Church of God Sharing Village

27/08/2026

2026: A YEAR OF NATURAL DISASTERS?

Are the disasters of 2026 merely a collection of tragedies—or are they reminders that humanity is living in a world moving toward prophetic fulfillment?

THE YEAR 2026 has been marked by a disturbing succession of extreme events: devastating floods, earthquakes, typhoons, landslides, wildfires and exceptional heat. The pattern is not evidence that every catastrophe is a direct judgment from God, but the sheer scale of suffering should awaken humility, compassion and spiritual seriousness.

The World Meteorological Organization reported that 2015–2025 were the eleven hottest years ever recorded, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones continue to produce enormous human and economic losses. Scientists are increasingly warning that a warming climate is amplifying certain weather extremes and increasing vulnerability to disasters.

THE NEPAL-TIBET FLASH FLOODS

And then came the Himalayan catastrophe.

On August 26, a massive collapse of glacier ice and rock near the Nepal–Tibet border unleashed a destructive surge of water, mud and debris through downstream valleys. Roads, bridges, villages and infrastructure were swept away. Early reports placed the death toll around 160–165, with approximately 1,500 people missing; subsequent reports rapidly revised the numbers upward as rescuers recovered more bodies. The United States Geological Survey concluded that the seismic signal initially interpreted as an earthquake was actually generated by the landslide itself.

The tragedy is a sobering picture of human fragility. One survivor described a “huge gush of mud” coming toward his home while his wife was swept away. Behind every statistic is a person, a family, a broken home, a prayer for a missing loved one.

'BEGINNING OF SORROWS'

Jesus warned that the last days would be characterized by upheaval: “There will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences” (Luke 21:11). He also spoke of nations and kingdoms rising against one another and said, “all these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7–8).

Yet Scripture gives us an important warning: we must not turn every disaster into a simplistic prophecy chart. When people asked Jesus about victims of tragedy, He rejected the assumption that those who suffered were necessarily greater sinners (Luke 13:1–5). Disasters should therefore produce repentance, not arrogance; compassion, not condemnation.

Paul gives us an even deeper perspective: “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). Creation itself bears the scars of a fallen world.

A TIME TO WAKE UP AND PREPARE

The prophetic message is therefore not merely, “Disasters are increasing.” It is: Wake up. Repent. Watch. Pray. Prepare.

Revelation describes a future world shaken by earthquakes, famine, upheaval and cosmic disturbance (Revelation 6:12–17). Hebrews reminds us that God will ultimately “shake not the earth only, but also heaven” (Hebrews 12:26).

2026 should not make us date-setters. It should make us watchmen.

The question is not whether every disaster is a sign. The question is whether we are spiritually prepared for the day when the greatest shaking of all arrives.

Jesus said, “when ye shall see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh” (Luke 21:31).

26/08/2026

PAUL VS THE LAWLESS MIND: Why It Is Not Subject to the Law of God (Series #4)

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” — Romans 8:7 (NKJV)

APOSTLE Paul’s words are characteristically uncomfortable to many modern preachers because they expose something deeper than occasional disobedience.

The carnal mind is fundamentally opposed to God’s authority. It does not merely struggle with certain commandments; it resists the very idea that God has the right to rule human life.

WHAT IS THE 'CARNAL MIND'?

Paul contrasts two governing orientations: the flesh and the Spirit. To “mind the things of the flesh” means to allow human desires, ambitions, values, and appetites to become the controlling principle of life (Romans 8:5).

The problem is therefore not the physical body itself. “Flesh” ('sarx') in this context describes humanity operating under the power and orientation of sin. Douglas Moo explains that Paul’s contrast is not simply between body and spirit, but between humanity governed by the flesh and humanity governed by God’s Spirit.

That is why Paul says the carnal mind is “enmity against God.” Carnal mind is a lawless mind. It reject God's definition of righteousness and what sin is, which is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). It resists God's sovereignty because it wants autonomy—“I will decide what is right for me.”

WHY CAN IT NOT SUBMIT TO GOD’S LAW?

Paul does not say the problem is that God’s law is defective. Quite the opposite:

“The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 7:12)

The weakness is in sinful humanity. The law reveals God’s righteous standard, but the flesh refuses to live under that authority. James D. G. Dunn emphasizes that Paul’s argument must be understood within his larger discussion of sin, Torah, and God’s saving action in Christ. The issue is not that God’s law is evil, but that human beings cannot conquer sin through possession of the law alone.

This distinction is crucial: grace does not make sin acceptable; grace provides the power to overcome it.

Paul says Christ came “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).

THE DANGER OF LAWLESSNESS

This is where modern antinomianism becomes dangerous—the idea that grace somehow releases Christians from moral obedience.

Paul never teaches, “Christ saved you, therefore live however you please.”

Instead:

“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1–2)

And again:

“Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15)

Grace does not give permission to sin. Grace breaks sin’s dominion.

Jesus Himself warned that false disciples could speak religiously while practicing lawlessness:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

And He warned:

“Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

WHEN CHRIST BECOMES A “LICENSE”

A distorted message can turn Christ into a kind of theological “genie”: Christ fulfilled the law for me, so I no longer need to take God’s commandments seriously.

But that is not Paul’s gospel.

Christ did not die to make rebellion respectable. He died to redeem us from lawlessness and purify a people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).

The question is therefore not merely, “Am I saved by grace?” It is also, “What is grace producing in me?”

If grace produces humility, repentance, obedience, holiness, love, and submission to God, it is operating as Scripture describes.

But if “grace” becomes an excuse for greed, sexual immorality, dishonesty, hatred, pride, or persistent rebellion, we must take Paul seriously: the mind governed by the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8).

The Spirit does not lead us into lawlessness. He transforms us so that God’s will is no longer merely written on stone before us, but increasingly written upon our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10).

The gospel does not abolish God's moral authority.

It changes the person who stands under it!

26/08/2026

WHY PAUL’S WRITINGS ARE “HARD TO UNDERSTAND” To Whom Is It Hard and Difficult? (Series #3)

“Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you… in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist” (2 Peter 3:15–16).

APOSTLE Peter’s statement is remarkably balanced. He does not say that Paul was confusing, contradictory, or impossible to understand. He says that there are some things in Paul’s writings that are difficult—and then identifies a serious problem: “untaught and unstable people” twist them.

The difficulty, therefore, is not merely in Paul’s vocabulary or theology. It is also in the reader’s preparation, stability, motives, and willingness to handle Scripture carefully.

WHY IS PAUL SO DIFFICULT?

Paul was addressing real congregations facing real controversies. His letters were not modern systematic-theology textbooks. They were occasional documents written to Corinth, Rome, Galatia, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and others in response to particular circumstances. Scholars therefore emphasize the importance of recovering the historical and rhetorical setting of each letter rather than extracting isolated statements.

Paul also writes sophisticated arguments. His letters demonstrate substantial literacy, extensive knowledge of Scripture, and an ability to construct lengthy, carefully reasoned arguments. A recent study by Jonathon Lookadoo notes that Romans displays “complex arguments,” while Philemon demonstrates sophisticated persuasion in a delicate social situation.

This helps explain why Peter described some Pauline material as 'dysnoētos'—difficult to grasp. A 2024 study of the early reception of 2 Peter 3:15–16 notes that interpreters have long debated precisely what Paul passages Peter had in mind, demonstrating that the warning itself has a significant history of interpretation.

THE “HARD SAYINGS” OF PAUL

Consider Romans 9. Paul discusses God’s sovereignty, mercy, Jacob and Esau, Pharaoh, and human responsibility. These are not shallow subjects.

Consider 1 Corinthians 5:5, where Paul commands severe discipline against an unrepentant sinner. Without the surrounding context of repentance, restoration, and protection of the congregation, the passage can appear unnecessarily harsh.

Consider 1 Timothy 2:11–12, concerning teaching and authority. Whatever conclusion one reaches regarding its application today, it demands historical, linguistic, theological, and contextual study—not a slogan.

And then comes one of the most frequently misunderstood statements:

“You are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

Does Paul mean that Christians are now free to disregard God’s commandments?

Absolutely not!

Paul immediately asks, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” His answer is emphatic: “Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15).

Paul defines sin as lawlessness (Romans 7:7; compare 1 John 3:4), declares that “the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12), and says, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

A scholarly study of Romans 6:14 likewise argues that Paul’s concern is not that grace abolishes moral obligation, but that believers are transferred from sin’s dominion into Christ’s gracious rule.

Grace does not give permission to sin. Grace gives power to leave sin.

PAUL DID NOT DESPISE GOD’S LAW

This is crucial when interpreting Paul.

Paul never presented himself as an enemy of God’s law. He testified that he worshiped the God of his fathers while believing “all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets” (Acts 24:14).

When accused of abandoning Moses, Paul demonstrated that the accusation was false (Acts 21:20–24). He declared that “the law is spiritual” (Romans 7:14), delighted in God’s law inwardly (Romans 7:22), and affirmed that faith does not overthrow the law (Romans 3:31).

He also wrote:

“Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Corinthians 7:19).

Paul’s ministry must therefore be interpreted as a whole. He taught justification through faith, but he never transformed grace into lawlessness.

THE DANGER OF TWISTING PAUL

Peter’s warning is extremely serious: those who distort Paul do so “to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).

Notice what follows immediately:

“Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” (2 Peter 3:17).

The antidote is not avoiding Paul. It is growing in “the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (verse 18).

This warning applies especially to teachers. James says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). Paul likewise instructs Timothy to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

A preacher who builds doctrine from one isolated Pauline sentence is walking into precisely the danger Peter identified.

Paul must be read with Paul—Romans with Romans, Galatians with Romans, Corinthians with Galatians, and all of them with the teachings of Christ, the Prophets, and the rest of Scripture.

The answer to Paul’s “hard sayings” is not to dismiss him.

It is to study deeper.

Paul was not given to us to make truth easier to manipulate. He was given to challenge superficial Christianity—to force believers beyond slogans into careful understanding, faithful obedience, spiritual maturity, and a transformed life.

Peter’s warning remains powerful:

Paul’s writings may be difficult—but the greater danger is not that Scripture is too deep. It is that an untaught and unstable reader will make it say what God never intended.

And the proper response is exactly what Scripture commands:

“Be diligent… rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

25/08/2026

SHARING This..‼️

HOW MODERN CHRISTIANITY READS THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT (MCHV or Modern Christian Heresy Version)

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," unless you’re a Christian. Then it was “fulfilled,” “nailed to the cross,” “meant for the Jews,” and “not really about a day anymore.”

"Feel free to replace it with Sunday, or no day at all, because grace now apparently means commandments are optional; especially the fourth one, so feel free to sin with impunity. Murder is still bad. Adultery is still wrong. Idolatry is definitely a problem.

"But the Sabbath?

"That’s legalism."

"That’s bo***ge."

"That’s Jewish."

So go ahead and ignore it with confidence because Jesus already “took care of that.” --Anon.

24/08/2026

WAS PAUL HYPOCRITICAL AND DOUBLE-STANDARD: Understanding Paul Seemingly Contradictory Statements (Series #2)

“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews… To those under the law I became like one under the law…” — 1 Corinthians 9:20

FEW STATEMENTS from the apostle Paul are more frequently misunderstood than 1 Corinthians 9:20–22. Some read Paul’s words and conclude that he was a religious chameleon—acting one way among Jews and another way among Gentiles. Was Paul therefore hypocritical? Did he practice a double standard?

Absolutely not!

Paul was describing missionary adaptability, not doctrinal compromise. His methods could change according to his audience, but his message did not.

Paul explains his motive: “I have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more” (1 Corinthians 9:19). His willingness to surrender legitimate personal freedoms was an expression of love, not deception. He wanted to remove unnecessary barriers so people could hear the Gospel.

ADAPTATION DOES NOT MEAN COMPROMISE

Paul understood the difference between culture and conviction.

When among Jews, he could participate in customs that did not violate God's law. When among Gentiles, he did not demand that they adopt Jewish cultural practices merely to hear the Gospel. He became “all things to all men” so that he might “by all means save some” (verse 22).

Notice what Paul did not say: “I became whatever I needed to become, including compromising God's truth.”

Rather, he said, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel” (verse 23).

The Gospel remained the anchor.

Paul demonstrated this principle elsewhere. He was willing to circumcise Timothy because of the Jews they would encounter (Acts 16:1–3). Yet when circumcision was being promoted as a requirement for justification and salvation, Paul fiercely resisted it. He would not allow the Gospel of grace through Christ to be replaced by human requirements (Galatians 2:4–5; 5:2–6).

That is not hypocrisy. That is consistency.

PAUL DID NOT FEAR CONFRONTATION

The incident at Antioch makes this especially clear.

Peter withdrew from eating with Gentile believers because he feared those associated with circumcision. Paul did not quietly accommodate Peter's behavior. He confronted him publicly because his conduct contradicted the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 2:11–14).

This gives us an important distinction:

Paul accommodated people; he never accommodated falsehood.

He could adjust his approach, but he would not adjust God's truth.

Jesus Himself demonstrated a similar principle. He spoke differently to Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the Pharisees, tax collectors and ordinary people. His approach varied, but His truth never changed.

THE REAL LESSON FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY

Paul's example challenges Christians who either isolate themselves from society or compromise with society.

Jesus prayed concerning His disciples, “I praynot that tho shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15).

We are in the world without becoming "of the world".

Our workplace can become a mission field. Our neighborhood can become a mission field. Our schools, friendships, families and communities can become places where God's character is demonstrated.

Paul knew that people often listen to a message more readily when they first encounter genuine love, humility and respect.

Peter likewise instructed believers to “be ready always to give an answer” while doing so “with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

That means listening before lecturing. Serving before demanding. Building trust before expecting someone to understand our convictions.

But there is a boundary.

We must never become so desperate to be accepted that we surrender obedience to God. Scripture says, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

PAUL'S METHOD WAS FLEXIBLE—HIS FOUNDATION WAS NOT

Paul's words are therefore not permission for Christians to become hypocrites. They are a call to become wise ambassadors.

He adapted his approach without abandoning his allegiance.

He surrendered rights without surrendering truth.

He crossed cultural boundaries without crossing biblical boundaries.

And he sought not popularity, but opportunity: “that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

The same principle applies to us. God has placed each of us among people whom we may be uniquely positioned to influence. We may never preach from a pulpit, but our conduct, compassion, integrity and willingness to serve can open doors that arguments cannot.

Paul understood something many preachers today sometimes miss: effective evangelism is not changing the Gospel to fit people; it is communicating the unchanging Gospel in ways people can understand.

“Let your speech be always with grace” (Colossians 4:6).

The message must remain biblical.

The methods may vary.

The character must remain Christlike.

And the purpose must remain the same—to point people toward the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ.

Paul was not a double-standard preacher. He was a single-message apostle who understood many different audiences.

23/08/2026

WHY PAUL IS OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD: Understanding the Theology of the Apostle Paul (Series #1)

THE APOSTLE Paul is among the most quoted—and most misunderstood—writers in the New Testament. His letters contain some of Christianity’s most cherished passages:

"Love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:7). "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (v.13)

He also wrote: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report..—meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8).

"The fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22–23), is also among favorite; and in the powerful hope of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15), Paul wrote a most deeply moving words:

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable..the last enemy that will be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:19, 26).

Yet the same Paul who wrote these passages is sometimes presented as though he rejected God’s law, abandoned his Jewish heritage, and taught that grace made obedience irrelevant.

That picture deserves careful examination.

PAUL WAS NOT A THEOLOGICAL OUTSIDER

Paul did not emerge from a theological vacuum. He was a Jew, a Pharisee, and a highly educated interpreter of Israel’s Scriptures. He declared that he had been educated “at the feet of Gamaliel” and trained according to “the strict manner of the law of our fathers” (Acts 22:3). In Philippians 3:5–6, he identifies himself as “a Pharisee” and describes himself as “blameless” concerning righteousness under the law.

He affirmed to Timothy: "...from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). His only known "holy Scriptures" was the Old Testament!

James D. G. Dunn’s study of Paul emphasizes that Paul’s identity remained deeply rooted in his Jewish heritage even after his encounter with Jesus. E. P. Sanders likewise demonstrated how important Jewish covenantal categories are for understanding Paul rather than portraying Judaism simply as a religion of legalistic self-salvation.

Paul therefore should not be read as a modern Christian debating modern denominational questions. He was an apostle of Jesus the Messiah reasoning from Israel’s Scriptures about covenant, sin, righteousness, faith, grace, promise, resurrection, and the inclusion of Gentiles.

“NOT UNDER THE LAW”—Does That Mean Lawless?

Consider Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Taken by itself, the sentence can sound like permission to disregard God's commandments. But Paul immediately anticipates that conclusion: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15).

Paul's argument is not grace versus obedience. It is about liberation from sin’s dominion ("under the [penalty of] law") and condemnation through Christ. Indeed, only a few chapters earlier Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). He subsequently declares, “The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12).

A scholarly study of Romans 6:14 similarly notes that the passage should not automatically be interpreted as abolishing God's law which is just and moral.

Grace does not redefine sin as righteousness. Grace provides forgiveness and transforms the sinner so that sin no longer rules.

WHAT ABOUT THE SABBATH?

Colossians 2:16–17 is frequently quoted as though Paul said Christians should abandon Sabbaths, festivals, and God's appointed times. But the surrounding passage must be read carefully.

Paul says believers should not allow others to judge them regarding “food or drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” The question is: Who is doing the judging, and what precisely is being judged?

The passage occurs within a discussion involving ascetic practices, human regulations, visions, elemental principles, and severe treatment of the body (Colossians 2:8, 18–23).

Scholarly investigation recognizes that Colossians 2:16–17 is considerably more debated and misunderstood than the simplistic claim that Paul "abolished" the Sabbath, creating a bad theology out of Paul's texts.

Paul's writings elsewhere show that he continued to reason from Scripture and participate in Jewish religious life. In Acts 21, when accusations circulated that Paul taught Jews to abandon Moses, the Jerusalem elders instructed him to participate in purification rites so that everyone could see that the accusations were unfounded. Paul willingly complied (Acts 21:20–26).

Whatever one concludes about every aspect of Paul's practice, the passage certainly deserves more careful treatment than the slogan, “Paul abolished the Sabbath.”

DID PAUL DECLARE ALL FOODS CLEAN?

Another frequently isolated statement is 1 Timothy 4:4: “For everything created by God is good.”

But the immediate context discusses people who “command to abstain from foods” and emphasizes that what God created is “sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:3–5). The text does not explicitly say that every creature described as food in Scripture has suddenly become permissible.

A study of 1 Timothy 4 notes that interpreting the passage as a blanket cancellation of the biblical dietary distinctions requires more than simply quoting verse 4; its context and the false teaching confronting Timothy must be considered.

WHY PETER WARNED ABOUT PAUL

Perhaps the most revealing warning comes from Peter:

“Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you... in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist” (2 Peter 3:15–16).

Peter did not say Paul's writings were useless. He said they could be twisted.

That warning remains remarkably relevant.

Paul's letters were occasional documents addressing real congregations facing real disputes—circumcision, Jewish-Gentile relations, idolatry, sexual immorality, false teachers, food controversies, resurrection, spiritual gifts, and questions about Christian conduct. His statements must therefore be interpreted within their literary, historical, and scriptural contexts.

PAUL WAS NOT AN ANTINOMIAN ('Lawless')

Paul never taught that Christians should live without moral boundaries. He condemned idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14), sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8), lying (Colossians 3:9), stealing (Ephesians 4:28), hatred and bitterness (Ephesians 4:31), and numerous other sins.

Apart from keeping and frequently visiting the synagogue on the Sabbath (Acts 13:14, 42-44; Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4), Paul also upheld and commanded believers to keep God's feasts like Passover and Unleavened Bread (1 Cor. 5:8), Pentecost (Acts 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8), and the "Fast" (Acts 27:9).

He summarized Christian conduct with the principle: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).

The law is not the Savior. Christ is.

Obedience does not purchase salvation. Grace comes first. Yet grace produces a transformed life.

Paul's theology becomes clearer when we stop forcing isolated sentences to answer questions Paul was not addressing. He was not writing against God's law; he was explaining how righteousness, faith, grace, covenant, Christ, and obedience belong together. Again, to reiterate, he declared:

“Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

His conclusion is unquestionably powerful:

"Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" Romans 7:12).

Paul is not the apostle of "lawlessness" (Gk. 'antinomians').

He is the apostle of God's transforming grace, faith that empowers obedience, and Christ who fulfills God's redemptive purpose. — Rh.

21/08/2026

DOES GOD HAVE A SECRET CODE?⚛️

THE Bible can sometimes seem like a coded book—not because God deliberately hides truth behind mysterious symbols, but because spiritual truth cannot be fully understood by human intellect alone.

Scripture itself explains why. Jesus said, “Seeing they may see and not perceive; and hearing they may hear and not understand” (Mark 4:12). The question is not merely whether we can read the Bible, but whether God has opened our understanding.

We live in an age overflowing with information. Artificial intelligence (or A.I.) is now common tool. Yet greater access to information does not automatically produce wisdom. The Bible warned long ago: “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1). We can have information everywhere and still miss the truth.

THE MISSING KEY: GOD MUST OPEN YOUR MIND

Jesus explained why some hear His words without understanding them. “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11). Paul likewise wrote that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Jesus made the matter even clearer: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Understanding begins with God's calling. The Holy Spirit then becomes the divine Teacher, guiding believers “into all truth” (John 16:13). Paul prayed that God would give believers “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” and enlighten the eyes of their understanding (Ephesians 1:17–18).

So, does God have a secret code? Yes—but Scripture's “code” is better understood as a spiritual pattern that God reveals only to those He calls, teaches, and transforms.

The Bible is God's Word Interprets God's Word. Isaiah says, “Here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Scripture must be compared with Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13). Truth is not established by isolated verses or human tradition (Isaiah 8:20; Acts 17:11).

SEVEN CODES TO UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD

1. THE COMMANDMENTS AND THE SABBATH CODE—Learning God's Way of life and His holy time.
Exodus 20, is foundational of holy living. A spiritually rewarding life is about keeping God's law. The Sabbath is more than a weekly appointment. It identifies the Creator (Exodus 20:8–11), teaches dependence upon Him, and points toward His coming Kingdom (Hebrews 4:9). Ezekiel 20:12 calls God's Sabbaths a sign between Him and His people. Those who keep the commandments and have faith of Christ are ultimate code of God's people everywhere (Revelation 14:12).

2. ANNUAL HOLY DAYS CODE—Understanding God's Plan.
Leviticus 23 presents God's appointed festivals as “feasts of the LORD.” They form a prophetic picture of God's plan—from Christ's sacrifice and the calling of firstfruits to the Kingdom and ultimately the restoration of humanity (1 Corinthians 5:7–8; Revelation 20:4–6; Revelation 21:1–4).

4. THE DIET CODE—Learning Holiness in the Physical Life.
Leviticus 11 distinguishes clean and unclean animals. Scripture also teaches that our bodies belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Obedience reaches beyond what we believe; it affects how we live.

5. THE ISRAEL CODE—Understanding God's Covenant People.
The Bible distinguishes physical Israel, Judah, and the nations while also revealing a spiritual dimension: “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). Romans 11 shows that God's promises concerning Israel remain significant. Scripture—not speculation—must define who belongs to God's covenant purposes.

6. THE CHURCH CODE—Recognizing God's Called-Out People.
The Church is not merely an institution or weekly gathering. It is the “household of God” (1 Timothy 3:15), called to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14), develop righteous character, and ultimately reign with Christ (Revelation 5:10).

6. THE PROPHECY CODE—Seeing God's Purpose in History.
Prophecy is not fortune-telling. God declares “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:9–10). The prophets spoke as they were moved by God's Spirit (2 Peter 1:20–21). Daniel, Christ, and Revelation reveal a world moving toward God's intervention and the establishment of His Kingdom.

7. THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM CODE — Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom (Mark 1:14–15). This Kingdom is humanity’s future hope (Daniel 7:27), where Christ will reign (Revelation 11:15), restore earth (Acts 3:19–21), and bring peace (Isaiah 2:2–4).

The tragedy of our generation is not simply biblical ignorance—it is having Bibles, technology, commentary, and endless information while lacking spiritual understanding. Recent Philippine debates surrounding technology, violence, and religion remind us that information alone cannot transform human character.

The ultimate key, therefore, is not intellectual brilliance. It is a mind yielded to God.

“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).

When God opens that door, Scripture ceases to be merely an ancient book. Its Sabbath, Holy Days, Commandments, Prophecy, Covenant, Church, and Gospel begin fitting together into one magnificent revelation: God is creating a family, preparing a Kingdom, and calling human beings to become part of His eternal purpose! — Rh.