A THREE-DAY FOREVER
by Richard Burkard
In a 1980s ballad singer Michael Martin Murphey asked a deep musical question. "If forever lasts forever, what's forever for?"
I worked in radio news at the time, and joked with the announcers that the answer was $9.95. That's what forever was "for."
But let's think seriously here. What does forever really mean? Christians who think they know the Biblical answer might be shocked, if they sat down to do a review of the word throughout Scripture. I was jolted into such a study, after I heard the late minister Joe Crews one Saturday morning on the Seventh-Day Adventist broadcast Amazing Facts. He dared to suggest forever does not always last forever.
Crews based this on the words of Jonah, praying about his trial inside the great fish. "To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever." (Jonah 2:6) Was Jonah actually in that fish forever? No, because Jonah 1:10 specifies he was there only "three days and three nights."
So if that "forever" is not real and literal, is it possible there are other places in the Old Testament where that's the same situation? I realized this suddenly has big implications for seventh-day Church of God members - for that word is used to justify all sorts of practices, beliefs and traditions. Could this seemingly simple word have been misunderstood all this time?
It's been, like, forever
Jonah's use of forever is a literary exaggeration, not unlike what many young people do with the word today. You may have seen commercials where teens send text messages to their "bff" - shorthand for "best friend forever." (John 15:14-15 indicates Jesus should be our real "bff," but that's not our focus here.)
A similar use occurs in a prayer of Jeremiah, which has a tone of frustration. "For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever." (Jer. 20:17) Of course, it enlarged until she gave birth.
The Hebrew word for "forever" in both these verses (Jer. 20:17 appears as "always" in the King James) is olam - #5769 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. We based our word study simply on that word, and how it's used through the Old Testament. (The concordance shows other Hebrew words can be translated as "forever," but olam tends to dominate - and you'll see why that word is our focus.)
There are many places where olam is applied to our eternal God. He has at least two names which are everlasting (another use of the word in English) - "I AM," or Jehovah (Ex. 3:14-15) and "our Redeemer" (Isa. 63:16). Men describe Him in prayer as living forever (Psm. 90:2/93:2), and having everlasting plans and ways (33:11; Hab. 3:6). He's worshiped as a God who reigns on a throne forever (Lam. 5:19; Psm. 45:6).
But deeper than that, God has wonderful attributes which are expressed as lasting forever. Jeremiah quotes Him as saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love...." (Jer. 31:3) Proverbs 8 indicates His wisdom is eternal (8:12, 22-23) - and especially for those who fear God, His mercy lasts forever (Psm. 100:5/103:17, KJV).
Forever Anger?
Yet the book of Jeremiah suggests one Godly attribute is confusing, and seemingly contradictory. First Israel is told by God through the prophet, "I am merciful.... I will not be angry forever." (Jer. 3:12) Then a few chapters later Judah is told, "You have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever" (Jer. 17:4) -- an anger that can "burn and not be quenched" (Jer. 7:2, 20). And in another book God says, "Judah will be inhabited forever.... Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon." (Joel 3:20-21)
Let's sort this out: God is not eternally angry with some people groups, but He is with others?! Can He pardon a people, yet still be upset with them? Can God both love you and be angry at you at the same time - and for all time?
A psalmist actually raises this sort of question toward God: "Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?" (Psm. 85:5) There's no direct answer in this psalm, simply an appeal to God for love and salvation (verse 7).
But another psalm offers these reassuring words about God: "For his anger lasts only a moment...." (30:5) The prophet Micah adds, "Who is a God like you.... you do not stay angry forever..." (Mic. 7:18) A different Hebrew word is used here for "forever," suggesting something in perpetuity.
How can God's anger "burn forever," yet not stay that way forever? The best answer seems to be that literary license is taken in regard to God as well - and attributes which seem to last "forever" with Him sometimes are not as everlasting as they seem. This understanding can have big implications.
How long? Not long?
When the Worldwide Church of God made its major doctrinal changes in the mid-1990's, a new definition was put on numerous Old Testament commands. No longer were they said to last "throughout all generations," which many took as meaning forever. Now those commands lasted "as long as the conditions exist" - and WCG ministers argued today's New Covenant conditions are very different.
A review of the Old Testament shows several examples of this, which are accepted across the Church of God spectrum. For instance, the offspring of Aaron no longer "keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning" - and certainly not "In the Tent of Meeting." (Ex. 27:21) As far as we know, that physical tent no longer exists. And if any church offices keep their lights on all night, they've never made a big Biblical deal of it.
Related "forever" commands about requiring ministers to wash their hands no longer apply, either (30:20-21). Other examples of "forever" clearly not existing today include:
* God's eyes and heart being in Solomon's temple (I Kng. 9:3) - since that temple was demolished around 580 B.C.
* Shewbread being set out by priests every week on the Sabbath (Lev. 24:8-9). Traditional COG's never would interpret this as turning into a modern "communion," as they only keep the Passover once a year. (And no, I don't think church snack tables count.)
* The Levites and sons of Aaron having responsibility for the priesthood (Ex. 40:15; I Chr. 15:2). Jesus of Judah is prophetically declared "a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek" in Psalm 110:4 -- a change spelled out in detail in Hebrews 7.
* The covenant requiring circumcision (Gen. 17:11-12) - a requirement challenged regarding Gentile converts in Acts 15.
Forever takes a break
We should note some Church of God members might take issue with that last statement, that circumcision is not required forever. But here we get into the trickiest part of understanding that word. If something is mentioned as lasting forever in the Old Testament and it's mentioned as part of God's coming Kingdom, does "forever" include the here and now?
The most obvious area where this is an issue for COG's concerns festivals and Holy Days. Old Testament verses indicate several special days will last forever: Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread (Ex. 12:14, 17), Pentecost (Lev. 23:16, 21), Atonement (Lev. 16:29-31) and the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:39-41). Staunch supporters of the Holy Days especially point to that autumn feast, turning to Zechariah 14 which describes it being kept after Jesus returns.
But hold on a minute here. What about the annual ceremony COG's do not keep, which also is supposed to last forever? It's clearly listed in the "Holy Day chapter," Leviticus 23 - the wave-sheaf offering.
"The Lord said to Moses....When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.... the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.... You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance [KJV "a statute for ever"] for the generations to come, wherever you live." (Lev. 23:9-14)
I noted this to a group of WCG members when I was a prospective member, and a Spring Holy Day luncheon at a Tex-Mex restaurant quickly changed as a result. (As in no roasted nacho chips with salsa.) Taken literally, the "seven days" of eating unleavened bread actually drop to six - and if you keep this ceremony after the weekly Sabbath (as COG's tend to explain verse 15), it could drop all the way to two in a "Tuesday-Monday" Holy Day schedule.
But to my knowledge, not one COG keeps this ceremony today - much less the eating restrictions mentioned with it. The United Church of God "Bible Reading Program" mentions it only in passing in its commentary on Leviticus, with no details given at all. (Might that be because in many years, the ceremony would be kept on "Easter Sunday?")
The late WCG Pastor Ron Wallen implied in a 1987 sermon that the wave-sheaf day was conditional, because of the phrase "when you enter the land." When this day was commanded, he explained, most of Israel could not observe it. But that still doesn't answer the matter of the ceremony being ordered "for ever."
Could the resurrection of Jesus have "fulfilled" this day, based on John 20:15-17? I wrote that in my own personal Bible study notes in the mid-1980s, and a UCG writer said as much in a 2002 United News article. But to accept that, you have to accept a different definition of "fulfill" than traditional COG's use -- where Jesus fulfilled the Law in Matthew 5:17 by enlarging it, not completing or doing away with it.
My point of all this analysis? Churches of God are inconsistent in applying their own standard on "forever" - and even their own definition of "fulfill." They apparently believe the wave-sheaf ceremony isn't required anymore. And that's not the only Biblical example of such inconsistency.
Offerings Suspended
The last few chapters of Ezekiel are commonly thought to be a vision of God's coming Kingdom on Earth (Ezek. 40:1-2). Several customs given to Israel during the exodus are mentioned as being kept in the future, including "the festivals, New Moons and the Sabbaths.... all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel" (45:17). But look at what else appears to be required in that Kingdom:
"You shall daily prepare a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish: you shall prepare it every morning. And you shall prepare a meat [margin meal] offering for it every morning.... a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance to the Lord." (Ezek. 46:13-14, KJV)
The word "perpetual" is that Hebrew word olam again! If these offerings were kept in ancient Israel and apparently will be kept in the coming Kingdom, why don't the Churches of God do that today? Most ministers probably would respond that Jesus's death abolished and superceded them (Heb. 10:8-10) -- so why would there be a requirement for them to return after Jesus's second coming?
The UCG "Bible Reading Program" admits in its commentary on Ezekiel 40, "Many have great difficulty with the concept of a sacrificial system being reinstituted in the future.... This is why many try to interpret these chapters at the end of Ezekiel allegorically." It then cites the Expositor's Bible Commentary to explain they are "only picture lessons and reminders of the sin of man...."
But if this logic is used to explain away current "end-time" offerings, can't it also be used to justify people not keeping Sabbaths and Holy Days now? Keep in mind from Ezekiel 45 that most COG's do nothing to celebrate New Moons, outside the Feast of Trumpets which begins the seventh month.
A "forever" Bible?
As we meditate on these unusual cases from the Bible, we begin to see that "forever" is not as clear and simple as some ministers have made it sound. And we start to understand why New Testament verification is needed, to see if Old Testament items mentioned as lasting forever really do that.
It also calls into question a Bible verse many ministers have used as a clinching point of their doctrinal arguments: "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." (Psm. 119:89, KJV) Again the Hebrew word olam is used -- but think about the application. This Old Testament verse was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Did God have every word of the New Testament signed, sealed and ready to be delivered before sending His Son to Earth -- all the way down to the relatively unknown friends of Paul in Romans 16?
If you're an ardent believer in predestination, you might give a faith-filled answer of yes. But is a better understanding found in Isaiah 40:8: "The word of our God stands forever"? The NIV translation of the verse in Psalm 119 goes in that direction: "Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens."
(As a side note: what about the claims by some COG ministers through the years that the writings of Herbert Armstrong someday will be part of Scripture -- perhaps citing the lack of an "amen" at the end of the book of Acts? If they also take Psalm 119:89 literally, how can this be?)
Food and forever
It's interesting to note that when it comes to dietary rules, God puts a "forever" on Israel not eating any fat or blood (Lev. 3:17) - but the word is not placed on the "clean and unclean" chapters of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. This could explain why "blood" is mentioned in the famous New Testament letter to the Gentiles (Acts 15:29), but pork and shrimp are not.
Yet a "perpetual statute" (in KJV) is declared on unclean people: "If a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from the community.... This is a lasting ordinance for them." (Num. 19:20-21) The context of the chapter shows this applies to people who touch dead bodies, or even enter the tent of a dead person. To my knowledge, this "forever" is not enforced by any COG today.
The forever after
The written word of God mentions something else as lasting forever: "Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation...." (Isa. 45:17) David described it in personal terms, as he approached death. "Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant.... Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?" (II Sam. 23:5)
No wonder the New Testament says Jesus was "the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." (Rev. 13:8) Micah prophesied about Christ being a coming ruler "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Mic. 5:2, KJV) - and again, the Hebrew word is olam.
What does the Bible show will happen in the future? Here again, the word "forever" can make us scratch our heads a bit. Psalms 78:69 says the earth is "established forever" (see also Ecc. 1:4) - yet Revelation 21:1 says there will be a new earth, because "the first earth had passed away." Some ministers and denominations preach the current earth will be burned to the point of disintegration, based on II Peter 3:7-10. "Earth and sky fled from his presence...." says Revelation 20:11, referring to Christ on the throne of judgment.
And at the time of judgment, there's the warning of a lake of fire - a warning described as far back as the time of Isaiah as "everlasting burning" for sinners and godless people (Isa. 33:14; see also Dan. 12:2). Even this could have a time limit; COG's have preached for decades that a fire which "is not quenched" eventually will go out (Mk. 9:47-48).
But for those who believe God and follow His ways, forever is something to look forward to. "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom," David writes in a psalm of praise (Psm. 145:13). God's kingdom is described elsewhere as the throne of David and Solomon (I Kng. 2:45/II Sam. 7:13) -- and that future kingdom is only way I Chronicles 17:14 can be fulfilled about Solomon: "I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever...."
Several verses also foretell an eternal olam covenant of some kind (Isa. 61:8; Jer. 32:40 and 50:5; Ezek. 16:60). Which covenant is this? The "new covenant" described in Hebrews 8 -- with God's eternal righteousness practiced in eternal law-keeping (Psm. 119:142, 144)? A "covenant of peace," mentioned in Ezekiel 37:26? The covenant made long ago with Abraham (Psm. 105:8-10)? All of these combined somehow? We'll leave that issue for you to consider.
Summary
As I write this, I live in a neighborhood with numerous fountains - including one specially marked as a "perpetual fountain," created to run non-stop. Except it's been stopped for several weeks. It was turned off on orders of the state as a water conservation requirement, due to a long-term drought.
Things created by man to run forever don't always do that - whether it be a fountain, or a computer program set up in the 1980's to last until Y2K. We've seen some things in the Bible are the same way. People there talked and wrote about "forever," only to find there are time limits. Even the Churches of God boast about Scriptural things lasting forever, when their own actions show they don't completely follow that claim.
It takes faith to believe that the traits and promises of God last forever. But that's the only true hope we have for things lasting into eternity -- in a God who makes all things possible (Mt. 19:26). So take heart in the words of Solomon from Ecclesiastes 3:14. "I know that everything God does will endure forever." He's creating a righteous people, which "will be remembered forever" (Psm. 112:6) - and may you live a life of righteousness, which God will remember when Jesus comes for His family.
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© 2007, Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.