Words of the Bible

Even Through Fire and Water

As climate change intensifies, devastating wildfires and weather-related disasters such as typhoons and floods are occurring with increasing frequency throughout the world. The destructive force of fire and flood is immense, sweeping across everything in their path and engulfing entire areas in an instant. It is no wonder that they are described as “fire demons” and “water demons.” Even human beings, who regard themselves as the highest of all creatures, are powerless before the forces of nature. How much more helpless must animals be? Their instinct is to flee desperately from danger and seek a way to survive. Yet even in the midst of such danger, some creatures defy their instincts. A mother bird remains in her nest, brooding over…

Global Leaders Who Save the World

We can watch the World Cup held in Africa live on TV at home. With just one click of a button, we can access real-time news from every part of the world. One sneeze from an infected person can spread a virus to people on the opposite side of the world. If a powerful nation’s financial markets are unstable, it can cause chaos in global financial markets. The 21st century we are living in is truly a global age. National borders are gradually becoming meaningless, and people all around the world are easily able to get together. At this point in time, the world is looking for a supranational leader who is suitable for the global age. A narrow world,…

Body Temperature Maintenance

Titanic is a blockbuster in 1997. In the cold ocean, when Titanic was sinking into the deep Atlantic Ocean, Jack the main character lifted Rose up from the bone-chilling water to a floating shipwreck. In the end, he became ice cold and sank into the sea. Many people were saddened by the last parting scene between Jack and Rose which is still considered as one of the best movie scenes. The movie is based on the true story. On April 10, 1912, the Titanic, the biggest ocean liner in the world at that time started its maiden voyage from Southampton in the U.K. to New York City in the U.S. with about 2,200 passengers. Although it was called The Unsinkable…

Shout Aloud, Do Not Hold Back

Tension hangs over Jericho, the fortified city. It is because of the Israelites who are camped on the plains of Jericho before their entrance into Canaan. All the people of Jericho melt in fear as they hear the news that the Israelites have completely destroyed the two kings of the Amorites and crossed the overflowing Jordan as if they were walking on dry land, by God’s help. They are so scared that they lock up their city gates tightly and forbid people to come in and go out, so that they can defend the city. Then God instructs Joshua how to destroy the city of Jericho. “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its…

Heavenly Family and Heavenly Mother

The Bible teaches that the things on this earth are “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven” (Heb 8:5). Just as there is a physical family on earth, there is also a spiritual family in the kingdom of heaven. A family consists of a father, a mother, and their sons and daughters. When we examine the Bible, we come to understand that it is through the existence of our Heavenly Mother that we have become members of the heavenly family, who will receive the blessings of the kingdom of heaven. However, Satan, who stands in enmity against Mother, slanders the truth and hinders the repentance and salvation of God’s heavenly children. The Bible portrays this unceasing spiritual battle,…

It is known that Christianity believes in only one God. Actually, however, most Christians believe in Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well as the LORD God, Jehovah. Does it mean that God is three distinct Persons?

For the salvation of human beings, God divided 6,000 years into three ages—the age of the Father, the age of the Son, and the age of the Holy Spirit—and He carried out His salvation work with a different name in each age. In the age of the Father, God used the name Jehovah; and in the age of the Son, God came in the name of Jesus. In the age of the Holy Spirit, God is to have another name when He carries out His work of redemption on this earth. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…

Before It Gets Too Late

The Four Things That Matter Most is a book written by Ira Byock, who has been in hospice care (a type of health care that helps terminally ill patients to spend their last moments of their lives in peace) for over four decades. In his book, he gives suggestion to terminally ill patients and their families. It is to say four phrases: “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you.” He came up with this after witnessing many cases that the patients and their family members regret later for not having confessed what was in their hearts. In fact, a man, who had not talked to his father for twenty years, let go of old hurts…

The Council of Nicaea and Arianism

In A.D. 325, the Council of Nicaea was convened mainly to settle the dispute over Arianism along with the Passover controversy. This dispute caused so much blood to be shed, which was a dark chapter in history. Arius’ insistence Arius held a prominent position as a presbyter in the Church of Alexandria in Egypt. He evoked public criticism by insisting on a peculiar doctrine as follows: Christ is the incarnate Logos (λóγoς in Greek, meaning “Word” or “Truth”). Christ is capable of change and suffering. Therefore, the Logos is mutable and not equal to God. According to Arius’ insistence, Jesus is not God but only a creature, so he is not eternal; and just as the Son is the first…

Relationship between Faith and Obedience

Everybody has a family—a precious relationship which God has allowed them to build. God has given everyone a “family”—a community of love—as a microcosm of heaven full of happiness. From a spiritual point of view, we are all members of the spiritual family. We have a spiritual Father, a spiritual Mother, and spiritual brothers and sisters. The Bible teaches that the command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” is the first and greatest commandment, and that the command to “honor your father and mother” is the first commandment with a promise (Mt 22:37–38; Eph 6:2). According to this teaching of the Bible, we should honor and…

Is There Really God the Mother in the Bible?

Sister Curious, I heard that you visited your hometown at the beginning of the year. Do you go there often? Yes, my mother is there, so even if it’s not a special day like a national holiday, I go to see her whenever I have time. It seems we miss our hometown more if our mothers are there. When it comes to home, mother comes to our mind, right? Then it’s not a surprise that there is Heavenly Mother in the kingdom of heaven, home of our souls. I was surprised a lot when I first heard about Heavenly Mother. People all call God Father. I thought that, too. But when I was told that there is also Mother in…

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Beautiful Trace

If you cut the trunk of a tree and look at the cross section of the tree, you can see a pattern of concentric tree rings. Tree rings form when there are differences in growth speed as the weather changes. Between spring and summer, when cell division is vigorous, the wood texture inside the tree is soft and the color is bright, while cell division is slow starting from late summer or autumn, resulting in a hardened texture and a darker color. As such process repeats, a distinct pattern of tree rings is formed in the trunk of a tree. If you look at tree rings, you can tell not only the tree’s age but also what had happened during…

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

In 1920, a woman claimed she was Anastasia the last Grand Duchess of Russia. It was two years after the Russian imperial family was mercilessly assassinated during Bolshevik Revolution. Anastasia was the fourth child of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, who was the most loved among the four princesses. Her appearance drew public attention along with sympathy for the tragedy of the Russian imperial family. The woman’s name was Anna Anderson. She got in the center of controversies; she knew the details of the imperial family and was familiar with royal family etiquette, and people around her gave testimonies about her. In 1970, after 37 years of a battle to find the truth, the German Supreme Court ruled…

Wherever the Gospel Is Preached, What She Has Done Will Be Told, in Memory of Her

Before the Passover, Jesus was in Bethany, reclining at the table, at the home of Simon the Leper. A woman came close to Jesus with a jar. There was very expensive perfume in the jar, which ordinary people could not even afford it. The woman broke the jar and poured the perfume on the head of Jesus. The whole house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Some of those present were surprised and rebuked her, saying, “Why this waste of expensive perfume? It could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor!” Seeing this, Jesus stopped them. “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful…

A Blessed People and a Kingdom of Priests

At the beginning of a new year, people often greet one another by saying, “May you receive many blessings!” Even those who do not usually say such words wish each other blessings at this time of year. Our Zion family members greet one another by saying, “God bless you!” every day, not just on special occasions. The Bible likens words to seeds. So, “God bless you!” is not merely a routine greeting, but it grows like a seed and bears the fruits of blessing without fail. I hope you share this beautiful greeting as often as possible, so that both speakers and listeners can receive blessings. Let us examine the teachings of the Bible to see what kind of people…

How to Not Repeat  the Same Mistakes That Lead to Regrets 

In September 2019, a bus suddenly stopped in downtown Seoul. The driver who stopped the bus asked the passengers to excuse him, and ran outside. It was to save a woman in her 60s who had fallen in the street. The woman had not recovered her consciousness although some other passersby had been trying to help her. The bus driver immediately started CPR on her. After a few minutes, she recovered her consciousness and started breathing again. Then the bus driver asked one of the passersby there to stay with her until the ambulance arrived, and he returned to his bus. The passengers were moved by the act of the driver who saved the woman’s life with quick thinking. The…

The Source of Power to Accomplish the Work of Salvation

Our brothers and sisters have been working hard together with one mind in faith. As a result, over 7,000 Zions have now been established all over the world. Looking at this amazing work of salvation, some may think that it has been possible because a department of the Head Office excels at planning, and others may think that we have achieved such great results because we have pastors and missionaries with excellent leadership. However, if we look at it through the Bible, we can realize that the gospel of the kingdom is supposed to be preached throughout the world no matter what kind of people God appoints, and that the work of salvation can be accomplished through God’s help. We…

There are so many Christian denominations, and we often hear people insist that the denomination they belong to is authentic. What exactly is heresy?

From a religious point of view, “heresy” is an idea or doctrine that goes against the true faith. Discerning heresy is very important for our salvation. Even though we have believed in God fervently for a long time, if we belong to a heretical denomination, we cannot be saved. Then, which denomination is a heretic? Standard of heresy People have a tendency to think that the church which has a long history and many followers is authentic and that the church which has not is heretical. However, the length of a church history or the number of followers cannot be a standard for distinguishing the true Church from false churches. If these kinds of standards were right, it would mean…

False Accusation

1. Chaldeans accused Daniel’s three friends Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, proclaimed that those who did not fall down and worship the image of gold would immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Despite that, Daniel’s three friends—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, did not worship the image of gold. At that time, some Chaldeans who were jealous of them accused them and asked the king to punish them. At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced [accused, KJV] the Jews.Da 3:8 ※ Chaldea was the name of a region in the southland of Babylon. Since the Chaldeans reigned over Babylon, Babylon was called Chaldea. Since Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not worship the idol despite the conciliation of King Nebuchadnezzar, they…

Letters from Prison

Jawaharlal Nehru fought for India’s independence together with Mahatma Gandhi, and later became India’s first prime minister. During the time when India was under British rule, he was imprisoned many times for resisting the colonial rule. Since he was imprisoned in Naini Prison, he wrote letters to his only daughter, Indira. He sent her about 190 letters for three years. Then what did he desperately want to say to his beloved daughter? “On your birthday you have been in the habit of receiving presents and good wishes. Good wishes you will still have in full measure, but what present can I send you from Naini Prison? My presents cannot be very material or solid.” Nehru made every endeavor in the…

If We Keep the Passover, Can We Be Protected by God?

These days, a lot of news about disasters is on TV. Probably because of that, I am often reminded of the Passover that enables us to escape disasters. The more frequently we hear the news of disasters, the more precious the message of salvation sounds. The Passover is, as the name explains itself, a feast that makes disasters pass over us. Were there actual cases where people were protected from disasters by keeping the Passover? Of course! About 3,500 years ago, such a case happened when the Passover was kept for the first time. “The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until…

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