Gerald E. Weston

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?

The fourth of July is a much-loved American holiday, celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but in the year 2025, it marked one of the greatest disasters in Texas history, as highlighted in this CBS News headline.

Texas flash floods hit residents and campers in a deluge “nobody saw” coming (CBS News, July 12, 2025).

The article went on to describe the disaster.

The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes (“Texas flash floods hit residents and campers in a deluge “nobody saw” coming. Here’s what to know”).

Texas Public Radio reported three weeks later.

At least 135 people have died following catastrophic July 4 floods in the Hill Country and Central Texas – including at least 71 adults and 37 children from the Guadalupe River floods. The number of people still missing in Kerr County has remained at two (“Live Updates: Number of missing in Kerr County drops to 2, at least 135 died in Texas floods,” August 4, 2025).

The July 4, 2025 flash flood along the Guadalupe River in Texas shocked the nation, but less than a year earlier Hurricane Helene hit the Southeastern United States in an even greater disaster. According to the National Hurricane Center’s final report:

Up to 30 inches of rain fell in the Southern Appalachians. That was both from Helene and a band of heavy rain well ahead of the storm as moist air was lifted over an old stationary front and by the mountains and foothills, themselves.… At least 63 stream and river gauges set all time record crests… [and] both the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers in Asheville, North Carolina, shattered their previous record crests from 1916. The U.S. Geological Survey mapped 2,015 landslides … primarily in western North Carolina. Half of those slides affected buildings, roads or rivers (“Most Shocking Things From Hurricane Helene’s Final Report,” July 8, 2025).

But the toll from Helene went far beyond record setting, streams and rivers flooding, financial losses, and landslides.

Citing reports from both government and media sources, the NHC [National Hurricane Center] found at least 176 people were killed in the U.S. during Helene’s flooding rain, high winds, storm surge or tornadoes. Another 71 people died after the storm was over due to such things as vehicle wrecks, medical emergencies and accidents during cleanup. Three other deaths associated with Helene were from unknown causes (ibid.).

The total loss of life was at least 250. In light of the Hurricane Helene and Guadalupe River tragedies, and so many more all around the world, it’s reasonable to ask if God is loving and all-powerful, why can’t He—or why doesn’t He—prevent natural disasters that take the lives of innocent people, especially children?

We Have Freedom of Choice—for Good and Evil

For the answer, we must go back to the beginning. The Bible tells us that our first parents were made in the image and likeness of God. God has a great purpose in mind for mankind, a purpose that few church-goers understand, even though the Bible is explicit about that purpose.

We read that man was placed in a beautiful garden filled with wonderful foods of all sorts. He was given a mind to think, to reason, to invent and innovate, to make decisions far above what any animal kind can do. But these decisions go beyond how to plan and construct. Mankind must make decisions on how to relate to others—in other words, moral decisions.

Adam and Eve were thus tested to see whether they would trust God’s judgment as to what is good and what is evil, or whether to strike out on their own and determine good and evil for themselves. They chose the latter and mankind has been doing the same ever since. Remember Frank Sinatra singing: “I Did it My Way”? How many relate to that! As a result, God said, in effect, if you want to “do it your way,” have at it. You have 6,000 years, but you’re on your own. Don’t expect Me to bail you out of every problem that comes along.

The Rain Falls on the Just and the Unjust | Matthew 5:45

However, despite our rebellion, God does care for all of His potential children as Jesus explained in Matthew 5:44–45.

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 [that is God] makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:44–45).

Yes, God gives life-sustaining rain even to the unjust. He has not left our environment totally to chance. But God does manipulate our weather from time to time. For example, God promised this to Israel in Deuteronomy 28, and I’ll begin in verse 1.

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today… all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl (Deuteronomy 28:1–5).

In other words, weather conditions would be favorable to produce good crops. Can we not see that the God who created the entire universe can manipulate weather patterns for the good, that is, if we obey Him?

We All Suffer the Consequences of Sin

But He can also withhold the good if we despise Him and reject His rule over us, as seen later in this chapter.

But 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).

Now notice some of these consequences of our disobedience in verses 23 and 24.

And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:23–24).

We see that God makes it possible for the righteous and the unrighteous to survive on earth—giving sun and rain to produce food for man and beast. Yet, as we also see, He occasionally manipulates weather for His purposes. Why?

We know too well that every year there are many “so-called” natural disasters that strike randomly on Earth. These come in the form of hurricanes or cyclones, tornados, droughts and floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Terrible fires have struck southern Europe in recent years—from Spain to Greece. And wildfires are yearly events in Canada, California, and Australia.

One recent extreme heat and fire disaster occurred in Western Canada.

The 2021 BC heat wave suddenly pushed temperatures well past the previous record [set 84 years earlier] and into the upper 40s Celsius. Several weather stations across the southern BC interior repeatedly topped the long-standing national high. Kelowna, Kamloops, Ashcroft, Lytton and Lillooet all saw their temperature climb above 45 °C on one or more days from June 27 to 30, 2021. A new highest temperature for Canada was set at 49.6 °C (121.4 °F) recorded on June 29, 2021 at Lytton, BC. The next day a wildfire raged through Lytton, destroying most of the town (“Hottest Place in Canada”, CurrentResults.com, 2025).

The Canadian Broadcasting Company explained from coroner reports regarding the extreme 2021 British Columbia heatwave:

New figures released Monday said the deaths of 595 people between June 18 and Aug. 12 were related to the heat. The majority of those deaths—526—happened during the “heat dome” that created temperatures above 40 C from late June to early July. The service said 231 people died in a single day on June 29—nearly 10 people every hour (“595 people were killed by heat in B.C. this summer, new figures from coroner show,” CBC News, November 1, 2021).

No place on earth is totally safe and when natural disasters strike, property is damaged and lives are lost. Why?

God’s Plan: He’s Creating His Family

Why if God is love does He allow such tragedies? Is He not powerful enough to prevent them?

The answer is found in God’s great plan for man. Sadly, almost no one takes God at His word. Few believe the words of Scripture which tell us what He has in mind for us—what His grand purpose is. Yet it is stated plainly in His word.

Created in the Image of God | Genesis 1:27

Notice what He tells us at the very beginning—Genesis 1:26.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 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).

How many read over these words and never ask what it means when it says that man is made in the image and likeness of God? There’s something remarkable about that statement. Of all the creatures God made, only man is made in His image and likeness. Why?

The same expression is found in Genesis 5:3.

And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth (Genesis 5:3).

If Adam’s offspring is made in his likeness and image, what does it mean when it says that man is made in God’s image and likeness? The answer is profound, and it is found in the word of God. When King David looked into the night sky, he marveled that the great God who created all things should be mindful of puny man (Psalm 8:3–6).

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:3–6).

Dear friends, does that thought—what is man?— ever cross your mind? What is God’s purpose for creating us? Why do we have such an exalted position on earth? The author of Hebrews quotes this passage from Psalm 8 and answers the question (Hebrews 2, beginning in verse 8).

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him…. For it was fitting for Him [that is: Christ], for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying…. Here am I and the children whom God has given Me (Hebrews 2:8, 10–13).

Do you understand the clear implication of this? Can we begin to understand what God meant when He said:

Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (Genesis 1:26).

There’s another passage of scripture that I want to give you that confirms God’s purpose for us,

But I first want to give you a short reminder regarding today’s free offer. Yes, God has called us to a grand purpose far above what we can imagine. But mankind as a whole has rejected our Creator. And as with a spoiled child, God loves us enough to get our attention for our good. And nothing grabs our attention more than a natural disaster. Arrogance dissipates when the earth moves violently beneath our feet and the walls begin to crumble, or when the wind takes the roof off and our survival is questionable.

Romans 8:14–17:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:14–17).

Sons of God. Heirs of God. Joint heirs with Christ. Yes, there’s more to creating man in God’s likeness and image than you may have realized. Clearly, when we die God has something greater in mind than sending us off to eternal retirement in heaven or to a place of eternal punishment and suffering.

Suffering Teaches Why to Choose God’s Way | Romans 8:18

But let’s continue in verse 18.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself [note this] also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now (Romans 8:18–22).

God is calling human beings to be made in His image and likeness—not to be angels, but children of God. He’s given us every blessing that a loving Father can give, but we’ve rejected His rule over us. We’ve been ungrateful and disobedient children.

We go through life as though we don’t need His counsel and help—that is, until something goes wrong. When the wind blows, the earth quakes, the floods rise, and everything around us is taken away, we expect Him to come to our rescue. And then in the aftermath of the disaster, we don’t take responsibility for having built on a flood plain or on a sandy beach. No, we blame Him and call it an act of God.

But, as I ask in Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters:

Could God stop natural disasters? Could He give adequate warnings so people could get out of the way while He builds a new island or mountain? Could He direct the wind to take a course away from His children?… Cannot the God who created the universe and life on this planet protect us (p. 22)?

The answer should be obvious. So why doesn’t He do so now? Continuing in our resource:

We are so arrogant we conclude that it [Creation] all happened by [evolutionary] chance—so God is allowing us to live in a world of chance. The disasters that “time and chance” throw at us should get our attention (p. 22).

But do they?

While there are natural disasters of unbelievable magnitude on the horizon—explained in our free resource—there is also good news.

God Will Heal the Earth When Jesus Returns

One of the most beautiful passages of scripture is found in Isaiah 35, where God inspired the prophet to record in advance the time after the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Notice it in verse 1.

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose (Isaiah 35:1).

Now, some have tried to apply this passage of the desert blossoming to the current state of Israel. Yes, the Jews have turned wasteland into productive farmland, but when we read the verses that follow, it’s evident that this is speaking of something far greater, when God will heal people who are afflicted by blindness and other disabilities. He will even change the nature of animals.

It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:2–10).

This is clearly not what we see today in the tiny, besieged state known as Israel.

No, there is coming a time of prosperity and peace on earth that goes far beyond what most people imagine. And it’s not for the Jews alone.

But this will not happen instantly. Mankind will actually fight against the returning Christ. When He defeats His enemies, He will command all nations to send representatives to Jerusalem to keep the biblically mandated Feast of Tabernacles. And when some nations first refuse, He will use the force of nature to get their attention, as explained in Zechariah 14:16–19.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16–19).

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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Two Hidden Truths Explain John 3:16

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, but what does that mean?

You’ve likely heard of the “sinner’s prayer”; a few words of confession and acceptance of Christ as Savior, and presto—you’re on your way to heaven.

But is that what the Bible says? Many think so, but is it?

If you’ve watched Tomorrow’s World for any length of time, you know this program is different. For one thing, we tell you, “Don’t believe us just because we say it—believe us because you can prove it from your own Bible.”

Another difference is that we are not here to entertain, but to inform—to give you what Paul referred to as “the whole counsel of God.” And you’re not receiving that from your typical Sunday morning preachers.

John 3:16 is sometimes referred to as the “golden verse” and rightfully so, but almost all professing Christians, while familiar with what it says, are woefully ignorant of its full meaning. Now here’s what it says (John 3:16):

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Now on the surface, this passage appears rather straightforward, so what can possibly be misunderstood? What truths are hidden? Simply put, what most people think the verse says is that “God loves us and Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for my sins.”

And that’s true, but in those few words, there are details that are never considered and are obscured by tradition and misconceptions. So let’s take a closer look and break it down.

1. Jesus Is the God of the Old Testament

1. Hidden truth number one is the identity of Jesus prior to His human birth.

Few stop to ask this question, yet the Bible gives the answer, and it’s a surprising answer. Professing Christians often pit the God of the Old Testament against the God of the New Testament, thinking the Old Testament God was harsh and demanding, but Jesus came along to do away with His Father’s unrealistic demands. But nothing could be further from the truth, and this brings me to the importance of knowing who Jesus was. The Apostle John was close to Jesus and the last living of the original twelve. At the beginning of the book bearing his name, John tells us this about who He was:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1–2).

Now whoever this was who was with God from the beginning, and who was also God, is revealed in verse 14.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Yes, the Word, the Spokesman of God, became flesh. So Jesus was the Spokesman of the God family and was with God the Father from the beginning. But notice something else about Him—go back to verse 3.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3).

Now how many realize, that prior to His human birth, Jesus was the One through whom all things were made? And what is meant by all things? The answer is found in Colossians 1:15–18:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Clearly the one spoken of here, who created all things, is Jesus Christ. It was through Him that all things were made, and all things include the heavens and the earth, the visible and invisible—everything. This is confirmed in Hebrews 1:1–2.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.

Why is this not generally understood? And why is this important? It’s important because the role of Jesus, prior to His human birth, has relevance for the New Covenant doctrines. Contrary to common thinking, it was not the Father who thundered the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, but the one who became Jesus Christ.

No One Has Seen God the Father

Write these scriptures down and prove this for yourself.

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18).

This simple truth, that no one has seen God the Father at any time, is confirmed in John 6:45–46.

It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

74 Men Saw God (Jesus Christ) at Mount Sinai

However, we read that God was seen at Mount Sinai, and that by 74 men. Here it is in Exodus 24 and beginning in verse 9:

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank (Exodus 24:9–11).

Do clear, easy-to-understand scriptures contradict themselves? If so, the Scriptures cannot be trusted. The simple truth is found in the first four verses of 1 Corinthians 10.

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and [get it, here it is] that Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1–4).

Yes, as we read in John 1, there are two Beings referred to as God, and one of them came in the flesh to redeem man. He was the Creator of all things, including man, and was thus able to exchange His life for ours.

• So hidden truth number one: The identity of Jesus prior to His human birth.

2. True Believers Obey God

John 3:16 tells us:

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And this leads us to our second hidden truth.

2. Hidden truth number two: True belief requires obedience.

Many turn to Paul’s statement in Romans 10:11, 13 as the only requirements for salvation.

For the Scripture says, “whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:11).

And then in verse 13:

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Both quotes come from the Old Testament prophets of Isaiah and Joel, respectively, and they are absolutely true, but what does it mean to believe?

Belief and Obedience vs. Unbelief and Disobedience

Those Israelites who came out of Egypt failed in their quest for the promised land, and even the next generation who physically entered it failed to find God’s rest. Why? Hebrews 3, beginning in verse 16 explains.

For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? (Hebrews 3:16).

Notice the subject is rebellion, continuing in verse 17.

Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:17–19).

There is a direct connection between belief and obedience. And this is explained later in Hebrews 11:6.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

“Even the Demons Believe”

But even believing is not enough as Jesus’ half-brother James explained. Notice it in chapter 2, beginning in verse 19.

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:19–20).

Love is often pitted against the law of God. We know that we are saved by grace, but does that mean that belief is all we need and that we don’t have to keep the commandments? Not at all.

And this is why hidden truth number one is knowing the identity of Jesus prior to His human birth.

As shown in an earlier portion of this program, He was the one who thundered the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, but many professing Christians erroneously believe it was God the Father who spoke from the mountain and communed with Moses.

Furthermore, they think He only got nine out of ten correct and His Son had to come to straighten that out. Now they don’t say it that way, but what other conclusion can we come to when they endorse all the commandments except one? They agree with the commandments against having another god before the true God, honoring one’s parents, and not committing murder or adultery, not stealing or lying, but they reject the command to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy—thinking the seventh day is replaced by the first day of the week, or that it is totally unnecessary.

However, when a Pharisee, a lawyer, tested Jesus with this question:

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? (Matthew 22:36)

The One who, prior to His human birth, gave the Ten Commandments, responded in verse 37.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

How to Love God—and How to Love Your Neighbor

A careful look at the Ten [Commandments] shows that the first four teach us how to love God, and the last six teach us how to love our neighbor. And James explains that all ten are still in effect (James 2:10).

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty (James 2:10–12).

You may ask, “Why such emphasis on law in relationship to John 3:16?” The answer is obvious. Why did the Father give His Son and why did Christ die for us? Was it not to pay the penalty for our sins? And if so, does it not make sense for us to know the biblical definition of sin?

What Is Sin? Breaking the Laws of God

People have many personal ideas about what sin is. Some think running around on one’s mate, viewing pornography, going to movies on Sunday. Others think drinking alcohol, coffee, tea, or soft drinks containing caffeine constitute sin.

And at an earlier time, many believed dancing or playing cards were sins.

Still others sum it up by saying, “Anything that hurts others.” Of course, by that definition, if one does something that he believes (sometimes erroneously) does not hurt anyone else, it must not be a sin.

So why don’t people simply look to the biblical definition found in 1 John 3:4?

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, King James Version).

Answers from Bible Verses: What Is Love?

The Apostle John, is known as the “apostle of love” since he spoke so much about love. You’ll see that if you read his first letter where he uses the word love 36 times in five short chapters. Not only does he twice tell us that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), but he also tells us that we must love one another. Now write this down and look it up in your own Bible.

In 1 John 2:3–6, he connects knowing God and keeping the commandments. Furthermore, he tells us we must walk as Jesus walked and that the love of God is perfected in us when we obey him. Here it is in 1 John 2:3–6:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked (1 John 2:3–6).

If You Love God, Keep His Commandments

And let us not forget what John wrote in this same letter in chapter 5, and verses 2 and 3.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2–3).

No, they are NOT burdensome as some deceivers claim.

So hidden truth number two: True belief requires obedience.

“For God So Loved the World”

John 3:16 begins with this statement:

For God so loved the world….

Now what could possibly be hidden in those six words, you may wonder. Actually, far more than you can possibly imagine, but you’ll have to order our free resource for a complete explanation.

However, let’s focus on the one word—world. One of the most erroneous doctrines in false Christianity is that God is trying to save the whole world today, but this is neither biblical nor fair.

Consider the fact that through most of the last 2,000 years, the majority of mankind knew nothing about Jesus Christ. Consider the aboriginal man in Australia who died a week after Christ’s crucifixion—what chance did he have? Will God judge him by what he does not understand? Not according to Acts 4:10, 12;

Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole…. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

One foolish man once told me regarding someone who had never heard of the name of Jesus Christ that if he wanted to know Christ, God would have gotten the word to him. But how ridiculous, as seen even by the Apostle Paul, where he explains it in Romans 10:14.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

No indeed! Not everyone who has lived has even heard of Christ. And consider the unfairness to those born in parts of the world where Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, and a host of other “isms” are the rule.

This is to say nothing of the various forms of professing Christianity with a multitude of different doctrines. How can they all be right?

Does God save the children of so-called Christians if they take their babies to be sprinkled upon when those babies don’t have a clue what is happening to them? Are all others lost? Or does God automatically save all children who die early in life prior to understanding what sin is and what God did for mankind nearly 2,000 years ago?

Many of you have been tormented by the thought of a lost loved one writhing in pain for eternity in an ever-burning hell fire, as taught by mainstream Christianity. But this is simply not biblical.

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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

The Beast of Revelation Is Rising

The Bible is once again proving its skeptics wrong.

Who foresaw the dramatic shift in German thinking that began suddenly less than four years ago—a shift that continues to intensify?

The answer is those who understand Bible prophecy—prophecies highlighted here at Tomorrow’s World for many years. We did not come up with this due to greater intellect, or by looking into a crystal ball, following Nostradamus, or consulting a spook in the night. It is all there in the scriptures.

Tomorrow’s World has for decades shown from the biblical books of Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah, and elsewhere that Germany will once again become a dominant military force in Europe—and that events will cause ten nations or kingdoms in Europe to give their power over to a German-led military and economic colossus that Scripture calls the Beast. Naysayers have ridiculed the idea of another European revival of the Roman Empire, but that is what is beginning to happen even as you view this program. It’s never a good idea to bet against God and His word!

Europe and Germany Prepare for War

Dear friends, our world is right now taking a turn that will lead to disaster for mankind. It will not look like disaster, but that is exactly what the Bible foretells for the near future.

What many fail to see is a military and economic colossus rising up—right now—before our very eyes.

Europe is a sleeping giant for which few have devoted much thought, but on February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine as “peacekeepers”—and three days later launched a full-scale invasion. That was a wake-up call for European leaders, and former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz immediately called for an epochal shift in people’s thinking—from pacifism to war-readiness. Germans suddenly recognized the need to build a strong military force to counter a threat from the East. Mr. Scholz called for spending €100 billion (U.S. $108 billion) to rebuild his nation’s armed forces and to boost annual military spending to more than 2 percent of GDP. Part of the €100 billion included the purchase of F-35 stealth aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Other European countries also received that wake-up call from Mr. Putin and are ramping up their military spending.

The election of United States President Donald Trump was a second wake-up call for Europeans to look to themselves for their defense. Mr. Trump’s election was worrisome to European leaders, but at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance shocked European leaders with his February 14 lecture.

This Foreign Policy headline from February 18 highlighted the shock NATO member states had regarding the speech.

European leaders are reeling from a weekend of high-level diplomacy that has laid bare just how dramatically the second Trump administration is overhauling transatlantic relations.

The article that followed explained:

Even before the reelection of U.S. President Donald Trump, European leaders were anxiously deliberating what the possible return of the U.S. leader would mean for the future of the NATO alliance and the Russia-Ukraine war. But a series of speeches, phone calls, and decisions surrounding the recent Munich Security Conference have only confirmed their worst fears (“The Speech That Stunned Europe,” ForeignPolicy.com).

The U.S. was not the only country with a new leader. Germans went to the polls on February 23 and Europeans speculated what the outcome would be—not so much who would win, but what the new leader would mean for Europe.

Nuclear Deterrence Revives German Military

The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) reported:

Friedrich Merz is on the precipice of becoming Germany’s next chancellor. If successful, his conservatism and quest for new allies to secure Europe’s nuclear deterrent could create a “two-speed Europe” (“Double speed: What Merz and a German right-turn would mean for Europe,” ecfr.eu, February 20, 2025).

Note that—a nuclear deterrent. An older generation would be horrified to think that the country that led to the loss of tens of millions of lives in two world wars last century would possess nuclear weapons. But that is exactly what is contemplated.

And what is meant by a “two-speed Europe?” Although the European Union is currently composed of 27 nations, not all nations share the Euro currency.

And in that sense, there is already a two-speed Europe—an inner core and a broader union. The Bible speaks of ten nations that give their power over to a charismatic leader. We may expect that there will be a broad-based economic union with a smaller inner core military union that the Bible tells us is fragile and will only last for a short time.

Germany’s “Seismic Shift” Prioritizes Defense

Consider this explanation from German-Foreign-Policy.com explaining what is needed from the new German government.

In Berlin, government advisors and foreign policy experts are calling for a massive increase in the military budget, drastic cuts in social spending and the vigorous indoctrination (“change of mentality”) of the population. Rapid militarisation is, they argue, the task of the next German government. These demands are spelled out in the current issue of Internationale Politik (IP), a journal published by the influential German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Its cover story is entitled: “What the world expects from Germany after the election.” One contributor writes, for example, that the next government must prepare society “for Germany to become the leading European power, diplomatically and militarily” (“All or Nothing,” German-Foreign-Policy.com, March 4, 2025).

Only a precious few in the world understand where this is leading.

There is a military and economic colossus on the rise in the heart of Europe that will impact your world and that of your loved ones, and it’s happening far more quickly than you might imagine.

German Chancellor Sheds Dependence on U.S.

I also mentioned the rift in Trans-Atlantic relations that has come about since the election of President Donald Trump. This is more than a mere spat between allies. Its significance has far-reaching consequences, as pointed out in this BBC.com report.

Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting didn’t wait for the final results of his country’s election on Sunday to herald a new era in Europe. Declaring the US indifferent to this continent’s fate, Friedrich Merz questioned the future of Nato and demanded Europe “boost its own defences. Quickly” (“New German leader signals seismic shift in transatlantic relations,” BBC.com, February 24, 2025).

Although a previously strong advocate of the Trans-Atlantic alliance, Merz recognized the seriousness of the rift in relations and that there is no turning back.

“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,” he added. Merz hinted that the endeavour was so urgent that he was not sure on whether the transatlantic alliance leaders gathering for a summit in June “would still be talking about Nato in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly” (“New German leader signals seismic shift in transatlantic relations,” BBC.com, February 24, 2025).

All of this was prior to the blowup in the White House between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. President and Vice President on February 28. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Politico:

“Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge” (“‘Free world needs a new leader’: Europe defends Zelenskyy after Trump attack,” politico.com, February 28, 2025).

Politico later reported:

“Shortly after his victory, Merz began proclaiming a radically different creed, one fit for an alarming new reality in which U.S. President Donald Trump’s America could no longer be relied on to protect Europe — and could even act to harm it.” (“Will the threat of Trump end Germany’s austerity zeal?,” March 18, 2025).

Note that last statement.

America could no longer be relied on to protect Europe — and could even act to harm it.

Merz is taking rearming to a degree that makes his predecessor’s €100 billion look puny in comparison. The BBC reported that shortly after Merz was elected:

German lawmakers have voted to allow a huge increase in defence and infrastructure spending—a seismic shift for the country that could reshape European defence. A two-thirds majority of Bundestag parliamentarians, required for the change, approved the vote on Tuesday. The law will exempt spending on defence and security from Germany’s strict debt rules, and create a €500bn ($547bn; £420bn) infrastructure fund. This vote is a historic move for traditionally debt-shy Germany, and could be hugely significant for Europe, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds on, and after US President Donald Trump signalled an uncertain commitment to Nato and Europe’s defence. (“Germany votes for historic boost to defence spending,” BBC.com, March 18, 2025).

U.S. Tariffs Widen the Gap with Europe

If Europeans were shocked into reality by the Trump administration regarding the defense of the continent, they were no less stunned and offended by the level and scope of tariffs announced on April 2. America’s “Liberation Day” would impose a universal 10 percent tariff three days later on all imported goods and even higher tariffs would kick in on April 9 for dozens of countries.

America is seen by an increasing number of Europeans as a threat, as an enemy, and this should be a wake-up call on this side of the Atlantic. But it’s not Europeans only who view America as a threat.

A serious rift has been created between the United States and Canada, and Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney is turning to Europe for greater ties economically, as are a number of other countries.

“Countries are ready to work with reliable trade partners in Europe”… European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told POLITICO.

“In a more and more unpredictable global environment, countries are lining up to work with us,” the Commission president said without naming Trump or the U.S. In recent weeks she has spoken to leaders from Iceland, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada, India and the United Arab Emirates who were looking for “strong, reliable partners” (“Von der Leyen: World is ‘lining up’ to work with Europe amid Trump’s trade war,” Politico, April 22, 2025).

And let us not forget China and all of Central and South America. While the United States boasts of 340 million consumers, the combined nations of the European Union have 450 million consumers.

German-Led Europe Emerges

Germany and Europe are poised to become both an economic and military superpower on the world scene.

Revelation points to ten nations or leaders giving their power over to a charismatic leader it calls the Beast. And Daniel describes these nations as being a fragile mixture of iron and ceramic clay—not naturally binding together.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed April 4, 1949 following World War II. NATO’s first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, explained the aim behind the new military alliance as it was then.

Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down (A history of NATO: ‘Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down’ - New Cold War: Know Better, Nov 7, 2016).

What we now see is Russia knocking at Europe’s eastern door, Germany rising, and the United States walking away.

It is not uncommon for allies to have disputes and differences, but this is a historic geopolitical shift that should be chilling to students of European history and Bible prophecy. The rise of an economic and military juggernaut involving a combination of central European nations is something we have warned about for decades.

Germany Will Do “Whatever It Takes”

What we now see happening is the rise of a German-led Europe beginning to build a powerful world-class military force with nuclear weapons totally independent from the U.S.—their former protector.

As reported by Politico, in an article titled, “Will the threat of Trump end Germany’s austerity zeal?”:

“In view of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent,” the mantra “whatever it takes” must now apply to Europe’s defense, Merz told reporters earlier this month as he announced a historic borrowing plan that could unleash €1 trillion in new spending for defense and infrastructure over the next decade.… “The meeting in the White House between Zelenskyy and Donald Trump really showed the whole drama in which we are living today in terms of security policy, and that is why we had to act quickly,” Merz said on public television on Sunday [March 16]. “We now have to take a more independent path from America,” he added. “Europe’s time has come” (March 18, 2025).

Yes, Europe. Not Germany alone.

Reuters reported this response from the EU Commission President following the White House blowup between the US administration and Ukrainian President Zelensky.

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday to borrow up to 150 billion euros ($157.76 billion) to lend to EU governments under a rearmament plan driven by Russia's war in Ukraine and fears that Europe can no longer be sure of U.S. protection…. Von der Leyen put forward the 150 billion euro fund for priorities such as air defence, missiles and drones as part of a package of proposals that she said could mobilise up to 800 billion euros for European defence (“EU proposes borrowing 150 billion euros in big rearmament push,” Reuters.com, March 4, 2025).

The transformation of Germany and Europe is historic, and is taking place at breakneck speed.

This BBC headline appeared on March 31: “Germany decides to leave history in the past and prepare for war.” The article went on to say:

Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr, recently got the all-clear for a massive increase in investment after parliament voted to exempt defence spending from strict rules on debt. The country’s top general has told the BBC the cash boost is urgently needed because he believes Russian aggression won’t stop at Ukraine. “We are threatened by Russia. We are threatened by Putin. We have to do whatever is needed to deter that,” General Carsten Breuer says. He warns that Nato should be braced for a possible attack in as little as four years…. “And the sooner we are prepared the better” (bbc.com, March 31, 2025).

European nations are circling the wagons as they realize they must stand on their own in the face of a threat from the East, and abandonment from the West.

This Is Germany’s Destiny in Bible Prophecy

The military awakening of Europe, and especially in Germany, is no small matter. Twice in the last century a militarized Germany plunged the world into wars that took the lives of tens of millions. We know that it is not in their heart to bring about a round three, but the descendants of ancient Assyria will once again wield the sword against the Israelite nations. As it tells us in Isaiah 10, the modern-day descendants of ancient Assyria, is indeed God’s rod of punishment.

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations (Isaiah 10:5–7).

Germany’s biblical identity is explained in detail in our resource Germany in Prophecy. This great nation is destined to once again shake the world, but it will not do it alone. Ten nations will lend their military support to a charismatic leader, who will bring the whole world once again to war.

A Crisis Will Clinch Germany’s World Domination

As we have already seen, Germany is gearing up for war in as little as three to four years. But as the Bible shows, a crisis, a charismatic leader, a miracle-working religious figure, and ten nations or leaders will combine to use this military might in a manner that no one currently intends.

The United States and Europe are pulling apart, and with the Russian threat to their east, Europeans recognize their need to unite as one for their own defense. Furthermore, Germany realizes its need to take the lead. The book of Revelation describes what we will see in the near future. Though we cannot know the exact timing in advance—as shown in the previous segment of this Tomorrow’s World program—the time it will take Europe to prepare to withstand an attack by a nuclear superpower to its east is short—perhaps four years or less.

But Bible prophecy explains that this Beast power will do far more than defend Europe against a Russian attack. As happened twice in the last century, this German-led force of “kings” (nations or groups of nations) will bring the whole world to war once again. We read in Revelation 17.

The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast (Revelation 17:12–13).

The Second Coming Will End the German Reign

And when does this happen? At the return of Jesus Christ, as clearly indicated by the next verse.

These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 12:14).

Yes, it is at the time of Christ’s return. My father once told me that the Europeans could never get together—conventional wisdom based on his knowledge of the differences between the European peoples. Yet, this condition is exactly what the Bible describes.

These same ten nations found in Revelation are depicted in the biblical book of Daniel as the feet and toes of a giant image that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream, recorded in chapter 2. We know the ten toes of that image are the same as the ten kings of Revelation, because of the context and how they are destroyed by the returning Messiah.

Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the [ten] toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay (Daniel 2:41–43).

The next verse tells us when this fragile alliance takes place—when Jesus Christ returns to set up a different kingdom.

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (v. 44).

The Bible tells us far more than I have time to explain in this short program, and that is why we are offering you our free resource, Germany in Prophecy. However, I want to leave you with a very encouraging passage in the 19th chapter of Isaiah regarding the future of the great nation of Germany.

In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance” (Isaiah 19:24–25).

Events are unfolding so rapidly that between the time this program is recorded, edited, and sent to stations for review before airing, who knows how our world may change? Be sure to keep reading Tomorrow’s World magazine and watching this Tomorrow’s World program to ensure that you are not caught off guard by fast-moving events that are shaping our world.

And be sure to come back again next time when Rod McNair, Wallace Smith, and I will be right here ready to share with you the teachings of Jesus Christ, the good news of His coming Kingdom, and the end-time prophecies of the Bible. See you right here next time.