| Tomorrow's World

The “Good News” Gospel!

The Bible warns of a false gospel with a false Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). Learn the real teachings of Jesus as Richard Ames shows scriptures about the true gospel of the Kingdom of God, true repentance, and true belief.

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

The End of the World?

The November 2023 National Geographic magazine featured the headline “The Race to Save The Planet: Can Technology Help Fix the Climate Crisis?” An almost universal feeling is that the end of the world is coming soon. And the Doomsday Clock maintained by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists confirms that danger!

Can science save us? Will God save us? Can we have any hope for the future? There is one source that outlines the history of the world and its guaranteed future, and that is this book, the Holy Bible. It reveals from the Creator of the Universe the detailed sequence of prophetic events, the ultimate condition of all nations on earth, and the encouraging future of humanity! On today’s program, we will reveal from the Bible the Good News God has in store for humanity.

There is a NEW world that is coming with the return of Jesus Christ to this earth! He will teach the world a way of life that leads to peace, prosperity, and abundance. And that is the good news, the gospel, that Jesus of Nazareth preached. You have probably never heard that gospel in your local church. But you will hear it on this program, “The Good News Gospel”!

Stay tuned!

A Gospel of Real Hope

We all yearn for good news, but the media and news programs shock us to the reality of apocalyptic dangers and Armageddon! As of January 2024, the famous Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of [the] Atomic Scientists has set the measure of danger to our world as 90 seconds before midnight!

The greatest prophet who ever lived, Jesus of Nazareth, warned that “no flesh would be saved” from the Great Tribulation to come. But He also said that “for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (that’s Matthew 24:21–22). Yes, the Savior of the world WILL intervene! He will return as He said in John 14:3, and He will establish a world of peace and prosperity called “The Kingdom of God.” Do you know THAT is the gospel He Himself preached?

Mark 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

On today’s program, we will share the good news revealed from your Bible! That good news includes a new “world to come” stated in Hebrews 2:5.

In the New Testament of your Bible, the English word “gospel” is translated from the Greek word euaggelion, which according to the NAS Exhaustive Concordance is translated “good news” or according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon is translated “good tidings” (“euaggelion,” BibleHub.com).

What IS the good news that Jesus preached? The world’s religions teach many so-called gospels. Which one, if any, is the TRUE gospel? The Apostle Paul warned the church in Corinth that they were accepting most any gospel. 2 Corinthians 11:2,

“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”

Or as the NIV states, verse 4, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”

The Corinthians were so tolerant and inclusive that they accepted a false gospel! My friends, have you taken for granted the religious messages given to you in your church? God tells us through the Apostle Paul, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” That’s why we say on Tomorrow’s World, don’t believe us just because we state something, but prove it from your own Bible. Or as the KJV states it, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

What, then, IS the good news Jesus preached? Again, as we read earlier in Mark 1:14–15, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

Here we see three elements in Jesus’ proclamation: One, the Kingdom of God; two, the nature of true repentance; and three, sincere and genuine belief.

Some believe the Kingdom is already here and that the church is the Kingdom! But God from heaven proclaims the COMING Kingdom, ruled by the King of kings, Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:1:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place.”

My friends, the book of Revelation is Christ’s message to you! Revelation 1:3:

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

How do we know that today’s mainstream Christian church is NOT the Kingdom of God? The message is very clear and powerful from heaven. The seventh trumpet announcement proclaims the greatest event in all human history. Read it in your own Bible! Revelation 11:15,

“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”

That’s the wonderful news of the gospel. The warring, selfish, oppressive nations of the world will be conquered and controlled by the King of kings! But first, the nations will fight against Christ at His coming! Revelation 11:18,

“The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

My friends, will you fight against God? You need to be on God’s side and rejoice in the coming Kingdom of God. As Jesus said, you also need to “believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

The Saints Will Rule With Jesus Christ

In the first part of our program, we saw that the gospel Jesus Himself preached was the Kingdom of God. The good news is the coming world of peace and prosperity under the Kingdom or government of God, ruled by the King of kings and Lord of lords. It will come after the great battle of Armageddon, or as it states in Revelation 16:14, “the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

Christ will win that battle, as we saw in the first part of our program:

“These [nations] will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).

What kind of government will rule all nations? First, the Kingdom has a ruler. And who is that? In Revelation 19 we read,

“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).

In the coming Kingdom of God, all peoples and all nations will learn the way to peace. Thank God for His loving government that will ensure world peace for all nations. The amazing world to come will have a universal system of laws to ensure godly liberty and freedom. Notice that in Micah 4:2,

“Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Weapons of war will be turned into instruments of peace and productivity. Some of you may have seen the sculpture outside of the United Nations in New York, depicting a man beating a sword into a plowshare. Imagine how the world will be transformed from destructive ways to productive ways. Micah 4:3, “He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Yes, God’s divine government will produce universal peace. The awesome prophecy of Isaiah will finally and completely be fulfilled:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:6–7).

The Prince of Peace will govern all nations! And who will assist Christ in ruling the nations?

The Apostle Peter asked Jesus what the apostles’ responsibilities would be. Matthew 19:28, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’”

Jesus also gave a vision of the kingdom to his disciples, Peter, James, and John. He told them in Matthew 16:28, “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Whom did they see in that vision? Matthew 17:1, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matthew 17:1–3). Yes, Moses and Elijah will be major governmental leaders in the kingdom to come. Then Jesus told His disciples, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead” (Matthew 17:9).

Who else will assist Christ in governing the world? In the inspiring free booklet we’re offering today, Dr. Roderick Meredith writes this concerning “Organization of God’s Kingdom”: “Who will rule under Christ? God certainly trained Abraham for a top position of high responsibility in the world ahead. Scripture calls Abraham ‘the heir of the world’ (Romans 4:13). Yes, God will reward Abraham for his faith by giving him a position of service over the whole earth!” (p. 4).

Yes, Abraham is the “heir of the world.” And WE will participate in that future IF we are truly Christian.

As it tells us in Galatians the third chapter: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26–29).

Not only will Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be rulers in the coming Kingdom, but so will ancient King David. God will unite the house of Judah and the house of Israel into one nation.

And who will rule over them in God’s coming Kingdom? Ezekiel 37:24,

“David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever” (Ezekiel 37:24–25).

Ancient King David was a man after God’s own heart, as it tells us in Acts 13:22. King David ruled over the combined kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and he will have that responsibility in God’s coming Kingdom.

Embracing the Kingdom: A Call to Transformation

And, my friends, you could be a part of that Kingdom. Faithful Christians will serve under Christ as kings and priests! Listen to the song of the saints in Revelation 5:9, speaking of Christ,

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, [now listen to this] And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10).

But how can we ever have lasting peace among nations? The answer, my friends, is by a change in human nature. Your Bible reveals the problem of human nature. Romans 8:7, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” The RSV states it this way: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot.” Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Or as the NIV states it, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

That’s why God has an awesome plan of salvation—that we can be converted from human nature to divine nature. If you have come to the place in YOUR life where you have repented and believe the gospel as Jesus stated in Mark 1:15, you may want to consider committing your life to Christ and to counsel for baptism. God made it plain what a repentant sinner must do.

The Apostle Peter stated in Acts 2:38, “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.”

The Lamb of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ, paid for your sins by His blood. We have been redeemed by “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” as it tells us in 1 Peter 1:19. Friends, you need to believe the good news that you can be forgiven of your sins.

The way to peace among all nations is a change in human nature. That change begins with education. We learn from the prophet Isaiah that peoples from all over the world will travel to the capital of the world to be reeducated!

“Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:3–4).

Instead of massive military expenditures on deadly weapons of mass destruction, nations will invest in the health and prosperity of their peoples!

The Messiah, the Prince of Peace, will teach all people in His Kingdom to repent of their evil and carnal nature. The prophet Ezekiel gives an example of the future survivors from the Great Tribulation. Ezekiel 36:24,

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36:24–28).

Yes, God will give them a humble and teachable heart. A heart that will learn the very love of God. As it tells us in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The whole world will learn the way to peace and true values. You need to seek that coming Kingdom. Jesus stated the very purpose and goal in life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (that’s Matthew 6:33)

Embracing the Vision: The Glorious Kingdom of God on Earth

In the conclusion of our program, I’d like to give you hope and encouragement. The good news of God’s coming Kingdom reveals the role faithful Christians will have in the world ahead. True Christians will be serving all nations as kings and priests, assisting the King of kings in re-educating the world to the way of true love, peace, and prosperity. Revelation 20 describes the role of faithful Christians during the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. Revelation 20:6,

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

My friends, visualize the transformed world under the King of kings. The amazing world ahead, the glorious Kingdom of God on earth, will produce beauty and productivity the world has never known. God has blessed the earth with awesome majestic mountains, fertile valleys, and productive plains. We marvel at pristine lakes and churning oceans. We appreciate the variety of flowers, plant life, birds, animals, and sea life. Even the very nature of ANIMALS will change.

Isaiah gives us this Millennial vision, ISAIAH 11:6,

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6–9).

Thank you for watching!

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See you next time!


The Real Haute Couture



Having fashionable clothing is nice—but is God concerned about it? What does God expect His people to wear? The Bible has more to say about how we should be clothed than one might think.

Your Questions, the Bible’s Answers! Part 3

With hard questions about Cain, the commandments, Enoch and Elijah, Wallace Smith answers using these Bible study principles: looking at clear verses to explain hard Bible verses, context, and all scriptures on a topic.

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

Three Hard Questions About Scripture

We live in an amazing time where the Bible, God’s word, is one of the most widely available books on the planet. Whether on a bookshelf in your home or on an app on your phone, most of us have a Bible easily within reach.

But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to understand. The truths of the Bible are simple, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have questions.

The good news is that God has answers! Join us on this episode of Tomorrow’s World for another installment of “Your Questions, the Bible’s Answers!” as we tackle three common and challenging questions and answer them directly from the pages of your Bible!

Who Was Cain’s Wife?

Greetings! Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.

You know, the Bible isn’t just a book—it’s the inspired word of God. The night before He was crucified, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, told His Father in prayer, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

However, that doesn’t mean it is always easy to understand. And—when you think about it—why should the Bible always be easy to understand? Its words are intended to convey to us the mind of God! And as our Creator tells us in Isaiah 55:8, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.”

Yet the Bible can be understood with God’s help and a little effort. And comprehending God’s word is worth that effort!

But today, we’re going to focus on three specific Bible questions and, in each case, not only explain the Bible’s answer, but also highlight the broader principles you can use in the future to answer Bible questions for yourself.

Our three questions today are:

  1. Where did Cain get his wife?
  2. Which are the right “Ten Commandments”?
  3. (And) Are Enoch and Elijah in heaven?

So, let’s get started!

Our first question is a favorite of atheists who seek to discredit the Bible, but also a legitimate question sometimes asked by sincere people simply trying to understand.

Genesis 1 and 2 are plain that the first human beings God created were Adam and Eve. And Genesis 4 speaks of their sons, Cain and Abel: “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the LORD.’ Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (Genesis 4:1–2).

You may know the story of Cain and Abel. Both brothers made offerings to God, but Cain’s offering was not as worthy as Abel’s. Instead of seeking to learn and improve, Cain became filled with anger, and, eventually, he killed his brother, Abel. Murder started early for the human race!

After God curses Cain for his sin, we read in Genesis 416–17, “Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch” (Genesis 4:16–17).

And THIS brings us to our first question! Many ask, “Where did Cain get his wife?” After all, Adam and Eve were the first humans, and the only two children mentioned here are Cain and Abel—two boys, one of which is dead. So, just whom did Cain eventually marry? Surely not a giraffe, or an oak tree! People marry people! And who was there for Cain to marry?

To answer this question, we need to consider the first principle we will apply for answering Bible questions: Examine the context around the verse or passage.

So, let’s examine additional verses near this tale in Genesis 4 to see if we can get more details. And, indeed, we can—right next door in Genesis 5! Beginning in verse one of Genesis 5, we read,

“This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:1–4).

Now note that: Adam lived another eight hundred years and continued conceiving sons and daughters. Yes, Adam and Eve’s family did not just consist of Cain, Abel, and Seth. Instead, when God commanded them in Genesis 1:28 to “be fruitful and multiply,” they did exactly that! And for how long? Notice that Genesis 5:5 says that “all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years”—that is a long life! Given that the events of Genesis 1, 2, and 3 were about 6,000 years ago, Adam lived almost one-sixth of that time! And that is plenty of time to have many children.

So, the answer to “Where did Cain get his wife?” is plain: Cain married one of his sisters.

Now, of course, today no one should marry his sister! But remember, we’re talking about the very beginning of humanity! God directly created Adam and Eve, personally designing every feature of their bodies and biology. The genetic problems that plague children of close kin today would not have been a problem in the beginning. And while God later forbids such relationships in His law, as seen, for example, in Leviticus 18:9, it simply wasn’t necessary at the beginning. In fact, after Adam and Eve, but before the laws of Leviticus, the patriarch Abraham was married to his half-sister (Genesis 20:12).

The point is that there need be no difficulty at all in understanding the Bible’s statement. Yes, Cain had a wife, and that wife was his sister—another descendant of Adam and Eve. Simply reading a little more of the context around the passage immediately clears up the question.

Which Ten Commandments are the Right Ones?

Our next question has not only been used by some in attempts to discredit the Bible, but has also been a source of confusion in different denominations claiming to be Christian. It might be called “The Case of the Battling Commandments.”

If you’re a longtime viewer of Tomorrow’s World, you’ve heard us teach about the vital importance of the Ten Commandments numerous times in the program. Jesus Christ loved the commandments, and Christians everywhere are commanded to live by them.

Yet, just what are the Ten Commandments?

Well, the answer you get will vary depending on whom you ask! The list of ten commandments given in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 is parsed differently by different groups. Here are the two main approaches:

For example, many would give the following summarized list of the Ten Commandments:

  1. You shall have no other gods.
  2. You shall make no graven images.
  3. You shall not take God’s name in vain.
  4. You shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
  5. You shall honor your father and your mother.
  6. You shall not murder.
  7. You shall not commit adultery.
  8. You shall not steal.
  9. You shall not bear false witness.
  10. [And] You shall not covet.

Yet, if you ask a Roman Catholic, you might get this list of summarized commandments:

  1. You shall have no other gods.
  2. You shall not take God’s name in vain.
  3. You shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
  4. You shall honor your father and your mother.
  5. You shall not murder.
  6. You shall not commit adultery.
  7. You shall not steal.
  8. You shall not bear false witness.
  9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
  10. [And] You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

You’ll surely notice that those two lists are not the same. The first one has a commandment against the use of idols, the Second Commandment. But that commandment doesn’t show up at all in the second list, the Roman Catholic one. And, in the first list, the last commandment is against coveting. But in the second list, the Roman Catholic one, that command is split into two commands: not coveting your neighbor’s wife and not coveting your neighbor’s goods.

So, that brings us to today’s second Bible question: “Which are the right ‘Ten Commandments’?”

We know that there are ten because the Bible says so, itself. We see this in Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Deuteronomy 10:4.

But which are the Ten?

To find the answer, you might look at Deuteronomy 5, which lists all ten commandments. There we see the final passage stated this way in verse 21: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

But should “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” be broken out as a separate commandment from “you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, etc.”? The verse numbering was added by scholars later, so that doesn’t help.

Looking at the verse, it seems that there is no way to tell—so is the answer to the question, “Which are the right ‘Ten Commandments’?,” “It depends on whom you ask”?

Nonsense! Because the truth is not determined by Roman Catholic councils or Lutheran synods or Evangelical conferences. The truth is determined by the word of God, and when it comes to His commandments, He makes the answer plain.

To discover it, we just need to use another helpful principle for understanding the Bible: Examine other scriptures that cover the same topic.

Jesus Christ said in John 10:35 that “the Scripture cannot be broken”—meaning God’s word does not contradict itself. So, if two passages of the Bible speak about the same subject, including the Ten Commandments, they must both be true.

In this case, we should ask ourselves: Is there any other passage that also lists the Ten Commandments, other than Deuteronomy 5?

And, yes, there is! The Ten Commandments are also listed in Exodus 20. In fact, that chapter comes before Deuteronomy 5, and is the chapter most would turn to first to read the Ten Commandments in the Bible. There, we can read the end of the commandments in verse 17: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Notice one very important difference from the way Moses worded the ending in Deuteronomy 5: When God spoke these words in Exodus 20, the part about not covering your neighbor’s wife is placed inside the rest—after the part about your neighbor’s house!

So, when God spoke the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, did He accidentally mix them up? Did He start by going from the eighth commandment and skipping the ninth to give part of the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house,” then jump back to the ninth commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” only to suddenly jump forward again to finish the tenth? That’s ridiculous! If anyone understands the Ten Commandments, it’s the divine One who spoke them aloud at Mount Sinai!

And these two passages, Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, cannot both be right if the commandment against coveting is split into two pieces—coveting your neighbor’s wife and then coveting everything else. They only work if there is only one commandment—the tenth commandment—against coveting anything that is your neighbor’s!

So, which Ten Commandments is the real Ten Commandments? The one that includes an explicit second commandment against making and worshiping idols and that has one unified tenth commandment against coveting.

And you don’t have to take my word for it. Take the Apostle Paul’s, who summarized the single tenth commandment himself as, simply, “You shall not covet.”

So, if you are wondering who gets the Ten Commandments right—your local clergyman or the Creator of the Universe who thundered them to His people at Mount Sinai—I’d stick with your Creator!

What Happened to Enoch and Elijah?

Our third question involves two famous individuals in the Bible: Enoch and Elijah the prophet.

Now in the case of Enoch, Genesis 5 gives us an interesting tale concerning this ancient patriarch. Amidst many who were sinning and living unrighteously, we read of him beginning in verse 21: “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:21–24).

The phrases “he was not” and “God took him” have led many to believe that Enoch was removed from earth and taken into heaven. In fact, when I was a child, I had a popular children’s Bible that told its version of the story of Enoch and titled it “The Man Who Walked into Heaven”! This understanding is bolstered in the eyes of many by the fact that the passage does not mention his death explicitly, and the Apostle Paul, writing in Hebrews, said that Enoch was “taken away so that he did not see death.”

Like Enoch, another biblical figure is thought by many to be in heaven: The prophet Elijah. In chapter 2 of the book of 2 Kings, we read how the time came for the mantle of prophetic leadership to be passed from Elijah to his protégé Elisha: “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).

Part of the challenge in these passages is that the language is ambiguous and open to interpretation. Nowhere in the story of Enoch are we told where he was taken, and nothing explicitly and clearly says that he did not die. And in the case of Elijah, the Bible speaks of three heavens: the air above us where birds fly and clouds move, the space above that in which the stars shine, and then what Paul calls “the third heaven” in which God dwells. Whenever “heaven” is mentioned in the pages of your Bible, it’s vital to keep in mind these three different possibilities and determine from the context which one applies to the passage. Which one applies here to Elijah’s chariot ride is not immediately clear.

All of this brings us to the common question: “Are Enoch and Elijah in heaven?”

That is, are Enoch and Elijah still living up in heaven, in the presence of God and the angels?

The details of what happened to Enoch and Elijah after their disappearance is a larger topic than we have time for, but the answer to the question itself is actually very easy—and it involves a third fundamental principle that is eminently helpful for anyone trying to understand the Bible: Use plain scriptures to help explain those that are more ambiguous.

In this case, the tales of Enoch and Elijah have ambiguities that we need to resolve. Yet, there are very plain passages that are far easier to understand. And these passages leave us no doubt as to whether or not Enoch and Elijah are alive in heaven.

Let’s look at one—spoken by none other than the Son of God, Himself: Jesus Christ! Speaking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who himself may have believed Enoch or Elijah were in heaven, Jesus is very plain, saying in John 3:13, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

There you have it from Jesus’ own mouth: no one has ascended into heaven. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and the Son of God, is the only man to have traversed both heaven and earth. He didn’t say “No one but two…” or “No one but Enoch and Elijah….” He said “No one.” And that leaves no room for our two Old Testament friends.

In fact, we can go further. We mentioned earlier that Enoch is mentioned in Hebrews. That passage, Hebrews 11, is called by some the “Heroes of Faith” chapter, and Enoch is mentioned in verse 5. But later, in verse 13, we are told very plainly what has happened to all of these “heroes of faith”: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises….”

“These all” would include Enoch, eight verses earlier. In fact, of course Enoch and Elijah have died. Romans 3:23 promises us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.”

More could be said, but no matter what tale we might speculate about concerning Enoch and Elijah, these plain verses limit us to what must be true: That Enoch and Elijah are now dead, awaiting their reward, and are not in heaven. To claim otherwise would be to disagree with the declaration of Jesus Christ Himself. In this case, the plain verses of the Bible add clarity to those that are more open to misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

How to Study the Bible

Concerning where Cain could have gotten his wife, we’ve seen that Adam and Eve had many children, including daughters, easily providing a wife for Cain.

Concerning which collection are the right “Ten Commandments,” we’ve seen that skipping the second commandment about idols and splitting the tenth commandment about coveting into two different commandments violates the word of God.

And as for Enoch and Elijah, we have determined that, no, they are not in heaven—trusting Jesus Christ when He says that He is the only man to have trod both heaven and earth at this time.

But more than simply answering three questions, we’ve also illustrated three solid principles that you can use in your own Bible study:

  • Examine the context around the verse or passage.
  • Examine other scriptures that cover the same topic.
  • [And] Use plain scriptures to help explain those that are more ambiguous.

And studying your Bible is worth the time you invest. As the Apostle Peter told Jesus Christ after His Master had just delivered a challenging message that was difficult to understand, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

And the inspired words of the Bible are just that: the words of eternal life. Your effort to understand them will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!

Thanks so much for watching. If you’re interested in the first four lessons of our free 24-lesson Bible Study Course, I hope you’ll go out to TWTV.org/study and request those four lessons yourself. Or, of course, you can click on the link that we’ve provided in the description below.

And we hope that you enjoy what we make here at Tomorrow’s World, we really do want to help you understand your world through the pages of your Bible.

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Thanks so much.


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