat, loosen and disturb the earth, and greatly injure the crop. In the harvest it could be done without injury.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible adds:
“… not that men of openly scandalous lives are to be tolerated in churches; they are to be withdrawn from, and put away; nor men of known, avowed, heretical principles; such, after the first and second admonition, are to be rejected: yet there may be such in churches, not altogether agreeable in principle and practice, whose character and situation may be such, that there is no removing them without offending some truly gracious, useful persons, in whose affections they stand, who may be tempted, by such a step, to leave their communion; and so cannot be done without a considerable prejudice to the church.”
We also note that the tares will be cast into the fiery furnace at the beginning of the Millennium. This is the same lake of fire into which the beast (a military leader) and the false prophet (a religious leader) will be thrown at the time of Christ’s return (Revelation 19:19-20). This does not necessarily mean that any of them (the beast, the false prophet, the tares) had committed the unpardonable sin, as the lake of fire, leading to the second and final death in the Third Resurrection (Revelation 20:14-15), is quite different from the one in existence at the beginning of the Millennium.
We note a similar passage of the events at the time of Christ’s return, in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 (American King James Bible):
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brothers, as it is meet, because that your faith grows exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other abounds; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”
It appears that the tares will be raised either in the Second Resurrection (the Great White Throne Judgment period), to be given an opportunity to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, or, if they have committed the unpardonable sin, they will be raised in the Third Resurrection, to be cast into the final lake of fire to be burnt up and extinguished for all eternity.
Although the tares did not have God’s Spirit, there is still an accountability for the knowledge and understanding one has been given and the way one handles that knowledge in regard to what God expects of him. This determination will be done by God who knows the heart and intents of man. Normally, a person must have received the Holy Spirit before he can commit the unpardonable sin, by rebelling against God and losing again the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4-8). However, it is possible to commit the unpardonable sin, even if one has never accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit into his life (Matthew 12:31-32). When God offers repentance to someone, but that person refuses to accept that gift and rebelliously and presumptuously rejects God and His way of life, God will not force repentance and eternal life upon such a person.
We can therefore reach the following conclusions:
Within the fellowship of the spiritual body of Christ–the Church of God–there are certain individuals who may appear to be true Christians, but they are not. However, unless they cause division and affect negatively true believers by their sinful lifestyle, God does not order His Church to remove such persons, prior to Christ’s return, lest His true followers become negatively affected and offended by such Church action.
At the time of the return of Christ, the “tares” will be removed and burned up, while the true saints will inherit the Kingdom of God and eternal life. The unconverted tares will either be raised in the Great White Throne Judgment period (if they did not commit the unpardonable sin prior to Christ’s return) or in the Third Resurrection to be cast into the final lake of fire (if they had committed the unpardonable sin).
True Christians are not to judge others and attempt to discern as to who is a tare and who is a true Christian (unless this becomes rather obvious, compare 2 Timothy 2:19-21; 1 John 5:16-17; 2 John 9-11). They are to concentrate and focus on their own salvation, not becoming negatively affected by the sins of others, while being aware that God’s Word warns all of us of the fact that there will be tares amongst the saints.
Lead Writers: Norbert Link and Rene Messier
On January 8, 2011, Norbert Link will give the sermon from Oregon, titled, “Babylon’s False Prophet.”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, “Christmas Traditions and the Bible.” What do we know about the “three wise kings” from the East? Were they magicians? How many were they, according to the Bible? When did they visit Christ? What do we know about the star leading them? When was Jesus born? Why do we celebrate His birth with a Christmas tree, and why do we exchange gifts? How did Christmas become one of the most important festivals in orthodox Christianity?
The German version, titled, “Weihnachtsbräuche und die Bibel,” was posted on the Web as well.
A new German sermon was posted on the Web, titled, “The World of Demons, Part 1.”
First, we need to understand from the context what is meant with “one.” Christ said that the Father and He are ONE (John 10:30). Christ was not saying that the Father and He were one being. Rather, He addressed the concept of complete unity between the Father and Him. There was and always will be total harmony between the two members of the God Family. In fact, Christ won a legal argument with the Pharisees by proving that the Father and He, although “one,” were TWO beings (John 8:17–18).
Christ prayed to the Father that His disciples should become “one” (John 17:20–23). He did not pray that they should all become one being, but that they should become totally unified. We also read that Adam and Eve were to become “one” flesh (Genesis 2:24). Again, they were not to become one being. We can learn from these examples that Christ’s disciples, or Adam and Eve, were to reach, or achieve, oneness in mindset, in purpose, and in action.
Some claim that Scriptures like Deuteronomy 6:4 reject the concept that God is more than one being. However, this is not the case.
We are quoting from our free booklet, God Is A Family:
“Deuteronomy 6:4 reads: ‘Hear, O Israel, The LORD [‘Yahweh’] our God, the LORD [‘Yahweh’] is one!’ Many perceive that this Scripture teaches monotheism—that is, the existence of only one God. And indeed, it does. There is only one God. But… God is a Family, consisting of more than one being. Since God does not contradict Himself in His Word, what can we learn from Deuteronomy 6:4? ‘Yahweh’ is one being. The being who dealt directly with Israel was Jesus Christ. He was called ‘Yahweh’—He was and is one being. So, it is true that ‘Yahweh’—Jesus Christ—is one being.
“In addition, ‘Yahweh’ refers to the Father as well—and the Father is, of course, also one being. Thirdly, since ‘Yahweh’ refers to both the Father and the Son, they are also ‘one’—one in purpose, goal, mindset, willpower and determination. They are unified. There is no division in the God Family…
“Further, many commentaries, including the Jewish Bible or Tanakh, feel that the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4 should be translated, ‘The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.’ This would make sense too, given the fact that both God the Father and Jesus Christ are referred to as ‘LORD’ or ‘Yahweh’ in Scripture. In this sense, the prohibition is against worshipping other gods. Deuteronomy 6:4 definitively DOES NOT teach that there is only one God being, as this would contradict all the other Scriptures in the Bible that establish a duality in the Godhead.”
To elaborate, let us review several commentaries to see how they understand this passage, based on the original Hebrew. Bear in mind, however, that the commentaries that we will quote believe in the false concept of the Trinity—one God in three persons—whereas the Bible teaches that God is a Family, consisting of TWO persons, not three (The Holy Spirit is not a person, but the power of God, emanating from the Father and the Son).
Still, the following commentaries do understand that there is a PLURALITY in the Godhead and that Deuteronomy 6:4 actually teaches this plurality, rather than the concept that the God Family is just one BEING.
For instance, the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary states:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord—or, as the words may perhaps be better translated, ‘Hear, O Israel: Jehovah [our comment: Yahweh is the better rendition of the Hebrew YHWH than Jehovah] is our God (Elohim, plural), Jehovah alone’… The basis of their religion was an acknowledgment of the UNITY of God… it is observable that a belief in the UNITY of God was a fundamental principle not of their faith only, but of their political constitution. The social fabric in all other contemporary nations rested upon the assumed truth of polytheism…”
The New Unger’s Bible Handbook adds:
“This is the most significant verse for orthodox Jews, who call it Shema after the first word, ‘Hear!’ ‘The Lord [YHWH] our God, the Lord is ONE,’ the one, ‘ehad,’ expressing COMPOUND UNITY not ‘yahid,’ meaning a single one, thus not supporting Jewish and Unitarian denial of the Trinity [better, the duality in the Godhead]…”
Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible states:
“Hear, O Israel… shema Yisrael, Yehovah Eloheinu, Yehovah achad… Many think that Moses teaches in these words the doctrine of the Trinity [better: duality] in Unity. It may be so; but if so, it is not more clearly done than in the first verse of Genesis [where we read that God–“elohim” in Hebrew–created the heavens and the earth]… When this passage occurs in the Sabbath readings in the synagogue, the whole congregation repeat the last word… achad for several minutes together with the loudest vociferations… but all their skill… can never prove that there is not a plurality expressed in the word… Eloheinu, which is translated our God… it would apply more forcibly in the way of conviction to the Jews of the plurality of persons in the Godhead, than the word achad, of one… some Christians have joined the Jews against this doctrine, and some have even outdone them, and have put themselves to extraordinary pains to prove that… Elohim is a noun of the singular number! This has not yet been proved. It would be as easy to prove that there is no plural in language.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Bible states:
“These are the words of Moses, stirring up the people to an attention to what he was about to say of this great and momentous article, the UNITY of God, to prevent their going into polytheism and idolatry… they no ways [i.e., in no way] contradict the doctrine of a trinity [better: duality] of persons in the unity of the divine essence, the Father [and the] Word… which [two] are one; the one God, the one Jehovah, as here expressed…”
Deuteronomy 6:4 does not teach that there is only one God BEING, as this would contradict the myriads of Scriptures proving the opposite. Rather, Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, in expressing the direct mandate from God the Father, warned the Israelites not to practice idolatry and polytheism, but to recognize and worship the one true God who led them out of the land of Egypt (compare Exodus 20:2-3). It is true that at that time, most Israelites did not even understand that God is a Family, and they falsely believed that Jesus—the God being dealing directly with them–was God the Father. Jesus came later to reveal the existence of the Father to them (Matthew 11:27; compare also John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46).
One might ask, why would God the Father have allowed the Israelites to worship and pray to the Word, Jesus Christ, erroneously thinking that they were worshipping God the Father? This was all part of God’s great plan. When Adam and Eve sinned, they cut themselves off (and man in general) from God the Father. It would be Jesus Christ who was to deal directly with the ancients and the nation of Israel in Old Testament times. Though some of the ancients understood that God is a Family, consisting of the Father and the Son, most did not. But even those who understood dealt directly with Christ—as mentioned above, none of them has ever heard the voice of the Father or has seen His form. However, there is, always has been, and always will be complete love, unity and harmony within the Godhead, and God the Father was in no way “jealous” of His Son, when Israel worshipped Christ instead of Him.
Christ came to this earth to teach very clearly that His disciples are to worship God the FATHER in spirit and in truth, and that they are to pray to Him, but they are told to do so in Christ’s name. Christ made it clear that the Father is the highest Personage within the God Family. Again, there is no jealousy within the God Family, and Christ is most certainly not jealous of the Father that it had to be revealed that He, rather than Christ, must be prayed to. Christ will always recognize His Father as the Highest, but remember, God is one. The members of the God Family live without any jealousy towards each other. They live in love, harmony and complete unity with each other.
Deuteronomy 6:4 does not negate the existence of two beings within the God Family, but it emphasizes the UNITY of the true God. It also includes the timeless prohibition against a belief in polytheism (consisting many times of pagan gods fighting each other) and against the worship of other gods beside or instead of the one true God (Family).
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
John the Baptist had some scathing words for the Pharisees and Sadducees as they approached him while he was baptizing people in the Jordan. Among other things, he chastised them for their misplaced reliance on their affiliation to Abraham (Matthew 3:9). These groups had come to put too much weight on this and had neglected the more important matters.
Paul admonished the Corinthians for nearly the same thing — their gloating about their associations. They were saying, ‘”I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,…”‘ (1 Corinthians 1:12) and ignoring the real issue at hand.
When aligning ourselves with a person, a minister, an organization or even with a church, we can often feel safe because of numbers, past reputation or espoused doctrine. We can believe that by virtue of our alliance with them, we are justified in our current state and position.
But note the admonitions by John and Paul regarding those that were resting on the laurels of others: John the Baptist told the Jews that they needed to repent (Matthew 3:8); Paul goes on to direct those at Corinth, “that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the LORD’” (1 Corinthians 1:31). In other words, we cannot become complacent with our current condition, and we must continue to change it by looking to the Example who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
There have been many, even in our recent history, that have failed to remain on guard, thinking they were in the right place or that they could ride the coattails of another. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13).
On January 1, 2011, Michael Link will give the sermon, titled, “Common Misconceptions.”
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
