Our world’s belief systems are based on several major religions with a multitude of factions within them. “Christianity” may be the most diverse, with its Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant forms. And, within each—especially Protestantism—there is a plethora of diverse denominations. There are also those factions that do not fit into the Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox categories, such as Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Seventh-Day Adventists, and, of course, the Church of God, to which we belong.
The next largest belief system is Islam, which has two major divisions, Shia and Sunni. After that, we have Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Sikhism, and more—and an increasing number who profess no religion or even atheism. It would be difficult to categorize the never-ending proliferation of belief systems in our world of more than eight billion human beings. For any thinking person, no matter what faith he subscribes to, a question must arise: How do I know that what I believe is correct and that those who do not believe the same are in error?
This is not a question from which we should shrink. When I counsel people for baptism, especially those who grew up in the Church, I challenge them with some difficult scriptures. They must not simply believe that they have the truth based on the ideas they grew up with. They must think through, study, and conclusively prove to themselves that God has given His Church the one and only Truth that He is revealing to mankind.
Prove God Exists
This begins with proving that God exists, for if there is not an all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of matter and life, there is no need to go further—but if the preponderance of evidence demands a great, intelligent Creator being, then it behooves us to seek to know Him and what He expects of us.
The evidence of God is all around us. Why is the moon 1/400th the size of the sun, but at the exact distance to allow for a total solar eclipse? Quite a “coincidence”! Why is 70 percent of this planet bathed in water, which brings a multitude of benefits—some obvious, some not so obvious, and some of which we are still discovering? Why is water the only substance that commonly exists on earth as a liquid, solid, and gas? And why does freezing water, defying the norm, expand rather than contract, allowing ice to float rather than sink?
When we look at the perfection that abounds in creatures great and small, we recognize design, functionality, and beauty. Did vegetarian, mammalian animals like hippopotamuses and egg-laying, carnivorous animals like crocodiles truly evolve from a common ancestor millions of years ago, as evolutionists assert? Why is it that these common ancestors, so vital to evolutionary theory, only exist in artists’ imaginations and not in the fossil record?
Then there is the whole subject of microbiology and the study of proteins, the building blocks of life. How did DNA—the most sophisticated code known to man—evolve? Bill Gates needed intelligent humans to write code, but all code writers together cannot match the sophistication, precision, and conciseness of DNA. And how could evolution occur when DNA needs proteins, yet proteins do not exist apart from DNA? Which came first, and how did one survive while waiting for the other to evolve? In living cells, proteins are assembled by little “machines,” which themselves are made of proteins. Again, which came first, the assembly line or the proteins that make up the assembly line?
Mathematically, it is impossible to believe that life could have spontaneously arisen from non-living material apart from intelligent intention. It is clear that matter came into existence at a point in time, and there has not been enough time since then for what we see to have evolved. The hand-waving answer from evolutionists is, We are here, so it happened. Of course, that is a red herring, diverting attention from the relevant question. Our existence is not in question. The real question is, how did we get here?
The mind of man is vastly different from that of animals, even though there are animals with larger brains. Why is it that man can invent and build intricate machines to solve problems, but animals cannot? No doubt, animals can do many marvelous things. Birds build intricate nests, but each species has its own nest design. Chimpanzees may use a stick as a simple tool that they push into a termite tunnel, but it is hardly a well-designed monkey wrench. Scientists and anthropologists attempt to put animals on the same plane as man, but let’s get real—the only animals that have gone into space are those that man has sent into space with sophisticated, man-made rockets.
The evidence of God’s existence is easy to see for anyone with an open mind. This is why David rightly declared, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). And this is why Paul wrote that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made… so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18–20).
There are endless numbers of ways we can truly prove the existence of God to ourselves, but if we want to know whether what we believe is true, we must put effort into finding out. Our booklets Evolution and Creation: What Both Sides Miss and The Real God: Proofs and Promises are good primers and should be read carefully.
Prove the Bible Is True
Then, if God exists—and you can prove that He does—what is His plan and purpose for you and me? How, if at all, has He revealed Himself to us? Are we, who are so marvelously and wonderfully made, left to fend for ourselves with no revealed purpose for being? Or has our Creator given us a means by which His purpose is revealed?
The Bible is like no other “holy book” ever written. An honest look at the Koran or the Hindu scriptures shows that they simply do not match the Bible. No other book has so accurately and clearly foretold events that have taken place and events that are currently taking place. Right before our eyes, we see Genesis 49:8–9 being fulfilled: “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him?” Consider how small the Israeli state is at the very time of the end (see Genesis 49:1) and how great are its enemies. It is surrounded on every side, yet the Israelis have their hand on the neck of their enemies and are not to be trifled with.
Consider also Zechariah 12 and 14, where we find it written that, after thousands of years, at the time of the Day of the Lord, Jerusalem would be within a Jewish state and would be a troublesome stone to the whole world. Consider the nearly instant worldwide communication—the kind only possible in recent decades—that is necessary to fulfill the prophecies of the two witnesses at the end (Revelation 11:3, 8–11). Our booklet The Bible: Fact or Fiction? is a good primer that should be reviewed, but proving that the Bible is fact, not fiction, should be an ongoing pursuit for any who want to know whether what they believe is God’s truth.
These two pillars—knowing that God exists and that the Bible is His revelation to mankind—prepare the way for the third pillar that gives us certainty that we have the truth, something that eludes so much of humanity. If God exists, and if the Bible is His revelation to mankind, what does that book actually say? What is its message?
Prove God’s Plan
Finding the truth of Scripture is not nearly as difficult as some think. However, it is dependent on God opening a person’s mind and on that person’s obedience to the Truth he now knows. For instance, there is abundant proof from both testaments that the Ten Commandments must be kept. Catholics and Protestants observe Sunday in an implicit recognition that God has commanded one day in seven as a day of rest and worship. However, the Sabbath command does not allow the individual—or any group of individuals—to decide on a day to replace the only one God set aside. God tells us that it is He who set apart the seventh day at creation (Exodus 20:2, 8–11; Genesis 2:2–3). Not once do we find any other day than the seventh set aside as the Sabbath, and Jesus tells us that He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28; Matthew 12:8; Luke 6:5).
Understanding this singular truth—the seventh-day Sabbath—narrows the territory we need to search for where the God of the Bible is working. However, there is another significant doctrine that separates us from the masses of humanity—the Bible’s annual Holy Days. Just as the seventh-day Sabbath is a sign between God and His people (Exodus 31:13–17), so the annual Holy Days separate us from this world’s false Christianity. These too are a sign indicating where God is working (Exodus 13:3–9). While apostate Christianity keeps days built on the foundation of paganism and heathenism, God gives His people “signs and seasons” that reveal His remarkable plan for mankind (Genesis 1:14).
Do we understand how significant these annual Sabbaths are? It is easy to take this knowledge for granted. Perhaps now is a good time to think back on how thrilled you were when you first learned of these remarkable truths. Our booklet on the subject is well-named: The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan. These Festivals and Holy Days give us the big picture of what God is doing here on earth, as no other religious festivals do. But are we able to recognize the importance of these annual commanded Festivals?
As I’m sure you know, the annual cycle of God’s Feasts begins with Passover, which reminds us of the reason our Savior had to die—sin. Sin is a problem addressed by most religions. Prayer wheels, memorized prayers repeated endlessly, penance, flagellation, animal and even human sacrifices—all are attempts to expiate the shortcomings of our human behavior. The Days of Unleavened Bread remind us that we must respond to Christ, our Passover, by ceasing the behaviors that cause so much trouble on earth. While we focus on our own sins and our need to overcome them, the Days of Unleavened Bread teach us that the result of sin is bondage, otherwise known as slavery, and they depict the way out of that bondage: obediently following God.
Pentecost is rich with meaning on several levels. It explains the covenantal relationship that God has with Israel and Judah. It also explains why so few are called during this present age and how such a small number of people can know God’s Truth while the remainder of the world lives under deception (Luke 12:32; Revelation 12:9). But our understanding is not a reason for any of us to become puffed up. We are not smarter or inherently more righteous than our neighbors. We recognize that it is by the grace of God that our minds have been opened, giving us the potential to become firstfruits in the first resurrection.
It could be said that history is mostly a chronicle of wars. It may be tempting to believe that war is a thing of the past, but the last few years have challenged the idea that civilized “first-world” nations will cease fighting over territory and selfish ambition. Human nature has not changed, and any truly thinking person must recognize that wars of unimaginable proportions are in our future.
The Feast of Trumpets reveals intense trouble on the horizon when the first six angels sound their trumpets, but also reveals that the seventh trumpet gives hope for world survival upon the return of its only true Savior. Then the Day of Atonement cuts to the heart of evil, reminding us that Satan is the current “prince of the power of the air,” directing the course of our world (Ephesians 2:2)—that he rebelled against his Creator (Isaiah 14:12–14), deceived Eve, and tempted Adam into doing what he knew was wrong (1 Timothy 2:14). The evidence of Satan’s existence is all around us in confusion, suffering, and death. Thank God that he will soon be removed!
The thousand-year reign of Christ, who will be assisted by His firstfruits, appears to be only a few years away. Scripture describes that at the end of this age Jerusalem will be a troublesome stone in the midst of a Jewish state (Zechariah 12:2–3). We see the nations lining up against the Jews (14:2). We know the prophecies given through Jacob for the end of the age, foretelling that the Jews would have their hand on the neck of their enemies (Genesis 49:2, 8–9). However, we also recognize that they will come under such severe attack that the Messiah will have to return to save them. Only then will the world come to realize the special relationship God has with Israel and Judah. And only then will He command all nations to come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16–19).
One of the great questions that should be asked by those claiming to be followers of Christ is what happens to those billions who have never accepted Christ, many of whom never even heard of Him. It is shocking to realize how some professing Christians seem eager to watch them writhe in an ever-burning torture pit—and it is shocking to see how angry they become when the Truth is shown to them. However, the Last Great Day gives the only biblical answer to the question of how God is working out His plan for these billions.
Can we not see how these Festivals go well beyond bedtime stories, explaining the world in which we live and giving us the answers to so many questions? How different they are from the paganism-based days of Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween. In no way do those supposedly Christian holidays picture God’s master plan. In no way do they explain our world and provide hope for the future. How thankful we ought to be for the big picture that God’s Holy Days give us!
Proving that God exists is the first step of any journey to knowing whether our beliefs are correct in a world of confusion and discord. Proving that the Bible is God’s revelation and that it explains God’s purpose for humanity is the second step. Both steps are needed in order to find the meaning of life—but, as we understand, it is not a matter of superior intellect or human righteousness, but rather of God’s merciful selection. Our part is to respond to that calling.
When our minds are opened and we read the Bible with an obedient, humble, and reverent attitude (Isaiah 66:2), we will know that we truly know the plan of God. It is the only plan that makes sense in this world of confusion. The true, seventh-day Sabbath and the annual Festivals—along with so many other clear doctrines found in the Bible—set us apart from the billions who are deceived by Satan the Devil. Yes, we can know that what we believe is the Truth.