SAVING THE RIGHTEOUS

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

A theme that runs through the Bible and other books is that God will save the righteous people. The sequence of events that is repeated throughout history is that God finds that some are obeying the rules. They are saved, while the others are made to perish or to suffer.

Also, after saving the righteous, God gives them rules to follow. He then watches to see if they follow the rules. If they do, they are protected and encouraged. If they do not, they, too, must perish or suffer and only the righteous are saved. This is a cycle that is discussed several times in the Bible and we believe it is going on today.

EXAMPLES

THE STORY OF NOAH

According to the Bible, a great flood occurred several thousand years ago. According to the story, before the flood one family was warned to take action to save themselves. This was the family of Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives. They followed God’s suggestions and saved themselves and many creatures, as well.

After the flood, certain rules were given to Noah, to be followed by all of humanity. We believe that unfortunately, these laws were taken out of the Bible. However, we believe that they were given to Noah.

Since everyone except the children of Noah were destroyed in the flood, all of us are descendants of Noah. Therefore, the laws below apply to everyone on earth.

1. Do not worship idols. This means do not worship gods other than the one God of the Hebrew Bible.

2. Do not blaspheme God. This means do not swear, curse, insult or otherwise use the name of God in an irreverent way.

3. Do not murder. Murder means killing someone without a very good reason. For example, killing someone in self-defense is not considered murder. Killing an animal to have food, or if it threatens you, is also acceptable.

4. Do not commit sexual immorality. Sexual immorality includes homosexuality, adultery (sex with someone other than one’s wife or husband), fornication (sex without marriage), pedophilia (sex with children) and bestiality (sex with animals).

5. Do not steal. This means more than not taking the possessions of someone else. It also means do not cheat people in any way. Also, do not steal the dignity or spirit of another person, such as occurs with rape, yelling at children, and other uncaring behavior. Rape is also a type of murder of the spirit of another.

6. Do not eat flesh from a live animal. The people were told to first kill the animal, then cook the food, and then eat the meat. Other people at that time would just rip a leg or other body part off a living animal and eat it raw. This is inhumane and harmful for the person eating it, as well. It is one reason we recommend cooking all food. One cannot eat a living animal if you cook it first, of course.

7. Establish courts and a legal system to ensure obedience to the above laws. This is very important. In some societies, eve today, there is very little legal proceeding or due process of law. The king or leader just decides if the person is guilty or innocent and then carries out the punishment with no chance for a defense.

Western societies are based on the Biblical concept of a legal system that first and foremost requires due process. This means carrying out certain policies and procedures that are set down in writing for anyone accused of a crime. It was a major milestone for humanity. Any effort to circumvent due process is a very bad breach of this basic commandment. This unfortunately occurred during the outbreak of the Chinese virus in 2020.

The story of Noah is an example of how we believe God works. First, the righteous people were saved. Then, after the flood, the righteous people were given rules to follow. Then God waits to see if the rules are followed. If not, the wicked are once again killed or made to suffer, while the righteous are rewarded or saved.

MOSES IN EGYPT

About 3000 years ago, the climate became dry. As a result, the Hebrew people were hungry. God had warned a man living in Egypt named Joseph to store away food for the dry spell. He invited the Hebrew people to come to Egypt and basically trade their labor for food.

The Hebrews accepted the offer. However, soon after the Hebrews arrived, the Egyptians enslaved them. They spent the next roughly 350 years in bondage to the Egyptians!

The Hebrews maintained their laws quite well during this time and did not intermarry with the heathen Egyptians. As a result, when the time was right, they were freed and left Egypt. Once again, God saved the righteous people.

Once they were freed, God gave them rules to follow. These are the Ten Commandments of Moses. The holidays of Shavuot and Pentacost celebrate this event. For many details, read the Ten Commandments.

The same story is repeated many times in the Old Testament of the Bible.

THE SITUATION TODAY

We believe that a similar situation exists today. It involves more of humanity, not just the Hebrews. The coming of Jesus brought the non-Hebrews under the Biblical rules so that today the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, and other Biblical laws apply to many more people in the world.

We believe that those who follow the rules will be saved. The others may have to suffer or worse. This may sound ominous, but we believe it is the way God works.

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