How Can You Know the Truth?

We live in a world in which confusion abounds. In every major facet of the world’s society: education, politics, religion, or whatever, contradictions, conflict and confusion prevails. Almost every subject of consequence is controversial these days.

There is a continuous struggle going on for our attention. Whether you realize it or not, your mind is under siege. All kinds of elements, groups, individuals, with a point of view to sell are struggling to capture your mind—attempting to win it over to their point of view. Your mind is constantly being bombarded by conflicting ideas, beliefs and opinions.

Even something as obvious as one’s sex is controversial. Are you male or female? An increasingly popular idea these days is that it’s not your DNA, nor the sex organs you are born with, that determine your sex. It’s whether you “feel” that you are male or female. Confusion about one’s sexual identity is being deliberately sown among even very young children by prevailing forces in our society. We can feel compassion for those who are confused about their sexuality, which often results from abuse or other kinds of mistreatment. But I have a hard time feeling anything but contempt for willful proponents of such confusion.

Paradoxically, in a world where the very idea of objective truth is increasingly under assault, powerful institutions are becoming more and more intolerant of any opinions on controversial matters which do not concur with their own.

Powerful social media companies routinely censor or deplatform those posting material which runs counter to opinions they favor, even though they are supposed to be content neutral platforms. Internet browser algorithms often tend to give preference in their search engine results to websites expressing viewpoints in favor with the left-wing Establishment.

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Why Study the Bible?

King Solomon wrote, “Of making many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). But of all the countless books that have been written, is there any that reliably answers the most fundamental and important questions of life? Why do we exist? What is our nature? Is there a God, and if so, what is God like? What does God expect of us? Can we know the true God? Does God love us? Is there a path that can put an end to violence, unnecessary suffering and sorrow? What happens when we die? Is there a way to eternal life, and if so, what is it?

Believe it or not, there is such a book, a book that has the answers to these questions, and other questions vital to the life of every human. That book is called the Bible. The Bible is unlike any other, and has no equal, because it is God’s revelation to mankind of knowledge that can be found in no other source.

Do you know what the Bible says? Have you read it? Have you studied the Bible diligently to learn what God wants you to know? Why study the Bible? In this article you will find answers to this question of vital importance to every human being.

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The Two Covenants — Part 3

According to Scripture, the Old Covenant was given to Israel because of transgressions. Or, as the Bible in Worldwide English Version puts it: “Why then was the law [the Old Covenant] made? God gave it… because so many people were doing what was wrong” (Galatians 3:19).

But within that overall framework were at least five major reasons for the giving of the Old Covenant. Understanding what those reasons are will help us understand the mind of God, and can teach us vital lessons in how we, as Christians, or as human beings fit in with what God has in mind for us.

In this message we explore in some detail three major reasons for the giving of the Old Covenant, and how they relate to the New Covenant, and to lessons that relate directly to us and our relationship with God.

“The Two Covenants — Part 3” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How Will the World be Different When Christ Returns? (Part 3)

Today’s world is in turmoil. The descendants of the ancient peoples of Israel, not just the Jewish people, but all of the so-called “lost ten tribes,” who migrated westward and eventually settled in the British Isles, parts of western and northwestern Europe, and kindred peoples in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other scattered places, were warned that if they rejected him and his commandments they would have their blessings replaced by curses. But after a period of punishment, they would be delivered, and not only they, but the entire world would be blessed by God as never before, under the reign of the risen Jesus Christ, returned to the earth to assume rulership over the entire world, sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem.

In this message we discuss some additional ways in which the world will be different — and far better — after the return of Jesus Christ, than it is today, in the concluding message of this series.

“How Will the World be Different When Christ Returns (Part 3),” by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Is This the Only Day of Salvation?

Is it true, as has often been taught within professing Christianity, that the question of eternal salvation is sealed at the time of one’s death? Are some of your loved ones, simply because they did not profess faith in Christ during their earthy pilgrimage, destined to suffer eternal torment forever?

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