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February 2021

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In God We Trust? “RULE, BRITANNIA!” — P. 5 —

February 2021 | TomorrowsWorld.org

What Happened to the

CHRISTIANITY of Christ?

— P. 16 —


A personal message from the Editor in Chief

“Dear God…”

I

t was only a year ago that most of us woke up to what would become a “new normal” that was—and continues to be—anything but normal. At the end of 2020, many forecasts and hopes for a better year were voiced. Jonathan Margolis of the UK’s Telegraph asked religious and academic leaders, as well as comedians, scientists, and other professionals, to write a plea to God “if He exists,” presenting why He should give us another chance after considering all that we have messed up here below (“Dear God, we need to talk about 2021,” The Telegraph, December 27, 2020). These prominent figures were asked to make their case for humanity by writing a short prayer with the subject line “Dear God, We need to talk about 2021.” Many admitted that we have fouled things up on planet Earth. Some pleaded that there are more good people in the world than bad, while others blamed God at least in part, if not in whole. One rabbi reasoned that, after all, hadn’t God messed up as well when He gave us “tsunamis, droughts, earthquakes?” He went on to say, “As for giving us free will: that was a loaded dice, wasn’t it? Thanks for the Mandelas and Einsteins, but what about the Hitlers and Pol Pots? Tell you what: let’s use what happened in 2020 to start afresh; you forgive us, and we will forgive you. And unless I hear thunder in the next 30 seconds, I’ll take that as a deal.” This disrespectful attempt at humor poorly portrays our Creator and misunderstands God’s plan for mankind. A comedian attempted another bit of humor and finger-pointing with this very disrespectful opening statement: “Hi, big man, long time no speak (although that’s partly your fault for giving me cerebral palsy and taking away my voice).” These commenters would do well to heed what their Creator taught about idle words (Matthew 12:36). However, I found that Professor Pauline Rudd— named among the top 50 women in science and obviously a very intelligent person—made one of the most off-the-wall remarks: “We’re highly evolved apes, not fallen angels, and although I think the rest of the world would carry on very well without us, it would be a great shame if we weren’t here.”

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Please do not misunderstand; I don’t find her statement remarkable for how she believes we arrived where we are today. While incorrect, such a belief has become quite common. But I do believe it is remarkable that she would consider it “a great shame if we weren’t here.” The logic of that belief escapes me. Here’s why: If humanity is no more than the product of a godless evolutionary process, what ultimate difference does it make whether we survive or die? Or even if the entirety of our planet ceases to exist? If there is no Creator of life, and no purpose for life as we know it, what eternal difference does any of this make? Once we’re dead, who is left to feel “great shame?” No one will be here to bemoan our demise. Is There a Point to All This? But let’s imagine for a moment that we were able to somehow lengthen our lifespans to, say, a million years. That would certainly be a long time to enjoy our favorite foods and pursue our favorite pastimes, but once the end came, what difference would it have made? We would no longer have any memories of enjoying our time alive. If everyone is eventually going to die and there’s nothing beyond that, what difference does life make for anyone? As one of the biblical books of wisdom explains: But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die;

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Volume 23, Issue 2 | February 2021

but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.... Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going (Ecclesiastes 9:4–6, 10).

the wind” (v. 17). Imagine—he had it all, but might have thought about ending it all! But now, let’s imagine for a moment that mankind, sometime in the future, found a scientific path to immortality. Based on all of mankind’s history, what would we do after that discovery? No doubt what we have done for millennia: fight, squabble, and attempt to take away that wonderful gift from others until someone takes it away from us.

This was written by the man considered the wisest of his time, King Solomon of Israel. Setting out to find the meaning of life, he tried the proverbial wine, women, and song—and on a scale none of us can match. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines (partners with lower status), but he even went beyond that. He brought in the greatest comedians and musicians of his day and built fabulous buildings and beautiful gardens. He enjoyed treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones in quantities that the rest of us can hardly imagine, but in the end, he found that all of this was vanity—meaningless, temporary, and unable to satisfy.

The Meaning of Life Without God, there is no standard for right and wrong— only opinion. Without God, there is no purpose for our existence. Without God, we are no more than an improbable accident with no more reason for living than a mere mouse—and when this life is over, everything is over. There is no possibility of a return, a resurrection, or a meaningful purpose for our existence. It is difficult for us to imagine total nothingness, i.e., our non-existence for billions and trillions of years prior to our conception. But if there is no God, what other end can we rationally expect? Do we really believe that, somehow, we can live after death and also be products of evolution? By what process could that ever be possible? So, why would it be a shame if mankind failed to survive as a species? If there is no God, our sun will inevitably die and it will be as though this grand accident never happened. Who will remain to feel regret? Yes, mankind has messed up mightily. And no, God is not to blame—in fact, His inspired word warns us often of the consequences of not living His way. But our Creator is working out a grand plan. He has made us because He wants us to live forever in His divine Family, and that means far more than sitting on clouds or staring into His face for eternity—or letting us come to nothing at our own hands. A free copy of our study guide that explains this great plan, straight from the pages of the Bible, is waiting for you to request it. Your Ultimate Destiny explains what none of those prominent figures solicited by Jonathan Margolis understand—but you can! Why not find out why you are alive?

Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11). Solomon recognized that it is better to live as a wise man than as a fool—but also recognized that even this makes relatively little difference when life expires. “So I said in my heart, ‘As it happens to the fool, it also happens to me, and why was I then more wise?’ Then I said in my heart, ‘This also is vanity.’ For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!” (vv. 15–16). Even with all that Solomon had, “I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for

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5 In God We (No Longer) Trust

While Western civilization was never perfect, it has become a shadow of its former self. Does the Bible reveal why?

10 Master Craftsman of Sail

The Bluenose was a masterfully designed sailing vessel, and the story of its designer reveals an important principle of ours.

12 What Happened to the Christianity of Christ?

Mainstream Christianity has lost nearly all that the Christ actually taught, but His true Way of life is no mystery.

16 “Britons Never Shall be Slaves”?

Great Britain is often hailed as one of the world’s freest nations, but have its people been slaves all along?

22 The Inauguration Speech America Needed

The many problems of the United States can only be solved one way—and that way has gone sadly unmentioned.

26 “Like the Sand of the Sea”

Sand can be found nearly anywhere— including in God’s word. Can countless tiny rocks teach us something about our Creator?

9 To “Love Your Enemies” 25 In the Image of God 21 28 30 31

uestions and Answers Q NewsWatch Letters to the Editor Television Log Circulation: 431,000

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In God We (No Longer) Trust The Tragic Consequences of the West’s Disbelief

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By Douglas S. Winnail

he shocking events of the year 2020 led many to worry and wonder as never before, “What is happening to America and the West?” How could the world’s most powerful and prosperous nation suddenly burst into flames, with killings, riots, torched buildings, looted stores, anarchists taking over portions of cities, and ordinary citizens fearful for their lives? How could a nation respected around the world for its political system find itself so sharply divided, with partisans on each side firmly convinced that the other was seeking the nation’s ruin? On a larger scale, why have other nations seen their own versions of what the United States has endured? Why are democracies around the world, built on Western values, erupting in flames and violence? What has shattered the social unity in nations once admired for their stability? Few today see the real connection between the growing social chaos and the fundamental changes that have transformed the Western world over the last several centuries, let alone the rapid changes of the last few decades. Although we have experienced incredible revolutions in scientific understanding, the ease of global travel, and the development of computers and the Internet, the most profound

changes in the Western world have involved what people believe, as seen with the rise of secularism in what has historically been referred to as “Christendom” and with growing doubts about God and the Bible. This has led to the precipitous decline of Judeo-Christian culture and the rejection of a morality strongly influenced by the Bible—a morality that formed a vital part of Western civilization’s very foundation. As a result, that civilization’s very survival is in question, as cultural changes work to tear it apart from within. This might sound like an unwarranted assumption or overblown assertion—however, the facts are stunning and sobering, though few in the media, academia, politics, and even religion are connecting the dots. Even more surprising is that the Bible, which many consider just a collection of myths and legends, actually foretold that these momentous events would occur at a critical point in time. The Bible also reveals why these shocking events are suddenly erupting today and where they are leading. You need to understand and be prepared, because there are important lessons to learn from this major cultural shift occurring across the Western world. Sobering Facts and Trends It is no coincidence that the decline of biblical morality has been accompanied by the growing prev-

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alence of divorce, cohabitation, drug abuse, abortion, homosexuality, sexually transmitted disease, mental illness, and even suicide. Yet many today do not realize—or do not want to acknowledge—that these pathologies are the fruits of seeds that have been sown over several centuries in the West, especially over the last few decades. One tragic consequence of modern schools’ efforts to curtail the study of Western civilization is that few understand just how much religious belief has changed over the last few centuries. Failing to educate people about the Bible has eliminated a vital perspective on

promise has been fulfilled in remarkable ways among Abraham’s modern descendants, including the “Israelite” peoples of northwest European descent. (See our free booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy for details.) Yet when Columbus set sail in 1492, he had no idea he would discover a continent that would be developed by Abraham’s descendants. Many of the values that Western civilization took for granted for centuries were rooted in biblical teachings. Yet few today understand that some of Jesus Christ’s earliest disciples spread His teachings into Europe and the British Isles, promoting the virtues of compassion toward neighbors, honoring one’s parents, respecting women, and rejecting the wrong use of sex—including fornication, adultery, and homosexuality. These teachings included the importance of giving versus getting and the value of mercy, justice, and service to others. While Europeans have not always adhered well to these teachings—especially as European Christianity increasingly apostatized from the true faith—Western civilization was transformed for the better to the extent they were observed. Because of the biblical perspective that God created the universe to function according to laws that could be discovered and used for our benefit, science could thrive in the West and remarkable discoveries were made in physics, chemistry, and medicine that improved the lives of millions. Values enshrined in legal documents of the West promoted freedoms that attracted immigrants. These facts are part of the historical heritage of the West that modern generations have forgotten—because they are no longer taught, only derided. One of the tragic consequences of disbelief is that many in the West do not even know their own history. Sadly, after centuries of thriving under a somewhat biblical worldview, tragically flawed new seeds were planted in the soil of Western civilization during the so-called “Enlightenment” period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Philosophers came to believe that human reason was superior to divine revelation, and that science was not the fruit of biblical understanding but was rather a replacement for that understanding. The discoveries of science, not a returning Messiah, were soon considered mankind’s

MANY TODAY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THAT BIBLICAL MORALITY CAN BE CAST ASIDE WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE. THIS IS A SHORT-SIGHTED AND DANGEROUS VIEW! our world—especially the Western world. Many today have been taught that religious beliefs are largely irrelevant, that biblical morality can be cast aside without consequence, and that important lessons recorded in both God’s word and secular history can be ignored. According to the pied pipers of modernity, these “progressive” changes are moving us forward toward a brave new world on the winning side of history. This dangerous and short-sighted view has blinded us to the real significance of dramatic events occurring today— and to where these changes are leading us. The Missing Historical Perspective The rise of Western civilization—in particular, the unparalleled prosperity of the United States, Great Britain, and the Commonwealth nations—was not a matter of coincidental good fortune. History shows that the West has a heritage that has largely been forgotten. The Bible reveals that God promised Abraham and his descendants that if they would obey His instructions, they would become great and be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:1–3). In Genesis 22:16–17, this promise of national greatness was made unconditional; that is, such national greatness would come about, even if later lost due to disobedience. This

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true hope. In the mid-nineteenth century, philosopher Karl Marx theorized that communism and socialism made religion irrelevant and that eliminating the family, private property, and biblical morality would bring a more just society. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution fed on this new godless approach, appearing to make the Bible irrelevant for “modern, intellectual” mankind. As these intellectual seeds have taken root and “blossomed” throughout the West, Christian ideals and biblical moral values have wilted and withered. Robbed of knowledge of their true history and fed a package of bankrupt philosophies and speculative lies, it is no surprise that many who live in Western nations—including millions living in the modern Israelite nations that inherited the blessings God gave to Abraham—are wondering what is happening to their culture and civilization. Indeed, why are all these troubles in modern Israelite countries erupting today? The Missing Prophetic Dimension Ideas have consequences, and the idea that religion is useless and irrelevant in our modern world has blinded many to vital information in Scripture that explains what is happening. For instance, the Bible records that God gave His laws to the Israelites so they could be a positive example for the world (Deuteronomy 4:1–8). He entered into a covenant with the nation of Israel, promising to bless them as they obeyed His laws but also to visit curses upon them should they ignore and disobey those laws (Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 28). Moses warned the Israelites, on behalf of their Creator, that “it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28:15). Those curses included “confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me” (Deuteronomy 28:20). With these prophecies in mind, it is sobering to note that even as President Donald Trump set out to “Make America Great Again” and leaders in Britain anticipated a brighter future outside the European

Union, everything suddenly seemed to head in the opposite direction with the arrival of 2020. Scripture makes it clear that turning away from God and ignoring His laws—which condemn fornication, divorce, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, lusting, killing, lying, and stealing—will bring serious consequences, which include increasing social chaos and eventual sudden destruction. More than 3,000 years ago, Moses warned, “I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands” (Deuteronomy 31:29). Sadly, Moses’ sobering warning is no longer common knowledge, because reading the Bible in schools has been abolished and his words are seldom read to modern church audiences who want their pastors and ministers to preach messages that make them feel good about themselves. The prophesied curses for disobedience to God and His laws are actually quite specific: “But if you do not obey Me… if you despise My statutes… I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever.… Those who hate you shall reign over you.… I will break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:14–19). While activists in the West are busy “redefining marriage,” undermining support for the biblical family, and promoting abortion and homosexuality, we witness terrorist attacks in Western nations that are transforming our society piece by piece—as anyone walking through security in an airport is quick to observe. The “advanced” and “developed” nations of the West are plagued with heart disease, cancer, the ravages of sexually transmitted diseases, and now a coronavirus pandemic—all as their “pride of place” among the nations of the world continues to fade and become tarnished. These prophecies are coming to life, yet few are connecting the dots. And still more prophetic warnings are coming alive today. Moses warned the Israelites that because of disobedience to God and His laws, those of different nationalities would come to dominate them: “The alien who is among you will rise up higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail”

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(Deuteronomy 28:43–44). Today, peoples within the Israelite nations are becoming more bitterly divided by race and ethnicity than they have been in generations, with many demanding reparations for past injustices and apologies for perceived privileges. Various pressure groups—with help from commiserating academics, politicians, theologians, and commercial organizations—are working to discredit and rewrite the history of Western civilization. Nations that were once major donors to the world are now major debtors to foreign nations unfriendly to Western ideals. It is a sad commentary on our modern age that these remarkably accurate prophecies are hardly mentioned in schools, the media, or even in churches. Rather, most today assume biblical religion and prophecy to be out of date and irrelevant to our modern world. But that is a dangerous assumption. Forgotten Lessons of History Both biblical and secular history remind us that the Israelites, who were given the laws of God and were delivered from their enemies by His intervention, eventually turned away from Him and went into captivity in Assyria and Babylon—despite multiple warnings from the prophets. Disbelief was at the heart of their problems. Jeremiah’s sobering warning has ominous implications for modern Israelite nations today. He proclaims, “Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But my people have changed their Glory [their true God] for what does not profit.… Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the Lord your God when He led you in the way?... Your own wickedness will correct you” (Jeremiah 2:11, 17, 19). Many modern nations with non-Christian backgrounds have retained much or all of their ancient belief systems. Confucius’ values survive in China despite Mao Zedong and communism. Ancient Hindu values and Islamic counterpoints frame much modern political debate in India. By contrast, the Western nations have undergone a massive cultural and spiritual shift away from even a pretense of their former values—beginning in recent centuries and accelerating in recent decades. And the shift does not bode well for the future of the West. The magnitude of the West’s shift away from God, the Bible, and Christian moral values has been shock-

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ing. While the U.S. and Britain still retain an image of attachment to faith—placing “In God We Trust” on currency or singing “God Save the Queen” on ceremonial occasions—that image is a thin, pale shadow compared to the substance of the past. Consider the “Founding Fathers” of the United States. The nation’s first president, George Washington, stated in his farewell address that “reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” His successor, John Adams, wrote, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” President Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time… I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just…. Even Benjamin Franklin, despite his irreverent morality, recognized the importance of a nation’s connection to its Divine Benefactor. He reminded the members of the Second Continental Congress, “In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered…. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need its assistance?” IN GOD WE (NO LONGER) TRUST CONTINUES ON PAGE 24

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TO “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES” In a world infected by hatred, Christ reveals the cure.

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his world experiences deeper divisions with each passing day. With every tweet, headline, and lawsuit, enmity between individuals seems to increase. As we see politicians, celebrities, and activists add more and more names to their lists of enemies, we might call to mind certain biblical teachings and lessons. One such lesson comes directly from Jesus Christ, and Christians should strive to apply it in every aspect of life: Loving our enemies. Christians can make the world better and reflect the very character of God the Father and Jesus Christ when they strive to live by this teaching. The Bible repeats this striking principle several times. One passage that records Jesus’ own words is Matthew 5:43–48: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust…. Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. If applied, those few sentences would change the world. The recent United States presidential election, with the mountains of hate, negativity, and division surrounding it, highlighted the fact that there are many enemies in this world, even within national borders. Political parties, religions, ethnicities, and entire countries sadly find themselves often opposing one another in their thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. To Have True Love In verse 43, Jesus reminded His audience of mankind’s usual way of treating others—to “love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” That’s the way most enemies interact, as shown in much of the news. But Jesus said there’s another way, a superior way. His way.

The way of God the Father and Jesus Christ is to love every human being. The true love of God is much greater than an emotion—it’s a commitment to care for the ultimate well-being of other people, no matter their color, party, religion, background, or how much they disagree with us. Jesus said that to love our enemies means to bless them, do good to them whenever possible, and pray for them. Fundamentally, it means remembering that even our worst enemies are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). God provides them with needed sunshine and rain, just like He does for us (Matthew 5:45). God desires that every human being be saved according to His will and timing (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). To Be Like God This is one of the hardest aspects of God’s character to follow. Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, after explaining the principle of loving one’s enemies, “be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” This trait of loving others, even enemies, is equated with being perfect, like God. Obviously, this is a high bar—one of the highest we can reach as followers of Christ. But the level of difficulty doesn’t really matter. Jesus said the way to eternal life would be difficult, and told us to pursue it anyway (Matthew 7:13–14). The recent election, along with many other world issues, spotlights the intense divisions between many people. We’re living in the end times, those in which Jesus said lawlessness—sin—would increase, causing the love of many people to grow cold (Matthew 24:12). Paul said people at the end time would be unloving and brutal (2 Timothy 3:3). These prophecies are being fulfilled in our daily headlines. This is the result of Satan’s way. But Jesus taught a much better way, what Paul called “a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31), based on God’s lovingkindness. God hasn’t called Christians to change the governments of this world through politics, voting, or protests. Instead, He wants us to follow in His Son’s footsteps by setting the right example. To do so, we must obey God’s law of love and strive to live by some of Jesus Christ’s most powerful words: Love your enemies, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them. —Josh Lyons

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Canada! Master Craftsman of Sail

On the front of every Canadian ten-cent piece is the image of a graceful sailing ship. Most Canadians will recognize it as an image of the Bluenose, a two-mast sailing ship with a forward mast shorter than its main mast. The Bluenose was primarily a fishing vessel, with a hull built to carry a voluminous cargo while still allowing the ship to attain a high speed under sail. The design was in part spurred on by competition between fishing communities, since the first ships to reach good fishing areas had the advantage. Even before the Bluenose, schooners were very popular between 1880 and 1920, especially on the eastern coast of North America. Its design made the schooner work faster than any other ship on the seas. The most intense rivalry for fishing waters on the southern Grand Banks was between the fishermen from New England (primarily Massachusetts) and those from Nova Scotia. Both areas were strong centres for shipbuilding in the late 1800s, and both were populated by proud sailors who wanted to prove their ships were the fastest and hence the most profitable. The rival areas decided to hold an annual race for international deep-sea fishing schooners, with the winner taking home the “International Fisherman’s Trophy.” The first of these races took place off the coast of Halifax in October 1920. The result was a decisive win for the Esperanto of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a humiliating defeat for the Nova Scotia fishermen. Making a Comeback The spring of 1921 saw a great deal of excitement and anticipation in the Smith and Rhuland shipyards of the south shore town and fishing port of Lunenburg, Nova

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Scotia, home to the largest deep-sea fishing fleet in the Americas at the time. Smith and Rhuland had launched more than 120 ships from their yards, so why so much excitement about another new boat coming together? After the defeat of 1920, a committee had approached William Roué, a well-known naval architect in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, about designing a ship that could salvage the damaged pride of the province. William Roué accepted the challenge and went to work. Born in Halifax in 1879, Mr. Roué was Canada’s first home-grown naval architect. As a boy, he would often be seen near the Halifax Yacht Squadron, spending hours on the water learning every nuance of how a boat handles, until it was said that “he could handle the tiller ‘like a fine violinist handled his bow’” (“William J. Roué (1879–1970),” WJRoue.ca, accessed December 31, 2020). Leaving high school before graduation, he decided to study to become a naval architect. And so he enrolled in night classes in Halifax’s Victoria School of Art & Design to learn the skills of mechanical drafting. Now 18 he worked as a junior clerk at a wholesale grocery company and from his annual salary of $100 spent his first $10 on a junior membership at the Squadron and another $16 to replace the Dixon-Kemp design manuals at the Squadron

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he had worn to shreds as he taught himself the science of naval architecture. The talent of the diligent young man was recognized immediately, and wealthy members of the Squadron asked him to design boats for them. It was his early successes with the design of fast sailboats that brought him to the attention of the committee wanting a new, fast schooner. His seventeenth design was a ship that would be named the Bluenose—a common nickname for anything Nova Scotian. A Place in History From the beginning, there was something a bit different about this schooner. Her lines were sleeker, her masts set a tiny bit further back. Changes were subtle, but noticeable, and lifted her bow a bit higher. Her keel was laid with unusual ceremony, as the Duke of Devonshire, then Governor General of Canada, came to drive her first spike, and she launched on March 26, 1921. Captained by the daring and capable Angus Walters, her first season on the fishing grounds was very successful, for Roué’s design was brilliant: Though the Bluenose was built to race, she could carry a huge cargo. That summer, she collected the most profitable catch. In the fall, the Bluenose set out for Halifax, where she was greeted with a reception suitable for royalty. In only one fishing season, the ship had gained a reputation for speed. The races were held on October 22 and 24, and the Bluenose handily won them against the Gloucester schooner, the Elsie. For twelve years, the Bluenose was undefeated, becoming known as “Queen of the North Atlantic” in the Americas and Europe. In 1935, she sailed to England and received the George Medal. Of course, even a ship has a lifespan. After her working days as a fishing schooner were done in 1938,

the Bluenose was sold to the West Indies Trading Company. Her masts were removed and she worked among the islands until, in 1946, she hit a reef off Haiti and sank. A replica of this famous ship was built in 1963 in the same shipyard in Lunenburg, and now serves as a reminder of the age of sailing, as well as tribute to the genius of the Bluenose’s architect. William Roué went on to design more than 200 ships, including critical sectional cargo barges and tugs for Britain’s Ministry of War Transport during World War II, which drew high praise even from U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower. Excelling in Our Work Roué’s example of diligence and study made him a wealthy man. But much more importantly, he was respected and recognized for contributing to the lives of those around him. The Bible encourages all of us to strive to emulate these qualities: “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men…. Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies…. She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands” (Proverbs 22:29; 31:10, 13). Roué was someone who wanted to learn and was willing to work diligently toward a goal. He not only built the fastest schooner in history, but brought honor to his country and a sense of accomplishment to his countrymen. Roué maintained a happy marriage and family, and they, too, enjoyed the fruit of his diligence. Some in our society denigrate what has been called the “work ethic,” yet that ethic brings God-ordained benefits. When people strive for a worthy goal, putting the love of learning and the joy of accomplishment above the momentary pleasures of entertainment, everything falls into proper perspective. Today, too many believe work is a necessary evil and seek excessive diversions. Few indeed praise God for giving us the opportunity to work and contribute to improving not only our own lives but also the lives of those who surround us. Work provides the opportunity to be productive in our physical lives and make this temporary world a better place for everyone, while simultaneously being productive spiritually, building towards an eternal inheritance. That is an opportunity not to be lost. —Stuart Wachowicz

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  11


What Happened to the Christianity of Christ?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many Christian denominations? Why isn’t there just one Church that everyone can agree upon? And is there anything you should do about this?

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By Richard F. Ames

cripture records that when the Holy Spirit descended upon the first Christians at Pentecost in 31 AD, the Savior’s disciples “were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). The one message they spoke was heard in multiple languages, and many new believers were converted upon hearing this teaching in a language they understood. This was the first Pentecost observed by the one Church Jesus Christ founded. Yet, today, there are literally thousands of churches claiming to be Christian. How can one Church become thousands of churches? Should we be surprised, even shocked? No! Jesus predicted exactly this in His famous Olivet Prophecy, in the very first sign He gave regarding the end of this present age: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4–5). Yes, many do come in His name, calling their religion Christianity but preaching something very different from what He preached. There are even a few imposters claiming to be Christ Himself, but He was really warning that many would proclaim Him as the promised Messiah, the Christ or “anointed one”

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of God, yet preach contrary to—even against—His true teachings. Do you know where God’s true Church is today? Can you find it among the thousands of denominations claiming to be Christian? Let’s examine some teachings that many take for granted but that starkly show the difference between Scripture and the false doctrines of so many mainstream churches. Remembering Christ’s Resurrection Anyone can do very simple research and prove that Jesus’ Apostles never celebrated any holiday with festive colored eggs and chocolate bunnies. But do you realize that the very notion of “Easter Sunday” itself is nowhere in Scripture? Remember that Mary Magdalene went to Christ’s tomb on Sunday morning. What did she see? “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him’” (John 20:1–2). An angel announced to the women who came to Christ’s

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WHAT HAPPEN ED TO THE C HR I STI AN I TY O F C HRIST ?

tomb that “He is risen” (Matthew 28:1–6; Mark 16:1–6; Luke 24:1–8). Jesus’ resurrection did not occur on Easter Sunday! In fact, your Bible shows that Christ rose from the grave exactly three days and three nights after His crucifixion. As the Apostle John recorded, “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31). That “high day”—not the weekly Sabbath but an annual Sabbath known as the First Day of Unleavened Bread—began at sunset on Wednesday evening. For Jesus to fulfill the “sign of the prophet Jonah” that He gave in Matthew 12:38–40, He had to remain in the grave for the same three-day-and-three-night period Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish. And He did! He was buried shortly before sunset on Wednesday, and He rose three days later—shortly before sunset on the seventh-day Sabbath! Some readers get confused about this because the King James Version uses the term “Easter” in Acts 12:4. But any reputable Bible encyclopedia will admit that this is a mistranslation. Notice: “EASTER (AV Acts 2:4). An anachronistic mistranslation of the Gk. páscha (RSV, NEB, “Passover”), in which the AV followed such earlier versions as Tyndale and Coverdale. The Acts passage refers to the seven-day Passover festival (including the Feast of Unleavened Bread). It is reasonably certain that the NT contains no reference to a yearly celebration of the resurrection of Christ” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. Geoffrey Bromiley, vol. 2, p. 6). Christians kept Passover just as their Savior had, but it now had added meaning as a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice. Remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to Corinthian brethren who were abusing the sacred observance of that day: “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6–8).

Christ’s disciples follow the example of His Apostles, continuing to observe the Passover, not the invented and pagan “Easter Sunday.” To learn more, read our informative booklet Easter: The Untold Story. Weekly Worship Most who call themselves Christian take for granted that Sunday is the appropriate weekly day of worship. But did Christ or His Apostles hold weekly worship services on the first day of the week? Your Bible records that years after Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, Paul preached to both Jews and Gentiles meeting on the seventh-day Sabbath. After the Jews left, the Gentiles in his audience made a very significant request: “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath” (Acts 13:42). Paul honored their request: “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God” (v. 44). He did not preach to them on Sunday; he waited until their weekly day of worship— the seventh-day Sabbath! It was not until the fourth century AD that Rome enforced Sunday-keeping throughout the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine spent his life as a pagan sun-worshiper, and after entering the Roman church he gave the following edict in 321 AD: “Let all magistrates and people… rest on the venerable day of the sun” (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. 11, p. 147, emphasis added). Just a few years later, leaders of the Roman church declared, “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday, but shall work on that day; but the Lord’s day they shall especially honour, and, as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ” (A History of the Councils of the Church, vol. 2). True Christans were labeled heretics for keeping the same Sabbath that Jesus and His original Apostles kept! Clearly, it was the Roman church that made the change to Sunday worship. But on what authority? Noted Roman Catholic theologian James Cardinal Gibbons plainly admitted that “you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (Faith of Our Fathers).

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W H AT H A PPE NE D TO T HE C HR IST IA N ITY O F C HR IST ?

On this point, we at Tomorrow’s World agree with Cardinal Gibbons: If the Bible is your authority, you have no basis for observing Sunday as your weekly day of worship! But we deny that Gibbons’ church had or has the authority to make such a change! Christ’s original Christianity taught an obedience to Scripture made possible because of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today’s true Christian Church does the same. Yet there has been an ongoing trend throughout history to mix pagan traditions with Christ’s teachings, even driving His teachings out of churches claiming to bear His name! As historian Will Durant observed in Caesar and Christ, “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it.” Other Dangerous Changes What other changes were deceptively made to the practice of original Christianity? Jesus and His Apostles observed the Bible’s annual festivals and Holy Days. They did not observe the day of Jesus’ birth.

Most scholars will admit that Jesus was born not in the winter but in the fall, in September or October. And just why was He born? The commercial, pagan customs surrounding the winter holiday obscure the very purpose for the Messiah. You can read much more about this in our eye-opening booklet Is Christmas Christian? Few today even know the purpose of Jesus’ birth, though an angel announced it to Mary: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30–33). The angel said that Jesus would be not just a king, but the King of a kingdom that would never end! And what did Jesus proclaim when He began His public ministry 30 years later? “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15). Here we see another major difference between the Christianity of Jesus Christ and the many modern counterfeits that use His name. Christ and His Church preached— and continue to preach—the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that will rule on earth for a thousand years under the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16; Revelation 20:4). You may know of at least one major denomination that says it is now the Kingdom of God on earth. But Scripture shows that the King’s earthly rule over all nations will not be proclaimed until the prophesied seventh trumpet sounds: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15). Sadly, most who call themselves Christians have overlooked the true good news that Christ preached! He will return as King over all nations on earth! When He establishes His perfect government in His Kingdom, the world will experience peace as never before. And “of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).

IF THE BIBLE IS YOUR AUTHORITY, YOU HAVE NO BASIS FOR OBSERVING SUNDAY AS YOUR WEEKLY DAY OF WORSHIP! Most reputable encyclopedias document the original pagan celebrations surrounding December 25. One of the major festivals celebrated throughout the Roman Empire was the Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, god of agriculture. The Encyclopædia Britannica tells us that the Saturnalia… … became the most popular of Roman festivals, and its influence is still felt throughout the Western world. Originally on December 17, it was later extended to seven days. It was the merriest festival of the year: all work and business were suspended; slaves were given temporary freedom to say and to do what they liked; certain moral restrictions were eased; and presents were freely exchanged. The influence of the Saturnalia upon the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year has been direct (1974, vol. 8, p. 916).

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WHAT HAPPEN ED TO THE C HR I STI AN I TY O F C HRIST ?

What about the “Protestant Reformation”? Much more can be said about this than we can cover in one short article. If you really want to know how the Protestant Reformation failed to reform mainstream Christianity, go to TomorrowsWorld.org for our series “The Plain Truth About the Protestant Reformation,” published in this magazine from March-April 2017 to May-June 2018. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and many others did identify some real problems with Roman Catholic teaching and practice, but in many respects they perpetuated those same problems—and added new ones of their own! The last book in your Bible, the book of Revelation, describes a harlot “mother” church with many harlot “daughter” churches that have in effect prostituted themselves by abandoning Christ’s true teachings. This may sound hard to believe, but you can read the evidence for yourself! Even in the churches that believe they have reformed from the errors of the Roman church, lawlessness is widely taught and practiced. The Apostle Paul warned the church at Thessalonica, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). That same “lawlessness” is taught in today’s churches that want you to believe that Christ did away with the Ten Commandments and that since we are therefore under grace, we can practice lawlessness! But any true follower of Christ understands that grace does not permit us to sin in any way! If you didn’t read “Grace: Freedom to Sin?” in last month’s issue, you can at TomorrowsWorld.org. Jesus told a rich young man who was seeking eternal life, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). Jesus then mentioned several of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments reflect the two great commandments: to love God and to love one’s neighbor. As the late Dr. Roderick C. Meredith wrote in Restoring Original Christianity (pp. 15–16): In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus certainly did not “do away” with God’s spiritual law (Matthew 5:17). Rather, He “magnified” the Ten Commandments. He

MAY WE S U G G EST?

explained that we must not only refrain from killing other human beings, we must not even look on them with contempt or hatred (vv. 20–23), as that is the “spirit” of murder. We are not to “hate” even our enemies. As Jesus said clearly, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (v. 44).” Original Christianity is a way of love and a way of life. Dear reader, you need to study your Bible and history. What happened to the original Christianity of Christ? Jesus Christ is today and forever the head of His body, the Church (Colossians 1:18), and He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The original Christianity of Christ remains spiritually active and is fulfilling the mission He gave to His Church. You need to seek original, biblical Christianity and find the true body of Christ. By the fourth century AD, different groups were claiming the name of Christianity while adopting non-biblical doctrines and becoming counterfeit denominations. In fact, the “falling away” or “rebellion” (NIV) described in your Bible had already begun in the first century (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). But true Christianity need not remain a mystery to you, if you study your Bible and follow its teachings. Do you want to follow the Jesus Christ of the Bible, His original teachings, and His way of life? He tells us in Luke 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Jesus said this when the New Testament was not yet written; He was talking about what we today call the Old Testament. If you are going to live by every word of God, you need to read and obey the whole Bible, comprised of the New and Old Testaments! So, which will you choose? The Christianity of your Bible, or a false religion promoting pagan holidays and lawlessness? You need to seek the truth! TW

Restoring Original Christianity True Christianity is alive and well, but it may not be what you think! Request this free printed booklet from the Regional Office nearest you, or order at TomorrowsWorld.org.  PDF, ePub, and Kindle are also available.

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  15


“Britons Never Shall Be Slaves”?


When the British media erupted with controversy last summer over the historic “Rule, Britannia!,” most observers missed the real story. You need to know the truth behind the controversy, which you won’t read in The Telegraph or The Guardian! It is not about Britain alone—it is a lesson for everyone, no matter your race, ethnicity, or nation!

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By Gerald E. Weston

he Henry Wood Promenade Concerts (the Proms) are held over an eight-week period each summer. These daily classical music concerts sponsored by the BBC are enjoyed by millions across the U.K. and around the world in indoor and outdoor settings, but most notably at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where “Rule, Britannia!” and “Land of Hope and Glory” have historically been sung on the final night with great fanfare and no controversy—until 2020. How fitting for a year that saw so much conflict and change! As it turned out, both songs were ultimately played and sung by a limited-size, self-distancing orchestra and choir. The usual hall-packing audience, which typically joins in, was missing, but controversy flared over whether those patriotic anthems remain suitable for modern Britain. As one commentator reported it, “The core of the story is: the Sunday Times reported that some people at the BBC held discussions about whether both Rule, Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory… could be played as part of Last Night of the Proms. After some very mild consideration, the BBC announced that yes, they could” (“This phoney war over Last Night of the Proms is everything we deserve,” TheGuardian.com, August 25, 2020). Opponents gave COVID-19 precautions as an official excuse for initial plans to drop at least the singing of the anthems, but many perceive there was far more behind it. While extremely popular among most Brits, a few want “Rule, Britannia!” squelched entirely, seeing it as representing Britain’s former slave trade and colonial past. History of “Rule, Britannia!” The poem “Rule, Britannia!,” co-written by James Thomson and David Mallet, was set to music in 1740 by composer Thomas Arne. What is its importance?

The song has military connections, particularly with the Royal Navy, made evident by the words “Britannia, rule the waves”. However, according to Classic FM, when the piece was first written it was not celebrating naval success but instead “a cry for help” as the Royal Navy at that time did not have much control over the seas, while other countries were establishing empires. The song became more patriotic in the 1800s when the British Empire expanded across more of the world” (“Rule Britannia lyrics: The meaning and origins of the song, and the controversy over the Last Night of the Proms explained,” INews.co.uk, September 12, 2020). The song differed from the poem in some subtle yet important ways. The poem’s “Britannia, rule the waves” (expressing a hope) became “Britannia rules the waves” (expressing “mission accomplished” as Britain grew in power). The original poem’s “Britons never will be slaves” became in song an emphatic refrain, “Britons never, ever ever will be slaves”—and in the current version a still stronger “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.” Some take that line to mean that while Britons traded in slaves, they themselves would never become slaves. But it can be understood totally apart from the slave trade as a declaration that Britain would never be conquered by other powers. For example, in the modern context, when Nigel Farage boisterously sings those words, one has little doubt that he means Britons will never, never, never be slaves of the European Union! You do not have to be British to be stirred emotionally by the patriotic strains of “Rule, Britannia!” The grandeur of the refrain is moving and appeals to the human desire for greatness and independence. However, it is not the purpose of this article to take sides on the Proms controversy. We will leave that to

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“ BR I TO NS NE VE R S HA LL BE S LAV ES” ?

The Sunday Times and the British tabloids. Instead, this article will explain what you will not read in the papers—and what no one else is seeing. The Real Story There is no doubt that Britain ruled the waves throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth. It was through their dominant navy and the armies it transported that Britons controlled so many lands and peoples that one could truthfully say that “the sun never sets on the British Empire”— an amazing feat for a small, island nation off the northwest coast of Europe. However, “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves,” belies the truth. Britons have been and currently are slaves. If you wonder how that can be, you are not alone. Some 1,900 years ago, others had the same question when told they were slaves. Notice it in that book of all books, the Bible: Jesus told the Jews of His day, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They retorted, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus replied, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:32–34). Jesus introduced a concept so foreign to the Jews of His day that they could not comprehend it. It is no different today. Britons are every bit as much slaves as the Jews of Jesus’ day—and they are not alone. The whole world is blinded to the bondage in which it is held! But what did Jesus mean when He connected sin and slavery? The epic movie The Ten Commandments is shown every year on television around the time the world celebrates Easter. The logic behind this is obvious: That is the time of year when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. “Easter” is never mentioned in the movie or in the Bible, as that is the name of a pagan fertility goddess—which explains the association of the holiday with fertility symbols such as eggs, rabbits, and lilies. Easter had nothing to do with the Exodus. The biblical account is about Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, and this is portrayed in The Ten Commandments. (For more on this subject, see our free resource Easter: The Untold Story.) The true story of the Exodus was that of an enslaved people being set free from harsh bondage.

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Passover was the night on which the Israelites’ firstborn were protected from death by the blood of a lamb smeared around the doors of their homes. But they were not free from slavery until they did their part by walking out of Egypt, something that took seven days and the miracle of the Red Sea. During that seven-day escape from Egyptian bondage, they did not have time to let their bread rise, but ate unleavened bread. The Bible shows that leavening typified sin (1 Corinthians 5:7–8) and Egypt was a symbol of both sin and bondage (Revelation 11:8), thus making the connection between sin and slavery. Sin and Addiction Addiction comes in many forms. Sexual behaviors outside of marriage have severe consequences, yet many are addicted to sexual vice. The results are diseases (some of which are life-threatening), unwanted pregnancies, and broken marriages that leave spouses devastated and children confused and often impoverished. And, in writing about the pain brought about by promiscuous behaviors, Dr. Miriam Grossman correctly points out in her book Unprotected that “there is no condom [no protective device] for the heart.” The tobacco industry once portrayed smoking as something that “cool” people do. I learned at age six that it isn’t cool when I lost my dinner after a couple of puffs, but many young people of that time persevered through the nausea and other initial unpleasant effects in order to “fit in.” What was the result? They became addicted to nicotine within a short time and became slaves to an expensive habit that causes a variety of cancers, emphysema, heart disease, wrinkled skin, stained teeth, and nasty breath. Even knowing the potential dangers, many who thought they could “quit anytime they chose to” found it extremely difficult to break free from the enslaving habit, and many died miserable deaths as a result. Today, smoking has diminished in the Western world, only to be replaced with vaping—something also addictive and not without risks. And the list goes on: abuse of alcohol, use of recreational drugs, lying, stealing, gossiping—all addictive behaviors with negative consequences! Instead of referring to the compulsion toward these actions as slavery, we call it addiction. It is human na-

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“B R I TO N S N EVER S HAL L B E S LAVES”?

ture to think we are in control of our lives, but just as the Jews of Jesus’ day could not see that they were in bondage, so we are blind to who and what controls us. The Apostle Paul equated sin with slavery and death. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). And what is sin? Many—though sadly not all—agree that the use of enslaving recreational drugs and the consumption of pornography fall in the category of sin, but what actually determines the definition of sin? In the end, isn’t sin a biblical matter? So how does the Bible define sin? Do you know? The biblical definition is found in 1 John 3:4: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness”—or, as the older King James Version puts it, “sin is the transgression of the law.” This simple truth broadens the definition beyond drunkenness and sexual immorality. It is not difficult to equate some sins with harmful addictions. Other sins are more subtle but carry with them equally painful forms of bondage. The first four of the Ten Commandments define our relationship with the Creator of mankind, and when they are violated we become enslaved by painful doctrines and ideas. If we substitute other gods for the true God, if we limit His power in our own minds by attempting to portray His likeness, if we disrespect His name and character, or if we rebel by choosing our day of worship over the day He set aside, a host of enslaving false doctrines always follows. Believing that a deeply loved friend or relative is lost forever, suffering in hellfire, is terribly painful,

and do little to prepare for eternity—essentially trapped in a limited existence? Instead of learning God’s plan for all mankind through His ordained Holy Days, people substitute pagan holidays and put the name of Christ on them. These sham celebrations, no matter how sincerely observed, leave people in the dark regarding God’s plan for them. That certain holidays people observe come from heathen origins and therefore obscure the truth is without question. These compromises open the door to a host of wrong doctrines. As Eerdmans’ Handbook to the History of Christianity explains: When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it “the venerable day of the Sun” (Sunday)…. The Christian church took over many pagan ideas and images. From sun-worship, for example, came the celebration of Christ’s birth on the twenty-fifth of December, the birthday of the Sun. Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival of 17–21 of December, provided the merriment, gift-giving and candles typical of later Christmas holidays. Few people understand how contrary to true doctrine these compromises with paganism are and how empty they leave one in the end. The erroneous doctrines the Jews were steeped in during Jesus’ day were different from modern professing Christianity, but all false doctrines enslave those who fall for them. Mankind’s ideas of freedom are deceptions. How many professing Christians believe that God’s law brings bondage? Yet James calls it “the perfect law of liberty” that we will be judged by (James 1:25; 2:10–12) and John tells us, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Peter also warns against those who give a false hope of liberty: “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage” (2 Peter 2:19). Jesus declared the real path to freedom: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

JUST AS THE JEWS OF JESUS’ DAY COULD NOT SEE THAT THEY WERE IN BONDAGE, SO WE ARE BLIND TO WHO AND WHAT CONTROLS US! but this false doctrine enslaves the minds of many. How many, not knowing the true God of creation and the real hope He holds out to us, live only for today

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“ BR I TO NS NE VE R S HA LL BE S LAV ES” ?

Future Slaves The British are not alone. All peoples and nations of the world are enslaved by sin. Yet there is another kind of slavery on the horizon that the British-descended nations need to be aware of. The refrain “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves” is sadly untrue—and America is not going to be great again. We no longer know our roots; we have forgotten our heritage and we have forgotten our God. As the prophet Isaiah records about these nations, “‘The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.’ Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward” (Isaiah 1:3–4). Yes, because we have forgotten our God, our God will forget us. Many prophecies show that the British-descended peoples will indeed be slaves. (For a fuller understanding of the identity of the British and American peoples, contact our nearest office and request a free copy of The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy, or read it at TomorrowsWorld.org.) Notice this remarkable prophecy for both Israel (the peoples descended from the “Ten Lost Tribes,” not so lost after all) and Judah (the Jewish people). “For behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,” says the Lord…. Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah…. “For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, “That I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; foreigners shall no more enslave them. But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;

MAY WE S U G G EST?

for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity’” (Jeremiah 30:3–4, 7–10). The time setting is when Christ returns, as is seen in the reference to David being resurrected and in the last sentence of this chapter: “In the latter days you will consider it.” It is difficult to understand how the English and American peoples can be physically enslaved, but do not think it cannot happen. Twice in the last century Britain and the United States were knocked back on their heels, and 2020 has shown how fast our world can turn upside down. The Bible describes greater natural disasters, disease pandemics, and divisions within nations that can change circumstances overnight. What God has prophesied will come to pass. The patriotic refrain “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves” is simply wrong. The slogan “Make America Great Again” is simply futile. We are already slaves to our sinful ways, and we will be physical slaves in the not-very-distant future unless we turn to God and away from our many sins. But there is good news, as the above scripture shows. We will be “saved out of” our slavery. And God explains through the prophet Hosea, “I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” And then they will say, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up” (Hosea 5:15; 6:1). And those in other nations of the world should not think that these future events will happen in a vacuum. The whole world is in for a very rough time until humanity learns a painful lesson. Yes, there is good news of peace prevailing in the end, but how much easier would things be if all people everywhere were to turn to God and allow peace to come sooner? We do not see that happening on a national level, but each of us individually can turn to God wholeheartedly, while there is still time. To learn more about what you can personally do, order our free publication What Is a True Christian?, or read it online at TomorrowsWorld.org. TW

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20  Tomorrow’s World  |  February 2021

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Should Christians Celebrate “Saint” Valentine’s Day? Question: It is claimed on Wikipedia that there are no links between the Catholic Saint Valentine and Roman fertility festivals such as the Lupercalia. So is Valentine’s Day a tradition Christians should feel free to participate in? Answer: When researching questions like this one, it is important to examine our sources carefully. Although it may be claimed on Wikipedia that Valentine’s Day has no pre-Christian antecedents, a look at more reliable sources reveals otherwise. Many well-respected references, such as Encyclopædia Britannica, clearly acknowledge the connection between Valentine’s Day and pre-Christian practice. Notice: “The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February…. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day” (“Valentine’s Day,” Britannica.com, July 31, 2020). During this pagan festival, the Romans celebrated the legend of the founding of Rome, in honor of the wolf that was said to have suckled the twins Romulus and Remus. Roman priests of this pagan rite, called “Luperci,” began the festival “with the sacrifice of one or more male goats—a representation of sexuality—and a dog.” Following this ritual sacrifice, “the Luperci cut strips, also called thongs or februa, of goat hide from the newly-sacrificed goats. They then ran naked or nearly-naked… whipping any woman within striking distance with the thongs. Many women welcomed the lashes and even bared their skin to receive the fertility rite…. During Lupercalia, the men randomly chose a woman’s name from a jar to be coupled with them for the duration of the festival” (“Lupercalia,” History.com, February 5, 2020). What of the claim that Valentine’s Day was invented solely in honor of the Roman church’s Saint Valentinus, said to have been martyred in the third century AD? As has been pointed out, “St. Valentine’s Day as a lovers’ festival and the modern tradition of sending valentine cards have no relation to the saints but, rather, seem to be connected… with the Roman fertility festival of the Lupercalia (February 15)” (Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed., 1976, vol. 10, p. 336).

Some have asserted that Valentine’s Day was established as a simple religious observance and only later took on its erotic overtones, perhaps encouraged by Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Parliament of Fowls— sometimes called the first Valentine’s Day poem—a tale of birds who would pair off with their mates in the late winter and early spring, for whom Valentine’s Day held a special significance. But unless the holiday already had its erotic tone, Chaucer’s references and inferences would have made no sense to his readers! Clearly, he was writing in the spirit of an already established sense that Valentine’s Day was a special day for lovers. Does it matter that Valentine’s Day is a modern continuation of a pagan practice? The Bible is very clear on this point. Anciently, God warned against imitating the practices of other religions (Deuteronomy 12:29–31). The Apostle John reinforced this warning when he urged Christians, “keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Gentile Christians were urged to abstain from “things offered to idols” (Acts 15:29). This specifically referred to meats offered to pagan deities, but the context was that Christians should distance themselves from all practices of idolatry. Jesus Christ Himself observed the national and civic holidays of ancient Israel, even under Roman occupation. He came to the temple in Jerusalem during the celebration of the Feast of Dedication, an observance that eventually became the day known as Hanukkah (John 10:22–23)—a holiday that God had not required to be observed. Clearly, we are not restricted to observing only the Holy Days found in the Bible, but where our observances put us into conflict with biblical morality or involve the modern versions of pagan customs, we should not participate. Thus, we as Christians should not observe Valentine’s Day. To learn more, request your free copy of The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan. This will help you appreciate the Festivals God established for His people and explain how those observances are different from the festivals carried over from superstitious religions. Order your free copy by going online to TomorrowsWorld.org or writing to the Regional Office nearest you (listed on page 4 of this magazine). TW

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  21


The Inauguration Speech America Needed Editors Note: As this magazine goes to print, the inaugural speech of the President of the United States of America is still scheduled for January 20, 2021. If it did, indeed, take place as planned, then many of you reading this issue will have already heard it. While we here at Tomorrow’s World do not involve ourselves in the politics of this world, we must still ask: Was it the speech the U.S. truly needed from its Commander in Chief? Did the President stand behind the lectern, facing a divided and contentious nation, and say what that nation needed to hear? For your consideration, we offer you here the inaugural speech we believe the President of the United States should have given—a speech that summarizes the true challenges facing the nation and describes the only real solution to its current woes.

M

y fellow Americans, I come before you today humbled by the scope of the task ahead of us and the responsibility you have bestowed on me to guide our nation through the next four years. As I take office today, I cannot but consider that the One who blessed this nation, the God who has used our country as a tool in His hands to fulfill so many of His purposes in the world, has been increasingly working to get our attention. If the decades leading up to last year were warning shots across the bow of our Ship of State, 2020 was a shot through our hull. Perhaps not enough to sink us— time will tell. But it was a blow devastating enough to erase any delusional hopes that we are somehow invulnerable to destruction—powerful enough to remind us that we are at risk of disappearing beneath the waves as so many nations have before us. Passionate individuals on both sides of the political aisle claim to have the solutions. Some desire that we rush headlong into progressive and socialist poli-

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cies, seeking to turn our nation into a paradise of humanism. Others claim that only a return to the political wisdom of our founders and a conservative view of the Constitution and limited federal government is the answer. Neither philosophy holds the solution we need, because our most fundamental problems are not political, philosophical, or economic. Our problems are spiritual in nature. And they are most simply described by a word that is no longer in vogue, though it is more relevant today than it has been for generations. That word is “sin.” America is plagued by national sin. We are a nation that purposely kills its children as they grow in their mother’s womb—what should be the safest space of all. We are a nation that celebrates sexual anarchy and denies the witness of both science and Scripture that we have been made male and female, each designed for the other. We are a nation that devotes its health industry to seeking vaccines against the sexually transmitted

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THE I N AUG URATI O N S PEEC H AMER I C A N EEDED

infections that run rampant among us, all while rejecting the morals that would end these problems once and for all. We are a nation that has turned politics into a religion, political disagreement into a new sort of blasphemy, and difference of opinion into a cause for zealous and fanatical hatred. We are a nation torn apart by growing racial and ethnic tensions, rejecting the one truth that should unite us: that human beings are not “evolved animals,” but special creations of God made in His image. We are a nation that virtually worships freedom of speech, yet uses that freedom to be the largest producer and exporter of pornography in the world—all while increasingly seeking to restrict that freedom for those among us who would confront us with uncomfortable truths. These sins, and so many others, are consuming our nation. They ravage our lives more than any virus, and they devastate our cities more than any riot. Left to grow unabated, these sins will destroy our country, and there is no policy or political party that can save us from the consequences of turning our backs on our Creator. But, my friends, we are not powerless in the face of these sins. The Almighty once told King Solomon that “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” I cannot provide the healing we need—no president can. No branch of our government, no matter which party runs it, can provide that healing. It can come only from our Creator. And He has, in His mercy, made the path to that healing absolutely clear: We must humble ourselves, we must turn from our national wickedness, and we must seek His face. My fellow Americans, we must turn toward God and away from our sins. I must turn. You must turn. We must seek His face while we may still find it—before it is hidden from us and our fate is sealed. And so, as my first official act as the President of the United States, I choose to follow in the steps of one of my greatest predecessors, Abraham Lincoln. More than once, during the dark days of the American Civil War—when our young nation struggled to find its conscience and its sons were spilling their life’s blood on our own soil, fighting each other—Presi-

dent Lincoln, together with members of Congress, appointed a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer, to seek the face of God. On one of those occasions, in 1863, he proclaimed: We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. In light of these facts, he said, “It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness,” and he declared his hope that “the united cry of the Nation will he heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.” My countrymen—my friends—we cannot right ourselves without the divine aid of our nation’s Almighty Benefactor. I hereby request that our new Congress stand with me and declare a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer one week from today. On that day, let us, as a united people, look beyond our differences and our selfish ambitions, and look to Him, His laws, His ways, and—above all—His Son. Let us ask His forgiveness, beg for His guidance, and request that He lead us to turn from our selfish and evil ways, so that we may become the nation He longs for us to be. If He will hear, if He will pardon, if He will heal, we have hope. If He will not, no power on earth will be able to prevent what is coming. I pledge to you today that I will strive daily—in my choices, in my words, and in the character I display as I discharge my duties—to convince you to turn to the Almighty, who may yet save our nation if we allow Him to do so. May God help me in this task, and may God bless the United States of America. TW

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  23


I N GOD W E ( N O L O N GER) TRUST CO N T IN UED F R O M PAG E 8

Longtime readers of this magazine will recognize that the “Founding Fathers” had already departed in various ways from the true Christianity that Jesus Christ taught. (For more on this topic, read “What Happened to the Christianity of Christ?” on page 12 of this issue.) Yet they were far, far ahead of most leaders today, as they retained a respect for God’s word and a desire to uphold the truth of God as they understood it. Their biblical foundation, even when shaky, let the nation continue to receive God’s blessings for quite some time. As U.S. President Harry Truman was able to note with joy, “Our forebears were a people who read one book. Happily for them and for us that book was the Bible.” Today, however, increasing numbers in the West now see their nations’ founding principles as more burden than blessing. Prayer and Bible reading have been banned in public schools, and military chaplains have been forbidden to pray in Jesus’ name. Street preachers have been arrested for citing certain Bible verses in response to questions, while taxpayers bear the burden of supporting behaviors the Bible clearly calls sin. Churches that once held crowds of worshipers are sold and converted into buildings that have nothing to do with religion—or are simply abandoned. All this is occurring today in nations that once claimed to be havens of Christian culture. And these are just outward signs of a much bigger problem. God, through Jeremiah, tells a generation wanting little to do with Him that their fathers may have been distracted by “other gods” and various false religious ideas, but “you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know” (Jeremiah 16:11–13). Can nations, cultures, and entire civilizations change their fundamental beliefs and practices without suffering dire consequences? Can they reject their religious heritage like a useless old shoe and still continue to exist? While many in the West have swallowed the lie that religion and biblical morality are irrelevant, outdated, and clearly on the wrong side

MAY WE S U G G EST?

of history, more perceptive voices reveal a sobering message about the tragic consequences of disbelief and distrust in God. Historian Christopher Dawson once observed, “The suppression of the family means not progress, but the death of society, the end of our age, and the passing of European civilization.” In his book Enquiries into Religion and Culture, Dawson notes that “the society or culture that has lost its spiritual roots is a dying culture, however prosperous it may appear externally.” Research analyst George Barna reported a similar condition in the U.S. in his book The Seven Faith Tribes: “The United States is clearly immersed in a down cycle.… [We] ought not be surprised by the cultural chaos and moral disintegration we see and experience every day. Such conditions are the inevitable outcomes of the choices we have made that are designed to satisfy our self-interest instead of our shared interests.” These sobering assessments of modern Western culture certainly echo the sobering warnings God sent to the ancient Israelites. “They sow the wind,” He says of the rebellious descendants of Israel, “and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). The prophet Jeremiah looked ahead and saw a time of trouble for Israelite descendants that would dwarf any other period in history with its suffering (Jeremiah 30:4–7). But he saw, too, that the Israelites would eventually be “saved out of it” at Jesus Christ’s return to the earth to set up the Kingdom of God. The lessons of history are clear: There are tragic consequences for disbelief, and no nation or people can afford to give up their trust in their Creator. “In God We Trust” must be more than a slogan on a nation’s currency. Sadly, the modern Israelite nations of the West have forgotten that there is a God who “makes nations great, and destroys them” (Job 12:23–25), that “He removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:20–22), and that He still “rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Daniel 4:25). But you need not make the same mistake. You need to—and you can—understand these powerful lessons to be prepared for what is coming in the days just ahead. TW

Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs Learn the true significance behind momentous historical events! Request this free printed booklet from the Regional Office nearest you, or order at TomorrowsWorld.org.  PDF, ePub, and Kindle are also available.

24  Tomorrow’s World  |  February 2021

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IN THE IMAGE OF GOD There’s a reason you won’t find any Wookiees out there.

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he Star Wars series of blockbuster movies has thrilled audiences since what is now called Episode IV hit theaters in 1977. This film contains the iconic “cantina scene,” which is a favorite among Star Wars aficionados. In this scene, numerous creatures from a distant galaxy are socially interacting, and their bizarre, often repulsive forms strain imagination. Why don’t we see such anomalies as these creatures in actuality? Certainly, the universe contains an enormous amount of galaxies. Yet, as far as can be determined by cutting-edge telescopes and mankind’s attempts to explore our own solar system, the vastness of outer space is inhospitable to life. But the earth is a beautiful jewel in space, with just the right amount of atmosphere, water, landmass, and temperate zones to make it habitable for mankind and for animals, insects, and plant life. While there are certainly fantastic creatures in this physical creation, the many variations of life with human-level intelligence popularized by fantasy and science-fiction simply do not exist. Mankind exists in various colors, shapes, and sizes, but every ethnic and racial type is unmistakably human in its form. The biblical account of creation reveals what that form is based upon: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26–27). From One Blood Our human form is like our Creator’s form, which is to say that we are like God, and not that God is like us. Jesus explained this to His disciples when He said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Christ is like the Father in form and character. The Apostle Paul made it very plain when he explained, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth…. Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising” (Acts 17:26–29).

When one understands our origins as human beings and where we are going in the plan our heavenly Father has for mankind, the pervasive fog of confusion clears, revealing the purpose for human life. There is no basis for racial prejudice. Paul stated emphatically that “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11). For One Destiny This understanding reveals why Star Wars biology does not resemble actual biology: God specifically designed intelligent life—truly intelligent life—to be like Him. The many and diverse races of fantasy and science-fiction can easily make one’s head spin; by contrast, God’s design of the singular human race is so perfect in its simplicity that there is only confusion if we clumsily misinterpret ourselves. For example, if one acknowledges the Creator, there is no confusion about gender, for “male and female He created them.” The Bible makes it plain that all attempts to confuse this simple fact of biology are displeasing to God. The concept of “gender fluidity” encourages a wrong use of the form made in His image and will not be allowed into His Kingdom (cf. Romans 1:20–24; Revelation 21:8; 22:15). God, however, intended us to share not only His form but also His substance. Paul made this important point to the Christians in his day: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit… from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). To become like God, not only in form but in our spirit and character, is a destiny that so few can really imagine—nevertheless, it is our Creator’s true and glorious purpose for us. Our free booklet Your Ultimate Destiny gives wonderful details about your future in God’s plan for mankind. You can read it online at TomorrowsWorld.org, or order your free copy from our regional office closest to you. —J. Davy Crockett III

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  25


Works T H E

OF HIS HANDS

“Like the Sand of the Sea”

O

n a recent beach trip, threading my way between the dunes and enjoying the ocean breeze, I heard a small child behind me call out, “Running on sand is hard!” I turned around and cheerfully said, “Of course it is! You’re running on tiny rocks!” That’s essentially true—and insignificant though one grain of sand may be, the countless tons of it all over the earth represent a vital part of God’s intricately designed ecosystem, the tiniest fragments of the earth’s crust providing a foundation for myriad life functions and contributing to many human endeavors. The Bible even uses sand as a metaphor for a profound concept. Playing in the Sand—and Working with It! Anyone who visits a beach learns quickly that sand is pretty, sand is fun, and sand is everywhere! And it gets everywhere! Every bit of it, at the beach or in your house, was moved there from somewhere else—whether by wind, water, or the bottoms of your kids’ feet. Sand forms from rock erosion by wind, rain, and surf over long periods of time and is found across the earth’s surface. While sand can be formed from just about any stone, and can be light or dark, glassy or rough, metallic or non-metallic, pure or mixed with shells and fossils, it is mostly composed of silica, the same stuff that makes up quartz—that extremely dense rock so common in the earth’s crust—and is also the basic ingredient melted to make glass. Sand may mix with organic debris to form soil and clay, and large, uniform layers of it form beaches and deserts. Sand is an important part of God’s creation.

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With so much of it around, it was inevitable that mankind would put it to use—and it really is quite useful (when it isn’t littering the floor) for many purposes, such as construction, conservation, agriculture, household products, and even art and recreation. (Who doesn’t love a really cool sandcastle?) Despite its abundance around the world, our use of it outpaces its natural formation, leading scientists to classify sand as a nonrenewable resource. There are many different varieties and textures of sand, so it is logical that some sands are more suitable for some products than others, and thus supply doesn’t always meet demand, especially in heavy industries like cement-mixing. This is a more serious problem than many realize. Another issue is that sandy environments are easily polluted and even destroyed by human activity and development. Conservation laws often regulate these factors in coastal regions and wetlands in order to limit denuding and destroying the terrain. The sand on beaches and deserts may seem to stretch away endlessly, but it really is as finite as the air and water that help create it. Everything Counts in Large Amounts While mankind certainly benefits from sand, we’re hardly the only life-form that does. Shifting sand may be difficult to build permanent homes on (Matthew 7:24–27), but it is necessary for many ecosystems, and quite a few wild creatures use sand for temporary nesting. Certain sea turtles are well-known examples, laying and then leaving their eggs in coastal dunes every year before the newly hatched young perform their amazing mass exodus to

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“L I K E THE SAN D O F THE SEA”

the ocean. This delicate process is particularly threatened when human activity damages coastal areas. Without healthy, sandy nesting areas, these creatures would quickly go extinct. Even deserts—including some of the world’s most arid regions, such as the great African Sahara or the Gobi Desert in Mongolia—though often thought of as lifeless wastelands, have diverse animal populations burrowing, scampering, hiding, and hunting in the sandy terrain. One entertaining viral YouTube video featured a species of Sicarius, a large brown South American spider famous for using sandy camouflage to hide from predators. Comically, this spider YouTube star, living in an aquarium tank, dug itself into sand much lighter in color than its body, while the voiceover humorously pointed out that the spider was blissfully ignorant of just how uncamouflaged it was in that situation! But one can easily recognize how well adapted such a creature is to its natural environs—and how exposed it would be without a precious patch of brown sand. Marine encyclopedias document the rich array of sand-dwelling creatures that fill Earth’s oceans and coasts with life and color, living in and even filtering sand for their food. Many species of undersea flora even incorporate sand into their bodies as they grow, firming the otherwise weak connective tissues and allowing them to produce dazzling coral reefs. And consider: Many of these sand- and silt-dwelling lifeforms, especially the hard-shelled creatures that filter our planet’s waters, die and leave parts of themselves to become sand! Their shells settle continuously to the ocean floor and erode into tiny, sand-like debris, which time and pressure eventually crushes into layered strata of limestone and sandstone—solid rock, formed by geological cycles. It’s amazing to consider that when God created our world, He designed how earth, wind, and ocean would interact (Job 38:4–11)—right down to the smallest particles, creating a perfect environment for men and beasts. As marine biologist Rachel Carson (1907–1964) once poetically wrote, “in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.” How Much Sand is There? Are the countless grains of sand really countless? With so much sand, one might consider its grains

impossible to number, yet researchers have actually tried to estimate an answer to this seemingly “astronomical” question. Science writer David Blatner… says a group of researchers at the University of Hawaii, being well-versed in all things beachy, tried to calculate the number of grains of sand. They said, if you assume a grain of sand has an average size and you calculate how many grains are in a teaspoon and then multiply by all the beaches and deserts in the world, the Earth has roughly (and we’re speaking very roughly here) 7.5 × 1018 grains of sand, or seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains. That’s a lot of grains! (“Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth Or Stars In The Sky?”, NPR.org, September 17, 2012). When I used the word astronomical, I had good reason. An Innumerable Multitude Sixteen times the New King James Version of the Bible uses a phrase like “sand of the sea” as a metaphor for an incalculable number, and twice in Genesis, God promised to make Abraham’s descendants as the “dust” of the earth. Another passage relating God’s promise to multiply Abraham’s descendants uses a different, but similar, metaphor: “the stars of the sky” (Hebrews 11:12). And certainly, the relatively small number of stars visible to the naked eye cannot be compared to the many galaxies with billions of stars that are truly out there—an astounding host, enough to make all the grains of sand of our planet seem like a handful of dirt in the ocean. Were the inspired authors of the Bible even aware of that? We can’t know for certain, but even if they weren’t, we know the God who created all of it—stars and sand, earth and heavens—was. And we cannot but believe that such a mind as would promise that His spiritual children would “inherit all things” (Revelation 21:7) truly has great things in store for His creations. Theirs is a glorious destiny—even though they, like the earth itself, were first made from little more than dusty, sandy clay (Genesis 2:7), by the work of His hands. —William L. Williams

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  27


NEWSWATCH

Mark 13:37 | “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Starvation in Yemen: A Glimpse of Our Future? Civil war, famine, and COVID-19 have brought starvation to many in Yemen—especially small children. According to the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for the country, “Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food security crisis. If the war doesn’t end now, we are nearing an irreversible situation and risk losing an entire generation of Yemen’s young children” (“Yemen on brink of losing entire generation of children to hunger, UN warns,” The Guardian, October, 28, 2020). Yemen could lose as many as 100,000 children under the age of five. During this tragic time of hardship, funding for the UN World Food Program has fallen, threatening charitable supplies that are desperately needed to feed starving people. Bible prophecy foretells a coming time, just before the return of Jesus Christ, when billions will die, due in large part to famine and starvation (Matthew 24:3, 7; Revelation 6:5–8). Students of the Bible must realize that situations like Yemen’s will not always be constrained to a small, specific area of the world. However, God’s word also speaks of a time when famine and starvation will become a thing of the past. Jesus Christ will return and set up the Kingdom of God on earth. The earth will be restored and streams will burst forth in the

desert (Isaiah 35:1–6), and there will be an abundance of food (Amos 9:13). As nations learn to follow God’s law, they will receive rain in due season (Leviticus 26:2–4). The suffering we witness today should motivate us to pray, “Your kingdom come!” Worldwide Drought Has Been Worsening According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, roughly 45 percent of

of wildlife (“Recent Australian droughts may be the worst in 800 years,” The Conversation, May 1, 2018). In central Europe, researchers have determined that its 2018–2019 drought was the most widespread and severe there since 1766 (“Climate change to bring longer droughts in Europe: study,” Phys.org, August 6, 2020). And a recent article in New Scientist reported, “The years 1990–2016 rank among the worst periods of flooding

Drought in Australia has killed thousands of kangaroos in Sturt National Park in New South Wales. the continental United States was recently in drought, and such conditions are is forecast to worsen in the months ahead (“Nearly Half of the U.S. Is in Drought. It May Get Worse,” New York Times, October 15, 2020). Climate scientists said 2020 experienced the worst drought since 2013. Drought is also expected to develop in the southeastern U.S. over the winter, leading to more fires in 2021. Meanwhile, according to the University of Melbourne, southern Australia has been experiencing some of its driest weather in 800 years, resulting in destruction of crops, cattle, and a great deal

28  Tomorrow’s World  |  February 2021

in Europe in five centuries” (“Recent decades of European floods are among the worst in 500 years,” July 22, 2020). Why are these events significant? Bible prophecy warns that at the end of the age, Israelite-descended nations like the U.S., the UK, much of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada will experience both drought and flooding. God warns, “I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered” (Amos 4:7). While trends rise

and wane, we can expect even more extreme weather to occur as we draw closer to what the Bible calls “the end of the age.” Children Recruited by Colombian Cartels Armed cartels in Colombia have drastically increased their child recruitment activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking advantage of the increased poverty in some Colombian regions, cartels are offering to pay families up to twice the minimum wage to employ their children in the service of the cartel. “If a community doesn’t have access to running water, education, recreational spaces and other basic elements, then the risk of child recruitment increases…. Militias lure children with promises of cash, mobile phones and motorcycles” (“Armed groups target Colombia’s children as reform process slows,” The Guardian, November 9, 2020). If families do not comply, the children are often forcibly pressed into the cartel’s service anyway. Due to the pandemic, thousands of children are out of school with nothing to do, and for many, no online learning options exist. This creates opportunities for cartel recruitment. Governments are in a dilemma as they try to protect children against COVID-19 by keeping schools closed while also trying to protect them from the cartels. Many families are forced to

TomorrowsWorld.org


NEWSWATCH flee certain regions in order to protect their children. The Bible reveals that when Jesus Christ returns to set up His Kingdom on earth, “great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). No longer will children be born into a world where they are “doomed to misfortune” (Isaiah 65:23, NIV). At that time, children will no longer live in fear, because Jesus Christ will have returned and removed the current god of this age (Ephesians 2:2; Zechariah 14:9). As we witness the tragic suffering of children today, we need to remember that a better time is coming. World Leaders See Growing Risk of World War III The head of Britain’s armed forces has warned, “Current global uncertainty and anxiety amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic could risk another world war,” and that “an escalation in regional tensions and errors of judgment could

China’s most modern battle tank (ZTZ-99A2) deployed at international war games ultimately lead to widespread conflict” (“Global uncertainty could risk World War Three— UK military chief,” Reuters, November 8, 2020). In a recent interview with Bloomberg, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger also issued a dire warning: “America and China are now drifting increasingly toward confrontation, and they’re conducting their diplomacy in a confrontational way.… Unless there is some basis for some cooperative action, the world will slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I” (“Kissinger Warns Biden of

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U.S.—China Catastrophe on Scale of WWI,” November 16, 2020). Mr. Kissinger went on to note that the advanced military technologies being developed by both nations could make such a future crisis even more difficult to control. He pushed for President Joe Biden to move quickly to restore meaningful communication with China. Wars have always plagued mankind. Bible prophecy makes plain that conflict between nations will be a part of life as we approach the end of the age (Matthew 24:4–7) but strife will eventually be far more threatening and hold far greater risk than any previous conflict in human history. While prophecy does predict a coming world war, it does not point to the U.S. and China as the main opponents—highlighting, instead, very different regions of the globe. A Germanic Roman Church? Germany, homeland of “Pope Emeritus” Benedict XVI, is finding its Roman Catholic leadership in conflict with Pope Francis in Rome.

Regional meetings of a new 230-member “Synodal Assembly,” including Roman Catholic bishops, archbishops, and laypeople, convened in October 2020 to discuss how to stop the German church’s loss of members. Areas of concern included the exercise of power and authority in the church, the role of women, the role of the priesthood, and issues of sexual morality (“Bishop: Francis expressed ‘dramatic concern’ over Germany’s ‘synodal path’,” CRUX, October 12, 2020). One participant noted that Pope Francis had communicated “dramatic concern” over the formation of this new group, known in German as Synodaler Weg. Francis went so far as to caution German bishops against going “their own way” rather than maintaining strong unity with Rome. Some suspect Francis was concerned about the potential creation of a “German national church”—already a topic of discussion among some in Germany. Bible prophecies plainly describe a Germany-led “beast” power that will influence geopolitics at the end of this age. This political and military superpower will be closely aligned with an international apostate church called the “mother of harlots” (Revelation 17:5). How will the political and religious powers contend with each other? These developments bear watching in light of Bible prophecy. TW

February 2021  |  Tomorrow’s World  29


L E T T E R S T O TW TE LL U S WH AT YO U T H INK

Thank you for your telecast on “Are You Going to Hell?” I was raised in a church that taught that. I remember how terrified I was as a child and growing up. Sadly, those teachings sometimes do still haunt me today. I was told I was a heathen and will never be worthy. I left the church in my early years, but those words and teachings were engraved in my mind. I never believed I was worthy of our Father and I was too terrified and Bible illiterate to learn the truth. It has taken me years to undo what I was taught and told. That unyielding fear kept me from growing closer to God and learning the truth, but through the grace of God I never disbelieved or turned away from faith. I am in my sixties now and it has literally taken most of my life to undo the damage that was done. May God our Father bless you all and thank you. — Viewer in Montana I am an avid reader of your publications. Many people (like myself ) have shied of reading the Scriptures, because of the inherent difficulties in understanding some passages. I commend the authors for putting the Scriptures into language the lay person can make sense of. — Subscriber in Australia Dear Sir: I have received your wonderful literature. Your article “The Perfect Storm” in the July-August 2020 issue touched my soul. I believe I must pay serious attention to God’s warning. I hope I can attend your Sabbath worship service someday. May God bless you. — Subscriber in the Philippines Editor’s Note: The Living Church of God, sponsor of Tomorrow’s World magazine and television programs,

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has congregations all over the world. To learn about a congregation near you, please visit our website at TomorrowsWorld.org and click on the link at “Meet the Church Behind TW.” You can also contact the Regional Office nearest you using the information on page 4 of this magazine. Thank you ever so much for all the books you have sent to me at no charge. They have helped me so much with my walk with God. Not only me, but all the friends that I have passed the books to after I’ve finished reading them. I thank our Lord that he has placed people like you to help people like us who are out there and don’t understand some of the things the Bible says. You have helped so many people. I am closer to God through reading your books. I’m getting to know who He really is, how much love He is, and how He is there for us if we just reach out to Him. — Subscriber in North Carolina Just a brief note and small donation to express my heartfelt gratitude for all your wonderful help in preparing me for my role in God’s soon-coming Kingdom. I consider your wonderful ministry to be one of God’s greatest blessings of the modern era. In closing I wish to say, “I love you, God loves you, and Jesus is Lord.” — Reader in Iowa Every article, commentary, telecast, and sermon on your websites is to the point. Thank God for you. I direct as many as I can to Tomorrow’s World, from comments on YouTube mainly. Thank you for your hard work. — Web visitor in New York

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Television Log AUSTRALIA  Nationwide BARBADOS  St. Michael JAMAICA  Kingston

7Two

SU 7:00 a.m.

CBC 8

SU 9:30 a.m.

TVJ

SU 7:00 a.m.

San Francisco

Access

WE 8:00 p.m.

CO Colorado Springs KXTU Grand Junc. KJCT

SU 10:30 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m.

FL

Gainesville Jacksonville Miami Ft. Lauderdale Panama City Tampa Bay

WCJB WCWJ WBFS WBFS WJHG WTOG

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

Atlanta Augusta Macon Macon Macon

COW WATL WAGT Cox Cox Cox

SU 9:30 a.m. SU 10:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m. SU 5:00 p.m. TU 7:30 a.m. FR 2:00 p.m.

IA

Des Moines Dubuque Dubuque Dubuque

KCWI Mediacom Mediacom Mediacom

SU 7:00 a.m. MO 3:30 p.m. MO 7:30 p.m. TU 10:00 a.m.

ID Boise Idaho Falls

KYUU KIFI

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m.

IL Chicago Chicago Moline Peoria Quincy Springfield Springfield Springfield Springfield

CANTV WJYS Mediacom WHOI WGEM WRSP Insight Insight Insight

Various SU 8:00 a.m. MO 5:00 p.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:30 a.m. TU 5:00 a.m. TU 1:00 p.m. TU 10:00 p.m.

IN Fort Wayne

Comcast

SU 9:00 a.m.

KS Parsons

TWPAR

WE 7:00 p.m.

KY Bowling Green Latonia Latonia Lexington Lexington Louisville

WBKO PEG PEG WTVQ Insight WBNA

SU 7:00 a.m. WE 6:30 p.m. TH 10:00 p.m. SU 7:00 a.m. Various SU 9:30 a.m.

KBCA KLAX WBRZ KATC KVHP KNOE WNOL KSHV

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 9:30 a.m. SU 10:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 9:30 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 10:00 a.m.

Access

SU 11:00 a.m.

Community Adelphia Adelphia

SU 9:00 a.m. TH 10:00 a.m. FR 10:00 a.m.

WABI TV3 TV3 WBPQ

SU 8:00 a.m. SA 8:30 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

WBAE CACTV CACTV WLAJ WBKP

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. WE 8:30 a.m. SU 11:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

MEDCLO KDLH Public Access Public Access MTN

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SA 11:00 a.m. SU 7:00 p.m. TH 12:00 a.m.

CANADA Nationwide Networks (All times Eastern) Vision SU 4:00 a.m. SU 4:30 a.m. SU 5:30 p.m. MO-FR 3:00 a.m. GA Atlanta UNITED STATES Nationwide Networks (All times Eastern) CW Plus SU 8:00 a.m. MO 2:00 a.m. WE 1:30 a.m. WE 12:00 p.m. FOLK TV SU 9:00 a.m. getTV SU 7:30 a.m. Newsmax SU 7:30 a.m. IMPACT SU 11:00 p.m. MO 10:30 p.m. WGN SU 6:00 a.m. WE 6:00 a.m. WORD Network SU 7:30 p.m. FR 7:00 p.m. Z Living SU 7:30 a.m. DISH Network* (All times Eastern) Impact Ch. 9397 SU 11:00 p.m. DIRECTV* (All times Eastern) WORD Ch. 373 SU 7:30 p.m. WE 11:30 p.m. FR 7:00 p.m.

NEW ZEALAND  Nationwide TVNZ2  Nationwide TVNZ2 +1 PHILIPPINES  Nationwide TV5 SOUTH AFRICA  Nationwide CTV/SA

LA Alexandria Alexandria For the most up-to-date listings please go to: Baton Rouge Lafayette TomorrowsWorld.org/tune-in Lake Charles AK Anchorage GCI SA 10:00 p.m. Monroe Anchorage KYUR SU 6:00 a.m. New Orleans Fairbanks KATN SU 6:00 a.m. Shreveport Juneau KJUD SU 6:00 a.m. MA Malden AL Dothan WTVY SU 7:00 a.m. Huntsville WAMY SU 9:30 a.m. MD Baltimore Huntsville WHDF SU 7:30 a.m. Westminster Montgomery WBMM SU 7:00 a.m. Westminster AR Fort Smith KHBS SU 7:00 a.m. ME Bangor Fort Smith KFTA SU 9:30 a.m. Brunswick Little Rock KASN SU 10:30 a.m. Brunswick Presque Isle AZ Prescott Community SU 12:30 p.m. Prescott Community SA 5:30 p.m. MI Alpena Tucson KMSB SU 8:30 a.m. Kalamazoo Kalamazoo CA Bakersfield KGET SU 8:00 a.m. Lansing Chico KHSL SU 8:00 a.m. Marquette Eureka KUVU-LP SU 8:00 a.m. Monterey KION SU 8:00 a.m. MN Cloquet Orange County Spectrum MO 5:00 p.m. Duluth Palm Springs KCWQ SU 8:00 a.m. Duluth Palm Springs KCWQ-LP SU 8:00 a.m. Duluth Salinas KION SU 8:00 a.m. Minneapolis

FR 9:00 a.m. FR 10:00 a.m. SU 12:00 a.m.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO  Nationwide CNC3-TV UK & NW EUROPE  WORD (TWN) Sky TV 590 Sky TV 590 Sky TV 590

SU 7:00 a.m. WE 6:00 a.m. MO 12:30 a.m. SA 12:00 a.m.

SU 11:00 a.m. Minneapolis Minneapolis Minneapolis Rochester Roseville Roseville St. Paul

NWCT NWCT NWCT KTTC CTV CTV Nbhd. Network

SA 10:30 p.m. SU 4:30 a.m. SU 10:30 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. WE 4:00 a.m. WE 12:00 p.m. SU 8:30 p.m.

Medford Portland

KTVL Community

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 12:30 p.m.

PA Erie Johnstown Philadelphia

WSEE Atl. Broadband WPSG

SU 8:00 a.m. MO 10:00 p.m. SU 7:30 a.m.

SC

WCBD WOLO WYCW WGGS WWMB

Charleston Columbia Greenville Greenville Myrtle Beach

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 11:00 a.m. SU 9:30 a.m. SU 11:30 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

MO Columbia Joplin Kansas City St. Louis

KOMU KFJX KCWE KPLR

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 8:30 a.m. SU 7:30 a.m. MO 6:30 a.m.

MS

Biloxi Columbus Greenwood Jackson Jackson Meridian

WXXV WCBI WBWO Spectrum Spectrum WTOK

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 10:00 a.m. WE 4:00 p.m. SU 7:00 a.m.

SD Rapid City

KWBH

SU 7:00 a.m.

TN

Jackson Knoxville Knoxville LaFollette Memphis

WBJK WKNX WKNX WLAF WLMT

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:30 a.m. SU 6:00 p.m. WE 6:00 p.m. SU 10:00 a.m.

MT

Billings Butte Butte Glendive Great Falls Helena Missoula

KTVQ KBZK KXLF KWZB KRTV KMTF KPAX

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m.

NC

Charlotte Charlotte Greenville Hickory Raleigh

WAXN WMYT WNCT WHKY WRAZ

SU 9:00 a.m. SU 8:30 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m. MO 7:30 p.m. SU 7:30 a.m.

TX

Abilene Amarillo Beaumont Beaumont Corpus Christi Laredo Lubbock Lufkin McAllen Midland Odessa San Antonio Tyler Waco

KTXS KVIH KBTV KFDM KRIS-DT2 KTXW KLCW KTRE KCWT KWES KWES KABB KLTV KYLE

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 6:30 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 5:30 a.m. SU 6:00 a.m. SU 7:30 a.m.

ND Fargo

WDAY

SU 7:00 a.m.

NM Albuquerque Albuquerque Albuquerque Santa Fe Santa Fe

KWBQ KCHF KCHF KCHF KCHF

SU 8:00 a.m. MO 7:30 p.m. FR 9:00 p.m. MO 7:30 a.m. FR 9:00 p.m.

NV Reno

KREN

NY

Albany-Troy Batavia Batavia Batavia Binghamton Binghamton Binghamton Brookhaven Brooklyn Canandaigua Elmira Hauppauge Oneida Oneida Queens Queens Riverhead Rochester Syracuse

Spectrum Spectrum Spectrum Spectrum Spectrum Spectrum WBNG Cablevision BCAT Finger Lakes WENY Cablevision Access Access Public Access Public Access Cablevision Finger Lakes Spectrum

MO 3:00 p.m. SU 2:00 p.m. TU 5:30 p.m. FR 7:30 p.m. WE 10:00 p.m. FR 8:00 p.m. SU 8:00 a.m. MO 4:30 p.m. MO 4:30 p.m. SU 11:30 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m. MO 4:30 p.m. TH 2:00 p.m. TH 7:00 p.m. MO 11:00 p.m. TU 4:30 p.m. SU 7:00 p.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 7:30 p.m.

OH

Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Cleveland Fairborn Lima Lima

WSTR Spectrum Spectrum Spectrum WUAB CAC WBOH WBOH

SU 9:00 a.m. TH 8:30 a.m. SU 11:30 a.m. TU 1:00 p.m. SU 8:30 a.m. TU 12:00 p.m. SU 7:00 a.m. MO 7:00 a.m.

OK Oklahoma City Tulsa

KSBI KQCW

SU 8:30 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

OR Bend Eugene

KTVZ KMTR

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

TomorrowsWorld.org/telecasts

SU 8:00 a.m.

UT Salt Lake City

KMYU

SU 7:00 a.m.

VA

Charlottesville Charlottesville Charlottesville Chesterfield Fairfax Fairfax Fairfax Norfolk Roanoke

Comcast WVIR ADELVA Comcast Public Access Public Access Public Access WSKY WWCW

MO 8:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m. WE 6:30 p.m. TH 6:30 p.m. MO 5:30 p.m. FR 1:00 a.m. SA 10:00 a.m. SU 9:30 a.m. SU 8:30 a.m.

VT

Bennington Bennington Bennington Bennington Bennington Bennington Burlington Burlington

CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT Access Access

WE 9:30 a.m. WE 12:00 a.m. TH 9:30 p.m. TH 12:00 a.m. SA 8:00 a.m. SA 4:30 a.m. WE 2:30 a.m. TH 11:00 a.m.

WA Everett Kennewick Kennewick Seattle

Comcast Charter Charter KSTW

WE 4:30 p.m. SU 8:00 p.m. TU 8:00 p.m. SU 2:00 a.m.

WI La Crosse Milwaukee

WXOW WMLW

SU 7:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

WV Bluefield Charleston Clarksburg

WVVA WQCW WVFX

SU 8:00 a.m. SU 7:00 a.m. SU 8:00 a.m.

WY Cheyenne

KGWN

SU 8:00 a.m.

*Check local listings for additional airtimes throughout the week

The telecast is available on cable and broadcast stations around the world. Check your local listings for details, or go to TomorrowsWorld.org/tune-in.


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BIBLE STUDY COURSE

What Happened to the Christianity of Christ?

How has “Christianity” changed to become the religion we see today? You need to know! February 4–10

Your Questions, the Bible’s Answers!

Many challenging Bible questions can be answered if we let the Bible speak for itself! February 11–17

Ten Signs Leading to Armageddon

Soon, these apocalyptic events will change civilization forever! February 18–24

Who Is the Real God?

Though the world collapses into confusion, you can come to know the real, unchanging God! February 25–March 3

New Gods, New Sins

Modern society has invented new, false gods and sins. You can learn to recognize them! March 4–10

Slaves of “Freedom”

The “freedom” to do what we want is considered all-important—but at what cost? March 11–17 Schedule subject to change

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