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The Need for Good News

Many persons today yearn for good news.  Every year people wish one another “happy new year” but it seems that the next year is worse than the last one.

It is becoming more obvious every day that the nations have no answer to today’s problems. The over population threat, global warming, the crime increase, the economic breakdown,  the increasing violence, these are just a few of the threats that the world faces.  An elementary knowledge of what happened in the past shows us that our creator is not going to put up with this situation indefinitely. The only way forward seems to be the removal of all wickedness and to start anew.

(Psalm 37:10-11) And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. ¹¹ But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.

(Matthew 7:13-14) “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; ¹⁴ whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.

This is good news, because it means that there is hope for the future. However, if we are to benefit from the “Good News”, we need to ascertain what is required from us if we are not to perish with the majority. The Bible does indicate that there will be survivors who will share in this new beginning and I am sure that you will want to be one of them.

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Checking Our Beliefs is Important

Because of the fact that the bible indicates that an important sign is the general change in the morality of persons, professing to belong to a religion, wisdom dictates that we need to check what the bible actually says.

(2 Timothy 3:1-5) . . .But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal,³ having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, ⁴ betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

Strange to say, people in general are not interested in checking the evidence. What is particularly strange is that they will readily profess to belong to a religion that is supposed to be based on the bible, while resisting any attempts to see what the bible reveals on the subject. Most noteworthy, is the fact that there are thousands of professed Christian religions, all having different and conflicting beliefs, therefore it is obvious that they are all cannot all be correct.  Yet their members are quite content to accept what they are being taught without even checking to see if these teaching are in agreement with the Bible..

Because the Bible indicates that the majority of people are going to be destroyed,

(Matthew 7:13-14) “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; ¹⁴ whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.

if we are to be amongst the few that will survive, we need to “make sure of all things” and let God be true though every man be a liar.

(1 Thessalonians 5:20-22) . . .Do not treat prophesyings with contempt. ²¹ Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine. ²² Abstain from every form of wickedness.

(Romans 3:4) . . .Never may that happen! But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, even as it is written: “That you might be proved righteous in your words and might win when you are being judged.”

We therefore can no longer take it for granted that our religion teaches the truth but we need to check the evidence for ourselves. Jesus himself warned that his servants,  whom he instructed to deliver the message would not be popular amongst the people in general, and because there would be many false prophets, we would need to check the evidence.

(Matthew 24:9-14) . . .“Then people will deliver YOU up to tribulation and will kill YOU, and YOU will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name. ¹⁰ Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; ¹² and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. ¹³ But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. ¹⁴ And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come. . .

(2 Timothy 3:16-17) . . .All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.

Archaeology has revealed that no matter how far back we go in time people have always had some kind of religion. What we can learn from this is that basically all mankind in the past believed that we were created by God. This approach seemed reasonable because the complexity of nature, made it logical to assume that the universe could not have risen by itself.

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The Existence of Prejudice

However there have always been critics of the bible. In particular those who resist the idea, that a person is responsible to God for one’s actions. Many would prefer unlimited freedom to do as they choose. Therefore it is not unusual to find that these ones would attempt to discredit the bible. Among these, some scientists, using natural laws, felt that it was not necessary to attribute to God what could be explained naturally. To illustrate their viewpoint, imagine trying to explain television to someone who lived 2000 years ago. Yet it is possible to see and talk to a person, by means of television a thousand miles away without having any visible connection. What did they do? They looked for natural phenomena to explain some of the miracles that God did.

As this point of view seemed reasonable to persons that lacked knowledge of the Bible and how it was written and because of the prestige that scientists  enjoy, many persons have been influenced to doubt the existence of God and the bible. This has resulted in a loss of faith in the bible and God. However recent advances in science are leading many scientists to conclude that this view was somewhat premature and needs to be re-examined.

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Our Scientific knowledge has Increased

Knowledge of ancient history and its bearing on the bible has also increased today. Increased knowledge relating to the bible has only strengthened the faith of some. Unlike other religious books, the bible alone has thousands of manuscripts in many languages providing evidence of what the originals were. This itself is a miracle, since the originals were written on perishable materials. A comparison of these manuscripts has made it possible to correct the few copyist errors and to expose the few attempts to change the text.  This is also miraculous and has been only possible because of the many manuscripts written across thousands of years. There is also evidence of a higher knowledge unobtainable by the science of those times. A few examples will suffice: Check my article of “the Scientific accuracy of Genesis” and also the scriptures that showed that the bible writers mentioned that the earth was round, and hanging in space.

(Job 26:7) He is stretching out the north over the empty place, Hanging the earth upon nothing;

(Job 26:10) He has described a circle upon the face of the waters, To where light ends in darkness.

(Proverbs 8:27) . . .When he prepared the heavens I was there; when he decreed a circle upon the face of the watery deep,

(Isaiah 40:22) . . .There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth, the dwellers in which are as grasshoppers, the One who is stretching out the heavens just as a fine gauze, who spreads them out like a tent in which to dwell,. . .

Even the fact that the embryo contained instructions that we today know were written in the DNA.

(Psalm 139:16) . . .Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, And in your book all its parts were down in writing, As regards the days when they were formed And there was not yet one among them.

and the laws relating to the water-cycle and the cause of rain were discussed. (Eccl. 1:6,7)

(Ecclesiastes 1:6-7) . . .The wind is going to the south, and it is circling around to the north. Round and round it is continually circling, and right back to its circlings the wind is returning. ⁷ All the winter torrents are going forth to the sea, yet the sea itself is not full. To the place where the winter torrents are going forth, there they are returning so as to go forth. . .

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The Bible’s Enemies

Furthermore, although massive campaigns were undertaken to destroy and prevent translation and distribution of the bible, these all ultimately failed.

Who proved to be the Bible’s main enemies? History shows that the religious Clergy of Christendom took the lead in persecuting translators and copyists of the bible. The invention of the printing press caused this persecution to fail.  One may wonder why such an attempt was made by religious persecutors? The answer is simple. The bible exposed false religious teaching.

(2 Timothy 4:3-4) ³ For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories.. . .

The churches preferred to have a free hand in controlling mankind. just like the clergy in Jesus’ day.

(John 11:47-48) . . .Consequently the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the San´he·drin together and began to say: “What are we to do, because this man performs many signs? ⁴⁸ If we let him alone this way, they will all put faith in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. . .

This attempt to prevent the bible getting into the hands of the people failed dismally and so another method had to be tried.

What was the new method? Religions that had been in the forefront of opposition now shared in the work of translating and distributing the bible, while at the same time undermining its influence in various ways. Clergymen educated in what is known as “the higher criticism” claimed to be textual critics, and made claims that the Bible contained myths and legends, so denying its inspiration and truthfulness.  The “Higher Criticism” was a philosophy based on the theory of evolution. It was believed that as man evolved, religion also evolved. From animism to polytheism and then on to monotheism. In addition the clergy taught many false religious teachings such as the hellfire doctrine that caused many persons to loose faith in the bible. By not correcting unscriptural ideas held by their members the clergy contributed to their ignorance. Church goers, think that these unscriptural ideas are acceptable to God, but they are not. Consider these examples. “We all worship the same God”, “The Bible contradicts itself” , “All roads lead to God”, “Each one has his own interpretation of the bible”, “The Adam and Eve story is a myth”, “Creation occurred by evolution.”

This is the main reason why people, the world over are now in a dangerous situation before God and it is important to get back to the truth of the bible.

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Science Returns to God

It is now possible to show that just as in the past increased knowledge discredited many popular myths of the time so the process continues and can be shown to discredit many modern day myths as well. Let us take creation as an example.

If one finds an empty bucket with a hole in it. A number of theories can be arrived at to explain this fact. Either the bucket was at one time filled with a liquid that has all run out or the bucket was always empty.

However if one finds a bucket with a hole in it and water is at present running out of it only one of the two theories are supported by the evidence. Obviously the bucket was filled in the past because water is still running out of it. However if the bucket was filled in the past then the question arises as to who filled it, because it could not fill itself.

At a time when the stars were considered to be merely points of the light in the sky, people could theorise that the sky was a tent with holes in it or any other fanciful theory. Then scientific discovery brought to light that these stars were actually huge furnaces consuming billions of tons of material, producing energy and light that was so intense that it was visible even after traversing billions of light years to our earth.

Sir Isaac Newton, after looking at these facts reasoned that this evidence constituted proof of a creator. Why? Because if the stars were infinitely old they would have consumed all the available material in the universe and be dead now. So he figured that the universe had to have a beginning, otherwise all the stars would be dead. The question then arises as to who created it because it could not create itself. So atheism is unscientific and illogical.

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21st Century Science

Furthermore, early in the 20th century, Hubble, an astronomer, using a new large telescope, discovered that what was once thought to be gas clouds in the universe, were actually clusters of stars. Further studies showed that these clusters were as big and even bigger than our universe, and so what we once viewed as our known universe ultimately became known as “the milky way”, and the milky way was seen to be just one galaxy out of billions. Furthermore the visible evidence showed that it was expanding. Almost overnight this increased knowledge changed our view of the universe, showing that it was billions of times larger that we had supposed.

Up to that time it had been taken for granted by atheistic scientists that the universe was eternal, but how could an expanding universe be reconciled with the theory of an eternal universe. If the universe is expanding, by going back in time we find that it becomes less and less until we arrive at its beginning. If it had a beginning then the question arises as to who created it because it could not create itself.
Of course this was very disturbing to atheists, and so it was not long before they produced alternative theories such as “the oscillating theory. This theory assumes that gravity is slowing down the expansion of the universe to the point where it will cease to expand, and then it will begin to contract. Once it compresses to a certain point it will explode with a big bang and start to expand again. This process then would go on indefinitely. Now atheists felt they could rest in peace.

Once again the facts contradict the theory. About 20 years ago, it was discovered that the rate of expansion is actually speeding up and not slowing down. So we are back to the fact that like our half-filled bucket the universe could not have created itself and so had to be created by some intelligent being.

Once the existence of a creator is established an evolving universe becomes unnecessary. A creator could create a creation having an appearance of age. So the bible, when it shows that mankind started with the creation of a man and woman is a scientific and logical conclusion. Logical and reasonable because as the population is increasing logic dictates that if we backtrack in time we come to the point where we start with two humans. Science therefore shows that the Adam and Eve story was not so silly as many were led to believe.

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Evolution is 19th Century Science

In the 19th century Charles Darwin proposed a theory that has become widely accepted today. The modern version of this theory questions whether there is a creator or God. However, Darwin himself never believed that evolution happened without a creator, He supposed that the creator originally created a few forms that then evolved upward to man.

We must remember that in Darwin’s day this appeared reasonable, and the theory was immediately seized by many critics of the bible. Out of all the ancient religious literature available, the bible, alone described in detail how the universe and life was created, and why humanity became subject to death and disease, so Darwin’s theory was a direct attack on the Bible’s authenticity.

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The failure of 19th Century Science

Again modern scientific discovery has raised questions that atheistic, evolutionary scientists have not been able to explain. Many, reluctant to leave their atheistic views, prefer to ignore the facts and continue to parrot the evolutionary story, but a growing number of well-qualified scientists are now swinging away from the evolution theory to the concept of design in nature, and therefore the concept of a master designer.

When Darwin proposed his theory the cell was considered to be the smallest particle of life. Because it was able to make copies of itself, the principle of inheritance was possible. We do inherit characteristics that are passed on to our offspring. Noticing that slight modifications can occur in the cell that are passed on to our descendants, it became easy to assume that this process could evolve upwards by a process called “natural selection”. The problem was, that because of limited knowledge, evolutionists concluded that these changes were unlimited. On the other hand the bible agreed with modern scientific observation which showed that the variations were limited to “kinds.”

In the late 19th century, a scientist known as Mendel, in experiments with growing peas showed that there were definite limits to these modifications and that the variations were controlled by what he called genes. This information was largely ignored by evolutionists. The invention of the electronic microscope changed all that. Now it is known that within the cell’s nucleus a complete instruction manual exists together with the machinery for the design, construction and maintenance of all living creatures.
The electronic microscope has also shown that there are tiny machines within the cell that are constructed and function like machines that we make. One such machine is in the bacillus flagellum. This one –celled creature has a tail that acts like a propeller and which has a motor similar to an outboard motor. The motor has a drive shaft with bearings and may other parts. These machines and their coded instructions could not have evolved because the instructions for their formation could not be passed on. Only a complete cell can pass on information to the next generation. This is a dead end for atheistic evolutionists. The first cell could not evolve but had to be created.

Of course the vast majority of scientist are reluctant to part with the evolutionary theory, and are still looking for answers to the problem.  However, an increasing number of scientists, some once very active in promoting evolution are realizing that a true scientist looks at the evidence and does not allow emotional attachments to cause rejection of the facts.

Once we have proven to ourselves that there is a God that has the power and wisdom to create a universe and all life, refusing to believe in the possibility of miracles is unscientific.  Just as it becomes extremely difficult to explain to someone who lived 2000 ago how television works so how can we expect to understand how God performs miracles.  Just as a watchmaker designs a watch so that it can be adjusted, God is able to control the forces and laws of nature that he designed. Therefore what we call miracles, is not magic but are really works performed by God, using methods that we do not understand because of our limited knowledge

As we examine the evidence which our rapidly increasing scientific knowledge is uncovering, we notice that valid criticisms of the bible are diminishing and as long as we compare science with what the bible itself teaches and not with the conflicting doctrines of the clergy of Christendom, we find that there is no contradiction between science and the Bible

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Acceptance of the “Good News”

Therefore with an accurate understanding of the facts, our comprehension increases regarding the need for the bible. There is much to be explained regarding why, in spite of our increased advancement in scientific areas the human race seems bent on its own destruction. We need an explanation for the reasons why, in spite of the many noble and loving acts performed by humans many more choose to exploit and dominate their friends and neighbors. We need to know why, in spite of us being created with our large brains capable of achieving wonderful things we have such a short limited life span. We have barely grown up when we start to die. There are too many contradictory facts in life to be ignored; therefore God chose to give us an explanation that has been recorded in the bible. Furthermore it was written in history so that it is difficult to erase.

The positive side to this epic is that God has informed us by means of the bible that he intends to rectify the situation. His explanation shows us that he was not to blame for the situation and that it was not a failure on the part of our creation. Furthermore he explains why he has permitted a time for the matter to be settled. Certain important issues have to be settled and this has taken time. A lot has to do with the way he governs the universe. Although almighty he does not maintain unity by dominance. He created intelligent creatures with characteristics that allow them to respond to his treatment of them with love and appreciation.  Also we have been created in a way that we can comprehend the difference between Justice and injustice and this means that we can appreciate that our creator always pursues a course of love and justice. Therefore there are legal issues involved that we need to understand.

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The Sumup

In summing up our present situation It becomes very apparent that there has been a very large concerted effort to destroy our faith in God or to deceive us regarding his divine requirements. The vast majority of the world’s population have fallen for the deception and the problematic times that we live in testify to this fact. However we are rapidly approaching the time when the bible shows that God is going to change the situation. As the vast majority of mankind are basically beyond reforming, destruction of the majority is inevitable, however he intends giving all an opportunity to come in line with his purposes before asserting his authority and destroying those who stubbornly refuse to comply with his will.  In this way he could never be accused of not being fair and just.  That is why at Math.24:14 the bible says that at this time a worldwide attempt would be made to reach all people with the “Good news” of the kingdom.  Although the majority would reject it because they prefer the propaganda of the world,  some would be reasonable enough to take the trouble to investigate, using the bible as the authority to arrive at the truth.

(Matthew 24:14) . . .And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come. . .

The advice I would give you is this:- Because the bearers of the message have been misrepresented in so many ways, the tendency would be to reject them and their message. However, by using the bible as your standard, check everything the bearers of the message say against the “bible” and not “popular belief”. You will then be using a God given instrument to arrive at the truth.

Consider this fact. Most people belong to a religion. Yet ask any individual belonging to any church a few simple questions and then listen to the many contradictory answers and opinions that you will receive even though they may profess to believe in the bible. Then it will become obvious that their churches have not done the job that was assigned to them. The reason for this is threefold. 1. Almost every church deviated from a parent church. They disagreed over some issue or other and then broke away taking followers with them. However they never investigated all the parent church’s teachings. If they could be wrong on one point then they could be wrong on others, so they needed to re-examine all the parent church’s teachings. 2.. Consider this illustration:- You send your child to a boarding school with instructions for them to give a complete education to your child while you were away on business for a number of years. On your return you give your child a few simple questions only to find that he knows very little. What would your conclusion be?  Either your child was backward or the school had not done its job. But when examining other pupils you find that they also know very little consequently what would your conclusion now be? That the child was not necessarily backward but that the school had not done its job. What is the position with regard to religion? If the majority of their members cannot answer simple questions on the bible then it should be apparent that the church had not done its job. 3. Another reason for this ignorance is that they do not study the bible correctly. They simply search for scripture texts to support the traditional teaching that they have inherited. However what they should be doing is making a topical study of the bible. My own personal experience will illustrate what I mean.
I became an evolutionist after eighteen years in a church because of my ignorance of the bible. It took a Jehovah’s Witness to awaken my mind to the many proofs that evolution was a false philosophy and after making a topical study of the bible with them I have concluded that I had found the truth. Why? Because their study method is the method used by Jesus when teaching his disciples. (Luke 24:27)

(Luke 24:27) . . .And commencing at Moses and all the Prophets he interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures. . .

He selected a topic and looked up all relevant scriptures from the beginning of the bible to the end. When they all harmonized then that was the correct understanding of the subject. The soundness of this method is shown by the fact that you can ask questions of witnesses in any part of the world and you will get the same answers to your questions, depending on how long they have been associated.

There are also a number of facts regarding them that you need to know. In spite of being persecuted in about 49 countries, they pose no threat to anybody. They do not take part in politics, strikes or protests because they render Caesars things to Caesar and God’s things to God as Jesus taught. They are neutral to the wars and do not take sides on racial issues or any other divisive force. They are honest and reliable and truthful. Furthermore they put out of their congregations, unrepentant persons that are proven to be dishonest or immoral and so basically they are a morally clean organization.

Every human can make a choice on what he wants to listen to, so if Jesus was on earth today the witnesses would probably be working along with him in their house to house work because that is what he did while he was on earth. If he was at your door now, how would you receive him? How would you recognize him? Do you think that he would look like the pictures in Christendom’s churches. As no pictures of Jesus are available those pictures are just based on the imagination of an ancient painter. Would you be willing to listen to him although some prejudiced clergyman had warned you against doing that.  That is exactly what happened to many Jews in the 1st century. They chose to close their minds to what he taught but his disciples chose to do otherwise. When on earth Jesus asked Peter three times whether Peter loved him. And on each occasion Peter assured Jesus that he did.  Jesus’ reply each time was “feed my sheep” and “shepherd my flock” and “feed my lambs” so evidently Jesus was concerned about the flock and because he knew that he would not be around personally to attend to them, his earnest desire was for Peter to show his love for Jesus by continuing to do what Jesus himself would have been doing if he was around.  You can rest assured that if Jesus was alive on earth today he would be calling house to house with the “good news of the kingdom” because that is what he commanded his faithful followers to do. Who do you think would be accompanying him? Why Jehovah’s witnesses of course, because even though he is not here on earth, they show that they love him by feeding his sheep and shepherding his flock. And who do you think form his flock? Why you and your family members of course, because Jesus reflects the love that his father Jehovah God has for humanity and wants to do all that he can to ensure your preservation into his new world of righteousness.
You cannot go wrong by giving Jehovah’s witnesses the opportunity to show you from the scriptures that they have the truth.

Your survival today depends on your response to their activity.(Matt 25:31-40)

(Matthew 25:31-40) . . .“When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. 34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, YOU who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for YOU from the founding of the world. 35 For I became hungry and YOU gave me something to eat; I got thirsty and YOU gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and YOU received me hospitably; 36 naked, and YOU clothed me. I fell sick and YOU looked after me. I was in prison and YOU came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and receive you hospitably, or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to you?’ 40 And in reply the king will say to them, ‘Truly I say to YOU, To the extent that YOU did it to one of the least of these my brothers, YOU did it to me.’

Who do you think the king’s brothers were who were treated with love and kindness by the righteous? Why the persons spearheading the work of preaching the kingdom to you just as Jesus would have done if he was around on earth today. So if you wish to be considered as righteous by the king Jesus Christ then watch out how you treat the preachers of the good news.

Other artcles that you may choose to read are:-“The Scientific Accuracy of Genesis” “The Origin of Religion” and “Who is Babylon the Great?”

If you wish to see a list of articles select this link.

Posted in Categories :- Religion, World Conditions, all