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

The Story of Lot in the Bible: Lessons for Today

About 4,000 years ago, there lived a man in the land of Canaan, in what today is the general area of the nation of Israel. His name was Lot, and he was the nephew of Abraham. He had a wife and a family, a place of prominence in society, and had grown quite wealthy. You might say he was successful. But then, something went terribly wrong.

Lot lived in the ancient city of Sodom. Sodom and its sister city Gomorrah were judged and destroyed by God for their decadence and corruption. But this story is not just of the downfall of a sinful city, but the tragic collapse of a family as well. Lot escaped with his life, but his family paid a dear price. What can we learn from the story of Lot? How can this apply to us, in a world of increasing evil? How can we expect to guide our family, our children, in our society today?

So, how can we raise good kids today? I’ll be right back with the answer.

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. About 4,000 years ago there lived a man named Lot. He was the nephew of Abraham, the ancestor of the children of Israel. Before Lot moved to Sodom, he lived near his uncle Abraham. But as their flocks and herds grew, the land wasn’t large enough for both of them, so they had to separate. So, Abraham told Lot to choose which direction he would go, and Abraham would go the opposite. Notice how the story unfolds in Genesis 13:10:

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere... like the garden of the LORD (Genesis 13:10).

Looks Can Be Deceiving: Why Lot Chose Sodom

When Lot saw the land surrounding Sodom, he was impressed. It looked good. It was fertile and lush, a perfect place to raise his flocks and herds. But there was something wrong with this area as well. What was it? Let’s read in Genesis 13:11–13:

Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east… and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD (Genesis 13:11–13).

You see what was happening. Lot was drawn to Sodom, because it looked good—a place to grow wealth, to raise his flocks, to raise his family—a rich and fertile land. But the inhabitants had a way of life totally contrary to what he had learned from his uncle Abraham. Sodom already had a bad reputation.

3 Godly Parenting Tips from the Story of Lot

The point is, Lot chose to move toward Sodom, not away from it. And he made that choice, even though there were warning signs that this was not a good idea. It eventually brought disastrous results on his family and on his own life, as we’ll see later in this program.

But what does that have to do with us now, living in the end-times? Let’s discuss our first key to raising kids in our world today.

1. Resist the pulls of the world.

The Bible tells us that as Christians, we must resist the temptations of this world, and be different. This is even more important as we find ourselves at the end of the age. We’ve got to discern the direction the world is going, and choose instead to embrace God’s way.

“Come Out of Her, My People” | Recognize Sin and Resist Temptation

Jesus inspired the Apostle John to write these words in Revelation 18:4.

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4–5).

Sodom was judged and destroyed for promoting a lifestyle in direct violation of God’s ways. The Book of Revelation shows that the society of the last days will be promoting the same anti-God ways. That end-time society will be judged and punished, just like Sodom. And God says to Christians, don’t get caught up in that world. Be different, come out of it, and you can be spared.

So, why should this concern parents? Well, our children soak up the environment they grow in. The choices we make—whether we are coming out of the world, or being drawn into it—directly affect the viewpoints and attitudes our children will adopt. Many well-meaning, loving parents are unwittingly allowing the world to have too much influence on their children. The corrosive nature of the world erodes the values the parents hold dear. And one day, too many parents are shocked to discover their children don’t hold their values at all.

Maybe part of the solution is understanding what it means to come out of the world. Are we to run away and isolate ourselves from society? That’s not what Christ meant when He said this in John 17:15:

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one (John 17:15).

We must function in this society. We have to work and make a living to provide for our families. But we also must protect our children from the corrosive nature of this world. And that means evaluating our decisions. Do our choices reinforce our efforts to train our children God’s ways? Or do they unknowingly tear down the character we’re trying to help them build?

Today, through technology, the world comes to us. Through our televisions, our computers, and our phones, we can literally feed on the world’s anti-God values if we’re not careful. Think about the themes that come flooding into our lives through entertainment and media. Our homes should be havens of peace that promote Christian values of love, self-control, and faith. But too often, we allow the world to inundate us with violence and selfishness, immorality and rebellion. If these corrosive themes fill our homes, why would we be surprised if they fill the minds of our children?

As parents, we need to be the primary influence in our children’s lives. No, we can’t shelter them from the world forever. But we CAN protect them and nurture them so that as they approach adulthood, they are ready and prepared to resist the pulls of the world.

Sodom and Gomorrah: Bad Company Corrupts Good Character

As we mentioned before, Sodom WAS beautiful. It was green, lush, and prosperous. But it was wicked and rebellious as well. God sent two angels—who appeared as two ordinary men—to warn Lot and his family that the city would be destroyed. We read in Genesis 19:1 that Lot met these men at the gate of the city, and invited them into his home. He knew it would be dangerous for them to stay out in the open square all night.

But things did not go well that evening. The men of the city surrounded Lot’s house, demanding that he bring out these men, that they might abuse them. They even violently threatened Lot, almost breaking down his door. You can read the story for yourself in Genesis 19.

But notice Lot’s response to them. We read it in Genesis 19:7:

[Lot] said, “Please, my brethren, do not do wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof” (Genesis 19:7–8).

As a father of daughters of my own, I can’t even begin to comprehend why Lot would say such a thing. On the one hand, he was risking his life to protect these men under his care. On the other hand, he was brazenly willing to put his daughters in unspeakable humiliation and danger themselves, in the place of these men.

How could Lot possibly think this way? Well, let’s think this through. We know Sodom was well-known for its extremely lax morals. Maybe Lot’s actions were an illustration of how tainted his own thinking had become by being immersed in that world. He was a righteous man—2 Peter 2:7 says that—but perhaps he had absorbed more of Sodom than he thought.

Identify Patterns of Behavior With Harmful Effects

What about today? Is there a lesson for parents today, seeking to navigate the dangers of our anti-God world? There is. And that brings us to our second key to bringing up children in today’s world.

2. Don’t underestimate how the world is affecting you.

Like it or not, we are living in this world. And the world affects us more than we may realize. It’s good to ask ourselves, how is the world impacting me? Do my spouse and I find ourselves getting impatient and critical with each other, when we don’t intend to? Maybe we’re allowing the spirit of selfishness that pervades out world to rub off on us. Do we watch tv shows or movies filled with casual sex and immoral behavior? If we do, that’s going to affect how we think, ourselves. Do we find ourselves getting anxious or negative, for no good reason? There is a spirit world out there that is actively broadcasting a message of anger, animosity, and fear. Are we absorbing it? Then we shouldn’t be surprised when our thoughts, our words, and our actions reflect the world more than they reflect our professed Christian beliefs.

The Apostle James gives helpful advice on learning how to discern what is coming from the world, and what is coming from God and His word. He writes this in James 3:14:

… If you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

In order to know how to guide our children, we need to first look at the fruit of our lives. Is there love, joy, peace, faithfulness, and self-control? These are just a few of the fruits of God’s Spirit, as outlined in Galatians 5. Or, is there selfishness, disrespect, outbursts of wrath, and impure thoughts and actions? It’s critical we examine our own selves first, to know how to help our children.

James said we must not “lie against the truth.” There is objective truth, and the Bible defines what it is. And yet, overwhelmingly, our society does not recognize universal truths, especially when it comes to morality. The Barna Research Group reported on this in a 2018 study:

We live in an increasingly ‘post-truth’ political climate…. Over time, consensus on key moral principles has waned, and the younger generations are now inheriting this new moral landscape (“Gen Z and Morality: What Teens Believe (So Far),” Barna.com, October 9, 2018).

The report goes on to explain how each generation, in general, approaches sex before marriage:

21% of Gen Z strongly believes sex before marriage is wrong—though they are mostly on par with other generations.

Think about that statement. The beliefs of Generation Z—that is, those born from 1996 to 2015—are roughly the same as other ages, when it comes to their views on sex before marriage. In fact, only 22% of both “Elders” and “Boomers” believed sex before marriage is wrong. That’s only 1 percentage point difference than Generation Zs. Do we see any correlation between what the younger generation thinks with what they’ve been taught by the examples of the older generation?

Parents, Set the Example of Spiritual Strength (Lot Did Not)

We might blame the youngest generations for the moral slide. But who taught them? Who showed them the way? Who gave them excuses to adopt a relativistic worldview? If we are parents, we have to look at our own examples. And we must not underestimate the corrosive effects of society on US, which in turn affects our children.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. But Lot’s wife, tragically, turned to view the destruction of those sinful cities, and died.

Lot escaped with his two daughters, and the story ends with another sad event in the lives of Lot and his family. Let’s read that in Genesis 19:30:

Then Lot went up… and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him… Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father” (Genesis 19:30–32).

And that’s exactly what they did. The eldest daughter the first night, and the other daughter the next night. And so, Lot had children by his two daughters, and those children grew to become the Ammonites and the Moabites. Now, it’s a little hard to fathom the thinking of these young girls. What a shame, they were so confused in their value system, that they thought it would be a good idea to commit fornication, and even incest with their father. You must wonder, where was the spiritual training? Did Lot really teach his children about God, His Laws and His way of life? Was God real to them? Or, were they sort of left to just learn from their peers?

Teach Your Children Godly Values

Lot was a conflicted individual. On the one hand, he is described as a righteous man in 2 Peter 2:7. But on the other hand, we see a man whose example didn’t always measure up to his beliefs. And I think we can assume, despite being a good man overall, Lot did not fully discern his God-given duty to teach his children.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t capable. If you review the beginning of the story, you’ll find Lot was a prominent citizen in Sodom. We read that in Genesis 19:1, he “sat in the gate of the city.” That meant he may have even been a high official in Sodom. And yet, even though a prominent and relatively successful citizen, Lot appears to have not made it [a] priority to teach his children spiritual values.

That brings us to our third key to raising good kids in today’s world.

3. Make teaching your children spiritual values a high priority.

When we think of our own lives, maybe we can relate to Lot. As parents, we sometimes struggle with our own burdens and stresses. We may feel overwhelmed from time to time. We strive to live as best we can, but we know our example isn’t perfect. And we sometimes feel inadequate guiding and teaching our children. Yet, as Christians, we must make the spiritual training of our children a high priority. And God will help us if we ask Him to.

In the book of Deuteronomy, God taught Moses the principles of living a godly life, so he could teach the parents, and they were then to teach their own children. Notice how He describes that Deuteronomy 6:5–7.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:5–7).

God wants us as parents to make it a habit to talk with our children—to use normal, everyday situations to teach the principles of godly living. And we do it in ways children can understand. We teach them godly values, such as: Don’t hit your sister. Take turns on the playground. Share your toys. Pray to God. Show respect to your elders. Don’t throw your peas on the floor. You get the idea.

Notice Malachi 2:15.

But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth (Malachi 2:15).

Marriage as an institution was created by God. And why? Because God loves children and wants to bring “many sons to glory,” as it says in Hebrews 2:10. But He doesn’t just want lots of children running around who are rebellious, confused, miserable, and disrespectful to authority. He wants godly children. He wants sons and daughters who have learned to exercise self-control and self-restraint. He wants to see our children have learned to care for and love other human beings. Notice what [the Apostle] Paul says:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1–4).

The Ten Commandments include one just for families: Honor your father and your mother. It’s our job to help our children understand what that means. And sometimes we must gently but firmly correct them for behavior that doesn’t measure up. Not because we hate them, but because we love them. They may not like it at that moment, but that’s ok. They’ll be ok. None of us likes correction when we get it. But if we teach and even correct them in love, in a spirit of teaching them a better way, over time they’ll understand. And they’ll grow more secure, knowing there are clear boundaries of right and wrong.

Seek God’s Protection and Follow His Laws

A few years ago, doctors Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate collaborated on a book entitled Hold Onto Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. On page seven of the book, they make a powerful statement of the challenge facing parents today.

For the first time in history young people are turning for instruction, modeling, and guidance not to mothers, fathers, teachers and other responsible adults but to people whom nature never intended to place in a parenting role—their own peers. They are not manageable, teachable, or maturing because they no longer take their cues from adults. Instead, children are being brought up by immature persons who cannot possibly guide them to maturity. They are being brought up by each other (Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers, 2014, p. 7).

What a summation of the experience of too many children growing up today. That’s the world we live in.

Learn How to Do Better Than Lot

But as we’ve reviewed the story of Lot today, we can see these challenges are not really new. Other generations have faced the difficulty of raising children in corrupt societies. What we need to do is learn from their experiences. Our story and our family’s story does not have to end up like Lot’s.

Consider what God said regarding Lot’s uncle, Abraham. He was living in the same time, but took a very different path than Lot. Notice what God said about Abraham in Genesis 18:19.

For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him (Genesis 18:19).

God takes special note of parents who are striving to live godly lives and pass on His truth to the next generation. And God will help them, if they sincerely ask Him for help. God cares about you and your children.

Thank you for watching! If you enjoyed this program, remember to like and subscribe so you don’t miss another Tomorrow’s World video.

And if you would like a copy of our free DVD, Raising Good Kids In A Bad World, go to TWTV.org/KID or click the link in the description.

See you next time.

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

Losing Touch With History

Canada’s National Post carried this headline: “Lost without a map: Despite a globalized society, university students can’t locate the Atlantic Ocean” (January 15, 2013).

Professor Judith Adler at Memorial University in Newfoundland had a hunch that her students lacked basic geographical knowledge, knowledge fundamental to understanding the world around them—thus she decided to examine her hunch by testing her students.

“I used to ask if they could identify France, England or Ireland—which is the background of a lot of students here, or Spain or Portugal, which is important for this part of the world, but I’ve stopped asking that” (January 15, 2013).

Over time, she simplified her questions.

“I asked them to indicate where on the map South America is, where Africa is, and Antarctica, the Arctic, and to circle Europe, label Australia and show where Asia is and label the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and Mediterranean Sea—and I’ve become much simpler in what I have asked over the years.”

How did her students fare? I think you can see ahead that they didn’t do very well, but why is this important?

Overlooking Obvious Historical Warnings

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World. Professor and sociologist Judith Adler of [the] Memorial University of Newfoundland, began giving her students geography quizzes when she perceived that their understanding of the world in which they lived was lacking. So how did they do?

“A sizeable proportion of the class would reliably have no idea where the Mediterranean is. Some students would circle Africa and indicate that it’s Europe, and if asked to locate England and Ireland, they would put them in Africa. I have had students that aren’t able to correctly label the Atlantic Ocean, even though we are on it” (NationalPost.com, January 15, 2013).

Man on the street interviews in the United States indicate Americans are equally ignorant of the real world around them. Some confuse cities as states, and show virtually no understanding of geography, much less history. We now live in the richest information age in history, but also the most poverty stricken when it comes to understanding where we are, where we came from, and how we got here. Is there any wonder why we have so many “flat-earthers” amongst us?

But geography and history are vitally important, as brought out in this Virginia Tech comment on repeating history:

Variations on the repeating-history theme appear alongside debates about attribution. Irish statesman Edmund Burke is often misquoted as having said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” while British statesman Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” (“History Repeating,” LiberalArts.VT.edu).

One lesson of history is that empires rise and fall. The fall of the Roman Empire is one of the most studied lessons of history, and has important warnings for America in particular, and the West in general, because one lesson of history is that power abhors a vacuum. When America falls, as it surely is in the process of doing, unless it turns and goes a different direction, another power will fill the vacuum; and it may not be, in fact will not be, so benevolent, according to Bible prophecy.

Whole books have been written about the collapse of the Roman Empire, and historians agree that its collapse had no single cause. Instead, it was the result of a series of internal and external forces occurring over decades which pulled the fabric of the Empire apart, ending a power that ruled for more than five centuries. Mass migrations from outside the Empire is often cited as a primary cause.

One of the most obvious reasons for the downfall of Rome was the relentless and seemingly endless waves of migration and invasions from the Barbarian tribes that bordered Rome’s northern frontiers. In the early days of the empire, Roman legions were able to repel Barbarian tribes with relative ease, but this started to change towards the end of the 2nd century CE (“7 Reasons Why Rome Fell,” WorldAtlas.com, November 8, 2022).

A particularly destructive migration took place in the late fourth century when Eurasian Huns invaded Europe—driving Germanic tribes to the borders of the Empire.

The Romans grudgingly allowed members of the Visigoth tribe to cross south of the Danube and into the safety of Roman territory… (“8 Reasons Why Rome Fell,” History.com, January 9, 2019).

The parallels of mass migration into the Roman Empire from the north, and the literal invasion of illegals on the U.S. southern border, ought to be a wake-up call for America, but politics is apparently more important than preserving the country. In fiscal year 2020 (October through September), there were more than 458,000 border encounters with illegals. These were those who were caught or who simply crossed illegally into the country and turned themselves in, claiming asylum. In 2021, this number rose to nearly 1,735,000, and in 2022 to a staggering 2,378,944. In October and November, the first two months of fiscal 2023 (the latest figures available at time of recording), there were 231,294 and 233,740 respectively! (“Southwest Land Border Encounters,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP.gov/newsroom, December 14, 2022).

This goes beyond politics. It strikes at the heart of the question of whether a country can survive with what is clearly an open border policy.

History holds many lessons for modern man, but if history teaches us anything, it is that we never learn from it. Sadly, today many don’t even know history. How many understand how the Roman Empire has been revived six times since its fall in 476 AD, and according to Bible prophecy, it will revive one last time. And that final restoration is destined to bring the world to the edge of cosmocide.

False Knowledge Leads to Lost Knowledge

History.com lists other reasons for Rome’s collapse in addition to mass migration. Some of these reasons were: Overexpansion and military overspending, government corruption and political instability, and Christianity and the loss of traditional values

That last reason may surprise you. How could Christianity be an empire killer? In a high school and college history book first published in 1909, P.V.N. Myers explains how Christianity (falsely so-called) contributed to the loss of respect for the institution of the Roman family and the resulting decline in birth rate.

Another cause of the decline in population was the singular aversion that the better class of the Romans evinced to marriage. We meet during the period of the empire with a crowd of imperial edicts dealing with this subject. Penalties and bounties, deprivations and privileges, entreaties and expostulations are in turn resorted to by the perplexed emperors, in order to discourage celibacy and to foster a pure and healthy family life. But all was in vain. The marriage state continued to be held in great disesteem (par. 313). And Christianity instead of correcting the evil, rather made matters worse; for just now the teachings of the monks were persuading vast multitudes of the superior sanctity of the solitary or the monastic life, and thereby filling the deserts of Egypt and the monasteries of all lands with men who believed they could best live the higher live (sic) by freeing themselves of all family and social cares and duties (Myers, Rome: Its Rise and Fall, 1900, pp. 447–48).

Now America has few men running off into the desert to live a monastic life, but far too many prime aged men in America, Canada, the U.K. and elsewhere, are sitting on the sidelines instead of going to work, getting married, and raising families. Even before COVID-19, participation in the labor market by 25–54 aged men was a troubling concern for policy makers, and their concerns point directly to the health of the family. In 2019, during what has been described as the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, with historically low unemployment, Senator Mike Lee of Utah admitted:

“I’m concerned that if more men can’t find stable, steady work, the result is likely to be fewer marriages, in the first instance, and more divorces, in the second instance….” It’s also likely, he said, that as marriage rates fall, men will feel less of a need to be breadwinners and involved with their children, which in turn would lead to more unemployment and less stable family lives (“Why are men dropping out of the workforce despite a strong economy?,” Deseret News, Deseret.com, November 23, 2019).

Manhattan Institute senior fellow Oren Cass agrees—there is a downward spiral regarding work and the stability of the family unit. When one is negatively impacted, so is the other.

Work, especially for men, helps establish and preserve families…. Where fewer men work, fewer marriages form. Unemployment doubles the risk of divorce, and male joblessness appears to be the primary culprit, he said.

“These outcomes likely result from the damage to both economic prospects and individual well-being associated with being out of work, which strain existing marriages and make men less attractive as marriage partners,” according to Cass.

Without regard to the specific cause, the effect of low birthrates and disrespect for the institution of the family brings about the same result—a nation in decline. In modern America, Canada, Europe, Russia, and elsewhere, birth rates are at historic lows, well below replacement value, and there’s a connection between low birth rates and unchecked illegal immigration.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York called on Republicans Wednesday [that was November 16, 2022] to join in passing a pathway to citizenship for “all undocumented” [read: illegals] in the United States, citing the fact that Americans were “not reproducing.’’

(https://dailycaller.com/2022/11/16/schumer-daca-amnesty-immigration/)

Why are Americans and others not reproducing? One obvious reason is unrestricted abortion, a major platform on which Sen. Schumer’s party proudly ran in the 2022 midterm elections. In the last 50 years, Americans have aborted approximately 64,000,000 of their children. That amounts to a loss of approximately 64,000,000 “legal” workers in the country. As fellow Tomorrow’s World writer Wallace Smith has pointed out, the womb is unmistakably the most dangerous place for an innocent child.

World Atlas lists seven causes for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire and then gives this summary. Do any of these problems sound familiar to us?

The fall of the Western Roman Empire can teach humans many things about societal collapse and regression. Most shortcomings of a civilization in decline come from within rather than without. Incompetent leaders, government corruption, a weak economy, and social dissolution all contributed to the downfall of Rome (WorldAtlas.com).

America’s economy, and America is not alone, is a house of cards. Can anyone comprehend a national debt of $31,000,000,000,000? As one pundit pointed out, if you spend a million dollars a day, it will take just short of 3,000 years to reach one trillion dollars!

During the COVID lockdowns, the United States, Canada, and many other countries gave away “free money.” The result? The self-inflicted wound of inflation. We were all too happy to receive it, but what people fail to realize, is that we will pay back every penny, and more, through inflation. And who does inflation hurt the most? The poorest among us—those that governments claimed they were trying to help! But too much “free” money is not an American problem only. According to InflationData.com:

It’s not just the United States that is suffering from high inflation, countries worldwide are experiencing higher than average inflation. This is partially due to the global pandemic but even more the result of the actions taken by central banks in response to the pandemic (“Worldwide Inflation by Country 2022,” InflationData.com, June 21, 2022).

Why is it that mankind never seems to learn from the past? Part of the answer is that nations become complacent, self-indulgent, and, frankly, are too uneducated to know the past.

The Most Important Book of History

As Nicholas Clairmont wrote for BigThink.com,

“History shows that both those who do not learn history and those who do learn history are doomed to repeat it.”

He went on to explain:

“According to Santayana’s philosophy, history repeats. The phrasing itself certainly is catchy. It’s a big one, not only because it is so common, but also because if it is true and if history, driven by human nature, is ugly (hint: it is), then this saying ought to guide our public and private policy” (“‘Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It.’ Really?,” BigThink.com, July 31, 2013).

Now I’ll add, more importantly, understanding that history is “driven by human nature,” ought to guide more than public and private policy—it ought to guide behavior. For as Clairmont rightfully implies, knowing history and acting on that knowledge are not the same, and the reason we fail to learn from history is human nature. And that brings us to a different kind of history book—one that deals with human nature.

The Bible is fundamentally a history book. It gives us wise and loving instructions from our Creator. It records how mankind has rejected those instructions and the tragic results of that rejection.

One of the great lessons is that when people hurt badly enough, they often turn to God for relief; only to turn back to the old ways once relief comes. It’s the soldier’s foxhole prayer that is quickly forgotten.

Two world wars should have sobered mankind, but sadly, as the late Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev wrote in an opinion piece for Time magazine:

Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war (“Mikhail Gorbachev: ‘It All Looks as if the World Is Preparing for War’,” Time Magazine, Time.com, December 16, 2016).

This was published January 26, 2017—five years prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Will this generation of Americans, Britons, Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders learn from the past? What about the French, Belgians, the Dutch, and the Swiss? It’s difficult to see how any can, when some are consumed with re-writing their past, and when all possess the same rebellious nature as those who have gone before.

The speed with which mankind reverts to his old ways is astounding. This is shown in the biblical golden calf incident. After God brought a slave people out of bondage by great and powerful miracles that could not be rationally explained away, the Israelites turned back into idolatry. A mere 40 days was enough time for the people to pressure Aaron, who was left in charge while Moses was gone, to make a golden calf idol and hold a licentious festival to celebrate it. In the aftermath, God commanded Moses the following:

“Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin” (Exodus 32:34).

Dennis Prager makes this observation about this verse and humanity’s shallow understanding of the God of the Bible:

“In modern times, with its psychological and therapeutic mindset, many people tend to think of God as a loving therapist Who is always there to listen, to understand, and most importantly, not to judge us. This verse reminds us that above all, the God of the Torah is a moral judge. He demands certain behavior, and holds people accountable when they fail to live accordingly” (Prager on Exodus 32:34, The Rational Bible: Exodus, p. 454).

The Bible is the greatest and most important history book ever written, but as with history in general, far too many in this generation are devoid of historical perspective. Winston Churchill sums it up in one sentence:

“Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong, these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history (Winston S. Churchill, His Complete Speeches, 1897-1963, Vol. 6, ed. Robert Rhodes James, Chelsea House Publishers, 1974. P. 5592).

Bible Prophecy and the Future of Modern Nations

In addition to being the most important history book of all time, the Bible does something no other book has credibly done. It gives history in advance—what many people think of as prophecy. Before the break I said I would show you what this remarkable book says about our near future, so let’s get started.

Speaking of the end time, the time just ahead of us, Jesus explained:

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26–30).

What was it like in the days of Noah? Here is what we read in Genesis 6, verses 5 and 11:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:5, 11).

Our day has far more in common with the days of Lot than we could ever imagine, even a few years ago. Dust off your Bible and read for yourself about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the reasons for it. The account is found in Genesis 19. But let’s also notice how God inspired the prophet Ezekiel to write about the pride of Sodom:

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit (Ezekiel 16:49–50).

The Bible shouts loud and clear in chapter after chapter that destruction is coming on our world because we have never learned from the past. Just as the Bible predicted in easy to understand language the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, as well as its seven revivals, so the Bible predicted thousands of years in advance the rise and fall of the British and American peoples. Our choices today will bring our downfall, just as sure as that of Rome.

If you found this video helpful and want to learn more, be sure to order your own free copy of our study guide—The Beast of Revelation. Just click the link in the description and we’ll send it to you. It’s that easy.

And remember to like and subscribe to our channel so you can watch more videos on different Bible topics.

We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand this world, through the pages of the Bible.

Thanks for watching! See you next time.

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

Answering Common Claims of Atheists

Belief in God was once taken for granted by many, but now, not so much. In fact, a breed of “militant atheist” has arisen, inspired by the likes of evolutionist Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens.

Such atheists claim to hold the high ground in terms of intellect and reasoning, saying that only the ignorant or the foolish would continue to believe in God in the modern era.

Today, we’ll look at THREE COMMON OBJECTIONS that atheists make concerning the existence of God, and we’ll put them to the test. So join us for today’s episode of Tomorrow’s World, “When Atheists Attack!”

God Had NO Beginning—And Needed No Creator

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. Today, we’re going to address three common objections atheists give concerning belief in God. We’re also going to give you an opportunity to request our free resource The Real God: Proofs and Promises. Be sure to note the contact information you might need to get your free copy when it appears on your screen.

An atheist is someone who believes there is no God—as distinct from theists, who believe there is a God, and agnostics, who are uncertain one way or the other.

Of course, God’s opinion about atheists is made plain in the Bible, as in Psalm 14:1, where He inspired King David to write,

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

God liked that statement so much, He had it essentially repeated in Psalm 53.

Still, God’s take on their lack of wisdom has not deterred some. In the early 2000s, the so-called “New Atheism” hit—championed by biologist Richard Dawkins, author Christopher Hitchens, neuroscientist Sam Harris, and philosopher Daniel Dennett—or as some have called them, the “Four Horsemen” of New Atheism.

But in reality, the only thing “new” about the “New Atheism” was the attitude: more militant, more aggressive—but otherwise presenting the same old questions as the old atheism.

And we should highlight here at the start: Questions are good! We SHOULD ask questions! But when we do, we need to be OPEN to the answers—even if they aren’t the answers we were expecting or the answers we wanted. And we should be willing to put those answers to the test—especially in a day and age like ours, a period prophetically described in the Bible as a time when “truth is fallen in the street” (Isaiah 59:14), and convincing lies are far easier to come by.

So, what do you do when an atheist comes to YOU with questions? Well, frankly, you should evaluate the scenario first. Sometimes someone doesn’t really want answers—they are just looking to “score points,” and even if you answer their question, it goes in one ear and out the other. Yet, we should be ABLE to answer, and the Apostle Peter encouraged Christians in the first century to make sure they were ready to do so, to the best of their ability. In chapter 3 and verse 15 of his first letter, Peter writes that we should

“sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” (1 Peter 3:15).

And, really, being ready for that defense is not just for the sake of your inquisitor. YOU need to know, for yourself, that God exists, that He is real, and that He is involved in both world affairs and your life.

So—how do you answer when someone questions your faith in God? For the rest of today’s program, we’re going to tackle three common questions atheists ask.

Here’s the first:

“If God made everything, who made God?”

We’re starting with this one, because it is a quick one! Someone who asks this is making a classic category error. The world around us—all the matter, space, and energy—had a beginning. Both the most up-to-date science and most rational lines of inquiry agree: The universe and all the matter, space, time, and energy that is in it had to have a beginning—whether that beginning was the famous Big Bang or something else. And, having a beginning, it had to have a CAUSE of some sort.

But God HAS no beginning. He is not among the things that are “made”—and having no beginning, He requires no creator. The Bible makes the distinction in these categories plain in John 1:3. Speaking there of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, through whom the Father created all things, John writes,

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

There are those things that are made, and then there is God, who existed before and apart from those things.

The world around us—matter, space, time, and energy—had a beginning, and, therefore, HAS to have a cause—a reason for it to come into existence. I like to quote from Julie Andrews’ character Maria in The Sound of Music on this point: “Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could.”

Therefore, there must be a CAUSE for the universe that exists apart from the universe’s matter, space, time, and energy—a timeless cause that precedes all matter, space, and energy—and God fits that description. And, asking what made him is to misunderstand what and who God is.

The Gaps in Evolutionary Theory

Welcome back! In the first part of today’s program, we addressed the question, “If God made everything, who made God?” We can summarize the answer: “No one. Unlike the physical universe, God is eternal and had no beginning.” The person who asks misunderstands, or misrepresents, what the word “God” even means. In fact, you could add, “Without something fitting God’s description, there would be no universe at all.”

That last point is important, because sometimes atheists accuse believers of hiding behind a “God of the Gaps”—that is, claiming that believers only use “gaps” in scientific knowledge as evidence that God exists, but that, as those “gaps” are filled, the evidence for God supposedly evaporates. You could imagine this as saying that someone ignorant of how the water cycle works on earth might believe that a divine being just creates rain from nothing and, thus, rain becomes a “proof” that God exists.

Then, when scientists discover the water cycle, that “proof” evaporates, like a shallow puddle on the sidewalk on a hot day.

It is the “God of the Gaps” fallacy that many atheists have in mind when they ask the following question:

“Why do we need God if evolution explains everything?”

After all, evolution is the reigning scientific dogma of the day and is considered by many to be one of the crowning achievements of science and human reasoning. So, if evolution really does explain everything, why do we need God?

In answering this question, we need to recognize at least three mistakes revealed by the question. First, the theory of evolution doesn’t explain “everything.” The origin of the universe, the laws of physics and mathematics, consciousness, objective morality—the list of things for which a transcendent God remains the best explanation is LONG! When they say “everything,” they usually mean evolution explains LIFE. And I can understand why someone would be sensitive about this. The existence of life on planet earth definitely demands some sort of explanation!

But does EVOLUTION explain it? That is the questioner’s second mistake. The theory of evolution is FAR from sufficient to explain the wondrous variety of life we see on earth, let alone the origin of that life!

Finally, when we take an honest look at the complexity of life—it’s interwoven systems of dependence, the collection of complicated organs and nerve networks that must work together in a mind-bogglingly coordinated way, the abstract coding and error-checking systems of DNA—again, when we take an honest look at life’s complexity, we find that the current theory of evolution is FAR from able to explain that coordinated complexity.

In fact, the idea that evolutionary theory DOES currently explain all of these things is generally a façade, and there is currently a great deal of debate about how to address the theory’s persistent shortcomings.

The UK newspaper The Guardian recently reported on the turmoil in the evolutionary sciences:

“Strange as it sounds, scientists still do not know the answers to some of the most basic questions about how life on Earth evolved. Take eyes, for instance. Where do they come from, exactly? The usual explanation of how we got these stupendously complex organs rests upon the theory of natural selection” (“Do we need a new theory of evolution?” TheGuardian.com, June 28, 2022).

Then, after summarizing the usual evolutionary tale of the gradual development of the eye, the article continues:

“This is the basic story of evolution, as recounted in countless textbooks and pop-science bestsellers. The problem, according to a growing number of scientists, is that it is absurdly crude and misleading.”

“For one thing, it starts midway through the story, taking for granted the existence of light-sensitive cells, lenses and irises, without explaining where they came from in the first place. Nor does it adequately explain how such delicate and easily disrupted components meshed together to form a single organ. And it isn’t just eyes that the traditional theory struggles with. ‘The first eye, the first wing, the first placenta. How they emerge. Explaining these is the foundational motivation of evolutionary biology,’ says Armin Moczek, a biologist at Indiana University. ‘And yet, we still do not have a good answer. This classic idea of gradual change, one happy accident at a time, has so far fallen flat.’”

In fact, one could go so far as to say that, if random mutation and natural selection really DID create all life on earth, then evolution would have to be evidence that God DOES exist, because all of the giant, coordinated, improbable LEAPS evolution would have to take would require a DIVINE BEING to help it along!

It seems that, to prop up their own faith, evolutionists tend to depend on their own “God of the Gaps.” Or, perhaps, their “Darwin of the Gaps.”

In actuality, the complexity of life positively and forcefully argues for an INTELLIGENT SOURCE behind its creation! Only intelligence has ever been observed to be able to create such complicated, PURPOSE-ORIENTED structures as what we see within even the SIMPLEST of lifeforms!

Appealing to God’s existence and agency as an explanation for life is not hiding behind a “God of the Gaps.” Quite the contrary—the intelligent design present in all life is POSITIVE EVIDENCE for the existence of intelligence BEHIND life.

God is Not to Blame for Mankind’s Problems

In the first part of today’s program, we addressed the question, “If God made everything, who made God?” We can summarize the answer: “No one. Unlike the physical universe, God is eternal and had no beginning.” In fact, SOMETHING fitting God’s description is needed even to HAVE a universe to begin with. Then, in the last segment, we tackled the question, “Why do we need God if evolution explains everything?” And we noted that “Evolution doesn’t explain everything and, in fact, fails even to explain what it is supposed to: life.” Frankly, believing all the claims of evolutionists takes more faith than believing in a Creator.

But the third common attack you might hear from an atheist neighbor or acquaintance comes with an emotional wallop, which is often the source of its strength:

“How can God be good if there is so much evil in the world?”

Of course, history certainly records many great evils—the Holocaust inflicted on the Jews, the Soviet starvation of Ukranians in the 1930s, and chattel slavery in the pre-Civil War American South are just a few examples. And for many of our viewers, the presence of evil in the world hits home in a personal way. Many of you have been robbed, assaulted, or abused.

There is no getting around it—our world is filled with evil. But if so, the atheist asks, how can God be good? After all, why would a good God allow such things? Is He too weak to stop it? Or is He just unaware that evil things happen? If so, then He isn’t really “God.” Yet, if He is all-powerful and all-knowing, and yet He does nothing, then they claim He isn’t “good,” and therefore isn’t really “God” that way, either. They claim this dilemma simply means there is no all-seeing, all-powerful, GOOD God to begin with.

So, what do we make of this?

Well, it’s interesting how quick people are to put the blame on GOD for mankind’s evil—and, frankly, that is exactly what the devil would want us to do! It’s interesting that when Adam and Eve first sinned by disobeying God and eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the first thing they both did was try to pass the buck. After God asks them about it, we read their responses in Genesis 3 [vv. 12–13]:

“Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’ And the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate’” (Genesis 3:12–13)

So, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the devil. In fact, if you look more closely, Adam blamed GOD. Note, he said, “The woman whom YOU gave to be with me”! And to this day, people continue to blame God for the evil mankind is responsible for.

Consider the evils we mentioned earlier, the Holocaust, the cruelty of the Soviets, and slavery—or, for that matter, robberies, assaults, or abuses. Those are evil actions inflicted by human beings. And the blame for them should lie with those human beings.

Still, the question remains, why does God ALLOW such human beings to commit evil? Part of that answer is founded upon the need for humans to have FREE WILL—which must include the ability to choose to do the wrong thing. God’s purpose for us requires growing in CHARACTER—specifically, learning to possess God’s OWN character—to choose the right over the wrong. And growing in CHARACTER requires the ability to make choices—free-will choices, which includes the possibility of choosing evil and causing suffering, along with the possibility of choosing the good and to endure suffering.

When you understand the purpose of God, you come to understand that the eternal good that God is producing through His plan of developing His own righteous character in human beings is of such reality-altering significance, that it will outweigh all the evil mankind has ever committed or experienced. In fact, the Apostle Paul says just that 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. 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 8:18–21).

Notice—the current sufferings we experience aren’t even worthy to be compared to the glory to come. In fact, notice too that Paul says that creation itself is suffering and will be delivered in that day to come. One of the curses of mankind’s sin in the Garden of Eden was that we removed God as the caretaker of creation, as if we can do it all ourselves without Him. God explains to Adam in Genesis 3:17–19 that creation will no longer be accommodating to man in any special way but will go its own course. Mankind needs to learn the full lesson that we NEED God, and that attempting to build a world without Him leads only to suffering—as we are then left vulnerable to the afflictions of nature, our own evils, and the twistings and persecutions of the devil.

If you’re a parent, you understand what God is doing, if you think about it. How many times must parents allow a child to experience a taste of the results of their own bad choices before they know the lesson will sink in? Well, in God’s case, He’s not just teaching one child, but all of humanity—and the lessons need to make an impact for eternity. The stakes of these lessons could not possibly be higher.

Yet, we have God’s promise that, at the time of restoration of all things, the glory that is revealed in the children of God will far outshine any evil that has ever been committed and any suffering that has ever been experienced such that they will not even come to mind any more, forever. We should all pray that time comes quickly.

So, to summarize an answer to this third attack, “Evil in the world is a consequence of man’s free will. Yet God is using our choices to achieve an eternal good that will far outweigh any suffering mankind has ever experienced.”

A Challenge to Prove God Exists

The fact is, we are living in an increasingly skeptical world in which God is being effectively shoved into a corner as the movers and shakers in society seek to create a civilization that pretends He does not exist. Faith in God is under continued and sustained assault.

If you will seek to know the God of the Bible and will be willing to set aside your own preconceived ideas, your own selfish desires and outlook, and embrace the way of life that Jesus Christ commands of those who follow Him, you can become convinced and convicted of the REALITY of the God who inspired that Bible.

You will increasingly begin to see in your life, day by day, the fruit of your choices, and that fruit will become one of the most powerful proofs of God’s existence you could ever hope to possess. And it can strengthen you in a way few things can and enable you to stand strong and tall whenever atheists attack.

Just as God challenges us in Malachi 3:10 to put Him to the test by obeying Him, I challenge you today to do the same. You won’t regret it.

Thank you so much for watching!

All of us here at Tomorrow’s world work very hard to help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.

If you’re interested in the offer that we mentioned today, the free offer, just go right down to the description—you’ll find the link there. And also, if you like what you saw, please consider clicking the “Subscribe” button, and if you’d like to be notified when more comes out, we’d appreciate it if you’d hit that bell.

Thanks!

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

A Stressed-Out World

Today’s world stresses many of us. We worry about Russia’s ongoing war with the Ukraine, the pressures of inflation, pandemic death and disease, natural and manmade disasters, crime and violence, relation[ship] conflicts, and even traffic congestion.

With all these pressures of life, how can we live peaceably? How can you deal with these stresses and challenges? My friends, there is one way that can help solve your problems. Your Bible shows the way to peace and prosperity. You can have amazing help from the divine promises in your Bible. Listen to this promise in Matthew the seventh chapter—Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Our Father in heaven gives us the promise of answered prayer. Do you get answers to your prayers? Your Bible gives keys to effective prayer.

My friends, you can solve many of the problems of life if you know the proven keys to powerful prayer.

Stay tuned!

Seek Solace in Prayer With God

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

Jesus’ disciples observed His praying and wanted to know how to pray. If you have your Bible, turn to Luke the eleventh chapter. Luke 11:1. “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’”

Jesus then gave them—and us—the Model prayer, or an outline of topics to pray about. But, He also warned them, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7).

On today’s program, we’ll discuss seven proven keys to answered prayer.

My friends, if you have your Bible, turn to Isaiah the fifty-fifth chapter. God gives us a classic and proven principle for effective prayer. Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”

My friends, how do you call upon God? My friends, you simply get down on your knees, if you physically can, and tell God your worries, your thoughts, and your concerns. You also let God know your sins and your need for forgiveness. We’ll talk more about that later in the program. God tells us through Isaiah in verse 7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”

God promises us mercy and pardon from our sins, if we’re determined to change our way of living with His help! When I first began to make major changes in my life, I began to seek God more by reading the Bible and praying daily. At first it seemed to be awkward, but I persisted in talking with God, and God kept His promise, and I began to have peace of mind. You also can have peace of mind, if you seek God with your whole heart and mind. Notice this encouraging promise in Jeremiah 29:10: “For thus says the LORD…. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD…” (Jeremiah 29:10–14).

That’s God’s promise to you, my friends. You need God’s love, protection, and guidance in the days, months, and years ahead! We are nearing the end of the age. We will soon be facing world cataclysm and turmoil. You’ve probably seen some of the dozens of disaster movies depicting various forms of cosmocide, including world war, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, and asteroids. Jesus Himself stated in Luke 21:24, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; [LISTEN TO THIS] men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25–26).

My friends, we need to be motivated NOW to seek God. You can avoid future heart attacks from the fearful prophesied events. But you must learn to trust God to save you through the trying times ahead. Notice verse 27, Luke 21. God again gives us the good news of Christ’s return: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Yes, my friends, in spite of world crises, we can have hope and confidence in the future, in tomorrow’s world. Verse 28 gives us this encouragement: “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:27–28).

Regular viewers of Tomorrow’s World are familiar with the sequence of prophetic events. They realize that God has revealed His truth, His plan, and His promises in this book, the Holy Bible. God is love, as it tells us in 1 John 4:8 and 16. We need to respond to that love by praying to Him daily. Prayer is simply talking with God. You need to get answers to your prayers. Your Bible reveals the keys to powerful prayer.

7 Keys to Effective Prayer

KEY NUMBER ONE: Claim God’s promises. If you have your Bible, turn to Matthew 6:28. The Bible is a goldmine of guaranteed promises. But there’s a requirement. We must believe that God will give them to us if we pray according to His will. Jesus chided His audience in Matthew 6:28, “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28–30).

God has all power in the universe. He owns everything that exists. So, we should trust God to provide for us. Jesus continues in verse 31, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31–32).

My friends, you have a heavenly Father who knows your needs, but you need to seek Him and His Kingdom first of all! Read verse 33. Jesus instructs us to get our priorities straight. What do you consider the most important goal in your life? Here it is in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33–34).

My friends, we must seek the greatest goal of all, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we do that, then we can claim God’s awesome promises He has for you. We’ve listed some of them in our previous programs. But consider these promises in your own Bible:

God has promised to answer our prayers (Matthew 7:7–8);

He has promised to fulfill all our needs (Philippians 4:19);

He has promised to guide our lives (Proverbs 3:5–6);

He has promised us long life, if we honor our father and mother (Ephesians 6:2–3);

He has promised us to give us the desires of our heart, IF we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4–5);

He has promised us peace of mind (Philippians 4:6–7);

He has promised us the ability to endure trials (1 Corinthians 10:13);

He has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Luke 11:13);

He has promised us the gift of His love (Romans 5:5); and

He has promised us eternal life (1 John 2:25).

My friends, study these promises in your Bible. Remind God that He has given you these promises. Ask God in faith to fulfill these promises in your life, and you’ll begin to have a greater peace of mind! And you’ll be fulfilling one of the keys to answered prayer. There are many, many more promises in the Bible for you and your family, and for all human beings on earth. Be sure to make your own list. KEY NUMBER ONE to answered prayer: Claim God’s promises. KEY TWO for powerful answered prayer is: Persevere in prayer.

If you have your Bible, turn to one of my favorite promises, of many favorite promises: Psalm 37:3. God instructs us to trust Him and to rely on His guidance, grace, and truth. Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:3–5).

Years ago, one of the desires of my heart was to visit the city of Jerusalem in modern day Israel. In 1967, in the Six-Day War, Israel was attacked, won the war, and as a result gained territory that was anciently occupied by the Kings of Israel and Judah. The divided city of Jerusalem was unified under the government of Israel. Israelis now had access to one of their holy places, the Western wall of the Temple Mount. It was indeed an emotional time for the Jewish people!

At that point in time, I started praying according to God’s promise in Psalm 37:4. And I continued over the years praying for my heart’s desire to go to Jerusalem. I had begun asking God for the privilege in 1967. Do you know when He granted me my heart’s desire? Seventeen years later in 1984. Yes, we must persevere in prayer. As a professor at Ambassador College, I was asked to join a college group of students volunteering to work in the “Dig” or archaeological project in the City of David, just south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. I literally jumped for joy! My wife and I were able to travel with this college group throughout Israel and work at the Dig. I have since visited Israel in doing on-location filming as well as spending time with our Church group there during the fall Feast of Tabernacles.

Yes, my friends, God gives us awesome promises. We need to claim God’s promises, and we need to persevere in prayer.

No Problem Too Great to Pray About

A third proven key you need to know about is: Pray about everything that worries you. Are you worried? Are you anxious? Turn in your Bible to Philippians 4:6; “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

When you face up to your concerns, you need to pray and talk in detail with God about your problems. Ancient King David was very open with God in his prayers. Turn to Psalm 6 for example. David was suffering and prayed to God from his heart. Psalm 6:1; “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD—HOW long? Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?” (Psalm 6:1–5).

Read the Psalms and see how David prayed from the heart. You need to share your problems with God in prayer. And what will be the result? Listen to this comforting promise in Philippians 4:7; “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Yes, you can have peace of mind through prayer. KEY NUMBER THREE to answered prayer: Pray about everything that worries you.

KEY NUMBER FOUR to answered prayer: Thank God continually. Did you notice, as we just read, in Philippians 4:6, how we should make our requests? “With thanksgiving”! When was the last time you thanked God for your blessings? When we think of the billions living in poverty around the world, do you thank God for providing your every need? Remember, that is one of God’s promises He gives us in Philippians 4:19. The Apostle Paul predicted perilous times in the last days. You can read those characteristics in 2 Timothy 3:1–5. One of the greatest sins of our day is ingratitude. Yes, the Apostle Paul stated that our generation in the last days would be unthankful! Are you unthankful? When you share your worries with God, thank Him for the privilege of asking for His intervention and deliverance! Thank Him for all your blessings.

Some of you may be familiar with the old nineteenth century hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” Here are some of the words: “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”

When you count your blessings, when you thank God for all the blessings you have experienced and will experience in your life, there is that result.

My friends, count your blessings and express heartfelt gratitude to God. King David even thanked God in the middle of the night. Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments.”

KEY NUMBER FOUR to answered prayer: Thank God continually. KEY NUMBER FIVE to answered prayer: Seek God’s will. How would you characterize human nature? Not only is it unthankful, but it is also vanity, lust, and greed! Just a simple review of world history demonstrates humanity’s selfishness. Humanity generally seeks its own will and not God’s! Often, even professing Christians pray selfishly. They want to get, more than to give. Remember Jesus’ statement in Acts 20:35; “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Or as the Moffatt translation has it, “To give is happier than to get.”

Yes, we should pray and claim God’s promise that He will provide our every need (Philippians 4:19). Yes, we can rejoice in faith in claiming God’s promise to give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), but our attitude must always be, “Your will be done”! What did Jesus teach us to pray? Matthew 6:10, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

My friends, this is an extremely important key to answered prayer. Human beings by nature are extremely selfish. The world’s way of life is one of greed. But Jesus desired to do His Father’s will. When Jesus prayed in agony the night before His crucifixion, He asked that the cup of suffering be passed from Him—if—it were God’s will! Notice that in Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed saying, “‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:42–44).

Jesus was willing to suffer for YOU and Me. He surrendered HIS will to His Father’s Will! When you’re struggling over some problem or trial, ask for God’s deliverance, but ALSO pray that His will be done. KEY NUMBER FIVE is: Seek God’s will.

Jesus Christ is There for Us

My friends, you can have your prayers answered as you follow these proven biblical keys. There are two more keys I’d like to share with you. KEY #6 to answered prayer is: Follow the outline prayer. Remember, one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Jesus gave us the famous model prayer, often called the Lord’s prayer. Jesus gives us an outline of topics for prayer. The very first topic we pray about is the office, power, and name of our Father in Heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 6:9, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”

Jesus also gave us this warning in Matthew 6:7: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Saying the same words over and over and over again, becomes vanity. Jesus wants us to pray from the heart, not to repeat the exact words of the model prayer. The prophet Hosea gave a similar warning in Hosea 7:14, “They never put their heart into their prayers.” That’s from the Moffatt translation. Human beings will often cry out to God when they’re in trouble.

After honoring God’s name first of all in your prayer, the second major topic to pray about is stated in Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come”! Why do you want God’s kingdom to come? The world is filled with wars, violence, poverty, catastrophic natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, floods, drought, and volcanoes. God’s kingdom will produce a world of sustainable agriculture, rain in due season, prosperity, and peace among nations. Pray for God’s kingdom to come and look forward to a glorious tomorrow’s world under the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace, the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Meditate on each of these topics in the model prayer here in Matthew 6. As you do, you will be praying according to God’s will. KEY #6 to answered prayer: Follow the outline prayer. Our seventh proven key to powerful prayer is: pray in Jesus’ name. Jesus the Christ is at the right hand of God in heaven. He is our great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us, as it tells us Hebrews 7:25. He gives us the authority to pray to God in heaven. We pray in Jesus’ name and authority. Since He’s given us that authority, we can pray boldly. Notice that in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We can pray with confidence because Christ is our High Priest and Savior. He sympathizes with our weaknesses. He knows what it’s like to suffer. He was tempted in all points, as we are, yet without sin, as it tells us in verse 15. KEY NUMBER SEVEN is: Pray in Jesus’ name. My friends, you can have your prayers answered! You can rejoice in God’s love for you as He answers your prayers!

Thank you for watching!

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

What Kind of Church Would Jesus Want?

If Jesus came back today, which church would He choose? Would He go to one of the mega-churches with thousands of members who meet in a majestic building? Would He choose a small country-church, or one meeting in a strip-mall? And more importantly, would He choose your church? I hope such a personal question doesn’t offend you, because we will all do well to ask ourselves this question.

Moreover, how would He make that choice? As confusing as it may appear, the answer can be found, and it’s not as complicated as it first appears. On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, I’ll be giving you five signs to look for in locating the Church Christ is building. So, if you want to know the answer to the question of whether or not Jesus would choose your church, stay with me. I’ll be back in five seconds to give you five identifying signs of the Church Jesus built!

Five Identifying Signs to Look For

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. On today’s program I’m asking an important question. If Jesus were to return today, would He choose your Church? After all, He did say that He would build His church and the gates of the grave will not prevail against it.

Do you, dear friends, believe that? If Jesus failed to do so, then He is a liar and cannot be the Savior of the world! It’s just that simple. But if He is building His Church, and it continues to this day, wouldn’t you want to know for sure where it is?

Many think that all churches who profess that Jesus is the Christ are His and all we must do is “go to the church of our choice.” But, is His Church, as these people think, found in believers scattered through contradicting denominations and doctrines? Think about that! Not all churches even remotely believe the same things.

On today’s program I’ll give you five signs—and there are many more found in Scripture—that identify the church Christ is building, so let’s get started.

#1: Jesus said He would build His Church on a symbolic Rock.

Who or what IS that Rock? One large denomination alleges that their first leader was that rock, and they turn to Matthew 16 for proof. Let’s take a close look at that passage and see if they are correct. In verse 16, Jesus asked His disciple who they thought He was, and Peter replied:

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).

Jesus explained that it was the Father in heaven who revealed this answer to Peter. Then in verse 18, Jesus said:

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

This passage has been used for centuries to validate the Roman church, but did Jesus say He would build His Church on Peter, as many believe? The New Testament scriptures were originally written in Greek, and there is a play on two Greek words found in this passage. Both mean rock, but they are not the same. Let’s read verse 18 again:

And I also say to you that you are Peter [Petros], and on this Rock [Petra] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades [that is, the grave] shall not prevail against it.

Why two different words? What difference does that make? “Petros” is the masculine form of the word and means a small rock, or “a piece of rock.” It is translated into the English word Peter 161 times in the New Testament. Only once is Peter translated from a different word, and it has no relationship whatsoever to the word rock. “Petra” is the feminine form and refers to a larger rock, “a mass of rock.” You may have heard of the great rock outcropping in Jordan known as Petra. In effect, Jesus was telling Peter, that he was a small rock, or a piece of rock, but He would build His Church on a massive Rock—Himself! When petros is used for a person, it is translated Peter (161 times in the N.T. as already mentioned). But petra, when referring to a person, refers only to Christ. Notice this example in Romans 9:33:

As it is written: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STUMBLING STONE AND ROCK [that is, petra] OF OFFENSE, AND WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM [that is, Christ] WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”

There is this passage, written by Peter himself, which shows that Peter knew who the real Rock was. Referring to Christ, he wrote in 1 Peter 2:7–8:

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE,” and “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK [that is, petra] OF OFFENSE.”

Both Paul and Peter used the same word when referring to Christ. And, in 1 Corinthians 10:1–4, Paul leaves no doubt who the Rock is that worked with Israel when they came out of Egypt:

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

The evidence is overwhelming. Jesus said He would build His church on a petra, a massive rock, a word reserved for Jesus.

There are numerous Old Testament references to the Rock, but let’s notice Psalms 18:46:

The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Yes, Jesus, not Peter, is “the Rock of our salvation.” Could anything be clearer? So, the idea that Christ built His church on Peter is flawed.

Following Christ’s Exact Teachings

#1: Jesus said He would build His Church on a symbolic Rock.

Scripture after scripture attests to the fact that Jesus, not Peter, is that Rock, so let us look at what He taught His Church. But before I give a second sign, let me emphatically state that we here at Tomorrow’s World believe that Jesus was crucified to pay the penalty for our sins, and that it is by grace that we are saved. That’s a given, and I doubt many of you would disagree. Therefore, I’m concentrating on signs found in the Bible which may not be understood by all. Christ appeared to His disciples after His resurrection and gave them a command that you can read of, in Mark 16:15. And this is sign number 2:

#2: The Church of God will preach to all the world the same gospel Jesus taught.

But don’t all churches do that? Sadly, most never preach that message. The word gospel means good news, so what is the good news Jesus proclaimed for three and a half years prior to His crucifixion? Shockingly, most don’t know! Do you? Is it the message of His death, burial, and resurrection? That certainly is good news! But what was His message that He proclaimed to His followers for three and a half years prior to the crucifixion? Mark tells us in chapter 1:14–15 about the beginning of Christ’s ministry:

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel [note this] of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14–15).

Many scriptures show us that whatever this message is, it was the message both Jesus and His disciples continued to preach. Notice how important it was for Christ to proclaim this message—let’s go to Luke 4, beginning in verse 42;

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:42–43).

In our free resource Do You Believe the True Gospel, the late Dr. Roderick C. Meredith asks the following:

Exactly what is that kingdom? There have been many ideas. The Jews of Christ’s day thought that a Messiah figure would lead their physical nation to militarily subdue other governments until they reigned supreme over all men. Later, the concept emerged that the Church made up the Kingdom. Others have believed that the Kingdom of God is an ethereal realm set up in the hearts of men. Others see it called “the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew’s gospel account and conclude that it must refer to eternal bliss in heaven. Some also maintain that the Kingdom is the person of Jesus Himself (p. 11).

How can a church be the Church Jesus built if it does not proclaim His same message? Please, dear friends, don’t assume you know what that Kingdom is! It’s shocking, but most professing Christian churches have never preached the true gospel that Jesus brought. But YOU can know it, if you order our free eye-opening resource Do You Believe the True Gospel? So, our second sign is that

#2: The Church of God will preach to all the world the same gospel Jesus taught.

Number 3 is:

#3: Christ’s Church will teach and practice God’s law.

Note these statements by the One who said He would build His Church on a Rock—that Rock being Christ.

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

There’s the example of the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to enter the Kingdom of God. Notice His reply;

So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

Jesus went on to name several of the Ten Commandments. He also chided the people of His day for calling Him Lord, that is, Master, but not obeying Him.

But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46).

He followed with a well-known parable. Children even sing a song about it and how it contrasts building on a rock, or on sand.

Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock [and the word there for rock is petra—a clear reference to Christ] (Luke 6:47–48).

The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 3:4:

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

Without the law there is no sin. Without sin there is no need for forgiveness. Where there is no need for forgiveness, there is no need for a Savior. Therefore, the Church Jesus is building will be striving to keep the law.

Repentance is More Than Just a Feeling

#3: Christ’s Church will teach and practice God’s law.

This is far more important than people realize, because the whole subject of grace is dependent upon law. We encourage you to not just believe us, but prove these things for yourself in your own Bible! As Paul asked and answered in Romans 3:31:

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

And this leads me to point #4:

#4: Christ’s Church will teach repentance from sin.

Notice again the beginning of Christ’s gospel as noted in Mark 1:14–15:

… Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Here we see two commands from the Rock—Jesus Christ. We must believe the Gospel, the good news Jesus and the Apostles taught; and that is not the same message taught in most churches today. No wonder Paul expressed concern for the church of God at Corinth where we read in 2 Corinthians 11:3–4:

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes [#1] preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or [#2] if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or [#3—note this] a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

In addition to believing in the same gospel Jesus taught, we must repent. But repent of what? Why sin, of course! But what is sin? As we have already read, it is the transgression of the law. Now see what John tells us about who knows God and who does not—1 John 2 beginning in verse 3:

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

The true Church of God will be preaching a message of repentance from sin, which the Bible defines as the violation of God’s law.

More Than Religion—A Way of Life That WORKS

Let us now look at the fifth sign.

#5: The Church that Christ built will be organized.

Many people today have given up on what they call “organized religion,” and I get that. There is far too much hypocrisy, insincerity, greed, and corruption in today’s churches. And this is not new. A history of professing Christianity is a sad history indeed. Bloody wars with swords and guns have been fought between major denominations. Predatory priests have abused thousands over the years. How can anyone believe that God is working in such churches? We understand sin is found everywhere on earth, but wars and institutional abuse is another matter. And how can one subscribe to a church that teaches the opposite of what Jesus taught? But does this mean all organized religion is wrong? Consider. What is the opposite of organized? Is Jesus the author of disorganization and confusion?

Jesus said He would build His church. The word He used for church comes from the Greek ekklesia. In simple terms, this word refers to an assembly, any assembly; but in the context that Jesus used it, it refers to an assembly of called out followers of His. It means the people, not the building.

One chapter from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians brings great clarity to this subject. In no way does he describe a disorganized body of believers scattered through multiple organizations. Quite the opposite. Beginning in chapter 4 and verse 1, Paul pleads with the Ephesians to maintain the unity of the faith:

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1–3).

But was he promoting a compromising ecumenical movement between contradicting organizations? On the contrary, he spells out the fact that there can be no compromise when it comes to doctrine. He goes on to say,

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:4–6).

That doesn’t sound like Paul considered it okay to attend the church of your choice! But is the Church Christ is building organized? Or is it, as many believe, scattered believers found in all denominations? Churches have different thoughts about baptism. What age—an infant, an adult, a teenager? What mode? Is He talking about sprinkling, or putting under the water entirely? And if it is even necessary at all. Yet, Paul says there is only one baptism. How does that work?

And not all churches have the same hope. Some believe in going to heaven, where the greatest joy is something called the “beatific vision”—staring into the face of God for eternity. Others believe the reward of the saved is here on earth. Some think you must keep the law while others profess love is all that is necessary. So how can there be…

One body and one Spirit… one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism….

Here is more of what Paul told the church at Ephesus, beginning in verse 11 of this same fourth chapter:

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11–16).

I challenge you to dust off your Bible and read Ephesians 4 for yourself.

If you found this video helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get your free copy of our study guide Do You Believe the True Gospel? Just click the link in the description to order. It’s that easy.

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We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand this world, through the pages of the Bible.

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See you next time.