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7PROOFS
(Continued from page 3)
Next ,
1
happened to read where
Jesus said, "And no man hath as–
cended up to heaven, but he that
carne down from heaven, even the
Son of man" (John
3:
13).
I
re–
searched the heaven and hell teach–
ing further .
1
saw that the inspired
Peter, on the day he received the
Holy Spirit, said: "For David is not
ascended into the heavens" (Acts
2:34).
1
was, in utter astonishment, com–
ing to realize that what
1
had been
taught growing up in church was the
precise opposite of what the Bible
says in clear language.
This is not the place for a lengthy,
detai led account of my intensive
search in the Bible-when
1
was bent
on proving to
my
satisfact ion that
"all these churches can't be wrong–
for their teachíngs come from the Bi–
ble." The essential poínt here ís the
simple fact that
1
díd find irrefutable
PROOF of the divine inspiration a nd
SUPREME AUTHORITY of the Holy Bi–
ble as the revealed Word of God as
oríginally wrítten. Even all the so–
ca lled contradictions evaporated
upon unbiased study.
Yet, to my utter dismay and cha–
grín,
1
was forced to "eat crow" in
regard to my wife's supposed "fanati–
cism."
lt
was not what
l
wanted
to
belíeve, THEN! But by now
1
had tak–
en a real beating.
I
had
proved
truth
contrary to what
1
wanted
to be–
Iieve.
Let me pause here to add a point to
what
1
wrote above, sayíng most
people believe what they have repeat–
edly heard, read, or been taught.
There are two other psychological
truisms in regard to WHY people be–
lieve what they do. One is that people
carelessly accept what those around
them believe. Most Thais are Bud–
dhists, because those around them in
Thailand are Buddhists. There is the
psychological tendency to "go along"
with one's peers. One other reason
for people's beliefs ís that human na–
ture tends to cause one to believe
what he
wants
to believe- and re–
fu se, regardless of proof, what he
does not want to believe. There is the
40
old sayíng, "One convinced against
his will is of the same opinion still."
That is why 1 have said the experi–
ence
1
was painfully subjected to in
this six months' intensive study was
UNJQUEin human life a nd conduct.
1
know of no world religious leader
who arrived at his teachíngs in such a
manner. Perhaps that ís why Goo's
INSPIRED WORD
a/one-as
l
proved- ís TRUTH. Only Goo is in–
fallíbly correct!
1
was brought, by the spring of
1927, to a complete MIND-SWEEP–
ING-my mind swept clean of pre–
vious assumptions and beliefs and
surrendered to the WoRo OF Goo
which by then
1
had
proved
to be
TRUE and the SUPREME AUTHORITY.
More,
1
had been brought to real–
íze my own inadequacy and nothíng–
ness.
1
had been brought lo a real re–
pentance- CONQUERED by the
GREAT MAJESTJCGoo-and received
as God's gift a solid rock-based FAITH
in Jesus Christ.
1
was baptized, and
the indwelling of God's Spírít opened
my mínd tO the JOY UNSPEAKABLE of
knowing God and Jesus Christ- of
knowing TRUTH- and the warmth of
God's dívine LOVE!
What
1
once hatcd
1
now LOVED.
1
found the greatest and most absorb–
ingjoy of my life in
continuing
to dig
out those gold nuggets of TRUTH
from God's Word.
Now carne a new enthusiasm for
biblical study and receíving the RE–
VEALED knowledge of God .
And
1
was led to find that ONE and
ONLv true and original Church of
God, founded by Jesus Christ on the
Day of Pentecost, A.D. 31.
1
now revea1 to the reader SEVEN
MAJOR PROOFS that identify it.
ProofOne:
WHOAND
WHAT IS
GOD?
I
t seems utterly unbelievable! The
religions of this world do not know
WHO or WHAT God really is! Yet
religion
is
the worship of God.
How can one worship what is UN–
KNOWN?
The only answer is that the Bible
reveals that ALL NATIONS have been
deceived
(Rev. 12:9).
The true understanding of the very
identity of God is one proof that the
one and only Church founded A.O. 31
by Jesus Christ is, today, the World–
wide Church of God.
It seems inconceivable- but you
Jive today in a world of religious CON–
FUSION! Among the largest of the
world's religions are Buddhism, Con–
fucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Hin–
duism, Islam and Christianity, with
its hundreds of denominations and
sects. T he latter is the largest in
number of adherents.
And yet only one religion, neither
Roman Cathol ic nor Protestant ,
knows WHO and WHAT God is!
Modern science does not know.
Higher education does not know or
teach it. The intellectuals of the
world in the first century were the
Athenians. Certain philosophers of
the Epicureans and of the Stoics en–
countered the apostle Paul.
"Wha t will this babbler say?"
queried sorne in ridicule (Acts
17:18). Others sneered sarcastically,
" He seemeth to be a setter forth of
strangc gods."
They took Paul and brought him
to Areopagus, the supreme tribunal,
on Mars Hill.
" May we know," they asked cyni–
cally, "what this new doctrine,
whereof thou speakest, is? For thou
bringest certain strange things to our
ears."
Here were the world's most "schol–
arly." Paul was preaching the truth of
Goo.
"Ye men of Athens," said the
apostle forthrightly and boldly,
" 1
perceive that in all things ye are too
superstitious. For as
1
passed by, and
beheld your devotions [idolatrous ob–
jects of worship],
1
found an altar
with this inscription, TO THE UN–
KNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ig–
norantly worship, him declare
1
unto
you. Goo that made the world and
all things therein, seeing that he is
Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth
not in temples made with hands;
neither is worshipped with men's
hands, as though he needed any
thing, seeing he
giveth
to all life, and
breath, and all things; and hath made
of one blood all nations of men for to
The
PLAIN
TRUTH
February 1979