Coronavirus! A man-made pandemic which originated in China, apparently due to the ungodly consumption of unclean meat. It is destroying the world—its civilization; its societies and global economy. Panic reaction to the virus has changed our daily lives… including cancellations of social and sport events; closure of schools, restaurants and shops; serious restrictions for our jobs and work abilities; national and international travel bans; prohibitions of assemblies and confinements in mandated isolation and quarantine… as well as cancellations of our religious worship services.

Many countries have already banned church services, and who is to say as to how long these limitations of our religious and individual liberties and freedoms will continue… It is as if we are victims of a worldwide war… and in a sense, we are—each country seems to fight a suicidal war against itself and an all-encompassing “preemptive” war against other nations.

When hearing this mind-boggling news which affects many innocent people and which sounds like the wild imaginations of a science fiction or horror movie, I wonder how much we have taken our freedom from autocratic restrictions and totalitarian governmental intervention for granted with the opportunity to assemble each week for our religious services. Many times, the sad truth is that we begin to really miss something when it is taken away from us. The Bible admonishes us that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). Many have not heeded God’s warning in this regard, or they might have attended half-heartedly, lacking real zeal and enthusiasm for God and His people.

In Old Testament times, ancient Israel and Judah polluted God’s holy days—either not keeping them at all or keeping them grudgingly with their own added traditions—and God was very angry about this and punished them with many plagues and ultimately, with destruction, death, war and captivity.

We can read about this in Ezekiel 20:12-13:

“Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me… and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths…” As a consequence, God said that He would rule over them with “a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out” (verse 34).

Ezekiel 22:26 adds:

“Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”

Sadly, man seldom learns from his mistakes, it seems, and today’s “priests” in our modern nations have hidden their eyes from God’s holy Sabbaths as well. As a consequence, God pronounces a curse on us for repeating the sins of our forefathers.

In Hosea 2:11, God tells us how He feels about “days of worship,” which man created for himself, while rejecting God’s Sabbaths:

“I will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons, Her Sabbaths—All her appointed feasts.”

But we should not overlook the fact that God is also angry with the lackadaisical attitude with which some of His people might be “keeping” His Holy Days, and that He announces the possibility of preventing them from keeping His Sabbaths by assembling for worship services, as they did not really appreciate this great privilege anyway.

Hosea 9:5 gives us this sobering warning in the context of future slavery and captivity for our nations which will also include some—if not many—of God’s people: “What will you do in the appointed day And in the day of the feast of the LORD?” The Neue Luther Bibel 2009 writes: “What will you do then during the annual feasts and the feast days of the LORD?”

Amos 8:10-12 also adds this sad prophecy:

“I will turn your feasts [or feast days] into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation… ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.’”

Are we experiencing now a foretaste of what is going to come—a last warning perhaps and a strong admonition from God to get our act together, before it is too late? To get us back on track to worship the true God of the Bible with zeal, dedication, enthusiasm and love? All of us are called upon to examine ourselves and to make sure that God provides us with protection from the worldwide plagues and their consequences, and to appreciate fully the Sabbaths which God gave us as a sign between Him and His people.

Jesus said to His disciples, those with whom He had just observed Passover, “‘you are My friends,’” but He added this conditional requirement, “‘if you do whatever I command you’” (John 15:14).

The Bible shows that the building block for friendship in the Family of God is love, and it is what Jesus requires of us: “‘This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you’” (John 15:12, also, verse 17). In fact, Jesus uses His own example to set the standard:

“‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another… as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’” (John 13:34-35).

In what way has Jesus loved us? Just how far was He willing to go to prove His friendship with us? He defined it this way: “‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends’” (John 15:13); and we know that “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus magnified the second part of God’s commandments—“‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:39).

God, Himself, calls Abraham “‘My friend’” (Isaiah 41:8), and God “spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend’” (Exodus 33:11). Both did what God commanded them to do.

Can it also be said that we are friends with the Father and Jesus Christ? Jesus prayed that this would take place among His disciples:

‘”I do not pray for these alone (those whom He had earlier called His friends), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me’” (John 17:20-23).

The depth of our relationship as friends with the Father and Jesus Christ is shown in that we share in the knowledge of what the Family of God is doing, and that we are part of it:

“‘No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you’” (John 15:15-16).

One thing we can ask the Father is that He will indeed help us to do whatever He commands. That is exactly what Jesus did! He depended on the Father, and the Bible reveals that Jesus prayed for help in the work given to Him to accomplish. Jesus was able to say: “‘I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do’” (John 17:4).

And so it likewise falls to us to finish the work God has commanded us to do. We are chosen for this—because we are the friends of God.

The world at the moment is in a spiraling catastrophic downspin of one major curse after another, which has accelerated since January this year. One article which demonstrates this, titled, “10 Plagues That Are Hitting Our Planet Simultaneously,” has been published on February 17 by Michael Snyder and linked by the Drudge Report, as follows:

“All of a sudden, really crazy things are starting to happen all over the world… The following is a list of 10 plagues that are hitting our planet simultaneously…

“#1 Armies Of Locusts –… swarms of locusts the size of major cities have been devouring entire farms in Africa in as little as 30 seconds.  These swarms have also been spreading throughout the Middle East, and now we have learned that they have even reached China… Billions of the insects have destroyed food supplies across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in what has been described as the worst plague for decades.

“#2 Extremely Bizarre Weather Patterns –… An all-time record 209 mph wind gust just hit California, and absolutely crazy storms are happening all over the planet… Sydney has been thrown into chaos by a devastating storm that saw two months of rainfall in just two days – forcing mass evacuations, leaving 150,000 homes without power, and prompted warnings not to drive to work. The storm dumped 400mm of rain on the city over the weekend, causing mayhem for commuters on Monday morning with roads blocked, ferries canceled and trains suffering major delays across the network.

“#3 Unprecedented Flooding – We are seeing unusual flooding all over the world right now, and the flooding that is devastating the southern U.S. at this moment is being called ‘unprecedented’… In Jackson, Mississippi, hundreds of residents either watched their homes flood over the weekend or worried their residence would soon be drenched as the Pearl River crested Monday at 36.8 feet, its third-highest level ever recorded – behind only 1979 and 1983. Calling the Jackson floods ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented,’ Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Sunday press conference that ‘we do not anticipate this situation to end anytime soon. It will be days before we are out of the woods and the waters recede.’

“#4 Major Earthquakes –… A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Tuesday (January 28) about 80 miles from Jamaica, shaking people in the Caribbean and as far away as Miami. A tsunami of 0.4 feet was recorded in the Cayman Islands at George Town, but no tsunami was observed at Port Royal, Jamaica, or Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

“#5 Unusual Volcanic Eruptions – … One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, Mount Merapi just experienced its most powerful eruption since 1930! The eruption reportedly took place on Thursday (February 13) and was caught on video displaying a powerful and terrifying eruption showing the moment the crater exploded and launched lava and ash an estimated 2,000 meters into the air forcing local residents to stay outside of the designated no-go zone 3km (1.8 miles) from the crater.

“#6 The Coronavirus – Needless to say, the coronavirus outbreak in China has been getting more headlines than anything else on this list.  The numbers continue to rise, and many are speculating that this could potentially become the worst global pandemic since the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918…

“#7 The African Swine Fever – ‘Pig Ebola’ has already wiped out millions upon millions of pigs in China, and it has now spread to more than 40 other countries.  The price of pork is absolutely skyrocketing in China right now, and to help fill the demand the Chinese are increasingly importing pork from U.S. sources…

“#8 The H1N1 Swine Flu – Unlike the African Swine Fever, the H1N1 Swine Flu can actually kill humans.  In fact, it has already killed more people outside of China than the coronavirus outbreak has… As of now, the H1N1 virus is posing a great threat once again as it has claimed 13 lives in Taiwan in the last week. This virus is highly contagious and is known to spread from human to human. It is especially dangerous for those with a compromised immune system like those suffering from chronic medical conditions and long-term health conditions.

“#9 The H5N1 Bird Flu – This strain of the bird flu caused a massive global scare a number of years ago, and now it is experiencing a stunning resurgence… experts are warning that this outbreak could be just getting started… China also is reportedly dealing with an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in chickens in the Hunan province, an area that borders the province where the coronavirus emerged… As of Feb. 1, local authorities had culled 17,828 poultry after the H5NI outbreak…

“#10 The H5N8 Bird Flu – This strain is different from the H5N1 bird flu, but many believe that it is even more frightening.  It has started to pop up in numerous places around the globe… Germany has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in a backyard in the southwestern part of the country…

“2020 has certainly started off with quite a bang, and many expect global events to continue to accelerate… things are likely to get even crazier in the months ahead.”

In spite of all of this happening, and much more could be added, are the people, communities and nations asking themselves WHY this is occurring? Well, it is happening because of SIN. China is experiencing this horrible outbreak of the coronavirus because of breaking God’s laws regarding clean and unclean meats. The United States is under a curse for their murders, sexual sins, drug abuse and a host of other issues they are not addressing nor dealing with.

We are witnessing the effect of worldwide sinning but not addressing the root cause which is transgressing His commandments and laws in effect today, but if they were to obey, these curses would go away. Just as the author of the article states, “Hold on to your hats, it will get worse” (paraphrasing). Indeed, it will get much worse before it gets better.

Look at what Christ stated in Matthew 24:21: “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.”

As we approach the Passover season and examine ourselves, let us make sure we are putting sin out of our lives so that we may be worthy to escape that which is coming on the whole world and to stand before the Son of Man when He returns. This we know: Things will get MUCH better—there will be absolutely no comparison whatsoever–once Christ returns and ends the current madness.

There are a number of passages in the Bible that show us that there are many things that we do not understand in this age. The title of this editorial is from 1 Corinthians 13:12, first part. In fact, the same verse goes on to explain that “…Now I know in part…” The apostle Paul was saying here that in his human life, there were things that he could not see clearly but darkly, or as an enigma as the Greek can be translated. The mirrors in those days were usually polished metal and not fully effective, and he used the image in a poor mirror as an analogy of his understanding.

When we study God’s Word, there are many things we read but as humans cannot fully understand. We read them and know them to be true but with human reasoning we cannot understand how or why. An example of this is in 1 Corinthians 15:35: “But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’” Paul goes on to answer this question by beginning with an analogy comparing physical with spiritual things.

Just recently, in a question and answer series, the question was answered, “How can God listen to billions of prayers at the same time?” As a human being, we can usually only concentrate on one conversation at a time, which is why the question would be asked. But with God, whose understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5), He could listen to all the prayers of faithful and sincere people at the same time. As was mentioned in the Q&A, in this present age, the number would certainly be a very small fraction of billions, but it would be well within God’s ability to listen to billions.

One might ask, “How could God know, before He created the world, who would be alive in Ephesus in the first century so He could choose His firstfruits from them?” (compare Ephesians 1:4). As a human, our experience and therefore first-hand knowledge extends from some time after birth to death. But with God, who created time, He knew before the world was created whom He would call to become one of His firstfruits prior to Christ’s Second Coming.

Through Moses, God explains to us in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God.” Then He informs and encourages us, “But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” So even though there are some things we may not understand because they are not revealed yet, there are many things that God has revealed to us for our benefit. And God has given us this revelation in the form of His Bible. It reveals all we need to know about God and His Plan.

Much is revealed to us in it including that God has a desire for everybody to be ultimately saved as we read in 1 Timothy 2:3-4: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” He does not exclude anyone for any reason from His desire but when they are called, they must of course respond to Him.

This is also stated in John 3:17: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” This not only includes His firstfruits but provides the possibility for everyone to be saved in his or her due time. God’s Plan is all inclusive.

However, through His Word, God gives His firstfruits knowledge of rewards for us. Romans 8:29-30, 32 states: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified… He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things.”

God also promises that He will not give up on us if we do not give up on Him. Philippians 1:6 says: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God can be totally relied upon to carry out His part of His agreement with all those He calls now.

Again, God addresses us in 1 John 4:9-10, 14. He reveals to us that His Son is not only our Saviour, but the Saviour of the world: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world.” Again, it is revealed to us that Jesus is the Saviour of both us and, later, the world.

And He reveals to us knowledge of the great rewards ahead through king David. Psalm 16:11 reads: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Many things are revealed in the pages of the Bible but some things will not be revealed until our resurrection or change.

If we knew and understood all things, there would not be any reason for faith and hope. Both faith and hope can only be present if we do not see everything clearly but rely on God’s promises, and His promises are awesome. But in this life God requires us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Both faith and hope are mentioned in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hope is also mentioned in Romans 8:24-25: “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

Considering the end result of this process of believing what we cannot see, we can read in the rest of 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am also known.” God knows us fully now but then we shall know all things fully.

The question in 1 Corinthians 15:35, pertaining to the first resurrection, that Paul answered at first with an analogy, before explaining it fully, is also answered in full in 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” That is, a glorious Spirit being as John saw in a vision in Revelation 1:13-16.

So the conclusion to the subject is that if we live in faith and hope, not understanding all things now but believing what God has revealed and His promises, this will be the ultimate result, as stated in Revelation 21:7: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

In 1982, my wife and two children visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida whilst attending the Feast of Tabernacles at St Petersburg that year.

Late last year (2019), our son, his family and my wife and I again visited the centre and, after 37 years, much had changed!

On the website we3travel.com are the following comments:

“The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the U.S. launch site that has been used for every NASA human space flight since December 1968.  KSC has changed a lot since I last visited in…let’s see…1982?

“The main Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center is an expansive complex that resembles a modern-day amusement park.  Its attractions feature an Early Space Exploration exhibit, Rocket Garden, children’s playspace, 2 IMAX shows, an Astronaut Hall of Fame and Astronaut Memorial, the popular (with the younger set) Angry Birds hands-on exhibit, multiple cafes, gift shops, and much more.”

It seems that someone else who attended the centre, also in 1982, realised the massive amount of change that there had been over the years.

I don’t have the relevant data, nor do I have the complex technical understanding to make any comments about all of the many changes made over the last four decades.   However, what I did discern quite clearly this time around was that there was a great deal of self-belief and arrogance as well as a complete lack of godly understanding about the whole issue of space.

We read in Genesis 6:5 “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”   We know how God told Noah to build the ark and that man was to be destroyed from off the face of the earth.

The Benson Commentary observes: “Here is God’s resentment of man’s wickedness. He did not see it as an unconcerned spectator, but as one injured and affronted by it; he saw it as a tender father sees the folly and stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child, which not only displeases but grieves him, and makes him wish he had been written childless.

One commentary at the JFK Space Center was that “we are not creating history but embracing our destiny.”   In a way, that is true, but not in the way that man looks at it.   Man has great arrogance at times about his own ability and capacity, and God has certainly given him a very small amount of His own ability, but man, generally, thinks that it is all down to his own brilliance!   Not once, when visiting the centre, did I see one acknowledgement about God’s magnificent and stupendous universe – if there was one, I certainly missed it!

I am reminded of the saying, “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”   The details of a stupendous universe, vast beyond man’s ability to fully understand, does not negate the fact that God did create and that He sustains it all by His might and power, and His Word amply proves this.

It would have been appropriate, but probably politically incorrect, to acknowledge the Creation by a great and loving God, but I could not find any observation or comment to that effect.   God’s benevolence and patience are simply not understood today. In fact, as man’s capacity to do great things has increased exponentially, belief in the One who created and now sustains all things has slithered downhill at a rate that our forefathers would not have believed.

They want to explore space.   Why?   To build colonies and, possibly, live there!   The simple observation that man cannot exist peacefully on earth at present, and hasn’t down through the last 6,000 years, is a fact that they never seem to acknowledge.   If it did happen, man would fight in space (he is already talking about a “space war”), just as he continually does on the earth today; just look at the conflict down through the ages and such conflicts are still going on today!    The same human nature would be transferred from the earth to wherever man finished up in the universe.   How ridiculous it is that so much money is spent on a useless exercise that will never come to fruition during man’s occupation on earth!

Of course, we know that there have been some helpful results from some of the work done, for example satellite navigation, and there may be some other results that have been made, but man, in his present form, will simply not be allowed to live in outer space.

However, there is good news!   Those who have answered God’s calling and will have remained faithful to the end of their lives will become members of the Family of God who will inhabit the universe.

In our free booklet “Heavens and Earth…Before and After the First Man!,” the last paragraph reads as follows:

“When God created man, He purposed to bring him into His very Family and to give him rule over the earth and the entire universe, to administer His government over His physical and spiritual creation. Once man has qualified and has become a God being, God will direct him to restore and beautify the earth, and finally, to “colonize” new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13).”

Man’s current arrogance will end, and an appreciation of the great God will replace this – and for eternity!

When Moses struck the rock at Meribah and caused water to flow, was he justified in the anger he felt towards the Israelites? One third of Moses’ life (see Exodus 7:7 and Deuteronomy 34:7) was spent leading the people of Israel to the Promised Land. In those 40 years he dealt with a rebellious people that struggled to place God before their own lusts and desires.

At one time, God even wanted to destroy those rebellious people immediately, “Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they’” (Numbers 14:11-12).  But Moses interceded and quieted the anger of God, “Then the LORD said: ‘I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD—because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it’” (Numbers 14:20-23).

A generation died out and did not enter into those physical promises because of their rebellious attitude towards God. This punishment was severe to those who failed to follow after God.  And this same punishment was leveled against Moses for his anger.  “…and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water]. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them’” (Numbers 20:10-12, Amplified Bible 2015).

There are no exceptions made for rebellion against God, “For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11).  Moses understood God (through God’s Holy Spirit), something the Israelites around him could not do.  But the same consequences for sin still applied to Moses, and he likewise did not enter into the Promised Land.

God guided and trained Moses his entire life in order to lead His people. He governed a nation with Pharaoh, tended sheep for Jethro, and lead God’s people out of captivity. But the years spent with a people that constantly drifted away from God undoubtedly had an impact on his attitude, at least in that moment at Meribah.  And one (seemingly) small act caused swift punishment from God.

Being surrounded by such ungodliness in our day can have that same effect on our attitudes.  Left unchecked, we can sin in a way that distances us from the Will of God (however valid our actions might seem to the world).  And one small act can cascade into a loss of eternal life.  Understanding and retaining the Will of God in all our actions is fundamental in each of us reaching the lasting promises of becoming part of God’s eternal Family.

I recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with a friend about the amazing design of God’s commanded Holy Days. He knows that I don’t observe holidays like Christmas and Easter because of their pagan origins, and even acknowledges the historical facts. I talked about how shallow the meaning of man’s holidays is in comparison to the fascinating layers of meaning in the commanded Holy Days of God. I described the establishment of God’s Holy Days to memorialize past physical events and to also focus on future events, thereby training the physical nation of Israel as God brought them out of Egypt into the Promised Land. I explained how the Holy Days also have a spiritual meaning that applies to the progress of our own conversion today. I explained how they also represent phases of the ultimate Plan of God for mankind to join Him as members of His Family in the Kingdom of God. When considering the richness and depth of meaning in God’s commanded Holy Days, the meaning of manmade holidays absolutely pales in comparison. After very briefly going through an overview of God’s Holy Days and sharing how they provide me with true spiritual meaning in my life, my friend said that it gave him chills to think about it. The Plan of God is truly awesome, in the literal sense of the word.

To my friend at that moment, the Plan of God seemed awesome as well. And I wondered what would happen for him. Would he have more questions? Would he question his participation in mainstream Christian holidays? I wondered how it would change his life as well. Would this insight that I shared make a difference in his life? I don’t have answers to those questions. But I have hope, knowing that I was able to share the Truth, and at the right time, it will help him.

As easy as it is to apply the question of “why aren’t you doing something with this information?” to a friend, it is more important to turn that question inward and ask ourselves the same question (compare Matthew 7:3-5). As we know, with knowledge and understanding we also become more responsible for bearing fruit with the spiritual gifts we are given (compare Luke 12:48). When God provides us with insight and understanding, is there something more we can do with that understanding? With the Holy Spirit that God entrusts us with, what kinds of questions should we ask to further our development? Does God look at us and wonder why we aren’t seeking to make more changes in our lives? Perhaps the most succinct and poignant question to ask ourselves is simply, what prevents us from progressing? We know that the life of a Christian involves continuous self-examination, correction, improvement, and growth. Is this activity of growth something that we are actively engaged in? If not, it really needs to be.

Fortunately, God knows that we aren’t perfect yet. He knows that we need support. He knows that we cannot succeed on our own. This is why He provides us with His Holy Spirit as a down-payment on an investment in our salvation. But we have a part to play in that investment as well. Our work involves applying the knowledge and spiritual understanding to grow in our obedience to His commandments. Our part involves offering God His rightful glory in the words we speak and in the way we live. It is a tremendous honor to have God’s Spirit in this day and age. How do we choose to use it?

Every day provides us with an opportunity to put the Holy Spirit into use. What are we doing with those opportunities? Do we take the chance to demonstrate our commitment to God, or do we simply let opportunities pass us by? Just as we faced choices during our initial conversion to follow the Way of God over the way of the world, we continue to face choices when we are years into our conversion. We have the rare gift of having access to God’s understanding through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us right now, and it is our responsibility to use it. “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:14-15). Even though Paul directs his words to Timothy and refers to the additional portion of the Holy Spirit which he received with his ordination as a minister, the principle of not neglecting the gift of the Spirit in us and progressing applies to all of us. As we continue on in our Christian conversion, there is no end to our God-given ability to make progress. All we have to do is keep searching for ways to move forward, while overcoming the obstacles on our paths.

When people die, depending on what they have accomplished in this life, they leave behind a legacy. Some people achieve much in their short time here on this earth but others not as much. It really depends on the effort, the vision they keep in mind, and the amount of zeal used to go after what they set their eyes on. Some people seem to inspire more and have a greater effect on others. And it seems that they are those who know what they want and go for it, while they are ignoring everything else, which might detract them, in pursuit of greatness.

It is inspiring to see people live their lives to the fullest. They seem to exude courage and strength. They also invest much work into what they are trying to achieve. They are relentless in what they want to accomplish. Setbacks happen to them, but they power through and keep pushing forward. History is littered with these types of people, and they are often studied and talked about as those whom everyone can aspire to be like.

For the most part, true Christians are not among the rich and famous.  They are not the elite of the world. They are usually not those who have several huge houses, tons of money and are well-known around the world. In fact, many times just the opposite seems to be true.

In 1 Corinthians 1:20-30, Paul rightly identifies members as those who do not belong to the great of this world. And the reason is that we have to learn how to glorify God; how to lean on Him for godly greatness and wisdom. Yes, with God’s help, we can and must become truly wise in His eyes in whatever we choose to pursue, knowing that in the end, this worldly wisdom is passing away (Philippians 3:8-10). It is hard at times to look at this world and see all the amazing or interesting things that people are doing or accomplishing. But it warrants the realization that a lot of times we get to see the “best” that people put forward. We don’t get to see the suffering and pain that they may go through. We need to realize that we must look at everything in context.

When we look at this world and solely focus on it, we lose focus on the Bible and its wisdom. It is so easy to get caught up and feel miserable because we are “missing out” or don’t have what others seem to have. But what we choose to build at this time is up to us (Matthew 7:24-27). God lets us choose how much we want to seek Him and how much we want to change. When we choose properly, circumstances start to change for us. When we start to leave behind our foolish desires and search after God with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13), then God can change our hearts (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26; Hebrews 8:10). He can start to give us good things, maybe even some of the things we may not necessarily need, but we would like to have (Psalm 37:1-40).

We ought to realize that this present evil world is not going to be here for much longer. Our time grows shorter (Romans 13:11). So what do we choose? How do we become wise? James 3:13-18 warns us to be aware and constantly on guard against the wisdom of this world and the pulls of our own flesh. It is not so uncommon as we might like to think. We each have been guilty of behaving like this at times.

Our legacy as Christians is to remain on the path and finish the work assigned to each of us. It has to do with our mindset. Our legacy is about being faithful till the end—being faithful with what we have been given.

There is nothing in this life that is worth anything unless it has been given to us by God (John 14:27; Matthew 11:28-30; Jeremiah 42:12; James 1:1-27). We should take the time to read Scriptures like the ones mentioned herein; meditate on them; pray about them; and make every effort so that our entrance into the Kingdom of God will be supplied. Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1:3-11 are important in this context, because possessing godly qualities in increasing measure is the key. With God’s help, all of us are capable of this.

As we know, it is a matter of overcoming our own selves with our doubts, weaknesses and insecurities, as well as Satan and this evil world, while laying hold of what God’s Word says. When we do this properly, we WILL see progress. We will understand more and more as to what is right. We ought to try it out. James 2:24 and Philippians 2:12 warn us that we have to be working DAILY on our character. We have to be those who are laying it all on the line each day. When we do this, it doesn’t matter if we live or die, because we know that we are in God’s hands (Romans 14:8). And then we will die with the understanding that we will have left behind our true legacy (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 20:4,6; Daniel 7:18, 22, 27).

The Bible says in various Scriptures that we should be happy with what we have; not to worry about what tomorrow will bring; and that we should rejoice when we go through trials (compare 1 Timothy 6:6-12; Matthew 6:34; James 1:2-4).  This is indeed very easy to read but living by it has its challenges at times, especially when things happen unexpectedly to the point of frustration when we don’t get the answers we are looking for, while at the same time, believing that God will take care of us in every situation.  This is where faith comes in, and I’m referring to real, genuine, undeniable faith!

Do we TRUST that God is in control of our lives? We need to come to that understanding, and we may just reach that point when we go through difficult demanding trials, where we then see how God intervenes.  If He does it for us once, and we continue to be faithful and grateful, then we can be assured, He will be there for us again.  Sometimes we easily forget how much God really has been there for us time and time again.

The things we take for granted are also occasionally put to the test.  Just recently I fractured my right hand, which is my dominant hand, and I had to adjust by using my left hand, and even though it had its challenges, I was still able to manage.  The simple everyday necessities were put to the test, resorting to doing everything with my opposite hand.  At first, I may have thought that this hindrance would have had an emotional effect on me, because I went from being quite active to all of the sudden quite limited, from one day to the next. And also, since I have never experienced a broken bone in my life, until now.

Yet, I found ways to counter this hurdle by also not letting this affect me negatively.  For example, as I wrote this Editorial, I had to cope by typing with just one finger on my right hand, as minimal as that may seem. But, I was still able to accomplish this task, even though it took a little longer than normal.

Even though this is just a temporary setback and can’t even compare to the many problems of our brethren and friends who struggle with far more serious complications, it really made me think about those who do suffer continuously. There have been several prayer requests lately, on a daily basis it seems, where our members need help not just from God, but also from all of us, through our prayers, for God listens to the abundance of prayers from all those who are faithful (Proverbs 15:29; James 5:15-16; 1 Peter 3:12).  Nobody in God’s Church is alone, which is why we all need to work together because we “know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).  And it is according to HIS purpose that we are here. So why then would we worry?

We shouldn’t let the trials that we go through bring us down, for all that we encounter and what we have in this lifetime is only temporary, as we eagerly wait for the promise that God is expecting to give US—to all those who remain faithful until the end.  In the meantime, when we struggle, we must learn to adapt and overcome, no matter what we go through, if we want to be considered worthy to reach our ultimate goal of eternal life.

In my last Editorial, dated November 15 (Update #899), I spoke about the fact that “time is running out.” I warned that while we see end-time prophecies being fulfilled before our very eyes, some members of the Church of God lose heart and walk away, thereby forgetting Christ’s admonition to hold fast what they have so that they don’t lose their crown (Revelation 3:11).

I continued with the same theme in my last Member Letter, dated December 17, 2019, quoting news headlines in 2019 and showing how close we are to the Great Tribulation. On December 19, we produced a StandingWatch program, titled, “What’s Ahead for 2020.”

Now notice what all has happened already in 2020: The British parliament decided that Brexit will take place on January 31, 2020, causing further disagreements and upheaval between Britain and Europe; Australia’s devastating and deadly wildfires seem to have no end; turmoil and fear of a worldwide war, stemming from America’s conduct pertaining to Iraq, Iran and the entire Middle East, captivated the headlines in early January; and the demands for American withdrawal in that part of the world get louder. Then, after Putin’s attempted power grab, the entire Russian government resigned.

In this issue, we report on the strange and cozy relationship between Merkel and Putin, in defiance of and in opposition to the USA; the virtually unknown German access to America’s nuclear weapons; and the open disagreement between the two popes. Understanding prophecy, we know what all these developments mean.

We can’t be like the proverbial scoffers who deny the obvious, but we must realize that time is indeed short, and we must be sure that we don’t lose our focus for what is really important. Priorities can become mixed up in our lives, but when they do, we might become like the five foolish virgins who do not have enough oil in their lamps and are not ready when the cry is heard at midnight. We are close to midnight now, and warning cries are going out; and we all must work on establishing a sure and lasting relationship with God. Nothing else could be more important. The Bible warns us of the many distractions in this day and age which can influence us to lose sight of what needs to be our main focus: Things like working on our own house, while God’s house lies in ruins; the pleasures of life; our hobbies; “having to” deal with difficulties caused by others; the search for a mate; the desire for riches and physical possessions… the list could be endless. None of that will help us to make it into the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, it is our righteous character which will last and which we will “take with us” when we die… nothing else will.

At the same time, we must be careful in a different way. We must work on being ready today SPIRITUALLY, while planning to have an entire life before us PHYSICALLY. We must not fall into the trap of becoming indifferent to our physical obligations and responsibilities. We are told that we must work… if we refuse to do so, we should not be allowed to eat either. And that means that we must be diligent, reliable and responsible in our job. We are to take care of our household, our children, our mates; otherwise we are denying the faith and become worse than unbelievers. We have to look after the interests and needs of others… not just of our own. We have to care for our physical possessions and must not neglect them… but none of that should take first priority in our lives. We are to plan for the future, including financially… while realizing that our plans might not be what God has in store for us. We must always be willing to submit to and accept the Will of God.

Also, we must not become discouraged and fearful when realizing that the time of trouble is at hand. Fear and anxiety destroy faith and trust. When looking at what is going on around us and forgetting God, then we will become extremely worried and unable to function properly and productively. Christ told us that when we have our priorities straight—when we seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, then we do not have to have anxious thoughts, because we know that God will give us what we need. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us always; until the very end. Remember, fear is not in love, but perfect love casts out fear. And we are to become perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect.

I have always found words like the following very encouraging when I go through difficult times in my life. This kind of attitude is not normal to man; it can only be developed when God is on our side and when we draw near to Him… especially in times of need. We all must do this, when we face uncertainty, difficulties and trouble—when we consider the world in which we live:

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling… The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge… Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:1-3, 7, 10).

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he… will not fear when heat comes… And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Christ tells us: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Considering this, let us go on with boldness, confidence and faith in these troublesome days; let us fulfill our individual and collective responsibilities, while keeping our priorities in check; and let us watch and heed world events in the light of biblical prophecies, which should motivate us to draw closer to God, and this so much the more as we see that the Day is fast approaching.