Life After Death Life After Death –– page 3page 3Are You Saved? Are You Saved? –– page 7page 7

“Forgive Us Our Sins” “Forgive Us Our Sins” –– page 11page 11www.gladtidingsmagazine.orgwww.gladtidingsmagazine.org

of the Kingdom of God 1578GladTidingsGladTidings

Bible Talks, Study Classes, Sunday Schools and Youth Clubs areheld regularly by Christadelphians worldwide. The address ofyour nearest group can be obtained either from one of the Glad Tidings Distributors listed above, or from one of the contactaddresses listed on the back cover.

Bible VersionsThe version most used in this issue isthe New King James Version (NKJV)and other versions are sometimes

used.

✤ The New King James Version iscopyrighted by Thomas Nelson.

✤ The English Standard Version is published by Harper CollinsPublishers © 2001 by CrosswayBibles, a division of Good NewsPublishers. Used by permission.

✤ The New International Version is copyrighted 1978 by New York Bible Society.

GladTidingso f t h e K i n g d o m o f G o d

130th Year 1578A monthly magazine published by the Christadelphians (brothers and sisters in Christ) andavailable throughout the world.

AcknowledgementsPhotographs:

Cover: A Reborn Tree, NewZealand Ken Anderton

Other Illustrations:Page 3: istockphotos; pg 4: JeffWilson; pg 8: WikipediaCommons; All other images:clipart.com.

ContentsL15

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Publisher: The Glad Tidings Publishing Association A registered charity – Number 248352

Contents

Life After Death...............3

Do You REALLY WANT toLive For Ever?................5

Are You Saved?.................7

The Letters of John..........9

“Forgive Us Our Sins” ...11

The Temple of God ........14

Hezekiah – Help andHealing ........................16

Is Idol Worship Idle? .....18

Its objectives are – to encourage the study of the Bible as God'sinspired message to men; to call attention to the Divine offerof forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ; and to warn menand women that soon Christ will return to Earth as judge andruler of God’s world-wide Kingdom.

131st Year 3

The oldest tree on the planet – abristlecone pine, in the White Moun-tains of America – is said to be 5062years old. But even old trees die even-tually, because nothing lives for ever.Yet a dead tree can begin to live again,as this month’s front cover demon-strates dramatically. Springing fromthe trunk of the dead tree, the newgrowth offers to start the life cycle allover again.

If Only!The Book of Job is one of the oldestwritings of the Old Testament anddetails the experience of a man wholost everything and then tried to workout why that had happened to him. Hefelt a huge sense of injustice anddespaired that he would ever be vindi-cated, fearing that he would die and beno more. In one of his protests hemade this plea to God:There is hope for a tree, if it is cutdown, that it will sprout again, andthat its tender shoots will notcease. Though its root may growold in the earth, and its stump maydie in the ground, yet at the scentof water it will bud and bring forthbranches like a plant. But man diesand is laid away; indeed he breatheshis last and where is he? As water dis-appears from the sea, and a riverbecomes parched and dries up, soman lies down and does not rise. Tillthe heavens are no more, they will notawake nor be roused from their sleep(Job 14:7–12).

This might be an ancient writing, butit is clear that the inspired author hada clear view of what death consists of– an unconscious state from which

there might be no awakening. But Jobwas a believer in the Almighty and isdescribed as an upright and a blame-less worshipper, so he believed therewas a prospect of life after death. Hejust hoped and prayed that he mightbe one of those who will be raised, tostart life all over again. He wanted tobe like a tree that would sprout again.

Never ForgottenYears after Job wrestled with his anxie-ties, the prophet Isaiah responded toGod’s question and was given a mostdisconcerting commission. He hadseen a vision of the Lord in glory, fillingthe temple, and had heard a voiceasking “Whom shall I send, and whowill go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8). It led toIsaiah becoming one of God’s prophetswhen he volunteered: “Here am I!Send me”, and the result was one ofthe longest books in the Bible – all 66chapters of the prophecy.

But the immediate response wasmost discouraging, for the voice in thetemple said that he was to tell thepeople of his day that however hardthey listened, they would not under-

Life After DeathLife After Death

4 Glad Tidings

people were dispersed throughout theearth (“far away” indeed) and the landwas left desolate, just as the angel hadsaid. The ancient prophecies aboutIsrael’s return and their future role asGod’s people seemed a distantprospect, but they had only to remem-ber God’s word to find hope for thefuture. For, as Isaiah had foreseen,when there was no hope of a king tosucceed King David and to keep hisline extant, as God had promised, theancient stump of Jesse (David’s father)sprang a new shoot, and a child wasborn in David’s line, who was to beIsrael’s future king:There shall come forth a Rod fromthe stem of Jesse, and a Branchshall grow out of his roots. The Spiritof the Lord shall rest upon him, theSpirit of wisdom and understanding,the Spirit of counsel and might, theSpirit of knowledge and of the fear ofthe Lord. His delight is in the fear ofthe Lord… (Isaiah 11:1–3).

This descendant was the Lord JesusChrist, born of David’s line, and he isIsrael’s future king, despite the factthat they do not yet recognize him, noravail themselves of what has beendone for them. That time of recognitionand acceptance will come, as otherprophets have foretold, and the peopleof Israel will once more flourish as theirancient promises become a vital andliving reality for themselves and,through them, for all nations.

This hope of Israel is alive and welland soon will blossom and flourishwhen the Lord Jesus returns fromheaven to call together his people forthe great transformation that liesahead.

Editor

stand his message, and however hardthey looked they would not be able tosee what God was going to do (seeIsaiah 6, verses 9–11). It turns out, asJesus later explained, that they couldneither hear nor see if they didn’t wantto know about God’s purpose – desirewas the key to perception (seeMatthew 13:14–15), then and now.

Isaiah’s question was to the pointfor, he asked, “Lord, how long?” andwas told that the purpose of God wouldinclude His people being moved farfrom their land which would becomedesolate in their absence, but therewould always be a remnant of faithfulpeople through the ages and thepurpose of God would never be aban-doned. Like a tree which had beenfelled, there would come a time whenthe nation would spring up again:Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And Heanswered: “Until the cities are laidwaste and without inhabitant, thehouses are without a man, the land isutterly desolate, the Lord has removedmen far away, and the forsaken placesare many in the midst of the land. Butyet a tenth will be in it, and willreturn and be for consuming, as aterebinth tree or as an oak, whosestump remains when it is cut down.So the holy seed shall be its stump”(Isaiah 6:11–13).

The Hope of IsraelIsaiah prophesied until the time ofgood King Hezekiah, and a little over ahundred years after his time the landwas indeed left without inhabitant andits people went into exile, but only for70 years. It was during the muchlonger periodl of exile, following theRoman conquest of Jerusalem, that itseemed that the hope of Israel waslost. For nearly 2000 years the Jewish

131st Year 5

The prophet Daniel was inspired toforetell the resurrection of the dead atthe coming of Jesus and called it anawakening from the dreamless sleepof death. Then he adds that only someof those raised from the dead will bemade immortal. Here’s what he said:Many of those who sleep in thedust of the earth shall awake,some to everlasting life, some toshame and everlasting contempt.Those who are wise shall shine like thebrightness of the firmament, and thosewho turn many to righteousness likethe stars forever and ever (Daniel12:2,3).

Jesus expands on this Old Testamentteaching as follows:The Son of Man will send out hisangels, and they will gather out of hiskingdom all things that offend, andthose who practice lawlessness, andwill cast them into the furnace of fire.There will be wailing and gnashing ofteeth. Then the righteous will shineforth as the sun in the kingdom of theirFather. He who has ears to hear, lethim hear! (Matthew 13:41–43).

Many shall AwakeAfter the resurrection, the faithful willbe rewarded with eternal life (perfectlife that lasts for ever), but in thesewords there is also an importantwarning. Those judged unfaithful willexperience ‘shame and everlastingcontempt’. Please note that the versesdo not say they will suffer eternal pain.In fact the Psalmist says this:

The wicked shall return to Sheol (thegrave), all the nations that forget God(Psalm 9:17 ESV).

“Hell” or “Sheol” are names that justmean the grave and what we are beingtold is that people who are rejected atthe judgement in the last days will justdie again. Their fate will be that of“everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalo-nians 1:9) and their bad reputation willbe always remembered as a warning.

Jesus was once asked a trick ques-tion about the resurrection concerningwho will be married to whom in thefuture age. His answer tells us muchabout the blessings of immortality:Jesus answered and said to them,“The sons of this age marry and aregiven in marriage. But those who arecounted worthy to attain that age, andthe resurrection from the dead, neithermarry nor are given in marriage; norcan they die anymore, for they areequal to the angels and are sons ofGod, being sons of the resurrection”(Luke 20:34–36).

Equality with angels! Not ever dyingor being sick or sad again! This is whatGod offers to us, if we will really try tobe faithful.

New NatureWe are not thinking of living for everwith the weak sinful nature we have atpresent: that would not be a blessingat all. Angels enjoy a perfect quality oflife in total obedience to God:Bless the Lord, you His angels, whoexcel in strength, who do His word,

A Christadelphian’s Faith – 28

Do You REALLY WANT toDo You REALLY WANT toLive For Ever?Live For Ever?

6 Glad Tidings

heeding the voice of His word (Psalm103:20).

God promises that those who try toplease Him now in their weak mortalstate, will enjoy perfect sin-free liveshelping forward God’s purpose in Hiskingdom when Jesus is here as King.

We can be sure that if we really wantto serve God properly, and for ever, Hewill make it possible for us. Here aretwo more of these promises:Now to Him who is able to keep youfrom stumbling, and to present youfaultless before the presence of Hisglory with exceeding joy, to God ourSavior, who alone is wise, be glory andmajesty, dominion and power, bothnow and forever. Amen (Jude 24–25).

And I heard, as it were, the voice of agreat multitude, as the sound of manywaters and as the sound of mightythunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For theLord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us beglad and rejoice and give Him glory, forthe marriage of the Lamb has come,and his wife has made herself ready.”And to her it was granted to be arrayedin fine linen, clean and bright, for thefine linen is the righteous acts of thesaints. Then he said to me, “Write:‘Blessed are those who are called tothe marriage supper of the Lamb!’”And he said to me, “These are the truesayings of God” (Revelation 19:6–9).

God’s GiftImmortality will be a free gift from God:we can never deserve it. All that weactually earn is death, but God wantsus in His kingdom and He wants toforgive our failings. The apostle Paul,writing about Abraham, says this abouthis faith:“It was accounted to him for righteous-ness.” Now it was not written for hissake alone that it was imputed to him,but also for us. It shall be imputed tous who believe in Him who raised upJesus our Lord from the dead, whowas delivered up because of ouroffenses, and was raised because ofour justification (Romans 4:22–25).

God will count us righteous in Hissight if we have a faith like Abraham’sand act accordingly. God wants us tobe baptized into the saving name ofJesus, so we can be covered by hissacrificial death. And Paul’s chapterabout baptism ends with thissummary:For the wages of sin is death, but thegift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesusour Lord (Romans 6:23).

But let us not ignore something elsethat Paul said, earlier in this letter:

[God] will render to each one accord-ing to his deeds: eternal life to thosewho by patient continuance in doinggood seek for glory, honour, andimmortality” (Romans 2:6–7).

But to get eternal life, we have reallygot to want it, and must reach out toGod for the salvation that He has gra-ciously provided. As Jesus said, wemust ‘hunger and thirst’ (Matthew 5:6)after the things that are right with God.

John Woodall

131st Year 7

Doubtless they thought they were‘saved’, even though they perished.

Jesus our SaviourWe are all painfully aware that the

human race is a dying race. Everyonedies. However, the Bible tells us thatGod sent His Son to be the Saviour ofthe world (1 John 4:14). In fact, beingassociated with the name of Jesus isthe only way of escaping permanentdeath. “Nor is there salvation in any other, forthere is no other name under heavengiven among men by which we mustbe saved” (Acts 4:12).

God has provided a way of escapinginevitable destruction. Consequently,the Bible refers to believers as ‘saved’(2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5, Romans8:24). Some professing Christiansbelieve that this means that eternal lifeis guaranteed to them, whatever mighthappen. This is not what the Biblesays. The death of Jesus can save usfrom the inevitability of death, just asLot’s wife was saved from the brim-

The house was blazing and fire-fighterswere rescuing people trapped inside. Itwas extremely dangerous and the fire-fighters had to apply their skills withgreat care. “Thank you SO much forsaving me”, gasped one man who hadfinally been brought to safety. “Noproblem”, said the fire-fighter, “but youstay well away from the building now;don’t go anywhere near until we say itis OK”.

Some minutes later the man ranback to a part of the house that did notlook as though it was on fire. No-oneknew why and no-one could stop him.Suddenly there was an almighty crashand part of the building fell on him,killing him outright.

Remember Lot’s WifeThere is a similar account in the Bible.Angels visited the cities of Sodom andGomorrah and told the man Lot to getout, together with his family. God wasgoing to destroy these cities becausetheir inhabitants were so wicked. Lot’sfamily was led to safety by the angels,who even held their hands and toldthem “Escape for your life! Do not lookbehind you nor stay anywhere in theplain” (Genesis 19:14–17). However,after being taken out of the city, Lot’swife did look back and was turned intoa pillar of salt. Jesus refers to this inLuke 17:32, warning people of theimportance of taking notice of hiswords.

In each of these scenarios peoplehad been removed from inevitabledestruction by being taken to a safeplace, but they subsequently perishedbecause of their own foolishness.

Are You Saved?Are You Saved?

8 Glad Tidings

stone and fire that destroyed Sodomand Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24).However, just like Lot’s wife, we mightstill perish. This is clear in the writingsof the apostles. In 2 Timothy chapter1, the apostle Paul describes believersas ‘saved’ (verse 9), but subsequentlyurges Timothy to ‘hold fast the patternof sound words’ (verse 13) and clearlystates that some people have in factstrayed from the correct way(2:16–18).

Similarly, Paul tells the believers atCorinth that they are saved by thegospel “if you hold fast the word whichI preached to you” (I Corinthians15:2). Jesus himself says that “he whoendures to the end will be saved”(Matthew 10:22 and 24:13). Thepoint is reinforced in I Corinthians 1:18where Paul describes believers asthose “who are being saved” (also 2Corinthians 2:15).

God Asks Us to ObeyGod has saved mankind from theotherwise inevitable death sentence.However, He asks us to respond indi-vidually: to believe and be baptised:

“He who believes and is baptized shallbe saved” (Mark 16:16).

Jesus said that “Unless one is born of water and theSpirit, he cannot enter the kingdom ofGod” (John 3:5).

These are very strong words withoutany possibility of compromise. Later inthe chapter Jesus says that we mustbelieve on the ‘name’ of the Son ofGod (v 18). It is abundantly clear thatthis belief is not merely an intellectualassent to the record of Jesus’ life. Italso requires a personal commitment,which must be based on an under-standing of what the ‘name’ means.

Jesus means ‘Saviour’ and Christmeans ‘Anointed One’. Those namesspell out God’s plan: to save usbecause of what Jesus has done andto send him again as King.

The Only NameIn Acts 4:17–18 Jesus’ name is asso-ciated with doctrine (i.e. beliefs). It istherefore necessary to understand hisname and the implications for our rela-tionship with him. Jesus commandedhis followers to live by the same self-less and godly principles that he did(John 13:34). He described this astaking up the cross: “Whoever desires to come after me, lethim deny himself, and take up hiscross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

This obviously requires us to under-stand what Jesus himself believed andhow he lived.

We have been offered a reprievefrom the death sentence that we inher-ited from the moment we were born.God offers us salvation. Please don’tignore this life-saving offer.

Anna Hart

131st Year 9

The Apostle John wrote letters, as wellas his Gospel and the Book of Reve-lation. Three of these have beenpreserved in the Bible. They belong toa period late in the First Century,because there is already evidence inthem of the infiltration of evil men pre-dicted by Paul and Peter.

From the opening chapter of Reve-lation we learn that John had a specialresponsibility for a group of sevenmainly Gentile (non-Jewish) Christiancongregations in the Roman provinceof Asia (the west side of Turkey). So heseems to have spent his last daysaway from the land of Israel. The styleof the letters, particularly the first,mirrors that of his Gospel – thoughtfuland logical.

John’s First LetterIt is difficult to follow the argument inthe five chapters of the first epistle. Itshould be remembered that the origi-nal letter would have had no chapterdivisions, indeed, no punctuationwhatever, and so we depend heavily onour translators to guide us through thesubtleties of the Greek text. The overalltheme is clear – that believers mustlove each other, if they want God toforgive their sins. But John also wantsto correct those who had begun toquestion the father-son relationshipbetween Jesus and God.❖ The Beginning

The opening verses correspond tothe beginning of John’s Gospel – thethrilling concept that God’s Word – Hiswill to bring a new kind of life to thisworld, revealed verbally in the Old Tes-

tament – had now been shown to menin physical form, embodied in His Son.Living with Jesus as we did, says John,and just as any son resembles hisfather, you will come to see what Godis truly like.

This statement elevates Jesus ofNazareth above anyone else who hasever lived. The claims of any others tobe channels of God’s message falldown when we contemplate the life ofthe Son of God. There can be no com-parison. Jesus is not just anotherprophet. As John writes in the fifthchapter:This is the testimony: that God hasgiven us eternal life, and this life is inHis Son. He who has the Son has life;he who does not have the Son of Goddoes not have life (1 John 5:11–12).

❖ Light and Dark

Darkness and light do not mix. If welive a life of sin, John says, we cannotcome close to God, Who dwells inlight. Of course, none of us exceptJesus is truly sinless. But our lapses,humbly confessed, can be forgiven forJesus’ sake. The real test of our claimto love God in heaven is twofold – first,that we are prepared to show compas-sion to our brothers and sisters hereon earth, and second, that we keepourselves separate from the evil worldaround us.

John remembers that Jesus warnedthat ‘antichrists’ (opponents of Jesus)would arise. They have already come,he says, and they deny that Jesus isthe promised Messiah (the Christ).And to prove they were not genuine,he adds, they have begun to leave the

Books of the Bible – 44

The Letters of JohnThe Letters of John

church and return to the world,because they are uncomfortable in thepresence of the truth. The Holy Spirit,like the anointing oil that consecratedkings and priests, has revealed thattruth to the community of the believ-ers. We must hold it fast.❖ Life of Love

John returns to the vital rôle of lovein the life of a Christian. If we hateeach other, as Cain hated his brotherAbel, we are effectively murderers, hesays, even though we strike no blow.Love is self-sacrificing, and emerges inpractical giving, and forgiving, andeven intercession for the forgiveness ofanother sinner. Love starts off fromGod – He loved us first, and sent HisSon to bring us to Himself. Now wemust show that love to others. Nobodycan see God. But looking at us, aspeople once looked at Jesus and lovedhim, they should see a little of thecharacter of God. What a challengeJohn leaves his readers to try and liveup to!

John’s Second LetterThe second letter is very brief. It isaddressed to ‘the elect lady’ (one whois chosen by God). Whether this is aChristian sister, or John’s code wordfor a congregation of believers, wecannot be sure. He commends herchildren for their faithful walk, andreminds her of the need to love eachother (his life-long theme). But he hasa sharp warning.

The antichrists are on the way, hesays, men who deny that Jesus was aman like us, subject to temptation anddeath. Their teaching would underminethe sacrifice of Jesus, emptying ofmeaning his victory over sin. Anyonewho comes to you with these wrongideas must not be welcomed. Do not

even allow them into your house. These strong words indicate two

important things: first, what we believeis important, and second, the truth theapostles taught cannot be modified. Toconfuse or change the rôle of Jesus asboth Son of God and Son of Man is torisk losing our reward.

John’s Third LetterThis time the recipient of John’s letterhas a name – Gaius. It was a commonone in the First Century, and wecannot identify him with certainty fromothers of that name in Romans andActs. John had just been visited bytravelling Christian brothers who toldhim about the situation in Gaius’ con-gregation.

All was not well. These brothers hadtried to visit the church Gaius attend-ed, but had been shut out by a mancalled Diotrephes, a self-appointedleader of the congregation. He did noteven admit the authority of John, oneof the 12 apostles! But faithful BrotherGaius had received the visitors andmade them welcome. And BrotherDemetrius, too, could be relied on.Soon, John tells Gaius, he would be onthe warpath. He was going to make apersonal visit and challengeDiotrephes to his face.

This letter shows once again howsoon after the time of Jesus bad influ-ences were creeping into the Church.It is a warning to us that an easy-goingattitude will soon allow the gospel tobecome diluted and corrupt, endan-gering its power to save us from death.

We shall hear from John a little later,but first there is another short letter toconsider – the Epistle of Jude.

David M Pearce

10 Glad Tidings

Millions repeat “The Lord’s Prayer”every day, but I wonder how manymean it and believe it? For a start itrequires us to accept that we aresinners in need of forgiveness, an ideathat doesn’t come naturally. So in thisarticle, we’re going to look at fourthings:❖ What is sin?

❖ What are its consequences?

❖ What did Jesus do to find aremedy?

❖ What does that mean for us?

Nowadays all kinds of sexualimmorality, cheating, blaspheming,family and social disruption, stealing,greed, fighting are taken for granted.In the books we read and the TV pro-grammes and films we watch we arecondoning such behavior if we don’tsee it as sin. We tend to explain suchconduct as social problems and wecertainly don’t talk of them as sin!

❖ What is Sin?We are all sinners, because the Biblesays so – “all have sinned, and fallshort of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And a little later in that letter theapostle explains how sin came aboutand, in doing so, he confirms that weare all sinners:Through one man sin entered theworld, and death through sin, and thusdeath spread to all men, because allsinned (Romans 5:12).

The “one man” is Adam who deliber-ately broke God’s law, while Eve haddone so, without realising what shewas doing, being deceived (1 Timothy

2:14). Their experience sums us uptoo. For we can be deliberate sinners,wilfully breaking God’s law, or we cansin through sheer inability, beingunable to meet the high standard Godexpects of us. So, we ARE all sinners,whether we like it or not, whenassessed by God’s high standards, butwhat does that mean?

❖ Sin and its ConsequencesWell, of course, the immediate conse-quences are mainly social:❖ disruption in society due to the

break-up of family life when adul-tery or unfaithfulness occurs;

❖ diseases caused by sexualpromiscuity, or over-indulgence inharmful substances, such as drinkor drugs;

❖ the hatred caused by acts ofrevenge;

❖ personal loss when stealingprompted by covetousness andgreed are uncontrolled.

But the ultimate personal conse-quence for each one of us, whether wecommit specific criminal or anti-socialacts, or if it’s just “falling short” ofGod’s standards, is spelled out for usin the Bible – “the wages of sin isdeath” (Romans 6:23). This is a refer-ence right back to the disobedience ofAdam and Eve in the Garden of Edenand this could easily lead to despair –except that God has made provision todeal with all kinds of sin, ours inclu-ded.

❖ What Did Jesus Do?God in His grace and generosity isunstinting in His offer to save us from

131st Year 11

“Forgive Us Our Sins”“Forgive Us Our Sins”

12 Glad Tidings

ourselves! He caused His only begot-ten Son to be born so that we might besaved, and Jesus dedicated his life toachieve that great aim – the salvationof mankind. Here’s how the apostlePaul describes what Jesus did:For when we were still withoutstrength, in due time Christ died forthe ungodly. For scarcely for a right-eous man will one die; yet perhaps fora good man someone would even dareto die. But God demonstrates His ownlove toward us, in that while we werestill sinners, Christ died for us (Romans5:6–8).

What a loving God and what a mag-nanimous Lord Jesus Christ! Theapostle continues his explanation withthese words:Much more then, having now beenjustified by his blood, we shall besaved from wrath through him. For ifwhen we were enemies we werereconciled to God through the death ofHis Son, much more, having beenreconciled, we shall be saved by hislife (Romans 5:9–10).

Notice how we are described as“sinners” – we are God’s “enemies”because we are disobedient and fallshort of His demanding standards; butwe are enemies who God loves andwants to befriend. So He has takenaction to achieve two things:

➊ We are reconciled (changed fromenemies into friends) through thedeath of Jesus, and

➋ We are saved through his life.Then comes an explanation of how

the work of Jesus has reversed thetragedy that Adam brought about. Thenext passage in Romans 5 is not easyto summarise but, as I understand it,it’s saying something like this:

❖ Death came on us all because ofthe disobedience of Adam. A bitlike an inherited disease, we haveall inherited the tendency to sin,and its consequence which isdeath, because we are all descen-ded from the tainted man, Adam.

❖ God’s grace not only matchesmankind’s need, but is super-abundant in that it “overflows”.God’s gift of salvation is readilyand freely available to everyonewho will accept it! (Romans5:15–21).

❖ Jesus and UsNotice how the apostle’s explanationof the saving work of God in Christopens up a gulf between the Lord andourselves. We are all sinners anddeserve to die. Jesus never oncesinned. He was altogether righteousand totally obedient to God’s will – henever deliberately transgressed againstGod or His commandments, nor did hefall short of matching God’s high stan-dards.

Because of his wonderful obediencein laying down his life as a sacrifice forsin, Jesus died and was raised againfrom death, as the apostle Peterexplained:[Jesus], being delivered by the deter-mined purpose and foreknowledge ofGod, you have taken by lawless hands,have crucified, and put to death;whom God raised up, having loosedthe pains of death, because it was notpossible that he should be held by it(Acts 2:23–24).

Why was it impossible? Because, aswe have seen already, “the wages ofsin is death”, and Jesus had donenothing to earn the wages of sin. Hedid not deserve to remain in the grave– he was, and is, the conqueror of sin

131st Year 13

and death, the vanquisher of thegrave!

All that seems fair enough for Jesus,but how does it help us? As sinners wedeserve to die and stay for ever in thegrave, because we’ve earned thewages of sin, which is death!

He Died for UsWhilst Romans chapter 5 indicateshow generous God is in making provi-sion for our salvation, the next chapteris all about what we can do to takeadvantage of God’s free gift of salva-tion and His wonderful offer ofeverlasting life. The heading in my NIVBible is “Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ” –that’s the two-part aspect that washinted at in Romans Chapter 5 whenthe apostle said: “If when we wereenemies we were reconciled to Godthrough the death of His Son, muchmore, having been reconciled, we shallbe saved by his life” (5:10).

Chapter 6 is all about our responsefor baptism is the way in which weassociate ourselves with God’s savingwork in Jesus Christ:Do you not know that as many of us aswere baptized into Christ Jesus werebaptized into his death? Therefore wewere buried with him through baptisminto death, that just as Christ wasraised from the dead by the glory ofthe Father, even so we also shouldwalk in newness of life (Romans 6:3–4).

True Christian baptism – the immer-sion of a believing adult as a powerfulre-enactment of Jesus’ death and res-urrection – is what makes theconnection and bridges the gap withJesus’ righteous life, death and resur-rection, and our otherwise hopelessstate as convicted sinners.

We don’t deserve immortal life; but if

we accept God’s provision for us bybeing baptized, we are enacting ourown symbolic death and resurrection –copying, in symbol, what Jesus wentthrough. We die in a figure and put our“old man, Adam” to death in thewatery grave.

We rise out of the water again to livea new life – in fact, as well as we can,the life of Jesus himself. Thus our sinsand our past life are washed away and,in baptism, we express our firm beliefthat, just as we are now raised out ofthe water, we will be raised out of theliteral grave of death, when Jesusreturns.

Summary

❖ We have to properly understandwhat sin is, how stark it is in God’ssight, and how we have to get outof its entanglement;

❖ We have to acknowledge, to our-selves and to God, that we areindeed sinners in need of God’slove, grace and salvation;

❖ We have to ally ourselves to Jesusand his perfect sacrifice, and soacquire for ourselves the benefitof his death and resurrection,receiving forgiveness for our sinsand shortcomings;

❖ The merciful way God has provid-ed this is through the beautifuland meaningful symbol of theLord’s own death and resurrec-tion, so we can have a confidenthope that one day God will raiseus up from the grave to everlast-ing life in His Kingdom.

Thanks be to God, who gives us thevictory through our Lord Jesus Christ(1 Corinthians 15:57).

Hamilton Wilson

who would be descended from him!Then He said this:“When your days are fulfilled and yourest with your fathers, I will set up yourseed after you, who will come fromyour body, and I will establish hiskingdom. He shall build a house for Myname, and I will establish the throne ofhis kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13).

Solomon’s TempleDavid made extensive preparations forthe temple that his son would buildand Solomon built a magnificenttemple in Jerusalem and institutedtemple worship. But it’s not there nowand the kingdom over which David andSolomon reigned – the Kingdom ofGod (1 Chronicles 28:5) – has alsogone. The temple was destroyed by theBabylonian army in 586 BC and,although rebuilt (twice) was destroyedagain by the Romans in 70 AD.

Jesus visited that temple during hisministry but made it clear that Godwanted a closer relationship with Hispeople than mere temple worship

14 Glad Tidings

If somebody mentions a temple youwill probably think of a stone-builtstructure, used in the worship of onereligion or another, but in the New Tes-tament the ‘Temple of God’ issomething very different. Here arethree passages, written to first centurybelievers and what they say is quiteremarkable:Do you not know that you are thetemple of God and that the Spirit ofGod dwells in you? If anyone defilesthe temple of God, God will destroyhim. For the temple of God is holy,which temple you are (1 Corinthians3:16–17);

Or do you not know that your body isthe temple of the Holy Spirit who is inyou, whom you have from God, andyou are not your own? (1 Corinthians6:19);

You are the temple of the living God.As God has said: “I will dwell in themand walk among them. I will be theirGod, and they shall be My people” (2Corinthians 6:16).

A Templein JerusalemThese fascinating descriptions of thebelievers were foreshadowed in theliteral temple which King Solomon builtand they have profound implicationsfor how 21st century followers of Jesusshould conduct themselves. It wasKing David who originally desired tobuild a temple (or ‘house’) for God(see 2 Samuel, chapter 7). God sentNathan the prophet to say that it hadnever been one of His requirements tohave a house built for Him. Conversely,God said that He would build a housefor David, meaning a dynasty of kings,

The Temple of GodThe Temple of God

Model of the Jerusalem Temple, built by KingHerod during the 1st century

131st Year 15

could achieve. He made this dramaticstatement to indicate that a hugechange was coming:“Destroy this temple, and in three daysI will raise it up.” Then the Jews said,“It has taken forty-six years to buildthis temple, and will you raise it up inthree days?” But he was speaking ofthe temple of his body (John 2:19–21).

The Seed of David Jesus is the seed or descendant ofDavid, as the New Testament makesclear (Matthew 1:1; Romans 1:3; 2Timothy 2:8; Revelation 22:16).Through his life, death and resurrec-tion, Jesus has made possible thebuilding of a community of people:believers whose sole purpose concernsthe glorification of God. This wonderfulteaching was foreshadowed in theliteral house which Solomon built.

That was made from quarried stone,lined with cedar wood from Lebanon,but even while Solomon’s temple wasstill standing there was a prophecyabout another structure which wouldbe greater and more long-lasting:Therefore thus says the Lord God:“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for afoundation, a tried stone, a preciouscornerstone, a sure foundation;whoever believes will not act hastily”(Isaiah 28:16).

As the New Testament makes clear,this was a prophecy about the LordJesus Christ (see 1 Peter 2:4–8 andRomans 9:33). Jesus is the sure foun-dation stone; the start of a newdwelling place for God.

Other StonesAs well as Christ, who laid the founda-tion, there are other stones needed tobuild a dwelling place for God and

these are the believers, so the apostlePeter can write:Coming to him as to a living stone,rejected indeed by men, but chosen byGod and precious, you also, as livingstones, are being built up a spiritualhouse, a holy priesthood, to offer upspiritual sacrifices acceptable to Godthrough Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4–5).

The wonderful privilege of formingpart of the Temple of God comes withgreat spiritual responsibilities, as theBible makes clear. God expects thosewho draw near to Him to live decent,honest, clean lives.If anyone defiles the temple of God,God will destroy him. For the temple ofGod is holy, which temple you are (1Corinthians 3:17);

What agreement has the temple ofGod with idols? For you are the templeof the living God. As God has said: “Iwill dwell in them and walk amongthem. I will be their God, and they shallbe My people.” Therefore “Come outfrom among them and be separate,says the Lord. Do not touch what isunclean, and I will receive you.” “I willbe a Father to you, and you shall beMy sons and daughters, says the LordAlmighty” (2 Corinthians 6:16–18).

It is an extraordinary blessing to be apart of the Temple of God. It meansliving for Him and not for ourselves;being mindful of His Word and trying tolive according to the perfect exampleset by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is thebottom line:You were bought at a price; thereforeglorify God in your body and in yourspirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians6:20).

Stephen Green

16 Glad Tidings

Appeal for HelpWith Rabshakeh and the Assyrian armystill threatening, Hezekiah sought thehelp of Isaiah, the prophet. He recog-nized that this was not just an attackon his own authority and kingship,more importantly it was an attack onthe Lord God. Isaiah had these com-forting words for Hezekiah:“Say to your master, ‘Thus says theLORD: Do not be afraid because of thewords that you have heard, with whichthe young men of the king of Assyriahave reviled me. Behold, I will put aspirit in him, so that he shall hear arumour and return to his own land,and I will make him fall by the sword inhis own land’” (Isaiah 37:6-7).

Sure enough, Rabshakeh returned toAssyria, but he did not stop his attackson Hezekiah. He sent a letter to theking, along with messengers to Judah.There is a touching scene as Hezekiahreceived the message. He simply tookthe letter into the Temple “and spreadit before the LORD. And he prayed tothe LORD.” The Lord God was very realto Hezekiah, and this letter was anattack on his God. His prayer finishedlike this:“So now, O LORD our God, save us fromhis hand, that all the kingdoms of the

earth may know that you alone are theLORD” (Isaiah 37:20).

Next ProblemThis prayer brought a favourableresponse. Sennacherib was over-thrown, 185,000 of the Assyrians diedovernight in the army camp, and thethreat was removed. The faith whichHezekiah had shown in his Godbrought rewards; but there were stillproblems for him. He had no heir tosucceed him, and so the future of hiskingdom was unsure. The Lord Godmay solve some of our problems, butHe does not solve them all, even forkings.

The Assyrian threat had beenremoved, but the problems had not allgone away, for Hezekiah became ill.We are not told precisely what ailedhim, but one symptom was a boil.Some think it may have been a form ofleprosy, but it is not certain. Whilst hewas so unwell Hezekiah received a visitfrom Isaiah with unwelcome news.“Thus says the LORD: Set your house inorder, for you shall die, you shall notrecover” (Isaiah 38:1).

Such news would be devastating,but Hezekiah was a man of prayer. So,lying on his bed, he prayed to God, thistime for his own life.

Living like a King

Hezekiah – Help andHezekiah – Help andHealingHealing

In the two earlier articles in this short series, Mark Sheppard has explored several

aspects of King Hezekiah’s life. He was a major reformer, seeking to restore true

worship in Judah and Jerusalem, and he put his trust and confidence in God. This was

most necessary when the Assyrians began to conquer Judah, to extend their empire,

and began to besiege Jerusalem. How would this faithful man cope then, and what

other trials were to befall him?

house and armoury. This was mostunwise. The Babylonians now knew theexact strength of Hezekiah’s kingdom,even though he depended on the LORDGod to protect them. Such could notbe allowed to continue. God’s judg-ment on Hezekiah’s folly waspronounced by the prophet Isaiah. “Hear the word of the LORD: Behold,the days are coming, when all that isin your house, and that which yourfathers have stored up till this day,shall be carried to Babylon. Nothingshall be left, says the LORD” (2 Kings20:16–17).

The judgment was deferred untilafter Hezekiah’s death, but happenedduring the reign of his son, Manasseh.He was born to Hezekiah during thisadditional 15 years of life, so the ques-tion of succession was determined.The Book of Chronicles records thatHezekiah had done good things. “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiahand his good deeds, behold, they arewritten in the vision of Isaiah theprophet the son of Amoz, in the Bookof the Kings of Judah and Israel” (2Chronicles 32:32).

He was greatly respected, for we aretold “they buried him in the upper partof the tombs of the sons of David, andall Judah and the inhabitants ofJerusalem did him honour at hisdeath”. So ended the reign of one ofthe greatest of Biblical kings, a greatman, who tragically forgot towards theend of his life that he was dependentupon the Lord his God. Hezekiah’s lifestory has lessons for us all.

Mark SheppardQuotations from the ESV

Concluded

131st Year 17

“Please, O LORD, remember how I havewalked before you in faithfulness andwith a whole heart, and have donewhat is good in your sight.”

God’s response was swift andfavourable. Before Isaiah had reachedthe outer court of Hezekiah’s palacehe was sent back to tell the king thatGod had heard his prayer, and wouldgrant him another 15 years of life.

The SignThe sign that God gave to Hezekiahwas that the shadow on the sundialerected by Ahaz was to move back tensteps (Isaiah 38:8). We cannot becertain how this would be done, andastronomers have argued over theissue for years, but it happened.Hezekiah was re-assured, and able toresume his work for God and lead hiskingdom once more. He began with apsalm of thanks. “Sheol does not thank you; death doesnot praise you; those who go down tothe pit do not hope for your faithful-ness. The living, the living, he thanksyou, as I do this day” (Isaiah 38:18-19).

The future looked bright once moreand Hezekiah’s experience teaches usimportant lessons. When we are confi-dent and assured in ourselves,problems can still occur. The record inChronicles says simply that:Hezekiah did not make return accord-ing to the benefit done to him, for hisheart was proud. Therefore wrathcame upon him and Judah andJerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:25).

The historical account in Kings andIsaiah gives us more detail. Envoyswere sent from Babylon to Judah, andHezekiah, apparently secure, with 15years longer to live, behaved unwisely,and showed them around his treasure

18 Glad Tidings

the rest of it he makes into a god, his

carved image. He falls down before itand worships it, prays to it and says,“Deliver me, for you are my god!”(Isaiah 44:15–17).

One Supreme GodThe Psalmist was reflecting on Israel’sunhappy history when he said:The Lord is the great God, and thegreat King above all gods. In His handare the deep places of the earth; theheights of the hills are His also. Thesea is His, for He made it; and Hishands formed the dry land. Oh come,let us worship and bow down; let uskneel before the Lord our Maker(Psalm 95:3–6).

God is the Mighty One who formedeverything. There was no one or nopower on earth that could do what Hehad done but it took Israel a long timeto appreciate that. Because of theirpersistent idolatry, Israel were sent ascaptives to Babylon where they sawidols being worshipped aplenty. Butwhen God delivered them from exile,exactly as He had promised would

Many years ago I befriended a plea-sant young Indian named Lama. Hewas on leave from the Merchant Navyand had travelled the world.

He told me of the many idols that hehad seen being worshipped. His ownmother worshipped the tiger god, andfirmly believed in its power. We thoughtabout the major religions of the world,and found that most worshipped onesupreme God, but that idols feature inmany of them and worshippers pros-trate themselves before them.

Israel’s IdolatryMy mind went back to the Israelites incaptivity in Egypt. They were surroun-ded by dozens of idols, including bulls,crocodiles, cows, vultures, hawks,goats and many more. We may smile,but God’s commands were explicit: Hispeople were to bow down to Himalone. Yet the worship of idols wassomething that persisted for manyyears. God had rescued His peoplefrom slavery in Egypt but they broughtEgypt out in their hearts (Acts 7:39).

When, in later years, they were stillinclined to worship gods they hadmade, the prophet was scathing as heridiculed what they were doing. Heimagined a man cutting down a tree,and getting firewood:It shall be for a man to burn, for he willtake some of it and warm himself; yes,he kindles it and bakes bread; indeedhe makes a god and worships it; hemakes it a carved image, and fallsdown to it. He burns half of it in thefire; with this half he eats meat; heroasts a roast, and is satisfied. Heeven warms himself and says, “Ah! Iam warm, I have seen the fire.” And

Is Idol Worship Idle?Is Idol Worship Idle?

131st Year 19

happen, they came to their senses andrecognized the futility of worshippingidols, rather than placing their faith inthe living God. They never worshippedidols again.

21st Century IdolatryThere are still many parts of the worldwhere idol worship exists, as Lamaexplained to me. But even in placeswhere there are no visible idols we canbe led away by the worship of things orcelebrities. People go to enormouslengths to see footballers or footballteams; people in the musical world,film stars, or other well-known folk. Orwe may spend an enormous amount oftime and money on holidays, sport,housing and other material things. Ourlives can be dominated by them, yetour Lord calls us to forsake what theworld loves, and to be content with theblessings we have from God.

It doesn’t matter whether we live inparts of the world where riches aboundor whether we have very little. To all ofus the supreme God of the universecalls us to trust His word. In all Hisgreatness He knows each one and theresponse we give to Him. Salvation isoffered to all, rich and poor alike. Noman can save us from our sins: Godalone can do that. No one else canraise us from the grave and remake us,so we can have an amazing life thatlasts for ever. Everything we possess islost immediately when we die, but Godoffers us everlasting life in a perfectworld because of His wonderful love tous. We have only to respond withhumble hearts, resolving to give ourlives to Him by believing in His word oftruth and acting accordingly.

Known or Unknown?On his first visit to Athens, the apostlePaul was taken aback by the number

of temples and altars he saw in thecity. They were trying to make sure thatall the known gods of the ancient worldwere worshipped there, so they couldget protection and blessing from themall. But they knew nothing about theone true God, nor about His Son, theLord Jesus Christ. It gave Paul theopportunity to tell them that idolatrywas an idle pursuit and that there isonly one true God. This is what he toldthem:God, who made the world and every-thing in it, since He is Lord of heavenand earth, does not dwell in templesmade with hands. Nor is He worshipedwith men’s hands, as though Heneeded anything, since He gives to alllife, breath, and all things. And He hasmade from one blood every nation ofmen to dwell on all the face of theearth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries oftheir dwellings, so that they shouldseek the Lord, in the hope that theymight grope for Him and find Him,though He is not far from each one ofus (Acts 17:24–27).

What a description of the God weworship! Vividly it points out the futilityof worshipping idols, but holds out thegreatest hope for mankind if we willresolve to “seek the Lord”.

Ken Clark

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