The Plain Truth Magazine Issue: As Presented on The World Tomorrow with Herbert W Armstrong

7/28/2019 The Plain Truth Magazine Issue: As Presented on The World Tomorrow with Herbert W Armstrong

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[ p [ i l l m ~ r U r n r n T I r na m ag a z ine o f u n d e r s t a n d i n g

Vo l. 48 , No.6 Circ.5 ,397 ,000

ARTICLESGermany's Future: Europe's Fate

-- See ing the World Through Islamic EyesHow to Set the World Aright

- The History of Europe and the Church-Par t One:The Chu rch Struggles for Survival

How to Rear Happy Chi ldrenYou Can Conquer Your Fears!The New Poor: You Can Avo id Joining Them!Never More Urgently Needed-God's Plan to Help t he Poor

. - - As Millions Arm Themselves . . . What 's Your Sou rce ofProtec tion?

FEATURES- Persona l from Herbert W. Armstrong

" The World Tomorrow " Rad io and TV LogsLetters

June 1983

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ThePlain Truth-SUPPORTEDBYYOURCONTRIBUTIONSThe Plain Truth has no subscription or newsstandprice . This magazine is provided free of charge bytheWorldwide Church of God. It is made posaible bythe voluntary, freely given tithes and ollerings of themembership of the Church and o thers who haveelected to support thework of theChurch. Contributionsare gratefullywelcomed andare tax-deductibleintheU.S.,CanadaandN.Z.Thosewhow ish tovoluntaril yaid andsupportthis worldwide Work of Godaregladlywelcomedas co-workers inth is major ellorttopreach and publish the gospel to all nations . Contributiona shouldbe sent to our office nearest you(seeaddressesbelow).

Founder and Editor InChief :HERBERTw. ARMSTRONGEditor:HermanL.HoehExecutive Editor:DexterH.FaulknerSeniorEditor:RaymondF.McNairWorldNewsEditor:GeneH.HogbergSenior Wri ters:Ronald D. Kelly, Roderick C. Meredith. Donald D.SchroederJohnR. Schroeder.MichaelA.Snyde.Clay10nDSteep.KeithW.StumpAssociate Editors:ShelaGraham.NormanL.ShoafContributingWriters:DibarApartian,RobertBoraker, JohnHalford. SidneyM.Hegvold, KennethC.HerrmannRodMatthews,L.LeroyNeff. RichardPaige, PatrickA. Parnell Richard J. Rice.RichardH.SedliacikTechnicalCopyEditor:PeterMooreEditorial Assistants :CharleneBentley, Debbie Burbach. AnnHays. WernerJebens. Janice Roemer Wendy Styer. Dan C. Taylor,RonToth, Debbe Yavelak, AgnesYoungbood. Jeff E.Zhorne

ABOUT OUR COVERWest Germany's Chancellor Kohl demonstrates his ability to communicate plainlyto the voters in a relaxed and confident manner. Critics had predicted that Mr. Kohlwould be little more than a caretaker ruler. They underestimated what one sourcetermed his " single-minded ambition and perseverance-and his ability to grow inhis role."COVER PHOTO BY REGIS BOSSU- SYGMA

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Graphlca:Editor: Randall Cole; Staf f: Matthew Faulkner,L.GregSmithOealgn Consultant:GregS.SmithPhotoResearch:HalFinch,VeronicaTaylorPhotography:Photo Services Director: Warren Watson; Staff: G. A.Belluche Jr., Charles Buschmann, Donna Hayworth,AlfredHennigKimStonePublishing:Director of Publishing Services: RayWright; ProductionDirector: Roger G. Lippross; Production Manager : RonTaylor;InternationalCoordinalors:Va lBrown.BobMillerJeannette vanPelt; Circulation Manager : BoydLeeson;Circulation Assistant:CarolRiemen;NewsstandDislribulion:JohnLaBissonereBusinessManager:L.LeroyNeffInternationalEdit lona:British: John Ross Schroeder; Dulch: Bram de Bree:French :DibarApartian;German:JohnB.Karlson; Italian:CarnCatherwood;Spanish:DonWallsOfllces:Auckland. NewZealand:Peter Nathan;Bonn. WestGet-many: FrankSchnee Burleigh Heads, Australia: RobertMorton; Geneva, Switzerland: Bernard Andrist; Johan-nesburg, Soulh Atrica : Roy McCarthy; Manila, Philip-pines : GuyAmes; Mexico City. Mexico : Thomas Turk;San Juan, Puer to Rico: Stan Bass; Borehamwood,Engiimd: FrankBrown; Utrecht, TheNetherlands: BramdeBree;Vancouver,B.C., Canada:ColinAdair.


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Personal from ...

Abundant Living

WH Y DO some religious peoplefeel that their rel igious lifemust be one of giving up allthe fun and enjoyment ofliving- t h a t in order to please God, they

must endure a life of morbid gloom?For that matter why do some nonreligiouspeople feel that to become a Christian wouldmean a life of living painful penance?As a boy I was brought up in a respectable

Protestant church of traditional Christianity. Inever did know very much, as a boy, about whatthe church believed- b u t I did know that itregarded sin as viola ting the ir many don ' t s -don'tsmoke, don ' t dance , don 't play cards, don 't go tothe theater, don 't drink a drop of wine, don't doth is, don't do that!A world-famous philosopher, editor and lecturerwhom I knew said he had no desire to live a lifeof Christian repression. "I desire ," he said, "to beradiant, cheerful, friendly-to meet people with asmile." He was a highly educated man- b u t hewas a biblical i ll iterate!

Where do people get all these distorted ideasabout the religion of Jesus Christ? Certainly notout of the Bible.

They know nothing of the Jesus of the Bible,who said, "I am come that they m ight have LIFE,and that they might have it more abundantly ."

Somehow a lot of people have received a lot ofweird and false ideas about Jesus Chris t - I meanthe Jesus of YOUR BIBLE. Actually, I think almostno one knows what the Bible says about him .

I t seems most people think sin is the thing thatis best for us , bu t which a stern, wrathful Goddenies us . Some years ago a little book was sel lingbig on Hollywood newsstands. It was titled Howto Sin in Hollywood .Why don 't people know that God our Creator hasnever forbidden us a single thing that is good for

June 1983

us-never said "don 't " about a single thing exceptthat which is going to harm us to our own hurt.What God does command us not to do are the ver ythings that bring on unhappiness, frustration, pain ,suffering and a life of morbid gloom.

Let's get this matter straight. The real JesusChrist said he came to bring us happiness and joy!Jesus said, "I am come tha t th ey might have l ife,and that they might have it more abundantly."And he came tha t we might enjoy full , abundantlife ETERNALLY . God Almighty intended the realChristian life to be happy. Jesus said, "My joy Ileave with you. "

There is a way of life that causes peace, happinessand joy . God the great Creator set that way as an

"I am comethat theymight have life,and that theymight haveit moreabundantly"

(John 10:10).inexorable law-an invisible spiritual law-to producepeace, happiness, joy, abundance! There is a cause forevery effect. In this unhappy confused world we havediscontentment, unhappiness, wretchedness,suffering. The world is full of that. It should be full ofpeace, happiness and joy. There' s a cause. Peopledon't like God's law. That law is the cause of peaceand everything desirable and good . People wanteverything that is good and (Continued on page 40)


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GE Y'SFUTUREEUROPE'SFATE

by Gene H. Hogberg

West Germany is the hinge of the Western alliance. Little wonder that powerfulforces on all sides are deeply involved in this pivotal nation's future.I n March, voters in WestGermany went to the pollsin an election billed as themost important one in that

nation's 34-year history.Incumbent Chancellor Helmut Kohl emerged with a

resounding victory. His centerright coalition of ChristianDemocrats, Bavarian ChristianSocialists and Free Democratswas returned to power with aconvincing 55.6 percent of thevote, a figure considered highin the Federal Republic's traditionally close national elections.The United States government

signaled its immediate approval ofthe electoral outcome. Francebreathed a sigh of relief. TheSovie t Union, on th e other hand,which had hoped for a victory bythe Social Democratic candidate,Hans-Jochen Vogel, expressed itsdismay at th e outcome.An Early ElectionThe unusual off-season election wasessentially a contest to either confirm or reject the change of government that had occurred five monthsearlier , in October 1982.At that time, Chancellor Kohl,

through a seldom-used parliamen-2

tary procedure, forced the ouster ofth e cen ter -le ft government offormer Chancellor HelmutSchmidt.Upon his accession to power,

Mr. Kohl promised the Germanpeople that they would have anopportunity to express their democratic will on the changeover assoon as possible.

In the election campaign, Mr.Kohl enjoyed the advantage of theincumbent. Moreover, he had beena known personali ty on the nationalscene for nearly a decade. He narrowly lost the 1976 election.Mr. Kohl was able to weathersome bad economic news that

broke on the very eve of the election- t h e report that a record number of West Germans-mo r e than2.5 million-were out of work inthe Federal Republic's worst recession to date.The chancellor convinced th evoters that, being only five monthsin office, he was not to blame. Hepointed to 13 years of what hecalled "mismanagement" by previous Social Democratic-dominated

governments.The West German business com

munity evidently believed the chancellor's campaign arguments. Immediately after the election, sharevalues jumped on the Frankfurtstock exchange.

The " Missile " ElectionAs important as domestic considera tions were, they were overshadowed-at least in the perception ofnon-Germans-by another key issue: nuclear weapons.In his first post-election newsconference, Chancellor Kohl announced that West Germany wouldproceed as planned with its part ofthe December 1979 NATO decision to deploy 572 new Americanmade intermediaterange nuclearmissiles in Western Europe . Thisplan is scheduled to go into effectunless an American-Soviet agreement is reached by the end of 1983to forestall their installation.The new missiles are intended tocounterbalance the approximate ly250 powerful triple-warheaded SS20 missiles targeted on WesternEurope that the Sovie t Union hasbeen install ing at the rate of one aweek for the past four years.West Germany is scheduled tobegin receiving , by year' s end, thelion's share of the new U.S .-madeweapons. All 108 of the advanced

Pershing I I missiles, plus 96 of th e464 ultrasophisticated groundlaunched cruise missiles (G LCMs),are intended for sites in West Germany, t he count ry possessing thegreatest number of U.S. bases.The remaining 368 cruise mis -

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siles are scheduled for locations inBritain, Belgium, the Netherlandsand Italy.The missiles issue had been a hotone in the March 6 campaign, socontroversial , in fact, that a newword had been coined: Raketenwah/kampf-missi le election campaign.For this reason, never, in recentmemory, had other powers t ried sohard to inf luence the outcome ofone nation's balloting.Soviets "Vote" for VogelFirst, in mid-January, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromykocame to Bonn. Mr. Gromyko's principal aim was to weaken Bonn's commitment to the NATO decision.

The Soviets are concerned mostof all about the Pershing I I, a missile with a powerful and accuratenuclear warhead that could reachSoviet targets in a mere seven toeight minutes from launch time.The Soviets are not as worriedabout the slower, 500-mile-an-hourcruise missiles, since they wouldtake up to two hours to reachSoviet soil. Nevertheless the cruisemissiles are highly mobile andwould be difficult to detect inflight. The Soviets, because of pasttraumas with Germany, are deeplydisturbed over so many G LCMsbeing stationed in Germany. Theydub them the German-launchedcruise missiles.It was clear to all tha t the Kremlin was pinning its hopes on SocialDemocratic candidate Hans-JochenVogel. The cha ll enge r, in anattempt to assuage his lef t wing andthose who had defected to the radical ant inuclear Green party, hadgiven the NATO missile plan onlylimited, qualified support. In ahighl y vis ib le show of public support, Mr. Vogel was invited toMoscow for a top-level conversa-Chancellor Helmut Kohl, top, waves tosupporters after his triumph in March 6,1983, West German elections . SocialDemocratic challenger Hans-Jochen Vogel, far right, fared poorly in the ba lloting . Petra Kelly, right, leader of the radica l Green party, represented in parlia-ment for the first time , has promisedsweeping civil disobedience to blockdeployment of NATO missiles in WestGermany.June 1983


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tion with Soviet authorities.Ironically, the 1979 missile decision was the brainchild, not of theUnited S ta tes , but of formerSocial Democratic Ch ancellor Helmut Schmidt. Schmidt, worriedover the growth of Soviet missilestargeted on Western Europe , proposed the stationing of new U.S .made and -controlled intermediaterange missiles in Western Europeto bind European and Americ andefense ties even closer together.French, Americans Campaign TooAlmost immediately after Mr.Gromyko l eft Bonn, French President Francois Mitterrand came totown . In a surprisingly frankaddress to the Bundestag (lowerhouse of the West German parliament) , Mr . Mitterrand warnedagainst any softening of Bonn'scommitment to th e nuclear defense of Europe.The French leader cautioned ofthe grave danger of splitting off("decoupling") the United Statesfrom its European allies-a distinctpossibility, the French believe, ifthe new weapons are not acceptedon the Continent.

France's own independent deterrent nuclear force would ceaseto be credible if NATO fell apartand th e United States withdrewits nuclear protection of Europe.

On the heels of Mr. Mitterrand ' s departure arrived VicePresident George Bush of theUni ted Sta tes . Mr. Bush encouraged the Germans to hold firm tothe original NATO " tw in tr ack"decision- new missiles unless th eU.S .-Soviet negotiations succeedin Geneva .He also pushed hard for President Reagan's zero-option offeraga in, originally a West Germanproposal. (Under the zero-optionplan, the United States would withhold the new missiles if the Sovietsdismantle all their intermediaterange weapons.)

The Vice President brought withhim an open letter from Mr . Reagan addressed to the people ofPERSHING /I missile lifts off in test flight.P lans to station controversial weapon inWest Germany arouse passions in somequarters of Western Europe and realalarm in Moscow.

Europe. In it the President offeredto meet with Soviet CommunistParty Chairman Yuri Andropov"wherever and whenever he wants"in order to sign a t reaty that would"banish from the face of th e earth"all land-based American and Sovietmedium-range missiles.

Mr. Andropov rejected theoffer.Rough Seas AheadIn the end, the innate conservatismof the average West Germanplayed to Mr . Kohl's immediateadvantage . Even some of Mr.Vogel's supporters felt that theSoviets had overplayed their hand.Still, there are many signs thatthe public opinion battle in Germany over East-West relat ions hasonly just begun.Surprised by the size of thedefeat of Mr. Vogel , the SovietUnion warned the new governmentin Bonn that any deployment ofnew American missiles on Germanterritory would "damage the ent irecomplex of relations" - includingformidable trade t ies-betweenBonn and Moscow.

The biggest challenge for Mr.Kohl, however , could be from within the federal parliament in Bonn.For th e first time in their briefexistence, the antiestablishment

youth-oriented Green party hassecured federal represent ation.The Greens have vowed not tocompromise on nuclear weapons.They have promised to fight th emissiles "in parliament and in th estreets.""This is going to be a very hotyear," said Joachim Wernicke,scientific adviser of th e Greens,shortly after the election. "Therewill be blockades of deploymentsites. There will be blocking ofU.S. military transports . There willbe parliamentary and non-parliamentary action to stop the deployment."Three West German peacemovements proclaimed support ofthe Green cause. They promisedhunger strikes and tax strikes inwhat one activist termed "apeaceful civil war" to block themissile deployment.Last year, there were 60 attackson U.S. military bases and soldiers

(Continued on page 39)The PLAIN TRUTH


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It is time to dispel wides ., ,and to see wh 1""EDITOR'S NOTE: This article origiappeared two and a half years ago illPlain Truth. In viewof the large increase iour circulation since that time and the COII -tinuing importance of Islam in world 'a/fairs. we reprint it here. updated. for ounew readers.

N OT SINCE the days ofthe Crusades has religion played such acrucial role in world affairs.From 'Morocco to Indonesia,Islam is reemerging as a politi-

June 1983

W e ~ t e r n e r s Con"fusedFew topics have created as" 'much : 'misundersta nding in the Westernwor ld as th at of Islam . Mos t West-

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resented-v-throughout the MiddleEast.To fill this void we publish this

article for our readers.Events in the Moslem world are

too often interpreted throughWestern eyes. Western observersoften impose their own preconceived not ions onto events thereand i nt erpret them according toWestern criteria. They see religionfrom th e vantage point of their ownlimited Western experience .

Here lies the root of t he Wes t' sgross misun de rsta nd in g o f theMoslem world.Proper "Camera Sett ing"To properly comprehend the Moslem world, it is necessary to pu toneself into Moslem shoes, tothink in Moslem terms, to see theworld throu gh Moslem eyes .From that perspective one canbegin to acquire a deeper insightinto Islam and its role in worldevents today.A century ago, when Britain waswres tl ing with t roub lesome problems in Egypt and th e Sudan,Prime Minister Gladstone thoughtit wise to study th e Koran, Islam'sHoly Book. Only that way, heasserted , could he really come toknow the people and the faith withwhich he was contending.

Despite the quest ionable resul tsof his Middle Eas te rn policies,Gladstone had at least understoodin principle the importance of viewing the Moslem world from theproper vantage point, the proper"camera setting."It is also time to understandwhat the Bible says about the Moslem faith and about the significanceof events in t he Moslem worldnow, and in the tumul tuous yearsjust ahead!Popular ReligionUnderstand , first , t he impor tanceof Islam as a contemporary worldforce. I sl am is a global fai th. Nearly one person in five in the worldtoday- s ome 800 mil lion people inmore than 75 countries-is a Moslem. This is a sizable bloc and onewith great potential power andinfluence .Islam is also one of the world'smost popular religions, possibly thefastest-growing faith on the globe.6

In sub-Saharan Africa, Islam isrepor tedly winning 10 times asmany converts as. traditional Christianity!It is important to understand,too , that not all Arabs are Moslems(some 10 percent are Christian),nor are all Moslems Arabs . Int ro duced among the Arabs in the seventh century , Islam spread swiftlythroughout the Middle East, NorthAfrica and South Asia. Multiplemillions of non-Arabs were addedto the fold of Islam. Within a century Islam controlled an empiremore vast than that of Rome orAlexander the Great .Submission to AllahIslam means many .things to manyMoslems. Literally, Islam means"submission to Allah." A Moslemis "one who submits." Moslems,however, have differing ideas oftheir faith according to their social.class, education, political leaningsand cultural background.

Like other rel igions, I sl am hasbecome fragmented over the centuries by theological feuds and disagreements. Today, Islam is splitinto two main branches, t he Sunniand Shiite groups. These twobranches resulted from a majorschism over the issue of who shouldsucceed to Moslem leadership following the death of the ProphetMohammed , the religion's founder,in A.D . 632 .

Mainstream Sunni Islam-accounting for nearly 90 percent ofall Moslems-is divided into four"schools" of interpretation . By contrast, the 10 percent of all Moslemswho are Shiites-located primarilyin Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Omanare split into dozens of sects, subsects and offshoots , some of whichare considered heretical by SunniMoslems.The cen tu rie s-long quest forIslamic unity remains a distant

dream, due largely to a lack ofeffective leadership . Disun ity andfragmentation have been the general rule within the Islamic ummah,or community. It is therefore difficult to generalize about Islam as ifit were a single, coherent bloc.. Nevertheless, all Moslems sharecertain basic beliefs and outlooks .First and foremost is their one-sentence creed , called th e shahadah:

"There is no God but Allah, andMohammed is His Messenger." Asolemn recitation of this confessionof faith ( just e ight words in Arabic) is the only requirement forbecoming a Moslem .According to Moslem belief, an

archangel-Gabr ie l-descended toMohammed, f irst in A.D. 610 , andimparted to him the wisdom of theKoran. At first, Mohammed wasafraid he was going insane or waspossessed by an evil spi ri t. But hesoon became convinced that hiscalling was truly from God.Mos lem Holy BookMoslems consider the Koran's I 14suras or chapters as th e literalword of God, superseding all previous revelations (including th eBible) and correct ing the alleged"errors" that had crept into Chr ist iani ty and Judaism . In length, theKoran is somewhat shorter than theNew Testament.

Mohammed contended that Jewsand Christians had been worshipingAllah all along, but under a different name. The Koran recognizesAdam, Noah, Abraham, Moses ,Jesus and other biblical personalities as genuine prophets throughwhom God spoke. Mohammed 'sfamily lineage is traced to Abraham through the patriarch 's grandson Kedar, son of Ishmael (Gen.25: 13).Moslems, however, regard 'Mohammed as the greatest and the last(o r "sea l") o f the prophets . Moslems deny the divinity of Jesus, aswell as his crucifixion and resurrection. "They do blaspheme whosay : 'God is Christ th e son ofMary,' " the Koran asserts.

Despite the high position theyaccord to Mohammed, Moslems donot venerate him as a divine being .They take offense at being called"Mohammedans ," feeling t ha t tha tterm implies they worship Mohammed .In addition to the Koran, mostMoslems also pay heed to the sun-na (the traditions of what Mohammed did) and th e hadith (the traditions of what he said).

Compared to other religions,Islam is loosely organized. There isno formal institutional hierarchy ofauthority-no Moslem pope or car-

(Continued on page 41)The PLAIN TRUTH


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HOW TO SETTHE

WORLD ARIGHTby Patrick A. ParnellLeaders know something drastic is wrong with ourworld. I f they only knew the causes they could correct the problems.

W HAT a paradox! Welive in a world filledwith breathtaking,technological marvels.Science and learning is at anall-time high. Knowledge inall fields is increasing at arate almost beyond comprehension.

Yet, at the same t ime, miserie s and unhappy pro blemsabound . We're plagued withcrime . Venereal diseases areepidemic. Families are tornapart by divorce. Hate, vio-lence, murder and civilwars exi st wor ldwide.Why such a contradic-tion?Life Could Be DifferentThis world has greatpotential. Picture for amoment the way thingscould be. A world freeof crime, free of familyproblems, hate and vio-lence .Imagine-if you can-a world without theft.Think of the peace of mindthat eliminating just thisone aspect of crime wouldbring . W e wouldn't have tolock up or chain down everythingwe own . I ron gates, bars , guarddogs, burglar alarm systems andsophisticated, costly security networks, often making us prisonersin our own homes and places ofJune 1983

work, would be things of the past.We could t rust our neighbor, evena stranger, knowing ou r valuablesand possessions are safe.

Secret, under-the-counter deals,payoffs and graft, exorbitantadded on costs to goods and services; ou t and out bribes; employee theft oft ime and

materials-these, too, would beeliminated. There would be complete trust between employer andemployee if theft were no longer aproblem. Employees would trustemployers, rea liz ing they wouldreceive hones t, fair earnings fortheir work, knowing they wouldn'tbe cheated.

These changes onlyscratch the sur-

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face . But think how life could be ina world without any kind of crime.What about a world with no hat eand no violence? How wonderful itwould be to be able to walk downany city street or country road ,anywhere in the world, at anytime,day or night, without fear of beingmugged-bea ten and robbed orraped .And if there were no war ? It 'sstaggering to consider . What abeautiful , peaceful earth thi s

could be . Untold suffer ings andbitterness would be eliminated.Such peace could mean concentrating efforts to builda nd improve our world .Wha t p ro du ctiv ity andabundance this earth couldenjoy. Our earth could bea veritable utopia.But that's not the way itis-i s it? The opposite exists

tod ay . Why? Why do we suf-fer suc h unhappy conditions?Why has mankind sufferedfrom crime and war throughouthistory?There is a reason!

Destroyed for Lack of KnowledgeIt' s indeed a paradox . We live in aworld filled with as to u n d ingknowledge. We can produce electronic gadget ry and c reate fan tastic me ch an ic al wond er s th atancient peoples never dream edcould exist. Ye t , we can 't so lvebasic human problems. We 'r e noclo ser to ending crime and warth an people thousand s of yearsago. In a modern world filled withknowledge we're being destroyedbecause We lack t he righ t kind ofknowledge!Wh at is thi s mi ssing kn owled ge ? It is the knowledge of Godand his law. It was availabl e at th ebeginning of history, but it was

rej ected by the fi rst hum an s.Th at ' s wh y mankind has su ffered - and is suffe r ing now!That 's wh y cr ime is rampant, wh ymankind is on the verge of nuclearannihilat ion !We lack needed , vital, spiritualknowledge about God-knowledgeth at God reve als in his law. It isknowledge th at lead s to the way ofpeace and happiness we all want!

Read what God says: " . . . for th eLord hath a controversy with the8

inhabitan ts of th e land, becausethere is no truth , nor mercy, norknowledge of God in th e land"(Ho sea 4: I ) .There should be knowledge ofGod! Creat ion it self is a witness!" Fo r th e invisible things of himfrom the creat ion of th e world areclearly seen , being understood byth e things th at are made , eve n his

e te rna l power

and God-he ad ; so th at th ey are withoutexcuse" (Rom . 1:20).But God has been rejected! Andth e knowledge of how to live and

ge t along with others and specificall y spelled out in his law-theTen Commandment s-h as beenrejected . Th at 's why th e world su ffers from crime, violence, hate andwar!Note what God says in the Bible:"By swe aring, and lying, and killing , and stealing , and committingadultery, they break out, and b loodtoucheth blood" (H osea 4 :2). Whatan apt description of our worldtod ay."My people are dest royed forlack of knowledge," says God , andwh y? " ... bec au se thou hastrejected knowledge" (Ho sea 4:6 ) .We have re j ected G od ' s commandments, whic h define th e wayto peace, the way to crime-freesoc ieties! That is the re ason whythis world is in the sad conditionwe find it today!The problems in our world beganin th e beginning with th e first

human beings. They were givenfreedom to choose between God 'sway of life- represented by th e

"tree of life"-or a way of life oftheir own making-represented by"th e tr ee of knowledge of good andevil" (Gen. 2:9) .God instructed them to chooselife . "A nd the Lord God commanded the man , saying, Of everytr ee of the garden thou mayestfreel y eat : but of the tree of th eknowledge of good and evil, thoushalt not eat of it : for in th e dayth at thou ea tes t th ereof thou shaltsu rely di e" (Gen . 2: 16-17).The first humans rejected Godand his way of life. They took to

themsel ves a way of life of doingwhat they thought best. Humanshave been guilty of rejecting Godby taking to themselves th e authority to invent knowledge apart fromGod . So we've had "crime and war,unhappiness and miseries eversince.Time to Learn th e LessonGod established at the beginning away of life that would produce theresults hum an s desire. Man , having rejected th at way , lost th eknowl edge of how to bring peaceand happ iness. Bu t God did notleave man withou t witness . H ecalled an entire people out ofabject slav ery to teach them hisway of li fe and give them opportun it y to live it and be an exampleto ot he r nat ions.That nati on was ancient Israel,composed of 12 separate tribesJudah, or th e Jews , being only one

of the tribes . God ins truc ted :thenation to keep his law, not only fortheir good but to show all the othernations who had forgotten God howto live in a crime-free, happy, abundant society."Keep therefore and do them ,"G od admon is hed an cient Is rael,"for th is is your wisdom and you runder standing in th e sight of thenati ons , which sh all hear all thesestatutes, and say, Surely th is greatnati on is a wise and understandingpeople" (Deut. 4:6) .But ancie nt Israel rejected Godand .God 's law. They , too , turned

the ir back on true wisdom andknowledge. They went the way ofh ~ m reason that led to crime,war and national destruction .The Way of PeaceGod 's Ten Commandments are

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and the commandment holy, andjust, and good" (Rom. 7:12) .It is by God's revealed spirituallaw that we know what is and is notsin. "I had not known sin, but bythe law", sa id Paul (Rom. 7:7) .Sin is the breaking of God's law."Whosoever committeth sin trans

gresseth also the law: for sin is thetransgression of the law," wroteJohn (I John 3:4) . And, "the wagesof sin is death ," said Paul (Rom.6:23).Death reigns in the world today

because the nations are sinning.They are, in general , not motivatedby concern for others bu t by selfishness and self-concern at theexpense of others.It Is Time to RepentAll have broken God's law! All areguilty. All of us have sinned! "Forall have sinned, and come short ofthe glory of God," says your Bible(Rom. 3:23).It is time to stop sinning! It istime to change, to s top break ingGod's Ten Commandments (II Pet.3:9). The penalty for disobeying isdeath, na tiona l and individual"For the wages of sin is death"(Rom . 6:23).No matter who you are or whatposition in life you hold, you canchange, even if others will not. Youcan repent from breaking God 'slaw. God is willing to forgive andforget what you've done in the pastif your attitude now is to changeand do what is right-sincerely anddeterminedly."Turn ye, turn ye from your evilways; for why will ye die . . . ?"asks God in Ezekiel 33: 11. Godwants you to turn away from breaking his law. It 's this attitude ofmind and heart , a willingness to seemistakes and realize God's law isright and best, that God desires.That's the way to peace and trueharmony on earth. And it beginswith each of you ."Come now . . . saith the Lord:though your sins be as scarle t, theyshall be as white as snow; thoughthey be red like crimson, they shallbe as wool. If ye be willing andobedient . . . " (lsa. 1:18-19). Whatpeace of mind that would bring tothe whole world. This is the missin g ingredient in world affairs. 0

mentions oneof the commandm ents beingbroken-"Honour thy father andthy mother." If that commandmentwere kept there would be no streetgangs terrorizing our cities.Be a DoerEven the apost le Pau l, who is oftenmisquoted" when speaking of law,said, "Wherefore the law is holy,

Honour thy father and thy mother:and,"-summing up---"Thou shaltlove thy neighbour as thyself '(verses 18-19).Not only is Jesus telling us tokeep t he Ten Commandments, heis telling us that keeping the TenCommandments is loving one'sneighbor and prerequisite to receiving eternal life! " I f thou wilt enterinto life [eternal life- how toreceive it was the question asked],keep the commandments," Jesussaid.But what do we find today?"This people honoureth mewith their l ips,"-oh, they talk

about peace among nations-"butthe ir heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me,teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For layingaside the commandment of God,ye hold the tradition of men . . . "said Jesus. "And he said untothem, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye maykeep your own tradition" (Mark7:6-9).What commandments was Jesustalking about? The Ten Commandments. In the very next statement,verse 10, he

"e Caelectron. n producecreate t: IC gadgetantast" rYandWonde IC I1Jech .peOPles rs that ancieanIcalcOuld . never d nteXIst l / " reaI1Jeds I ' . I eto ve ba 'We Ca 'SIC h n tprobleI1J UI1Jans."

sensible! They are beneficial! Theyare good! They const itute the mostsound law that ever existed! Nothaving th e attitude of mind ofwanting to obey them is what iswrong with our world!This is the world's problem!I f the Ten Commandments were

kept by mankind according to thespirit and inten t of the law, therewould be utopia! God's righteouslaw is the way to happiness. It isthe only way to peace. That law isas sound, wise and full of understanding today as it was in thebeginning and when God instructedancient Israel to obey it.All ten of the Ten Commandments are as much in force now asthen! And breaking them is thecause of all human problems.Why have so few re ligious leaders told us that?Jesus Christ came to this earthto bring a message of peace and theway to peace. Jesus himsel f keptthe commandments and taught hisfollowers to obey them also. That iswhy Jesus had peace of mind ."Think not that I am come todestroy the law, or the prophets: Iam not come to destroy , but to fulfil," he said. "For ver ily I say untoyou, Till heaven and earth pass, onejo t or one tittle shall in no wise passfrom the law, till all be fulfilled"(Matt. 5:17-18). Not one dotting of an i or crossing of a thas changed in that spirituallaw.What a plain statement!Could it be any clearer

than that?Heaven and earth arestill here! God 's law is stillin force and viable. I t' s timethe world listened!A young man once came toJesus and asked what to do tohave eternal life : "Good Master,what good thing shall I do, that Imay have eternal life? And he [Jesus] said unto him, Why callestthou me good? there is none goodbu t one, that is, God: bu t if thouwilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:16-17).The young man said to him,"Which?""Jesus said, Thou shalt do nomurder, Thou shalt not commitadultery, Thou shalt not steal,Thou shalt not bear false witness,

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THE CHURCHSTRUGGLESFOR SURVIVAL

RM E ' A.D. 64 -Thecapital of the world isin flames!For six days andnights the great fire races out ofcontrol through the most populous districts of the imperialcity. In it s fury, the blazereduces half the metropolis toashes.Many of th e architectural gloriesof ancient Rome are devoured inthe flames. Thousands of terrors tr icken Romans are made homeless, all their worldly possessionslost.

From atop his palaceroof, the EmperorNero views the awe-some panorama.

Some Romans sus-pect the truth. Theybelieve that Ne r o inhuman, maniacal, in-sane-has personallytriggered the conflagra-tion. Fancying himself agreat builder, he desiresto erase the old Romethat he might have theglory of founding a newand grander c i t y Nero's Rome!

A rumor begins tocirculate that the firewas contrived by th eemperor himself. Nerofears for his safety. He must findsomeone to bear th e blame-andquickly!

To divert sus.picion away fromhimself, Nero lays th e guilt at th edoor of a new re ligious group-theChristians of Rome.

I t is the logical choice. Christiansare already despised and distrustedby many. They spurn the worship ofthe old Roman gods and "treasonably" refuse to give divine honors tothe emperor. Their preaching of anew King sounds like revolution.They have no influence, no powerthe perfect scapegoats.

Nero orders their punishment.The bloodbath begins!The emperor inflicts on th efalsely accused Christians horribletortures and executions. Some arenailed to crosses; others are coveredwith animal skins and torn apart bywild dogs in th e Colosseum; sti ll10

THEHISTORYOFEUROPE&THECHURCHPART ONE

by Keith W. Stump

EDITOR 'S NOTE: With this article webegin a series examining the historic rela-tionship between Europe and theChurch-a relationship that has shapedthe history of the Western world.Europe today stands at a momentouscrossroads. Events taking shape there willradically change the face of the Conti-nent-and the world.To properly understand today's newsand the events that lie ahead. a grasp ofthe sweep of European history is essential.Only within an historical context can theevents of our time be fully appreciated.This narrative series is written in thehistoric present to give the reader a senseof being on the scene as momentous eventsunfold on the stage of history.

others are nailed to stakes and setablaze as illumination for Nero's night-ly garden parties.For years the persecution rages. It isa perpetual open season on Chris-tians.

Among those imprisoned andbrought to trial by Nero is a manwho has been instrumental in establishing the fledgling Church of Godat Rome-Paul, the apost le to theGreek-speaking gentiles. .Apostolic MartyrsFor many years Paul had warned thechurches of impending persecutions.He had reminded them of Jesus ' ownwords to his disciples: "If they havepersecuted me, they will also perse-cute you." Paul had assured themthat "all that will live godly in ChristJesus shall suffer persecution" (IITim. 3:12).

The world, he had told them,would not be an easyplace for Christians.Yet despite persecut ions-as Jesus himselfhad declared -"thegates of hell [hades, thegrave1 shall not prevailagainst i t" (Matt .16:18). The Church ofGod would never becomplet el y s tampedout!Paul himself hadendured much suffer-ing and per se cu ti onduring the course ofhis long ministry. Formore than two decadeshe had persevered inpreaching th e gospel ofthe coming kingdom of

God through many of th e provincesof the Roman Empire. Now, at last,his sufferings are nearing an end .Nero sends his servants to bringPaul word of his impending death.

Short ly afterward, soldiers arriveand lead him out of the city to theplace of execution. Paul prays, thengives his neck to the sword. He isburied on the Ostian Way. The yearis A.D. 68; it is early summer.

Most of the leading e lders andmembers of the congregation atRome are also martyred in th eNeronian persecution.Peter-chief among the originaltwelve apostles-also meets his endin A.D. 68. He is condemned todeath-as Jesus himself had fore-told many years earlier (John21: 18-19)-by crucifixion.Turmoil in JudeaUnfortunately, th e headquarters

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church in Jerusa lem-towardwhich Christians look for truth andfor leadership-is in no position torender effect ive ass is tance to thepersecuted Christians of Rome. It ,too, is caught in th e midst ofupheaval, stemming from the Jewish wars with Rome.In A.D . 66, the oppressed Jews ofPalestine erupt into general revoltdefying the military might of theRoman Empire! Heeding Jesus'warning (Luke 21:20-21), the Christians of Judea flee to the hills.Later, in the spring of A.D . 69,the Roman general Titus finallysweeps from east of Jordan intoJudea with his legions. The Christians escape impending calamity inthe hills by journeying northeast tothe out-of-the-way city of Pella, inthe Gilead mountains east of theJordan River.It is now A.D. 70. Titus con quers Jerusalem. He burns th eTemple to the ground and tearsdown its foundations . The city islaid waste. Some 600 ,000 Jews areslaughtered and multiple thousandsof others sold into slavery.I t is a time of unparalleledcalamity!Kingdom Imminent?Amid all the upheava l in Rome,Judea and elsewhere in the Empire,what is the mood of the Christiancommunity? What thoughts coursethrough the minds of Christians atthis time?Though many a re sufferi ng

uprooted from homes, imprisoned,tortured, bereaved of family andf r iends- the prevailing spiritamong Christians is one of hopeand anticipation!

Christians are susta ined by theknowledge that Jesus and th eprophets of old had foretold thesetumultuous events-and their glo-rious outcome!As events swirl around them,they watch with breathless expectation. They take hope in the greatpicture laid out by Jesus from thebeginning of his earthly ministrythe return of Jesus Christ and thereestablishment of the kingdom ofGod! As Mark records:"Now after that John was pu t inprison, Jesus came i nto Gali lee,preaching the gospel [good news]of the kingdom of God, and saying,12

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye,and believe the gospel " (Mark1:14-15).Everywhere Jesus went , hefocused on this major theme-thegood news of the coming kingdomof God . The twelve disciples weresent out to preach the same message (Luke 9:1-2) . The apostle Paulalso preached the kingdom of God(Acts 19:8; 20 :25; 28:23, 31) .

Christians-in that first centu ry-are in no doubt as to whatthat kingdom is. It is a literal king-dom-a real government. with aKing, and laws and subjects-destined to rule over the earth . I t is thegovernment o f God. supplantingthe governments of man!

Chr is ti ans rehea rse and discussamong themselves th e many prophecies about this coming government. By now they know the passages by heart.The prophet Daniel, for example,had written of a succession of worldruling governments through the ages(Daniel 2)- f ou r universal worldempires: Babylon, Medo-Persia,Greece and Rome . (Request yourfree copy of Who Is the Beast? fordetails .) After the demise of theseearthly kingdoms, Daniel recordedthat then "shall the God of heavenset up a kingdom, which shall neverbe destroyed . . . bu t it shall break inpieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever"(Dan. 2:44).This kingdom will rule over th enations. It will "break in pieces andconsume" the Roman Empire

surely very soon, Christians feel!Soon the swords and spears nowspilling blood across the vast territories of the Empire would be beaten into plowshares and pruninghooks, as Isaiah had prophes ied

(Isa. 2:4). Jesus would return and"the government shall be upon hisshoulder" (Isa. 9:6).

For more than four millennia th er ighteous ancients had looked forthe triumph of this k ingdom. Now,with Jerusalem the focus of worldevents in A.D. 60-70, surely it isabout to arrive!The Wait ingDuring the days of Jesus ' ear thlyministry , some had thought hewould establish th e kingdom of

God then and there. "Because theythought that the kingdom of Godshould immediately appear," Jesushad told his disciples the parable ofthe nobleman who went on a journey into a far country "t o receivefor himself a kingdom, and toreturn" (Luke 19:11-12).As Jesus later told Pilate, he wasborn to be a king. But his kingdomwas not of this world (age) (John18:36). He would return at a latertime to establish his kingdom andreward his servants. His disciplesno more understood that than didPilate .After his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus' disciples again askedhim, "Lord, wilt thou at this timerestore again the kingdom toIsrael?" (Acts I :6). Jesus toldthem tha t it was not for them toknow th e times or the seasons(verse 7). They found that hard tocomprehend . But Je su s nevertheless commissioned them to "be witnesses unto me . . . unto the u tter most part of the earth" (verse 8).

For nearly four decades they hadpreached the gospel throughout theRoman world and beyond. Now,tumultuous events signal a changein world affairs. Signs of the end ofthe age-given by Jesus in th eOlivet prophecy (Matthew 24 ) seem to become increasingly evident on the world scene.

Rome, with civil war in A.D . 69,appears to be on a fast road todestruction. Wars, moral decay, economic crisis, political turmoil, socialupheaval, religious confusion, natural disasters-all these signs arehere. The very fabric of Romansociety is disintegrating . I t is a rottenand a degraded world. Surely Jesuswill soon come to correct all that?That the Roman Empire is thefourth "beast" of Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 7) is clear to Christians. With tha t fourth kingdom inthe throes of revolution, God 'skingdom surely will be next!Amid horrendous persecutions,martyrdoms and national upheavals, they wait for their change from

material to spirit (I Cor. 15:50-53)and their reward of positions ofauthority and rulership in God'skingdom (Luke 19:17-19)."I will come again," said Jesus(John 14:3). Christians pray, "Thykingdom come."

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They wait.And wait.But it doesn' t happen .

The EnigmaWhen Jesus does not return at theheight-and in the aftermath--ofthe cataclysmic events of A.D. 6670, the shock is great. Many Christians are puzz led, dis turbed, demoralized.I t is a surprising developmentor nondevelopment. It is a mys tery-an enigma. What has "gonewrong"?The Church is tested. Manyfaceagonizing decisions. Many begin todoubt, and question .The apost le Paul had ,once facedthis issue. He had long expectedJesus ' return in his own l ifetime. InA .D . 50, he had written to theThessalonians of "we which arealive and remain unto the comingof the Lord . . . " ( I Thess. 4: 15).Five years later, in a letter to theCorinthians, he had written that"we shall not all s leep [die]" beforeJesus' coming (I Cor . 15:51) .But in a letter to Timothy in thedays just before his death, Paulclearly sees a different picture. Hewrites of the "last days" in e futurecontext (II Tim . 3:1-2). Hedeclares: "I have fought a goodfight, I have finished my

course . . . " (4 :7). He speaks ofreceiving his reward at some futuretime (4 :8).Unlike Paul, however, manyChristians become disheartenedand demoralized. Their hopes areshattered. "Where is the promise ofhis coming?" many complain.But some Christians understand .

They realize that God intends thatthey face this question , to see howthey will react . They continue towait and watch patiently, continuing in well-doing. They rememberthe words of Jesus to his disciples,"Watch therefore: for ye know notwhat hour your Lord dothcome . . . for in such an hour as yethink not the Son of man cometh"(Matt. 24 :42, 44) . It would bethose who "endure unto the end"-whenever that was-who would besaved (verse I3).Some Christians-misunderstanding the final verses of the gospel of John-believe that Jesus willyet return in the apostle John's life-June 1983

time (John 21 :20-23). As Johngrows progressively older--outliving his contemporaries-many seesupport for this view. They stillhope for Jesus' return in their generation . They wait.But others are not so patient.They are restless, uneasy. Theybegin to look for other answers.Their eyes begin to turn from the

vision of God's kingdom and thetrue purpose of life. They lose thesense of urgency they once had.They begin to stray from thestraight path . They become confused-and vulnerable.Until th e "disappointment,"false t eachers had not made significant headway among Christians.Christians expected Jesus ' returnat any t ime- they had to befa i th ful . and ready at anymoment!But now a large segment of theChristian community grows morereceptive to "innovations" in doctrine. The ground is now ready toreceive the evil seeds of heresy!Another GospelFollowing the martyrdom of manyof their fai thfu l leaders , manyChristians fall victim to error . Confused and d ishear tened, t heybecome easy prey for wolves.False teachers were nothing newto the Church. The crisis had beena long time in the making.As early as A.D. 50, Paul haddeclared to the Thessalonians that aconspiracy to supplant the truthwas already under way. "For themystery of iniquity doth ALREADYwork," he had written to them(I I Thess. 2:7).Paul also warned the Galatiansthat some were perverting the gospel of Christ, trying to s tamp outthe preaching of th e true gospel ofthe kingdom of God that Jesuspreached (Gal. 1:6-7). He told theCorinthians that some were beginning to preach "another Jesus" and"another gospel" (II Cor. 11:4).He branded them "false apostles"and ministers of Satan (verses 1315).Paul had often reminded the

churches of the words of Jesus, thatMANY would come in his name, proclaiming that Jesus was Christ, yet,deceiving MANY (Matt. 24:4-5, 11) .The MANy-not the few-would be

led down the paths of error, deceivedby a counterfeit faith masqueradingas Christianity!The prophecy now comes to pass.The situation grows increasinglyacute . The introduction of falsedoctrines by clever teachers dividesthe beleaguered Christian community. I t is split into contending factions, rent asunder by heresy andfalse teaching!Simon t he SorcererUnknown to most, this havoc in theChurch represents a posthumousvictory for a man who had sown thefirst seeds of the problem decadesearlier . Notice what had occur red:A sorcerer named Simon, fromSamaria (the one-time capital of the. house of Israel), had appeared inRome in A.D. 45, during the days ofClaudius Caesar. Thi s Simon washigh priest of the BabylonianSamaritan mystery religion (Rev .17:5), brought to Samaria by theAssyrians after the captivity of thehouse of Israel (II Kings 17:24) .Simon made a great impression inRome with his demonic miracleworking- s o much so that he wasdeified as a god by many of itssuperstitious citizens.Earlier, in A.D. 33, while sti ll inSamaria, Simon (often known asSimon Magus-"The Magician")had been impressed by the power ofChristianity. He had been baptized,without adequate counseling, byPhilip the deacon. Yet Simon, in hisheart, had not been willing to layaside the prestige and influence hehad as a magician over the Samaritans. So he asked for the office of anapostle and offered a sum of moneyto buy it. Jesus' chief apostle, SimonPeter , s te rn ly rebuked Simon themagician, told him to change hisbitter attitude and banned him fromall fellowship in hope of futurerepentance (Acts 8) .Traveling to Rome years later ,Simon conspi red to sow the seedsof division in the rapidly growingChristian churches of the West.His goal : to gain a personal following for himself. He seized upon thename of Christ as a cloak for histeachings, which were a mixture ofBabylonian paganism, Judaism andChristianity. He appropriated aChristian vocabulary and other outward trappings to give a surface

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appearance of Chris tianity to hisins idious dogmas .Simon was the first Gnostic teacher of Christian t imes. His efforts ledto the spread of gnosticism over wideareas, seducing congregations from

the true faith . Gnostics were religious dualists who often thought ofthemselves as a new kind of Christian. They taught th at matter wasevil and spirit good and that salvation was attained through secretknowledge.By the time of his death, Simonhad not full y succeeded . But therewere those who were att r ac ted tocertain of his compromising syncretistic ideas. Slipping unobtrusively into the Church of God , theysubtly i nt roduce e lemen ts ofSimon's te achings .

Many fall victim to these falseteachings. Luke, writing the book ofActs in A.D. 62 , exposes Simon in anatt empt to s t em hi s growinginflu ence. Luke expl ains that Simonwas never a converted member of thetrue Church of God, relating how hehad tried unsuccessfully to purchasean apostleship.

With Simon now exposed, thosewho had crept into Church fe llowship, and who thought in part as hedid , dis associate themselves fromhis name yet continue to promotehis errors . They are no longer recogni zed as Simonites- b u t th eyhold th e same doctrine! Theyassume th e outward appearance ofbeing Chri stians- p r eaching aboutthe person of Christ- ye t denyChrist's message, the gospel of thecoming kingdom of God. (Writefor our free booklets, What Is theTrue Gospel? and Ju st What DoYou Mean . Kingdom of God? forfull details.)A few years a fter Luke exposesSimon Magus, Jude writes of theseSimonians as "certain men crept inun awares" (Jude , verse 4) andexh orts Christians to "earnest lycontend for the faith which wasonce delivered" (ve rse 3) .Also-as Paul had ea rl ier prophesied (Acts 20:29-30) - some evenwithin the Church of God departfrom the original faith and becauseof personal vanity , a love of moneyor because of personal hurts, beginto dr aw disc iples away after themselves.

Heresies a re rife! Sometimes14

t hey are recognized, bu t often theyare disguised and go undetected .Error creeps in slowly and imperceptibly, gr adually underminingthe very truths of the Church o fGod that Je sus founded!Another Shock!There remains one last obs tacl e toth e complete triumph of heresythe apostle John. John is th e lastsurvivor of the original twelve apostle s. He works tirelessly to stem thetide of e rror and apostasy.

Writing ea rl y in the last quarterof the first century, John declaresth at "many deceivers are enteredin to the world" (I I John 7) . Hewrites of the m any who havealready left the fellowship of theChurch of God ("They went ou tfrom us, bu t th ey were not of us"-I John 2:19). He reveals that som eapostate churc h leaders are evencasting true Christians ou t of thechurch! ( I II John 9-10 .)

During the persecutions of theRoman emperor Dornitian, John isbanished to the Aegean island ofPatmos. There he receives anas tounding revelation .In a series of visions, John is carried forward into the future, to the"day of the Lord"- a time whenGod will supernaturally intervenein world affairs, sending plaguesup on the unrighteou s and ' sinningnat ions of the earth. And a timeth at will climax in the gloriou s Second Coming of Jesus Christ!The picture laid ou t in vision "oJohn r ep re sents ano the r majorshock for the first-century Church.Here are astounding. almost unbelievable revelations! Images of mul

tiheaded beasts , of great armies, ofst ra nge new weapons, of devastating plagues and natural dis asters!What does it all mean ?After publication of the Revela

tion, th o se with understandingbegin to gra sp th e message . Itbecomes clear to them th at Jesus'coming is not as imminent as oncebelieved. Whole sections of thebook of Daniel, previously obscure,now become clearer . These greatevents revealed to John by JesusChrist will not occur' overnight.Great periods of time appear to beimplied-centuries, pos sibly twomillennia! (Write for Th e Book o fR evelation Unveiled at Last! for an

in-depth look at these prophecies .)Some few begin to see th e teaching of Jesus in new light. He hadst a t ed in hi s Olivet prophecy

(Matt. 24 :22) that " except those[last] days be shortened, thereshould NO FLESH be saved.... "M an y had wondered about th isstatement. The y could not unders tand how there could ever beenough swords, spears, arrow sand men to use them- to everthreaten the GLOBAL annihilationof all mankind.

Now, John's visions provide ananswer. There would one day come atime when never-before-heard-ofsuperweapons-desc ribed by Johnin strange symbolic language would make total annihilation possible! One day . . . bu t not now. Therewill yet com e a future cr isis overJerusalem , many also reali ze . Therewill come a time when Jerusalemwill again be compassed with armies(Luke 21 :20) , t riggering a crisiseven greater than that o f A.D. 6670!Some also begin to re alize thatJ esus ' commission to his disciplesto take th e gospel " to th e utter

most part s of the ear th " might bemeant literally! Jesus had prophesied th at "this gospel of the kingdom sh all be preached in all theworld fo r a witness unto allnations; and THEN shall the endcome" (M a tt . 24:14). And thatworldwide undertaking would require t ime - a g r e a t deal oft ime!. Some few begin to see clearly.But many canno t handle this newtruth. Some even begin to teachthat the kingdom is al ready he r e that it is the Church i tse lf , or in thehearts of Chr isti ans.John is released from imprisonmen t in A .D. 96. In hi s remaining .days he and faithful disciples striveto keep the Church true to the faithas he was personally instructed in itby Jesus himself.The First Century closes withthe death of the aged apostle Johnin the ci ty of Ephesus .Jesus has not ye t come. Some

continue to wait . Others within andwithout the fellowship of the trueChurch of God begin to take matters into their own hands.(NEXT MONTH: "The FatefulUnion.")

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by Roderick C. MeredithModern society has lost the way to bringup children. Here's what our readers needto know about child rearing.YOU HAVE seen it-a young motherwres tling with her young children,emotionally exhausted and on the pointof tears.She tr ied to be nice to the children and reasonwith them . She even tried to bribe them withcandy and other goodies if they would onl y "begood."

But they seemed to delight in throwing tantrumsand embarrassing their mother in public.

Except for an occasional rebuke or a slap, theirfather had virtually nothing to do with the children .He was too tied up in his career.So what should parents do to rear a decent, happy,balanced family?A Plan Is NeededPart of that mother 's problem was the fact thatshe-along with mill ions of other paren ts- h ad nodefinite plan or program in mind in rearing herfam ily. She herself was the product of a brokenhome, and had not experienced or been taught how torear children. Sure, she had read an art ic le here andthere in var ious magazines written by various sociol-June 198 3

ogists and other experts . However, mixed-up as sh ewas , she realized that these experts often disagreedwith one another- and some of them didn't even havechildren of their own!

Again , what to do?First, every parent needs a definite plan or program ofhow to rear children, how to bui ld the famil y and how toget one 's mate and even other relatives to help.

Then, you need to stick to you r program . Modifyand improve it as you go along. But follow it and builda family of which you can be t ruly proud .As a father of healthy , happy children- th ree ofthem now grown and married-and one gr anddaughte r , and as a teacher and counselor working with youngpeople for more than 30 years , I will set forth many ofthe pr inciples I have learned , no t merely by readingbut by observing and doing .Love , Affectio n , Encou ragementYears ago , the Reader 's Digest had an unusually moving article entitled " T he Awesome Power of HumanLove ." It described how the medical profession foundthat little babies and small children require affection,kisses, hugs and tenderness in order to grow and develop at a normal rate .

Since then, many studies have been made and manyother articles written to confirm th is fundamentaltruth . The power of human love is AW ESOME. Its effecton people is as important as good food and clothing,sunshine and fresh air are, all put together.Babies and chi ld ren must have constant affection

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and encouragemen t to develop th e right kind of confidence and sense of worth and the capacity to feel andexpress affection themselves. Even though this mayseem so obvious to some, it is, sadly, one of th e mostneglected areas of child rearing.As parents , each of us must learn to hold , kiss,cudd le and encourage not only our babies but ouryounger children as well. The hab it of touching, hugging and physically expressing affection to our children is something one should never outgrow!Yet how many parents have been emotionally crippled in this respect? Men too often have been taughtto be th e strong, silent types . By example and infer-ence, males in the English-speaking world were taught

that it is not proper for he-men to kiss and cuddle theiryoung children-especially their boys.Perhaps we do not realize that for centuries it hasbeen customary for countless millions of fathers in the

Middle East and in the Latin world to kiss and/orem brace even their grown sons!Express Your LoveSo all you fathers and mothers alike, learn to reg-ularly hug and kiss youryoung c hi ld re n. T ak ethem in your arms andhug them when yo ucome home from work .Play with them, teachthem, read to them whilethey are sitting on yourlap, and then hug themand kiss them again asyou put them to bed .Tell them: "Mommy andDaddy love you. We areproud of you . Mommyand I ar e very glad tohave a l it tl e boy (or gir l)like you."With such love and encou ragement, your childrenwill literally bloom like beautiful flowers before youreyes . For your love and assurance and the sense of

security it provides will nourish them as surely as doesphysical food.And in doing all this, you will be building a deep

bond of affection and t ru st t ha t will make it mucheasier for your children to want to respond to yourteaching, training and even correction when that isnecessary. I have found in my own family that thisbond will carry through even after your chi ldren aremarri ed and have homes of their own .Always let your children know that you will lovethem and try to help them no matter what. You maydisapprove or even strongly correct them for the genuine mistakes they will certainly make. But that doesNOT change th e underlying love and affection you willalways feel for them .Knowing this, a child's self-esteem, confidence andsense of worth are strengthened immeasurably. He (orshe) can then respond to the turbulent problems of lifewith a quiet strength.Such a child can also give love and security and

16

understanding to others because he has experienced ithimself.Teach ing and Tra in ingHow many countless hours will a horse trainer spendteaching his mount various tricks and maneuvers?Have you ever noticed th e self-discipline and patiencethat most animal lovers have when working with ashow horse, a pointer, setter or prize-winning canine ofwhatever breed?What about our own children? The little humanbeings that come out from our own bodies? The adults

and leaders of tomorrow?Unlike an animal-which has instinct-a l i tt le childknows nothing at birth. Though a young calf is

equipped with bot h strength and instinct to get up andsuckle its mother, a human baby could-withoutassistance- l i e an arm's length from his mother'sbreast and starve to death!Humans must be taught EV ERYTHING .A litt le child must not merely be toilet trained. Heor she must be taught how to ea t, and later on whatgood foods to eat in right balance and why.Children must betaught how to sit andwork and speak properly.

How to dress and groomthemselves properly. Howto s how concern andcourtesy toward othersincluding their own parents.Without such training,they will certainly growup. But they are certainlynot properly reared. Andthey are probably NEVERgoing to have the under standing, the culture, thecourtesy or the capacityto become hig hly successful individuals and leaders in

the adult world.Teach Right HabitsTeaching and t ra in ing your chi ldren regular ly is anabsolute prerequisite to the ir future success . Fromearly childhood you need to drill your children in thehabit o f obedience. Little toddlers can be taught to"come here ," "go si t in that ch air," "now come backagain," "bring Mommy (or Daddy) th e toy," etc .

By the time they are 3 or 4 years old, give themsmall chores to do. Teach them and work with themin always putting the toys back in th e toybox whenthey are finished playing . In putting th e towel backon th e towelrac k, in washing their hands before ameal.I can almost hear some of the permissive educatorssaying, "But you'll just make them into l it tle automatons ."The answer?Would you rather have happy, obedient , living chil

dren? Or , would you consider that if little Johnny (orMary) is not trained to respond to his parent's instruc-The PLAIN TRUTH


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Babies and children must haveconstant affection

and encouragement to developthe right kind

of confidence and sense of worthand the capacity to feel

and express affection themselves.

tion, he may simply run out in t he str ee t one dayagainst your wishes and be crushed by a speedingautomobile?

The po int is that little children, for their own pro-tection, must be taught to obey their parents. In anynumber of dangerous situations, it could quite literallyspell the difference between life and death.As they grow older-say 10 to 12 years-they alsoneed to have had the whys and where fores and thereasons behind these instructions explained to them.Teen TrainingFrom th e earliest years, one big area to work on withyour chi ld ren is attitude. Teach them the importance of being responsive to their parents' wishes, ofobeying the Fifth Commandment and honoring theirparents. Teach them the importance of honesty,integrity, cour te sy and kindness. Teach them torespect th e law of the land , to respect the rights ofothers, to love God, love their parents, love theirfellowman.

Instill ing these principles and r ight a tt itudes fromthe earliest years is of vital importance. For thesebasic principles and atti-tudes form the founda-tion on which yourchild's basic characterand his ent ire approachto life will rest.So teach your child tocontrol his or her emotions, to deve lop emotional stability and a positive attitude toward life.Never give in to tempertantrums in your children . You should correctthem for tantrums andwrong attitudes morethan for careless over-sight or an accident that did not involve a wrongattitude.Correction and Discipl ineThis mixed-up modern society is reaping the whirlwind created by permissive psychologists, teachers andparents. Uncontrolled, rebellious youths are wreakinghavoc in many of our cities, schools and homes.Much of this is because modern man has beendeceived into thinking that in rearing children it has tobe either love or discipline.That is utterly and tragically foolish.In truth, th e correct approach to child rearinginvolves both love AND discipline. For they go handin hand and complement one another.As cited above, if your l it tle child keeps running ou tin the street-laughing at you because you either can 'tor won't spank your child's bottom for this foolishness,you may lose your child in the grinding crash of anautomobile. And all the permissive sociologists andpsychologists on earth won't be able to bring him backfrom the dead .

But if you pat ient ly , lovingly correct the chi ld forJune 1983

such dangerous acts as cited above, you will be performing the greatest act of LOVE that you could possi-bly render on such an occasion. .Scripture tells us, "Foolishness is bound in the heartof a ch ild; bu t the rod of correction shall drive it farfrom him" (Prov. 22: 15) . Again, "The rod and reproofgive wisdom: bu t a child left to himself bringeth hismother to shame" (Prov. 29:15).

I f you truly love your litt le child, you SPANK on thefatty area designed by your Creator-when he or sheneeds it! And you will demonstrate the depth of yourheartfelt concern for him by this action.No, I do NOT mean chi ld beating! I do NOT agreewith an adult losing his or her temper and striking achild in an uncontrolled rage!Do NOT injure him. Do NOT lose your temper orst rike him on or about the head or any other vitalorgan. But DO spank him hard enough so that hesincerely cries and is sorry for his misconduct.

Then, aft er the worst of his crying subsides, takehim lovingly in your arms. Tell him you love him, thatyou had to spank him so he would be a good boy, andthat you hope he will learn to do better and grow up to

be a fine , good man.About this time, thenormal child is huggingyou back, real iz ing andagreeing that he neededthe spanking, and feel ingmore secure in your loveand your genuine concernfo r him than he didbefore the spanking. Foryou will have brokenthrough an emotional barrier with your child bythe kind of proper discipi ine I have just de -scribed .Somehow, after a

spanking done in love, a child is enabled .to respondbetter to his parents in a deep, trusting manner. Aftersome mon ths of this kind of proper discipline, thechi ld knows that he has "seen the other side of themountain," and it is not all that bad . He has experienced the fact that when his youthful tensions andself-will result in outward rebellion, he gets spanked.But the child sees that the spanking is done in loveand for his or her good. That the tensions building upare actually relieved by the spanking and subsequenttears . And that you and your chi ld actually feel closeremotionally after sharing this intimate, loving experience of helping a young child get control of himselfand grow up.As the properly reared child grows into puberty andthe teenage years, spanking will be done less and less.I t is all grounded in the fact-instilled early in thechild's l i fe- that you the parent a re in charge, thatdiscipline must and will be carried out for the child'sgood if wrong attitudes or rebel lious, disrespectfulbehavior occur.The young person can have confidence in this fact,and in the concern he (Continued on page 29)

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YOU CANCONQUER YOURFEARS!by Herman L. Hoeh

Do you have doubts about acquiring a job? Does the dread ofillness or a nervous breakdown haunt yOU? Are brokenfriendships robbing you of health? Then here's what you need to do!.N EVERn the history ofthe world have somany people enjoyedso many benefits from laborsaving devices and so manybenefits from public sanitation. Yet, the fear of nervousdisorders, heart disease, can

cer and insanity is robbingmillions of health and happiness.People everywhere are under

needless mental strain . Businesspressure and family troublesworry millions. We don't knowhow to relax.

Why is there such anxiety, suchnervous strain? Why are we failingto master our fears and worries?An Age of Mismanaged M indsThis is not alone the age of thebomb. This is the age of mismanaged minds!Uncontrolled, undirected mindsare ruin ing the lives of count lessthousands. Millions more are rendered miserable and unproductivebecause their minds have beenenslaved to needless, unreasonedfears, especially among th e newpoor.

Needless fears rob us of contentment, warp our personality and poison both mind and body.Fear is an emotion-an emotiondirected toward the self. Have youever noticed that t hose who suffer18

most from fear and worry arewrapped up in themselves? ' 'I'mafraid of this" and "I'm worriedabout that" is the way they talk.This, then is a selfish age! And themore we become concerned withourselves, th e more afraid webecome that the self will get hurt .

We become fearful of what mighthappen to the self. Our misdirectedminds coddle and pamper the self.In many instances this uncon-


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trolled emotion of fear leads tograve consequences-to real desperation . There is the fear that"something is wrong with th ebrain"-that a nervous breakdownis impending, that even insan itymight result.In other instances this uncontrolled emotion results in feelings ofinferiority, in mental inadequacy, insexual impotency. One fear leads toanother until our mental outlookand our physical health are permanently impaired!

But there is a way to correct thisproblem . There is a way to conquerfear!Are All Fears Wrong?For millennia the problem of fearhas confronted and perplexed ourgreatest thinkers . Philosophershave found no satisfactory solut ion-or their lives wouldn't havebeen so often frustrated! Certainpsychologists have spawned theidea of autosuggestion as a solutionto overcoming fears. Those whohave tried this method still findthemselves spiritually devoid ofhappiness. Of course! For autosug-gestion is a clever way of saying self-deception! And deception never solved any

thing .Others have tried seda-t ives-especial ly alcohol-to relieve their nervous fears. Countless pillsto calm nerves and keeppeople happy have been sold by

druggists. But fears and worries andmenta l and physical illnesses stillcontinue!For us to reach the solution, we

must recognize there are two fundamental types of fears : helpfulfears and harmful fears.Without normal , helpful fearsnone of us would be alive today!Proper fear is merely the drive forself-protection. Without this fearwe would not exercise proper caution against injury.

I t is the kind of fearwe need!But notice!-when the

mind is not properly managed, thenatural fear for self-protection isturned into unnatural fears for theprotection of self.Fears Are learnedThe control of the drive or emotionof fear is a learned process-it is amatter of education. We first needto learn what proper fear is. Thenwe need to exercise proper controlover it. But we must also avoid misdirected and harmful fears.

Proper fear is wisdom. I t is alsoknowledge. Suppose, for a moment, that we are confrontedwith a real danger. I t is onlynatural that we should befearful. But le t's masterour fears . Fear tells ussomething is wrong. I twarns us that we mustcalmly and carefully faceour danger. We mustget busy and takeaction . Action solvesthe danger!-but simply worrying about itand being afraid thatthe worst will happen won't help us.

People who arechron ic wor ri er s,who have countlessfears, are usuallyprocrastinators andindecisive. They are afra id to takeaction. Their fears become theirmaster. They become slaves to theirfears.

The time to learn to master ourfears is when we are young-yet theproper direction of the mind in theseformative years is not being taughtin either the home or the school!But it is not too late to learn . Lifeis too important for us to remain inignorance, no matter how old we are .So let 's learn to distinguish betweenhelpful and harmful fears .Needless Fears and PhobiasSometimes our fears are insignificant or even laughable-to the otherfellow, of course. Petty fears thatplague people- f ear of an expanse ofwater, fear of air travel, fear ofsilence, darkness, shadows in themoonlight, fear of telephone calls ortelegrams-usually are the result ofpast experiences that we have either

consciously or su bconsciouslyallowed to haunt us.

Usually far worse are the common phobias that afflict peopleabnormally . Fear of the sight ofblood, fear of animals, fear of beingalone, fear of being afraid, fear ofloss of job and the fear of failure.To this list we might add the fearof everything, a characteristic ofthe person who runs away fromlife!

Underlying some of these abnormal phobias are normal fears. Butin every

case the normal,natural fear hasbeen allowed to getout of control. Witness the countlessmillions of girls andwomen who areafraid the y areoverweight. Seriousmenta l, emo ti on al

and physical injuryhas of ten been done to remove thisfear. The worsened conditioncreates more fears. A vicious circleresults.Haven't you known people whowere fearful of be ing afraid? Theycan't explain their fears, but theyknow something fearful is going tohappen to them! They haven'tlearned one of the lessons of life,that our worst fears and experiences never happen!

Sometimes, however, we bringfears and worries on ourselves. Jobwrote, "For the thing I greatlyfeared has come upon me, and what Idreaded has happened to me" (Job3:25, RA V). Many capable men andwomen have become failures simplyby yielding to the uncontrolled fearof fai lure. Especial ly has this beentrue since two world wars, a catastrophic depression and now a majorrecession.

This fear of failure leads to thefear of lack of security. One anxietybreeds another . These fears are allultimately character is tic of lack

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of knowledge and lack of wisdom.The cause of these abnormal worries and fears lies in inadequate recognition and control of emotionalproblems we experience in maturation. Domineering parents, inconsid

erate fathers, overpossessive mothers, family jealousies and arguments,fussy grandparents-these createdmost of our emotional problems. Butthe fundamental cause of our fears isour failure to recognize and solvethese emotional problems.

Let 's understand why emotionaldisorders lead to physical disorders.There is a direct mind-body relationship in every individual. Wemust direct and coordinate both. mind and body before we can reallyachieve happiness and conquer ourfears . Solomon understood thisproblem when he wrote, "A soundheart is th e life of th e flesh; butenvy the rottenness of th e bones"(Prov. 14:30) . And again, "Betteris a dinner of herbs where love is,than a fatted calf with hatred"(Prov. 15:17, RAV).

There is a direct connection ofdigestion and health with the mind.When the mind is fearful , it sendsout messages to the various glandsand organs to be prepared for dange r . The organs fill the . bloodstream with materials to enable usto act to meet the danger. When weprocrastinate or are indecisive, ourbody becomes filled with unusedmaterial. Our glands are needlesslydrained. Constant self-inducedfears soon cause th e glands to function abnormally. Our whole bodysuffers, and with it the personalityand even th e mind.

Unconquered fears are the causeof a major portion of diseases. Ofcourse, proper food habits, properexercise and elimination also playapart in overall health-both mentaland physical.

When our bodies become filledwith toxins that should have beenused up in action to meet real dan gers, we find ourselves nervous andupset. People often say, "It 's mynerves." Nerves are not wrong. Weneed nerves to function by. I t is whatwe have done to our nerves that isthe problem. We have frayed themthrough overuse arising from uncontrolled fears and worries . We haveturned the nerve mechanism createdfor self-protection into a power-20

ful weapon for self-destruction.The Fea r-plagued M indWhen once we have created physical disorder in our body, the imagination begins to play tricks on us .Our imagination should be uti lizedto create new and better ideas. I t isan instrument for progress. Instead,we let ou r imagination frighten uswith new and added fears . Weimagine we are suffering from indigestion, then ulcers, then cancer.Sometimes we imagine ourselvessuffering from a nervous breakdown or mental derangement. Lifebecomes frightful.Horrifying dreams begin toafflict us. Most dreams come froman overworked mind. Daily problems weigh us down as we seek restat night. We don't know how torelax . Solomon said, "For a dreamcometh through the mul ti tude ofbusiness" (Eccl. 5:3).

Since the conscious business withwhich so many have been occupied isthat of c reating new fears and worries , is it any wonder that a bloodengorged brain will recreate thesesame fears in dreams?

When the state of mental worrytakes a severe form, dreams andpremonitions build up the fear ofdeath-and usually cause premature death . Most of th e world isenslaved by this dreadful fear! Thisfear wrecks mental balance andpoisons th e body. I t creates spiritual misconceptions that sometimesexert themselves in religious persecution. Persecut ion is a releasevalve for pent-up spiritual frustrat ions, fears and th e sense of selfcondemnat ion. But persecu tiondoesn't solve the problem.The Way of Escaping FearsOnce we re cogn iz e t he se un founded fears that we need to battle, we must find the righ t way toconquer them. Psychological selfdeception won 't help.

For example, it doesn 't really doany good to t el l ourse lves thatdeath is not really an enemy-thatit is a good friend. Such autosuggestion doesn't change th e fact thatdeath is a mortal enemy. The wayto solve this fear-and to solveevery unnecessary fear-is to recognize what it really is.Death is an enemy ( I Cor.

15:26). But Jesus Christ has madea way to escape its eternal consequences . " . . . our Savior JesusChrist, who has abolished deathand brought life and immortality tolight through the gospel" (I I Tim.1:10, RAV). "For God did not giveus a spirit of timidity but a spirit ofpower and love and self-control "(verse 7, RSV).

But how do we lose the dread ofdeath-and of all the othe r fearsand worries that haunt us?

Remember, the first lesson welearned is that we need to recognizethe distinction between helpful andharmful, uncontrolled fears. Fearmay be eith er right or wrong,depending upon our direction ofthi s emotion . Proper fear stemsfrom the drive for self-preservation.I t is a signal of danger-a signalthat we need to take action.

Proper fear is in two forms. Oneis natural fear of physical danger the warning that we need to protectthis life. The other is spiritual fearfor ou r eternal protection. This fearalmost no one recognizes. Yet withou t it, we will never be able to conquer uncontrolled fear.

This spiri tual fear is called thefear of th e Lord or the fear of God .Like every other fear , it , too , hasbeen misguided until it has becomethe fear o f t he devil!The natural emotion of physicalfear warns us of physical hazards.This is a learned fear. The spiritualfear of God warns us of eternaldangers . It, too, is a learned fear.We have to learn about the powerand authority of God. We learnthat God gives life and also takeslife. That is why Jesus said, "Fearhim" (Luke 12:5).Why Is th e Fear of GodNecessary?This age has lost this healthy respectfor God . Notice this example: "Byfaith Noah, being divinely warned ofthings not yet seen, moved with godly fear , prepared an ark for the saving of his household . . . " (Heb.11:7, RAV). Noah feared the powerof God . That was a right fear-aproper spiri tual fear. But Noahdidn't let his fear worry and frustratehim. Noah acted on his fear. He didsomething about it!The great importance of the fearof God has been woefully misun-

The PLAIN TRUTH


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derstood. Let's understand its fullsignificance. "By the fear of theLord men depart f rom evil" (Prov.16:6) . This fear warns us that Godwill punish us if we harm ourselvesby doing evil!

When we do evil, we harm ourselves. To teach us not to do evil,God sometimes has to punish us.That is how the fear of God leads usaway from the danger of evil-bothphysical and spiritual danger. "Thefear of the Lord is the instruction ofwisdom" (Prov. 15:33).

When we fear God, we respectwhat he says, What he says hasbeen recorded in his Word, theBible. In the Bible is the wisdom ofGod. Its instruction tells us rightfrom wrong. It defines for us thepitfalls of sin. It warns us ofthe dangers of evil that robus of happiness and prosper-ity and eternal life. "Thefear of the Lord tendeth tolife: and he that hath it shallabide satisfied; he shall notbe visited with evil" (Prov.19:23).

The need for the fear of theLord is also a New Testamentteaching. Peter said, "FearGod" (I Pet. 2:17). It isrepeated again in Revelation14:7" The early Church ofGod had peace when "walking in the fear of the Lord,and in the comfort of theHoly [Spirit]" (Acts 9:31).How to Act on the Fearof GodHow will the proper reactionto the fear of God rid us of all theneedle ss men ta l suffering weimpose on ourselves? How will thefear of God teach us to manage anddirect our minds until we masterevery nervous fear?

The apostle John wrote, "There isno fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not madeperfect in love" (lJohn 4:18).

The worries and mental tormentsstemming from fears occur whenlove has not been perfected. Love isdoing what God commands. "Forthis is the love of God, that we keephis commandments: and his commandments are not grievous "( I John 5:3).The commandments of GodJune 1983

define right and wrong. They tell usof the dangers of sin . Sin is the"transgression of the law" ( I John3:4). By obeying God we avoid thedangers of evil and we fill our mindsand emotions with love. Loveremoves worries and torments. Thisis how we act upon the fear of God.

Now let us learn how to acquireperfect love. Here is what Petersays: "Add to your faith vi rtue; andto virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godl iness brotherlykindness; and to brotherly kindness[love]" (I I Pet. 1:5-7). (The archaicword charity, found in the Authorized Version, should be renderedlove.)

When the mind ISnot properly

managed, the naturalfear for

self-protection isturned into unnatural

fears forthe protectionof self.

First, notice that you begin wi thfaith.What is faith? "But withoutfaith it is impossible to please[God]: for he that cometh to Godmust believe that he is, and that heis a rewarder of them tha t diligently seek him" (Heb . 11:6).

You cannot fear God withouthaving faith that he exists and thathe rewards us for what we do,whether good or evil. Faith is notsomething you try to make yourselfthin

Documents

The Plain Truth Magazine Issue: As Presented on The World Tomorrow with Herbert W Armstrong