Over the years in the Church of God, mountains of information have been produced in the form of magazines, books, booklets, reprint articles, questions and answers, lectures, Bible studies, sermons (live and on audio, video and DVD) and information on web sites. This has all taken much work and effort and has been provided to help, instruct and edify church members in their journey towards the Kingdom of God.

History has told us that many have not listened, or if they have, it was either only for a period of time or they were never really interested anyway. Of course, some who may have shown some initial interest may not have been called at that time, but for those who were called and baptized and fully embraced the new way of life, failure to listen could prove disastrous to their long term future!

Spiritual deafness can be caused by a lack of conviction in the first place (Ezekiel 33:31-33), disobedience (Matthew 7:26-27), shallowness (Matthew 13:18-21), hardness of heart (Luke 16:27-31), forgetfulness (James 1:22-24), indifference (Matthew 22:1-5) and rebellion (Ezekiel 12:1-2).

But while we may not always listen to God through His Word and His ministry, God always listens to us, except, when we rebel against Him and refuse to repent. Then, we are told, God will not listen to us, Isaiah 59:1-2. But barring this, God is available every second of every day and will not turn a deaf ear to His people. Prayer is the way we communicate with our Creator, and we see that our prayers are important to God (Revelation 5:8).

It is also very important that church members listen to each other and even to good advice from those “outside” the church. There is a classic Biblical case of someone listening to instruction. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, saw that Moses dealt with the people from morning to night, and he offered him some very wise advice (Exodus 18:17-24). By heeding that wise counsel, Moses, who was the leader of the nation and not too proud to heed advice, was able to benefit, as was the nation of Israel. He had a humble and approachable attitude and one that we can learn from. Too often, some have not only discounted advice from those who may have seen them heading in a wrong direction, but have refused to listen at all. Being easily entreated is a splendid Biblical principle that we can all benefit from.

Do we listen? Hopefully the answer is yes — and on an ongoing basis. We are to listen to God through His Word and His ministry, and to each other, as we help and encourage each other in our mutual journey towards eternal life. And in the meantime, we can take a lesson from the way that God works — He listens attentively to us. That’s the finest example we could possibly have.

After much argument and debate with politicians of every persuasion filling television screens, radio airwaves and newsprint, we have seen a Labour government in the UK elected for a third time. Multiple millions of pounds have been spent on posters, advertisements, meetings, travel and manifestos by the parties and their candidates, as part of the process to persuade a somewhat reluctant and skeptical general British public to vote for them. Each party promised better things in many areas including, among others, the economy, education, health care, crime, law and order, and immigration. The war in Iraq was a negative factor for the government, but they managed to win power in spite of the concerns of many people.

We have long understood that true Christians should not be involved in the political process and should not vote in governmental elections (see Update 76, January 2004), irrespective of circumstances.

We only need to look at any candidate standing in any constituency for any party at any election at any time, and ask ourselves whether they are promoting the true Christian message? Ever since we have been having political elections, it has never happened anywhere, in any age, in any country and at any time. There never seems to be the approach of esteeming others better than self and promoting peace and harmony between candidates. The process is one of employing whatever means possible, including at times an assortment of dirty tricks, to ensure the acquisition of power. And when in power, in spite of their best attempts, not one politician has all the answers to the seemingly insurmountable problems that confront them.

The only solution is the soon coming Kingdom of God, when political election processes will not be an issue any longer. We won’t see any more voting, arguments and counter arguments with fallible human beings in charge of their nations’ affairs. Rather, we will experience an all powerful Jesus Christ ruling in an autocratic but loving way in the best interests of all of earth’s inhabitants.

Mr. Herbert Armstrong summed it up best, when he wrote in his book, “Tomorrow …What It Will Be Like,” on pages 101/102:

“Christ, the King of kings. Perfect in character, absolute in honesty, integrity, faithfulness and trust; filled with outgoing concern for the governed – their welfare and salvation; total knowledge, understanding, wisdom. Complete love, mercy, patience, kindness, compassion, forgiveness. Yet, possessing total power, and never compromising one millionth of an inch with His perfect law – which is the way of love. He will enforce God’s Law – God’s government on earth. He will compel haughty, carnal, rebellious humans to yield in complete submission to God’s government.”

The difference between what is practiced today and what will be the norm in the Kingdom of God is incalculable. And we should be eternally grateful that fallible human beings, however genuine their intentions, will no longer be responsible for any governmental responsibilities. God speed that day!

Over the last several decades, the institution of marriage has come under intense pressure as more and more people, both young and old alike, have opted for co-habiting. My wife and I have just celebrated our ruby (40th) wedding anniversary. Over the years of our marriage we have seen the unfortunate changes in society where a more selfish and ungodly approach has become the norm. Unfortunately, many who do get married don’t remain in that God-ordained union.

At present, most of Britain’s 42 million adults are married, but the Government Actuary’s Department predicts that the British society will change significantly over the next two decades. By 2011, just 46% of women and 48% of men will be married in Britain.

Divorce statistics are very revealing. In the UK in 1961, there were 27,000 divorces and yet, 41 years later, in 2002, the figure has risen to 160,000. In the United States, in 1999 there were 8.4 marriages and 4.2 divorces per 1,000 total population, and in the year 2000, there were 21 million divorces. And now, according to one web site, divorce statistics are no longer collated in America. The rest of the world tends to follow, to one degree or another, these unfortunate trends. These statistics cannot possibly relate the sum total of human suffering that is generated by divorce. Perhaps that is a significant factor, but certainly not the only one, for those opting for co-habitation. A senior counselor at Relate, a UK relationship charity, said that many people cannot see the point of marriage since the loss of tax breaks and better rights for unmarried fathers make co-habitation “more appealing.” And, of course, the religious aspect of marriage no longer seems relevant in an increasingly secular society.

Right at the dawn of civilization, God instructed that “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Genesis 2:24). There was no instruction for, or acceptance of, co-habitation, which is a state where there is no real evidence of marital commitment and where therefore fornication takes place. We are told to flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18).

When my wife and I were married in 1965, we expected our marriage to last until “death do us part” and we still do believe in this. Unfortunately today, it seems that marriage only lasts until the first sign of trouble. Divorce has been made relatively easy and so many don’t seem to want to work through their problems, instead taking what they think is the easier option.

The spiritual application of marriage is totally lost on an ungodly society which simply has little or no interest in the Creator. In Ephesians 5:22-33 we see that the Christian marriage of a husband and wife has a spiritual application to Christ and the Church. This is further confirmed in Revelation 19:7 where we are told that the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) has come and His wife (the Church) has made herself ready.

How sad that humans (seemingly) think that they know better than the One Who created them. As a consequence, they have to endure all of the misery and suffering that is the legacy of ignoring the wise advice freely available in the Bible. Irrespective of changes in society and the development of new cultural norms and attitudes, the institution of marriage between a man and a woman is holy and was created by God.

Everything else is just an ungodly counterfeit.

When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of its depravity (compare Genesis 18 and 19), Lot lingered (Genesis 19:16), rather than fleeing from such an ungodly place. But eventually sanity prevailed, and Lot, his wife and his daughters escaped from the scene of such ungodliness. Lot’s wife, however, “looked back” and died (Genesis 19:26). While there are a number of aspects of this story that could be discussed, I want to just briefly mention two of them in this editorial.

First, it seemed that Lot and his family had become so accustomed to wrong behavior and a society that had strayed so far from the way of God, that escaping from such a place seemed madness, so much so, that Lot’s sons-in-law thought he was joking (Genesis 19:14). Apparently, even righteous Lot did not think that God would actually DESTROY the place. So, why should they flee? For example, today homosexuality is considered an alternative life style rather than the perversion and the abomination that the Bible describes. No doubt, many of the attitudes displayed today are a reflection of the same sort of attitudes that prevailed around 4,000 years ago in Sodom and Gomorrah. Nothing, it would appear, seems to change! But the place was obviously a hotbed of sin of all descriptions. Lot and his family were to forsake the city emotionally as well as physically, and were to loathe it as God loathed it. Do we feel the same about the Sodom and Gomorrah-type-society that we live in, and loathe its many sins?

Second, it is obvious that such reluctance to flee the place was because they accepted the society which afforded them a pleasant life and a comfortable standard of living. Even though Lot “tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:8), he still had chosen to dwell and stay there (same verse), because of the wealth it had to offer (compare Genesis 13:9-11). As an Englishman abroad at present, currently in southern California for the Church conference, I have, yet again, been reminded that this is truly a land flowing with milk and honey, probably much greater than that promised to ancient Israel (compare Deuteronomy 6:3). There is a super abundance of everything which just seems to be taken for granted by so many. But, do we trust in our riches and have we set our hearts on them, so much so, that we would be unwilling to leave them behind, if God were to require it?

Let us remember these two important lessons that can easily be forgotten:

(1) We must not accept ungodly behavior, irrespective of what is happening around us and what society deems to be acceptable.

(2) While we must never take for granted the many blessings that God constantly gives to us all, we must never set our hearts on physical things. A godly attitude in every aspect of our life will enable us to obey God and to cope with whatever faces us in the future. Failure to trust God as we should will prove to be a recipe for disaster.

1 Corinthians 10:11 sums it up perfectly: “Now all these things happened to them as examples and were written for our admonition….” Let us be among those who learn from history, which is something that rarely seems to happen.

Christmas has come and gone, but now the world will have its New Year celebrations. Here in the UK, as in many other parts around the world, parties will abound on December 31, 2004, and January 1, 2005. The Scots have a special long rich heritage associated with this event. They have their own name for it — “Hogmanay.”

One of the websites, which gives the background to Hogmanay, states the following: “And it is worth remembering that January 2nd is a holiday in Scotland as well as the first day of the year — to give us all time to recover from a week of merry-making and celebration, all part of Scotland’s fascinating cultural legacy of ancient customs and traditions surrounding the pagan festival of Hogmanay.”

Did you catch it? The pagan festival of Hogmanay! There was a time when the mention of paganism brought about a gasp of shock and horror, but no longer. Paganism, in all its many ways, is in its most simplistic form the antithesis of true reverence and acceptance of the one true God. It is now paraded as an acceptable form of worship, and, like so many other things, resistance to that which God clearly condemns in His Word, is seen as intolerance.

While Christmas is viewed by many people in today’s society as having a Christian connection, however loosely (although it really does not have one), New Year’s celebrations are a time when no church attendance is required in many “Christian” nations. It is just a time of unabashed personal indulgence.

But what is “New Year’s Day”? In simplistic terms, it is merely the passing of one day and the dawning of another. It is also based on the Roman calendar — a human invention — and not on God’s Calendar, as used in Scripture. But “New Year’s Day” seems to have “magical” qualities to many –“qualities” that will not be championed by those who know God’s Word. The Bible clearly reveals what days are to be kept holy. Neither December 25th nor January 1st fall into that category. If you are unsure about such matters, please read our booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.” This booklet reveals God’s truth — unlike the pagan observances of this world.

It really does matter – to God – which days we keep holy. Christmas and New Year’s Day are not among them. God, who clearly reveals in His Word the days we are to keep (see Leviticus 23), is the source of all knowledge and the One whom we should obey. No other course of action is acceptable in His sight.

Images of death are all around us. We switch on the television news and right there in our living rooms are images of people dying or being killed, with all the trauma and upset that the bereaved go through. We pick up a newspaper and similar images assail us. We can become somewhat anaesthetized by the regularity of pain and suffering of others. But, when it comes close to home, our focus and attention are sharpened.

Both my wife and I have lost our fathers this year. They were “old and full of years”; nevertheless, when it happened, it was still a painful experience. More recently, two deaths occurred in our local congregation – after much suffering that preceded them.

While those of us who have been called into the Church and have been given the precious knowledge of God’s truth still grieve for the loss of a loved one, the understanding of future events is most comforting. Uniquely, we know that our loved ones who have never been called in this life will have their first opportunity, and those who died in the faith will be in God’s Kingdom at the first resurrection. What fabulous knowledge!

At the Feast of Tabernacles in England this year, we had a most marvelous piece of special music titled, “New Heavens, New Earth.” The words, “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There will be no more pain,” are taken from Revelation 21:4. What knowledge could be more inspiring? The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26), and death is to be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). We know that death is an enemy that will be removed.

When a family member, a relative, a church member, a friend or an acquaintance dies, we can be saddened and it can weigh heavily on our minds. We also understand, however, that life here and now is temporary, and that our great Creator God has so much more in store for us in the future. We have to have that vision – and how comforting that can be.

Recently in the U.K., the Butler report on the Iraq war was released to the public. Lord Butler concluded that in spite of billions of pounds spent, scores of British soldiers killed, 11,500 civilians dead, no weapons of mass destruction found, no immediate threat proven, flawed intelligence, Parliament and the British public having been misled — no one was to blame.

It appears that it is never our fault. Today, taking responsibility for our actions is so rare that it provokes comment. As one commentator said, “It is a cruel irony of modern life that the only people who can regularly be relied on to accept – indeed, to claim – responsibility for their actions are terrorist bombers. Elsewhere, in almost every sphere of activity, society seems to be in retreat, in denial.” However, while terrorists who bomb innocent civilian targets usually do accept responsibility for doing their terrible deed, they then blame the target for what they’ve done. For example, the 9/11 attacks in New York “had” to be carried out because of the “great Satan” (America).

Where did this all begin? Right at the dawn of civilization! Right at the beginning – where else? Genesis 3: 12 states: “Then the man said, ’The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.'”

The first man, Adam, said in effect, “It’s not my fault – YOU, God, made the woman – it’s all Your fault – here I was, after naming the animals, You took a rib out of me while I was asleep and made the woman – and she made me do it. SHE gave me the fruit – it’s not my fault! And if You hadn’t allowed the serpent into the garden, none of this would have happened!” Doesn’t that approach sound rather familiar?

And in the following verse, it states: “And the Lord God said to the woman, “‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ’The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'”

Now Eve climbs on the “no fault” bandwagon. No hint of apology or admission of wrongdoing. No sign of it whatsoever from either Adam or Eve. And that’s where the attitude of “It’s not my fault” all started from. It has shown no signs of abating in the last 6,000 years, although there have been honorable people, at times, who admitted when they were wrong. There have been some who have taken responsibility for the consequences of their actions. But they were the exceptions — and today, we live in a “no blame,” “no fault” society where other things or other people are the problem – never the self. That is how the world reacts and behaves. It is a blatantly dishonest approach when people are clearly at fault. But human nature, being what it is, doesn’t like to admit guilt.

Our approach — the approach of truly converted Christians — must be diametrically opposite. When we are wrong, we should admit our failings and guilt. Anything other than that would be lying – and therefore breaking one of the Ten Commandments. We may look at the ways of this world and make the commitment not to follow them. We are to be different – and this is just one area that proves the point.

Next time we are wrong on some matter and we may think – even for just a fraction of a second — that we can get out of it, by blaming someone or something else, let us remember that we will have to give account to God for OUR actions and reactions. That should really motivate us to admit our wrongs and change for the better. Let us not deceive ourselves. When we sin, it is our fault!

I recently returned from a two week holiday where I was able to rest, relax and read. I did quite a lot of reading, including newspaper reports of both domestic and international matters. It reminded me that the frog in boiling water was alive and kicking. We have written about this syndrome before, but for those few who have not heard the story about this creature, it is worth briefly repeating — and it can even serve as a reminder to those of us who have used this expression in the past. Being cold blooded means that frogs are unable to regulate their body temperature independently of their environment. As the water was heated, almost imperceptibly, the frog in the water didn’t know what was happening. It was boiled alive, as the temperature increased. Isn’t that an almost perfect description of the way society has progressed over eons of time, but particularly in more recent years?

With the hectic pace of life today, we generally may only have time to review things superficially, without looking at the profound consequences of a deterioration in standards of personal and family life. This is certainly true in the UK, where we observe an increasing legislative process, which generally doesn’t favor standards of normalcy and decency. The UK, as well as other Western European nations, is also swamped with governmental intrusion where there should be no influence. If we add to this the pressure groups which promote Biblically unacceptable practices, we find that the mix is less than encouraging. The man in the street generally accepts these changes with little opposition because they come so very slowly. If they came apace, there would be much more adverse reaction. Satan knows how to manipulate society, but God’s people are not to be ignorant of his ploys (2 Corinthians 2:11).

On my vacation, I read of so many situations where God and His way were not considered, were ignored or summarily dismissed as irrelevant. God’s people have to be aware of the story about the frog in boiling water. Because of our hectic lifestyles, we can be so busy that we can become less and less perceptible to this crafty Satanic approach. We do need to make time to review what is going on and to make sure that we are not caught unawares. Let us always remember that frog!

In the last few weeks, the flag of St George, the patron saint of England, has been seen flying from houses and cars across England. The reason is that England has been playing in the European Cup along with 15 other finalists in the football (soccer) competition that has gripped the whole of Europe. This competition, held in Portugal and which occurs every four years, has been top of the news agenda across the UK and the continent.

But there are those in England who believe that this football competition has come at a time when an excuse or a reason has been found to show the nation that they are English and proud of it. The problem has been that through the innate fair play of the average “Brit,” the political correctness of the liberals and the establishment have taken advantage of the locals and that fair play appears to be shown to everyone except those members of the indigenous population. The British culture has been subjugated to accommodate every other culture which then seems to be given preference over that which the “locals” have enjoyed for many a long century. As one commentator remarked recently, “It is only since the sixties that the reformers have sought to change the country to suit the supposed wishes of migrants, rather than requiring migrants to conform to local customs.”

Some companies have told their employees not to fly these English flags from their cars, because it might offend others forgetting that it is indeed England where they live. So many of the “Brits” in general – and the English in this particular case – have become so fed up with being told that they can’t do this, that, or the other in their own country because foreigners in their midst could be offended, that a mini-backlash seems to have occurred. It is not certain that many even realize it, but a football competition has been the catalyst for so many to proudly display their national identity. While in this context I am writing about the English, it may well have been a chance for others in the UK – the Scots, Irish or Welsh – to do the same had such an opportunity arisen.

Some of this may well be a backlash to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 28:43 – which are the curses for disobedience – and which states that “the alien (stranger) who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. Also Hosea 7:9 paints a similar picture – “Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it…”

The way of God is not understood, prophecy is dismissed and the nation goes from bad to worse. Only the return of Christ will sort out the mess that envelops the UK and the rest of the world. Then, the people of the world will have identity – not the national identity displayed by flags on houses and cars, but identity as the people of God in a society where all people will be treated fairly irrespective of nationality.