oNo! That’s not All There Is | p. 1 The Greatness of God | p. 6Who Is Jacob? | p. 4

straightforwardVol. V | No. 1www.straightforward.org

Relentless Historic DroughtWhen will rain come? what toll is its absence taking? | P. 2

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Straightforward is published by the Enduring Church of God and has no subscription or newsstand price. This magazine is provided free of charge and made possible by the tithes and offerings of the membership of the Enduring Church of God and others. Contributions, however, are welcomed and are tax deductible in some countries. Back issues available free of charge upon request. The publishers assume no responsibility for return of unsolicited artwork, photographs or manuscripts. Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2011 Enduring Church of God.

Cover Photo: Drought land in Namib desert,Namibia. “Drought” © Galyna Andrushko | Dreamstime.com

EDITORCharles E. Bryce

MANAGING EDITORJonathan Bryce

EDITORIAL STAFFRoss Abasolo

Michelle Bryce

CONTRIBUTORSRoss AbasoloBrian Bedlow

Charles E. BryceJonathan BryceJohn HarbisonGarry Schaeffer Larry Solomon

DESIGNJohn BirchfieldCrystal Bryce

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VOL V | NO 1 August 2014

Personal - No! That’s Not All There IsLife is a roller-coaster ride of joys and sorrows, triumphs and trials. Is there a point to it all, beyond the pursuits and pleasures of here and now?Page 1

Who Is Jacob?Jacob is one of the most well-known Biblical patriarchs, but his life and legacy are not ancient history. The story of Jacob is still being written today, and his modern identity may surprise you.Page 4

The Greatness of GodThe Almighty Creator reveals Himself through His creation, if we will just look and admit to what we see.Page 6

Straightforward NewsThe past, present and future of the NATO alliance are closely tied to the actions of Russia. How will these nations handle the current test in the Ukraine?Page 10

Relentless Historic DroughtThe US is facing a water crisis of catastrophic proportions, with far-reaching ramifications.Page 2

Articles

Cover Story

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NO! That’s Not All There IsBrilliant vocalist and entertainer

Peggy Lee had a smash hit song in the late 1960’s. “Is That All There Is?” quickly rose to the top of the music charts and stayed there for several weeks. In this song, Peggy talks and sings, mixing the two in a blend that addresses one of the most important of all questions in every thinking person’s life. She says:

And when I was 12 years old, my father took me to the circus, the greatest show on earth.There were clowns and elephants and dancing bearsAnd a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads.And as I sat there watching the marvelous spectacleI had the feeling that something was missing.I don’t know what, but when it was over,I said to myself, “Is that all there is to a circus?”

Then she sings:

Is that all there is, is that all there isIf that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancingLet’s break out the booze and have a ballIf that’s all there is.

This plaintive and poignant blend of spoken and melodic lyrics is repeated through the song from start to finish, but never attempts to answer the pen-

etrating and arresting question, “Is that all there is?”

Do you have the answer? Essentially, it boils down to the foundational question of why you were born. For that matter why was anybody born?

Life is a wonderful and exciting gift, consisting of time. It is precious time, in which we are born, grow up, grow older and then die. But what is the purpose and reason for this journey? Is it just one long series of choices and decisions, some good and some bad, leading to situations and circumstances, some good and some not so good—and then it’s all over? Is that it? Is that really all there is to life? Shouldn’t there be more?

Vanity of vanities

Solomon explored this subject in great detail. He said: “Vanity of vani-ties, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.  What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever” (Ecc.1:2-4).

Is it all just vanity, a temporary ex-istence that ends and is soon forgotten with no lasting impact or value? The answer is “Yes!”, according to Solomon’s experience and assessment: “For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten...” (Ecc. 2:16).

Think of what this means if he is right. Nothing matters. Nothing counts in the long run. It ends up being as though we had never existed or achieved anything lasting or worthwhile over the long haul!

Therefore Solomon concludes: “Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry...” (Ecc. 8:15).

Or as Peggy Lee suggested in her song: “If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s break out the booze and have a ball. If that’s all there is.”

But the truth is, there is much more to life than that. Once we understand the truly exciting purpose God has for each and every individual who has ever lived or will ever live, we can then clearly realize that fact.

King Solomon gradually came to see this and says so in his absorbing book of Ecclesiastes. After writing this book and making detailed observations about life without God in the picture, he then put God in the middle of the equation and wrote: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  For God will bring every work into

(continued on page 11)

Personal

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spell stretched through the 1930’s, and in some areas of the country into the 1940’s.

From 1950 to 1956, another

drought plagued the Great Plains and the Southwest. Rainfall in some places decreased by 40% and crop yield in some places fell by half. When the rain stopped falling in New England from 1962 to 1966, many restaurants in New York City did not serve water unless patrons specifi-cally asked for it in an effort to conserve water. A relatively brief, but catastrophic, drought affected more than one-third of the U.S. from 1987-1989, becoming

the costliest drought in U.S. history, with estimated damages of $39 billion dollars. During this period 794,000 acres of Yel-lowstone National Park burned, prompt-ing the first complete closing of the park in U.S. history.

According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, recent U.S. droughts have been the most expansive in decades. At the peak of the 2012 drought, an astounding 81 percent of the contiguous United States was under at least abnormally dry conditions, resulting in an estimated $30 billion in damages. In 2011, Texas experienced its driest 12 months ever. At one point 80 percent of the state was rated at an “exceptional” level of drought.

In an article on NBCNews.com dated Feb. 26, 2014, John Roach brings out what some in California were facing if they didn’t get any rain: “Ten com-munities have less than 60 days of water, forest fires flare up almost daily, water deliveries to 750,000 acres of farmland and 25 million people have been halted, cattle are starving on wilted rangelands, and homeowners are drilling thousands of wells to suck water from aquifers they only hope won’t go dry.”

Severe drought can be devastating to agriculture, transportation and energy. Droughts affect livestock and crops like corn, soybeans and wheat. At the height of the 2012 drought, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared a

We are all accustomed to turning on the faucet to get water to drink,

cook with, bathe with. How often do we give any thought to how precious water is and whom we are dependent on for it? Many are giving thought to at least part of that question right now. Regions of the United States and other nations, includ-ing China, India and Australia, have been experiencing severe drought. What last-ing impact does drought have? Is there any real solution or hope for the earth’s water needs?

In a New York Times article dated Feb. 1, 2014, “Severe Drought has U.S. West Fearing Worst”, Tim Quinn who is the executive direc-tor of the Association of California Water Agencies, was quoted saying, “I have experienced a really long career in this area, and my worry meter has never been this high. We are talking historical drought conditions, no supplies of water in many parts of the state. My industry’s job is to try to make sure that these kind of things never happen. And they are hap-pening.” These concerns are reflective of many around the country and the world.

There have been devastating droughts before in the United States, the most destructive of which was the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, known as the dirty thirties. Millions of acres of farm land were ren-dered useless due to dry conditions and irresponsible farming practices. Thou-sands of people had to relocate, as the dry

Relentless Historic Drought

Larry SolomonIs this our worst drought ever?

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Relentless Historic Drought

national disaster over 2,245 counties—71 percent of the United States. Recent droughts have had major impacts on water levels on the Mississippi River and the ability to move goods along that river. Drought conditions and record heat have fueled damaging and sometimes deadly wildfires. Millions of forested acres and thousands of homes have been lost over the past decade due to fires. Droughts can also raise concerns about the reliability of electricity production from plants that require cooling water to maintain safe operations. When heat waves coincide with droughts, electricity demands can grow, compounding stress on the grid.

Food prices on the rise

In 2012 the price of corn and wheat jumped 25 percent each and soybeans 17 percent due to drought (cnn.com, “Why 2013 will be a year of crises”, Da-vid Frum, Sept. 3, 2012). Because of the continuing drought in parts of the U.S. we will no doubt see higher food prices. In areas where farming grinds to a halt, many are and will be unemployed. The Western Farm Press reported in the Feb. 19, 2014 edition that in some areas of California where there are large numbers of farm workers, unemployment was climbing to near fifty percent due to the drought.

What is the solution when there is little or no rain? Where can we get the water we need to survive? According to the NOAA (Nattional Oceanic and At-mospheric Administration) 97 percent of the earth’s water is in the oceans. Of the three percent of the water not in the ocean, about 69 percent is locked up in glaciers and icecaps. Ninety percent of that frozen water is in Antarctica and about nine percent covers Greenland.

Of the remaining freshwater, 30 per-cent of it is groundwater, captured below

our feet. About 0.3 percent is found in rivers and lakes. This means that the water source we are most familiar with in our everyday lives, rivers and lakes, accounts for less than one percent of all freshwater that exists on earth (oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/wherewater.com). That is not a lot left for a global population of 7 bil-lion, heading toward 8 billion in the next two decades. Without rain the rivers and lakes can dry up, and the ground supply is not replenished. All of this points to the fact that the water we need to survive is very precious.

Is desalination of ocean water the answer? In an article in the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 13, 2013, by Kerry Cavana-ugh, the point was made that desalination doesn’t pencil out. It’s far too expensive, about $2,000 an acre foot, and it takes a tremendous amount of energy to purify saltwater.

In times of drought many begin to realize how precious water is, but few give any consideration to whom we are totally dependent on for that water. How many are turning to Almighty God, recogniz-ing that everything we need to survive as human beings comes from Him? In the Bible, the apostle Paul in referring to God told those in Athens, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28 KJV). In most, if not all, of the news reports and articles about drought and its impact, nothing is mentioned about seeking God or turning to God, who promises, “If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due sea-son, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit” (Lev. 26:3-4).

The Bible tells us in many prophecies that droughts, famines, diseases and other catastrophes will continue on this earth until God steps in and intervenes. When

that event takes place, and it most assuredly will, what will change? Let’s look at some good news the coming Kingdom of God is going to bring regarding the water needs of the earth.

A future glimpse

At that time, when God intervenes and Jesus Christ is King of kings over all the earth, tremendous blessings will come about because everyone will be obeying God. God’s law will be the law of the land. The Bible records many prophecies telling us of the wonderful changes that will take place: “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water” (Isa. 41:17-18). In the 35th chapter of Isaiah it speaks of a time coming when the desserts, where there is no water now, will then blossom as a rose because there will be water then (Isa.35:1-2,6-7). The prophet Amos describes a scene that will take place when there is rain in due season: “Behold the days come saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt” (Amos 9:13). With God blessing the land with rain, farmers will still be bringing in the harvest when the time comes to plow and plant again!

Yes, there is hope and also a solution to the plague of drought. In the coming Kingdom of God, there will be obedience to the laws of God, and He will shower blessings upon all the land. Drought will cease to exist. Isaiah tells of that time and what everyone will then come to recognize when they see all of the tremendous blessings taking place: “That they may see, and know and consider, and under-stand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy one of Israel hath created it” (Isa 41:20).

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There is a best-selling book that contains the most vital, essential

principles and guidelines to a life of true happiness and lasting prosperity. In the pages of that book, which nearly half of all Americans claim to believe, can be found everything an individual needs to lead a meaningful life. That book is God’s holy Bible.

Within the pages of the Bible, one can read about ordinary individuals such as Noah and Abraham, Moses and Joshua, Ruth, David, Esther, and the apostles Peter and Paul. Ordinary men and women whom God called and used to do extraordinary things!

There is one other person, whose legacy continues to dominate the world scene to this very day, impacting our

lives and those of billions all over the world—politically, economically and militarily. The story of this man and the descendants that bear his name is fascinating and riveting. It is a true story, historically proven, biblically ordained. This man’s name was Jacob.

Jacob was the youngest of twin sons born to Isaac and his wife Rebekah. In the Hebrew, the name Jacob meant “heel catcher” or “heel holder” because at birth “his hand took hold of Esau’s heel” (Gen. 25:26).

The Bible describes him as a plain man, who preferred the quiet life and stayed close to home. With his calm and peaceful disposition, Jacob stood in stark contrast to his elder brother Esau, a skilled hunter who enjoyed hunting

and the great outdoors. But Jacob had an opportunistic nature, quick to seize an advantage when he saw one.

Such an opportunity came when Esau returned hungry and famished from hunting one day. He had had very little or nothing to eat while he was out in the field. About to pass out, he asked Jacob for some of the red lentil stew he had made. Jacob shrewdly demanded Esau sell him his birthright in exchange for the bowl of stew! And Esau read-ily agreed because he did not consider his birthright of any value. Later on, aided and abetted by his mother, Ja-cob willfully misled his father Isaac to deceitfully secure the birthright. There was really no need for such a nefarious scheme.

What is the modern significance of this Biblical patriarch?Ross Abasolo

Who Is Jacob? Part 1

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Fearful that unusual sensations in her womb would jeopardize her pregnancy, Rebekah “went to enquire of the Lord” (Gen. 25:22). God told Rebekah that two nations, two different people, were in her womb and that “the elder would serve the younger” (v. 23). God had purposed the birthright to be Jacob’s. If both he and his mother had waited patiently on God, Jacob would have acquired the birthright in a more hon-orable manner. And so, Jacob, the heel holder, was aptly named “supplanter” or “usurper” as well.

What was this birthright? What extraordinary privilege, what valuable possession did this birthright confer upon its recipient? The dictionary defi-nition of birthright is the privileges and possessions a person acquires at birth. The birthright is customarily passed on by the father to his eldest son.

Sifting throught the truth

Very few scholars and theologians fully understand what this disputed birthright was all about. Cynics and detractors in the religious and secular communities trivialize it as nothing more than a tiny parcel of land for a small, insignificant group of people.

However, the evidence from the Bible totally and completely debunks such erroneous beliefs. In truth and in fact, the actual identity of Jacob and the understanding of the birthright he claimed is the vital master key that unlocks our understanding of end-time prophetic events.

To get to the truth, sift out the mis-conceptions about who Jacob is, and fully grasp the enormity and magnitude of the birthright, we must turn to the authoritative source of truth—God’s word, the Holy Bible.

It all began when God commanded Abraham to leave his country and his relatives, all things familiar and comfortable, and go to a land He was going to show him. Together with this command, was God’s promise—condi-tional upon Abraham’s obedience—to make of him “a great nation” (Gen. 12:2). Because Abraham continued to obey God in faith, acknowledging His power and supremacy, willingly yield-ing and submitting to His authority, God promised to make Abraham “the father of many nations” (17:4).

When God put Abraham to the test and commanded him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham in faith set out to obey, sadly but willingly (Gen 22:2). Once God saw Abraham’s obedient at-titude and his complete trust in Him, He quickly intervened and delivered both Abraham and Isaac from this ex-cruciating trial by providing a ram to take Isaac’s place (22:12-14). God Al-mighty then promised his seed would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the seashore (22:17).

And this promise was now UN-CONDITIONAL! It could not be broken! God had committed Himself to keep it.

As Abraham’s firstborn, Isaac would receive the same promises as his birth-right (Gen. 26:4). It was this birthright that Esau sold to Jacob for a bowl of stew. And to Jacob then were conferred all of God’s promises to Abraham, as well as an additional blessing of mate-rial wealth and prosperity (27:28).

Enraged, Esau sought to kill Jacob, who fled and sought refuge in Padan-aram the land of his uncle Laban, Rebekah’s brother. On his way there, God told him in a dream that his de-scendants would be as the dust of the

earth, spreading out to the four corners of the world (Gen. 28:14).

Jacob married Laban’s daughter Leah, misled by Laban into believing she was the younger daughter Rachel, whom he truly loved. Eventually, he was able to marry Rachel as well.

Together with his family of twelve sons and a daughter Dinah, Jacob returned to Canaan a prosperous man with much goods and livestock. Along the way, he wrestled and prevailed with God who appeared in the form of a man. Because God was now convinced that Jacob would remain steadfast and persevere, that Jacob truly valued his birthright, God changed his name from Jacob, the supplanter and usurper, to Israel, meaning the prevailer or over-comer with God (Gen. 32:24-30).

Birthright promise

At Bethel, God once again told Jacob his name is now Israel and that a nation and a company of nations as well as royalty would descend from him (Gen. 35:10-11).

Several years later, a severe famine gripped the land of Canaan. Jacob learned that there was food in Egypt and instructed his ten sons to travel there to secure provisions for the family and their livestock. They encountered a powerful administrator, Egypt’s prime minister and second only to Pharaoh himself, who turned out to be their brother Joseph, whom they had sold as a slave years before, and whom Jacob believed was dead. At Joseph’s insis-tence, his brothers persuaded Jacob to relocate the whole family to Egypt.

It was in Egypt that the birthright was about to be passed on to the next recipient of God’s promises.

(continued on page 12)

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The very first verse of the Bible ad-dresses the greatness of God: “In

the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1 NKJV). Im-mediately we are introduced to the power, majesty and unlimited capabili-ties of the Eternal: “In the beginning God created the heavens...”

Consider the awe-inspiring, far-reaching meaning of that statement! When you look into a clear, calm night sky, it begins to sink into any thinking, intellectually honest person’s mind how vast the heavens which God created re-ally are. The longer you take it all in, the more breath-taking it becomes!

Relying relentlessly on truth and facts, you will inevitably arrive at the unshakeable conclusion that all of this could not have just somehow happened! It is too orderly and precise for that. It must have been designed—and it was, by the Great Designer Himself.

The Almighty Creator reveals Him-self through His creation, if we will

just look and admit to what we see. As David put it: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psa. 19:1). The heavens declare His glory and greatness.

Paul Davies, an English physicist, wrote in his book The Cosmic Blueprint: “There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all...It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the Universe...The impression of design is overwhelming” (The Hand of God, Ed. Michael Reagan, p. 106).

Small slice of the universe

Have you ever taken the time to study the star-filled night sky—just the small slice of the universe available to the human eye? The longer you look and think, the more you can see as your eyes adjust and focus on this wondrous sight. If you try to count the number of heavenly bodies you are viewing

Charles E. Bryce

The Greatness of GodThe stunning beauty of the universe shows the power and glory of God

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Charles E. Bryce

from horizon to horizon, you just can’t fully do that. The exact number is out of reach to our limited human abilities and senses.

But not to the Great God! He knows the exact number of stars, planets, gal-axies, moons, suns—every astrobody in the entire endless universe, right down to the very last one: “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth” (Isa. 40:25-26).

Not only does He know the total number, He even calls them all by names, individually! But how can He possibly do this? The answer is sim-ple—because He is God: “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding

is infinite” (Psa. 147:4-5). Notice, His understanding is infinite. Nothing is too hard for Him to do or know.

It isn’t even a strain or stretch for Him to do this: “Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jer. 32:17). That is just another example of how great God really is!

Chet Raymo, author and Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill Col-lege, wrote in Skeptics and True Believers that “the new knowledge of the galaxies is exhilarating and terrifying, beautiful and dreadful....The Hubble Deep Field photo opens us to a cosmos of capacious grandeur—a universe of 50 billion galaxies blowing like snowflakes in a cosmic storm....The fourteenth-century mystic Julian of Norwich asked, ‘What is the use of praying if God does not an-swer?’ In that wonderful image of more than 1,000 galaxies caught by a mag-nificent instrument lofted into space by

The Greatness of God Part 1

The stunning beauty of the universe shows the power and glory of God

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NOAA’s GOES-East satellite captured this stunning view of the Americas on Earth Day, April 22, 2014. Photo by NASA/NOAA GOES Project.

This photo was assembled by combining 10 years of NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken of a patch of sky at the center of the origi-nal Hubble Ultra Deep Field. by NASA; ESA.

Camelopardalis, or U Cam for short, is a car-bon star surrounded by a halo of gas. Photo: “Hubble Sees Red Giant Blow a Bubble” by ESA/NASA.

a questioning creature, God answers” (The Hand of God, Ed. Michael Reagan, p. 55).

Scientists estimate that the number of galaxies out there ranges into the billions, with each galaxy containing billions of stars. Just think of that. We’re talking trillions now! Yet God can easily number them all and name them individually. This task, mind-numbing to even the smartest human beings, is effortless to God, as explained in Luke 18:27: “The things which are impos-sible with men are possible with God.”

It is also estimated that “there are some 200,000,000,000 (two hundred billion) stars just in our own galaxy—and there are millions of other galaxies stretching out into the universe. Man’s imagination just cannot grasp this vastness!” (The Big Book of Tell Me Why; Arkady, Leokum; Vol. 3, p. 72). Although man cannot fully grasp this overwhelming number, God can and does in minute detail, because of His great unlimited amazing capacity.

He did not make all of these things in a willy-nilly manner, like playing a game or rolling the dice. The Creator of the universe carefully and meticulously planned it all out. He didn’t overlook any detail. He thought of everything. And when He commanded, it was all created at one time, together and with absolute perfection. When that momentous moment of creation hap-pened, it was so stunning and thrilling, even the angels could not contain them-selves: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding...When the morning stars (angels) sang together, and all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4, 7).

The Eternal is logical and consistent. He “is not the author of confusion, but

of peace” (I Cor. 14:33). Because He wants everything done “decently and in order”, He created physical and spiri-tual laws to maintain and sustain His creation in perfect balance and working order, just as planned—beautiful and brilliant in every sense of the word (I Cor. 14:40). As Nobel prize-winning physicist Arno Penzias said, “Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an un-derlying (one might say ‘supernatural’) plan” (The Hand of God, Ed. Michael Reagan, p. 112).

Heavenly bodies

He put the sun exactly where it should be in proximity to the earth. Any closer and the earth would be incinerated. Any further away and the earth would be incased in thick ice. And it stays in that exact orbit permanently because of laws, such as the law of gravity, govern-ing the rotation and movement of the heavenly bodies in our galaxy. The sun is a star that is about ninety-three mil-lion miles from earth and keeps right on giving off the precise amount of light, heat and energy to sustain life on this planet. But how does it do this? Scientists cannot tell you, but God’s Word makes it plain.

God also created the moon and placed it in orbit at just the right distance from the earth to have the desired effect de-signed by Him. It revolves around the earth just as the earth revolves around the sun. It is directly connected to the movement of ocean tides.

Now, in all honesty, could this have just happened, ipso facto? Decidedly not! It was all designed, planned and put into motion, by the Great God at creation:

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“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firma-ment of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:16-18).

Many scientists, scholars and experts in the field of astronomy are coming to realize, albeit ever so reluctantly in some cases, that this vast and limitless universe is so immense, finely tuned and perfectly sustained that it simply could not have resulted from some cos-mic incident. Science journalist Sha-ron Begley, writing about new images of space captured with new, advanced telescopes said, “And yet, ironically, the more focused the portraits from deep space, the more meticulous and spe-cific our calculations, the more it seems improbable, even impossible, that our world could have been an arbitrary oc-currence” (Ibid, Introductory Essay). As recently as February 2014, NASA’s Kepler space telescope mission was reported to have discovered 715 new planets outside of our solar system! (www.nasa.gov, “Kepler Mission An-nounces A Planet Bonanza”). It is non-sensical to believe it all came into being from nothing and out of nowhere, of and by itself, for no rhyme or reason. To reach such a conclusion, is beyond solid, scientific, rational thinking.

Many scientists want to deny the existence of God as being beyond proof by rational thought. But George Greenstein, an astronomy professor at Amherst College, wrote in The Sym-biotic Universe, “As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency—or rather Agency—must be involved.

Is it possible that suddenly, without intending to, we have stumbled upon scientific proof of the existence of a Su-preme Being? Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted the cosmos for our benefit?” (The Hand of God, Ed. Michael Reagan, p. 113).

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of God’s Greatness is His boundless love. Not only does He have love, He actually IS love: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8). This highest level of love, the godly level, is expressed in all that He does and is—His power, majesty, glory, intellect and His glorious plan and purpose for life. Everything He does and says and is, is motivated en-tirely by love! He is the Master giver. He wants to share all that He has cre-ated with His family.

Plan, purpose, perfection

Nothing God ever does is by chance or on a whim. There is always a rea-son, a purpose, to be found in all of His actions. The expansive, glittering, majestic universe is no exception. There is a master plan being worked out here below that will ultimately include every individual human being who has ever lived, as they yield their lives com-pletely to Jesus Christ. And everyone from creation forward will have that opportunity, when the time is right for them. God will see to that perfectly. If one gets a chance for salvation, ev-eryone gets that same chance because “God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35). (Please request our free material on “Is this the only Day of Salvation?”)

That master plan extends throughout eternity and is designed by God to

share the whole creation with those who separate themselves from this world. They will become members of the God family: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye sepa-rate...and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18). As God’s sons and daughters, the universe will be their inheritance, along with their Elder Brother and Savior, Jesus Christ: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:17).

So, billions of galaxies, each con-taining billions of stars are not there for us to just look at! For one thing, we can’t even see most of them. They are there for us to inherit as the Family of God and then to fulfill His intri-cately thought out plan, for them and us. God will not hold anything back from us. He will always be in charge, but He will give everything to His Family to share, enjoy, maintain and develop. As the Apostle John wrote: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev. 21:7). It says ALL THINGS!

If, as author Annie Dillard wrote in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, “The ques-tion from agnosticism is, Who turned on the lights? The question from faith is, Whatever for?”—it is patently clear that those questions can both be answered from the Bible, and from scientific discovery (Ibid, p. 111).

Yes, God’s greatness is truly made evident in the incredible wonders of the heavens. But there is more. So much more!

To be continued...

With a growing military threat rising from Moscow, leaders from the United States, Canada and ten Euro-

pean countries, met in Washington, DC to confirm their mutual military support for each other. This meeting took place, not in the midst of the current crisis in Crimea, but in April of 1949, in the aftermath of World War II, and culminated in the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty which brought NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) into being.

The USSR after World War II was such a massive territory with such military potential, that several comparatively small nations of western Europe felt the need to stand together and combine their military manpower, intelligence and equipment. The United States was included not only for their military might, but also to help prevent the alliance from breaking down into nationalistic in-fighting among the European members, which was the historical precedent for European alliances. Sixteen additional countries were added to NATO at various times in the intervening years—most notably Germany in 1955—bringing the total number of members to twenty-eight.

This alliance is not an economic or political one. It is strictly military in its terms and purpose. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty requires that an armed attack against any one member be treated by all members as an attack against themselves and the alliance as a whole. Despite NATO’s sixty-five year history, that particular article of the treaty has only been used once—following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

From its inception, the whole point of NATO has been to offset Russia. The threat of such a large alliance was supposed to keep Moscow in check, both in the Soviet era, and in the time period since the break-up of the USSR. During the Cold War, NATO and the Warsaw Pact faced off across the Iron Curtain, but the battles were fought in rhetoric and political positioning. Neither group was willing to call the other’s bluff, and risk a world war with nuclear weapons in play.

Russia’s recent power play in Crimea poses a challenge and a question to NATO. Ukraine is not a full member of NATO, although it enjoys a “Distinctive Partnership” with the organiza-

tion (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_37750.htm). In 2008, both Georgia and the Ukraine were being talked about as future members of NATO. This was one of the factors that led to an armed conflict between Russia and Georgia in August of 2008. Now, with the Ukrainian government and people leaning toward a closer relationship with the EU and NATO, Russia has moved against Ukraine.

Most of NATOs recent new members have come from East-ern European countries, former members of the Warsaw Pact. Since the Cold War, the balance of power has tipped in favor of Europe and her allies, and NATO’s boundaries have crept closer and closer to Russia. Now Russia is pushing back.

So far NATO’s response to the Russian Ukrainian offensive has been distinctively non-military. It has focused on sanctions and criticisms, with minimal forces deployed in NATO-member, Poland, and the Baltic region. A Congressional Research Report published April 16, 2014 by analysts Paul Belkin, Derek Mix and Steven Woehrel explained that “the crisis in Ukraine has also ex-posed longer standing tensions within NATO regarding its strate-gic focus.” The threat of terrorism has been the primary concern, while Russia has been quietly renewing its military power and its willingness to use it. Global economic problems have also led to squabbling about which NATO countries are footing the bill for NATO activities. The current American administration’s “‘rebal-ance’ to Asia, and the withdrawal over the past two years of two of the U.S. Army’s four Brigade Combat Teams based in Europe have raised questions about future U.S. commitments to Euro-pean security. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have heightened these concerns” (http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43478.pdf).

NATO was born from a European desire to offset the Soviet Union’s flexing of its military muscle in Eastern Europe. Now the future strength and effectiveness of NATO may be shaped by the way the alliance either stands together, or fractures from within, in response to a newly emboldened Russia. For sixty-five years these nations have remained loyal to their treaty, but how much longer can these bonds hold together in a world of multiplying threats and diminishing resources? If they can’t—then what?

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The Beginning of the End of NATO?

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judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecc. 12:13-14, NKJV).

When you actually fully compre-hend the real purpose for life in the first place, then you come to see that EVERYTHING matters. Everything counts—for good or for evil—and all of it is important in the long and short run.

Everything has consequences. There is always an outcome. What we do, say and think impacts what that outcome will be. Since God has given us free moral agency, our decisions and choices determine our future and define who we are and what we are about all along the way. Whatever action we take makes a difference in whether the results will be positive and pleasant, or negative and painful.

Our most important treasure

The whole process leads to the devel-opment of character, which is the most important treasure we possess, especially if it is holy, righteous, godly character like Jesus Christ has!

When the Creator God decided to create the human race, He launched a plan for mankind’s ultimate destiny that is hard to fully comprehend. It is so vast, far-reaching and thrilling that it actually taxes the ability of the human mind to fully grasp it.

Please look at Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our im-age, according to Our likeness...’” Did you notice that it says “us” and “our”? Those words are plural! That means there is more than one in the God family. Right now there are two—God, the Fa-ther, and Jesus Christ, the Son. But God’s plan is to bring more into the God Fam-ily—many, many more. In essence, God

is actually reproducing Himself through human beings made in His image, but composed of physical matter—for now.

Children are often referred to as the “spitting image” of their parents or other members of their family. That is the same pattern God is following as He builds His family. We look like Him in general appearance. Our destiny is to one day actually be born into His family as spirit beings. Then we’ll be like Him in appearance and composition—made out of spirit, not flesh and blood: “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heav-enly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit in-corruption...and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incor-ruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:49-50, 52-53).

We will be the Father’s children just like Jesus Christ is, yet still subject to Him and our Savior. I John 3:2 says that we shall be just like Him: “... but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Realized full potential

This age old subject of what we are, why we were born, where are we headed has been considered over and over again from time immemorial. Notice: “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?” (Heb. 2:6).

Surely all of us have imagined what we would like to be “when we grow up”—a farmer, homemaker, teacher, business owner, artist, architect, athlete, and so on. But who among us would ever dare to dream that our ultimate destiny

would be to become actual members of the God family.

We will be sanctified as sons and daughters of God. In anticipation of this time, Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother and “the captain of [our] salvation...is not ashamed to call [us] brethren” (Heb. 2:10-11). We will be freed from these frail, imperfect, physical bodies and changed into powerful, limitless spirit-composed bodies comparable to the Father’s and Jesus Christ’s: “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil 3:21). Along with Jesus Christ, we will inherit all things: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev. 21:7). Notice it says “inherit all things” which includes the whole, limitless, endless universe!

Incredible but true

If only we can come to see that and believe it! Hopefully, you can—because it is true according to the inspired words found in your own Bible. Please read and study it for yourself. Regardless of what you have been taught and believed before, ask God to help you change whatever wrong understanding you might have about this subject and to fully embrace the Truth, straight from God’s Holy and inspired Word!

Life is not about just the here and now; it is even more about the hereaf-ter. This is the training ground for our future life in the Kingdom of God. As we overcome and grow in this journey of qualifying for responsibilities in God’s family, we realize that everything mat-ters. All that we do, say and think, brings us closer to the gift of eternal life, or takes

Personal(continued from page 1)

12 | www.straightforward.org VOL V | NO 1 August 2014

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us in the opposite direction—away from our marvelous ultimate destiny.

In order to gain the prize of our high calling from God, we must rely on Him for help, strength and guidance to do our part in this whole process. It involves challenges, effort and endurance in do-ing the right thing over and over again as the only worthwhile way of life. Jesus Christ will be there to help us overcome and grow, every step of the way!

And even that is not “all there is”! There is more, and it is all good: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (I Cor. 2:9). So don’t get distracted and careless and miss out on anything God has planned for His family. One thing is for sure—it will include hard work, stunning projects of building and ac-complishment, and meeting challenges that are fulfilling, stimulating, and brim full and running over with happiness and satisfaction—without any kickbacks or regrets, for anyone, ever!

Busy and fulfilling life

This busy life will start out on earth: “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). We will do important work as kings and priests and teachers in the Kingdom of God, reigning with Je-sus Christ for 1000 years: “But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6).

Then after that as full-fledged mem-bers of the God Family, we will be very busy taking God’s plan throughout the whole universe for all eternity. The way to guarantee that you and yours won’t come up short in this breathtaking and thrilling purpose and plan, designed by

Who Is Jacob?(continued from page 5)

Traditionally, Reuben, Jacob’s eldest son by his first wife Leah, was the legal inheritor of the birthright. But just like Esau despised his birthright and lost it, Reuben disqualified himself from inheritance because “he defiled his father’s bed.” So the birthright was passed on to Joseph, Jacob’s firstborn by Rachel (Gen. 35:22-24; I Chron. 5:1-2).

When Joseph learned that his father was gravely ill, he rushed to his father’s bedside together with the two sons born to him in Egypt—Manasseh and Ephraim. The ailing Jacob expressed his desire to adopt the two boys as his own sons to make sure they remain part of his family (Gen. 48:5). Joseph agreed to his father’s request.

With Joseph looking on, Jacob con-fered the birthright upon Manasseh

and Ephraim. But Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head instead of the elder Manasseh’s. Realizing that his father’s blindness may have caused him to err, Joseph respectfully reminded his father that his right hand should be upon Manasseh’s head, not Ephraim’s.

Jacob assured Joseph that he knew what he was doing. Both of these boys would grow into a multitude of people, but the younger brother Ephraim would become the promised company of nations, greater than Manasseh the firstborn who would eventually become the great nation that God had promised to Jacob (Gen. 35:11; 48:20).

Two sons, two nations

Thus were the birthright promises passed on to Ephraim and Manasseh, a double portion to Joseph as Jacob’s firstborn of his beloved Rachel (Gen. 48:21-22). None of Jacob’s other sons received the promises conferred by the birthright!

Today, when you mention the word Israel, it is the Jewish people that often come to mind. They are regarded as Israel. However, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were not Jews. The Jews are de-scendants of Judah, one of Jacob’s sons. This mis-characterization has led the majority of historians, biblical scholars and students of Bible prophecy to mis-takenly identify Judah as the great na-tion and the ten tribes as the company of nations.

In the book of Genesis, there is a most important, very crucial element describing the passing of the birthright onto both of Joseph’s sons.

Notice what the dying Jacob says in Genesis 48:16: “The Angel which re-deemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham

the Creator Himself, for all of mankind, is found in Deut 30:19: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

Don’t miss out on reaching your eter-nal destiny when this temporary exis-tence is over. Make every minute count now, toward one day inheriting eternal life in the family of God! Choose life and then live it God’s way and be abun-dantly blessed here and now and forever more!

Charles E. BryceEditor and Publisher

VOL V | NO 1 August 2014 www.straightforward.org | 13

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and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Right here is that pivotal detail that many have overlooked and failed to understand! Jacob said “Let my name be named of them”. And his name was changed to ISRAEL!

Not only did Jacob adopt these two boys and confer the birthright on them both, but he gave them his name Israel.

The birthright promises were con-ferred upon Ephraim and Manasseh, not Judah!

It is Ephraim and Manasseh who are called Israel! It is their descendants who are called Israel, not the Jewish people who are the descendants of Judah!

The great nation and even greater company of nations, rich and prosper-ous, possessors of military might and supremacy, spreading forth across the globe as a colonizing people, apply solely to Ephraim and Manasseh.

In the list of nations today, you will not find the countries bearing the name Ephraim and Manasseh. Throughout Bible history, there is no evidence of Ephraim becoming the promised com-pany of nations nor of Manasseh as that great nation. If the Bible is indeed the revealed word of God, the God Whose words never fail, the birthright promises must be fulfilled! If they have been fulfilled, we must continue our

search beginning at the close of Bible history until our present time.

Who then are Ephraim and Manasseh today? By what name are they known today? Where are they today?

Whoever they are, wherever they are, it is they and they alone who possess the birthright. Only they and not the Jews are inheritors of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—promises of national greatness, unprecedented resources, wealth, prosperity and power. The clear and plain truth, the direct and straightforward answer will thoroughly astonish and amaze you!

To be continued...

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The Greatness of God, Part 2

Who Is Jacob? Part 2Jacob conferred his name and birthright on Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Man-nasseh. Can this great nation and company of nations be identified today?

The heavens declare God’s glory and greatness, and so does creation here on earth. The wonders of the plant and animal kingdoms point to God the Great Designer and Creator.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are under attack today, evenfrom some in the religiouscommunity.

Yet they are the one and onlypath that leads to happiness,peace and lasting success.

This Law of love, given by Godfrom Mt. Sinai, defines what isright, just and good. Itregulates human conduct for the good of all mankind.

Contact us for our free CD set on The Ten Commandments. They are free—no charge, no

obligation!

The Great OutdoorsMore and more of us spend more and more time inside, in front of a screen. Maybe it’s time to consider the benefits of time spent unplugged, in the great outdoors.

Mount Sinai & the Plain of the Law.