Living Word August 2014

I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live (Psalm 104:33)

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Titus 2:11 www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk (Tit 2:11)

In this month’s issue: 4.

The Beauty of Delayed Answers

Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)

5.

Manifold Grace

Kenn Legg (Australia)

6.

First Love Discipleship Series – Philippians

Dr. Tony Keys (Australia)

8.

Revelation 18 - The End of Godless World Dominion Mathew Bartlett (UK)

12.

The Promise of Pentecost (Sermon Outline)

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

14.

Broken Pieces

Daniel Kolenda (CfaN)

15.

Neither Angels nor Principalities (Part 3)

Reinhard Bonnke (CfaN)

17.

Faith-builders Bible Study Mark 11

Derek Williams (UK)

21.

In Depth Study – Zechariah 1

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

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The Beauty of Delayed Answers An extract from ”Kneeling We Triumph” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey BUY ON KINDLE! £3.86 Reproduced by kind permission of Harvey Publishers.

Prayers are commonly divided into two classes—those which are conformable to the will of God and those which are not. The Psalmist would suggest a third class belonging to neither the one nor the other. He says there may be prayers which are not conformable to the will of God today, but which will be tomorrow.

There is, according to him, an acceptable time for the answering of certain prayers. He does not mean that there is an acceptable time for praying.

The Heavenly Father appreciates prayer whether He can respond to it or not. The limitation is not to our petitions, but to God’s answers.

treasury, awaiting the time when its possession will cease to be a danger. It has been asked at a season which is not acceptable.

Even so, there are special seasons for the gifts of the Heavenly Father.

Many a man asks in April a gift of Divine fruit that will only be ripe in June. Take the case of Paul.

Immediately after his conversion he prayed for a mission, “Lord, what wouldst Thou have me to do?” He was answered by being sent into the solitudes of Arabia. Was the gratification of his prayer denied, then? No, it was postponed. He had asked at an unacceptable time. He had desired for April the fruits of June. He was not ready for a mission. The light from Heaven had overheated him. He needed to be cooled down ere he could deal with the practical wants of men.

Accordingly, God prepared for him a place in the wilderness where he could rest and ponder. The mission was coming, but it was coming with the developed years; it was hid in the bosom of the Father till the acceptable time.

We often ask things which are in accordance with God’s will, but for which we are not ready. A young child asks his father for a knife.

Now, that is a possession within the rights of a human being. It is a possession which one day will be of great use to the petitioner for the cutting of knots which cannot be untied. But today it will cut not the string but the finger. I am quite sure that the father will for the present refuse the prayer; he will lay up the desired gift in a safe

My Father, help me to learn that I am heir to possessions which exceed my present holding! They exceed my present power to hold— they are waiting for my summer.

Do I ever thank Thee for the blessings which Thou postponest? I am afraid not. I am like the prodigal: I want to get all at once the portion that falleth to me; and, where it is not given, I deem it is refused. Teach me, O Lord, the beauty of Thy delayed answers.— George Matheson.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt. 7:11).

My prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me (Psa. 69:13).

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In the moment of its crying Came no answer to my heart, But, long-deferred, it came with blessing In a quiet place apart.

Seldom in the midst of toiling Do we reap our recompense.

It may come when hands are folded In a sunset hour long hence.

Not in thunderous earthquake,

crash

of

Not in whirlwind or in fire, Not in voice of sounding trumpet Does God speak our deep desire.

But with strife and fretting over— Waiting—all serene and still, We may hear the whispered message Teaching us His perfect will.

When we school our hearts to patience God reveals His better way.

Proving oft that His tomorrow Is far better than today.

—Kathryn Blackburn Peck.

“Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him...”

Manifold Grace: From Grace Roots

by Ken Legg Order your copy online PDF AUS $9 Print AUS $19 You are unique.

And in Ecclesiastes 12:7, Solomon says, “The dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

Without God’s involvement you would have no being. You owe your existence to “the Father of spirits” (Heb.12:9).

Furthermore, you were not mass produced. Just as no two snowflakes, or blades of grass, are alike, so there are no two identical human beings. God doesn’t do carbon copies.

And you are special.

In a world of over seven billion people it might be difficult to believe that. But it’s true. God created you as an individual. You may have been unplanned, but you are not an accident. You may even have had an illegitimate birth, but there is nothing random about you.

No human being is a chance happening. Sometimes we can look at human life as being no more than a biological outcome; but that’s not what the Bible teaches.

Every person has a human spirit which God alone can impart. For example, in Zechariah 12:1 we read,

A Unique New Creation Identity As it is in creation, so it is in the new creation. We each possess our own individual new creation identity. Whilst all believers are in Christ, yet we have a distinctiveness that underlines our individuality.

When speaking about our particular unique function in the body of Christ, Peter says that the grace of God is upon each one of us in a different way. He puts it this way, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet.4:10).

That word ‘manifold’ means many-sided, or multi-faceted.

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The Church is like a diamond in God’s hand. And each one of us is like shaped facets of that gem which reflects the kaleidoscope fullness of Christ in so many different ways.

The Church will sparkle and gleam in all its stunning brilliance and diversity as, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we allow our uniqueness to be manifested.

There is nothing which stifles the variegated character of the grace of God like the pressure of uniformity. We have not been mass produced; churned out like sausages on a production line.

Each of us is individually handcrafted by God. Someone once said, “When God created John Wesley, He destroyed the mould!”

Cults and control freaks insist on sameness.

They don’t understand that we can be diverse without being divisive.

Therefore, they kill individuality and creativity. But where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty to be the true expression of who God has made us to be.

Dear friend, don’t be an echo of someone else; be a voice.

Don’t be a clone; be an original.

Don’t be fooled into believing that ‘one size fits all’.

Be the unique, special facet to God’s gem that you are.

This Month’s Featured Resource: First Love Discipleship Series Philippians

By Dr. Tony Keys. Available now for £8.80 from Amazon.co.uk Paul’s Greatest Ambition and Joy of Proclaiming Christ (1: 12-26) Here Paul bypasses any personal concerns about his own well-being.

He pushes them into the background in order to dwell upon the most important theme there is – the proclamation of the gospel.

He views his imprisonment, possible release and even death in the light of this one thing, the proclamation of the gospel.

1. Unexpected Results of Paul’s Imprisonment (1: 12-14) Paul does not see his imprisonment as the end of his missionary activity but in fact he sees it as fulfilling a God-given desire to preach the gospel in Rome. We find in Acts 19:21 that Paul felt led by the Holy Spirit to go to Rome and preach the gospel. He records this passion in Romans 1: 14-15 where he says, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also”.

Paul regarded the apostolic calling he had received through Christ as the undertaking of a debt which he must repay by preaching the gospel amongst the Gentiles. His debt is to all, without distinction of language, race or intelligence. The old Latin proverb seems to sum it up best – ‘Homo sum, nihil humanum a me

alienum puto’ which means, ‘I am a man, and everything human has an interest for me’.

The church has not always followed Paul’s example. In fact from the Dark Ages to the 1700’s, most of the western church in Europe was locked in a very narrow and selfcentred gospel.

The great missionary movement we have today did not exist 300 years ago: it all started with a young thirty-yearold Baptist minister by the name of William Carey reading an article in England’s first missionary magazine reporting on Moravian missions around the world.

After reading the article, Carey marched into a meeting of senior Baptist ministers and in front of his fellow ministers threw down onto the table copies of the magazine and said, “See what the Moravians have done! Can we not follow their example, and in obedience to our heavenly Master go out into the world and preach the Gospel to the heathen?” Carey proposed that at a future meeting of Baptist pastors they should consider taking concrete steps to reach out to the world’s unreached. A senior pastor curtly told him: “Sit down, young man!” and added, "If God wants to save the heathen, he will do it without your help or mine!"

Baptists and most of the western church looked on such efforts prescribed by Carey as human attempts to interfere with God’s sovereignty, similar to Ahio in 2nd Sam 6: 1-9 reaching out to steady the ark on its return from the Philistines. Objections were many…

The time was not ripe; the means were not available; distances were too far; the dangers were too great; the Great Commission was only for the first apostles; missions should

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start at home. However, Carey was not deterred, reading more of the Moravian mission’s efforts, studying maps and cultures of other lands.

He felt God called him to India.

Gathering a small group of supporters, he set out for India and his remarkable life inspired the start of many new mission societies, with thousands of missionaries from Europe and America following his example to take the gospel into the entire world. William Carey's most famous sermon is ‘Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God’.

William Carey’s heart, like Paul’s heart, was touched with the spectacle of human sin, misery and helplessness.

In these verses in Romans, we begin to capture Paul’s burden for those without Christ who had never heard the gospel and might die never hearing, having no opportunity to respond to the good news that Jesus died for their sin and came to give them life. The only time Paul felt some relief from this burden was when sharing the gospel. An old story about Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, says that on one occasion he had journeyed into the interior of China and, whilst preaching at one of his meetings, a young Chinese man responded to the gospel and gave his heart to Jesus. Later, Hudson Taylor was talking to the young man, who was overjoyed with finding Christ, yet weeping. Hudson Taylor asked why he was crying and the young man replied, “If only you had come a year ago before my father died, I know my father would have responded to this message of Christ.” As you can imagine, this statement of the young man had a

profound effect Taylor's ministry.

upon

Hudson

In Romans 1:15 we capture Paul’s resolution, desire and determination to take the gospel into the entire world. Paul expresses this debt further by the words, “So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach”. It is a very strong phrase for it expresses yearning and longing to fulfil that debt but also his preparedness. Paul boldly proclaims, “I am both ready, and committed for the purpose of evangelism”. May God give us men and women like this today!

His imprisonment, as uncomfortable as it was, had in fact destroyed all the barriers that had hindered Paul from coming to Rome. He had arrived at the very hub of the Roman Empire! Paul did not see himself just as a prisoner but as a pioneer blazing a trail for the gospel.

Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 when he said to his brother, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good”? In Paul’s case, it was for the furtherance of the gospel. The word “furtherance” (V.12) in the Greek is ‘prokope’, which is a word used by the military to mean ‘to cut down in advance’. The thought is of cutting away trees and undergrowth that would hinder the progress of an army. Paul’s imprisonment had done this very thing; it had cut down the trees and undergrowth that had hindered the advancement of the might army of the church.

Paul speaks of two immediate results that have taken place because this undergrowth has been removed: the first is that Christ has become known through the “palace guard”, which refers to the private

bodyguard of Caesar, and “to all the rest” referring to the pagan world.

His imprisonment had advertised the gospel throughout the known world.

Secondly, those Christians who previously had been afraid to speakup for Christ had now found new courage and boldness and they proclaimed the gospel with a tremendous zeal.

2. Christ is Proclaimed in Spite of Differing Motives (1: 15-18) There is a humorous story told of three churches, located on different corners of the same intersection, that didn't get along with each other. One Sunday, each of them opened their meeting with a rousing song service. It was a warm day and all the doors and windows were wide open. One congregation began singing the old hymn, "Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?"

The strains had barely faded away when the congregation across the street started 2 singing, "No, Not One, No, Not One!" They had scarcely finished when the third church began singing, "Oh, That Will Be Glory for Me." Competition! Oh, how it undermines the efforts of the church. Paul’s imprisonment stirred-up two classes of people to preach the gospel: The first group were stirred-up by “envy and strife” (V.15 & V: 16). This does not mean that they preached the wrong doctrine but rather it means that they saw Paul’s imprisonment as a heaven-sent opportunity to advance their own self-seeking, selfish ambition upon the church.

They saw this as an opportunity to enhance their own prestige and at the same time undermine Paul’s influence upon the churches. Paul describes their methods of undermining his authority as 7

“supposing to add affliction to my chains” (V.16). The word ‘affliction’ in the Greek is ‘friction’, which paints a painful picture of the rubbing of iron chains on a prisoner’s hands and legs by preaching the gospel. These ones were trying to irritate Paul while he was in prison.

When you take a guided tour of the Vatican, your guide will tell you of the ambition, envy and strife that existed between the famous sculptor Michelangelo and the painter Raphael, who were both creating works of art to beautify the Vatican. A bitter spirit of rivalry rose up between them, yet each was supposedly doing his work for the glory of God. Even today this wonderful legacy of Michelangelo and Raphael is tarnished by their rivalry, self-ambition and envy which grate against the listener’s ears. In many ways, the listener’s reaction to the story of these two great artists' rivalry reflects Paul anguish and disappointment over those who preached the gospel out of rivalry and self-ambition towards him. Not only does it reflect Paul’s anguish but our Lord’s: it must grate against Him like prison chains rubbing on a prisoner’s arm or leg.

Rivalry, self- ambition and envy will tarnish any legacy, no matter how wonderful, for the kingdom.

Dr. Tony Keys who comes from Australia, is a prolific author with degrees in biblical/theology, education and leadership/ management.

Revelation 18 The End of Godless World Dominion

When we studied chapter 17 we discovered that the fall of Babylon represented the destruction of all that is opposed to God. We also saw how the spirit of rebellion in the hearts of men and women is commonly manifested in religious observance, and how God will ultimately judge the hypocrisy of all such false religion. In chapter 17:16 we further saw antichrist’s regents destroying the harlot or false religious system that had dominated the earth.

has said I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). The materialistic and money-grabbing age we live in is simply another manifestation of ‘Babylon’ - the symbol of man’s rebellion against God. At the first Babel Man built a tower reaching to the skies, thinking to build their own secure future and to be free of God. Today, as men trust in riches and make wealth their security, the inspired author of Revelation warns of the imminent destruction of that security.

Here in chapter 18 we see the destruction of another manifestation of rebellion in the heart of humanity - the world financial system.

18:1-3 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance. He shouted with a powerful voice: "Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detested beast. For all the nations have fallen from the wine of her immoral passion, and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior."

The Nature of Babylon In the beginning, when God made man, He gave him all he needed.

But along with man’s sin came an increasing lust for material wealth and possessions. This is expressed today in the sometimes vicious and often dark world of commerce.

Human lives mean nothing so long as men can make money. This lust for money is manifested overtly in the arms trade, the drugs trade, the still thriving slave trade, and the so called sex industry. Yet it is also active in less obvious ways, such as in the exploitation of manual workers; for instance the low-paid miners of South Africa or the sweatshop garment makers of Bangladesh.

Truth for Today A brief extract from our forthcoming book.

By Mathew Bartlett

Since the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, Christ instructed his disciples “Do not seek these things, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be given you as well” (Matt. 6:33). The writer to the Hebrews re-iterates: “Be content with such things as you have, for he

Image © Pidiyath100

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The angel who announces the fall of Babylon appears with such great authority that the whole earth is illuminated by his God derived glory. This is to remind us that although (in the previous chapter) the ten regents hate and destroy Babylon, their action has been ordained by the hand of God in order to bring about God’s judgment. Indeed, throughout this chapter it is God’s triumph over Babylon rather than Babylon itself which is in view. The complete system of godless world religion, politics and finance is implied in the word ‘Babylon’ and this, along with

all temporal things, will pass away, leaving only God’s kingdom remaining.

The Identification of Babylon Whilst the power of ‘Babylon’ extends to the whole earth, it does appear that a particular city is singled out both in chapter 17 and 18 as the centre of this world system at the end of time. Hence it is somehow the destruction of this city which brings about the utter collapse of that system. Some commentators maintain that the cities referred to in chapters 17 and 18 are different; but it should be kept in mind that there is no reason why, at the end of time, the same city might not act as world centre for both religion and commerce.

Like the original Babylon, this city shall have dominion over the entire world, which is why it is called ‘great’. But its destruction will be utter and final - its ruins being so desolate that only demons and vultures could dwell there.

Many scholars have tried to identify this city from the brief description we are given here: This ‘Babylon’ is a financial centre of extreme importance to the world economy; so much so that its destruction will bring about immediate and utter financial collapse worldwide.

It is evidently an important port, since all the sailors on earth bemoan the end of their trade with it.

It is clearly a political centre, for it “rules over the kings of the earth.”

It is also described geographically as being founded on seven hills.

In today’s world, New York is generally regarded as the most important financial centre. But although New York is a port, it is no longer an important one from the point of view of US trade. The busiest port in the world is in now Singapore, and in any case neither Singapore nor New York are built on seven hills. Nor are they political centres; the political might of America, for instance, resides in Washington DC – many miles inland.

Traditional commentators have of course suggested that the Jerusalem (or Rome) of a by-gone age is meant are meant. One of the main reasons why such traditional views fail to satisfy me is that the destruction depicted is both total and permanent; and in chapter 19 it is followed immediately by the return of Jesus Christ. Also, the world has yet to witness the exact type of government and its associated pseudo religious activity which the rise of ‘antichrist’ will inaugurate. With this ‘futurist’ view in our minds it is perhaps also worth noting that neither Jerusalem nor Rome are near to significant modern sea ports. Haifa is Israel’s most important port, and Gioia Tauro is Italy’s.

One popular view among many evangelicals is that the Vatican is pictured here. The Vatican is in Rome, which certainly sits on seven hills. Even Catholic historians would admit that the papacies of past ages were responsible directly or indirectly for the persecution and death of literally millions of believers around the world, who would not submit to what they saw as the Catholic system of idolatry.

Evangelicals may consider the fact that popes have led kings and

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nations astray by false doctrine make the Roman church a perfect fit for this description of ‘Babylon’, but in reality this picture is not complete. The Vatican is no longer a centre of world trade. Rich it might be, but a state needs a large population to drive demand for goods, something the Vatican does not have. Even if we viewed its citizens as living all over the world, most Roman Catholics live in very poor countries.

So, to cut a very long story short, having studied some major Biblical commentators as well as the modern geography of leading world cities, I have not been able to identify any particular city from this description.

But this highlights that in one sense identifying the city is not as important as identifying what it stands for, and what its end will be.

The Challenge of Babylon 18:4-6 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes. Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds.

In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.

Here is a call to separation. It would be too late to tell people to come out of Babylon after her destruction. So this warning, given

by God himself, must be for those living in the time leading up to these events, including us today.

Believers in every generation, as well as those alive at the time of the end, must separate themselves

completely from this evil system of rebellion against God. Not to do so is to consent to its sins. Those who are affected by the influence of the sin all around are in danger of being swallowed up with it and hence subject to the plagues that will fall on it; hence the strongly worded warning of 2 Corinthians 6:17: Therefore "COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE, SAYS THE LORD. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU." When the Lord Jesus Christ spoke about the end time in which we are living, he warned his followers not to be taken up with the things of this life. "But be watching out for yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with hangovers and drunkenness and anxieties over [things] pertaining to everyday life, and that day come on you suddenly [or, unexpectedly]. (Luke 21:34) Jesus illustrated his warning using the story of Lot’s wife. When Lot foolishly went to live in Sodom, his soul was vexed by the godlessness of the place. His wife, however, began to acquiesce in it. So much so that when God rained judgment down upon Sodom, her heart still being attached to the city and its lifestyle, she turned back to it and became a pillar of salt. “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32).

Worldliness has been identified in the scripture as hatred of God. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the

world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

“mighty is the Lord who judges her”.

We are to live as citizens of heaven, who have no permanent home here and who are quite alien to the world system of which God says “her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities (v5).” As she had treated the saints of God without mercy, so would she be judged without mercy. (v6)

The Destruction of Babylon

18:7-8 As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 'I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!' For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!"

One might see this as an apt description of affluent societies across the world today. The rich think themselves secure in their wealth and luxury and are careless about the coming judgment. They say “where is the promise of his coming?” But sorrow and torment will overtake them.

Humanity thinks that its empire is invincible, that humankind by means of intelligence or discovery will somehow be its own saviour.

Even as global disasters face them, humankind thinks that technology, or their own inventive minds and skills will win the day. But God will destroy this illusion and bring utter destruction to the pride of all people by plagues of death, sorrow and famine which shall strike the world simultaneously. Babylon’s destruction will demonstrate that

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18:9-20 Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say, "Woe, woe, O great city, Babylon the powerful city! For in a single hour your doom has come!"

Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer — cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, slaves and human lives.

(The ripe fruit you greatly desired has gone from you, and all your luxury and splendour have gone from you —they will never ever be found again!)

The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn, saying, "Woe, woe, O great city — dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls —because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!"

And every ship's captain, and all who sail along the coast — seamen,

and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, "Who is like the great city?" And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, "Woe, Woe, O great city —in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth —because in a single hour she has been destroyed!" (Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has pronounced judgment against her on your behalf!)

permanently snatched from them.

Standing at a distance, for fear lest they be engulfed in her torment they wail, “Alas! Alas!” As they recognize God’s judgment on the city.

The voices of the bridegroom and his bride will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the tycoons of the world, because all the nations were deceived by your magic spells! The blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, along with the blood of all those who had been killed on the earth."

Those employed in sea trade, captains and crews also keep at a safe distance to watch her smoke rising to heaven. Never, they said, had there ever been such a great city on earth. V19 They throw dust on their heads, shrieking and weeping because all prospect of wealth was now denied them. The whole picture conveys a sense of eternal judgment beginning. Look at the language used:

The contrast between the citizens of earth and the citizens of heaven is striking if we compare these verses with those of Revelation 19.

There the saints are called to rejoice (19:20) in the destruction of man’s rebellion, as vengeance is meted out for their sufferings and God’s kingdom is established on earth.

But even whilst the people of heaven rejoice in the judgment of the great whore, the people of earth mourn and lament.

The destruction of the world’s centre of commerce brings about worldwide economic collapse, reducing the nations to abject poverty. All the leaders of the world, who had been unfaithful to God by their love of idolatry, immorality and luxury, as they witness the destruction of Babylon will weep and lament as everything which their souls had lusted after is

Business men, who had made their fortune out of Babylon will also stand at a distance in terror and mourn, not for her destruction, but because they will no longer be able to add to their riches. The selfindulgence their souls craved shall be denied them from henceforth forever.

18:21-24 Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said, "With this kind of sudden violent force Babylon the great city will be thrown down and it will never be found again! And the sound of the harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No craftsman who practices any trade will ever be found in you again; the noise of a mill will never be heard in you again. Even the light from a lamp will never shine in you again!

A powerful angel takes a large millstone and hurls it into the sea exclaiming that such will be the overthrow and complete ruin of Babylon; it will never be found again. Never again would there be 11

heard the sound of music in her streets. There will be no skilled worker, mechanic, builder, or trader of any kind found there. Those who prepared and provided food shall cease to exist. The destruction of world rebellion has begun, and is now irreversible. Soon Christ will descend to battle and claim his rightful place as Lord. The judgment of the wicked which begins on earth shall be continued forever in hell.

As the lights of the city are extinguished for the last time, joyful voices, such as those of newly married couples will be heard no more. The picture presented is one of complete desolation.

The reason for God’s pouring out his judgment on Babylon is made clear at the very end of this chapter.

The wealthy business men of the world who made their home there deceived the nations with sorcery, a word which denotes the use of drugs and occult power. In her ruthless greed, idolatry and ungodliness this “city” had slaughtered the saints and was held responsible for the death of all those killed on earth.

Conclusion The world is not a good place to live! It is at enmity, or at war, with God. The cry from heaven should inform us today “Come out of her my people” Are you willing to turn your back on all that you know to be wrong in the sight of God and set your heart on things which are above (Colossians 3:1-3) so that you might rejoice and not mourn when God arises to judge the earth?

The Bible urges us to see Pentecost not just a day but the beginning of a dispensation (or age) of the spirit.

Hence the ‘last days’ are a reference to the time between Christ’s first coming and his parousia.

The Sovereign Move of the Spirit God says ‘I will pour out my Spirit.’

This is a sovereign act of God, accomplished through Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension.

This sovereign move of the Spirit confirms that: Our Sin is Absolved (by the work of Christ) God’s pouring out his Spirit is linked to our salvation. Peter described it as God’s witness to the legitimacy and efficacy of his Son’s crucifixion and resurrection: ‘being exalted to God’s right hand…he has poured out this.’ (Acts 2:33)

The Holy Spirit only comes on clean vessels; he inhabits holy dwellings.

Even believer’s bodies are made holy in Christ. The coming of the Spirit provides assurance that: As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions (Ps. 103:12).

Our Separation is Abolished (by the work of Christ) In the age of Pentecost, God pours out his Spirit on all flesh – no distinction of race Jew & Gentile, for all who were once far off are brought near by the blood of Christ – and sealed with the same spirit.

This action of the Spirit creates a unity; all distinctions are swept away as the Spirit immerses us into one body – Christ (Eph. 2:11-22).

Just as there is no distinction of race so there is no distinction of gender – God says I will pour out my Spirit on…servants and handmaids; and no distinction of age: young and old men. Moses’ prayer that all God’s people were anointed by his Spirit is fulfilled in Pentecost (Num. 11:29).

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Rejoice that your sin is absolved and all separation abolished and claim for yourself the promise of Pentecost.

The Supernatural Manifestation of the Spirit When God speaks of prophesying, visions and dreams he is promising life in the realm of the Spirit, not for a select few, but for all his people.

Although the Holy Spirit came upon men in the Old Testament and they spoke as they were moved by him (2 Pet. 1:21) clearly the Pentecost experience is something more, for ‘until that time the spirit had not been given’ (John 7:39).

The apostles prior to Pentecost had experienced the anointing of the Spirit; Jesus had given them authority to cast out devils and heal the sick (Luke 9:1). Yet he still tells them to wait for the promise of the father: ‘I will pour out my spirit.’

God’s promise to believers is a similar experience to that which Jesus had at Jordan. Jesus’ words concerning the Spirit ‘he is with you; and he shall be in you’ imply a permanent and eternal residence of the Spirit within believers.

On the day of Pentecost the crowds heard the believers ‘speaking in our tongues the wonderful works of God’, a phenomenon which Peter clearly links to Joel’s prophecy of the outpoured Spirit. The unusual miracle of speaking in tongues marks the dawn of a new dispensation, for it is a miracle never witnessed in the Old Testament.

During this dispensation, whoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved. By implication the miracle of tongues can be expected by believers throughout every generation whilst the day of grace continues.

The coming of the spirit was to endue us with power to fulfil the

great commission – and this ministry is to be conducted in an age of miracles (v30) Expect supernatural power and miraculous confirmation of the word when you go out with the gospel. Are you experiencing the supernatural power and manifestation of the spirit? Are you speaking in tongues?

Paul said I speak in tongues more than you all. Stifling tongues in the public service is unbiblical.

Scriptural Method of the Spirit Peter spells out that in order to see the fulfilment of Joel in our own lives we must:

Repent of our sin, Return to God, Experience God’s restoration through Jesus.

Repentance and returning may well involve confession to God and in some instances seeking the forgiveness of men. If we are truly hungry for the outpouring of God’s Spirit then we will be ready to comply with whatever conditions the Lord lays upon our hearts so that we are right with him.

Although the Spirit is the gift of God, we can get ourselves ready to receive the move and manifestation of the spirit. This is the scriptural method. We cannot cause the wind to blow, but we can set our sails to catch the fresh wind from heaven.

Remember – ‘the promise is for you’.

Image © Igor Strukov 13

encounter with the Lord that left him with a limp. The Jacob who limped was not the same Jacob who stole his brother’s birthright and defrauded his elderly father.

Broken Pieces -A Bible Study by Daniel Kolenda (CfaN) Photo: © Ellah By kind permission of CfaN, an extract from Daniel’s new bookLive before you die. £9.99 BUY NOW.

In Matthew 14 we read an amazing story about a miracle where Jesus fed a multitude with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Not only did the meager lunch become enough to feed thousands of people—it became more than enough!

After everyone had eaten, there were still twelve baskets full of bread and fish left over! But before the small lunch became a mighty feast, before the little became much, before the miracle of multiplication could take place, it says in verse 19 that Jesus “took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the crowds” (NAS).

Notice something very important here. It says Jesus did two things: first, He blessed the food, and second, He broke it.

Jesus blesses only what He breaks.

God can multiply only what has been broken. Do you want God to take your little life and do something mighty with it? Do you want to be blessed and be a blessing to multitudes? Then you need to be broken.

Verse 20 is careful to specify that the baskets left over were made up of “broken pieces”—“They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets” (NAS).

At the end of our lives, when all is said and done, and everything has been consumed, the only parts of our lives that will have lasting value are the broken pieces.

The way the world looks at things is so different from the way God looks at them. The world values the lofty, powerful, proud, and big. God values a broken and a contrite heart, a heart that is humble and bowed low before the King.

In Isaiah 66:2 the Lord says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (NIV). The psalmist says in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (NIV).

Hebrews 11:21 speaks about the great patriarch Jacob at the end of his life and describes him by saying he “leaned on the top of his staff” (niv). Why is this detail important?

Why even mention it?

It is worth mentioning because Jacob had been defined by an 14

The limping Jacob was a broken man. Jacob had struggled all his life to obtain God’s blessing through deceit and manipulation. He had stolen the blessing from his brother, Esau. He had embezzled the blessing of his father, Isaac. But it was only after he had been broken before the Lord that the Bible says he received the true blessing, the blessing of the Lord (Gen. 32:29).

Most people would have seen Jacob’s limp as a handicap, but Jacob knew better. His limp was a memento of his life-changing encounter with God, which had left him broken and leaning. The broken Jacob was the blessed Jacob. This was the Jacob who became a mighty patriarch and the father of a nation that bears his new name, Israel.

At the Last Supper Jesus took the bread of Communion and said, “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you” (1 Cor. 11:24).

This brokenness that He spoke of was the crucifixion He would soon endure. That brokenness would loose the greatest power the world has ever known.

The apostle Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20).When we are crucified with Christ, this death to self is a brokenness that allows the life of Christ to flow out of us. A broken person is a person who is crucified with Christ. It is in this kind of person that God’s will is being done and in whom God’s kingdom is present and flowing out to the world around him.

Final Part of a 3 Part Bible Study

by Reinhard Bonnke

Neither Angels nor Principalities Image © Luca Oleastri

A Counterfeit Fascination Science no longer convinces people as it once did. Thus intelligent people resort to astrology, fortunetelling, spirit consultation, contact with cosmic forces, pantheism, worshiping earth spirits, and following various gurus and new messiahs. Yet, these fascinations, though intended for evil by Satan, can actually open people’s hearts and minds to the good side of the spirit realm – the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a most relevant truth. We have a Gospel of power and hope for the millions bound by superstition or the occult – from the Ouija board to Satanism.

The Heavenlies An evangelist must talk about Heaven. The Gospel presents a promise of future glory, and an evangelist must clearly preach that promise. However, when I think about “Heaven,” I do not first think of it in the usual sense. We often speak of Heaven as if it were merely God’s dwelling place. Yes, Heaven is God’s dwelling place, but He is not limited to Heaven as the sole

resting place for His presence. He does not need just one place to call His own. The whole universe is His sanctuary – and He especially dwells in our hearts.

So when I think of Heaven, I first think of it as the invisible spirit realm that is too finite to contain God. For He is the Uncreated One, existing in a category all by Himself.

Everything else is created, standing on the opposite side of a great gulf that separates them from the Creator – the Holy One, the High and Lofty One – Who inhabits eternity. No realm of spirits can contain Him, for the heavens cannot contain Him! Therefore, no spirit in these “heavenlies” can compete with the Spirit of the Lord.

No devil, no principality, no ruler in high places is equal to Him, nor even remotely like Him. That is why the name of Jesus brings every demon to heel like a dog.

The One, True Source for Christians Syncretism has become popular in our day. People attempt to bring all religions together into a coherent whole. But I refuse to believe in the combined “truth” of a mass of 15

conflicting religious opinions where everything is watered down to some nebulous, unified “religious spirit.”

Where is salvation, forgiveness, or even a common conception of the afterlife in all of that murk? What about the work of Christ Who gave Himself in obedience to suffer death on the Cross? The Gospel declares that there is one Lord and one Spirit, and no man can call Jesus Lord except by that one Spirit. Christianity is about the Gospel – Christ crucified, risen, and ascended – and what that Gospel means for us. Nothing needs to be added to it. Attach the scraps from other religions and you destroy it – just as you cannot gild the lily, or paint the rose.

God is not merely one part of the invisible world. People claim that Buddhists, Spiritualists, Spiritual Healers, New Agers and others can draw healing from the spirit realm, and that Christians can do the same. But that claim is quasiscientific or metaphysical theory. It is not Scripture. God does not belong to an “area” or “pool” of spirits; He is not one Spirit among others. Also, Christians do not seek generic “spirit” or “spirits” as their source for life and provision. We go to our Father in the name of Jesus.

All good things come from Him. We use the word “supernatural” for occurrences that have no natural explanation. They may be caused by God or by evil powers. God manifests His power to uphold His purposes for Creation, that all things shall be good. That includes delivering people from the oppression of the devil, miracles, and healings. The best that the power of Satan can produce is magic, tricks, and phenomena of no

value – like moving tables or similar useless feats.

Scripture only mentions demons when they enter people. There are evil angels (Ps. 78:49), but we read nothing about angel possession, although Satan did enter into Judas (John 13:27). There are also powers and principalities (Eph. 6:12), as well as unclean spirits. But there are no grounds for the teaching of territorial spirits. I do not believe that a devil sitting on the town hall can affect the decisions of the local council. The work of the devil is personal. Our mandate is to cast demons out of people, not out of skies or buildings. I’m astonished when people begin a service by rebuking the powers of darkness in the church. Jesus promises His presence, so no devil would be comfortable there anyway.

“Proclaim Liberty to the Captives!”

Christ commissioned us to preach forgiveness to all nations, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Liberals do not embrace the authentic Christian commission. Instead, they espouse what they think is God’s political or social work in a country.

They call it “contextualization.” It may sound very clever, but we cannot get rid of demons through politics. Only the Gospel can do that. In China, liberal missionaries withdrew when Chairman Mao set up Communist rule, saying that he was ushering in God’s Kingdom. But we certainly would not see it that way today.

Christ’s work was primarily an onslaught against the demonic realm. Until Christ, no prophet – Moses, Elijah, Elisha, or any other – ever cast out evil spirits. Only the Messianic power vested in Christ by the Holy Spirit could do that. And

when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they received that same Messianic power. Then they had the same authority and means to manifest the Kingdom by casting out unclean spirits. So God does not call an evangelist merely to propagate a religious idea or a doctrine, but to “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18) – to actually set people free!

The Much-quoted Passage In the Old Testament, demon power lay solely in idolatry (Deut. 32:17).

And some argue that the New Testament letters do not stress demonology. Of course they don’t.

The authors of the letters did not need to argue for something everyone already believed. You may as well expect theological books to emphasize the weather. The existence of demons was taken for granted. However, the New Testament letters say enough about demons to reveal the powerful grip of belief in spirit forces. Paul uses the word “demon” several times (1 Cor. 10:20-21; 1 Tim 4:1), as well as other names for the powers of evil.

For example, Ephesians is written with a clear awareness of a common belief in evil forces: “You used to live [in] the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time” (Eph. 2:23, NIV). The much-quoted passage about the whole armour of God is actually concerned with the devil as the enemy (Eph. 6:10-18).

Thus Ephesians suggests that heaven is closer than we think. It tells us that “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). We Westerners assume 16

heavenly realms are geographically remote, beyond outer space. But the Bible speaks of heaven and earth as close to one another. The ascension of Christ was not a journey into outer space, as some liberals have mockingly suggested.

The disciples were still looking into the sky when angels suddenly told them Jesus had already gone into heaven (Acts 1:10-11). Also, when Elisha and his servant were outnumbered by a large army, the prophet prayed for the servant’s eyes to be opened. The Lord opened his eyes, and he saw the mountain full of angelic hosts protecting them (2 Kgs 6:17). They had been there all the time. It was just the young man’s eyesight that was faulty. Indeed, angels are present all the time, because heaven is closer than we think.

The Hebrew word for Heaven is always plural – “the heavens” (shamayim). That implies that Heaven is as infinite as eternity – a realm of endless surprise, endless wonder, and endless joy. To miss it is madness, for Christ died to bring many sons into glory. Heaven is glorious beyond our wildest imagination.

The cross has a crossbeam and an upright beam, signifying the horizontal reach of Christ across the world and the vertical reach of Christ to heaven. His kingdom is not merely territorial, but reaches into the vast, eternal work of God. The Gospel aims at changing earth and heaven ... and it will.

This article reproduced with the kind permission of Christ for all Nations.

The Faith-builders Bible study series The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.

Pastors, home or study group leaders and indeed for anyone wishing to study the Bible for themselves will benefit from using Faith-builders studies.

Each volume is the result of many years of group Bible study, and has been revised again and again to be relevant, challenging and faith building whilst remaining clear and easy to understand.

Each chapter has thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.

Below is an extract from the study notes for Mark chapter 9.

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The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.

Mark Chapter 11 (an extract)

By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem 11:1-2 Now as they approached Jerusalem, near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

Jesus made preparation for his entry into Jerusalem by sending two of his disciples to bring the colt of an ass (Matt. 21:2) which they would find tied up at the place he specified. The unusual thing about this was that the colt had never been ridden before. Normally, such an animal might prove very difficult to ride; but Christ was able to tame the animal with a touch. In these verses we observe the omniscience (all-knowing) of Christ, which is an attribute of God. Only God could

know where the colt would be, and the details of its history.

standing there said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying that colt?’

They replied as Jesus had told them, and the bystanders let them go.

Mark Chapter 2 (abstract)

11:3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this? 'say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here soon.'

By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

Jesus also knew that the disciples would be challenged concerning their right to take the colt. Their answer, “the Lord needs it”, would be sufficient for the colt to be freely given without further argument.

Jesus had the absolute right to use the colt if he wished, for, “The LORD owns the earth and all it contains” (Ps. 24:1).

Some commentators take what was done to the colt as an illustration for Christian life; inasmuch as the Lord has set us free (John 8:36; Rom. 6:18) and has first claim on our lives (Rom. 14:8).

11:4-6 So they went and found a colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and untied it. Some people 17

Everything happened exactly as Jesus said it would; some locals challenged the disciples about their removing of the colt, but did not obstruct them when they knew that it was wanted by Jesus.

We too can be sure that if we receive any word from Christ then it will be fulfilled (Luke 21:33).

11:7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

The disciples were willing to give up their coats to provide an improvised saddle and that this untamed colt was willing to submit itself under the hand of Jesus without any fuss.

Are we as ready to give to Jesus and to submit our lives for his use?

11:8 Many spread their cloaks on the road and others spread branches they had cut in the fields.

If the disciples were willing to lend their coats to Jesus the people went even further, throwing their garments on the ground. Those who had no coats took what they found to hand – the branches of the trees – to lay down in honour of him; their crude equivalent of the red carpet which is laid out for royalty to walk on.

11:9-10 Both those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’

So Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey in fulfilment of the scripture (Zech.

9:9). The people welcome him as the promised deliverer or saviour (“Hosanna” means ‘save, we pray’) and king (Isaiah 9:7). These could not have been the same people who would later cry out for him to be crucified, for they acknowledged that he came in the name of the Lord. Yet it may have been the case that they believed that he had come to set up his kingdom on earth; whereas in fact he had come to impart the life of his kingdom into people’s hearts (Luke 17:21).

11:11 Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. And after looking around at everything, he went out to Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.

On entering the city Jesus went immediately to the temple to survey all that was going on there.

In Matthew 21:15-16 the chief priests and scribes objected to him about the children’s’ praising him in the temple, but in reply Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2, “from the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise”; and in Luke 19:40 Christ insisted that if his own disciples did not

praise him then the very stones would do so.

repentance and good motivated by faith in him.

As it was already late, Jesus left the city which would have been crowded for the festival and full of his enemies to stay in the safety of a home in Bethany; probably that of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

God’s desire for those he has chosen, whom he indwells by his Spirit and to whom he has given his word, is that we might bear fruit for his honour and glory (John 15:5; Rom. 7:4). In fact, as part of this ongoing process, Jesus said that God will “prune” the branches of his vine (often through tribulation) so that they may bring forth even more fruit (John 15:2).

Barrenness 11:12 Now the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he was hungry.

Just like any other man, Jesus knew hunger and this clearly demonstrates that he was not only the divine Son of God, but also fully human - the Son of Man. 11:13 After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it.

When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

Nearby was a flourishing fig tree, and so Jesus approaches it, expecting to find fruit, even though it was not the season for figs. Often before the main crop of figs the fig tree produces smaller figs, and it may have been these which Jesus hoped to find. But the tree was barren; there was no fruit on it.

If these verses are taken to be an enacted parable, then the fig tree represents Israel. God had chosen Israel to be his own people and had given them his word so that they might bear the fruit of righteousness. Yet when God sent his only Son to them, he found no such fruit, but only rejection.

11:14 He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it.

It was because of its barrenness that the Lord cursed the fig tree and it died. Similar judgment would await all those who rejected Christ and failed to produce the fruits of

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works

Cleansing the Temple 11:15-16 Then they came to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.

When he had visited the temple on the previous day, Jesus had witnessed all that was going on there. His purpose in returning was to cleanse and purify it as a place of worship. The money changers and animal sellers occupied the court of the Gentiles, which was the part of the temple which had been set aside for those of all nations to pray to God. For Jesus the spiritual act of worship was of greater importance than the outward observance of religion, which these money makers had been taking advantage of. So he drives them out of the temple, and would not permit any merchandise in the temple area at all; bringing the area back into use for its intended purpose.

11:17 Then he began to teach them and said, ‘Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have turned it into a den of robbers!’

The fact that Jesus needed to teach the Jews this suggests that they had become so used to misusing the

temple that they had forgotten its true purpose. So Jesus instructs them that the proper use of temple was as a “house of prayer” (Isa. 56:7) and that it was sacrilege to use it for anything else.

11:18-19 The chief priests and the experts in the law heard it and they considered how they could assassinate him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed by his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

You would have thought that the chief priest and scribes, the upholders of the Jewish religion would have supported Jesus in this reform. Instead they tried to find a way to kill him, for they feared that the people would forsake their teachings and follow Jesus instead; in whom they saw a sincerity and truth which they did not have.

Success or Failure in Prayer 11:20-21 In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.’

The following morning, as they were returning to Jerusalem from Bethany, the disciples noticed that the fig tree which Jesus had cursed was completely dead, from the roots up. Peter drew attention to this fact.

11:22 Jesus said to them, ‘Have faith in God. Jesus used the fig tree to encourage their faith and teach them how to be successful in prayer; for with God nothing is impossible. Jesus had spoken the word and it was done; even though in this instance it did not happen straight away.

There is nothing that he cannot do (Acts 10:38; Rom. 1:4).

without a shadow of doubt that what he says he will do (Heb. 1:1).

11:23 I tell you the truth, if someone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Jesus stated that there is nothing impossible for those who have this kind of faith. The mountain is an immovable object, representing every problem, need, or situation that we can face. etc.), and these will be completely uprooted and removed through faith alone. There must be no uncertainty in the heart: believe that what you have declared in the Lord’s name will take place (Mark 9:23).

11:24 For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

This promise still stands for all believers. Whatever we desire, so long as those desires are good, if we believe that we have received the answer to our prayer then the answer will be ours (John 15:7).

11:25-26 Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your sins.’

However, Jesus also wanted his disciples to avoid the pitfalls that would make their prayers unsuccessful. Although we have access to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ at all times (Eph. 2:18) several things can hinder our prayer life. Among them are unbelief, un-confessed sin and the one that Jesus highlighted in this passage, an unforgiving spirit.

Forgiveness is the complete cancelation of sin or debt. When we remember that God has forgiven us so much, we ought not to withhold our forgiveness from others (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13).

Faith is the constant attitude of taking God at his word, believing 19

Jesus said that we hold anything against anyone, when we stand praying, we must forgive, whether they are brothers and sisters in Christ or unbelievers. As we forgive so we too may receive forgiveness.

This does not mean that God is ever unwilling to forgive us, for our God is ever ready to pardon (Neh. 9:17), but that our unforgiving spirit creates a barrier which prevents us receiving God’s forgiveness.

If we do not forgive, and harbour bitterness in our hearts then we are not in a right place to receive from God. Our prayers will continue to go unanswered until we put things right.

Whose Authority?

11:27 They came again to Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the experts in the law, and the elders came up to him Having arrived once again at Jerusalem, Jesus returned to the temple where he was immediately confronted by the chief priests and experts in the law who were on this occasion joined by the elders, the heads of the tribes and clans of the Jewish nation.

11:28 and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?’

They had certainly not forgiven Jesus for what he had done in the temple the day before and challenged his authority to do such things. What kind of authority did Jesus have; was it political, religious, or military? Who gave him that authority?

11:29 Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: Jesus refused to answer their question, unless they answered his question first. His question strikes

at the heart of their deceit and hypocrisy. We recall that when Job questioned God - God in return questioned Job and Job had no answers to give; God silenced him.

11:30-32 John's baptism — was it from heaven or from people?

Answer me.’ They discussed with one another, saying, ‘If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From people — ' (they feared the crowd, for they all considered John to be truly a prophet).

The fact that they could not answer Jesus concerning the source of John the Baptist’s authority reveals what kind of men these religious leaders were. They were in a quandary – for if they admitted that John’s authority came from God then Jesus would ask why they had not heeded John's message. On the other hand, if they said that John spoke of his own accord then the people would turn on them because they considered John to be a prophet.

11:33 So they answered Jesus, ‘We don't know.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’

So the religious leaders tried to avoid the issue by stating that they did not know, thus condemning themselves. For why were they plotting to kill Jesus, whom John had pointed them too, if they remained genuinely unsure about the origin of John’s Christ-heralding ministry? In their hearts they knew full well where both Jesus’ and John the Baptist's authority came from; but they did not want to admit it because that would leave them with no excuse for their rejection of Christ. Failing to answer Jesus’ question, they received no direct answer from him (although, Jesus actually does answer them through a parable, that of the workers in the vineyard).

Discussion Questions for Chapter 11 1. vv. 1-11. In your own words, describe what happened as Jesus entered Jerusalem. _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________

2. vv.11-14 and 20-26. This object lesson in faith can also be taken as a parable about those living in Jerusalem in Jesus’ time. What did God expect to find in their lives, and what did Jesus find instead? _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________

3. vv. 15-18. What angered Jesus about the market place in the temple? _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________

4. List those things which would make the disciples prayers successful and what things would hinder their prayers.

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_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________

5. vv. 27-33. Why do you think that the Pharisees questioned Jesus’ authority (11:27-33)? _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________

Suggested answers: 1. As Jesus entered Jerusalem he rode on a young donkey which no one had ever previously ridden. The disciples cut down palm leaves and placed these together with their coats on the road like a pathway before him, and shouted praise to God with loud voices, saying ‘Hosanna!’

2. God expect to find the fruit of repentance, obedience and faith in response to Jesus’ message among those who lived in Jerusalem. Instead, Jesus found only unbelief, hardness of heart and rejection.

3. Jesus was angry because the temple was to be a holy place of worship and prayer. To profane God’s place of worship was, to Jesus, to insult God and profane his name.

4. The disciples’ prayers would be successful as they had faith that they would receive the answer to their prayers. However, unforgiveness and unbelief would hinder their prayers.

5. The Pharisees opposed Jesus’ authority because it undermined their own.

Our In Depth Study Zechariah Chapter 1

By Mathew Bartlett Photo © Jacob Gegory

Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.

This article is an extract from The Prophet of Messiah – a Zechariah Bible Commentary Buy Paperback £2.54 Amazon.co.uk Introduction: The Setting of the Prophet’s Ministry 1:1 In the eighth month of Darius' second year, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows: The inspired historian who wrote down Zechariah’s prophecies dates his ministry as beginning during the reign of Darius of Persia (522-482 B.C.E), meaning that Zechariah (like Haggai) began at the time when the Jews had already begun their return from exile in Babylon and were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem.

Zechariah was a prophet who heard directly the word of the Lord; his family line is noted in order to emphasise that, like Ezekiel, he was a priest as well as a prophet. It appears that his relationship with the other religious leaders started off well, although by the end of his ministry the people had become hard-hearted and the challenges of this man of God were too much for them; Jesus later spoke of Zechariah’s martyrdom at their hands (Matt. 23:35).

There is a good deal of debate among scholars as to whether Zechariah is a literary unity, or whether it is actually two separate books, written by different prophets at different times. For the purposes of this study, we will treat

the book as being essentially one, with the prophecies from chapters 9-14 containing earlier material utilised by Zechariah and moulded by him to illustrate his contemporary God-given message to the exiles. Yet although the larger portion of the message was relevant to the Jews at the time of their return from exile, we shall find that many of the lessons expressed endure in their relevance to all believers throughout all time.

1:2 The LORD was very angry with your ancestors.

The questions of ‘Why have we been in exile?’ and, ‘What is this return to Israel all about?’ must have been an important to those returning from Babylon; especially since there were very few left alive who had ever seen Israel at all, or who could remember the former temple and their previous way of life in Jerusalem. ‘Why did our ancestors leave Israel, and why are we returning now?’ was a hot topic.

A political answer might have been, ‘because Nebuchadnezzar conquered our country and took us as his slaves’; but Zechariah wants to underline the moral and spiritual reasons which lay behind these world-changing events. Zechariah’s instruction of the exiles began with reference to the sovereignty of God. It was not because of the mere 21

geo-political situation that the Jews had been exiled. It was God who became very angry with their ancestors because of their sin and caused them to fall into the hand of their enemies who carried them off as slaves. Their turning from God had caused him to cast them out of the land they were living in.

To a Jew, the favour of God and the blessing of living in the Promised Land were inseparable ideas. Their national identity rested largely on this: that God had brought them out of slavery in Egypt to be his people, and had given them the land to live in. Consequently a removal from the land was seen as a symbol of God’s anger, whilst returning to the land was a sign of his gracious favour.

1:3 Therefore say to the people: The LORD who rules over all says, "Turn to me," says the LORD who rules over all, "and I will turn to you," says the LORD who rules over all.

So Zechariah next urges the younger generation not to repeat the mistakes of the past. ‘Turn to me’, says God through Zechariah’s message, ‘and I will turn to you’. By implication God’s turning to them again meant a restoration of blessing in terms of their national identity and dignity.

1:4 “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, 'The LORD who rules over all says, "Turn now from your evil wickedness," ' but they would by no means obey me," says the LORD. Even in such a day of grace, Zechariah found it necessary to warn the returning exiles not to be stubborn and heard-hearted as their ancestors had been; who refused to hear and obey the voice of God through the former prophets. Such a warning always remains poignant, and believers today are similarly cautioned not to follow the examples of unbelief witnessed among God’s people in history, but to readily hear and heed the voice of God (Heb. 3:7-8).

1:5-6 “As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever? But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? Then they paid attention and confessed, 'The LORD who rules over all has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.' " What profit did Israel make by refusing to heed God’s voice?

Although they rebelled against the word of God, that word stood fast and came to pass, whilst they were taken away in judgment. The word of God outlived their ancestors. It always will. No word of God can ever fall to the ground; it must accomplish the purpose for which it was sent (Isa. 55:11). Jesus said ‘My words shall never pass away’ (Matt.

24:35). In view of this, an abiding principle becomes clear: it is forever unwise to ignore or disobey the word of God. 1:7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat,

in Darius' second year, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:

purpose, and Zechariah’s vision shows that he was about to bring that plan to pass for the sake of the exiles of Judah.

A large portion of the revelation God gave to Zechariah came in the form of dreams or visions which had meanings relevant to the people that he was ministering to. The first two of these are described in this chapter.

1:11 The riders then agreed with the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet."

First Vision: The Four Horses 1:8-10 I was attentive that night and saw a man seated on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I asked one nearby, "What are these, sir?" The angelic messenger who replied to me said, "I will show you what these are."

Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, "These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk about on the earth."

The vision of the four horses ought not to be confused with John’s later vision of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in Revelation 6:1-8. For these riders have no sinister intent.

They are servants, possibly angels, who had been sent by the Lord on a reconnaissance mission to report on the state of the earth. We may not know whether God actually does send angels to report on human affairs, or whether their presence in the vision is symbolic of God knowing completely the affairs of the world. In either case the vision speaks of God’s complete and perfect knowledge of world events.

Those returning from exile needed to be aware that everything which was happening was known to God and was ultimately in his hands.

God always has a plan and a 22

The report given by the riders was that everything on earth was at rest and quiet. Why was this information passed on to the exiles through Zechariah? Were they fearful of attack and invasion by hostile foreign powers? The word of God indicated that no such attacks were imminent or likely, and this must have reassured them to continue the work of rebuilding without fear. God had made a time of peace, so that his temple might be rebuilt. This is the reason why Christians are urged to pray for all in authority, so that we too might enjoy a similar time of peace in which we might live godly lives without fear (1 Tim. 2:1-3).

1:12-13 The angel of the LORD then asked, "LORD who rules over all, how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?" The LORD then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me.

Again, it was not for the angel’s benefit that this question was asked or answered. It was that the people to whom Zechariah was ministering might know the answer. God had already said that he exile would last seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10).

Daniel came to understand this (Dan. 9:2); and Zechariah’s vision

indicated that this period of time had at last been fulfilled. The return of the exiles to Jerusalem was neither the result of their own impulse, nor of a political decision by the earlier king Cyrus – it was the result of God’s own plan being carried out by his wisdom and mighty power. The words of assurance given to the angel indicated that God would be with his people to help and strengthen them. God’s promises through the earlier prophets would be fulfilled: the temple and the city would be rebuilt and the people would dwell in safety, walking in God’s laws.

More than that, if they only knew, the time was coming near for the Messiah to be born, and he would be born in one of those cities of Judah which was being rebuilt near Jerusalem; a place called Bethlehem.

1:14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, "Cry out that the LORD who rules over all says, 'I am very much moved for Jerusalem and for Zion.

Whilst the vision contains symbolic elements, there are also clear utterances of what God says to his people such as the words here: ‘I am moved for Jerusalem and for Zion.’

1:15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.

God had determined to punish the nation for its idolatry and disobedience, but the nations whom he had sent to execute this punishment had gone too far in their anger. God had sought to only punish his people, but Israel’s enemies sought to destroy them.

The prophet hereby reveals that it was never God’s intention to destroy Israel.

1:16 “‘Therefore,' says the LORD, 'I have become compassionate toward Jerusalem and will rebuild my temple in it, 'says the LORD who rules over all.’ Once more a surveyor's measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.'

God’s love is always greater than his anger. Though he had punished Israel, he had not forsaken her or turned away from her completely.

He reassured the exiles that he – God – would see to the rebuilding of his temple. They would be his helpers in the work; surveyors and builders to work with him; but the rebuilding would be accomplished according to the immutable purpose of God. 1:17 Speak up again with the message of the LORD who rules over all: 'My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the LORD will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.' " God wanted the people to know that when the city and its temple were rebuilt, his blessing and their resulting prosperity would be overflowing. It would be a time of abundant blessing, in which God would once again make known to all nations that he had chosen Jerusalem as his dwelling and Israel as his people.

Vision Two: The Four Horns 1:18-19 (2:1) Once again I looked and this time I saw four horns. So I asked the angelic messenger who spoke with me, "What are these?"

He replied, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

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The vision has now changed.

Zechariah saw four horns – always symbolic of military rulers. It was true that military rulers had scattered Israel and Judah and Jerusalem. Four great empires had ruled over them since the dispersion: the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes, and now the Persians.

1:20-21 Next the LORD showed me four blacksmiths. I asked, "What are these going to do?" He answered, "These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah's enemies and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people."

But although men had scattered the people of Israel, God was already in the process of gathering them together again. Blacksmiths are not soldiers but craftsmen; and it was not military might that would restore Jerusalem. It was by the act of rebuilding that the nation would become a terror to its previous enemies. For when they saw what God had done for Israel, they realised that God was again among them (Neh. 6:16), and so they were dissuaded from attacking Jerusalem.

Israel at this time remained part of the Persian Empire, an empire later taken over by Alexander the Great.

Alexander’s armies never actually fought in Palestine; the ‘possession’ of Israel merely passed to him when he defeated the Persians, at which time Jerusalem paid him tribute. So following the return from exile, there was to be no more scattering of Israel until the Romans in AD 70, nearly 600 years later.

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