WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF LIFE?

Finding Meaning in Apparent Chaos

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A sudden death, an unexplainable illness, an extraordinary spell of "bad-luck", sudden financial ruin, your partner commits adultery and your marriage is destroyed -- all these things lead us to question the meaning of life. Are we governed by fate? Is there a God in control of human affairs? Or is life simply a matter of chance? Can we find meaning in life?

Whatever you may believe, you will probably acknowledge that life is complicated and that simple answers are sometimes unacceptable. How, for example, does one equate a rape or a murder with a loving God who is supposed to be in control? How does one explain the genius of a Mozart, a Rembrandt, or an Einstein purely on the basis of natural physical and chemical forces? It is my sincere hope that this pamphlet will open up some new ideas for you and inspire you to reconsider life's purpose.

The Origin of Man and the Universe

There are three main views of the origin or man and the universe:

• 1. Man is the result of a special creation by God and lives only once on this world;
• 2. Man is the product of evolution involving only natural processes, and no God;
• 3. Man is the product of "divine evolution" and is reincarnated many times on earth.

New Covenant Christians, who are members of the New Covenant Church of God, believe that man is a special creation of God, that he did not evolve from the apes, and that he is born only once in this world. This view we are able to support from science as well as the Bible and modern revelation, which we believe to be in harmony with each other. This pamphlet summarises what God has revealed to us:

1. The Pre-existence

Man existed in a spirit-world before he was born on earth. In this world of spirits he was able to make choices, both good and evil. The circumstances he finds himself in in the physical world are partly the result of God's judgment (punishment for wrong-doing, reward for righteousness) and partly his own choices. Many spirits were prevented from taking on physical bodies because of their great wickedness. These are the evil spirits that constantly plague mankind.

2. Earth-life

Man was born from this pre-existent spirit world into our physical world to learn faith in God and to develop a righteous character. The most important choice we have to make is whether or not we will accept Jesus Christ's invitation to follow Him or not, for this will determine the quality of life we live both on earth and the here-after. To enable us to learn true faith, a veil of forgetfulness was placed across our minds so that we do not remember our pre-existent life. Occasionally, though, some people have this veil momentarily parted and they get a glimpse of their former life. This writer has had such an experience.

3. Death and the After-life

At death our physical body returns to the earth and is broken down into its basic chemical elements and our spirit body enters another spirit world where it awaits judgment for its activities on earth. This world has many dimensions but is broadly speaking divided into a region of light (Paradise) and a region of darkness (Prison). If a person did not get the opportunity to accept or reject Christ while he lived on earth, he will obtain it in the spirit world and be judged as though he had made the decision on earth.

4. The Resurrection

At the conclusion of this world's history, which will run for a fixed period of time, the spirits in Paradise and Prison will be resurrected, which means they will receive new physical bodies which are immortal and not subject to disease and pain. They will receive these resurrected bodies on this planet, save for the wicked who will be resurrected on another world of lesser glory.

This universal resurrection will occur over a one thousand year period called the Millennium, the righteous being resurrected first, and the wicked last. Those who were killed or died young because of disease, accident, misadventure, war, murder or other cause will return to the earth as mortals and grow up normally from the age when they lost their lives. They will reach an old age free of all hurt or harm and be resurrected. At the end of this Millennium, mankind will be divided again, the most righteous remaining here and the less righteous being transferred to another world.

At the end of the Millennium the world will be transformed into a Celestial or Heavenly World in which Christ will live and rule forever.

The New Covenant Church of God

Since the beginning of time God has taught mankind the perfect way to live. He established laws and judges and sent angels to minister to men and women and even visited the earth Himself. This perfect society was known as the Holy Order, or Church of the Firstborn. Some of the most famous leaders of this Order were Adam, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek and Abraham and they were responsible for bringing great peace and righteousness to the earth.

But the greatest of all these leaders was the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who not only took personal responsibility for the effects of wickedness by dying and atoning for mankind, but also provided a way for man to be released from the dominance of his lower or "fleshy" nature which continually drags him down and leads him to unhappiness.

God is again restoring the New Testament Church of God upon the earth (known today as the New Covenant Church of God). He has raised up a prophetic and apostolic ministry, whose purpose is to gather those who are willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ with all their hearts, teach them the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to be a leavening influence on Christendom. It is quite unlike other Christian denominations in its scope and vision.

The New Covenant Church of God is divided up into two separate though closely associated organisations, each of which is adapted to meet the needs of Christians according to their level of progression and personal committment to Christ. The most challenging, the Holy Order or Chavurah Bekorot, is communitarian. It practices the New Testament financial law of "all things in common" or United Order, trains up evengelists for international outreach, and teaches the deeper mysteries of the faith. It is not a public organisation.

The Local Colonies are the second "level" of the New Covenant Church of God. Their main function is preparing committed disciples for the challenge of communal life in the Holy Order should they choose to enter such. Its function is mostly evangelical, educational and for fellowship and praise.

Your Invitation

We would like invite you to come and learn about life's real purpose and to take part in an exciting and unique ministry of service and spiritual discovery. If you'd like to, please get in contact with us.