Bible

Would you please explain the order of events, as depicted in the 24th chapter of the gospel according to Matthew?

In order to properly understand what Christ is telling His disciples, as recorded in the account of Matthew, we need to also review other passages in the parallel accounts of Mark and Luke, as well as passages in the book of Revelation.

When John was on the island of Patmos, he saw in a vision events which would take place in the future. As we explain in the 8th chapter of our booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation,” John saw how God the Father gave a scroll with seven seals to Jesus Christ, asking Him to open it, as no one else was able to do it (compare Revelation 5:1-9; 6:1). We need to turn to Jesus Christ’s Words in order to understand the seven seals. The first six of the seven seals are all recorded in Revelation 6, and they are explained, as we will see, in the accounts of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.

When Christ opened the first four seals (compare Revelation 6:2–8), John sees in the vision the famous four horsemen of the Apocalypse. When comparing Revelation 6:2–8 with Christ’s sayings in Matthew 24:4–7 and Luke 21:8–11, then the meaning of the four horsemen or the first four seals becomes clear.

Turning to Matthew 24, let us note what Christ tells His disciples.

In verses 1-2, Christ pointed out that the glorious Jewish temple would be destroyed. This actually happened in 70 A.D., when the Romans conquered Jerusalem. Beginning with verse 3, four of His disciples (compare Mark 13:3) asked Him privately when these things would be; what would be the sign of His coming, and of the end of the age.

Christ responded, in verses 4 and 5, by warning them against deception, stating that many would come in His name, proclaiming and admitting that He was the Christ, and still deceive many. This deception began shortly after Christ’s resurrection and the birth of the New Testament Church. The apostle Paul would later say that many, at his time, preached another gospel and another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6)—one who had come to do away with the law of God. By the time of the destruction of the temple, much of the truth had been lost due to false deceptive teachings which had entered the Church. Subsequently, John needed to emphasize that anyone who would proclaim God and refuse to keep His law would be a liar, and no truth would be in him (1 John 2:4).

The religious deception which Christ warned against would continue. Even in the end time, just prior to and during the Great Tribulation (see below), religious deception would abound (verses 11, 24; compare Mark 13:22). And so, turning to the book of Revelation, we realize that the first seal in Revelation 6:2, describing a rider on a white horse, who has a bow and a crown and who goes out to conquer, identifies false religion, claiming that it professes Christ, while deceiving the many. The true Christ is later on described, in Revelation 19:11-12, 15, as One who has many crowns, and He has a sharp sword. He is riding a white horse as well, showing that the representation of the false Christ will have some resemblance with the true One – otherwise, no one would be deceived—but the differences are striking. First, the true Christ will return after the Great Tribulation, while the false representation of Christ will already have conquered many before that time. Then, the true Christ has a sword and many crowns, while the false representation of Christ has a bow and just one crown.

Religious deception began in the early New Testament Church, but it was to continue throughout the ages and reach the beginning of its culmination when the first seal is broken and the first horseman of the Apocalypse begins to ride (compare Matthew 24:3–5; Luke 21:8).

In Matthew 24:6-7, Christ continues to warn of wars and rumors of wars (as well as commotions, compare Luke 21:9), with nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This is depicted in Revelation 6:3-4 as the second seal—when the rider on a fiery red horse goes out with a great sword to take away the peace from the earth, and when people kill each other. Even though wars and commotions and rumors of wars have existed throughout the ages, Christ intends to point out that the wars would become bigger and more all-encompassing—from nations fighting against nations to kingdoms fighting against kingdoms. We have experienced two World Wars in the 20th century, and the Bible shows that in the not-too-distant future, another terrible and most destructive World War will engulf the entire globe.

Turning again to Matthew 24:7, we note that Christ warned of famine next. The third seal in Revelation 6:5-6 depicts famine as well: A black horse begins to ride, and the rider has a pair of scales in his hand, indicating scarcity of food, measuring small quantities of food for comparatively huge amounts of money. While there still is some wheat and barley available for a high price, oil and wine are not to be “harmed” or “touched.” The People’s New Testament states: “Oil and wine, though common foods, are entirely prohibited. An age of war, mourning, calamity and famine is certainly symbolized.” The Ryrie Study Bible adds: “A severe shortage of food is indicated.” The parallel account in Luke 21:11 adds that at that time, earthquakes will increase in frequency and magnitude as well.

The third horse of the Apocalypse (mainly famine) is followed, according to Revelation 6:7-8, by a pale horse, and the rider’s name is “Death,” and “Hades” or “the Grave” follows him. Christ says in Matthew 24:7 that famines will be followed by pestilences [see also Luke 21:11].

As we stated in our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation: “Oftentimes religious deception leads to wars, directly or indirectly. Wars, in turn, lead to famine and diseases. Historically, the Black Death alone killed upwards of one-third of the people living in Europe in the 14th century. The Spanish flu pandemic lasted from March, 1918, to June, 1920, spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. While older estimates put the number of those who were killed at 40 to 50 million people, current estimates are that 50 to 100 million people worldwide died, possibly more than what succumbed to the Black Death.”

So, the fourth horse of the Apocalypse describes pestilences or disease epidemics, but not exclusively. Christ also speaks in Matthew 24:7 of earthquakes in various places. We see then that earthquake activity will continue and increase throughout that time. (Luke 21:11 adds that at that time, fearful sights and great signs from heaven will be observed. This is primarily a reference to the heavenly signs which will follow after the beginning of the Great Tribulation, but it is possible that some of these frightful signs will begin to occur right after the pestilences will be spread throughout the earth.).

Revelation 6:8 adds that one-fourth of mankind will be killed by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and that these killings will be carried out with the sword (political and also religiously-motivated wars), with hunger (a result of famine), with death (resulting from pestilences), and also with the beasts of the earth. Many times, contagious diseases are communicated by sick animals carrying deadly viruses (remember the Ebola virus, the bird flu or the mad cow disease).

In addition, note the following comments by Barnes’ Notes on the Bible.

This commentary points out that the four horsemen will “kill with sword – In war and discord… And with hunger – With famine – one of the accompaniments of war – where armies ravage a nation, trampling down the crops of grain; consuming the provisions laid up… and shutting up the people in besieged cities to perish by hunger. Famine has been not an infrequent accompaniment of war; and we are to look for the fulfillment of this in its extensive prevalence…

“And with death… This would well denote the pestilence – not an infrequent accompaniment of war. For nothing is better suited to produce this than the unburied bodies of the slain; the filth of a camp; the want of food; and the crowding together of multitudes in a besieged city; and, accordingly, the pestilence… has been often closely connected with war…

“And with the beasts of the earth – With wild beasts. This, too, would be one of the consequences of war, famine, and pestilence. Lands would be depopulated, and wild beasts would be multiplied… Compare Ezekiel 14:21, ‘I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence…’”

Christ continues to warn that following these events, an organized and worldwide martyrdom of true Christians will occur next. Matthew 24:9-13, 21-22 describes this time in vivid terms (compare also Mark 13:11–13; Luke 21:12–19). These events are identified as the “Great Tribulation,” and they are also described as the fifth seal in Revelation 6:9-11. (The vision of the souls under the altar in Revelation 6:9-11 is more fully explained in chapter 8 of our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.” This vision makes clear that religious persecution has occurred throughout the history of the true Church, compare verses 9-10, but that in the end time, a terrible and unparalleled persecution will happen once again, compare verse 11).

Following the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Christ warns in Matthew 24:29 of heavenly signs, when the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and when the powers of the heavens will be shaken. The parallel account in Luke 21:25-26 adds that at that time, there will be distress of nations on this earth, with perplexity, and the sea and the waves will be roaring, and men’s hearts will fail them for fear and the expectation of those things which will be coming on the earth, because the powers of heaven will be shaken.

All of these events are depicted by the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12-14, picturing “heavenly signs” or cosmic disturbances, which are introduced once again by a great earthquake (Revelation 6:12–14). These cosmic disturbances precede the “Day of the Lord,” the seventh seal of the book of Revelation. Revelation 6:17 refers to the Day of the Lord as the “great day of His wrath,” culminating in and leading to the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:17, 30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27).

(To Be Continued).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Can you explain some of the peculiarities of the Hebrew Calendar?

In our last Q&A, we explained why the Church of God has made the decision to accept and follow the current Hebrew calendar. The short answer is that God has entrusted the Jews—and no one else—with the preservation of the calendar and the determination and identification of the correct dates of the annual Holy Days.

We also explained that in AD 358-359 A.D., the Jews’ chief leader, Hillel II, carried out his God-given authority to present the Hebrew calendar throughout the future, and it is that calendar which we are to apply for the determination of the annual Holy Days.

Those who devise their own calendars don’t only disobey God’s inspired Word which declares that the oracles, including the week, the Sabbath and the calendar, were given to the Jews, but they also completely miss certain particularities within the Hebrew calendar which God inspired to prevent undue burdens or to guarantee that the Holy Days are being celebrated at their proper times. These technical decisions include the four postponements and the insertion of a thirteenth month, amongst others.

The Bible does not tell us how many months a calendar year should have. In order to harmonize a solar year (about 365 ¼ days) with a lunar year (about 354 ¼ days), so that—following biblical injunctions–Passover is always in the spring, and the Feast of Tabernacles is always in the fall, a thirteenth month had to be included seven times within a 19-year lunar time cycle.

The Bible does not specifically mention a thirteenth month, but as Raymond F. McNair explains in his article, “Which Calendar Has God Authorized?” (Global Church News, July-August 1996), “from a careful study of the time periods mentioned in the first eight chapters of Ezekiel (1:1-2; 3:15; 4:5-6; 8:1), we can deduce that a thirteenth month was definitely being used by the Jews when Ezekiel wrote in the early part of the 6th century B.C.”

This shows that God and the Bible endorse the decisions of the Jewish people pertaining to the inclusion of a 13th month in the Hebrew calendar, and that no one should take it upon him- or herself to make arbitrary decisions contrary to the established Hebrew calendar. The same must be said regarding other peculiar decisions pertaining to the Hebrew calendar.

For instance, Dr. Herman L. Hoeh explains the following in his article, “The Hebrew Calendar—Authoritative for God’s Church Today” (Good News, April 1981):

“The rules of the permanent calendar [authorized by Hillel II] call for each of the first six months of the year to be alternatively 30 and 29 days long. Since the Bible does not declare which months have either 30 or 29 days, it is… [a] decision enacted by those who are in authority over God’s calendar… each month is slightly more than 29 ½ days long… That means the [decision is that the] first half of the year is always 177 days long (three months with 30 days plus three months with 29 days…). And if the first day of the seventh month is on Tuesday, the first of Abib is 177 days earlier, and on a Sunday…”

In addition, postponements were also clearly authorized and endorsed by God. As mentioned in the last Q&A, postponements delay the beginning of the first day of the seventh month—the first day of Tishri or the Feast of Trumpets:

The four rules of postponements are simply these:

(1)  When the new moon (more accurately, the “Molad or “birth”; that is, when the moon is directly between earth and sun and it is therefore invisible) occurs on Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to the following day. The reason is that the Day of Atonement [which is to be kept 9 days after the Feast of Trumpets, on the tenth day of the month] should not occur on the day before or after the weekly Sabbath, and the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles should not occur on a weekly Sabbath, as it is followed by an annual Sabbath—the Last Great Day.

In his article, “The Hebrew Calendar—Authoritative for God’s Church Today,” Dr. Herman L. Hoeh wrote:

“Why do God’s festivals fall when they do? Have we ever asked why… the fast of the Day of Atonement does not occur on Friday or Sunday? Or why the seventh day of the Festival of Tabernacles does not fall on the weekly Sabbath—but the eighth day commonly does?… If Atonement were to fall on Friday, housewives would have to prepare food for the weekly Sabbath on a Thursday…

“Hillel II realized that … the Day of Atonement should not fall on Friday, the preparation day of the Sabbath. The rule, therefore, is that if the new moon of a seventh month could occur on a Wednesday (beginning the previous evening), that day is not to be declared the new moon. It is to be postponed. But the day following is to be declared the new moon… that is, a Thursday (beginning the previous evening) is the first day of the seventh month. That Thursday is consequently the Feast of Trumpets… and the Day of Atonement, which is the 10th day of the month, falls in such a year on the weekly Sabbath.”

(2)  When the new moon or the Molad occurs at noon or later, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to the next day. This is so and makes logical sense, because otherwise, the people would not have been able to keep the entire Feast of Trumpets, but only a portion of it (that portion following the occurrence of the Molad or New Moon). But the Bible demands that the entire day of 24 hours be kept as holy.

(3)   When the new moon or Molad occurs after 3:00 a.m. or later on a Tuesday of a common year, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to Thursday. This decision was made for astronomical reasons to ensure that the common year (not a leap year) would be between 353 to 355 days long. [The Hebrew calendar has twelve common years and eight leap years within a 19-year lunar time cycle. A common year has 353, 354 or 355 days, while a leap year has 383, 384 or 385 days.]

(4)   When the new moon or Molad occurs on Monday after 9:00 am, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to the next day. This postponement was also made for astronomical reasons to ensure the proper length of common years.

In addition, it was sometimes necessary to postpone the beginning of the year by an entire month.

To quote from Raymond McNair’s article, “What are the Postponements?” (Global Church News, July-August 1996):

“… in order to be able to offer the ‘wave sheaf’ (Hebr. Omer) of ripened barley during the Days of Unleavened Bread, it was sometimes mandatory that the high priest in ancient Israel postpone the beginning of Nisan 1 by a whole month… the Feast of Unleavened Bread [must] fall in the spring (thereby necessitating certain one-month postponements to the beginning of the sacred year). There is no record of Christ and His disciples objecting to the calendar or instituting a different one.”

Another reason for the postponement of the first month might also exist when otherwise the Feast of Tabernacles would be celebrated in the summer, rather than in the autumn. [This is similar rationale as and related to the insertion of the 13th month, see above.] As mentioned, the Bible demands that the Feast of Tabernacles must be observed in the autumn, “at the year’s end” (Exodus 34:22). If the first month is declared as occurring too early, the Feast of Tabernacles would be observed too early as well, and not in accordance with the Scriptural demands.

This Q&A does not cover all of the particulars of the Hebrew calendar, but we hope that enough information is provided to show not only the authoritative decisions of the Jews in regard to the calendar, but also the godly-inspired wisdom for the rationale behind it, proving that the calendar must harmonize with the biblical commands as to when and how to observe the annual Holy Days.

We are sure that those who want to find fault with the decisions of the Jews to design and maintain the Hebrew calendar in the way they do, will invent seemingly convincing human arguments and counter-arguments, but it really boils down to this question: Are we allowing God to guide and do we believe that God has guided the Jews in the preservation of the calendar, or aren’t we? If we do not have enough faith that God could and did preserve the calendar through the Jews, where else is our faith lacking?

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Why do you use the current Hebrew Calendar for establishing the dates of God’s annual Holy Days?

God’s Church decided more than 70 years ago that we must follow the current Hebrew Calendar in order to be able to observe the annual Holy Days at their proper times. (For more information on God’s annual Festivals, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days”). However, over the years, some concluded on their own, without godly authority, that they should deviate from that decision. As a consequence, estimates suggest that there are no less than 500 versions of “calendars” in existence, all claiming that their version is the one and only correct one, and the result is utter confusion, while God states very clearly that HE is NOT the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).
 
It is high time to revisit the issue of the Hebrew Calendar, and to reiterate and reemphasize the Church of God’s BINDING judgment on the matter. In this Q&A, we will deal with the decision rendered by the Church of God. In a subsequent Q&A, we will discuss some of the principles to keep in mind, in order to properly and accurately understand the Hebrew Calendar.
 
In our Statement of Beliefs, we point out the following:
 
“The major doctrines of the Church are those, which were taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, derived from the Biblical teachings as followed by God’s faithful servants, and originally established by Jesus Christ through the founding of His Church in the time of His chosen early apostles. Since we are to increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are committed to review and alter any of our teachings, if and when proven to be wrong by the Bible.”
 
As early as 1940, Herbert W. Armstrong, the late human leader of the Radio Church of God and the Worldwide Church of God, wrote the following in a Good News Letter:
 
“… unless God has preserved His sacred calendar through the Jews, then we do not know how to figure Passover or any of the Holy Days… For there is no authority for any other way…”
 
Through the years, the Church of God has maintained this position. It is based on the biblical revelation that God entrusted the Jews with the preservation of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the “oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2), including the week and the calendar.
 
We stated the following in our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days” :

“We need to understand properly what exactly was given to the Jews—what is meant by the word ‘oracles.’ In Romans 3:1–2, we are told that the ‘oracles of God’ were committed to the ‘circumcision.’ At the same time, we are told that ‘their unbelief’ did not make ‘the faithfulness of God’ without effect (verse 3). The Greek word for ‘oracles’ is ‘logion.’ It is also used in Acts 7:38; Hebrews 5:12; and 1 Peter 4:11…

“The ‘Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,’ by W. E. Vine, points out: ‘Logion, a diminutive of logos, a word, narrative, statement, denotes a Divine response or utterance, an oracle; it is used of (a) the contents of the Mosaic Law, Acts 7:38; (b) all the written utterances of God through the O.T. writers, Rom. 3:2; (c) the substance of Christian doctrine, Heb. 5:12; (d) the utterance of God through Christian teachers, 1 Pet. 4:11’…

“The Broadman Bible Commentary agrees and adds: ‘The oracles of God are the Old Testament in general, not just the promises alone as some commentaries suggest. The Septuagint uses this term for ‘the words of God’ in the law (Num. 24:4,16) or in the Psalms (107:11), and this seems to be the meaning in the New Testament… Possession of the Scriptures would be of no advantage if they were never heard, but Paul assumes they are heard every Sabbath.’”

In our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” we point out on pages 2–3:

“God has revealed in His Word exactly when the Sabbath starts and when it ends. God reckons each day, including the Sabbath, beginning at sunset and continuing through until the following sunset. Today, we would say that the Seventh-Day Sabbath starts Friday evening, when the sun sets, and lasts until Saturday evening, at sunset.

“We know from the Jewish people when to keep the Sabbath. It is the Jews to whom God committed His revelations or His ‘oracles,’ as Paul clearly explains in Romans 3:1–2. These ‘oracles of God’ included the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as the knowledge of the week and of the Sacred Calendar. The Jews preserved the knowledge of which day the seventh day of the week is. Without an understanding of when a week begins and ends, we would not have been able to tell, from the Bible alone, which day the seventh day of the week actually is. Today, the Jews keep the Sabbath on Saturday, beginning Friday evening, at sunset. Nobody questions today that the Sabbath, as preserved by the Jews, is the seventh or last day of the week. All understand that Sunday is the first day of the week…”

In 1940, Herbert Armstrong stated this in the above-mentioned letter:

“God did not commit His oracles, or the preservation of His times, to profane history… they have been preserved by the Jews. After thorough study of the Bible, of the Hebrew calendar, of history and every angle… we have unanimously agreed that the Hebrew calendar has been preserved correctly by the Jews…”

In a Good News article of April 1981, titled, “The Hebrew Calendar—Authoritative for God’s Church Today!,” Herman L. Hoeh wrote the following:

“The Worldwide Church of God has followed this authoritative decision ever since. Others can go their own way—till the judgment.”

In passing, if you have any doubt that God inspires the leadership of His Church to make binding decisions in certain matters, please read our Q&A, “Could you please explain the extent of the power that Christ gave in Matthew 16:19, to ‘bind and loose’?”.

In the above-mentioned article on the Hebrew Calendar, Dr. Hoeh continued:

“But what were the oracles committed in a public way to the Jews? The Hebrew Bible only? By no means! The Hebrew calendar also! For without the calendar, it would be impossible to fulfill correctly what is written in the Hebrew Bible about the hallowed annual times. And not only the Bible and calendar, but the week also. These three—Bible, calendar and week—are all part of the oracles committed to the Jews for all mankind…

“By faith we know we have copies, providentially preserved, of the original Word of God. By faith we know that the leadership in the Jewish courts did preserve the rules of the calendar God committed to them—even though they themselves have not wanted to follow those rules at all times. It is all a question of government—whether God is capable of ruling…”

For a thorough discussion and proof that God DID in fact preserve the writings of the Bible—both the Old and the New Testaments—please read our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible.” Continuing with the above-quoted article:

“The scribes—copying of the text of the Hebrew Bible was one of their duties—were in authority. Jesus said so [compare Matthew 23:3-4]. They sat on Moses’ seat…  And the Pharisees, too, sat on Moses’ seat. It was their court that determined the Hebrew calendar. It was their court’s decision that determined which day was the beginning of each month. Once that was determined it was the people’s responsibility to keep holy the days God made holy—according to the dates on the Hebrew calendar, not on some other calendar. “Were the scribes perfect men, without sin? Were the Pharisees perfect men, without sin? By no means! Jesus made that plain. Yet He also made it plain that they had the responsibility under God to preserve the written Word of God, the week and the calendar. It was not somebody else’s responsibility…

“The Jews’ chief leader, Hillel II, whose responsibility it was to regulate the calendar, was forced to issue a decree for the year A.D. 358-359 to (re)institute the authority of the fixed calendar we know today as the Hebrew calendar… the authority of Jerusalem in the person of Hillel II did speak in A.D. 358-359 to authorize the present Hebrew calendar throughout the future until such time as a new court sitting in Moses’ seat be reestablished in Jerusalem…”

Kenneth Herrmann wrote in the Good News, October 1957, that the information on the system of the calendar calculation was made public “so the broken and scattered Jewish nation… would be able to continue the observance of God’s feast days in accordance with the new moons as calculated from Jerusalem.”

Subsequently, in the July-August 1996 edition of the Global Church News, two articles were published by Raymond F. McNair, titled, “Which Calendar has God Authorized?” and “What are the Postponements?” The first article was also published in the German language (“Welcher Kalender ist in Gottes Augen gueltig?” [“Which Calendar Is Valid in God’s Eyes?”]). It appeared in the January 1999 edition of “Die Welt der Zukunft [“The World of the Future”].” We will discuss postponements in more detail in a subsequent Q&A. But as Raymond McNair pointed out in his article on postponements, they “delay—by either one or two days—the beginning of the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year.”

Some who have construed their own calendar, insist that postponements must be rejected. They are wrong. Raymond McNair explained:

“… from the very beginning certain postponements had to be incorporated in the Sacred Calendar—simply because it is not possible to construct it without them… God Almighty gave Moses certain necessary oral instructions regarding His calendar that are not recorded in the Bible. And, through the centuries, God must have inspired the Jews in such a way as to utilize the postponements… The Bible itself says absolutely nothing about postponements. So, if God’s Word does not condemn postponements, then who are we to say that the Jews, the custodians of God’s Word and His Calendar, are wrong in including them…”

In conclusion, we reiterate the Church of God’s long-standing position that we are to follow the current Hebrew Calendar, as preserved by the Jews, for the correct dates of the annual Holy Days. No one else has God-given authority to devise his own calendar. It IS a matter of government, authority and faith—are we trusting in and obeying God and His Word, or aren’t we?

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Do you have guidelines for proper appearance and conduct in your worship services?

In previous Q&As, we published guidelines for opening and closing prayers, and for preparing and giving sermonettes. We pointed out that our weekly and annual Sabbath services begin with a song service (usually by singing three congregational hymns), followed by an opening prayer, a sermonette or short spiritual message of about 10 to 15 minutes, the singing of another congregational hymn, announcements, followed (occasionally) by a special music presentation (especially during the Feast of Tabernacles), the sermon or main spiritual message of about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, and we conclude with a final congregational hymn and the closing prayer.

As all of these elements are part of a worship service in honor of and dedication to God, it is important that we always appear before God in the proper attire and with the right attitude, and that we exemplify correct behavior throughout the entire service. In the past, we have published numerous Q&As, setting forth the principles and guidelines as to how men and women should dress in general; what should be the proper hair length for men and women; and especially, how we should properly dress at Church services and social functions during the Feast of Tabernacles, including at pool or beach parties.

Here are a few selected excerpts from the above-cited Q&As, as they apply to worship services:

“That we ought to appear properly dressed for worship services, has been the long-standing teaching of the Church of God, and for good reason:

“We must understand that we are appearing before GOD. God is a great King. God is the Creator of everything that is good and costly and priceless. He is the Creator of beauty. He most certainly is the Creator of quality. He owns all the gold and silver, and it is He who made it all. If we were to be invited by an earthly king, how would we appear in front of him?… Would you want to appear in unwashed, dirty clothing, wearing washed-out jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers?

“How much more should we appear before GOD, the KING over His creation, in proper clothes! The famous parable in Matthew 22:10-13 about the king’s wedding feast for his son contains a spiritual lesson, but it also describes a physical principle–that we dress appropriately for the occasion. It DID matter to the king–God the Father–how the guests were dressed for the wedding of His Son, Jesus Christ.

“In this context, we must not neglect culture. In the Western World, it is normally appropriate for men to wear a suit, or a nice combination, with a shirt and a tie… In the U.S.A., Canada or in England [and we might include continental Europe as well], men don’t dress up, when they appear in worship services with an open shirt, a T-shirt or jeans.

“Ladies should also wear appropriate clothing, of course. In addition, their dresses should not be too short or too tight or too revealing–but this principle would also apply in general, not just during Church services…

“God gives us the freedom to determine what is appropriate clothing, within the acceptability of proper dress in our cultures, but to clarify, God does not give us the freedom to violate His specific instructions so that we can follow our culture. For example, God has told us how to wear our hair. We are told that it is a shame for a man – young or old – to wear long hair…

“In addition, some brethren are scattered. They cannot physically join with other members on the Sabbath, so they listen to sermon tapes, or they sit in and listen to live Internet worship services (In passing, those who can physically attend are commanded to do so, and they are not permitted to just use Internet access as a substitute and as an excuse for not ‘having’ to attend Church services in person). If scattered brethren have Sabbath worship services ‘in their home,’ while listening to tapes or to live Internet Church services, they still appear before God during that time, and again, we don’t want to appear before God uncombed, unshaved and unwashed, or by just wearing our pajamas…”

“When God gave instructions for the creation of ‘holy garments’ for the priests of Israel, He specifically wanted them made ‘for GLORY and for BEAUTY’ (Exodus 28:2)… Regarding how both men and women dress when attending Church services, we find a meaningful example in the time when the children of Israel were commanded to wash their clothes in advance of appearing before God (Compare Exodus 19:10,14). Likewise, the priests were to wash themselves when appearing before God (Compare Exodus 30:19-20); and, they were to wear special clothing (Compare Exodus 28).

“It has been the practice of the Church of God to recognize that we are appearing before God when we assemble for Sabbath services along with other special commanded assemblies as given by God [such as commanded worship services throughout the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, even though only the first day is a Holy Day]. As such, we do recommend that each person present himself or herself in the best apparel they have available. The foremost idea is to specially prepare to appear before God to honor HIM!…

“God takes great exception to the self-absorbed and self-willed practices of people who lose all restraint. This applies to inappropriate sloppy appearance, as well as to the over-emphasis on wealth and riches… Our responsibility is to dress modestly and yet to dress with quality garments that reflect our honoring of God…”

It is critically important to understand that we appear in front of God during the entirety of our worship service; and this means that every aspect of the service is to reflect our worship of God. This is true whether we are attending together with our brethren in a Church hall, or whether we are, due to necessity, listening in to live Church services from our homes. This means we stand up respectfully and humbly when participating in the opening or closing prayer, and we stand up and participate joyfully in the singing of the congregational hymns.

We concentrate on and listen carefully to the messages (including the announcements, as well as the sermonette and sermon). It is understood, of course, that parents will have to take care of their babies and young children, which might even require at times to take them out of the Church hall, when they get too loud and disturb others. But apart from these sometimes inevitable distractions, there is no excuse for not paying close and undivided attention to services. It would be highly inappropriate to engage in jokes or unnecessary conversation during services (except for unavoidable situations, such as when our technical staff may at times have to communicate with each other to make sure that the services are being properly broadcast, etc.). It would also be offensive to God if someone were to get up during services (whether in a Church hall or at home) to walk to the kitchen for a snack or a meal, or even a cup of coffee or tea or water (excepting necessary circumstances), or to take a nap during services.

In services, most of us do not have many opportunities to audibly participate, except for saying “Amen” to the opening and closing prayers, after having listened carefully and attentively to every word of the prayers, and for singing joyfully during the song service. We cannot overemphasize the importance of participation in the song service with all of our heart, concentrating on each word which we are singing, and agreeing with it completely, knowing that we are not doing so to impress others, but because we are worshipping God when we sing out loud. There have been rare occasions when a brother or sister was told not to sing so loud, but this would be highly inappropriate “advice.” In fact, the song leader should encourage the congregation in words and by his own example to sing out loud and with enthusiasm.

Notice what we read about singing songs and hymns to God:

“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious” (Psalm 66:1-2, AV).

Consider Psalm 95:1-3 (AV):

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King…”

Notice Psalm 149:1-5 (AV):

“Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King… let them sing praises unto him… Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud…”

And take note of Psalm 150:1-6 (AV), showing that God expects of us to sing to Him with emotion and with our whole heart:

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary… Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel…  praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbrals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

Whether we are speakers (giving sermonettes, sermons, opening or closing prayers, or announcements) or whether we are part of the “listening” congregation, we must all appreciate the truth that we are appearing before God and His holy angels, as well as with His chosen holy people. Speakers have to conduct themselves appropriately, when speaking from the pulpit; they are not to engage in improper comments or “foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (compare Ephesians 5:4).

The saying that “familiarity breeds contempt” must never be applicable to our conduct in Church services. This is one of the reasons why our speakers will generally refer to other brethren as Mr. and Mrs., when addressing them publically, rather than using their first names. Church services ARE FORMAL WORSHIP services, in dedication to God and in fellowship with His holy people, and all of us must always keep this in mind throughout the entirety of the service.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Is it true that Christ will return on the annual Holy Day of the Feast of Trumpets?

Christ told us that no one knows the DAY of His return. He even said that He Himself does not know the DAY, nor the angels, but the Father alone. The reason is that it is within the Father’s sole authority to decide when the day of Christ’s return has come.

Note what we said in one of our Q&As, addressing certain numbers in the book of Daniel, and answering the question as to whether the 1,260 days, 1,290 days and 1,335 days mentioned there show us exactly when Christ will return:

“… we do not know the exact day of Christ’s return. Matthew 24:44 reads: ‘Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ In Mark 13:32-33, we read Christ’s words: ‘But of that DAY and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.’ Neither Christ, nor God’s angels, nor we ‘know’ [present tense!] the DAY and the HOUR of His coming. Christ seems to be saying that we won’t know the exact time — a phrase broader than just a 24-hour-day. The reason for this conclusion is given in Acts 1:6-7:

“‘Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [They understood that Christ would establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, when He returns.] And He said to them, “It is not for you to know TIMES or SEASONS which the Father has put in His own authority.”’

“It is the FATHER’S decision to determine when exactly to send Jesus Christ back to this earth. That is the reason why even Jesus Christ does not know the EXACT time. All attempts to figure out the exact time are also futile in light of Christ’s words in Matthew 24:21-22: ‘For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were SHORTENED, no flesh would be saved [alive]: but for the elect’s sake those days will be SHORTENED.’

“Some have speculated that Christ will return exactly three-and-a-half years after the beginning of the Great Tribulation (and the Church’s protection at a place of safety). This does not take into account, however, that these last days will be shortened. We also read in Hosea 6:1-2: ‘Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day [not: AFTER three-and-a-half prophetic days or years] He will raise us up.’”

Some have taught that Christ will come back on the Day of Pentecost, or on the Day of Trumpets, or on the Day of Atonement.

Regarding the Day of Pentecost, please read our booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days” and the Q&A on the firstfruits. The Day of Pentecost pictures the spiritual begettal of God’s disciples—the firstfruits–and their receipt of the Holy Spirit in this day and age. It does not picture the birth of God’s firstfruits as Spirit beings in the first resurrection. One reason is that the two loaves, representing the firstfruits, which had to be presented to the LORD on the Day of Pentecost, had to be baked with leaven (compare Leviticus 23:17). Leaven symbolizes sin. Today, converted Christians still sin, but once they are born again in the Kingdom or Family of God and have become God, they will not and cannot sin anymore. Therefore, the Day of Pentecost does not represent the resurrection and change of God’s saints to eternal life in God’s Family, and it is therefore very unlikely that Christ will return on that day.

It is true that the Feast of Trumpets represents Christ’s Return and the resurrection of the saints, which will occur when the seventh trumpet sounds. But the Feast of Trumpets represents much more. On that day, not just one trumpet was blown, but the Levites blew several trumpets. In the book of Revelation, we read that seven seals will be opened, and the seventh seal consists of seven trumpets, which will be blown by seven angels. But these seven trumpets, which are all pictured by the Feast of Trumpets, will not be blown in just one day, but for a longer time. Also, even when the seventh or last trumpet sounds, the events that will occur at that time will take longer than just 24 hours. All the events that are described to occur during the blowing of the seven trumpets and even the seventh trumpet cannot possibly just occur during a 24 hour-time span allotted to the Feast of Trumpets.

Please see the time sequence of events pictured by the seven trumpets, as explained in our Q&A

“The SEVENTH seal consists of SEVEN TRUMPETS, which are blown by seven angels (Revelation 8:2, 6). The first FOUR trumpets are described in Revelation 8:7-12.

“(7.1) The FIRST TRUMPET

“It describes, what appears to be, a firestorm destroying one third of all trees and of the grass (compare Revelation 8:7)

“(7.2) The SECOND TRUMPET

“It depicts, what appears to be, a huge burning meteorite falling into the sea, destroying one third of all sea creatures and one third of all the ocean ships (Revelation 8:8-9).

“(7.3) The THIRD TRUMPET

“It describes, what appears to be, another huge fiery comet or asteroid, destroying or poisoning one third of all the sweet drinking water (Revelation 8:10-11).

“(7.4) The FOURTH TRUMPET

“It brings further cosmic disturbances, blocking one third of the light of the sun, moon and stars (Revelation 8:12-13).

“Revelation 8:13 speaks of the last three remaining trumpets as the last ‘three woes’—because of their great and extreme severity.

“(7.5) The FIFTH TRUMPET (the ‘first woe’)

“The first of the last three woes—or the fifth trumpet—is described in Revelation 9:1-12. It identifies the final resurrection of the Roman Empire, coming out of a ‘bottomless pit’ (Revelation 9:1-3, compare Revelation 11:7; 17:8), an end-time European power bloc, referred to as the ‘beast’ elsewhere. It is depicted to be at war with other nations. Its instruments of war are symbolically portrayed as ‘locusts’ (Revelation 9:3) or helicopters, causing pain and harm on humans for five months, without killing them (Revelation 9:4-5, 10). The real ruler of this power bloc is ‘the angel of the bottomless pit’ (Revelation 9:11)–Satan the devil. This war occurs after the Great Tribulation—after the time of war between Europe and the modern nations of the houses of Israel and Judah. By that time, the modern nations of the houses of Israel and Judah will already be destroyed, and their surviving people will have become captives of this European power. The war depicted in Revelation 9 is alluded to more fully in Daniel 11, commencing with verse 41.

“(7.6) The SIXTH TRUMPET (the ‘second woe’)

“Revelation 9:13-21 describes the second woe or the sixth trumpet—the appearance of an invading army of 200 million soldiers (Revelation 9:16) from the east (Revelation 9:14)–shortly after Europe’s invasion of the Middle East (Daniel 11:41-43, 45)–to kill ‘a third of mankind’ (Revelation 9:15). Apparently, this is the second stage of a total world war between, at that time, mainly the European power bloc and a power bloc of eastern nations (compare Revelation 9:17 with Joel 2: 4). This second stage is also alluded to in Daniel 11:44.

“(7.7) The SEVENTH TRUMPET (the ‘third woe’)

“The third woe or the seventh trumpet is not described until Revelation 16. Previous chapters are interludes—flashbacks—setting the stage for the climax of the last or seventh trumpet, as identified in Revelation 16 (compare Revelation 10:7).

“The seventh trumpet of the seventh seal consists of SEVEN LAST PLAGUES, which are described in Revelation 16:1-21. Seven angels pour out these seven last plagues, also referred to as the seven bowls of the wrath of God (Revelation 15:7; 16:1).

“(7.7.1) The FIRST OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It causes ‘a foul and loathsome sore’ on those who worship the beast and its image, and who have accepted the mark of the beast (Revelation 16:2).

“(7.7.2) The SECOND OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It causes every living creature in the sea to die (Revelation 16:3).

“(7.7.3) The THIRD OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It causes the sweet water supply to become ‘blood’—that is, undrinkable (Revelation 16:4-7).

“(7.7.4) The FOURTH OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It brings about increased solar radiation which horribly scorches mankind. Despite this punishment from God for their sins, man will not repent, but rather blaspheme God (Revelation 16:8-9).

“(7.7.5) The FIFTH OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It causes total darkness to cover the Headquarters of the beast—again, people will blaspheme God and will refuse to repent even then (Revelation 16:10-11).

“(7.7.6) The SIXTH OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It will dry up the waters of the ‘great river Euphrates’ (Revelation 16:12) to enable the ‘kings from the east’ to advance to the place of ‘Armageddon’ (Revelation 16:16) to ‘gather’ there in preparation for ‘the battle of that great day of God Almighty’ (Revelation 16:14, 16). These kings from the east, as well as all the other kings of the earth, will be influenced by Satan and the demonically possessed beast and the false prophet (Revelation 16:13-14). All of them will gather at ‘Armageddon’ or the ‘hill of Megiddo’ (‘har’ meaning ‘hill’ in Hebrew), about 55 miles or 90 kilometers north of Jerusalem, and about 15 miles or 25 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean Sea. Megiddo is a huge mound with a commanding view of the long and fertile valley of Jezreel—an ideal place for armies gathering there. Then, they will converge from there on Jerusalem to fight the returning Christ. We don’t read that there will be a battle at Armageddon—the battle will be fought farther south in the valley of Jehoshaphat, which is called today the ‘Kidron Valley,’ bordering Jerusalem on the east.

“(7.7.7) The SEVENTH OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES or bowls:

“It causes a tremendous earthquake to shake the earth ‘as had not occurred since men were on the earth’ (Revelation 16:17-18; compare Isaiah 2:12-19; 13:6-13; 24:1-20), causing the ‘great city’ of Jerusalem to be ‘divided into three parts’ and ‘all the cities of the nations’ to fall (Revelation 16:19). Further, every island disappears, and mountains are leveled (Revelation 16:20). A great hail of tremendous size destroys everything in its path. Again, man will not repent, but blaspheme God because of the hail (Revelation 16:21).

“To obtain the entire picture of the events at the time of Christ’s return, we need to consider additional passages.

“The battle in the valley of Jehoshaphat and the mighty earthquake are more fully described in the nineteenth chapter of the book of Revelation, which describes the return of Jesus Christ (Chapters 17 and 18 are again interludes—flashbacks—setting the stage for the climax of the destruction of this world’s civilization–called ‘Babylon’–which is being dominated or influenced by a military-economic and religious power).

“Chapter 19 describes the returning Jesus Christ, riding on a white horse, to establish the government of God here on earth (Revelation 19:6, 11, 14-15).

“When the seventh angel sounds and when Christ returns, the saints–converted Christians–will be resurrected to immortality, if they have died, or they will be changed to immortality, if they are still alive (1 Corinthians 15:50-56; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). They will at that time be born again and inherit salvation, by entering the Kingdom or very Family of God. They will meet Christ in the air and descend with Him on that same day on the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:3-5 indicates that, apparently due to the great earthquake of the seventh bowl, mentioned in Revelation 16:17-18, the Mount of Olives shall split in two, making a very large valley, where the final battle of God Almighty will take place.

“Christ will overcome the armies which will be trying to fight Him, as well as the modern leaders of modern ‘Babylon’–the military ruler (‘the beast’) and the religious leader (‘the false prophet’) (compare Revelation 19:19-21). The destruction of the armies is more fully described in Zechariah 14:12, 15. The beast and the false prophet will be cast into ‘the lake of fire burning with brimstone’ (Revelation 19:20).

“Revelation 19:7-9 also states that Christ will come to ‘marry’ His ‘wife’—His Church—and that those are blessed ‘who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ Other passages shed more light on this marriage and the marriage supper, compare Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-38; 13: 25-30.

“Beginning with Revelation 20, further events are described, which will occur after Christ has returned to this earth. An angel will bind and imprison Satan and his demons for 1000 years or a ‘millennium,’ so that Satan cannot deceive mankind during that period (Revelation 20:1-4; compare also Revelation 12:9). The immortal saints will rule with and under Christ on and over this earth for those thousand years (Revelation 20: 5-6; Daniel 7: 22, 27). The results of this rulership will be peace, prosperity and a correct understanding of God and His ways (Isaiah 2:2-4; 9: 6-7; 11:1-10; 35:1-10; Amos 9:13-15; Micah 4:1-5). Ultimately, the saints will reign under God ‘for ever and ever’ (Revelation 22:5)…”

Some might say: But did not critical events take place prior to Christ’s return exactly on the corresponding day and at the time pictured by the annual Holy Days? And will not exactly the same happen in the future?

The answer to these questions is: Not necessarily.

For instance, the Day of Passover is to be observed at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan, when the Old Testament Passover lamb was slain during the two evenings (after sunset and before nightfall), and its remains were to be burned in the morning. But Christ, our true Passover Lamb, did not die on the evening of the 14th of Nisan, nor was He buried in the morning of the Passover Day. Rather, He died several hours later, in the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, and He was buried just before sunset at the end of the 14th of Nisan. Passover pictures the death of Christ, the true Passover Lamb, and Christ died on the Passover Day, but He did not die exactly at the time when the Old Testament Passover lambs died; that is, He did not die at the beginning of the Passover day, but towards the end.

Jewish tradition states that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and that Jericho fell on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, but the Bible does not specifically say so. Even though it is entirely likely that these events took place on that annual Holy Day, if it was critically important that those events did take place then, the Bible would have told us that.

Jewish tradition also states that God proclaimed the Law of the Ten Commandments to Israel on the Day of Pentecost, but, again, even though it is very likely that this is true, the Bible does not specifically say so.

Many claim, based on Jewish tradition, that the Messiah will come on the Feast of Trumpets, but the Bible does not specifically say that, either. Further, let us consider this:

The Day of Atonement, which is celebrated ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, pictures the replacement and banishment of Satan, but this does not mean that Christ will wait ten days after His return before He will banish Satan, allowing him to rule mankind for another ten days after Christ’s return. Some even suggest that the ten days stand for ten years. Are we to assume that Christ will allow Satan to rule ten more years after Christ’s return, before he will be imprisoned?

The First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated five days after the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Millennium, when Christ rules on earth, together with the immortal saints. But we are not to assume that Christ and the saints will have to wait fifteen days after Christ’s return and their resurrection and change to eternal life, and five days after Satan’s banishment, before they will begin to rule here on earth.  Some even say that the fifteen days from the Feast of Trumpets to the First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles represent fifteen years. But are we to assume that Christ and the saints will wait fifteen years before they begin to rule on earth?

The Feast of Tabernacles lasts one week or seven days and pictures God’s rule on and over the earth for a thousand years. It is obvious that thousand years of godly rule cannot be compressed into one week. Rather, the Feast of Tabernacles just pictures the time of the Millennium.

Also, the Last Great Day or the Eighth Day, immediately following the Feast of Tabernacles, pictures the Second and even the Third Resurrections. (For more information on the Second and Third Resurrections, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation!”). But these events do not take place in just one day—rather, they comprise a period of more than 100 years.

The weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days picture certain events in God’s master plan for mankind. It is not necessary that the events pictured by the particular Holy Days occur on those very days—in some cases, that would be quite impossible. Even though God’s master plan existed since the creation of man, the annual Holy Days were made for the nation of Israel—the Church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38, Authorized Version)—and the New Testament Church of God—spiritual Israel. They did not exist when man was created; some of them came into existence at the time when Israel was about to be freed from Egyptian captivity (compare Exodus 12), and others came into existence later (compare the list of God’s annual Holy Days in Leviticus 23).

(Compare our Q&A, asking and answering the question: “Were the Holy Days given at the time of Moses actually observed before—including even in the times before the flood?”)

In conclusion, as members of the Church of God, we are duty-bound to observe today God’s annual Holy Days, as we obey God’s instruction in this regard. The Holy Days remind us of God’s plan for us and for all of mankind. They are picturing seven steps in God’s master plan, but they do not necessarily tell us the exact days or hours when  those steps were or will be implemented. Since we know that the steps pertaining to Pentecost have already been implemented, we can say that it is highly unlikely that Christ will come back on the Day of Pentecost. As Christ will banish Satan, after He has returned, it is unlikely that He will return on the Day of Atonement, which pictures Satan’s banishment. However, for all the foregoing reasons explained in this Q&A, we should not state dogmatically that Christ will come back on the Feast of Trumpets, and worse yet, attach a particular year to the Feast of Trumpets, and say, “Christ will come back on the Feast of Trumpets in the year of…”

Remember, Christ clearly told us: “But of that DAY and hour [of His return] no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

You recently wrote in one of your Q&As that Arabs were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost in 31 AD, when the Holy Spirit was given. This seems to be incorrect as Gentiles were only admitted much later to the Church of God, beginning with the Roman centurion Cornelius.

You seem to be referring to our Q&A on Saudi Arabia, where we wrote the following:

“Turning to the New Testament, we find that Arabs were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when God poured out His Holy Spirit on the New Testament Church (Acts 2:11), and that Paul, after his conversion, went to Arabia (Galatians 1:17) and stayed there for a while, perhaps, as Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible suggests, to associate with those Arabs who had been converted on the Day of Pentecost.”

It is true that some commentaries seem to suggest that the “Arabs,” who were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost in 31 AD, were Jews who were living at the time in Arabia and who had come to worship in Jerusalem. However, even though people of Jewish descent were included, they were not the only ones mentioned in Acts 2. Note carefully the inspired record in Acts 2:5-11:

“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans [i.e., the apostles]? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Phartians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them [the apostles] speaking in our own tongue the wonderful works of God.’”

Notice carefully that several categories of people are listed here—Jews dwelling in Jerusalem—and Jews and proselytes who were dwelling in other parts of the world, and who had come to Jerusalem to worship God on the Day of Pentecost.

Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible explains:

“Devout men, out of every nation – Either by these we are simply to understand Jews who were born in different countries, and had now come up to Jerusalem to be present at the passover, and for purposes of traffic, or proselytes to Judaism, who had come up for the same purpose…”

Gentiles who had been converted to Judaism were called “proselytes”—and we read that they, too, were present when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains that the term “Jews” refers to “native-born Jews, or descendants of Jewish families,” while  the term “Proselytes” speaks of “those who had been converted to the Jewish religion from among the Gentiles. The great zeal of the Jews to make proselytes is mentioned by our Saviour as one of the special characteristics of the Pharisees, Matthew 23:15.”

Barnes explains how a Gentile could become a “proselyte” or a “convert”:

“Among the Jews there were two kinds of proselytes:

“1. ‘Proselytes of righteousness,’ or those who wholly and fully embraced the Jewish religion, who were baptized, who were circumcised, and who conformed to all the rites of the Mosaic institutions.

“2. ‘Proselytes of the gate,’ or those who approved of the Jewish religion, renounced the pagan superstitions, and conformed to some of the rites of the Jews, but were not circumcised or baptized.”

However, as the People’s New Testament explains, “To make one proselyte [means:] Induce Gentiles to become circumcised and to keep the Jewish religion. This is the sense in which proselyte was then always used.”

Christ was not too impressed with the Pharisees’ efforts to proselytize someone, as they introduced those converts to and compelled them to abide by the traditions of Judaism, which were in many aspects contrary to the commands of God, as revealed in the Old and New Testament. Still, we note that Jews and proselytes were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and we also note that later, one of the seven original deacons in the Church of God was Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch (Acts 6:5).

The People’s New Testament states that Nicolas was a “Gentile (Greek) of the great city of Antioch, who had been converted to Judaism and been circumcised. This is the meaning of proselyte in the New Testament.” Barnes’ Notes on the Bible adds, “The word does not mean here that he was a convert to ‘Christianity’ – which was true – but that he had been converted at Antioch from paganism to the Jewish religion. As this is the only proselyte mentioned among the seven deacons, it is evident that the others were native-born Jews, though a part of them might have been born out of Palestine, and have been of the denomination of ‘Grecians,’ or ‘Hellenists.’”

Still later, “Jews and devout proselytes” followed Paul and Barnabas in the city of Antioch and were encouraged and persuaded to CONTINUE in the grace of God (Acts 13:42-43).

The concept of Gentiles becoming proselytes was already taught in Old Testament times. We read in Exodus 12:43-49 that a stranger—a Gentile—dwelling in the nation of Israel, could partake of the Passover, but only after he had been circumcised.

We also note that some time before the Roman centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter (compare Acts 10), an Ethiopian eunuch was already baptized by Philip (Acts 8:26-40). The eunuch was obviously a proselyte who had embraced the Jewish religion; he had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning to Ethiopia (verses 27-28).

The controversy which led to the first Council of the New Testament Church in Jerusalem, as described in Acts 15, evolved around the fact that Peter had baptized a Roman centurion who had NOT first become a proselyte by turning to Judaism; that is, he had not been circumcised and baptized to become a proselyte, according to the rites of the Pharisees, and he had not embraced all of the injunctions listed in the entire law of Moses—including temporary and by then superseded rituals—as well as man-made traditions and customs of the elders, which were not included in the Law of God (compare Acts 15:1, 5; see also Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-13; Galatians 1:14).

The apostles concluded, based on the godly vision of Peter and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that “Gentiles who are turning to God” could become members of the Church of God without having first to become proselytes by being circumcised (verse 19), embracing Judaism, committing to keeping the rituals and sacrifices which Christ had abolished with His death, and by embracing man-made traditions. They made clear, however, that God’s law had to be kept, including certain permanent injunctions which were found in Old Testament passages that ALSO described temporary ritual requirements (compare verse 20, 29). The apostles emphasized, for instance, that Gentiles who were turning to God were still required to keep the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath (verse 21)—a requirement which is still binding for Christians today.

It is therefore NOT correct to conclude that only native Jews were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D, when the New Testament Church of God began. There were also Proselytes in attendance, including Arabs. Our statement, as quoted at the beginning of this Q&A, has therefore merit; namely, that “Paul, after his conversion, went to Arabia (Galatians 1:17) and stayed there for a while, perhaps, as Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible suggests, to associate with those Arabs who had been converted on the Day of Pentecost.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Could you explain Isaiah 26:14, 19? Isn’t there a contradiction?

It might appear so at first sight, but upon closer scrutiny, we will see that there is no contradiction.

Isaiah 26:13-14 states: “O LORD our God, masters besides You Have had dominion over us; But by You only we make mention of Your name. They are dead, they will not live; They are deceased, they will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And made all their memory to perish.”

On the other hand, we read in Isaiah 26:19:

“Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.”

At first sight, these statements might say that while God’s dead—those who were faithful–will be raised in a resurrection, God’s enemies will never come back to life. However, we know that all will come back to life (compare John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15).

All will be raised in one of three resurrections—either in the first resurrection of eternal life; or in the second resurrection of judgment; or in the third resurrection of eternal condemnation or destruction. Please read our Q&A on the three resurrections, and study our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mystery of the Book of Revelation.” 

What then is the meaning of the passages in Isaiah 26, as quoted above?

In Isaiah 26:13-14, Isaiah is not denying the resurrection of the wicked. Rather, the context is that they will not rise again to have dominion or power over others. If the reference is to those being raised in the third and final resurrection, which will destroy the wicked, then this is self-evident. But even in the context of the second resurrection, when the dead will be raised to physical life to be given their first opportunity to accept Jesus Christ and embrace God’s Way, they will not be allowed to have autocratic power to abuse and persecute others. If they repent and are forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit, they would ultimately qualify to become immortal kings and priests in the Family of God—but the power to rule that God would give them would be associated with justice, fairness, love and compassion.

Notice how several commentaries understand and explain the passage in Isaiah 26:13-14.

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible writes, referring strictly to the third resurrection, even though he seems to be confused about the last two resurrections:

“They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise… The above tyrannical lords, the kings of the earth and their mighty men…  shall not live again in this world, nor rise from their graves, and return to their former state, power, and authority; or tyrannise over, molest, disturb, oppress, and persecute the people of God any more; though they shall live again at the end of the thousand years, and shall awake to everlasting shame and contempt, and come forth to the resurrection of damnation.”

The Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament states:

“The tyrants who usurped the rule over Israel have now utterly disappeared… The meaning is not that Jehovah had put them to death because there was no resurrection at all after death; for… the prophet was acquainted with such a resurrection…”

Wesley’s Notes add:

“Those tyrants are destroyed; they shall never live or rise again to molest us.”

By contrast, Isaiah continues to say in verse 19 that the persecuted, downcast and maligned people of God will be raised in power. Even though they are now abused subjects and victims of this world’s terrible oppressions, they will become loving and almighty Spirit beings—God beings–in the Family of God, ruling over those who had harmed them in this life.

Some commentaries say that this verse does not primarily teach the resurrection from the dead, but merely a restoration of the tribe of Judah to power and rule. Even though it is true that the modern houses of Israel and Judah will be restored and placed in the Promised Land, when Christ returns, and that also those of the houses of Israel and Judah, who died and who will be resurrected in the second resurrection, will be brought back to the Promised Land, this is not what Isaiah is primarily emphasizing here.

The reason is that Isaiah includes himself, saying that his dead body will also arise in the future. Some commentaries point out that the words “Together with” in verse 19 (“Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise”) are not in the original, and that therefore Isaiah is not referring to himself in this statement. However, he clearly is including himself, as the words, “my dead body” are in the original. Some try to contradict this by saying that the phrase “my dead body” should be rendered as, “my dead bodies” or even “their dead bodies,” but this is not what the original Hebrew says.

The Interlinear Hebrew/English Old Testament renders Isaiah 26:19 as follows: “Your dead ones shall live, my dead body, they shall arise…” The Zuercher Bible confirms that in the Hebrew it says, “my dead body,” but adds that the meaning is uncertain. The Tanakh, even though rendering the phrase as, “let corpses arise,” says in an annotation that the Hebrew Grammar is uncertain.

What is certain is that Isaiah knew that he will rise to eternal life in the first resurrection, and that he will not remain dead forever, or that he will only be brought back to physical life in the second resurrection. Even though Isaiah says that his dead body will arise together with the other dead of God, he is not saying that he will be raised in a “bodily” physical resurrection, but that he will be resurrected to eternal life; and that he will receive a spiritual glorified body. For more information, please read our Q&A on the bodily resurrection.

Note the following comment by Barnes’ Notes on the Bible:

“And the earth shall cast out the dead – This is language which is derived from the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; and shows also that that doctrine was understood by the Hebrews in the time of Isaiah. The sense is, that as the earth shall cast forth its dead in the resurrection, so the people of God in Babylon should be restored to life, and to their former privileges in their own land.”

This statement could be confusing, when referring to the “resurrection of the body,” and in addition, it is not quite what Isaiah had in mind, as he primarily emphasized the first resurrection—not the restoration of the Jewish people. The Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament states more accurately:

“When compared with the New Testament Apocalypse, it is ‘the first resurrection’ which is here predicted by Isaiah. The confessors of Jehovah are awakened in their graves to form one glorious church with those who are still in the body.”

Notice too this comment by the Nelson Study Bible:

“Isaiah, addressing his faithful peers, assures them that their dead will rise in the resurrection (Job 19:26; Dan. 12:2). Dew is a picture of new life and blessing (Ps. 133:3; Hos. 14:5).”

The Soncino commentary adds:

“This verse [Isaiah 26:19] is the source of the belief in the resurrection of the dead, a fundamental of Jewish dogma… [Isaiah] knew that he was righteous and would [be in] the [first] resurrection.”

In conclusion, the above-quoted passages in Isaiah 26 do not contradict each other, but they explain the fate of different categories of people. While the wicked oppressors will not rise again to abuse and persecute God’s people—and as such, even the memory of their oppression will fade away—God’s people will rise to eternal glory and power. Isaiah does not deny the second or third resurrection, and he does not say that those who were wicked in this life would never come back to life—he only says that they won’t come back to life to be given opportunity to oppress others again.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

What About the Secret Rapture? – Part 1

by Norbert Link

Will Christ’s disciples be raptured and taken to the third heaven? How is Christ’s Second Coming described? Will He return secretly or visibly? Will He return twice? Where and how did the idea of a secret rapture originate? Does the Bible teach it, and did the early New Testament Church believe in it?

Download Audio 

Do you have any guidelines for preparing and giving a sermonette?

As we pointed out in a previous Q&A, discussing opening and closing prayers, the Church of the Eternal God in the USA and its corporate affiliates, the Global Church of God in the UK, and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, trace their roots to the Worldwide Church of God under the late Herbert W. Armstrong (who died in 1986). During his lifetime, Mr. Armstrong established the way in which Church of God services should be conducted, and we have substantially adopted these procedures. As a consequence, our weekly and annual Sabbath services include opening and closing prayers, a song service, announcements, occasional special music presentations (especially during the Feast of Tabernacles), and a sermonette and a sermon (sometimes, we may have two split sermons instead of a sermonette and a sermon, and we may on rare occasions dispense with a sermonette in lieu of a longer announcement session).

As pointed out in our previous Q&A, only baptized men are to give sermonettes and sermons.

We are presenting the following guidelines, which the Church has developed over the years, in regard to the preparation and presentation of sermonettes. This is not a rigid outline or formula, but it is meant to give valuable principles.

The purpose of the sermonette is to prepare the audience for the sermon, but it is not just a “general” or “ordinary” message, but it is supposed to be an inspired message from God. Normally, a sermonette should not be longer than 15 minutes, unless the presiding Pastor has given special prior permission for a longer message.

To give a sermonette is a privilege, not a right. Sermonettes provide opportunities for baptized men to teach—not to preach or correct. A sermonette speaker won’t be able to “fix” or “save” someone in a short message, anyway. Correction is the responsibility of the Pastor. Sermonette topics should be carefully selected. Topics which are corrective or overly broad or are “new” or speculative would be inappropriate. A topic which challenges Church teaching is absolutely forbidden.

Appropriate topics could be broken down into the following categories:

  1. an explanation of “difficult” or misapplied Scriptures in light of Church teaching (e.g., 1 Timothy 4:4 or Acts 10:12-13–do these passages justify eating unclean meats; or John 14:2–is heaven the reward of the saved?; or Luke 17:21–is the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men?);
  2. an explanation of two Scriptures, which apparently contradict each other (e.g., Acts 9:7 vs. Acts 22:9–did or didn’t those with Paul on the road to Damascus hear the voice of Christ?);
  3. a clarification of a particular Scriptural point (e.g., Mark 9:48–are there immortal worms?); and
  4. an explanation of how to apply Scripture and Church teaching in practice (e.g., how to use our second tithe; or how to dress for Sabbath services; or what is right conversation after services; or how to participate during the song service; or how to teach our children to rejoice at the Feast of Tabernacles; or what does it mean that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, as related to drugs, smoking, excessive drinking or tattoos). However, as mentioned, it should encourage the audience to do or not to do something; the purpose is NOT to correct the audience.

The sermonette speaker has to make sure, of course, that the explanations he is giving are the right ones! He is not to rely on what he might have heard someone say many years ago. He also has to make sure that the written source material he may be using is accurate and current. This is true for “worldly” commentaries and encyclopedias, but it can also include “old” Church articles which are by now outdated or which have been subsequently revised.

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates have published a wealth of current information on biblical topics, including 33 booklets, over 500 weekly Updates (many of which include a Bible Study or Q&A and a Bible-oriented Editorial); over 100 member letters, as well as hundreds of posted sermons, split sermons and sermonettes. We have posted all of our literature and many of our audio and video-recorded messages on our websites (www.eternalgod.org; www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk; www.churchofgodacf.ca; www.standingwatch.org; www.aufpostenstehen.de). Many of our video-recorded messages can also be found on You Tube, and the Church of the Eternal God is now also featured on Facebook.

The sermonette speaker must be supportive and promote unity. The material he presents must be correct, and he must never publicly disagree with any Church teachings. If he has questions, he must check them out with the ministry. It is not wrong to have questions or a lack of understanding, but one must get them sorted out if one is to be a fully supportive member of the Church. If in doubt, it is always advisable to discuss the proposed sermonette with the local Pastor before giving it.

The sermonette speaker is not to use the sermonette time to air personal gripes or complaints about the Church, the organization, members of the local congregation, the ministry, or any other Church problem. He is not to take a personal problem of someone in the congregation and give a sermonette about it.

The sermonette speaker should pray about his sermonette and begin to prepare the message early—not just the night before or the very same day when he is to speak. When preparing and delivering the message, the sermonette speaker has to keep in mind proper and clear pronunciation and grammar; as well as vocal variety and quality. Inappropriate language is to be avoided. The pulpit is not the place to describe explicitly the sins of mankind. Paul and the other apostles do mention certain types of sin, but they do not describe them in detail. The same goes for slang bordering on bad language.

When giving his message, the sermonette speaker needs to maintain eye contact with the audience, which prohibits just reading from many notes or a transcript. As we pointed out in a previous Q&A, “This is not to say that we should not prepare our messages and reduce our thoughts to writing and that we should not have any notes when delivering a sermonette or a sermon, but it is to say that speakers must not be too ‘note-bound’ when they deliver their message. Rather, they should and must allow God to inspire them, while speaking.”

In addition, a sermonette speaker needs to be well groomed; and he needs to smile and be warm and friendly, without being overly jocular or just plain silly. Remember, we are appearing in front of GOD during the entire Sabbath service.

Each sermonette should follow the usual Outline of a powerful introduction, a clear and precise Specific Purpose Statement (SPS), a body or main contents of the message, and a gripping and memorable conclusion. (But before beginning with the introduction, it is important that the speaker recognizes and welcomes the audience. A warm short greeting with a smiling face will be much appreciated by the audience. Just jumping into the message without first addressing the audience would be inappropriate.)

The Introduction must grab the audience’s attention. It must give the audience a reason why they should listen; why it is important for them to know. It could present a challenge; give some startling facts; or ask a question. A sermonette speaker should not begin with, “Let’s turn with me to….”; or, “I would like to explain the apparent contradiction….” All of this is lifeless and somewhat boring. Instead, a powerful introduction could perhaps be, “How can you be sure that you don’t go to heaven when you die?” Or: “How would you explain to someone that we don’t vote in governmental elections?” It is of course necessary that the introduction relates to the rest of the sermonette. It must lead into the Specific Purpose Statement (SPS).

The Specific Purpose Statement (SPS) makes clear what the sermonette speaker is going to cover in the course of the sermonette. It tells the audience what he is seeking to achieve. It introduces the ONE point which the sermonette will discuss. The introduction and the SPS of the sermonette do not necessarily have to be presented distinctly and separately. The sermonette’s opening comments may be a combination of these two functions.

The Body or main contents of the sermonette must of course respond and relate to, and deliver what was stated in the introduction and the SPS. It must fulfill what was set out to achieve, without containing new or unrelated material. The points within the body should flow in logical sequence (chronologically, historically, etc.), but there should not be too many points. A sermonette is to have ONE main point; it can of course have a few sub-points which all relate to the main point.

A sermonette is not to have too many Scriptures, either. The Church has suggested at times that a sermonette should have no more than three or four Scriptures. This is a sound guideline, but not an iron-clad rule. Some sermonettes can be very effective, even though they may include more than four Scriptures, while other sermonettes with three Scriptures may not be that effective. But it is most certainly not good to load the message with Scripture after Scripture where most of the time is taken up reading them and little time is left to comment on them or give supporting material.

The Conclusion of the sermonette is vitally important. The last words will stay the longest with the audience. Common mistakes are to just stop speaking almost without warning at the end of the body of the speech; to give a conclusion which is not related to the rest of the sermonette; or to introduce new material. The conclusion must be memorized and should not be read, and the speaker should NOT end his message with, “Thank you.” Rather, the conclusion must be effective. It could emphasize the ONE point that was made in the sermonette. It might include some catchy phrase related to the sermonette, or leave the audience with a challenge to apply what has been said.

Since giving a sermonette is an opportunity for a non-ministerial speaker to receive training in leadership and effective public speaking, as well as in serving the congregation, he should expect and welcome constructive criticism and an evaluation of his sermonette from his minister. Being asked to give a sermonette is a wonderful opportunity and responsibility, which must not be taken lightly. A sermonette speaker should carefully and prayerfully review and apply these guidelines, so that he may deliver a God-pleasing and Godly inspired message, which will be helpful to the audience.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Do you have any guidelines for opening and closing prayers?

The Church of the Eternal God in the USA, the Global Church of God in the UK, and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, conduct their weekly and annual Sabbath services by opening with prayer (usually after singing three congregational hymns), and by closing with prayer (after singing a final congregational hymn). These prayers are given by baptized men who have been selected by the song-leader—sometimes after consultation with or direction from the presiding minister. On occasion, and subject to the discretion of the presiding minister, baptized visitors and guests from other Church of God organizations, who might not regularly attend our fellowship, might be asked to give the opening or closing prayer.

To clarify at the beginning of this Q&A, it is not against biblical commands to have baptized men conduct opening or closing prayers in services. We explained the following in our free booklet, “Teach Us to Pray!,” on page 5:

“The Bible shows us the proper way to pray, both publicly and privately. For instance, when we pray in public by giving an opening or a closing prayer in Church services, we must not pray to be ‘seen by men’ (Matthew 6:5). Our motivation must not be to please men, but rather to please God. On the other hand, heart-rending, intimate prayers should be communicated to God the Father privately (Matthew 6:6).”

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates trace their roots to the Worldwide Church of God under the late Herbert W. Armstrong (who died in 1986). During his lifetime, Mr. Armstrong established the way in which Church of God services should be conducted, and we have substantially adopted these procedures. As a consequence, we are hereby reproducing and quoting with approval excerpts from an article of the Worldwide Church of God’s monthly magazine, “The Good News,” dated August 1971, titled, “How to Open and Close Services With Prayer.” Of course, the following is not a rigid outline or formula that must and should be adhered to EVERY time, but it is meant to give valuable guidelines.

Beginning with the discussion of opening prayers, the article stated the following:

“What, after all, is the object of having opening prayers?… We are instructed in God’s Word not to be given to ‘vain repetitions’ (Matt. 6:7). An opening prayer should not be vain and worthless, nor should it be repetitious… Nor should an opening prayer be overly long. Simply because a prayer is short does not mean it is ineffective. The Bible contains examples of very brief prayers that resulted in powerful miracles being performed.

“An opening prayer to one of God’s Sabbath services should also be prayed in earnest, believing FAITH! You should expect that prayer to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the service that follows…

“The primary purpose of this type of prayer is to ask for God’s guidance and inspiration on the entire service. This includes both the hearing and the speaking. It takes in… even the announcement period. It would be appropriate to begin by THANKING God for the opportunity to meet in peace and harmony. Gratitude could be expressed for the hall or the fine weather or various other favorable conditions the Church has been blessed with…

“The most important thing is to ask and expect God’s inspiration on the sermonette and the sermon. You could request that Jesus Christ actually be present in spirit to guide and direct the proceedings. Ask God to speak through his human instruments and lead them to say what is most needful and profitable for the whole congregation. As the world becomes more and more violent and Satan’s wrath is increasingly intensified, it becomes more necessary also to ask God for protection…

“Keep in mind that you are speaking to GOD—not the listening audience before you. Remember it is a prayer! … Be sincere… It is a prayer meant to open the services. There is not time or need to cover the entire spectrum of current events…

“Do not use the opening prayer as an opportunity to give a sermonette… Get your mind OFF SELF and say what you have to say. Be confident without conceit. Be humble, but not groveling. Use a normal, clear voice and avoid any form of theatrics.”

Similar guidelines apply to a closing prayer at the very end of the Church’s worship services. The article in The Good News continued:

“Often, closing prayers are so general that they are totally unrelated to the message that preceded them! Express gratitude for the spiritual food God has provided.”

One word of caution here is in order! It would not be appropriate to try to evaluate the contents of the messages—either directly or indirectly—or to give a lengthy repeat of the contents of the sermonette or the sermon. Remember that the opening and the closing prayers should be SHORT. For instance, when a sermon discussed seven points, it would be unnecessary to repeat them in the closing prayer. It might be perhaps beneficial to very briefly mention one or two points, which had the biggest impact on you.

But beware that the closing prayer is not supposed to be a sermonette—rather, it is a SHORT prayer to God. On the other hand, a closing prayer which has no relationship to the sermonette and the sermon would probably not be most effective. As in all aspects of Christian life, balance is the key. If you have specific questions in this regard, or in regard to anything else which is mentioned in this Q&A, please ask your local minister.

The article in The Good News went on to state:

“Of course, it is not necessary to summarize, or add an ‘additional point’ to the sermon in the closing prayer!… It is also appropriate to ask God’s protection on the brethren traveling home following the services…

“The announcements may have contained news of a very sick person or some other crisis in God’s Work. This could certainly be alluded to in the closing prayer. Many men neglect to acknowledge the sermonette in the closing prayer… the sermonette is part of our spiritual food every Sabbath, and we ought to thank God for it…

“Be sincere, but not overemotional. But the closing prayer, as the opening prayer, should not be overlong [sic].

“If you are called on to lead an opening or closing prayer, look upon it as an opportunity and a blessing. And be sure your prayer is one to which the whole congregation can sincerely say ‘Amen’ (so be it!).”

In addition, it would be appropriate to ask in the closing prayer for God’s blessing on the meal which we might partake of after services, and to ask God for His blessing and protection for special activities which the Church might have planned for the time after the Sabbath, or for activities on days during the annual Feast of Tabernacles, which are not weekly or annual Holy Days, or for special occasions such as weddings or funerals.

We should not read from any notes when we give an opening or closing prayer. Rather, we should allow God to inspire us through His Spirit at the moment when we begin to pray aloud in front of others. Let God speak through you, and don’t allow yourself to become distracted by any notes that you might have written beforehand. Have FAITH in God that He will inspire you when you are about to pray, and that He will put His words in your mouth, and then speak with confidence, knowing that God has heard you, and that He is answering your silent prayer to Him for inspiration. This includes, of course, that we pray habitually in private, so that we are not unprepared when we are to give a “public” prayer in Church.

This principle of allowing God’s Spirit to inspire us, when we pray, is clearly set forth in Scripture. For instance, note what Christ told His disciples regarding how to behave when they would be asked to explain their convictions, perhaps in the context of a court proceeding: “… do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speaks, but the Spirit of your Father [which] speaks in you” (Matthew 10:19-20, compare Mark 13:11, Luke 12:11-12).

Even though Christ is addressing here especially the time of arrest and the subsequent opportunity to testify for Him and God’s Way of Life, the principle applies nevertheless in other circumstances as well. This is not to say that we should not prepare our messages and reduce our thoughts to writing and that we should not have any notes when delivering a sermonette or a sermon, but it is to say that speakers must not be too “note-bound” when they deliver their message. Rather, they should and must allow God to inspire them, while speaking. We will address this topic in more detail in a subsequent Q&A, dealing with the art of preparing and delivering powerful sermonettes.

However, insofar as opening and closing prayers are concerned, it is our belief that notes should not be used in that regard.

We would also like to explain here why we do not believe that women should give opening or closing prayers in Church services. We stated the following in one of our Q&As, answering the question whether women should preach and give sermons or Bible studies in Church. The following comments apply likewise to the biblical prohibition for women to give prayers in Church.

“The Bible is very clear that such conduct would be in violation of Scripture. We are setting forth below excerpts from pages 13-14 of our booklet, ‘The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families’:

“‘Notice 1 Timothy 2:11-15 where Paul says, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence…” Notice, too, the parallel passage in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak… And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.”’

“These passages clearly teach that women are not to give sermons or Bible studies in church. Older women can teach younger women in private, but not from the pulpit (compare Titus 2:1-5). We also note that Aquilla and Priscilla took Apollos aside to explain to him the Way of God more accurately (Acts 18:24-26). Priscilla did not teach Apollos publicly, in front of others…

“‘Rienecker’s Lexikon zur Bibel points out, under “Women,” “The relationship between man and woman, ordained by God, can also be seen in the role of service and function within the church… Paul does not allow the women to teach, that is, to fill the office of teacher in the church (1 Timothy 2:12). It is different when Apollos is introduced more fully, in a personal conversation with Aquilla and Priscilla, to the teachings of God (Acts 18:26).”’

“The message of Scripture is unambiguous: Christian women are not to teach Biblical or spiritual matters in church or in a public forum. It may be difficult for some to accept and apply God’s Word on this issue…”

The biblical prohibition for women to preach or teach or “speak” in Church services–or to give “testimony,” as is so common these days in certain Pentecostal services–applies equally to the prohibition for women to give opening or closing prayers in Church services. This is not to say, of course, that a woman should never pray; nor, that she should not pray at home with her children, or sometimes in private together with her husband; or, that she should not, on occasion, ask for the blessing of a meal at home, in the presence of her husband and their children. We are strictly addressing here prayers by women “in public,” and we emphasize again that women should not give opening or closing prayers in Church services.

In conclusion, the opening and closing prayers are an integral portion of Sabbath services that invite God to be present in spirit and inspire them, and subsequently to thank Him for doing just that. Baptized members of God’s Church, when called upon to give the opening or closing prayer, should not take this opportunity lightly, and they should carefully consider these guidelines that they may deliver a prayer in the correct manner and in a right frame of mind.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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