In the first part of this series, we looked at the need to not give up on our calling, and we will continue to review further information, which applies to Matthew 24:13, and which is to the point: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”   Perseverance is vital for true Christians.

As mentioned in our Q&A “Once Saved, Always Saved?”: 

“In Hebrews 2:1 we read: ‘Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.’ Proponents of the ‘once saved, always saved’ concept try to minimise what disqualified really means but in 2 Corinthians 13:5 we read: ‘Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified (adikomos).’  Therefore, if you are disqualified, Jesus Christ is not (any longer) in you which is something that must be, in order to be a true Christian.”

Anyone who becomes disqualified will not “endure to the end” (compare Matthew 24:13).

The Expositor’s Greek Testament comments that “The implied truth underlying this test is that there will be ample time for a full curriculum of trial testing character and sifting the true from the false or temporary Christian.”

A number of Commentaries mention that the end, referred to in Matthew 24:13, can mean the destruction of Jerusalem but some allow that this can be also for a Christian’s life-span.

The Pulpit Commentary states “the end” means primarily the destruction of Jerusalem, and the salvation promised is safety in that day of peril. It is believed that no Christians perished in the siege or after it (see ver. 16). But τέλος, being here used without the article (differently from verse 6 and 14), must not be restricted to one allusion, but must be taken more generally, as indeed a universal axiom, equivalent to ‘finally,’ as long as endurance is needed.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible has this to say: “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved – The word ‘end,’ here, has by some been thought to mean the destruction of Jerusalem, or the end of the Jewish economy, and the meaning has been supposed to be ‘he that perseveres in bearing these persecutions to the end of the wars shall be safe. God will protect his people from harm, so that not a hair of the head shall perish.’ Others, with more probability, have referred this to final salvation, and refer the end to the close of life.”

From other warnings in God’s Word, it is clear that we have to stay firm to our calling until the end of our life and not just for a temporary period of time.

In Matthew 24:9-12, Jesus talks about the signs of the times and the end of the age, and in verse 13 we read about the trials true Christians will have to endure with the requirement of staying firm until the end:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:9-13).

In Colossians 1:21-23, we read about the apostle Paul reminding the brethren, both then and now, that we have to continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and that we must not be a lukewarm “Christian” who has strayed far from the course that God intends that we pursue earnestly. It reads: 

^“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

The book of Hebrews has a number of references which we all ought to heed.

In Hebrews 3:6 is an admonition to our continuance to the end: “… but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”

This continues in verses 12-14, where it talks about the possibility of Church members departing from the living God, but that they need to be steadfast to the end:

^“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,”

Later, in Hebrews 6:15, when talking about Abraham, we read: “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Had Abraham not patiently endured, he would not have obtained the promise. Endurance is vital.

And in Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”  Wavering is not an option, but endurance is, as we read in verse 36: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”

We further read: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

The challenges that the early Church and its members had to overcome were to remain faithful to Jesus Christ despite the persecution that would follow and has followed down through the ages until the present time where there will still be great challenges in the future before Christ returns to earth to set things right.

In 2 John 1:8 we read: “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.”   That can only happen if we are faithful until the end of our life or until Christ returns, if we are still alive at that time.

There are several promises to the churches in the book of Revelation, which should be encouraging to us (our emphasis by underlining): 

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).   Faithfulness to God is a requirement, and the only conclusion from this verse is that those who were being saved, but weren’t faithful unto death, would not receive the crown of life!

“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (Revelation 2:26). The very obvious indication here is that those who don’t overcome and don’t keep His works until the end will not be in the Kingdom of God and will not have power over the nations.

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (Revelation 3:10-11).  It is a command of God to persevere as the Scripture here clearly reveals.

The real Christian life is a life of overcoming, of spiritual growing. The concept of “once saved, always saved” is clearly wrong and unscriptural as we have previously proved, and we need to persevere with the Way of Life to which we have been called and make sure that we are faithful to God to the end—that is death or to the return of Christ if we are still alive at that time.

We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first: Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

This verse states quite categorically that “the dead in Christ shall rise first”; that is, they will be part of the firstfruits. They will then together with those who are still alive at that time and who will be changed into immortality “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52), meet Christ in the air.  No one is included in this list who has not remained faithful to his Christian calling as they would not “be in Christ,” thus totally negating any false notion that this would include those who had not been faithful to the end.

Anyone who has been called, baptised and received the gift of the Holy Spirit and who does not remain steadfast to the end will not make it into the Kingdom of God.   We may get discouraged and depressed at times, but this must be overcome, or we will be spiritually aborted, with no future to look forward to.   Any current discomfort is but for a time, and the future that we are aiming for is eternity with our great God.   There is no comparison between the two, and we should always remember this at any time when we might waver in our Christian commitment.

We can see so much evidence in the Word of God that we have to be persistent in our love for God and the Way of Life that He has set out for us to live.   Our continual emphasis on this matter is because the ministry has a responsibility to guide and direct God’s people in the direction towards making it into the soon coming Kingdom of God.  We have quoted Matthew 24:13 about enduring to the end, but in the previous verse (verse 12) we read “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

In the final paragraph of our Q&A entitled “How can there be a “Great Falling Away in the Church of God prior to Christ’s return?”, we read: 

“We must continue to be zealous, steadfast and committed to God and His Word until the very end (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Hebrews 3:14). If we do, then God will protect and save us from the deceptions around us, so that we will NOT drift away (Hebrews 2:1), turn away from God and depart from Him (Hebrews 12:25; 3:12), fall through disobedience (Hebrews 4:11) and lose our salvation (Hebrews 2:3; 10:26-31).”

For us who are Christians, enduring to the end is not an option but an absolute must.  Pain, problems, discouragement and depression are problems that are temporary, but quitting lasts forever.   Let us always keep that in mind!

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

This is a good question, and it is an important issue that needs attention as it can have eternal consequences when it is not rightly understood.   It can be misleading for those who believe the concept that “once saved, always saved” is biblical.

One commentator, promulgating this erroneous concept states that, “If salvation can be lost, this requires a reversal of regeneration. This means the born again must become unborn again. And if they subsequently repent, then they must become born again again. Can a man also be born again again again? Where does it end? Is regeneration really so transient?”

The simple basic flaw in this argument is that its supporters believe that they are born again now.   It is also often the case that such a belief goes hand in hand with going to heaven at death.

The true Church of God has consistently taught that we are begotten in this life and will be born again at the resurrection.

It is interesting to note that, many years ago, a well-known British entertainer said that when he became a Christian, he asked what this would entail.   He was told that he would not have to change anything in his life but to just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Many have been fed that lie over the years, and it goes hand in hand with the “once saved always saved” approach.

We have consistently written about what becoming a true Christian really entails.   When someone “gives his heart to the Lord,” there is usually no reference to Acts 2:38 which states: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’  Repentance, baptism by immersion and receipt of the Holy Spirit are the beginnings of conversion, plus living the rest of one’s life pleasing in the sight of God by keeping His Commandments.

Interestingly, Mr Michael Link wrote an editorial, “Once Saved, Always Saved” in 2014, and he made these very relevant comments about staying faithful to the end of our lives or Christ’s return:

“And in Revelation 2:10 Christ tells us to ‘be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’

“What is given to us can also be taken away.  When we turn back, we will lose what had been offered to us. Only when we overcome until the end, will we be saved (Matthew 24:13; Revelation 2:26).  This is a lifelong process that God requires of us: to be faithful continuously, to pray continuously, to be vigilant and strong continuously, to give comfort and love to one another continuously, to put ALL trust and confidence in Him continuously, and to obey Him continuously.  When we continue to do all of that until the end, then we will be saved.” 

In addition, we published a two-part series a few years ago showing that the “Once Saved Always Saved” concept believed by many in mainstream Christianity is a false erroneous belief.  We will quote briefly as appropriate from these Q&A’s, and they can be retrieved and reviewed in full via the following links:

https://www.eternalgod.org/q-is-it-correct-to-say-once-saved-always-saved-or-can-true-christians-lose-their-salvation-part-1/   and 

https://www.eternalgod.org/q-is-it-correct-to-say-once-saved-always-saved-or-can-true-christians-lose-their-salvation-part-2/

We give this explanation: 

1.  We are saved now.   After we repent and are baptised, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).   At that point, we are saved from the penalty of death from our past sins.   However, it doesn’t mean that we are finally saved and that we could not lose the salvation which we did receive.

2.      We are being saved – it is a process of growing in grace and knowledge.

3.      To be finally saved, we must endure to the end.

For very good reason, we continue to stress the necessity to remain faithful to “The Way” to which we have been called to live to the end of our lives, or to the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.   Nothing less will do.  Matthew 24:13 is a very important verse that some may feel is not particularly relevant as they believe that once someone is “saved,” they are “always saved”.   Nevertheless, this is vital information that we ignore at our peril: “ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

However, there is a consideration which we will also address in part three of this series about when dementia strikes and many can lose their memory and don’t recognize any longer their calling.

In Revelation 3:11, is further evidence that we must not give up on our calling: “Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” This verse clearly shows that we can lose out and can lose our crown.

It has been said that pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever.   Never could this be more so than in the life of a true Christian.   Doesn’t that truly sum up what we have to avoid at all costs? 

Everyone reading this Q&A will, no doubt,  have had their fair share of trials in life; perhaps many are still struggling with difficulties, maybe some life-threatening problems, but we know that God will not test us more than we are able to bear as it states in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which reads in full: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

What does quitting mean, and why is it something that so many have done down through the ages?   Doesn’t that truly sum up what we have to avoid at all costs?   Quitting lasts forever, especially in the Christian life!  This has happened to those who have been baptised in the Church of God right down through the ages and we may all have seen this in more recent times.  But however low we may feel at any time, quitting this Way of Life is not the answer.

Discouragement at times happened to some of the great men in the Old Testament, for example, Moses, Job, Elijah, David, Jonah and Jeremiah.  Such discouragement was temporary, something that we can all feel at times, but they all picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and got on with it, as we must do if we ever find ourselves in such a situation.

In Matthew 26:55-56 we read that “In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “’Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” Not just some of the disciples but ALL of them fled.   They must have been massively discouraged, but the Scriptures show that this was temporary and that they didn’t quit. Perhaps in their heart of hearts, they fully understood that quitting does indeed last forever.  It was not the disciples’ finest hour but they regrouped to do the Work that was laid out before them, and didn’t quit.

These examples were about temporary discouragement that we can all feel, but they realised that this was the way to go, and they spent the rest of their lives thoroughly involved with the Work that they were instructed to pursue.

We just cannot afford to quit, whatever our circumstances.   Let us review just some of the verses that show that if we do quit, we can lose our opportunity in the Kingdom of God.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, we read a passage of Scripture where Paul shows that he could miss out or be disqualified:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

The sub-heading of this passage in some Bibles is “striving for a crown,” showing that the apostle Paul was still striving until the end of his life and did not intend to quit before the finish line.   This shows that he knew the reward was an eternal gift that was worth all of the effort needed now.

This clearly shows that we are in a race, but it is not a sprint or a short race. It is more like a marathon where we spend the rest of our lives, from genuine repentance and baptism at the outset, to passing the winning post at the end of our lives in order to receive an imperishable crown. 

Putting this in comparison with our calling, athletes give themselves completely to their physical race as we should do with our spiritual race.  The analogies, that is a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect, can be helpful and serve as an aid in understanding and comprehension of any given situation.  It is certainly an excellent comparison that is reliable to all of us.

We have to live the Way of Life to which we have been called, renouncing the world and its ways and not being diverted in any way from our chosen path.   As athletes untiringly pursued their course, so must we.   We must not grow weary over the years; particularly, when we have the winning line in our sights.

We read further about this giant, Paul, in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 with the sub-heading this time in some Bibles being “Paul’s Valedictory” which means “bidding farewell”:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Paul said that he had finished the race. He had been faithful to the end. He had made it, showing that it was necessary to do these things throughout his life – even to the very end.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale

In the first part of this Q&A, we started our review about why God continually condemns arrogance.  We mentioned that the words arrogance, arrogant, proud, and haughty are mentioned over 200 times in the New International Version, and that they are all interconnected in their meaning.   God resists the proud, as we read in 1 Peter 5:5: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

In the Book of Psalms are found many references to those traits that God does not approve of.   Psalm 5:5 reads: “The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.”   Boastful, that is self-praising, boasting and bragging, exhibiting self-importance, reflects arrogance that God totally disapproves of; therefore, His people should steer clear of any such behaviour.   This is further supported by Psalm 75:4: “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.’”

Further such injunctions are found in Psalm 94:4: “They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.”   Also, Psalm 119:21 reads: “You rebuke the proud—the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.”

Being arrogant, proud, boastful and haughty are traits, that, if not repented of, will ensure that we will not be in the Kingdom of God as God hates these characteristics.   The world and its ways can rub off, even on the people of God, so we had better be very careful about the way we live our lives and ensure that we are not guilty in such matters.

Of course, some even accuse true Christians of arrogance. One such accusation on a forum stated that “Religions in many ways are indistinguishable from fascism, where one’s value comes not from oneself, but from your status as part of something much greater. As such, it encourages and rewards extreme arrogance: nothing so deadly as a righteous man.”

Maybe that could apply in some cases, and we all have to be careful that, because God has called us out of this world, we don’t have such a mindset.  If we are one of God’s people who follow His instructions on how to live His Way of Life, that accusation could not be made against us as we would be guilty of doing that of which God disapproves and would disqualify us as one of God’s people anyway.

Further criticism against God is that He was arrogant when He spoke to Job, as we read in Job 38:4: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,” and in the rest of the chapter, God “revealed His Omnipotence to Job,” as the chapter heading in some Bibles reads.

Barnes Notes on the Bible observes: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? – The first appeal is to the creation. The question here, ‘Where wast thou?’ implies that Job was not present. He had not then an existence. He could not, therefore, have aided God, or counselled him, or understood what he was doing. How presumptuous, therefore, it was in one so short-lived to sit in judgment on the doings of him who had formed the world!”

The allegation that God was arrogant is made null and void when we see the context and know that God is love which is the very antithesis of arrogance (compare 1 John 4:8,16).

Another criticism is that Christians believe that theirs is the only true religion.   What about all of the other faiths – aren’t they equally important?   And isn’t it arrogant for Christians to believe that they are the only ones with the truth?   It is interesting that since the dawn of civilization, man has gravitated towards pagan gods of stone and there are many instances of this.   One such is the example of Solomon as we read in 1 Kings 11:4-8: “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David.  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.  And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

Even Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived (except for Jesus Christ), resorted to idol worship, and it can be guaranteed that the master of deception, Satan the devil was at the heart of such behaviour.   After all, he is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4; Authorized Version) and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

We further read in Acts 4:12: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” which clearly tells us that all the other religions in this world are false.   Is it arrogance to believe that?   It is, surely, just a matter of believing what the great Creator of the Bible states in His Word, which can never be construed as arrogance.

Having arrogance is a deeply unlovely trait, and when we hear someone displaying this characteristic, it can, and it must be, something that reinforces our belief that in no way must we behave in such a manner.

It should be obvious to readers of the Bible that God approves of behaviour that is in line with what He is – God is love as was mentioned before.  We read in 1 John 4:7-8: “ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born (begotten) of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

God the Father Who created us all is perfect.  The second member of the God Family, the Logos or Word and Who became Jesus Christ, is also perfect.   As perfect beings, they make no errors or mistakes and are the epitome of love as the above Scripture reveals.   We can be the same through the power of the Holy Spirit which we are given after repentance and baptism.   We read in John 1:12: “ But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

We have taken the long route to answer the question thoroughly, although there may be those who think that this is not necessary for the people of God.   However, because we have the knowledge of God’s Way which most people discard or ignore today, there could be a tendency, if we’re not careful, that this might give us a superior feeling or arrogance which would be dangerous.   We must not forget that the religious people in Jesus’ time did make considerable mistakes in this area.   We read in the first part of this two-part series, in Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector where superiority and arrogance were shown by the outwardly religious man but who seemed to feel superior to everyone else.

Wherever self is mentioned, we had better be very careful, but one area that is vitally important is that of self-assessment.   In 1 Corinthians 11:27-28, we are instructed as follows: “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  In verses 23 to 26 of the same chapter is the institution of the New Testament Passover and the necessity to examine ourselves before taking it.   In 2 Corinthians 13:5 is a further instruction to examine ourselves: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” Therefore, this self-assessment or investigation is a vital and necessary part of our Christian lives.

Apart from this pre-Passover requirement (which should be ongoing throughout the year) is the requirement of fasting on the Day of Atonement.  We read the following in our booklet “The Meaning of God’s Fall Holy Days”: “Leviticus 23:27 gives the following command on the Day of Atonement: ‘… It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls….’   The Hebrew word for ‘afflict’ is ‘anah.’ It means, literally, ‘to lower’ or ‘to humble.’  Deuteronomy 8:3 sheds more light on the meaning of the Hebrew word, ‘anah.’ We read: ‘He humbled [‘anah’] you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna…’ We should note here the connection between being humbled and abstaining from food. Psalm 35:13 adds: ‘I humbled [‘anah’] myself with fasting.’”

Humbling oneself is the opposite of arrogance.  When fasting, arrogance is usually a trait that can disappear quite quickly, if it was there in the first place.   It is difficult to demonstrate an attitude of arrogance and superiority when you are being deprived of one of the basics of life – food. 

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, we read about a time of stress during the last days: “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,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

We have been warned!  The arrogance and haughtiness displayed by those outside the Church are traits that we must dismiss and not let any of this sort of behaviour rub off on us.   Love cannot exist where arrogance prevails as the two are completely incompatible.

Because continually exhibiting arrogance as a Way of Life is not the way that will lead to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. We all need to ensure that such a trait is one that we cannot be accused of.   If we have problems in this area, it is imperative to remove them as soon as possible; otherwise, we could fall short of what is required by God.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

Why is arrogance so condemned by God?   After all, some may think that it is merely an extension to self-confidence and we all need to be self-confident, don’t we?

On the website powerofpositivity, we read the following:

“A rather fine line exists between arrogance and self-confidence, separated only by empathy. An arrogant person feels they must assert their ego always to feel superior, while a self-confident person knows their worth without having to prove it. Arrogance points to low self-esteem because you feel threatened by other people and believe you must defend yourself. Confident people don’t have anything to show because they know their value.”  

They then quote Stewart Strafford as follows: “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, arrogance is when you think you are better than others and act accordingly. You could say that arrogance is false confidence and that the person displaying it is overcompensating for their inner inadequacies.” 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines arrogance as “having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude.”  

Many people look to self-help books, and to writers who have little or no knowledge about the Bible, and seek ways about how best to live and to improve their lives.  The Bible is not a book that most people will immediately refer to in such cases and will, therefore, miss out on the Godly wisdom that it has to offer.

Many people in the Western world today are aware of the story about Sodom and Gomorrah which is related in Genesis 19, and this rightly refers to the sin of homosexuality, naysayers notwithstanding, and we have covered this a number of times in our writings.   However, these inhabitants were guilty of other sins, as we read in Ezekiel 16:49: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”

In Proverbs 8:13, we read: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.”  Pride and arrogance are complementary to each other and are traits that God hates. As a brief side issue, pride is the word used in connection with wrong sexual practices: Wikipedia points out: “LGBT pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements.”

We are addressing in these two Q&As the wrong kind of pride—that of arrogant pride. We understand that there is also a right kind of pride (compare our Q&As on “Is Pride Always Condemned in the Bible?,” Parts 1 and 2). https://www.eternalgod.org/is-pride-always-condemned-in-the-bible-part-1/ and https://www.eternalgod.org/is-pride-always-condemned-in-the-bible-part-2/ )

In Proverbs 16:5, we read in the Amplified Bible: “Every one proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured – I pledge it — he will not go unpunished.”

Many websites state that the words arrogance, arrogant, proud, and haughty are mentioned over 200 times in the New International Version, and such statements emanating from God are not given approval.

Just a few examples in the Word of God will show what God thinks of an arrogant attitude.

We read in 1 Samuel 2:3 the prayer of Hannah after the birth and weaning of Samuel. Hannah exclaimed, by addressing the people: “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.”  Arrogancy, that is “claiming more than one’s due,” “assumption,” and “pride” are definitely not approved.

We know that King Nebuchadnezzar had a particular problem with arrogance and pride.   We read in Daniel 4:30: “The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’” Immediately, he heard the following: “While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!’” (verse 31).    Punishment was immediate, and we read his fate in verses 32-33.   However, after his punishment, he praised the Most High God (verses 34-37).  Arrogance is the total opposite of godliness as it promotes self above all others, even against God.    How apropos is the instruction in Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” “Haughty” is commonly defined as “arrogantly, superior and disdainful.”

In Isaiah 13:11, there is further information about arrogance and haughtiness: “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” The Pulpit Commentary observes: “I will punish the world for their evil. Here the prophecy certainly goes beyond the destruction of Babylon, and becomes a general warning to the wicked of all countries. Each country is to feel that its turn will come. Punishment will fall especially on the unjust, the proud, and the haughty (comp. Isaiah 1:28; Isaiah 2:11-17, etc.).”

Jeremiah 48:29 reveals pride that is ungodly: “We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.”   Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states: “…(he is exceedingly proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart; a heap of words to express the same thing, suggesting that the instances of his pride were many, and that it was exceeding great indeed: these many words were little enough; and indeed words were wanting fully to declare it” (our emphasis).

We further read in Proverbs 21:24: “A proud and haughty man—’Scoffer’ is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.”   Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary observes: “Pride and haughtiness make men passionate; such continually deal in wrath, as if it were their trade to be angry.”  

Self-promotion, which is bragging or otherwise attempting to make oneself appear greater, carries with it an attitude of superiority and arrogance. Proverbs 27:2 has the precise answer to such behaviour: “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.”  Further confirmation of this principle is found in 2 Corinthians 10:17-18: “But ‘he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’ For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”   Glorying in the Lord removes any arrogance or superiority and ensures that credit is given to the right source!

In the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14, we read that the right Godly attitude is rewarded rather than the arrogant, self-serving one: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

We read in Romans 12:3 that further instruction is given by the apostle Paul: “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”   Thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think is arrogance.

In the book of James, we read about forward planning but there is no mention of God being involved: “But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:16).   Planning is a good thing to do and God’s involvement removes arrogant or self-serving attitudes: “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

On February 23, 2024, time.com headlined an article, titled, “The Odysseus Lunar Landing Brings NASA One Step Closer to Putting Boots on the Moon.” It went on to say: “‘Today, for the first time in more than a half century, the U.S. has returned to the moon,’ said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a livestream that accompanied the landing. ‘Today, for the first time in the history of humanity, a commercial company and an American company launched and led the voyage up there.’ 

“Ever since NASA established its Artemis program in 2017, the space agency has made it clear that the new era of exploration will be much more ambitious. The goal is in part for American astronauts to establish at least a semi-permanent presence on the moon, with a mini-space station known as Gateway positioned in lunar orbit, allowing crews to shuttle to and from the surface. NASA also plans to create a south pole habitat that the crews could call home. And all of this will be done by a much more diverse corps of astronauts, with women and persons of color joining the all-white, all-male list of astronauts who traveled to the moon the first time around.”

On the nasa.gov website, we read this statement: 

“WHY WE ARE GOING TO THE MOON

“We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of all.”

While there is much positivity about such activities, Amitai Etzioni – an adviser to the Carter administration – countered some of the arguments for colonizing Mars and other planets in the Solar System (as put forth by luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk). Addressing the argument that humanity needed to do so to survive long-term, Etzioni wrote:

“[W]hat the droughts, the fires, the hot summers, and the melting glaciers call for is not an escape from Earth, but a redoubling of the efforts to save it… What is needed are major technological breakthroughs that will allow for protecting earth while sustaining a healthy level of economic activity… To make such breakthroughs we need major concentrations of research and development resources, talent, and leadership, all of which are in short supply. Hence, any serious Mars endeavor will inevitably cut into the drive to save Mother Earth.”

There are arguments and counter arguments on the matter, and it is indisputable that there have been many benefits that space flights and exploration have brought with the ability to study earth from outer space.   Analysing weather patterns and GPS tracking would be just two.

It is a huge subject with many varied and differing views on the matter, and this is not the forum to address those in a single Q&A. But we would like to state, in passing, that the claim that no moon and Mars landings took place, is false, and that this is not the teaching of the Church of the Eternal God and its affiliates. Many will recall Herbert W. Armstrong’s often-repeated statement that this world has achieved incredible progress, such as sending man to the moon and back, but that the world is also filled with appalling evils. In fact, in his book, “Mysteries of the Ages,” he wrote in the introduction on page 8 of the hard-cover edition, copyright 1985:

“We send men to cavort about on the moon and return them safely back to earth. Unmanned spacecraft land on Mars and send back to earth close-up photographs of the Martian surface. Other unmanned spacecraft fly close to Jupiter and send back astonishing pictures of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.”

Mr. Armstrong never doubted that man went to the moon and walked on it, and neither do we doubt this today.

However, it is interesting, but not surprising, that whenever articles and statements about moon and Mars landings are aired, God never seems to get a mention!

Does the Bible have anything to say about the matter?

In Acts 17:26 we read: “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges makes this simple statement: “…where they can dwell and where they cannot.”

In 1960, the Worldwide Church of God produced a booklet entitled, “Who Will Rule Space?,” which was also written by Mr Herbert W. Armstrong.  The opening comments were:

“Who will rule Space?  World leaders know the first nation to conquer SPACE will RULE THE WORLD!  Fantastic advances are made almost daily in the race to send men to the moon but what does it all mean? WHY the expenditure of BILLIONS on the Space race? Is Space exploration only innocent ‘science’ seeking to further its fund of knowledge concerning man’s environment? Here are the shocking answers.” 

We will give some selected information from this booklet which we feel may be helpful to the reader.

“Because we have left God out of the picture-ignoring the plain statements of Biblical prophecy-we are ignorant of the real danger, and looking to the wrong source for protection.”  

“Meanwhile, WHAT’S HAPPENED TO GOD? We never see Him mentioned or referred to in any manner in this frantic race to control SPACE.” 

“In your Bible is One-speaking in the first person-who claims to be the RULER of this entire world, and-the RULER OF ALL SPACE! 

“Men, in their feeble efforts-concentrating on physical and material sciences-scurrying frantically here and there, searching for the acquisition of new MATERIAL knowledge, are striving frantically to RULE SPACE! 

“Mankind-utterly incapable and totally inadequate to solve his own problems on this Earth here below, besmirching it and befouling it with his filth and vile practices, is now thinking of carrying his decaying society into all of the far-reaching areas of the unsearchable universe!’  

“CONQUER SPACE?  Ridiculous! No, man will never RULE Space-but he can intrude into it! Actually-the very fact of man’s almost daily new discoveries in the realm of science is a thundering, ominous warning that the end of man’s self-governing society upon this Earth is drawing rapidly near! Then who WILL rule Space? God has decreed: ‘The heaven, even the heavens, ARE THE ETERNAL’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men!’ (Ps. 115:16.) God has decreed the heavens belong to Him!…

“Your Bible reveals the startling, glorious truth that human kind can, through the Plan Almighty God is working out here below, become God kind! 

“When that is accomplished, when the last, final human being has had opportunity to CHOOSE which way he will go, when God has increased His own family by millions and millions, Paul reveals ‘then cometh the end [the total end of man’s way of life, of his organized society on this Earth], when he [Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power!’ (I Cor. 15:24.) 

“THEN comes the inspiring thunder of the voice of the Great Creator of all things who says, ‘Behold, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW … HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son!’ (Rev. 21: 5-7.) 

“Can you now begin to understand? God is offering YOU, not through the promises of science, not by travel in a Spaceship, not by military, political or man-made means, but by the very power of God, through being BORN of Him, as His OWN SON, RULERSHIP OVER SPACE! 

“Yes-it is the saints, the reborn SONS OF GOD, who are going to RULE the entirety of the universe under God, the great Ruler over all! 

“Don’t be caught up in the excitement of man’s feeble physical effort to ‘conquer’ Space. Man’s effort is only another MILITARY and POLITICAL plan to extend his power-without right knowledge. Learn God’s Truth. Begin to equip yourself God’s way-and you will be ‘MORE THAN CONQUERORS!’ (Rom. 8:37.) God wants YOU to rule Space!”

While these comments by Mr Armstrong were made in 1960, they are still relevant today.

We know from the Word of God what happened when man tried to get ahead of himself in a previous age.  Around 2,200 BC, a momentous event took place that has affected mankind right down to today.  We read in Genesis 11:1-9 about the desire of man to make a name for ourselves and build a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens.  Let us review a few of these verses:

“¹ Now the whole earth had one language and one speech…

^“4 And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’

^“6 And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.

^{“7 ‘}Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’

^“8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.

^“9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”

Their aspirations came to nothing, and people were scattered abroad across the earth.

As those involved are, apparently unaware of biblical prophecy and the Plan of God, they plough ahead with their schemes.  If they knew that we had been allotted 6,000 years and that time is about up, they would realise that there is no time left to fulfil their lofty ambitions.  Please see our Q&A on this topic: “Do you teach that modern man is only about 6,000 years old? Do you believe in a 6,000-year plan of God?”  

However, if there was sufficient time left, there would be so many problems with this approach anyway.

1. Man’s war-like proclivities would accompany him to other planets if it were to ever get that far.   To think that man would behave any differently on another planet is folly; there would be the usual scrambling for power and domination and violence would follow as it has done for 6,000 years.
2. The sheer logistics are mind boggling.   We were given the earth to live on and man was to “dress and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).   All of the natural resources were available.   On another deserted planet there would be no such availability and transporting resources, equipment and everything else that such a venture would require would be enormous if not impossible.
3. We know that other “dead” planets don’t have the conditions to allow life to exist as we know it, and that would be a major difficulty.
4. The costs of all of this ego- fueled activity is enormous and much could be accomplished on earth if this money was diverted to more pressing projects on our own planet.

We know that proponents would answer these concerns in a positive way stating that all things would be possible.   Jesus said that “with God all things are possible (see Matthew 19:26) but not with men as God has restricted what we can do at this time.

When mankind ignores the Bible, such projects can, and are, implemented, but when God’s Master Plan of Salvation for mankind is properly understood it becomes a complete non-issue as the people of God will rule on and over the earth, following their resurrection to eternal spirit-born members of the Family of God.    And it goes even further than that.

We read in Matthew 28:18: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’   And in Revelation 3:21 we read: ‘To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.’  Therefore, as Jesus will have been given all authority over heaven and earth and that we are to be with Jesus Christ on His throne, it follows that the earth and the heavens will be that with which we will be involved – through the Master Plan of God not the plans and schemes of man!

In our booklet “Heavens and Earth…Before and After the First Man!,” we read on page 88 about beautifying the earth and then on page 89 about beautifying the Universe:

“Beautifying the Universe

“First, we will reign under Christ over man. But once God’s plan for physical mankind has been completed and all human beings who have qualified will have become immortal God beings (while those who committed the unpardonable sin will have been burned up in the lake of fire), then what will be the next step in God’s great master plan? It appears that we will begin to rule over and beautify the vast universe. Romans 8:18–23 tells us that “the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility in hope; because the creation itself [the entire universe] also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption [or “decay,” compare New International Version and Revised Standard Version]… into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now…””

“This passage indicates that once we are God beings and full members of the God Family, we will participate in the process of beautifying and finishing the creation of the presently unfinished universe. The universe is in a state of decay—the planets are, from all that we can tell, waste and empty. But it is our human potential to become a member of the God Family and, under the leadership of God the Father and Jesus Christ, to free the universe from decay and corruption.”

Finally, the Bible tells us, as explained in our before-mentioned booklet, that God will create new heavens and a new earth, consisting of spirit, and we will rule over them under God the Father and Jesus Christ. 

Great things are just ahead of us but it will not be by man’s doing but by that of the great Creator God.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)