Questions and Answers
A: 1 Corinthians 11:26 reads, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Many have interpreted this Scripture to say, “Take it as often as you please.” But this is not what the Scripture teaches. Reading the context, Paul was reminding the disciples of the events that happened on the “same night in which He (Christ) was betrayed.” (verse 23). Paul stated that on that night, Christ took the bread and the wine, gave it to His disciples, and said, “Take, eat… do this in remembrance of Me… This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (verses 24, 25). Christ commands His converted disciples to partake of the symbols of bread and wine “in remembrance” of “the Lord’s death.” This is a memorial — and memorials of momentous occasions are always observed annually, once a year, on the anniversary of the event they commemorate. It should be noted that God specifically denotes seven ANNUAL Sabbaths to be observed in their appointed times. These annual Holy Days are either memorials of events that have already taken place, or they foreshadow events that will still occur. It… A: The Bible prohibits the consumption of the “flesh” of certain animals, designated as unclean in passages such as Leviticus 11:1-8 and Deuteronomy 14:7-8. The Church has long understood that the use of medications, mineral supplements or vitamins derived from unclean animals does not violate the Biblical injunction against eating the FLESH of unclean animals. Until recently, diabetics had to use insulin derived from pigs, and the Church did not prohibit such use. (Now, the best form of insulin is derived synthetically). This is based on the understanding that medication, drugs and supplements fall into the category of non-food. For instance, calcium can be extracted from oyster shells. The consumption of these types of non-food items is not the equivalent of eating the flesh of unclean animals. Likewise, blood transfusions are not Biblically prohibited [although the Bible does prohibit the consumption of blood], since the transfusion is not the equivalent of eating blood. If one were to carry the Biblical prohibitions too far, kissing or sexual intercourse would be prohibited as well, due to the exchange of bodily fluids. Regarding the consumption of various gelatin products, most gelatin is a meat by-product made from beef, calf or pork skin. It… A.: The Bible specifically mentions several times, in passing, the use of makeup. One of those passages can be found in 2 Kings 9:30, stating that the evil and wicked queen Jezebel hoped to seduce King Jehu. We read, “Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.” A similar passage can be found in two prophecies about Israel’s and Judah’s future enemies, in Jeremiah 4:30 and in Ezekiel 23:40. Jeremiah 4:30 speaks figuratively about the modern nation of Judah in this way, “And when you are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you; they will seek your life.” Ezekiel 23:40, addressing the modern houses of Israel and Judah, states, “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.” Some have concluded that these passages prohibit the application… A: The Bible specifically mentions two birthday celebrations of kings, ending with the deaths of certain individuals (John the Baptist and Pharaoh’s chief baker, compare Mark 6:21-27 and Genesis 40:20-22). There is another possible reference to birthday celebrations in Job 1:4: “And his [Job’s] sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.” The German Menge Bible explains that this is a reference to the “birthdays” of the sons (A similar expression is used in Job 3:1, referring to Job’s day of birth). The children’s conduct prompted righteous Job to “sanctify them,” for he said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (Job 1:5). Job’s reaction is interesting. He did not feel that the children HAD sinned by celebrating their birthdays, but that they MIGHT have sinned. On the other hand, we do not find any Biblical record that righteous people celebrated their own birthdays — nor do we find that Jesus Christ celebrated His birthday and that He told His disciples to celebrate it. A birthday celebration with its accompanying elaborate parties and the giving… A: We believe that the Bible is very clear and explicit in condemning Christian participation in war. You may want to reread our Editorial, titled, “War or Peace — Which?” (Update #81, February 21, 2003), and our Q&A, titled, “Christian Participation in War” (Update #67, November 15, 2002). How do we explain Israel’s fighting in the Old Testament? Did God, who does not change, condemn war in the New Testament, but approved of it in the Old? You may want to listen to our three-part sermon series on Military Service and War for a thorough explanation. It is posted on the Audio page of our Website. In short, ancient Israel sinned when they went to war. For Biblical proof, we are quoting pertinent excerpts from Herbert W. Armstrong’s booklet, “Military Service and War,” Copyright 1967, beginning with page 23. The headline of that section reads, “WHY Israel Did Fight.” The booklet continues: “Few, indeed, have ever understood WHY Israel went to war. They should never have done so — as we shall clearly demonstrate. So now understand WHY Israel did go to war! Understand how they SINNED in so doing! God did not intend that these people should ever need to go… A: The command in Exodus 12:18 is an essential part of the annual seven day celebration of the Days of Unleavened Bread. As we fully explain in our new booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” these annual Feast days are still to be kept today. Numerous Scriptures tell us to remove, during these seven days, leavened bread from our houses, and not to eat leavened bread. At the same time, we are told to eat unleavened bread during these days. Biblical passages containing this command can be found in Exodus 12:15-20; 13:7; 23:15; 34:18; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17; and Deuteronomy 16:3, 8. We also read that the Days of Unleavened Bread will be kept in the Millennium (Ezekiel 45:21). Further, Paul upholds the ongoing validity of God’s command to keep these days, explaining at the same time the accompanying symbolism, in 1 Corinthians 5:8, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Bible commentaries tell us that the Hebrew and Greek words for “unleavened bread,” that is, “matstah” and “azumos,” describe “anything unleavened.” At the same time, the Hebrew word “chamets,” translated, “leavened bread,”… A: There is no biblical evidence that God created animals at the beginning with vicious natures. We do find, however, that the nature of animals changed, when they gave in to Satan’s influence. We read, for example, in Genesis 3:1 that “the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” While Satan is described as a serpent and as a dragon (Revelation 20:2), it appears that Eve was confronted by and spoke to a real serpent in the Genesis account. Satan gave the serpent a voice — as later, God gave a donkey a man’s voice to speak to the false prophet Balaam (Numbers 22:28; 2 Peter 2:16). We read that the serpent — that is, the animal — was more cunning or more subtle than every other beast of the field. Later, God punished the serpent, stating that it was more cursed than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field (Genesis 3:14). God pronounces punishment on a literal serpent, as well as, of course, on Satan the devil who used the serpent. Did God create the serpent with a cunning and subtle nature? The Hebrew word for “was,”… If they do, does that mean if we are unclean because of a bodily discharge as described in verses 16-24 that we should not come before God in prayer or for worship during the time which we are unclean? Should we abstain from sexual relations with our marriage partners in order to be clean thus allowing us to keep the Sabbath holy? A: Most of the laws in Leviticus 15 were clearly only of a ritual nature and are no longer binding for us today. We explain the concept of ritual laws in our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” As we point out on page 53 of the booklet, one way to determine whether laws are temporary or permanent, is to look at the “penalty”: “For instance, the violation of a statute or a particular circumstance could make a person ‘unclean’ for a certain period of time. Following ritual washings, that person could become clean again. Clearly, these kinds of laws are strictly ritualistic in nature, as no violation of a binding law was automatically cured simply by lapse of time and ritual washings.” Most of the laws in Leviticus 15 provide that the person was only unclean until evening. When… A: According to the Hebrew calendar, a month starts with a new moon. While there are express and clear commandments in the Bible to celebrate today God’s weekly Sabbath and His annual Holy Days, there is no command in the Bible, enjoining us to celebrate today the beginning of the new months — or new moons. The early New Testament Church continued to keep and celebrate the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, but we do not have any Biblical record indicating that they celebrated new moons. (In Colossians 2:16, Paul does not speak about “new moons” in general, but about “a new moon” — referring specifically to the Feast of Trumpets, the only annual Feast day which falls on a new moon.) In ancient times, some assembled on the occasion of each new moon, with the blowing of trumpets, to signify the beginning of a month (Numbers 10:10). Calendars were not available to everyone in ancient Israel the way we have them today. Rather, the priesthood was entrusted with the responsibility to determine and make known to the people when a new month would start. Some form of ceremony took place on the day of a new moon, to… Doesn’t this contradict Scriptures such as Deuteronomy 24:16, stating that children are not to be put to death for their fathers, but that a person “shall be put to death for his own sin.”? A: This question has puzzled many over the years. To fully understand what God is saying in Exodus 20:5, let us read the entire passage in context, beginning with verse 4: “(4) You shall not make for yourself a carved image… (5) you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, (6) but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Similar statements can be found in Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18; and Deuteronomy 5:8-10. In addition, passages like Deuteronomy 24:16 state that children are not to be put to death for the sins of their fathers. The same is expressed in 2 Kings 14:6. Also, Ezekiel 18:4, 17, 19-20 tells us, “(4) Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son are Mine; The soul…Q: Would it be alright, in light of 1 Corinthians 11:26, to partake of the Lord's Supper or Communion more often than just once a year?
Q: Does it violate the Biblical injunction against consumption of unclean meat to use medicines, vitamins and mineral supplements derived from unclean animals? Is it a violation to use gelatin products, which might be derived from parts of unclean animals?
Q.: Does the Bible allow or prohibit the use of makeup?
Q: Does the Bible allow or prohibit birthday acknowledgements and celebrations?
Q: You teach that it is wrong for a Christian to participate in war. However, the Bible tells us that ancient Israel fought in war, and that on occasion, God ordered Israel to fight. How, then, can fighting in war be wrong?
Q: Exodus 12:18, among other Scriptures, commands us to eat unleavened bread for seven days. Is this command still valid today? If so, how is it to be applied?
Q: Is it known why the nature of animals is sometimes very cruel? For instance, the preying mantis begins eating its victims, while still alive, and packs of lions tear their prey, while still alive. Will all wild animals have their nature changed, or will this only happen on God's holy mountain?
Q: Do the laws concerning bodily discharges in Leviticus Chapter 15 apply today?
Q. Why does the Church of the Eternal God not celebrate new moons today?
Q: What does it mean that God will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him (compare Exodus 20:5)?
