OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 1565GladTidingsGladTidings

Living on the Edge Living on the Edge –– page 3page 3What’s in a Name What’s in a Name –– page 10page 10

The Son of God The Son of God –– page 12page 12

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

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

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

GladTidingsO F T H E K I N G D O M O F G O D

130th Year 1565A monthly magazine published by the Christadelphians (brothers and sisters in Christ) andavailable throughout the world.

AcknowledgementsPhotographs:

Cover: Climbing Mount Etna,Sicily. Ken Anderton

Other Illustrations

Pages 3: Ken Anderton;Wikipedia Commons: 5; istock-photos: 7,15; Clipart.com8,10,12,19; Jeff Wilson: 13.

ContentsK14

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Contents

Living on the Edge... .......3

War and Peace.................5

The Letter to theEphesians ......................7

What’s in a Name? ........10

The Son of God ..............12

Jeroboam II ....................15

“Call His Name Jesus”...17

Living in Harmony withGod...............................18

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

130th Year 3

taken many lives. War has broken outin the Ukraine, and the allegationsmade about Russia’s covert involve-ment have resulted in severalinternational conferences and theimposition of sanctions. Meanwhilethe civil war in Syria has been over-shadowed by the emergence of afighting force now called the IslamicState, which wants to establish aMuslim nation covering a large part ofthe Middle East. And Israel has beenat war again in Gaza to try and stoprockets being fired into her territory, aconflict which has led to the loss ofmany lives.

Mountain on FireIsrael was formed as a nation whilst

the people were slaves in Egypt beforethey were rescued by Moses and ledthrough the Sinai Peninsula. It was ata mountain that God met with Hispeople and commissioned them to beHis nation, living according to His law,in His land. And that mountain burnedwith fire when God manifested Hisglory on the summit. It must have beenlike watching a volcano at close quar-

Mount Etna is one of the main attrac-tions on Sicily’s east coast. Etna is thetallest active volcano on the Europeancontinent, over 10,000 feet high(3,329 m) and is the highest mountainin Italy, south of the Alps. It’s also oneof the most active volcanoes in theworld, as well as being a World Her-itage Site.

So visiting it might not seem such agood idea unless you want an adven-ture! Thousands of people do visit it,however, and they evidently enjoyclimbing up to its rim, covered withblack lava sand and rocks that crunchunderfoot, usually with a guide toensure that nothing untoward is likelyto happen.

Constant ChangeBecause eruptions are relatively fre-quent – the past twelve months haveseen several powerful lava fountains,flows and ash emissions – the land-scape around Etna never stays quitethe same. And if the weather is kindthe views from the summit are said tobe spectacular, so the climb is judgedto be worth the risk. Anyway, manypeople like living on the edge, andrelish a bit of excitement. Nothingstays the same for long and variety issaid to be the spice of life.

Our own life experience is rather likethat, when you think about it. We allwant some variety and a little excite-ment now and again. But I wonder ifwe think of ourselves as living on theedge of a volcano. For our society is indanger of erupting and many peoplenow live in constant fear for their lives.In the last few weeks we have learnedabout a killer virus in Africa which has

Living on the EdgeLiving on the Edge

4 Glad Tidings

establishment of his reign as King. Butthe writer of Hebrews goes on with hiscomparison between then and now bysaying that God has often overturnedhuman society and its institutions, andthat he will do so again:

He has promised, saying, “Yet oncemore I shake not only the earth, butalso heaven.” Now this, “Yet oncemore,” indicates the removal of thosethings that are being shaken, as ofthings that are made, that the thingswhich cannot be shaken may remain.Therefore, since we are receiving akingdom which cannot be shaken, letus have grace, by which we may serveGod acceptably with reverence andgodly fear. For our God is a consumingfire (Hebrews 12:26–29).

Things that now appear to be stableand secure are not really what theyseem. Looking at life with an openBible in hand, we can see that our war-torn world is extremely fragile. Lastweek the British Prime Minister, DavidCameron, warning of the knock-oneffects of the struggle to establish anIslamic State said that the UK faces “agreater and deeper threat to our secu-rity than we’ve seen before.”

As world events move ever nearer tothe day when God will send the LordJesus Christ from heaven to earth, weare likely to see that situation getmuch worse. But remember what theapostle said. The purpose that Godhas revealed – His plan of salvation –is both unchanging and unchangeable.If we believe what the Bible teachesand if we have been baptized into arelationship with the Lord Jesus Christwe have nothing to fear and everythingto look forward to.

Editor

ters and the people were terrified.When 80 year old Moses was called toascend Mount Sinai he was also fright-ened, but he went up nevertheless andthere received the Ten Command-ments and the other laws and statuteswhich are recorded in the Pentateuch(the first five books of the Bible).

Writing to Jewish Christians, theapostle compares the experience ofOld Testament characters with theChristian calling, and says this:

You have not come to the mountainthat may be touched and that burnedwith fire, and to blackness and dark-ness and tempest, and the sound of atrumpet and the voice of words, sothat those who heard it begged thatthe word should not be spoken tothem anymore (Hebrews 12:18–19).

Instead, he says, believers in Christhave come to:

Mount Zion and to the city of the livingGod, the heavenly Jerusalem, to aninnumerable company of angels, tothe general assembly and church ofthe firstborn who are registered inheaven, to God the Judge of all, to thespirits of just men made perfect(Hebrews 12:22–23).

If we understand God’s intendedpurpose with Jerusalem – that heintends to place His King there, whowill reign over His Kingdom – then wewill know that God is now assembling agroup of people who will work along-side the Lord Jesus when he returnsfrom heaven, so that the whole worldwill become beautiful and be filled withrighteousness and truth.

UnshakeableThe upset condition of 21st centurysociety is a clear pointer to the near-ness of the coming of Jesus and the

130th Year 5

Mankind has had thousands of yearsto establish peace on the earth, butlook at the state of affairs now. In thelast one hundred years one hundredmillion people have died in war.

Frightful weapons have replaced therifle and shell. Missiles can be firedover vast distances, and with greataccuracy. Weaponry exists that caneliminate 250,000 people in a vastfireball in a matter of seconds. We seetoo the number of wars in Africa,beside the various Arab conflicts in theMiddle East, where brother killsbrother and millions are homeless. It isfrightening.

Blood and FireI have just been reading the prophecyof Joel and he has a verse that rivetsthe attention, for it appears to describethe time just before the establishmentof our Lord’s kingdom on earth. Here itis:

I will show wonders in the heavens andin the earth: Blood and fire and pillarsof smoke (Joel 2:30).

Is that a description of modernatomic warfare? Whatever it meansthe Saviour forecast a time of troublesuch as never was, just before hereturns. It is not meant to worry us butto prepare us, for when we see certainsigns amongst the nations we willknow that the Lord is preparing for hisreturn. What a glad day that will be!

Whatever fearful events may takeplace, the Lord Jesus calls on his fol-lowers to stand firm for their faith, andin that grand Sermon on the Mount hesaid the following:

❖ Blessed are the meek, for theyshall inherit the earth (Matthew5:5).

In a world where many think only ofthemselves he shows that pride is anenemy of Christianity.

❖ Blessed are the merciful, for theyshall obtain mercy (5:7).

How much real effort is given to theneeds of millions in the world who des-perately long for food, clothing andshelter? But the Christian does whathe or she can, with a real spirit of love.

❖ Blessed are the peacemakers, forthey shall be called sons of God(5:9).

Peacemakers are few and farbetween. Jesus speaks of those wholearn to control animal passions, andabhor destruction of any sort.

Peace with GodWe have peace with God, so are to beconstructive not destructive. Thereforewe can understand the words of ourLord, just before he faced the horror ofman’s cruelty:

War and PeaceWar and Peace

6 Glad Tidings

Peace I leave with you, my peace I giveto you; not as the world gives do I giveto you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).

At his return from heaven there willbe peace and harmony for those whohave loved him. How then could aChristian press a button and wipe outa whole city? Or spray gas over littlechildren?

There is so much confusion amongthe nations that statesmen do notknow which way to turn. The LordJesus said that in the time of the endwe can expect this:

Men’s hearts failing them from fearand the expectation of those thingswhich are coming on the earth, for thepowers of the heavens will be shaken.Then they will see the Son of Mancoming in a cloud with power andgreat glory. Now when these thingsbegin to happen, look up and lift upyour heads, because your redemptiondraws near (Luke 21:26–28).

It is an invigorating call to all whofollow the Lord’s way.

Prince of PeaceNote what the prophet Isaiah says ashe tells us of the coming of the great

Prince of Peace, the Son of God. He isto reign on earth over God’s kingdom,but that rule will be unlike all others:

Of the increase of his government andpeace there will be no end, upon thethrone of David and over His kingdom,to order it and establish it with judg-ment and justice from that timeforward, even forever. The zeal of theLord of hosts will perform this (Isaiah9:7).

Isn’t it exciting to think about whatGod has prepared for those who lovehim? There is no hope like it and it isIsaiah who gives us these well-knownwords:

He shall judge between the nations,and rebuke many people; They shallbeat their swords into plowshares, andtheir spears into pruning hooks; nationshall not lift up sword against nation,neither shall they learn war anymore(Isaiah 2:4).

Those words may adorn the UnitedNations complex in New York, but it isonly God who can deliver the real andlasting peace we all desperately need.

Ken Clark

130th Year 7

He prays for God to open the eyes ofthe Ephesians so that they would reallyappreciate His grace. What God hadgiven them was not for anything theyhad done, but because of His out-reaching love. Once, as Gentiles, theyhad been shut out from the promisesGod had made. Now, because of thesacrifice of Jesus, Gentiles and Jewscould share the peace that the gospelbrings.

Therefore remember that you, onceGentiles in the flesh—who are calledUncircumcision by what is called theCircumcision made in the flesh byhands—that at that time you werewithout Christ, being aliens from thecommonwealth of Israel and strangersfrom the covenants of promise, havingno hope and without God in the world.But now in Christ Jesus you who oncewere far off have been brought near bythe blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:11–13).

Paul’s statement is still true. Unlesswe take full advantage of the offer ofpeace God has made, and join our-selves to the Lord Jesus, we have nohope, and hope is something we des-perately need in this dying world.

The Love of ChristAgain, in extravagant language, thegreat preacher speaks of his privilegein being allowed to spread the goodnews. He prays that his readers wouldbegin to understand the amazing loveof Christ, which extends he says, tofour dimensions – breadth, length,

Paul spent three years in Ephesusduring his Third Journey, so he knewthe believers there well. They weremainly Gentile Christians. In our Biblesthis letter comes just after Paul’s letterto the Galatians but, in chronologicalterms, was written much later thanthat early letter and even later than hisletter to the believers at Rome.

Chapter three of the letter tells usPaul was a prisoner (Ephesians 3 verse3), and in chapter six he remarks, witha certain irony, that he was an ambas-sador in chains for the Kingdom ofGod. Ambassadors normally haveimmunity from the law of the country!So Paul was writing this letter fromprison, during the period covered bythe last chapters of the Book of Acts.

Thankful PrisonerIn spite of his miserable circum-stances, the aged apostle is full ofthankfulness for the goodness God hasshown in calling us to know the gospel.

Books of the Bible − 36

The Letter to theThe Letter to theEphesiansEphesians

8 Glad Tidings

height and depth:

For this reason I bow my knees to theFather of our Lord Jesus Christ, fromwhom the whole family in heaven andearth is named, that He would grantyou, according to the riches of Hisglory, to be strengthened with mightthrough His Spirit in the inner man,that Christ may dwell in your heartsthrough faith; that you, being rootedand grounded in love, may be able tocomprehend with all the saints what isthe width and length and depth andheight—to know the love of Christwhich passes knowledge; that you maybe filled with all the fullness of God.(Ephesians 3:14–19).

Finding PeaceIt is only when he reaches the fourthchapter of the letter that the apostlestarts to explain the difference all thisshould make in the way we live.Because God had called us to be atpeace with him, we must live at peacewith one another. Jews and Gentiles inthe congregation must unite together,in spite of their different backgrounds,and show humility and patiencetowards each other.

The risen Christ had poured out uponthem the Holy Spirit gifts (he quotesPsalm 68 to show that this phenome-non had been predicted). Thesesupernatural powers were to help theinfant church to grow. It was like ahuman body, with different limbs andorgans, developing from child to adultin the likeness of the Master himself.

All Change!This idea leads him into a simple butpowerful analogy about two coats.Before our baptism into Christ we areall children of Adam, propelled byfleshly desires and evil practices. Now

we must take off the Adam coat, hesays, with its bad ways that lead to cor-ruption, and put on the Jesus coat, theone that shapes us into the likeness ofGod – not in physical form, but in mindand outlook. So:

❖ Because God speaks the truth, wemust abandon lies.

❖ Because God is generous, we muststop stealing from people, andinstead give to the needy.

❖ Because God’s words bring bless-ing, we must end hurtful talk, andspeak what will build up andencourage others, and

❖ Because God forgave our sins, wemust forgive each other. Childrenimitate their parents, he says (weall remember copying Mum or Dadwhen they started painting orcooking or digging the garden); so,as God’s children, we must imitatehim.

Adam’s descendants live in dark-ness. We are children of the light. Paulquotes what is probably a line from anearly Christian hymn about baptismand resurrection:

130th Year 9

“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light”

(Ephesians 5:14).

Emerging from a symbolic waterygrave, the newborn Christian, like theblind man who washed in the Pool ofSiloam (John chapter 9), emerges to anew world where Christ, the light of theworld, gives him joy and direction.

Three PairsPaul concludes his theme of unity andconsideration for one another by creat-ing three pairs within the congregation. ❶ Wife and husband make up the

first. They must, he says, submit toeach other. The wife should treather husband as if he were Christ,and the husband should care forhis wife with the same love thatJesus showed to his bride, theChurch.

❷ Child and parent come next. Child-ren should obey their father andmother, just as Jesus obeyed hisFather − God promises a blessingfor this. At the same time fathersshould not be harsh with theiryoungsters. They should accept itas their duty to bring up their child-ren “in the discipline andinstruction of the Lord” (Ephesians6:4 – something to remember inthese lawless days).

❸ The last pair is slave and master.Slavery was normal in the Romanworld, and some slaves found hopeand purpose in following Jesus.They must give good service, Paulinsists, as if they were servingJesus himself. Christian mastersmust remember they are servantsof the Lord who shows no respect

of persons. The picture of masterand slave side-by-side on the firstday of the week, remembering theircommon Lord in broken bread andwine, is an amazing example of theunity that binds together the follow-ers of Christ.

The Armour of GodThe letter concludes with a lesson fromthe Roman soldier – perhaps one whowas guarding the apostle as he wrote.Paul likens the Christian life to awarfare against Sin, in which we needall the armour God provides – helmet,shield, sword and even gospel sandals.Then we need the courage to standfirm when things get tough, and tokeep in constant contact with God byprayer.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in theLord and in the power of his might. Puton the whole armour of God, that youmay be able to stand against the wilesof the devil. ... Therefore take up thewhole armour of God, that you may beable to withstand in the evil day, andhaving done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded yourwaist with truth, having put on thebreastplate of righteousness, andhaving shod your feet with the prepa-ration of the gospel of peace; aboveall, taking the shield of faith with whichyou will be able to quench all the fierydarts of the wicked one. And take thehelmet of salvation, and the sword ofthe Spirit, which is the word of God;praying always with all prayer and sup-plication in the Spirit, being watchful tothis end with all perseverance andsupplication for all the saints

(Ephesians 6:10–18).

David M Pearce

Stephen was a precious child. He wasnamed after Dr Stephens who hadhelped to save his life at birth.Stephen’s parents doted on him.“Guess what he said the other daywhen I dropped something”, laughedhis father. “He said ‘Jesus Christ’.Fancy that, when we are atheists. Iwonder where he got that from!”

It has become so common nowa-days to use the name of Jesus whenemotions are raised (either positive ornegative) that people no longer realisethat they are doing it. However, it is avery serious matter.

Special MeaningsMany Biblical names have specialmeanings, just as Stephen was namedafter a doctor. For example, Godchanged the name of Abram −meaning ‘exalted father’ − to Abraham− meaning ‘father of a multitude’(Genesis 17:5). He also changed thename of Jacob − meaning ‘sup-planter’− to Israel − meaning ‘princewith God’ (Genesis 32:28).

Even more importantly, in theHebrew Bible, Almighty God is referredto by several different names and theyall reflect His character and purpose.An important example is when Mosesasked to see God’s glory. God said thatHe would make all His goodness passbefore Moses and proclaim the nameof the LORD (Yahweh) before him(Exodus 33:18-19). God then passedbefore Moses and proclaimed:

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful andgracious, longsuffering, and abound-ing in goodness and truth, keepingmercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity

and transgression and sin, by nomeans clearing the guilty, visiting theiniquity of the fathers upon the child-ren and the children’s children to thethird and the fourth generation(Exodus 34:6–7).

God’s Special NameThe Jews were commanded to reverethe name of God, and the third of theTen Commandments was:

“You shall not take the name of theLord your God in vain, for the Lord willnot hold him guiltless who takes Hisname in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

Consequently many of the Psalms talkabout the glory of God’s name, and ofmen giving glory to His holy name, forexample:

Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,give unto the Lord glory and strength.Give unto the Lord the glory due to Hisname; worship the Lord in the beautyof holiness (Psalm 29:1–2). See alsoPsalms 34:3, 111:9 and 148:13.

10 Glad Tidings

What’s in a Name?What’s in a Name?

People call on the name of the Lord(Psalm 99:6), they trust in it (Psalm9:10), it is associated with forgiveness(Psalm 25:11; 54:1) and God doeswonderful things because of His name(Psalm 23:3,31;3,79:9). God some-times declared that: “I acted for Myname’s sake, that it should not be pro-faned before the Gentiles” (Ezekiel20:9). See also Ezekiel 20:14,22,44and 36:22.

Jesus’ name is very specialJesus’ name was chosen by God asannounced to Mary by the angelGabriel (Luke 1:31;2:21). The namemeans ‘Saviour’ as explained to hisstep-father Joseph:

“She [Mary] will bring forth a Son, andyou shall call his name Jesus, for hewill save his people from their sins”(Matthew 1:21).

Just as God’s name was special, sowas the name of Jesus. Believing in itallowed, and still allows, human beingsto become ‘children of God’ (John1:12). In fact:

❖ We are condemned if we do notbelieve in his name:

He who believes in him is not con-demned; but he who does not believeis condemned already, because he hasnot believed in the name of the onlybegotten Son of God (John 3:18).

❖ We can have eternal life if we dobelieve in Jesus’ name:

… these are written that you maybelieve that Jesus is the Christ, theSon of God, and that believing youmay have life in his name (John20:31).

❖ People who are converted aredescribed as believing in Jesus’

name (John 2:23) and are baptisedinto the name of Jesus (Acts 19:5).

This is the ‘stone which was rejectedby you builders, which has become thechief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salva-tion in any other, for there is no othername under heaven given among menby which we must be saved.” (Acts4:11–12).

The apostles were able to do mira-cles using the name of Jesus (Acts3:16), and asked prayers in his name(John 14:13,14). Preaching the gospelwas described as bearing Jesus’ name(Acts 9:15) and Paul suffered for thesake of Jesus’ name (Acts 9:16), whileothers risked their lives for it (Acts15:26).

Our ResponsibilityWithout doubt the names of God andJesus are holy and most certainly arenot to be banded around or used asswear words. The name ‘Jesus’declares the supreme mercy of God inoffering us salvation.

It is despicable that in these days of‘political correctness’ society is carefulin describing disadvantaged people butpays little or no regard to the holynames of God and Jesus. We do wellto take heed, because the inspiredapostle Paul said this about the LordJesus Christ:

God also has highly exalted him andgiven him the name which is aboveevery name, that at the name of Jesusevery knee should bow, of those inheaven, and of those on earth, and ofthose under the earth, and that everytongue should confess that JesusChrist is Lord, to the glory of God theFather (Philippians 2:9–11).

Anna Hart

130th Year 11

12 Glad Tidings

Son of God?In the promises made to Abrahamconcerning the land, it was dramati-cally shown to him that the seedthrough whom the promise would befulfilled would be the Son of God.

Isaac was a child of promise. It isfoolish for the Jew to scoff at the ideaof God having a Son, when the Jewishrace owes its existence to the opera-tion of Divine power, apart from whichthere would have been no Isaac andno Jacob and thus no twelve tribes ofIsrael.

The dramatic parable was continuedwhen Isaac was offered by Abraham atGod’s command. His hand was stayedbefore Isaac was slain; and the ApostlePaul, writing to the Hebrews, says this:

By faith Abraham, when he wastested, offered up Isaac, and he whohad received the promises offered uphis only begotten son, of whom it wassaid, “In Isaac your seed shall becalled,” concluding that God was ableto raise him up, even from the dead,from which he also received him in afigurative sense (Hebrews 11:17–19).

When Isaac asked Abraham wherewas the lamb for the sacrifice, he said:

“My son, God will provide for Himselfthe lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis22:8).

When Jesus was announced toIsrael, John said,

“Behold the Lamb of God, who takesaway the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Wanted: A King!When Israel was established as anation and asked for a king of theirown, God further unfolded Hispurpose. In the covenant of the thronewe find the words concerning the seedor offspring of David, who should situpon David’s throne forever. God saidof this coming King: “I will be hisFather, and he shall be My son (2Samuel 7:14). Under the guidance ofthe spirit of God, David says:

The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at Myright hand, till I make your enemiesyour footstool.” The Lord shall sendthe rod of your strength out of Zion.Rule in the midst of your enemies!(Psalm 110:1,2).

God Manifestation

The Son of GodThe Son of God

In earlier articles John Carter explained that God revealed or manifestedHimself through angels who spoke for Him and that God wants a family of

believers who will be like Him and through whom the world will ultimately befilled with His glory. Now he explains how God made that possible by causing

His Son, the Lord Jesus, to be born to the virgin Mary.

130th Year 13

These words indicate that thisdescendant of David should for a timebe with the Father in heaven, thenceto return to earth to rule in the midstof his enemies, and occupy his thronein Zion, where David’s throne wasestablished in the past.

Divine StatusThe language used by David is very sig-nificant − “The Lord said unto mylord.” Jesus quotes this in his argu-ment with the Pharisees, when theyhad been tempting him.

While the Pharisees were gatheredtogether, Jesus asked them, saying,“What do you think about the Christ?Whose Son is he?” They said to him,“The Son of David” (Matthew 22:41–42).

They were looking for a merelynatural son of David to be his succes-sor as the Messiah of Israel; but Jesussaid,

“How then does David in the Spirit callhim ‘Lord’? (Matthew 22:43).

Why does David call his descendant“my Lord”? What gave him a higherstatus than David himself possessed?That terminology was altogether con-trary to usual Jewish practice, in whicha father had superiority over the son.Jesus used the passage in connectionwith the subject of the paternity of theMessiah. His opponents were put tosilence; they had no answer.

Yet the answer is to be found in thefact that the one who reigns on David’sthrone, who is David’s descendant,would also be the Son of God. Jesusclaimed to be that Son and the Phari-sees could not evade the force of theargu ment. But they were not preparedto acknowledge that the Messiah mustbe the Son of God, and thereby be led

to acknow ledge that Jesus was all heclaimed to be.

God in a SonNow let’s look at some passages con-cerning the manifestation of God in aSon, where we find a similar usage oflanguage to that concerning angels, asubject we reviewed in an earlierarticle. Following up the particularpromise connected with David, weread this in Isaiah:

There shall come forth a Rod from thestem of Jesse, and a Branch shallgrow out of his roots. The Spirit of theLord shall rest upon him, the Spirit ofwisdom and understanding, the Spiritof counsel and might, the Spirit ofknowledge and of the fear of the Lord(Isaiah 11:1,2).

We can quite understand that thishas reference to a descendant ofJesse, David’s father and that hewould be possessed by the Spirit ofGod. The prophecy goes on to say:

They shall not hurt nor destroy in allMy holy mountain, for the earth shallbe full of the knowledge of the Lord asthe waters cover the sea. And in thatday there shall be a Root of Jesse, whoshall stand as a banner to the people;for the Gentiles shall seek him, and hisresting place shall be glorious (Isaiah11:9–10).

I am ‘The voice of one crying in thewilderness: “Make straight the way ofthe Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said(John 1:23).

Preparing the WayJohn the Baptist was the courier whowent in front announcing the comingof the Lord our God. How are we tounderstand language like this? Does itmean that the great Uncreate wasabout to appear in the midst of Israel?Not at all.

But there was going to be a manifes-tation of God in the midst of Israelsuch as had never been before.Because Jesus has, by inheritance,“obtained a more excellent name thanthe angels” (Hebrews 1:4), we shouldnot be sur prised if, after the style ofdescription used in connection withangels, he is called “God”, hence:“Make straight in the desert a highwayfor our God,” for it was the way of theLord.”

Jesus, who was thus announced byJohn, is to return to be Israel’sMessiah and they will be called uponto “behold your God” (Isaiah 40:9).The cities of Judah shall have a rulerwho will be a manifestation of God, for:

Behold, the Lord God shall come witha strong hand, and His arm shall rulefor Him; behold, his reward is withhim, and his work before him (Isaiah40:10).

When Jesus returns in the power ofGod, which has been given to him, hewill rule for God, will reward his follow-ers, and will undertake the great workof transforming the world to make it aparadise once again.

John Carter(To be continued)

14 Glad Tidings

The One who is described in the firstverse as a Rod, is now described asthe Root of Jesse.

How can one be at the same timethe branch and the root; the offspringof Jesse and also the source of Jesse?Jesus applies this same language tohimself in the Apocalypse when hesays:

I am the Root and the Offspring ofDavid, the Bright and Morning Star(Revelation 22:16).

Jesus is a descendant of David; buthe is also the Son of God and becauseof this relationship to God he is themanifestation of the Source of allpower, features which belong to Godare attributed to him.

A HeraldIsaiah explains that the Coming of theMessiah would be heralded bysomeone who announced his appear-ance:

The voice of one crying in the wilder-ness: “Prepare the way of the Lord;make straight in the desert a highwayfor our God. Every valley shall beexalted and every mountain and hillbrought low; the crooked places shallbe made straight and the rough placessmooth; the glory of the Lord shall berevealed, and all flesh shall see ittogether; for the mouth of the Lord hasspoken” (Isaiah 40:3–5).

It was the custom in Eastern lands,before any monarch travelled along aroad, for couriers to go in advancecalling upon all to make due prepara-tion in the clearing up of the roads.When John the Baptist received mes-sengers from the authorities whoasked him who he was and what washis status, he referred to these verywords in Isaiah’s prophecy saying:

130th Year 15

English history is littered with kingswho have a number after their name,such as George VI or Henry VIII. Onlytwo seem to have had no numbersafter their names, King John and KingStephen, neither of whom werethought to have been good kings.

Perhaps this is why none of theirsuccessors took their names. It wasvery different in the kingdoms of Israeland Judah, where there is only oneinstance of two kings with the samename, Jeroboam I and Jeroboam II,although there are several instances ofkings with confusingly similar names.

Who was he?Jeroboam II was the great-grandson ofJehu, known for his fierce chariotdriving. He was given the same nameas the first king of Israel, Jeroboam I,who was the son of Nebat. There is aphrase which is repeated again andagain through the history of the kings,that Jeroboam I “made Israel to sin”.

Presumably when his father Jehoashgave his firstborn son this name hewas showing his approval and perhaps

admiration of the man who had set upfalse worship based around goldencalves strategically positioned atBethel and at Dan.

This strategy had been put in placeto prevent the people of the 10 north-ern tribes going back to Jerusalem toworship, for the city was now part ofthe kingdom of Judah. Jeroboam alsoappointed priests who were not fromthe tribe of Levi. Both idol worship andself-appointed priests were totally con-trary to the law which God had given.(See 1 Kings 12: 26-32.)

Good King: Bad KingJeroboam II came to the throne in793BC, and had a long reign of 41years. There is an interesting paradoxabout Jeroboam’s reign, for althoughhe is described as an evil king (2 Kings14:24) he was actually very success-ful, and the kingdom of Israel was veryprosperous during his reign. There wasan excellent reason for this. The LordGod had made a promise, a final pleato the people of Israel.

The Lord was gracious to them, hadcompassion on them, and regardedthem, because of His covenant withAbraham, Isaac and Jacob, and wouldnot destroy them or cast them from Hispresence” (2 Kings 13:23)

God had remembered the promisesHe had made previously. The promisesto Abraham went back a long way.

I will make you a great nation; I willbless you and make your name great;and you shall be a blessing. I will blessthose who bless you, and I will curse

Living like a King

Jeroboam llJeroboam ll

God promised Abraham the earth!

16 Glad Tidings

him who curses you; and in you all thefamilies of the earth shall be blessed(Genesis 12:2–3).

Above all else the Lord God wasdetermined to keep his promises. Inthe days of Jehoash, the father of Jer-oboam he sought to remind Israel ofall that he had promised.

Just like Jeroboam!Sadly Jeroboam did not respond asGod would have wished. The recordtells us that he “did not depart from allthe sins of Jeroboam the son ofNebat” (2 Kings 14:24). Before Jer-oboam II became king, Israel had losta lot of territory in battle, which he wasable to recover.

He restored the territory of Israel fromthe entrance of Hamath to the Sea ofthe Arabah, according to the word ofthe Lord God of Israel, which He hadspoken through His servant Jonah theson of Amittai, the prophet who wasfrom Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25).

It is interesting to see here the refer-ence to Jonah, the prophet who wastold to go to Nineveh and preachagainst it. Jonah actually went in theopposite direction, the account beingrecorded in the short book which bearshis name. The date when that bookwas written is not given, but clearly heis the prophet who spoke at the timeof Jeroboam II. It must have been onsome other occasion that Jonah hadprophesied about Jeroboam’s victo-ries.

God’s HelpIt appears from the comments whichfollow this record that Israel at the timewas at a very low ebb, and thereseemed to be no one to help thestricken nation. At such a time it wasimportant for God’s promises and prin-

ciples to be upheld. On this occasion,and perhaps for the last time, Godsaved Israel, for we read that:

The Lord did not say that he would blotout the name of Israel from underheaven; but he saved them by thehand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash(Jehoash) (2 Kings 14:27).

Other than this the record hasnothing good to say about Jeroboam.In making Israel secure and prosper-ous once more, Jeroboam was able tosecure for both himself and his peoplea comfortable time. It was not to last.The kingdom of Israel came to an endonly 31 years after the death ofJeroboam.

Six different kings followed him,none of whom reigned for very long.Jeroboam restored the nation’s pros-perity, but not its righteousness. Thereare lessons for all rulers of kingdoms,and all subjects too.

Had he set the people on a course ofrighteousness Jeroboam might havesecured a better and a longer futurefor his people. Sadly, he followed hispredecessor Jeroboam I, and did notlearn from King David, who showedthat “righteousness exalts a nation.”

Mark Sheppard

If you want to access backnumbers of “Glad Tidings” youcan find copies for the last few

years on our website:

www.gladtidingsmagazine.org

Free ChoiceThe children of famous people areoften challenged to match what theirparents have achieved. Sometimes thename can be an advantage; some-times a disadvantage. But imaginebeing given the name of “Saviour” andbeing told that you were so called byGod Himself, who said that you were tosave people from their sins. It would bea daunting situation for anyone; yetthat was the challenge Jesus faced.

As a young boy he would have beentaught in the local synagogue, forvillage synagogues doubled asschools. And the reading books theyused are likely to have been the booksof the Bible. Imagine reading your lifestory in advance and finding out whatit was you were meant to do and whatwould happen to you, for the Old Tes-tament Scriptures are full ofprophecies about a coming Messiahwho would bring deliverance to God’speople. Nobody could force you to livethat way, of course, for everybody hasfree will, Jesus included. But if the Lordhad declined his Father’s call, all of uswould be left hopeless and helpless.

Thankfully, Jesus responded to theimmense challenge that faced him andchose to obey his Father implicitly.Once, when asked if he wanted some-thing to eat, he replied:

“My food is to do the will of Him whosent me, and to finish His work” (John4:34).

Indeed, he was rightly named“Jesus”.

Timothy James

130th Year 17

Many characters in Scripture havenames of deep significance. In the OldTestament, for example, the prophetNahum’s name means ‘comfort’;Habakkuk stands for ‘embrace’ or ‘onewho strongly enfolds’; while Malachi is‘the messenger of the Lord’.

Name or Title?It can often happen that a name givento someone can be a one wordsummary of what he or she has doneand of what they are. That name maynot have been given at birth, but as atitle by virtue of deeds done. ThusAlexander became ‘Alexander theGreat’, William was known as ‘TheConqueror’, while King Ethelred isforever known as ‘Ethelred theUnready’, because he was unpreparedto resist the Danes when they invadedBritain.

Such titles are given as eventsunfold; but Almighty God knows theend from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10),so he can name someone beforehandand the name is prophetic of theirdestiny and future accomplishments.Thus it was that the Lord Jesus wasnamed before he was born. Josephwas told that the young woman – Mary− to whom he was betrothed: “willbring forth a Son, and you shall call Hisname Jesus, for he will save his peoplefrom their sins” (Matthew 1:21).Notice that Joseph was not told thatJesus ‘might save his people from theirsins’, if he was able to fulfil the workthat God had asked him to accom-plish. God knew beforehand that Jesuswould be successful; hence the namethe child was given even before hisbirth.

“Call His Name Jesus”“Call His Name Jesus”

18 Glad Tidings

science can only do that if it is trained:

How can a young man cleanse hisway? By taking heed according to Yourword. With my whole heart I havesought You; Oh, let me not wanderfrom Your commandments! Your word Ihave hidden in my heart, that I mightnot sin against You (Psalm 119:9–11).

Children of GodGod wants us to come to Him aschildren. This has been true from thebeginning when God called Israel Hisfirstborn son (Exodus 4:22). Fathersare expected to give a good example totheir sons, and God certainly did thatto Israel. He challenged them to beholy (separate from the evil things ofthe world around them) because, Hesaid, “I the Lord your God am holy”(Leviticus 19:2).

This was spoken to the nation as awhole, but sadly most of the nationpreferred evil to good, and only 40years later it was said of them:

“They are not His children … A per-verse and crooked generation … andwhen the Lord saw it, He spurnedthem, because of the provocation ofHis sons and His daughters”(Deuteronomy 32:5,19).

Just a FewThe beautiful idea of living in harmonywith the Creator appealed to only a fewin each generation; but these were thefew people for whom God was search-ing. You can discover how God

From a physical point of view all thecreatures that were created by God areequal. The ‘breath’ or ‘spirit’ of life is inall of them, mankind included, so that“man has no advantage over animals,for all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 3:19).

In another way, however, men andwomen are unique.

God created man in His own image; inthe image of God He created him;male and female He created them(Genesis 1:27).

The word ‘image’ describes onething that is like something else, aresemblance. So God made a beingthat was more like Himself than theanimals are: one that could desirecompanionship with the Creator.

Friendship with GodUnlike other animals, men and womencan think about the reasons for things.We can think about the past and learnlessons from our experiences, andthen record them in words and pic-tures. We can think about the universeand the future and about God Himself.We can consider the effects that ourwords and actions have on otherhuman beings.

We can examine the evidence thatthe Bible is right and that it really isGod’s message to us. Especially,unlike other animals, we can want tobe more like our Creator. We havebeen given consciences to help us tocheck whether we are doing right orwrong – becoming more like Him orgrowing away from Him. Our con-

A Christadelphian’s Faith – 17

Living in Harmony withLiving in Harmony withGodGod

130th Year 19

appreciated these faithful people andwhat He has in store for them, byreading Hebrews chapter 11. In thisseries we have thought about some ofthe characters mentioned there: Noah,Abraham, David, the prophets and theOld Testament promises that explainwhat the Gospel really is. You will readof other people too: Abraham’s wifeSarah and their family, Moses who ledIsrael out of Egypt, Rahab a Gentilewoman who became an ancestor ofJesus Christ, and many more.

Similarly only a few people acceptedthe Lord Jesus, but how precious theyare to him! The apostle John says ofJesus:

He came to His own, and His own didnot receive Him. But as many asreceived Him, to them He gave theright to become children of God, tothose who believe in His name: whowere born, not of blood, nor of the willof the flesh, nor of the will of man, butof God (John 1:11–13).

Jesus Opens the WayNow that Jesus has come, men andwomen enter God’s family by ‘receiv-ing’ or welcoming Jesus into their lives,by believing him, repenting of theirsins, being baptized, and then trying tofollow his example. The sacrifice ofanimals and all the other Old Testa-ment ceremonies taught peopleimportant lessons about the worshipand service of God; but – very impor-tantly − they did something else too.

The ceremonies were a kind ofdrama that showed beforehand thework that the ‘Messiah’ (God’s pro-mised priest-king) would do when hecame. They were wonderful acted-outprophecies about the ways in whichsinners could be reconciled to God.

In other words, the Old Testament

ceremonies pointed forward to thework of Jesus. He proved that he is theMessiah by fulfilling the Old Testamentprophecies perfectly. We hope to learnmore about this later when we thinkabout Jesus’ death as the final sacri-fice, but at this stage we need to bevery clear that the coming of Jesus fin-ished the Old Testament rituals as theway to worship God. They still teach usimportant lessons, but the true way toGod is through Jesus. He said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.No one comes to the Father exceptthrough me” (John 14:6).

And Peter said about him:

Nor is there salvation in any other, forthere is no other name under heavengiven among men by which we mustbe saved (Acts 4:12).

No one else can save us from oursins: no one except Jesus Christ.

John Woodall

Being in harmony with the natural world isgreat: living in harmony with God is greater.

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