Signs
V^yOF THE TIMES
resurrection
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reincarnation
SIGNSTIMES.COM • MARCH 2021
WHY DID JESUS SPEAK HARSHLY?
HOW TO READ THE BIBLE
VIEWS OFTHE AFTERLIFE
SIGNS OF THE TIMES® (ISSN 0037-5047) is published monthly by Pacific Press® Publishing Association, 1350 N. Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687 USA; (208) 465-2500; www.pacificpress.com.
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Vol. 148, No. 3. Copyright ©2021 by SIGNS OF THE TIMES®
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The world's various religions hold a variety of views about life after death. Most atheists and agnostics believe death is the end. There is no afterlife. Christians believe that the righteous dead will be resurrected at Christ's second coming, their bodies will be changed from mortal to immortal, and they will spend eternity with God, Jesus, and the angels in heaven. Muslims have a similar belief, though there are differences in the details. The Old Testament has a few references to a resurrection, but it'sso sketchy that today's Judaism basically doesn't have a clearly defined concept of an afterlife. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs believe in reincarnation, a word that comes from the Latin word carnem, which means "meat" or "body." So to reincarnate
means that after a person dies, he or she will reappear in a different body, which may be another human body, or it may be the body of an animal.
The key question is, who's right?
In his article "Resurrection or Reincarnation?" Maylan Schurch explains the difference between the two and shows you which one the Bible teaches. ®
EDITOR’S NOTE WITH MARVIN MOORE
2 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
IN THIS ISSUE MARCH 2021
COVER
32 Resurrection or Reincarnation?
Some people see it one way, some see it the other way. How can we tell which is the right way?
FEATURES
6 18 Years!
That's how long she suffered!
12 From Confession to Forgiveness There are important steps to take before making a confession.
18 I Was Not Left Behind!
26 Meeting Your Deepest Needs Jesus promises to be with you through life's trials.
30 Pilgrim's Progress
Learning to trust takes time.
38 My Journey From Desperation to God
One woman's search for meaning in life
44 Why Did Jesus Speak Harshly?
Was He uncaring?
52 How to Read the Bible
It may seem hard at first, but there are resources that can help.
58 Modern Idols
They aren't just an ancient religious ritual.
64 Translating Faith
Suppose the new language has no word for faith.
COLUMNS
4 Religion in the News 24 Living With Children
Odd Kids
50 Health Matters
Ways to Ease Bloating 62 The Editor Answers Your Bible Questions
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SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021	3
RELIGION IN THE NEWS
AS QUOTED
CLEAN-WATER EMERGENCY
"Just because something is the law does not make it right."
-Pastor Regan King, 28, who had arranged for a baptism in his church in London, England, but was unable to carry it out because police officers blocked people from entering the church due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Source: Pew Research Center
AMERICAN TEENS WHO ATTEND CHURCH WITH SOMEONE ELSE
4 SIGNS OF THE TIMES - MARCH 2021
One-third of the people in the world do not have access to clean water, which is the leading global cause of disease and death. Water Ambassadors Canada (WAC) is one of numerous organizations that is working to meet that need. WAC sends volunteers to underdeveloped countries to drill wells and train locals on how to operate them. However, travel restrictions resulting from COVID-19 made it more difficult for teams to travel to these countries, so WAC developed some innovative strategies to meet the emergency. For example, they were able to ship water chlorinators to several communities in Honduras and set up a virtual training session for their use. Also, in four countries, local teams continued drilling wells and installing water filters with assistance provided by WAC.— Canadian Christian News Service
ANCIENT FORT FOUND IN ISRAEL
Israeli archaeologists have found an ancient fort in the Golan Heights that dates to the time of King David, about 3,000 years ago. The fort may have been part of the biblical kingdom of Geshur, which was one of David's allies. It covers more than a quarter of an acre, and its walls are about five feet thick. Inside the fort, the archaeologists found rock etchings of two figures with raised arms, which may depict worship of the moon. They also found a statuette of a woman holding a musical instrument that looks like a drum. These artifacts
With both parents	40%
With one parent	25%
Alone	1%
With someone else	7%
No answer on who	<1%
Never attend	26%
No answer on frequency 1 % All who ever attend	74%
MISSISSIPPI ADOPTS NEW FLAG
Following the racial violence in the United |
States during 2020, the American State of Mississippi adopted a new flag. The state's previous flag included a small version of the Confederate flag in the upper left corner, which was offensive to Black Americans as well as to many White, Latino, and Asian Americans. The new flag features Mississippi's state flower, the magnolia, in the center surrounded by 20 stars, representing the fact that Mississippi was the twentieth state to join the union. Below the stars as part of the circle are the words ''In God We Trust," and at the top of the circle is a larger gold star that honors Mississippi's Native American tribes. When the proposal for a new flag was first introduced, 3,000 artists submitted proposals, and in an online poll for the two finalists, the magnolia flag won out by almost 60 percent.-CNN.com
are similar to some that were discovered in the ruins of Bethsaida, the capital of Geshur, which many centuries later was the hometown of Jesus' disciples Peter, Andrew, and Philip. And to add a bit of interest-David married Maachah, daughter of Talami, king of Geshur. She became the mother of Absalom.— Smithsonian Magazine
CUBAN AUTHORITIES DESTROY A CHURCH
On the morning of October 30 last year, the Cuban government sent bulldozers to the site of an Assemblies of God church in Santiago de Cuba and demolished the building. The pretext for the demolition was that the land was needed to construct a railroad. However, no other buildings in the area were destroyed. Alain Toledano, the pastor of a nearby church, recorded the demolition on his cell phone and broadcast
it on Facebook Live. He was arrested, and at the time this story was published, he was still being held incommunicado.—Christian Solidarity Worldwide
DEATH FOR OWNING A BIBLE
In North Korea, possession of a Bible can incur the death penalty. Several cases have been reported of prisoners being executed because they were found possessing Bibles or religious pamphlets. One individual found with a Bible was tied to a wooden stake and executed by firing squad in front of more than 1,000 people. Another man who had recently converted to Christianity was forced into a three-foot by four-foot metal cage with steel bars that were heated with electricity. Most people in that situation live for 3 or 4 hours, but he survived 12 hours, during which he prayed and gave glory to God —The Christian Post
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MDAH
6 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCf
LIFEWAY COLLECTION—GOODSALT
Carry yourself in your imagination back in time to the story of a woman who suffered from a horrible deformity—until she met Jesus!
BY PATTY NTIHEMUKA
I hadn’t looked anyone in the eye for 18 years.
At first, it was because of my bent back, and as the years rolled on, I was satisfied not to see other peoples faces. Sometimes it’s better not to see what’s in the eyes of the people around you when your husband has cast you aside for a younger wife.
I remember when it started. My back developed a hunch when I was a new bride and pregnant. My husband would look at me, his eyes narrowing, and sometimes he would put one hand on my shoulders and the other between my shoulder blades and push, attempting to straighten me out, as if I were nothing more than an obstinate daughter who refused to stand up straight.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021	7
As the years passed, my hunch became more pronounced, and my husband’s shame became more intense. I was left at home with the servants when he went out to dinners. People whispered and outright stared when I went to the marketplace. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when he took a second wife, Hadar. I couldn’t see her face, but I heard the servants’ whispers. She was lovely. I was not. She took over all the wifely duties, and I was left to fill my own time.
I had a daughter, Dafna. I longed for a son, of course, to cement my husband to me, but instead I produced a daughter. Dafna was my window into the outside world. My back bent further and further until I was hunched over to such an extreme that all I could see were the feet of the people in my life. Dafna passed along rumors and gossip. She followed me around the house, and hers was the only face I saw for a long time. She would bend over and look up into my face with love in her eyes and say, “Mama, do you know what I heard?” She delighted in bringing her little nuggets of information . . . until she got old enough to understand that her mother’s malady reflected on her, and then she withdrew. The poor girl was unmarriage-able, because every man feared that she’d turn out exactly like her bent, wicked mother.
Wicked? Yes, they thought I was wicked, because the pious religious
leaders said that 1 must be to have been smitten by God. They told everyone that God didn’t make mistakes in His judgments, so obviously I had hidden some secret wickedness in my heart.
I wasn’t wicked. I loved my husband and did my duties well. I had no secret hatreds tucked away inside of me. I was simply a young wife and mother, eager to play her role well. In spite of the accusations of the religious leaders, I protected one pure, hard place inside of me—the place that declared I was innocent. And I was, at first. But as the years rolled by, the bitterness set in, and I harbored a few hatreds.
My husband’s second wife topped that list. She’d replaced me in every possible way, and I could not forgive her, especially when my daughter began to spend more time with her—imitating her fashions and asking her for beauty secrets. Hadar had stolen more than my husband—she’d taken my little girl!
My daughter grew up. It was bound to happen. My husband arranged a marriage for her. She couldn’t expect much, not with my shadow darkening her path. She married a poor laborer who had fallen in love with her from a distance. She could be grateful for that,
I thought. At least her husband loved her, even if she’d never have the finer trinkets or fabrics. She’d never go to the right dinners. She’d never have the right friends.
8 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
Once she was married, I didn’t see much of my daughter again, and I slid down into a solitary existence. The other children in the house—for my rival was nothing if not fertile— mocked me and ordered me around like one of the servants. My window to the outside world was shut, and I was left in a deep, dark, angry place.
For eighteen years!
Then I began to hear whispers and rumors about a Man named Jesus of Nazareth. They said He could heal people—even raise the dead. They said He told stories that had deeper truths than all the sermons and speeches made by the intellectual elite in Judaea and Galilee. They said He spoke directly to women. And He even touched lepers!
Shocking. Almost unbelievable. No one did that. But it woke up something inside of me—a hope that my neighbors would find heretical: that perhaps there could be more for my life than this miserable existence. If lepers could be healed, why not me? Was I worse than a leper?
Maybe. I couldn’t be sure. My husband certainly treated me like a leper. It wasn’t my husband’s affection that I longed for, though. I’d given up on that many years ago. Instead, I longed for Dafna. I wanted to look her in the face, to see the sparkle in her eyes now that she was pregnant with her first child.
I hadn’t been to the synagogue in my town for years, but this Sabbath 1
dressed myself carefully. “Where are you going?” Hadar scoffed. “Don’t embarrass yourself!”
I slipped back into the shadows as Hadar readied her children for synagogue, and after they’d all left, I
Then I began to hear whispers and rumors about a Man named Jesus of Nazareth.
crept out of the house into the sunlight. I had to turn to the side and painfully raise my head in order to see the road ahead of me. I shuffled along this way, stopping every few steps to peer ahead. Some children kicked dirt at me, and some women muttered nasty comments, not even bothering to lower their voices.
Fortunately, the synagogue wasn’t far from our home, but the trek there was arduous nonetheless. When I finally arrived and slipped into the outer courtyard where we women were permitted, I heard a Man’s voice speaking. He was telling a story about a fig tree that refused to bear
SIGNS OFTHE TIMES • MARCH 2021	9
fruit, and I noted the irony: I was no better than a barren tree myself.
I eased toward the door that opened into the synagogue and stood there listening to this new Teacher. By turning sideways and bending my neck, I could actually see Him out of the corner of my eye.
Suddenly, I thought I saw Him turn and look straight at me. Then I heard Him say, “Madam!” His voice sounded authoritative. It carried over the crowd, reverberating off the walls.
I could tell that some woman had His attention, and I felt a rush of envy. I leaned heavily against a pillar, catching my breath and trying to make out what was going on.
I Looked into the face of my Healer. He was a kind Man ... Jesus from Nazareth.
“Madam, come forward!”
Just then I felt a hand under my elbow, and I found myself being propelled into the synagogue. What had I done wrong? I was standing back. I
was staying silent. Why was I being thrown out? Had my husband seen me? Had he ordered that I be evicted?
But I was being urged forward— not away from the door but toward the Man who had been speaking.
“Sir?” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, I . . .”
His next words were spoken gently, softly. “Madam,” He said, “you are free.” Then I felt His hand on my hunched back.
Free? What did He mean? But as soon as the words came from His lips, I felt something—a loosening of the muscles and a relaxing of that constant, aching pain in my back and neck. I moved, and to my surprise, there was no pain blocking my effort. His hand took mine, and I slowly raised my head for the first time in eighteen years!
I looked into the face of my Healer. He was a kind Man—dark hair and a full beard covering most of His features. His eyes were clear, compassionate, and He looked me full in the face. I knew who He was in an instant—Jesus from Nazareth.
“Thank You!” I gasped, tears blurring my vision.
Behind me I heard people gasp. Suddenly, angry voices boiled up into shouts of outrage. Jesus had broken a cardinal rule—He’d “worked” on the Sabbath day. I didn’t care about their theological debates. I turned slowly, looking around the room at the faces I hadn’t seen in eighteen years.
Shock, anger, confusion, and joy shone in the eyes of my neighbors, and I stopped at a face I knew—my daughter, Dafna. I checked her feet, just to be sure it was her. She stared at me in amazement, one hand resting on her large belly and the other fluttering up close to her mouth. I could not her hear voice, but I saw the word as it formed on her lips: “Mama?”
“You hypocrites!” Jesus voice rose above the hubbub. “Don’t you feed your livestock on the Sabbath? What about this woman—this daughter of Abraham—who has been bound in her own body for eighteen long years? Is she not of value?”
The murmuring stopped, and I stood there in the midst of my neighbors—the very people who had snubbed and insulted me all these years—and I looked straight into the ashen face of my husband.
I didn’t know what my life held for me, now that I could stand straight, but I knew one thing for sure: I was free!
This story is based on a brief account found in Luke 13:10-17. We are told two things about this woman: that she had been bent over for eighteen years, but Jesus saw value in her when no one else did. ®
Patty Ntihemuka is a freelance writer. She wrote this story seven oreightyearsago, and it is reprinted here from the January 201 k issue of Signs of the Times®. At the .time she wrote this article, she lived in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada.
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12 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
FROM
CONFESSION TO


FORGIVENESS
Has anyone ever apologized for hurting you and then turned around and offended you again five minutes later? Their behavior gave the lie to their apology. This is a fairly common phenomenon. The good news is that there is a model of confession and forgiveness that steers clear of superficial apologies and leads to deep, heartfelt change. Let me introduce it by recounting how my own “theological” understanding of confession evolved.
The first “crime” I remember committing was when I was five. A bright-eyed, (heretofore) innocent child,
I pilfered a nickel from my mother. When Mom questioned me about the missing nickel, I denied any knowledge of its whereabouts. Wham! My conscience smote me mightily. To escape the guilt and avoid certain punishment, I slipped the nickel under a newspaper near the spot where it was last seen. Eventually, Mom found her nickel, and I was off the hook. Wrong! Now I was a thief and a liar.
I didn’t confess my crime until the age of 12 when I heard a preacher say that a single unconfessed sin could keep a person out of heaven. (He failed to mention the equally credible idea that one’s salvation is not determined by the occasional deed or misdeed.) In any case, his statement put me in a moral dilemma. At five, I lied to avoid punishment. But when the fear of God’s wrath prevailed over my fear of Dad’s whippings, I ’fessed up. The consequences of not confessing were greater than the consequences of confessing.
I remained stuck in this early stage of moral development well into adulthood, oriented strictly to obedience and punishment. This is not unusual. Many adults embrace technical morality, or “cash register” honesty, without addressing deeper character issues. Their ethical decisions are driven by fear of reprisal. To avoid God’s (or Dad’s) disfavor, they offer a hasty, generic confession at bedtime “lest they die before they wake.”
Eventually, I stumbled upon a remedial program of character development that helped me grow. I took a friend to an open Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting
Telling someone what you did that injured them is one of the important steps in recovery from addiction and codependence,;
BY CAROLICANN
SIGNS OF THE TIMES -MARCH 2021 13
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to help her, not realizing that I was a workaholic and that the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous would save my life and help me mature spiritually. The twelve steps aren’t intended for people who don’t need them, but they work very well for people who do need them and who follow through faithfully with the program. Anyone who knows the power of a destructive habit is a welcome candidate for the help that AA offers.
The heart of twelve-step programs is confession and forgiveness.
The twelve steps help us discover who we are, what we do, and how we impact others. In the course of doing them, we become aware of our motives. We see the part we have played in our relationship problems. We discover who God is, what He does, and how He impacts our lives. The steps offer scripturally sound tools for transforming old, negative habits into positive new behaviors. If this sounds like a process of sanctification, it is!
The heart of twelve-step programs
is confession and forgiveness—not just admitting our technical flaws but acknowledging the deep defects of character that have led us to hold wrong attitudes and the hurtful actions they have prompted. The Bible says that we are as incapable of overcoming our sinful natures (hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil) as a leopard is of changing his spots (Jeremiah 13:23). If we are to achieve internal (attitudi-nal) and external (behavioral) change, we need more than a miracle. We need a strategic program of spiritual development. The genius of the twelve-
step process is its simplicity and the sequence in which the steps are presented, as you will see:
In steps one and two, we face the truth about ourselves and admit that we are out of control. Our problems are bigger than we are and greater than all the human resources we can muster. Convinced that willpower alone will not free us from our negative relationship habits, we acknowledge our need for help and seek wisdom and strength from a source outside ourselves.
At step three, we make a conscious decision to turn our pain and problems
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over to God. This is not the surrender of defeat. It is the surrender of victory. We stop pounding our heads against the proverbial brick wall and ask for Gods help. Having turned our will and our life over to God, we let Him handle everything, resisting the impulse to try to manage the details. The first three steps require weeks, if not months, to complete, depending on ones level of readiness and the thoroughness with which a person approaches the task. Each step brings added relief.
Step four guides us in taking a searching and fearless moral inventory of our lives. This frightens some people, but it is essential preparation for confession. We begin by taking stock of back-logged resentments and residual self-pity. Wounded people often focus on the offender and get stuck in a blaming mode, thus overlooking their own responsibility. Old resentments simmer beneath the threshold of awareness and affect our perceptions and reactions in the here and now. Step four helps us uncover and acknowledge these hidden feelings. Not until we bring our unconscious alibis and rationalizations to the surface and make our self-justification system explicit can we see ourselves as we are.
We acknowledge how our ego needs are threatened when people offend us and how our sense of self-esteem and security are affected. We are actively seeking the truth about ourselves that will set us free. Gradually, we see how an inferior or superior attitude may have caused us to behave
inappropriately, how our insensitivity, compulsive caregiving, control, perfectionism, rage addiction, or lack of moderation affected our relationships.
Alas, we are fallible human beings just like the people who have disappointed us! Its easier to tolerate their idiosyncrasies (the motes in their eyes) when we see our part in the problem. Perhaps we weren’t entirely honest. Maybe we didn’t express ourselves in a timely way when we felt violated. Perhaps we had unfair or unrealistic expectations.
At step five, we face our character flaws squarely and acknowledge our wrong ness (not just our wrong doings) to an understanding person. Without making excuses on the one hand or despising ourselves on the other, we admit and accept our humanity. There is no hint at self-justification.
Step six is a baby step: we become willing to have God remove our defects of character. The average go-getter may feel compelled at this point to set out on a vigorous course of self-improvement. When all such efforts fail, as they surely will, we learn the most important lesson of all: transformation is God’s job. Thus humbled, we ask Him to remove our shortcomings, which is step seven.
Now genuine confession is possible. Confession involves more than admitting our petty crimes (the nickels we have stolen). It involves recognizing our dishonesty, greed, and arrogance. It involves acknowledging the self-centeredness that drove us to force our will on others. We don’t have a right to
SIGNS OFTHE TIMES* MARCH 2021 15
be demanding and arbitrary, to expect everyone to do things our way. There’s a vast difference between (a) confessing that you have bullied your loved ones into complying with your wishes and (b) confessing that you’ve had an arrogant attitude that led you to assume the right to manipulate and control them in the first place!
Before we will be ready to apologize to the people we have hurt, our “change of heart” must be manifested in a new behavior. This takes time. Meanwhile, we make a list of those we have harmed and become willing to make amends (step eight). Due to the delicacy of some situations, we leave the timing in God’s hands and wait for a clear indication of His will. He makes it apparent when the time is right for us to proceed.
There may be situations where confession would cause such harm and pain for the other person that the confession would not be advisable. However, this situation is quite rare and should never be used as an excuse to avoid a confession that we truly need to make. Much prayer and consultation with a trusted counselor should precede a decision on whether or not to confess in these rare instances.
Direct communication with the people we have harmed is step nine. Regardless of when or how we go about making amends, the best amend is a changed life. Making amends is not about verbal apologies. It’s about change. We don’t apologize until our actions are congruent with our words.
We must first demonstrate a new attitude and a new spirit.
Step ten suggests that we make it a practice to take a daily moral inventory, and when we are wrong, promptly admit it. What a treat this is for the people closest to us! At this point, we are no longer recognizable as the persons we once were.
Step eleven encourages us to maintain conscious contact with God. By cultivating a kind of God-consciousness, we are able to act with integrity. At last, we enjoy a sense of wholeness, a spiritual awakening (step twelve). Our spirits are revived. We have come alive out of death. Born again, we are free to be passionately present to ourselves, to God, and to others.
When confession is broken down into these steps, it becomes more meaningful than anything we have previously known. As a result of engaging in this process of surrender, self-examination, willingness, transformation, and confession, we are free to accept ourselves and be of service to those around us, which is the goal of step twelve and indeed of the entire twelve-step process. The twelve-step program is a practical application of James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other ... so that you may be healed.” ®
Carol Cannon, now deceased, and her husband, Paul, established The Bridge to Recovery in the country outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the early 1970s. The Bridge, as it is popularly called by its alumni, is a centerfor recovery from trauma, codependencies, and various addictions. For information about The Bridge, call 877-866-8661.
16 SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021
the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
The twelve steps originated with Alcoholics Anonymous in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Since then, they have proliferated to a wide variety of addictions, including narcotics, gambling, food, and work, to name a few.
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1.	We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.
2.	Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.	Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4.	Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5.	Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6.	Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7.	Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8.	Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9.	Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10.	Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11.	Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12.	Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
***
18 SIGNS OFTHEmiES-MARCH 2021
I WAS NOT
LEFT BEHIND!
It's bad enough thinking you might be lost, but what would it be like to think you really only to discover that you are not?
BY HOLLY LACKEY
m | -VJ	j
It was late when I returned home to my brothers house, where I was living. My friend Teresa and I had gone to a baseball game at a nearby air force base.
I’d felt a twinge of guilt when I agreed to go with Teresa because it meant that I’d miss the Wednesday evening prayer meeting at church. I always attended prayer meeting with my brother, David, and his wife, Loretta.
Approaching the house, I could see lights on and the front door wide open. David and Loretta must still be up, I thought as I closed the screen door behind me. Finding no one in the living room or the kitchen, I made my way toward the lighted bedroom. Peeking inside, I found that their bedroom was also empty. David’s shoes were on the floor.
That's odd! I thought, wondering where he and Loretta could be. Returning to the dining room, I noticed a Bible on the table, open to the Gospel of Matthew. The words jumped out at me as I read.
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
PHEEL#|G$ MEDIA—GETTY1
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“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:40—44).
Scanning further down the page, I also read that “at midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ” (Matthew 25:6).
Fearfully, I lifted my head to look at the clock on the wall. It was midnight! A horrible feeling of dread washed over me.
“The rapture has happened,” I whispered. “And I’ve been left behind! Why, oh, why did I let Teresa talk me into going to the game instead of church?” I wailed from the depths of my heart.
A tiny ray of hope remained. Perhaps it's all a bizarre coincidence.
Fearing the worst, I hurried next door to the duplex where Jim and Carol lived. They attended David and Loretta’s church—and their apartment was dark and quiet. Desperately I pounded on the door. By this time, I was sobbing. I must have been quite a sight when Jim, in his pajamas, opened the door!
“Holly, what’s the matter?” he exclaimed with a look of concern and bewilderment on his face.
In my confusion, I hesitated, unsure just what to say. After all, maybe Jim
and Carol had somehow been left behind too!
Just as I was struggling to gather my thoughts, I noticed David and Loretta strolling hand in hand, barefoot, toward their house. After a few moments of relieved explanation, we all agreed that none of us had been left behind after all!
As bizarre as this story may sound, it really happened! A lot of spiritual water has passed under the bridge since that night more than 30 years ago when I was an infant Christian.
When I was 19, my sister and I hitchhiked from Washington State to Florida. During that trip, a relative invited us to give our lives to God. The Holy Spirit touched my heart in a powerful way, filling me with a deep love for God and dramatically transforming my worldly lifestyle.
Even though I’d attended church off and on while growing up, I knew essentially nothing about the Bible. That same trip led me to David and Loretta’s home, where I was nurtured in a community of believers. It was just what I needed as I adopted a totally new way of life.
I remember the first time I heard about “the rapture”—God whisking His people out of the world before the great tribulation that was to precede Jesus’ return. I had a nagging sense that something wasn’t right with the theory, but after hearing it over and over from the pulpit and in religious discussions, I began to believe that it must be true.
20 SIGNS OF THE TIMES- MARCH 2021
It wasn’t until several years later, while attending an evangelistic series with my husband shortly after we were married, that many of my nagging questions were answered.
Through Bible study, the beautiful picture of God’s love and wisdom became much more clear to me. Through the years since then, I’ve noticed many things in the Bible that point to a much different scenario than what I feared on that fateful night in David and Loretta’s house.
protection, not evacuation
Consider Jesus’ prayer on behalf of His disciples: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Indeed, keeping His people “in the world” is exactly
what we see God doing again and again throughout the Bible.
When God announced the destruction of the world by a flood, He didn’t take Noah and his family out of the world. He protected them in an ark that He had commissioned them to build.
The children of Israel saw the devastating plagues that fell on Egypt, but God shielded them from the last seven.
God didn’t take Daniel’s three friends out of the fiery furnace. He sent His Son to be with them in the furnace. God didn’t take Daniel out of the lions’ den. He sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths.
These well-known stories were written “as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). We’re reminded by these stories that God will care for His people during the time of trouble, not by snatching them out of the world but by surrounding them with His divine presence and protection during that time.
Psalm 91 has been a source of great encouragement for me: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Psalm 91:7-10).
God will care for His people during the time of trouble, ... by surrounding them with His divine presence and protection.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021 21
REVIEW & HERALD PUBLISHING—GOODSALT
Rather than taking His children out of the world before tribulation, the Bible shows us that .. . God will cut that time short.
In Matthew 24—the very chapter that brought such fear to my heart that night many years ago—I found these words: “Then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21, 22).
So rather than taking His children out of the world before the tribulation, the Bible shows us that, for their sakes, God will cut that time short.
God vindicated
When Satan challenged God about Job, God allowed Satan to take away all his possessions, and eventually, even his health. But Job’s courageous loyalty to God in the midst of his intense suffering vindicated God’s character. This story vibrates with the same themes of testing and trial that we see in Revelation 13: The beast power will compel the people of this world to
serve him, even to the point of taking away all their economic support and finally threatening them with death (verses 15-17).
The same will be true of God’s people during the world’s final tribulation. During that fearful time, God’s people will be an example to the heavenly beings even as Job was in his time. Satan will bring out everything he has against the people of God to induce them to show their loyalty to him (Satan) by worshiping the image of the beast, but God’s people will be faithful to His Word, and they will shine as silver and gold that has been purified by fire.
Love for God causes me to cry out, “Lord, please let me be one of those who can, by Your grace, stand in that fearful hour so that I may bring glory to Your name!” ®
Holly Lackey is a hospice nurse living in Vancouver, Washington. She was a missionary for 20 years in Papua New Guinea and Greece.
22 SIGNS OF THE TIMES* MARCH 2021
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to identify their personal peculiarities and realize they must be concealed from the general public lest they cause social and employment difficulties. Adults who failto conceal their oddness are prone to becoming known as "jerks" and other equally hobbling nicknames. Or, they become mental health professionals, politicians, or famous actors who win Academy Awards.
Odd is unique to humans. Animals-take dogs, for example-only become odd when exposed to very odd humans for long periods. Just forthe record, my dog, Mazie, is not odd, which is probably as a result of my wife's influence. Mazie is simply cute and playful.
Children, being human, are odd. Chil-

WITH CHliOREN
I've come up with a new psychological diagnostic term, one that I won't, however, be submitting forapprovalto the psychological powers that be. The term is odd. My "odd" is to be distinguished from ODD, the acronym for oppositional defiant disorder, which is an invention that enables mental health professionals to obtain payment from insurance providers ... but that's another column entirely. Stay tuned!
Odd is what all human beings are. Starting from the top down, all adults are odd. I'm odd, you're odd, Bill Gates is odd, President Trump is odd, Barak Obama is odd (must have diversity, you know), and so on. Most people, by early adulthood at the latest, begin
24 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
dren, however, are not capable of the introspection necessary to realize that they are odd. So they let their oddness hang out rather indiscriminately. In my career as a family psychologist, I have come across a veritable plethora of odd kids. Take the four-year-old who played only with G.l. Joe toys, wanted to dress as his role model, and often insisted upon being called "Sergeant Joe, sir."
Sergeant Joe's parents sought the advice of a psychologist, who wanted to assign him a diagnosis and take him into weekly therapy sessions where he could work out his "anger issues." Wisely, the parents declined "treatment" for their very inventive and imaginative mini-Joe.
They subsequently asked my opinion.
I told the aspiring soldier's parents that his fascination with G.l. Joe was not likely to last past second or third grade, which it did not. Mini-Joe did what is called "growing out" of something odd. When he realized that other boys did not all share his obsession, he let it go and moved on.
Sometimes a child's odd behavior needs more of a push. It needs to be stopped for the benefit of all concerned. Take the preschool girl who started making clucking sounds with her tongue when she was a toddler. By the time she was in kindergarten, her clucking was driving her parents up the proverbial wall. Her teacher wanted her to visit with the school psychologist.
I told the parents that their daughter's clucking was simply an annoying habit,
which, unfortunately, was drawing lots of well-meaning but counterproductive attention.
"Tell hershe can only cluck in her room," I said, "and if she forgets and clucks outside her room-at, say, the dinner table-you will send her to the downstairs bathroom for five minutes, where she can cluck the entire time."
Voila! Within two weeks, the clucking stopped-outside her room, that is. Is the little girl still slightly odd? Yes, but that's life. Some things just take patience and a lotta love. ®
Family psychologist John Rosemond is the director of the Center for Affirmative Parenting in Gastonia, North Carolina. For information about his talks and workshops, contact Tracy Owens-Jahn at tracyjahn@ sbcglobal.net or (817) 295-1751.
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SIGNS OF THE TIMES \ MARCH 2021 25
26 SIGNS OFTHE TIMES-MARCH 202J
Have you ever felt like giving up? You have a Friend who can help you find peace in this turbulent world.
BY MARK A. FINLEY
MEETING
Clara Anderson, a gentle, conscientious woman, worked as a maid in San Francisco. One day, after serving the same employer for 15 years, she disappeared. Her employer had no idea where Clara had gone. She just dropped out. Then, after days of people searching, Clara was found. She was in the process of starving herself to death in a moun-i tain hideout. Clara told social service workers who were assigned to help her, “I want to die. Go away, and leave me alone!” When a local reporter interviewed her, she said, “Look, nobody cares about me. I’m just a maid, just one of thousands in society doing menial tasks. My life is of no value. I have no close family, no relatives, no friends. I’m so lonely that I don’t want to live.” Something was missing in Clara’s
life. She had an aching void within, and life brought little satisfaction.
no satisfaction
This lack of satisfaction manifests itself in a variety of ways. For millions of people like Clara, life is little more than loneliness. A sociologist at the University of Massachusetts conducted a survey of a cross-section of Americans. Based on his results, the researcher estimated that as many as a quarter of the population feel extremely lonely at some time during any given month.
For others, the lack of satisfaction reveals itself in workaholism. These highly driven, type-A personalities attempt to fill their emptiness through their work. The problem of workaholism is growing in all advanced economies.
The amount of leisure time the average citizen enjoys has shrunk 37 percent
SIGNSOFTHETIMES - MARCH 2021 27
DEEPEST
NEEDS
over the past 25 years. And more than 40 percent of workers put in more than 40 hours per week; 27 percent grind out more than 50 hours per week, and 13 percent are trapped in jobs that demand more than 60. What’s more, nearly 20 percent have second jobs. Were workaholics! Why? We substitute our jobs for relationships. We try to satisfy our longings through the fulfillment that work provides. Sometimes the lack of satisfaction manifests itself as depression. The purchase of antidepressants is a multimillion-dollar business.
However, while medication has a valid place in treating mental and emotional health problems, only Christ can fill the real void in our lives. In Him, we find a sense of completeness. He satisfies our longings for security, assurance, and self-worth. So what is it about Jesus that meets the needs of our souls? How does He satisfy our hearts’ longings?
tips for finding satisfaction
Following are four specific ways Jesus satisfies our longings:
1.	Jesus gives us a sense of uspecialness. ” He created us. He made us. We are not a random combination of chemicals or a genetic accident. A loving God created us. This Creator God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in the following endearing words: “You are precious and honored in my sight, and ... I love you.... I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King” (Isaiah 43:4, 15). Because God values us so much, Isaiah wrote, “This
is what the Lord says—he who created you . . . : ‘Do not fear ” (verses 1, 2; emphasis added).
Our Creator cares about us. He loves us. He takes away our fears. The Creator of the universe fashioned us. We are on His mind and in His heart 24-7!
Deep, lasting satisfaction comes from knowing that the Creator of the universe loves us with incredible love. We matter to Him. We’re valuable in His sight. There’s nothing more important to Him than His love for us and our love for Him and our fellow human beings.
2.	Jesus has a plan for our lives. God created us, and He’s planning the best for us. The prophet Jeremiah recorded God’s promise, “I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). In spite of life’s ups and downs, God has a master plan. In spite of life’s disappointments and sorrows, God is working out all things for our good (see Romans 8:28).
Knowing that God is in control makes all the difference. It gives us satisfaction in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances. Each giant of faith in Bible times had a strong conviction that God was in control of his life—and this among some of life’s most painful difficulties!
When Joseph’s jealous brothers cast him into the pit to let him die, he believed God was still in control. When Daniel’s colleagues betrayed him and he was thrown into a den
28 SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021
of lions, he clung to his belief that God was still in charge. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Peter, Paul, and all the other biblical heroes looked beyond their adverse circumstances to an all-powerful God. This gave them enduring satisfaction.
3.	Jesus' grace exceeds all our failures. In Christ, there is forgiveness. In Christ, there is freedom from guilt. In Christ, there is mercy and pardon. He delights “to show mercy. [He] will again have compassion on us; [He] will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18, 19).
Jesus told a woman caught in the act of adultery that He didn’t condemn her (see John 8:11). What an amazing God! And He told Nicodemus, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Similarly, the apostle Paul wrote, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
There is no greater satisfaction than knowing Christ doesn’t condemn us— that instead, He freely forgives us. He not only created us; He paid the ultimate price to redeem us. He thinks so much of us that He paid the penalty for our rebellion, giving His life on Calvary’s cross. Jesus—Creator of the universe—took the risk of being forever banished from His Father rather than have us miss out on heaven.
Our loving Redeemer took all our guilt upon Himself. In return, He offers us all His righteousness. In place
Christ doesn’t condemn us ... instead, He freely forgives us.
of eternal death, He offers us eternal life. What greater satisfaction could we have than knowing that eternal life is ours through Jesus Christ!
4.	Jesus promises that one day He will return and bring a complete end to sin. Sickness, suffering, and sorrow will be no more. Disease, disaster, and death will be over. Worry, want, and war will be forever banished. God “ will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things [will have] passed away” (Revelation 21:4). We were made for something much better than what this world has to offer. We were created for a greater and nobler purpose—to live with Jesus through all eternity. In Him, our heart’s longings will be forever filled. In Him, our soul’s desires will be eternally satisfied. In Him, we are complete. Now that’s something to sing about! ®
Mark A. Finley is a pastor and an international evangelist for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He's also the former director and speaker for the It Is Written television program. And he's an occasional contributor to Signs of the Times®.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021 29
In the motion picture 77?^ Horse Whisperer, there’s a scene in which Pilgrim, a horse, escapes the confines of the corral and bolts blindly for open land. But instead of chasing after him, Robert Redford’s character, Tom, shouts, “Let him go!” Eventually Pilgrim tires and stands still in a green meadow.
The victim of human misjudgment and carelessness, Pilgrim was horribly injured in a bad accident. Tom wants to help Pilgrim, but the horse doesn’t understand that. He wants nothing to do with people. Humans represent pain, suffering, and abandonment. Tom doesn’t rush after Pilgrim. He
doesn’t become angry and abusive toward him, nor does he try to lure him with food. He doesn’t even call the horse. He does just one thing: he sits patiently in the meadow, watching Pilgrim from a distance of several hundred feet. Hour after hour, he never takes his eyes off the horse.
At first there’s no perceptible movement, but ever so gradually, the distance between Tom and Pilgrim starts to shrink. Finally, a nervous Pilgrim is standing right in front of Tom. Only then does Tom rise, slowly, lovingly, to meet him. He reaches out and strokes the horse’s face. He puts his cheek on Pilgrim’s cheek. When Pilgrim finally
30 SIGNS OF THE TIMES* MARCH 2021
PILGRIMS
PROGRESS
God is that way with all of us. Occasionally He confronts us, but most often Hes content to let us finally see Him again and return on our own. His wait may be days, weeks, years, or even decades. Still, He waits. And He never gives up.
When we finally come to Him with our pain—the pain He’s been aware of all along, but which we re only beginning to understand—He helps us to grieve it and release it. And were friends again. ®
Richard Bauman lives in West Covina, California. He is a freelance writer and author of the book Spirituality in the Commonplace.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES* MARCH 2021 31
KLEBERPICUI—ADOBE STOCK
senses that he can trust Tom, he follows him to the safety of the corral, j I can be like Pilgrim sometimes in I my relationship with God. I bolt from Him. I flee His commandments. I charge off to higher ground, to what looks like greener pastures, so I can do what I think I have to do. Sometimes I’m angry with God, terrified of Him, and petrified about returning.
Does God come running after me, calling my name, trying to coax me into returning to Him? Does He condemn me or threaten me with eternal punishment? No! However, He never loses sight of me. He stays connected, but at a safe distance.
Trust is built slowly, maybe over a few weeks, or perhaps months or even years.
BY RICHARD BAUMAN
32 SIGNS Of THE TIMES •
resurrection
reincarnation?
There are two primary ways we humans describe the afterlife. One is reincarnation, and the other is resurrection. Which way is right?
BY MAYLAN SCHURCH
OK, Sue,” I said to the retired social worker with her wide, innocent blue eyes, “here’s your next Bible study guide. Its about what happens after you die.”
She accepted the study guide but lowered her gaze. “Oh,” she said politely. “I believe in reincarnation.”
I blinked. “You do?'
“I really do. To me, reincarnation makes the most sense.”
Sue (which isn’t her real name) became a dear friend of my wife, Shelley, and mine many years ago as we led her through a series of Bible study guides. We met with her every Tuesday afternoon in her double-wide mobile home, and she told us her story. Sue had grown up as a foster child and had been bounced around among 17 separate families before she turned 19!
Later, as a single mom, she worked days while taking night classes, and after she graduated with a master’s degree in social work, she spent her entire career tenderly and fiercely advocating for foster kids just like she’d been. Along the way, she discarded Christianity and turned her mind toward Eastern religions and even the occult.
“Why,” I asked Sue, “do you believe in reincarnation?”
She smiled. “It’s very simple. I believe there is a heavenly Judge up there. I believe that He is fair. And during my career, I have seen so many children who have been treated abusively and unfairly from their birth. Therefore, the wise heavenly Judge is going to give them another chance to have a better life.”
SIGNS OF THE TIMES- MARCH 2021 33
REVIEW & HERALD PUBLISHING—GOODSALT
FOTOVOYAGER—GETTY
what is reincarnation?
There’s more to Sue’s story, but first, let’s do a deep-dive into what reincarnation is and who believes in it. The dictionary defines it as “the rebirth of the soul in another human or nonhuman body.” To “incarnate” means to clothe “with bodily nature and form,” and to “reincarnate” means to do it again. And maybe again, and again, and again.
One of the most fascinating books in my personal library is How Different Religions View Death and Afterlife. It’s especially helpful for hospital chaplains as they comfort patients from many different faiths. In the main part of the book, scholars from various religious groups—Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christian Scientists, and others—explain how they understand
death and what happens afterward. For example, these experts answer questions such as, “Is there a hell, and if so, what will it be like, and who goes there?”
Two questions specifically ask, “Does your faith believe in a resurrection?” and “Does your faith believe in the concept of reincarnation?” Christians, Jews, and Muslims are in solid agreement that there is no such thing as reincarnation. God has given us one life to live on earth.
Mormons say, “No. [We] do, however, believe in a primordial existence during which we lived with our Heavenly Father. Man progresses eternally, and mortality is one phase in that progression.”
Hindus emphatically say, “Yes. Most Hindus accept the idea that each person has been and will be
34 SIGNS OFTHETIMES- MARCH 2021
physically reborn many times during the course of a souls evolution.” Buddhists go startlingly further: “Yes. From the belief in beginningless reincarnation it follows that we have been in every possible relationship with everyone else.”
Sue may not have known about these lofty philosophies because her belief came simply from the idea that if God is fair, He owes all those defenseless kids another shot at happiness.
I’ll have more to say about Sue later, but first, let’s look at what the Bible says about life after death.
First, the Bible never mentions reincarnation. Even though Greek philosophers believed that the soul exists before birth and survives after death, the Jewish Old Testament and the Christian New Testament clearly teach the resurrection of the body, which eliminates the possibility of reincarnation. In other words, since my human body will be resurrected, that means I won’t be coming back as a moose or a cow or a bird.
Second’ the Bible is crystal clear about what happens before, during, and after the resurrection. And Christ’s teachings never even hint at the idea of a “reboot”—starting over on this current earth and trying for a better life.
Furthermore, the Bible never says that the human soul is naturally immortal. Instead, the apostle Paul emphatically taught that immortality is given only at the resurrection and only to those who are saved. “Listen,”
he insisted, “I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality ’ (1 Corinthians 15:51-53; emphasis added).
Did you see that? Paul said that before the resurrection, we are mortal. And notice that he said, “We will not all sleeps Sleep is how both the Old and New Testaments describe death. That’s how Jesus described death. In John 11, as He prepared to travel to the home of Lazarus, who had just died, Jesus told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” (verse 11).
His disciples didn’t understand. They replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” However, “Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
“So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead’ ” (verses 12-14). To Jesus, death was a kind of sleep, nothing more.
Even Lazarus’s sister Martha was aware of a coming resurrection. As she sobbed out her grief before Jesus resurrected her brother, she said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (verse 24).
So here’s the progression: before the
SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021 35
resurrection, the dead are asleep; during the resurrection, the righteous will be given the gift of immortality. But what happens after the resurrection? What will this eternal, immortal body look like? Here are some Bible facts:
Well be with Jesus forever. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
God will personally comfort us. “ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ ” (Revelation 21:4, 5).
Heaven will be unbelievably wonderful. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name
will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:1-4).
We will know each other in heaven. The thief dying on the cross beside Jesus gasped, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42), and Jesus promised that this penitent sinner would be with Him in paradise. Martha was confident that her brother Lazarus would “rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24), and they would be reunited. After witnessing the amazing faith of a Roman centurion, Jesus said, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11). So yes, of course, we will know each other in heaven—and we’ll get to meet all the faithful saints of human history!
back to the story of Sue
As I sat there in Sue’s living room, my head was spinning. I’d never met anyone who believed in reincarnation before. It made splendid sense to her, and I could see why. How can I help her understand? I asked myself. What will convince her?
Finally, I said, “Sue, I’ll do some study and get back to you about this. Maybe I could even write a little paper about it.”
“That would be fine,” she said, though I could tell that she was basically just being courteous.
Over the next few months, Shelley and I studied other Bible topics
36 SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021
She could trust Him with Ker future, even if it didn’t include a desperate cycle of trial and error— but peace.
with her. More than once, she called Shelley, and they would drive out on adventures together.
Meanwhile, I made a few half-hearted attempts to burrow into the topic of reincarnation. I mulled over the verses I’ve listed in this article, asking myself if they would convince Sue. I knew that when our human minds grapple with really important issues such as death, we hunger for answers. Our minds weren’t designed to deal with death, even though it’s been happening for thousands of years. Yet, if we don’t have the truth about the afterlife, we’ll often desperately make something up, or we’ll accept a sensible-sounding idea somebody else has made up and believe that.
One Tuesday afternoon, as we finished another Bible topic with our friend, I apologized. “Sue,” I said
sheepishly, “I’ve got a confession to make. Remember how I promised to write you up a little study on the topic of reincarnation?”
“Yes,” she said.
“I haven’t even started on it,” I told her. “But I’ll get to it sooner or later.”
Her blue eyes opened very wide. “Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she said.
I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t?” “No,” she assured me. “I’ve been reading my Bible, and now I know that God has a better way. It’s called ‘resurrection.’ ”
Here’s what’s so interesting. As far as I can tell, Sue didn't come to this conclusion mainly by reading the verses I’ve quoted to you. At least she never mentioned that they were the reason. No, I believe that as Sue read her Bible, her heart became so impressed with God and so in love with Him that she relaxed. Sue decided that she could trust Him with her future, even if it didn’t include a desperate cycle of trial and error —but peace.
Sue passed to her rest some time later, and Shelley and I took great comfort in knowing that she had become acquainted with her Heavenly Parent, who loved her foster children even more than she did! ®
Maylan Schurch is pastor of the Bellevue Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bellevue, Washington. He is a frequent contributor to Signs of the Times.®
SIGNS OF THE TIMES- MARCH 2021 37
From frustration and emptiness to peace, love, and hope. And it can all be yours, too, if you follow in the author's footsteps.
BY IONA ROSSELY
38 SIGNS OF THE'TIMES * MAR(9f 2Q^J
MY JOURNEY
DESPERATION
TO GOD
I was born into a strict, religious family, the oldest of four girls. I stuttered badly and was painfully shy—so much so that if you spoke to me, I would turn beet red. At the age of 11, to my absolute horror, I was sent off to Saint David’s Ursuline Convent in the mountains of Wales, United Kingdom, where I was bombarded with religious rituals, traditions, and a plethora of laws.
This experience led me to believe that God was unapproachable, impersonal, and unloving—especially for me. So I chose to ignore the religious stuff as best I could and spent my spare time absorbed in what I did well, which was sports—netball, running, horseback riding on the weekend, skiing on the ski slopes— and, yes, boys.
I became extremely competitive during my time in school. I had a real sense that to be somebody, I had to be the best—the very best.
Academically, I scraped through. The nuns tried to expel me on several occasions, but my parents persuaded them to keep me on. I think it had to do with my history of smoking in the public restrooms, escaping into HQSyn to meet boys, hanging toilet paper out of the windows, sending burnt bacon in the mail to show my parents how bad the food was, pretending to faint every Sunday morning in church, and so on. Not
surprisingly, after six years in the convent, I wanted to get as far away as possible from anything remotely religious.
After a short stint in art college (I didn’t like being told how to paint) and free from rules, I headed for Switzerland, where I would fulfill my dream of becoming a ski instructor. I passed my skiing qualifications, taught skiing all over Europe, and then accepted a challenge to try speed skiing. I was hooked—speed skiing is a bit like jumping off an apartment block, but with skis on. I loved the speed and the risk and the excitement. I seemed to have a natural flair for it, and my race successes saw me compete professionally with sponsorship backing from a corporate entity, which catapulted me into the limelight. I became a British Overseas Champion and New Zealand Ladies Champion in speed skiing. I had everything I had dreamed of—money and recognition, world travel, and a high media profile.
Yet this lifestyle left me feeling cold and empty. Deep down, I knew that life had to have a greater meaning.
While competing in the World Cup skiing championship in France, I fell while speeding downhill at 100 miles an hour and shattered my leg in eight places. Statistically, I should have died at this speed, but I was blessed that I survived with just a
SIGNS OFTHE TIMES • MARCH 2021 39
MICHELANGELOOP—GETTY
PICTURES SUPPLIED BY AUTHOR
mangled leg, which had now acquired one plate and 28 screws. The life I knew came to a grinding halt. Yet, strangely, during this time, I felt God’s presence and an overwhelming sense of peace.
The doctors told me I would never be able to do any sports again, and I would also walk with a limp— so that meant the windsurfing and waterskiing that I taught during the summer months were also things of the past. But I had a strong sense that God had personally intervened, and for the next two years, while I was recovering, I felt a great desire to find out more about Him. While spending some time recovering in Cyprus, I attended Bible studies and went on a Christian retreat. But as soon as my injuries had healed, I
was off again. I turned my attention back to me.
I bought a racehorse and considered the possibility of being a jockey. I also made a video with a high-profile media company on how to ski the fast way. This led to work as a TV sports presenter.
All this time, I was searching for some purpose and meaning to my life. I really felt that a change of scenery would provide me with these answers, so I relocated to Bahrain and then Dubai to work in public relations and pursue my love of horses, first in show jumping and then endurance racing. To cut a very long story short, I married, divorced, battled with cancer, lost my mom to cancer, and tried out for a ladies’ motor racing team. I was now a member of the Irish endurance team, and in my unending quest to find meaning in my life, I tried out crystals, Reiki, tarot cards, astrology, transcendental meditation, and all the New Age stuff. Even though I had a lifestyle that some would say was perfect, my life seemed meaningless. Something was missing, and I was trying to fill the void with success in sports. I believed in a world that said, “When you’re the best at what you do, then life is complete.”
Fifteen years later, I moved to France and became friends with a Swiss Christian couple, and that’s when I began to get a clearer picture of who God is. He wasn’t dead and
40 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
buried in a history book; He was alive and very real. My new friends taught me that faith is a strong belief that penetrates every aspect of our lives and that I could have a personal relationship with God. This was a totally new experience for me—one that made me realize how wrong I had been putting God in a box. I spent time studying the Bible, and I really enjoyed learning more about God. But I was still running my life as I saw fit. God was just an add-on.
But thankfully, He had a plan!
I was coming into my tenth year on the Irish endurance riding team and concentrating on qualifying for my third World Equestrian Games.
I had spent three years preparing for the qualifier in Portugal, but the day before the race, after a short workout, my mare Bisou collapsed with a serious metabolic problem.
I was mortified. Three years of my life were wasted! How could God do this to me? I felt as if He had abandoned me. 1 remember going back to the hotel room and having the biggest temper tantrum ever! I picked up my suitcase and threw it around the room and screamed and screamed and cried. You may think this is stupid—it was just a horse race—but it meant everything to § me. It was as if my life depended on <
if!	“
2
Thankfully, Bisou recovered, but 5 it took me a while to get back on my £ feet. On returning home, my Chris- =5 tian friends were waiting. They e
prayed and read from the Bible while I sat frozen and defiant. No, Fm not talking to God anymore. Our agreement is off—finished, no morel
The next morning, feeling depressed and full of self-pity, I reluctantly opened the Bible, and, without even reading a word, it suddenly dawned on me: I had it all wrong. Terribly wrong! I—me—had been the driving force behind my life, and God had been in the passenger seat—sometimes He had even ended up in the back seat! What was I doing? At that moment, I dropped to my knees in the kitchen and cried and cried. I pleaded for forgiveness, and I told God that from now on, He was in total control. He could have my life, because it was so empty without Him.
It’s hard to describe the feeling, but that day totally changed me on the inside. I felt loved, I felt like I belonged, and I had a sense of freedom that I had never experienced before. I felt such a release! I no longer had to prove myself to God. He loved me just the way I was. From that day in September 2009, I had an overwhelming sense of God’s love and a real passion for knowing Him more.
My whole life turned upside down—in a good way. My obsession with racing or competing literally disappeared overnight. Now I couldn’t see the point in spending seven hours a day on horseback to finish a 100-mile ride. It all seemed so meaningless! My love of horses and sports
stayed, but without the obsessiveness.
I’ve found that living my life with God in control is not boring or full of rules or regulations. Yes, He gives me boundaries, but they are there to help me. I love watching how God works in my life and other people’s lives—how He answers my prayers and theirs. And, yes, I still do risky things—I love riding bareback and bitless—but God is my priority now. He never strips me of my personality—He adds to my personality. He gives all of us unique talents, and He has a different path for each of us.
I have no idea what God has planned for me in the future, but I trust Him with my life, regardless of the outcome. The world tells us that we should focus on ourselves and spend time acquiring worldly possessions and success. But these things are all meaningless—they all turn to dust.
Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 10:39).* ®
Iona Rossely released her autobiography, Racing on Empty (Sarah Grace Publishing), last year. Now a lay Anglican minister, she lives with her husband, Jeff, and her beloved menagerie of horses, dogs, and other animals on a ranch south of Brisbane, Australia.
* Bible verse quoted in this article is from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996,2004, 2007,2013,2015 byTyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
42 SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021
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Some of the things Jesus said seem troubling to us—until we understand them in the context of the times in which He lived.
BY ALEXANDER BOLOTNIKOV
44 SIGNS OFTHE TIMES- MARCH 2021
WHY DID IESUS SPEAK HARSHLY?
Wake up, Sister!” Pastor Vasiliy demanded from the pulpit one Sabbath morning. “How dare you allow yourself to fall asleep during the divine service!” Vasiliy pastored one of the few churches in Moscow during the 1930s, and his words seem harsh to our American ears. But we need to understand the circumstances behind his words.
He had been imprisoned in Siberia, where he endured hard labor, illness, and starvation. He was one of the few pastors who survived this terrible ordeal. When he returned home, he discovered that he was the only ordained pastor in an area where many churches were closed and members were scattered. For five years he traveled in secret looking for Christians, forming them into groups, and giving them the Lords Supper. The hard years of Stalin’s imprisonment and his heavy labor for the restoration
USA F. YOUNG—SHUTTERSTOCK
of the churches took their toll on Vasiliys personality and his relationships with people.
We may frown at the way Pastor Vasiliy addressed the sleeping lady but learning the background behind his words helps us to understand them.
Sometimes, when we read stories of Jesus where He seems to be speaking very harshly to someone, we get the same exact feeling. It bothers us. We don’t like it. We feel extremely uncomfortable and sometimes even embarrassed to think of Jesus treating a person in this manner. We may even be afraid to study these harsh verses—or we try to avoid them and pretend they don’t exist. We don’t preach sermons on them because they feel disturbing or shameful. So what can we do when we find some words of Jesus that seem harsh, uncompassionate, or very difficult to understand?
I want to show you that the harsh words of Jesus usually are not harsh
SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021 45
at all, and often they have a very good explanation behind them—one that you, as an English speaker in today’s world, probably missed. More often than not, once you understand the historical and cultural explanation, the words will make sense and be something we can all easily agree with.
Let me give you an example of one of these seemingly harsh statements that, in fact, has a very reasonable explanation. This example comes from a short episode in the ministry of Jesus found in Matthew 8:19-21. Here’s what it says:
“A teacher of the law came to [Jesus] and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. . . .’
“Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ “But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’ ” At first glance, these words seem to be very cruel! Imagine that you’re an employer, and one of your employees who has lost his father says, “Please, boss, can I have a few days off to attend the funeral of my father and care for his estate?”
Most bosses today would say, “Yes! By all means! Go to the funeral, grieve your father, and take care of his affairs.” Even secular employers typically have compassion for their employees and give them a few days for grief and recovery.
That’s why it’s so strange to hear Jesus seem to say, “No way! You can’t go to your dad’s funeral. Let the dead
bury their own dead!” His remark not only sounds harsh, but it even seems to use a derogatory tone! So how can we say that the words of Jesus are full of love and compassion when we read something like this? In our culture, this would be an awful thing to say to anyone!
The first thing we have to keep in mind is that this event did not happen in our culture. It happened in the first-century Jewish culture that Jesus lived in. Jesus was a Jew who was immersed in the Jewish culture and spoke the language the Jews spoke at that time. And we need to keep in mind that language consists not only of words and sentences but also of idioms and figures of speech. Idioms are the product of a culture. Someone who understood Jewish culture would have easily picked up the familiar idioms that Jews 2,000 years ago used in their conversations with each other.
We easily do this with the English language in today’s North American culture, and we do it almost without thinking about it. For example, we sometimes say, “Go break a leg!” when we want to wish someone good luck. It’s understood that we don’t actually mean for the person to break his or her leg. Rather, we mean, “Good luck!”
The problem we have with Jesus’ harsh words is that we don’t catch a common cultural idiom. So what is the idiom? What are we missing here?
In the cultural context of Jesus’ time,
46 SIGNS OF THE TIMES* MARCH 2021
His father’s opinion was more important to him than following Jesus.
lets imagine a scenario in which a mans parents live in a home they built themselves and have lived in all their lives. Suddenly someone becomes interested in purchasing their home. This prospective buyer approaches the son and asks, “Do you think I could buy your parents’ home?” The son realizes that moving his parents from that house would severely traumatize them, perhaps even cut their lives short. So he replies to the prospective buyer, “Let me first bury my parents, and then we can talk about the purchase.”
The son is saying, “I can’t consider selling my parents’ home until they’re dead.”
Now let’s return to the disciple that Jesus is speaking with. When the disciple says, “Let me first bury my father,” we understand him to mean that his father is still very much alive! This man isn’t grieving and asking for permission to attend his father’s funeral. This was the Jewish way of saying, “When my parents die, then
GREENLEAF123—GETTY
I will follow You, Jesus.”
Even in today’s Jewish culture, the phrase Let me bury my father or my mother actually means “I’m not going to do this or that until my parents have both passed away.” The man whom Jesus invited to follow Him was literally saying, “Sure, I will follow You—but not until my dad dies.” This makes more sense, but there’s still one more fact to consider: the man who said he’d follow Jesus after his father died was also saying that his father’s opinion was more important to him than following Jesus.
Why do I say this? Jesus was a very popular and well-known Rabbi. In the first century, it was customary and even honorable for young men to leave their families and follow a rabbi to study the Torah, the Old Testament. We could call it “going on tour” with the rabbi. According to rabbinic literature, sometimes these tours could last up to 20 years. That’s a long time!
SIGNS OFTHE TIMES • MARCH 2021 47
FILADENDRON—GETTY
So what might it mean for the son’s family? If the son were traveling with the rabbi for 20 years, he wouldn’t be available to carry on the family’s business, nor would he be around to care for his parents during their final years. Instead, the rabbi invited that person into a new business: studying the Torah. Specifically, for the Rabbi Jesus, this new business was making
to follow the rabbi. And the fact that the son has to make the excuse “Uh, sorry Jesus, I can’t follow You until my parents are dead” reveals that the parents would not have agreed with his decision. They would probably have been against it.
Now that we understand the meaning of the phrases behind the story, let’s look one more time at Jesus’ response
other rabbis, for, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” Every disciple of Jesus would eventually become a rabbi—a teacher—a spiritual authority, who would then make other rabbis who would lead other people to salvation.
Usually, it was very honorable for parents in the Jewish community if one of their sons decided to follow a rabbi. This was something for the family to be very proud of. The only reason it would not be honorable is if the parents didn’t agree with the rabbi or didn’t agree with their son’s decision
to see if it sounds so harsh after all.
When Jesus replied to the man, “Let the dead bury their own dead”—since we know He wasn’t talking about a father who was literally dead or at death’s door, we can assume He had in mind a father who was spiritually dead. This father wouldn’t support his son becoming a spiritual teacher like Jesus. He would consider the family business to be more important than winning souls. Therefore, when Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead,” what He meant was, “The wishes of your unsupportive father
48 SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021
He would consider the family business to be more important than winning souls.
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demonstrate that he is spiritually dead. Don’t live your life according to his wishes. Follow Me, in spite of what your father thinks.”
When we see the story in this new light, the words of Jesus suddenly become very understandable and justified. In fact, we might even say the same thing ourselves: “Don’t take spiritual advice from someone who is spiritually dead.” And with that, a harsh saying of Jesus becomes transformed into a saying that we can all nod in agreement with.
In conclusion, my advice to Christians is, don’t be afraid to study the
words of Jesus that seem harsh. Don’t shy away from these verses or avoid them. Most of the time, when we become brave enough to study them, we not only learn something new and valuable but also develop a deeper trust in the loving character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ®
Alexander Bolotnikov is the director of the Shalom Learning Center, a Jewish ministry operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church's North American Division. He's also the pastor of a Russian church in Oregon. He lives in Battleground, Washington.
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In addition to the uncomfortable feeling of a tight, stretched tummy, other symptoms include cramping, diarrhea, constipation, and gas.
HOWTO EASE BLOATING Get moving. Gentle exercises, such as walking and stretching as well as breathing exercises, can help get your bowels moving and get rid of gas.
Enjoy a soak. In addition to providing relief from stomach pains, a relaxing, warm bath may help to get your digestive tract working and ease the stress that can make bloating worse.
Check it out. Recurring bloating can be a sign of food intolerances or
50 SIGNS OFTHE TIMES-MARCH 2021
Most of us have experienced the discomfort of a bloated belly. While foods such as beans or onions may get the blame for excessive gas build-up in our insides, there's rarely one trigger or single food that causes the problem. However, most bloating can be managed through lifestyle and diet.
WHAT CAUSES BLOATING?
Bloating happens when the organs in your digestive system are stretched, which can be caused by a build-up of gas or solids in your gut. Other causes include a slow digestive system, weak muscles in the abdominal wall, and when the diaphragm contracts instead of relaxing.
THE DOS AND DONATS AND HOW AVOID THE PROBLEM ALTOGETHER
MATTERS
EATING TIPS TO EASE BLOATING
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). If you
have a persistent problem, it's always best to see your family physician or a dietitian.
TRY THESE THINGS TO AVOID BLOATING
Avoid swallowing air bubbles. Swallowing too much air can cause bloating, so take time to chew your food well, avoid soda drinks, and skip the gum.
Limit salt. A diet that's high in salt can cause your body to retain water, making you feel bloated, so skip the salt where possible.
If these strategies don't work for you, or if your bloating doesn't ease within a day or two, see your doctor. ®
EAT SMALL AND OFTEN.
If eating a larger-than-usual meal causes you problems, try to eat smaller meals more often to keep your digestive system moving and comfortable.
LIMIT FRUIT
Keep your fruit intake to the recommended two to three servings per day. Avoid fruit juices and smoothies because these are concentrated sources of fruit sugar, and some fruits may trigger bloating in a sensitive gut.
LOVE YOUR GUT.
If constipation is the cause, eating extra fiber can help get your bowels moving and ease the bloating. Just be careful to increase your fiber intake gradually because increasing fiber intake too rapidly may cause some bloating at first. This is naturaland a good sign that your gut bacteria are well-fed and working.
Article courtesy of Sanitarium Health Food Company. Visit sanitarium.com.au and subscribe to WhoLicious Living for more great health and nutrition info each month.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021 51
LJUBAPHOTO—GETTY
HOWTO READ THE BIBLE
Did you ever start reading the Bible but gave up when it seemed too hard to understand? Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way.
BY SETH PIERCE
52 SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
Of all the courses that I took in my doctoral program, the one I dreaded the most was one called Quantitative Research Methods. That’s a fancy term for “statistics.” To give you an idea of where math and I left our relationship, my last class in the subject was during my freshman year in college. The course was entitled College Math, and it was designed for people who broke out in a rash at the mere mention of the word math.
I went from the easiest remedial math class in the undergrad course to a PhD-level course in statistics. The best part was that it was as bad as I had made it out to be in my mind. Seriously, from the moment I cracked my textbooks, I was bamboozled by p-values and the sum of squares in the operation of a special software for statistical analysis of social science data that I used to check my often-misguided models. (Don’t try to figure that one out. I couldn’t either!) I felt like I was drowning! That class gave me
SIGNS OFTHE TIMES-MARCH 2021 53
the gift of my first anxiety attack. It was horrible.
How did I survive? A few ways. First, the class formed a support group on Facebook to compare notes and answer one another’s questions. Second, many of us went to YouTube to find additional lecture material from statistics professors who put their presentations online or who made short clips simplifying the concepts outlined in the textbooks. Finally, I went through my textbooks and rewrote them in words I could understand. It was a slow process, but paraphrasing the passages and using language that broke the concepts into bite-sized pieces helped to stick them in my mind.
After the final exam and a research paper, I felt relieved and terrified. To get anything less than a B meant academic probation and a loss of merit scholarships. When the final grades rolled out, I had an A! I was so grateful, and, in truth, I learned a lot and even enjoyed part of it. My professor congratulated me and said I was now equipped to do statistical research.
Wonderful!
To understand a difficult way to study human interaction and read it correctly, I had to employ a variety of tools. Many people have a similar dread of picking up a book such as the Bible and figuring out what it is trying to say to their personal situation. The good news is that, because
Bible study has been a challenge for so many people, scholars have developed a variety of tools that can help us understand the text. Like the study group we formed in statistics, scholars have created helps to aid us in understanding the biblical text. However, before we get to the tools, we need to talk about reading.
how to read the Bible
Of course, you likely already know how to read—how else would you be reading this article? Yet, when it comes to a text such as the Bible, it can seem overwhelming. The Bible has 66 books and multiple literary styles (history, poetry, prophecy, parables/stories, etc.). How do you even start reading a book like this? Many people who start reading read it straight through give up somewhere between the end of Exodus and halfway through Leviticus. They barely make it past the second book of the Bible, and there are still 64 more to go!
There are at least three important ways to approach the Bible to discover truth from its texts. These ways are: reading the Bible through in a year, studying a book of the Bible, and studying a specific topic of the Bible, such as baptism or what happens when you die. Since the first way, reading the Bible through in a year, likely sounds like the most daunting of the three, we will discuss that first. But before we do, there is one practice that applies to
54 SIGNS OF THE TIMES-MARCH 2021
any way of reading the Bible—and that is praying first.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus told His disciples, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future” (John 16:13).1 The big idea in this passage is that we need divine help to understand spiritual things. Every one of us wrestles with biases, fears, and stresses that can affect how we read the text. Asking Jesus to send us His Spirit helps us better understand what we read and apply it to our lives.
the Bible in a year
At first glance, this may seem like sitting down each day and just powering through as much text as possible. However, reading the Bible in a year is less about reading Genesis through Revelation straight through than systematically sampling various texts over the course of a year. Numerous plans exist online that can help you organize your Bible study so that you can read it through in a year, many of which you can find with a simple Google search. Typically, these study guides involve reading a couple passages from the Old Testament, then a few from Psalms or Proverbs, and a couple from the New Testament. This exposes you to the wide variety of Bible themes and keeps you from getting bogged down in a single
book. By reading a litde each day, you will eventually work your way through the Bible in a year.
Often, these plans put passages together that complement each other. For example, Jesus’ words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34) come from Psalm 22. Jesus was simply quoting this passage when He cried out those words. By reading the entirety of Psalm 22, we get a broad picture of what Jesus is saying on the cross.
This also reinforces an important principle for biblical interpretation: the Bible interprets itself. Lots of people like to dash off with the latest
A1139—>11130 NVAQiy
SIGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021 55
Often, these plans put passages together that complement each other.
sensational news event, and they use that to interpret the Bible. Unfortunately, too often they end up making wild claims that are totally unfounded. However, a careful reading reveals that difficult passages, or even ones we feel are bland, have deeper meanings to be grasped when we compare them with other verses.
studying a book of the Bible
Another way to study the Bible is to focus on one of its books. Maybe there’s one you’ve always been curious about—such as Revelation. Or maybe you’ve never taken the time to read the little book of Philemon, and the time has come. Focusing on a single book enables you to go deeper into the content as well as discover the background of what the text
says. No book of the Bible is without a context, a historical situation that called for it to be written. But how can you understand the background of the text if you aren’t a historian with a PhD in ancient history?
Two of the best tools available are a commentary and a Bible dictionary. A commentary is a book or a series of books that were written by a biblical scholar or multiple scholars to give you historical facts about certain passages that may seem strange. A Bible dictionary can help explain ancient agricultural practices, geological features, or cultural dynamics. For example, using these tools, you might look at the passage where Jesus holds up a coin with Caesar’s picture on it and says, “Then render to Caesar
56 SIGNS OFTHE TIMES* MARCH 2021
the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods” (Luke 20:25, ESV2). You would learn that Caesar thought himself a god, and by making a distinction, Jesus has demoted Caesar in the ears of those listening to Him—an inflammatory political statement with ramifications. We miss so much because we are 2,000 years removed from the text, and often we only do a surface reading. Slowing down and focusing on books of the Bible is a great way to deepen knowledge.
topical reading
All of us have unique interests and questions about life, so choosing a specific topic to research in the Bible is another helpful way to read it. However, a few principles need to be in place before we begin so that we don’t end up with strange ideas. First, read the passage in context. In other words, don’t just cherry-pick random verses to prove a point. Read the verses around it to make sure you know what is being said.
Another helpful tool for topical reading is a concordance—a book that lists all the words in the Bible and where they are found. This lets you know what the words in the text meant 2,000 years ago. Don’t try to define ancient Greek and Hebrew with a twenty-first-century American dictionary. Words like love have multiple meanings, and words like
perfect often meant something very different in Bible times than we understand them to mean now. A concordance also shows you where else a word or concept is talked about in the Bible, creating a fun treasure hunt as you seek to unravel what a topic is all about.
conclusion: making it personal
However you choose to read the Bible, remember that it isn’t about the accumulation of information. It’s about discovering deep truth that you can personalize and make a part of how you live your life. Often people keep a notebook or a prayer journal handy. When studying a text, they ask, “What is Jesus teaching me today, and how does it apply to my life?” This helps bring the text to life and moves us to be more like Jesus, which, according to John 5:30, is the point of studying the Bible in the first place. 0
Seth Pierce, PhD, pastored Seventh-day Adventist churches for 16 years before becoming an assistant professor of communication at Union College. You can connect with him on Twitter@SethJPierce or on Instagram @professorpierce.
1.	Unless otherwise noted, Bible verses in this article are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.
2.	Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES- MARCH 2021 57
58 SiGNS OF THE TIMES • MARCH 2021
Years ago, when I was a kid, my sister, who was
ten at the time, climbed a tree in our backyard. When she got tired of playing in the tree, she began to ease her way down. In the process, she put her weight on a weak branch. Down she crashed to the ground with a thud—and broke one of her arms. After a quick trip to the hospital, my sister was sporting a brand-new cast—a piece of equipment that stayed with her for the next six weeks.
Think for a moment about what happened. The branch my sister leaned on looked solid enough, but apparently, it was rotten on the inside, or perhaps it had been eaten away by insects. Whatever the cause, a branch that looked good wasn't good, and it let my sister down.
The second commandment in the Bible’s Ten Commandments warns us about something that can let us down if we put our trust in it. It reads in part, “You shall not make for yourself an image [or idol] in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Exodus 20:4, 5).
Now perhaps you don’t bow down to idols. However, there are two ways in which many people in the Western world do break the second commandment and aren’t even aware of it.
VITAPIX—GETW"
Bowing down to an idol seems foreign to our Western minds, but the second commandment is more relevant today than you might think.
BY MARVIN MOORE
SIGNS OF THE TIMES- MARCH 2021 59
worshiping things
Years ago I read the following statement in Psychology Today magazine that went something like this: “So powerfully does the automobile satisfy our need to declare ourselves socially and individually that a visitor from a different planet might see the car as a central feature of an almost universal religion. The Sunday preening and cleaning of the revered icons is the weekly worship, and the motor show is the annual holy-day celebration of the car.”
In addition to cars, we humans tend to worship sports and sports heroes. We worship our houses. We worship our jobs. Some of us even worship our families. Of course, we don’t bow down to any of these things, but bowing down in front of a thing isn’t the only way to worship it.
Worship isn’t merely praying to God. Real worship means putting God first in your life. Anytime someone or something besides God takes first place in your life, that someone or something has become your god.
I heard a story once about a Quaker who stood leaning on the fence in his yard, watching a new neighbor move in next door. The movers carried in plush living-room furniture, expensive wall hangings, and all of the most modern electric appliances and electronic gad-getry. There was even a handsome bed for the cat! At the end of the day, when the last piece of furniture had been moved in and the truck had driven away, the Quaker saw his new neighbor in the yard, called him over, and introduced
himself. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the Quaker said, “By the way, friend, if there’s anything you’re lacking, let me know, and I’ll show you how to get along without it.”
Materialism. Things. These are the modern idols we worship. Don’t misunderstand me. Money and things aren’t wrong in themselves. Jesus didn’t say that it would be wrong for people to gain the whole world. He said that it would be a sad mistake for them to gain the whole world and lose eternal life (see Mark 8:36). It isn’t things but our attitude toward things that makes them idols.
materialism
The second commandment strikes at the root of materialism. As a test of your materialism, ask yourself the following questions: How do you feel when someone makes a strong offering appeal in church? What kind of emotional reaction do you get when someone knocks on your door or calls you on the phone and asks you to help with some worthy cause?
I’ve done a bit of door-to-door solicitation for charity myself, and I’ve gotten three basic responses: hostility, indifference, and joy. The hostile people shut the door in my face without saying a word. Fortunately, most people aren’t that rude. The indifferent people will at least talk to me. After a few words, they either say no and shut the door or hand me a dollar bill and shut the door. On the other hand, the joyful people are interested in the
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cause I represent, even if they can’t give a dime. I’ve seen joyful people give when I knew they couldn’t afford it!
Jesus told us that He presents Himself to us in the form of people in need, and unless we can feel those people’s heartache and help meet their needs cheerfully, we are in great danger of
about the appeals for help.
God loves you, and He wants you to love Him. He gave the second commandment to warn you and me about the things in our lives that can come between Him and us—the things we think look good that arent good. These are the things that will let us down if
losing our salvation (see Matthew 25:41-46). Of course, you can turn that into a righteousness-by-works trip and think that because you’ve helped people, God must save you. But the point isn’t just that you helped someone but why you did it: not because you’re expecting to be saved through what you did but because you love God and His suffering children. So here’s the third way to spot a false god in your life: Suspect money as an idol if you refuse to help because personal monetary goals are more important to you, especially if you feel irritated
we put our trust in them. They can cost us our eternal life.
If you ask God, He’ll help you spot the false gods in your life. He’ll also help you make a total commitment to Him, the only true God, who is so anxious to welcome you into His kingdom someday that He’s warned you about the false gods that could keep you out. ®
Marvin Moore is the editor of Signs of the Times® magazine. He and his wife, Lois, live in Caldwell, Idaho.
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What kind of emotional reaction do you get when someone ... asks you to kelp with some worthy cause?
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THE EDITOR ANSWERS
YOUR BIBLE QUESTIONS
"Apparently, there is a nutrient in the fruit from the tree of life that reverses the aging process."
Q: Revelation 22:2 says that "the leaves of the tree [of life] are for the healing of the nations."
If the New Jerusalem is part of a perfect world, what need is there of healing?-Sa/7as Mvuta,
Ndola, Zambia A When Adam and Eve sinned, God drove them out of the Garden of Eden, and the reason He gave for doing so answers your question: "The Lord God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and Live forever" " (Genesis 3:22; emphasis added). Apparently, there is a nutrient in the fruit from the tree of life that reverses the aging process. So the healing property in the fruit from the tree of life is not to cure people of a disease or illness that they actually have the way medications do in this present world. The "healing" from the tree of life is preventive. The Bible doesn't say this, but it's a reasonable conclusion from what the Bible does say.
Q:Why does God allow Satan to exist and cause so much suffering?-A/ame
withheld by request A: God is love, and He asks for our love in return. However, love cannot be forced. It must be given freely, or it is not love. God created angels and humans with freedom of choice, including the freedom to rebelagainst Him. If God were to destroy everyone who chose to rebel against Him, He would be telling them that eitherthey must love Him or He will destroy them. Obedience would then be based on fear, not love. So God has allowed evil to continue for a time so that the universe can see its result. Eventually, after evil has fully developed and the universe can see its full result, He will bring the history of sin to a close. All sinners will then be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).
Q: The Bible says that God gave Adam and Eve " 'every seed-bearing plant on
the face of the whole earth_They
will be yours for food'" (Genesis 1:29). I'm convinced that it's wrong to use
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marijuana, but how do I answer those who ask why it's wrong?-A//en Hoessli, Centerville, Ohio
A: In Genesis 3:17,18, God told Adam, "Cursed is the ground because of [your
sin]___It will produce thorns and
thistles for you." This suggests that, as a result of Adam's sin, plants began mutating in negative ways, including, in some cases, mutations that would be harmfulto human beings. Other examples of harmful plants are tobacco and poppies (from the seeds of which opium is made). This doesn't mean we should have nothing to do with such plants. We have to use our intelligence to evaluate how to properly use them today.
Q: When we choose a life partner, must the man be older than the
woman?-Silgrak Marak, India A: The Bible does not comment on the age difference that should exist between a husband and wife. It's more a matter of personaljudgment. Asignificant difference in age means that the younger person will probably have to care for their elderly husband or wife during the last years of their life. Some Christians have speculated that Mary was probably a teenager when she married Joseph, that she was his second wife, and that he was considerably older by perhaps as much as 20 or 30 years. The Bible does not provide any information about the ages of Joseph and Mary.
To have your Bible questions answered, write to Your Bible Questions at Signs of the Times®
P0 Box 5398, Nampa, ID 83653-5398 USA or email: signs@pacificpress.com.
A: In Philippians3:9, Paulsaid that he wanted to be found in Christ, "not having a righteousness of my own that comes from [obeying] the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith." He means that when we accept Christ as our Savior, God credits Christ's righteousness to us.
The expression "robe of Christ's righteousness" is a metaphor, an illustrated way of saying that God has credited Christ's righteousness to us. We receive this robe of Christ's righteousness when we repent of our sins, confess them, and accept Jesus as our Savior. Baptism should happen afterthat as a confession to the world that we have accepted Jesus.
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Q: When does one put on the robe of Christ's righteousness? Is it at baptism?-A/ame withheld by request
TRANSLATING FAITH BY C. E. BRADFORD
HOW WOULD YOU EXPRESS THE MEANING OF FAITH IF YOUR LANGUAGE DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE A WORD FOR IT? HERE'S HOW ONE BIBLE TRANSLATOR SOLVED THAT PROBLEM.
John G. Paton, a pioneer mean^< I am resting all my weight here.	iJj
missionary to the South Patton immediately recognized this word as the best fl Sea Islands during tha sac- possibla translation for the English word fa ith. lam ond half of the 1800s, decided restin9 aU mY wei9ht here!"
to translate the New Testa- It's still true that whatever problems we face in life, ment into one of the native Jesus has the answer. We can rest all our weight on Him! ® languages in that part of the
world. However, he discovered Reprinted from	These Times magazine. ^
that the language had no word that clearly expressed the meaning of faith.
Paton's problem was solved in an unexpected way.
One of the natives who had been doing some work in his garden came up on the veranda where the missionary was writing. There was a big wicker chair on the porch, so Paton invited the man to sit and rest for a while. As the man sat down heavily in the big wicker chair, he said a word in his language that
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