Paul Niehoff (Australia) – Church of the Eternal God

Consider Your Ways

July 31, 2026July 30, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

By Paul Niehoff (Australia)

It can be instructive for us to examine the events regarding the establishment of the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the building of the First and Second Temples. To see the people’s attitudes and understand the response from God in each case. In the case of the building of the Tabernacle and the First Temple, these are defined in the Scriptures as the Work of God. And we will see when we examine the situation around the building of the Second Temple, that this was also commanded by God and so would be considered the Work of God.

When the Tabernacle was being constructed, we read that, “…everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments” (compare Exodus 35:21). In fact, we read later that they brought more than enough and had to be restrained from bringing any more offerings.

How did God respond to this? In the New Testament, we read that God loves a cheerful giver (see 2 Corinthians 9:7), and these people were obviously cheerful givers. And not just in objects, but those who had the talent, in weaving fine yarn and fabrics.

Next, with the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the various leaders and people also brought the offerings needed to build and furnish the Temple. And again we read: “Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly” (compare 1 Chronicles 29:9). Again, God loves a cheerful giver.

However, the Jews who returned from Babylon did not have the same attitude. At least not early on. King Cyrus had provided a permit to build the Second Temple, as we read in 2 Chronicles 36:23, “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!” Since this was according to God’s command, it is considered His Work.

In the first chapter of the book of Ezra, King Cyrus encouraged those who chose not to go to Jerusalem to provide gold and silver, goods and livestock for the construction of the Temple. King Cyrus himself provided the implements that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Solomon’s Temple, to be used in the new Temple as a part of its service.

The Jews who had left the comforts of Babylon came to Jerusalem, a city that had been destroyed, with the object of building the Second Temple of God. But they were soon distracted from the project, as we read in Haggai 1:2, remarking on what Haggai, the LORD’s prophet and messenger, said to the leaders, “Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.”’”

They were more concerned about building their own homes and paneling them with fine timbers before doing the Work of God. God made the powerful statement twice for emphasis in verses 5 and 7: “Consider your ways!” Then He reminded them that they were not being blessed. They did not have enough to eat or drink or clothe themselves adequately. Also, their income seemed to disappear from a bag with holes. This reminds us of Christ’s words in Matthew 6:31, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” Because God was aware of their needs and would provide them. These three things the people lacked in Jerusalem.

So, under the strong leadership of Haggai, Zerubbabel and Joshua, the people repented and began building the Temple. And from the day they laid the foundation, God began to bless them and told them twice again to consider how God was blessing them (compare Haggai 2:18-19). When they were not doing God’s Work, they were told to consider why God was actually against them, but when they began doing God’s Work, they were to consider that God was blessing them from then on.

This is all interesting reading, but does it have anything to concern us today? Romans 15:4 informs us, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” 1 Corinthians 10:11 also reinforces this, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

While these examples might not have been expressly about the building of the Temples, the principle still applies to us. We can learn from the interaction between God and His people in their good times and their bad times.

The actual meaning of “consider” is to think about something carefully and deliberately, often before making a decision, judgement or taking action. It is used over a hundred times in the Bible. We should consider that we have been called to do God’s Work and when we do it, we thereby receive God’s blessing. In the three examples mentioned previously of building the Tabernacle and the two Temples, we see that the people were blessed when they did God’s Work willingly, but when they refused, they were cursed until they repented.

In our case, we are called to do God’s Work although it is not to build a physical building but a spiritual temple, and to assist in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. We do this by means of our prayers and tithes and offerings. We remember that in the book of Malachi, God condemned the people for robbing Him in tithes and offerings, but also for some other problems they had.

Our task is not only assisting in the preaching of the Gospel. We also have the responsibility to be examples by means of the way we live. We are informed in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

So, we must also consider our ways, not only in assisting in the preaching of the Gospel, but in the way we represent the Family of God by our actions. Do we do it joyfully and willingly, thereby pleasing God? Actually, the term “consider your ways” does not occur as such in the New Testament, but a similar term is used, especially being brought to our attention before Passover. That term is, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (see 2 Corinthians 13:5). Are we living a Way of Life that is pleasing to God, or not? If not, then we should repent as the people did in the days of Haggai, and do God’s Work as we have been called to perform it.

Gentleness or Kindness

July 11, 2026July 11, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

Gentleness or kindness is an important part of the fruit of the Spirit. It is mentioned a number of times in the epistles of the apostle Paul and elsewhere, and shows us one aspect of character that we need to apply in our relationships with both Church members and others we come across in our daily lives.

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Pride, a Great Danger

May 30, 2026June 3, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

Three examples are mentioned, two of them suffering from pride with the corresponding consequences. The third avoiding pride and the reasoning why he avoided it.

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The Variety of Positions in the Church

May 22, 2026May 21, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

There are many different positions in the Church as there are many different positions in life. Are some more important than others, or is there more involved in this question? Some may think they do not have a large part to play, or that they are too weak, or too old, or even too new in the Church to have much significance in the operation of the Church, but they could be very wrong.

Someone may think that because she is a woman, she is less important, but this can be far from the Truth. Consider that Eve was created to be a help to Adam (Genesis 2:18, 20; Authorized Version), and this could be considered a position of lower importance. However, we read Psalm 33:20, “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.” The Hebrew for help is the same in both Genesis 2 and Psalm 33. So, when we consider that God is our help, being a help is highly significant, in no way to be looked down on.

We can look at the example of Moses when he was assisting people who were inquiring of God. He was doing this all day from morning to evening. His father-in-law Jethro gave Moses sound advice which is described in Exodus 18:21-22, “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.”

In order for Moses not to be worn out, he needed helpers, so he could concentrate on the more important or difficult things. This is certainly the case in the Church where a minister may not be competent in every physical area, or able to do everything by himself, and a helper is very important so that he can concentrate on preaching. At the beginning of the Worldwide Church of God, Mr. Herbert Armstrong only had his wife, Loma, as a helper, and the two of them did everything required, even addressing envelopes to post the literature they had printed. But as the Church grew, this became impossible; they needed many more helpers to assist in the Work, and God provided those helpers. Without these helpers, the Church could not have grown as it did.

One may think he or she is too old or too young to be of great service, but let us read James 5:16, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Age is not a limitation here. And although it reads as man in the New King James Version, we know that from 2 Corinthians 6:18 (“I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty”), that the term man may also include woman. Many translations use person, or even believer in place of man in James 5:16. This concept is explained, in this context, in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” So, the prayers of both men and women can be equally effective.

A newly baptized person can take heart in the parable in Matthew 20:9-15, where those who worked all day received the same reward as those who worked only one hour. The condition for effective prayer is only righteousness and fervency, not length of Church membership.

The apostle Paul sums up this issue in 1 Corinthians 12:13-22, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased, And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”

From this we see that every member has a part to play in the operation of the Church, and God has determined the appropriate position for each as He pleases. The position may change over time, depending on individual growth or necessity, or even old age, but every member is a necessary part of the body of Christ. All have a part to play, regardless of position.

Does God know what we will do in the future? (Part 2)

May 8, 2026May 7, 2026

Abram was tested when God told him, as related in Genesis 12:1, “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house To a land that I will show you.” And Abram obeyed. Genesis 12:4 states: “So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” Although this is not stated as a test, Hebrews 11:8 informs us that, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” This would certainly have been a test to Abram, but God tested him more severely when He asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Genesis 22:1-2 reads: “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’”

After it was obvious that Abraham would pass the test, God said, in Genesis 22:11-12, “But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’” This shows us that God did not know for sure whether Abraham would obey God in this matter until Abraham passed the test. On the other hand, God knew that Abraham would command his children and his household after him to keep the Way of God to do righteousness and justice (compare Genesis 18:19; Authorized Version).

Of course, these were not the only two tests that God put on Abraham during his life. The Jewish commentators enumerate a number of other tests that Abraham faced and passed during his lifetime.

Another very interesting and instructive test was given to Moses after the children of Israel made a golden calf when it appeared to them that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain. Exodus 32:7-10 reads, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.’” So, Moses was being offered the honor and glory of being the progenitor of his own great nation. For many this would be a very great test, but the answer Moses gave, and the reason behind it, is very instructive. In fact, it may explain, in part, the comment God said about Moses later in the book of Numbers.

Here is the response Moses gave to God. Exodus 32:11-13 states, “Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: ‘LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, “He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”’”

Here we see that Moses was far more concerned about God’s reputation amongst the Egyptians than he was about his own glory. Moses continued to plead for God’s people as is mentioned in Exodus 32:31-33, “Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’” Moses here was willing to give up his eternal life if God would not forgive His people of their great sin.

When we read of the comment that God made about Moses in Numbers 12:3, “(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)”, this could at least partly be because Moses was willing to give up his own future, both as a progenitor of a nation, and, even, if possible, his own eternal life, in order to maintain God’s reputation and His forgiveness of His people.

A similar episode occurred when the people refused to listen to Joshua and Caleb after they had spied out the land. This is written in Numbers 14:11-20, “Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.’ And Moses said to the LORD: ‘Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, “Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.” And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, “The LORD is long suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven the people, from Egypt even until now.’ Then the LORD said: ‘I have pardoned, according to your word…’”

Again, Moses was concerned about the reputation of God and pleaded for His people rather than desiring his own glory. At his request, God pardoned them and did not destroy them at that time, and did not make a new nation under Moses. But as a punishment, they were not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of their refusal to obey.

These examples show that God did not know ahead of time how the Israelites would behave.

Another example would be the evil conduct of mankind before the Flood. When God saw the wickedness on earth, He was very sorry that He had made man and He was grieved in His heart (Genesis 6:6-7). His reaction was similar when He spoke about the horrible crimes of the Israelites sacrificing their own children. He said that such an action did not even come into His heart (Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5). Following Abraham’s plea, Christ sent His two angels to Sodom to ascertain whether ten righteous people could be found in the city. As we know, not even ten righteous people lived there.

In general, we can say that God has decided not to know whether someone will commit the unpardonable sin. This includes those people whom God calls in this day and age, because if He knew that they would fail and inherit eternal death, He would not call them now for salvation. Instead, He would wait until the Second Resurrection to call them when it would be easier to qualify, since Satan won’t be around anymore to deceive them, and living conditions would be so much more pleasant. But the reward for those in the First Resurrection will be so much greater.

Coming now to David, there is an interesting Psalm written by him revealing what God knew about him. Psalm 139:1-4, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thoughts afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.” Continuing in Psalm 139:13-16, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they were all written. The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” This shows that God knew David intimately and personally.

And yet, even with God knowing all this about David, he still asked God to search him, to find out more about him that God did not already know. Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” This phrase could also be understood, that David was asking God to reveal to him sins about himself, which he, David, had not realized.

There were other examples where David was tested, like when he had the opportunity to allow Abishai to kill Saul, David refused to let him and instead trusted God to provide the right outcome. 1 Samuel 26:8-11 states: “Then Abishai said to David, ‘God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!’ But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?’ David said furthermore, ‘As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.’”

Some of his tests he failed, but when his sin was pointed out to him, he repented deeply. Before David was anointed king, God stated in 1 Samuel 13:14, “But now your [Saul’s] kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” This was long before David was made king.

It is interesting that God chose two kings to reign over Israel and were both offered royal lineages if they would obey Him. While He did not want to know whether Saul would rebel against Him, He was confident that David would obey Him. But when God has a specific purpose for individuals in mind, He causes people to fulfill them, and in that way “knows” their future to an extent. Examples were Cyrus, Josiah and even Pharaoh in Egypt, as Moses said to him in Exodus 9:16, “But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”

The first king of Israel to be mentioned that God had chosen was Saul. God had originally intended Saul to begin a kingly line. But Saul disobeyed and offered a burnt sacrifice, which he, not being a priest, was not allowed to offer. Samuel told him, as is written in 1 Samuel 13:13-14, “And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.’”

God’s regret is stated in 1 Samuel 15:11, “‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.’ And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.” This example shows that God did not know that Saul would directly disobey Him, and it follows that God did not know what Saul would do in the future.

Other people whose future God knows about are the beast and the false prophet. They will be thrown into a [not: the] lake of fire (which does not mean that they will have committed the unpardonable sin. They will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection.) Jesus also knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him (John 6:64). God knew way ahead of time events which would take place, as described in detail in the book of Daniel, and He also knows what will happen in the future, as described in the Book of Revelation. He knows that most will not repent when He pours out His plagues, but some will.

Also, God knows or knew the future of some who would make it into the Kingdom. Jesus said about the apostles that they would rule the twelve tribes of Israel in His Kingdom (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30). God knows that the two witnesses will not fail Him. God knew that Jesus Christ would not sin; otherwise, the prophecies about His rule in the Kingdom of God could not come to pass.

After king David and king Solomon, God chose Jeroboam to be king over Israel. God offered Jeroboam a sure house with the same promise He gave to David. The story begins in 1 Kings 11:29-31: “Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, ‘Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you…”’” Continuing in 1 Kings 11:37-38, “So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.”

This conditional promise, based on obedience, shows that when God made it, He did not know or better, He did not want to know, if Jeroboam would obey or not. The word “if” shows that this promise was conditional. We look back knowing that Jeroboam did not obey, and the results are revealed in 1 Kings 14:6-11. Jeroboam’s wife had disguised herself as another woman, and went to Ahijah to inquire about a sick son. Ahijah, who at that time was blind, gave her the bad news. “And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, ‘Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell Jeroboam, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male of Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the LORD has spoken!’”’”

So, as a conclusion regarding the question as to whether God knows what we will do in the future, He knows us intimately and has a good idea what we will do based on our past actions. However, our future is not predestined such that we have no choice in the matter. With God’s help, it is possible for us to repent of sin, and change.

In chapters 2 and 3 in the book of Revelation, the expression, “he or him who overcomes” is used seven times. This again shows us that our future in God’s Kingdom is dependent on our overcoming. Even though our calling is predestined, our future is conditional on our actions. Even though, Paul stated under godly inspiration that he was confident and quite sure that we will make it into His Kingdom (Philippians 1:6).

Yes, God knows everything there is to know, from the minutest detail to the whole universe and beyond, including the spiritual creation, things we have no comprehension of whatsoever. But He is still learning about those He is calling by testing and trying us, and watching our actions to see whether we will obey Him or not, as was shown in the few examples listed above.

God needs to test and try us to make sure that we will not rebel like Satan did, but that we will be able to live harmoniously with God forever in His Kingdom.

Lead Writers: Paul Niehoff (Australia) and Norbert Link

Does God know what we will do in the future? (Part 1)

May 1, 2026April 30, 2026

We live in a world of constant surveillance, where governments and companies constantly monitor our communications. They use this information in many ways; for example, knowing what we purchase can help with tailored advertising. Other information can help governments know who we will vote for (even though we in God’s Church should not vote in governmental elections). This is usually with the aim of knowing our future actions and possibly influencing them for some purpose, whether political or commercial. As an example, this information can be used in “Nudge Technology”, a system where people are nudged to vote a certain way or purchase a certain product, or even partake of a medical procedure like a vaccine, and believe that they are making a free will choice, because there may be no mandate or coercion, but the desired aim of the government or company is still achieved.

But does God “figure out” what we will do by knowing what we have done in the past and assuming we will continue doing likewise in the future? Or is there much more involved?

For a start, what does God know? He reveals much about Himself in His Word, the Bible. But He does not reveal everything He knows to us. Deuteronomy 29:29 does inform us that there is a limit, for some reason: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” But even so, there is a great amount revealed about God in His Word. Following is a short list of examples of God explaining His abilities and knowledge to give us some understanding of who and what God is.

God knows the names of all the stars; He knows all of them by name. Psalm 147:4 states: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.” We, as humans, are very limited; we can count and name only a few stars. Even with the most powerful telescopes, the stars are uncountable, but since God, through Jesus Christ, created them all, for Him it takes no effort whatsoever to name them all. He does not have human limitations like we do. God compared the number of stars with the descendants of Abram in Genesis 15:5, “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” In other words, a very great number. A number none of us can even comprehend. It could be approaching a billion people.

We read in Psalm 147:5: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” We humans have a very finite understanding, especially compared with God’s. In a similar expression in Psalm 145:3 and Isaiah 40:28, God’s understanding is translated from another Hebrew word as “unsearchable”. But basically, it means “beyond our understanding” or “without limit”. God’s understanding and knowledge are even greater than that of the angels. 1 Peter 1:12 informs us that there are things that angels want to look into: “To them [the prophets of old] it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”

And how is God affected by time? This is described in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” We inhabit the present time and do not know what the future will bring precisely, although biblical prophecy does give us an indication of events that will occur in the future. As for what happened in the past before we were born, we only know what others have told us. However God, inhabiting eternity, is not limited in any way by time. He knows everything that has happened. We will discuss later whether He also knows everything that will happen.

God, of course, has the ability to cause future events to occur, as is stated in Isaiah 46:9-11, “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,’ Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.”

This man is understood to be king Cyrus of Persia, and in Isaiah 44:28, he was prophesied to rebuild Jerusalem and lay the foundation of the temple: “…Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’” This prophecy was written long before Cyrus was even born, and God still used his future name. It was written about 150 – 200 years before it was fulfilled. So this example shows God knows or directs future events; in this case, it was God’s purpose to use king Cyrus to fulfill one aspect of His Will, so this is a matter of declaring a future event from an earlier time.

Another prophecy in which God gave the name of a future king is in 1 Kings 13:1-2: “And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, ‘O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: “Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.”’” This prophecy was spoken between 270 and 290 years before the event prophesied occurred. Again, this shows God can declare future events that will fulfill His purpose, from the time many years earlier.

God also compares our way of thinking with His way. This is stated in Isaiah 55:8-9: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’” No matter how much we think we know, God knows so much more, and He uses this example comparing the height of the heavens with our life on the earth. The actual extent of the heavens is limitless if we want to believe astronomers, but there is a physical limit as to how far we can see into the universe, due to its supposed age and the speed of light. We have no idea what is outside of that limit.

If we ask, “How old is God?”, we find the answer in Job 36:26, “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.” At some time in the past, as we understand time, God created time for us to live in as human beings. But God already existed before there was any time.

Another mention of God’s knowledge is in Job 37:16, “Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?” Using the word “perfect” is a superlative. There is nothing better than perfect. God has so much knowledge that He even knows the hairs on the heads of all His servants (Matthew 10:30). To us, this appears impossible, but God, being a Spirit being, does not have any physical limitations like we have, and so He knows all that He wants to know. But, as we will see later, He is still learning when considering human conduct.

When did God choose whom He would call to be members of His Church and hence first fruits? This is answered in Ephesians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…” Commentaries generally state, and the Church of the Eternal God teaches, that the expression “chosen us” refers to individuals, not the Church as an entity. It includes Paul himself and Jews and Gentiles present at Ephesus at that time. It is the same Greek word used when Christ chose His disciples individually. It is used in the book of Acts when specific persons were chosen for specific tasks. Similarly, “before the foundation of the world” implies this choice was made before the world was made or before the work of creation.

Therefore, God knew before He created the world whom He would choose individually out of the population living at Ephesus at the time Paul preached there. This logically implies that God knew everyone He would call in the history of the world before He created the world. Many in the Church of God in the past have tried to minimize or generalize this fact, teaching that God would raise up a Church or that God would just call a number of some unidentified and unknown individuals at a given time, but as the commentaries point out and as many other Scriptures prove, the biblical meaning that God knew which individuals He would call before the world was created is the true meaning of this passage.

There are some passages indicating that God in some cases does not hear. This is stated in John 9:31, “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” And also in Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” This is not stating that God is unable to hear or is deaf, but the sense is that God will not listen and respond favorably to a person of iniquity when he or she prays. In actual fact, God hears everything, but only chooses to respond to things that are within His purpose.

This is explained again in Isaiah 59:1-2, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” Most translations replace “hear” with “listen,” indicating God can hear the sounds we make as we pray, but He will refuse or choose not to listen to the substance of the prayer, and He will therefore not respond to our prayers if we are rebellious and full of sin which we are unwilling to overcome.

This issue of God hearing and not hearing is due to the fact that there are different ways a Greek or Hebrew word can be translated into English. The Hebrew for “hear” is translated in over twenty ways in the Old Testament depending on context. The Greek in the New Testament is translated in fewer ways but still with variations. This is explained effectively in “The New Analytical Greek Lexicon”, where we read “hear” can also be translated as: to hearken, listen to, to heed, to obey, to understand, to take in or admit to mental acceptance. So God will hear the words but may not accept and act on them.

So, the question needed to be answered is, what does God not know about us and what does He need to learn? This will explain to an extent whether God knows what we will do in the future.

God tests us to see if we will obey Him, an early example being Exodus 16:4-5, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’” Thus, God was finding whether the people would obey His instructions that He had given before the Ten Commandments were again formalized and given to the people.

The Ten Commandments had been given to mankind before, at the time of Adam and Eve’s creation, but the Israelites, being enslaved in Egypt, had forgotten most, if not all of them.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writers: Paul Niehoff (Australia) and Norbert Link

The Third Commandment

April 11, 2026April 12, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

The third commandment is usually assumed to forbid using God’s name in a frivolous or vain manner. This is true, however, since we are a part of God’s family, we need to be careful that we do not profane God’s holy name by our actions. We are to be an example to others by our obedience to God and fully respect His name that we bear.

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Is Our Christianity a Preference or a Conviction?

February 20, 2026February 19, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

Those of us who were members of the Worldwide Church of God went through quite a difficult time when, after Mr. Armstrong’s death, the new leadership started to change many, if not most, of the doctrines we were familiar with and had believed as being God’s Truth.

Many of the brethren and our friends accepted the changes and discarded what they appeared to have believed for many years. Could it be that their religious beliefs were preferences rather than convictions? When changes in doctrines were made that suited them better, things like no need to tithe or keep God’s Sabbath, or even clean and unclean foods, they preferred these new doctrines rather than the previous ones.

I was amazed how quickly some who appeared to be strong members welcomed the changes.

There is a vast difference between preferences and convictions. And to show that, I would like to quote from a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 1972. The case was named Wisconsin versus Yoder. It involved three families, their fathers being Jonas Yoder and Wallace Miller of the Old Order Amish religion and Adin Yutzy of the Conservative Amish Mennonite Church. It concerned the question of whether the state had the right to force children of the Amish religious community to attend school between the ages of 15 and 16.

The parents argued that if the children had to attend school for two more years, they would have to go outside the Amish community and learn secular values that were not in accordance with the Amish beliefs. Up to age 14 they had their own Amish schools. Also, the Amish children learnt further skills informally by working with their parents on various tasks.

This appeal was based on the 1^st and 14^th Amendments of the Constitution of the U.S. that guarantees U.S. citizens the right of free exercise of religion.

In their determination for the families, the judges stated that the record in this case abundantly supported the claim that the traditional way of life of the Amish is not merely a matter of personal preference, but one of deep religious conviction, shared by an organized group, and intimately related to daily living.

In other words, the Amendments only protected religious convictions and not religious preferences. A belief, no matter how strongly held, is only a preference, and not a conviction, if, when circumstances change, the person will change their beliefs.

Many things can cause a person to change their preferences: Peer pressure, family pressure, legal pressure or even the threat of death. If any of these factors can cause a person to change their beliefs, then that person does not have a conviction, only a preference.

Let’s look at a few examples in the Bible which show the difference between preferences and convictions. Matthew 13:20-22 is an example of preferences of belief. Verse 20 reads: “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy…” The Truth is exciting at first and he may embrace it enthusiastically and even live by it, but it becomes clear that it is only a preference and not a conviction, when future circumstances interfere with the new-found belief and he discards that Truth.

Continuing with verses 21 and 22:

“…yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Such individuals have not been convicted but have merely exchanged their previous beliefs for a whole new set of beliefs. If life becomes too difficult to continue on the new path, then these beliefs would be changed again to avoid the difficulties that have arisen. Real conviction is sadly lacking.

A legal comment on this judgement by the Supreme Court stated, “A conviction is not a spurious-of-the-moment decision. It is a premeditated response to a situation that was likely to occur. This means that it does not matter whether other people stand with you in the crisis or not. Only conviction can enable you to stand alone. People with preferences will usually, ultimately, follow the crowd.”

A good example of conviction is in Daniel 3:16-18. The king had commanded everyone to worship an image he had erected when they heard a certain type of music. Three Jews refused to bow down to the image and so they were brought before the king. This is their response to the threatened punishment of death in a fiery furnace:

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’”

All three men were looking death squarely in the face. If their devotion to the true God had merely been a preference, they would probably have quickly recanted their “rebellious” position and reasoned their way out of the situation. Their decision was not an on-the-spot reaction. They had the courage of their convictions. They were not about to defile themselves. Remember, there were tens of thousands of other Jews in Babylon at this time. But the three men were not concerned about what others did or what others thought. They were willing to take a stand by themselves even when facing the death penalty.

They did not submit to the king to save their lives by using human logic and applying the principle stated in Romans 13:1-2, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.” They knew that submitting to and obeying the king and bowing to the statue would go directly against the second commandment of God, and as Peter and the other apostles said in Acts 5:29, “‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’” In other words, where there is a contradiction between men’s laws and God’s Laws, we must obey God’s Laws.

Over the centuries, God’s people have faced trials, tests, persecution and heresy. Regrettably, many compromised their beliefs. They gave up what they once proved to be true for a variety of reasons. Some couldn’t handle the ostracism they faced. Others gave in to pressure from family or friends and embraced false teachings to keep the peace. Still others were persuaded that false teachings were true, being convinced by clever arguments or false intellectual reasoning.

All had one thing in common. They proved that their previous beliefs were merely preferences, not convictions. Otherwise, they would have persevered in them. But those who are convicted of the truth do not compromise their beliefs for any reason. They prove, and then they live by the Truth. No amount of pressure from any source will convince them to believe another gospel.

When trials come, convicted Christians stand firm in their beliefs. Their foundations are not moved or shattered because such believers build on the solid Truths of God’s Word. They do not compromise with God’s Law and their understanding grows. Changes may come within the framework of the truth, but the basic building blocks of their faith never change. With God’s help, they stand fast in their convictions.

We all need to examine ourselves in the light of what happened to the Church of God just over thirty-five years ago. We all need to make sure that we are Christians of conviction and have not simply preferred God’s Church as opposed to another, or none. The Church of God will continue to face persecution and opposition to its teachings, intended to wear down our faith and undermine the Truth. As individuals, this will test our convictions. Our reaction will determine whether our beliefs are just preferences or whether we are truly Christians of conviction.

The Two Test Commandments for the Children of Israel

January 24, 2026January 25, 2026 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

Two of the ten commandments were specifically listed, and breaking them was the main reason why Israel was taken into captivity. Breaking one of them was the main reason why Judah was also taken into captivity.

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Precept Upon Precept

December 5, 2025December 4, 2025 by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

Some of us like to do jigsaw puzzles as a form of relaxation. They come in different sizes, the average adult ones being around one thousand pieces. On the outside of the box is usually a picture of how the finished puzzle should look.

So my wife Tine and I sometimes do these puzzles and diligently seek out all the pieces and analyze where each piece goes, comparing it with the overall picture.

But just imagine if there was no overall picture available. It would not be impossible to put the puzzle together, but it would be much more difficult.

Now consider if the pieces of two puzzles were mixed, with no picture, or even more than two. It would become nearly impossible to complete the task. Then, if some pieces that did not belong to any of the puzzles were also thrown in for good measure, at this point or previously, many would give up.

So you say, what does this have to do with the Church?

Well, this was the position Mr. Armstrong found himself in when God first called him—when he started to come into an understanding of the Truth.

He started off as biblically illiterate in his thirties, till his wife challenged him on the Sabbath question. This made him mad because he was sure the Bible teaches Sunday observance. All the churches teach it, so it must be right and the Bible must teach it.

He was so upset with his wife that he considered divorce. He could not accept such a crackpot idea.

But he accepted the challenge and studied for six months, and the more he studied, the more he realized he was wrong and his wife was right. That’s really tough for a man.

This is something like the analogy I described earlier, with all these puzzles mixed together with no overall picture and with some false pieces included. In fact, at that time, most of the pieces were false. So it was humanly impossible for Mr. Armstrong to do what he did—to gradually get the overall big picture from all the bits available, true and false. He did not have a picture to go by. He had to have God’s help and guidance.

We would not be able to see the big picture if God had not inspired Mr. Armstrong to find out what the big picture was. And all of us individually needed God’s help to see it, because before we were called and our minds opened, none of this made sense to us.

How many of us tried to teach our relatives or friends God’s Truth? They thought we were strange—even crackpots, like Mr. Armstrong thought his wife was.

Let’s turn to Isaiah 28, verses 9 and 10. “‘Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message?…’” This shows us that God has to enable us to understand His message. Continuing: “‘…Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line. Here a little, there a little.’”

This is gradually putting the jigsaw puzzle together, bit by bit till finally, a picture starts to emerge.

Once Mr. Armstrong proved the Truth of the Sabbath, he began to search for other pieces of the puzzle. He checked out the Seventh-day-Adventists and the Seventh-day-Baptists, then he began to realize that the Church of God (Seventh Day) had more of the Truth than the other groups. So he associated with them for a time. They had a lot of the pieces of the puzzle, but as Mr. Armstrong continued to study, he also began to learn from other sources. He found still more pieces of the puzzle.

He was not a trained scholar; he didn’t have much formal education. He could not read the Greek or Hebrew texts of the Bible, but he did find a lot of pieces of the puzzle by reading books other men had written. These other men had certain pieces of the puzzle, a piece here and a piece there, but they were unable to put the whole puzzle together.

So he was collecting all the pieces, and he had to pick out which pieces fitted the true picture.

One of the books he read was by Alexander Hislop, “The Two Babylons”, and that book makes it plain where professing Christianity got a lot of its practices and beliefs. Hislop knew who the great harlot church was, and yet he was a minister in one of the daughter churches. He was a minister in a Presbyterian Sunday-keeping church, and he remained in that position. Mr. Armstrong received many pieces from his book.

Another man was J. H. Allen. He wrote the book “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright.” This book is similar to “The United States and Britain in Prophecy,” written by Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Allen was a Methodist minister. He had discovered some very important pieces of the puzzle, but he never saw the big picture. Like so many others who had a part of the Truth, he kept trying to fit the pieces into the wrong picture.

There was another man, E. W. Bullinger, and he compiled the “Companion Bible”, which has many valuable notes and appendices in it—some being true and some false. Mr. Armstrong got a lot of information from his work—for example, the events of the six days before Christ’s sacrifice. Mr. Bullinger understood that the crucifixion was on a Wednesday, and many more details. He was an Anglican minister and even though he recognized that the resurrection was not on Sunday, he remained a minister in a Sunday-keeping church. He understood that Christ was born in the autumn, but continued to observe Christmas.

So these three men all had important pieces of the puzzle, but like so many others, whom Mr. Armstrong also learnt from, they kept trying to make the pieces fit into a different picture where they wouldn’t fit. So they didn’t let the Truth that they had change their practices.

When Mr. Armstrong came across a piece of the puzzle, he began to practice it and publish it. It changed his whole life. Looking at Isaiah 28:10-12: “‘For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.’ For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, ‘This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,’ And, ‘This is the refreshing’; Yet they would not hear.”

When we look up the word “hear” in Strong’s concordance, it means to hear intelligently; it implies to give attention to, obey, etc. It also means to proclaim and publish. Mr. Armstrong did all these things. When he learned new aspects of the Truth, he practiced it, he preached it and published it. That’s why God continued to guide him to discover more and more of the pieces and putting the pieces together until he began to see the big picture. He then made it clear to the rest of us so that we can see that big picture today.

Continuing on in verse 13: “But the word of the LORD was to them, ‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little…’” Now Isaiah is talking about those who would not hear: “…That they might go and fall backward, and be broken, And snared, and caught.” So to those who would not hear, the Truth becomes a trap and a snare. It did not benefit them. They had pieces of the puzzle, but they could not put them together because they did not hear, act or publish them.

So let’s make sure we are among those who hear, and obey what we hear. Then we can see the big picture and understand where the pieces fit, and which pieces are not a part of the big picture.