living word april 2014
DESCRIPTION
The free Bible study magazine for those wishing to go deeper into God's Word.TRANSCRIPT
He is not here: for he is risen (Matt.28:6)
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A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Mathew 7:18
In this month’s issue: 3. Need Determines Supply Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)
4. It is Finished Mathew Bartlett (UK)
5. Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man! Mathew Bartlett (UK)
9. Five Secrets To Discovering God's Will Daniel Kolenda (CfaN)
10. Revelation 13 - The Rise of Anti-Christ Mathew Bartlett (UK)
13. Faith-builders Bible Study Mark 6 Derek Williams (UK)
17. Happy Mother’s Day Mathew Bartlett (UK)
19. In Depth Study – 1 Cor. 13 Mathew Bartlett (UK)
©Photos above © ENE Cover: © Creativeimpression Left © from top: Xxknightwolf, Subbotina, Philcold and Sebastian Grecu. Facing Amandee Back Cover: A. J. Cotton
Living Word Magazine is published in the United Kingdom by Sharon Full Gospel Church, 7 Park View, Freeholdland Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 8LP Editor: Mathew Bartlett
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Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Mark
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The Prophet of Messiah: Zechariah
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The Blessings of God’s Grace
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Jubilant Jeremy Johnson (CHILDRENS)
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The Donkey Boy – Tales from the Life of Jesus (CHILDRENS)
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Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Gospel of Matthew
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The Prophecy of Amos
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The Revelation of Jesus Christ
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Need Determines Supply
An extract from “Royal Insignia” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey
BUY ON KINDLE! £3.86
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Reproduced by kind permission of Harvey Publishers.
www.harveycp.com
Joy shall be in heaven over one
sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety-and-nine just persons,
which need no repentance (Luke
15:7).
A MAN’S own need is the measure
of his greatness. —Pascal.
“No need?” How tragic! The
Psalmist again and again speaks of
himself as being “poor and needy.”
That is why God speaks of David as
a man after His own heart. The full
Christ sends empty away, but the
hungry are satisfied, and the thirsty
are refreshed, and the needy take
of His fullness. Jesus had been
criticized by the Pharisees for eating
with publicans and sinners, and the
entire fifteenth chapter of Luke is
Christ’s answer to that criticism.
The sheep that was lost demanded
the Shepherd’s care so that He left
the ninety-nine who needed
nothing. The woman who had lost
her coin rejoiced when she found it.
The prodigal is but the story of
every soul who in fullness goes into
a far country. It is always a far
country when we leave the Father
and venture on our own. It is
always riotous living when we walk
after the flesh, living only for that
which is passing and thus missing
that which is eternal and enduring.
Like the prodigal, our true success
story begins when we first feel the
pinch and “begin to be in want”
when “no man gives unto us.” It is
only then we come to ourselves and
realize that in the Father’s house is
bread enough and to spare while
we perish with hunger amidst the
world’s seeming fullness. The elder
brother had no need. He lived in
the midst of His Father’s plenty, and
all that the Father had was his as
well, but his self-sufficiency and
self-righteousness blocked the
inflow of love to his flinty heart.
Blessed day, when those things in
which we trusted are snatched from
us. We call it tragedy. God calls it
blessedness. He makes His promises
to needy people—those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness
are filled. Christ uses the picture of
hunger and thirst for they are
universal, ever-recurring needs. No
wonder He could say they were
blessed, for they more often
partook of the Living Christ Who
was the Bread of Life. Eating His
flesh and drinking His blood were
the only means of LIFE. “He that
cometh to me shall never hunger,
and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst.”
Christ used the picture of the Vine
to illustrate to us the importance of
need. What is it that causes the
branch to receive sap from the
parent stem? Osmosis—need! The
branch’s need calls on the vine for a
supply of sap, and lo, it is supplied.
More need! More supply!
Blessed bereavement which casts
me for companionship upon Jesus.
Blessed bankruptcy which causes
me to rest on Eternal Resources
instead of the riches that have
wings and fly away. Blessed ill
health that flings me upon the
mighty virtue and healing that
comes from Jesus, the Great
Physician. Blessed failure in my
ministry which at last reveals to me
that my own efforts are unavailing
and my best works ephemeral.
Blessed collapse of all self-
confidence, for I now have the all-
sufficient One, Who came to be my
life, my wisdom, my sanctification,
my redemption, and most of all, my
righteousness. — J. R. Miller.
God lets us go our way alone, till we
are homesick and distressed, and
humbly then come back to own; His
way is best. He lets us thirst by
Horeb’s rock, and hunger in the
wilderness; yet, at our feeblest,
faintest knock, He waits to bless. He
lets us faint in far-off lands, and
feed on husks and feel the smart,
till we come home with empty
hands, and swelling heart. (Miller)
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These were his dying words. To
some onlookers it sounded like this
was the end of Jesus from Nazareth.
As He was dying on a rugged
wooden cross between two
criminals, Jesus cried out “It is
finished!”
But a closer consideration of these
words reveals their true meaning.
Jesus did not cry “I am finished” but
“It is finished!” This was a cry of
triumph, not defeat – for Jesus had
successfully completed His mission
on earth.
What was this mission? Jesus came
to deal with the problem caused by
our sin. Sin had brought devastating
consequences to humanity - death
and separation from God. Every
person has sinned. Pride, jealousy,
hatred, lust, greed, anger and
despair all tell us that sin is still
present in the world. The problem
of sin affects all people of all ages.
Eternal death is the inevitable
consequence of sin – Jesus called it
‘the second death’ or separation
from God in torment forever. The
Bible says: “Do not be afraid of
those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. Instead, fear the one
who is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell.”1
“The soul that sins
shall die.”2
At the cross Jesus took our sin and
its consequences in His own body.
He willingly bore death and
separation from God on our behalf.
When he cried the words “It is
finished”, Jesus meant that he had
successfully provided a way for our
all sins to be forgiven. Three days
after his death, Jesus demonstrated
his success by rising again.
Sin and death continue to affect the
whole human race. But the
forgiveness of sin must be received
individually, one person at a time.
For although Jesus Christ died for
everyone, the benefits of what he
has done can only be experienced
by those who personally trust in
him. Jesus said, “He who believes in
the Son has everlasting life, but
whoever does not believe the Son
shall not see life, for the wrath of
God remains on him.”3
Do you believe that Jesus died and
rose again for you? Have you
confessed to God that you are a
sinner and asked him to forgive
you? If not, do so today, and trust
the Lord Jesus to cleanse and
forgive you.
Bible References: 1Matthew 10:28;
2Ezekiel 18:4;
3John 3:36 (NKJV)
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It is Finished
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Introduction
The name of Pontius Pilate will
always be associated with the
crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He was Roman governor in Judea at
that time of our Lord’s execution.
Historians tell us that he was a
capable man of shrewd judgment,
trained in Roman law and in the
giving of correct judgment. Like
Pilate, when Jesus Christ stands in
the judgment hall of our mind,
heart and will, we must all face:
I. An Inescapable Question
“What shall I do then with Jesus
which is called Christ?” (Matthew
27:22). As the Lord Jesus Christ was
brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate
was faced with an inescapable
question. It is this very same
question that every man must
answer. God we see to it that at
some time in your life you will be
confronted with this question, and
your answer to this question will
affect your whole eternity. No one
can ever escape this question, for
put quite simply, “He who believes
on the Son has everlasting life, he
who does not believe the Son shall
not see life, for God’s wrath
remains on him.” John 3.36
God sent his only begotten Son into
the world to be the Saviour of men.
The one Pilate saw standing before
him is the One who came into the
world to save sinners. He is none
other than God of very God. He
created the world, and sustains it by
his power. Pilate was wrong to
suppose that he had power to
dispose of Jesus - but he was right
to recognize that he could not avoid
this question, neither can you or I,
for:
1) Jesus has the Foremost Place in
History
“What shall I do then with Jesus?”
(Matthew 27:22). Some have been
foolish enough to question the
actual existence of a man named
Jesus of Nazareth. But when Pilate
asked this question, Jesus himself
was standing in front of him in
person; he could neither ignore nor
avoid him.
In the same way, Jesus in an
unavoidable figure in history. Let
me illustrate. What year is it? It is
2014 A.D. - A.D. Stands for Anno
Domini or year of our Lord, meaning
it is 2014 years, approximately since
our Lord Jesus Christ was born.
Prior to that, dates are given as
years B.C. or before Christ. We
cannot look at any event in history
without encountering Christ in the
date.
We cannot look at art or literature
through the ages without realizing
how profoundly Christ has
influenced artistic and literary
history Just look at the vast statue
of Christ the redeemer towering
Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man!
John 19:5 Images © Philcold
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over Rio de Janero, or at Leonardo
Da Vinci’s painting of the Last
Supper. Consider classic books
written about him such as Paradise
Lost and Regained by Milton, Ben
Hur, a Tale of the Christ by Lew
Wallace or even Defoe’s Robinson
Crusoe, in which the man cast away
on a desert island is converted to
Christ.
We cannot consider the history of
civilization, without noticing His
stamp on culture and custom. For
example, my own land of Wales has
been mainly Christian, not pagan,
since the time of the Celts. St. David
lived in the 6th century, when
Christianity was already well
established. The fact that faith in
Christ remained a predominant
feature in Celtic life can be seen by
the Celtic crosses such as those at
Margam and Penally which are over
1200 years old. We could go on and
on, but wherever you look there is
no escaping Christ, for he has the
foremost place in history.
2) Jesus has the Foremost Place in
Eternity
“What shall I do then with Jesus
which is called Christ?” (Matthew
27:22). Whether or not Pilate
understood the full meaning of the
title “Christ” is not clear; but Jesus
endorsed His divine claims when He
told the governor that His “Kingdom
was not from this world.” (Matthew
27:11). Jesus is not of this world. He
had ever lived with God His Father
in heaven. When God sent his son
into the world, he put on flesh,
becoming a man like you and I, yet
without sin. Even in this state of
voluntary humiliation, one could
not help but notice that everywhere
Jesus went, he was King. Not merely
King of the Jews, but the king of
eternal ages; king of kings and Lord
of Lords. The one standing under
the judgment of ate that day was
the one who will One day appear to
judge the living and the dead. (Acts
10.42)
God has exalted His Son and given
Him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow, of things in
heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue will confess
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
God the Father. Since Jesus has the
foremost place in eternity, we must
be careful how we answer the
question “What then shall I do with
Jesus who is called Christ.”
Did Pilate truly know who it was
who was standing before him?
There is some evidence which
suggests that Pilate knew more
than is generally supposed.
Alexander Whyte in his history of
Bible Characters claims that in one
of his reports to Caesar Tiberius,
Pilate had written: “Jesus the Christ,
as He is called, is worth more to my
administration than any legion of
my armed men. He is the most
peaceable and inoffensive of men…I
shall not lift a single finger against
this ‘King of the Jews,’ as His
disciples call Him, till I am
commanded by Caesar so to do”
II. An Important Question
“What shall I do then with Jesus
which is called Christ?” (Matthew
27:22). Since Jesus Christ is the
most important person in time and
eternity, this is the most important
question you will ever face,
Pilate realized that he had never
stood before anyone like Jesus
before. If we read just briefly the
account of his interview with Christ,
we get a feeling for the perplexity
Pilate faced. Even though he
claimed the power to release or
crucify Jesus, He ends up as he
stands before the Saviour,
trembling from head to foot.
Consider:
1) The Witness Analysed
"You have brought this Man to me,
as one who misleads the people.
And indeed, having examined Him in
your presence, I have found no fault
in this Man concerning those things
of which you accuse Him;” Luke
23:14 It was not the witness of His
disciples, nor of those who followed
Him, nor of the many who had been
healed during his ministry. It was
the witness of those who were
hounding Him to death. Pilate,
having analysed their evidence, had
to say, “I find in him no fault at all”
(John 18:38). Pilate was saying, in
effect, that every claim that Jesus
Christ had made, for which they
were accusing Him of blasphemy,
was absolutely true. He was
faultless. Christ had claimed to be
the son of God, and even Pilate
found no reason to refute him.
Have you ever faced the fact that
the One who stands in the
judgment hall of your mind, heart
and will is not merely a man of
history, not some Jew in a far-off
land, not some obscure name, but
God Himself, the Saviour of the
world, the King of kings, the Judge
of all? This is the most important
issue you will ever face.
2) The Warning Verbalized
Even as Pilate sat on the judgment
seat, weighing up the whole
situation, a message came to him
from his wife, “Have nothing to do
with that righteous man: for I have
suffered many things this day in a
dream because of him” (Matthew
27:19). We do not know the
contents of her dream, but one
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thing is certain: it was God-sent,
because it upheld the absolute
innocence of God’s beloved Son—
“that righteous man.”
I wonder if the heavens were
opened and she saw a throne, and
one sat on it who looked like a son
of man, from whose face the whole
earth fled away. Could it be that she
recognized this figure to be Jesus of
Nazareth, who was now standing
before her husband? Did she hear
the wails and cries of those who
called for the mountains and rocks
to fall on them, and hide them from
the wrath of this lamb of God which
was about to fall on an unbelieving
world?
We read in the light of Christ’s
coming in judgment, the kings of
the earth, the great men, the rich
men, the commanders, the mighty
men, every slave and every free
man, hid themselves in the caves
and in the rocks of the mountains,
and said to the mountains and
rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from
the face of Him who sits on the
throne and from the wrath of the
Lamb! Rev 6:15-16
As Pilate stood before Christ, he
faced his most important decision.
The most important decision you
will ever face, is a decision you must
face tonight, “What will you do with
Jesus which is called Christ?”
The decision cannot be put off
forever, for “Today is the day of
salvation.” None of us knows if we
have tomorrow. It is a decision
which will determine our whole
eternity. how shall we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation, (Heb.
2:3)
III. An Individual Question
“What shall I do…?” (Matthew
27:22). You may be in a crowd, but
Jesus and you stand alone at this
moment, as Jesus and Pilate did on
the memorable day. Yet his attitude
was:
1) Marked by Carelessness
With an air of indifference he looks
out on the mob and says, “Take ye
him, and judge him according to
your law” (Matthew 18:31). He
thought he could rid himself of
Jesus with a snap of the finger and a
shrug of the shoulder, but it didn’t
work. It won’t work for you either.
You cannot ignore the claims of
Jesus. Your future meeting with him
is inevitable - you could be called
away to stand before him at any
moment. How will you stand then?
2) Marked by Cowardice
“As soon as he knew that was under
Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to
Herod” (Luke 23:7). Pilate sends the
pure and perfect Son of God to
Herod, a man totally unrestrained in
his sinful indulgence; a man to
whom Jesus never spoke, but whom
he called “that fox” (Luke 13:32).
Here is a man who proved that
there is a point in time when God
will cease to speak. The Lord said,
"My Spirit shall not strive with man
forever,” (Gen 6:3) But Herod sends
Jesus back to Pilate, and Pilate,
hearing the tramp, tramp of
marching feet, knows that he has to
face Jesus again. Fearing to face this
important issue did not get Pilate
off the hook, and it won’t do you
any good either. We must face up
to our solemn responsibility.
Christ's call is still repent and
believe the gospel.
3) Marked by Cleverness
"Which of the two do you want me
to release to you?" They said,
"Barabbas!" (Mat 27:21)
Knowing that at the time of the
Passover it was the custom to
release a prisoner to the people, he
reasons, “If I put Barabbas, the
robber, against Jesus, they will
certainly release Jesus. They would
not want to do less than stone
Barabbas to death.” But such is the
condition of the human heart that
they lift their voices and call for
Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate’s
cleverness fails. We cannot get out
of this decision by any amount of
cleverness. Bring out all the
arguments you can against
Christianity. Convince yourself if
you like, that there is no God, or
that evolutionary chance created
the world, but you will never avoid
your destiny. Let me read it to you.
And I saw the dead, small and great,
standing before God, and books
were opened. And another book
was opened, which is the Book of
Life. And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the
things which were written in the
books. (Rev 20:12)
4) Marked by Compromise
So then Pilate took Jesus and
scourged Him. And the soldiers
twisted a crown of thorns and put it
on His head, and they put on Him a
purple robe. Then they said, "Hail,
King of the Jews!" And they struck
Him with their hands. Pilate then
went out again, and said to them,
"Behold, I am bringing Him out to
you, that you may know that I find
no fault in Him." (John 19:1-4)
Pilate stepped out on Gabbatha to
declare the absolute innocence of
Jesus Christ and then dares to turn
around and order that He should be
scourged. Then taking the bleeding
Christ of God, he sets Him forth as a
spectacle of innocent suffering,
thinking that this would satisfy their
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thirst for blood; but the people cry
out for His crucifixion.
So Pilate finds that carelessness,
cowardice, cleverness and
compromise have not worked. You
cannot escape from Jesus. You may
hide in your room but Jesus, will
look down on you. You may throw
yourself into your work, but Jesus
will be there. You may drink
yourself stupid, but when you wake
up with an aching head you will still
hear those words, “What will you
do with Jesus?” And when you
plunge into the river of death you
will emerge to meet Him—no
longer as Saviour, but as Judge.
What, then, will you do with Jesus?
The issue is important, individual
and inescapable. You must either
crucify Him or crown Him. Ask Him
to come into your life as Saviour,
Lord and King.
Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall, Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all; Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call? What will you do with Jesus? Refrain: What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be; Someday your heart will be asking, “What will He do with me?” Jesus is standing on trial still, You can be false to Him if you will, You can be faithful through good or ill: What will you do with Jesus?
Will you evade Him as Pilate tried? Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide? Vainly you struggle from Him to hide: What will you do with Jesus? Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny? Or will you scorn from His foes to fly, Daring for Jesus to live or die
What will you do with Jesus? “Jesus, I give Thee my heart today! Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way, Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say: “This I will do with Jesus!” A Hymn by Albert B. Simpson (Public Domain)
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The imperative of seeking God’s kingdom is not only relevant in the context of highly spiritual ministry issues. Jesus says that if we seek the kingdom first, all these things will be added to us. This is one of the most powerful secrets to discovering God’s will for your life. If you will set your sights on His kingdom and make that your priority, as you move toward it you will automatically come across everything else you need!
Once after I had finished preaching about the kingdom of God, an elder in the church approached me and said, “You know, all these lofty ideas are wonderful, but most of the people in the church are just trying to figure out how to pay their bills and get along with their spouse and raise their kids and do a good job at work.” I realized that in many ways this dear friend was right. Most Christians consider the kingdom of God to be something so lofty that it is best left to pastors and evangelists.
The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow espoused a similar view. He constructed a pyramid that he titled the “Hierarchy of Needs.” It was his opinion that before someone could “self-actualize,” he first needed to meet the baser needs of human nature such as food, shelter, and companionship. Maslow believed that before one could reach the lofty ideals at the top of the pyramid, he would need to climb
from the bottom, meeting the basic needs first.
This seems to be the most intuitive approach to life. Many people think the kingdom of God is an ethereal and irrelevant topic, and they prefer to be “down to earth.” They have decided to first concentrate on putting food on the table and paying the bills. This seems to be the responsible and practical thing to do.
But what Jesus taught is quite the opposite. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about what you will eat or what you will wear. Your Father in heaven knows you need these things, and He will take care of you. Instead seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” (See Matthew 6:25-33.)
What Jesus was teaching was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in reverse. Jesus turns Maslow’s pyramid upside down! Jesus teaches us to start at the pinnacle of the pyramid, the highest and loftiest place. Put the kingdom of God first, and everything else will be taken care of—physical, mental, and emotional needs included.
If you want to know what job God has for you— seek His kingdom, and you’ll find your occupational calling! If you want to know whom you should marry—seek His kingdom, and you’ll find your spouse! If you want to know where you should go to college— seek His
kingdom, and you’ll land in the right school!
If you want to know where you should live—seek His kingdom, and He’ll lead you to the right geographical location! Can it really be that simple? Could this one command really be the secret to finding out God’s will? My friend, these are not my words. These are not the words of a philosopher or a preacher. These are the words of the Son of God Himself; “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, NKJV, emphasis added).
Many people have put education first in their lives. When all is said and done, they will be highly intelligent fools, missing the greatest wisdom of all in their endless search for knowledge. Many people have put money first in their lives. When all is said and done, they will know the truth of Matthew 6:24 “You cannot serve both God and Money” (NIV). Many people put family first in their lives. When all is said and done, it is their family who will pay the price for their misdirected priorities. When we put anything ahead of Christ and His kingdom in our lives, not only will we miss God’s kingdom, but we will also miss all the other treasures as well.
Five Secrets To Discovering God's Will (pt. 5)
A Bible Study by Daniel Kolenda (CfaN) Photo: © Sebastian Grecu
An extract from Daniel’s new book- Live before you die. £9.99 BUY NOW.
Repentance is such an often-
misunderstood concept. Contrary
to what many people think,
repentance is not a dirty word. It’s
not just for the sinner who wants
to get saved, nor is it just for those
who are committing gross sins and
living in blatant immorality. For the
child of God repentance should be
a lifestyle. To repent means to
“turn,” to change one’s mind and
direction.
But here is where many people
misunderstand. We tend to think
of repentance as primarily turning
away from something, as in turning
away from sin and making a one-
hundred-eighty-degree change to
the opposite direction. But this is
missing the real point. For
example, a sinner could turn away
from a sin and still be lost. In fact,
there are many religions that teach
morals and abstinence from
various sins, but that in and of
itself does not save anyone.
Therefore, from the Christian
perspective, what you turn away
from is not really the issue. It is
what you turn to that makes the
difference.
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The Cosmic Scope of the
Conflict
In this chapter we see what could
be described as a Coup d’ etat of
evil, for we are permitted to
observe the bringing into being of
Satan’s brief world dominion.
The Beast from the Sea
1. “Then I stood on the sand of the
sea. And I saw a beast rising up out
of the sea, having seven heads and
ten horns, and on his horns ten
crowns, and on his heads a
blasphemous name.”
We have already seen Satan
depicted as having seven heads and
ten horns, and seven diadems on
his heads. Now Satan raises up a
man to represent him on earth. For
since Satan is an angel, he cannot
rule among men by himself. He
needs a viceroy, a man referred to
as the Beast or anti-Christ, to whom
he gives all his authority that he
might rule his earthly kingdom on
his behalf. If Satan gives all his
authority to him, v2, in return it is
reasonable to suppose, that this
man has utterly surrendered his
soul to the devil. No wonder John
describes him as “the embodiment
of all blasphemy.” If Satan has
seven crowns on his heads, the
Beast has ten crowns on his horns,
for these ten horns represent a
confederation of ten kingdoms and
the ten crowns are ten regents who
rule these kingdoms by
appointment of and under the
control of the Beast.
2. “Now the beast which I saw was
like a leopard, his feet were like the
feet of a bear, and his mouth like
the mouth of a lion. The dragon
gave him his power, his throne, and
great authority.”
It is not unusual for such visions to
refer to world rulers and their
empires. Daniel received similar
visions about Nebuchadnezzar and
the Babylonian empire, followed by
the Persian, the Grecian then
Roman empires. (Daniel 7) Each
vision conveyed certain
characteristics of the empire and its
rulers.
The beast, as in Daniel’s vision, rises
from the sea, which is taken by
commentators to be a reference to
the Gentile nations, as it was in
Daniel’s visions. I wonder if this is
why faithful Jews recognize him as
an impostor. Moses said “The Lord
your God shall raise up a prophet
like me from among your brothers”
DRW “The creature dominantly
resembled a panther, that is with
the grace, slyness and swiftness of
that animal. His feet are like a
bear’s, powerful and deadly, for
unlike a cat, bears are unable to
retract their claws and so are
always ready to attack. The lion’s
mouth depicts the cruelty of the
creature and the way it tears its
prey apart with its teeth.”
3,4. “And I saw one of his heads as if
it had been mortally wounded, and
his deadly wound was healed. And
all the world marvelled and
followed the beast. So they
worshiped the dragon who gave
authority to the beast; and they
worshiped the beast, saying, "Who
is like the beast? Who is able to
make war with him?”
Throughout the vision, the beast is
taken as being synonymous with his
empire - since he is the empire - its
sole and absolute dictator. The
wounded head is Anti-Christ himself
who is apparently killed and raised
from death by satanic power in a
mocking parody of the death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In this way Satan catapults
his chosen puppet into the public
Revelation 13
The Rise of Anti-
Christ
Truth for Today
A brief extract from our forthcoming book.
By Mathew Bartlett
Photo © Pidiyath100
12
light - he may not necessarily have
been a world leader before this
time. But because of his seeming
invincibility, the whole world will
follow him with wonder and
amazement, giving homage to him.
They also worship the Devil, for
they know that he has given this
authority to Anti- Christ. It should
therefore be clearly understood
that the last religion to dominate
the world before Christ’s coming
not be Catholicism, Islam nor any
mishmash of these- but Satanism in
its most direct form.
5. “And he was given a mouth
speaking great things and
blasphemies, and he was given
authority to continue for forty-two
months.”
The beast is given, as DRW says “the
eloquence to propound (in a
surprisingly impressive, stunning or
overwhelming way) astounding and
blasphemous things” and was
allowed to exercise his authority for
three and a half years.
6. “Then he opened his mouth in
blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme His name, His
tabernacle, and those who dwell in
heaven.”
The Beast continually blasphemes
God, speaking against His person,
His dwelling place and all who dwell
in heaven. Paul instructed the
converts at Thessalonica about this
man when he said the man of sin
will be revealed, the son of
perdition, who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God
or that is worshiped, so that he sits
as God in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God. 2Th
2:3-4.
We see from this that the antichrist
does not rule from Rome or
Brussels, but from Jerusalem - his
headquarters being either a fully or
partly restored Jewish temple.
7. “It was granted to him to make
war with the saints and to
overcome them. And authority was
given him over every tribe, tongue,
and nation.”
I have been asked whether the
European Union corresponds with
the kingdom of the Anti-Christ. The
answer is an obvious no. For
although the existence of the EU
and the moral and spiritual decline
across the continent shows that
Satan is preparing people of Europe
to receive the beast, notice that his
empire stretches over the whole
earth, not a single continent. Power
is given him to rule all nations of the
world. This is why in my
introduction I called it a coup d’ etat
- a complete takeover of the whole
world. Notice that is Rev 17.12,13
"The ten horns which you saw are
ten kings who have received no
kingdom as yet, but they receive
authority for one hour as kings with
the beast. These are of one mind,
and they will give their power and
authority to the beast.
This makes it very clear that the
world rulers of the end time have
never been world leaders before.
They are not elected, but imposed
upon the people as they are
appointed personally by antichrist
on the basis of their complete
submission to the will of Satan.
The Devil’s regent is granted to
make war against the faithful Jewish
remnant and to overcome them.
This presents a difficulty, a point of
great disagreement among
commentators. For we have seen in
Rev. 12 Israel being protected by
God in the wilderness. Could it be
that the Jews who had read the
New Testament, heeded Christ’s
words about what to do
IMMEDIATELY they saw this man
proclaim himself God in the temple,
are the ones protected by God in
this way, for Christ said let those
who live in Judea flee to the
mountains. Will some Jews are left
behind in Jerusalem and seal their
faith with their blood? Clearly,
many faithful Jews will die. By the
way, the reason I do not believe
these saints to be Christians is that
we will already have been removed
from the earth with the Holy Spirit,
for according to Paul’s words, the
antichrist cannot be revealed until
the Holy Spirit is removed from the
world, and hence the church. And
now you know what is restraining,
that he may be revealed in his own
time. For the mystery of lawlessness
is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken
out of the way. 2Th 2:6-7
8. “All who dwell on the earth will
worship him, whose names have not
been written in the Book of Life of
the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world.”
Every inhabitant of the earth will
pay homage to him “bow down, in
voluntary, inward veneration of
soul, to him as their god” (Tatford).
Except those whose names are
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
9,10. “If anyone has an ear, let him
hear. He who leads into captivity
shall go into captivity; he who kills
with the sword must be killed with
the sword. Here is the patience and
the faith of the saints.”
Here is a warning for all who will
hear, a reminder that vengeance
belongs only to God (Deut. 32:35;
Rom. 12:19). Whoever takes people
into captivity will themselves be
taken. Whoever kills with the sword
13
will be killed with the sword. As
God’s sealed people are persecuted
by the Beast they are called to
exercise faith and endurance, and
are not to take up arms against him,
for any such attempt would be
futile.
The Beast from the Land
11. “Then I saw another beast
coming up out of the earth, and he
had two horns like a lamb and
spoke like a dragon.”
John saw another beast coming out
of the earth. If rising from the sea
was a reference to the beast being
from the Gentile nations, we may
regard the beast rising from the
earth to be from Israel. His
appearance is very different to the
first, but they have one aim. This
false prophet pretends to be as
gentle as a lamb, being very
plausible and smooth tongued. He
does not appear to be as vicious as
the first beast - but he is - for the
words that he speaks are, just as
those spoken by the first beast,
uttered with authority of the Devil.
12,13. “And he exercises all the
authority of the first beast in his
presence, and causes the earth and
those who dwell in it to worship the
first beast, whose deadly wound
was healed. He performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire
come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men.”
The false prophet acts under the
authority of Anti-Christ, making all
the inhabitants of the world
worship the Anti-Christ who had
apparently died and risen again, by
reason of the Satanic miracles he is
able to perform even to making fire
come from the sky to the earth in
the sight of all the people. (2
Thessalonians 2:9-10)
14. “And he deceives those who
dwell on the earth by those signs
which he was granted to do in the
sight of the beast, telling those who
dwell on the earth to make an
image to the beast who was
wounded by the sword and lived.”
In addition to the veneration of the
beast, he deceives the people of the
world to make a statue in the
likeness of the Anti-Christ and
worship this as well - probably for
no other reason than it is a further
breaking of God’s commandments.
15. “He was granted power to give
breath to the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should
both speak and cause as many as
would not worship the image of the
beast to be killed.”
So great was the power given to the
false prophet by Satan that he is
able to impart life to the image so
that it could speak. This will not be
affected by trickery, robotics, or
televised media, but by an appalling
manifestation of satanic power,
imparting demonic life to the statue
of the beast. Those who refused to
bow down and worship the statue
he caused to be put to death.
16,17. “He causes all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and
slave, to receive a mark on their
right hand or on their foreheads,
And that no one may buy or sell
except one who has the mark or the
name of the beast, or the number of
his name.”
The false prophet compels
everyone, irrespective of their
station in life, to receive a mark
engraved on either their right hands
or in their foreheads.
Let us be very clear about this. This
mark will not be introduced
surreptitiously. People will know
exactly what it is and means. It will
not be a form of ID or silicon chip
technology to replace the VISA card.
Rather it is a mark of allegiance to
Satan, a sign that they are devotees
of the antichrist. All who refuse this
mark will be killed or left to starve.
18. “Here is wisdom. Let him who
has understanding calculate the
number of the beast, for it is the
number of a man: his number is
666.”
Throughout church history there
has been endless speculation about
what this number of the beast
signifies. Personally, I have no idea
at all. But please note that it is not
six, six, six; but six hundred and
sixty and six, and was written in full
in the earlier manuscripts. John says
that it requires the wisdom of God
to interpret its meaning. The
number is the number of a certain
man whose number is six hundred
and sixty and six.
Receiving of this mark signifies
complete and knowing rejection of
and rebellion against Christ. Those
who receive it will be Satan’s
servants and Christ’s sworn
enemies, even gathering, as we see
in later chapters, to make war with
him. Of the mark itself, Tatford says,
“Whatever the interpretation of the
symbol, identification of the
individual referred to will doubtless
be impossible until the particular
period in which he lives”.
Conclusion
Here is wisdom for you. Don’t you
think with all that is surely about to
happen, you would be wise to put
your trust in Christ now, and live a
holy life as you wait for his coming?
Don’t leave it till it’s too late.
14
The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been
developed a useful resource for today’s students of God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.
Pastors, home or study group leaders and indeed for
anyone wishing to study the Bible for themselves will benefit from using Faith-builders studies.
Each volume is the result of many years of group Bible study, and has been revised again and again to be relevant, challenging and faith building whilst remaining
clear and easy to understand.
Each chapter had thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.
Below are the study notes for Mark chapter 6.
Buy paperback now for £5.20
Kindle Edition only £2.01
The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of
God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.
Pastors, home or study group leaders and indeed for anyone wishing to study the Bible for themselves will
benefit from using Faith-builders studies.
Each volume is the result of many years of group Bible
study, and has been revised again and again to be relevant, challenging and faith building whilst remaining clear and easy to understand.
Each chapter had thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.
Below are the study notes for chapter 2.
Buy paperback now for £7.99
Kindle Edition only £2.01
A Form of Godliness
7:1 Now the Pharisees and some of
the experts in the law who came
from Jerusalem gathered around
him.
The fame of Jesus had spread as far
as Jerusalem and the reports of his
teaching, more than his miracles
disturbed the chief priest and the
religious rulers. So they sent a
contingent of Pharisees, who
represented the Law and laid great
stress not on the righteousness of
an action, but upon its formal
correction, and the Scribes who
were teachers of the Law, to find
out exactly what was happening.
They did not come with open hearts
or minds they had already judged
the Lord and came with a criticising
spirit, which can be an hindrance to
the church and the work of God and
the downfall of many a righteous
man (2 Cor. 8:20; Acts 11:2 NIV).
7:2 And they saw that some of
Jesus' disciples ate their bread with
unclean hands, that is, unwashed.
That is why these spies, for that is
what they were, when they saw
Jesus' disciples eating without
washing their hands they criticized
them in order to get at Jesus. For if
he allowed them to do this kind of
thing as their master then he must
do the same.
7:3-4 (For the Pharisees and all the
Jews do not eat unless they perform
a ritual washing, holding fast to the
tradition of the elders. And when
they come from the marketplace,
they do not eat unless they wash.
They hold fast to many other
traditions: the washing of cups,
pots, kettles, and dining couches.)
They expected everybody to do the
same as they did, according to the
rules and regulations which were
additions to the Law of God that
had been handed down by their
forefathers. It was not for hygienic
reasons they washed their hands or
the other items mentioned for it
had to be done in a special way with
ceremony, and that is all it was
ceremonial.
7:5 The Pharisees and the experts in
the law asked him, ‘Why do your
disciples not live according to the
tradition of the elders, but eat with
unwashed hands?’
The Faith-builders Bible study series
Mark Chapter 7 (an abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem
Mark Chapter 2 (abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem
15
So they kept on asking Jesus why his
disciples did not keep these
traditions.
7:6-7 He said to them, ‘Isaiah
prophesied correctly about you
hypocrites, as it is written: 'This
people honours me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me. They
worship me in vain, teaching as
doctrine the commandments of
men.'
He knew their hearts and that they
had a form of true religion but
denied and rejected the power of it
and thus he quotes to them from
Isaiah 29:13. If we are called to give
an answer to anyone it is far better
to quote from scripture (not
necessarily the actual words,
although it is better if we can, but
the correct meaning of them) than
to try to from our own knowledge
and our own words.
He called them pretenders and
hypocrites (playing at being
religious) for although outwardly
they honour, that is, esteem, praise,
exalt, God with their mouths their
hearts are hardened and they are in
truth far away from him (2 Tim.
3:5). Their worship of God was
useless because it was not
acceptable unto him for they do not
worship in spirit and truth (Phil.
3:3). Instead they went about
ordering and teaching the
commands of men.
7:8 Having no regard for the
command of God, you hold fast to
human tradition.
They despised the word of God and
in fact rejected it in preference for
that of men. By doing this they
were placing a heavy burden upon
the people, more than they could
bear and that God demanded. That
is why Jesus could say in Matt.
11:30 “my burden is light”, for he
did not come to place a burden
upon us but to take our burdens
away.
7:9 He also said to them, ‘You neatly
reject the commandment of God in
order to set up your tradition.
They rejected and discouraged
people from following God's word
in order to keep their own. In the
next few verses he gives an example
of this.
Honor Parents
7:10 For Moses said, 'Honor your
father and your mother,' and,
'Whoever insults his father or
mother must be put to death.'
He quotes from a number of
scriptures (Ex. 20:12; Ex. 21:17).
God considers it very important that
this command should be obeyed.
Honour, that is respect with
tenderness of feeling and
obedience (Col. 3:20) both parents
with equality, that is, without
having preference. (Note: If
obedience to parents would mean
disobeying the word of God - then
we must obey God rather than
man). There may be many reasons
that we may come up with as to
why we shouldn't obey this but God
has said that it should be so and for
a good reason, in order that we may
benefit. Any resentment or
bitterness on our part causes a
barrier between us and God (Heb.
12:14-15). Curse not - that is, do not
speak ill of or abusively against
either parent. Under the Old
Testament Law this was punishable
by death, and although under the
New Covenant this is not the case, it
may still result in great spiritual
loss.
7:11-13 But you say that if anyone
tells his father or mother, 'Whatever
help you would have received from
me is corban' (that is, a gift for
God), then you no longer permit him
to do anything for his father or
mother. Thus you nullify the word of
God by your tradition that you have
handed down. And you do many
things like this.’
They taught that if a son or
daughter told their parents that
whatever they may have received
from them or whatever they had
that would have been a help to
them, is given as an offering and gift
to the Temple instead. The result of
this was that there was no caring or
providing for the parents, which
was in contradiction to God's word
(1 Tim. 5:8).
Heart the Centre of Man's
Inward Life
7:14 Then he called the crowd again
and said to them, ‘Listen to me,
everyone, and understand.
Having dealt with the Pharisees and
scribes Jesus now turns his
attention to the crowds for what he
is about to say concerns everyone
both then and today. It is not
enough for people just to listen;
they need to understand what is
being said.
7:15 There is nothing outside of a
person that can defile him by going
into him. Rather, it is what comes
out of a person that defiles him.
(7:16) (TEXT OMITTED)
What he says here in parable form
is that it is not the things round
about us or the things we say or do
that corrupt but it is the things that
come out of a sinful heart that
defiles and makes unclean.
16
7:17-18 Now when Jesus had left
the crowd and entered the house,
his disciples asked him about the
parable. He said to them, ‘Are you
so foolish? Don't you understand
that whatever goes into a person
from outside cannot defile him?
His disciples are still dull and hard of
hearing for by now they should
have understood what he was
saying, but they did not. How
patient the Lord is with us! So he
rebukes them. They could not
understand the simple truth and so
he explains it to them in such a way
that they cannot fail to do so.
7:19-20 For it does not enter his
heart but his stomach, and then
goes out into the sewer.’ (This
means all foods are clean.) He said,
‘What comes out of a person defiles
him.
The food that we eat goes into the
stomach not into the heart. Then
travels through the digestive system
where the goodness is extracted
and feeds the body, while the
poisons or wastes are passed out of
the body and it is this that comes
out that contaminates.
7:21-23 For from within, out of the
human heart, come evil ideas,
sexual immorality, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, evil, deceit,
debauchery, envy, slander, pride,
and folly. All these evils come from
within and defile a person.
Jesus makes it quite clear that we
sin because we are sinners not, we
are sinners because we sin. It comes
from within the heart (Rom. 7:17)
Paul refers to it as the Law of Sin
(Rom. 7:23). He gives a list of the
acts of sin that come from a sinful
heart and heads it with evil
thoughts for that is where they
grow until they become acts of sin.
Persistent Asking
7:24 After Jesus left there, he went
to the region of Tyre. When he went
into a house, he did not want
anyone to know, but he was not
able to escape notice.
Jesus departs from those to whom
he was sent, the Jews, and goes into
Syria which was a Gentile country,
to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre
was a very important seaport and is
in fact an island just off the shore.
Sidon was about twenty miles away
from there. Because this was
Gentile country it would seem that
Jesus for a while needed a time of
rest from the people he was sent to
minister to (Matt. 15:24). The end
of the verse suggests this for he did
not want anyone to know that he
was there but this was not possible
for one person at least had heard
that Jesus was in the area and she
had such a desperate need that
made her determined that no one
and nothing was going to stop her
from taking this need to the Lord.
7:25-26 Instead, a woman whose
young daughter had an unclean
spirit immediately heard about him
and came and fell at his feet. The
woman was a Greek, of
Syrophoenician origin. She asked
him to cast the demon out of her
daughter.
This woman by nationality was a
Syrophoenician, that is, she was a
Phoenician living in Syria and by
religion as opposed to a Jew was a
Gentile. The fame of Jesus and the
miracles that he had done had gone
over the border into a foreign
country and this woman having
heard all about it sought him out.
She did not come to him for herself
but for the desperate need of her
daughter who was possessed by a
demon. Such was the love that this
woman had for her daughter that
she was prepared to go to whatever
lengths necessary to help her. And
yet not even a mother's love
exceeds the love that God has
(Isaiah 49:15). Although this woman
had nothing in her favour in being
excepted or heard by Jesus, and the
chances of her request being
granted nil, yet on seeing Jesus she,
a Gentile of all things, falls at his
feet in all humility and begs him to
deliver her daughter. In Matthew
15:22-23 we are told that she cried
to him using his title that only the
Jews would use of the Messiah “O
Lord, thou Son of David”. (A title
that she had no rights to call him)
and that Jesus completely ignored
her and that when she persisted in
spite of this snub, the disciples
begged him to send her away. But
the woman would not be put off by
anything. Was the Lord being
completely ignorant and inattentive
to this woman's need? Did he have
no compassion for her daughter? Or
was he testing her faith, or showing
her that he had come as Messiah to
the Jew and not the Gentiles?
7:27 He said to her, ‘Let the children
be satisfied first, for it is not right to
take the children's bread and to
throw it to the dogs.’
He turns and, in fact, says to her
that he has come to the Jew first -
that it was their day of opportunity
to receive from him all that he had
come to give from the Father and
that it was not right to take that
which belongs to the children
(bread) and give it to those who had
no claims to it (the dogs - the
Gentiles [the Jews referred to the
Gentiles in an insulting manner as
dogs - although the Lord does not
use it to this woman in this way as
the correct reading here would be
“little dogs” meaning the house
17
dog]). The Jews were God's chosen
people (Deut. 14:2) and he had
separated them to himself that
through them the Saviour of the
world may come. The time of the
Gentiles had not yet come, but God
had never planned to exclude them
from obtaining salvation (Isaiah
42:6; Luke 2:32). In his
foreknowledge God knew that Israel
as a nation would reject the
Messiah (Christ) and this would
open the door for the Gentiles to
accept him (Acts 14:27; Rom.
11:11).
7:28 She answered, ‘Yes, Lord, but
even the dogs under the table eat
the children's crumbs.’
The woman was not offended or
discouraged by this remark but
accepted that what he had said was
quite true but pointed out that the
dogs under the table that waited for
the crumbs received and eat of
them. She accepted that as a
Gentile she had no claims to the
promises made to the children of
Israel but appealed to the mercy of
God to receive whatever the
children rejected.
7:29 Then he said to her, ‘Because
you said this, you may go. The
demon has left your daughter.’
Here it is recorded that for this
saying the Lord cast out the demon
from her daughter. In Matthew
15:28 it records that Jesus said
“great is thy faith; be it unto thee
even as thou wilt” Jesus saw in what
this woman had said the greatness
of the faith that she had in him and
so she received what she came for.
7:30 She went home and found the
child lying on the bed, and the
demon gone.
And when she arrived home she
found her daughter delivered even
as Jesus said. This is the only
recording of Jesus having delivered
someone from demon possession
from a distance. This was also the
first healing of a Gentile.
The Faith of Faithful Friends
7:31 Then Jesus went out again
from the region of Tyre and came
through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee
in the region of the Decapolis.
Jesus did not prolong his stay in
Syria, perhaps, like the woman he
met at the well of Sychar where it
states that “He needs go through
Samaria” (John 4:4) for the purpose
of meeting her, that he also needed
to go to Syria to meet with and
deliver the woman's daughter.
7:32 They brought to him a deaf
man who had difficulty speaking,
and they asked him to place his
hands on him.
The friends of the deaf and dumb
man prove to be friends indeed,
those who could be trusted and
depended on (Prov. 17:17 and Prov.
18:24). It is in their faithfulness to
him that they bring him to Jesus
and it is their faith in Jesus that
brings the man his healing.
7:33 After Jesus took him aside
privately, away from the crowd, he
put his fingers in the man's ears,
and after spitting, he touched his
tongue.
The Lord handles this man in a
special way and as he always does,
as an individual. He considered the
man's condition, being deaf he
would not be able to hear what
Jesus said to him and so the Lord
uses a type of sign language that
the man could understand what he
was going to do. He puts his fingers
in his ears, to show that he was
going to heal his deafness, the
touch of the tongue to enable him
to speak.
7:34-35 Then he looked up to
heaven and said with a sigh,
‘Ephphatha’ (that is, ‘Be opened’).
And immediately the man's ears
were opened, his tongue loosened,
and he spoke plainly.
The looking up to heaven would tell
the man that Jesus was praying for
him. At the command “Ephphatha,
be opened” he immediately hears
and is able to speak without any
impediment in his speech at all, a
complete healing.
7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell
anything. But as much as he
ordered them not to do this, they
proclaimed it all the more.
Again Jesus commands the people
not to say anything about what has
happened but they disobey and do
so all the more.
7:37 People were completely
astounded and said, ‘He has done
everything well. He even makes the
deaf hear and the mute speak.’
This time the people were
overwhelmed with amazement as
they saw that the Lord Jesus Christ
is able to make the deaf to hear and
the dumb to speak and declare that
he has done everything excellently
well. This remark echoes the words
spoken by the Creator in Genesis 1,
for after every act of creation “God
saw all that he had made and
behold it was very good.”
In the same way, all that Jesus does
is good!
18
In the United Kingdom this year,
Mother’s Day is celebrated on 30th
March. But don’t worry if you live in
Australia, Canada, New Zealand or
the USA, you’ve still got time – it is
celebrated in your countries on 11th
May. In fact, the only other
countries to share the UK date are
Ireland and Nigeria!
But whatever country you live in
(and Living Word is read on almost
every continent on earth—just no
readers in Antarctica yet!)—it’s
never the case that we should only
honor our mothers once a year.
When God created humanity in the
beginning he ‘created them male
and female, and told them to ‘be
fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:27-
28). Since the time God created
Adam and Eve (the mother of all
living) every human being has had a
mother; without whom we would
not have come into existence (1
Corinthians 11:11).
That is why the word of God says:
"Honor your father and mother,"
which is the first commandment
accompanied by a promise, namely,
"that it may go well with you and
that you will live a long time on the
earth." (Ephesians 6:2-3)
If we keep this particular command
of God, then we can expect the
blessing of a good and long life
without some of the problems we
might otherwise face.
And let’s face it—we’ve only got
one mother, and they won’t be with
us here in this life forever. So let’s
make the best of them now.
By the way, the word ‘honor’ in the
original text carries the idea of
practical help and also financial
support. Our moms were their
when we needed them – can they
count on us to return the kindness
and be there for them?
To be honest, I don’t think I really
appreciated my mother until I
became a parent myself and
understood just what goes into the
parenting role.
Some of our mothers are already in
heaven with the Lord and Saviour.
This Mother’s Day in our church, we
are placing flowers in a simple table
‘garden’ to remember each and
every one of them – until we see
them again when Jesus comes!
So happy Mother’s Day to all
Mothers, it’s not just once a year!
Image © Ruth Black
19
The Superiority of Love
The way beyond comparison, or the more excellent way referred to in 12:31 is the way of love. Although he has not finished with the subject of spiritual gifts, Paul pauses in his treatise to show that the central theme of Christian life is not to be gifts but love.
The word used for love is agape, which is always the word employed in the New Testament to denote the love of God. Christians recognize this love as that which motivated God to give His only Son and as that which was perfectly displayed by Christ in His death for us on the cross. Morris says, ‘It is a love for the utterly unworthy, a love which proceeds from the God who is love’.
Paul’s aim is not so much to demonstrate the superiority of love over gifts, but to show how the usefulness of all spiritual gifts is directly related to the spirit in which they are used. True Christian love is to motivate all Christian ministries. If spiritual gifts are employed as the servants of love, then they can accomplish much good within the church. But if they are used without
love, perhaps for show or for other self-serving reasons, then although they remain divinely authored, yet they have lost something of the credentials which their giver intended them to have – for spiritual gifts are meant to be evidences of the divine love.
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Morris insists that if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels is as far reaching as a statement as there can possibly be, for ‘no language in earth or heaven is to be compared with the practice of love’. Therefore, the use of the gift of tongues without the practice of Christian love is of no value. In fact, Paul's argument is general enough to include all kinds of speech. Whilst some at Corinth were taken up with the importance of spiritual gifts and others with the eloquence of certain preachers, the fact is that if all a person does is talk, and not love, then he or she is nothing.
What would be the good of speaking in tongues if it were not for the purpose of building up our
brothers or sisters in Christian love? The sound would be little different in its effect than that of a bronze gong, or a clashing cymbal. Both these instruments produce plenty of noise as they resound (vibrate), but are good for nothing else.
13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
As with tongues (an inspired utterance which does not inform the speaker's understanding), so with prophecy (an inspired utterance where the speaker understands what is said). Paul rates prophecy as the greatest spiritual gift in terms of its usefulness to the church. Yet if through this gift I could pass on the sum total of wisdom and knowledge, but did not love those whom I sought to instruct, I would be nothing. (Note: whilst knowledge refers to that which men may know or discover, mysteries refers to truth that can only be revealed by divine revelation).
If I possessed the kind of faith which could accomplish miracles, the phrase that can move mountains
Our In Depth Study
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
By Mathew Bartlett
Photo © Xxknightwolf Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.
Our In Depth Study. 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 By Mathew Bartlett Photo © Godfer
Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.
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being a Jewish proverb for something impossible, yet without the exercise of Christian love my ministry would utterly fail to build up the body of Christ. Love is the nature of God, and is therefore eternal; miracles are gifts of God which are, in the main, temporal. The possession of spectacular gifts was not as important as the Corinthians had supposed, indeed, someone who possesses the greatest gifts, yet who lacks love, is inconsequential; of no account.
13:3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
Paul next considers acts of devotion and charity. A person may sell all their possessions to feed the poor, or give themselves up to the most painful of deaths - being burned by fire - but if their sacrifice is not motivated by genuine love then nothing could actually be achieved by their death. Indeed, no extravagant action can make up for a basic lack of love. For example, many parents have discovered that paying thousands of dollars for Christmas presents is, in their children’s eyes, no substitute for their being present at their kindergarten graduation or at their first football game. Paul is making a very similar point in these verses. Far more good may be achieved by simple acts done in genuine love than by the greatest empty demonstrations which lack love.
What might others think of the person who spends a huge effort to raise money to help the poor in Central Africa, but who has not spoken to his or her closest relative for years because of a family feud? To such a person the application of Paul’s words might be ‘get things rights at home first, and then your gift will really mean something’.
The Nature of Love
13:4-5 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it
is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
Having shown that even the greatest gifts or deeds achieve nothing without love, Paul goes on to show loves' qualities. What is love like?
Love is long suffering. Morris observes that ‘love has an infinite capacity for endurance’ and cites Barclay who points out that the word patient or longsuffering means patience with people rather than patience with circumstances; in other words, love is self-restrained.
Love is kind and does well even to those who ill-treat it (Matt. 5:44). Love selflessly gives itself in the service of others (1 John 3:16) and is not jealously displeased with the success of others.
Love is not proud. It does not show off or assert its rights. The Corinthian church certainly had a problem with pride, even relative to the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul recognized that the root cause of this problem was a lack of clear appreciation of Jesus’ command to love one another. Indeed, Jesus Himself ‘never seemed at all interested in gaining recognition, let alone in demanding his rights’.
Love does not behave unseemly. It will avoid anything that is disgraceful, dishonourable, or indecent. Love is the very opposite of selfishness. Love is always asking ‘what can I do for the one I love?’ rather than ‘what can they do for me?’ Love is not easily provoked; that is, it is not quickly irritated or offended. It thinks no evil and so is always prepared to see the virtues of others more readily than their faults. When love looks into the heart of its object, it sees itself reflected, whether or not it is requited. In this way it is ready to overlook offenses and keep no record of wrongs done (1 Pet. 4:8).
13:6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.
Many people seem to relish the ill fortune of others, as the popularity of television murder mysteries illustrates. Love, however, takes no joy in seeing wrong done to others; rather it delights in truth, righteousness and equity. Only when truth is victorious can love be victorious and vice versa. Only when truth rejoices does love rejoice. Love and truth are inseparable partners, for truth, like love, is at the very heart of Christianity (John 14:6) and stands in direct opposition to cold-hearted falsehood and iniquity.
13:7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love bears all things, or literally covers over all things. It not only puts up with problems, but is prepared to deliberately overlook whatever is unpleasant in another person. Love believes all things since it is always prepared to make allowances for others and to notice their virtues (however few). Love hopes all things, a trait which Morris describes as ‘a refusal to take failure as final’ but which confidently looks forward to the ultimate victory which has been secured for us by God's grace.
Since
love endures all things, it never loses heart. Hence the one who loves will be unwavering in their love; for love is never overwhelmed by any difficulty it might face (Song 8:7).
The Eternity of Love
13:8-10. Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside.
Paul firstly emphasizes the stability of love, for love will never end or fail; it will never collapse under
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strain. This love is evidently the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit; a love that nothing can separate us from (Rom. 8:39). By contrast, the spiritual gifts which the Corinthians made so much of were temporary in nature. As Carson says, ‘[this] too demonstrates love’s intrinsic superiority’.
Some debate has arisen concerning what Paul means when he says when what is perfect comes. Some have supposed that it is a reference to the church’s reaching an age of spiritual maturity, or to the completion of the New Testament; but even a ‘non-charismatic’ scholar such as Carson is convinced (as was Calvin) that the reference is to coming of Christ (the parousia), or more specifically the eternal state which the coming of Christ will introduce. Indeed, as Carson goes on to affirm:
To argue that the spiritual experience and maturity of the early church before the canon’s completion are to the experience of maturity of the post canonical church just what the experience of an infant’s talk and understanding is to that of an adult is historical nonsense.
That which we know of God is as yet imperfect and incomplete. Consequently, even though truth may be revealed to us by prophecy, we still are only in part possession of the whole truth, for God reveals only a glimpse of Himself to each prophet on each occasion that the gift is used. The words used for vanish, cease and fail in the Authorised Version (rendered set aside and cease in the New English Translation, above) all mean the same thing. Spiritual gifts and the imperfect knowledge of Christian teaching will be no more because they will be no longer needed.
When we see Christ face to face, our knowledge of Him will be complete; a full revelation of who God is. The partial knowledge which
we had had up till that point will forever be forgotten swallowed up in the completeness of heavenly revelation.
13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.
That which shall happen when we see the Lord can be best understood with the aid of an illustration from human life. Since we have all been children, none of us can doubt the truth of Paul's words here. When I was a child I understood and reasoned as a child does, without the full understanding that an adult has. A child's faculties are not fully developed, as an adult’s are. A child does not possess the same experience or knowledge of life as an adult. When the child has become an adult, they may look back and realise that all that which was imperfect or childish in their attitude and understanding has been left behind.
At the present time, we are like children, growing a little at a time in our understanding of the things of God. But one day we shall be adults, with a perfect knowledge and understanding. This perfect comprehension of God’s nature will not be developed as the result of our study but will be the outcome of a change in our natures which shall be effected by God; a change which is compared with the change from childhood to adulthood. It will be the change from the mortal to immortal, from the temporal to the eternal, and from imperfection to perfection. We shall only at that time receive a fullness of understanding, for only then, being changed in this manner, shall we be able to receive such revelation.
13:12 For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.
Paul compares our experience as Christians looking into the immensity of God with that of someone looking in a mirror of polished metal. Since good mirrors were very expensive, the Corinthians would realize that Paul was referring to a cheaper, rather dull mirror when he says that in a mirror we see darkly; that is, not with full clarity. Morris says ‘while we live our life on earth, our sight of things eternal is at best indistinct’. The time when we will see face to face is at the coming of Christ; and when we see Christ we shall and be changed into His likeness (1 John 3:2). Paul has more to say about the nature of this change in 1 Corinthians 15. When it is completed, our knowledge of God shall be perfect and complete, even as God's knowledge of us is complete.
13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
As we wait for the blissful moment of change, the most important features to be cultivated within the Christian church are not great gifts which shall one day pass away, but those great qualities of character which each of us shall carry into eternity (for our characters are the one thing of earth which we shall retain in eternity) – particularly those of faith, hope and love - the most important being love, which is an expression of the very nature of God (1 John 4:8).
Paul’s thought is not that faith and hope will disappear completely in eternity, for as Carson writes, Our hope is in God, in Christ; and as such, hope continues forever… Consider faith:… Will there be any time… during which the very basis of my presence in the celestial courts will be something other than faith in the grace of God?
It appears, then, that faith, hope, and love, these three, all remain. They are eternal, permanent virtues.
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O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
(Psalm 105:1-5 AV)
Pastor? Preacher? Looking for a sermon outline this week? Here is a brief but excellent outline for Psalm 105:1-5 which you can make your very own!
By Derek Williams Image © Tracy Moore
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1. Give Thanks.
a) For who He is.
1. God of gods (Ps. 136:2)
2. Lord of Lords (Ps 136: 3)
3. God of Heaven (Ps. 136: 26) 4. Lord Almighty (Jer. 33: 11)
b) For His Goodness.
Declared all through scripture.
c) Jesus gave thanks.
1. For the bread (His body)
2. For the wine (His Blood)
(Luke 22: 19) (Luke 22: 17)
d) Let us give thanks.
(note it is give thanks not merely say thanks)
For His unspeakable gift
2 Cor. 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
For the victory
1 Cor. 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
For all things
1 Thess. 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
For one another
1 Thess. 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.
2. Call on His Name.
a) Pray
Shall be saved.
Acts 2:21 That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.
Shall be delivered
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:
b) His Name.
His Name is His nature, His character, who He is
3. Make Him known.
a) His Attributes.
1) His Faithfulness Ps. 89:1
2) His Mighty Power Ps. 106: 8
3) His Truth Isa. 38:19
4) His Riches Rom 9:23
b) The Gospel.
Eph. 6:19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.
4. Sing to Him.
a) Sing Aloud.
Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defence And refuge in the day of my trouble.
b) Sing Together
Isaiah 52:8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion.
c) Sing In the Spirit and with understanding
1 Cor. 14: 15 I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
5. Seek Him.
a) Seek Him early.
Isaiah 26: 9 Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;
b) Seek Him wholeheartedly.
Jer. 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
c) Seek His Kingdom First - the things of Heaven.
Luke 12:31 "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
Col 3: 1 seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
6. Glory in Him.
The word glory used here means boast.
a) Boast in the Lord only.
2 Cor. 10:17 But "he who glories, let him glory in the LORD. '
b) In the Cross.
Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
7. Remember what He has Done
a) Remember His Word
John 15:20 Jesus said to His disciples "Remember the word that"
b) Remember the Lord.
Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
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Buy Tracts Now – choose from 15 titles Available now for £1.99 per pack of 50 (includes UK postage) Rest of world,
contact for shipping price. Request samples.