I grew up in Joplin, Missouri, and regularly attended a mainstream Protestant church. It was the normal thing to do. No one questioned why my family went to that church. To go there we didn't have to prove we understood any of that church's teachings. There was no big repentance to make nor any required lifestyle changes. You just did what your friends and relatives did. You comfortably followed the crowd.

But then, everything changed. At age 19, powerful circumstances shook my complacency. Now I understand that God was calling me, leading me to genuinely seek Him in a way I had never done before. I learned to really study and analyze the Bible and this opened to me the understanding that there was a real PURPOSE being worked out here on earth by the true God who created and now RULES over the nations. I began to realize ever more fully how precious the Truth of God really is.

It was at this point that I began associating with a small fellowship of God-hungry people who sought after God in an open-minded and wholehearted way. We were tired of tradition. We sincerely strove to understand and to practice the kind of Christianity which Christ and the apostles had taught and practiced.

Most of us who experienced this religious awakening in those years spoke of "coming into the Truth." Even years later, we, would refer to this crossroads in our life as: "When I came into the Truth."

Truth is precious. Increasingly, many professing Christian organizations today water down or compromise Truth in order to be "acceptable" to the world or to mainstream Christianity! Such a widespread, lax attitude makes it all the more important that we never do this! Obviously, such a position is not easy nor popular with men. The Apostle Paul walked a similar path and he suffered many terrible beatings because of it. Did the religious authorities of our Savior Jesus Christ's time speak well of Him? Or did they persecute and attack Him?

Brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who had the power of life and death, Jesus was accused of evil. In His defense Jesus said, "I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).

How easily our present society seduces too many of God's people. How about you? Is it your priority to just blend in with truth-compromising mainstream "churchianity."

In the religious world today, many churches, whether large and powerful or small and barely significant, seek unity with other "believers." You can read about this in your newspapers. Of course, Truth is a major casualty in this subtle but pervasive movement. Many religious people today have substituted "touchy-feely" emotions in the place of spiritual, doctrinal truths as the basis of Christian unity. The prophetic teachings of the Bible are also usually ignored, forgotten or often watered down in the rush to construct religious union between, different churches.

Nevertheless, Revelation 19:10 states: "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy " And Peter wrote, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed" (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).

Yes, the testimony of Jesus has directly to do with prophecy! It is absolutely vital that we preach the inspired warning message of an approaching calamity to our age. God's Word is filled with such prophecies. Consequently, it is vital also that the whole thrust of end-time prophecy does not become a casualty of compromise.

More and more sincere men and women are beginning to realize how important it is that they stand up for the Truth. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). We thank God for the liberty—the freedom—to preach and practice the whole Truth. You, too, are free to help us warn our peoples of the coming world cataclysm while there is still time. Yes, you are free to join in God's Work of preaching the Gospel without fear or favor of men.

Thousands of our World Ahead readers are undoubtedly "new" to the Truth. May God help motivate you to genuinely study the Bible, to PROVE to yourself where God is working, to begin to fulfill the exciting purpose for which you were created.

Truth is, indeed, precious. Take advantage of your opportunity to let God make it the biggest part of your life.

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by Roderick C. Meredith

Quietly, slowly but surely, ominous signs are appearing in world affairs. Like pieces being strategically arranged on a global chessboard, world events are in transition toward an unprecedented time of societal upheaval and international conflict which the Bible calls “the Great Tribulation”!

Though liberal pundits in the news media poke fun at the idea that our sophisticated, technological society could collapse, there is an invisible, divine Personality working behind the scenes to accomplish His supreme purpose here below.

As we approach the year 2000, we are also coming close to surviving an awful 6,000-year period of history in which violence and social injustice have been commonplace. Sadly, in all this time, we have learned precious little about how to live in peace. But we have made great technological strides toward destroying our environment and ourselves. You need to realize that our current society—how we live, work, play and fight—is unsustainable. This civilization cannot endure in its present form much longer.

The Anglo-Saxon-Celtic nations of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are in terrible trouble—“terminal trouble” many would say. Our internal and external debts are frightening to those who understand that we have mortgaged our future prosperity, our economic independence! Many perceptive foreign creditors realize this and they are taking measures to protect their assets, fleeing the dollar for yen or marks. Domestically, crime and immorality have spread a plague of parasitic social problems throughout our nations. This, too, will have a damaging effect on our future—even on our national survival.

Speaking of the breakdown of American families, the San Diego Union-Tribune trumpeted, “This wholesale collapse of our family structure is unprecedented among civilized nations” (May 22, 1995). Today, nearly 70 percent of our American black children are born to single mothers. White illegitimacy rates have gone from four percent in 1965 to 25 percent today!

The British are certainly no better off. Notice the news agency report:

London—“Living in sin” should no longer be regarded as sinful and the phrase should be dropped given the number of people who now live together before getting married, a Church of England report said Tuesday.

Warning against judgmental attitudes about cohabitation and fornication, the report by the church’s Board of Social Responsibility estimated that four in five couples will live together before they marry by the year 2000.

“The phrase ‘living in sin’ stigmatizes and isn’t helpful,” said Bishop Alan Morgan, who chaired the first major study of the family by Britain’s state religion in 20 years.

The report also urged a “ready welcome” for homosexuals in the church, saying many have high-quality, loving relationships (Reuters, June 7, 1995).

Historically, whenever any nation or people have regressed to such a low level of morality, this has signaled that the end of that nation—or at least of that societal structure—is near at hand. Why? Because there is One who judges nations and people. The Bible clearly reveals that God has used in the past, and will use in the future, other nations to collectively punish the citizens of hypocritical, sinful nations for their immorality.

What Happens Next?

Unless our peoples come to a genuine REPENTANCE before the God of Creation, Bible prophecy indicates that things will get much worse. Speaking of these “last days,” the Apostle Paul wrote, “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).

A national spiritual malaise is often reflected in physical circumstances. For the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic nations, such as Canada and America, one of the “signs” of our nations’ decay is the rapidly declining value of our respective currencies. For years Americans have spent lavishly on foreign goods. Now the U.S. dollar is showing serious signs of its sickness (partly due to our gross trade imbalance). Our major trading partners are alarmed because our markets and our currency’s value are extremely important to their prosperity! During recent months, Japan’s self-interest led it to spend billions of yen to support the U.S. dollar, exceeding the currency support efforts of the United States itself.

So far this year, Japanese, U.S. and German banks spent about $30 billion trying to prop up the dollar, losing more than $2 billion in the process…. Since the start of 1995, the Bank of Japan has shelled out a whopping $24.7 billion, the Federal Reserve—at the direction of the U.S. Treasury Department—[spent] an estimated $3.6 billion and Germany’s Bundesbank an estimated $1.4 billion. Despite these efforts the dollar has fallen nearly 17 percent against the yen and more than 11 percent against the mark, tumbling to postwar lows against both currencies in the process [Wall Street Journal, April 25, 1995].

The Economist magazine stated:

For the past six years the national debt clock, a vast electronic scoreboard in mid-town Manhattan, has been clocking up the size of America’s overdraft, second by $10,000 second, day by $860 million day. By the time Seymour Durst, the clock’s creator and a New York property developer, died a few weeks ago at the age of 81, the tally had hit almost $4.9 trillion. That, as the sign helpfully points out, amounts to $63,530 for every one of America’s families…. The national debt clock will strike $5 trillion in a few weeks time [June 3, 1995].

Our nations are pretty much bankrupted—spiritually and financially. From God’s point of view, we are in need of some “shock therapy” to WAKE United States UP so that we can finally repent and turn to God. As we explained in the January World Ahead, a coming “United States of Europe” is the vehicle the Great God will use to finally humble the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic nations.

Journalist Kyle Pope keenly observed:

To some extent, the ambivalence toward the E.U. [European Union] in Britain is symbolic and emotional. Not only has the U.K. always identified more with the U.S. than with continental Europe, but its antagonism toward the continent is famous. Witness, for instance, the fury over the construction of the tunnel under the English Channel, which British right-wingers saw as little more than a conduit for French criminals and rabid animals.

“The U.K. is an island that’s moored about 3,000 miles too far east,” says Alan Wild, a policy director at Guinness Breweries in London. “It would be much better off moored off of Long Island” [Wall Street Journal, “More Than Water Divides U.K., Europe,” June 30. 1995].

Prophecy indicates that, eventually, Britain will not be a part of the emerging European superpower. Watch this politically unified “United Europe” coalesce around those nations that were historically part of the old Holy Roman Empire. I have publicly stated this for decades.

Recently, British Prime Minister John Major faced a challenge from the more conservative, anti-E.U. wing of his own party. While this challenge failed to unseat Mr. Major, it clearly showed that Britain is not wholly favorable to E.U. integration. Your Bible describes how ten European nations or groups of nations will unite under the leadership of a coming super-dictator called “the Beast” (cf. Rev. 17:12-13). Does this shock you?

Much of Bible prophecy is news in advance! Many of the prophets’ inspired warnings were Feast of Tabernacles the “latter days”—our time—not thousands of years ago. The prophecy about “the Beast” states that he is supported by ten nations’ leaders who, together, will fight Christ at His Second Coming! “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and Kings of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).

Watch for the rise to awesome power of this unified, transnational European state. At the same time, we will witness a corresponding decline in power of the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic nations.

Who Will Lead Europe?

There is a strong indication that a reunited, remilitarized Germany will ultimately be the leading nation of this coming European superpower. Germany is already the largest European Union member nation in terms of population and productivity. And now it is gaining in total military strength supported by a rock-solid Deutsche mark. “Step by step, mission by mission, token force by token force, the German military is inching its way back toward the battlefield. 50 years after it lost Hitler’s war and bid a humiliating farewell to arms. Germany’s creeping return to the arena of international conflict started in the 1970s, when Bonn began sending the occasional military instructor into the developing world” (Los Angeles Times, June 20. 1995).

Tyler Marshall, Los Angeles Times correspondent, recent wrote that the E.U. bureaucrats want military self-determination. But military spending in E.U. member states is being cut to pay for their social welfare programs and other economic subsidies.

So how can the E.U. bureaucrats have their cake and eat it too? Mr. Marshall explains how their goal might be achieved—quickly. Simply borrow U.S. equipment! How convenient. Why didn’t the United States think of that? Well, actually, the United States—i.e. the Clinton administration—did! They suggested the Europeans could borrow U.S. equipment already stationed in Europe (including long-range transport aircraft) for regional crises in which the United States is not directly involved. As we go to press no agreement has yet been reached because the Europeans want guaranteed access to such equipment, while the United States insists on veto power!

Can you imagine that? The U.S. allowing a potential rival power to borrow from the HUGE array of American military hardware stored in Europe. If this is agreed upon, there would be a dramatic increase in the capacity of a European force to mount an AWESOME threat to its enemies, Biblical prophecy tells America’s leaders to think twice, but, unfortunately, they don’t search the Scriptures for advice on directing the nation’s affairs.

Those of us who do pay attention to what the Bible says, including the prophecies about the Great Tribulation, need to realize that time is running short.

Consider this news report:

Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s government broke a 50-year taboo yesterday and decided to send German military might, spearheaded by Tornado jets, abroad to support the U.N. peace-keeping mission in Bosnia.

However, Defense Minister Volker Ruehe said Germany would not send ground troops to an area where German troops fought during World War II….

But in committing medical personnel, headquarters staff officers, transport aircraft, and in particular, the jet fighters to the U.N. operation, the Germans are crossing a threshold in a area scarred by the Nazi invasion of the Balkans in World War II [San Diego Union-Tribune, June 27, 1995].

Germany and Italy—as in World War II—will be leading nations in the revived Holy Roman Empire. So it is important to watch the political developments in these key nations.

Reviving Spiritual Roots

More than nearly anyone now imagines, religion will play an extremely prominent role in the coming European power. Indeed, it may be the “glue” to hold the fractious nations of Europe together for a number of years.

The European masses are becoming increasingly disenchanted with America. They are often offended by our raucous music, our pornography, our constant portrayal of personal violence. And their own newspapers tell them, in effect, that the United States is becoming a nation of criminals, sex perverts and deadbeats. The fact that America is also the world’s greatest debtor is not lost on their intellectual elite.

As we continue to export our cultural filth and debts to Europe, a reaction is bound to take place. Will they, in fact, feel justified in conquering the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic nations in order to cleanse our nations’ degeneracy? Will they feel that they already own us because of our MASSIVE debt to them—a debt which we will never be able to repay?

Europe will return to their religious roots. This revived spirituality will give them—for a time—a certain sense of moral superiority and they will increasingly become intolerant of anyone who believes or acts differently from them.

Today, one of the most remarkable popes in 2,000 years is working on patching together a broad-based union of many traditional or orthodox Christian religions. John Paul II wants to bring them into the Catholic fold. This may be a part of a grand scheme wherein he—or his successor—will seek a key role in making Jerusalem an international city and centerpiece of world religious peace and reconciliation by the year 2000! Note this recent news article:

VATICAN CITY—In an appeal for unity, Pope John Paul II today tells Christians that they must overcome historic divisions and strive together toward religious understanding…. Ecumenism, the search for unity among diverse faiths, has bee a keynote of Vatican policy in recent papacies, but it is emerging as a top priority for John Paul in advance of the year 2000, which his church will celebrate as a sacred jubilee. Nothing that the [office of the] papacy is a major source of discord for other Christians, John Paul urges that it not be allowed to interfere with the quest for Christian dialogue and harmony….

It is time, John Paul says in his 30,000-word teaching, that Christians focus on what unites them rather than on why they should remain divided. He says they must resolutely extend dialogues begun in recent decades to mesh common values and experiences after centuries marked by hatred and bloodshed…. With religion still the subject of discord around the world, John Paul tells Christians that they must fight against “complacency, indifference and insufficient knowledge”—all of which exacerbate differences…. Discussing his own role, John Paul asserts Catholic dogma holding that the Pope, the bishop of Rome, is the direct successor of the Apostle Peter, the first Pope. Thus, he says, “With the power and authority without which such an office would be illusory, the Bishop of Rome must ensure the communion of all the churches. For this reason he is the first servant of unity” (Los Angeles Times, May 30, 1995).

Much is being written on this topic. And the Pope’s urgent appeals for “Christian unity” are far more publicized in Europe than here in North America. The Pope is continually urging different nations and different groups in Europe to recapture the former European culture—a culture dominated by Roman Catholicism!

This return to religion is going to be a powerful element in the coming “United Europe.” It is NOT so now. Watch for a strong Catholic revival in the nations of central Europe—but NOT Britain—who will return to their religious heritage with a fervent zeal. And out of all this a powerful religious figure will arise—not necessarily a new pope—but perhaps a remarkable, charismatic individual who will somehow come to be looked on as even “above” the pope, the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Whoever he is, the Bible describes him as a miracle-working prophet who will certainly deceive the MASSES.

As John explains in Revelation 13:11-14, this false prophet is going to inspire the peoples of Europe to virtually worship this coming religious/political/military system called the “Beast” in Bible prophecy. This system itself will be looked on as a sort of “savior” by those in it. For it will appear to offer its people economic and military security, and—perhaps most important of all—spiritual security and the feeling of being “special” to God Himself.

The False Prophet Described

Speaking of the events just before Christ’s return, God inspired the Apostle Paul to write about this same false prophet, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

Here is a truly powerful religious figure who is “worshipped.” And he is going to sit in some kind of temple and take unto himself titles of divinity! Paul writes, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (vv. 9-10).

People will be amazed at the tremendous signs and LYING WONDERS this man will be able to perform. One of these miracles this false prophet will do, as described in Revelation 13, includes bringing down FIRE from the skies! Will you be deceived by this man?

Speaking of the years immediately preceding His Second Coming, Jesus Christ predicted, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24). Other Scriptures indicate that it is possible to deceive even believers—if they get careless (2 Cor. 11:3).

The Apostle Paul tells us that this coming religious system will be “lawless”—cleverly opposing the great spiritual LAWS of God. “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:7-8).

The Living Christ will DESTROY the “lawless one” at His Second Coming because this man will cause “unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (v. 10). This verse is an important key for you and me. Do you make plenty of room in your life to SEEK God? To really study and PROVE the truths of His precious TRUTH”? To pour out your heart to God in earnest prayers for understanding and guidance?

The final events of this present society’s history will start cascading upon an unsuspecting humanity, probably within most of your lifetimes. “So you, likewise, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place” (Luke 21:31-32).

Jesus Christ commands us all, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (v. 36).

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by Jeffrey H. Patton

Why are so many girls in therapy in the 1990s? What is the meaning of lip, nose and eyebrow piercings? How do I help thirteen-year-olds deal with herpes and genital warts? Why do so many girls hate their parents?”

These troubling questions cried for answers during the daily therapy sessions of clinical psychologist Mary Pipher, PH.D., whose practice is located in a small town in America’s heartland Midwest. But, of course, these questions could just as easily have been asked by Dr. Pipher’s colleagues practicing in any city or town tainted by Western culture. Something sinister, something darkly evil, is afoot across the face of the Western world and it is destroying the innocence and happiness of our daughters.

Dr. Pipher reflected, “As I talked to these girls, I became aware of how little I really understood about the world of adolescent girls today. It didn’t work to use my own adolescent experience from the early 1960s to make generalizations. Girls were living in a whole new world” (Reviving Ophelia, Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, Ballantine Books, 1994, p. 11).

A New Savage World

“Prim and precocious, Jennifer Reichert sits in her family’s modest home, talking about the note she found in her desk at Downey’s Gallatin Elementary School four days before her tenth birthday.

“’I want to have sex with you,’ it said. ‘I love you babe. You are all I think about. I want to have your kids.’ The writer also described sex acts he wanted to perform.

“Although the note contained language worthy of a pornographic movie, the vice principal told Jennifer to ‘respect’ the boy and ‘give him his space,’ the girl said.

“Jennifer’s parents pleaded with school officials to expel the boy, but they suspended him for two-and-a-half days” (Los Angeles Times, “Juvenile Sex Harassment,” July 4, 1995).

Six boys had participated in writing the note; five went unpunished and they later accused Jennifer of “ragging” on them and threatened, “We’re gonna kill you. Yeah, you’re gonna get it.” Jennifer was humiliated and sick to her stomach. Her parents, fearing for her safety, are keeping the straight-A student home and are considering moving to another school district.

“On any given day in America, 480 women and Children will be forcibly raped, 5,760 women will be assaulted…. Rape is the ‘tragedy of youth’ because 32 percent of all rapes occur when the victim is between the ages of 11 and 17. More than 15 percent of all college women have been raped since they turned 18” (Pipher, p. 219),

“In a 1992 poll published in Seventeen magazine, 83 percent of the 2,000 teenagers surveyed said they had experienced physical harassment, including fondling, grabbing or pinching. Eighty-six percent said they had been subjected to non-physical harassment such as inappropriate comments, notes or staring” (L.A. Times, July 4, 1995).

While this story focuses on American adolescents, the situation is not much different in the rest of the Western world. Just ask the women living in Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, Zurich, Toronto or Sydney.

Girls entering adolescence today are encountering a civilization which is physically and emotionally dangerous. “Suicide is the third-highest cause of death among teenagers…. Over one million [U.S.] adolescents—one out of every ten adolescent females—become pregnant each y ear. And this is not an inner-city phenomenon: teenage pregnancy among white adolescents has risen over 140 percent in the last two decades” (Dr. Vincent J. Fontana, Save the Family, Save the Child, 1991, p. 124).

Society is confusing girls by its contradictory attitudes about sex, TV, music and movies proclaim that cool, sophisticated people are sexually spontaneous. Sex is a kinky form of recreation. However, most parents believe sex is the ultimate expression of a loving relationship within marriage. But guess who has the most influence on young people these days: “Parents are not the primary influence on adolescent girls. Instead girls are heavily swayed by their friends, whose ideas come from the mass media. The average teen watches 21 hours of TV each week, compared to 5.8 hours spent on homework and q1.8 hours reading…. The average mother talks seven minutes a day to her teenager, while the average father talks only five minutes” (Pipher, pp. 82, 80).

Schools don’t help much either. “Girls receive two kinds of sex education in their schools: one is in the classroom and the other is the halls. Classroom education tends to be about anatomy, procreation and birth…. Most do not help students with what they need most—a sense of meaning regarding their sexuality, ways to make sense of all the messages, and guidelines on decent behavior in sexual relationships” (Pipher, pp. 206-207).

The message in the halls, however, is direct and simple. “Girls are pressured to be sexual regardless of the quality of relationships. Losing virginity is considered a rite of passage into maturity. Girls may be encouraged to have sex with boys they hardly know. Many girls desperate for approval succumb to this pressure” (p. 207).

Adolescent peer pressure could be compared to a dangerous cult that conditions its targets, rewarding with “popularity” those who conform—or punishing with ostracism and insults those who can’t or won’t fit in to what the group considers cool. Day in, day out, the pressure is on our youth in school to conform to how the other kids think they should behave. The result of this “education” is that MORE THAN HALF of 1q5-to 19-y ear-old girls have had sex and many of these have had multiple partners.

Girls have always wanted to be popular and loved. The difference is that today’s girls see being sexually active as a primary, socially approved means to achieve popularity and, maybe, love with the boys.

Everyone wants to be popular with their peers; nobody wants to be called a geek, dweeb or nerd. And our entertainment and advertising industries eagerly spend billions of dollars to mold and shape the adolescent mind’s perception of just what is cool. “As the cigarette companies have discovered, adolescent girls are perfect targets for anyone peddling sophistication. In fact, adolescent girls are the ONLY population group whose smoking has increased over the last 20 years” (Pipher, p. 202). Yes, they greedily encourage girl-poisoning behavior for enormous profits!

Another insidious concept which as been sold to women in general, but especially adolescent girls, is the importance of being beautiful. Dr. Pipher calls beauty ”the defining characteristic for American women” (p. 183). The pressure to be beautiful rests heavily on adolescent girls who worry about stylish clothes, sophisticated makeup, trendy hair styles and soft skin. But most of all, women, teens and adults alike, worship the goddess of thinness. Why? “In a city of strangers, appearance is the only dimension available for the rapid assessment of others. Thus it becomes incredibly important in defining value” (P. 183).

Many women come to hate their bodies in their struggle to emulate the painfully thin models and actresses:

Dieting and dissatisfaction with bodies have become normal reactions to puberty. Girls developed eating disorders when our culture developed a standard of beauty that they couldn’t obtain by being healthy. When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to be thin.

In all the years I’ve been a therapist, I’ve yet to meet one girl who likes her body. Girls as skinny as chopsticks complain that their thighs are flabby or their stomachs puff out. And not only do girls dislike their bodies, the often loathe their fat. They have been culturally conditioned to hate their bodies, which are after all themselves [p. 184].

The Bible has something to say about captains of the fashion, advertising, music and visual entertainment industries who abuse our daughters by promoting destructive cultural values for monetary profit:

Of this you may rest assured, that grievous times will set in when days are about to vanish, men conducting themselves in ways such as these: they will be lovers of self, lovers of money…full of arrogance…disobedient to their parents…without a sense of the holy, without affection…savage, with no love for the good, treacherous…bloated with conceit, their concern not being with God but rather with their own pleasures [2 Tim. 3:1-4 Cassirer].

A Time of Growth, A Time of Vulnerability

What is adolescence? Why are young people so easily manipulated? By definition as adolescent person is “growing from childhood to maturity; between puberty and full maturity…immature” (Chambers Concise Dictionary, 1992, p. 12). An adolescent girl is in the process of developing her body and her mind. She is complex, intense and seemingly preoccupied with herself as she tries to find her place in the world.

A physically well-developed junior high school girl with the body of a mature woman oftentimes still has the emotions and social skills of a child. Parents can easily be baffled by the discrepancy between what their eyes tell them and the thought processes taking place in their adolescent child. When a particular problem arises, should a parent deal with the teen part of their daughter or the eight-year-old emotional part? “The emotional system is immature in early adolescence. Emotions are extreme and changeable. Small events can trigger enormous reactions. A negative comment about appearance or a bad mark on a test can hurl a teenager into despair… Girls have tried to kill themselves because they were grounded for a weekend or didn’t get asked to the prom” (Pipher, p. 57).

Girls typically overgeneralize comments or experiences. A nasty comment from a peer can be blown up out of all proportion. A teacher’s disparaging comment about a lack of musical talent or academic ability can be “proof” for an adolescent girls that she is tone-deaf or congenitally stupid beyond redemption. “There is limited ability to sort facts from feelings” (p. 60).

Another characteristic of teens—which some adults persist in as well—is the ”imaginary audience syndrome.” Girls think someone is intensely scrutinizing their every move and action. “Young girls are egocentric in their thinking. That is, they are unable to focus on anyone’s experience but their own. Parents often experience this egocentrism as selfishness. But it’s not a character flaw, only a developmental stage” (p. 60).

Obviously—that is, it’s clearly evident to parents—adolescence is a time girls desperately NEED their family’s support and guidance if they are going to avoid being trashed by our degenerate Western pop culture.

But perversely, “Adolescence is currently scripted in a way that builds in conflict between teenagers and their parents. Conflict occurs when parents try to protect their daughters who are trying to be independent in ways that are dangerous. Teenagers are under great social pressure to abandon their families, to be accepted by peer culture and to be autonomous individuals” (p. 65).

Don’t Get Lost, Use That Compass, Dare to be Different!

Psychologists who study what kinds of families produce what kinds of children have focused on two broad dimensions. The first has to do with affection… The second has to do with control strategies… Low-control and low-acceptance parents produce teens with a variety of problems, including delinquency and chemical dependency. Parents who are high in control and low in acceptance (authoritarian parents) have children who are socially inadequate and lacking in confidence. Parents who are low in control and high in acceptance (indulgent parents) have teenagers with high impulsivity, low responsibility and low independence. Parents who are high in control and high in acceptance (strict but loving parents) have teenagers who are independent, socially responsible and confident…. The message [these] children receive from parents is: “We love you, but you must do as we say” [p. 83].

What can YOU do? How can WE turn around and change an entire civilization to one that nourishes, protects and encourages young people like YOU to be happy, joyful and fulfilled? We will NOT do it by looking to ourselves to determine what is right and wrong. That is what society is doing right now; that is why this world is an ugly mess. But we can get our true bearings, like a compass corrected to point true north, if we acknowledge the Word of God as the divine, absolute authority in our lives. All ideas are not of equal value. Much of what is socially acceptable today poisons adolescent girls.

A major key for empowering YOUR life with happiness and purpose spits in the face of the peer-group propaganda that pressures teens to abandon their families: The Apostle Paul personally taught:

You who are children, be obedient to your parents. It is right that you should. As scripture says, “Pay honour to your father and to your mother” (and this is the first commandment with a promise attaching to it, namely), “that it may go well with you, and you may have a long life on earth.” You who are fathers, do not arouse resentment in your children. No, discipline them and admonish them, as the Lord would have you do [Eph. 6:1-4 Cassirer].

What does Paul mean by “obey”? The Greek word is hypakouo which literally means “listen,” such as when “one who on a knock at the door comes to listen who it is…. Children are admonished by Paul to ‘listen to’ their parents, which means doing what they ask” (Ralph Earle, Word Meanings in the New Testament, 1991, pp. 325-326).

This exhortation to youth to “listen” is accompanied by an apostolic command that parents “not arouse resentment” or “not provoke your children to anger” (NRSV). This phrase comes from a single Greek word, parorgizo. “A good free translation of this clause is: ‘You fathers, again, must not goad your children to resentment [Nebuchadnezzar]” (Earle, p. 326).

A goad was a spiked prod that a farmer would stick in tender, soft spots of a stubborn cow. Words matter. Parents need to think before they unload on their teenager. And for adolescent girls, kind treatment and a word of encouragement or gentle correction will get far more positive results than a constant, goading stream of criticism and sarcasm.

Besides not arousing resentment, Paul instructed fathers and mothers to “discipline and admonish” their adolescents. The Greek word for “discipline,” paideia, means what we normally think of as correction, but it also embraces meanings of “the rearing of a child, training, learning, instruction.” The word for “admonish,” nouthesia, literally means “putting in mind.”

Most Christian parents do try to love, discipline and admonish their adolescent children, though they may do it imperfectly. But what are you, a young person, doing to help your parents? Are you listening to your parents? Or are you making their lives miserable by rejecting their advice and following the whims of your friends?

A true twist to an old saying is: “You can lead a filly to water, but you can’t make her drink.” Your parents can’t choose for you. The prophet Ezekiel spoke to people living in times that remarkably resemble ours: “When a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it, and break its staff of bread [food supply] and send famine upon it, and cut off from it human beings and animals, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job, these three, were in it, they would only save their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 14:12-14 NRSV).

No one can live your life for you. In the end, YOU must make a decision about what you will believe in. Two sets of competing value systems seek to convert you to their way of thinking. Your peer group in middle or high school strongly reflects the values sold it by the mass media as discussed in this story. But the results are pain, anguish and death.

The set of opposing values is broadcast by God’s Holy Spirit. “The harvest yielded by the Spirit is to be found in the following: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-restraint” (Gal. 5:22 Cassirer). You cannot have these qualities in your life if you place what your school peer group and MTV value ahead of what your heavenly Father values. Who will you choose to obey?

The choice is stark. It is a question of life or death (cf. Deut. 30:19). Will you dare to be different, following God’s way of light and life? Or will you become a self-mutilator who tries to transfer the pain in her innermost being to piercing, cigarette burns, bingeing and purging (bulimia), slow starvation (anorexia) or escapism (chemicals).

In God’s value system, marital sex builds intimacy, joy and happiness between two people committed for life to publicly and privately cherish each other. In such a loving commitment AIDS, genital warts or syphilis are not a worry for those living God’s way.

However, to live by God’s values will require of you much courage because others will try to pull you down to their level. It’s never easy to swim against the current. Jesus Christ forewarns and encourages young people who want to do what is right, saying, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23 NRSV).

You need the faith that God loves you and will reward you now for standing up against peer pressure (see Mark 10:29-30 and Eccl. 11:19-12:1). Your peer group will let you down. They’ll desert you when things get tough. But Jesus Christ and God the Father never will. If you’ve already made mistakes, God is a forgiving parent to those children who want to change their lives. He can give you the strength to make the right choices.

A reason so many girls are miserable, unhappy and in therapy is that they are living by values which will only bring them pain. Have courage—dare to be different! Live by values that will bring you joy, happiness, love and life!

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by John H. Ogwyn

For the last two decades gambling has been America's fastest growing industry. Currently it's a multi-billion dollar operation that has increased in revenue by 2,000 percent over the last 20 years. State lotteries are touted as a solution to underfunded public school systems. New casinos are billed as a source of thousands of jobs. Gambling is definitely on the move. But is it a good move?

In recent years legalized gambling has expanded beyond Las Vegas and Reno. Many think it has achieved Main Street respectability. "Fifty-one percent of American adults now find casino gambling ‘acceptable for anyone'” (U.S. News & World Report, March 14, 1994, p. 46). Long associated in the public mind with organized crime, gambling is now being rehabilitated as the key to economic development through tourism in locations as diverse as Davenport, Iowa, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Gambling comes in many guises. Whether in riverboats or land-based casinos, games of chance ranging from card games, roulette wheels and slot machines to even such innovations as high-tech video poker machines flash, blink and ring while separating John Q. Public from his hard-earned cash. There are state-run lotteries, horse races, dog races and wagers on sports and games. Even some churches get in on the act with bingo nights and lotteries. Ostensibly, non-profit organizations seek to raise money for worthy causes. But no such high-brow motives obscure the backroom poker players.

What's behind the current surge to legalize all this gambling after many decades of attempting to suppress it? Evidently, there has been a clear shift in public attitudes toward gambling in recent years. Why? Is gambling merely a harmless recreation? What are the moral principles to consider before YOU decide to take up a "gaming" hobby?

Did Pharaoh Lose His Pyramid in Vegas?

When did gambling originate? The Greeks actually had a myth to account for the origin of gambling. According to the story, Zeus seduced Tyche, the goddess of fortune and she bore him a daughter. This daughter was one "whose only pleasures lay in inventing games of chance, gloating over the quarrels they caused, and encouraging depressed losers to suicide. Tyche endowed her with houses that had everlasting lamps at their doors to attract passers-by" (Alan Wykes, Gambling, p. 35).

Clearly, gambling goes back a long, long time. In the Great Pyramid of Cheops near Gizeh, Egypt, was a tablet which related the Egyptian story of the origin of the 365-day calendar. According to the myth, there were originally 360 days but, as a result of an ancient dice game held with the moon, five new days were won. While this story tells us nothing about the real origin of the calendar, it does tell us that gambling with dice goes back at least 5,000 years!

Other ancient evidences of gambling range from sixteenth century B.C. ivory dice found by archaeologists at Thebes in Egypt to ancient records in India and China detailing different games of chance. Gambling played a big role in many ancient cultures' myths. There are even records of ancient legislation aimed at punishing cheaters and charlatans.

Ancient Roman law sought to suppress gambling; it was only legal during the December festival of Saturnalia. Loaded dice have been recovered from beneath the volcanic ash in the ruins of Pompeii.

Gambling was popular in Europe through the medieval period and was widely engaged in by virtually all classes, from kings to peasants. Modern designs on playing cards date to this period.

In American history, gambling played a big part in making the "Wild West" wild. Many Western gunfights actually had their origin at the saloon gaming tables. Wherever there was money, professional gamblers soon arrived. The mining camps and boomtowns of the West were places where fortunes were laboriously extracted from the earth and easily lost in whisky and a "friendly" game of cards.

The riverboats that plied the Mississippi River were also havens for gamblers. Between 1835 and 1860, when Southern planters started home with large bankrolls following the sale of their cotton crops, cardsharps snagged the unwary. Before and after the American Civil War, young Easterners, heading West to begin a new life, often carried large amounts of cash after selling the old farm. These hayfeet, generally inexperienced and gullible, made tempting targets for professional gamblers.

By the early part of the twentieth century, gambling was outlawed throughout the United States. In 1910 Nevada became the last state in the Union to make it illegal. However, just over two decades later in 1931, Nevada became the first state to reintroduce legalized gambling as a means to supplement the dwindling tax revenues generated by mining, an industry hit hard by the Depression.

At the height of their influence, Victorian-era moralists had succeeded in suppressing gambling as a social vice, but they hadn't changed the hearts of their fellow citizens. Throughout the "Roaring Twenties" gambling had been identified with the glamorous decadence promoted by the world of gangsters and "speakeasies." Gambling was done behind closed doors and in secret. It was considered "not nice" by the majority of the population who were working hard to provide for their families.

The Role of Gambling in Modern Society

In nineteenth century America, Louisiana closed the last state-sponsored lottery in 1892. Like many states, elected representatives had a duty to "suppress gambling" within the state. Seventy-two years passed before a state-sponsored lottery was relaunched by New Hampshire in 1964. By 1994, thirty years later, 37 states had lotteries. Combined state and municipal lottery sales amounted to U.S. $24 billion in 1992. Overall gambling wagers that year in the U.S.A. were U.S. $330 billion!

Gambling overtook baseball as the U.S. national pastime in 1993. For the first time, Americans made more trips to casinos (92 million according to a study cited by U.S. News & World Report) than to major league baseball parks. Clearly, gambling has gained public acceptance and even respectability to a degree unimaginable only a few years ago.

According to a report in the October 1993 issue of American Demographics, by the year 2003, casinos will be within a two-hour drive of all major U.S. cities. There have been predictions that 500,000 new jobs will be created this decade by the gambling industry. What about it? Is legalized gambling just another form of harmless entertainment? Is it, as touted by its proponents, a painless means of generating funds for worthy causes and a contributor to economic growth in the community?

There is a downside to gambling that is often overlooked. Let's notice some of the economic truths involved. "States that get hooked on gambling revenues soon suffer withdrawal symptoms when local competition kicks in. Although pioneering casinos and lotteries typically are profitable, gambling grosses decline when lotteries or casinos open in neighboring states. In Biloxi, Mississippi, for example, slot revenues at first topped about $207 per machine per day. A year later when competitors moved in, however, the daily win-per-machine figure dipped to $ 109" ( USN&WR, Mar. 14, 1994, p. 46).

Gambling revenues are generally overestimated prior to startup and never seem to be enough to solve any large-scale social problems. Also, as gambling revenues go up, other revenues generally go down accordingly. The May 1994 issue of Canadian Business contained an article examining the economic impact of gambling. The conclusion drawn was that while casinos would produce short-term economic gains, these wouldn't last because, in the long term, other businesses in the area would die, leading to an employment and revenue drop which the gambling industry couldn't offset.

There is only so much discretionary income available in an economy. A 1994 study by a University of Massachusetts urban-planning professor, Robert Goodman, concluded that casinos sucked money away from existing businesses as diverse as car dealerships, sports arenas, movie theaters and clothing stores.

Professor Goodman cited Atlantic City, New Jersey, as an illustration of what can sometimes happen. Between 1978, when the casinos first opened, and 1994, about 100 out of the city's 250 restaurants closed their doors. Money spent gambling is money not spent elsewhere.

As states become more hooked on lottery money as a means of operating essential services, they are faced with a dilemma when those revenues begin declining as a result of competition from newly legalized lotteries in neighboring states. In order to maintain revenues, they must introduce new gimmicks to attract and hold participants. They are faced with promoting and encouraging lottery spending by the segment of society least able to afford it. Studies have consistently shown that lotteries, with their promise of overnight riches, mostly appeal to members of society's lower working class as well as to those on welfare.

There are yet other hidden costs to factor in when considering legalized gambling. A survey by the Gallup Poll estimates that five percent of the population has a serious gambling problem. As casinos multiply, the total number of problem gamblers can't help but increase. In 1995 it is estimated that gamblers will lose a record $35 billion. This is clearly money siphoned off from other areas of the economy. Besides that, the gambling industry generates a number of hidden costs to society from beefed up police needs to the costs of programs treating gambling addicts. There is also the potentially corrupting influence gambling can exert on government.

In a recent legislative session, citizens of Louisiana were treated to the sorry spectacle of $1,000 "campaign contributions" from the gambling industry being passed out to state senators on the floor of the legislature. Members of the state House of Representatives were more discreet: they lined up at the door of the Speaker's office to file through and collect their "contribution." This could be considered hypocritical since all of those politicians took an oath to uphold Louisiana's constitution which still requires the legislature to "suppress gambling." However, these leaders neatly got around this difficulty by redefining lotteries, betting on the horses, and casino games ranging from roulette to poker as "gaming." Such artful dodges can't help but increase the cynicism of the citizenry about its government.

Betting on Morals?

Regardless of the economics of gambling, what about the morality question? In the past, the immorality of gambling has been taken for granted by a large segment of society. What makes something moral or immoral? What does the growth of the gambling industry really say about our society?

There are different reasons why people gamble. The first and most obvious appeal is the acquisition of a lot of money with little effort. Secondly, and this is particularly strong with problem gamblers, is the thrill and excitement derived from the game itself. To such gambling addicts, euphoria results when the prolonged tension of awaiting the outcome of the game is released, creating a "high" that addicts describe as similar to the rush produced by heroin.

This adrenaline-induced state of excitement is more important to many gamblers than the money itself. For others, gambling is simply a way of passing time. It is a form of entertainment that they see as just another way of having fun. They claim that they invest no more time and money in gambling than they would in some other form of entertainment if gambling weren't available.

The Bible, which is the Creator's revelation to humanity, gives a number of principles that relate directly to the morality of gambling. The last of the Ten Commandments prohibits covetousness. One facet of covetousness is trying to acquire what belongs to another without paying a fair price. If the tenth commandment were to be obeyed by all, it is hard to believe that gambling could remain a viable industry. One of its major appeals would be gone.

The mind-numbing pursuit of thrill and pleasure is yet another issue. The Bible nowhere condemns pleasure and recreation, but it does warn against a skewed set of priorities.

In several of his writings the Apostle Paul stresses the importance of working, being productive, taking care of family and giving to those in need (cf. Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Thess. 3:8-11). God put man on earth for the purpose of developing godly character.

Paul admonished Titus, "For at one time we ourselves in our folly and obstinacy were all astray. We were slaves to passions and pleasures of every kind. Our days were passed in malice and envy.... Those who have come to believe in God should see that they engage in honourable occupations, which are not only honourable in themselves, but also useful to their fellow-men" (Titus 3:3, 8 NEB).

Jesus Christ told His followers to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (cf. Matt. 6:33). Whenever any form of pleasure or entertainment becomes such a drain on our time and resources that it interferes with this commitment, then our priorities have become distorted.

The legalized gambling industry will not prove to be the economic savior touted by its proponents. Rather, it will prove to be a black hole that drains both financial and human capital from far more worthwhile and productive uses. Politicians who lack the courage to cancel or curtail programs for which the nation is either unable or unwilling to pay for have turned to gambling as the proverbial goose with the golden egg. They are tossing the dice while wagering the economic and social well-being of our communities. Eventually we will learn by bitter fruits that gambling is nothing close to the glittering fun it is portrayed to be. The moral issue is clear. Gambling is a goose that lays rotten eggs.

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by Staff

First reread 2 Corinthians 3:7: “Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendour that the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face because of its brightness…” (RSV).

Now refer to three verses stating that Moses’ face shone: “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. And when Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him…. The people of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone; and Moses would put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him” (Ex. 34:29-30, 35 RSV).

What strikes me most forcefully in reading 2 Corinthians 3:7 is the very close connection between the dispensation of death and the glory of Moses’ face: the delivery of the former is here coincident with the latter. The erection of the wall carved with the civil code commanded in Deuteronomy 27:2-3 took place after Moses’ death. I cannot see the slightest hint suggesting that this wall was in any immediate way associated with the splendour derived from Moses’ close contact with God.

But, first, let’s address the supposed “very close connection between the dispensation of death and the glory of Moses’ face.” There is simply NO connection. There IS a parallel—as we shall shortly see. But there was certainly no connection between the tablets of the Ten Commandments and the glory of Moses’ face. How do we know this? Because, when he came down with the Ten Commandments the first time and smashed them due to the golden calf, his face was not shining. When his face did shine on this second occasion of bringing the Ten Commandments, it was because he had actually seen God’s own glory in Exodus 33. That is the only reason. The Ten Commandments had nothing to do with it. And—you’re right—neither did the civil law later engraved on massive stones. Exodus 34:34-35 seems to indicate that Moses’ face shone WHENEVER he met with God face to face.

So why did Paul bring up Moses’ face shining? He was, as just mentioned, drawing a parallel. The conjunction “so” in 2 Corinthians 3:7 is translated from the Greek hoste which, in some contexts, can mean “as”—as it certainly must in this case. Paul was using simile (showing similarity using “like” or “as”). For instance, if someone says, “Bill stared at that glass of water like a lion stalking his prey,” that does n Old Testament mean there is a connection between Bill and a lion. There is simply a parallel. So what was Paul saying? He was pointing out that, just as the glory of Moses’ face had a brilliant glory even though it was only temporary, so the civil “administration of death” at that time had a brilliant glory even though it was only temporary. But, as he goes on to show, that pales beside the much greater, permanent glory of the spiritual “administration of righteousness” (or commandment-keeping: “All your commandments are righteousness”—Psalm 119:172).

Notice also that the Greek word for “stone” in “tablets of stone” in 2 Corinthians 3:3—definitely referring to the Ten Commandments—is lithinais, meaning “formed of stone.” The stones on which the administration of death was engraved upon are lithais, the Greek having the sense of “whole stones.” The tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written were cut out of stone (Ex. 33:1)—they were not whole stones. Also notice that, where the RSV has “carved in letters on stone” (2 Cor. 3:7), the NKJ has “written and engraved on stones.” The original Greek here is “engrammasin [in written form] entetupomenee [engraved] en lithais [in stones].” This could either be “engraved in written form”—which is somewhat redundant—or, more likely, “in written form” AND “engraved in stones.” The civil law was written down by Moses in the Book of the Law AND later engraved on stones. It seems clear that the civil law is being referred to here.

Please read over 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 again. Understand that Paul wrote in a very complicated style, as Peter even mentions in 2 Peter 3:15-16. All of this being understood, here is an expanded paraphrase of what Paul was most likely saying in 2 Corinthians 3: “But if the administration of death—written in the Book of the Law and eventually engraved on massive stone walls—was glorious, even though it would one day pass away (just as the Israelites couldn’t look at Moses’ face after he beheld God because of the glory of his countenance, even though it was also a mere passing glory), wouldn’t the administration of the Spirit, which remains forever, be much more glorious?”

In Romans 7:10, Paul shows that God’s commandments were given to bring LIFE. They only seem to bring death because, as he explains in verse 11, SIN deceives people into believing that, and then SIN kills them. The Ten Commandments should never be thought of as the administration of death. That’s what Satan wants us to think.

Correction: In the April “Questions and Short Answers,” we incorrectly stated that Christ was crucified on Passover afternoon. He was actually crucified on Passover morning and DIED on the cross that afternoon. Just before sunset, He was taken down and entombed.

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by Raymond F. McNair

As the Allies celebrate their fiftieth anniversary of victory over the Axis powers of World War II, many individuals have forgotten just how close the Allies came to losing that war. Indeed, to the very end of the Second World War, many thought Hitler might possibly come up with a super weapon which would enable him to turn the tables on the Allies and snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat!

This article reviews one of the most remarkable, profound scientific developments that has forever changed the history of humanity. Unfortunately, many younger Americans, Britons, as well as many of our Commonwealth cousins, not to mention Germans and Japanese, have somehow never understood the great peril that freedom-loving peoples of all ethnic origins faced during the dark days of World War II. The course of history was changed by the courage, diligence and perseverance of just a few men and women!

F. W. Winterbotham in his book, The Ultra Secret, shows how close the Allies came to losing the Second World War. "Even when, after [Allied victory at] Alamein, the pendulum at last began to swing our way a little.... It was, in fact, a very narrow shave.... To all those who have been brought up in the belief that the Allied victory over the Fascist powers was accomplished with some ease... [consider the] sobering thought that it almost didn't happen!"

The Race Was ON!

Countless millions died under the Axis powers' onslaught in Europe, Asia and Africa. At that time, many believed the Allied prospects of winning the war were slim indeed. At the beginning of World War II it seemed that the Axis could only win battles and that the Allies could only lose them.

Yet, in spite of their many triumphs, a knockout punch eluded the Axis powers. They desperately wanted to get their hands on just one super weapon which could devastate and demoralize the Allies. Both the Germans and the Japanese were attempting to develop the atomic bomb!

Historian Stephen Harper says, "As the Second World War began [in 1939] with forlorn Polish cavalry charges at the invading armoured Panzer columns of Hitler's awesome new blitzkrieg, the major nations put their scientists to work in a race to develop a weapon of such destructive power that an enemy would be terrorized into immediate submission" (Miracle of Deliverance, p. 10).

Many people are unaware that the Japanese were also attempting to build atomic bombs. "The Japanese announced their atomic research openly in the Tokyo parliament...that same year [1944], also seeing it as a possible saviour from defeat. Japan's own scientists, whose brilliance had given their country some important technological advantages in the early stages of the war, had also been trying to adapt known theories of atomic energy for military purposes. This was referred to publicly in the Upper House of the Japanese Diet on February 7, 1944, when Dr. Aikitsu Tanakadade urged the Prime Minister to speed up the exploitation of uranium for military purposes. That was a full 18 months before the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima" (Harper, pp. 10, 100).

When the Allies became aware of their enemies' goals, they were forced, reluctantly, into entering the macabre atom bomb race to beat the Axis Powers to the draw—by developing the Bomb first. Everyone believed that possession of atomic bombs would give the possessor a decisive military advantage over his enemies. President Truman said, "When President Roosevelt authorized the vast undertaking to develop an atomic bomb, he had but one purpose—to hasten the winning of a war that had been forced on us! We were in a frenzied race with Nazi Germany to be the first to produce an atomic weapon! At that time the Germans were believed to be ahead of us. We knew that if Hitler were the first to succeed, we and our allies would find ourselves in a hopeless position. Realizing the gravity of the situation, President Roosevelt wasted no time and spared no effort and resources to make certain that we prevailed against the ruthless men in the Pacific as well as in Europe."

German Anti-Semitism Helps Allies

Few realize that if Hitler hadn't made the mistake of implementing his insane racial policies—which led to the Nazis harassing and expelling many Jewish intellectuals—it is probable that he would have succeeded in producing atomic bombs ahead of the Allies. Hitler would have won the war!

The Nazis drove out of Europe the brilliant Jewish physicists Albert Einstein, Hans Bethe, Rudolf Peierls, Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, Eugen Wigner and Edward Teller. A lesser-known German-Jewish refugee scientist, Dr. Lise Meitner, working prior to the rise of Nazi power in Copenhagen with her nephew, Dr. Otto R. Frisch, concluded that if uranium was bombarded with neutrons, it would not produce a new element but would in fact split the uranium nucleus in two. They first used the term "fission" to describe this process.

Another refugee who sought protection with the Allies was Niels Bohr, Denmark's most imminent physicist. He fled from Denmark to also avoid persecution at the hands of the Nazis. While working at Princeton, Bohr concluded that the nucleus, not of ordinary uranium but of its rare isotope U-235, was the easiest to split. "By the time that isotope was isolated in 1939, a critical mass of the world's greatest physicists, including Bohr, Fermi, the distinguished German refugee Hans Bethe, Szilard and Szilard's colleague from Hungary, Edward Teller, had come together in and around New York" (Life, World War 11, 1990 ed., p. 411 ).

What would America have done without those brilliant Jewish physicists working on our side, helping America develop the first atomic bomb ahead of our enemies? Modern day Anglo-American skinheads and other anti-Semites should think about this! Hitler's hate did the Allies a big favor.

Einstein's Letter to Roosevelt

Who prodded President Roosevelt and the U.S. to enter the race to be the first to build an atomic bomb? It was "SZILARD, Leo...Hungarian-born American physicist who helped conduct the first sustained nuclear chain reaction and was instrumental in initiating the Manhattan Project for the development of the atomic bomb.... When the Nazis came into power in 1933, he went to Vienna and, in 1934, to London.... In 1937 Szilard went to the U.S. and taught at Columbia University. In 1939 Szilard, Edward Teller, and Eugene Wigner persuaded Albert Einstein to write the famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt advocating the immediate development of an atomic bomb" (Encyc. Brit., 1991 ed., vol. 11).

"In January 1939 American newspapers reported that German scientists had succeeded in splitting the atom. To the initiated it was obvious that Hitler might one day have a weapon of terrible proportions. Leo Szilard, a brilliant Hungarian [Jew] who had fled to America, went with a fellow Hungarian physicist to see Albert Einstein in his summer home on Long Island. Representing a group of scientists, the two hoped to persuade Einstein to warn President Franklin D. Roosevelt of atomic progress in Germany. Einstein...agreed to sign a letter to Roosevelt. The two Hungarians then enlisted the New York economist, Alexander Sachs, who was an unofficial adviser to the President, to deliver the letter in person.

"Sachs took the letter [which had been written August 2, 1939] to the White House in October 1939. Roosevelt was obviously impressed, but seemed reluctant to add a major undertaking to the score of new defense projects just started" (Reader's Digest Illustrated Story Of World War II, 1969 ed., p. 504).

In order to persuade President Roosevelt to enter the race to build an atomic bomb, Sachs told President Roosevelt that the young American inventor, Robert Fulton, had once proposed that France construct a fleet of steamboats which could negotiate the English Channel with the greatest of ease in almost any weather. Fulton realized Napoleon longed to conquer Britain, but was frustrated by the erratic English Channel tides. Sachs then explained that "Napoleon rudely brushed aside the [steamboat] idea as being visionary. How, asked Sachs, might the history of Europe have been changed if Napoleon had heeded Robert Fulton? And in the world of 1939," Sachs asked Roosevelt, "who would first sponsor the atomic scientists as they sought to pioneer a weapon of untold force?

"Roosevelt summoned Brig. Gen. Edwin M. (`Pa') Watson, who served as a secretary, and handed him the relevant data. `Pa,' he said, `THIS REQUIRES ACTION!' The U.S. Government had begun to take an interest in the atomic bomb" (p. 504)!

Though Roosevelt at first received Einstein's letter coolly (In 1940 the U.S. saw no need for a super weapon!), "The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 changed all that. Soon the scientists from Britain joined their American colleagues in what they feared was a race to beat Germany to produce the new weapon" (The World at Arms, 1989 ed., p. 441).

By the end of the Second World War, $2 billion (out of a total of $3 billion for wartime research and development) had been allocated to this top-secret project. This was America's concerted effort to develop an atomic bomb—later, called the "Manhattan Project."

"Although less than 100 pounds of fissionable material was produced for the three bombs ready by the summer of 1945, at its peak the project and its allied payrolls reached 539,000 persons.... No German or Japanese agent ever acquired significant atomic intelligence. Few Americans had any inkling of the revolutionary weapon being developed in their midst.... In the Manhattan Project the frantic effort to create an A-bomb never once flagged" (Story of World War II, p. 505).

Sabotaging Germany

At the beginning of the race between the Allies and the Axis to build an atomic bomb, the Germans were undoubtedly well ahead. How, then, did the Germans later fall behind the Anglo-Americans in the race to build an A-bomb? Many believe that there was a "Divine Hand" in allowing advanced atomic technology to fall into the hands of the Anglo-Americans—instead of falling into the hands of brutal, heartless foes.

Early in WW II, British Intelligence learned of the Nazis' super secret atom bomb project. When the Germans occupied Norway in the spring of 1940, they quickly established their atomic bomb project at the massively constructed, steel and concrete, seven-story Norsk Hydro plant at Vermork, Norway. In 1942 the Intelligence Section of the British Ministry of Economic Warfare received some electrifying information: the largest electro-chemical plant of its kind in the world, Norsk Hydro, was ordered to increase production of deuterium oxide (heavy water) from 3,000 to 10,000 pounds a year!

To the Allies, this bad news meant only one thing: the Germans were definitely working on the development of an atomic bomb! Allied physicists already realized that heavy water was an ideal moderator to use in the preparation of the radioactive material, uranium 235.

Working closely with the Norwegian resistance, the Allies blew up the vital Norsk Hydro plant, late in 1943. To the horror of the careless Germans, 1,000 pounds of priceless deuterium oxide gushed from tanks onto the floor and on out into the factory's sewers.

Afterward, Commanding German General von Falkenhorst ordered an entire division of the Wermacht, a force of about 12,000 soldiers, to carefully guard the vital Norsk Hydro plant. The Germans quickly repaired the plant but, shortly afterward, Allied bombers attacked Norsk Hydro and knocked out the factory's power station.

Exasperated, the Nazis decided it was high time to move all of Norsk Hydro's heavy-water equipment and deuterium oxide stocks to an underground site in the Reich—out of reach of Allied bombers. Yet, in February 1944 the Allies learned of the Germans' plan. Norwegian and British commandos targeted the heavily laden ferry Hydro which was carrying across Lake Tunnsjo the heavy-water equipment, along with the remaining stocks of deuterium oxide. When the ferryboat, Hydro, was in the deepest part of Lake Tunnsjo, the Allies blew it up! "The Hydro had sunk, and with it went Hitler's dream of possessing the first atom bomb" (Frederic Sondern, Eleven against the Nazi A-Bomb.

When Germany's strategic deuterium oxide was sent to the bottom of Lake Tunnsjo, Hitler and Air Reich Marshall Herman Goring focused their attention on their other super weapons, the V 1 and V 2 missiles. While these Nazi weapons proved successful, their armament could only be conventional explosives—mercifully! God Almighty had saved the Allies from an awful fate at the hands of the Nazis.

If it had not been for the bravery and skill of both the British bomber crews and the patriotic Norwegian commandos in successfully carrying out one of the greatest sabotage triumphs of World War II—the Allies could have lost the war!

"Babies Satisfactorily Born"!

America had spent over three years in a single-minded effort to be the first nation to develop the A-bomb. By the end of the war in Europe, U.S. officials, including Truman, knew that America was about ready to detonate her first atomic bomb.

Shortly after V E Day (May 8, 1945), the "Big Three" Allied leaders (Truman, Churchill and Stalin) agreed to have a summit meeting at Potsdam, Germany just outside Berlin. Prime Minister Winston Churchill repeatedly pleaded with Mr. Truman to hold the Conference in June or early July. However, President Truman wisely insisted that it begin in mid-July. Consequently, the Potsdam Conference was scheduled for July 16 through August 2. Why had Truman delayed the date of the Potsdam Conference? He wanted to have in his hand the all-important test results of America's first atomic bomb—which was scheduled to be detonated on July 16!

On the day the Potsdam Conference began, America successfully tested the world's first atomic bomb! "The Americans, with a bit of help from their friends, had won the fearful race to be the first in achieving an awesome power of mass destruction" (Stephen Harper, Miracle of Deliverance, p. 97)!

America's Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, immediately sent President Truman a cryptic, coded message, "BABIES SATISFACTORILY BORN"—meaning that America's first atomic test bomb had been successfully detonated.

While attending the Potsdam Conference, the United States, China and Great Britain gave Imperial Japan an ultimatum in which they told the Japanese they must either surrender or be destroyed! In that ultimatum, they said, "The full application of our military power, backed by our resolve, will mean the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese forces, and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland.... We call upon the Government of Japan to proclaim now the UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER of all the Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is complete and utter destruction!"

A Miracle of Deliverance!

Unfortunately for Japan, her proud, militaristic war leaders didn't want to lose face, and therefore refused to accept the ultimatum. The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Suzuki, announced on July 28 that Japan's cabinet would mokusatsu the ultimatum—which could mean either to "ignore" or "withhold comment on." President Truman chose to interpret it to mean that Imperial Japan rejected the Anglo-American-Chinese ultimatum.

On August 6, America dropped the Bomb on the city of Hiroshima. More than 92,000 were either killed or missing as a result of the blast, and approximately that same number later died from the terrible aftereffects of the attack. On that same day, President Truman gave a report to the American people in regard to America's development and use of the A-Bomb.

Truman said, "By 1942, however, we knew that the Germans were working feverishly to find a way to add atomic energy to the other engines of war with which they hoped to enslave the world. But they failed.... With American and British scientists working together we entered the RACE of discovery against the Germans.... We have spent $2,000,000,000 on the greatest scientific gamble in history and WON!"

The Japanese still refused to bow. Three days later on August 9, 1945, America bombed Nagasaki, killing over 40,000, with approximately the same number injured, and many tens of thousands dying later from the aftereffects of the Bomb. America's sharp one-two punches at Hiroshima and Nagasaki convinced the militaristic Japanese leaders (who didn't know the U.S. only had those two Bombs) that they had better sue for peace or else. Two days later, August 11, the Japanese agreed to surrender unconditionally.

Churchill defended the use of the Bomb against Japan. He said, "There are voices which assert that THE BOMB should never have been used at all. I cannot associate myself with such ideas. Six years of total war have convinced most people that, had the Germans or Japanese discovered this new weapon, they would have used it upon us to our complete destruction with the utmost alacrity.

"I am surprised that very worthy people, but people who in most cases had no intention of proceeding to the Japanese front themselves, should adopt the position that rather than throw this bomb, we should have sacrificed a million American and a quarter of a million British lives in the desperate battles and massacres of an invasion of Japan" (House of Commons, Feb. 21, 1947)!

In later years, Churchill noted how the use of the A-Bomb allowed Japan's fanatic leaders an honorable reason to give up. "I thought immediately myself of how the Japanese people, whose courage I had always admired, might find in the apparition of this almost supernatural weapon an excuse which would save their honour and release them from their obligation of being killed to the last fighting man" (Churchill, The Second World War, vol. 6, pp. 552-553).

Prime Minister Churchill also said, "We [Anglo-Americans] seemed suddenly to have become possessed of a merciful abridgment of the slaughter in the East and of a far happier prospect in Europe. I have no doubt that these thoughts were present in the minds of my American friends. At any rate, there never was a moment's discussion as to whether the atomic bomb should be used or not! To avert a vast, indefinite butchery, to bring the war to an end, to give peace to the world, to lay healing hands upon its tortured peoples by a manifestation of overwhelming power at the cost of a few [A-bomb] explosions, seemed, after all our toils and perils, A MIRACLE OF DELIVERANCE" ( p. 553)!

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by Roderick C. Meredith

On June 28, "with a profusion of patriotic rhetoric, the [U.S.] House [of Representatives]...approved a constitutional amendment giving Congress and the states authority to ban desecration of the U.S. flag.

"Calling Old Glory `the most profound and revered symbol of our national unity,' Rep. Charles T. Canady (R-Fla.), the measure's floor manager, said the flag is `a national asset which deserves protection from physical desecration'” (Los Angeles Times, "House Approves Amendment to Ban Flag Desecration," June 29, 1995).

While most peoples are attached to their national symbols, Americans' "obsession" with their flag strikes many throughout the world as unusual or, perhaps, even excessive. However for many Americans, the flag of the United States symbolizes the values and ideals upon which the country was built. There is an entire "flag etiquette" with rules on how to display and handle "Old Glory." There is a "Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag" by which Americans verbally promise to uphold "the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Thus, the flag represents the U.S. Constitution (the country's secular governmental covenant), and, as Rep. Canady put it, "our national unity."

The U.S. flag for many Americans commemorates those who have fought in the cause of freedom or given their lives in defense of American liberties. During the unpopular Vietnam War (America's first lost war), protesters who burned the flag maintained that they did so only to manifest their deeply held revulsion at the cynical politicians who had led the country into a "conflict contrary to American principles of human rights and fairness." This means of protest, however, sometimes provoked violent reactions from others who supported the war. Many Americans viewed such a disillusioned, bitter protest as an attack on the country itself. During the current political debate, even an opponent of the flag-desecration amendment stated, "It makes me sick to see anyone burn the flag" (L.A. Times).

Flags, banners or standards have long served as powerful symbolism for all people. The nation of ancient Israel also had a special "flag" or banner—with rules on how to use it and not use it. On their trek to Mount Sinai, after God gave them victory over a marauding enemy army, "Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner" (Ex. 17:15). The Hebrew here, YHWH-nissi, connotes "the Eternal, Our Banner." The name of God became for His people an awesome symbol of miraculous deliverance and protection.

In all its forms, God's name represents His nature, character, qualities, attributes, works, great office, and His divine relationship with His covenant people. What's in a name? In the Hebrew Bible, shem ("name") is more than a mere label or appellation—it also means "reputation, fame, glory" or even a "memorial" or "monument" (Logos Software's Enhanced Strong's Lexicon, 1992). In the case of God's name, it serves as a "Banner"—the spiritual "Flag" of God's people. Is there, then, a "flag etiquette" with regard to the important name of God? You'd better believe it!

In the last two issues of The World Ahead, we examined the first and second commandments that God spoke out of the storm clouds settled upon Mount Sinai. We learned that God must come FIRST in our lives and that we must not use pictures, sculptures or any other physical "helps" to worship God or "remind" us of Him. God requires us to worship Him directly, "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

The third commandment, which God spoke to the Israelites, concerns our treatment of the name of God and all that it represents: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7).

The word "vain" here is translated from the Hebrew shav, meaning "emptiness, nothingness, vanity...worthlessness" (Enhanced Strong's). This commandment condemns using God's name for a worthless reason. Whoever does so will not be "guiltless," or "clean" before God. A person's attitude toward God's holy name is a real test of spiritual cleanliness. Whoever denigrates it, treats it lightly or misrepresents it is spiritually filthy! The name of God—the awesome spiritual "Banner" which represents Him—must always be treated with profound reverence. To treat it otherwise is to spiritually desecrate it.

"Hallowed Be Your Name"

The third commandment does not, as many erroneously claim, have anything to do with any special pronunciation of God's name. If phonetic sounds were so important to God, many would be condemned if they had any kind of speech impediments or unusual accents. The importance of God's name lies in what it represents—who God is and what He is like.

The first name by which God is identified in the Bible is in Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Hebrew word for God here is Elohim-a noun plural in form but used as a singular or plural depending on context. Just as the U.S. flag is "the most profound and revered symbol of [American] national unity," so Elohim represents the familial unity of God's children. There is only one God, but more than one member in the Godhead or God Family. Notice: "Then God [Elohim] said, `Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness'” (Gen. 1:26).

The New Testament, in John l:l-14, identifies the two Persons presently in the Godhead: the Word (or "Spokesman"), who became Jesus Christ, and the Father.

The name normally translated "LORD" in the Old Testament comes from the Hebrew letters for YHWH. This personal name of God essentially means the "Eternal," "Self Existent" or "Everliving One." God's name El Shaddai is translated "Almighty God" but it can also be given as "All-Sufficient God." El Elyon means "God Most High." Many of God's names dwell on aspects of His perfect character.

By studying God's names we will come to know Him more fully. This will help us develop a greater sense of trust and faith in our invisible God. As King David wrote, "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Ps. 9:10). We SEEK God through prayer and earnest, intensive study of His Word!

In Matthew 6:9-13, Christ gave us an outline of how to organize our thoughts when we talk to God. He said, "In this MANNER, therefore, pray..." (v. 9). He then began to outline some requests we should make of God: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (vv. 9-10). To be "hallowed" means to be made holy or treated as holy. When God's Kingdom is established on earth at Christ's Second Coming, His agenda WILL be done and His name WILL be made HOLY throughout the earth—as it is NOW in heaven, where the righteous angels continually sing joyous praises to God's name.

These things are, in fact, different aspects of the same thing. We hallow God's name when we submit to His Kingdom and Government by doing His will and obeying His commands. As God told Israel, "Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the LORD. You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD" (Lev. 22:31-33).

It is vital that we learn to "give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness" (Ps. 29:2). Holiness is essentially spiritual purity or cleanliness. Only when we approach God's name with deep awe and reverence will we be hallowed in His sight.

Cursing, Blaspheming and Profaning God's Name

Today, much of our Western entertainment media's communication is peppered with curses using the name of the Great God. Employing God's name to curse or emphasize has become everyday language on the street. People casually utter vile remarks involving the name of the very One who gives them life and breath! Many times they are just trying to sound tough or cool. As one of Shakespeare's characters said, "It comes to pass oft that a terrible oath, with a swaggering accent sharply twanged off, gives manhood more approbation than ever proof itself would have earned him" (Twelfth Night, ac. 3, sc. 4).

The Everliving One has never regarded such insults lightly. He directly commands, "You shall not revile God" (Ex. 22:28). The word "revile" is from the Hebrew qalal, meaning to slight, put down or even just lightly esteem (Enhanced Strong's). God considers such abuse of His name to be "blasphemy" (Heb. naqab, literally "to pierce"—to make p? remarks against God)! Look at how seriously God took this matter in ancient Israel.

Now the son of an Israelite woman...blasphemed [naqab] the name of the LORD and cursed [qalal]; and so they brought him to Moses.... Then they put him in custody, that the mind of the LORD might be shown to them. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Take outside the camp him who has cursed...and let all the congregation stone him. Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: `Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him... When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death' [Lev. 24:10-16].

Clearly, God doesn't look at this as a little, insignificant thing. It is a BIG DEAL to Him! In the New Testament, He commands us, "But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth" (Col. 3:8). Besides vile curses often shouted in anger, many people just carelessly toss God's name around in their normal speech. Are you guilty of lacking proper awe and respect for the name of the Eternal God?

Many think profanity consists merely of "dirty words" that parents spank their children for saying. In the Old Testament, however, the word for profane (Heb. chala) means to "defile, pollute, desecrate" and also simply to "treat as common" (Enhanced Strong's). To "profane" God's name, then, means to treat it as common—a great sin of which so many are guilty. God's command is to "let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth" (Eph. 4:29). This definitely applies to ANY kind of careless speech, slang expressions or euphemisms which profane the holy name of God.

A common way in which many people profane the name of God is in their conduct. Ancient Israel was to be a model for other nations to look to, but they failed miserably in their example: "Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; who swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth or in righteousness" (Is. 48:1). They were not keeping God's commandments which define righteousness (Ps. 119:172). And their failure brought a reproach on God's name. They should have taken more care to guard the reputation of the Great God they professed to serve.

Israel had, of course, been warned up front: "If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses" (Deut. 28:58-59). This should serve as a serious reminder of just how integrally OBEDIENCE to God is tied to having deep fear and respect for His name. If we don't obey Him, we are esteeming His name lightly.

Thankfully, God will YET bring a future remnant of modern-day Israelites out of a coming captivity and then hallow His name among them: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD...when I am hallowed in you before their eyes" (Ezek. 36:22-23).

In the New Testament, Christians are to serve as "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20). If we are in the service of the Great God, we must ensure that our character is above reproach so that we will not profane His name among the nations.

"So Help You God?"

Almost any weekday in the U.S. right now, you can flip on the TV and watch a high-profile criminal court case being tried. Common practice in America is for a witness to raise his right hand (sometimes placing the other one on a Bible) and answer "I do" to a question like this one: "To the best of your knowledge, do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

With the countless amount of court cases going on in the world at any one time, there is, no doubt, a staggering number of people who swear such an oath without blinking—and then go right on to tell complete lies in their testimony. However, God is very clear on this: "And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD" (Lev. 19:12). Those who ignore this command place themselves in grave danger. God has prophesied that, in the end time, he will send out a terrible curse which "shall enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it, with its timber and stones" (Zech. 5:4).

Remarkably, people would not even have to worry about such a curse if they simply followed the plain teaching of Jesus Christ in the New Testament:

Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord." But I say to you, DO NOT SWEAR AT ALL: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No." For whatever is more than these is from the evil one [Matt. 5:33-37].

The name of God is so holy that we are forbidden from using it in backing up our words or in taking an oath. In fact we are forbidden from "swearing"—PERIOD. That's because the very definition of "swear" is "to make a solemn declaration, invoking a deity or a sacred person or thing, in confirmation of and witness to the honesty or truth of such a declaration" (American Heritage Dict.).

We don't ever need to swear The simple affirmation or formally given word of a true Christian who reverences God’s name is far more reliable than thousands of oaths sworn in God's name by someone who doesn't really regard Him. After all, such an irreverent person may just lie brazenly!

Deceivers and Vain Worship

Not only have there been many false witnesses who have lied while under oath to God, there have also been many who have lied about God Himself—and have given false witness of Him and His teachings. Such liars say they represent God, when the truth is that they don't even KNOW God! Jesus prophesied that such false teachers would come: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, [that] I [Jesus] am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matt. 24:4-5 KJV). These deceivers presumptuously take the name of God—here Jesus Christ—IN VAIN.

Such vain deceivers have brought many teachings into so-called "Christianity" that are the very antithesis of what Jesus taught. For example, millions of nominal Christians call their human priests "Father." Yet there is no confusion about what Christ said: "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven" (Matt. 23:9). "Father" is God's name! Our only spiritual Father is God! This, incidentally, does not mean we can't call our physical human parent "father" (see the fifth commandment). Christ's command is about calling another human being "Father" as a religious title.

Another common occurrence of taking God's name in vain is in applying the title "Reverend" to any human. This distinction belongs to God alone: "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: HOLY and REVEREND is his name" (Ps. 111:9 KJV). Only God is REVEREND—worthy of reverence or worship! Not even angels are worthy of worship (Rev. 19:10: 22:8-91. And certainly no mortal human is worthy of this honor. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells" (Rom. 7:18). Calling any man "Reverend" or "Father," or accepting such religious titles as applying to oneself, is a violation of the third commandment.

The whole problem here is one of embracing tradition over God's specific directions. Jesus described such a situation: "`This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in VAIN they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men" (Mark 7:6-8).

To avoid taking God's name in vain in such a situation, we must reject human tradition and embrace God's commandments! Christ asks those who vainly use His name, "But why do you call Me `Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). If we call on God's name, but refuse to change our lives to conform to His Word, we are treating His name lightly. Elsewhere, Jesus plainly said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).

When we call on God's name, it must be for a good purpose: "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity [commandment-breaking]" (2 Tim. 2:19)! Until we learn to use God's name appropriately, and stop transgressing His law, we are desecrating the most Holy Banner or "Flag" in the universe! When we LIVE God's commandments, we render HONOR and REVERENCE to that great and awesome name.

King David wrote, "Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your NAME. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your NAME forevermore" (Ps. 86:11-12)!

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