Words of the Bible

Light and Darkness

Time flows ceaselessly when we are sleeping, working, taking a break, and eating; it passes no matter what we are doing. Since we cannot see time flowing by, we need devices that have been invented to measure the passing of time. They are clocks and watches. It is the same spiritually. We are living in the visible, physical world, so we cannot see or feel the things of the spiritual world. Just like a clock or watch that has been invented to measure the flow of time, the Bible is God’s device to show us the spiritual world which we cannot perceive. Only through the Bible can we correctly discern all the things of the spiritual world; we are able…

Communication with Consideration for Others—A Quick Way to Complete the Gospel Work

Newborn infants burst out crying at first. Air goes into their lungs as soon as they cry, so they can breathe for the first time. The first cry is the first breath, and at the same time it is the first communication with the world. A baby makes his or her presence clear with a loud cry. From the first breath until the day when we breathe our last breath, we communicate with our family, friends, colleagues and neighbors throughout our lifetime. Communication with others can be called the mental breath. Just as good breath is essential for good health, good communication is the foundation of a happy life. Humans are beings that communicate The film Cast Away depicts the…

Faith with Action

The Bible says that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to people of all nations living in this world (Mt 24:14). It also clearly testifies that the voice of the gospel will go out into all the earth and God’s words to the ends of the world (Ro 10:18). Hearing the words of the prophecy, our brothers and sisters have woken up, and they are preaching the gospel of God boldly to people of all nations around the world. This fragrance of Zion is now being emitted from all over the world. However, there still seem to be some who hesitate to participate in preaching the gospel. Action is necessary for the gospel to be preached to all…

The Umbilical Cord and Placenta Which Connect Mom and Baby

The umbilical cord and placenta which were once considered unsanitary and were treated as infectious waste are now receiving much attention in the medical world. The reason behind this is that they have discovered abundant stem cells in them that can transform into various types of tissue. Particularly, cord blood, which is blood from the umbilical cord, contains blood-forming stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells that form bones, muscles, and organs; it is currently being studied for treatment of diseases, and some techniques have already been commercialized. In 2000, a six-year-old girl named Molly living in the United States was suffering a fatal genetic disorder called Fanconi anemia. The only possible treatment was a stem cell transplant, but they could…

Words of Heaven, Words of Salvation

Now people from all nations assemble and come to Zion just as prophesied in the Bible. So, the number of brothers and sisters in Zion is increasing day by day. Some of them do not yet understand the linguistic habits of Zion and the teachings of the Bible, and they still have the habit of speaking words that they have learned from the world. At the beginning of the New Year 2016, let’s take time to think about how we can speak only words of heaven, words of salvation. Heaven’s happiness comes from happy linguistic habits Recently I received an e-mail from a local Church member. She said in the e-mail that the overseer and his wife of the Church…

Who Is Jesus?

Since the fourth century up until today, there has been continuous dispute over the nature of Jesus. Some churches consider Jesus as a creature like one of us, denying the Trinity; some churches say that Jesus is one of the angels; some churches insist that God and Jesus are separate beings, although the two can be considered as one because they have the same will and purpose. Why are there great differences among the churches in interpreting the same Bible? It is because they see the Scriptures, written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with their own physical eyes obscured by sin. Christ, who came in the flesh to save mankind, is in very nature God. Let us confirm…

Values of the Kingdom of Heaven & Calculation Method of Heaven

Everyone living in the world has his or her own standard of value. Some people put value on material goods or wealth, some on knowledge, and some on pleasures or hobbies. Unlike people in the world, we hope for invisible, eternal things. As “citizens of heaven,” we need to put priority on the heavenly standard of value when we do something, thinking, ‘What would God think about this?’ instead of focusing on people’s views about it (2 Co 4:18; Php 3:20). According to the heavenly standards of value, we are all valuable. Even a stone on the street was created by God and has its own value and reason for being there. How much more valuable are we, human beings!…

Turn from Evil and Do Good

These days we hear almost every day the news about violent and cruel crimes such as killing others without hesitation because of a misunderstanding or an argument over something trivial. The Bible teaches us to turn from evil and do good. If we have even the tiniest bit of evil in our hearts, we need to remove it all and pay more attention to God’s teachings in our everyday lives, as the children of heaven. Let us get rid of all anger, jealousy and hate from our hearts and have the heart of God full of love. Now, let’s take time to think about what God’s will is for us, His children, who are living in this age. An age…

According to the Word, According to the Prophecy

The Church of God has recently received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This award is given to all our members in Zion who have worked hard together with one heart and mind to put God’s teachings into practice; it is presented in recognition of our members’ sacrifice and service for others. That is why the award seems more valuable to us. Now the good news keeps pouring in from all over the world that our churches have received the awards, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the U.S. President and the Presidential Group Citation from the President of the Republic of Korea. Let’s take time to think about why God continuously grants us these honorable awards today, through…

Sarah’s Laughter and Zion

In the Bible, Abraham represents God the Father (Lk 16:19–31). Isaac, who inherited his estate, represents us, God’s children—the children of promise (Gal 4:28). And Sarah, Abraham’s wife and Isaac’s mother, stands for our Mother who is the reality of the new covenant (Gal 4:21–26). Since God has established Zion—the city of truth—in this dark and heartless world, the power of Satan is gradually fading away, while Zion is overflowing with joy and gladness, thanksgiving and the sound of singing every day (Isa 51:3). We have met our Heavenly Father and Mother in Zion. So, we should always be joyful and make our Heavenly Mother happy just as Sarah was so happy to have her own son Isaac that she…

God Is Visible Only Through Faith

When we preach God’s word, we often meet people who say they will believe in God if we show them God. They say, “How can I believe in the unseen. I only believe what I can see.” There is a saying that goes: “Seeing is believing.” Once a man said, “Show me God. Since it is said that seeing is believing, I will believe in God if I can see Him.” What do you think God said to him? “Believe in Me, and you will see Me.” God did not say, “Seeing is believing,” but said, “If you believe, you will see everything.” Just as the Bible says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of…

Those Who Have the Desires of the Spirit and Those Who Have the Desires of the Flesh

God has told us to always have the desires of the Spirit. Since the Spirit is God, the desires of the Spirit are the desires God gives us, which come from the same heart as God. On the contrary, the desires of the flesh are the desires Satan tries to instill in us to divert us away from spiritual things. When Satan tempted Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry, he also used the desires of the flesh; he attempted to entice Jesus with the riches and honors of the world. However, Jesus answered all the temptations of Satan by using the words of God, which awaken the desires of the Spirit (Mt 4:1–10). Now, let’s see in detail…

You Have Now Dedicated Yourselves

As Hezekiah reigns in Ahaz’s place, he opens the doors of the house of the LORD and repairs them. Then he brings in the priests and the Levites and assembles them in the square on the east side. “Now consecrate yourselves and the temple of the LORD. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.” Since the wrath of the LORD was against Judah and Jerusalem by their fathers’ evil deeds—forsaking God and turning their faces away from the LORD’s dwelling, the king is hurrying to cleanse the temple of the LORD. “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not be…

Overcome Temptation

When we look into what happened to the Israelites in the desert, we can find the wisdom to overcome temptations. The Israelites had suffered all kinds of hardships in Egypt for 430 years, and by the grace of God they were released from slavery in Egypt and proceeded toward the land of Canaan flowing with milk and honey. As God’s chosen people, they celebrated the Passover and received the Ten Commandments—the words of the covenant—and many other decrees, laws and regulations from God. Although they were God’s chosen people who were given the covenant of God, most of them failed to reach the land of Canaan and were destroyed in the desert. It was because they did not overcome the…

Journey to the Holy Land, the Heavenly Jerusalem, for the True Peace

All Christians, at least once, dream about a journey to the holy land. Bethlehem where Jesus was born, Nazareth where He grew up, the Lake of Galilee where He met His disciples and preached the gospel . . . To feel the footsteps of Jesus, travelling back over a period of 2,000 years, would be the greatest delight in one’s life which cannot be compared with anything else. Sincere Christians leave on a journey to the holy land, being overwhelmed with joy, without hesitating to endure the long distance, the high costs and the inconvenience of waiting in line among so many pilgrims, just so that they can have a monumental and spiritual experience. A holy land which they cannot…

Be Joyful Always

What a joyful and happy place the kingdom of heaven we are going to must be! The Bible tells us that the things of this earth are a copy and shadow of the things in heaven (Heb 8:5). So, if we carefully examine the feelings of joy which God has given us human beings, we can realize the true joy and happiness that we will enjoy in heaven. The joy and pleasure we feel are expressed through a smile or laughter. In everyday conversations, when we talk about gloomy and heavy topics or negative things, we feel uncomfortable and our faces get stiff. On the contrary, when we talk about something funny or pleasant, it brings a smile or laugher…

God Saw That It Was Good

We are walking the path of faith towards the goal of entering the eternal heavenly kingdom. In the desert of faith, some walk the path of faith in a manner pleasing to people, and others live the life of faith in a way pleasing to God. In the history of the early Church, we can see that the apostles and the saints were trying to walk the path of faith in a God-pleasing direction, saying, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?” (Gal 1:10). It is the same with us in this age. The reason we are trying to participate in the divine nature and always live a life full of smiles just as…

Photosynthesis, Natural Solar Energy Generation System

The Sun produces a tremendous amount of energy, and emits most of the energy into space in the form of light. Only 2.2 billionth of the sunlight that the Sun emits to all directions reaches Earth. 30% of it reflects back to space, and only 70% of it is absorbed into Earth. Still, the total amount of energy that the people of the world use for a year is equivalent to the solar energy that enters Earth only for one hour. All living creatures need energy for survival, but the light energy cannot be used directly. It has to be transformed to the form of organic matter. Except some microorganisms, however, it is only plants that can store the light…

The World Mission Society Church of God Gives Hope to All People Around the World

The Throne of Judgment & the Record of Actions

In Revelation, we see that a book, which contains a record of the actions that each person has done in his or her life, is opened before the throne of judgment when the time comes for God to judge human beings. According to what is written in the book, God will examine the whole course of our lives on this earth—whether we have done right or wrong and whether we have done good in obedience to God’s will or we have done evil, and He will judge each of us according to our deeds. So, every moment given to us each day is very important. As for those whose record of actions is filled with evil deeds, God will judge…