Gerald E. Weston

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

Introduction: Are You a Slave?

The word Prom in North America refers to an important high school dance at the end of each school year, but “proms” has a very different meaning on the other side of the Atlantic. The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts (better referred to simply as, “the Proms”) are held over an eight-week period each summer, but controversy was stirred up regarding the BBC Proms this past September over the British patriotic anthem, Rule Britannia. Why? There is more to this story than meets the eye, and the implications go far beyond the British Isles and touch every living person on planet earth. What is it that virtually everyone is missing? What is the real story behind Rule Britannia that you will not read in your daily papers? My friends, you need to know!

On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, I’ll explain what this controversy is all about, and what it means for you, no matter where you live.

Rule Britannia!: Britain’s Past and Future Hopes?

A warm welcome to all of you from those of us here at Tomorrow’s World. On today’s program, I’ll be explaining a controversy that emerged this past summer that few outside of Britain even know about, and I’ll show how it’s significant for everyone in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and it will touch all lives far beyond these nations. And I’ll be offering you a free DVD, “The Rise and Fall of Britain and America.”

These daily classical music concerts referred to as the proms, are sponsored by the BBC and broadcast to millions at indoor and outdoor settings around the world, but most notably at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory are sung with great fanfare on the last night—not so in 2020. How fitting for a year that has seen so much controversy and conflict.

As it turned out, both WERE played AND sung by a limited, self-distancing orchestra and choir. The usual Royal Albert Hall audience was missing, but not elsewhere, where it was beamed live to millions. Nevertheless, some controversy was stirred over whether these patriotic anthems are suitable for Britain. As The Guardian wrote:

“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,” The Guardian, August 25, 2020).

The coronavirus was the reason given for possibly dropping both anthems from the program, but many suspect there was far more behind it. While extremely popular among most Brits, others want Rule Britannia silenced forever, seeing it as representing Britain’s former slave trade and colonial past. Of course, it was Britain who ended slave trade.

Rule Britannia began as a poem co-written by James Thomson and David Mallet, and later set to music by composer Thomas Arne in the year 1740.

“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 article goes on to explain a subtle change from Thomson’s poem, “Rule, Britannia! Rule the waves” (expressing a hope to do so), to the later “Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the waves” (expressing mission accomplished as Britain grew in power). Another change is found in the second line of the refrain. Thomson’s poem was written: “Britons never will be slaves,” but was changed to “Britons, never, ever, ever, will be slaves,” and still later to the current version:

Rule Britannia!
Britannia rule the waves
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves

And then the refrain is enthusiastically repeated:

Rule Britannia
Britannia rule the waves.
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves

This reference to never being slaves is open to interpretation in our politically correct environment. Britain was involved with the slave trade, and some interpret the last line to mean that, while Britons traded in slaves, in contrast, they would never become as those slaves. But this can be understood totally apart from the slave trade as though Britain would never be conquered by other powers. For example, in the modern context, when you see Nigel Farage lustily singing those words, you have little doubt that he means Britons never, never, never shall be slaves of the European Union.

You don’t have to be British to be emotionally stirred by the patriotic strains of “Rule Britannia!” The grandeur of the refrain is moving and plays to the human desire for greatness and independence. Words on paper fall woefully short of stirring the emotions to the degree the same words do when set to music, but either way, words should be weighed and understood.

It’s not the purpose of this Tomorrow’s World program to take sides on the Prom controversy. We’ll leave that to the Sunday Times and the British tabloids. Instead, I’ll explain what you will never read in the papers and what no one else is seeing.

Sin as the Ultimate Enslavement

We’re looking at the significance of the patriotic song itself. What is it that journalistic opinion will never tell you? What is it that you need to know about this anthem no matter where you live?

As explained in the previous portion of this program, the following line is repeated twice in the refrain:

Rule Britannia!
Britannia rule the waves
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

There’s no doubt that Britain ruled the waves during the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. It was through their dominant navy and the armies it transported that they controlled so many lands and peoples that it could be rightfully stated that the sun never set on the British Empire—an amazing feat for a group of small island nations off the northwest coast of Europe.

However, the part of the refrain, “Briton’s never, never, never shall be slaves” belies the truth. Britons have been and currently are slaves. And so are Americans, Canadians, Filipinos, and all other peoples. How so, you may ask?

As with Britain and our whole world, we can read of another nation that was blind to their servitude. The account is found in that book of all books, where Jesus told the Jews of His day,

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [They answered Him…] “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” [Jesus answered them…] “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 those of His day that they could not comprehend it. It’s no different today. Britons are every bit as much slaves as the Jews of Jesus’ day, and they’re not alone. Our whole world is blind to the bondage in which we are held.

What did Jesus mean when He spoke those words? What is the relationship between sin and slavery?

The epic movie, “The Ten Commandments,” plays every year on television around the time the world knows as Easter. The logic behind this is obvious in that it was at this time of year when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. Easter is never mentioned in the movie as it has nothing to do with the Exodus and is nothing more than the name of a pagan fertility goddess. This explains the association of that holiday with eggs, rabbits, and lilies—all fertility symbols. The word Easter is only found in the King James Version of the Bible and only once, and it’s agreed upon by all scholars that it is a mistranslation of the word for Passover. The true Biblical story, as portrayed in the movie, was about Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

The Exodus was the time when a slave people were set free from harsh bondage. They were protected by the blood of a lamb surrounding the doors of their homes when death passed over them. 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 didn’t have time to let their bread rise, but ate unleavened, or flat, bread. The Bible shows that leavening typified sin and Egypt was a symbol of both sin and bondage, thus making the connection between sin and bondage, but today, instead, we call it addiction.

Addiction comes in many forms. Sexual behaviors outside of marriage quickly become bad habits from which it is difficult to free oneself, even though the results are often diseases (some of which are life threatening), unwanted pregnancies also, and broken marriages that leave spouses devastated and children confused and often in poverty.

Addicted to Sin, Slaves to Unrighteousness

Britons proclaim they “never, never, never shall be slaves” but as we’re seeing, they already are slaves to sin, and sin truly is bondage. The tobacco industry once portrayed smoking as something that cool people do, but what is the result? People shortly become addicted to nicotine and are enslaved to a nasty habit that offers a variety of cancers, emphysema, heart disease, wrinkled skin, stained teeth, and nasty breath. Millions who think they can quit anytime find it difficult to break the enslaving habit, and many die miserable deaths as a result. Smoking today has diminished in our Western world, only to be replaced with vaping—something that is also addictive and not without risks.

Many Britons, Americans, Australians, Canadians, and people of all nations are slaves of alcohol, recreational drugs, a lack of self-control, telling lies, stealing, and gossiping. These are all addictive behaviors with negative consequences. Again, instead of calling these actions bondage, we refer to them as bad habits and addictions. It’s human nature to think we are in control of our lives. Just as the Jews of Jesus’ day could not see they were in bondage, so people today are blind to who and what controls them.

The biblical Apostle Paul equated sin with slavery and death in Romans 6:16:

“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).

But what is sin? Many agree that using enslaving recreational drugs and dabbling in pornography are sins, but why? Who determines the definition of sin? Is it not God? And if not God, then who has the authority to determine what is and what isn’t sin? Do you know God’s definition of sin? It’s found in 1 John 3, verse 4:

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

[Or as the older King James Version puts it…]

“… sin is the transgression of the law.”

This broadens the definition of sin beyond drunkenness, sexual immorality, or murder. It’s not difficult to see that some sins are harmful addictions, but other sins bring about more subtle, but not less painful, enslavement.

The first four of the Ten Commandments define our relationship with God and when they are violated, they enslave us to painful doctrines and ideas. If we substitute other gods for the true God, if we limit His power by shaping Him with cheap plastic or even precious stones, if we disrespect His name and character, or if we rebel by choosing our day of worship over the day He set aside; we open ourselves to a host of wrong ideas.

For example, is believing that a lost loved one is currently suffering in hellfire any less mentally enslaving than suffering from an incurable disease? Not knowing the true God of creation, most people live only for today and do little to prepare for eternity. And instead of knowing God’s wonderful plan for mankind through His ordained Holy Days, people substitute pagan days and slap Christ’s name on them. These sham celebrations, no matter how sincerely held, leave people in the dark about God’s Plan for mankind.

That the days 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 Eerdman’s 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” (p. 131).

Few people understand how contrary to true doctrine these compromises with paganism truly are and how empty they leave one in the end. The erroneous doctrines the Jews were steeped in during Jesus’ day were different from professing Christianity, but both are equally enslaving. How many comprehend Jesus’ declaration,

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Mankind’s ideas of freedom are deceptions. How many professing Christians maintain that to keep the law of God is bondage? And yet, James calls it the perfect law of liberty that we will be judged by, 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).

And Peter 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).

Conclusion: How Can You Be Made Free?

As we have seen on today’s program, not only the British, but all nations and races are enslaved by sin. Yet there is another more traditional kind of slavery on the horizon that the British descended nations such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, along with the United States, need to be aware of. The refrain, “Briton’s never, never, never shall be slaves” is sadly untrue, nor is America going to be great again. We have forgotten our heritage. We no longer know our roots and we have forgotten our God. As the prophet Isaiah records in chapter 1,

“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).

Because we have forgotten our God, our God will forget us. Many prophecies show that the British descended peoples will indeed be slaves, as explained in today’s free DVD—“The Rise and Fall of Britain and America.”

Notice this remarkable prophecy for both Israel (that is ten of Jacob’s twelve sons and their descendants) and Judah (that is the Jews). The time is at the time when Christ returns, as seen in the reference to David being resurrected:

“‘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; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity”’” (Jeremiah 30:3–4, 7–10).

This is clearly speaking of these days. As verse 24 explains,

“… In the latter days you will consider it” (Jeremiah 30:24).

It’s difficult to understand how the English and American peoples can be physically enslaved in our current context, but don’t dare think it cannot happen. Twice in the last century these nations were knocked back on their heels. We have witnessed in 2020 just how fast our world can change and 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, “Briton’s never, never, never shall be slaves” is simply wrong. And the slogan “Make America Great Again” is equally wrong. We are already slaves to our sinful ways, and we will be physical slaves in the not very distant future unless we repent, unless we turn around and go another direction.

But there is good news as the previous passage of scripture shows. We will be saved out of it. As 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. 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 for the other nations of the world, don’t think that these future events will happen in a vacuum. The whole world is in for a very rough time until we learn a very painful lesson. Yes there is good news in the end, but how much better if all people everywhere were to turn to God. But sadly, we do not see that happening, but each of us individually can turn to God wholeheartedly while there is still time.

Thank you for watching! Remember to subscribe so you don’t miss another Tomorrow’s World video, and if you would like a copy of our DVD, “The Rise and Fall of Britain and America” for free, click the link in the description. See you next time.

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

Do You Think You Know God?

Many people, especially young people, see God as harsh and stern—One who wants to take away all the fun in life. Many professing Christians see the God of the Old Testament as an out-of-touch old man demanding unreasonable requirements, but they see Jesus coming along to do away with those laws and replace them with a different, more loving law. Do you realize, my friends, that these views are totally in error? The God of the Old Testament is not a stern out-of-touch Being, nor are His laws unreasonable.

On today’s Tomorrow’s World program I’ll reveal a shocking truth that few understand. We will see what the Bible says about the God of the Old Testament, what it says about love, and what it is that God truly requires of you and me.

God’s Commandments Represent Love

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World. And I especially welcome those of you tuning in for the first time. Today I’m going to give you something that will open your mind to a shocking truth about God that is there for everyone to see, yet almost no one knows it.

Let’s face facts. God is not popular in our world today. Many people don’t believe He exists, believing instead in a creation without a Creator. They believe perfectly harmonious life forms were created out of chaos, yet it can be proven that this is a mathematical impossibility.

Further, we must ask, “Where did matter originate?” Yes, I’m talking about the dirt underneath our feet. Most scientists now believe there was a beginning for our universe, but have no means of explaining how the existing laws that govern matter came to be.

We’ve had other programs on this subject, so I won’t go into that at this time. Suffice it to say that the “no God” concept comes more from prejudice than from scientific fact.

Many see God as One who is impossible to please. They see Him as a harsh demanding Being who enjoys punishing people and seems to hate His very creation. But is that so? Others go to the opposite extreme of thinking that God requires virtually nothing of us. Neither of these concepts is correct.

So let’s talk about God. Who is He, and what does He require of us? Do you realize that the second part to this question is not new? Notice it in Micah 6 and verse 8:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

A similar sentiment is expressed by King David in the 15^th Psalm where the requirements of God are elaborated upon. The questions are asked:

“...Who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1).

These questions go beyond the time of David and reflect what God requires of anyone who hopes to be in the Kingdom of God. Now notice the answer:

“He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved” (Psalm 15:2-5).

Now if you didn’t know better you would think these were the words of Jesus, not those of someone living under the Old Covenant. Maybe the Old Testament God is not quite as harsh as some believe.

But what about those Ten Commandments? Are they as oppressive as some think? Are they burdensome and impossible to keep? Some think so and I’ve personally been told this. I’ve also heard it said that there is nothing you can do to be saved—it’s all been done for you, but is that what the scriptures reveal?

Notice what the one who is considered the Apostle of love has to say about God’s commandments in 1 John 5:3.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

But didn’t Jesus come to nail those commandments to the stake? Didn’t He do away with them? Let’s read what He said in Matthew 19. Here a young ruler came to Him and asked the following question:

“...Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).

Now, that’s a fair enough question. After all, who wants life to end? Now I understand that when you’re 16, you think life will go on forever. Old age appears so far off and when YOU grow old, YOU will not be decrepit like all the old people you see. No, you’ll still be playing basketball—no sitting down for you! But that’s not reality. We do get old and we understand that there is an end. That’s when most people begin thinking more seriously about the question:

What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?

Now, what did Jesus answer:

“...But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

Now if keeping the commandments is a requirement for eternal life, and that is what Jesus clearly said, wouldn’t you want to know what they are? Perhaps you can recite the abbreviated form of them, but do you truly understand the spiritual intent behind them? Our resource, “The Ten Commandments” is one of the most important booklets we have ever published, and it can be yours free for the asking. And I’ll be right back to tell you one of the least hidden, but least known secrets of the Bible.

Who Was the God of the Old Testament?

What is that secret? And why, if it is least hidden, do so few know about it? And if it’s not generally known, how important can it be?

The answer to these questions is found in another question:

Exactly who was Jesus of Nazareth?

Do you realize, my friends, that numerous easy to understand statements from the Bible answer this question?

Let’s begin with the real chronological beginning of the Bible. It’s found in John 1, verse 1. Here we read of two members of the God family: One is called, in the original Greek, the Logos, meaning, the Word or Spokesman, and the other is simply referred to as God. Yet, the Word is also called God. Let’s read it together, John 1, verse 1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

Let’s read that last sentence again. Notice that this passage plainly says that the Word was also God, and that:

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

But who is this “Word” that was with God, but also was God, and who made all things? Verse 14 gives us the answer.

“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 Logos, the Word or Spokesman described here, is none other than Jesus Christ. Colossians 1, verses 16 to 17 corroborate the role of Christ in the creation of all things.

“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” (Colossians 1:16-17).

Now who is this referring to? Notice verse 18:

“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” (Colossians 1:18).

The popular misconception is that there is a harsh and cruel Father who is the God of the Old Testament, that He gave us impossible to keep, burdensome laws; but that His Son, Jesus, came to do away with His Father’s laws and to do everything for us, that there is nothing required of us except to confess faith in His name. As popular as this belief is, it is simply not found in the Bible. In fact, what we learn from these scriptures, is that the One who became Jesus Christ WAS the God of the Old Testament. Notice again Colossians 1:

“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” (Colossians 1:16).

Now if He created all things in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible, that means He created the first humans, so if we are going to please God, we must know more about Him!

The Bible tells us that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt through powerful miracles. He led them by the hand of Moses to Mount Sinai where He thundered the Ten Commandments and made a covenant with the nation. On that occasion we are told that 74 men saw the God of Israel and ate a covenant meal with Him. Notice in Exodus 24:9-11:

“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel…. 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).

But which member of the God family was this? Was it the Father or the Logos, the One who became known as Jesus the Christ?

The Apostles John and Paul answer this vital question.

Jesus Christ in the Old Testament

Scripture shows all things were created by the Word or Spokesman in the God Family and the Word became the One we know as Jesus. We also noted that when the covenant was made between God and Israel, that men saw the God of Israel, but there is an issue with that. Notice what it says in John 5:37:

“And the Father Himself, who sent Me [Jesus is the speaker here], has testified of Me. You have neither heard His [that is, the Father’s] voice at any time, nor seen His form” (John 5:37).

This is confirmed in John 1:18:

“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).

So if no one has seen God the Father at any time, who did those 74 leaders in Israel see at Mount Sinai? Does the Bible contradict itself? Or is there another explanation? The answer is simple. In this passage it says:

“No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18).

But it goes on to say,

“The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

Clearly, the One no one has seen is the Father. But remember from John 1:1 it tells us that the Word is both with God and was God:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Note that the Word was with God, and the Word was God—two beings described here—both are God.

I am named Weston and my wife is with me and my wife also is Weston. If you have not seen me, but met my wife, you could truthfully say that you have seen Weston, but not the husband Weston—only the wife Weston.

When we read that 74 leaders of Israel saw God, yet also read that no one has seen God at any time, it is merely a question of which member of the God Family it is talking about. No one has seen God, the Father, at any time, but they saw the one who became Jesus the Christ. Need more proof? Note Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10, verses 1-4:

“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 that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4).

Even a child should be able to understand it. The One who dealt with ancient Israel was none other than the One who became Jesus Christ!

Do you understand, my friends, what this means? Do you understand the implications of this? Stated succinctly, the One who emptied Himself of His glorious power and came to the earth as Jesus Christ, WAS the God of the Old Testament! He was the One who created all things. As we read in Colossians 1:16,

“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” (Colossians 1:16).

This is further confirmed in another passage, this time 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” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Do you still need more proof? Here it is in Ephesians 3:8-9. Be sure to look this up and the other scriptures given in this program in your own Bible. Don’t believe me just because I say it. Read it and prove it for yourself out of your own Bible!

“To me… this grace was given… to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:8-9).

The implications for this are immense. Do you realize that those who claim the law is done away are saying that the One who gave the law turned around and did away with it? That is absurd, and maybe that is why Jesus said,

“...But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

The Law is a Blessing to Those Who Follow

People, young and old alike, often see God as stern, harsh, and eager to punish. How sad that is, because He is just the opposite. As we have already seen during the first portions of this program, the God of the Old Testament is none other than the One who became Jesus Christ. As we read in Colossians 1:16:

“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” (Colossians 1:16).

And Paul tells us that the One who interacted with ancient Israel was the One who became Jesus Christ:

“For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Perhaps you were told, as I was, that the law of God is burdensome, impossible to keep, no longer required, and that Christ did it all for us. Is that what the Bible says? Notice that these ideas are wrong in all aspects. As I read earlier, the Apostle John wrote:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

So who are you going to believe? Your neighbor? Your minister? Or, the Apostle John? And what about what Jesus Himself tells us in the Sermon on the Mount? Matthew 4:17-18:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).

Then, He shows that we must keep, not only the letter of the law, but also the spirit or intent of the law. Note this example in verses 27 and 28:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

That is about as direct a statement about what Christ requires of us as can be made, but WHY do we have the law of God? Is it to keep us from every good thing, or to keep us from every act that brings heartache and suffering? Notice God’s reaction regarding the children of Israel:

“Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

God knows that keeping His law keeps us out of trouble. It protects us against needless pain and suffering. Consider the very first commandment as given in Exodus 20:2-3:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-3).

Maybe you’re thinking you were never in Egypt, never in bondage. But that’s the same reaction the Jews had when Jesus declared in John 8:32:

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

They were stunned by this and answered Him:

“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free?’” (John 8:33).

And Jesus responded:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

The Apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 6:16:

“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).

No, my friends, contrary to popular misconceptions, the law of God is not a burden, but a law that sets us free from the burdens that come as a result of violating that law. That is why the Apostle James calls it the law of liberty in James 1:25:

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).

If you’d like to learn more about this perfect law of liberty that sets you free, be sure to order your free copy of The Ten Commandments.

And come back again next week when Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I will bring you more good news of Tomorrow’s World and the teachings of Jesus Christ.