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				The Wonderful World Beyond Today: A New Way of Thinking By Mike Bennett What do you do if everyone in the world needs a heart transplant? en since the beginning of time have sought peace... Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed; leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all material and cultural development of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh" -- Gen. Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) at the World War II surrender ceremony on the U.S.S. Missouri, Sept. 2, 1945 (emphasis added). God promises a world of peace and prosperity will come (Micah 4:1-4)! It's what everyone has always wanted, but mankind has never been able to achieve. Why? Science and technology haven't brought it. All the experiments in various government and economic systems haven't moved us closer to peace, but seem to draw us ever nearer to destruction. Education should be a key to the kind of world we want. As God said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). But the kind of knowledge funneled into students' minds today doesn't seem to produce lasting happiness or to have brought the world closer to peace. Hosea makes it clear the missing knowledge is about God and His laws (Hosea 4:6-10). Modern education ignores and ridicules spiritual knowledge and belief in a Creator God. When humans are seen as evolving animals, and survival of the fittest is considered the overarching principle of the universe, how can we expect anything but selfishness and warmongering? When information about the physical universe is seen as the highest knowledge, how can we expect anything more than greed and materialism? But, some would counter, has religion done any better? Haven't many bloody wars, atrocities and acts of terrorism been perpetrated in the name of religion? The truth is, sadly, the major religions of the world do not fully follow the precepts of the Bible. They, too, have rejected or not known the way of peace. God's way has never been fully tried in this world. But it will be! Source of evil removed The Bible describes an evil being who has literally deceived the whole world from the Garden of Eden until now (Revelation 12:9). He is the enemy of God, and fights to prevent humans from understanding and following God's ways. But at Christ's return, John in a vision saw an angel who, "laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished" (Revelation 20:2-3). God promises a world of peace and prosperity will come Satan's "broadcast" (Ephesians 2:2) of negative attitudes and emotions will be ended! Finally, mankind will be freed from slavery to Satan and sin! No more will religious deception be spread. Materialistic and humanistic education will be replaced with true education of the whole person -- heart, mind and spirit. However, even without Satan's active presence, our human minds have been programmed throughout our lives to think the way Satan thinks. It will take time for God's way of thinking to sink in. The traditions, ideologies and thought patterns that come naturally today will eventually be seen for what they are -- harmful and self-destructive. In the meantime, God's educational system will spread around the world, sometimes meeting pockets of resistance. Interestingly, the Holy Days of God described in Leviticus 23 and reflected in many New Testament passages provide an outline of God's plan. (For more on this, download or request our free booklet .) The Bible tells us they will eventually be universally celebrated in God's Kingdom: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16). But even this wonderful festival will be met with resistance. Zechariah records that God will need to encourage nations to come by withholding rain from them (verses 17-19). To overcome the influences held over from the "present evil age" (Galatians 1:4), this will be a necessary step. God knows such encouragement and coercion are not the ultimate solution. For people to become good citizens of His Kingdom, they must individually choose to make changes. Changing hearts and minds The author of Hebrews, most likely the apostle Paul, makes clear the changes needed to transform humans from the selfish and self-destructive beings of today to the giving, peacemaking and joyful citizens of God's Kingdom. For without changes to the human heart, we would soon revert to the evils of today rather than sustaining the beautiful world tomorrow: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel [and eventually with all people -- Romans 2:29; 10:11-13; 1 Timothy 2:4] after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Hebrews 8:10, quoted from Jeremiah 31:33). The problems of the world can ultimately be traced back to breaking God's eternal law of love. He has revealed that law in the Bible through the Ten Commandments, the first four of which show how to love God the way He wants to be loved, and the last six show how to love our neighbor as ourselves (Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 22:37-40). These principles are explained and expanded throughout the Bible in every word of God. It will take time for God's way of thinking to sink in. But even the people God revealed these laws to did not keep them. As Hebrews records, the fault with the first covenant was "with them," not with the perfect laws (Hebrews 8:7-8). When Israel agreed to obey God's laws, He told Moses wistfully, "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" (Deuteronomy 5:29). Breaking those eternal laws required the death penalty. God's gracious plan included the incredible sacrifice of Jesus Christ to pay that penalty in our place, so that the perfectly just and righteous God could also be perfectly merciful. Because Christ willingly took our place, He said, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12). A heart transplant God's graciousness doesn't end there. He also made it possible for us to have a new heart -- one capable of living His way of love, obeying His laws: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26-27). All magnificent buildings will pale in comparison to the "wonders" described in Galatians 5:22-23. The apostle Paul outlines this process in Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The Bible describes this process as including repentance -- not only seeing the need for forgiveness and conversion, but deeply, humbly seeking God's mercy and fully committing to a life of change. It includes belief in God and acceptance of Christ's sacrifice to pay our penalty for sin. This is followed by baptism, symbolizing burying the old way of life. Then comes the gift of God's Holy Spirit that makes it possible to truly become like God (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:37-38; Romans 6:3-7). Many scriptures on this vital subject are summarized in the helpful, free booklet . The wonders of the world beyond today You've heard of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and some have tried to list the buildings and monuments that could be considered the wonders of the modern world. But what will the wonders of God's Kingdom be? All magnificent buildings will pale in comparison to the "wonders" described in Galatians 5:22-23. These nine fruits of God's Spirit are building blocks in producing God's heart and mind within us. Imagine a world where the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21 no longer prevail. Better yet, imagine a world where these fruits of the Spirit are growing and spreading: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Imagine having a neighbor like that. Imagine having a teacher, a boss, a police officer and a mayor treat you that way -- God's way! What a wonderful world that will be! What an incredible future is ahead! Recommended reading To learn more about this wonderful future, please request a free subscription to the magazine. Copyright 2009 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved.

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Other Articles by Mike Bennett
Origin of article "The Wonderful World Beyond Today: A New Way of Thinking"
Keywords: way of peace evil conversion new heart holy spirit and conversion 

Evil:

• Reflections on the Dunblane Tragedy
• Did a Good God Create an Evil World?
• The Death of Innocence
• The Origin of Evil and Suffering
• Still a Troubled and Dangerous World
• Why Does Evil Exist?
• Did God Create People Evil?
• 60 Years After the War in Europe
• Seizing a Beachhead for the Kingdom
• 60 Years After World War II: What Have We Learned?
• Star Wars III: What Makes a Hero Go Bad?
• God's Plan to End Evil and Suffering
• A New Way of Thinking
• The Boston Marathon Bombing Opens a Window on All Time
• I Didn't Mean to Get Lost
• Proverbs: Travel a Good Road
• Introduction: Is There Really a Devil?
• Why a Loving God Allows Suffering
• Why Suffering?
• Where Does Evil Come From? How Will It End?
• Where Does Evil Come From?
• Are We Underestimating Our Need to Resist Satan?
• A World Embracing Evil
• The Unseen "God of This Age"
• How Evil Will Be Ended

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• The Holy Spirit: God's Power at Work
• The Real Star Wars
• Man's Missing Ingredient
• God's Spirit: The Power to Transform Your Life
• Just Add Water
• Change Is Coming: Five Ways Jesus Christ Will Change Government Forever
• Goodness: God's Character and Man's Potential
• Self-Control: Governing Your Life by the Power of God
• A Crucial Factor in Producing Fruit: Eradicate the Weeds of Sin
• How Can You Receive theTransforming Power of God's Spirit?
• Mindsets -- A Set Mind
• Are You Ready to Change?
• How Can God's Spirit Transform Us?
• Pentecost: The Power of God in Our Lives
• The Cup and the Dish
• How Do I Truly Know If God Is Calling Me?
• A People Special to God
• A Spiritually Transformed People
• The Apostles: A Case Study in Conversion
• The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power
• The Feast of Pentecost: The Firstfruits of God's Harvest
• The Holy Spirit: God's Promise of His Divine Help
• The Holy Spirit: the power of God
• The power to live a godly life
• Water Baptism and Laying On of Hands
• Growing to Spiritual Maturity
• The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power (TL)
• Is the Holy Spirit a Person? (TL)
• Why Be Baptized?
• What is the Holy Spirit?
• The Holy Spirit in the Church
• Introduction (bsc9)
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• Jesus Christ's Wonderful Advance News!
• Human Nature