“Soul sleep” is not a phrase that we would use in the Church of God, even though, as we will see, it is an accurate description of biblical teaching. Rather, we would say that a baptised faithful Christian who had repented of their sins and lived the Way of Life—the narrow way, not the broad and easy way—will upon their death be awaiting the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ.   We read this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16:

^“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”

Continue reading "Could you explain what is meant by Soul Sleep? (Part 1)"

In the first part of this series, we discussed the time of the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the birth of the New Testament Church in 31 AD.

In the second part, we discussed events and developments in the New Testament Church and concluded with the first imprisonment of Paul in Rome, which ended in 62 AD.

To continue with the chronology of events, in 62 AD, James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, was killed during a brief period when there was no governor in Jerusalem. The high priest was subsequently deposed. James was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin. He was thrown from a high pinnacle of the Temple, but did not die from the fall, and was then stoned and beaten to death with a club.

In 63 AD, after his release, Paul wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. Around that time, Luke wrote the book of Acts, which ends with the imprisonment of Paul in Rome for two years.

Continue reading "What is the history of the Life of Christ and the Church of God? (Part 3)"

In the first part of this series, we discussed the time of the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the birth of the New Testament Church in 31 AD. In the early days of the Church, it flourished tremendously, but very soon, persecution set in.  

After Christ’s death, Pilate remained governor for another six years. He did not hinder the Church in Jerusalem. The Church grew to 25,000 members—a tenth of the total population of Jerusalem. Persecution of the Church initially came exclusively from the Jews.

Acts 4:18-21 reports of the persecution of the apostles through the religious leaders of Jerusalem:

“And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go…”

Continue reading "What is the history of the Life of Christ and the Church of God? (Part 2)"

It is sometimes overwhelming and perhaps confusing to read about events, as described in the Bible, without having a proper time setting for those events. Many times, God has carefully planned the timing, for a greater purpose, and in this series, we will show when certain occurrences took place, why they took place then and not at another time, and how God has been working out His master plan here below. We will also explain some astonishing facts which this confused world, including professional Christianity, does not know or understand.

To begin with, how did God prepare the world for the birth of Jesus Christ and the New Testament Church? What conditions had to be met?

The Greek Empire (331-63 BC) introduced the Greek language, which became a world language. And so, the New Testament would be written in Greek.

The Roman Empire (63 BC – 324 AD) developed the ability to transport war machines on well-built roads (like Hitler later did). Even done for a completely wrong purpose, this allowed the apostles to travel freely. [Until the 19th century, there was no fundamental improvement in this regard. But then, Herbert W. Armstrong was able to proclaim the message with the help of a microphone, the printing press, and later with the use of television and airplanes. Today, we can proclaim the gospel message through the Internet and other electronic means, which were even unavailable to the Church under Mr. Armstrong.]

Continue reading "What is the history of the Life of Christ and the Church of God? (Part 1)"

This question can be answered with a clear “NO.” It is obviously not biblical to try to lead someone to conversion, and certainly not with the premise of being able to marry that person after repentance and conversion. As we will explain, repentance does not come from the human motivation of third parties, nor from pure self-interest. Repentance can only be initiated by God! After all, marriage is also a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the Church, which requires spiritual unity.

In order to come to repentance, there are two central messages from Christ; one that He personally communicated to the Jews (in John 6:44) when they grumbled about Him; and the other that He responded to Thomas (in John 14:6). Both statements are related. The first says: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and the other says: No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Continue reading "Should a believing Christian try to convert a non-believer in order to marry him or her?"

Amazingly, there are those who still erroneously believe that Jesus was born on December 25.For many decades, we have told the world, along with many other sources, that this is simply not the case; however, the world at large has generally ignored this information.  It is a bonanza for businesses that care only for the sales of their products.

It is possible to know the approximate time of Jesus’s birth, which totally destroys the Christmas myth, which is such a big issue in today’s society, and can be a make-or-break time for many businesses, since many people spend so much money at this time of the year.   But in the year 2025, very few seem to care, as it is a time to be merry, have a week or two off work and just enjoy oneself.   There are those who may genuinely take this time seriously, thinking that they are worshipping Jesus even though they may realize that the date is wrong, and even that the roots of Christmas are of pagan origin, but that it is an exciting time for their children and the family.   And yet, it is a practice which does not have God’s approval.

Continue reading "Was Jesus really born on December 25?"

First of all, let us review this passage of Scripture and see what it says and get a rounded view of what the context is.   The Cambridge Dictionary explains what context means, as follows: “… the text or speech that comes immediately before and after a particular phrase or piece of text and helps to explain its meaning.”

Context is a vital piece of biblical understanding, eliminating the use of a particular word or passage of Scripture which, on its own, may give a misunderstanding of what is meant. 

Acts 2:44-45 reads as follows:

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”

This was written at a time following the birth of the New Testament Church after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.   We read in Acts 2:41-42: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Continue reading "Isn’t Acts 2:44-45 a biblical example of socialism?"

Would God use unrighteous persons or entities to fulfill His purpose? Actually, as we will see, God used, is using and will use unrighteous personalities and nations to fulfill His Will.

God used Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery. At that time, Joseph’s brothers were not righteous at all. But when they repented of their evil conduct, Joseph explained to them what God’s purpose for them had been, and how God worked it all out. We read in Genesis 45:4-8:

“And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come near to me.’ So they came near. Then he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Continue reading "When God “anoints” or sets aside a person or an entire nation to fulfill a certain task, does this mean that that person or nation must be righteous?"

What do we know about the history of Thanksgiving Day? Is this Festival an occasion that true Christians can participate in? What do we read in general about true thankfulness to God for His physical blessings, even in difficult times, and how can Thanksgiving Day contribute to this attitude of thankfulness?

In our free booklet, “Is That In the Bible? Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days,” we say the following about “Thanksgiving Day”:

“The first observance of the Thanksgiving Festival in America occurred in early November or December of 1621… when the Governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford, appointed a three-day feast. That observance was established to show gratitude to the Almighty as that difficult year drew to an end and the harvest was plentiful. While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America’s first Thanksgiving Festival…

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Some claim that even though God might have promised people in the Old Testament wealth, prosperity and riches, this is no longer the case for New Testament Christians, as the New Covenant has “better promises,” which allegedly succeed Old Testament blessings.

It is true that as converted Christians, we are living under the conditions of the New Covenant. We read in Hebrews 8:6 that the New Covenant is based, founded or established on better promises. But what are those better promises, exactly?

One of those promises is forgiveness of sin, which was never part of Old Covenant promises. Before the New Covenant came, there was no forgiveness of sins—animal sacrifices do not forgive sins (Hebrews 10:4, 11). They just served as a reminder of sins. When those sins were recognized and “repented” of, a physical relationship with God could be restored so that people were allowed to stay within the community of Israel. They did not repent in a spiritual sense and did therefore not receive forgiveness in a spiritual sense, as they were not called for salvation at that time.

Continue reading "Does God promise us physical blessings when we lead a righteous life?"