Joel and the Start of the Church

Recently I was reading Acts 2 and the sermon the apostle Peter gave on the Feast of Pentecost, the day that marks the beginning of God's Church. Peter quotes from the prophecies of Joel in verses 17 through 21. But have you ever wondered why?

The passage speaks of God's Spirit being poured out on all flesh, of young and old prophesying, of their dreams and visions. It speaks of signs in the heavens and a time when the "sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD" (Acts 2:20).

This passage is mixed with good and bad pronouncements. When you look at the source, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, you will read of horrible events. Locusts devouring the grain and famine and mourning occupy most of the first chapter. It goes downhill from there.

The prophecy of Joel is one of the most dire in the entire Bible. The bad news definitely outweighs the good. The book ends on an uncharacteristically blunt note by speaking of the desolation of Egypt and Edom. By contrast, the prophecy says God dwells in Zion, that Judah and Jerusalem "abide forever." In essence, it says, God's nation wins over all others! I have to admit, Joel's prophecy is hardly the message I would first think of for the inaugural sermon for a Church based on brotherly love and mercy.

But Joel is where Peter was inspired to turn for his opening lines. In thinking about this, I came to a conclusion. On Pentecost God was starting a new entity, the Church of God. It would be a spiritual body of believers called from many different nations. No longer would God work only with one nation, Israel, the descendants of Abraham. This new body of believers would be empowered with the Holy Spirit to go into all the world, preach the gospel of the Kingdom and make believers. This would be a hard job in a world openly hostile to the true gospel.

Revelation 12, for example, is a condensed history of the Church through the ages. It shows the persecution engineered by Satan against the "woman who gave birth to the male Child" (verse 13). It shows the dramatic scene of Satan as the "accuser of our brethren" before the presence of God (verse 10). Satan, through those he is influencing in human governments, has sought to overthrow the Kingdom of God, as well as the messengers of that government since the beginning. Note the sober pronouncement of verse 9, that he has deceived the entire world.

Could it be that Peter's reference to Joel's prophecies was in part a signal that though the task before believers would be challenging, there would always be the constant aid and comfort of God's power through His Holy Spirit? Was God reminding us through this reference to Joel's stark prophetic book that the Church would develop in a hostile environment (Matthew 11:12)?

The Church Jesus founded has for the most part been a small and often persecuted group. There are times in history it would be difficult to even find its location. Today it is still small, but it carries out its biblical mandate to preach the gospel to the world. Its existence today is proof of God's faithful promise that nothing would prevail against its work.

Holiness In The Camp

For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you. Deuteronomy 23:14

Many Christians get very intimidated by the word “holiness.” Its very connotation seems old-fashioned and abstract. What exactly is holiness? How do I become holy? For most nonbelievers, their concept of holiness is one that is very solemn and somber. To live a holy life is to live a life that is dark and gloomy; a life devoid of color, fun and excitement.

Unfortunately, that is also the idea many Christians have whenever they think about being holy. But nothing can be further from the truth. We worship God in the beauty of His holiness (1 Chron. 16:29). That means holiness is something attractive and beautiful. No wonder people followed Jesus everywhere He went. Even little children wanted to come near to hug Him. Holiness makes a believer a very attractive witness for Christ. The Bible says that God is glorious in holiness (Ex. 15:11). Holiness carries with it the glory of the Lord. “Glory” means two things:

(1) Light. A holy person is never dull or gloomy. On the contrary, he stands out head and shoulders over everyone else. The Christian who is holy is a bright and radiant person, shining powerfully for Jesus.

(2) Weight. In the Hebrew language, the word “glory” is kabod, which means weight or substance. The Christian who is holy is a person who carries the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes with a very substantial presence. When a holy person walks into a room, the anointing of God goes into that room with him. When a holy person speaks, his words carry weight and authority. When Jesus spoke, everybody listened: “Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him’” (Mark 1:27).

Deuteronomy 23:14 says we have to make a decision to keep our camp—the house of God—spiritually clean. God only walks on holy ground. Our words, actions and thoughts have to be sanctified because we can build an environment where God enjoys coming into. And when God walks among us, there will always be blessing, provision and protection. Make a decision today not to entertain any more unclean ideas, conversations or deeds that would grieve the Holy Spirit. God says, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16).

Are America's Superpower Days Numbered?

Great powers come and go. For more than six decades the United States has been the world's dominant power. Seventy years ago, Great Britain—with its vast empire—was the world's greatest power. Is the United States following Britain's path to decline, to be replaced by another power? Are we seeing the first stages?

One of the consequences of the financial upheaval of the past 18 months is that Europe is now richer than North America. The accumulated national wealth of North Americans has dropped by 21.8 percent while Europe's fell by only 5.8 percent, "down to 22.2 trillion euros—a quarter of the globe's total wealth" ("Europe Now Richer Than North America," BusinessWeek, Sept. 16, 2009).

Since great wealth is necessary for global power, could Europe be on the verge of taking over from the United States?

Bible prophecy shows that a new, European centered superpower will exist immediately before Jesus Christ's return. It will be a great commercial system whose trade dominates the world.

It's no coincidence that all 27 member countries of the European Union have signed the Lisbon Treaty, uniting Europe more than ever before with its own president and foreign minister collectively representing all member nations.

Its currency, the euro, is now valued at 1½ times the U.S. dollar and is used by more people. With more than 500 million citizens, the EU is the world's biggest single market and by far the world's greatest trading power. Having now surpassed the United States in economic power, could it soon replace America as the world's foremost political and military power?

Lessons from a fallen empire

There's a lesson for the United States in the memory of some still living.

Few people alive today can remember a time when the world was dominated by the British, but that's the way things were before World War II. After fighting alone against the Third Reich for two years (assisted only by forces from Commonwealth countries), the British were joined by the Soviets when Germany attacked them in June 1941. Another six months would pass before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which brought America into the war.

Americans expected that their boys would all return home after the war, just as they had done after World War I. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt told British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin that American troops would leave Europe two years after the war's end. No one expected U.S. forces to stay longer. But American troops still remain in Europe 65 years later!

What change led to American troops remaining in Europe? Quite simply, Britain was broke! London was not able to return to the role it had held for two centuries, the task of policing the world. Such a role requires great wealth. After fighting two world wars in just over three decades, the British did not have the funds for foreign commitments and could no longer support their allies around the globe.

This wasn't apparent immediately after the war ended in 1945. The British Empire remained intact. Some British possessions in the Far East had been conquered by Japan, but all voluntarily returned to British rule.

In his 2008 book Picking Up the Reins, which describes the transition of superpower status from Great Britain to the United States, historian Norman Moss states: "British atlases showed a quarter of the earth either ruled by Britain or linked to it in the Commonwealth. Britain ruled directly much of Asia and most of Africa and it was the dominant power in the Arab world" (p. 27).

Other European powers did not fare so well. The Dutch soon lost Indonesia, and the French had to fight a prolonged war in Indochina.

"A catastrophe scarcely thinkable"

One of America's most respected historians, James Truslow Adams, wrote a book titled The British Empire 1784-1939 in 1940—the crucial year of the Battle of Britain, an airborne struggle for survival, when the future of the world depended on Britain holding out against an attempted Nazi invasion.

At the end of the book, he wrote the following warning to his fellow Americans: "The possible overthrow of the British Empire would be a catastrophe scarcely thinkable. Not only would it leave a vacuum over a quarter of the globe into which all the wild winds of anarchy, despotism and spiritual oppression would rush, but the strongest bulwark outside ourselves for our own safety and freedom would have been destroyed" (p. 358).

It certainly seemed that the preservation of the Empire intact was in the best interests of the United States and other nations.

One year after the war, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff similarly advised: "The defeat or disintegration of the British Empire would eliminate from Eurasia the last bulwark of resistance between the US and Soviet expansion...Our present position as a world power is of necessity closely interwoven with that of Britain" (quoted by Moss, p. 64).

On top of financing their empire—which included a quarter of the world's people—the British were also soon embroiled in a war against communists in Greece, where Britain stationed 9,000 troops to support the anticommunist forces and had given 40 million pounds in financial assistance in the months following World War II.

But by February 1947, in the middle of the harshest winter on record, the British could no longer afford to support Greece. A cabinet meeting on Feb. 18 led to London asking Washington to take over, announcing that aid to Greece "would stop on March 31. It was accompanied by another note saying Turkey also needed help and Britain could not provide it" (p. 62).

Although few comprehended it at the time, this change was truly momentous. "For two centuries Britain had been the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean. Now it seemed to be surrendering that role in two key countries.

"It is often said that Americans lack a historical sense that Europeans have, but on this occasion it was the Americans who saw the historical significance of that moment. To British ministers, battling from day to day to keep the country's head above water, this seemed to be just a temporary retrenchment in one area. None of them appeared to see any larger implications in the decision.

"The American view was put in grandiloquent terms by Joseph M. Jones, who was in the State Department at the time: ‘Reading the messages, [it was] realized...that Great Britain had within the hour handed the job of world leadership, with all its burdens and all its glory, to the United States" (p. 64, emphasis added throughout).

The date was Feb. 21, 1947—the day the United States effectively replaced Great Britain as the world's global superpower.

Changing roles prophesied

"And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh," reads Genesis 48:20. In this passage of Scripture, the patriarch Jacob, whom God had renamed Israel, prophesied that the descendants of his two grandsons, the sons of Joseph, would "become a multitude of nations" and a great nation. This prophecy was fulfilled in the British Empire and

Commonwealth (the multitude of nations) and in the United States (the great single nation), which broke away from the empire. Ephraim, the multitude of nations, was to be great before Manasseh.

Ephraim, the younger brother, was foretold to be greater than Manasseh (verse 19). Without any knowledge of the biblical significance of the moment, Dean Acheson, then undersecretary at the U.S. Department of State, said that "Britain was so weakened financially that there were now only two great powers in the world. Not since Rome and Carthage, he said, had there been such a polarization of power, and it was between democracy and dictatorship" (Moss, p. 68).

Rome and Carthage were major rivals before the time of Christ. Will Clayton, assistant secretary of State, in May 1947 summed up the situation with these words: "The reins of world leadership are slipping from Britain's competent but now very weak hands. These reins will be picked up either by the United States or Russia."

Both men realized that the United States already had a major rival in the Russian-dominated Soviet Union, something the British had not had to contend with.

Britain had enjoyed unrivalled global power during the time of the "Pax Britannica"— between the fall of Napoleon and World War I a century later. In relative terms, the United States was to be less dominant, as Bible prophecy had foretold.

It wasn't until the collapse of the Soviet Union and its communist allies in Europe more than 40 years later that the United States would enjoy unrivalled power. But even then it was brief. Now facing mounting financial problems, Washington has to contend with the rising power of China and may soon have to deal with a resurgent Europe.

Just as global power passed from Britain to America, could power now pass from America to Europe?

God controls the rise and fall of nations

The Bible tells us that God intervenes to bring about the rise and fall of nations. In Daniel 2:21 we read that "He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings."

In the same chapter, Daniel asked God to help him interpret the cryptic dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. In verse 19 God revealed its meaning to him. Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, the world's greatest power at the time, came to understand that after Babylon would come another great power, then another and another. Eventually, the last of these powers would be replaced by the Kingdom of God, a world government directly ruled by God that will put an end to the present misrule of man.

Daniel himself had a similar vision in chapter 7 giving more detail. Babylon, where Daniel lived for almost seven decades as a Jewish exile following the invasion of his own country, would lose its preeminence to Persia. In turn, Persia would lose its position to Greece, and then Greece would lose its to Rome. The prophecies revealed to Daniel in the sixth century before Christ were fulfilled in the centuries that followed.

The supremacy of Britain with its empire and then the United States of America was prophesied for "the last days" (Genesis 49:1). However, at the time immediately before the end, preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ, there is to rise a revived and renewed Roman Empire—the new world superpower mentioned earlier.

How could the United States lose its power?

British historian Paul Kennedy, who now lectures at Yale, wrote his monumental book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers in 1987. In it, looking back to the year 1500, he showed that the qualities that lead to nations' rising to power and the reasons for their decline and fall have certain commonalities —debt and imperial overreach.

Just as the British Empire collapsed due to debt and an overstretched military, so the United States faces the same problems today. It cannot field enough troops for all its military commitments, and debt is a crucial and growing problem. No nation in the history of the world has ever accumulated debts as great as those of the United States—and certainly not in so short a time!

As The Economist recently observed: "For years America's fiscal problems had a surreal quality. No one disputed that an aging population and health-care inflation could bust the budget, but that prospect was decades away and procrastination seemed painless.

"No longer. A giant hole has opened in the budget because of stimulus, bailouts and a recession that has savaged economic growth and tax revenue. On current policies the publicly held federal debt, 41% of GDP last year, will double in the next decade. Total government debt will move well above the G20 average" ("Dealing With America's Fiscal Hole," Nov. 21, 2009).

Only a generation ago the United States was in such sound financial condition that it was the world's greatest lender. No longer. Due to its profligate spending, now it is the most indebted nation in history!

Massive problems loom in financing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as tens of millions of baby boomers retire in the coming years. Some economic experts estimate that, when these unfunded liabilities are factored in, America's true national debt is greater than $50 trillion—approximately half a million dollars for every U.S. household!

Inevitably, defense spending will be impacted by America's enormous debt load, just as it was with Great Britain six decades ago. As another Economist article titled "Stemming the Tide" reports, "Defence and discretionary items represent just a third of spending, and Mr Obama has already planned to shrink both in nominal dollars by 2014, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (with luck) wind down and the stimulus expires" (Nov. 21, 2009).

Rising costs for health care

Interestingly, even the administration's plans for a government-run health-care system parallel the United Kingdom after World War II. At the very time when the country was exhausted and broke after fighting two global conflicts, "the British Government was determined to soldier on and not be deflected from its course by Britain's straitened [limited] economic circumstances. In April 1948 it introduced the National Health Service, despite Opposition arguments that the country could not afford it. This was at the center of its welfare program" (Moss, pp. 159-160).

The initial estimated cost was minor compared to the eventual (and still rising) cost. By 1956, a crucial year in the country's decline and fall from global power, "a new generation was finding its voice, people who were prouder of the National Health Service than of the British Empire" (p. 199).

The Economist article "Stemming the Tide" hints at the increased financial burden that will come on the United States as it, too, embraces universal health care. "Mr Obama had long planned that his health reform would not just cover the uninsured but also stop the long-term growth in health costs. In the bills currently in Congress, that second goal may be out of reach. Although Mr Obama insists that the reform will not raise the deficit, it will still absorb some of the revenue that could have been used to reduce it."

A Nov. 14, 2009, article in The New York Times reported China's concerns about U.S. government health-care plans. It's not that the Chinese are concerned about the medical care of Americans. Rather, they are concerned about the burgeoning U.S. deficit, as they are the ones financing most of it.

The article described Obama's visit to China as "assuming the role of profligate spender coming to pay his respects to his banker" and indicated that American domestic policies may have to first gain Chinese approval. "Like any banker," the article notes, the Chinese want "evidence that the United States [has] a plan to pay them back."

It reports that "in a July meeting, Chinese officials asked their American counterparts detailed questions about the health care legislation making its way through Congress...They wanted to know, in painstaking detail, how the health care plan would affect the deficit" (Helene Cooper, Michael Wines and David Sanger, "China's Role as Lender Alters Dynamics for United States").

Commenting on this trip, a Nov. 16, 2009, Canada Free Press article warned: "Obama's socialist spending spree does not simply come at the expense of America[n] freedoms, it explicitly puts China in charge of American policy. The price for universal health care will not simply be paid by Americans, it will be paid for by American allies in Asia" (Daniel Greenfield, "Obama in China and Twilight for America").

Just as Britain was unable to send any more financial and military support to Greece in 1947, so it appears the United States will be unable to help traditional allies around the world. And the American military empire will inevitably follow the British Empire into history.

Historian Niall Ferguson recently wrote: "This is how empires decline. It begins with a debt explosion. It ends with an inexorable reduction in the resources available for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Which is why voters are right to worry about America's debt crisis. According to a recent Rasmussen report, 42 percent of Americans now say that cutting the deficit in half by the end of the president's first term should be the administration's most important task—significantly more than the 24 percent who see health-care reform as the No. 1 priority.

"But cutting the deficit in half is simply not enough. If the United States doesn't come up soon with a credible plan to restore the federal budget to balance over the next five to 10 years, the danger is very real that a debt crisis could lead to a major weakening of American power" ("An Empire at Risk," Newsweek, Nov. 28, 2009).

Why Europe and not Asia?

While many are warning that China will replace the United States as the world's dominant power, Bible prophecy shows otherwise—though it should be emphasized that the Scriptures strongly suggest that the revived European-centered Roman Empire will not last long.

Revelation 17:12 tells us that the leaders who will unite and surrender their national sovereignty to this new geopolitical force will "receive authority for one hour." An hour is symbolic of a short period of time.

The Bible also prophesies a great power rising in the Far East when it writes of massive military forces coming against the revived European power from beyond the Euphrates River (Revelation 9:14-16; 16:12). This could very well include China, perhaps in alliance with other regional powers.

China is a great power and is set to become even more powerful. However, its economy is closely tied to the United States and could be negatively affected by developments in America.

At the same time, there are serious concerns about its own banking system. "The current expansion in lending...risks creating China's own home grown banking crisis with a rise in non-performing bank loans...Chinese bank regulators are concerned that new lending is being used to finance real estate and stock market speculation rather than productive purposes" (Satyajit Das, "China: A Future That Was," eurointelligence.com, Nov. 20, 2009). Putting it simply, China is repeating America's mistakes!

In comparing the European Union and China, we should also note that, as an article in the Nov. 15, 2009, Sunday Times points out, the European Union's gross domestic product "is just behind that of the United States and China combined" (Matthew Campbell and Bojan Pancevski, "Europe Rises as the Modest Superpower").

The article continues: "Europe, however, also seems more secure and united than at any point in its blood-soaked history and the financial crisis may have served to strengthen that cohesion. The more regulated brand of capitalism favoured from France to Finland is now the preferred model for the rest of the world—including America—and countries are queuing up to gain admission to the protective fold of the EU.

"With 71,000 troops stationed beyond its borders, the EU can claim a military presence overseas second only to America's. It has led to Europe being hailed as ‘the modest superpower' by Newsweek magazine. Its rise can be seen in the increase in membership from 12 to 27 countries since 1989 and in the fading of tensions between old and young members. It is also evident in the way Europe has beaten America out of recession, led by the usual Franco-German motor."

Europe's long-term goal in sight

The European Union was formed by the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Its six founding members pledged themselves to form "an ever closer union." The Lisbon Treaty is the latest phase, creating a single political entity that overnight rivals the United States and China.

Its first president is Herman van Rompuy, who was prime minister of Belgium. Its first foreign minister is British Baroness Catherine Ashton. According to Wolfgang Munchau, writing in the Nov. 23, 2009, Financial Times, these two are just what the EU needs as it deals with "three fundamental problems": "an inability to set precise policy goals; poor follow-through; and perhaps most importantly, poor co-ordination and crisis management" ("Van Rompuy Is the Right Man for the Job").

In other words, these two will streamline the EU, making it more efficient and more effective and thereby more powerful.

To be clear, however, the EU is not the prophesied end-time power in its final, biblical form. Bible prophecy clearly states that 10 "kings"—we might call them presidents, premiers or prime ministers—will give their power and authority to a final supreme leader who rules over them all. What the EU has achieved is a powerful commercial and political system that places Europe in a position of global leadership. The final European power will likely emerge from this. Exactly how remains to be seen.

But Europe has come a long way, even in the five-plus years since T.R. Reid, former Washington Post London bureau chief, wrote his book The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy.

"At the dawn of the twenty-first century," he wrote on the book's first page, "a geopolitical revolution of historic dimensions is under way across the Atlantic: the unification of Europe. Twenty-five nations [now 27] have joined together—with another dozen or so on the waiting list—to build a common economy, government, and culture. Europe is a more integrated place today than at any time since the Roman Empire" (2004).

Continuing, Mr. Reid wrote: "The new United States of Europe—to use Winston Churchill's phrase—has more people, more wealth, and more trade than the United States of America. The New Europe cannot match American military strength (and doesn't want to, for that matter). But it has more votes in every international organization than the United States, and it gives away far more money in development aid.

"The result is global economic and political clout that makes the European Union exactly what its leaders want it to be: a second superpower that can stand on equal footing with the United States."

Waiting to take the lead from Washington

Since Reid's book came out, we've gone through the early stages of the international financial crisis, a transitional period that has seen Europe become richer relative to the United States. Whereas America has accumulated a record debt burden, Europe is solvent!

There's a great irony here. Great Britain established the 13 colonies that eventually became the United States, which, less than two centuries later, took over London's leadership role in the world. In a similar way, America forced the creation of a united Europe in its early stages through the Marshall Plan, a U.S. government aid project to get Europe moving again after World War II.

"The Marshall Plan...was a joint European-American program for restructuring the economies of western European countries and joining them more closely together, to set them on their feet, give them social and political stability, and make them once again trading partners on equal terms with the rest of the world. It achieved all of this. It also, with American pressure, sowed the seeds of the European Union" (Moss, p. 100).

Washington did not want to have to deal with 16 individual European countries all needing help, so it encouraged them to cooperate and work together economically. This fledgling project led to "an ever closer union" and today's European Union, now set to rival the United States—and will, just as Washington took over from London, eventually lead to Europe taking over Washington's leadership role in the world.

Seven Feasts Of Israel

Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Deuteronomy 16:16

There are seven feasts of the Lord in Israel. Seven is the number of perfection. In order to come to perfection, you must experience those feasts prophetically in your life.

(1) Passover—this speaks of salvation. Israel was saved by the blood of the lamb in Egypt. They were also redeemed from Egypt by that blood. Through the blood of Jesus, you have salvation from sin and deliverance from the bondage of the world.

(2) Unleavened Bread—this speaks of the feeding on the pure Word of God. Israel made haste to eat unleavened bread as soon as they were redeemed by the blood of the lamb. You too must quickly and continually feed upon the Scriptures as soon as you meet Christ, the Lamb of God.

(3) Firstfruits—this speaks of water baptism. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, it severed them from the past and destroyed the powers that were trying to pull them back into Egypt. Every believer must get himself water baptized. When you do that, you are severing yourself from the powers that would try to lure you back into the lifestyle and values of the world.

(4) Pentecost—this speaks of the baptism in the Spirit. The Pentecostal experience was to strengthen the Israelites to get through the wilderness into the promises of God. At Sinai, they had all the signs that accompany the Spirit baptism. They saw the fire of God. They heard His voice. They had miracles, healings and were conscious of God’s tangible presence.

(5) Trumpets—this speaks of a new call to move on in God. Whenever the trumpets were sounded, it was an indication that God wanted His people to move another step closer into the Promised Land. God wants you never to stagnate, but to “go on to perfection” (Heb. 6:1).

(6) Atonement—this speaks of holiness. The Day of Atonement is associated with cleansing and removal of sin from God’s people in order for them to come into His presence. God wants you to live a pure and holy life.

(7) Tabernacles—this speaks of the glory and power of God. This is known as the feast of the latter rain. Prophetically, it refers to the great outpouring of the Spirit in the last days. It is also known as the feast of the ingathering. You are living in the time of the greatest harvesting of souls. Be an anointed laborer of God in the end-time harvest fields of the world!

Integrity and the Olympics

You and I may not be Olympic athletes, but every day, we must choose between living with integrity or taking the seemingly easier way of compromising with what we know is right. In this race we call "life", there's really only one right choice.

Alright, pop quiz! Don't worry—there are only two questions, and they're multiple choice. First question: Who was the 1994 Olympic men's giant slalom gold medalist? Was it…

1. Ingemar Stenmark
2. Markus Wasmeier
3. Alberto Tomba [or]
4. Heini Hemmi
   

What? You don't know this one off the top of your head? You'd think that everyone would remember an Olympic gold medalist like Germany's Markus Wasmeier. Well, okay. Maybe you'll do better with this question – it's from the same year:

Which figure skater was stripped of her 1994 title because of her involvement in a plot to shatter a rival skater's kneecaps? Was it…

1. Michelle Kwan
2. Kristi Yamaguchi
3. Tonya Harding [or]
4. Tara Lipinski
   

The correct answer is c. Tonya Harding. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that more of you out there watching this answered the second question correctly than did the first.

Why is that? Markus Wasmeier won two gold medals in Lillehammer; Tonya Harding only took eighth place in one event. But we remember her over Wasmeier because she was caught doing something dishonorable. There are many honorable gold medalists during the Olympics; unfortunately there are sometimes a few participants exposed as cheaters.

Did you know that in Ancient Greece, where our modern-day Olympic Games have their roots, cheaters weren't quickly forgotten, either? Several months ago I had the opportunity to visit the site of the original Olympics in Greece. As we walked down the ramp leading into the stadium, we noticed a row of short pedestals on one side. We assumed these were for statues of the great Olympians, but our guide explained that these pedestals had a very different purpose. Those caught bending the rules or manipulating the system were fined heavily. The resulting funds were used to commission a bronze statue of Zeus, put on display and often engraved with the offense and the name of the offender, as well as a warning to those who would attempt the same.

Most people have forgotten that Tonya Harding, in her heyday, was an outstanding figure skater. She was the first woman to perform the difficult triple axle twice in the same competition. She finished second in the 1991 World Championships. Yet for all this, the most common phrase associated with her is not "triple axle" or "record setter," but "kneecaps."

When we compromise our integrity, we can destroy years of hard work and achievements, and regaining the trust and respect of others becomes a difficult, if not impossible, task. The Bible explains, "He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known" (Proverbs 10:9, NKJV).

The stories of courage and determination we often see in the Olympics can be inspiring, and those athletes who have worked so hard to uphold the highest standards deserve our admiration and praise. King Solomon was right when he said, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." (Proverbs 22:1, NIV)

You and I may not be Olympic athletes, but every day, we must choose between living with integrity or taking the seemingly easier way of compromising with what we know is right. In this race we call "life", there's really only one right choice.

The Ten Trials

Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Deuteronomy 9:7

There were 10 trials in the wilderness, and the Israelites failed them all. After they failed the 10th test at Kadesh Barnea, the Lord said, “They have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice” (Num. 14:22). Here are the 10 tests:

(1) Murmuring against God. The Israelites accused God of deceiving them into a trap so that the Egyptians could kill them. There is always a tendency to blame God in the midst of crises.

(2) Bitter water at Marah. The Israelites murmured at the bitter water. Every believer will be tried by bitter experiences and disappointments.

(3) Hunger. This represents economic times of testing. We will all experience times of shortages and lack during which our faith in God will be tested. Our faith in God will then be tested.

(4) Gluttony. By taking more manna than they needed for the day, the Israelites willfully disobeyed the Lord.

(5) Thirst at Rephidim. Thirst speaks of dry and boring experiences. The Israelites murmured again.

(6) Idolatry of the gold calf. Inordinate desires and lusts must be conquered. Anything that replaces our reliance upon God is idolatry.

(7) Complaining about misfortunes at Taberah. Complaining about adverse circumstances doesn’t help us to fi nd favor with God.

(8) Unthankfulness. The appetites of the Israelites were not consecrated to God. They detested God’s provision of manna and gorged themselves with quail.

(9) Criticism of leadership. Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses, the man who saw the face of God.

(10) Unbelief at Kadesh Barnea. The Israelites were right at the border of the Promised Land. The 10 spies all agreed that it was a good land, but that the enemies were too great. They infected the whole congregation with fear and unbelief. They had failed the 10th and most important test. Finally, God said, “You will not enter in.” No teacher ever creates a test for the purpose of trying to fail the student.

Every test should be a stepping stone for greater glory. Instead, Israel made each of their tests a stumbling block into defeat. The Holy Spirit was always around to show God strong on their behalf whenever they were met by diffi culties. But they didn’t lean on Him. Let’s remember the Scriptural exhortation: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Heb. 3:15).

God's Time Machine

During this age of science, many have dreamed of traveling to the past or to the future as in the famous novel The Time Machine. But could there exist a time machine we are not aware of? Read on to find out!

"'Long ago I had a vague inkling of a machine,' [said the Time Traveller] '...that shall travel indifferently in any direction of Space or Time, as the driver determines...Would you like to see the Time Machine itself?' asked the Time Traveller. And therewith, taking the lamp in his hand, he led the way down the long, draughty corridor to his laboratory.

"I remember vividly...how there in the laboratory we beheld a larger edition of the little mechanism which we had seen vanish from before our eyes. Parts were of nickel, parts of ivory, parts had certainly been filed or sawn out of rock crystal. The thing was generally complete, but the twisted crystalline bars lay unfinished upon the bench beside some sheets of drawings, and I took one up for a better look at it...

"'Upon that machine,' said the Time Traveller, holding the lamp aloft, 'I intend to explore time.'"

Thus the stage is set for H.G. Wells' famous novel The Time Machine, first published in 1895.

Can we explore time?

Wouldn't it be marvelous to travel in a time machine? To witness different civilizations of the past—perhaps view the construction of Egypt's great pyramids or gaze upon Solomon's magnificent temple? On the other hand, we might prefer to travel to the future and observe how mankind will have fared 20, 50 or 100 years from now.

Yet when all is said and done, we would be only bystanders, mere observers of what has happened or will happen in the future.

In Wells' novel, the Time Traveller journeys far into the future—nearly 100,000 years ahead of his day. There, Wells describes a bleak picture of society. Two races of human beings are left—the Eloi, who live on the surface of the earth as primitive, ignorant but peaceful beings, and the Morlocks, a race that has degenerated into horrific, apelike beings that live underground. They actually feed and clothe the Eloi so they can later eat them.

What a forlorn image of mankind! Due to many wars, human beings are eventually reduced to primitive and ignorant beings, totally bereft of education, culture or intellectual progress.

Wells' Time Traveller then goes on to explore even further into the future, and witnesses the slow death of the earth. The sun eventually becomes a glowing red giant of a star that turns the earth into a lifeless wasteland.

But the good news, unlike this depressing depiction of mankind's future, is that we have something much better than Wells' fictional time machine—and a much more positive future ahead!

You have access to your own time machine!

Curiously, this virtual time machine is available to anyone who wants use it. With it, you can figuratively travel back in time or go to the distant future. And the even better news is the future this time machine reveals is not a bleak or meaningless end, but a wonderful, glorious age that lies ahead for mankind!

This time machine is not composed of glass, metal or circuits. In fact, it easily fits in a discreet place in your home.

It is, if you haven't guessed by now, your Bible—a type of a wondrous time machine your loving Creator bequeathed to all of us. Yet to properly operate it, you have to meet some conditions and rules.

In Wells' novel, once the Time Traveller arrived at a point in the future, he removed a lever out of the time machine so no one could use it. Similarly, God has taken out a figurative "lever" from His time machine so it can't be properly used unless He grants the person this privilege. We will come back to this point later.

You might be asking, "How can the Bible be like a time machine?"

The answer is, simply, because our Creator designed the Bible to fulfill that role.

He stated: "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'" (Isaiah 46:9-10, emphasis added throughout).

He is the ultimate narrator of the Bible, although He chose to transmit the actual words through carefully selected individuals. These persons were called by God to write down the narrative and to express it through their personality and culture.

As we read, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God [literally, "God-breathed"],and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

God reveals the future through prophecy

What about the prophetic aspects of the Bible as a type of a time machine? The apostle Peter describes the Bible's prophecies—which record future events and also leave us with a historical account of fulfilled prophecy.

He writes, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21).

We therefore have a great advantage over Wells' imaginary time machine. Instead of just being a human bystander to the happenings in the past or in the future, this time machine has God, and not a fallible and imperfect mortal, at the helm.

How about taking a trip in this time machine to the distant past? Let's see how it works!

Back to the beginning

As we journey in this time machine, we don't use a lever to go back in time as H.G. Wells' imaginary craft did. Instead we simply turn the pages of our Bible back to the very beginnings of creation—to the start of universe!

Who was there? Our time machine reveals that it was God Himself!

The Bible majestically begins at the very moment of the creation of our physical universe, declaring, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

So we see that the universe begins with a Creator so powerful and wise that He can bring forth the very universe from nothing! He also produces light to illuminate the cosmos.

Incredibly, after many centuries of study, most astronomers and physicists have concluded that the universe had a beginning through a tremendous flash of light, in the form of electromagnetic energy, which partly coalesced into matter. This great cosmic expansion, from nothing to everything, they call the Big Bang.

How could the Bible get it right? No other ancient book even comes close—and up to the 20th century, even scientists had not discovered the true origins of the universe.

David Berlinski, molecular biologist, mathematician and philosopher, puts it this way: "There is nonetheless a striking point at which Big Bang cosmology and theology intersect. The universe has not proceeded from the everlasting to the everlasting. The cosmological beginning may be obscure, but the universe is finite in time.

"This is something that until the twentieth century was not known. When it became known, it astonished the community of physicists—and everyone else...The hypothesis of God's existence and the facts of contemporary cosmology are consistent" (The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions, 2008, p. 80).

Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a former director of NASA, remarked: "A sound explanation may exist for the explosive birth of our Universe; but if it does, science cannot find out what the explanation is. The scientist's pursuit of the past ends in the moment of creation. This is an exceedingly strange development, unexpected by all but the theologians. They have always accepted the word of the Bible: 'In the beginning God created heaven and earth.' It is unexpected because science has had such extraordinary success in tracing the chain of cause and effect backward in time.

"Now we would like to pursue that inquiry farther back in time, but the barrier to further progress seems insurmountable. It is not a matter of another year, another decade of work, another measurement, or another theory; at this moment it seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation.

"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries" (God and the Astronomers, 1978,p. 116).

A window on the creation

The Bible later describes, still in the first chapter, another amazing revelation that has been confirmed: "And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind" (Genesis 1:25).

In the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus was able to classify the living beings on earth "according to kind." Despite centuries of scientific advancement, scientists still use the Linnaean classification, because it remains so adaptable and accurate.

The main classifications of animals—birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles and mammals—remain in their separate classes, in spite of all the efforts of evolutionists to blend these differences into a supposed gradual tree of life. Instead, what has been found are veritable genetic barriers between the main classes of plants and animals—with no fine gradation between them. How could the Bible describe this biological law so accurately?

Molecular biologist and medical doctor Michael Denton notes about the Linnaean classification: "By the mid-nineteenth century, when knowledge of comparative anatomy was virtually complete, the idea that the pattern of life was reducible to highly ordered groups within groups was almost universally acknowledged...Note how every class is perfectly distinct and totally inclusive or exclusive of other classes.

"There is a complete absence of any partially inclusive or intermediate classes indicative of sequential relationships. The scheme expresses succinctly the pre-evolutionary belief that nature's order was fundamentally non-sequential. Even with the rise of evolution and the rejection of the whole metaphysical basis of typology, the perception of nature's order as fundamentally hierarchic persisted largely unchanged" (Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, 1996, p. 124).

Revealing insight on mankind

Lastly, there is another feature mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis that has an enormous impact on mankind. "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). Here is the origin of the dignity of humankind that separates us from the rest of the created order of living things on earth. Man is not just another creature, but possesses the mental and spiritual qualities that belong to God—though of course at a much lower level.

What happens when that dignity of being made in God's image is removed? Historian Paul Johnson explains: "Years later, I began my book Modern Times, a detailed study of the era from World War I to the early 1980s. This is the first epoch in nearly 2,000 years in which most governments have been guided by what might be called post-Christian ethics. And I find it to be unique in its cruelty, destructiveness and depravity.

"Once again, I discovered that the historical record actually strengthened my faith. These huge evils occurred precisely because great power was placed in the hands of men who had no fear of God and who believed themselves restrained by no absolute code of conduct [Lenin, Stalin and Hitler]...The history of the 20th century proves the view that as the vision of God fades, we first become mere clever monkeys; then, we exterminate one another" ("Why I Must Believe in God," Reader's Digest, June 1985, pp. 126-127).

Next, God's time machine takes us to the Middle East, the beginnings of man's civilization; and it accurately describes such ancient empires as Egypt, Babylon and Assyria. But the most important feature as you travel in this time machine is that the narrative is given from God's perspective. He shows no partiality. Ancient Israel, although chosen to be an example to other nations of right living through His laws, is still punished when it sins. He reveals not only the virtues, but also the flaws of even His chosen leaders.

Of course, at the center of this past history is Jesus Christ. This part of the story shows God's supreme love for us. Jesus came as God in the flesh to dwell with humanity so He could willingly pay for our sins and provide grace and salvation (John 1:14-17).

A look at the near future

What about the present? Does this "time machine" accurately describe what we are seeing in our days and reveal the near future?

The Bible describes society as it nears the prophetic end times—and that description sounds very much like typical headlines of today! Let's notice several prophetic summaries of society as it continues to degenerate.

The apostle Paul wrote, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

A few days' worth of news on the TV is enough to include most if not all of the conditions just described!

The Bible also accurately foretold what knowledge, technology and transportation would look like during the end time.

God revealed to the prophet Daniel certain characteristics of this period: "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (Daniel 12:4).

Rapid mass transportation and the explosion of knowledge are both characteristics that uniquely set apart our present society from all previous human history. Around the world we see massive transit of people in cars, trains, ships and airplanes. Just by aircraft alone, an average of 1.5 billion people fly every year—more than 4 million per day! Moreover, the computer and Internet age have multiplied knowledge and technology to mind-boggling levels.

Where will mankind end up?

How about the future? This time machine revealed that people would eventually possess the military power to totally erase mankind from the face of the earth!

Jesus Christ Himself prophesied that "if that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive" (Matthew 24:22, Revised English Bible).

Just imagine—when this was said, human beings possessed only spears, swords, and bows and arrows! Gunpowder was unknown and would not be discovered for almost another 1,000 years. Yet even with gunpowder, it would still be impossible to exterminate all of mankind. But today, we have enough nuclear weapons to wipe out the earth's population at least five times over. Again, how could the Bible predict such a remarkably accurate scenario 2,000 years in advance? That is only possible because it is God's time machine.

Be sure to read the other articles in this issue to learn more about the astoundingly accurate aspects of this prophetic time machine.

Who controls the time machine's lever?

One final point that we left for the end. We spoke about the missing "lever" of this time machine that only God holds. What is it? What can we know about it? How can we use it to operate God's time machine?

God gives this lever of understanding only to those whom He wishes. Jesus Christ said to His disciples, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father" (John 6:65). This plainly tells us that spiritual understanding of the Bible is something God alone grants, and is not based on one's intellect or position in life.

God looks to the person who totally yields to Him and obeys all of His commandments. He tells us, "On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). Humility and submission to God's will are essential.

We must also understand that the Bible interprets itself. As we read in 2 Peter 1:19-21, Bible prophecy is not to be deciphered by private interpretation, but by other scriptures that clarify the meaning and through godly discernment.

As the apostle Paul said: "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).

One must have God's Spirit to truly understand the things of God, and that Spirit comes only to those who truly repent, are baptized, and live a life of obedience to God (Acts 2:38; 5:32).

Yes, we have a wonderful time machine provided by our Creator. Let's study it carefully to gain faith by acknowledging prophecies fulfilled in the past and then spiritually preparing for the prophesied events yet to come in the end time!

In Brief: The New Population Bomb and Prophecy

A recent article in Foreign Affairs, titled "The New Population Bomb," shows that one problem with the current population explosion is not so much how many people there will be in the future, but where this increase will be located.

"Twenty-first century international security will depend less on how many people inhabit the world than on how the global population is composed and distributed...which countries are relatively older and which are more youthful, and how demographics will influence population movements across regions" (Jack A. Goldstone, January-February 2010).

Today's global population is 6.83 billion people. According to the United Nations Population Division, the population of the world will be around 9.15 billion by the year 2050.

However, as the population of Western countries continues to decline, the fastest-growing populations will be located in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Except for Latin America, huge elements of these fast-growing, youthful populations will be concentrated in Muslim countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.

According to Foreign Affairs, in 2009 the above-mentioned six countries were the world's most populous Muslim-majority countries and had a combined population of 886 million (2009). Their populations are expected to increase by 475 million more between now and the year 2050.

The descendants of Ishmael are generally considered to be today's Arab people, but their descendants expand further than just the Arab peoples. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia points out that the term "Ishmaelite" has a broader significance in the Scriptures. "The Ishmaelites were not confined to the descendents of the son of Abraham and Hagar, but refer to desert tribes in general, like 'the children of the East'" (p. 906).

Some of them are listed in another prophecy in Psalm 83, which mentions a confederacy of tribes that correspond to Arab and Muslim nations today. This confederacy will apparently attempt to destroy the modern descendants of the tribes of Israel: "They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more'" (Psalm 83:4).

The article in Foreign Affairs issues a warning to the Western world. Describing the Muslim nations that will experience such enormous population explosions, it says that the majority of people "live in poor communities vulnerable to radical appeals and many see the West as antagonistic and militaristic" (p. 37).

The tensions between Muslim and Western societies will also lead to the prophetic scenario of an end-time king of the South pushing at the European-centered king of the North (Daniel 11:40).

Power Unlimited

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

Shortly before His ascension into heaven, Jesus commanded His disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. The promise of the Father refers to God’s promised gift of the Holy Spirit. Here are four important reasons why we all need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives:

(1) Power to become. Without God’s power in us, we can never become sons of God. The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring us back to God. John says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). The word “right” is translated from the Greek word exousia which means “power” or “authority.” With the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in you, you can do what you could never do by yourself. With His authority, you can establish what God desires. You can now live and act like a child of His family.

(2) Power to be. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling means that you have the power for daily living. Even Christians of many years know how diffi cult it is to keep up with the standards that God wants us to have in our lives. We all have the weakness of our fl esh. But the power of the Spirit helps us, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16).

(3) Power to overcome. Every believer lives in a war zone. Satan attacks us with every weapon at his disposal in his attempt to prevent us from following Jesus. God makes His power available within us so that we have the strength and the knowledge to defeat the devil. The Bible says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

(4) Power to witness. In Acts 1:8, the Holy Spirit came with great power on Pentecost. The word for “power” here is dunamis, from which we get the English word “dynamite.” Dunamis refers to the miracle-working, sign-producing power of God. God wants your life to be so filled with the power of the Spirit that you will be dynamite.

God wants you to be a witness (Acts 1:8) to the life of Jesus. In the Greek, the word for witness is martus from which we derive the word, “martyr.” A witness has died to self so that Christ might live in and through him or her (Gal. 2:20-21). Become a witness so that you not only speak about Jesus but that you become Jesus to the world.

"I Will Build My Church"!

What comes to mind when you hear the word church? Do you think of a magnificent cathedral or a smaller church building with a spire? God's Church is much different from the conventional religious meaning of the word church, and that difference can affect your future.

Impressive Christian cathedrals, especially those in Europe, such as the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, and the Duono Cathedral in Milan, Italy, awe visitors throughout the world. These are representative of cathedrals dedicated to Christian worship throughout the world. Many of them display spectacular spires, which can signify strength (from the word "spear"), piety, wealth, prestige and even martial power.

Most people view the church as a building. But the Bible defines the term church quite differently, focusing on the people God calls instead of a building.

What then did Jesus mean when He said, "I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18)? Was He referring to the magnificent cathedrals that would eventually be built?

Cathedrals of the world

The architecture of the great cathedrals of this world is sometimes astonishing.

The Cologne Cathedral "is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Cologne Cathedral is the greatest Gothic cathedral in Germany and has been this city's most famous landmark for centuries. Once the tallest building in the world, Cologne Cathedral still boasts the world's largest church façade.

"The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral was laid on August 15, 1248...The completion of Germany's largest cathedral was celebrated as a national event in 1880, 632 years after construction had begun" (www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/cologne-cathedral; this Web site is an ecumenical guide to more than 1,250 sacred sites in over 60 countries around the world).

The Cologne Cathedral rises some 515 feet (157 meters).

The external architecture of this imposing edifice boggles the mind. How could the builders of such a great cathedral construct such high-rising spires when technology was so rudimentary? The interior is equally as impressive.

After experiencing this remarkable building, one may find other ordinary churches insignificant in comparison. Yet the Bible focuses on a totally different type of church. God's Word defines and describes its humble yet powerful composition, construction and value.

How do the Bible and Jesus define the Church?

In the New Testament, church is translated from the Greek word ecclesia, which can be defined as a calling out, an assembly or a congregation.

Church, in the Bible, is not described as a cathedral or any sort of building. The first-century Church brethren met in members' private residences (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19), as they sometimes do today. The apostle Paul sometimes spoke to brethren, as well as potential converts and perhaps curious listeners, in various Jewish synagogues.

The Bible uses the word church to represent God's people as "called-out ones." Paul wrote "to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (1 Corinthians 1:2).

The very early true Church of the New Testament had no cathedrals. These huge buildings began to be built a few hundred years later after another church organization with different doctrines and beliefs, emerged, competing with the true Church of God.

This false church organization developed outside the apostolic influence of the Bible and worked assiduously to avoid anything that appeared Jewish, attempting to use Paul's writings to construct unbiblical Christian dogma. How ironic: Christians claiming Christ while ignoring that Jesus was a Jew. This worldview made it easier for them to exchange Sunday for the weekly Sabbath and Christmas and Easter for God's annual festivals (see Leviticus 23).

The Catholic Church speaks for itself: "Nothing in the comportment of Jesus gave the slightest hint that he would have considered it preferable to transfer the Sabbath observance to any other day. With the spread of Christianity to a Gentile milieu surrounding, especially by Paul, the problem had to be posed and decided: Christians were not bound by Jewish practices as such but only insofar as these embodied the natural law" (New Catholic Encyclopedia, second edition, 2003, "Natural-law and Transfer to Sunday," Vol. 12, p. 459).

"The earliest Christians did not immediately dissociate themselves from the observance of the Jewish feasts. Many references in the New Testament indicate that Jesus and His disciples, as well as the early Palestinian Christian communities, observed the Sabbath and the major annual festivals" (ibid., "Early Christian Feasts," Vol. 5, p. 656).

But over time it seems new Christian converts refused to give up their pagan festivals, so new religious teachings and celebrations were created to help "Christianize" them. And as this new church became recognized by the state, the cathedral became the grand sanctuary and a focal point for this new religious blend.

How does this square with Jesus' declaration, "I will build My church"?

The Church that Jesus is building

If great Christian cathedrals or even modest church buildings with pagan accoutrements do not exemplify the Church that Jesus said He would build, how did Christ go about building His Church?

Matthew shows that Jesus built His Church on Himself. "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it [i.e., it will never die out]" (Matthew 16:18).

Contrary to conventional religious opinion, Jesus didn't say He would build His Church on Peter. He simply acknowledged that Peter was a small piece of rock (Greek, petros), but that He would build the Church on Himself, a great mass of rock (Greek, petra).

This key opens the door to the Church that Jesus is building. The Church built on Jesus Christ is made up of humble people (1 Corinthians 1:26-31), not ostentatious buildings.

Another key to entering Christ's Church is what constitutes His building materials. These include spiritual values such as love, hope, faith, joy, peace, patience, wisdom and humility, to name a few. Only the Master Builder, Christ Jesus, can build His Church with these spiritual materials.

At Christ's return, God's Church will grow prodigiously and cover the entire earth throughout His millennial rule (Isaiah 11:9; Daniel 7:27).

Paul speaks of the New Testament Church as Christ's building that He now inhabits and that He causes to grow. "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).

The apostle Peter further refers to the Church as living stones. "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).

This is why Jesus said, "I will build My church." Remarkably, this is only the beginning.

A much greater Church to come

The current Church of God, important as it is to Christ, is a type of what God has in mind for humanity's future. Although God the Father calls out many, He chooses only a few (those who respond to His call), in this present evil age (John 6:44; Acts 2:39; Galatians 1:4).

After Christ returns and removes all deceitful human and angelic tyrants (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-3), He will reign as the sovereign ruler of this earth. His established Kingdom on earth will allow all humanity to become a part of God's Church. At that time, all people will understand the pure truths of God. "For all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them" (Hebrews 8:11).

Jesus Christ prophesied that He would praise God the Father before an international congregation in the 1,000-year period and beyond (calling those things that aren't yet as if they were; see Romans 4:17). "My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him" (Psalm 22:25).

This, then, is a more complete picture of what Jesus meant when He said, "I will build My church." With God's calling, you can become a part of God's Church if you desire. In addition, if you do, Christ can make you a substantial part of His growing spiritual temple: "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God" (Revelation 3:12).

Olympic Fire

Like the Olympic flame, God's Spirit has spread from individual to individual, country to country, continent to continent. It burns without interruption, without change, on its way to a sure and established goal. But unlike the Olympic flame, it enables those who carry it to have a direct, personal connection with their Creator.

Fire.

Stolen from the gods by Prometheus. Brought down from Mount Olympus and given to the land of mortals, against the wishes of the enraged deities.

Or so the old Grecian myth goes.

The Olympic flame is traditionally carried in a relay from runner to runner to the site of the Olympic games—a nod to the fanciful legend of Greece, where the Olympics originated.

Today, when the last runner enters the stadium in Vancouver to light the Olympic cauldron, the flame will have completed a 106-day journey across Canada. The fire that remains burning for the duration of the games will trace its beginning all the way back to Greece, where it was ignited at the site of what was once the temple of Hera.

One continuous fire, burning across different torches, different countries, different continents. Though subjected to an ever-changing array of new vistas and environments, the fire, where it began and where it is going remain the same.

Two thousand years ago, another fire ignited. In the city of Jerusalem, one hundred and twenty disciples of Jesus Christ were gathered together on the Day of Pentecost when a mighty rushing wind filled the house and tongues of fire descended upon the heads of those there.

Not stolen from the gods, but given freely by the one true God, this fire—God's Holy Spirit—started burning in the hearts of Christ's servants two millennia ago and has remained burning in His Church ever since.

Before His crucifixion and resurrection, Christ promised, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [the grave] shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18, NKJV). True to His word, that Church has survived until our present day, and continues to function under His guidance.

Like the Olympic flame, God's Spirit has spread from individual to individual, country to country, continent to continent. It burns without interruption, without change, on its way to a sure and established goal. But unlike the Olympic flame, it enables those who carry it to have a direct, personal connection with their Creator, and to share His character. The Olympic flame is temporary; God's Spirit is eternal. The Olympic flame represents something stolen; God's Spirit represents a gift available to all who truly want it. The flame symbolizes all that is human nature; the Spirit contains all that is God.

Today, the cauldron will be lit, and the games will be underway. In a few more days, they will be finished, along with the Olympic flame. But the Spirit of the living God, carried for centuries by His people, will never be extinguished. They will continue marching toward their ultimate goal—a goal far greater than any Olympic cauldron.

Europe's Wobbly Present

These are trying days for the European Union. The fiscal troubles of Greece cast doubt on the future of the economic union so carefully forged over several decades. If Greece defaults on its high debt, the future of the euro as a currency and the present viability of the EU is at stake. Reports today indicate that Germany is close to offering a bailout to Greece. Germany has the resources to do this, but it would come with a price. That price would be a stronger voice and role for Germany in EU fiscal and political affairs.

This comes as the EU is still trying to figure out who leads and speaks for the union. The new EU president, Herman Van Rompuy, has yet to exert a strong role in this new position. It is so bad that U.S. President Barack Obama has decided not to attend a May European summit in part because of uncertainty over who is the real leader of the EU.

World News and Prophecy carries regular articles on Europe. We believe Europe will play a key role in Bible prophecy. The book of Revelation shows a coming combine of political and religious power to rise in Europe and dominate the world scene prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. We follow a long tradition of such teaching that stretches back to World War II when Europe lay shattered after six years of war. The biblical scenario seemed far-fetched then.

Europe is much closer to uniting than any could have believed then. But even now Europe is very secular, nonreligious and beset with demographic problems that frankly cause many to wonder if it can be a major player in world affairs. On the surface it can appear as if we are looking at the wrong area. But we don't think so, and right now there is perhaps a more important question for you to consider.

Why do you need to understand this? Why understand the history and present role of Europe? What difference does it make to your life?

It matters because your Savior, Jesus Christ, tells us to understand the events of our times. World-changing events are prophesied in the years ahead. A great time of world deception will occur. God, in His mercy, always sends warnings in advance of such times and the wise will take heed.

The headlines of today fit into a larger picture that you can understand from the Bible. Bible prophecy is given to motivate us to change our lives—our behavior—to that of godly righteousness. Look at what God tells us.

"Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

"'Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.'

"And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon" (Revelation 16:12-16).

"Blessed is he who watches..." Jesus Christ tells us. He is saying to us today to understand our world and our times. There is more going on than what is happening in your neighborhood and mine. There is a big story going on, and it has spiritual dimensions. There is more happening in this world than meets the human eye.

God is in charge of His plan as it unfolds in this world. He is bringing His Kingdom of righteousness to this world, and you can have the advance understanding that will make dramatic changes for your daily life. You can get your life in alignment with the Kingdom of God today. This passage is saying you can live a successful, abundant life in the midst of a world moving toward a crisis point.

The key is found in your Bible, and the prophecies serve to enlighten and motivate us to reality. Henry David Thoreau once said that most "lead lives of quiet desperation." That is not what God intends!

We speak of prophecy, but not as something to use as a scare tactic. When we speak of events transpiring in Europe or the Middle East, it is to inform and motivate you to see reality and turn to God. This is the whole intent of Bible prophecy.

Europe will go through many more changes before its "dream" and destiny will appear. Much will have to happen to the role of the United States in world affairs—which is another part of the story.

He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh

As memories of the British Empire fade into the distant past, many think the United States is Ephraim and Britain Manasseh. There are sound historical reasons for this not being the case.

It caused quite a stir when it happened thousands of years ago, so it's not surprising that there's still controversy over Israel's laying his hands on the heads of his two grandchildren, Manasseh and Ephraim, his son Joseph's boys.

Manasseh, as the oldest, should have received the bulk of the birthright promises, according to the accepted custom of primogeniture. But Israel deliberately and determinedly placed his right hand on the younger son Ephraim and promised him the greater blessing.

"Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn" (Genesis 48:14).

The prophecy is important even today (as our well-researched booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy shows in detail). The first verse of the next chapter shows that the 12 sons of Israel would be players on the world scene "in the last days" (Genesis 49:1).

Talking of his two grandsons, Israel said, "Let my name be named upon them" (Genesis 48:16), meaning that wherever Israel is mentioned in Bible prophecy in the context of end-time events, it is usually referring to the modern descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, not the Jews. (However, as Israel was the father of Judah as well as the grandfather of the two sons of Joseph, references to Israel do sometimes apply to all his sons and grandsons.)

"Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, 'Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.'

"But his father refused and said, 'I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.' So he blessed them that day, saying, 'By you Israel will bless, saying, "May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!"' And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh" (Genesis 48:17-20).

Throughout the Victorian era hundreds of thousands could see these verses being fulfilled before their very eyes. The British Empire was expanding rapidly throughout the world while the fledgling United States was expanding to the west. To many, it was clear that the British Empire was the prophesied multitude of nations and the United States was the prophesied great single nation.

But now, is it time to revise that conclusion and consider reversing their identities?

Historical comparisons

The difference between now and the Victorian era is that of role reversal. In Queen Victoria's time the major power of the world was Britain; today, it's the United States. And it's been that way for about six decades, which means that few alive today can remember when the mother country was greater than the daughter that broke away. In fact, the further away we get from the British Empire, the less people know about it, which complicates things further.

However, when we compare the British Empire at its height with the United States today, we see that in many respects the British Empire was greater.

Consider the following:

The British Empire was much bigger than the United States. At its height in the early decades of the 20th century, the Empire covered a third of the world's territory. In 1897, the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, it was 11 million square miles. It kept on expanding right up until 1933 when it was 13.9 million. This compares to the United States, which is 3.65 million square miles.

In terms of population, the British Empire was also bigger. The United States today has a population of approximately 310 million. In the last Indian census under British rule, the population of India alone was 320 million. Add to this millions in Britain, Africa, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.

The British Empire also had a longer time in power. It's difficult to say exactly when Britain became the preeminent nation of the world. Some would say it was in 1759 when the British defeated the French in Quebec and the whole eastern seaboard came under the control of the English-speaking power. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, it was clear to everyone that Britain was the undisputed master of the globe—the British alone of all the European powers had held out against Napoleon and led the allies to victory.

A century of "Pax Britannica" (British peace) followed before German militarism triggered World War I in 1914. During that period, no nation came close to effectively challenging Great Britain's mastery of the seas and global economic power.

Historian James Morris described it vividly in his book Pax Britannica: "The nineteenth century had been pre-eminently Britain's century...Ever since the triumphant conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars they had seemed to be arbiters of the world's affairs, righting a balance here, dismissing a potentate there, ringing the earth with railways and submarine cables, lending money everywhere, peopling the empty places with men of the British stock, grandly revenging wrongs, converting pagans, discovering unknown lakes, setting up dynasties, emancipating slaves, winning wars, putting down mutinies, keeping Turks in their place and building bigger and faster battleships" (1968, pp. 21-22).

In terms of longevity, Britain's Empire lasted until after World War II, meaning that its global empire lasted well over two centuries. American power began after World War II and is, arguably, already on the wane.

The United States today has greater firepower than Britain had due to advances in technology, but in terms of relative power Britain was greater. This was acknowledged in 1947 when Washington first came to realize it was taking over from London as the world's policeman.

After World War II, Britain was broke. At the time, the British were faced with two major conflicts in their empire, one in India between Hindus and Muslims and the other in Palestine between Jews and Palestinians. Additionally, Britain was aiding the anticommunist forces in Greece and Turkey.

In February 1947 Britain had to ask the United States to help.

In his book Picking Up the Reins Norman Moss gives a sense of this event's impact: "It was not being asked to provide aid to Greece that was shocking. The State Department was already preparing a plan for aid. It was the fact that Britain was pulling out and preparing to hand over responsibility. After all, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff had advised the previous year: 'The defeat or disintegration of the British Empire would eliminate from Eurasia the last bulwark of resistance between the US and Soviet expansion...Our present position as a world power is of necessity closely interwoven with that of Great Britain.'

'This was a momentous change. For two centuries Britain had been the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean. Now it seemed to be surrendering that role in two key countries. It is often said that Americans lack a historical sense that Europeans have, but on this occasion it was the Americans who saw the historical significance of that moment. To British ministers, battling from day to day to keep the country's head above water, this seemed to be just a temporary retrenchment in one area. None of them appeared to see any larger implications in the decision.

"The American view was put in grandiloquent terms by Joseph M. Jones, who was in the State Department at the time: 'Reading the messages, [it was] realized...that Great Britain had within the hour handed the job of world leadership, with all its burdens and all its glory, to the United States'" (2008, p. 64).

Three days later, Under Secretary of State Dean Acheson confided to a friend, "'There are only two powers left...The British are finished. They are through. And the trouble is that this hits us too soon, before we are ready for it.'...As he recalled later in an interview: 'It didn't really strike home to us that the British Empire was gone, the great power of France was gone...I still looked at the map and saw that red on the thing, and...that was the British Empire'" (ibid., p. 66).

It was also Acheson who realized the limitations of American power, that the United States was not going to have the unrivaled international power role the British had had under the Pax Britannica. "Not since Rome and Carthage, he said, had there been such a polarization of power, and it was between democracy and dictatorship" (p. 68).

From the moment that the United States realized it was assuming Britain's historical role, it had a major rival, an effective restraint on its power, in the form of the Soviet Union. It wasn't until 1991 that the United States had undisputed global mastery. Ten years later, its power was to be greatly reduced in the aftermath and uncertainty of Sept. 11, with its economic power diminishing and its ability to definitively win its wars coming into question.

Other reasons

There are also other reasons why the British Empire and Commonwealth fulfill the prophecy about Ephraim.

Consider the political nature of the Empire compared to the United States.

The United States is a federation, one country composed of 50 states, that are all very similar to each other. The British Empire and Commonwealth was truly a multitude of nations, each one different from the others, each with its own government. The only connection between them was, and remains, the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II remains head of the Commonwealth, the successor organization to the Empire.

This unique political system is illustrated beautifully in the film A Queen Is Crowned, a documentary narrated by the late Sir Laurence Olivier, made shortly after the queen's coronation on June 2, 1953. At the time, the British Empire and Commonwealth, though in decline, was still a major political and military force.

Following the coronation, the queen left Westminster Abbey followed by the prime ministers of the independent countries of the Commonwealth. These included India and Pakistan, which had come to blows following independence in 1947, both still members of the organization. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia and Ceylon were other independent countries that were present.

Of course, the British prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill, was also in the parade of dignitaries that followed the monarch into the wet streets of London.

In the decade that followed, most of the colonies (ultimately ruled from London) were given independence but chose to remain in the Commonwealth. As an organization of independent countries, the Commonwealth ceased to be militarily relevant. But at the height of its power, the British Empire was truly a multitude of nations. The prime ministers of each of the independent countries within the Empire met on a regular basis to coordinate policy, especially in the area of defense.

Even today, 16 of the Commonwealth's 54 member nations still recognize Queen Elizabeth as their own head of state, principally Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Also consider investment. It was recently announced that London is once again the world's leading financial center. For over two centuries it held that role before losing it to New York after World War II.

The two-volume definitive work on British economic power is British Imperialism by P.J. Cain and A.G. Hopkins, published in 1993. It's absolutely staggering how great London's economic power was. The British not only developed all the nations of the empire, they were also the greatest investors (and developers) of the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and the Chinese and Ottoman Empires in the 19th and well into the 20th centuries. It was a London bank that financed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Often, there's a great deal in a biblical name. Whereas Ephraim, which means "fruitful," could apply to either Britain or the United States, Manasseh, which means "causing to forget" or "forgetful," aptly describes the United States. Americans have often been described as the most forgetful nation on earth, rapidly forgetting and forgiving former enemies and routinely failing to learn the lessons of history.

Finally, it should also be pointed out that it simply doesn't work the other way around. If the United States is Ephraim, the multitude of nations, Britain could hardly be described as the great single nation that was also prophesied. Without its empire, Britain is no longer a great power.

When we examine this issue, the traditional explanation, identifying the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth as Ephraim and the United States as Manasseh, is the only one that works. The scriptures clearly show this with the wording, "He set Ephraim before Manasseh" (Genesis 48:20). British power came before American power.

Time may have diminished the full import of this, but a closer look at history establishes the truth of the Victorian understanding of the world in which they lived.