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

Three (Free) Health Tips from the Bible

The cost of healthcare has been rising worldwide. People all over the world are feeling the pinch—and you’re probably one of them. Staying healthy is getting more and more expensive around the globe. According to the World Economic Forum website:

“In 2021 alone, global spending on health reached a staggering $9.8 trillion, accounting for 10.3% of global GDP…” (“Health spending takes up 10% of the global economy: How can tech help reduce costs and improve lives?”, August 5, 2024).

That’s outrageous—over 10% of the Gross Domestic Product worldwide is spent on healthcare. And it’s the most expensive in the United States. Out of all the countries around the world, Americans spend the most on healthcare. According to U.S. government data:

“U.S. health care spending grew 7.5 percent in 2023, reaching $4.9 trillion or $14,570 per person. As a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.6 percent” (“National health expenditure data,” CMS.gov, December 18, 2024).

It’s hard to fathom how it has gotten so expensive just to take care of our health. But what if I told you there are things you can do—at no cost—that can have an oversized impact on your health?

Is it too good to be true?

Ok, let me rephrase that. There is a cost. There is always a cost. But the costs I’m talking about are not dollars, pounds, or euros, but small changes in your life. They take a little bit of time and effort, and they come out of the pages of your Bible.

Jesus Christ Cares About Health and Healing

Jesus cared about people’s health when He was on this earth. He healed the sick from all sorts of very serious diseases. In fact, it was an important part of His ministry. Notice what He said in John 10:10, explaining this principle.

“… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

God is offering to give us eternal life in His Family forever. That is and will always be the more important “life” that God is offering all of humanity. But we can also understand the last half of this statement as meaning our Savior desires that we have an abundant and blessed life now. And that certainly includes our health.

Some things, such as genetic or environmental factors, are beyond our control. The normal wear-and-tear of our bodies through the aging process is a part of life. At the same time, much of our health is affected by lifestyle choices we make, which can reap good consequences or bad.

Principle #1: Move More and Sit Less

So, what are some biblical principles of better health you can put into practice today?

The first is:

1. Move more and sit less.

We were created by our loving God. And God gave us physical bodies and expects us to take care of these bodies. Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19:

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

How to Glorify God in Your Body

How does one glorify God in his body? Well, by simply taking care of it as best he can. And one aspect of that is understanding that God made our bodies to move. We need exercise.

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:8.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

The emphasis of the Apostle Paul was on the spiritual lasting value of godliness. It lasts forever. But on the other hand, physical bodily exercise does profit—a little bit, for a little while.

This is especially worth noting in our modern world of sedentary desk jobs and the explosion of passive screen time. Simply put, most of us are sitting way too much and moving way too little.

Follow Jesus Christ in an Active Lifestyle

It’s interesting to note that during His lifetime, Jesus Christ walked all over Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, making trips back and forth to and from Jerusalem multiple times. In the booklet Biblical Principles of Health, evangelist and Tomorrow’s World writer Douglas Winnail writes:

“To journey across the hill country of Galilee, Jesus often walked…. Just to keep the Holy Days, Jesus may have walked in excess of 450 miles each year. When you consider that He may have walked a mile or more a day during the rest of the year, it is not hard to see that Jesus could easily have walked more than 1,000 miles every year. That is a lot of physical activity” (Biblical Principles of Health, August 2024, p. 30).

Of course, we aren’t living in first-century Judea. But think about it. Jesus was active physically. Maybe we can follow His example a little bit more in that aspect of His life, as the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:6.

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Certainly, this is referring to His teachings and spiritual life. But all of us can afford to walk more and sit less. And maybe in those walks we can enjoy the chance to commune with God, to thank Him for the sunshine, the trees, and the fresh air. Maybe “walking with God” can be taken a little more literally. And it doesn’t cost a thing.

God Built Our Bodies to Stand Upright

The website of the government of the state of Victoria, Australia, sums up the importance of this active lifestyle this way:

“Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel also functions more efficiently when you are upright…. Physical inactivity contributes to over three million preventable deaths worldwide each year (that’s six per cent of all deaths). It is the fourth leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases” (“The dangers of sitting: why sitting is the new smoking,” Victoria State Department of Health, betterhealth.vic.gov.au, July 4, 2022.)

One example of the necessity of movement is the lymph system. Our lymph system is a network of organs, tissues, and vessels that aids in the transport of fluids throughout our body.

“CP+R” is a private cardiac rehabilitation service based in London, England. On their website, they describe the function of the lymph system this way:

“… Skeletal muscle contractions compress on the lymphatic vessels and open the one-way valves, encouraging fluid containing waste and toxins to be removed… Poor lymph circulation results in inflammation or disease so it is imperative to make lifestyle changes to keep the lymph system healthy. Exercise is the answer” (“Exercise, lifestyle and the lymphatic system,” cpandr.co.uk, accessed January 7, 2025).

Resist a Sedentary Lifestyle

So does this mean you have to be a world-class athlete to be healthy? Of course not. In whatever way we can, we’ve just got to move. And age is not a limiting factor. No matter how old we are, we can experience the benefits of being more active. It doesn’t take a gym membership or fancy, expensive equipment. It just takes a little movement.

As Dr. Winnail further explains in Biblical Principles of Health:

“There are also benefits for senior citizens who begin to exercise or who remain physically active to the extent they are able. They can maintain muscle mass and bone density… reduce excess weight, manage stress and improve mood, and reduce the risk or effects of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Physically active seniors experience less depression and have less need for expensive medical care…. Regular physical activity even appears to slow the normal aging process. Even those confined to beds or wheelchairs feel better if they are involved in an exercise program” (Biblical Principles of Health, August 2024, pp. 27–28).

No matter your situation, whether you’re highly active already or are extremely limited in mobility, just do what you can to move. It’s free, but the rewards can be significant.

Principle #2: Think About What You Eat

The second biblical key to better health is:

2. Think about what you eat.

The Bible gives very specific guidelines on what to eat and what not to eat. To start this segment, let’s go to the example of Peter in the Book of Acts. While he was staying with a tanner who lived by the sea, he had a very confusing vision. We pick up the account in Acts 10:9.

Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean” (Acts 10:9–14).

When Peter said “unclean,” he was speaking of animals that God commanded not to eat. A list of them can be found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

Biblical Clean Eating

What’s important to note here is, just like God created our bodies to move, He also created certain meats for us to eat and others not to eat. And as Dr. Douglas S. Winnail explains in the book Biblical Principles of Health, many of the animals on the forbidden list are often implicated in the transmittal of diseases to humans. Some of those are:

1. Tularemia (spread by rabbits and rodents)
2. Ebola virus (spread by bats and monkeys)
3. MERS (spread by bats and camels)
4. SARS
5. Swine flu
6. Covid-19 (#4–6 spread by bats, pigs, civets, other “exotic” meats)
7. Trichinosis (spread by pigs, bear, walrus, squirrels, rats, cats, rabbits, foxes, panthers, lions, horses)
8. Cholera
9. Typhoid
10. Hepatitis A
11. Norwalk virus
12. Salmonella
13. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (#8–13 all frequently linked to shellfish)

Certain animals were created by God to be the garbage collectors and the cleanup crew of the natural world.

Understanding Peter’s Vision in Acts 10

When we understand that meats deemed unclean by God actually do carry serious risks to human beings, doesn’t it make sense to avoid them?

So, back to Acts chapter 10. Peter was given a vision to kill and eat all sorts of unclean animals. Remember his reply? Let’s read it again in Acts 10:13.

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again (Acts 10:13–16).

Now, what was the meaning of the vision? Peter answers the question himself, a little later in the account. The Roman centurion Cornelius called for Peter, and Peter traveled to Caesarea to meet him. Now, you have to understand—Cornelius was a Gentile. Up to that point, all those in the Church that Christ founded were circumcised Jews or had become Jewish proselytes. But Peter was about to have an experience [that] would change the Church forever. God was about to allow physically uncircumcised Gentiles into the Church.

Let’s pick it up when Peter meets Cornelius and those with him in Acts 10:27.

And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:27–28).

The purpose of the vision was to show Peter that non-Jews could be welcomed into the Church Christ founded, as long as they repented, accepted Jesus as their Savior, were baptized, and received God’s Spirit. The vision wasn’t about unclean meats at all. It was about the conversion of the Gentiles.

The Meaning of 1 Timothy 4

Another passage that is often misunderstood by many is found in 1 Timothy 4:1.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth (1 Timothy 4:1–3).

First of all, God’s laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy would never be called “doctrines of demons.” And also, in verse 3, notice that God created some foods to be received with thanksgiving. Which foods? Those called “clean” in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Going on, in verse 4:

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4).

Some will take this verse to mean any and all creatures are good for eating if they are prayed over—even if they are snails, rats, or [octopi]. But is that what it says? No. It says it “is sanctified by the word of God.” What was the “word of God” Paul referred to? The Hebrew Scriptures, including the dietary laws.

So what do we see?

1. Move more and sit less.
2. Think about what you eat.

Principle #3: Connect with God in Prayer

In the remaining segment, let’s consider one more fundamental, biblical principle to better health.

And that is:

3. Stay connected to God through prayer.

When my wife was in college, she took a microbiology class. The teacher, when talking about the explosion of antibiotic-resistant diseases, made quite a remarkable statement. He said, “We may soon get to the point where we will have to go back to praying by the bedside of the sick.”

Now think about that. He recognized the potential for—because of the overuse of antibiotics—diseases that had grown resistant to any medicine. And he recognized the danger of that kind of world.

We are entering a time of unprecedented disease and epidemics. COVID was just a shot across the bow.

End-time prophecies tell us in the end-times before Christ’s return, there will be great suffering because of runaway, virulent diseases. Now is the time for us to begin to look to our Father, and our Savior, to take care of our health. And notice, God provides for healing, through anointing and prayer in James 5:13.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up… (James 5:13–15).

Prayer and anointing by ministers of Christ by the bedside of the sick is not a last-resort, no-other-options kind of thing. For real Christians, it should be a way of life. It should be our first response, not an afterthought.

Struggling? Remember Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

Now God doesn’t always heal immediately, even after heartfelt and sincere prayer. But even then, when it seems like God isn’t answering our prayers, we need to maintain contact with God.

Paul experienced this. He had a “thorn in the side,” which he earnestly prayed God to take away. Notice the account in 2 Corinthians 12:7.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me (2 Corinthians 12:7–8).

What was God’s response? Notice, going on:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God did not heal Paul but gave him strength and encouragement to endure the affliction he suffered under. He helped him to understand infirmities are not always punishments from God, but oftentimes just trials to teach us valuable lessons. Notice Paul’s response.

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

Learn to Trust God for the Strength You Need

Paul came to understand his purpose for being. He came to fathom that God was training him for a higher purpose. He was teaching him to not depend on his own power, but rather look to God’s strength to sustain him day by day.

Prayer and communication with our Creator is not just a quaint, sentimental feeling from a bygone era. It’s the way to stay strong and healthy in the modern world today. Notice this comment from Dr. Winnail on page 49 of the study guide we’re offering today.

“Studying 4,500 adults, the Harvard School of Public Health found that people deal better with aging if they have purpose in their lives. They found that people living with a purpose maintained more muscle strength, could walk faster, engaged in healthier behaviors, slept better, felt better, and lived longer than individuals who had little or no purpose in their lives. The study revealed that people who kept a more positive and purposeful mental perspective obtained physiological advantages that contributed to better health” (p. 49).

To those familiar with the Bible, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul wrote, in Philippians 4:6,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6–7).

In a world of cynicism, doubt, and negativity, we need that peace and sense of purpose more than ever. It doesn’t cost a thing to spend time in prayer to God. And the benefits to our physical health even, our healing, and even our mental outlook, can be enormous.

How to Be Happy and Healthy

In today’s program, we discussed several biblical principles for better health:

1. Move more and sit less.
2. Think about what you eat.
3. Stay connected to God through prayer.

Health matters to us all. When we feel good, everything seems to work better. We’re able to take care of our tasks and our work better; we enjoy our interactions with our friends and loved ones better; life is just more enjoyable.

But on the contrary, when we don’t feel good—when our joints ache, or our head hurts or we’re suffering from a serious malady—life is a lot harder.

We often take good health for granted early in life. Strength and vitality of youth can seem like it’s going to last forever. And before we know it, the years have fled by, and the ravages of time does its work, and we suffer the results of aging and all the health problems related to it. David said this in Psalm 90:10.

The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow…. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:10–12).

David asks God to “teach us to number our days, to gain a heart of wisdom.” And truly, as we live we should seek for wisdom to understand the meaning of life, why we’re here, and what we should be doing to obey and please Him.

Think about it. We have at our fingertips access to the greatest advice in the universe on how to be healthy and happy. And it doesn’t cost a thing, except a little bit of our time and focus. But it’s worth it.

Thank you for watching. If you found this video helpful, check out more of our content or hit subscribe to stay connected.

And if you want a free study guide related to this topic, just click the link in the description.

See you next time.

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

What Is a Family?

Modern man seems determined to reshape, revise, and redefine the family as God made it until it is unrecognizable.

Philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels declared the family as God designed it to be a tool of oppression, suggesting that the march toward communism would erase the roles God designed and make the rearing of children a function of the communal state.

Many feminists adopted a similar point of view, casting the biblical family structure as a means of suppressing women and robbing them of their rights.

All of these philosophies and their advocates pretend that the family is simply a social construction that can be taken apart and reassembled however we might see fit.

But this is a lie.

God Designed Family Structure

God created the family. It belongs to Him, and He has designed it to serve His own divine purposes. We suffer when we ignore those purposes, and we are blessed as we embrace them.

Now let’s dive into some of God’s divine purposes for the family. First:

1. The family supports the fulfillment of human design.

It Is Not Good for Man to Be Alone (Genesis 2:18)

Western Civilization can focus so much on the individual that we can fail to recognize mankind was never designed to live in isolation—focused on our own individual needs, determining our own individual paths, concerned about our own individual rights. Our natural, carnal inclination is to think this way, to focus on ourselves, but this is not the way toward healthy fulfillment.

It is one thing when we desire a family and simply aren’t yet ready for one or are in circumstances that make having a family difficult. None of us are fully in control of our lives in this life—and faith in God is built on turning that level of control over to Him where it belongs.

Overcome Selfishness by Serving Others

Yet, sadly, there are many who could build a family who are increasingly putting off marriage for years, even decades—and putting off children until much later in life, if not indefinitely—out of a desire to pursue their individual careers or dreams of personal accomplishment.

Ironically, such individuals are putting off one of the greatest and most fulfilling adventures they could ever know: building a God-honoring marriage and family and learning to put the needs of their own spouse and children ahead of their own.

And when it comes to children, there is no greater environment for their development and nurturing than a loving family, with their own father and mother. Nothing else even comes close.

Parents Teach and Uphold Family Values

Look at God’s instruction to the parents in ancient Israel, recorded in Deuteronomy 6:7—instruction that all parents would do well to heed today. Speaking of His laws, commandments, and way of life, God tells them:

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 6:7).

More so than in a school room or daycare, it is in the day-to-day, common interactions of life that God’s commands and the teachings of Jesus Christ are made to come to life for our children. It’s commonly said that “values are caught, more than they are taught,” and there is some truth to that.

And it is the environment of family—having meals together, doing chores together, relaxing, laughing, struggling, and working together—it is that environment where children develop in the most important of ways. And, frankly, so do their parents.

Family Guides Interpersonal Relationships

One key way in which we develop is our next divine purpose of family:

2. The family teaches us how to interact with the rest of society.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but if you look around, it is beginning to look like society is forgetting how to be a society. Civilization is forgetting how to be civilized. And such times were not only prophesied to come but, frankly, to get worse.

We see this in many places in Scripture, but for now let’s just look in 2 Timothy 3, starting in verse 1.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away (2 Timothy 3:1–5)!

Pretty bleak! But there is a direct connection with this divine purpose of the family. Did you notice what it mentioned in verse 2? “Disobedient to parents.”

Relationship Skills Start in the Family

Keep that in mind as we turn to Paul’s earlier letter to Timothy and read about the connection between family and the broader culture. In 1 Timothy 5, Paul is instructing the young evangelist about how he should conduct himself as the leader of his congregation.

Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger [women] as sisters, with all purity.

It’s very easy to read that too quickly and miss the lesson. Timothy had many different types of people to deal with, and Paul told him to learn from his interactions in the family to know how to handle himself.

Treat older men as fathers, older women as mothers, and peers as siblings.

Broken Families Destabilize Society

The family is where we all learn to treat everyone else in society with the level of respect, honor, and compassion that is due to them. It’s where we learn how to respectfully interact with those in authority, even when we disagree with them, and serve those weaker than we are.

My friends, it is not a coincidence that we see civilization unraveling around us after decades of media programming in which disrespectful children and dysfunctional families are held up as sources of entertainment and the God-ordained structure of the family has been under sustained attack.

When you dismantle the family—the very schoolroom God Himself designed for each society how to function—then you should expect an increasingly dysfunctional society.

Family Is the Foundation of Civilization

3. The family is the building block of civilization.

Not only does God use families to teach us how to live with others in society, families—themselves—are the foundational building blocks of society. Like God builds matter out of atoms, He builds civilization out of families.

In Genesis 10, for example, we see what is often called the “Table of Nations”—a detailed listing of how the different nations and civilizations of men have descended from ancient families of the past, many often taking their name from an ancient patriarch or forebearer.

“Be Fruitful and Multiply” (Genesis 1:28)

In the beginning, God told Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply; [and] fill the earth….” This was God’s intention for families from the beginning—such that when families of mankind refused to spread out at the Tower of Babel, He confused their languages and forced them to do so.

Of course, as always, mankind has his own ideas. And we tend to define nations and states on purely political grounds and boundaries, with no thought to family or heritage. And, of course, that is going as well as ignoring God’s desires, designs, and plans has ever gone!

Large Families Became Nations

God’s own plan for the world sees nations as families grown large. Even in the Millennium, when God speaks of Egypt’s possible refusal to come to Jerusalem and keep the Feast of Tabernacles, He calls them “the family of Egypt” and refers to the nations of the world as “the families of the earth” (Zechariah 14:17–18).

In fact, let’s look in Genesis 18:19, where God explains part of why He called the famous patriarch Abraham.

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.

This is how God thinks. God’s calling of Abraham was never just about Abraham. It was about the family—and, eventually, civilization—He would found through Abraham.

That is how God builds nations—as families grown large—and it is how He continues to see humanity. In fact, one of the keys to understanding prophecy is to be able to recognize the modern peoples of the world in the families that are mentioned in prophecy.

Yet, the divine purposes of family are not limited to the physical world around us.

Family Structure Helps Us Understand God

4. Let’s next examine how the family teaches us about our relationship with God.

Some wonder when we use words or phrases like “Father,” “Family of God,” or “children of God” if we are forcing human terms onto God where they don’t belong—as if we are trying to force God to fit human social structures.

In fact, the opposite is true.

God Created Family Roles in His Image

God explains in Scripture that He has created the world to reflect Him, not the other way around. Paul writes of this principle in Romans 1:20.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

God intends that we learn about Him through the things He has made—and about Jesus Christ, through whom He made them. And the family is a vital part of that Creation that teaches us about God.

For instance, in marriage and in the God-ordained roles in marriage, we learn profoundly about our relationship to Jesus Christ. Read that in Ephesians 5.

Marriage Shows How to Love Like Jesus Loves Us

After explaining there that a husband is to love His wife selflessly, as Jesus Christ loves His Church, and how a wife is to submit to her husband in the same way that the Church submits to the authority of Christ, he summarizes all of this in verses 31 and 32. Quoting what Genesis says about husband and wife, he writes:

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31–32).

The husband-wife relationship is literally designed by God to teach us about this profound divine relationship between Jesus Christ and the people called together to form His Church.

Becoming Parents Shows How God Cares for Us

And turn to Matthew 7 where we see Christ’s instruction about how to understand God’s willingness to give to us and care for us. After telling us to ask, seek, and knock, He explains:

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:8–11)!

Jesus isn’t “forcing” on God the attributes of fatherhood. Rather, God is the ultimate Father, and human fatherhood is designed as a reflection of His eternal qualities—the love, care, and compassion He has for His own children.

Yes, if we will pursue building families as God designed them, and learn to see them that way, then lessons about God and Jesus Christ Themselves and Their relationship with us begun to unfold before our eyes.

God’s Plan Is the Ultimate Family Plan

This last purpose of the family concerns, perhaps, the greatest truth mankind can come to comprehend.

5. The family points us to our eternal purpose and destiny.

This beautiful, divine purpose of the family becomes obvious when you learn just what the purpose of your life really is. And that purpose is to become a part of the Family of God, itself, for all eternity—knowing life as God and Jesus Christ now know it and experiencing reality and existence as They now do.

The Family of God is not a metaphor, though many have a hard time realizing this, and many who do refuse to accept it. Again, we aren’t imposing our own ideas on God, but recognizing that He created the universe to reveal truths about Him, and the family itself is another example of this very thing.

Paul alludes to the Family of God that the Father and Christ are building in Ephesians 3:14–15.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.

There is a reason that the Bible calls converted Christians “sons and daughters.” It is not merely a metaphor.

Read for yourself the emphasis the Apostle John places on this fact, and how He describes our eventual birth at Jesus Christ’s return. His description is in 1 John chapter 3.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:1–2).

We Are Made in the Image of God (Genesis 1:27)

Just as a child grows and develops in the womb until he is born, fully formed and in the presence of his father and mother, so, too, do true Christians develop in the body of Christ, the Church, until that day when they, too, will fully develop and see the face of their Creator. At that time, they will reflect His glory with their own, as fully formed children of God.

It is an astonishing truth of Scripture that is hinted at from the very beginning in Genesis, where we read that, while all the animals were made after their own kind, man is made after the God kind.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26–27).

God Is Creating a Family Through Us

Yes, one of the greatest truths the human mind can possibly grasp is that God the Father and Jesus Christ are expanding Their own family to include more members, nurturing thousands of others in this life who will one day step into eternity to join Them—forever. And the God-ordained design of the family points us to this beautiful and life-changing truth.

My friends, if we will reject the ill-conceived and vainglorious attempts to take what God has created—the family—and reshape it based on humanly devised, devil-inspired philosophies and ideologies and simply embrace God’s own design for it and His divine purposes for it, then the family becomes a source of wonder, instruction, humility, and blessings.

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See you next time.

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

Four Universal Truths in the Bible

The Bible has come under increasing attack in recent times as more and more people consider it to be out of touch in the 21^st century. Perhaps that thought has crossed your mind. But on this program, I’ll show you why that is faulty thinking and give you four indisputable reasons why. So let’s get started.

Human Behavior Remains Consistent

• Reason #1: Human nature is the same as it has always been.

The Apostle Paul, writing nearly two thousand years ago, mentions on several occasions behaviors that are unacceptable for anyone seeking eternal life in the Kingdom of God. One of those listed is in his first letter to the church at Corinth, beginning in chapter 6, verse 9.

Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).

Does adultery, thievery, drunkenness, or any of these other behaviors sound familiar? These traits of human nature were pervasive in the first century, even affecting some who had come to realize the need to put them aside. Notice it in verse 11:

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11).

On another occasion, writing to the Church at Rome, Paul mentioned, in Romans 1:29:

Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful (Romans 1:29–31).

That was then, but is it any different today? No, human nature has not changed. And in fact, Paul said it would not change.

Writing to Timothy, Paul spoke of behaviors that would exist in the last days. That’s our day today (2 Timothy 3:1–5).

But know this, that in the last days perilous [or dangerous] times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Was Paul correct in foretelling our day? Do we see any difference between his day and ours? Notice the similarities between first-century behaviors and what Paul foretold for our day today:

First-Century Romans (Romans 1:29–31)	Predictions of Our Day (2 Timothy 3:1–5)
Proud	Proud
Disobedient to parents	Disobedient to parents
Whisperers	Slanderers
Haters of God	Lovers of pleasure rather than God
Unloving	Unloving
Untrustworthy	Traitors
Violent, unmerciful	Brutal
Unforgiving	Unforgiving
Boasters	Boasters

Can anyone dispute that what Paul foretold for our day is any different from what we see all around us? Also, who among us thinks these behaviors are beneficial to our world? No doubt, some would think so, but I doubt that you think that way.

Most rational people recognize that unruly children, slanderers, those who are filled with pride, or are traitors; and those who are brutal, unloving, and unforgiving are a detriment to society.

Perhaps the Bible is not so out-of-date as some think.

Now, whether in the first century or today, we find pride, rebellious children, whisperers and slanderers, people who are unloving, untrustworthy traitors, people who are unforgiving, unmerciful brutal individuals. No, human nature has not changed, and that’s irrefutable reason number one.

People Problems Don’t Change

The second reason we know the Bible is relevant for today involves the outcome of human nature.

• Reason #2: The problems caused by human nature have not changed.

James, an Apostle of Christ, asked two important questions nearly 2,000 years ago. The first is a question needing an answer and the second is rhetorical.

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? (James 4:1).

But he didn’t stop with the questions. Notice his scathing answer beginning in verse 2:

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:2–3).

Whether we’re talking about wars between neighbors, or between nations, unrestrained human nature, whether then or now, is the cause. However, problems go back much further than the first century. For that, we must go back to the beginning.

We read in the first book of the Bible, in Genesis chapter two, that our parents were given a test in the form of two trees. The Tree of Life symbolized putting trust in God. But to take of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, symbolized taking it upon themselves to determine right and wrong. As almost every student of the Bible knows, they chose the latter tree. And under the sway of a powerful and evil spirit being, Eve rejected God’s instruction and chose to follow her own judgment (Genesis 3:6):

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate (Genesis 3:6).

The Apostle John may have had this in mind when he warned us about the motivations of our nature in 1 John 2:16.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [Eve saw that the fruit was good for food], the lust of the eyes [it was pleasant in her sight], and the pride of life [a tree to make her wise]—is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:16).

You can read in 1 Timothy 2:14 that while Eve was deceived, Adam was not. He knew better, but went on to eat of the fruit anyway. One can only imagine how different their world became, once they took it upon themselves to determine the difference between right and wrong. But as with far too many parents, they lived to see tragic results in their children, when Cain became jealous and murdered his brother Abel.

Nearly 2,600 years ago, the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 59:

No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity…. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace… (Isaiah 59:4, 8, 14).

The problems we see in our world today are not new. They’ve been around a long time, but here’s the point. The Bible reveals right and wrong and gives instructions on how to overcome our nature. A gadget may be new, but not our nature, and there are tragic results when we choose our ways over God’s ways. Can any honest person dispute our first two reasons why the Bible is relevant today?

1. Human nature is the same as it has always been.

And:

2. The problems caused by human nature have not changed.

Let’s now look at a third reason.

God’s Perspective of Right and Wrong Is the Same

• Reason #3: God’s attitude regarding right and wrong has not changed.

If God exists, and for good reasons, many of us believe that a Creator is the best explanation for life on this planet, then what He thinks matters.

Why is it that people think God will bend to conform to their image, rather than the other way around? Must God accept whatever behaviors we demand of Him?

An honest and rational person ought to see how foolish that thinking is. And once again, this thinking is not new. It’s been around for more than 3,000 years. The 50^th Psalm, beginning in verse 18, tells us:

When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you… (Psalm 50:18–21).

Closely associated with this is the strange thinking that human beings can outvote God. Is this not what people reason when they say, “Everyone’s doing it”? You fill in the blank: cohabiting, committing adultery, cheating on your taxes, using profanity—the list is endless. Again, these rationalizations are not new. Mankind has always justified sinful behaviors, thinking that God does not see.

Breaking into a thought, let’s notice Psalm 94:6.

They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob understand” (Psalm 94:6–7).

No, dear friends, there is nothing new under the sun. Whether 3,000 years ago or now, human nature is the same, the results of that nature have not changed, and God’s attitude toward sin has not changed. Notice how God responds to those so foolish as to think that God doesn’t notice what they do. Here it is in verse 8.

Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct… (Psalm 94:8–10)?

Earlier we read a quick synopsis of human nature from 1 John 2:16.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

John then gives this warning.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17).

Does any rational person think that God changes to bend to our will, because we’re so modern, so sophisticated, and so technologically advanced? I think you know the answer to that, but let’s look at one more scripture before moving to a fourth reason why the Bible is relevant for today.

At the very end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, after Christ returns to save us from annihilating ourselves, we read of God’s attitude toward sin, whether in times past, present, or future. Here it is in Revelation 21:8.

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

It’s sheer madness to think that God will bend to our standards of right and wrong.

There are many more reasons why the Bible is relevant today, but let’s now look at a fourth reason.

Why God Created Us Has Not Changed

• Reason #4: The purpose of life has not changed.

Precious few people today understand why they are here. How can they, when there is such religious confusion in our world with different ideas regarding an afterlife, or even if there is life beyond the grave?

Sadly, many do not even care enough to find the answer. And those who do care most often don’t recognize the correct source for the answer. Scripture tells us that there is a powerful spirit being who has deceived the world, and that includes the largest religion on earth—Christianity.

Open your Bible and read Revelation 12:9 for yourself.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Notice that Jesus said the first sign leading up to the end of the age and His return would be false Christianity. Write this down and look it up for yourself—Matthew 24:3–5.

“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name [in other words, claiming to represent Him], saying, ‘I am the Christ’ [in other words, admitting that Jesus is the Messiah], and will deceive many.”

Frankly, dear friends, it is amazing how deceived Christians can be about the book they profess to believe in.

Consider this passage of scripture from Daniel 7:27 where it speaks about the future rule of the Messiah.

Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

As a side note, when Scripture uses the word “saints” it’s not speaking of someone who has been “sainted” by some religious body. It’s simple speaking of servants of God—ordinary people such as you and me—who may be led by, and have the spirit of Christ, dwelling in them.

But here in this Old Testament passage in Daniel, we read of the kingdoms of this world being taken over by the kingdom of God.

Now turn over to the New Testament, to Revelation 20:4, where it describes this same time in the future.

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

Yes, the servants of God will reign with Christ for a thousand years. But where? Let Revelation answer that for you (chapter 5, verses 9–10).

And they [the servants of God who will be resurrected at Christ’s return] sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and [note it here] we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10).

How different this is from rolling around in heaven with nothing to do!

No, the purpose for your life goes way beyond what is taught in the typical Sunday morning church service.

I hope you profited from this video. If you found it helpful and want to learn more, order the first four lessons of our free 24-lesson Bible Study Course by clicking the link or going to TWTV.org/Study.

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

Thanks for watching. See you next time!

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

Which Version of Christianity Is Right?

As our world spirals into chaos, many are beginning to seek the stability, reassurance, and peace of mind they rightly believe the word of God and Christianity can bring.

But it doesn’t take much searching to realize that Christianity itself is a confusing and chaotic mess of competing beliefs, practices, and organizations.

Yet Jesus Christ never meant it to be so. And the true faith established by the Son of God 2,000 years ago is worth finding amidst the cacophony of counterfeits claiming today to be the real thing.

Join us right now on Tomorrow’s World as we show you how to find true Christianity.

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

Look for the Real Jesus and True Faith

In fact, the social, political, and moral confusion in today’s world is prompting many to look for answers in the Bible and Christianity. But as we’ll see, “Christianity” means different things to different people. The world is filled with counterfeit Christianities, but what the world needs is true Christianity—the faith established by Jesus Christ Himself 2,000 years ago.

Yet needing it and finding it are two different things.

And many are looking these days for the stability and hope that only the real Jesus Christ can offer.

In December of 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported, “Sales of Bibles Are Booming, Fueled by First-Time Buyers and New Versions.” In the article, columnist Jeffrey Trachtenburg quotes the president of a publishing association as observing this:

People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren… It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles… and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.

Start With the Bible, Our Anchor of Hope

Tractenburg reports the comments of a 38-year-old mother of two that will likely resonate with many of you.

She started to read the Bible this year after feeling unfulfilled by years of advice on self-care, staying healthy and pursuing a career. She said she also sought stability as “things just went off the rails a little too quickly” throughout society. “We’re kind of holding on to the edge of the ship, like, we’re not sure what’s happening here.”

Credit to all who are seeking the stability they need in the word of God and the teachings of Christ! That truly is the only place to find lasting peace, truth, and understanding in a world of sin, sorrow, and confusion.

But what about the confusion in Christianity itself?

Where Is One Body, One Hope, One Spirit (Ephesians 4)?

Let’s be honest with ourselves—if you told someone that the world needs Christianity, they might rightly ask you, “Which Christianity are you talking about?”

The faith that goes by the name “Christianity” is a writhing mass of confusing beliefs, practices, and traditions. Wars have been fought in which both sides claimed Christ as their Savior—so-called Christian killing so-called Christian, even killing each other about differences in their beliefs.

And the collection of so-called “Christian” beliefs differs wildly from sect to sect.

For instance:

• What happens to believers when they die? What about non-believers?
• How should a person be baptized and when? Or does he or she even need to be baptized at all?
• Should we obey the Ten Commandments? Or were they “done away at the cross”?
• Should we worship on Sunday, or Saturday, or does it make no difference at all?
• Does going to church even matter?
• How do you build a successful family, and what’s the best way to raise your children?
• Should Christians be separate from the world—not voting or participating in politics—or should they be all the more engaged, fighting for social causes and legislation they desire?
• Why did God create man in the first place?
• What is the purpose of the Church?
• What is the purpose of human life itself?

Grab five “Christians” off the street, and you can get five different answers to each of these questions.

Now compare this to the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the first-century Church in 1 Corinthians 1.

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10).

God Is Not the Author of Confusion

Later in that same letter, Paul writes something very important that sheds light on the confusion we see in the Christianity of this world.

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:33).

No, the confusion we see in the religion called “Christianity” in this world is not of God, but is of the devil, who has confused and twisted the teachings of Christ and the apostles for 2,000 years—presenting, as Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians, “another Jesus,” a “different spirit,” and a “different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Yet, Jesus promised us 2,000 years ago in Matthew 16:18 that He would build His Church, and the grave would never prevail against it.

So somewhere, here on this earth, we should be able to find true Christianity—a faith that is not part of the confusion that is the modern Christian world, but the true faith, beliefs, and practices of Jesus Christ and the Church He founded two millennia ago. And that is the faith we need.

Is there a way to find true Christianity?

Yes, there is.

Follow Jesus’ Teachings

If we want to find the real Christianity, then we simply need to look to the teachings of the founder of Christianity Himself, Jesus Christ.

Jesus didn’t ascend into heaven and then call it a day. He left Himself a witness to His message and teachings and a record of the practices of His Church written by those He taught face-to-face.

That witness and record is the key. If we want to cut through the confusion and find the true Christianity, we need to let Jesus Christ and His disciples speak for themselves.

Let’s do just that. Let’s dive into the Bible and examine Christ’s own teachings. Let the Founder of Christianity tell us what it truly is, what its doctrines and beliefs are, and what its practices and observances should be.

In fact, a great place to start is what the Bible says about itself.

The Bible Shows How to Be a Christian

For instance, what is the ultimate source of authority in Christianity?

Some say the Bible is that perfect, ultimate authority—the word of God. But among those who consider themselves “Christian,” attitudes and teachings differ. Some believe the Bible is a great book, but just a human book, and that Christians need to ignore parts of the Bible that don’t fit the times—such as teachings on sexual purity before marriage, or the roles of man and woman in marriage.

Others believe that the Bible is incomplete, and they attach the writings or teachings of their own leaders or supposed prophets. Still others believe that Jesus instilled ultimate authority over beliefs and practices in certain men whose decisions are assumed to be perfectly inspired by God—even if their teachings completely contradict what is recorded in the Bible.

Again, confusion. So let’s resolve the confusion and ask ourselves what Jesus Christ Himself taught about the Bible’s authority.

Speaking of God’s written word in John 10:35, Jesus made a plain declaration.

“The Scripture cannot be broken!”

According to Christ, the Scriptures do not contradict themselves. In fact, in John 17:17 while praying aloud to God about His followers, Jesus asks His Father in heaven:

Sanctify them by Your truth. YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.

His first disciples and Apostles were just as clear.

In 2 Timothy 3, we see the Apostle Paul, writing to the young evangelist, speaking of the word of God, commending him and encouraging him to remain true to:

…the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15).

And how did Jesus regard the idea of men being able to “overrule” the Bible with their own, man-made commandments and traditions?

We see His own answer in Mark 7. There, Jesus is having a discussion with the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the Jews in His day who, in Jesus’ own words, sat in Moses’ seat. His words to them concerning what He thought of those who believe their authority and traditions trump God’s written word is plain.

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’” (Mark 7:6).

In verse 9, He continues His condemnation.

He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9)

For those who desire to find true Christianity, the teachings of Jesus Christ make the answer plain.

No, the Bible is not filled with values that become out of date, like milk that has passed its expiration date. Instead, He says that “the Scripture cannot be broken.”

And to those who believe their human authority can override the word of God, He condemns setting aside God’s commandments for the sake of their own traditions and creeds—and condemns those who set them aside.

Again, if we’re looking for true Christianity, then looking to the recorded teachings of Jesus and His disciples reveals how it differs with those that are Christian in name only.

His inspired word is our standard for navigating through the confusion to find true Christianity. Not the traditions or creeds of men, not our own personal ideas and preferences, but His own teachings and inspired instruction.

Keeping the Ten Commandments

Let’s look at an example to illustrate how relying on the standard of God’s word helps us to sort through the confusion and find true Christianity.

For instance, what does true Christianity teach about the Ten Commandments?

Many denominations teach that the Ten Commandments are a matter of “legalism” and “works,” and are no longer required of Christians—they were “done away with” at the cross of Christ. They will rightly say that Christians are under grace, but then claim that being “under grace” means that God’s law and His commandments are no longer required of us by God.

Yet, when pressed, many of them will still agree that Christians are commanded not to murder, or commit adultery, or steal. Some will say you shouldn’t worship idols, while cloaking their idol worship by calling it something else.

In reality, what most mean when they say that the law and the commandments are “done away” is that you don’t have to keep the fourth commandment and observe the seventh-day Sabbath.

All of this double talk about God’s law and picking and choosing among His commandments is a big part of what helped to create the confusion we see in global Christianity in the first place.

Again, if we want to find true Christianity, then we need to look at what Jesus Christ and His disciples say on the matter.

Jesus Did Not Come to Destroy the Law

We’ve already seen how Christ condemned the religious leaders of His day for rejecting God’s commandments to keep their own traditions. And those words clearly apply here.

But let’s look even further at Christ’s teachings on the law of God and the Ten Commandments. Did He plan to do away with them on the cross?

For instance, notice in Matthew 19 what Jesus said to a wealthy young man who asked Him what he should do to have eternal life. Christ’s words were plain, and He told the young man, “if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17), and followed up with several of the Ten Commandments, lest we imagine He was speaking of anything else.

And look earlier in Matthew 5:17.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

Here Jesus says directly, do not think that my teachings destroy the Law or the Prophets! Do not say that Christianity teaches that God’s law is done away.

True Christianity will agree with Christ. He says that He came to fulfill the law—to fill it to the full.

In the famous Sermon on the Mount, did Jesus say it was OK to commit adultery now?

No, He said rather that you should even obey God’s commandment in your heart by not even lusting after someone (Matthew 5:27-30).

Those who say that Jesus “did away” with the law but that somehow that’s not the same as destroying the law are playing the devil’s word games to confuse the truth.

If He wasn’t clear enough, Jesus Christ makes it remarkably plain in the very next passage.

“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. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:18–19).

Friends, I guarantee you that, if you go outside, you will see that heaven and earth are still there. They have not passed away and—according to the Son of God—God’s law is not done away.

In fact, notice the words of His faithful Apostle John, written long after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

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 (1 John 2:3–4).

Even in the very last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, notice how the body of believers, the saints are described.

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

You would read the same thing in Revelation 12:17. Even in the end times, the Bible describes true Christians as faithfully keeping the commandments of God—including the Fourth Commandment about the Sabbath!

True Christianity Teaches from the Bible

Nominal Christianity may be confused, but the Bible and true Christianity are not.

In fact, as the prophet Isaiah proclaimed:

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20).

Our topic today is finding true Christianity, and God’s word tells us that, in our search, we should turn away from preachers, teachers, and others who do not honor and teach observance to the laws and commandments of God, because “there is no light in them.”

Let God be true but every man a liar (Romans 3:4).

We do need ministers and guides to teach the word of God, but no man on earth has the authority to supersede God’s word and supplant it with his own judgment. And we saw that Jesus Christ condemns those who seek to do so.

And, as an example, we compared the popular teachings of many churches and faiths that claim the name of Christ concerning what they teach about the law of God and His commandments. When we did so, we saw that Jesus’ own teaching and those of His disciples flew in the face of standard, so-called Christian teaching—that Christ taught obedience to the laws and commandments of God, not that they were done away at His crucifixion.

Build True Christian Character

The more you make a practice of making God’s word your guiding light, the more true Christianity begins to reveal itself—in contrast to what is called “Christianity” all over the world.

But that is where we come to a place where more than knowledge is needed.

Finding true Christianity is not just about what you know—it is about what you are willing to do. And we need more than knowledge.

We need courage—because true Christianity makes demands of us.

• When the world says to worship Christ one way, true Christianity tells us to do something else.
• When the world says that Christians no longer need to obey the commandments of God, true Christianity tells us that Christ does want us to keep those commands—even that it plays a role in the very purpose of our lives.
• When the world says that Christians need to focus on fixing this world by participating in the politics of our day and getting the right people elected, true Christianity tells us that Christians’ commitment to the coming Kingdom of God transforms both their relation to the world around them and their role in it.

Frankly, true Christianity involves a commitment of one’s whole life to following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ—and that involves change.

Be Strong and of Good Courage

Many, after working to find true Christianity, discover that they prefer the comforts of false Christianity, prefer the easy promises of the false, counterfeit Jesus they are used to, instead of the commands of the true Jesus who is the Son of God reigning in Heaven, and soon to intervene in the affairs of the world. They discover that they don’t have the courage it takes to let go of the comfortable and embrace the truth.

But for those who do have that courage—and those who may not at first, but are humble enough to let Jesus Christ grow that courage within them—there is no greater reward than finding—and embracing—true Christianity.

Thanks so much for watching. All of us here at Tomorrow’s World work very hard to help you understand your world through the pages of the Bible.

And we’d very much appreciate it if you would give us a like and subscription—and even share the video if you found it worthwhile.

Thanks so much.

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

What Is the Christian Passover?

Is it possible for there to be a Christian Passover, or is that a contradiction?

Most people think, “Jews keep Passover, Christians keep Easter. Case closed.” No further discussion. But there IS such a thing as a Christian Passover. And that’s revealed in the pages of the Bible.

If you are surprised by that, then stick with us, as we ask—and answer—three questions about the Christian Passover.

I’ll be right back.

God’s Holy Days vs. Pagan Holidays

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

There are more than 2 billion people on this earth who identify themselves as Christians, and most of them observe the holidays usually associated with Christianity, such as Christmas and Easter.

But a growing number of people are discovering that the Bible has something different to say about Christian holy days, and it may not be what you think. You see, most people today think of the biblical holy days as exclusively Jewish. But are they?

Let’s examine that topic today as we explore three questions about the Christian Passover. We’ll start with the first question:

1. Did Jesus keep and teach the Christian Passover?

When we speak of religious observances in the springtime, the Jews keep Passover as a remembrance of their sojourn and deliverance from Egypt. On the other hand, most Christians keep Easter to commemorate the resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let’s talk briefly about the Old Testament Passover. Actually, it wasn’t just the Jews who kept the Passover—they were just one tribe in the nation of people called the Israelites, the children of the patriarch Israel. God gave the Israelites instructions in Exodus 12:3 and 5–8.

Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: “On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb…. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Exodus 12: 3–8).

The Passover Lamb Takes on New Meaning

You see, the Passover in ancient times was kept as a memorial of how God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians. God struck the firstborn of the Egyptians on the night of the Passover. But the Israelites marked their doorposts with some of the blood from the Passover lamb, and God “passed over” the households of the Israelites, and protected them from harm.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, Who observed the Passover during His lifetime. But as our Savior, He not only came to earth to live the life of an obedient Jew, He also came to die for our sins and establish His Church.

But on the night before He died, notice something very special that Jesus did with His disciples. He instituted the New Testament Passover, which we may also call the Christian Passover. In Luke 22:14–15 we read of that last Passover He observed with His disciples.

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:14–15).

Yes, Jesus kept the Passover. And that involved a meal including roasted lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs, in keeping with the Old Testament statute.

Three New Passover Symbols for Christians

But He also did something new that night. He instituted New Testament Passover symbols. Let’s read in Matthew 26:26–28.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28).

Unleavened Bread and Wine: Symbols of Jesus’ Broken Body and Blood

What Jesus did was take the two elements of the bread and wine, and institute new symbols.

The unleavened bread represented how His body would be broken in the beating He would suffer through, leading up to His crucifixion.

The wine represented how He poured out His blood, and died, from a spear wound while hanging on the stake.

As the true Lamb of God—which the Old Testament Passover was foreshadowing—He was going to give His life for the salvation of all mankind. These symbols He established had tremendous meaning—and awesome significance for the future of every human being.

Now, before we go any further, don’t be confused by the language. The bread did not mysteriously become Christ’s literal body. And the wine did not miraculously become His literal blood. No, both were symbols, representing His broken body and His shed blood. And again, those symbols have tremendous meaning.

Foot Washing: A Symbol of Servant Leadership

But let’s notice one thing more. As He taught His disciples that night, He introduced one more element. And this is found in John 13:3–5.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded (John 13:3–5).

Here Jesus instituted another element in the Christian Passover, the washing of your brother’s feet. This was designed to teach Jesus’ disciples to humble themselves and serve one another, as Christ had served them—notice in John 13:12–15.

So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:12–15).

Follow Jesus’ Example

All three symbols—the bread, the wine, and the foot washing—would constitute a new observance, a New Testament Christian Passover. And He instituted it on the night before He died.

Jesus explained the importance of this new observance in John 6:53–54.

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53–54).

Again, not ingesting His literal body and blood, but taking the symbols that represented His dying for mankind.

So, did Jesus keep the Passover? Yes. He kept the ancient Passover observed by the Jews and all the Israelites. But even more significantly for us, He also instituted a New Testament Christian Passover for His followers. And He specifically told them, “Follow My example and do as I have done.”

Gentile Christians Kept Passover

After His death and resurrection, as the Church grew, Gentiles were called into the Church as well. And so that brings up a logical question—our second question about the Christian Passover. And we’ll address that in the next section of this program.

2. Were Gentiles expected to observe the Christian Passover as well?

This is an important question. Because many people believe as the Church grew, God allowed the rules to change, so to speak. They believe that somehow the Gentiles coming into the Church didn’t have to follow the same rules and laws as the Jews who were in the Church already.

The Apostle Paul’s writings are often used to try to show that the rules changed for Gentiles coming into the Church. But let’s examine what Paul taught about the Christian Passover.

Jesus said, “Do This in Remembrance of Me”

In 1 Corinthians 11, we find a quite enlightening passage about what Paul taught about the Christian Passover (1 Corinthians 11:23–25).

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:23–25).

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, who supposedly did away with all the Jewish laws, was describing the Christian Passover. And he was describing this in his letter to a Gentile church, the Corinthians. Notice further, in verse 26:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Some believe this means we should take the symbols of the bread and wine multiple times a year, or perhaps every time we worship God. But notice, that’s not what He said. He just said, when you take it, you are proclaiming or memorializing the death of your Lord, until He comes.

Now, there’s a lot in there. For one, it’s a reminder that Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth. And we are approaching that time; it’s closer than ever.

Passover Is the Anniversary of His Death

But the other thing we note here is he explained the Passover is a memorial of Christ’s death. It’s the anniversary of Christ’s death.

Now, why would you keep an anniversary on any old day you want? On a different day from the day in which the original event happened?

• In the United States, we celebrate July 4 as Independence Day, going back to the publishing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
• In France, Bastille Day is July 14. It’s the national day of France because it hearkens back to the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.
• In Mexico, September 16 is observed as independence day, the day the Catholic priest and patriot, Miguel Hidalgo, delivered his famous summons to his parishioners to rise up in revolution. It’s observed on September 16, the very day these events happened.

Most other countries also have specific days to honor a special event that happened on that day.

Married couples often celebrate the anniversary of their wedding. When do they do it? Well, on the day when they were married. Every man knows that his wife would not be very happy if he forgot the day of their anniversary.

God’s Timing Is Perfect—and Jesus Died on Passover

So, why would we think God would be pleased if we take symbols representing Christ’s sacrifice on any old day we want, regardless of the timing?

Timing is very important to God. And in this case, the timing of the Christian Passover reminds us of the importance and significance of the event that took place on that day—the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the stake for our sins.

Passover Preparation: Self-Evaluation of Your Christian Character

Going further, Paul even described how to prepare for taking that Passover. Notice 1 Corinthians 11:27–28.

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup (1 Corinthians 11:27–28).

Paul said there’s even a proper way to prepare for taking the Christian Passover. That is:

• Self-examination
• Self-reflection
• An honest evaluation of how one is living his life in light of God’s laws and God’s direction
• And an acknowledgement of the need for Christ’s sacrifice and God’s forgiveness in our life

Passover Reminds Us to Become Like Jesus Christ

Remember, Paul was writing to the Corinthians, who were Gentiles, not Jewish. This Passover was not just for the Jews or Israelites. It was for all Christians—notice in 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).

When the ancient Israelites were keeping the Passover, they were actually, without knowing it, foreshadowing the Lamb of God dying for the sins of mankind. And that’s exactly what Paul was explaining. Notice then, in verse 8 Paul said:

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:8).

So, we’ve already seen that the disciples were taught to keep the Christian Passover. Now, we see the Apostle Paul taught the symbolic significance of the Passover and explained how to prepare for it.

How can we come to any other conclusion, than this was intended for all New Testament Christians to keep?

Why Easter and Pagan Holidays? The Bible Teaches Passover and God’s Holy Days

But with all of that in mind, let’s look at our third question.

3. Why do most professing Christians keep Easter instead of the Christian Passover?

Isn’t it remarkable, that there is no single instruction or command to keep an observance commemorating the resurrection of Christ? On the other hand, the Bible speaks a lot about the Christian Passover.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the resurrection is extremely important. We base our hope of eternal life on that fact. We read in Romans 8:11,

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

The resurrection is supremely important. But you can search the New Testament from beginning to end, and you will find no instruction or command to keep it as an observance or a holy day. So, why do so many people observe Easter?

Pagan Holidays and Their Pagan Symbols Usurp God’s Purpose

Longtime Tomorrow’s World viewers know that most of the holidays of mainstream Christianity today come from blatantly pagan roots. Such is the case for Easter. In the booklet Easter: The Untold Story, Tomorrow’s World presenter and evangelist Gerald Weston explains this:

The Oxford Companion to World Mythology explains this about Easter: “The holiday comes in the early Spring and is clearly related to ancient fertility myths of reborn heroes…. For many, Easter is synonymous with fertility symbols such as the Easter Rabbit, Easter eggs, and the Easter lily” [“Easter,” p. 111] (Easter: The Untold Story, Gerald Weston, pp. 2–3).

So, why do people keep Easter, if it comes from ancient pagan traditions?

The facts of history reveal that after the Church was founded in the first century, the mainstream visible church underwent profound changes.

As new generations arose, the pressure to conform to the pagans around them grew immensely—including keeping the springtime fertility festival to the goddess Ishtar.

By contrast, faithful Christians held to the doctrines of Christ and the apostles.

Tomorrow’s World writer Dexter Wakefield explains this in his article in the March–April 2013 issue entitled, “Are You a Quartodeciman? Should You Be?” Notice:

In the second century ad, a controversy raged in early Christianity. The Roman church under Pope Sixtus I had established the keeping of an early version of Easter on a Sunday. But it had long been the practice of the Middle Eastern (Asiatic) churches to keep the Christian Passover as Jesus and the apostles did on the 14th day of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish calendar (Leviticus 23:5)… (“Are You a Quartodeciman? Should You Be?” Tomorrow’s World, March-April, 2013, p. 18).

He mentions the Christian Passover was on the 14th day of Nisan. The term Quartodeciman is Latin for “14th.” It would come to be a name for those who continued to keep the Christian Passover on the 14th of Nisan, as Jesus did, even as many in the visible church had abandoned it for Easter.

Mr. Wakefield continues:

The Catholic Encyclopedia reports, “While Anicetus was Pope, St. Polycarp, then in extreme old age, came to confer with him (160-162) about the Paschal controversy; Polycarp and others in the East celebrating the feast on the fourteenth of the month of Nisan, no matter on what day of the week it fell; whereas in Rome it was always observed on Sunday” [article: “Pope St. Anicetus”] (“Are You a Quartodeciman? Should You Be?” Tomorrow’s World, March–April, 2013, p. 18).

A Disciple of the Apostle John Refuses to Exchange Passover for Easter

Polycarp was a direct disciple of the Apostle John. Anicetus and Polycarp did not come to an agreement on the subject, and several decades later another bishop in Rome, Victor, attempted to force all the churches of Asia Minor to reject the Christian Passover on the 14th of Nisan. But they did not buckle to the pressure.

Mr. Wakefield continues:

The early church historian Eusebius wrote: “But the bishops of Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to hold to the old custom handed down to them. He himself, in a letter which he addressed to Victor and the church of Rome, set forth in the following words the tradition which had come down to him: ‘We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep… Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles… moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord… All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith’ … Thereupon Victor, who presided over the church at Rome, immediately attempted to cut off from the common unity the parishes of all Asia, with the churches that agreed with them, as heterodox; and he wrote letters and declared all the brethren there wholly excommunicate” [Life of Constantine, ch. XXIV] (“Are You a Quartodeciman? Should You Be?” Tomorrow’s World, March–April, 2013, p. 23).

So those keeping the Christian Passover were excommunicated from what was becoming the mainstream church.

Mr. Wakefield concludes:

But the practice [that is, the keeping of the Christian Passover] continued with the Asiatic churches, and in the year 325 ad at the Council of Nicea, those who were faithful to the Quartodeciman Passover were declared anathema. The Catholic Pasch—Easter—was set as the orthodox practice of the Catholic Church (“Are You a Quartodeciman? Should You Be?” Tomorrow’s World, March–April, 2013, p. 23).

So, the practice of keeping the Christian Passover didn’t disappear. It just was dwarfed by the more common practice of Easter, because Constantine decreed that Easter should be the official doctrine of the Roman Empire.

True Christians Should Keep Passover

Jesus didn’t abandon the Passover. On the contrary, He, His disciples, and others that followed continued to observe the Christian Passover for centuries. And a growing number of Christians still keep that same biblical observance today.

So what about you? Maybe you’ve never considered the New Testament Christian Passover before. Maybe you assumed the Passover is only Jewish. Maybe you’ve always been taught that Christians should keep Easter.

You need to study this and prove it to yourself. It concerns the very life and death of our Savior, and our obedience to following His instructions. It even concerns our being forgiven of sins, and our hope of eternal life.

Find Other Christians Who Keep God’s Holy Days

You might even be interested in how to observe the Christian Passover for yourself. Many thousands of people just like you have come to the same conclusion and have learned to faithfully keep this important feast day each year.

And if you have questions about the Passover you’d like to ask directly, Tomorrow’s World is sponsored by the Living Church of God. And the Living Church of God has representatives who would love to talk with you. They will be happy to answer any questions you might have about this fundamental practice of the faithful first-century Church, a practice that is still done today, the Christian Passover.

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