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

Tomorrow’s World: Church, Mission, and Beliefs

Many viewers wonder: Who is behind these Tomorrow’s World telecasts? The most obvious answer is found in what we say at the end of each program: We are sponsored by the Living Church of God. But that brings up another question: Who or what is the Living Church of God?

On this Tomorrow’s World telecast I’ll be answering this question. I’ll show you who we are, what our mission is, and what we believe.

True Christianity and the Living Church of God

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where today I’ll be answering the question of who we are—which Church is it that is behind these telecasts, our magazine, and all of our free resources. I’ll also explain the mission of the Living Church of God and what we believe.

Simply put, we are a remnant of first-century Christianity, but what does this mean? Jesus said He would build His Church and the gates of the grave would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Yet, the record of the New Testament and history show that the professing Christian church veered off in a radically different direction than the church started by Jesus, His apostles, and first-century believers.

End-Time Bible Prophecy Warns of False Christianity

He warned us in the Olivet Prophecy that the first sign to watch for regarding His second coming and the end of the age is false Christianity. We must not take this warning lightly. Look this up in your own Bible and consider what it means for you—Matthew 24:3-5.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them [here it is]: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am [that is, Jesus is] the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:3-5).

Yes, there would be those who claim His authority, admit that He is the Christ, but would deceive not the few but the many. Does history bear this out? The answer is absolutely!

Highly respected historian, Jesse Lyman Hurlbut in The Story of the Christian Church, gives this title to Chapter 5, “The Age of Shadows.” There he shows how dramatically the church changed over a relatively short period of time.

We name the last generation of the first century, from 68 to 100 ad, “The Age of Shadows,” partly because the gloom of persecution was over the church, but more especially because of all periods in the history, it is the one about which we know the least. We have no longer the clear light of the book of Acts to guide us; and no author of that age has filled the blank in the history... For fifty years after St. Paul’s life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and [take note of this] when at last it rises, about 120 ad with the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul (Hurlbut, The Story of the Christian Church, 1970. p. 33).

Paganism Chokes Out True Worship

Note that Hurlbut mentions these changes occurred following the death of the Apostle Paul. Is this not what Paul himself warned would happen? Acts 20, beginning in verse 29, records his warning to the elders at Ephesus.

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears (Acts 20:29-31).

Hurlbut chronicles some of the changes that crept into what became an increasingly very different church from that of Christ and the apostles.

The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals with change of name and of worship. About 405 ad images of saints and martyrs began to appear in the churches, at first as memorials, then in succession revered, adored and worshiped. The adoration of the Virgin Mary was substituted for the worship of Venus and Diana… (Hurlbut, The Story of the Christian Church, 1970 1962. p. 62 p. 79).

Many historians agree that the church of today has little resemblance to that of the original Church of God that Christ founded. Prolific writer and highly respected historian Will Durant makes this insightful comment for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it…. Christianity became the last and greatest of the mystery religions (Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, vol. 3, 1944. pp. 595, 600).

History records two paths for what is broadly called Christian.

The first is the popular and diverse forms of mainstream Christianity—Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. And there is great diversity among these. The second is miniscule in comparison. It is the small, persecuted Church that would not die.

True Believers Must Worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24)

The Christianity of Christ and the apostles is different from what most people think. Mainstream Christianity is rife with nonbiblical Greek philosophy and pagan doctrines. The Church Jesus built is not, and it has been persecuted for rejecting nonbiblical doctrines and following not what people think He taught, but what Jesus truly taught. The mainstream catered to the masses and absorbed popular pagan forms of worship.

From sun worship came a rejection of the seventh-day Sabbath, which was established at creation. Sun-worshipping Roman Emperor Constantine in 321 ad commanded a different day for rest, as shown in Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity.

When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it the “venerable day of the Sun” [Sunday] (Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity, 1987. p. 131).

Any who did not go along with this law and other non-biblical doctrines were stripped of privileges and persecuted. However, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus declared:

“I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

True Christians Obey and Follow Jesus Christ—Even Facing Death

No, the Church that Christ built never died. We read about it in the writings of those who hated it and tried to stamp it out. That Church—which refused to compromise and introduce pagan doctrines as substitutes for the doctrines of Christ—was considered heretical. Nevertheless, one must compare what Jesus and His apostles taught to discover who the real heretics are.

The Church of God Is a Little Flock Doing a Big Work

The modern roots of Tomorrow’s World and the Living Church of God are found in the Worldwide Church of God under the pastorship of the late Herbert W. Armstrong. His wife, Loma, came in contact with a member from the Church of God Seventh Day (by the way, not associated with the Seventh Day Adventists). That was in the mid-1920s. She became convinced that the biblical Sabbath was Saturday, not Sunday. Now, this did not please Mr. Armstrong, who viewed this as fanaticism. However, she would not budge unless he could show her from the Bible that she was in error. He began an in-depth search of the scriptures to prove her wrong, which at the time he thought would be simple enough. After all, all these churches could not be wrong. But the end result was that, as I personally heard him say:

It is a humbling thing to admit that your wife is right and you are wrong—especially when it is over the most important argument you ever had.

In 1933 Mr. Armstrong was offered a 6:00 a.m. time slot on the tiny 100-watt KORE radio station in Eugene, Oregon. His audience grew and he began publishing—if you could call it that—a mimeographed magazine called The Plain Truth. From that humble beginning, the work grew to where The Plain Truth was a modern full-color magazine, with a monthly circulation of 8.4 million copies—covering virtually every country on earth. And it was given away free of charge.

The Living Church of God continues to follow Christ’s instruction in Matthew 10:8, where He told His disciples:

Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8).

In 1952, Mr. Armstrong ordained five men to the rank of evangelist, and among them was Roderick C. Meredith. Mr. Armstrong died in January 1986, and in less than five years, his appointed successor took the Worldwide Church of God in a radically different direction.

By December 1992, it became abundantly clear to Dr. Meredith that the Worldwide Church had irreversibly changed or rejected all the major doctrines that Herbert W. Armstrong restored under the leadership of Jesus Christ. And at age 62, Dr. Meredith had to make a choice: Either retire comfortably as that organization tried to get him to do—or set out and revive the Work and restore the Biblical doctrines of original Christianity. He chose the latter and started the Global Church of God—later changed to Living Church of God. Dr. Meredith immediately followed Christ’s instructions found in Mark 16:15.

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

He began to preach the Gospel by going on weekly radio, writing booklets, and starting a bi-monthly magazine. He began with an informal meeting of only 19 members in his home in December 1992, but many Church of God members began to reject the apostasy and joined with him in doing the Work.

Today the Church has grown to encompass members all over the world, and a large percentage are brand-new to the truths of original Christianity—having heard the true gospel for the first time at Tomorrow’s World.

The Work of Jesus Christ is not over. From our “About Us” page at TomorrowsWorld.org, we read the following:

Tomorrow’s World is sponsored by the Living Church of God, with active congregations in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia, with more than 239 ministers serving over 401 congregations around the globe.

Our flagship magazine, Tomorrow’s World, is translated from English into French and Spanish, and we print booklets for distribution in the German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, Urdu and a few other languages.

Dr. Meredith set up a Council of Elders, which is made up of seasoned ministers to advise him. And prior to his death in May 2017, after consultation with the Council of Elders, he appointed me as his successor and as Presiding Evangelist of the Living Church of God.

While this may all sound as though we are a megachurch, that is hardly the case. Most of our congregations are small and close-knit. We’re a little flock as Jesus mentioned in Luke 12:32, where He said:

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

However, our dedicated members and coworkers are doing a Work far greater than our numbers would indicate. Many wonder how this is so.

The answer is that we have loyal members and coworkers who make it possible. Also, we do not build church buildings as a general practice. Instead, we rent halls to hold our services—choosing rather to spread the Gospel on television, over the Internet and social media, and in print.

Do you realize, dear friends, that you can worship Jesus in vain? That’s what He tells us in Matthew 15:7-9.

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

And in Luke 6:46, He chided the people for calling Him Lord—meaning master—but disregarding what He said.

But why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and do not do the things which I say?

Christian Doctrine and the Way of Life

Original Christianity—that of Christ and the apostles—is what Tomorrow’s World and the Living Church of God are about.

The Living Church of God believes:

• Jesus of Nazareth came as God in the flesh.
• He gave His life in exchange for ours.
• He is our Lord (our Master) and Savior.
• We are saved by faith in His shed blood.

However, we do not turn God’s grace into license to disobey His law. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, warns us against that error in verses 3 and 4:

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 3-4).

Keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days in the Bible

This is why the Living Church of God observes the seventh-day Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset—as did Jesus, His original apostles, the apostle Paul, and first-century Christians. We also observe the seven biblically ordained annual festivals, rather than pagan observances with the name of Christ blasphemously attached to them.

Dear viewers, think about this. Why are the days that Jesus and His apostles kept rejected by mainstream Christianity? And why is the most sacred day of mainstream Christianity named after a fertility goddess and celebrated with fertility symbols, such as eggs and rabbits? Does that really make any sense?

The Church’s Mission: Preach the True Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Our mission was given to us by Jesus Christ, and it’s spelled out on our “About Us” page at TomorrowsWorld.org.

Tomorrow’s World proclaims to the world the good news of Jesus Christ’s coming Kingdom (Matthew 24:14; Mark 16:15), and blows a bold “warning trumpet” of God’s impending judgment, calling for repentance and spiritual change (Matthew 24:21; Isaiah 58:1; Ezekiel 33).

You may wonder what is different about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ’s coming Kingdom. Don’t all churches do that? Sadly, the answer is, no.

The word “gospel” means good news, but do you realize that Paul warned the church of God at Corinth for putting up with teachers who taught a different gospel, and yes, even a false Jesus? Here it is in 2 Corinthians 11:4.

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

A few verses later he called these false teachers, ministers of Satan.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his [that is, Satan’s] ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

The Living Church of God teaches the very same message Jesus proclaimed during His three-and-a-half-year ministry—a coming kingdom, or government, to rule on this troubled planet. Read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You’ll be shocked at how many times Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God.

Now, Matthew uses the term “Kingdom of Heaven,” whereas the other writers use “Kingdom of God.” Heaven is where God dwells, so it is heaven’s—that is, God’s—kingdom. It’s not a kingdom IN God or IN heaven. “Of” indicates ownership, not location.

Teaching How to Understand Bible Prophecy

The Living Church of God does not neglect Bible prophecy, including Jesus’ Olivet Prophecy, the book of Revelation, and other passages scattered throughout the New Testament. Jesus explained to His disciples that unless He returns to stop mankind’s madness, human extinction would occur—Matthew 24:21-22:

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

God declares He will hold us accountable if we neglect to warn our fellow man. Read it for yourself in Proverbs 24:11-12.

Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

Rejecting Pagan Traditions and False Christianity as Blasphemy

The Living Church of God rejects paganized Christianity and follows the example of our Savior when He walked the earth. The mission of the Living Church of God is to proclaim the true gospel of Jesus Christ and to warn the world of what will surely happen unless we change course.

The Church’s Mission Part 2: Feed the Flock

However, another part of our mission is to feed the flock, the little flock that God is calling. To do so we have more than 400 congregations around the world, ranging in size from less than 10 to over 300. Many are moderate in size between 50 and 125.

What to Expect at Sabbath Services and Christian Holy Days

In addition to meeting every Sabbath (that is, Saturday), we meet on the annual festivals as spelled out in both the Old and the New Testaments. We observe the Passover, as Jesus did with His disciples on the night in which He was betrayed. Notice in Luke 22:15.

Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

Members bring their Bibles and many take notes during our Sabbath and festival meetings. Our services normally involve the singing of hymns, a shorter message followed by announcements, and then the main message.

Living Church of God Youth Programs, Summer Camps, and Activities

To serve our youth, the Living Church of God holds summer camps in North and South America, Australasia, Africa, Europe, and the Philippines.

Even as I am recording this program, 37 teens, young adults, and chaperones are experiencing an adventure of a lifetime on a week-long hike in the spectacular Eagle Cap Wilderness in Oregon.

We also have a preteen camp in Missouri this week, a two-week teen camp in Texas in July, a teen camp in Belgium, and others taking place this summer in the Northern hemisphere.

More programs to “feed the flock” are weekend retreats for young adults, Spokesman Club meetings for our men, and a year-long onsite Living Education program for highly motivated young adults. A few young adults are chosen to work a summer in Thailand, teaching English to Thai children, getting to know our members there, and touring parts of the country.

Choosing to Live God’s Way

But whether it is a Sabbath service, summer camps, weekend retreats, Living Education, or international projects, the focus is on restoring the way of life taught by Jesus Christ and His first-century followers.

We find that many people ask about our services, but fail to follow through out of fear of the unknown. So let me say emphatically, I would not give up this way of life for anything. Our members are friendly. We are truly one great family. We are not isolated members who only know those in our own local congregations. We often combine congregations on feast days, hold family weekends and visit other Living Church of God congregations when traveling on business or vacation. Members travel to other countries to observe the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day each year.

And if you would like to learn more about keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, the annual festivals of God, about baptism or attending with a Living Church of God congregation, just let us know.

I hope you profited from this video.

If you found it helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get your free booklet, titled Restoring Original Christianity by clicking the link.

We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand our world through the pages of the Bible. So be sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss another video.

Thanks for watching! See you next time.

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

Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil?

Our world is filled with evil and suffering. How do we reconcile that evil and suffering with the fact that God, Creator of the world, is good and loving?

Philosophers have wrestled with this “problem of evil” for centuries. But God reveals the answer to the problem—the reason for evil and suffering in the world—in the pages of His word. And that answer is perhaps the greatest source of hope the human mind is capable of understanding.

You need that hope.

Join us right now on Tomorrow’s World where we will give you God’s answer to the problem of evil.

Freedom of Choice Means Pain Has to Exist

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. And today’s subject is one that many struggle to make sense of: Why is the world so filled with evil and suffering if God is good and loving?

In philosophical circles, the topic we are tackling today is called the problem of evil. It’s been stated many ways, but you could summarize it like this:

“God is supposed to be all-powerful and good. Yet, evil clearly exists in the world, resulting in much pain, misery, and agony. Either God is too weak to do anything about it, or else He doesn’t care. In either case—a weak God or an uncaring God implies that, in reality, there is no God at all.”

Hence the existence of evil and suffering (supposedly) proves that there is no God.

In short, it argues that an all-powerful, all-good God simply can’t exist, because there is so much evil in the world that He does nothing about. And if you search around on YouTube and pointless discussion forums on the Internet, you’ll see the problem of evil thrown about as if it had somehow done God in.

Yet, as supposed “proof” that God does not exist, it’s long been recognized by many that the problem of evil falls short.

Many answers have been provided, including the fact that—to truly rule out God’s existence—one would need to prove it is impossible for God to have good cause for allowing evil to exist. And that’s a tall order.

Free Will Means Being Free to Choose Poorly

For instance, as our children grow, we sometimes need to let them experience the result of their wrong choices instead of intervening to prevent problems. Calling every parent who does so a “bad parent” would be naïve.

In the 1970s, philosopher Alvin Plantinga’s argument—that the value of human free will provides God with sufficient moral cause to allow evil—was widely perceived to have won the day, so to speak, demonstrating that, yes, it is feasible that God can have good cause to allow people to choose evil. If humans are free to choose, it’s unreasonable to expect that they will always choose the good.

Still, the problem of evil is not merely a philosophical problem, is it?

Where Does Evil Come From?

When we or those we love are personally stung by the pain and suffering of the world, the arguments of philosophers provide cold comfort. And this world truly is filled with pain and suffering.

On a personal level, how many have been victims of robbery, theft, assault, rape, or murder? And how many suffer at the hands of those who benefit from their suffering? Many of you watching know the burdens of sickness and infirmity. It seems no age—young or old—is immune to disease. And maladies of every sort plague mankind and bring pain and heartache to even the youngest and most innocent among us.

On a larger scale, how many lives have been ravaged by the scourges of mass murder, slavery, genocide, and warfare? Human beings are shockingly creative in their capacity to generate suffering among their fellow human beings.

And beyond the world of man’s cruelty to man, there are earthquakes; floods; droughts and famines; hurricanes and typhoons; plague, pestilence, and parasite. Nature seems intent on reminding us, over and over again, that we are not in control, and our lives are lived at the mercy of merciless forces far greater than we are.

Whether we are sitting amidst our burnt belongings in the smoldering ruins we once called home, or holding the hand of a son or daughter in a hospital room, suffering from a disease we cannot heal, the question of the problem of evil and suffering in the world is very real and very personal.

Why does evil exist? And how does suffering fit into the plans of a supposedly merciful and loving God?

We need more than the abstract assurance of philosophers. We need answers.

And God provides them. When we understand why mankind exists and what the purpose of life truly is, then our lives, even our sufferings, become infused with meaning, hope and, believe it or not, even a profound and unshakable joy.

And the best way to understand the purpose of human life is to go back to its beginning—all the way back to the VERY beginning, in the book of Genesis.

God Created the World as a Paradise—Not of Suffering

And when we do, we see that God did not create the world to be a place of suffering. Genesis 1 and 2 describe the world God created as a paradise. And it tells us of the creation of first human beings, Adam and Eve. There, we’re told in 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).

Humans Were Made in the Image of God

Unlike any of the animals God made, we see that He made mankind as a sort of analog of Himself—sharing with them His own image and likeness, with the capacity of reasoning, judgment, and morality. And man was given a level of dominion over the creation—again, picturing what God possesses, but on a much smaller scale.

The importance of being made in God’s image is hard to overstate. In fact, skip ahead for a moment to chapter 5 and verse 3. There we read of Adam and Eve’s reproducing themselves in their son, Seth.

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).

The use of this phrase is not a coincidence.

God Created Man With Potential to Join God’s Family

The larger picture of Scripture, supported from Genesis to Revelation, is that God created man as a part of a process of reproducing Himself and growing His divine Family, intending to produce countless children. Today’s free resource will demonstrate this astonishing truth to you beyond the shadow of a doubt. God intends man to one day share in His divine and glorious existence, ruling and creating throughout the cosmos forever.

This is why, unlike the animals, man was made in God’s own image and given analogous capacities and responsibilities—yet something vital was missing. While God is spirit, as Jesus tells us in John 4:24, man is physical—limited. And unlike God, who has eternal life inherent within Him, mankind was made with the potential for eternal life, but also for eternal death. Because being an eternal child of God requires holy and righteous character, and developing godly character requires choice.

Intrinsic Motivation: God Wants Us to Choose Wisely

So, Adam and Eve were given the opportunity to CHOOSE. God planted a tree in the garden that could provide them eternal life, and a tree that represented the knowledge of good and evil. And He lovingly told them which one to choose. If they continued choosing the right tree, the tree of life, then God could continue working with them, developing them, caring for them. But if they rejected Him and His instructions, then they would eventually die, refusing eternal life and obedience to their Creator.

God Gives Freedom of Choice—and Allows Us to Make Wrong Choices

You can read of their choice in Genesis 3. In short, they chose disobedience. They chose to accept the temptations of the devil and to take on themselves the “right” to choose what is good and evil, and what is right or wrong for themselves. They rejected God’s instruction, rejected God as their Creator, rejected His purpose for them, and rejected His care for their lives.

Pain Comes From Wrong Choices

And all of the suffering of the world has flowed from that choice. Yet it’s easy to sit here and blame Adam and Eve. The Apostle Paul makes it very plain that every single one of us, in our own way, has repeated their mistake for ourselves in our own lives. As he writes in Romans 3,

“There is none righteous, no, not one”… for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23).

Think about it—and be honest with yourself. At any point in your life, was there a right thing to do, and you chose the wrong one? Was there a loving thing to do, and you chose a selfish one? Was there ever anything God tells us to do, and you chose not to? Or anything God tells us NOT to do, and you did it anyway?

In our own, individual ways, each of us has fallen short of the character of God—and, thus, fallen short of our purpose to become His children.

God Allows Suffering to Teach Us That We Need Him

And the world around us reflects this condition. We sin, and we suffer. Those around us suffer. Our children suffer. We kick God out of the world that He made for us and tell Him we can run it without Him, and that same world becomes a place of suffering.

Yet even in the midst of all of this evil, all of this suffering, God’s purpose remains. He is still working to create a family full of billions upon billions of glorified children of God who will live with Him forever in glory, majesty, and power. And the means by which He is accomplishing this not only resolves the problem of evil, but provides profound meaning in our suffering and life-changing hope beyond that suffering that you need to grasp.

Sin Is the Root Cause of Suffering

In fact, the Bible says something important in Proverbs 26:2.

Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight.

The reason we suffer is because of sin—disobedience to a God who loves us too much to prevent us from learning, as a civilization, what it means to appoint ourselves the masters of “right and wrong” instead of accepting the guidance of a loving God who plans so much better for us.

If we examine the suffering we experience, all of it—every bit of it—comes from humanity’s choice to disobey God.

Pain: Feeling the Effects of Our Own Sins and Others’ Sins

Sometimes we suffer because of our own sins. We see this in many of the problems that plague us: Addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, some instances of poverty and wasted lives. But we suffer, too, as we are impacted by the sins of others—just as a pebble thrown in a lake disturbs the water in every direction.

Our societies suffer the ravages of diseases that would not exist if we would look to the laws of God as our guides in matters of health, and look to the God of heaven who has the power to heal and bless. And the Creation suffers disasters as mankind refuses to turn to the Creator—the One who can control the forces of nature that lie beyond our grasp.

And why God won’t simply snap His fingers and make everything all right makes sense when we consider the purpose for our lives in the first place. Human beings aren’t simply “pets” to God—fun playthings for Him to care for and make sure we’re fed, watered, and happy all of the time. He seeks to turn us into members of His family—full and glorious children of the divine family of God.

And unlike pets, we have a role to play in that purpose. We must learn to think like God, react like God, and choose like God.

Suffering Builds Character in Us—and Teaches Lessons

We are here to develop the mind and character of God Himself—to grow to reflect Him on the inside in the same way He has made us to reflect Him on the outside, in His image and likeness.

When we comprehend that, then our suffering takes on meaning, because we know that what we learn in that suffering, how we respond to evil in the world, and the godly character we develop becomes part of an eternal reward that will far outshine any pain and anguish we will ever know in this life. When we comprehend that, then how we grow in our trials contributes to that future of glory.

The Apostle Paul speaks of this coming time, and this coming existence, in Romans 8:18.

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.

Paul is saying that comparing light from the smallest matchstick to the light of the sun, or a mote of dust with a mountain range, would make more sense than comparing the sufferings of this life with the glory that God is building within those He is working with to develop His own righteous, godly character. Let’s continue:

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 also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8:19–21).

God intends the entirety of Creation, the whole universe, to be given over to the glorified children of God—you and me, if we repent and commit ourselves to Jesus Christ to allow God the Father to reproduce Himself and His character in us.

God Promises That Pain Will Not Last Forever

Paul writes that all of creation—the whole of created reality—is waiting for the liberty and glory that will come with the revealing of the children of God at Christ’s return.

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now (Romans 8:22).

This, my friends, is the answer to the problem of evil and suffering—seeing that suffering not as an eternal condition, but a passing phase that, just like the pains of childbirth, are serving a purpose that will bring joy and happiness such that the suffering will never come to mind again.

Such a fact should remind us of the words of Jesus, spoken on the final Passover of His earthly ministry.

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world (John 16:21).

And how much more joy will be known when that birth is not of a human being, but the expanded and glorified God family?

My friends, God is not silently watching us suffer in the cold, dark distance. For those willing to yield their lives to Him, to repent of their sins and turn to His Son, embracing His beautiful purpose for their lives, He is present in our suffering—working within us for His purposes, building within us a future, and creating within us a glorious existence that will last throughout time.

Our suffering is profoundly personal to Him. And He proved this to us in the most intimate way possible.

God Promises to Wipe Away Every Tear (Revelation 21:4)

He displayed this fact by sending His Son to suffer, just as we do.

Already one of the two members of the God Family, the One that John 1:1 calls the Word, the Logos, condescended to become like His Creation—like us—and become the man Jesus Christ. He came and, unlike us, followed His Father’s laws and way of life perfectly.

His obedience did not bring the praise of men, but their hatred, their contempt, and their violence.

The prophet Isaiah described the suffering that Christ would endure in this life:

Despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief… He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities… He was oppressed and He was afflicted… He was led as a lamb to the slaughter… (Isaiah 53:3–7).

Jesus Christ, Our Example: Learn Obedience Through Suffering

One whose life of love and generosity deserved nothing but praise and adoration was given instead mockery, threats, beatings, abandonment, torture, and execution. And through it all, He remained faithful to God, His Father.

As Philippians 2 explains, though He had existed in the form of God, He was willing to set that aside and become like us so He could suffer as we do, and:

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).

Having done so, He was resurrected and given once again the glory He had set aside and the existence that He had before. But now from Heaven He makes Himself available to live His life again through His Spirit within those who are willing to repent, obey, and fulfill God’s purpose for their lives by following Him.

Pain and Suffering: Our Resistance Training to Enter the Kingdom

For those who do, then these times of evil and suffering can be seen for what they truly are—mere birth pangs before they, too, are born into the Family of God and into the glory Jesus Christ now has with His Father, which will be revealed at His return. A time when they will join Him in His Kingdom to begin building a world, and ultimately a universe, that will never know evil and suffering again.

As the Apostle John was told, in vision, of that final estate:

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3–4).

May God send His Son soon to finally solve, once and for all, the real problem of evil.

Thank you for watching. If you would like to learn more, consider ordering our free study guide What Is the Meaning of Life? You can get it by going to TWTV.org/Life.

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

Trends for 2025

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World. The United States elected Donald Trump to be its 47th President in a landslide victory. Many see Mr. Trump as a messiah figure, a savior of the country that has gone astray. What might we expect over the next four years? It would do us well to remember two biblical proverbs. The first one is from Proverbs 16:9:

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Yes, a man may have his own agenda, but that is not always the way his future turns out. Often a leader is remembered not for what he planned, but for how he handled circumstances out of his control. This is further spelled out in Proverbs 19:21:

There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

About 75% of Americans believed that the country was going in the wrong direction, and that was reflected in the outcome of the election. So what can Americans, and citizens of this world, expect for 2025 and the years following? Can we know?

The Bible Has the Only Sure Predictions

There are many prognosticators predicting what’s ahead for the coming year and beyond. Some base their predictions on their understanding of geopolitics. Others look into crystal balls. Some claim a spook in the night revealed the future to them. And of course, there is Nostradamus, but a close look at his predictions—and [those] of other famous psychics—show[s] that they are vague and are more backward-looking interpretations by his fervent followers than true predictions. Let me give you an example.

Some enthusiasts say his mention of “the great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt” refers to the moon landing, a significant milestone in human achievement. … People find it easy to understand humans reaching for the stars; therefore, fans love to talk about this (“5 predictions of Nostradamus that are believed to have come true,” Times of India, October 28, 2024).

Then there are wild interpretations of biblical scriptures. Yet, it is from this very source—the book known as the Bible—that we here at Tomorrow’s World turn to know the future course of our world.

On this program, I’ll give you three trends to watch for in 2025 and beyond—straight from the pages of the Bible.

The Bible Prophesies Events Just Before the Return of Christ

On today’s program, we’ll look to the Bible for what it tells us about our near future. While we cannot know the exact timing of most Bible prophecies, we CAN know the general timeframe of what is ahead. And there are a few prophecies that do give specific time markers, and I’ll refer to one of them on today’s program.

But first, let me address a common misunderstanding. Some people erroneously conclude that we can have no idea when Christ will return. They claim that He could come at any time—tonight or a thousand years from now. So, let’s look at Matthew 24:36 and explore the context in which this scripture is given.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only (Matthew 24:36).

This statement is true, but what is the context in which it is found? Is it not detailed signs that lead up to the end of the age and Christ’s second coming?

Specific Signs of the End-Times in Matthew 24

Notice the beginning of this Olivet Prophecy—Matthew 24:3.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be [that is, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem]? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Jesus then went on to give signs that would lead up to His return. The idea that we must throw up our hands and have no idea regarding the timing of His return contradicts the context of this chapter.

In the Last Days: False Christianity

Jesus said there would be definite indicators of the end of the age.

Let’s notice what follows, beginning in verses 4 and 5.

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4–5).

A counterfeit Christianity is the first sign that He gave, and I’ll come back to that in a few minutes, but let’s read further from verse 6.

Beginning of Sorrows: Wars and Rumors of War

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:6–8).

The 20th Century saw two world wars that killed literally tens of millions of precious lives. It also saw a pandemic in 1918 that killed somewhere between 50 and 100 million people. That was a plague that paled COVID! And there have been many famines, floods, and earthquakes. But notice what I left out of verse 6.

See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6).

Luke’s parallel account of this Olivet Prophecy says it this way in chapter 21 and verse 9:

But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately (Luke 21:9).

As any reader of history knows, the last 2,000 years—and even before that—were filled with wars and natural disasters, so what are we to make of these signs?

Parallel End-Time Signs in the Book of Revelation

The book of Revelation is also focused on the end of the age and lays out a framework of end-time events. There we read of a scroll sealed with seven seals that, according to Revelation 5:3-5, only the Lamb of God—that is Jesus Christ—can open.

And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals” (Revelation 5:3–5).

Four Seals and Four Horsemen of Revelation 6 Match Signs in Matthew 24

When He opens the first four seals, we find the famous four horsemen. The second, third, and fourth riders are easily discerned, and they match up with what Jesus revealed in the Olivet Prophecy. They represent war, famine, and pestilence (or disease epidemics). But what of the first?

Let’s read it in Revelation 6:1–2:

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Most commentaries say this rider represents Christ or His followers conquering for Christ. They usually link this rider with the returning Christ that we read of in Revelation 19.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True…. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.… And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:11–16).

But notice that the weapons wielded by these horsemen are different. The King of kings has a figurative sharp sword, coming out of His mouth, but the rider in chapter 6 has a bow in his hand. Why the difference? And what does that have to do with what is ahead for mankind in 2025 and beyond?

I also said I would give you the first trend to watch in 2025 and beyond. Here it is:

Trend #1: Watch for a worldwide revival in counterfeit Christianity

Why? Two riders in the book of Revelation look alike, but have different weapons. One carries a bow—the other, a sharp sword. This is significant.

Leading up to the opening of the seven seals, we learn from chapter 5 and verses 3 to 5 that only the Lamb of God—Jesus Christ—can open the seals.

Each of the four horsemen of Revelation is easy to discern, except the first one—though it appears on the surface to be easy to understand—and that’s the rub. Is that rider Christ? Or is he a close counterfeit? How can we know?

The answer is simple: only Christ, the Lamb of God can open the seals, and when we look to the words of Christ spoken elsewhere, we have the answer.

Trends for 2025 Are the End-Time Signs Jesus Gave

Remember the first sign Jesus gave that leads up to His return? Read it again in Matthew 24:4-5.

“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name [that is, claiming His authority], saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ [in other words, telling people that Jesus is the Christ] and will deceive many.”

Now notice the comparison between Revelation 6 and Matthew 24.

• In Revelation 6, we read of a rider on a white horse. But in Matthew 24, the first sign that Jesus gave is Christian deception.
• Revelation 6 speaks of a rider who takes peace from the earth. Matthew next talks about wars and rumors of war.
• Revelation 6, a rider on a black horse of famine, and Matthew 24 speaks of famines.  
• In Revelation 6, the last rider is one on a pale horse of pestilence. Matthew 24 next speaks of pestilences.

False Christianity, False Prophet, and Beast of Revelation

Now it should be obvious from this that the first rider in Revelation 6 is a counterfeit Christianity. And that is why our first trend to watch is the revival of a counterfeit Christianity that will take hold of much of the world.

This great false prophet is spoken of in a number of scriptures, but notice this passage in Revelation 13^th chapter, and verses 11 and 13.

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. … He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men (Revelation 13:11-13).

A counterfeit Christianity is not new, but since the four horsemen reflect end-time events, look for a charismatic leader to perform deceptive miracles. He will look like he represents Christ, but he will in fact represent Satan the Devil. He will bring about a revival of apostate Christianity—not new in doctrine, but he will confuse the whole Christian world with enthusiasm, emotion, and deception.

Now, don’t think it can’t happen, because it will. So our first trend to watch going forward is:

Trend #1: Watch for a worldwide revival in counterfeit Christianity.

Trend #2: Conflicts in the Middle East Will Not Stop Until Jesus Returns

The first Trump administration was able to do something no one thought possible. It actually looked like peace would break out in the Middle East due to the Abraham Accords—a series of agreements to normalize relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

This was the start of a process that continued in the Biden administration, and it looked as though Saudi Arabia and Israel were on the verge of normalizing relations. But then came the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists.

Can the new U.S. President bring peace to that region? The answer is NO—not according to Bible prophecy.

Continuous Attempts to Overthrow Jerusalem (Zechariah 12)

The prophet Zechariah speaks of the opposite of peace, foretelling our very time today when there would be a Jewish state in the area of Jerusalem, and they would be surrounded by hostile neighbors. Notice how remarkably accurate these prophecies are.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah [that is, the Jews,] and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it (Zechariah 12:2–3).

But how will the Jews fare with their enemies on every side? What does the Bible tell us, that we can see with our own eyes in our daily news? Verse 6:

In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:6).

In a moment, I’ll show you a couple other prophecies about the State of Israel—prophecies that literally leap out of the Bible and onto our news feeds.

Jews Did Not Control Jerusalem for More Than 1,800 Years

I left off in Zechariah 12 where we saw that the Jews would have a country in the Middle East controlling Jerusalem. This was not the case from 135 ad until 1948, and they did not control all of Jerusalem until 1967. That makes Zechariah’s prophecies, given 2,500 years ago, absolutely remarkable. I’ll come back to Zechariah in a moment, but notice a prophecy that is even more ancient, but precisely accurate.

Prophecies in Genesis 49 Are About Jacob’s Descendants “in the Last Days”

The patriarch Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had 12 sons. At the end of his life, he foretold what would become of each one as they grew into tribes and nations—not at that time, but more than 3,500 years in the future—at the time of the end of the age.

Notice it in Genesis 49:1:

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.”

Were these prophecies the result of a hallucinating old man? Or were they given under the inspiration of God? Let’s read what he said about Judah, the father of the Jews, in the last days, and you be the judge. Verses 8 and 9:

Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him (Genesis 49:8–9)?

Dear friends, is this not exactly what we see?

Relentless Attacks Against Jerusalem Foretold in Isaiah 29

Here’s another prophecy about the Jews in the book of Isaiah.

The prophecy is addressed to Ariel, and while there is controversy over what the word means, virtually all scholars agree that it is a prophecy regarding the house of Judah (that is, the Jews) and Jerusalem. The early fulfillment was during the time of Assyrian king Sennacherib, but there is clearly an end-time fulfillment. Note how the Jews’ enemies anticipate victory only to wake up and realize it’s a dream.

The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her fortress, and distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, and look—he eats; but he awakes, and his soul is still empty; or as when a thirsty man dreams, and look—he drinks; but he awakes, and indeed he is faint, and his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, who fight against Mount Zion (Isaiah 29:7–8).

Time and again Israel’s enemies see victory slip away from them.

Jerusalem Will Finally Fall Just before the Return of Christ (Zechariah 14)

However, Zechariah reveals that there is a time in the future when the Jews will be overthrown and the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will have to come back and save them. We read of this in Zechariah 14:2–4:

For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city [indicating it’s a divided city] shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.

No, there will be no peace in that part of the world no matter who is the U.S. President. There may be exuberance over what appears to be peace, but it will not end well, as Paul wrote about the time of the end in 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

Our second trend to watch is:

Trend #2: There will be continuing conflict in the Middle East that will lead to Christ’s return.

Trend #3: Watch for Daily Sacrifices to Begin in Jerusalem

We cannot know the specific time of these biblical prophecies, although as we have seen, easy-to-understand prophecy regarding the Jews and Jerusalem, given 2,000 and even 3,500 years ago, are taking place right now for anyone to see. But I want to give you a third trend to watch, because this one could literally begin at any time.

Daily Sacrifices Must Start Before the Abomination of Desolation Can Occur (Daniel 12)

We find a countdown to the time of Christ’s return in the 12th chapter of Daniel. The prophet wanted to know when the end would come and was told that the visions were sealed until the time of the end. He was then told this in verse 11:

And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days (Daniel 12:11).

That’s three years and seven months.

I don’t have time to explain the abomination of desolation on this program, but for now, let’s focus on what is easy to understand. For sacrifices to be cut off, they must first begin, and daily sacrifices have not been offered in Jerusalem for the better part of 2,000 years. Therefore trend #3 is: Watch for daily sacrifices to begin in Jerusalem.

Final Countdown Begins 1,290 Days After Sacrifices Stop

This will be a big deal once they begin, because when they are stopped, that will begin a countdown of 1,290 days before Christ steps in to save mankind from self-annihilation. So watch for these three trends in 2025 and beyond:

• Trend #1: Watch for a worldwide revival in counterfeit Christianity.
• Trend #2: There will be continuing conflict in the Middle East that will lead to Christ’s return.
• Trend #3: Watch for daily sacrifices to begin in Jerusalem.

I hope you profited from this video. If you found it helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get your free booklet titled The Middle East in Prophecy by clicking the link in the description or going to TWTV.org/East.

We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand your world through the pages of the Bible. So be sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell, so you don’t miss another video.

Thanks for watching! See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited version of this Tomorrow’s World telecast.]

What Is Christmas About?

Christmas morning. It’s the highlight of the year for many children in the Western world. They leap out of bed to discover what Santa brought them this year. They bound down the stairs, eager with anticipation, imagining what new toys may be awaiting them.

And then, they see them.

Under the Christmas tree, there they are: neatly stacked presents covered in red and green wrapping, awaiting the children’s discovery of what’s inside. What could be more exciting than this yearly Christmas ritual?

Everyone loves a surprise. And children all over the Western world look forward to the thrilling moment on Christmas Day: The long-awaited instant when the presents are opened.

But does the Christmas-present opening ceremony live up to its billing? Do the presents really fulfill the wishes and dreams of those boys and girls? Or after a few minutes or hours of playing with a new game or doll, does the newness wear off? Or is the disappointment immediate, when an expected electronic game turns out to be pens or pencils? Sadly, all too often, the anticipation of the gift is greater than the real thing.

But think about it, though. Isn’t Christmas in general sort of like a disappointing gift? It’s bright, it’s colorful, attractive, and beckoning. But when you open it up, what’s inside? Is it what you had hoped for?

Let’s answer that question today on Tomorrow’s World, as we unpack the truth about this popular holiday.

Look Beyond Christmas Morning

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.

Christmas is one of the most anticipated holidays of the Western world. For many, it’s a joyous time. And it’s especially fun for children. Millions of boys and girls arise Christmas morning, gleefully expecting to find gifts under the Christmas tree.

One of the most popular parts of Christmas is gift-giving. Everybody likes a present. And maybe that’s what makes Christmas so popular with children.

But just like children can be disheartened when they get socks or a sweater instead of the latest electronic game or a new puppy, Christmas is filled with unpleasant surprises for adults, too. Some are quite shocking.

Surprise #1: Christmas Is Not Christian

Let’s talk about some Christmas surprises in our program today. The first one is (number one) Christmas isn’t Christian at all.

Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Christ. And yet, it’s made up of many customs that have their roots in ancient pagan traditions.

As author Desmond Morris wrote in his book Christmas Watching,

“Hardly anything we do during the Christmas festivities has the slightest connection with Christianity, let alone with the arrival of the infant Jesus” (Christmas Watching, p. 2, 1992).

Pagan Origins of Christmas

Simply put, the earliest Christians did not observe Christmas. This is a fact recognized by all reputable sources. Even those who observe this holiday with great fervor recognize this fact.

Notice this statement from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

“Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Ireneaus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts; Origen… asserts… that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday” (“Christmas,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 724. 1907).

The early Church never kept Christmas. That’s quite a surprise for some, especially for a holiday which is assumed to be one of the most important in the Christian year.

In 350 AD, Pope Julius proclaimed December 25 to be the date of Christ’s birth. But before that, practically every month of the year had been suggested, by some teacher or another, as the month of Christ’s birth.

This can be found in the book The Pageantry of Christmas on page 10, edited by Stanley Fillmore.

And according to biblical evidence, there’s no way that December 25 could have been the birthday of Christ.

What Portions of the Christmas Story Are in the Bible?

Adam Clarke, the prominent biblical historian from the 19th century, explained in his discussion of Luke 2 that the shepherds and their flocks would have not been in the fields at the end of December, as that was the cold and rainy season in ancient Israel (Clarke’s Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 370. ).

So, the story that countless millions of children are taught each year is absolutely false. Christmas isn’t Christian at all.

Even details of Christ’s birth are jumbled, when told in the Christmas story. For example, the wise men from the East did not visit Jesus as a baby in a manger. Luke 2 describes an angel telling shepherds they would find the newly born Messiah as “a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). But by the time the wise men came to look for the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2), Jesus was already a young child and lived in a house (vv. 9, 11). At the time of the wise men’s visit, Christ would have been close to two years old (v. 16).

Surprise after surprise after surprise. You’d think a fundamental Christian holiday would actually stem from accurate Church history and from the Bible. But when it comes to Christmas, you’d be wrong.

Should Followers of Jesus Christ Love and Practice a Lie?

And what about the myth of Santa Claus? In the English-speaking world, Santa plays a prominent role. How many children go to sleep on Christmas eve, dreaming of the fantastic toys that Santa will bring during his night-time ride through the skies?

Did you grow up believing in Santa? Do you remember the instant you learned Santa wasn’t real? Were you perplexed and even crushed that someone—even your own parents—had lied to you?

It reminds me of a story from a few years back, when a morning disc jockey at Babylon, New York’s WBAB-FM station told his young listeners that there was no Santa Claus. Outraged mothers and fathers complained to the station, and disc jockey John Parise was forced to apologize. And yet, what he had said was true.

What an uncomfortable and even nasty surprise—to find out the people you trusted most had fed you a lie. In an article run by Newsday back on December 23, 2004, professor Cyndy Scheibe pointed out:

“Who tells you Santa Claus is not real? It’s usually someone you don’t know or someone who’s not particularly trustworthy, like your annoying older brother… And who tells you he does exist? People you trust” (“Why Santa Matters”, Newsday, December 23, 2004).

So one ugly surprise about Christmas is that it’s based on myths and legends that have nothing to do with the Bible or the teachings of Christ. Christmas isn’t Christian at all.

But most people think, what’s the big deal? After all, does it really matter where it comes from, as long as we use it to honor Christ? That’s a common question.

Surprise #2: How We Worship God Matters to Him

And that leads us to our second Christmas surprise.

Number two: It matters to God how we worship Him.

Now, you might say, stop right there. I know that the origins of Christmas are a little shady, a little suspect, but does God really care? Stay with me, and let’s see.

How NOT to Worship God

In the time of ancient Israel, when God was first bringing His people out of Egypt, He gave them specific instructions on how to worship Him. The Ten Commandments form the basis of those instructions. But He also gave many other details as well, including the mandate to not worship the true God with pagan practices. Notice one of those instructions, found in Deuteronomy 12:29.

When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed… that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way (Deuteronomy 12:29–31).

Notice, God didn’t just tell them, “Don’t worship the pagan gods of those around you.” No, He said, “Do not worship Me, the true God, with the pagan forms of worship of those around you.”

Think about it. That’s exactly what is done today with Christmas. Ancient, pre-Christian symbols and forms used in the name of Jesus Christ. Maybe it is a big deal to God.

Pagan Holidays: The Way of the Gentiles

Later on in Israel’s history, the prophet Jeremiah got more specific. Notice what it says starting in Jeremiah 10:2.

Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple” (Jeremiah 10:2–4).

How could it be any more plain? The principle in the Bible is don’t mix the religion of the world with the religion of the true God. It matters to God how we worship Him.

Jesus Said Worship God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24)

Notice what Christ said to the Samaritan woman at the well. By the way, the Samaritans were well known for mixing elements of the true religion with idolatrous practices—exactly what God has expressly forbidden. That’s one reason why the Jews were so antagonistic toward them. Notice, starting in John 4:23:

“The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24).

Think about it. How does keeping Christmas qualify as worshiping God in spirit and in truth? Jesus tells us how to worship Him, and the Father, according to truth, as outlined in Scripture.

True Worshipers Obey God

But Jesus goes on further. He explains that just proclaiming His name is not enough. We have to obey His and the Father’s commandments, not the traditions of men. Notice what He told the Pharisees in Matthew 15:3.

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?... Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:3, 7–9).

To put this in the vernacular, Jesus is saying, “Don’t worship Me any way you want, thinking as long as it’s with the name of Jesus it’s ok. It matters to Me how you worship Me.” How can keeping an ancient festival of Saturnalia satisfy what Christ is saying? Especially when we see the early true Church never kept this festival?

Be Courageous: Follow Jesus and Do God’s Will

We need to seek not our own reasoning, but God’s will. What does God want, not what our friends do, or what our parents or grandparents taught us. We can’t be afraid of upsetting those around us. Some will not like it if we fearlessly follow the truth. But whom are we seeking to please? The world, or our Savior?

Many are shocked to read some of the actual words of Christ, such as in Matthew 10, starting in verse 34. Read it with me.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:34–38).

Step Out in Faith

In other words, it’s difficult to really obey God in this world, because so many are going the opposite way. But if you’re watching this program, and if you’re seeking the truth, and you’re understanding what you’re hearing, you can step out on faith. You can determine in your heart, “I’m going to follow the truth no matter what. I will open this Book and find out what God is really telling me to do.”

So be courageous. Step out on faith. Determine to really seek Him and obey Him, and He will bless you for it. It matters to God how we worship Him.

Replace Pagan Holidays and Traditions

But if we are to not keep ancient idolatrous rituals in honor of Christ, what days ARE we to keep?

Surprise #3: Christian Holy Days in the Bible

In this segment, let’s unwrap the third Christmas surprise.

Number three: The Bible reveals holy days Christians are to keep.

What are they? They can be found listed in your Bible. You may have heard of some of them. But you might have assumed that they’re Jewish. It also may come as a surprise that they can be found in the New Testament.

The New Testament Christians of the first century understood and observed these days. So, what are they?

Passover Is for Christians

First comes the New Testament Passover. It occurs in the springtime, usually in early April. Passover reminds us that Jesus fulfilled the role of the Lamb of God slain for our sins. That’s why Passover is important to Christians. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:7,

For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

In other words, the Christian Passover is the crucial first step in the plan of God, in bringing redemption to sinning mankind. And Passover was kept by the early Christians, even the Gentile Christians.

Feast of Unleavened Bread: Commanded in the New Testament

Next, we find the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It follows right after Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches us that we must change and grow. Christ’s sacrifice sets us free, but we can’t continue in sin. We have to resist sin and learn a new way of life, with God’s help. As Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 5:8,

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Pentecost: Also Called Feast of Firstfruits and Feast of Weeks

The third holy day in the lineup of God’s New Testament holy day calendar is the Feast of Firstfruits. In New Testament times it was called Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth.” Pentecost occurred in late May to mid-June.

In the Middle East, in the holy land, this was the time of the beginning of the wheat harvest. For Christians in the New Testament, Pentecost was the day in 31 AD when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early Church. That’s found in Acts 2:1.

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:1–2).

This was the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. It began the “firstfruits” of salvation. The bigger harvest occurred later at the end of the summer. So, what we learn from this feast day is that God is not calling everyone today, only a small group of firstfruits, the early harvest. The rest will have their chance later.

New Testament Holy Days for Christians to Celebrate

Have you ever heard about the New Testament Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost? Are you aware that New Testament Christians should be keeping these days? That might come as a surprise to you. But instead of Christmas and other traditional holidays, these are the biblical holy days that Christians are to keep.

Feast of Trumpets: End-Time Prophecy and the Return of Jesus Christ

The next holy day, or feast day, is called the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets occurs in late September or early October in the Roman calendar. It prophetically represents the triumphant return of Jesus Christ. He will come to earth a second time.

Only this time, He will come in power and glory, during a time of war, misery, and destruction here on earth. Find out more about it through our telecast entitled, “What Is the Feast of Trumpets?”

Atonement Pictures Satan Being Locked Up

After the Feast of Trumpets comes the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement also occurs in late September or early to mid-October. It represents humanity being purified from sin. And it represents the source of that sin, the devil, being taken away.

The Day of Atonement was still held in high esteem by New Testament Christians in the first century, as we find in Acts 27:7. In this passage, Luke detailed the journeys of Paul and his traveling companions as they sailed on the Mediterranean Sea. We read this:

“We sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them” (Acts 27:7–9).

In the New International Version, it translates it this way:

“By now it was after the Day of Atonement” (Acts 27:9, NIV).

How are we to understand this? Well, the Day of Atonement took place in late September or early to mid-October. After that time, sailing on the Mediterranean was stormy and dangerous. But the writer, Luke, used the Day of Atonement as a marker of time that his audience would be familiar with, even Gentile Christians. Why would they care about the Day of Atonement, unless they were actually keeping it years after the Church was founded in 31 AD?

The Feast of Tabernacles Pictures the Millennium

The next biblical feast day is the Feast of Tabernacles. In short, the Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day period that usually falls in early to late October, foreshadowing 1,000 years of peace, prosperity, and abundance on earth.

This is still in the future, but it is coming soon. Jesus Christ will personally reign on this earth. And all humanity—those who survive the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord—will enjoy the blessings and benefits of living under the rule of Jesus Christ.

The Last Great Day: The Second Resurrection and Great White Throne Judgment

That brings us to the last feast day of God’s biblical holy days.

This is called the Last Great Day. It follows on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles and represents the time of the general resurrection. This is the time when the great masses of unsaved billions will be raised to life again and have a genuine chance for salvation. This day is for them. It’s after the 1000-year millennium.

Their understanding will be opened, God’s Spirit will be made available to them, and they’ll be offered eternal life.

Choose God’s Holy Days Instead of Pagan Holidays

Those are the holy days found in your New Testament. In contrast to Christmas, Easter and other traditional holidays, these are the holy days that are found in the Bible—and were kept by the early New Testament Church. And so, they should be kept by Christians today.

That might be a surprise to you. But check it out for yourself. Don’t believe us, believe your own Bible.

Follow Jesus’ Instructions

In 1 Kings 18:21, we read the famous account of the prophet Elijah and his showdown with the prophets of Baal. It says:

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:2).

Live by Every Word of God—the Bible

God is delivering the same message to us today. God wants us to reject the world’s traditions that only have the veneer of the name of Christ. And He instructs us to keep the biblical holy days that He made holy. He commands us to worship Him in spirit and in truth with other sincere Christians who are discovering this precious truth as well. We hope and pray that includes you.

Hey, everyone, thanks for watching. We hope you found this video helpful. We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. So if you found it helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get our free copy of our study guide Is Christmas Christian? Just click the link in the description or order online at TWTV.org/Christmas. It will be sent to you completely free of charge.

And remember to like and subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss another video.

See you next time!

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

What Happens When Unbelievers Die?

A cold hard fact of life is that the vast majority of humanity has lived and died without ever accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior—in fact, most of them without ever hearing His name spoken aloud. For many, this fact is more than a statistic, as they agonize with concerns about a dead loved one, unsure of their fate in the hereafter.

Yet the true answer concerning the fate of the unsaved is far more joyous and hopeful than almost anyone understands!

You need the hope of your Bible’s answer to the question of where the unsaved go when they die. Stay tuned.

How to Understand God’s Plan of Salvation

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.

The question we’ll tackle today has been a source of needless doubt, heartbreak, and hopelessness for many over the centuries: Where do the unsaved go when they die?

The answer to this question is one of the most hopeful and profound truths of the Bible. So today we are offering a free study guide to anyone who requests it, so they can study the topic themselves in their own Bibles. The title is Is This the Only Day of Salvation? and you’ll want to keep an eye on your screen for the information you need to get your own free copy.

In Acts chapter 4, we read of an exchange between the Apostle Peter and angry Jewish religious leaders who were upset that he’d just healed a man in the name of Christ. Let’s read it, beginning in verse 10.

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 (Acts 4:10–12).

Billions of People Never Knew Anything About Jesus Christ

But causes a problem, doesn’t it? Because of the billions of human beings who have ever lived, relatively few have ever heard of Jesus Christ and His message.

Now let’s set aside for the moment the fact that most people who believe they have “accepted Christ” have not actually accepted Him at all, but have fallen for what the Apostle Paul called “another Jesus” and a “different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Again, let’s set that aside and be as generous as we can for the sake of this discussion.

Today, Christianity is just about as big as it’s ever been. For the more than 8 billion people currently on planet earth, a little less than a third, between 2 and 2½ billion, consider themselves any sort of “Christian.”

And if we go back to the beginning of Christianity around 2,000 years ago, population scientists estimate that as many as 65 BILLION people have been born in those two millennia (“How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?” Population Reference Bureau, November 15, 2022)—the vast majority of whom have never been any sort of “Christian.” In fact, most of mankind throughout history has been “unsaved” and never even heard the name of Jesus Christ, let alone His message.

So, what happened to them?

It isn’t just a question about cold statistics. Many have agonized over the fate of their loved ones, and others have been turned off of the Bible, believing the God of Scripture to be cruel and capricious.

Frankly, it’s a question I personally wrestled with as a young man. I asked everyone I knew and respected—my parents, my grandmother, my pastor—even my geometry teacher!

They all had answers, but the answers never completely fit the Bible.

I heard that God might ignore that some people hadn’t had an opportunity to accept Christ for forgiveness and would just save them anyway. But that didn’t fit Peter’s words in Acts 4, and it seemed to make Christ’s sacrifice unnecessary. And I knew that wasn’t the case, since Romans 3:23 said that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Jesus Christ Spoke of a Future “Day of Judgment”

Some suggested that maybe God foreknew that those who never heard the Gospel would not have accepted it anyway, so He didn’t bother to send it to them. But that doesn’t even match Jesus’ own testimony. For instance, look in Matthew 11, starting in verse 20.

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:20–24).

Note that Jesus says clearly if the people in Tyre, Sidon, and even Sodom were given the same opportunities that his audience had been given, then they would have repented before they died.

It all started to make God seem so unfair. Yet passages such as Acts 10:34 and Romans 2:11 made clear that God is very fair and “shows no partiality.”

Well, then maybe God just didn’t care! Yet, Scripture, too, contradicted this. 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God “desires ALL men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

So, maybe it meant that God was simply not powerful enough to save most people. But the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, declares the sovereign God to be the Almighty, calling Him in Revelation 19:6 “the Lord God OMNIPOTENT!”

With so many billions dying “unsaved” who never had even a chance to be forgiven of their sins, it can move us to ask as Abraham once did,

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25).

Our Hope Is in the Resurrection

But the good news is that there IS an answer! And the Bible’s truth about what happens to the unsaved when they die is a beautiful source of joy, comfort, and hope that everyone needs to understand.

In the rest of our program, we’ll explain four key biblical facts that will lay out for you the answer to the question of what happens to the unsaved when they die.

But before that, let me give you a brief opportunity to request today’s free offer, Is This the Only Day of Salvation? With this free study guide, you will be able to sit down with your Bible and see the hope-filled truth with your own eyes and in the pages of your own Bible.

One of our Tomorrow’s World magazine subscribers from Texas ordered this booklet and wrote to us to express her thanks:

My prayers were answered when my blinders were taken off by the power of God through your literature. I have just finished reading your publication, Is This the Only Day of Salvation? I often wondered about the unsaved but could not find any answer that I knew in my heart to be true. Now, I know.

You need to know, too. Here’s the information you need to get your own free copy, and I’ll be right back to look at the four facts that explain the fate of the unsaved.

1. All of the Dead Are Awaiting Resurrection

Welcome back! Today, we’re explaining the true fate of the unsaved when they die. And the key to understanding the hope-filled answer lies in grasping four biblical facts.

Fact #1: All who have died—saved and unsaved—await a resurrection.

Most think that, once you die, your immortal soul either flies off to heaven and bliss if you’re saved or plunges into the depths of hell and torments if you’re not. But this isn’t the case.

Of all humans who have ever lived, Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:16 that the only one who has immortality at this time is Jesus Christ. Instead, the consistent teaching of the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments, is that we are mortal, and that after we die, we await a resurrection from the dead.

Again, don’t just believe me—believe your Bible.

The Apostle Paul Did Not Say His Hope Was to Go to Heaven

When Paul was challenged on multiple occasions, he didn’t say that his hope lay in going to heaven one day. Read for yourself in Acts 24:15.

I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

He refers to the resurrection as his hope in Acts 23:6, as well, and he discusses it in many other passages. As we’ll see, he even devotes much of 1 Corinthians 15 to describing the resurrection, a future time when Christians will finally “put on immortality.”

Frankly, the focus of mainstream Christianity on “going to heaven” or “going to hell” is simply NOT the focus of the Bible, the Apostles, or Jesus Christ and the Church He founded. God’s word consistently points us to the resurrection from the dead as our hope and focus.

My colleague here on Tomorrow’s World, Gerald Weston, recently dived into that topic in depth on his program “When You Die—Then What?” You can find that program on our website at TomorrowsWorld.org or on our YouTube channel.

So, the short answer to today’s question about where the unsaved go when they die is that—according to the Bible—the unsaved are awaiting a resurrection from the dead, just like the saved are. But that’s where things get very interesting.

2. The First Resurrection Is for Faithful Christians

Fact #2: Faithful Christians will rise in the First Resurrection.

As already mentioned, we read of this resurrection of the righteous in many places. For instance, let’s look at one of my favorite passages in 1 Thessalonians and chapter 4.

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

It’s interesting how many seek to comfort the grieving by speaking of their loved ones in heaven, when the Bible itself says that it is the resurrection of the dead at Christ’s return that should be our source of comfort. But that’s another discussion for another time.

This resurrection of the righteous dead is spoken of in great detail, as well, in 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul writes that the faithful are given “spiritual bod[ies]” (v. 44) of “glory” and “power” (v. 43) it takes place at “the last trumpet” (v. 52) when Christ returns.

The Apostle John says in 1 John 3 that at the resurrection when Jesus Christ “is revealed” (v. 2) we will finally see Him “as He is” (v. 2), in glory, and we “shall be like Him” (v. 2).

The First Resurrection Happens Before the Millennium

Honestly, there are too many beautiful verses related to that resurrection for us to recount now. But one passage is particularly vital for our purposes today. We find it in Revelation 20, where the beginning of Jesus’ reign with the glorified saints is described. Let’s read verse 4.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4).

That thousand years is the Millennium that begins with Jesus’ return to earth. Here we are told that the glorified, resurrected Christians will reign with Him for those thousand years.

A Later Resurrection Happens After the Millennium

But note the next verse:

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5).

Note that! The resurrection of faithful Christians is only the first resurrection. A “first” implies at the very least a “second!” And indeed, the verse says that “the rest of the dead”—that is, those who were not saved—“did not live again until the thousand years were finished.”

So there is a later resurrection of those who were not Christians in this life, taking place 1,000 years after the first resurrection.

God highlights this timing in many ways in Scripture, though few read carefully enough to notice—or else are so caught up in their own preconceived ideas that they don’t read the Bible for what it truly says.

My friends, we are on the verge of answering today’s question about the fate of the unsaved—right in the pages of your Bible. We only need two more points to complete the whole picture.

Before we continue, allow me to pause very briefly to give you an opportunity to request your own in-depth, free study guide on today’s topic—titled Is This the Only Day of Salvation?

Thousands of people have already felt the comfort and joy that comes with having their fears for their loved ones lifted and replaced with hopeful anticipation. Don’t miss out on experiencing that joy for yourself.

Order your copy right now, and I’ll be right back to explain, in detail, the fate of the unsaved.

3. The Second Resurrection Is for the Rest of Humanity—Unbelievers

Welcome back! Our last point left us on the very edge of revealing what happens to the unsaved after they die. Let’s jump right back in, with our next fact.

Fact #3: Those who died in ignorance will rise in the second resurrection.

Again, this second resurrection was implied in Revelation 20 and verse 5. In fact, let’s read verse 5 again, along with verse 6.

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years (Revelation 20:5–6).

Now, this passage is focused on the first resurrection, but reading it carefully tells us a great deal about the second resurrection.

Details About the Second Resurrection

For instance, it highlights that the second death has no power over those in the first resurrection. That implies that those who rise in the second resurrection, at the end of the 1,000 years are still mortal—given physical bodies once again, just as they had in this life.

Later in the same chapter, we read even more about this resurrection of the unsaved to physical life.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works (Revelation 20:11–13).

There is so much here to unpack. Let’s take a closer look, but let me highlight again that today’s free resource dives into all of this with so much more detail.

But for now, we’ll have to move quickly.

The Dead Will Be Judged by Their Works and by the Bible—After the Second Resurrection

Notice that the passage says that “books were opened” (Revelation 20:12) and the works they then did were judged by what was written in the books.

Well, by what books are Christians judged in this life? The books of the Bible! And the Greek word for “books” in Revelation 20 and verse 12 is biblion, the Bible!

Just as 1 Peter 4:17 and James 2:12 say that Christians are in a time of judgment now, those in the second resurrection will have entered a time of judgment, as well.

God Is Fair

Note, too, that it says that the “books were opened” (Revelation 20:12). This is important, because the books of the Bible are not open to everyone in this life. In John 6:44, Jesus is plain that no one can “come to [Him] unless the Father … draws him.” And when God does call someone, He opens the Scriptures to their understanding—just as He did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus and with His apostles (Luke 24).

In this life, God calls people to follow His Son and opens the Bible to their understanding. And Revelation 20 describes this same process happening with the unsaved in the second resurrection.

The Great White Throne Judgment: God Will Open the Book of Life for All—After the Second Resurrection

And verse 12 adds: “another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.”

Now, keep in mind, everyone whose name had been written in the Book of Life had already been resurrected in the first resurrection—the resurrection of the faithful. The only reason for the Book of Life to be opened again in the second resurrection is for more names to be written in.

My friends, God truly is fair! Everyone who has ever lived will have an opportunity to have his or her mind opened and to learn the truth.

Those who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ and had His life-saving message opened to them in this life will have that opportunity.

Understanding this beautiful truth answers other mysteries, as well.

The World Will No Longer Be Blinded

For instance, in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul laments that his fellow Jews and Israelites were refusing to accept the Gospel and that God had “blinded” them, “given them a spirit of stupor” (Romans 11:7–8), so that they would not understand.

Every day around him, his fellow Jews were dying—unsaved, unable to see that their own Savior had come in their day.

Yet, rather than despair, Paul states in Romans 11:30–31 that those who have in his day “now been disobedient” will eventually “obtain mercy,” explaining:

For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all (Romans 11:32).

Surrounded by Israelites dying daily without accepting the Gospel, Paul says confidently in Romans 11:26, “And so ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED!”

How could he be so boldly confident? Because he understood that there was a future resurrection to come for those God was not calling today.

The Second Resurrection Is Back to Physical Life

In fact, Paul had likely read about that physical resurrection many times, just as you can in Ezekiel 37. There, God gives Ezekiel a vision of a valley of dry bones and describes restoring dead sinners to physical life of bone, sinew, and flesh, so that He can put His Spirit in them and they can learn His ways (Ezekiel 37:7–14).

God describes these physically restored people as “the whole house of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:11)—or just as Paul said in Romans, “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).

And the Israelites are not alone in the second resurrection. Jesus Christ plainly says in Matthew 12:41–42 that Gentiles, too, such as the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South will “rise up in the judgment WITH this generation” of Jews.

No one will be left out. What a glorious time that judgment period to come will be!

But it is not yet the end of the story. We will see the whole conclusion of the matter in our last segment.

But first, let me take one final opportunity to encourage you to request today’s free literature: Is This the Only Day of Salvation?

My friends, this topic is too important for you NOT to prove it for yourself. This booklet, Is This the Only Day of Salvation?, dispels the myths woven by modern Christianity with the light of God’s word, and replaces despair and confusion with joy and hope.

Get your free copy right now, and I’ll be right back to give you God’s word on the conclusion of His great and merciful plan.

4. After the First and Second Resurrections Is the Lake of Fire for the Unrepentant

We’ve seen that God is fair, and He will give everyone who’s ever lived a real opportunity to have their minds opened to know His truth and to commit to His Son. But God will not rob us of our free will, and He will not force anyone to choose life over death.

And the implication in Scripture is clear that some will not accept obedience to Jesus Christ, and will choose to remain wicked, disobedient, and in rebellion against their Creator.

That brings us to fact #4: After the first and second resurrections, the incorrigibly wicked are destroyed in the Lake of Fire.

Let’s turn to Revelation 20 again and see what takes place after the second resurrection and the Great White Throne Judgment period. We’ll see it described in verses 14 and 15.

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14–15).

Yes, the incorrigibly wicked who refuse to repent will be burned up, cast alive into the lake of fire, where they will be destroyed and made ashes under the feet of the righteous, as the Lord of Hosts says in Malachi 4:3.

At that point, with His Family grown to an innumerable multitude to include ALL who are willing to accept the lordship of Jesus Christ, and the incorrigibly wicked utterly destroyed forever in eternal death, the plan of God will be complete. And the saved will step into the rest of eternity, enjoying all of existence—physical and spiritual—as their inheritance alongside Jesus Christ and their loving Father, in the Family of God, forever.

No, the countless billions of unsaved in this life who never had their mind opened by God to the truth of Jesus Christ are NOT lost forever.

God really is fair. He will give everyone a real, true opportunity to embrace or reject His offer of salvation.

He is not capricious. He is not random. And he is not weak.

He is fair. He is merciful. And He is the Omnipotent God who reigns supreme—and who profoundly loves EVERY human being He has created.

And with Him, no one falls through the cracks.

Our short question may have had a long answer. But it’s a beautiful answer. And it’s the answer from God’s inspired word.

I hope you won’t fail to get your own copy of today’s free offer, Is This the Only Day of Salvation?, so you can truly PROVE this beautiful truth about the second resurrection for yourself.

And I hope you’ll come back next time! When you do, Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Rod McNair, and I will be right here waiting for you, ready to share the truths of God’s word, the warnings of end-time prophecy, and the hope of Jesus Christ’s Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Until then, take care.