Wallace G. Smith

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Spirits Are Real. What Do You Know About Them?

There is more to the world than what we can see. Beyond the physical realm we can see, touch, feel, and hear, there is an invisible realm—the spirit world, inhabited by both angels and demons. This world impacts us in many ways, but truth about it is sparse. Most people’s beliefs about angels and demons are built upon rumors, speculations, and bad religion. However, Almighty God—the Creator of the spirit world—reveals the truth we need in His word.

Join us right now on Tomorrow’s World as we look at six myths about angels and demons and expose them to the light of Scripture.

Real Spirit Beings, Distinct from Humanity

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. And when it comes to making sense of your world, that includes the INVISIBLE part of your world—the SPIRIT world. Today we will look at six myths that many people believe about angels and demons and replace them with the truth of God’s word.

We’ll also give you the opportunity to request a completely free DVD titled “The Occult and the Spirit World.” Be sure to take note of the information we’ll provide so you know how to get your own free copy.

When it comes to angels and demons, regrettably, myths and misunderstandings abound! So many people believe so many different things about these denizens of the spirit realm. But we don’t need to guess, nor do we need to shrug our shoulders and say we simply don’t know. Because if anyone knows the TRUTH about the spirit realm, and about angels and demons, it’s God. And He reveals that truth in his word. So, without further ado, let’s jump right in.

Myth #1: Our first myth is that there is no such thing as the Devil or demons. [That] Satan is just a symbol for evil in the world.

This sort of statement is commonly made by individuals who see themselves as too “enlightened” to believe in tales of a “pointy-tailed” devil with a pitchfork and horns, and by those who have innocently believed them.

But it is false. There IS a very real devil. He is alive. He is intelligent. He is evil. And He is a spirit being who influences people, governments, and events in this world. On this fact, the Bible is extremely plain.

Jesus speaks very plainly of this malevolent entity in many passages, such as in Matthew 12. There, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting demons out by the power of the devil, and Jesus responds,

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? (vv. 25–26).

So, not only is Satan referred to as a very real individual here, but Jesus also notes that he has a kingdom of demons under him.

And in Luke 22:31, we read of a warning Jesus gave to Simon Peter about how the devil had set his sights on the disciple:

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”

We will speak more about the personhood and personality of Satan later in the program. But, clearly, the Bible and the Son of God, Himself, speak of the devil and his demons as real, personal entities, not some vague, impersonal “force” or “evil influence.” Such beliefs are simply myths.

Myth #2: So here is our next myth: Angels are the spirits of dead human beings.

This is a common belief among more people than you might think. Pop culture reinforces the idea, going back, for instance, to the old 1959 song “Teen Angel” and the 1969 movie “The Littlest Angel.” But the idea persists, and some think that, when good people die, they BECOME angels in heaven. Sometimes at a funeral or speaking with a loved one of a recently deceased person, you will hear words of comfort, for instance, in which someone says that, quote, “Heaven has gained another angel.”

But this is a myth, and wrong on many accounts. First, upon death, humans do not live again until their resurrection. This fact of a future resurrection is made plain in many places in your Bible, such as Paul’s comment to Felix in Caesarea:

I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15).

Even so, it is also incorrect because human beings and angels are completely DIFFERENT categories of living beings. Humans are created in God’s own image with a startling potential NOT to be angels, but to be a part of God’s own family, inheriting all things under Jesus Christ.

As for angels, they were created—among other possible reasons—to SERVE mankind. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, we read,

And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire”… Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (vv. 7, 14).

Angels are to SERVE, at God’s direction, human beings who will inherit salvation. That inheritance highlights the difference between humans and angels, when we understand it. Actually, the difference between angels and humans is far bigger than this, but we’ll discuss that later in our program.

So, are angels the spirits of dead human beings? Not at all. Mankind and “angelkind” are completely different kinds of beings. While they may have some similarities—such as intelligence, moral accountability, and free will—one does NOT come from the other.

Dangerous to Humans, Subservient to God

Myth #3: Satan is God’s opposite, balancing God’s good with the devil’s evil.

Some myths have a seed of truth to them, and this one does. Satan’s CHARACTER is certainly the opposite of God’s in many ways. While God cannot lie and Christ, the Son of God, is called a “life-giving spirit,” the devil is called the father of lies and “a murderer from the beginning.”

But the idea that, somehow, God and the devil “balance our universe” with good and evil, as if Satan is sort of an eternal “anti-God”—like the eastern idea of Yin and Yang—gives the devil far too much credit.

Satan the Devil is a CREATED being, far less powerful than the All-Powerful God, though he was not created AS the devil. No, God created an angel called, in most English Bibles, “Lucifer,” who eventually rebelled against his Creator. We see one of the descriptions of this given in Ezekiel 28. There, in the midst of a passage containing prophecies about the ruler of the ancient city of Tyre, God inspires the prophet Ezekiel to address the demonic power BEHIND the throne, as well, Satan the Devil. Through the prophet, the Lord says to him,

You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you (vv. 14–15).

Pride, vanity, and selfish ambition corrupted the wisdom of this being (vv. 16–17) until he rose in rebellion against his Creator. Isaiah 14 records his rebellious thoughts, as God says through the prophet in verses 13 and 14,

For you have said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”

The result is a thunderous and disastrous defeat for the corrupted angel—just as rebellion against God ALWAYS brings. We have more details for you about this angelic rebellion and the origins of the devil in today’s free DVD, “The Occult and the Spirit World.” But for now, suffice it to say that there is no equality between God and the Devil in any sense. While God has existed forever and is all powerful, Satan has a beginning and is NOT all powerful. In fact, a time is coming when he will be restrained forever, able to influence others no more for the rest of time. We pray that day comes soon!

Myth #4: In the meantime, let’s look at myth number four: Cherubs look like sweet little children with wings.

It is hard to get farther off the mark than this myth does. Most of us have seen paintings, statues, or other depictions of so-called “cherubs.” They look like sweet, innocent infants or children, often wearing little clothing and usually flying about with little wings.

However, “cherubs”—or /ker’əb/ as it would be more properly pronounced—are nothing like these depictions AT ALL. Cherubs are very real spirit beings—angels who attend to God at His very throne in heaven and serve at His command. Genesis 3:24 tells us that after God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He placed cherubs on the east side of the garden with a flaming sword, preventing mankind from reentering. That doesn’t exactly sound like the job for a bunch of winged infants, does it? It isn’t. Because cherubs are NOT winged infants. We read a description of them in the book of Ezekiel. There, the curtain between us and the spirit world is parted for Ezekiel, and he is allowed to see these beings who are normally hidden from our sight. Here is his description of angelic beings who serve at God’s throne:

And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.… As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle… Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies… [T]heir appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning (Ezekiel 1:5–8, 10–11, 13).

Now, THAT sounds like something that could wield a flaming sword and keep someone out of the Garden of Eden! And Ezekiel makes plain in chapter 10 and verse 20 that these creatures are cherubs—or, as the plural is in Hebrew, cherubim.

Regrettably, popular depictions of angelic creatures are rarely meant to serve biblical accuracy. What we see in paintings, statues, and movies are generally based more on human fantasy than God’s word and meant to serve human purposes, not God’s.

In fact, in our next segment, we’ll address whether we should be representing angels at all, and what dangers may lie in doing so.

Angels Serve, While Demons Rebel

Myth #5 Is that angels and humans had offspring in the ancient past.

This myth is based on a misunderstanding of a statement in Genesis 6. Let’s take a look here in Genesis 6, beginning in verse 1:

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

In verse 4 it adds,

There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Some have taken the words “sons of God” to mean angels, and they take this passage to imply that sinning angels selected human women to breed with and create a race of half-human, half-angel “hybrids.”

One reason that some believe this is a description of angels having children with human women is the use of the phrase “sons of God,” which is used in the book of Job to refer to angels.

However, the description “sons of God” is not limited to angels in the Old Testament. For instance, through Hosea God promises to Israel that, if they repent, they shall become His people again and shall be called “sons of the living God” (Hosea 1:10).

In fact, in Deuteronomy 14 and verse 1, we read that God declares to Israel, “You are the children of the LORD your God….” The English translation of the New King James Version inadvertently hides the fact that the word translated “children” is exactly the same Hebrew word that is translated “sons” in Genesis 6. So, the idea that this phrasing is used exclusively for the angels is simply false. It is also used to describe human beings.

Add to this the fact that Genesis 1 speaks of creatures reproducing only after their own kind and Jesus Christ’s statement in Luke 20 [vv. 34–36] plainly says that angels do not marry.

Even the mention of “giants” in Genesis 6 doesn’t support this myth, as nowhere does Genesis 6:4 say that the “giants” were the offspring of this union—in fact, it says that such giant humans were already in the world before these marriages. Note, it says, “There were giants on the earth in those days, AND ALSO AFTERWARD….”

There are a number of ways that Genesis 6 can be understood, but the answer must always be consistent with the REST of the Bible. As Jesus Himself warns us in John 10:35, “…the Scripture cannot be broken….”

The biblical evidence weighs heavily against this myth, which, frankly, belongs more in the realm of science fiction and perverse fantasy. In fact, to say that an angel can produce a child in the world is potentially blasphemous, given that the Bible describes only God as producing a son through the miraculous pregnancy of Mary—and a future family of sons through the Work He and His Son are doing in the Church of God that Christ founded.

Myth #6: This brings us to our sixth and final myth of today’s program: Angels can be worshiped, revered, or even prayed to.

To be sure, angels are very real spirit beings, and, as we noticed earlier, God tells us that He made them to serve and care for humanity as we progress on our path toward salvation. But we can’t allow knowing this to cause us to fixate on them or begin to give them the sort of honor that should be reserved for God alone—or to give them the kind of attention that the Bible forbids.

For instance, in the book of Revelation, when the Apostle John was overwhelmed during the vision Christ had given him, he fell down at the feet of one of the angels who was guiding him. But notice how this angel responds:

Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God” (Revelation 22:9).

That’s how righteous angels respond. They do not want attention and they recognize that only God should be worshiped. Meanwhile, how do demonic, fallen angels respond? We see that in the devil’s example at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. Read the account in Matthew 4. There, the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, noting that he had the power to give Jesus those kingdoms. He only asked one thing: “All these things I will give You [Satan said] if You will fall down and worship me” (v. 9).

Unlike righteous angels, who understand that only God the Father and the Son of God deserve our worship, adoration, and reverence, the fallen angels SEEK that attention and worship for themselves.

Rather than pray to angels or risk giving them a place in our lives that only God should occupy, we should do as as Jesus Christ did and resist temptation saying with Him,

Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him ONLY you shall serve” (v. 10).

This is one of many reasons why we should not decorate our home, clothing, or jewelry with images or statues of angels. Not only do such images often differ from the Bible’s descriptions of angels, but God plainly forbids crafting images of beings in heaven for religious purposes. And righteous angels have no INTEREST in being depicted, unlike Satan and the demons, who crave such attention. God’s angels redirect attention to HIM, not to themselves. In fact, the Apostle Paul notes that sometimes Christians interact with angels and aren’t even aware (Hebrews 13:2). Because righteous angels want your attention directed to their Creator, not to themselves.

Those are our six myths, but more important than all of them is one, very important TRUTH. One of the most important truths about the spirit world that few human beings on earth understand, yet every angel and demon surely does.

Mankind’s True Destiny as Part of God’s Family

As we close today, we need to discuss one more vital difference between humanity and angels—a difference we alluded to earlier in our program.

We pointed out that human beings do not become angels. But what do they become, then? The destiny of humanity is very much related to the angels and the spirit realm, but it is very different than many understand.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul to those in ancient Corinth who were dragging their fellow Christians to worldly, pagan courts, instead of seeking wise individuals in the Church to help them settle their problems:

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:2–3).

Indeed, those who yield to Jesus Christ and God the Father in this life will actually one day JUDGE ANGELS. Human beings are destined for something so much greater and more glorious than any angel will ever experience. God’s plan is not to help each of us one day “join the angels.” His plan is to help each of us join HIM—as members of the Family of God, ruling, reigning, and inheriting all things.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

A Special Calling From God

Sometimes, it seems the world is coming apart at the seams. It’s easy to wonder where God is in all of this. Does He care? Is He DOING anything?

In fact, yes, He does care, and yes, He is doing something AMAZING—not just in the world, but in the hearts and minds of individual people all over the world.

But what many do not realize is that God is not working with everyone in the same way today. The Bible says He is calling a select few for a special relationship with Him today, and a special role in the years ahead.

You might be one of those people.

Join us today here on Tomorrow’s World as we open up our Bibles and help you answer one of the most important questions you could ever ask yourself: “Is God Calling Me?”

God’s Purpose for Calling You

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of your Bible. Today’s program might seem a little more personal than most of those you’ve seen on our channel. We want to encourage you to ask yourself one of the most important questions you will ever consider: Whether or not God is personally calling you.

You might think, “God is calling EVERYONE, isn’t He?” As we’ll see, the Bible makes it plain that He is not. But then, if He’s not, what is He DOING? Is He only trying to save some and sending the rest off to their doom with no chance for salvation? What does being “called” even mean? On today’s program, we’ll answer these questions and more, and the answers may be the most encouraging news you’ve ever heard.

We’ll also be offering you a free copy of our surprising booklet, What Is a True Christian? So many people sincerely call themselves “Christian,” yet the Bible shows that they don’t fully understand what being a Christian even means. Be sure to watch for the information you need to get your free copy.

Now, before we explain what it means to be “called” by God, I have to warn you. Some of what we’re going to explain—from the pages of your own Bible—will be new to you. In fact, it may contradict things you’ve grown up hearing in church your entire life. But it is the clear witness of the word of God. And to understand what it means to be called by God, and to perceive whether God is calling YOU, we have to begin by clearing away some important MIS-understandings.

For instance, many people seem to view the world around us as an ongoing battle between God and Jesus Christ on one hand and Satan the Devil on the other—where God is trying to save as many as He can before they die and are lost forever, and the Devil is trying to condemn as many as he can.

But, my friends, that idea is utterly FALSE. If it were true—if the world really were a contest between God and the Devil—then be honest with yourself: Wouldn’t you have to conclude that the Devil is winning? Two-thirds of humanity today does not claim to be any part of any of the many flavors of the religion that calls itself “Christianity”—not to mention the vast number who have lived and died throughout history. In fact, most people who have lived and died have never even heard of Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus Christ is the ONLY source of salvation. Speaking of Jesus, the Apostle Peter explains in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

So, if there is a “great contest” between God and the Devil, then God is losing HORRIBLY. However, I GUARANTEE you, God DOES NOT LOSE! Between God and Jesus Christ and Satan the Devil, there is no contest! God NEVER LOSES!

So, what’s going on, then?

If most of the world seems lost and ignorant of the God of the Bible—and it certainly does—should we just assume that God DOESN’T CARE about the world? Does He just NOT CARE about the fact that the vast majority of the BILLIONS of men, women, and children who have lived and died would be lost to damnation in their sins—most of whom never even had the opportunity to hear the name of their Savior spoken aloud in their hearing?

Not on your life! In fact, your Bible says exactly the opposite.

After all, 1 Timothy 2:6 says that Christ gave Himself as a ransom for ALL people. Chapter 4 and verse 10 of the same book proclaims God as the Savior of ALL people. John 3:16—one of the most widely quotes verses of the Bible—states very plainly that “God so loved the WORLD”—the WHOLE world. No matter our race, ethnicity, or nationality, God longs to bring everyone who has ever lived into a beautiful and loving relationship with Him—a relationship in which He will work to fulfill His purpose for us. As Peter says in his second letter, chapter 3 and verse 9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance.”

If so few are finding salvation today, in our time—and so few have even had the OPPORTUNITY to be saved throughout human history—and yet God expresses His passionate desire that, not the few, but the MANY would find Him and be saved—then the conclusion we can draw is clear: God is simply NOT trying to save the WHOLE WORLD right NOW, at this time!

Preparing a Divine Family to Rule

Rather, God says that in this life NOW He is only BEGINNING His harvest of mankind—saving those He calls His “FIRSTfruits.” As James writes in chapter 1 and verse 18 of his book, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

Those firstfruits will be resurrected and glorified when Jesus Christ returns to set up His Kingdom on earth—ruling with Him and restoring the world over the course of 1,000 years. [On screen: Revelation 20:4–6.]

Then, AFTER that thousand-year period, all who have ever lived but who have never had an opportunity to understand the true gospel of God will be [On screen: Revelation 20:11–13] resurrected to physical life once again and will THEN HAVE THEIR OPPORTUNITY to choose God’s way of life and have their names written in the Book of Life. Those who utterly refuse to repent and live God’s way will be [On screen: Revelation 20:14–15] destroyed forever in the Lake of Fire, but the rest will enjoy eternity in the Family of God, forever, to inherit the entire universe!

It is a large topic, and I encourage you to visit the Tomorrow’s World website, where you will find MANY, MANY free materials proving and explaining the beautiful plan of God in detail. We don’t want you to merely take our word for these things—we want you to take GOD’S word for it.

But for now, let’s focus on the specific topic we’re examining TODAY. If God is planning a FUTURE time when salvation will be extended in a way it is not today, then what IS He doing today?

God is calling specific individuals in the world to a special relationship with Him, preparing them for their future place in the Family of God and for their future role, directly ruling the world for 1,000 years under Jesus Christ, reigning over the nations of the world as a king and priest by His side.

Now that truth may shock you, but if you open your Bible, you will see that it has been under your nose the entire time.

For instance, notice the plain words of Jesus Christ in John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Now my Bible isn’t any different from yours! And Jesus’ words are plain: NO ONE *CAN* come to Jesus Christ UNLESS GOD THE FATHER *CHOOSES* to call him or her at this time! In fact, Jesus reiterates the same point just a few verses later: “And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that NO ONE CAN COME to Me UNLESS it has been GRANTED TO HIM by My Father’” (v. 65).

“NO ONE CAN COME to Me UNLESS it has been GRANTED TO HIM by My Father.”

Can Jesus be any PLAINER than that?

Christ is clearly placing the burden of action on God the Father—telling us that it is GOD who must first CHOOSE to actively draw us to Him. In fact, Jesus reflects this same sentiment to His apostles in John 15:16: “You did not choose Me, but I CHOSE YOU….” 

Are you willing to listen to the PLAIN TEACHING of the Bible, even when it disagrees with what others say about it, or disagrees with your own preconceived ideas? If so, then, without getting too far ahead of myself, let me say here that THAT is a major indicator that God may be calling you.

These aren’t the only passages that plainly speak of God calling only SOME now and NOT EVERYONE. For instance, consider the famous statement of Acts 2:38, where the Apostle Peter says boldly to the assembled crowd, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD WILL CALL.”

Notice Peter’s plain acknowledgement that the response to his message and the message of the Gospel is dependent on HOW MANY GOD WOULD CHOOSE TO CALL!

Consider Paul’s words to the Church of God in Corinth. He writes to them in 1 Corinthians 1:26, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” He points out to them—and us—that God simply ISN’T calling everyone right now! In particular, He is NOT calling many of the wise and mighty of this world. Their time will come later.

Don’t just believe me on this—believe your own eyes and what you see in your Bible!

So, if God is only calling SOME now—calling a special few before Christ’s return—what is His purpose for their lives now? And how can you know if God is calling YOU?

Having Your Mind Opened

So, what does it actually mean to be called by the living God?

There really are a number of things involved, but among them is God’s OPENING A PERSON’S MIND to allow him or her to understand the truth—and not just any truth, but the truth of the Bible and Jesus Christ’s Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 12:9 tells us something important about the world. Speaking there of a soon-coming time of divine action against the Devil, it says, “… the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world….” God does not lie in His word. When He says the “whole world” is deceived, He means the WHOLE WORLD.

And those who are deceived DO NOT KNOW THEY ARE DECEIVED! Individuals can hold on to their beliefs very sincerely and still be DEAD WRONG, DECEIVED BY THE DEVIL, and that includes preachers and teachers! Paul speaks in 2 Timothy 3:13 of those who not only deceive others, but who are also deceived THEMSELVES as they do so.

Yet, the Bible describes the 1,000-year reign of the saints under Jesus Christ as a time when the deception will be removed, and His truth will cover the entire world. As God inspired Habakkuk to write of that future time, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (2:14). We speak of that glorious time frequently here on Tomorrow’s World.

But before that Millennium of peace, God is calling a few individuals NOW, by opening their minds and allowing them to see the truth about the REAL Jesus Christ, the REAL Gospel of the Kingdom, and the REAL way of life God desires for all people.

In the Bible, we see examples of this OPENING OF THE MIND to UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH. For instance, look at Luke 24, where the resurrected Jesus Christ is explaining to His disciples about how His death and resurrection fulfilled God’s word—something they were not able to grasp before: “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He OPENED THEIR UNDERSTANDING, that they might COMPREHEND THE SCRIPTURES” (vv. 44–45).

Note, He said that He had EXPLAINED THESE THINGS BEFORE, but NOW their UNDERSTANDING WAS OPENED, and it made SENSE like it had not before! Jesus explains in John 14 that God’s Spirit was not yet in them, but it WAS working with them, as it does with all who are being CALLED BY GOD.

And that Spirit is a necessary ingredient for understanding. The Apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 2: “These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man DOES NOT receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor CAN he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned” (vv. 13–14).

Spiritual things MUST BE spiritually discerned and understood. The purely natural, human mind simply cannot receive them! GOD MUST INTERVENE to help us overcome deception and understand. And this is what He does when He calls us!

So, ask yourself: Do the things you’ve heard us discuss on the Tomorrow’s World program make sense to you? When you read our materials or the Tomorrow’s World magazine and study these things in your Bible, do you find that the Scriptures bear those teachings out and back them up? If so, it may be that God is opening your mind and calling YOU to understand His truth.

But a calling from God is about more than “understanding” things. Our Creator expects us to ACT on what He shows us, and this is part of one’s calling, as well.

Notice, again, the example of God’s calling in Acts 2, when God moved the crowd to respond to Peter’s message: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we DO?’” (v. 37).

Their response is the response God is looking for when He draws someone: A desire to CHANGE AND ACT! Romans 2:4 tells us that God’s goodness does not just enlighten our minds or make us feel good about ourselves—it leads us to REPENTANCE—to CHANGE OUR WAYS and BEGIN OBEYING GOD’S COMMANDS!

Are YOU being called? Have you ever felt CONVICTED by the things you have learned on this program? That may be God working with you through His spirit to draw you into a new and deeper relationship with Him.

In fact, let me add that there are THOUSANDS all over the world whom God has reached through this Work, whose minds have been opened to the true teachings of Scripture—enjoying each other’s fellowship and meeting together every week to learn from God’s word and from the ministry of Jesus Christ as they prepare to be Kings and Priests in the Kingdom of God.

If you are interested in finding out more about acting on what you’re learning, you’re not alone. And we have representatives in many regions all around the world who would be happy to talk with you.

Those individuals assembling together every week have learned the joy that comes from living life as a TRUE CHRISTIAN.

What Should You Do Now?

God’s plan is big. REALLY big. It encompasses all of mankind—all who have ever lived and breathed, from the beginning of creation to this very moment. It involves a Kingdom He will install at Jesus Christ’s return, that will transform the world over 1,000 years. Even the dead will be raised to life again to have the opportunity they never had in this life.

But that plan involves calling some people NOW, in this life, and opening their minds so that they can escape the deception of the Devil that has been cast over the eyes of the entire world. It involves calling those people to be a part of Jesus’ mission NOW to warn the world of the end times to come and to announce the good news of that coming Kingdom.

That plan involves calling individuals to struggle against sin in THIS life, to allow Jesus Christ to live His life within them and to build His own character in them—so that they can serve beside Him as glorified members of His Family and teach others during those 1,000 years and beyond, helping them to embrace the way of life they have learned to make a part of their OWN hearts and minds.

The question facing you is this: Is God calling YOU?

We’ve explained what that question means, and we’ve shown you how you might know. But in the end, we can’t answer the question for you. That part is up to YOU.

And as you address that question, understand that you are not alone. I’ve been there, myself. I remember wondering about so many things while I was growing up. If Christ is alive and running His Church, then why does Christianity seem to be in such confusion? If Jesus was the only way to salvation, and yet most people have lived and died without even hearing His NAME, let alone His teachings, then how could God be fair or just?

I wanted answers to those questions, and I heard many answers. But, none of them perfectly fit what God had to say in the Bible or how God describes Himself in that same Bible.

That is, none of them made sense until I saw a video, much like this one, presented by Herbert W. Armstrong, a predecessor of ours in this ministry.

And the Bible began to make sense to me in a way it never had before. There WERE answers to my questions—SOLID, BIBLE answers, even though none of the loving and sincere-but-mistaken preachers I knew were teaching those answers.

I came to see that God was calling me to a real relationship with Him and with His Son—not the Devil’s caricature of Jesus Christ, but the REAL Jesus Christ. And I came to see that His calling was not because I was smarter or wiser than everyone else. Quite the opposite. I saw the words of the Apostle Paul we spoke of earlier—that He is not calling many wise or powerful now. Rather, He is calling the base and lowly now so that the wise and powerful may know in the FUTURE that salvation is not a matter of trusting in themselves but trusting in God.

And while I THOUGHT I was a Christian before that calling, I came to learn that being a TRUE Christian was SO VERY DIFFERENT from what I had believed.

My life, ever since, has never been the same. And I would not trade it for the world.

Is God calling you?

I don’t know…What do YOU think?

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

A New Age of Idolatry

Many believe that the age of religion and superstition is over—that mankind has finally moved past its days of worshipping gods, lists of commandments, and condemnations of sin.

They would be wrong. Welcome to the world of “New Gods” and “New Sins”—a world we’ll explore on Tomorrow’s World, right now!

Religious Devotion to Secular Causes

Greetings and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of the world through the pages of your Bible. We’re delighted you’re here.

In this episode, we’re going to discuss the world of “New Gods” and “New Sins” that surrounds us today. We’re also going to offer you one of the most powerful and relevant DVDs I believe we have ever sent to our viewers: “A World Gone Mad.” As always, this DVD is completely free for the asking. Watch your screen for the details you need to get your DVD.

Now it might sound strange to speak of “New Gods” and please don’t misunderstand me. What Jesus Christ told His disciples on that Passover evening 2,000 years ago is still true today: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

But the more you examine the world around you, increasingly you see a wilderness of new religions growing up like weeds. These aren’t the traditional religions of the past, focused on the ancient gods of, say, the Greeks, or the Egyptians, or Norse mythology. Yet, their followers are every bit as fiercely passionate as those ancient pagans may have been. And their devotion to their deities every bit as complete.

The sort of “gods” we’ll discuss today are reflected in the words God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel in his condemnation of ancient Israel—a condemnation that rings just as true today. Ezekiel wrote, “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity…’” (Ezekiel 14:2–3).

“They have set up IDOLS IN THEIR HEARTS.” It’s easy to think of idols as statues of stone or gold—or even as engravings, icons, and other artwork. And such items often DO violate the Second of the Ten Commandments, to be sure!

Yet God reveals here that idol worship goes FAR BEYOND what we create with our hands! Man is particularly adept at creating idols in his HEART—false gods, to which he devotes himself religiously, submitting his mind, his actions, his morals, and his conscience.

And, my friends, today we are living in a virtual PANTHEON of idols of the heart: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES, SOCIAL CAUSES, IDENTITY ISSUES, NEW WORLDVIEWS… the world around us represents a growing collection of “New Gods,” ready for you to become their follower—and ready with lists of enlightened “New Doctrines,” “New Dogmas,” and “New Sins” for you to agree with and embrace as your own.

More than that—the followers of these “New Gods” are increasingly ready to wield power to FORCE belief in their faith upon the world and ready to PUNISH those who will not fall into line.

Unlike biblical Christianity, which from the beginning sought to win people’s hearts and minds through sound words and good example, the acolytes of these “New Gods” are more like what is seen in the apostate Christianity that followed: willing to do whatever it takes to forcibly compel either confession or compliance.

Whether it is the power of the courtroom, the power of the legislature, the power of the markets, or the power of the media, the faithful acolytes of these “New Gods” seek to punish anyone who dares defy the faith to which they have devoted themselves so fully.

In a moment, we’ll begin our look at several of these “New Gods”—including one that, I freely admit, truly breaks my heart.

Scientific and Environmentalist Fanaticism

Let’s take a look at some of the philosophies, worldviews, and mindsets of man that have been elevated to the status of “godhood” in our society today.

The first we’ll consider is SCIENCE. This one breaks my heart because I love science. Proverbs 25:2 tells us, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter,” and, to me, the practice of science demonstrates one of the best examples of searching out a matter.

Through the scientific method, human life has been greatly enhanced, and many sources of human disease, discomfort, and distress have been addressed. We’ve learned some of the secrets of the universe, and our understanding of our world is richer for it.

Yet science isn’t God. It doesn’t tell us right from wrong. The theories and experiments that revealed the secrets of the subatomic world also allowed us to build the weapons that would devastate Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, killing thousands.

No matter. When one is kicking God out of civilization, something has to take His place, and those who don’t understand the limitations of science (or don’t care) are happy to build altars to its name and declare it one of the “New Gods.” And like any other god, the religion its worshippers create has its orthodoxies, dogmas, and sins. As if invoking the name of their God, people seek to win arguments by claiming they have the “SCIENCE” on their side—regardless of whether, in reality, scientific studies give support to the other position, too.

Scientists are treated like priests, delivering the word of God—and the view of the majority of scientists is considered canonical truth, such that those who dare to DISAGREE with that canon are considered heretics to be “burned at the stake”—even if they are scientists, themselves.

Think that is harsh? Real-life experience says otherwise. The website “Free Science” lists the names of several scientists who have experienced virtual excommunication for their willingness to dissent from the dogma of evolution. They have faced the loss of positions, the loss of jobs, investigations by their departments, cancelation of their courses… In one case, that of double-PhD biologist Richard Sternberg, even the United States Office of Special Counsel concluded in its investigation, “It is… clear that a hostile work environment was created with the ultimate goal of forcing you out of the SI [that is the Smithsonian Institute]” (“Richard Sternberg,” Free Science, FreeScience.today). All because he had allowed a peer-reviewed paper, sympathetic to evidence of design in life instead of evolution, to be published in a science journal.

Because when Science is elevated to the status of false god, even a hint of disagreeing with evolution is a heresy, and heresy is not to be tolerated.

Another “New God” that many lump in with Science—though not at all exactly the same—is the “New God” of CLIMATE CHANGE.

And let me be up front. It makes good sense to be good stewards of the earth. Man wasn’t made for the earth, but the earth was made for man, and it makes sense to wisely manage our resources. And I’m not here to argue about whether global climate is actually changing, or whether mankind is the chief cause of that change.

Those things are beside the point, because once Climate Change has been elevated to the status of “godhood,” all things are thrown out of perspective. No other good matters next to serving the divine desires of Climate Change, and moral good and evil become determined by nothing more than their environmental impact.

Destroy a nation’s productive capacity, economic systems, and social structures to achieve a Green New Deal and save the environment. No problem. For the “New God” of Climate Change, the ultimate moral good is caring about the earth—or at least APPEARING TO OTHERS as though you care about the earth.

Political science professor Michael Munger made this point in a 2019 article for the American Institute for Economic Research. Upon giving a presentation at a recycling conference about how recycling glass is actually bad for the environment, given the pollution involved, the carbon costs, expense, etc., he expected pushback from the attendees, all of whom were die-hard recyclers. What he received, instead, surprised him. He writes:

One fellow was perfectly forthcoming: “Oh, we all know it makes no sense to recycle glass. The economic case is easy. But people should still recycle, because it’s simply the right thing to do. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE ACTUAL ENVIRONMENT. It’s about enlisting people to care about the SYMBOL of the environment. Overall, recycling is still worth doing, regardless of its effects.”

A young woman piped up: “It’s okay to say that sort of thing here, because we are insiders. But it’s better not to talk about the economics of things to the general public. We need to help TRAIN THEM to care about the environment, and recycling is one of the best ways to do that.”…

The message I had worried about, and expected to be controversial, was old hat to the industry folks. But it was beside the point, because recycling was for them a MORAL imperative. Once you begin to think of recycling as a symbol of RELIGIOUS DEVOTION rather than a pragmatic solution to environmental problems, the whole thing makes more sense (“For Most Things, Recycling Harms the Environment,” American Institute for Economic Research, AIER.org, August 14, 2019).

Going meatless because you are concerned about the cattle industry’s impact on global warming, deciding not to have children so as to reduce humanity’s “carbon footprint”—such steps are small prices to pay to ensure one satisfies the demands of the “New God” of Climate Change. But eat a burger, have a large family, or fail to recycle that soda bottle, and be prepared to be called out as a “sinner.”

Sexual Immorality and Even Thought Control

We’ve examined two of the “New Gods” of the modern age. Our next “New God” is SEXUAL ANARCHY.

When it comes to sex, the biblical model is simple: Humanity was created male and female, categories obvious in their biology. And they were created for each other, so that when man and woman committed to each other before God in marriage, then the benefits of marriage were available to them, including sexual intimacy and the children that would follow.

Yet, the “New God” of Sexual Anarchy dictates that sexuality and sexual nature is not bound by any rules, or constraints, or natural laws, at all.

In the eyes of devotees of this “New God,” the list of sins is long and detailed, but they can be summarized fairly simply: Anyone claiming to believe in biblical concepts of gender, sexuality, and marriage is to be labeled, at best, a prude, and at worst, a bigot. Such ideas are considered far too “restrictive” by the worshipers of Sexual Anarchy. And as the word “anarchy” implies, everything is up for grabs.

Sex is no longer confined to marriage. And marriage itself has been redefined to include any two people, regardless of their gender. In fact, even gender has been redefined—no longer correlating to the two sexes, male and female, but freed to move fluidly along a spectrum of possibilities—a spectrum without rules, constraints, or boundaries.

Each year, many children are sacrificed to this “New God” of Sexual Anarchy. Children not considered old enough to vote, serve in the military, or drive a car, are allowed to make fundamental and far-reaching decisions about changing their gender that will change their lives forever.

Even the courts have recently recognized at least some of the problems in such a position. On December 1, 2020, the BBC reported on a case brought against the UK’s National Health Service by several individuals, including a young woman who had been prescribed hormone blockers as a teenager to help her irreversibly prevent puberty, in line with her then-desire to be a male. The claimants won the case, arguing that children simply do not have the capacity to make decisions like that. In the words of one of the judges, “It is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers. It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers”.

But don’t expect the true believers in Sexual Anarchy to abandon their faith after one small setback. They will continue to seek to punish those individuals who believe biblical sexuality and morality is best for society—and sacrifices will continue to be made, as they march their faith forward.

In fact, faith in the “New God” of Sexual Anarchy is only one sect in a host of “New Religions” that fall under a broader “New God”—much like the gods of Ancient Greece were under Zeus, or the gods of the Romans under Jupiter. This larger “New God” could be dubbed SOCIAL REVOLUTION.

Part of the power of this “New God” is its ability to be cast in the image of the worshipper. If you believe sexual and gender norms are the Great Satan preventing society from progressing, then Revolution centers around that. If you’re a women’s studies major at an Ivy League university and believe that the world won’t be safe until the Patriarchy is destroyed, then the “New God” of Social Revolution is prepared to bless your cause. If you believe capitalism is the real bane of society, no matter how many lives it has helped, then the God of Social Revolution is ready with placards, signs, and even Molotov cocktails to help you press for socialism, communism, or even anarchy, if you prefer. And if the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., that his children would be judged by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin, seems “not quite enough,” then the god of Social Revolution is ready to arm you with Critical Race Theory—arming you for battle on social media and indoctrination in schools and workplaces.

“New Gods” bring “New Sins,” and for the god of Social Revolution, the greatest sin is increasingly ThoughtCrime, taken right out of the pages of George Orwell’s 1984. Those who think differently than the worshippers of Social Revolution must be canceled, sanctioned, and publicly disavowed. University professors are threatened with job loss, prestigious and successful writers, such as J.K. Rowling, are threatened with boycotts, and other media figures find their livelihoods endangered by discoveries of past Tweets or comments to the media, as Inquisitions examine every public statement to ensure their thinking is pure. Sometimes, after paying penance through very public apologies or social media posts in which they recant their former positions and declare fidelity to the new faith, individuals may be forgiven—though they tend to remain tainted.

The “sin” of wrong thinking is simply not to be tolerated.

Freedom from Sin?

Welcome back.

In a sense, these “New Gods” act more like the “Old Gods” of ancient mythology than they might seem. Like the stories of the Greek gods bickering back and forth in jealousy and spite, these false gods do the same from time to time. For instance, scientific studies that disagree with the conclusions of sexual anarchists are deemed hateful and inaccurate—not on factual grounds, but ideological. And even within the individual faiths generated by these “New Gods,” there is internal strife and conflict. Some of the most passionate and ugly debate that you will find on the Internet takes place between feminists and gender-identity advocates.

But, these “New Gods” are older than they appear for far deeper reasons. Each of them is simply a manifestation of a very different sort of false god, one who has reigned here on earth for quite some time: Satan the Devil.

Referring to him as “the god of this age”—or, in the King James, “the god of this world”—the Apostle Paul explains how Satan uses tactics like these false gods and idols of the heart to distract people from the truth that the REAL GOD OF THE BIBLE would have them understand;

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do nnot believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4).

Since the devil enticed Eve to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and gave to her husband to eat with her, mankind has trusted in his own philosophies, systems of government, and explorations of the world around him instead of the God who made him and who has a purpose for him. These “New Gods” are simply the latest in a long line of manifestations of a deceived mankind’s misplaced trust in his own foolishness.

But, thankfully, God has not abandoned us to our foolishness.

He will send Jesus Christ back to this earth, to restore all things and to usher in the Kingdom of God, the only true hope for humanity. In the light of that Kingdom, the “New Gods” will be judged, just as the gods of Egypt were when the Almighty freed the children of Israel.

Science will be returned to its natural place, as a tool for exploring the creation. Sexual anarchy will be replaced by peace of mind by the one who created sex. The environment will be healed, and mankind will be taught balanced ways of maintaining it for the good of humanity. And the ultimate social revolution will have taken place—all of society will look to God for His guidance, wisdom, and love.

May Christ soon return and save us from the day of “New Gods” by pointing the world to the True One.