DISCERN | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023

DISCERN

TOOLS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Discern magazine (ISSN 2372-1995 [print]; ISSN 2372-2010 [online]) is published every two months by the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, as a service to readers of its LifeHopeandTruth.com website. Discern’s home page is LifeHopeandTruth.com/Discern. Free electronic subscriptions can be obtained at LifeHopeandTruth. com/Discern. Contact us at info@DiscernMag.com

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Ministerial Board of Directors: David Baker, Arnold Hampton, Joel Meeker (chairman), Larry Salyer, Richard Thompson, Leon Walker and Lyle Welty

Staff:

President: Jim Franks; Editor: Clyde Kilough; Editorial content manager: Mike Bennett; Managing editor: David Hicks; Senior editor: David Treybig; Associate editors: Erik Jones, Jeremy Lallier; Assistant editor: Kendrick Diaz; Copy editor: Becky Bennett; Social media: Hailey Willoughby

Doctrinal reviewers: John Foster, Bruce Gore, Peter Hawkins, Jack Hendren, Don Henson, Doug Johnson, Chad Messerly, Larry Neff

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We

11 Becoming Sons and Daughters of God

It’s almost beyond our comprehension, but God loves us so much He wants us to be His children! What does this mean for our life now and for our future?

13 How Close Are We to Transhumanism?

Followers of the transhumanism movement say human beings can unlock technology that will allow us to live forever. Will humans be upgraded?

16 Divine Protection in a Chaotic World

Worries about crime, disease and disasters are increasing. What can we do to avoid danger, and what does the Bible say about seeking divine protection?

19 Ruling With an Iron Fist vs. Ruling With a Rod of Iron

Tyrants, strongmen and dictators dominate the news. What can we learn by contrasting their brutal rulership with the leadership commended in the Bible?

Leaving a Legacy for Your Grandchildren

As illustrated by an article in this issue, “Becoming Sons and Daughters of God,” the family concept in the Bible holds profound implications about our eternal purpose!

In addition, though, it also helps us to better understand family roles and responsibilities in this life. My wife and I have happily segued from child-rearing to grandparenting, and occasionally we chat about what we might leave to grandchildren when we’re gone (not that we’re planning on that anytime soon!). Anything physical will be modest, but we’re hoping to leave them a different, better type of wealth.

The greatest inheritances

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,” Solomon said. Interestingly, grandparenting is an area where the poor and prosperous alike can give the greatest inheritances of all—wisdom, love, encouragement, memories and lessons learned.

“Grandparents should play the same role in the family as an elder statesman can in the government of a country,” is how British author Erin Pizzey describes it. “They have the experience and knowledge that comes from surviving a great many years of life’s battles and the wisdom, hopefully, to recognise how their grandchildren can benefit from this” (Geoff Dench, ed., Grandmothers: The Changing Culture, p. 6).

A grandparent’s influence

Grandparents are positioned to contribute in unique ways to a child’s development. Life has usually slowed down, and they’ve had more time to process life itself. God intended it to be that way and instructs grandparents to fill a special role in influencing the young ones.

Moses told the Israelites, “Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Parents are normally the primary influence on a child, of course, but grandparents offer a different level of teaching that can greatly supplement—without supplanting—the parents’ responsibilities.

For example, while grandchildren are grandparents’ link to the future, grandparents are children’s link

to the past. Grandparents should be the best family historians, connecting children to their roots and nurturing family traditions, important elements for a child’s sense of stability.

What can you pass on?

What can you pass on to your grandchildren? Even more important than leaving a physical inheritance, you can plan to pass on your experience, knowledge and wisdom. Consider these six critical areas of a child’s developmental needs:

1. God’s way of life.

2. Character development.

3. Emotional maturity.

4. Relationship skills.

5. Responsibility.

6. Physical skills.

These life skills do not come naturally to children— they are a product of the Proverbs 22:6 admonition, “Train up a child in the way he should go.” After four to six decades, grandparents have learned a lot about how life should work best—the way they should go!

The challenge is to ponder the things you’ve learned in these six areas of life and figure out age-appropriate ways to pass them on to your grandchildren. It’s these family narratives and personal experiences you convey—the teaching opportunities you create and the love you build in doing so—that grandchildren will eventually treasure more than anything else.

Grandparents who see their role as a responsibility and work to do it well will quickly realize the truth of Proverbs 17:6: “Children’s children are the crown of old men.”

Bequeath to them a legacy, a priceless inheritance—a great relationship with you. Decades later, after they’re grown and long after you’re gone, they will continue to draw from your treasury everlasting memories of love, inspiration, direction, encouragement, wisdom and a relationship with God in His family.

Clyde Kilough Editor

TOOLS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

We’re excited to announce the release of Life, Hope & Truth’s newest resource—a book designed to help Christians deepen their relationship with God.

Part of our mission at Life, Hope & Truth is to provide others with the tools and resources they need to develop a deep, meaningful relationship with God. As we strive to “be imitators of God as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1)—to live pure lives while we prepare for the return of Jesus Christ—we want to make it easier for others to do the same.

Over the decades, we’ve found that God provides each of

us with a set of spiritual tools designed to help us grow as Christians. These tools are critical in our journey to become more like our Father in heaven—and, in fact, God designed them to function as core components of our Christianity.

We decided to write a booklet about them—prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting and fellowship—the five primary tools all Christians can use to strengthen their relationship with God.

Unfortunately, we hit a snag.

There was too much to say.

What does it mean to pray, “Your Kingdom come”? Why do we need to pray when God already knows what we need? What can we learn from the prayers recorded in the Bible?

How can we piece all the different stories of the Bible together into a clear timeline? What’s the best way to make use of the various Bible study resources out there? Why does it matter what translation we read?

How does meditation really work? What should we be trying to accomplish?

Does fasting have to last precisely 24 hours? What is the value of a fast, exactly? How can our attempts to fast backfire on us?

How does our fellowship with other Church members impact our fellowship with God? What practical steps can we take to ensure better fellowship?

The list goes on. A booklet wasn’t going to cut it. There were too many questions that needed answers, and not enough space to answer them.

So we gave up on the booklet .

And wrote a book instead. It’s called Five Tools for Spiritual Growth: How to Develop a Deeper Relationship With God.

I’m excited to tell you more about it—but first, let’s talk about tools.

What does it take to use a tool?

The first time I used a hammer, I held it with my hand all the way up the handle.

That’s a terrible way to hold a hammer. I may as well have been using a rock. It took more time, more strength and more energy to awkwardly bludgeon every nail into the wood.

But I wasn’t interested in using the hammer efficiently. I was interested in not crushing my fingers

with an errant swing. The weight of the hammer in my hand was unfamiliar. I didn’t trust myself to land each blow with any kind of accuracy, and I knew I was perpetually one bad swing away from having a throbbing red thumb and howling and leaping around as if I belonged in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

If you want to get the most out of a hammer—or at least make it marginally more effective than a large rock—then you need to understand how a hammer is designed to work. Holding the bottom of the handle (instead of the top), swinging with a wide arc (instead of little bitty taps) and bending at your elbow (instead of your wrist) are all important steps to maximize the force behind each blow.

Of course, just knowing about a hammer doesn’t automatically make you good at swinging a hammer. You can know all about hammers—you can know their history, you can know exactly how they’re made and understand all the design philosophies involved, you can even know the most popular brands and what people love about them—but if you’ve never personally picked up a hammer yourself and tried to hit a nail with it, then that first swing will still be a learning experience.

That’s true for more than just hammers. Using any tool effectively requires two things—knowledge and practice. You have to understand how the tool was intended to be used, and then you have to get used to using it.

Practice without knowledge means you might never use a tool to its full potential—or worse, you might learn to use it in a way that makes things harder than they need to be. Knowledge without practice means never developing any skill with the tool—and more to the point, never accomplishing anything with it.

Neither aspect is enough on its own.

The goal of the spiritual tools book

When it comes to the five primary tools God gives us, these spiritual tools have a lot in common with physical tools. They can help us accomplish things we’re unable to do on our own—but using them well requires both knowledge and practice.

It’s not enough to learn about these tools but never use them—and it’s also possible to use these tools in unhelpful and inefficient ways if we don’t first make an effort to learn about them.

Photo: Hailey

Willoughby

And that’s why we wrote our book. We hope Five Tools for Spiritual Growth will serve as a helpful reference for Christians everywhere as they seek to better understand—and better master—the incredible tools God has given us.

It’s not meant to be read through in one sitting, internalized and then set aside. It’s not even necessarily meant to be read through in order. This is a book you can come back to over and over again to clarify questions or to dig deeper into the individual tools.

If you want to understand why Bible study matters in the first place—we talk about that. If you want advice on different approaches to Bible study—we talk about that. If you want to understand how biblical authors used chiasmus to introduce an extra layer of emphasis to their writings—we talk about that too.

The book doesn’t tackle every question, of course— even a book has its limitations! But it tries to tackle some of the bigger ones while offering helpful insights along the way.

We’ve divided the book into five main parts—one for each tool—and organized each part into chapters and sections that will help you find what you’re looking for as quickly as possible.

For the rest of this article, let’s take a closer look at these five tools and explore how the book will help you put each of them to use.

Part I: Prayer

Prayer is the act of speaking to God. It’s a fundamental part of our relationship with Him—after all, a relationship without communication is hardly a relationship at all. But prayer can also feel like a mysterious ritual, with fuzzy rules and an unclear purpose.

Part I of Five Tools for Spiritual Growth is all about demystifying prayer. We start by examining each individual element of the model prayer Jesus Christ gave His disciples, looking closely to see what insights we can extract from the phrases He used.

In general, these elements teach us how to speak with God about three important areas of life—our relationship with Him as our Father in heaven, His overall plan for the human race and how our own personal needs and desires fit into it all.

We also cover a litany of prayer FAQs—everything from “How long should my prayers be?” to “What if God isn’t answering my prayer?”—before diving into specific, noteworthy examples of prayer in the Bible. By examining how men and women of God have prayed to their Creator in a variety of different situations, we can learn important lessons to apply to our own prayer life.

Part II: Bible study

Bible study is the other half of our conversation with God. Because “all Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16, English Standard Version), Bible study is

the powerful tool that allows us to hear the words God has for us. Combined with prayer, Bible study enables vital two-way communication with God.

But Bible study can get complicated—and confusing. With 66 books in the Bible, written by a multitude of different authors in three different original languages

across hundreds of years of human history, it’s hard to know where to start.

Part II of Five Tools for Spiritual Growth aims to provide you with a solid overview of what the Bible is, how it came to be, what historical eras it discusses, the different writing styles its authors employed, why translations matter, different approaches you can take to planning out your own personal studies and how to make use of a variety of other Bible-related resources.

The more time we take to understand the Bible as the incredible God-breathed book that it is, the deeper and richer our conversations with God will become.

Part III: Meditation

Different cultures and religions offer conflicting definitions of the practice, but godly meditation, as defined in the Bible, serves a key function in the life of a Christian. Part III of Five Tools for Spiritual Growth is about understanding what godly meditation looks like and how it strengthens our connection with God.

Part III also includes an extensive list of meditation topics for the moments when you’re not sure where to focus your attention. You’ll find references to important Bible lists, the names and titles of God and even the words used to describe the different aspects of God’s law.

Part IV: Fasting

Fasting appears repeatedly in the Bible, but it’s not always clear what the biblical process of fasting looked like—or even what the people involved hoped to accomplish. Part IV of Five Tools for Spiritual Growth looks at how fasting was used by God’s people in the Bible and discusses how you can put this tool to use in your own life while addressing another collection of FAQs.

In addition to some noteworthy examples of positive fasts in the Bible, this part of the book also explores important lessons from improper fasts—the kind of fasting God made a point to criticize and even condemn. These passages give us valuable insight into what our own fasts should (and shouldn’t) look like.

Part V: Fellowship

Perhaps the easiest of the five tools to overlook or undervalue, fellowship is about more than passing the

time with other Christians. God designed fellowship to connect the Church in a powerful way, creating opportunities for growth that simply could not exist on an individual level.

Because we’re all imperfect human beings, fellowship naturally comes with the possibility of a profound sense of connection—and a profound sense of rejection.

In addition to exploring how God designed fellowship to work, Part V of Five Tools for Spiritual Growth spends time examining the steps we can take to help make fellowship a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

This part includes seven keys to godly fellowship, tips for relating to people who come from different backgrounds and even practical tips for navigating conversations with our brethren.

Learning to imitate our Father in heaven

Being called to imitate God is an intimidating task—but it’s an exciting one too.

God calls us His children. He calls Himself our Father. Just as children naturally pick up on the mannerisms, habits and behaviors of their parents, so we can come to be more like our Heavenly Father. And, indeed, God lovingly invites us to imitate Him.

Like those of children, our imitations of our Father will be imperfect. Jesus called us to “be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”—but neither God the Father or Jesus Christ expect us to be perfect right now, in this moment. It’s a process—and the more time we spend with God—in prayer, in Bible study, in meditation, in fasting and even in fellowship—the more perfect those imitations will become.

In time, they’ll become so ingrained in our character, we’ll find ourselves imitating God without even thinking about it.

Our great God is growing a family, and He wants you to be part of it. He’s given you the tools you need for your journey there. It’s our sincere hope that this book will help you to make the most of them on the way.

To get access to Five Tools for Spiritual Growth as soon as it launches, visit lifehopeandtruth.com/ spiritual-tools and sign up for notifications.

Jeremy Lallier

God Is Not the Author of Confusion

Our world has long been plagued by propaganda— cleverly prepared information designed to deceive us.

For example, consider the quote widely attributed to P.T. Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” The implication is that Barnum thought the people who came to his circus didn’t realize they were being

We live in a world where confusion reigns. Where does it come from? How can we escape the confusion, and how will it finally be overcome?

swindled out of the money they paid for admission to his show.

But there is no evidence that Barnum uttered these words. Instead, it seems, they were said by a business rival trying to discredit him.

Today, the muddle over this quote serves as amusing historical trivia.

Unfortunately, our world today is filled with far more serious topics over which people are deeply divided and confused.

Examples include:

• The Russia-Ukraine War: Russia claims it was provoked by the West, while Ukraine and its supporters argue that it was unprovoked.

• The abortion debate: Opinions on whether abortion is health care or murder vary greatly, and passionate arguments abound on both sides. (Note: The Bible answers this question. See “Is Abortion Wrong? ”)

• Gender identity: There are differing views on whether our sex is determined at conception or if gender is a choice. (Note: The Bible addresses this question as well. See our article “ What Does the Bible Say About Gender Identity? ”)

The list could continue, illustrating the extent of conflicting opinions and disagreements with the guidance God gives us.

Readers of Discern magazine are seeking spiritual discernment. So let’s consider what God’s Word reveals about the confusion in our world today.

God isn’t at fault

The first thing we can note is that God is not responsible for the confusion in our world today.

Paul made this clear when he wrote, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

So where does confusion come from?

To answer this question, let’s go back to the beginning.

A perfect creation

When God first created our world, it was filled with order, harmony, peace and stability. He “didn’t create it for chaos, but formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18, International Standard Version).

The book of Job explains that when God “laid the foundations of the earth,” the angelic host “sang” and “shouted for joy” (Job 38:4, 7). Our planet had an amazing start!

A perfect creation disrupted and then restored

But something damaged God’s perfect creation. By the time God was ready to create humans, the earth had

become “without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2).

God then spent six days reordering and refashioning the earth in preparation for mankind—the pinnacle of His creation (Genesis 1-2; Romans 8:19).

What caused all the confusion?

The Bible points to a spirit being called Satan, who has repeatedly lied and distorted the truth. He is the source of confusion and uses it to deceive others. Originally, Satan was a high-ranking angel in God’s service, but he rebelled and led a third of the angels in a failed war against God.

Satan’s “tail drew a third of the stars . . . And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:4, 7-9; compare Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:13-16; Luke 10:18).

This spiritual warfare is what likely caused the earth to become chaotic and unfit for human habitation.

Satan confuses Eve

After refashioning the earth and creating man, God noted that everything He had made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God placed Adam and Eve, the woman He had created from one of Adam’s ribs, in a beautiful, well-watered garden filled with productive fruit trees (Genesis 2).

Life was good.

But then Satan the devil entered the scene, appearing as a snake.

Satan created so much confusion in Eve’s mind that he deceived her and coaxed her into disobeying God’s command not to eat the fruit of a specific tree in the garden. Because of this, Jesus referred to Satan as a murderer and a liar from the beginning (John 8:44).

Satan confused Eve by telling her that she wouldn’t die as God had said if she ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. Expanding on his lie, Satan accused God of holding Eve back from her potential and told her that if she ate of the forbidden tree she would “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

Not perceiving that Satan was lying to her, Eve examined the fruit and determined that it looked perfectly fine. She then ate some and shared it with her husband, Adam (verse 6; 1 Timothy 2:14).

The consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience were significant. To Eve, God said, “In pain you shall bring forth children.” Adam’s punishment was that the ground was cursed and that he would have to work much harder to get it to produce food (Genesis 3:16-18).

The most severe punishment for Adam and Eve was that they would die and return to the dust from which they had come (verse 19). They were banished from the garden and denied access to the tree of life, representing eternal life (verses 22-24).

This account of Adam and Eve’s sin is a pivotal event in the story of human confusion. Sadly, Satan’s efforts to confuse mankind have never abated since that fateful day in the garden.

Satan continues to confuse humans

The first mention of Satan in the Bible, the prelude to his deception of Eve, states that he “was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1). The word cunning is translated from arum, meaning “subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions).

Unfortunately, Satan never stopped using this character trait for evil in his ongoing efforts to confuse humans and get them to reject God.

The book of Job documents Satan’s cruel persecution of Job, a blameless man who feared God (Job 1:1, 8-19). Later, he incited King David to take a census of Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1).

But Satan’s deceitful activities are not limited to Old Testament times. The fact is, his influence has reached everyone.

John states, “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19), and Revelation 12:9 says, “That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan . . . deceives the whole world.”

Satan’s confusion removed in Christ

Although Satan tries to deceive everyone, those called by God are empowered to recognize and reject his influence. Paul told the brethren in Ephesus, “You once walked according to the course of this world, according

to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

Paul also noted that Satan had “blinded” the minds of those who did not respond to the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). In the preceding chapter, Paul likened spiritual blindness to having a veil on one’s heart (2 Corinthians 3:13-15). The key, said Paul, was “when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (verse 16).

Turning to God in genuine repentance of our sins is the starting point for cutting through the confusing ideas that Satan spreads. Seeking God with our whole hearts and studying His Word give us the clarity we need to sort through the confusion Satan disseminates.

A world without confusion

Although the number of people who are currently able to perceive and resist Satan’s influence is relatively small, a time is coming when the entire world will live in peace without the constant confusion caused by this malignant spirit (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 12:32).

The Day of Atonement—one of God’s annual holy days—pictures how this world without confusion will come about.

After Jesus returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth—pictured by the preceding holy day, the Feast of Trumpets—the Day of Atonement represents the restraining of Satan from his nefarious activity. Here is how the book of Revelation describes this upcoming event:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:1-3).

Once bound, Satan will no longer be able to sow confusion in people’s minds. The world will then experience a time of peace and clarity.

To learn more about the peaceful Kingdom of God that will be established here on earth, starting with the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ, read our free booklet The World to Come: What It Will Be Like .

—David Treybig

Before our first daughter was born, I really couldn’t grasp how much you can love a little bundle of joy . . . and sorrow, of smiles and tears, of butterfly kisses and letting go. Being a father is the most challenging and rewarding endeavor I have experienced.

And so the apostle John’s words hit home: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

God is a Father with infinitely more love than we humans have—love to pour into His children—into us! What does it mean to become a child of God? How can we be the kind of sons and daughters He desires?

Family: an underlying theme of the Bible

Family is an underlying theme of the whole Bible. Its many genealogies tie us all together in one human family, and its prophecies give us a glimpse of an eternal family plan.

But ever since Satan poisoned the relationship between God and His children Adam and Eve, families have been under attack. There are surprisingly few examples of ideal fathers or children in the Bible, but we can catch glimpses of the ideal throughout.

Becoming Sons and Daughters of God

For example, Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son describes a patient, merciful and loving father—a father like our Heavenly Father (Luke 15:11-32; see “ The Prodigal Son: Parable With Overlooked Meaning ”).

God Himself is the only perfect example of a father, and so it is fitting that He is called Father about 250 times in the New Testament.

But who are His children? The Bible actually talks about sons and daughters of God in several ways.

Sons of God by creation

Early in the Bible we read about those who are called sons of God by virtue of being created by God. This includes the angels who shouted for joy at the creation of the earth (Job 38:7). And it includes sinful humans before the Flood (Genesis 6:2) and even Adam himself (Luke 3:38).

But the storyline of the Bible first hints, then clearly states, that God has more in mind when He talks about His children.

“His only begotten Son”

The New Testament introduces us to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. He was not created, but was with God and was God before anything was created

It’s almost beyond our comprehension, but God loves us so much He wants us to be His children! What does this mean for our life now and for our future?

(John 1:1-3; see “Jesus, the Son of God ” and “ Was Jesus Created? ”).

Out of the Father and Son’s deep love came a plan to expand the family. They wanted to share everything with us in a close family relationship (John 1:12).

God’s plan is all about expanding His family!

This loving plan included a plot twist, however. Through Satan’s influence, each human being has fallen into the evils of sin and has earned an eternal death penalty.

The only way out of this dilemma gives us an even deeper look into the love God has for us—His potential children. In John’s memorable words:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). (To learn more about this important yet often misunderstood verse, read “ What Does John 3:16 Mean? ”)

Creation awaits the manifestation of the sons of God

Jesus died so people of all nations could be forgiven of their sins and have the opportunity to become children of God (John 11:51-52). And God wants us to become His children in a much deeper way than just being physically created by Him. He wants to give us His spiritual DNA through His Spirit so we can grow to be His spiritual children with His character.

We begin a new life through repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; see “ What Is Conversion? ”). Paul said that God’s Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17).

Jesus Christ inherited all things, and He and the Father want to share it all with us!

Paul went on to write about how the creation “eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (verse 19), when it will be delivered from corruption “into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (verse 21).

It’s as if the whole of creation is groaning in birth pangs for our becoming God’s children (verse 22).

This transformation will be complete when God changes or resurrects us to glory in spiritual bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-54).

Characteristics of a child of God

As children of God, how should we act now? How are our minds to be transformed? Consider a few of the biblical characteristics of a child of God:

• “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

• “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15).

• “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments” (1 John 5:2).

The children God desires will strive to be like Him and to please Him. Study more about this in our article “How to Please God .”

“Behold what manner of love”

Let’s go back and read more of 1 John 3: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (verses 1-3).

This incredible hope should inspire and motivate us to purify ourselves and become like Him!

“We shall be like Him”

One of our readers asked, “Will we be God’s literal children or pseudo sons and daughters?” John’s statement that “we shall be like Him” helps confirm that God plans to have real children.

God designed this plan. He gave us the motivation and the hope. And He gives us the help we need as we seek to become like Him—pure, peaceable, blameless and loving.

He loves us so much! How will we respond?

You can start by studying more in our online articles “Children of God ” and “ Why Were You Born? ”

—Mike Bennett

How Close Are We to Transhumanism?

If, through technology, we could upgrade the human body to the point where we could defy age, develop superintelligence, become immune to every disease and potentially live forever—should we? Is that even a realistic possibility?

Transhumanists answer “yes” to these questions. Major players in big tech, mainstream academia and the World Economic Forum have thrown their weight behind the growing movement. Transhumanism is slowly becoming a household term.

Followers of the transhumanism movement say human beings can unlock technology that will allow us to live forever. Will humans be upgraded?

But what is transhumanism, and do its followers have good reason to believe in a future full of upgraded humans?

What is transhumanism?

Transhumanism is a movement that wants to use technology to transcend the perceived limits of the human species and usher in a world of “posthuman” beings.

Professor Yuval Noah Harari, a chief proselytizer of the movement, in his book Homo Deus: A Brief History

of Tomorrow, wrote that the aim of transhumanism is to “upgrade humans into gods.”

Some seek to achieve this goal through genetic engineering; others, by building a fully functional cyborg. Either way, as long as human beings overcome their biological limitations, the dream will be realized.

Most people credit Julian Huxley as being the father of transhumanism. The word, which summarized his personal vision for humanity based on evolutionary biology, appeared in his work New Bottles for New Wine (1957). He wrote, “We need a name for this new belief. Perhaps transhumanism will serve: man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature.”

Transhumanism is basically modern-day eugenics on steroids. Indeed, Julian Huxley was an outspoken and committed eugenicist during the mid-20th century.

Eugenicists believed humanity had a moral responsibility to directly influence its own evolution— thereby accelerating progress, achievement and human flourishing—by controlling who could and could not reproduce. The theory was built on the premise that certain individuals were inherently more fit than others and, therefore, worthy to propagate the human species.

On the other hand, the eugenicists said, the unfit should not reproduce. This movement eventually became responsible for 70,000 forced sterilizations in the United States. The devastating effects of eugenics in the hands of Nazi Germany are well-known.

Transhumanists have a similarly troubling philosophy. In their view, the fit are those who embrace the utopian vision of using technology to reengineer themselves and shed their pesky biological limitations—while the unfit are those who are naively content with remaining in the outdated human body.

In his 2017 TED article “The Rise of the Useless Class,” Harari discussed hypothetically how society will respond to this “useless class” of people. He speculated that a combination of “drugs and computer games” might be the future for the unenhanced.

So how plausible are these concepts, and how did transhumanism come into the town square of public ideas?

From healing to enhancement

For generations, the job of medicine was basically seen as treating ailments and injuries to bring the body back to normal health.

The pandemic may have played a part in changing that. Aaron Kheriaty, a former professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, noted a subtle but significant change in this timetested approach to health and medicine.

“People used to be presumed healthy until proven sick,” he wrote. “You needed a doctor’s note if you missed too many days of work. But during the pandemic people were assumed to be sick until proven healthy: you needed ubiquitous and never-ending asymptomatic testing to allow you to work, travel, gather, and so on” (The New Abnormal, 2022, p. 179).

Kheriaty argued that the old paradigm has now given way to the technocratic paradigm. This new approach no longer views the normal, healthy human body as the reference point. Instead, all bodies are considered sick and must be “technologically vivified and periodically updated from the outside” (p. 178).

In an interview on American Thought Leaders, he summarized the new norm: “You’re presumed to be suboptimally functional until you get this intervention.” This mindset, of course, is a hotbed for transhumanist values.

This shift in how some public health experts view the human body gained noticeable momentum during the pandemic, though it was brewing even before then. In 2020, Adam Kirsch published an essay in The Wall Street Journal where he noted that our “biological fragility” became “more obvious than ever” during the global shutdowns. “Covid-19,” he speculated, “may turn out to be just the kind of crisis needed to turbocharge efforts to create . . a ‘transhuman’ future.”

Neuralink, founded by billionaire influencer Elon Musk, has not ceased to attract media coverage since its inception in 2016. The company speaks candidly about its desire to implant brain chips into people. Apparently, the technology will be able to treat paralysis, general spinal cord injuries and brain disorders, and even help users control computers with their own thoughts.

The company’s website also features vaguely stated aims to “unlock human potential” and “expand how we experience the world.” Many believe these desires

indicate a transhumanist vision for the company. On May 25, 2023, the company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch its first in-human clinical study.

Biotechnologist Hashem Al-Ghaili unveiled a concept video called EctoLife in December 2022, based on current research in stem cells, ectogenesis, biotechnology and genetic engineering. The eightminute informational video features a kind of sci-fi artificial womb facility that contains 400 pods, each designed to replicate the conditions in a mother’s uterus.

The video also advertises a hypothetical “elite package” that would allow couples the opportunity to “genetically engineer the embryo before implanting it into the artificial womb.” Thanks to the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool, each couple could customize their baby’s hair color, skin tone, strength, height and intelligence.

In an interview on The Beau Show, Al-Ghaili confirmed, “Everything is really science-based. It’s not speculative, and it’s not science fiction.” He said that the only impediment to artificial wombs right now is ethical restrictions.

These developments reveal a growing dissatisfaction with simply healing a disease or aiding someone who is impaired with glasses or cochlear implants. The ambitions now are to directly modify human DNA, tinker with our biology and enhance our capacities with machines.

Doomed from the start?

Transhumanists view death as a technical error ripe for solution. Technology, they believe, holds the key to true salvation.

Transhumanism is just another iteration of the same lie Satan the devil told our first parents. Adam and Eve swallowed his false promise: “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of [the forbidden fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Genesis 3:4-5).

Human beings have an innate, spiritual appetite. Transhumanism is a bogus attempt to satisfy it. And some are duped by this lie in the same way Adam and Eve were. Death is inevitable for every human being, not some solvable glitch (Genesis 3:19). The apostle Paul reminds us of this certainty: “It is appointed for men to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). The Bible soundly dismisses every idea that suggests otherwise.

Besides, not only is man mortal, he is also immoral. What would a mixture of long human life and unchecked moral imperfection produce? The experiment has already been done once before: the subjects lived for hundreds of years, and humanity became so depraved that God sent a flood to wipe them off the face of the earth.

Genesis 6:5 stands as a reminder that human beings’ problems are spiritual in nature, not biological: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

The mystery of the resurrection

The willful attempt to reengineer our minds and bodies to seize godhood possibly represents the greatest act of rebellion since the Tower of Babel.

Ironically, the essence of what transhumanism wants—eternal life on a higher plane of existence—is something God does offer.

The Bible says in very simple terms: “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God is eager to give the gift of eternal life. Since He “alone has immortality” (1 Timothy 6:16), He outlines the conditions for receiving it. The requirements have been the same since salvation in the name of Jesus Christ was first preached: repentance, baptism, obedience and faithfulness until death (Acts 2:38; Matthew 24:13).

God’s gift includes a bodily change—a mind-boggling upgrade—from mortal, physical to eternal, spiritual composition at the return of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:21).

Paul wrote about this in more detail: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

No one will attain immortality or overcome human limitations through transhumanism. Only in Christianity is there the assurance that death will not have the final word.

To know more about the future for all who die, read our booklet The Last Enemy: What Really Happens After Death?

—Kendrick Diaz

Divine Protection in a Chaotic World

If you follow the news on a regular basis, you may be experiencing a growing unease with the state of our world. It seems that the dangers posed by natural disasters, crime, war and disease are growing with each passing day.

Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves? Can we seek and rely on divine protection?

Looking at times when God watched over His servants can help us answer these questions.

Divine protection in Genesis

The first instance of divine protection recorded in Scripture is that of Noah. God destroyed the entire world with a flood because He “saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

Noah and his family, however, escaped the Flood. God warned Noah in advance, telling him to build an

Worries about crime, disease and disasters are increasing. What can we do to avoid danger, and what does the Bible say about seeking divine protection?

ark designed to survive the coming deluge (verses 1321). Noah obeyed.

The ark was a massive vessel. The dimensions provided in verse 13 are 300 cubits in length, 50 in width and 30 in height. The cubit was approximately 18 inches, so Noah’s ark was 450 feet (137 meters) long, 75 feet (23 meters) wide and 45 feet (14 meters) high.

This was not a weekend project!

Building such a vessel would have required a tremendous amount of work.

Lessons from Noah

Noah’s story teaches us several important truths about divine protection.

First, God chose to protect Noah because he was a righteous man. Described as “a just man” and as “perfect in his generations” (verse 9), he stood out.

The Hebrew word translated “perfect” does not mean that Noah had no flaws. Rather, when used of a person,

the word means “there is nothing in his outward activities or internal disposition that is odious to God” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary).

Second, Noah had an ongoing relationship with God. One short sentence tells us about this relationship: “Noah walked with God” (verse 9). To walk with someone means to go the same direction at the same pace. It means sharing a goal and working toward it together. Thus, Noah walked with God.

This walk includes obedience. Genesis 6 concludes by telling us that Noah obeyed “according to all that God commanded him” (verse 22).

Third, God planned and provided protection for Noah and his family, but He required Noah to do his part. Noah spent years working on the ark that would save eight people and thousands of animals.

God provided the “blueprint” for the ark, and undoubtedly blessed Noah’s efforts, but God did not build the ark for him! Trusting God doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing.

Divine protection of a future king

Our second example occurred during the reign of Saul. At one point, the army of Israel trembled before Goliath, a Philistine soldier who stood more than 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall. For 40 days he challenged the Israelites to select a single warrior to face him, suggesting that the results of that match would avert an actual battle (1 Samuel 17:4, 8-10, 16).

Seeing this enormous man before them, Saul and his army were “greatly afraid” (verse 11). Frankly, it’s difficult to imagine anyone not being greatly afraid when facing such an opponent!

Yet David, too young to be considered fit for this battle (verse 33), volunteered to fight this giant on behalf of his nation. He did so without armor (verses 38-39), and he won!

Lessons from David

What gave David such courage? When Goliath threatened to give David’s “flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field” (verse 44), David responded with words that reveal his own thinking.

First, David’s focus was on his God, not the giant threatening him. In his response to Goliath, David pointed out that the giant had not merely taunted Israel, but that he had defied the God of Israel. David

was not interested in his own personal glory, but in God’s glory.

David explained the reason for his confidence. Through his victory, “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (verse 46). God’s salvation is not based on physical weapons of war, but on His sovereign power (verse 47).

A second important lesson we learn from David is the importance of remembering God’s past actions in our lives. The confrontation with Goliath was not the first time David had needed divine protection.

After Saul had dismissed David as too young to fight, David told Saul that God had protected him from a lion and a bear as he shepherded his father’s sheep. In each of those instances, David had killed the predators, but gave God the credit (verses 34-37).

These memories, in turn, strengthened David’s resolve to rely on God’s protection during the upcoming match with Goliath: “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (verse 37).

Read more Bible verses about protection and safety in our online article “ 22 Encouraging Verses About God’s Protection .”

Self-protection or divine protection?

Now we can begin to answer the questions asked at the beginning of this article:

• Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves?

• Can we seek and rely on divine protection?

The answer to both questions is yes. These two concepts are not mutually exclusive. Seeking God’s protection does not mean ignoring our own responsibilities.

We see this dual responsibility in the story about the temptation of Jesus. When Satan told Jesus to throw Himself off the “pinnacle of the temple” to prove that He was the Son of God, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16).

The point is, we can have faith in God and rely on divine protection, but not if we unnecessarily put ourselves into dangerous situations. In this temptation, Satan wanted Jesus to intentionally put Himself in danger. Jesus didn’t, and neither should we, either intentionally or simply carelessly.

For more on avoiding dangers, see the sidebar “Tips for Protecting Yourself and Your Family.”

Five lessons from Noah and David

Both Noah and David took steps to protect themselves. They also looked to God for their ultimate protection, knowing that on their own they would fail.

Here is a summary of five lessons we’ve gleaned from Noah and David, presented as questions for us to ask ourselves:

• Do I strive to live a righteous life? Do I obey God?

• Do I have and maintain an ongoing relationship with God, or do I turn to God only when I need something or when I am desperate?

• Have I done my part in protecting myself and my family?

• When confronted with potential danger, do I focus solely on the threat before me, or do I focus on the power and love of God?

• Do I remember the times in my life when God has blessed me and protected me?

When God doesn’t protect His servants

It’s important to remember that God sometimes allows His faithful servants to suffer. Very early in the biblical story, we see that God did not protect Abel from his murderous brother Cain (Genesis 4:3-8). Abel is described as righteous (Hebrews 11:4), and yet God allowed this injustice.

However, understanding this concept does not mean we should give up on divine protection! We should seek God’s protection in all aspects of our life, yet recognize that He may have other plans for reasons we don’t yet understand.

Even so, we can be confident “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28; see “ What Does Romans 8:28 Mean? ”). Ultimately, the Bible promises that God’s faithful people will live again in a future resurrection.

As we approach the end times, the world will continue its slide into anarchy and chaos. We should do all we can to prepare ourselves, carefully maintaining the balance between personal responsibility and reliance on divine protection.

—Bill Palmer

TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY

Regardless of the potential hazards we all face, there are often specific steps we can take to minimize our own risks and avoid danger (Proverbs 22:3). Many organizations, from law enforcement agencies to first responders, provide suggestions that will help us prepare. We cannot address every potential risk, but here are a few tips related to preventing personal and property crimes:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Just noticing what is around you can help you avoid becoming a victim.

• Walk with a confident stride. The more confident you appear, the less inviting you become to a criminal.

• Don’t make yourself an inviting target by flashing cash or other valuables around.

• Make yourself a hard target by traveling in a group, when possible. Also, avoid dark and secluded places, especially at night.

• Make your property a hard target. Consider adding deadbolts to doors in your home, adding lights to dark places and installing a security system.

• Maintain your property. Unmown lawns, broken windows and other signs of neglect can suggest that a home is unoccupied.

• Think twice before sharing details about travel plans prior to a trip, whether you do so in person or through social media.

For tips on preparing for natural disasters (and other disaster situations), you can visit ready.gov.

Ruling With an Iron Fist vs. Ruling With a Rod of Iron

Tyrants, strongmen and dictators dominate the news. What can we learn by contrasting their brutal rulership with the leadership commended in the Bible?

From the earliest pages of human history, we find rulers who have exercised a ruthless bloodlust for ever-greater power and domination. The desire to control others is an ingrained part of our human nature, but how is the godly perspective on rulership different?

The Bible clearly teaches that those who are called to a future of rulership assisting Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God will be nothing like the dictators and autocrats of the world today.

Get there, stay there

Dictators invariably have two objectives. First, a dictator must do whatever is needed to claw himself into power. Then, even more important, he must do anything required to cling to supremacy.

To accomplish those goals, autocrats often wield a ferocious iron fist that blends fear, industrialscale financial theft and the creation of colossal personality cults.

Different players, same game

Today’s dictators may reach office through the ballot box, but often their road to power is paved with corpses. Snatching power through a sudden, violent and unlawful coup is common.

There have been more than 486 attempted or successful coups carried out in the world since 1950. Africa has had 214—more than any other region—with 106 of them successful. During that period, 45 of the 54 countries on the African continent have had at least one coup attempt.

In the last hundred years, there have been a staggering 45 coups and attempted coups in Paraguay alone. Nonetheless, Paraguay appears to be the image of stability when compared to its South American neighbor Bolivia, which has witnessed nearly 200 coup attempts—an average of one a year—since declaring independence in 1825.

Field guide to tyranny

“Power seized through violence must be maintained by violence,” wrote Frank Dikötter, historian and author of How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century. So, once in power, despots establish legions of police, secret police, informants,

spies, interrogators and torturers. Why? Because a population that lives in perpetual fear of arrest is a docile population.

“Successful leaders,” echoed international relations scholar Alastair Smith and coauthor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, “are not above repression, suppression, oppression, or even killing their rivals, real and imagined. Anyone unwilling to undertake the dirty work that so many leaders are called on to do should not pursue becoming a leader. Certainly, anyone reluctant to be a brute will not last long if everyone knows he is unprepared to engage in the vicious behavior that may be essential to political survival. If an aspiring leader won’t do terrible things, they can be sure that there are plenty of others who will” (The Dictator’s Handbook, p. 129).

Bashar al-Assad, though initially considered a shy physician, has shown the brutality required to cling to absolute power in Syria for decades. He is responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 of his own citizens— some of whom died by ghastly chemical attacks he ordered when his rule was threatened.

Some estimate 120,000 of North Korea’s citizens are imprisoned in concentration camps, subject to slavery, torture, shootings and human experimentation, for the real or imagined political “thought crimes” of distant family members.

Mao Zedong, who once governed over a quarter of the world’s population in China, showed a chilling disregard for the deaths of perhaps 42 million of his own people from needless famine and sadistic purges.

A dictator by any other name

Successfully creating a personality cult is essential for dictators. This produces an aura of invincibility and an illusion of popular support. Despots shower themselves with magnificent titles, each more outlandish than the last.

Joseph Stalin was called “the Great Driver of the Locomotive of History.” Romania’s Nicolae Ceausescu fancied himself as “the Genius of the Carpathians.”

Longtime dictator of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, assumed a grandiose moniker that meant “the all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to

triumph, proceeds from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake.”

Messianic delusions

Many authoritarian strongmen start with a belief that they have been touched by divine providence and rapidly elevate themselves to the status of an infallible deity.

North Korea’s Kim Il-Sung, though dead for three decades, is still referred to as the Eternal President, and his portrait is displayed, by law, in every home, office and factory across the country.

In Cuba, followers of Fidel Castro were encouraged to describe him as “Jesus Christ incarnate, who came to put the affairs of Cuba—and other places—in order.”

The former president for life of Haiti, François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, had the Lord’s Prayer rewritten to praise his exalted status above God.

Ali Soilih, who briefly governed the minuscule Comoro Islands in the 1970s, proved that the size of a nation has little to do with the dictator’s self-adulation. He proclaimed: “I am your God and teacher. I am the divine way, the torch that lights the dark. There is no God but Ali Soilih.”

Wallowing in luxury

Kleptocracy means rule by thieves. It describes governments whose corrupt and self-indulgent rulers steal from their people through bribery, embezzlement or misappropriation.

The staggering wealth drained by some despots can make the eyes glaze over. Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier of Haiti pocketed more than $300 million for himself. Sani Abacha, who seized power in Nigeria, made off with upwards of $3 billion. Ferdinand Marcos squirreled away more than $5 billion from the Filipino people.

Mobutu Sese Seko lined his own pockets with more than $5 billion, even as most of his population lived in poverty on an average daily wage of roughly $1.

According to a 2004 Transparency International list of the most corrupt state leaders, the former Indonesian President Suharto enriched himself by an estimated $35 billion.

And the list could go on and on.

Vanity structures

Nimrod, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar may have set the tone for rulers constructing narcissistic statues and

enormous building projects to display their greatness, but recent tyrants are not far behind.

In Turkmenistan, the dictator Saparmurat Niyazov declared himself as Turkmenbashi, or “Father of all Turkmen,” and built a massive personality cult exemplified by the giant golden statue he had erected of himself. It towered 250 feet above the city and was designed to rotate so that it would bask in golden sunlight while reminding citizens of their allcontrolling ruler’s watchful eye.

Despite being an impoverished hermit kingdom, North Korea is rich in shrines to the Kim dynasty, with an estimated 40,000 colossal, bronze monuments erected to venerate the rulers.

Seen now as the symbol of Ceausescu’s megalomania and extravagant lifestyle, Romania’s 1,100-room Palace of the Parliament may be the ultimate vanity building project. Despite a dreadfully anemic economy, Ceausescu callously relocated 40,000 people and leveled a large part of downtown Bucharest to build the massive structure to his glory.

It is outweighed only by the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and more than 700 architects and up to 100,000 workers struggled for 13 years to construct the outlandish building. It contains over 35,000,000 cubic feet of marble and 3,500 tons of crystal.

Biblical perspective on rulership

Several words are translated as “ruler” in the New Testament, and they clearly contrast the actions of dictators and tyrants with the leadership that God expects of those who follow His way.

In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus said: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave [or servant]—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The Greek word translated in this passage as “rulers” is archon. Here, it negatively describes how human rulers typically act in positions of power— through cold-hearted domination and throwing their weight around. Jesus Christ will abolish this kind of

leadership when He “puts an end to all rule and all authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Echoing the messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 11:10, Paul’s words about Jesus Christ explain the result of ending the violence, propaganda and corruption endured throughout mankind’s history of tyrannical rule: “There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope” (Romans 15:12).

Christ, who demonstrated a perfect example of leadership and humble service to others throughout His life and death (Philippians 2:5-8), will powerfully demonstrate a government that brings true joy and prosperity to all.

Another Greek word explains this concept of rulership. Matthew 2:6 refers back to the prophet Micah’s God-inspired message of “a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”

The word for shepherd here is poimaino, which means “to feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep”— showing an outgoing attitude of love, service and nourishment.

This kind of rulership—in contrast to that of Herod, who a few verses later murders innocent children to prolong his own evil reign—shows how Jesus Christ will lovingly exercise authority. He will be a loving ruler when He returns to reign on earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16).

His goal will be the complete opposite of the goals of rulers today. As Christ said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

A rod of iron rather than an iron fist

When we understand Christ’s approach to ruling, we better grasp Revelation 2:26-27 and the initially puzzling instruction: “He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels.’”

This last part is a quote from Psalm 2:9, showing the power of the Messiah to defeat all enemies. This colorful metaphor does not mean merciless rule. There will be an essential place in God’s Kingdom for repentance and mercy.

The caring nature of Christ’s rule can be likened to a shepherd using a protective baton to correct and guide, but also to comfort and protect the sheep from wolves and other predators.

As Barnes’ Commentary puts it: “To rule with a scepter of iron, is not to rule with a harsh and tyrannical sway, but with power that is firm and invincible. It denotes a government of strength, or one that cannot be successfully opposed.”

Power or reward?

“Ruling,” observed Alastair Smith and Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, “is about staying in power, not about good governance.” Power is a potent drug, and eventually it addles even the longestlived presidents, draining them of the impetus to do anything except cling to life and, therefore, to power itself.

The efforts to combat this hunger for power are aptly illustrated by the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The prize has a $5 million award (far exceeding the money bestowed for the Nobel Peace Prize) and is meant to recognize probity and commitment to democracy—given to leaders who have relinquished power with grace rather than outstaying their welcome.

Unfortunately, such rulers have been few and far between. Though intended to be awarded annually, the prize has been given only seven times since 2007. Many years no leader was deemed worthy.

Our world today has a de facto czar in the Kremlin, an unrivaled potentate in Beijing and multiple aspiring sultans in the Middle East. And, in the nottoo-distant future, in Europe a leader likened to a “beast” in the Bible will shockingly eclipse all of the ancient Roman emperors.

But then, as promised in the Bible, Jesus Christ will return with a rod of iron to establish a rule—with His saints—vastly different from any mankind has ever experienced.

Read more about world events that are about to unfold and about the future of mankind under a refreshing and loving ruler in our free booklets The Book of Revelation: The Storm Before the Calm and The World to Come: What It Will Be Like .

—Neal Hogberg

If you have questions, submit them at

If it is true that this world belongs to Satan— we see his footprints everywhere—was this the world that God said He so loved and gave His only begotten Son for?

Yes, the people of this world who are currently under the sway of Satan (1 John 5:19) are the very people that God gave His only begotten Son for.

That may seem illogical at first glance. Why would God give the life of His Son for people following the lead of an evil being, Satan the devil?

But it is those who have been led astray into a life of sin (that means all of us, Romans 3:23) who need the sacrifice of the Son of God. We need it to atone for our sins so that after repentance of sin, we can have everlasting life in a much better world. God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Why?

God does not love people in the world because of their current state (living a life of sin under the sway of Satan), but because of the future He foresees for them once they see their sins (1 John 2:15-17), repent and are redeemed through the sacrifice of Christ.

God knows the end from the beginning. He sees the potential in us, and He plans to give us the help we need to reach our full potential as children in His family.

Currently, the majority of the world is under the influence of Satan without even knowing it: “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

God has allowed the blinding of the minds of the vast majority of mankind for now. But in His perfect timing, He will open the mind of each individual and

give him or her the opportunity to learn about the sacrifice of Christ and how to live as a result of it.

God’s plan to help us achieve the destiny He has planned for us starts with His offering us the sacrifice of His only begotten Son to pay the penalty of our sins, but it doesn’t stop there. He also gives us the help we need to overcome the sway of Satan, the ways of the world and our own personal shortcomings.

For more related to this topic, explore the following materials on our website:

• “ What Does John 3:16 Mean? ”

• “ Sacrifice of Jesus .”

• “God vs. Satan: The Battle of the Ages .”

• “God Allows Evil—But for How Long? ”

• “ The Plan to End Evil .”

Q:How is it that both Elijah and Moses are talking with Jesus when Jesus is transfigured? Did they die and come back, or were they in heaven all this time, or were they a mirage?

No, Moses and Elijah did not come back alive. They both had died long before this event. The account of the transfiguration is found in Matthew 17. Verse 9 gives us the answer to how they spoke with Jesus.

Following the transfiguration, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain. As they did, Jesus “commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.’”

So, the appearance of Moses and Elijah to the three disciples and to Jesus was a vision. These two prophets were not literally present.

As our article “What Is the Transfiguration of Jesus? ” explains, the disciples did not literally see “the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matthew 16:28). Nor were Moses and Elijah literally present. Through this supernatural vision, the three disciples were given a brief visual image of what will occur at the end of the age when Jesus Christ will return in power and glory (Matthew 24:30). In the transfiguration they also witnessed that when Jesus returns, He will resurrect Old Testament heroes, such as Moses and Elijah, who will also be present in that Kingdom.

Legacy of Older Christians

By many accounts, the Christian church in Western society is in peril. In September 2022, a report from a Pew Research Center study examined the increasing rate at which U.S. Christians leave their traditional faith “to join the growing ranks of U.S. adults who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’”—often categorized as the nones.

The study results are part of a continuing trend. Christians, especially young adults, are increasingly abandoning the faith of their parents and grandparents. While the study focused on the United States, these trends began even earlier in many other Western countries.

The root causes of this abandonment of religion are varied, but a factor that is generally overlooked is that much of modern Christianity has strayed from biblical truth. (For more on this, see “ Why the Decline of Christianity? ”)

Those leaving their childhood faith mentioned reasons such as learning about evolution, seeing too many Christians do un-Christian things, not believing and not having time for church and religion.

The end result is stark. The Pew study estimated that “31% of people raised Christian become unaffiliated between ages 15 to 29, the tumultuous period in which religious switching is concentrated.”

And Bible-believing Christians can be affected by these societal trends. Since the founding of the Christian church, individuals have struggled to remain faithful. The apostle Paul marveled that early Christians turned away from God to

embrace a different belief system (Galatians 1:6). Paul expressed concern that individuals would be “corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” by latching onto another gospel or a corrupted version of Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

For older Bible-believing Christians, these trends present a heart-breaking dilemma. Surveying a younger crowd that is rapidly abandoning a faith and way of life they cherished can be frustrating and troubling.

It is disturbing for older Christians to see, but what can they do?

Generational transfer

The Bible shows us that each generation plays a critical role in conveying truth to the next.

Notice the psalmist’s conviction: “He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (Psalm 78:5-7, emphasis added throughout).

Here we find a model of generational transfer of knowledge, truth, hope and faith—the keys to a fulfilling, rewarding life. This model supports the family guidance to teach children the godly way to live (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

If you’re an older Christian, you can have a powerful impact on young people. The next generation— navigating a world that is organized to seek and destroy faith—needs your help and assistance.

Trends in society can draw young people away from organized religion—and even the Church Jesus built. What can older members of the Church do?

As an older Christian, how can you make such a powerful impact?

Establish a relationship

In order to positively impact the next generation, appropriate relationships must exist. Be approachable. Be willing to initiate conversations with younger individuals.

This is a responsibility for older Christians. When explaining the internal dynamics of the Christian church, Paul affirmed that the church is more successful when it is “joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, [and] causes growth of the body” (Ephesians 4:16).

Older Christians are vital joints and parts of the body of believers. Younger individuals need advice, counsel and positive examples. They need real-life examples of individuals who successfully pattern their lives by God’s biblical laws and admonitions. Titus 2 provides examples of what this looks like.

To make an impact, strive to build and strengthen relationships across generations. Be intentional about constructively engaging with younger Christians. Make a concerted effort to befriend and mentor younger individuals.

An action plan

God provides an action plan to help older Christians impact the next generation. It is practical, doable and straightforward.

Notice the encouragement of King David: “One generation shall praise Your works to another” (Psalm 145:4).

There is a responsibility here—one generation shall do this for the next. Older Christians should make a meaningful difference in the lives of younger people.

And why not? Older, mature Christians have lived and breathed the Christian faith. They have stood in the arena of life and faced the challenges of heartache, disappointment, confusion, trial and adversity. They did so and thrived by relying on God, seeking to do His will day by day, and living by faith. That experience, character and perspective is a reservoir that can water the next generation.

King David then laid out an action plan for older generations to directly and powerfully impact the next. They “shall declare Your mighty acts . . . Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness” (Psalm 145:4, 6-7).

David speaks of a generational transfer of knowledge, experience and faith. Older Christians can and should step in to fill this role.

Let’s take a look at these action items.

Declare His acts

The first action item is to declare God’s mighty and awesome acts.

Mighty and awesome acts.

Let that sink in for a moment. God is asking you to thoughtfully and boldly declare His deeds to the next generation.

The Bible is full of the mighty and awesome acts of God. Discuss them with younger people.

Share your story—how God worked in your life, the miracle of your calling (John 6:44), and the practical understanding you were granted on how to live. Relay concrete, personal examples of when you witnessed God’s hand.

Many abandon the faith because they abandon belief in God. Share your conviction and examples of when God directly intervened to answer a prayer or worked a miracle. Tell young people about these moments.

Photo: Lightstock.com

Push back against ideas that discredit God by declaring the mighty and awesome acts of God in your life.

Declare His greatness

The next action item is to declare God’s greatness. Society attempts to elevate almost everything above God. While disheartening, this is nothing new (Romans 1:18-32).

Glamour, appearance, intellect, professional or social achievement, and personal challenges have supplanted God on the greatness scale across much of society. Young people need to see and hear a counterweight to society’s greatness pitch.

God’s greatness, reflected in His majesty and power, is incredible. Much of His greatness is readily accessible and viewable in creation (verses 19-20). Yet God bids the older generation to declare it.

So, declare it— boldly and often. Initiate conversations about the greatness of God found in the intricacies of creation. Talk about the greatness of God’s plan for the human family. Discuss the incredible results of choosing obedience to God instead of conforming to the societal norms (Romans 12:1-2).

Declaring God’s greatness offers a balanced perspective that younger Christians need.

Speak about His goodness

The next action item is to “utter the memory of [God’s] great goodness” (Psalm 145:7).

This is a critical point in Western society. God is often portrayed as old, tired, judgmental, out of touch and irrelevant.

While God has standards and expectations regarding human behavior, He is not the harsh, demanding tyrant some critics attempt to portray.

Older Christians, you can stand in the gap here. You have personally experienced the goodness of God. You have seen His tenderness in answering prayers. You have witnessed His faithfulness in providing encouragement.

Share those stories and perspective. Be vulnerable enough to share those personal moments and experiences when the goodness of God made a real difference for you.

Frame God for young people. Help young people reject the austere, distant, corrupt and false version of

God that society attempts to foster. Convey the patient, merciful, engaged and comforting nature of God by speaking of His great goodness.

Sing of His righteousness

The final instruction in Psalm 145 is to sing of God’s righteousness.

God’s righteousness is reflected in His law and the way of living described in the Bible (Psalm 119:172).

Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has promoted the view that God’s laws—which define righteousness—are restrictive and hold humans back from their potential. There is a temptation—especially appealing to younger people—to view God’s life boundaries as burdensome, though they are not (1 John 5:3).

Older Christians can push back against that view by singing of God’s righteousness.

This does not mean that older Christians walk around singing hymns continuously. However, this does speak to our attitude. To sing of God’s righteousness implies an attitude of joyfulness toward God’s law and His expectations.

Consider Paul and Silas. In Acts 16 they found themselves arrested, beaten and imprisoned—talk about a difficult day! Yet, “at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25). What a powerful example of joy in the service of God!

This is important because attitudes can be infectious. Be joyful—not dour—about the righteousness of God. Amid the evil and rancor of this world, older Christians should model excitement and anticipation regarding the Christian life. Be joyful. Be uplifting. Sing of the righteousness of God!

A lasting legacy

Jesus promised that His Church would remain through the end of the age (Matthew 16:18). Older, mature Christians, you are vital to the health and stability of the Church.

You can make a tremendous impact on the next generation.

Get involved. Follow the plan outlined in Psalm 145:4-7.

Make an impact so the next generation “may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (Psalm 78:7).

— Jason Hyde

Wonders of GOD’S Creation

Eight Legs and Nine Brains

What if your limbs were smart enough to work on their own?

As humans, we directly control the movements of our legs and arms with our brains. We decide when to walk, where each footstep should land, how firmly to grasp a tool, what motions to make with it—a million little decisions we make almost without noticing.

An octopus, on the other hand, has a more complicated nervous system. Each of its eight arms has its own bundle of neurons that function almost like an extra brain. Each limb can make decisions almost on its own, gathering environmental information and passing it back to the central brain, which continues to make overall decisions about where to go and what to do.

Imagine being able to tell your legs to walk to a specific location—and then letting them take care of the decisionmaking along the way. Or imagine telling your arms to put together a piece of furniture and then letting them get to work.

That seems to be how God designed the octopus. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg! He also gave it three hearts to power its complicated circulatory system, a siphon for propelling itself forward using jets of water, the ability

to camouflage itself by changing its skin color, and the flexibility to contort itself and squeeze through any hole bigger than its beak—the only hard part of its entire body.

Special thanks to the OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona, for their kind assistance in making this photo possible.

Pictured: giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini )

Photo by James Capo

Text by Jeremy Lallier and James Capo

Walk as He Walked

What Was Jesus’ Mission and Purpose?

When Jesus walked the earth 2,000 years ago, what was the mission and purpose that drove His life? How should His purpose impact His followers today?

After Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, the disciples returned with food from the nearby town. After they urged Jesus to eat, He made another statement that perplexed them: “I have food to eat of which you do not know” (John 4:32).

As they often did, the disciples misunderstood Him. They assumed someone else had brought Him a meal (verse 33). Jesus then spoke more plainly: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (verse 34).

Jesus was talking about His purpose.

His purpose motivated everything He did. That purpose was so prioritized in His life that He considered it His sustenance. He had to do His Father’s work just as much as He had to eat to sustain His life.

Later He said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43, emphasis added).

We could call Him mission-driven. He clearly understood His purpose and directed His life, schedule and energies toward fulfilling it.

But what was the work He was driven to do? How should His work and purpose impact us today?

“Look at the fields . . .”

After talking about doing His Father’s work, Jesus shared an agricultural analogy: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’?” (John 4:35). In other words, a farmer at this time of the year had planted his seeds and was waiting out the summer months until the harvest would begin.

But there was no downtime in Jesus’ work. His time to work was now. Perhaps motioning toward a nearby group of Samaritans, He said: “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”

The harvest was people.

He stayed and preached to the Samaritans for two days, and amazingly, many believed His message (verses 39-40).

This was Jesus doing the work—His Father’s work.

What did Jesus preach?

Jesus visited many villages and cities and preached to the people. But what was the message that He preached?

Matthew tells us: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23).

The word gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion, which means “an announcement of ‘glad tidings’” (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, p. 303). Jesus came with a message of good news—the good news of the Kingdom of God.

The gospel of the Kingdom is the announcement that God will intervene to end suffering and establish His government and dominion on earth. Jesus Christ, assisted by the glorified saints, will be the King of the Kingdom. A significant part of this message is that those who hear it can live forever in that Kingdom—if they believe, repent and remain faithful.

Jesus’ message had four essential parts: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Since the time was fulfilled , Jesus taught that the Kingdom is “at hand”—that it is truly coming and should be a top priority for us now. He urged people that if they believed this message they should act on it by repenting—changing their lives to align with God’s ways. Though many found His speaking compelling and believed Him, most were unwilling to take the steps of repentance and commitment.

To learn more about Christ’s gospel message, read “Messiah’s Message: Gospel of the Kingdom .”

What methods did Jesus use to fulfill His purpose?

With technology and modern marketing, there are many ways to spread a message today. Jesus, however, relied on the much simpler methods available to Him in the first century. He used those methods intelligently and zealously. Here are some of the methods He used:

• He preached to public gatherings. Jesus traveled to many towns and cities. He’d typically go to where people gathered for religious instruction—the local synagogue on the Sabbath (Matthew 9:35; Mark 1:3738; Luke 4:31).

According to the rules of the synagogue, as a Jewish man, He was permitted to speak. When in Jerusalem, He would preach in the outer courtyard of the temple, where open teaching and discussion were permitted (Luke 20:1). He took full advantage of the platforms available to Him.

• He preached in smaller private gatherings. Sometimes Jesus would use less public venues to preach the gospel. In one example, when He was in Capernaum, He allowed people to gather within and around the house to hear Him preach (Mark 2:1-2). This provided Him with an opportunity to preach less formally and to directly answer people’s questions. Jesus also made Himself available to people in even less formal situations, like while eating

dinner in people’s homes. He undoubtedly wove the gospel message into casual conversations as the opportunity arose (Mark 2:15; Luke 10:39). Considering that people of all sorts were comfortable in His company, we know He was not pushy or condescendingly preachy in these settings.

• He had one-on-one conversations. Jesus would sometimes use one-on-one conversations to share His message. We have detailed accounts of three such examples: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman and the rich young man (John 3; 4; Matthew 19:16-22). Sometimes He would skillfully weave a narrow element of the gospel message into a conversation (Mark 5:36; Matthew 9:12-13; John 5:14; Luke 19:10; John 18:36).

• He captured an audience through healings and other miracles. Jesus healed out of His love and compassion for people. But His healings also served to draw attention to His message and gather an audience. At different times, large groups of people from across the region would gather to be healed, to see Him heal and to hear Him preach (Matthew 4:25; Luke 6:17). When this occurred, He’d find an appropriate place to facilitate teaching them. In one instance, He found “a level place” (verse 17) where the crowds could sit and listen. In another, He taught His audience from a boat (Luke 5:1-3).

• He used His disciples to reach a wider audience. At one point, He sent His disciples out to spread the gospel on His behalf (Luke 9:1-2). Jesus carefully trained and commissioned a group of dedicated followers to continue doing the work after His departure.

Jesus used whatever means possible to do the work. He wasn’t obnoxious about it, didn’t push it on people and always shared His message free of charge (Matthew 10:8).

The transition from Christ to the Church

After Jesus’ ascension to heaven, a shift occurred in how the work would be done on earth. He now commissioned His Church to carry it forward.

After His resurrection, He appeared to the remaining 11 apostles and specifically tasked them to carry on His work:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Mark’s account records a similar instruction: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

That is just what the Church did and continues to do.

The book of Acts provides a record of how the Church of God, led by the apostles, spread the gospel and made disciples. They used the methods and platforms available to them—public gathering places, person-toperson communication and personal example.

They took advantage of the Roman road system and travel network to spread the gospel outside of the Holy Land to the far reaches of the Roman Empire. They kept in touch with each other through letters, or epistles, some of which became a major part of the New Testament. As a result of their faithful devotion to the mission, congregations were established throughout the known world.

To learn more about how the gospel of the K ingdom of God spread throughout the world, read “ The Church: A Worldwide Work .”

The mission and purpose today

The Church of God in the modern era continues to preach the gospel of the Kingdom today. We teach the same message that Jesus and the early Church taught nearly 2,000 years ago.

Technological advances have allowed the Church to go beyond using word of mouth and traveling on foot.

Modern technology—beginning with the printing press—opened the door for the gospel to be disseminated in print to audiences out of earshot of a preacher. Eventually, radio and television technology allowed the Church to reach larger audiences. Today, the Internet and mobile technology allow words, audio and video to be spread to nearly every nation on earth.

Even though the methods have changed, God’s people continue with the same mission and purpose as they endeavor to . . .

Walk as He walked.

—Erik Jones

Proclaim Liberty to the Captives

Several lush tropical islands in the Indian Ocean have a name evoking exoticism itself: Zanzibar! Elegant wooden dhows sail along the coast, their design unchanged for hundreds of years. White-sand beaches and clubby, coastal resorts draw tourists from far away.

A stroll through the narrow winding lanes of Stone Town, mottled by huge, spiked Arab doors, had me floating in space and time.

The archipelago has long been a cultural crossroads and trading center. It was first settled by Omanis and Yemenis, then controlled by the Portuguese for 200 years until 1698, when the Sultanate of Oman gained control. It gradually ceded power to the British in the 1800s. Zanzibar gained its independence in 1963 and became an autonomous region of Tanzania the next year.

For centuries, trade was brisk in ivory from the nearby Swahili coast. The many plantations growing nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper led to its nickname the Spice Islands.

A dark side

But there was a distressing side to the commerce. People were making money selling other people as slaves. Captured mostly in what are today Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, they were sold in Zanzibar before being shipped to southern Africa, the Persian Gulf, India and even as far as China. This was part of an Indian Ocean trade that also included Indian, Chinese and European slaves.

Estimates are that 8 million slaves were transported across the Indian Ocean up until 1920, many of them through Zanzibar. Some 9 million more were transported through the Sahara to the Arab world. By comparison, between 10 and 12 million were taken to the Americas and the Caribbean.

When the British finally convinced the sultan to end the trade in 1876 (though slavery remained legal there until 1897), Zanzibar may have had the last open slave market in the world. A cathedral was constructed on the site, which now also contains a monument to the trafficked and a museum inside former slave traders’ quarters.

Sadly, Zanzibar is still politically struggling to overcome the effects of hundreds of years of cruelty, much of it across racial lines.

The future abolition

In the museum, reading the stories of men and women who suffered terribly here reminded me of what the Bible says about spiritual slavery and the promise of a great abolition to come.

Jesus said, “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin,” but “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36). He also said He came “to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

Christians can escape the bondage of sin through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. And Paul explained that this liberation will one day be universal. He wrote: “The creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

Not only everyone, but everything will be freed from the results of rebellion against God.

When that future liberation occurs, the whole earth will become an Eden, surpassing the best this age has to offer, even a near-paradise like Zanzibar.

Joel Meeker @JoelMeeker

Photo: Joel Meeker Back cover photo: iStockphoto.com

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