triumph prophetic ministries...

TRIUMPHPROPHETICMINISTRIES

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The Stanford Linear Accelerator

Why Science Hasn't "Discovered" God

BIBLECORRESPONDENCE COURSE

Lesson 8

An Open Letter from the Staff ...An Open Letter from the Staff ...

WE LIVE in an age of SKEPTICISM -- anage of doubt and disbelief! And no wonder.

Modern education has put a premium onMATERIALISM. The mere mention of "God" in theclassroom provokes LAUGHTER and RIDICULE.Morality has been thrown to the wind!

IS God a myth? An invention of an igno-rant, superstitious past? This question still hauntsmany a mind. Let's understand the TRUTH!

Today theologians and ministers, whoclaim to be "Christian," are promulgating the ideathat God is DEAD -- or that He simply NEVERWAS!

It's time that "Christian Atheism" was ex-posed for the fraud that it is. Why do men want tobelieve God is dead?

The answer is simple. Men do not want toadmit the AUTHORITY of God over their lives.They refuse to accept the Bible as God's authori-tative revelation to mankind!

With a convenient theology where GODNO LONGER EXISTS, obviously there would be noneed to OBEY Him. Each man can do what is rightin his own eyes. Each man can establish his OWNmoral principles -- set up his OWN "set of rules" tolive by. Each man thus becomes an authority untohimself! God is totally LEFT OUT of the picture!

Most of the world is IGNORANT of the RE-ALITY OF GOD! All creation stands as a WITNESSto the existence of a great Supreme CREATOR!That Creator is ALMIGHTY GOD!

And that God INSPIRED the writing of theBible -- His Instruction Book for mankind. There isno reason for ANYONE to remain in ignorance ofGod's existence today!

God is INVISIBLE SPIRIT. But man -- lim-ited by his PHYSICAL senses and instruments --cannot DETECT spirit. Therefore, God must SPE-CIALLY REVEAL Himself to mortal mankind.

Because man is aware of only the physicalworld around him, many have carelessly AS-SUMED that spirit beings do not exist. What folly!

GOD REALLY DOES EXIST -- as we aresoon going to see! Actually, spirit beings have ex-isted longer, have far superior minds, and are in-comparably more powerful than man!

Indeed man in his present form is as noth-ing. God says so! "All nations before Him are asnothing; and they are counted to Him LESS THANNOTHING, and vanity" (Isa. 40:17). And they wouldremain so if God didn't have marvelous PLANS formankind!

Read on for amazing revelations!

2 Triumph Prophetic Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course Lesson 8

E-Mail: Triumphpro.com Visit the Triumph Website at:http://triumphpro.com

TRIUMPH PROPHETIC MINISTRIES

BIBLECORRESPONDENCE COURSE

LESSON 8

Published at Altadena, California by Triumph Pro-phetic Ministries (Church of God).

EDITOR AND DIRECTORWilliam F. Dankenbring

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTRolf Burson

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTDonald Deist

YOUR ENROLLMENT has been paid by others.Bulk copies for distribution not given or sold.ADDRESS COMMUNICATIONS to the Editor atthe nearest address below:United States and Canada: P.O. Box 292, Alta-dena, California 91003.United Kingdom: 10 Union Street, Low Moor,Cllitheroe, Lancs., United Kingdom BB7 2NH.Australia: Private Box 166, Doonside, NSW 2767,Australia.Philippines: 18 Purok 3, San Carlos, Mexico,Pampanga, Philippines.Republic of South Africa: P.O. Box 157, PrinceAlbert, 6930, Republic of South Africa.Switzerland: Am Balsberg 15, CH-8302 Kolten,Switzerland.Malaysia: No. 38, SS 20/18, Damansara Utama,Petaling Jaya, Selangor 47400, Malaysia._________________________________

About Our Cover...

The Stanford Linear Acceleratoris used by scientists fromaround the world to examine the

characteristics of elementary particles. In this fantastic atomicand space age, man's scientific genius is virtually exploding inevery direction! Yet scientists have not "discovered" the GODwho originally made, and set in motion, the physical laws gov-erning their scientific achievements. There is a reason WHY!

Listen to what Almighty God says tothose who DOUBT His existence: "The FOOLhath said in his heart, 'There is no God' " (Ps.14:1).

Is God unreasonable? Does He expectyou to accept and believe in that which is un-provable and unreasonable?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! God says, "Come now, and let us REA-

SON together" (Isa.1:18). He WANTS us tohave basic PROOFS. He exhorts us to"PROVE all things" (I Thes. 5:21). He knowswe will not really be satisfied any other way.

The fact that God COMMANDS us toprove His existence shows that He has madeample provision to satisfy the sound and un-prejudiced mind.

Yes, God has made available theMEANS by which you can KNOW HE DOESEXIST! This fact should stand SUPREMEabove all other knowledge in our minds.

The Time to KNOW God!

We are at the virtual END of an age --the 6000-year period in which God has allowedman to be his own master and the molder of hisown destiny.

We're now at the very THRESHOLD ofthe "Day of the Lord" -- the Day of God'sWRATH upon rebellious mankind! It is to be atime such as never was before, nor shall beagain (Mat. 24:21).

It's TIME WE WAKE UP to the reali-ties that confront us! For Almighty God is soongoing to intervene in world affairs by greatPHYSICAL signs and wonders which men willactually SEE and FEEL!

God is already beginning to uproot the"little world" we have created for ourselves!

DISRUPTIONS on the earth are ALREADYBEGINNING TO OCCUR! And the prophe-sied "signs in the sun, and in the moon, and inthe stars" (Luke 21:25) will SOON be seen!

GOD IS BEGINNING TO INTER-VENE PERSONALLY!!

Here is your opportunity to KNOWTHE ETERNAL GOD BEFORE THE FULLFURY OF HIS WRATH IS UNLEASHED!

Yes, God is going to take a very defi-nite and ACTIVE part in your life from here onout! And when men SEE and FEEL the awe-some power of God in action, they will finallybe convinced that GOD DOES EXIST!

Who Or What Is God?

Just WHO, or WHAT, is God? Whenand how did He originate? Or has He existedforever? Where is He? What does He looklike? What are His surroundings like? DoesGod think as we do? What great powers andwonderful attributes does He possess?

What is the HOLY SPIRIT? What isGod's relationship to the Holy Spirit? Andwhat is Christ's relationship to the "Father"?

Did God create the heavens and theearth and all we see therein? Did He formulatelaws by which the universe functions? Is Godsustainer and ruler of all things?

And is the Bible really God's IN-SPIRED Word -- can we DEPEND on it?

These, and many other questions, cometo mind when the word "God" is mentioned.You will find the answers to all these questionsin the following pages of this Bible Course.

GOD IS ABOUT TO REVEAL HIM-SELF in a real and TANGIBLE way that willsimply astound you!

3 Triumph Prophetic Ministries BIBLE Correspondendence Course Lesson 8


GOD REVEALS HIMSELF!

And once having revealed Himself,God will give you IRREFUTABLE PROOFthat all He says in the Bible is TRUE!

This lesson, like all others, is extremelyimportant to you. Have you PRAYED to Godfor understanding? If not, go to a private place,kneel down, and ask Him for SPIRITUAL UN-DERSTANDING and wisdom. Ask God toHELP you grasp and APPLY the knowledgethis lesson will reveal to you in the Bible.

Don't forget to WRITE OUT THESCRIPTURES which answer the questions.This will help you greatly in REVIEWING andREMEMBERING what you have learned.

Now to begin the lesson itself!

LESSON 8

WHO-WHAT Is God?

Nearly all of us have been reared fromchildhood to ASSUME that "God" is ONE IN-DIVIDUAL PERSON. But your Bible reveals"God" is a kingdom, or family -- composed ofMORE than one divine person! Here are thefacts:

"In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth" (Gen.1:1). Shown is a small segment of own galaxy, the Milky Way,which contains approximately 100 BILLION suns!

1. Did "God" create the universe? Gen.1:1. Does Gen. 1:26 reveal that God is a PLU-RALITY of persons? Notice the words, "GODsaid, let Us ...."

COMMENT: The original Hebrewword for "God" in Gen. 1:1 and throughout theaccount of the creation is ELOHIM, which ac-tually means MORE THAN ONE! It is the plu-ral form of the Hebrew word "El," or "Eloah,"which can be correctly translated as "MightyOne." The plural form, as used in your Bible,means "The Mighty ONES" -- MORE than justone person.

Elohim is a UNIPLURAL noun, suchas "church," or "family," or "kingdom," whichstands for a SINGLE CLASS composed ofTWO OR MORE individuals. Elohim, then,means the "God KINGDOM," or "GodFAMILY."

And so "God" is not merely one person-- GOD IS A FAMILY! God is A KINGDOM-- the Supreme Divine Family which CRE-ATED and RULES the universe!

The GOSPEL JESUS BROUGHT tomankind is simply the GOOD NEWS OF THEKINGDOM OF GOD -- and that Kingdom ISGod. And, incredible as it may sound, Jesustaught that humans can be born into the RUL-ING divine FAMILY of God! But more aboutthis later.

Now let's understandWHO are the specific indi-viduals presently compos-ing "Elohim" -- the GodKingdom.

2. Was the "Word" withGod when "God" createdthe universe? John 1:1. Isthe Word also "God"?Same verse. Did the Worddo the ACTUAL WORK of

creating all things? Verse 3. And did the Wordlater become a flesh and blood HUMAN BE-ING? Verse 14.

3. Does the Bible plainly tell us JesusChrist created ALL the material universe -- in-cluding this earth and mankind? Eph. 3:9 andCol. 1:16-17. Then does the "Word" of John1:1 OBVIOUSLY refer to Jesus Christ? And



would the OTHER member of the God King-dom have to be the divine Person known as theFather? I Cor. 8:6.

COMMENT: John 1:1 and Gen. 1:1are two accounts of the SAME event -- theoriginal creation of the universe. They both re-veal that these TWO Supreme Beings of theGod Kingdom, PLANNING IN PERFECTACCORD, created all things.

The Greek word which is translatedinto English as "Word," in John 1:1, is LO-GOS. It literally means SPOKESMAN, or onewho SPEAKS. And so everything was MADEby the SPOKESMAN, or the LOGOS, who be-came CHRIST!

It was the Logos of the God Familywho SAID (spoke), "Let us make man in OURimage," thus executing His awesome office asthe very EXECUTIVE of the God Family!

4. Notice who is greater in the GodKingdom. Did Jesus say He and His Father are"one"? John 10:30 and 17:11. But did He alsoadmit that the Father is GREATER in authoritythan He? John 14:28. Notice also I Cor. 11:3.

COMMENT: Since the Father isgreater in authority and since Christ -- the"Word," or Logos (John 1:1) -- made all thingsfor the Father, then it is evident that the Fatherhas ALWAYS been in SUPREME commandin the Kingdom of God -- even BEFORE thebeginning of the material creation!

The Father-Son Relationship

The Father and Christ have been shownto presently constitute the Kingdom, or FAM-ILY of God. Now we need to understand howthe Father-and-Son relationship developed be-tween these two Supreme Beings. What is theTRUE origin of the Logos, or Word of God?What is His real relationship to God theFather?

1. What does Colossians 1:12-18 say?Does this passage indicate the origin of Christ?

COMMENT: When we read this

passage in context, it seems to clearly suggestthat the One who became Jesus Christ wasoriginally made, created, or fashioned in "theIMAGE of the invisible God" -- and that Hewas "the FIRSTBORN of every creature" orcreation of GOD the Father!

2. What does the word "firstborn" meanin Colossians 1:15? Is it translated from theGreek word "prototokos -- see Strong's Ex-haustive Concordance, #4416, 4413, 5088.

COMMENT: "Prototokos" means"foremost" in "time, place, order or impor-tance," and is translated "before, beginning,best, chief, first, at the beginning." It is the su-perlative of pro, which means "in front of,prior to"; and tokos is derived from tikto andteko, meaning, "to produce, (from seed, as amother, a plant, the earth, etc.) -- bear, be born,bring forth, be delivered." For this scripture tobe LITERALLY TRUE, and for the One whobecame Christ to have been the "FIRST-BORN" of every creature, He would literallyhave to have become the "FIRSTBORN" BE-FORE ANY OTHER CREATURE WASBORN OR CREATED! He would have tohave been FIRST!

3. What does the Greek word translated"creature" in this verse mean" Strong's #2937.

COMMENT: This word means "origi-nal formation," "building, creation, creature,ordinance." Thus when we examine this versecarefully, we find that Jesus Christ was BORNFIRST, before every other "original forma-tion," "creature," and "creation" and "ordi-nance" (or law) of heaven and earth! That is,after God the Father, He came FIRST, and was"FIRSTBORN"!

4. What do we read in Romans 8:29?COMMENT: The apostle Paul wrote,

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did pre-destinate to be conformed to the IMAGE OFHIS SON [who is in HIS own image! -- He-brews 1:1-2], that he might be the FIRST-BORN among MANY BRETHREN."



Now do you see? In the beginning,there was ONE God -- the "Father." In theprocess of time, He CREATED a FIRST-BORN SON -- THE LOGOS -- to share withHim in all creation, with whom He made theUniverse! Possibly He took a part of Himself,and fashioned that part -- that divine seed --into a complete copy, an IMAGE of Himself!

In the primordial beginning, there wasONE God, El, or "the Mighty One." Later, Hetook part of Himself and fashioned a compan-ion -- a SECOND member of the God Familyor Kingdom, thus ONE became TWO -- yetthey were still ONE in unity, function, and to-tal harmony. Thus the SINGULAR EL becamethe PLURAL ELOHIM!

5. More insight into this revelation canbe found in Proverbs 8:22-31.

COMMENT: Notice the phrases "IWAS BROUGHT FORTH" -- created, born!God the Father thus brought into being the Lo-gos, or "Wisdom" of God, the "Word." He"brought him forth," or created Him!

6. An example for Christ's creation canbe seen in the story of Eve's creation -- Gen.2:18.

COMMENT: Does this not indicatethat God decided, originally, that it was notgood for Himself to remain alone -- and so Hemade the word, or Logos, to be "an help meet[fitting] for Him"?

7. Notice what God did next: Gen.2:21-23.

COMMENT: Was the Logos origi-nally "taken out of" the Father, even as Evewas taken out of Adam, from his rib? Did Godsimilarly create the Logos in time primordial?With God, all things are possible (Matt.19:26). "For with God nothing shall be impos-sible" (Luke 1:37).

8. What did the Logos say in Isaiah44:6?

COMMENT: If the Logos had existedfrom eternity with the "Father" (as some be-lieve), how could He say He was "the first"?

He repeats this again in Isaiah 41:4. To be the"first" implies He had to be the firstborn --firstborn of what? FIRSTBORN OF MANYBRETHREN!

Simple logic impels us to the conclu-sion that in the beginning there was originallyONE, and in a later "beginning," there were"Two." This is the real meaning of John 1:1,for in the original Greek language we read, lit-erally: "In a beginning was the Word, and theWord was with God, and the Word was God."

9. After His resurrection from the dead,was Christ restored to His former great powerand glory as God? Rev. 3:21. Then is theKingdom of God plainly the ruling Family ofGod -- composed at the present of the Fatherand Son -- to which the God Family is in theprocess of adding MANY OTHER Sons ofGod"? Romans 8:29. Notice, again, the words"FIRSTBORN among MANY brethren."

COMMENT: The Father-and-Son re-lationship of the God Kingdom clearly beganwhen Jesus (as the Logos) was "brought forth"-- procreated -- from the Father!

Christ -- "LORD GOD" of the Old Testa-ment

1. Did God the Father take NO DI-

RECT part in the affairs of this world in OldTestament times? John 1:18 and 5:37.

2. But what does the New Testamentsay of Christ, the "Word," who WAS taking anactive part then? I Cor. 10:4. Is the "Rock"one of His titles? Same verse.

3. Was this Rock called the "LORD" inOld Testament times? II Sam. 22:2-3.

COMMENT: In the King JamesAuthorized Version of the Bible, the word"LORD" is frequently used, and usually ap-pears in small capital letters. Wherever thisword appears in CAPITAL letters, it is trans-lated from the Hebrew word YHVH."

In writing in Hebrew, the vowels areomitted. They are supplied only in speaking the



language. Thus the precise pronunciation of"YHVH" is not definitely known. Today it iscommonly ASSUMED to be YAHVEH orYAHWEH. Careful scholarship, however, in-dicates that Yahveh -- with a "V" -- is the cor-rect pronounciation.

The YHVH, when more correctly trans-lated, implies "The ETERNAL" or the EVER-LIVING ONE, rather than "Lord." ThisHebrew word reveals that the LORD GOD OFTHE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE CHRISTOF OUR DAY! Notice this further in yourBible:

4. Did David speak of this SAME Rockor LORD as his "God"? Ps. 18:1-2.

COMMENT: The word "God" actu-ally has two meanings: the God Kingdom, orthe Family of God; AND the PERSONS com-posing that Kingdom, or Family. Christ and theFather are ONE God -- one "ELOHIM" -- butTWO SEPARATE PERSONS!

But the Lord -- YAHVEH -- was theACTIVE PARTNER of the Father, in GUID-ING Old Testament Israel. He was "God" --the divine SPOKESMAN, or "Word" of theGodhead -- in Old Testament times. And it wasYAHVEH who spoke to Adam and Eve in theGarden of Eden!

And so the "LORD" who SPOKE andwas SEEN of men was always Jesus Christ.For NO ONE has ever seen the Father (John1:18; 5:37).

5. Who did Christ tell Israel He was?Isa. 48:17. Is the term "Lord thy God" usedhere? This was the WORD -- not the Father --who spoke. What did He tell Israel He haddone, and what He would be to them in the fu-ture? Isa. 43:15.

6. Was it ALSO the Word -- Christ --who GAVE the TEN COMMANDMENTS?Ex. 20:1-2. Also read verses 3 through 17.

COMMENT: The Hebrew word forLord in Exodus 20 is YAHVEH. So here againit was the Logos -- who later became CHRIST-- who was doing the ACTUAL WORK of

giving the Ten Commandments, for the Fatherhad TURNED THIS WORK OVER TO HIM!

7. Did this same "Lord God" prophesythat in the future -- in the Millennium -- Hewould ACTIVELY gather Israel out of the na-tions where they had been scattered? Ezek.11:17. And when He, as Christ the Son, hassubdued all things, what will He do? I Cor.15:28.

COMMENT: How plain it is that thedivine Person of the God Family who becamethe Christ was the ACTIVE "LORD GOD" inOld Testament times -- REPRESENTING andACTING on behalf of the One who became theFather!

Where Is God?

1. To whom did Christ tell us to ad-dress our prayers? Mat. 6:9. WHERE is theOne whom we address? Same verse. DidChrist make a direct statement that the Fatheris IN HEAVEN? Mat. 7:21.

2. Is there MORE than one heaven?Gen. 2:1. Was Paul, IN VISION, taken to the"THIRD heaven" of God's throne? II Cor.12:1-2, 4. Did Christ go to the heaven of theFather's throne after His resurrection? Rev.3:21. Is He still there? Same verse. And is theFather still there? Same verse.

3. How do we know the Father is NOTin one of the "heavens" close to this earth?John 3:12. Notice the words "no MAN."

COMMENT: The Bible clearly showsthere are THREE "heavens." The first consistsof the atmosphere surrounding this earth inwhich the clouds form. The second consists ofthe vast reaches of space beyond the earth'satmosphere.

Today's modern jet aircraft soar highabove the earth in the first heaven. Andmanned space probes have but barely pene-trated the second heaven. But the Father is lo-cated far beyond the second heaven, for "no



MAN has ascended" to God's throne in theTHIRD HEAVEN!

Notice Hebrews 4:14 in the KingJames Version. The expression, "into the heav-ens," should be properly translated from theoriginal inspired Greek: "Having therefore agreat high priest, who passed THROUGH theheavens ...." Christ passed THROUGH thevisible first and second heavens to reach theheaven of God's throne -- THE THIRDHEAVEN.

4. Is God associated with "Mount Zion"and the "HEAVENLY Jerusalem"? Heb.12:22. Does Gal. 4:26 also verify the fact thatthis city is the HEAVENLY Jerusalem?

COMMENT: The heavenly Jeru-salem and God the Father will finallycome down to this earth after it is puri-fied. Revelation 21 and 22 describe thiswonderful event. A discussion of thismarvelous occurrence will be taken up inlater lessons.

5. Does God dwell in a TEMPLEon spiritual Mount Zion? Ps. 11:4. Andupon what does He sit? Same verse.

COMMENT: Did you know thatGod's Plan is DUAL? In the third heaven existsthe heavenly City of Jerusalem. Also theHEAVENLY Mount Zion, the mount on whichthe temple of the "Jerusalem above" is located.

Now in Israel today exists theEARTHLY city of Jerusalem. And there hasbeen, and is to be, an EARTHLY "MountZion" -- the temple mount of the earthly city ofJerusalem on which the millennial temple ofGod will stand (Micah 4:1-2).

The EARTHLY, temporal city andmount are plainly physical TYPES of the heav-enly mount and city which are SPIRITUAL.These physical types are but a few of the manyearthly REMINDERS of heavenly things soimportant for us to be aware of!

6. Will we be able to SEE spiritual ob-jects when we are BORN of God -- trans-

formed at the resurrection into spirit beings? IJohn 3:2.

What Does God Look Like?

Most people think it is impossible toknow what God really looks like. But GodHAS made it possible. And the description iscontained in your Bible!

The Father and Christ will now becomemore REAL and PERSONAL to you than everbefore! Here are the details:

1. Has any human being ever SEEN theFather's shape? John 5:37.

2. Was Christ with the Father before He

View of Gemini 6 spacecraft as seen from Gemini 7 during his-toric rendezvous at the edge of the "second heaven." Clouds be-low are in atmosphere of the "first heaven."

appeared on this earth as the human Jesus?John 8:38 and 6:46. Then would Christ be ina position to DESCRIBE what the Father lookslike?

3. Did Christ reveal the Father to us?John 1:18. Who did Christ say the Fatherlooks like? John 14:9. Was Christ a mortalman when He made this statement? Does theFather therefore appear like a MAN?

COMMENT: Christ clearly indicatedthat the Father has the general FORM andSTATURE of a mortal man!

4. What did God say at creation whichfurther verifies the fact that He has the FORMof a man? Gen. 1:26. Did He declare that theINVISIBLE things -- including God -- can be



clearly understood by the VISIBLE CREA-TION -- including mortal man -- which Godmade? Rom. 1:20.

5. But there is more to God's appear-ance than just His form and size. What didChrist ask the Father to do just before He wastaken to be crucified? John 17:5.

COMMENT: Christ was soon going tobe with the Father again. He was asking the Fa-ther to restore Him to the same GLORIFIEDCONDITION which He had with the FatherBEFORE He became a mortal being. He

View of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives. The city is a physicalreminder of the "heavenly Jerusalem" located in the "thirdheaven" of God's throne.

looked forward to having His former greatpower and GLORIFIED SPIRIT BODY re-stored to Him once again!

6. How do Christ's and the Father'spowerful, GLORIFIED spirit bodies appear?Rev. 1:13-16. Remember that the "Son ofman" specifically mentioned here is Christ(Dan. 7:13-14).

COMMENT: To be "glorified" meansto have GREAT POWER and GLORY! Thepower which the Father and Christ have IS SOGREAT that it makes their human-appearingspirit bodies SHINE AS BRIGHT AS THESUN IN FULL STRENGTH!

Has God ETERNALLY Existed?

In the Bible God reveals Himself as theCREATOR of all there is -- this vast materialuniverse, angelic beings, light, life (Rev. 4:11).Now since God created all these, then He cer-tainly existed BEFORE they did. His time goesback BEFORE all of them.

"But WHO created God?" someone iscertain to ask. This question does naturally en-ter our minds. Let's learn the simple answerfrom the Bible.

1. In Lesson 6, it wasshown that the "Word," orLOGOS -- who later becameChrist -- served in the officeof the Father's High Priest.Christ was the One who wasknown as the "Lord God" bythe Old Testament nations.Did Melchizedek have amother or father -- did Heever have a beginning" whenHe FIRST came into exis-tence? Heb. 7:3.

COMMENT: Manypeople take this verse in He-

brews to mean that Christ had no "beginning"-- in other words, that He was not created butexisted from time eternal along with the Fa-ther. But this is not true. This verse onlydeclares that Melchisedek had no beginning of"DAYS." Why is this? The answer is reallyvery simple -- A "DAY" is a 24 hour periodof time defined by the rotation of the earth. SoMelchisedek was created before DAYS were!

In other words, days, years, months,hours -- TIME ITSELF -- was created after the Logos was born, or procreated, by Godthe Father! Therefore, the Logos existedBEFORE the first "day" ever arrived! Clearlythen He had no "beginning of days," -- for the the Logos, or Melchisedek wasALREADY inexiistence when "TIME" was created! WhenHis actual, original creation occurred, we



DON'T KNOW. It may have been thousandsof years ago -- or millions of years in the past-- we simply are not told!

As Melchizedek had no recorded prede-cessor or successor in His priesthood, so tooChrist was preceded by no high priest similarto Himself, and the Bible shows that none willever succeed Him. Bottom line: MelchizedekWAS the One who became Christ!

2. How long has God existed? Ps. 90:2.Will He CONTINUE to exist forever? Sameverse and Rev. 4:8-10.

3. Does God promise to give ETER-NAL life to the dead in Christ at the resurrec-tion? John 5:25. Could God impart eternal lifeif He were NOT eternal Himself? Verse 26.

COMMENT: God (the Father) isETERNAL. GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN! Doyou need a creator for a being that has alwaysexisted? Of course not!

The difficulty in understanding ETER-NITY lies in our human minds. We deal in FI-NITE things -- dollars and cents, years, miles,acres, gallons, pounds. We measure, count andestimate in units, always arriving at a DEFI-NITE quantity.

But eternity is WITHOUT beginning. Itis WITHOUT END! Eternity cannot be limitedto a definite number of years. Even as numberscan go on forever, so does God's life intoBOTH the past and the future.

Those things which have not alwaysexisted require a creator. But things whichhave always existed need no creator.

The material universe was created at aDEFINITE TIME in the past. Both science andscripture are firm on this point. Therefore thecreation is temporal and had a creator. SINCEALL IN EXISTENCE EXCEPT THE CREA-TOR IS TEMPORAL, THEN HE MUST BEETERNAL! He could not have had a begin-ning of days!

GOD THE FATHER ALONE ISETERNAL in this original sense of the word!

God Is Spirit

1. God has already shown us that Hehas a body (Rev. 1:13-16). But what does Godsay He is COMPOSED of? John 4:24.

COMMENT: Now we see one of thegreat DIFFERENCES between God and man.God is composed of invisible spirit. Man is butmortal flesh and blood -- composed of theearth (I Cor. 15:47)

Let's notice another great difference be-tween God and man.

2. What is God's characteristic ATTI-TUDE? Ps. 99:9.

COMMENT: The word "holy" meansPURE OF HEART or free from sin. Since Godis composed of SPIRIT and has this holy atti-tude, it is correct to call God a "Holy Spirit."God is the very PERSONIFICATION of THEHoly Spirit.

3. Is there anyone who is as Holy asGod? I Sam. 2:2.

COMMENT: Since BOTH the Fatherand Christ constitute God -- the Family of God-- both INDIVIDUALLY have the Holy Spirit.The HOLY SPIRIT is the ONE harmonious,perfect HOLY ATTITUDE OF MIND which isshared by both Father and Son. This spirit orattitude of mind is called The Holy Spirit!There is but ONE PERFECT Spirit! (Eph.4:4.)

God Is CREATOR and SUSTAINER

1. Is God's Spirit also the Spirit ofGREAT POWER? Gen. 1:1-3 and Jer. 32:17.

COMMENT: It was by the Spirit ofGod that God originally created and later RE-fashioned our earth, as shown in the first chap-ter of Genesis.

The Holy Spirit is the very POWER ofGod! It EXPRESSES the unified creative willof the God Family. It TRANSFORMED spiritenergy from God into the material world wesee about us (Heb. 11:3).



The Holy Spirit OF God may be com-pared to a TOOL or MACHINE. A tool servesman in making things. The Holy Spirit servesthis same purpose for God. But spirit is capableof infinite work -- never running down becauseof dissipation or friction. And God's divineSpirit fills the universe. (Ps. 139:7; Jer.23:24). How clear it is that the Holy Spirit isNOT a THIRD PERSON of the Godhead astaught by the pagan "trinity" idea!

When we speak of the Holy Spirit,many cannot understand what it is becausespiritual qualities and entities seem so unreal tomost people. And no wonder. Spiritual thingsare INVISIBLE, not discerned by the physicalsenses. They must be REVEALED in writingin the BIBLE!

Only the Bible makes clear the natureof the Holy Spirit. Man is matter. God isinvisible spirit. And spirit, unlike mortal man,is ETERNAL (I Cor. 15:53).

2. How did God utilize His Spirit ofpower to fashion His various creations? Ps.148:5. Notice the word "commanded." Readalso verses 1-4; Ps. 33:8-9 and Gen. 1:2-3.

COMMENT: Christ -- the Logos, or"Word (John 1:1) -- "SPAKE AND IT WASDONE." He is the One who said, "Let there belight" -- and the Spirit of God, moving over theface of the waters PERFORMED the com-mand, and "there was light" -- INSTANTLY!The Holy Spirit is a miracle-working power!

3. Is this method still being used inNew Testament times -- HOW did Christ"make" enough bread and fish out of "fiveloaves and two fishes" to feed five thousandpeople? Mat. 14:15-21. Did He merelySPEAK WORDS to God? Verse 19. Whatdoes God say to those who do not think He cancreate things this way? Isa. 55:8-9.

COMMENT: When God originallycreated the earth and the heavens, NO MAT-TER existed. He willed that spirit ENERGYfrom Himself be TRANSFORMED into physi-cal energy and matter.

But when Christ spoke, the Fathercould have produced the food in two ways: ei-ther by transforming spirit ENERGY intoNEW bread and fish, or by transforming theALREADY EXISTING food material into AD-DITIONAL bread and fish. On another occa-sion, Christ was also able to still the waves of aroaring sea by the spirit energy which the Fa-ther supplied (Mat. 8:23-27).

God WILLS and SPEAKS His will,and HIS SPIRIT ACTS on any and all thingsHe has created. All nature obeys His will! Wedo not understand, and God does not reveal,the exact mechanism. But He does revealenough of the GENERAL PROCESS. And wedo have historical and scientific PROOF thatall nature is obedient to Him. Christ's miraclesare also PROOFS of this.

4. Does God also use His Spirit ofpower to SUSTAIN and RULE His vast heav-enly and earthly creation? Nehemiah 9:6;Heb. 1:2-3 and Ps. 66:7.

COMMENT: God sits at the controlsof the entire universe -- He rules and sustainseverything by the POWER of His Holy Spirit!

5. Exactly what does God sustain byHis power -- did He set in motion specificPHYSICAL LAWS by which the materialcreation functions? Jer. 33:25. Does the sunfiguratively OBEY God? Job 38:12 and Ps.104:19. How does the earth APPEAR to besuspended? Job 26:7.

COMMENT: The dictionary definesthe word "sustain" as "to hold suspended, tosupport, to keep alive, to keep from ruin."

God's creation would literally "flyapart," were it not for the LAWS He set in mo-tion to govern its functioning. And God SUS-TAINS the laws governing His creation --whether on earth or in the heavens above,whether living or lifeless -- by the POWER ofHIS SPIRIT!

Thus you might say the creation func-tions AUTOMATICALLY -- much like a mod-ern space age computer which has been



PRE-programmed to perform specific opera-tions. God's Spirit is the ENERGIZING forcewhich keeps the laws of the universe operating,just as electrical current energizes and operatesa computer.

This little analogy points up the factthat God is a God of law and order (I Cor.14:33). He CAREFULLY PLANNED and cal-culated His creation to operate smoothly andefficiently -- according to His INEXORABLE"laws of physics"!

Notice, too, that the assignment ofGod's energy to the task of maintaining thephysical laws of the universe is a LONGTERM assignment, in contrast to most of theSHORT TERM assignments of performingChrist's miracles.

And so God directs His Holy Spirit inattaining His purpose. It FLOWS OUT fromHim and back again -- much like current in anelectrical circuit -- and is felt EVERYWHEREin good works (Ps. 139:7-11).

Attributes of the God Family

1. Was King Solomon the wisest manwho ever lived because GOD gave him wis-dom? I Kings 3:11-12; 10:24. Then is the GodKingdom ALL-wise -- the SOURCE of all truewisdom? Dan. 2:20; I Tim. 1:17 and Jas. 1:5.

2. Does the God Family have PER-FECT knowledge? Job 37:14,16.

COMMENT: Since the Father and Sontogether constitute the ONE Kingdom of God,BOTH possess the same characteristics, or at-tributes. Remember, Christ said, "I and my Fa-ther are ONE" (John 10:30).

3. Does God know the SECRET of ex-istence without dependence upon anything --needing no food, shelter or other necessities soneedful for man's existence? What is Hecalled? Isa. 40:28.

COMMENT: The Hebrew word trans-lated "Lord" here can also mean "The Self-Existent One."

4. Does God also know the secret ofETERNAL LIFE -- life WITHOUT END?John 5:26. Is He tireless? Isa. 40:28.

5. Is there any way by which we mor-tals may, OF OURSELVES, learn the secretsof God? Same verse. Also Rom. 11:33 and Ps.145:3. To WHOM does God reveal certain se-crets? Dan. 2:22; Prov. 3:32 and Ps. 25:14.Does He even reveal the FUTURE to Hiscalled ministers? Amos 3:7.

6. Is there any limit to God's under-standing? Ps. 147:5

7. And has God UNLIMITEDPOWER? Ps. 62:11 and Mat. 19:26. Does thefact that He created our earth prove this? Gen.1:1. Did He also create all of the heavenly bod-ies -- the sun, moon and stars? Ps. 8:3; 104:2.Can feeble, mortal man COUNT their number?Jer. 33:22. But does God KNOW their number-- EVEN THEIR NAMES? Ps. 147:4

COMMENT: Our earth is but a tinySPECK OF DUST compared to other giganticheavenly bodies. Take for example our sun. Itis a relatively SMALL star within our "MilkyWay" galaxy. Yet, its total volume is 1,300,000TIMES THAT OF OUR EARTH!

As for the NUMBER of stars in theuniverse, God says man is UTTERLY INCA-PABLE of counting all of them! Using thehuge 200-inch Hale telescope on Mt. Palomarin California, astronomers have been ABLE tocount over 600,000 stars in the Constellation ofOrion alone! But the following figures vividlyillustrate man's LIMITATIONS.

The September, 1956 issue of ScientificAmerican magazine, was a special number de-voted entirely to man's knowledge of the uni-verse. One article stated that present daytelescopes have "shown the Milky Way systemto be a lens-shaped collection of some ONEHUNDRED BILLION stars, with the sun outtoward the rim" (page 79).

This same issue pointed out that BIL-LIONS OF GALAXIES are visible beyond ourown -- each with about as many stars in it as



the Milky Way! Radio telescopes have pene-trated even further. But you can plainly see thatthe number of galaxies BEYOND the range ofman's limited instruments would be a VERYPOOR EDUCATED GUESS!

8. Can God FORETELL future events?Dan. 2:28. Why? Verses 20-21. Then can Godforetell the future because He has the POWERTO MAKE what He says come to pass? Mat.19:26.

Gigantic 200-inch Hale Telescope inside dome-shaped building,reveals a fraction of God's infinite power and glory!

9. Does God have a perfect memory?Ps. 147:4; Amos 8:7 and Hos. 7:2. Does Healso have perfect control over His memory --can He COMPLETELY FORGET if He sowills? Jer. 31:34.

10. Is God TRUTHFUL? Titus 1:2.LOVING? I John 4:8. JUST? Deut. 32:4.MERCIFUL? Ps. 136:4.

11. Is God capable of INSTANT COM-MUNICATIONS -- can He know what is goingon EVERYWHERE at all times? Jer. 23:23.What does God say He fills? Verse 24. Howcould God be everywhere at one time? Ps.139:7-8. Can God, in heaven, even know whata person is thinking here on earth? Verse 2.

COMMENT: Mortal man is limited bytime and space. For example, radio contact be-tween Mariner IV (which took history-making

photographs of planet Mars) and earth was lim-ited by the fact that radio waves travel at the"slow" speed of light -- 186,000 miles per sec-ond. This meant that radio commands transmit-ted to the space probe took approximately 12minutes traveling time to reach it as it swungpast Mars -- 134,000,000 miles from earth!And telemetric data from Mariner IV took an-other 12 minutes to reach earth -- a24-MINUTE ROUND TRIP!

But because the Spirit of Al-mighty God is not limited by time andspace, God is able to INSTANTLYKNOW what is taking place here onearth, or anywhere else in the universe!By His Spirit, God is able to evenREAD our very thoughts from heavenabove!

12. And by His Spirit, is Godable to "see" what anyone is doingfrom His throne in heaven -- untoldmillions or billions of miles away?Prov. 5:21. Does He give thought tothe actions of men? Same verse. Alsonotice II Chron. 16:9 and Jer. 32:19. 13. Does God KNOW your general

ATTITUDE? I Kings 8:39. 14. Does He HEAR the groanings of

His people? Ps. 38:9. How? Rom. 8:23, 26-27.15. Does God know the number of

STEPS you take? Job 14:16 and 31:4. 16. Does God know the number of

HAIRS on your head? Mat. 10:30. Does Heeven take note of a bird when it FALLS to theground? Mat. 10:29, Do you think these thingsare impossible? What does God say? Mat.19:26, And what did Job say of God? Job42:2.

17. Is God capable of lightning-liketravel? Mat. 24:27. Then will Christ circle theearth with the SPEED OF LIGHT at His sec-ond coming so all the world can see Him?Luke 17:24.

COMMENT: At Christ's coming, Hewill circle the earth with the speed of light and



the righteous, now made spirit, will rise tomeet Him in the air (I Thes. 4:16-17).

18. Let's notice a few other miraculousqualities of the God Family. After Christ wasresurrected and in His spirit body, did HeSUDDENLY APPEAR to His disciples? John20:19. Then is God capable of passing throughsolids such as doors and walls? Same verse.(Notice that the doors were LOCKED!) Whatwas their reaction? Luke 24:36-37. Did Healso manifest Himself in a PHYSICAL BODYof flesh and bone that could be FELT? Verse39.

Radio contact between Mariner 4 and earth's tracking stationswas limited by the speed of light. God's universal communicationssystem is INSTANTANEOUS!

19. Does the Almighty, Eternal, CreatorGod -- who is rightly able to evaluate -- con-sider that He is INCOMPREHENSIBLY FARABOVE man's PUNY capabilities and accom-plishments? Isa. 40:17-18.

Should we be thankful that God evenconsiders us at all? Ps. 8:3-4.

Just how does man, in his present form,really stand in COMPARISON to AlmightyGod? Dan. 4:35.

God IMPARTS His Attributes to US!

Incredible as it may sound, God will ac-tually IMPART His spiritual attributes to YOUand ME!

God's great and wonderful PURPOSEfor our existence is revealed in the Bible. God'splan is to create perfect SPIRITUAL CHAR-ACTERS out of mortal mankind -- literalBORN Sons of God's Family!

Man's creation in the Garden of Edenwas complete only in the PHYSICAL sense.He was created a perfect physical specimen --but NOT a perfect SPIRITUAL creation! Hewas created WITHOUT the divine SPIRI-TUAL POWER which God has made availableto all mankind -- the power to ACCOMPLISHHis purpose in us!

Here's a glimpseof the spiritual crea-tion God wants toproduce in you. Andhere's how youCAN RECEIVE thevery attributes andpower of God!

1. Is God still inthe PROCESS offorming and mold-ing man as a potterworks with clay?Isa. 64:8.

2. Did Job realize God was forming aSPECIAL CREATION in his life? Job14:14-15.

COMMENT: Notice especially the lat-ter part of Job 14:15: "THOU WILT HAVE ADESIRE TO THE WORK OF THINEHANDS." The "work" was JOB! Job knew hewas merely a piece of divine WORKMAN-SHIP in the hands of the active Creator. Merelya piece of PLIABLE CLAY in the hands of theMaster Potter!

3. Are spirit-led Christians being fash-ioned by God for a SPECIFIC purpose? Isa.43:7 and Eph. 2:10.

COMMENT: The word "WE" in NewTestament language refers to spirit-directedCHRISTIANS. WE, then -- if we are God'schildren -- are God's WORKMANSHIP. Yes,



we are "created" -- NOW BEING CREATED-- UNTO GOOD WORKS -- unto a perfectSPIRITUAL CHARACTER which can per-form wonderful good works.

So what God is actually creating inspirit directed humans is the SUPREME MAS-TERPIECE of all His works of creation! He isin the process of creating millions -- yes, BIL-LIONS -- of what will become PERFECT,SPIRIT-BORN SONS OF GOD'S FAMILY!

4. How readily will God GIVE us HisHoly Spirit today? Luke 11:10-13. But arethere PRIOR CONDITIONS to receiving it?Acts 2:38 and 5:32. These CONDITIONS areEXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO REMEM-BER!

COMMENT: God is creating His su-preme masterpiece by two distinct steps: man,the clay material creation (Genesis 1), is onlythe FIRST phase of what is to become God'sfinished SPIRITUAL creation. For man, theCLAY MODEL, has to be fashioned andmolded by EXPERIENCE and with the AID ofGOD'S HOLY SPIRIT, into the finishedSPIRITUAL masterpiece of all God's creation!But before the second phase of man's creation -- his spiritual growth -- begins, God the Fathermust FIRST BEGET us by placing His HolySpirit WITHIN us. We are then IMPREG-NATED, so to speak, by the "seed" or germ ofETERNAL life (I Pet. 1:23). It is the BEGET-TAL of the life of God within our minds! Wethen may be compared to a newly begotten fe-tus in its mother's womb which BEGINS TOGROW!

5. Do we become the literal "SONS" ofGod the Father when He BEGETS us by HisSpirit? I John 3:1 and Rom. 8:14-17.

COMMENT: SPIRIT-begotten Chris-tians literally become the UNborn CHILDRENof God, the Father, just as an UNborn humanfetus is the child of its human parents.

6. Do we PARTAKE OF THE DIVINENATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS of Godwhen spiritually begotten? II Peter 1:3-4.

7. What are some of the CHARAC-TERISTICS, or "fruits" that are made manifestin our lives IF we possess God's Spirit? Gal.5:22-23.

8. Which is the GREATEST attributeor characteristic God transmits to us by HisHoly Spirit? Is it LOVE -- "charity"? I Cor.13:13 and John 4:16. Is this the SAME lovethat will enable us to "fulfill" -- to OBEY --God's spiritual laws? Rom. 13:10 and 5:5.

9. What SPECIAL "gifts" are bestowedby the Holy Spirit? I Cor. 12:1,4-11.

COMMENT: Just imagine! These aresome of the ADDITIONAL spiritual abilitiesGod gives to those who surrender their lives toHim so they may receive His Holy Spirit! Goddivides these special gifts among certain onesin His Church as He wills, and for SPECIFICpurposes.

10. Does the Father promise to raisespirit begotten Christians to immortality, justas He resurrected Jesus? Rom. 8:11 and I Cor.6:14.

11. If we are begotten by God's Spiritand grow spiritually, will we -- at the resurrec-tion -- become as Jesus Christ is today? Ps.17:15; Phil. 3:20-21 and I John 3:2. WhatTYPE of body was Jesus changed into at Hisresurrection? I Cor. 15:44-45.

COMMENT: If we become the spirit-begotten children of God, we will be LIKEHim when BORN of His Spirit into His divineFamily! We will be given a SPIRIT body justlike Christ's!

The outstanding difference between thebody we now have and the one we will begiven is that while the one we now have is a"natural" or MORTAL body, the one we shallreceive will be a SPIRITUAL body -- COM-POSED OF SPIRIT!

12. Once made spirit, will we liveFOREVER? Luke 20:35-36.

13. Will God GLORIFY us at the resur-rection by giving us the same great POWER



and GLORY of the God Family? Rom. 8:17and Col. 3:4.

14. Did Jesus give us a fleeting glimpseof this FUTURE GLORIFIED CONDITIONwhen He was "transfigured"? Mat. 17:1-2. No-tice that this was a VISION they saw concern-ing the future (verse 9).

COMMENT: The spiritual power andglory we shall receive at the resurrection willbe SO GREAT, it will make our spirit bodiesshine as the sun and make our raiment DAZ-ZLING WHITE!

GOD'S INFINITE POWER ANDGLORY WILL SOON BE OURS -- IF WEHAVE HIS HOLY SPIRIT WORKINGWITHIN US NOW!

God Has REVEALED Himself!

God has REVEALED Himself to youin a real and tangible way. No longer does Godseem like an ethereal figment of the imagina-tion -- a mythological invention of an ignorant,superstitious past!

Through His INSPIRED Word, Godtold you where He resides, what He looks like,and how long He has existed. He revealed thatthe God Family CREATED and RULES theentire universe! You learned what part God hastaken in world affairs since creation.

God also illustrated some of His awe-some, but wonderful powers over His materialcreation. And He has even REVEALED THEGREAT PURPOSE FOR YOUR VERYEXISTENCE!

Yes, you have seen God as HeREALLY IS! You don't have to GUESS anylonger!

Now we need to study the IRREFUTA-BLE proofs of God's existence and the veracityof His inspired Word. In the lessons which willfollow, God will give you these proofs in theform of tangible, MATERIAL EVIDENCEthat is absolutely astounding! He wants you tobe THOROUGHLY CONVINCED of His

existence! He WILL LEAVE NO ROOM FORDOUBT in the sane, fair and logical mind!

In upcoming lessons, you will learn thatGod is DAILY bringing PROPHECIES to pass-- prophecies which He uttered hundreds, evenTHOUSANDS, of years ago! And after that, itwill also be conclusively proven that our earthcould NOT have "ACCIDENTALLY hap-pened into existence."

These and MANY OTHER WONDER-FUL AND EXCITING PROOFS of God's ex-istence are in store for you in coming lessons!

Gaseous nebula in Constellation of Orion is part of our own

Milky Way system. More evidence of God's great power! Be sure to subscribe to the PROPH-ECY FLASH magazine!



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