Questions and Answers
(Español: ¿Deberíamos tener miedo al futuro?) In the previous two Q&As, we spoke of one of the greatest fears which we could have—the fear of man—the fearful concern what man may think about us or do to us. We also addressed other fears which we might encounter, and we began to discuss that no matter what situation we might find ourselves in, and what circumstance might tempt us to become afraid, God shows us the way of escape from fear. We saw that when they were facing or finding themselves in an extremely difficult situation, God’s servants turned to God for help, peace, security and salvation. We also spoke of a vital key when we are in the midst of uncertainty—the conviction and persuasion that God hears us when we call on Him, and we pointed out that to allow in our minds the possibility of such powerful godly intervention requires much faith on our part—which must be accompanied, at times, with godly encouragement. When Paul and his companions were in a ship on the ocean and being confronted with a terrible storm which appeared likely to kill them all, God gave Paul a powerful encouraging promise. God might not act in exactly… (Español: ¿Deberíamos tener miedo al futuro?) In the previous Q&A, we discussed one of the greatest fears which we could have—the fear of man—the fearful concern what man may think about us or do to us. But there are of course many other fears which we might encounter, and the Bible refers to some of them in numerous places. No matter what situation we might find ourselves in, and what circumstance might tempt us to become afraid, God shows us the way out. This Q&A will begin to address the way of escape from fear. When they were facing or finding themselves in an extremely difficult situation, God’s servants have turned to God for help, peace, security and salvation. While in distress, David prayed in Psalm 4:3: “But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.” This is a vital key when we are in the midst of uncertainty—the conviction and persuasion that God hears us when we call on Him. This fact is beautifully reconfirmed in Psalm 107:23-32, coupled with the responsibility of those who have prayed to God and then been helped by Him to thank Him for His intervention: “Those… (Español: ¿Deberíamos tener miedo al futuro?) The world lives in fear—in fear of a nuclear war; fear of sickness and disease; fear of the end of the world; fear of a car accident; fear of dying in an airplane crash; fear of financial disaster and the loss of work; and fear of death in general. One of the greatest fears is also directed towards our fellow men… the concern how they would act and react when one stands up for the Truth. How about true Christians? How about you? Do you live in fear? If so, this series of articles will explain how we can overcome our fears. As mentioned, one of the biggest fears which we could have is the fear of men—what they might think or say or do if we embrace and live by the Truth of God’s Word. But God is very specific and explicit in telling us that we must not fear other people. Moses said the following to the people of Israel and then to Joshua, in Deuteronomy 31:3, 6-8: “Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel… ‘The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall… To “bear witness of Jesus Christ” means different things to different groups of nominal Christian religions. To some, “bearing witness of Jesus Christ” involves proselytizing to as many people as will pass by. To others, bearing witness involves merely going to church services to socialize with others of like mind. An innumerable variety of interpretations abound beyond these two examples as well. But what does the Bible say in regard to the responsibility of a Christian to “bear witness of Jesus Christ”? Rightly understood, the Bible nowhere uses these terms. Where then does the idea of “bearing witness of Jesus Christ” come from? Two of the primary Scriptures in the Bible that describe bearing witness of the things and events pertaining to Jesus and the message which He brought can be found when He addresses His disciples in John 15:27 and Luke 24:48. In addressing the apostles before He was murdered, Jesus explains the tasks ahead of them after His inevitable physical departure. “‘But when the Helper comes, [which] I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth [which] proceeds from the Father, [it] will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with… In our last Q&A, we answered the question whether there still will be a future king of the South. We explained that even though the prophecy in Daniel 11 regarding the king of the South has been fulfilled, the prophecy could be dual and find another end-time fulfillment in the near future, but if so, the king of the South would have to be Ethiopia which could be leading several Arab nations, including Egypt and Libya, against Europe. In addition, we showed from Psalm 83 that other Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, will at first form a confederacy with Europe (under German leadership) against “Israel.” The previous Q&A limited and confined our comments mainly to the friendly or hostile relationship of Middle Eastern nations with continental Europe. In this Q&A, we will address the relationship of Middle Eastern nations with “Israel.” We have written at length about the following nations, mentioned herein, in previous Q&As and our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.” In this Q&A, we will set forth in a condensed summary format the important conclusions which we came to, based on the Bible, pertaining to some major Middle Eastern nations in regard… We have been writing and speaking at length about a future king of the South, and we have NEVER said that there will not be one, even though we made clear that there does not HAVE to be one. At the same time, we have pointed out that future confederations of Arab states with and against Europe will be formed, even though technically, those might not be referred to as “the king of the South.” Let us once again review what we have been stating on the subject, while limiting and confining our comments in this Q&A to the relationship of Middle Eastern nations with continental Europe. To begin with, we said this in our Q&A, “Who is the king of the South?” “Many believe, based on prophecies contained in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, that immediately before the return of Jesus Christ, a powerful Arab leader or ‘king of the South’ will still arise in the Middle East. Daniel 11:40-41 says: ‘At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack [or: push at] him [the king of the North]; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots,… We have warned time and again of worldwide plagues and disease epidemics which will come upon mankind in these last days. We said the following in our Q&A on the events foretold by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24: “The third horse of the Apocalypse (mainly famine) is followed, according to Revelation 6:7-8, by a pale horse, and the rider’s name is ‘Death,’ and ‘Hades’ or ‘the Grave’ follows him. Christ says in Matthew 24:7 that famines will be followed by pestilences [see also Luke 21:11]… Historically, the Black Death alone killed upwards of one-third of the people living in Europe in the 14th century. The Spanish flu pandemic lasted from March, 1918, to June, 1920, spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands… estimates put the number of those who were killed at 40 to 50 million people… “Revelation 6:8 adds that one-fourth of mankind will be killed by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and that these killings will be carried out with the sword (political and also religiously-motivated wars), with hunger (a result of famine), with death (resulting from pestilences), and also with the beasts of the earth. Many times, contagious diseases are communicated by sick animals carrying deadly… We occasionally receive inquiries from people asking about our origins and beliefs. While there are endless claims by various groups that they, alone, are the one and only true Church of God, the question remains—can they prove it? Jesus, when warning about false prophets, said, “‘by their fruits you will know them’” (Matthew 7:20). The “fruits” of true Christians can be understood as the way of living among those who have received God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). By contrast, note what Paul writes: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Whether or not God is really behind individuals or groups was an issue the early New Testament Church faced. Following the remarkable establishment of the Church of God on the Day of Pentecost (31 A.D.), the apostles of Jesus faced severe persecution from the religious leaders in Judah. One of them, Gamaliel, gave this recommendation as a test to apply regarding the followers of Jesus Christ: “And he… In the first two parts of this series, we showed from the Bible that God can and does indeed listen to many prayers at the same time, and we showed how this is possible. However, we also showed that God does not listen to billions of prayers at the same time; in fact, He may only listen to a few thousand who pray to Him. But even this concept may be too difficult to grasp for the limited human mind, and so, in this final installment, we will point out additional important aspects in respect to God’s hearing and answering our prayers. It may be easier for man’s mind to grasp the fact that God can and does listen to multiple prayers at the same time, and that He acts on them at the same time, when we realize that God is not just one Being, but a Family, consisting of two God beings—the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son. We are told that when we pray to the Father, we may and should do this “in the name of Christ” (compare John 14:13; 16:23-24, 26). This concept needs to be understood in its full magnitude and application. We state the following… In the first part of this series, we showed from the Bible that God can and does indeed listen to many prayers at the same time, and we showed how this is possible. We explained that God consists of two Persons, the Father and the Son, who are both Spirit Beings, having [spiritual] form and shape; and therefore, God cannot be, as a Person, at different places at the same time. Still, the Bible teaches that God is omnipresent, and we showed that this is true because of the Holy Spirit, emanating from both the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is NOT a Person with form and shape. It can be compared with water or electricity or wind, emanating from a source—God Himself. It is through the Holy Spirit dwelling in each converted Christian that God is omnipresent and that He can listen to multiple prayers at the same time. If this concept is still too difficult for the human mind to grasp, please consider that God does not listen to billions of prayers at the same time. We wrote the following in our Q&A, titled, “Does God hear everyone’s prayers?”: “The astounding truth of the Bible is that generally,…Should We Be Afraid of the Future?—Part 3
Should We Be Afraid of the Future? (Part 2)
Should We Be Afraid of the Future? (Part 1)
What Are Our Responsibilities in Bearing Witness of Jesus Christ?
What will be the future relationship between major Middle Eastern Nations and Israel?
Will there still be an end-time King of the South in the future, and if so, what nations would be included?
What does the Bible say about worldwide plagues and pandemics in the end time?
Who are you?
How can God listen to billions of prayers at the same time? (Part 3)
How can God listen to billions of prayers at the same time? (Part 2)
