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

Prophecy You Can Trust

As we experience global pandemic, economic collapse, and increasing international conflict, many sense that we are living in the “time of the end” prophesied in your Bible. Yes, our world has had extreme natural disasters, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, worldwide pandemics, and even world wars.

But did you know that your Bible predicts a new world coming? Yes, a new world government we call “tomorrow’s world.” That world-ruling government will NOT be led by human presidents, dictators, kings, or prime ministers. The new, one-world government will be ruled by a great Spirit being, who even came to earth as the Savior of the world. Yes, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. How do we know this for sure? We know for sure because you can prove Bible prophecy is powerful and accurate.

According to the Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, your Bible contains 1,817 predictions about the future. [p. 675] . We know the power and accuracy of those prophecies from the hundreds that have already been fulfilled. In this program we’ll explore amazing prophecies in your Bible that have come to pass in exact detail as prophesied. You can prove the power of prophecy from your own Bible. Stay tuned!

Reliable Predictions of the Coming Messiah

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world.

What an amazing time we are living as we near the end of this troubled age! The world experienced what many called the year to forget, the year 2020! Will there be more forgettable years in 2021, or 2022 and beyond? We’ve experienced a worldwide pandemic, global economic crises, fires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes that devastated cities and killed hundreds of thousands of people. Not to mention riots, murders, wars, and terrorism around the globe. Nations and corporations are greedily gaining property and power. Cyber terrorism steals valuable technology and industrial secrets.

Where will it all end? Bible prophecy outlines the future of nations. The current chaos will ultimately climax in World War III. The good news is that this will be followed by a new world government called the Kingdom of God. In your Bible, it’s also called “the world to come” (Hebrews 2:5). How can we be so sure? We know the future by the powerful revelation of this book.

One of the most amazing examples of fulfilled prophecy is of the prophesied Messiah. The Old Testament contains more than three hundred references to His coming. Peter Stoner in his book, Science Speaks, examined the probability of one person fulfilling just 48 of those prophecies. For that to happen by chance would be one in ten followed by 157 zeros. As someone calculated, that would be like trying to find one specific electron out of all the electrons in all of the known universe on the first attempt.

And that considers only 48 of the hundreds of Messianic prophecies that were fulfilled. In other words, the prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming could never have been fulfilled by chance. They were powerfully predicted and fulfilled in hundreds of exacting details. Yes, you can trust Bible prophecy! In fact, your life depends on it!

Halley’s Bible Handbook lists several of the Messianic prophecies and their fulfillment in the New Testament. Here are a few.

• “That He would be born of a Virgin (Matthew 1:15; Isaiah 7:14).
• That He would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:6; John 7:42; Micah 5:2).
• That He would sojourn in Egypt (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1).
• That He would live in Galilee (Matthew 4:15; Isaiah 9:1, 2).
  • At Nazareth (Matthew 2:23; Isaiah 11:1).
• His Coming would be Announced by an Elijah-like Herald (Matthew 3:3; 11:10-14; Mark 1:2-3; Luke 3:4-6; 7:27; John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; 4:5).
• That His Ministry would be one of Healing (Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:4).
• Betrayed by a Friend for 30 Pieces of Silver (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27; Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26).
• [And] His Side would be Pierced (John 19:37; Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22:16).”

(pp. 421-422).

These are just a few of more than 300 prophecies regarding the Messiah that were fulfilled.

Some of you may be familiar with the prophet Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. The Jews of the first-century and the times leading up to the first-century were aware of Daniel’s prophecy. Turn in your Bible to Daniel 9. Here is described the famous prophecy referring to the Messiah’s prophesied appearance. DANIEL 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” or as other translations such as the NIV and the ESV have it, “the Most Holy place.”

Notice that the Messiah was to make reconciliation for iniquity! Many scriptures show that the Messiah would die for the sins of the world, so we might be forgiven and reconciled to God. John the Baptist testified, referring to Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). It tells us in Ephesians 1:7, “In Him [the Messiah, Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

Yes, Daniel’s prophecy revealed that one of the major purposes of the Messiah, was to make reconciliation for iniquity. My friends, you can be forgiven for all your sins through the blood of Christ. But there are requirements as Jesus Himself made clear. He said, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” That’s in Mark 1:15. Then the Apostle Peter told the masses of people on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

My friends, some of you may have come to the point in your life where you are repentant, you want to be forgiven of your past sins and change your life. We have ministers in many parts of the world who will answer your questions and even give counsel concerning baptism. Just call the number on the screen or contact us at TomorrowsWorld.org.

Prophetic Timing of Jesus’ Life and Ministry

In the first part of our program, we saw marvelous fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah, the first coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. But WHEN was the Messiah predicted to begin His ministry? Daniel’s 70-weeks prophecy reveals the answer. A day in prophecy is equal to a year in fulfillment. Since there are 69 weeks from Daniel’s prophecy leading up to the Messiah, there are 69 weeks times 7 days per week or 483 prophetic years. But when did the prophecy begin? Many scholars refer to the decree of Artaxerxes in Ezra 7:11-28, which was given historically in 457 BC. Moving forward 483 years from BC to AD, we subtract 457 from 483 and come to what appears to be 26 AD. However, since there is no year zero, going from BC to AD mathematically requires adding one year. Thus, the Messiah was to begin His ministry in 27 AD.

How old was Jesus when He began His ministry? Just after John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, the gospel writer Luke writes in chapter three, verse 23, that “Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.” So, when was Jesus born? If we subtract 30 years of age from 27 AD, we come to 4 BC, since there is no year zero.

Yes, Christ fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy, to the exact year, to make reconciliation for iniquity! As we’ve seen, the Messiah fulfilled major aspects of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. But there remain other aspects for Him to complete. For example, Daniel 9:24 predicts three more missions yet future. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, when He returns, will continue fulfilling the following prophecies: “To bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” or as some translations have it, the Most Holy Place, referring to the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem described in Ezekiel chapters forty through forty-three. The late evangelist, Dr. Roderick Meredith describes the Millennial mission of Christ in his inspiring booklet that we are offering today, Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs. Be sure to order your free copy.

Now, let’s consider another of God’s great interventions and the fulfillment of major biblical prophecy. Almighty God declares through the prophet Isaiah, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

That’s why we can have confidence in the ultimate future, the future we call tomorrow’s world. That’s the time when Christ will rule all nations and bring worldwide peace and prosperity. Great empires rise and fall. Did God predict the fall of Babylon the Great? The greatest empire of its time was Babylon. Yet, Bible prophecy foretold that this great power would punish other nations as a judgment from God. And then Babylon itself would be judged for its sinfulness.

More than 100 years before the overthrow of the great Babylonian empire, the prophet Isaiah named the very man who would be responsible for Babylon’s fall. Let’s read it here in ISAIAH 44:28. God “says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’” Cyrus was king over the Persians from about 558 BC to 529 BC. So, Isaiah is prophesying in the eighth century BC about a king who wasn’t even born until the sixth century BC!

But not only did Isaiah foretell Cyrus by name; he also foretold just HOW Cyrus would enter Babylon to conquer it. This is an amazing story. Turn to ISAIAH 45:1. Cyrus was instrumental in allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Here, God proclaims that He will use Cyrus in a special way. ISAIAH 45:1, “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, [Listen to this!] to open before him the double doors [or two leaved gates—KJV], so that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you BY YOUR NAME, am the God of Israel.’”

The reference to the “double doors” shows how God opened the way for Cyrus’s army to capture the city. The city of Babylon seemed impregnable with massive walls and defenses. And the city had supplies that could out-last a 20-year siege. So the Babylonians just laughed at Cyrus’s army when they came to attack the city.

The river Euphrates passed through the middle of Babylon under the massive gates in its wall. Cyrus used an ingenious method to circumvent this obstacle. Some of his men dug channels upstream to divert the flow of the river.

Prophecy and the Historical Record

The secular Greek historian Herodotus also wrote of the event. Cyrus and his non-combatant troops “so greatly reduced the depth of water in the actual bed of the river that it became fordable, and the Persian army, which had been left at Babylon for the purpose, entered the river, now only deep enough to reach about the middle of a man’s thigh, and, making their way along it, got into the town.… The Babylonians themselves say that owing to the great size of the city the outskirts were captured without the people in the centre knowing anything about it; there was a festival going on, and they continued to dance and enjoy themselves, UNTIL they learned the news the hard way. That, then, is the story of the first capture of Babylon” (Herodotus, Histories, Book One, sections 191-192).

Yes, the secular historian Herodotus confirms, as do other sources such as Xenophon’s Cyropaedia—Bible prophecy was dramatically and accurately fulfilled!

The prophet Daniel was in the city of Babylon the night the Persian army of Cyrus conquered the city. And, through the prophet Daniel, God also let King Belshazzar know what would happen to him and the empire. That’s the famous story of the “handwriting on the wall.” You can read about it in the book of DANIEL, chapter FIVE. King Belshazzar prepared a feast, a great party, for thousands of his nobles. They drank wine out of the plundered golden vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem. DANIEL 5:5, “In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.”

The prophet Daniel was called upon to interpret this inscription in Babylon. A mysterious hand had written a message on the wall. DANIEL 5:25, “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Daniel then told King Belshazzar, verse 26, “This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” Then verse 30, “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.” Yes, the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians replaced the kingdom of Babylon, just as God predicted.

Dr. Roderick Meredith summarizes this amazing fulfillment of prophecy in the free resource we’re offering today: “Look at what historians know about the events that took place around 539 BC, when Cyrus conquered Babylon, an ‘impregnable’ city-fortress renowned throughout the earth for its power. Unable to surmount the massive fortified walls around Babylon, which had repelled so many other invaders, Cyrus’ men diverted the Euphrates River, which normally flowed under the heavy city water gates as it passed through the city. By lowering the river level and by having a spy unlock the inner gates along the river, Cyrus’ army invaded the city in a totally unexpected manner and took the Babylonians by complete surprise. Was God surprised? No. He had described nearly 200 years earlier how a leader specifically named ‘Cyrus’ would conquer great kings by going through ‘the double doors’! Soon after this, Cyrus issued the order to allow the Jews to voluntarily return to their homeland and Jerusalem, and—in another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy—instructed them to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:2–4; 6:2–5).” (Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs, p. 20).

Even now, God is intervening to guide nations and peoples. Dr. Meredith describes how God saved English naval forces by using the power of weather: “In 1586–87, Catholic domination of the English throne was made impossible by the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. The following year, Spain’s King Philip II unleashed his ‘invincible’ 124-ship Armada against England in an effort to reassert Catholic control. Though the English naval forces tenaciously fought, eventually they exhausted their gunpowder! At that critical point, an unprecedented gale-force wind arose and drove many of the heavily armed, lumbering Spanish galleons to their doom. The weather-beaten ships that limped home to Spain were so damaged that many could never again be used” (ibid., p. 16).

Yes, God intervenes in weather to fulfill His plans: “He uses this power on occasion to intervene in human affairs: ‘As when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind’ (Psalm 48:7)…. Queen Elizabeth, commemorating the Spanish defeat, issued a silver medal, bearing the inscription: ‘God blew and they were scattered.’ She knew who took charge of those winds at that critical hour in the history of her people!” (ibid.).

A Prophetic Kingdom Sure to Come

More than 300 prophecies detailed the future birth, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ. And God has revealed through His prophecies the Good News of His coming Kingdom. In one of the most familiar prophecies of the Messiah, the prophet Isaiah describes both the first coming of Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom at His Second Coming. Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Yes, of the “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” My friends, the time is growing short! We are in the prophetic time of the end, waiting for Jesus Christ to return soon and establish His everlasting government. He will save our world from total extinction and cosmocide. He will bring lasting peace to the earth and all nations. My friends, you need to prepare for His coming Kingdom. You need to follow His instructions in Matthew 6:10 and pray, “Your kingdom come.” You can also prepare by studying our free prophecy resource: Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in world Affairs. Just ask for the booklet on PROPHECY FULFILLED.

May God bless you as you apply the greatest goal in life given by our Savior to all mankind in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

We invite you to join us every week on Tomorrow’s World. In this world of growing chaos and confusion, you need the solid guidance that comes from your Bible. Gerald Weston, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I will keep sharing with you the truth of your Bible, the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the exciting end-time prophecies and their meaning.

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 booklet Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in world Affairs 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.]

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.