James opens his letter with a statement that is dumbfounding! Here it is: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials…” (James 1:2).

Trials? Rejoice in trials?

This is hard to do, and if you are like me and the countless others who do have trials far more often than we might choose, then you also realize that being tested drives us into some deeply profound soul-searching! And it might just bring us a little bit closer to God.

Jesus suffered. He endured His trials, because He had an ultimate goal that was unshakeable (Compare Hebrews 4:14-15; 12:1-2). A significant part of why He underwent what He did was for us! He is our High Priest and the One who can and who does help us!

Jesus had to have help in His trials. He found it by yielding to His Father’s will and by asking for help, as we read in Hebrews 5:7: “… who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear…”

James adds: “… knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [endurance or perseverance]” (James 1:3).

It does then seem that our trials can bear a positive outcome, but that “endurance” is the fruit of staying the course of our calling and persevering in the testing of our faith.

Qualitatively, it is our faith in Jesus Christ and in our Father that is being refined and perfected through trials. If we, like Jesus Christ, come to God for help, then we will also endure unto eternal life: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

God’s help in time of need–in times of seemingly unbearable trials–is the greatest assurance we could possibly have, and it is the reason we can count even the testing of our faith with “all joy”!

Recently, I saw a religious television program, discussing the fact that the Jews will soon begin to bring sacrifices in Jerusalem. The presenter then postulated that no temple will be built prior to Christ’s return. Although it is true that a temple is not required for animal sacrifices, the Bible nevertheless strongly indicates that a temple WILL be built.

We discussed this question in a Q&A in one of our previous Updates (#185–“Will the Jews build a temple, prior to Christ’s return?”). We are also addressing this question in the Q&A in this Update (#317–“A new Temple?”). In this editorial, I’d like to re-emphasize key passages and focus on additional Scriptures which point at the strong possibility of a new temple prior to Christ’s return. This will show us what to watch for–lest we are found unprepared!

Christ said in Matthew 24:15-16: “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the HOLY PLACE, then… flee…” (In the parallel account in Luke 21:20, Jesus speaks of armies which will surround Jerusalem and make it desolate.)

One key to understand these passages is the reference to DANIEL. When Daniel spoke of the abomination of desolation, he referred, as a forerunner, to Antiochus Epiphanes who conquered Jerusalem, discontinued the sacrifices and placed a statue of a pagan god in the HOLY PLACE of the temple of God–requiring the Jews to WORSHIP that statue. Christ said that something very similar will occur just prior to His return, strongly implying that a terrible idol of some sorts will be found in a re-built TEMPLE.

Paul confirms this in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 where he says that “the man of sin”–the false prophet, mentioned in the book of Revelation– “sits as God in the TEMPLE of God, showing himself that he IS God.” At the time of Antiochus, a STATUE was placed in the temple of God. In the near future, a HUMAN BEING will sit in the TEMPLE of God, pretending to be God; in fact, he will, most likely, claim that he is Jesus Christ, as we will see.

In Revelation 11:1-2, an angel instructs John to measure the TEMPLE of God when the holy city–Jerusalem–is occupied by the Gentiles for 3 1/2 years. The reference is to the final resurrection of the Roman Empire which–under the leadership of the “beast” and the “false prophet”–will occupy and desolate Jerusalem. Psalm 79:1 seems to be talking about this same time, saying that the nations have “defiled” God’s “holy TEMPLE.”

Recently, I spoke in several sermons about the tabernacle in the wilderness and the tent, which separated the sanctuary or HOLY PLACE and the Holy of Holies, pointing out that the temple, which replaced the tabernacle, had an inner court (Ezekiel 8:16), a sanctuary or HOLY PLACE and a Most Holy Place. In light of my sermons, Dave Harris called me to discuss an interesting passage in Matthew 24:26, where Christ warns us not to believe those who will claim that Christ will return “in secret.” The passage reads, in the Authorized Version: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.” Christ explains that He will return visibly–for every eye to see–“as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west” (verse 27).

According to Christ’s very own words, some will claim that Christ will return for His people and live with them “in the desert”–perhaps at a special “place of safety in the wilderness.” Christ warned us not to believe such a claim. But He also said that some will claim that Christ will return secretly to reside in the “secret chambers”–a false claim which must equally be rejected. What “secret chambers” was Christ referring to? The temple had “secret chambers”–and it appears that Christ was warning us not to believe those who will claim that the “man of sin” will be CHRIST, sitting in the secret chamber of the HOLY PLACE–in the temple of God.

The commentary of John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible explains that the term “secret chamber” refers to a place within the temple, stating, “… should others say behold, or for certain, the Messiah is in some one of the secret and fortified places of the temple; where, during some time of the siege, were John and Eleazar, the heads of the zealots… do not believe them. Some reference may be had to the chamber of secrets, which was in the temple… for in the sanctuary [or HOLY PLACE] there were two chambers; one was called… ‘the chamber of secrets’, and the other the ‘chamber of vessels.”’

Understood in this way, Christ’s warning in Matthew 24:26 would require the existence of a temple during the time when the false prophet deceives the whole world, pretending to be Jesus Christ (compare Revelation 13:13-14). Most people WILL BELIEVE this deception, and it will be so convincing that only the “elect” will understand the truth (compare Matthew 24:24).

As you can see, all these passages strongly suggest that we will soon witness the beginning of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, which will occur apparently at the same time that the Jews will commence to offer animal sacrifices there.

It is exciting to me to see how God, step by step, opens our eyes to more and fuller understanding. We ARE to grow in the knowledge of Christ, and as long as we are and remain His obedient and faithful servants, we can and should expect increased understanding. Those who are content with what they have–or what they think they have–will stay still–frozen in time–incapable and unwilling to grow in God’s knowledge. Those who reject parts of the knowledge that they have received from God over the years will not grow in knowledge, either–rather, as so many have done before, they will “exchange the truth of God for the lie” (compare Romans 1:25). And because they have not maintained the love of the truth, “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie”– including the lie of worshipping the “man of sin” AS Jesus Christ (compare 2 Thessalonians 2:11).

I am excited and deeply thankful that God is leading us into more and more understanding of His precious truth. Aren’t you?

In the early summer of this year, the UK experienced some of the worst floods that this small island had ever seen. After a very warm start to the summer, the British did not realize what was just around the corner. Many people lost their homes, and many others had much damage to their properties.

Very recently, terrible fires have engulfed parts of the general San Diego and Malibu areas in Southern California, apparently–according to some reports–the worst on record. Once again, people were going about their daily business, not realizing what was just around the corner. Many have, again, lost their homes, and others will be living with the consequences of this disaster for a long time to come.  

In these two examples, floods and fire have been the cause with all the attendant problems that they bring in their wake. People were living normal lives in New York until 9/11 happened. Those living in that area had no idea of the coming calamity. And in many other areas of the world, serious problems have arisen that were just not foreseen, but were just around the corner, waiting to happen.

On a smaller scale, but no less importantly, are those events that happen unexpectedly in our own personal lives. One day we can be going along just fine and then, just around the corner, things can happen that turn our world upside down. How do we react? How do we cope? We have to make sure that we have a solid foundation (Matthew 7:24). We have to resolve that no matter what life has to throw at us, we will remain loyal to God and His way–being convinced that God knows what is best for us and will not allow us to be examined or tested beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Whatever lies ahead should not cause us to falter, because God wants us to win and make it into His Kingdom. Let us never forget what a marvelous future God has in store for those of us who come through all the tests and trials that we experience, many of which may still be just around the corner!

A new field of genetics called “Epigenetics” has been gaining attention due to recent findings. These studies, according to some scientists, show a link between environment, health and habits of humans and its impact on future generations. A Washington State researcher found that toxins given to rats affected their offspring four generations later. A Swedish study looking at historical records showed that the lifespan of grandchildren was influenced by their grandparents’ access to food and climate conditions.

Mark Mehler, Professor of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, speaking on this new field of study said, “It’s another level … of explaining the biological complexity of life.” Another researcher by the name of Pembrey said, “[Epigenetics] is changing the way we think about inheritance forever.”

God said, “…For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Deuteronomy 5:9).

It’s thrilling to see science prove God’s Laws, validating what we already know from the Bible. But do we allow mankind’s “wisdom” to be laid as the cornerstone of our spiritual foundations? Does man’s knowledge sometimes shake what we had faith in before?

Paul stated, “…your faith should NOT be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5). He later says to “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and NOT according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

As gripping as scientific proof of God’s fundamentals might be, we are exhorted not to rely on them as our foundation of understanding. Israel, having seen the wonders of God, eventually relied on their own interpretation of Who God was and worshipped Him as a golden calf. It is essential in this Godless era, that we continually stay rooted with Him. Only then can we really explain the real purpose of life.

Most of us have returned from what can only be described as one of the most successful and inspiring Feasts of Tabernacles. Ironically, we now have a long period ahead of us, before we have the opportunity to celebrate another festival in the Spring of 2008–which is about six months away. I don’t think for a moment, of course, that God made a mistake in allowing for such a long period of time between the Fall and the Spring Festivals. The Feast of Tabernacles is seven days long, followed by the Last Great Day–and so, we have had eight days of sermonettes, split sermons, sermons, fellowship and activities shared by all–and our memory and digestion of these events should last us until the Spring.

Now, consider this: The Feast of Tabernacles is kept for SEVEN days; the Fall Holy Days complete the SEVEN annual Holy Days; SEVEN is the number of completion; and–to stay within that picture–the Feast of Tabernacles is immediately followed by another day, going even “beyond” completion! We must therefore conclude from all these facts that God knows that the spiritual food which we received during the eight days of the last two Fall festivals, and the spiritual food which we will be receiving on a weekly basis during the SEVENTH-Day-Sabbath–is more than sufficient to last us until the annual Spring Holy Days; otherwise, God would have created additional festivals in the middle of that time frame.

We all should be able to appreciate the wonderful opportunities and privilege we have had to come before our God to learn to fear Him, as outlined in Deuteronomy 14:23. This fear is not one of dread and trepidation, but rather one of awe, respect and appreciation for our Great God. God has given us these annual Festivals both to rejoice and to learn to love, respect and obey Him. We have been given sufficient spiritual food to carry us forward to the Spring–and we should take advantage of every opportunity we are given to add to that spiritual food by drinking in the messages prepared for us on the weekly Sabbath. With that frame of mind, we can with anticipation look forward to the Spring when we shall once again begin the cycle of celebrating God’s annual Holy Days–reflecting on the process of the initial aspects of God’s master plan for mankind.

As we discuss in our new member letter in much more detail, we should not get the blues, become depressed, or let down during the following months, but rather use them as opportunities to meditate on and review the messages God has inspired the speakers to bring forth for us, and participate to the best of our ability to accomplish our individual and collective responsibilities as Christians and as members of the Church.

“A man cannot be a little virtuous, a little pure, a little true, a little honest.” This comes from an unsigned article written in 1896.  By thinking on each of these we can see that by definition we need to have all these qualities all the time to be considered virtuous, pure, true and honest.

To be dishonest only on a part-time basis will earn us a reputation as being dishonest, not as being a little honest.  In fact, to be called a little honest would surely be seen as making a statement to the contrary.

When we live God’s way, we are not to strive in partial measures, but rather, as mentioned in Ephesians 3:19, we are to “be filled with all the fullness of God.”  Can we totally and completely comprehend this?  It is not a fractional aspect of the Way of God, but it is the replete and exhaustive works that we are to live up to… each to our own capacity.

As usual, we are to follow the example of Christ Who did live up to the prescribed potential (compare Colossians 2:9).  We are to be heading in the same direction to the best of our ability.  So how do we attain this moral fullness? Well… that would fill a book… the size of the Bible.

Hand-eye coordination defines the greatest of athletes in certain sports. For instance, the ability of a batter to see the ball thrown by a baseball pitcher and then hit it consistently has become the stuff of legends.

The split second reaction time of superior athletes in tennis, soccer or any number of other sports is humbling for those of us who are merely capable of being spectators.

But each one of us is called upon to make spontaneous responses in our everyday lives! Not the kind of thing an athlete does; rather, we are confronted with the necessity to choose what we THINK, what we SAY and what we DO!

It all kind of boils down to this: Do we “give as good as we get,” or do we practice what Jesus Christ taught us to do? We really aren’t growing the way we should if we still erupt in foul language; if we try to avenge every slight; if we continue to speak and act before we think it through.

So you see, we Christians have to be concerned with our own reaction times, because this illuminates our progress in conversion. Try taking on an area of your own life in which you know your “reaction time” is faltering. Don’t ignore it—work on it, and ask God to help you overcome your weakness.

In the final analysis, overcoming and doing it right is what our reaction time is all about!

In less than ten days, we will keep the Day of Atonement, and a few days later, the Feast of Tabernacles 2007! Where did the year go since last Feast? How fast everything is passing us by! And, at the same time, how familiar might everything have become to us–especially if we have been “in the Church” for twenty, thirty or forty years, or even longer. As the old saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt!” In Old Testament times, people would refer to their prescribed service to God as “weariness” (Malachi 1:13).

In recent years, many who seemed to have understood and embraced the truth, “jumped” off the “peace train” of righteousness and climbed instead on the deceptive “bandwagon” of “the easy ride.” And what an “easy ride” it seemed to be: No more requirement to keep the Sabbath; no more need to observe the Holy Days; no more tithing and giving offerings; no more abstention from unclean foods. A sigh of “relief” was heard around the land and around the world, and the new-found “freedom” was quickly embraced by so many. It was as if they were saying the words of kings and rulers, as recorded in Psalm 2, who took council against the Lord and His Anointed, and exclaimed: “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us” (verse 3). In other words, let’s get rid of His laws and statutes, and adopt the “freedom” of licentiousness–after all, Christ loves us as we are, and He would not want us to follow the legalism of obeying Him, would He?

My dear brethren, all of this DID happen. It happened so quickly to terribly deceived people who would have NEVER thought earlier that they would end up where they did! Some of them had condemned others in the past for not following their rigid self-invented Pharisaical rules of “obeying” their concepts and perceptions of God’s instructions. They were unbalanced then, and they are unbalanced now–to put it mildly–just having exchanged the mantle of right-winged extremism for that of left-winged extremism.

God’s Spirit is a Spirit of a “sound” mind (2 Timothy 1:7), but God told us thousands of years ago, that there is no “soundness” in the people of Israel (Isaiah 1:5)–and this would include those who THOUGHT they had been converted. God gave us this warning: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Even “teachers of the Law” began to proclaim that it was EVIL to keep God’s Ten Commandments, and that it was GOOD to break them! They taught others that walking in darkness–trampling God’s Sabbath under foot (Isaiah 58:13-14)–had suddenly become a way of “light” in the eyes of God.

This should serve as a warning for all of us, not to become over-confident. We are told to beware, as many who THINK they stand MIGHT VERY WELL still fall (compare 1 Corinthians 10:12)! NOW is the time to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10)– to get ready for the return of Christ (Revelation 19:7). Now is the time to prove to God out of what metal we are made. NOW is the time to look with zeal, enthusiasm and anticipation toward weekly and annual Sabbath services–expecting to be filled to the brim with God’s gracious gifts of spiritual and physical blessings. NOW is the time to do everything we can, to make this coming Feast of Tabernacles the BEST FEAST EVER–for us AND for our brethren.

Now is NOT the time to let down, to become lackadaisical, to begin to forsake assembling with our brethren on the Sabbath or the Holy Days–finding more thrilling things to do on the Sabbath–at home, or in “God’s free nature,” or with friends or relatives (Hebrews 10:25). Now is NOT the time to find excuses for not attending the Feast–excuses like, it’s too far, it’s too expensive, it’s just too much of an inconvenience, or, “I have heard it all before, anyway!”

Does anyone who knows the truth really think that ANY of those or other excuses will impress God who has ordered us to assemble before Him at the place that He has chosen, for eight days?

God says, “If anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38). And even if we attend God’s commanded assemblies, unless we do so with gladness of heart, God will have no pleasure in us, either (compare Deuteronomy 28:47; 12:7).

Our salvation has drawn much nearer than when we came to the faith (Romans 13:11). And Christ will not tarry–He will come quickly–and SOON (Revelation 22:12). How foolish if we were to give up before entering just the last round–as it were–of the boxing match! As one well-known poem puts it: “Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–You may succeed with another blow… And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!”

Things in this world will get worse–which is just proof that Christ’s return is NEAR. And so, God warns us not to quit–rather, He tells us: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown!” (Revelation 3:11).

Recently, the now defunct cricket team that I used to play for, had a reunion match, and I was invited to play. Many of us had not seen each other for many years, and a friendly match was arranged against a local team. As we batted first, I was asked to open the batting and was going along nicely, until I pulled hamstrings in both legs–at the same time! This shouldn’t have come as a shock as I am now 67 and hadn’t played for about seven years, and so it was almost inevitable that lack of such activity coupled with age might present a few physical difficulties. And so it turned out to be. Apart from the hamstring problems, I discovered (not unreasonably) that I was not quite as quick at running as I expected to be, or used to be–something that playing against some youngsters about half a century younger than I clearly illustrated! This wonderful body that God has given us does wear away with age!

It got me to thinking about the restrictions that age can bring and that the Feast of Trumpets that we will keep in just about one week will not only be the joyous time of Christ’s return, but it will also be the time when faithful and loyal members of God’s Church will be instantly changed to spirit beings (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). It will be a time when our mortal bodies will put on immortality, and when we will have all of the restrictions removed that an earthly body imposes on us. No more pulled hamstrings; no more getting out of breath after some physical activity; and no more aches, pains, diseases and general ill health.

I look forward to my next game of cricket, probably next year, which will, no doubt, have the possibility of the body failing again in some way, but I look forward much more, as we all surely do, to the fulfillment of the next Feast day that we will soon be celebrating. That will be a time when all physical restrictions will be removed as we look forward to an eternity with God. What a future!

We make many decisions every day.  If we stop and think for a moment, we probably make hundreds or even more, on a daily basis.  Most of them quite banal, but nonetheless choices that have to be made.  The number of critical decisions that we make each day is considerably less, in comparison.  And what about life and death decisions–how many of these do we make a day?

Believe it or not, we probably make quite a few of these determinations each and every day, though we do not often couch them in these terms–decisions when and where to walk across a street; whether or not to run a yellow light; how high to climb a ladder; and the list goes on. 

Often, without taking stock of the potential consequences, we put ourselves in physical danger where mortal death is a real possibility.

The real question though is, how frequently are we in spiritual harm’s way?  The answer again is, probably more often than we think.  Are we tempted to “stretch the truth” in our conversations; do we put materialism or our own desires ahead of God; or do we steal time from our employer? We might think of any one of a myriad of other infractions.

Often, without taking stock of the potential consequences, we put ourselves in spiritual danger where eternal death is a real possibility.

As Christians, we know that the penalty for unrepented sin is everlasting death.  NOW is the time to be choosing wisely.  We need to let God know that we are willing to present ourselves as living sacrifices–to lay down our lives daily for His Way. 

God has set two ways before us: blessing and cursing; good and evil; life and death. Therefore, let us choose blessing, good… and LIFE!