When the euro-zone was firstcontemplated, there werethose who predicted it would

have problems of the kind we are wit-nessing today in Greece. However, these objections were set aside at thetime. Now the question being asked iswhether Greece should leave the euro-zone. A few others even suggest itshould be Germany that goes. Eithersolution could spell uncertainty and serious instability within Europe.

Another pressure point stems fromthe sub-prime mortgage debacle origi-nating in the American banking system.In this case, the risky speculativepolicy of purchasing debt packagesin the hope of making a profit fromthem brought several banks to ruinand left others in need of a bail-out.

Personal debt: a growing crisis

Personal debt is a third area ofconcern. An expectation of a higherstandard of living which is not justi-fied by increased production orincome has led to greater expendi-ture, mostly using unwise borrow-ing of some sort, including credit

cards. According to an article in TheIndependent on 19 June, Britain hasbecome ‘the most indebted nation onearth’, with the 50 million or so Britishadults owing a total of £1.5 trillion. TheConsumer Credit Counselling Service(CCCS), the country’s biggest debtcharity, receives of the order of 416,000calls a year from those juggling debtand fending off creditors.

In recent years, British governmentshave not helped the overspending andindebtedness. For instance, the require-ment for everyone to switch to digitalTVs meant the purchase of much more

expensive equipment. Digital sets alsohave a higher power usage, increasinghome energy needs at a time when elec-tricity suppliers are raising their pricesto cover investment in renewable energysources. In addition, those who go touniversity often leave with their degreeand a millstone of debt which they willhave to carry for many years.

A Christian’s financial responsibilities

For the Christian there is a require-ment to provide for one’s household (1 Timothy 5:8). However people are

often deeply in debt long beforeGod calls them. King Solomon,who was exceedingly wealthy,wrote, ‘The borrower is servant tothe lender’ (Proverbs 22:7).

Over time, Christians in debtneed to find a way out, learn tobudget and live within their means.Then there is the matter of honour-ing God (Proverbs 3:9), with hope-fully something spare to assistthose in need. For help in all theseareas, please request our free book-let Managing Your Finances.

Barbara Fenney, Treasurer ofUnited Church of God – British Isles

The British & European Supplement to

July/August 2011

Published by the United Church of God – British Isles. Address: The Good News, PO Box 705, Watford WD19 6FZ.

Telephone: 01494 875003. Fax: 020 8386 1999. Website: www.ucg.org.uk.

Managing Your Finances in an Uncertain World

It is over three years since the current recession began, and it shows little sign of resolution. Global in its implications, its origin can be traced

to any number of financial pressure points. How can we cope?

High streets up and down the country are struggling in the current recession

Money makes the world go round, or so it seems.Vast sums change hands every day in a globaleconomy that affects virtually every man, woman

and child on the planet. As the world’s economy runs its typ-ical cycles of booming prosperity followed by painful reces-sion, millions of people struggle to survive economically. Ina typical economic downturn many lose their jobs, and con-sumer credit reaches gigantic proportions. Whether causedby the economy or mistakes in managing their money,many find themselves mired in debt and worried about thefuture. Anxiety about money matters takes an enormous tollon mental and physical health and general well-being.

Regardless of the state of the economy, are there thingsyou can do about money problems? Is there a place youcan turn for simple, practical guidelines to help manageyour personal finances? Many sources offer various princi-ples and theories about money management. Books andvideos assure people they can be financially successful;others tell us we can become millionaires practicallyovernight.

But do you realise that sound principles are to be foundin a resource you probably already own? The Bible offersproven financial advice and economic guidelines. The book

of Proverbs alone reveals muchabout how to manage your personalfinances. When we apply the princi-ples we can find in Proverbs, theyusually add up to economic suc-cess, financial stability and peaceof mind.

Jesus Christ talked about free-dom from want: ‘I have come thatthey may have life, and that theymay have it more abundantly’(John:10:10). The abundant lifeincludes financial peace of mind as well as many obviousspiritual benefits. Throughout the Bible we can find specificfinancial principles and advice that work for our benefit.

Our booklet about Managing Your Finances reviewsmany timeless economic principles from a biblical perspec-tive. It shows us how to manage our financial affairs from agodly point of view. Request your free copy to begin animportant Bible-based study! You have nothing to lose andmuch to gain!

2 The British & European Supplement to The Good News

Why the Bible Is So ImportantJesus Christ clearly stated that ‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that

proceeds out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4). But many today ignore the very wordswhich give us the answers to life’s crucial questions. Yet they are only found in one place,the Holy Bible. God’s Word boldly addresses such questions as: Why are we here? Where is the world headed? What does the future hold? Our 12-lesson Bible Study Course willmake the Scriptures come alive as it takes you through the biblical answers to these andmany other questions.

God’s Word reveals the true values by which we must live if we are to resolve our mas-sive relationship problems and effectively address other seemingly insoluble dilemmas thatthreaten to overwhelm humankind today.

But beyond that basic knowledge we all require for survival, each person needs spiritualunderstanding and insight into the very special knowledge revealed only by the CreatorHimself – spiritual information about salvation that will lead to eternal life in the Kingdomof God.

Knowledge based on something other than God’s Word will ultimately fail. In today’sworld, there is such incredible ignorance about what the Bible actually says. As a result, evenmany modern Christians find themselves unable to effectively cope with their day-by-dayfinancial and marriage and family problems that also afflict much of our modern society.

Learn more about the Bible and God’s great plan of redemption, ask for our free BibleStudy Course. Please write to The Good News, Box 705, WATFORD WD19 6FZ, or emailinfo@ucg.org.uk.

How to Manage Your Finances

The traditional card game Patiencehas in recent years morphed intoSolitaire, a computer game.

Dictionaries give several synonyms forpatience: long-suffering, resignation,forbearance, fortitude, endurance, etc.These nouns denote the capacity toendure hardship, difficulty or inconven-ience without complaint. Under the syn-onym ‘long-suffering’, patience isdescribed as one of the fruits of thespirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Patienceemphasises calmness, self-control, andthe willingness or ability to toleratedelay. Irish orator, philosopher andpolitician, Edmund Burke, stated, ‘Ourpatience will achieve morethan our force.’

It is instructive to look atsome of the beliefs of thosewho lack patience:• I should be able to do thisfaster and better than this. • They should understand me the firsttime and not need me to repeat myself. • Why should it take so long and takeso much effort to change and grow? • I have so much to accomplish I willnever be able to do it all. • There is a right way and a wrongway to do things. Why is it that every-one I meet chooses the wrong way? • I want this done yesterday. • It makes no difference how far alongI am if I have not accomplished my tar-get goals. • I can’t stand such things as diets,counselling, physical therapy, allergydesensitisation, and orthodontics; they alltake too long before results are visible.

• I would rather get a job now than gothrough four years of college. That wayI can make more money in my lifetime. • Every time I have a setback or arelapse, I get mad at myself. • I cannot stand things being out oforder. Disarray makes me nervous andupset. • I will never be able to accomplishmy goal of growth and change, so thereis no use in even getting started.

Impatience produces many negativefeelings, such as irritation, agitation,frustration, nervousness and ill temper.It can also lead to tension, stress or anxi-

ety. In the end, it can lead to burnoutand disillusionment.

Aspects of patienceFrom a biblical perspective, patience

is the ability to accept your humanfrailty in the pursuit of personal, physi-cal, emotional, and spiritual growth.Accepting the set backs and reversalsinevitable in your quest for personalgrowth without allowing them to defeatyou can be a tough task. The apostlePaul declared to the brethren at Corinth:‘God has chosen the foolish things ofthe world to put to shame the wise, andGod has chosen the weak things of theworld to put to shame the things whichare mighty; and the base things of theworld and the things which are despisedGod has chosen, and the things which

are not, to bring to nothing the thingsthat are’ (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).

Paul was acutely aware of the battlegoing on inside him to try to followGod’s law, and recognised his desperateneed for Christ’s help in order to over-come his shortcomings (Romans 7:15-25, Galatians 5:17). He knew he couldnot do it all on his own without God’shelp.

Patience is also the ability to displaytolerance, compassion, understandingand acceptance toward those whom youmay perceive as being slower than youare in developing maturity, emotional

freedom, and coping abilities.Again quoting the apostle Paul,‘Let nothing be done throughselfish ambition or conceit, butin lowliness of mind let eachesteem others better than him-

self. Let each of you look out not onlyfor his own interests, but also for theinterests of others. Let this mind be inyou which was also in Christ Jesus’(Philippians 2:3-5, emphasis addedthroughout).

Christ additionally mentioned therequirement to be concerned about theneeds of others. In the context of a dis-pute between certain disciples whowanted particular positions of power, Headvised: ‘Yet it shall not be so amongyou; but whoever desires to becomegreat among you, let him be your ser-vant. And whoever desires to be firstamong you, let him be your slave – justas the Son of Man did not come to beserved, but to serve, and to give His lifea ransom for many’ (Mark 10:43-45).

Patience: It’s More Than a Game!Christians should acquire and practise many attributes that reflect

the characteristics of Jesus Christ. But perhaps patience is the hardest to learn in this fast-paced, ever-changing society.

July/August 2011 3

‘Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,

lacking nothing’ (James 1:4).

4 The British & European Supplement to The Good News

Permanence andcommitment

Another aspect of patience is theability to believe in the concepts of per-manence and commitment. It takespatience to learn to be calm and consid-erate as you handle the growth issues inyour committed relationships in mar-riage, family, career, community orchurch. Patience is required to maintaina relationship even when trouble arisesthat may take some time to resolve. Itmay not always be possible to fully set-tle some issues, but do not give upunless or until every avenue to resolu-tion has been patiently explored.

Paul wrote to the Galatian brethren:‘Let us not grow weary while doinggood, for in due season we shall reap ifwe do not lose heart’ (Galatians 6:10).

The writer of Hebrews advised:‘Seeing then that we have a great HighPriest who has passed through the heav-ens, Jesus the Son of God, let us holdfast our confession [profession, KJV].For we have not an high priest whichcannot be touched with the feeling ofour infirmities; but was in all pointstempted like as we are, yet without sin.Let us therefore come boldly unto thethrone of grace, that we may obtainmercy, and find grace to help in time ofneed (Hebrews 4:14–16).

Patience requires us to ‘hold fast’

Hebrews 10:23-24 exhorts us to‘hold fast the confession of our hopewithout wavering, for He who promisedis faithful. And let us consider oneanother in order to stir up love andgood works.’

Waiting for something patientlyrequires us to let go of our need forimmediate gratification. It is interestingto note that the Scriptures allow us towait with eagerness as well as patientendurance. Twice Jesus Christ coun-selled that ‘he who endures to the endwill be saved’ (Matthew 10:22; 24:13).Yet, somewhat paradoxically, the epistlesof Paul advise us to wait ‘eagerly’ for

the return of Christ (Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Hebrews 9:28).

Patience allows us to realise thatovernight reformations are rarely longlasting. Gradual change and growthhave a greater durability. This is illus-trated in the account of Simon the sorcerer in the book of Acts. Simonbelieved the preaching of Philip and,

along with others, was baptised.However, when Peter and John camefrom Jerusalem to lay hands on thesenew converts and to pray that Godwould grant them His Holy Spirit,Simon’s true attitude became apparent(Acts 8:5-24).Dealing with our shortcomings

We need to recognise that this canbe true in our own lives as well in oth-ers’. Most people’s lives comprisetroughs, peaks and plateaux. We canand do slip up, but we should not bediscouraged. If we fall down, we shoulddust ourselves off, get up, and withChrist’s help move forward again (see 1 John 1:7-9). One of Solomon’sproverbs says that a righteous personfalls seven times, but he gets back upeach and every time (Proverbs 24:16).

Perhaps most importantly, patienceis the ability to wait for God’s promisedoutcome without experiencing anxiety,tension or frustration. In the Book ofLamentations, Jeremiah states, ‘“TheLORD is my portion,” says my soul,“Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORDis good to those who wait for Him, tothe soul who seeks Him. It is good thatone should hope and wait quietly for thesalvation of the LORD’ (Lamentations3:24-26).Adapted from a sermon by David Payne,

pastor of the Isle of Man and Carlow, Ireland congregations

‘In your patience possess you your souls’

(Jesus Christ, Luke 21:19)

How ToIncrease inPatience

Patience is an attribute that wecan all work on. Here are afew suggestions which may

help:• Develop a consistent philosophyof life. Following God’s laws andstandards can provide structure.• Accept the reality of your human-ity, in that you are going to needtime, effort and energy to changeand grow. Our Heavenly Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ know howmuch time each one of us needs. • Reframe your perspective on thepast, present, and future. Do notdwell on your past mistakes, sinsand failings but push forwardtowards the goal.• Break larger goals down intosmaller, more easily achievableobjectives.• Accept, understand and forgiveyourself for being fragile, imperfectand weak. Realise that you needhelp, but never use this as excuse tolet down.• Wake up to the realities of lifearound you. Everyone is busy work-ing through their own struggles,weaknesses, setbacks, relapses,crises and obstacles to their personalgrowth and recovery. All are on thepath to personal growth. There is noone exempt from this journey. Ittakes a lifetime to complete.• Confront any fears about attain-ing your goal. Remember, God didnot create the world in a day.Beautiful symphonies, works of art,and literary masterpieces were notcreated in a day. A lifetime is notlived in a day.• Modify your spiritual perspectiveto include God as a guide on thisjourney. Be ready and willing to facechallenges as you strive for personaland spiritual growth. [Adapted fromwww.teensselfhelp.com/Patience.html]

Recently I had one of those sleep-less nights, wide awake staringinto the darkness, with tons of

thoughts pressing on me. My mind waswhirling on overdrive with all gearsgreased with worry. I’m sure we’ve allshared that common pillow of despair.Sometimes when people come to thispoint of sleepless frustration, they com-mence with the well-known exercise of‘counting sheep,’ imagining one afteranother bounding over the pasturefence. But there’s a better way to peace-ful slumber.

Long ago I learned somethingin the still of the night. I stoppedcounting sheep and focused on theChief Shepherd! It was that sim-ple and yet that profound. I began tosimply repeat the 23rd Psalm with itsopening line that centred my thoughts:‘The LORD is my shepherd; I shall notwant.’ What a difference! Everythingelse melted into insignificance.

Focusing on the Chief Shepherd

Just like a restless night’s sleep, thiswayward age of man with its 24-hournews cycle of despair can disturb ourspiritual life’s rhythms if we don’t stayfocused on ‘the great Shepherd of thesheep’(Hebrews 13:20). Make no mis-take about it. Where and on whom youfocus makes all the difference when itcomes to meaningful outcomes.

And we might as well get a headstart before matters heat up even more.Daniel and Jesus Christ, the ultimateforeteller of future events, both prophe-sied a time of coming worldwide trou-ble that will be the worst ever – imperil-ing all life on earth (Daniel 12:1;

Matthew 24:21-22). But reading suchprophecy without proper perspectivefrom the whole of God’s Word couldkeep us wide awake for multiple nightson end. Again, focusing on the ChiefShepherd is essential. The apostle Petercalled Jesus Christ ‘the Chief Shepherd’(1 Peter 5:4).

Let’s be honest and recognise thatwhile peering into prophecy we canbecome sidetracked with numerousitems that seem to be sure-cure fixes tocalm our hearts. But God sees matters

differently. Some things just can’t beknown and are reserved to God alone(see Acts 1:7).

Moreover, Jesus Christ criticisedthose who focused exclusively onsmaller issues while ignoring ‘weight-ier’ or more important spiritual matters(Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42).

Those who are always pursuing the unknowable will remain spirituallyexhausted. They have not settled for the true peace that comes by focusing on the Chief Shepherd – the GoodShepherd of biblical prophecy, JesusChrist – but rather have settled for asubstitute gospel of biblical conjecture.

Christ in the midstOur proper prophetic focus needs to

centre where the Bible clearly focuses.Psalm 23 describes the Shepherd Who willguide us throughout our Christian lives.

The 23rd Psalm is one of the best-loved psalms in the Bible. It’s offered asa guide to our day-by-day walk into the

future – in both the succeeding chaptersof our personal lives and the unfoldingtapestry of prophecy. As we centre onthe Good Shepherd, we are immediatelyreminded that He directs and enables us‘to lie down in green pastures’ (verses 1and 2).

Thus, our faith in Him is immedi-ately challenged by whether we willobey His direction. With the Shepherd’shelp, we respond by faith-filled action tolie down where He sets us to feed andgrow spiritually.

Psalm 23 then mentions that He leads us ‘beside the stillwaters’(verse 2). Drinking in ofthe waters of God’s Spirit andGod’s Word quenches our spiritual

thirst and clears up our thinking (seeJohn 7:37-39; Ephesians 5:26). Takingin God’s mind written in Scripture givesus continuing assurance, beyond per-sonal anxiety or global trepidations.We become convinced that God’s pur-pose, plan, promises and provisions aretrue and right on schedule – His sched-ule, not ours!

Like scattered sheep, the flock ofGod can become spiritually disorientedby fear of predators, tension with othersheep or hunger. God’s Word says: Trustwhere I place you and enjoy the stillwaters. It is only then that you can ‘bestill, and know that I am God’ (Psalm46:10).

Restoration: now and alwaysThe next famous phrase in Psalm 23

describes how the Good Shepherd‘restores my soul; He leads me in thepaths of righteousness for His name’ssake’ (verse 3). Sheep are creatures ofhabit, and if not properly led they will

July/August 2011 5

The Good Shepherd of Biblical ProphecyHow the 23rd Psalm will help guide us throughout our Christian lives

I stopped counting sheep and focused on the Chief Shepherd!

turn good ground into ruts and pasturesinto deserts by overstaying their wel-come. And they will pollute the groundbeneath them with their own waste. Themost important function of a shepherdis to keep the flock on the move.

Sometimes as sheep we forget this.We don’t like the new path, or we stareat the other sheep and bolt, rather thanfocusing on the Shepherd. It’s here we’rereminded that the spiritual walk is not aquick escalator ride to salvation, but attimes has detours of our own making.

Yet we have a faithful Shepherdwho restores us on course and puts us back on the path of His choosing.Restoration is not marginal to theChristian experience but central.Christ’s words spoken to Peter justbefore he was to veer off for a while

before he was truly converted (Luke22:32, KJV) should echo down to ustoday.

Psalm 23 bluntly describes periodsof our own walk with God as well asthe forward motion of the Church downthrough the ages: ‘Yea, though I walkthrough the valley of the shadow ofdeath, I will fear no evil; for You arewith me; Your rod and Your staff, theycomfort me. You prepare a table beforeme in the presence of my enemies; Youanoint my head with oil; my cup runsover’ (verses 4-5).

Coping with setbacksIt is noteworthy that Jesus never

said that severe trials would not be vis-ited upon His followers. But as thepsalm encourages, we need not fearthem. What Jesus did say is, ‘I willbuild My church, and the gates ofHades [the grave] shall not prevailagainst it’ (Matthew 16:18).

The living Christ at the right hand

of the Father rallies His elect, proclaim-ing: ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First andthe Last. I am He who lives, and wasdead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.Amen. And I have the keys of Hadesand of Death’ (Revelation 1:17-18). TheGood Shepherd of prophecy has tra-versed both life and death and emergedtriumphant!

And yet, despite knowing this, theknees of our heart can get a little wob-bly along the way. Consider, please:When His precious flock is on themove down the path of history, it ishere that the Great Shepherd is at His most intense and intimate best in guiding the flock over challengingterrain to the good pasture He hasalready gone ahead to prepare.

It is here in ‘the valley of the shadowof death’ that the cryof the sheep downthrough the ages canbe heard echoingthrough the canyonsof time: ‘How long,O Lord?’ (Revela-

tion 6:10). It is here that the flockmust know that the Shepherd they fol-low never sleeps (Psalms 121:4). Christis dedicated to preserving all who wouldfollow Him (John 10:27-29).

‘I am with you always’Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is

guiding His flock through the windingtwists of history and prophecy to oneultimate destination – the great culmi-nation at ‘the end, when He delivers thekingdom to God the Father, when Heputs an end to all rule and all authorityand power’ (1 Corinthians 15:24).

This unique moment, as time itselfpasses away and melts into eternity, isthe sublime experience to which we are being led forward. It will fulfill thegrand crescendo of the 23rd Psalm’sfinal words: ‘Surely goodness andmercy shall follow me all the days ofmy life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever’ (verse 6).

We still have some paths to walkdown and valleys to pass through in the

seasons of our personal lives. We don’tknow how long the journey is, but weshould know what has been promised if we stay on the right path, focused onthe Good Shepherd of biblical prophecy.

The encouraging directive of ‘Thisis the way, walk in it’ (Isaiah 30:21) isrefortified in the sureness of the ChiefShepherd’s promises: ‘I am the way, thetruth, and the life,’ (John 14:6) and ‘Iam with you always, even to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20).

Robin Webber Senior editor, World News & Prophecy

6 The British & European Supplement toThe Good News

The knees of our heart can get a little wobbly along the way, despite Christ proclaiming, ‘Do not be afraid.’

Identity Theft?Even while He lived on earth,

Jesus Christ found His mes-sage and purpose misrepre-

sented, to the extent that His crucifix-ion resulted from the testimony of falsewitnesses. Following His death a totalmakeover occurred, sothat almost everything ofHis life was changed,from His birthday, to Hisappearance, to the con-tent of His preaching.Within a few centuriesafter Christ’s crucifix-ion, His racial heritage had been suppressed, along with His Jewishlifestyle, including His observance ofthe seventh-day Sabbath.

For many who claim to knowChrist, there is often very little resem-blance to the person revealed in theScriptures. His multi-levelled messagefocussed on teaching human beings toestablish a relationship with God theFather by following His way to eternallife in the Kingdom of God. But whowas He, how did He come to have thismessage, how does He relate to thatkingdom. Is He doing anything of rele-vance for us today?

Possibly Jesus Christ has becomethe most misrepresented person whoever walked this earth. To cut throughall the myth and mystery and to findout who He was, what He was likeand what He is doing today, pleaserequest our free booklet JesusChrist: The Real Story.

July/August 2011 7

Questions & Answers

Q When I pray to God, He isnever there when I need Him.

S H, Leicester

AIt can be very puzzling to feel thatyou need God’s help, but it seemsas though He is not listening.

From a human perspective, we oftenhave a very narrow view of how Godworks with us. We see the immediateproblems and only later on realise howwhat He allowed to happen made us re-appraise our lives and helped to developa relationship with our Creator. As partof this most important of all relation-ships, God expects us to begin to put onthe characteristics of his Son, JesusChrist (1 Peter 2:21).

God has promised to be found bythose who truly seek Him (Jeremiah29:13), but we must seek our Creatoraccording to His instructions. The Bibleclearly shows that there are pre-requi-sites to answered prayer, includingrepentance, obedience and building theaforementioned important relationshipwith God. If we do our part then Godpromises to answer our prayers (Isaiah58:9; 65:24; 1 John 3:22-23). However,we often overlook the fact that theanswer may be ‘wait’ or even ‘no’ onoccasion.

God is very aware of your predica-ment. In His role as our High Priest,Jesus Christ is well able to explain toour Heavenly Father just how you (we)suffer, because He personally experi-enced terrible suffering while here onearth (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:24-25; 9:24).

Our access to the Father is only throughChrist (John 14:6). But He gladly ‘makesintercession to the Father for us’(Romans 8:34).

For further understanding, ask forour free booklet You Can Have LivingFaith. On pages 16 and 17, you willfind a two-page sidebar titled ‘When ItSeems God Doesn’t Hear or Answer.’In addition please request our reprintarticle about whose prayers Godanswers. We hope you will find this literature helpful.

QCan you please explainGenesis 2:17, which seems tosuggest that when Adam and

Eve took the forbidden fruit they woulddie that very day?

Mr and Mrs B, Market Rasen

AHow God sees time is clarifiedin 2 Peter 3:8 and Psalm 90:4. It is very different from human-

ity’s view of time. The James Moffatttranslation of the Bible refers to God as‘the Eternal’ (i.e. YHWH in the Hebrew,which appears as LORD in the KingJames Bible). This is because God is notrestricted to time as we understand it(see Isaiah 57:15). Man’s physical lifeaverages out to the biblical three scoreand ten (Psalm 90:10), whereas God hasalways existed – something that ourlimited minds simply cannot fully grasp.See our free booklet Who Is God?

On the surface Genesis 2:17 doesseem to suggest that once Adam andEve partook of the forbidden fruit, theywould die that very day – obviously not

the real meaning of this passage. TheNelson Study Bible (NKJV) makes thisstatement on the words ‘shall surelydie’: ‘These emphatic words are madeof two forms of the verb meaning ‘todie’. The point is not that the guilty per-son would drop dead right then, but thatit would certainly happen – there is noescape (Hebrews 9:27).’

A similar wording issue is found inthe New Testament when Jesus prom-ised the thief on the cross that he would bewith Him in paradise (see Luke 23:43).Would it be on the very day of Christ’sdeath or at a later time? Recall that thethief had asked Christ to remember himwhen He came into His Kingdom (verse42). That will not happen until Christ’ssecond coming. The correct placementof a single comma in verse 43 alsohelps clarify the true meaning of thispassage. To understand this importanttechnicality, please read the clarifyingsidebar about the thief on the cross onpages 38-39 of our free booklet Heavenand Hell: What Does the Bible ReallyTeach?

The Scriptures also tell us that Jesuswould be buried in the heart of the earthfor three days and three nights, not be in paradise immediately after His death(Matthew 12:40). So Christ could nothave promised the repentant thief whowas crucified with Him entry into para-dise on the very day of His death,because Christ would not have beenthere Himself. What Jesus meant wasthat the thief would be with Him in thefuture. Our free booklet about God’sHoly Day Plan addresses the overalltime frame of God’s plan of salvationfor all of mankind.

How our literature is fundedThe United Church of God – British Isles is registered as a charity in England and Wales (number 1079192), and inIreland (CHY17954). The publication of this Supplement and other literature is funded by the generosity of members ofthe Church, co-workers and our readers. Following Jesus Christ’s instruction (Matthew 10:8), it is supplied free of chargeso that His message can be made available to all. We are grateful to those who assist financially in the work done byThe Good News. Donations may be sent to: United Church of God, PO Box 705, WATFORD WD19 6FZ, UnitedKingdom, or donated online at www.ucg.org.uk/donate.html through Paypal or Charity Choice.

8 The British & European Supplement to The Good News

Letters From Our Readers

Middle East articlesThe Good News articles on the

Middle East were well written and goto the root of the problems. They pointto something more as to why all thisunrest is happening all at once.

Mr R C, Portsmouth

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Mr K D M, London

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I have really enjoyed the first fewissues of The Good News magazine andwish to carry on with a subscription. Iwas hoping that you would send me thefollowing reprint articles: ‘Depression:Ways to Win the Battle,’ and ‘TheBible’s Keys to Mental Health.’

L A, Stoke-on-Trent

• Gladly! These two reprint articlesand our free booklets You Can HaveLiving Faith and Making Life Work arefreely available upon request.

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Questions and commentsabout the Church

I am not a Roman Catholic and neither a Protestant. If I take a side, it is the side of the truth. If I don’t knowthe truth, then I cannot take its sideexcept I be hypocritical. I follow myLord God through Jesus Christ. Wouldthere be a problem with this in yourorganisation?

L P, Hoddesdon

I learn a lot from The Good News. I am a lay preacher (a reader) in theAnglican Church. But I find your viewsand explanations interesting. You

expound so well on current issues. Iwould very much like to continuereceiving your literature.

Mrs C P, Liskeard

Warm greetings from a cold, wetNorthern Ireland. Here are a few wordsto say thank you for giving me the truthand opening my eyes to the true gospel ofGod. I always knew something was badlywrong with even the so-called Bible-believing churches. Again, thank you!

G M, Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Thank you so much for the bookletsyou sent me. As a new member of theChristian Church, there is so much forme to learn. I find the Bible to be anexciting book, but difficult to follow in some parts, and so vast. I would begrateful if you have any booklets thatwould help me.

L R, Manchester

• In reply to all four letters as agroup, we recommended our free book-lets The Gospel of the Kingdom, TheChurch Jesus Built, How to Understandthe Bible, and This Is the United Churchof God. We wish to reach as many peo-ple as our resources allow (whetherchurchgoers or not) with the messageof the Bible (Matthew 28:18-20).

Senior readerI must say that I appreciate your

Christian literature very much. I am avery old person, for I was born in 1913.So if by God’s grace I am still alive on4 September, I’ll be 98 years old.However, my eyesight is failing and Ican hardly read what I have writtenhere.

J B, Chelmsford