True Christians know and have proven for themselves from the pages of the Bible THAT they are still duty-bound today to keep the weekly Sabbath–the time from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset–as it is holy time.  But often questions may arise as to HOW to keep the Sabbath. Are there any principles or passages in the Bible which tell us what kind of activities are permitted, and which are prohibited? Are we told how to apply those passages and concepts practically, in an individual situation?

In this new series, we will address many of those questions which have puzzled and perplexed Christians for decades. We will begin with quoting statements which we have made through the years in our literature regarding proper Sabbath observance. In this installment and the next one, we will concentrate primarily on God’s command not to do “work” on the Sabbath; not to pursue our own “pleasure”; not to engage in “business”; and we will discuss whether or not we should eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath. We will address and answer specific questions which we may not have addressed before in writing.

Acts 20:7 reads, in the Authorized Version: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.”

Some claim that this passage proves that the disciples took “communion” on the first day of the week—on Sunday. Others claim that this passage proves that the disciples took “communion” on the weekly Sabbath. And then there are those who say that this passage has nothing to do with “communion”—regardless as to when Paul’s “breaking of the bread” occurred.

To address first the concept regarding “communion on Sunday” and “communion” in general, we stated the following regarding Acts 20:7 in a previous Q&A:

One of the foundational practices of every Christian is prayer. It is a tool that we rely on to communicate with God, through Jesus Christ as our Mediator, to share our innermost thoughts. When prayers that we present to God, especially those which include a request, seem to go unanswered, it can be a frustrating experience. Why would God, who promises never to forsake His children, decline to answer their prayers according to their expectations? When this inevitably happens to a Christian, it is helpful to understand exactly why prayers might not be heard and otherwise seem to fail.

To begin with, God clearly instructs that prayer is one of the primary tools that should be used to communicate with Him. Jesus Christ provides some excellent instructions to follow that describe how to pray to God, resulting in being openly rewarded when performed properly (compare Matthew 6:5-13). We have also produced a free booklet, Teach Us to Pray, which describes in great detail how to succeed in our prayers. With such a great promise of being heard by God by following such a simple model, what are the reasons that prayers might seemingly not be answered? Several examples follow which describe different types of situations that can cause God not to answer our prayers according to our expectations.

In both its history and prophetic revelations, the Bible has a great deal to say about the Jewish people. In fact, events associated with the House of Judah provide vital keys to understanding God’s great plan of salvation for all of mankind!

The term “Jew” is found in the Old and New Testament and primarily refers to the descendants of one of the sons of Jacob—as distinguished from other of Jacob’s children.

It is important to understand that Judah was ONE of twelve sons born to Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons by four wives (Genesis 35:22-26). These are the ones who became the nation of Israel with each son becoming a distinct tribe and, eventually, individual nations. Not all Israelites are Jews, but all Jews are Israelites. This distinction is vital.

If we search the Scriptures, we will find that depending on the circumstances, God endorses both being married and being single.   Let us look briefly at what He has to say about each state.

In Genesis 2:18 we read: “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’”   In verses 21-24 we further read: “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’”

In chapter 6 of our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy,” we speak at length about modern Turkey and what the Bible has to say about its future. Based on this knowledge, we should be able to see the significance of current events in Turkey.

First, we explain from the Bible and history that the Turks are the modern descendants of ancient Esau or Edom, the twin brother of Jacob or Israel. We give numerous proofs for this conclusion. In this Q&A, let us just review a few brief excerpts.

We quote as follows from an article by The Plain Truth, dated 1966, titled, “Turkey in Prophecy”:

“‘Turkey can be identified by research in encyclopedias, or history books dealing with the subject, as the descendants of Esau… One of the grandsons of Esau was Teman (Genesis 36:11). Teman became a great leader among the peoples… As the Edomites began to expand…, portions of the land began to bear the name of Teman… much of the area… including … Turkestan… became known as the “Land of Temani” (compare Genesis 36:34 [according to the Authorized Version; the New King James Bible says: “the land of the Temanites”]… Is it any wonder then that the indelible stamp of Teman, one of the leading dukes of ancient Edom, was carried down into modern history in the form of the “Ottoman” Empire?'”

Is it physically possible to experience the Holy Spirit? If so, how does this affect us in our daily lives?

Let us start this Q&A with John 3:5-7. Here, Christ is laying out in detail how people actually receive the Holy Spirit. He shows that the Holy Spirit will be given to us by becoming baptized and through the laying on of hands by the ministry and prayer (Please read our free booklet, “Baptism – A Requirement for Salvation.”). In verse 8, Christ shows that the Holy Spirit is not a Personage or a Person, but rather the power of God the Father and of the glorified Christ. He compares it with a mighty powerful wind which can be heard and felt. The conclusion is that the Holy Spirit is the very power of God and of Christ. We do not become Spirit beings at the moment of our baptism. We still bleed, we are still visible and we still make wrong choices and sin. We are still human at this point. But we now have the power of God in us helping us to make right decisions; helping us to become more like the Father and Christ. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 that we can understand godly truth, because the power of God’s Spirit helps us to open our minds to the truth.

In the first part of our series, we addressed in general the biblical teaching requiring God’s disciples to abstain from intentionally seriously injuring or killing another human being, including in self-defense. We should also mention that the negligent killing of another human being is likewise prohibited.

Quoting from our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?”:

“A perpetrator who ‘accidentally’ brought about the death of another person (Numbers 35:15), without hating the victim, was allowed to flee to a city of refuge to escape the wrath of the avenger of blood. He was only allowed to escape death if he acted ‘unintentionally’ or ‘ignorantly’ (Deuteronomy 19:4). For instance, he might have killed a person by throwing a stone at him, not realizing that the victim was there (Numbers 35:23). Or, he might have killed the victim without wanting to (Deuteronomy 19:5; Numbers 35:22). If, on the other hand, the perpetrator hated the victim in the past, or if he struck him intentionally with a stone, an iron implement or a wooden hand weapon, even though he might not have hated the victim, he was still to be executed (Deuteronomy 19:4, 6, 11; Numbers 35:20-21, 16-18)…

In the first installment of this series, we will address the Church’s position on violence and self-defense, as the answer is critical for the understanding as to what kinds of sports a true Christian may or should not participate in. What is the Church’s position on “violent” sports such as football, soccer, boxing, paintball and laser tag, as well as shooting with a gun or with an arrow? What is the Church’s position on “defensive” sports such as karate and jiu-jitsu; and how would the Church look at “war games” such as chess? Should our motivation be considered when watching or participating in certain sports and other related activities?

In a Q&A, titled, “Do You Believe in and Teach Self-Defense?,” we set forth the following, while quoting to a large extent from our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?”:

(Español: ¿Qué revela la profecía sobre Europa y el Brexit?)

In this Q&A, we will give you a prophetic panorama on current and future developments in Europe in light of the Brexit.

The Church of God has been proclaiming for many years that, ultimately, Great Britain would not be a part of the European unification. The main reason for this warning has been that the Bible predicts a devastating war between Great Britain and continental Europe.

We have pointed out this fact in many of our booklets, and we have consistently warned about it in our weekly Updates and sermons. The following sets forth a brief synopsis, but the booklets quoted contain much more material and discussion on the particular issues, while offering much additional biblical proof. Following these quotes, further considerations will be discussed.