There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus

(Romans 8:1)

Going Deeper into God’s Word

Issue 13 August 2012

Bible Studies by Reinhard Bonnke, Ken Legg, Mathew Bartlett, Edwin & Lillian Harvey & more! L

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NEITHER DO I CONDEMN THEE: GO, AND SIN NO MORE JOHN 8:11 (AV) IN THIS ISSUE

©Photos above Marafilm CoverDanilo Ascione photo Back cover Peter Saharov

In this month’s issue: 2. Names of Christ Lewis Armstrong (USA)

3. Rebuilding the Walls Part 5 Arfon Lloyd Thomas (UK)

5 The Prologue to Pentecost Mathew Bartlett (UK)

7. The Grace Test Ken Legg (Australia AG)

8. Bitterness Hinders Prayer Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)

9. The Prophecy of Amos Part 3 Mathew Bartlett (UK)

11. Guest Article: Jesus Himself Reinhard Bonnke (CfaN)

13. Noah’s Ark Mathew Bartlett (UK)

17. The Prophet of the Reformation (3) Derek Williams (UK)

19. In Depth Study – Revelation Chapter 18 Derek Williams (UK)

22. Testimonies from our Readers Worldwide!

©Photos Above © Photoquest. Cover: © Showface Left © from top: Philcold Eugene Ivanov, Barak Brudo, Farek, Ingrid Heczko Back Cover: Eugene Ivanov.

Bible Studies Online International

www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk

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Fill in the names used for the Lord in each of the following references:

Exodus 3:14 ________________

Isaiah 7:14 ________________

Isaiah 9:6 ________________

Isaiah 28:16 ________________

Song 2:1 ________________

Haggai 2:7 ________________

Matthew 1:21 ________________

Matthew 1:23 ________________

Matthew 16:16 ________________

Matthew 27:54 ________________

Luke 1:32 ________________

Luke 1:69 ________________

Luke 2:11 ________________

John 1:1 ________________

John 1:18 ________________

John 1:29 ________________

John 4:10 ________________

John 4:25 ________________

John 8:12 ________________

John 8:58 ________________

John 10:7 ________________

John 10:11 ________________

John 11:25 ________________

John 13:13 ________________

John 14:6 ________________

John 15:5 ________________

Acts 3:14-15 ________________

1 Cor. 3:11 ________________

1 Cor. 5:7 ________________

1 Cor. 10:4 ________________

1 Cor. 15:20-23 ________________

Romans 6:23 ________________

Romans 8:29 ________________

Ephesians 5:23 ________________

Colosians.1:15 ________________

Colosians.1:18 ________________

1Timothy 1:17 ________________

1Timothy 2:5 ________________

1Timothy 6:15 ________________

Hebrews 1:2 ________________

Hebrews.1:3 ________________

Hebrews 4:14 ________________

Hebrews 13:20 ________________

Hebrews 3:1 ________________

Hebrews 6:20 ________________

1 Peter 2:4 ________________

1 Peter 2:25 ________________

I Peter 5:4 ________________

1 John 2:1 ________________

Revelation 1:5 ________________

Revelation 1:8 ________________

Revelation 1:13 ________________

Revelation 1:17 ________________

Revelation 1:18 ________________

Revelation 2:18 ________________

Revelation 3:14 ________________

Revelation 5:5-6 ________________

Revelation 19:11 ________________

Then Check the Answers: I AM I am He Immanuel Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace Stone Precious Cornerstone Sure Foundation Rose of Sharon Lily of the Valley Horn of Salvation Jesus Christ Christ Jesus

Christ the Lord Christ Jesus our Lord Jesus Christ the Righteous

Son of the Living God Great Son of the Highest Horn of Salvation Word Begotten Son Lamb of God Gift of God Messiah Light of the World Door of the Sheep Good Shepherd Chief Shepherd Shepherd I am the Resurrection The Life Teacher Lord The Way The Truth Vine Prince of Life Foundation Passover Rock First-fruits Head of the Church First Born Head of the Body The Beginning King Immortal Invisible Mediator Potentate King of Kings Lord of Lords Son His Glory Great High Priest Apostle High Priest Forerunner Living Stone Chosen by God Precious Alpha Omega Beginning The End Son of Man First and Last Son of God Faithful Witness True Witness Lords of Lords Faithful True Savior

August Reader’s Article- Names of Christ By Lewis

Armstrong USA

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Whenever we seek to do

something special for God, we

find ourselves coming under

heavy attack and temptation, as

the enemy of God attempts to

make us give up or become

discouraged.

Chapter 6 reveals certain things to us about the enemy and our own conduct. In the opening verses of this chapter we discover the word “compromise”. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem had up until then opposed all rebuilding work. Now, they suddenly changed their minds and sought to help. They had even offered to meet with Nehemiah in a nearby village. One might say that their approach was to meet half way.

The strategy of the enemy is simple. If you can’t beat them, join them! Then, when all is relaxed take over! We will do well to note that once the enemy has a foot-hold in our ministry he will start to weaken the work from within.

Now whilst co-operation in the Lord’s work is noble, we must also be aware to co-operate with the right people, otherwise we finish up fraternising with the enemy. Let us be aware that Satan is the master deceiver and his servants are always ready to superficially join hands with God’s children so that they can weaken the work and break up unity.

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light Is it not surprising that his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness?” 2Cor. 11:13-15

Nehemiah rejected their offer due to a three-fold conviction.

Firstly, he knew that they were lying and only wanted to kill him. He was gifted with spiritual discernment. Likewise, this is a most important gift for Pastors in the Church today. Pastors must possess discernment if they are

to detect the strategy of the enemy.

Secondly, he was convinced of the Lord’ great work that had been set before him. If he stepped down from the wall, then where would the people go for leadership? A church without a vision is lost.

Thirdly, the Jewish community had nothing in common with Sanballat and his friends - so there was no basis for any co-operation. Nehemiah had made this very clear to Sanballat when first meeting him and told him he had no share in Jerusalem or any historic claim. (Nehemiah 2:20)

We will do well to remember that God’s people are different from the people of the world, and therefore, as children of the Living God, we are to maintain a separate position.

Next, Sanballat sent a letter which was meant to slander Nehemiah and so undermine his position. Promoting sedition was indeed a serious charge and the King of Persia would not have tolerated any other King.

FURTHER

OPPOSITION NEHEMIAH chapter 6 verses 1-14

By Arfon Lloyd Thomas

Photo © Paul Prescott

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The letter was intimidating and insulting, and was sent as an open letter since Sanballat wanted other people to read the contents and undermine Nehemiah’s reputation. If just a handful believed the letter then they could be used to create division within the ranks.

Statements just like this letter have caused many problems and much trouble in the local churches. Slander is a common strategy of Satan in his effort to undermine and divide. It begins with the words, “Some people say…” Yet even the words of unknown “Mr. Nobody’s” hang around for long enough to destroy and break up the work of God.

A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance once said “I would rather play with lightening or live wires in the fuse box than speak one reckless word against a servant of God – or repeat a slanderous remark.”

If you have sadly been the victim of slander, are you willing to leave your reputation and future in the hands of the God that you serve, as Nehemiah did?

Prayer: O Lord, help us to be aware of every attempt the devil makes to divert us from our work that You have set before us. Forgive us that when under pressure and false accusations, we have so easily fallen. Help us to know You in the same way as Nehemiah and increase our confidence in You. Help us to leave all our actions with You so

that You might have Your way amongst us. Amen

Building the Walls Worldwide Pastor Arfon Lloyd Thomas is an experienced minister with the Baptist church in the UK and is willing and available to conduct short term mission trips and revival schools both in Great Britain and overseas.

If you would like to invite Pastor Arfon Lloyd Thomas to your church or conference anywhere in the world, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Contact the Bible Studies Online International office at:

admin@biblestudiesonline.co.uk

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Introduction to Series

In the book of Acts we witness

the coming of the Holy Spirit into

the world, working in close

connection with the Father and

Son to bring about God’s

purposes on earth. As we go

through the book we shall

discover that God the Holy Spirit

is working to a definite plan that

only God can fully know and

appreciate. We will observe the

working out of his own sovereign

will in the salvation of souls, his

power exerted on behalf of the

church and its witness, and

indeed his personality displayed

in his interactions with men and

women. For the Holy Spirit is not

just a force or influence but a

divine person at work in the

world today.

Introduction to Chapter

As we open chapter one, we shall

see that God’s methods are still

men; or as Reinhard Bonnke puts

it: ‘men need God, but God

needs men’.

As the Holy Spirit continues his

great work, so we can expect to

receive his call to join him in

fulfilling the work of the great

commission.

The Planning of the Saviour

Jesus coached them.

During 40 days after resurrection,

he coached and mentored them,

he taught them. He showed them

from the Old Testament

scriptures all things concerning

himself. It is remarkable how all

the preaching and praying of Acts

is grounded in Old Testament

scriptures; and it was Jesus

himself who taught them these

things.

He also taught them all they

needed to know concerning the

end times purposes of God. It

was not for them (or us) to know

the details (as some people are

very caught up about today) it

was for them to know that he is

coming, and in the light of this

to be his witnesses to the entire

world.

Jesus confirmed them.

He showed himself alive by many

infallible proofs. Their

strengthened faith in the risen

Lord led them to spiritual victory

after spiritual victory.

The great conviction of their

preaching rested on the fact their

unshakable confidence that Jesus

was alive.

Even in persecution, they

overcame. Beaten – they

rejoiced, since He’s alive.

Silenced, they preached, since

he’s alive, we’ve seen him we

cannot but speak the things

which we have seen and heard.

The seeming absence of any fear

of death whatsoever as we

witness in Acts stems from this

same fact – Jesus is alive. As they

were stoning Stephen, instead of

any concern about his own death

he looked into heaven and said ‘I

Series: The Acts of the Holy Spirit Chapter 1: The Prologue to Pentecost

By Mathew Bartlett

Photo: © Mathew Bartlett

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see the son of man standing at

the right hand of God’.

The Promise of the Spirit

Christ let them in on the plan.

They were to be partners with

him in the world wide mission to

save all nations. They were to go

into the world and preach the

gospel to every creature; but

they were not to begin until the

Holy Spirit came and they

received his indwelling. Not only

when the Holy Spirit came they

would have power to evangelise

the world, but as the Holy Spirit

empowered them, he would also

direct the work according to

God’s divine plan.

The Spirit would indwell them

In speaking of the baptism of the

Holy Spirit Jesus was speaking

about something which no one

had ever experienced before.

That’s why they didn’t know

what to expect. The prophets

had been anointed. John had

been filled. But only on Jesus did

the Spirit come down and

remain, entering in to dwell in

fullness within his own spirit. This

baptism which Jesus had they

would now share.

The Spirit would impel them

The Holy Spirit drove Jesus into

the wilderness, and he motivates

men to go into the harvest field

for God. He does so by the

impartation of God’s love. The

love of Christ compels us.

He does so by the impartation of

God’s power. The amazing

miracles recorded in the book of

acts which convince the

unbelieving and led in some

instances individuals and in some

instance multitudes to Christ

were all performed and made

possible by the power of the

indwelling Holy Spirit.

The coming of the Spirit would

mean much more to the early

church which could not easily be

expressed in a book of acts, for

his ministry is within. Jesus said

he will teach comfort and exhort

the believers. We see this

expressed in the beautiful words

of Acts ‘in the comfort of the

Holy Spirit’

The Preparation of the Self

Rather than idly waiting for the

Lord to come, they were eager to

get on with the job. Rather than

leave all to God, they wanted to

play their part.

The prayed & earnestly sought

God for the promise

They were in one accord (v14) a

united band is a powerful band.

They made practical

preparations

By the appointment of Matthias

to succeed Judas, they made sure

they had sufficient men for the

task. Then, as the work grew we

see in Acts the emergence of

deacons, evangelists other

apostles and prophets and later

elders overseeing local churches

in the work of God appointments

which involved both the Holy

Spirit and the local church.

Some are unaware that the

baptism of the Holy Spirit needs

to be expressed by service in the

local church. His love and power

moves us to action. These are the

Acts of the Apostles, not the

good intentions of the apostles.

Each of these 120 in the upper

room were volunteers, saying

here I am Lord, send me and use

me. Are you getting ready to fulfil

the great commission? In practise

carrying out that commission

involves

The Presenting themselves to

God

Present (volunteer) yourself and

commit yourself to service

wherever you are in your own

local church situation, and then

see it through, week in week out.

Usually there is no lack of

possibilities for service and

growth – there is only a lack of

workers.

Will you prepare?

Will you present yourself?

Will you commit yourself to

a life of service in the local

church?

If you do that is when power is

released and God’s plan will be

realised for your life.

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Image: © Ingrid Heczko

Are you a legalist? Probably before you can answer that question you would want me to define what I mean by ‘legalism’. Of course that word might mean different things to different people.

In my ‘Radical Grace’ seminars I try to help people discover for themselves if they have become a victim of legalism. I ask ten simple questions that require a “yes” or “no” answer. See how you go with the test. Note: in order to profit from the exercise it is important to be totally honest with your answers.

The Grace Test

1) When you hear the word ‘holiness’ does it produce negative feelings in you (e.g. do you feel inadequate or a failure in this regard)? Yes/No

2) When you sin do you think you need to confess that sin in order to be restored to fellowship with God? Yes/No

3) When you think about how God sees you, do you think of this in terms of your

performance, i.e. your good works or bad works? Yes/No

4) Is the approval of others, especially spiritual leaders, important to you? Yes/No

5) Are you motivated or manipulated by guilt? Yes/No

6) Do you use guilt to motivate or manipulate others? Yes/No

7) Do you believe that tithing is a key to financial blessing? Yes/No

8) Are you driven to succeed in order to feel good about yourself? Yes/No

9) Do you feel trapped in cyclical behaviour patterns of defeat? Yes/No

10) Do you get exhausted trying to live the Christian life, and wonder about that “easy yoke” and “light burden” Jesus spoke of? Yes/No

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions it is likely that you have fallen prey to legalism.

Legalism And Grace Defined

I mentioned earlier that in order to answer whether or not you are a legalist you would need a definition of that term. Here are my definitions of legalism and grace:

Legalism is the belief that my works are the basis for

God’s acceptance and blessing. In this case the

focus will always be upon self

Grace is the belief that I am always accepted and qualified for every blessing because of the finished work of Jesus. In this case the focus will always be upon Jesus

Where is your focus? Recently, I spent time reading a book I purchased many years ago. I was about a third of the way through and started to feel myself coming under condemnation. The reason was soon apparent. There was an over-emphasis on what I as a Christian ought to be doing. This encouraged introspection, resulting in condemnation. My focus had shifted from Jesus and His righteousness to me and self-righteousness. I quickly transferred my focus and confidence back to Jesus. Problem solved!

Probably one of the best known definitions of grace is that it is the unmerited favour of God.

Sam Storms says, “Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to bestow it in the presence of human merit. Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to withdraw it in the presence of human demerit.”

The Grace Test By Ken Legg.

An Extract from Ken’s monthly e-zine Grace Roots (#79)

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When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any (Mark 11:25).

Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour (Zech. 8:17).

You have noticed that Jesus speaks much about prayer and also speaks much about forgiveness. But have you noticed how, over and over again, He couples these two—prayer and forgiveness? I used to wonder why. I do not so much now. Nearly everywhere evidence keeps slipping in of the sore spots. And continually the evidence keeps sifting in, revealing the thin skin, raw flesh, wounds never healed over, and some jaggedly open, almost everywhere one goes. Jesus’ continual references reveal how strikingly alike is the oriental and the occidental—the first and the twentieth centuries.

—S. D. Gordon.

I heard a knock I knew. I said, “Lord Jesus, do come in. Come in.”

He said, “The door is locked.”

It was. . . . I turned the key.

I heard Him touch the handle and a crack of light appeared.

“Come in, Lord Jesus. Please come in.”

“Something is against the door,” He said, “It will not move!”

I looked. I saw a dark, crude bundle

I had not known was there—an ugly bundle, hateful to the touch.

I glanced inside and saw the rancid unforgiveness of a wrong.

I pushed it back, flung wide the door, and light poured in as Jesus stepped inside my house and greeted me.

—Jane Emerson.

An insuperable barrier to answered prayer is the spirit of strife and bitterness.

Job had to pray for his very enemies before God could turn his captivity, and had to banish from his heart every particle of bitter feeling towards the men who had tormented him through months of sickness, with their ignorance, misconstruction, and

offensive interference. And when he did, God turned his captivity and restored him to more than his former blessings (Job. 42:10).

One reason why the disciples could not claim the casting out of the demon from the suffering child was that they had disputed by the way which should be the greatest. The spirit of cherished animosity, lurking prejudice, sullen vindictiveness, or cold disdain, will as effectually obstruct our intercourse and intimacy with Heaven as a speck upon the crystalline lens of the eye will obstruct our vision, or the crossing of wires of the electric machinery will leave us in darkness.

There are a great many crossed wires in the Church of Christ and the consequence is dark hearts and mournful cries: “Hath God forgotten to be gracious?” (Psalm 77:9). “How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” (Psalm 80:4).

Just this long, brother—“If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matt. 5:23, 24).—A. B. Simpson.

Photo © Keeweeboy

Bitterness Hinders Prayer An extract from “Kneeling we Triumph” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey

ISBN 1-932774-08-4. 128 Pages Price $6.00. Image © Margaret M. Stewart

Reproduced by kind permission of Harvey Publishers. www.harveycp.com

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The Prophecy of

Amos – A Warning

for Today

Another extract from

our best- selling book.

Amos 4:1 - 13. Hypocritical Religion.

Punishment for "Fat Cows". v1 - 3.

1. Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, "Bring something to drink!"

The prophet refers to the women of Samaria as "fat cows". Bashan was known as a fertile place where the cattle grazed well and became fat. These women lived in luxury and drove their husbands to provide for their self-indulgence in ways that oppressed the poor, whose rights were ignored and whose plight was never given a second thought.

A good wife can be a tower of strength to her husband, especially if

he is in the service of the Lord - but a wife who thinks of her own interests above those of everyone else will be her husband's undoing. For example, Jezebel's influence over Ahab led him to evil actions for the furtherance of her selfish and evil ends. God will hold us all responsible not only for what we do, but for what we influence others to do. (see Mark 9.42).

God refers to these women as brute beasts since they live only to gratify their animal or sensual appetites, constantly indulging in strong drink and revelry. (2 Peter 2.12; Philippians 3.18 - 19).

2,3. The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness: The time is surely coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. Through breaches in the wall you shall leave, each one straight ahead; and you shall be flung out into Harmon, says the LORD.

On oath of His own immutable holiness, God decreed the punishment of these self-satisfied and callous women. Since they behaved like cattle they would, together with their children, be led away like cattle, pulled along with hooks in their mouths. This method was literally employed by their conquerors the Assyrians when they broke down the walls of the city and took the women and children captive as slaves, ending their days of ease and luxury.

Religious Pride and Hypocrisy. v4 - 5

4,5. Come to Bethel--and transgress; to Gilgal--and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; bring a

thank offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! says the Lord GOD.

Israel's hypocrisy increased their guilt. Whilst living in sin and self-indulgence they continued to worship God, albeit in an idolatrous manner. They worshipped the idols (who were meant, initially, to represent God Himself) at Bethel and Gilgal, in breach of the second commandment. (Exodus 20:4 - 5).

As Christians, we too should be aware of the dangers of approaching God in hypocrisy. When we come to the communion service knowing that we have sin in our lives which we have neither confessed nor forsaken, we are acting as these hypocrites did and will be judged by God. (1 Corinthians 11.27 - 32).

The women of Israel made much of their daily sacrifices to God, of their bringing tithes and making thank offerings. They boasted about it as if their religion made them superior to others. Christ warned his followers of the danger of this. (see Matthew 6:1-5 & Matthew 6:16-18). Christians may fall into the trap of portraying themselves as superior - but such an attitude will never win the unconverted. Only as we show respect to all people can we win them for Christ. (1 Peter 3:15 - 16).

Like the Pharisees in Jesus' time, the women of Israel gave an outward impression of being righteous, whilst corruption was in their heart. (Matthew 23:27-28). They loved their religious practices and would not neglect them for anything, but they did not love God, or the poor.

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God is never impressed by our singing, praying, preaching or giving. Yet He is pleased when the motivation for all we do is love for Him.

God's Dealings to Israel to Repentance. v6 - 11.

6. I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

God had chastened His people in various ways in order to bring them back to Himself, and laments that even so they had not repented. Firstly, He had sent famine to the land. Their cleanness of teeth (we would say, "empty stomachs") was due to the lack of bread.

7,8. And I also withheld the rain from you when there were still three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would be rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered; so two or three towns wandered to one town to drink water, and were not satisfied; yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

Next came drought. The rains which were needed to ripen the harvest never came. As if to demonstrate His control over these events, God caused it to rain in one part of the country but not another so that people had to go in search of water to drink. But even then there was not sufficient for all.

9. I struck you with blight and mildew; I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards; the locust devoured your fig trees and your olive trees; yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

Crops were destroyed by disease and fruits were ruined by insects, yet the people did not repent and return to God.

10. I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword; I carried away your horses; and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

The diseases and plagues which came one after another on man and beast should have been enough to warn the Israelites that their sin and disobedience were not being overlooked, but even the obvious similarity to what God had done to the Egyptians, and which He was now forced to do to them, was not enough to bring them to repentance. Enemy troops had made forays into Israel's territory and destroyed men and captured horses, leaving the land devastated, but the people had not returned to God.

11. I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a brand snatched from the fire; yet you did not return to me, says the LORD.

It is clear from this verse that some terrible disaster had occurred to completely destroy whole cities in Israel in a way reminiscent of what happened to Sodom. Then, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire out of heaven. Here, however, it is more likely that an earthquake had caused the disaster, since such an earthquake is referred to in chapter one. Although the whole nation deserved punishment, only some cities were destroyed, an act of mercy whereby God kept the remainder of the

nation alive and gave them a further opportunity to repent. "Brands from the burning" are those who are saved from destruction by God's mercy. (Jude 1:23 & Zechariah 3:2).

Final Judgment Inevitable. v12 - 13.

12. Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!

Since, despite all these measured judgments, intended as they were to bring the nation to repentance, the nation had not repented, they must now suffer the consequences of their rebellion. The same is applies to the impenitent today, if we will not meet with God in mercy then we must meet with Him in judgment and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. It is eternal punishment that the prophet has in mind when he says, "prepare to meet your God."

13. For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, reveals his thoughts to mortals, makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth--the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!

In this beautiful poem of praise, the qualifications of the One who is to be their Judge are set before the children of Israel. The Creator of all things is terrible in might and majesty; there is no limit to His power. Hence He should be obeyed, loved and served. He alone is able to judge men righteously for He not only knows their actions but also the thoughts and motives of their hearts. Since He is exalted far above all, man's resistance of Him may be seen for what it is: both puny and futile.

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Jesus Himself by

Reinhard Bonnke The Storm Handler - Part 1

Galilee had a mood on, lashing

and clawing like a monster at one

little boat. A dozen fellows rowed

desperately to escape its fury.

Harbour was across three miles

of raging water. They were alone.

That is, Jesus was not with them.

If Jesus is not with people, they

are always alone. Then suddenly

they saw Him. He was like a

ghost emerging out of the gloom

and spray. It was unbelievable.

He was walking, treading the

waves under His feet like snarling

wild creatures. He came right

across to the boat and got in.

Then, another inexplicable

experience, they arrived at the

shore straightaway.

It was all real but so fantastic the

disciples never forgot it, nor

could they ever fathom it.

It goes without saying that the

God who created the universe

knew how to handle all things in

a storm, but so did Jesus. So –

who is He? Need we ask? ‘ In the

beginning was the Word. All

things were made by Him and

nothing without Him’. John 1:1-

2. So, the job of getting a boat

across to shore in a moment of

time should be no problem to the

one called ‘the Word.’ It only

needs Him to arrange the locality

of a few atoms.

The Maker - Part 2

What is everything made of?

Whatever it is, the Maker can use

it as He wishes. In the last fifty

years science has found that the

building material of the universe

is not only atoms, but also

particles, a mass of mere points

of energy. There’s no order or

system, they obey no law of

nature but darting about at

random, just a chaos. Then at a

given stage they shape up like

soldiers commanded to form

lines. The formless dance of

points of energy suddenly

becomes things we recognise;

earth, water, planets and sun.

We ourselves are like that.

Nobody knows how we appear as

we do. Psalm 139:15 uses

phrases like this; ‘Your eyes saw

my unformed body. I was made

in the secret place.' ‘I was woven

together in the depths of the

earth.' 'You knit me together in

my mother’s womb.' ‘We are

fearfully and wonderfully made.'

God makes us and upholds us

moment by moment; ‘We live

and move and have our being in

Him.’ He controls and harnesses,

points of energy, compacts them,

transforms them and gives them

form and shape. He upholds all

things in existence. That Maker is

the One we are talking about.

The dancing particles that form

our bodies, act in ways that are a

mystery to science. What they do

seems impossible, yet we

ourselves are made of those

elements. It is a literal fact that

far from miracles being

impossible, life would be

impossible without miracles.

The impossible happens in the

presence of the Lord, all the

time. Hebrews 1:2,3 - the Son of

God is ‘upholding all things by

the word of His power.' Creation

began when He passed by. Job

speaks of the universe as ‘but the

outer fringe of His works’ or ‘the

skirts of His ways’ like a track on

12

the wet grass. Wherever Jesus

went things happened. You could

tell when He had passed through

a Jewish village – there were no

sick people. That’s all it took

Jesus to pass by. Where He is,

there’s no problem about

walking the waves, transporting a

boat, and feeding five thousand

with a boy’s packed lunch. It just

happens; cosmic forces bend to

His will. ‘He makes all things work

together for good to them that

love the Lord.’ That is who we

are talking about when we talk

about Jesus in the Bible.

This is how we identify Him.

The Awesome Present One

Millions believe He exists, and

some are very good at proving it,

but not all have a relationship

with Him. He is somewhere else,

remote, and not present in their

experience. That is not a mere

incidental. Without His presence,

life is empty and pointless. One

of the prime Bible examples is

Israel. They had got away from

Egypt by the mighty hand of God.

They were making for the

Promised Land when the going

became tough. Like frightened

children, they hankered to go

back to where they were safe.

Though slaves, they made a god,

a golden calf, to lead their return.

It was madness. The Lord showed

them that if that were what they

wanted, He would not push

Himself upon them. He said, ' I

will not go up in the midst of

thee, for thou art a stiff-necked

people.’

However, whatever they did, God

wouldn’t renege. He had vowed

to give them the Promised Land

and no matter what they got up

to, He would do it. ‘What if some

did not believe? Can their lack of

faith nullify God’s faithfulness?’

(Romans 3:3. NIV). So, to make

sure they got there He said that

He would send an angel with

them. That scared them! (Ex

33:2-2). ‘When the people heard

these evil tidings they mourned.’

The possibility of being in the

land without the Lord scared

them. The biggest angel in glory

could never fill the land with His

presence. Only the Lord could do

that. And that’s what they knew

was vital.

They may have been an

uneducated rabble coming

straight out of slavery but they

were more sensible than a lot of

folk today. Mere angels wouldn’t

do for them. It had to be nobody

less than God. Nowadays people

hope in angels, or beings from

Venus or outer space. Some want

contact with the spirits of dead

relatives, or cosmic forces, or

trust in stellar influences and the

horoscope, or even lucky charms.

What about God? He is what

Israel wanted and nothing less;

just the presence of the Lord

their God.

What happened next is certainly

a premier occasion for the record

books. Moses, prepared to

perish, stood for the people to

intervene and intercede. He was

a religious pioneer. His words to

God preserved in Exodus 32 and

33 seem even now to us

frighteningly bold. ‘You have

been telling me ‘Lead these

people’. Remember that this

people is your people. If your

Presence does not go with us,

what will distinguish your people

from all the other people on the

face of the earth?’

Moses’ faith and action won the

day. The Lord said, ‘My presence

shall go with thee and I will give

thee rest.’

Here was a vital spiritual lesson

before history began: God is all

sufficient in Himself, not just His

good and useful laws, so He said.

In His presence there is peace

and rest. ‘I will give you rest.’ The

same Lord repeated exactly the

same words more than 1000

years later. The Awesome One

present at Mount Sinai became

the Man Christ Jesus and said,

‘Come unto me and I will give

you rest.’ Matthew 11:28.

Reinhard Bonnke, Evangelist

http://us.cfan.org/?lang=en-US

Article reproduced with the kind

permission of Christ for all

Nations.

13

What does the factual, historical

account of Noah's ark teach us

today?

And as it was in the days of Noah, so

it will be also in the days of the Son

of Man: (Luke 17:26 NKJV)

God's Work of Dealing with Mankind If we consider God's dealing with

men we must first consider what

kind of men they are. They are

sinful men. The Noah account

(Moses) gives a terrible description

of the moral vice and sin of Noah's

time.

Then the LORD saw that the

wickedness of man was great in the

earth, and that every intent of the

thoughts of his heart was only evil

continually. And the LORD was sorry

that He had made man on the earth,

and He was grieved in His heart. So

the LORD said, "I will destroy man

whom I have created from the face

of the earth, both man and beast,

creeping thing and birds of the air,

for I am sorry that I have made

them." (Genesis 6:5-7 NKJV)

We see that sin began in the heart:

"every intent of the thoughts of his

heart was only evil continually."

Jesus said “For out of the heart

proceed evil thoughts, murders,

adulteries, fornications, thefts, false

witness, blasphemies." (Matthew

15:19 NKJV)

As it was in the days of Noah, so it

will be also in the days of the son of

Man.

In Noah's time was characterised by

widespread violence, and

corruption, particularly the

corruption of sexual license and

perversion.

The earth also was corrupt before

God, and the earth was filled with

violence. (Genesis 6:11 NKJV)

There was no one on the face of the

earth who did what was right and

was without sin – just like today.

for all have sinned and fall short of

the glory of God, (Romans 3:23

NKJV)

As it is written: "THERE IS NONE

RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE; THERE IS

NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS; THERE

IS NONE WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD.

THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE;

THEY HAVE TOGETHER BECOME

UNPROFITABLE; THERE IS NONE

WHO DOES GOOD, NO, NOT ONE."

(Romans 3:10-12 NKJV)

With such a situation, the hearts of

men turned far from God, no one

without sin, God was sorry that is

grieved, that he had made man. His

purpose was to wipe man from the

face of the earth in Judgment.

So the LORD said, "I will destroy man

whom I have created from the face

of the earth, man and beast,

creeping thing and birds of the air,

for I am sorry that I have made

them." (Genesis 6:7 NKJV)

Here God pronounced his

judgement.

Noah’s Ark

by Mathew Bartlett

Images: Above © Philcold Overleaf: Mikekwok

14

And behold, I Myself am bringing

floodwaters on the earth, to destroy

from under heaven all flesh in which

is the breath of life; everything that

is on the earth shall die. (Genesis

6:17 NKJV)

That judgement came as certainly as

it was pronounced.

Just as God pronounced judgement

in Noah's day so he has pronounced

it on the wickedness of mankind

today.

For this they wilfully forget: that by

the word of God the heavens were

of old, and the earth standing out of

water and in the water, by which the

world that then existed perished,

being flooded with water. But the

heavens and the earth which are

now preserved by the same word,

are reserved for fire until the day of

judgment and perdition of ungodly

men. (2 Peter 3:5-7 NKJV)

Jesus said They ate, they drank, they

married wives, they were given in

marriage, until the day that Noah

entered the ark, and the flood came

and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:27

NKJV)

The judgment was all inclusive. No

one was left out, for everyone

outside the ark perished, and in the

coming day of judgement everyone

outside of the Lord Jesus Christ will

perish. Many ask why, if Jesus is

coming again to bring God's

judgement, why hasn't He come yet.

Since it has been 2,000 years since

Jesus said it would happen, they

suppose that it was all false and that

it will never happen at all.

But with the account of Noah still

fresh in his mind, Peter warns, the

Lord is not slack concerning his

promise, but is long suffering with

us, not willing that any should

perish.

Peter goes on to tell us that: "the

Divine long-suffering waited in the

days of Noah, while the ark was

being prepared,"(1 Peter 3:20 NKJV)

For 120 years God waited patiently.

Noah was a preacher of

righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5). At that

time God gave all men opportunity

to repent and be saved. He is still

doing so today. The judgment he

has pronounced on this sinful world

and every one in it will surely come,

but he is waiting, holding back his

wrath, and giving all men the

opportunity to respond to his call of

salvation. God is not willing for any

to perish.

The motive of his long-suffering is

quite simply love.

For God so loved the world that He

gave His only begotten Son, that

whoever believes in Him should not

perish but have everlasting life.

(John 3:16 NKJV)

God loves all men everywhere -the

world. He would have all men to

come to repentance and be saved.

As the gospel is preached faithfully

to crowds all over the world, even

when men refuse to listen, even

when they kill the messengers of

God, the fact that God is still

sending messengers to all men is a

sign, a proof positive that he loves

them and that he is long-suffering.

God offers His mercy to all who will

respond to God's call of grace as

Noah did.

In a world of sin and unbelief, we

read of one man, Noah, who found

grace in the eyes of the Lord. By His

grace God gave Noah warning of the

coming judgement, and Noah

responded with faith, a faith which

led to obedience and action. With

godly fear he built an ark. (Heb. 11)

which resulted in himself and his

family being saved.

Today God gives us all warning and

by his grace opportunity to repent

of our sin and put our faith in the

Lord Jesus Christ to save us. Just as

an ark was the means of salvation

for Noah, so Jesus Christ is the

means of salvation God has

provided for men who realise their

need to "flee from the wrath to

come."

God's Way of Salvation for Mankind In scripture the ark is a type of the

Lord Jesus Christ. So by examining

the ark, we will learn more about

Jesus and his power to save.

We notice on the ark there was only

one door, only one away in. There is

only one way which God has

provided for men to be saved from

their sin and the wrath to come. The

Lord Jesus Christ said "I am the

Way".

Following our Lord's death on the

cross for our sins, and his victorious

rising from the dead, Peter

proclaimed "Nor is there salvation in

any other, for there is no other name

under heaven given among men by

15

which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12

NKJV)

There was only one window on the

ark, facing upward, speaking to us of

our heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

The believer has his or her eyes

fixed on the author and finisher of

their salvation, Jesus Christ. His call,

being responded to by us, is a

heavenward calling. He has gone to

prepare a place for us and promises

to come again and receive us to

himself that where he is there we

shall be also. So as we see that day

approaching, Jesus said, "Look up

,and lift up you heads, for your

redemption draws near." (Luke

21:28)

Then think of the dimensions of the

ark. It was vast. It was the size of:

Plenty of room for all the animals

and for a lot more men than Noah

and his family. We could well

suppose that if all men repented

and came in faith, the ark would be

able to accommodate them,

although if that had happened God

would have relented of sending the

flood at all.

In terms of the Lord Jesus Christ, his

salvation is all inclusive. He died for

all, so that all may enter in and be

saved.

The next day John saw Jesus coming

toward him, and said, "Behold! The

Lamb of God who takes away the sin

of the world! (John 1:29 NKJV)

And He Himself is the propitiation

for our sins, and not for ours only

but also for the whole world. (1 John

2:2 NKJV)

For God so loved the world that He

gave His only begotten Son, that

whoever believes in Him should not

perish but have everlasting life.

(John 3:16 NKJV)

Then there is the stability of the ark.

Modern ship building experts have

commented that the ark was a very

stable design for a ship that would

be tossed one way and another

unsteered upon the ocean. In fact I

have seen photos of sea worthiness

tests carried out on scale replicas of

the ark. That ship was not going to

capsize. It stood the test. So Jesus

Christ is a Capable Saviour, he has

stood the test and he will stand the

test. He has saved and kept souls of

men over many years, and he will

keep us too. We are kept by the

power of God and our immovable

strong rock is Jesus Christ. If He

promises to save you certainly, you

can depend on him to do just that.

In addition to that, the ark was

coated with pitch inside and out

made it waterproof. It was suitable

for task. This made it, instead of a

large wooden building, a sea worthy

vessel. Jesus Christ is equipped,

qualified. He was already prefect,

but his experiences made him fully

qualified to be our perfect Saviour.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom

are all things and by whom are all

things, in bringing many sons to

glory, to make the captain of their

salvation perfect through sufferings.

(Hebrews 2:10 NKJV)

And having been perfected, He

became the author of eternal

salvation to all who obey Him,

(Hebrews 5:9 NKJV)

Therefore He is also able to save to

the uttermost those who come to

God through Him, since He always

lives to make intercession for them.

(Hebrews 7:25 NKJV)

Then there was the food on the ark.

The ark was laden with every

provision for all aboard it in terms of

food and water for just over a year.

Christ knows all we need and all has

been provided by God for us in this

journey from earth to heaven, this

Christian life. Since the ark is a type

of Christ, the sufficiency of food

shows that all we need is in him.

His divine power has given to us all

things that pertain to life and

godliness, (2 Peter 1:3 NKJV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us

with every spiritual blessing in the

heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians

1:3 NKJV)

God offers this salvation,

forgiveness of sins and eternal life to

all who put their faith in His son

Jesus who died for them and rose

again. But lastly, notice that the

door to the ark was eventually shut

by God Himself. The day of grace in

which we live will end. Although

God is merciful and long-suffering,

the world cannot be allowed to

continue in its wickedness much

longer. We must be ready for the

coming of the Lord. If you are saved,

trusting in the lord Jesus Christ, then

you are ready for that day. The door

that shut Noah safely in was the

door which shut the unbelievers out

to face their fate. Make sure you are

not left outside to face the wrath of

God without a Saviour.

16

Then the king said to the servants,

'Bind him hand and foot, take him

away, and cast him into outer

darkness; there will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth.' (Matthew 22:13

NKJV)

God's Will of Eternal Rest for Mankind Finally, the Noah account teaches us

of the way to eternal rest through

Jesus Christ. Peter tells us that the

Water of Baptism, prefigured by the

ark, represents new birth.

In the days of Noah, while

the ark was being prepared,

in which a few, that is, eight

souls, were saved through

water. There is also an

antitype which now saves

us--baptism (not the

removal of the filth of the

flesh, but the answer of a

good conscience toward

God), through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ,

(1 Peter 3:20-21 NKJV)

Being born again of God's Spirit, we

become his children, citizens of

heaven, with the right to a title deed

in the new heavens and a new

earth. The waters of Noah renewed

the face of the earth, changing it

forever. But a day is coming when

this present world will be done

away, and a new heaven and earth

replace it. Peter says,

But the day of the Lord will come as

a thief in the night, in which the

heavens will pass away with a great

noise, and the elements will melt

with fervent heat; both the earth

and the works that are in it will be

burned up. Therefore, since all these

things will be dissolved, what

manner of persons ought you to be

in holy conduct and godliness,

looking for and hastening the

coming of the day of God, because

of which the heavens will be

dissolved, being on fire, and the

elements will melt with fervent

heat? Nevertheless we, according to

His promise, look for new heavens

and a new earth in which

righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:10-

13 NKJV)

Now I saw a new heaven and a new

earth, for the first heaven and the

first earth had passed away. Also

there was no more sea. (Revelation

21:1 NKJV)

So the Ark rested. There is an

eternal resting place Christ is there

and we are in him - will enter

eternal rest. Not inactivity or non-

existence, but blessed peace and

rest - the absence of trouble or pain:

And God will wipe away

every tear from their eyes;

there shall be no more

death, nor sorrow, nor

crying. There shall be no

more pain, for the former

things have passed away."

Then He who sat on the

throne said, "Behold, I make

all things new." And He said

to me, "Write, for these

words are true and faithful."

(Revelation 21:4-5 NKJV)

Have you ever stooped to think of

the incident involving the raven and

the dove? When the ark came to its

rest, he raven was sent out and

never came back. What is that

symbolic of? When the believer

finds rest through faith in Jesus

Christ, the fleshly appetites,

represented by the raven, who

feeds on carrion, has to be cast out.

We are to walk not according to the

flesh but according to the Spirit. If

the work of sanctification has begun

in us now it will continue till the day

of Jesus Christ and then be

completed. If it hasn't begun in you,

don't expect God to complete it. He

completes only what he begins.

Then the dove is of course a type of

the Holy Spirit in scripture. When

the ark came to rest, the dove sent

out from Noah came to rest only in

the ark. The dove is taken as a pure

and gentle bird. The flooded world

was not its resting place. At present

the Holy Spirit resides in the church

of Jesus Christ. He is in us and will

always be with us. But when God's

work was completed, God's rest

filled all the earth, and so he flew

away, symbolising to us the day

when the earth shall be filled with

the knowledge of the Lord as the

water covers the sea. Now, the

Spirit dwells in us, but in God's

eternal rest, we shall dwell in him

who fills all things. Everywhere will

be a place filled with the Spirit.

There will be nothing to taint us or

to grieve him in that heavenly holy

atmosphere.

17

When He doe, since He had been a witness of their evil deeds will judge them swiftly. In the Revelation, Jesus Christ declared to two of the churches that He would come quickly to judge if they did not repent (Rev. 2:5, 16) and to the faithful church He would come quickly to receive them to Himself (Rev. 3:11). He will bring judgment upon sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers (false witnesses), those who exploit and cheat their workers of their wages (James 5:4), those who take advantage of widows and orphans or a stranger/foreigner of their rights (Deut. 24:14 -15). At the root of all their wickedness was the fact that they did not fear the Lord.

V6. God reminds them of who He is "the LORD" that is Jehovah (Yahweh), the "I AM", the self-existent, eternal One. He is the One who is forever the same, unchangeable, invariable (James 1: 7). Because of this and His covenanted promises to Jacob they are not destroyed.

V7. Their present condition was no new thing they had constantly turned away from God to follow idols since the early days, even when He had delivered them out of Egypt and they were in the wilderness (Ex. 32:8).

The Prophet of the Reformation

The Book of Malachi

Chapter Three: A brief Bible study by Derek Williams.

Photos this page: © Photofit. Bottom Right: © Eugene Ivanov

V2. They were looking for Him as their delivery but here the Lord speaks of Him as coming to His Temple in judgment (Math. 3: 10 - 12, John 9: 39). In the day of His coming who will be able to measure up to God's standard for "all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God" (Rom. 3: 23) and who will be able to stand before Him (Ps. 130: 3). He will be as a refiner of silver and gold who heats them up in a crucible until melted and then removes the dross and impurities and as fuller's soap that makes clean and white.

V3. So He will sit as refiner and purifier to cleanse and purify the priests, the ministers of God from their sins. No longer would they offer blemished offerings with tarnished souls but they will do their work for the Lord with a pure heart (Prov. 17:3).

V4. Then will the offerings brought to Him by people be pleasing to the Lord as it did in the days before.

Judgment

V5. They had shouted for the coming of the God of Judgment and He promises them they He will draw near to judge them!

The Coming of the Messiah

V1. In 2:17 the backslidden people had scathingly asked where the God of Judgment was. Here is God's answer to them.

First of all God was going to send a messenger who will prepare the way for Him. This is the same messenger whom Isaiah had foretold (Isaiah 40: 3) and was fulfilled in John the Baptist (Matt. 3:3, Luke 1:76). His preparation message to the people was to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Math. 3:1-2). After him will come the Lord whom they seek and yet when He comes He will do so at a time they will not expect Him and of course they did not recognize or receive Him (John 1:11). "Even the messenger of the covenant” can only refer to the Lord Jesus Christ and John the Baptist bore witness to Him (John 1:29). The Jews were ever waiting in expectancy for the coming of the promised Messiah and delighted themselves in the portraits that had been given by the prophets.

18

Nevertheless, God still holds out His

arms to them (Rom. 10: 21) and calls

them to return to Him in

repentance. "For, not in its own

strength, but by His grace can the

soul turn to God" (Barnes). If they

will do this then He will again pour

out His blessings upon them. The

audacity of these people, how

blinded they are to their own

condition that they should question

He who knows the heart of all! This

was not a genuine enquiry as to how

they could return to God but a

“what need have we to return to

God when we have never turned

away from Him?

Robbing God

V8. God asks the incredible

question "Will a man rob God" as

something that would never enter

into a man's heart to do. This He

does to bring home to their

consciences that they had indeed

robbed Him. Again the response is

"who me, when and where have I

robbed you, tell me? The answer

comes straight back at them "tithes

and offerings". They could not deny

the fact that they had ceased to give

their tithes which were God's by

absolute right (Lev. 27:30) or

offerings that were in addition to

the tithes and were voluntary given

from thankful hearts for God's

blessings. To rob God of tithes and

offerings is to rob Christ, His Church

and to stop the Word of God going

forth.

V9. They were already being

punished for using blemished

animals for the sacrifices and now

God tells them they are also being

cursed because they were robbing

Him, not only the priests but the

whole nation.

The Way of Blessing

V10. In spite of the terrible

backslidden state of priests and

nation there was still hope for them.

God in His mercy and long-suffering

declares to them the way of

blessing. They were to bring all the

tithes, not a part only, into the

house of God. The equivalent today

is the local church. Withholding the

tithe is an indication of the spiritual

condition of the heart. If all of

God's people gave all their tithes

then there would be no lack for

anything but enough to fulfill all that

is needed to effectively carry out the

work of God. He challenges them

to put Him to the test by rendering

to Him what was His due and He will

"open the windows of heaven" and

pour out such a deluge of blessings

upon them that there will be no

space left unblessed.

V11. God will protect their crops

from all that would devour them

and see to it that the vines did not

drop its fruit before it had ripened.

V12. As they returned to God and

gave Him what they should, He will

abundantly bless them and all the

nations will see and call them happy

and blest a good and pleasant land.

The People Complain

V13. Instead of examining

themselves the people made harsh

unfounded charges against God.

"Your attitude towards me has been

proud and arrogant" Living Bible (1

Cor.11:28, 2 Cor. 13:5).

Again they show their complete

blindness and ignorance of having

given any offense to the LORD when

they ask what things they had said

against Him.

V14. God comes straight back at

them with their skeptical (denying

or questioning) spirit. In the hearts

and with their mouths they had said

it was useless to serve God and

there was no gain in keeping His

laws. These are the words of the

wicked and unbeliever (Job 21: 14 -

15, 22: 17). Furthermore they say

what is the point of putting on the

garments of repentance? They were

right in this for there is no point in

making a pretense of penitence by

outward appearance (Isaiah 58: 3).

They had made a show of penitence

but their hearts were unrepentant

(Joel 2: 12, James 4: 8 - 10).

V15. As far as these backslidden hypocrites were concerned they considered the proud and arrogant to be happy, evildoers prosperous and those who tempt God escape punishment.

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19

The End of Godless World Dominion.

The Fall of Babylon. v1 - 3

The fall of Babylon is referred to in Rev. 14:8 and 16:19 and in this chapter for the last time. In chapter 17:16 we saw that the confederation of nations destroyed the harlot (Babylon) by fire - referring to the apostate ecclesiastical order. Here we see the apostate social and commercial centre of the world being destroyed by God.

1. "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory."

Following the vision of chapter 17, John sees an angel descend from heaven, who is described as having great authority. The radiance of his glory was such that it illuminated the whole earth.

2. "And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!"

This angel had come to forcefully proclaim that the city which held the

whole world in the grip of its power – 'Babylon the great' - was destroyed. The ruins where it had once proudly stood had become possessed by demons - utterly desolate.

3. "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."

All the nations were taken up with and addicted to her idolatry, so bringing wrath on themselves. All world leaders joined with her in this idolatry and business men became rich through the excessive luxury and wantonness she advocated.

The Call to Separation. v4-5

4. "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."

John hears another voice from heaven. The call to "my people" suggests that it is the voice of God.

Since the Church is already in heaven, those addressed here would be those Jews who had been sealed by God (Rev. 7:3 - 4). They are to separate themselves completely from every association with this idolatrous system. To fail to do so would be to consent to its sins. Those who were contaminated by the influence of the sin all around them would share the plagues that were to fall on it. However, this warning is applicable for believers in every generation. 2 Cor. 6:17.

5. "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

The sins of the materialistic, money loving and pleasure seeking people of earth have piled so high as to almost touch heaven; the time has come for God to pour out His wrath on them.

Sin Punished. v6 - 8

6. "Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her."

Our In Depth Study. Revelation 18. By Derek R. Williams. Photo © Godfer

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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The executioners of God's wrath are told to treat Babylon in the same way that she had treated God's people; to repay her double for the atrocities she had committed.

7. "In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.'"

Just as she had arrogantly puffed herself up and lived a luxurious life so now, in equal measure, would sorrow and torment be hers. God would judge her because she believed herself invincible, trusting that her riches, rather than God, would shield her from suffering and destitution.

8. "Therefore her plagues will come in one day--death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her."

In consequence of her pride and luxury all the calamities of plague, death, sorrow and famine will come thick and fast in one day. She shall be completely destroyed by fire in such a way that demonstrates how mighty the Lord is who judges her.

The World Mourns for Babylon. v9 - 20

9. "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning."

Although it is the materialistic spirit of man that is to be judged, it is the literal destruction of the world centre of commerce that brings

about total economic collapse, bringing abject poverty to hitherto rich nations. All world leaders, who had been unfaithful to God in their love of idolatry, immorality and luxury, see the destruction of Babylon. They will weep and lament for the destruction of all that their souls lusted after.

10. "Standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgement has come."

Standing at a distance for fear lest they be engulfed in her torment they will howl, "Alas! Alas!" They recognise God's hand of judgement in the destruction of the city, yet bewail it.

11. "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:"

Those business men who had made their fortune out of her shall weep and mourn. They do not mourn for the destruction or loss of life, nor in repentance of their sins but for the fact that they will not be able to add to their riches.

12, 13. "merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. "

These verses list all the merchandise they had traded in. Tatford lists them in eight classes:

1. Precious metals and stones (gold, silver, precious stones and pearls).

2. Costly clothing and textiles (fine linen, purple and scarlet garments, and silk).

3. Furniture materials (thymine wood, ivory).

4. Vessels (wood, brass, iron, marble)

5. Perfumes and spices cinnamon, ointments, frankincense).

6. Food (wine, oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep).

7. Conveyances (horses and chariots)

8. Slaves (bodies and souls of men).

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14. "The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all."

All the extravagant indulgence and wealth that their souls lusted after shall be taken away from them forever.

15. "The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing."

These business men like the world leaders will stand at a distance in terror of her doom and torment contemplating all that has happened.

16, 17. "And saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?'

They will bemoan its destruction only because of the personal loss to themselves. All those employed in maritime trade from captains to crews stood afar off exclaiming as they watched the smoke of her burning, what city can be compared with the great city.

19. "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate."

As a sign of their mourning they threw dust on their heads and shrieked, wept and groaned over her

desolation because of the great riches they had lost.

20. "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!"

While the whole world mourned over the destruction of Babylon so heaven and all the saints, apostles and prophets are exhorted to rejoice because God has executed vengeance on her for them.

The Final Destruction of Babylon. v21 - 24.

21. "Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore."

A powerful angel takes a large millstone and hurls it into the sea exclaiming that such will be the overthrow and complete ruination of Babylon; it will never be found again.

22. "The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore."

Never again will there be heard the sound of music in her streets. There will be no skilled worker, mechanic, builder, etc.. or trader of any kind be found there. Those who prepared and provided food shall cease to exist.

23. "The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore."

There will be total darkness as all the lights are extinguished for the last time and the joyful voice of newly married couples will be heard no more. This is a picture of complete and utter desolation.

23b, 24. "For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."

The chapter ends by giving the reasons why God will pour out His wrath in judgement on the great city Babylon. The great and prominent business men of the world who dwelt in it and made their wealth had deceived the nations by their sorceries e.g. by drugs, occult power and magic. Through her corrupt, ruthless greed, idolatry and ungodliness she had slaughtered the prophets and saints of God and was responsible for the death of all those slain on the earth.1. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.”

An excerpt taken from The Revelation of Jesus Christ by Derek Williams (paperback

£6.99)

Out now for Kindle!

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Some more of your letters:

Dear Pastor Mathew

Greetings in Jesus name. I am receiving your online Bible studies and I am following these studies and sharing with our congregations. Recently Lord helped us to arrange two night gospel revival meetings in Dindlapallavapalem. One night, God helped me to share your Bible Study on Ephesians 1st chapter and second night your life-changing message "STANDING FIRM THROUGH THE STORM". Really people strengthened so much through your messages. Thank you so much.

Yours in Christ

Pastor John.B.R.Ganta (India)

Dear Mathew

Many thanks for the online bible studies. I particularly enjoyed Psalm 23 as I did some preaching on this whilst I was on a missions trip to Cambodia linked to "I am the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep".

Every blessing

Priscilla (United Kingdom)

Pastor,

Thank you friend for the notes you sent.

It is my joy to read the bible more. Even I have finished many things during the seminary study. Pray for Bangladesh and church planting works among the Muslims.

Pastor Ishan Biswas (Bangladesh)

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