Living Word Magazine Going Deeper into God’s Word

Issue 9 April 2012

Bible Studies by: Daniel Kolenda, Ken Legg, Matthew Parsons, Derek Williams, Edwin & Lillian Harvey & more!

To know Him and experience the power

of His resurrection.

1

JOHN 1:14. WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY, THE GLORY AS OF A FATHER'S ONLY SON (NRSV) IN THIS ISSUE

©Photos above Marafilm CoverDanilo Ascione photo Back cover Peter Saharov

In this month’s issue: 2. The Holiness & Glory of God Lewis Armstrong (USA)

3. Rebuilding the Walls Part 2 Arfon Lloyd Thomas (UK)

5 A Round with God Matthew Parsons (UK)

7. Rescued from the Pit Wesley Chick (UK)

9. How To Walk Worthy Without Becoming Religious

Ken Legg (Australia AG)

10. Train Others to Pray Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)

11. The Pentecostal Bible Commentary – 1 Corinthians Mathew Bartlett (UK)

13. The Exaltation of Christ Mathew Bartlett (UK)

17. The Runaway Prophet (Jonah) Derek Williams (UK)

19. In Depth Study – Revelation Chapter 14 Derek Williams (UK)

21. Guest Article: Prayer that Brings Heaven to Earth Daniel

Kolenda (CfaN)

©Photos Above& Back cover © Photoquest. Cover: © Karlien Du plessis.. Left © from top:Eric1512, Jeff Schulz,BCritchley, Paul Prescott and Velvetweb.

Bible Studies Online International

www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk

2

The Holiness & Glory of God WRITE IN THE GAPS

HOLINESS

Exodus 15:11

In what way is God glorious?

_______________________________

Exodus 33:23

Why do you think God's Face could not be seen? ________________________

I Chr. 16:29 Worship the LORD in the _________ of ________.

Psalm 93:5

What adorns the Lord's house?

________________________________

Psalm 96:9

Due to his holiness, we should _________ before Him

Isaiah 57:15

Where does the Holy One dwell?

________________________

Amos 4:2 Because He is Holy, what does God have to do?

_____________________

2 Corinthians 7:1

We should be ____________ holiness.

Ephesians 4:24

Describe the new man we put on when we obeyed the Gospel?

_______________________________

I Thessalonians 3:13.

Explain what God does to our heart.

_______________________________

I Thessalonians 4:7.

What did God not call us to?

_____________________________

Hebrews 12:14:

What would be the result of our not living in holiness?

____________________________

I Peter 1:15-16 We are to be ______ as He is ______.

GLORY

Psalm 113:4 How is God's glory described?

________________________________

Psalm 138:5

What is the magnitude of God's glory? __________________________

Isaiah 2:19.

What will God's glory do?

________________________________

Isaiah 6:3

How could the earth be full of God's glory? __________________________

Isaiah 35:2

In Christ, God’s people will see what?

________________________________

Isaiah 42:8

What is God implying?

_______________________________

Isaiah 60:1-2

What will be seen on the people?

_______________________________

Ezekiel 43:4

Describe how the glory of the Lord moved. _________________________

Eze. 43:5.How did the temple have the glory of God?

________________________________

Hab.2:14.What will the earth be filled with?

________________________________

Mark 8:38 How will Jesus come again?

________________________________

Rev. 4:11 Why is God to receive glory?

_______________________________

March Reader’s Article By Lewis Armstrong USA

3

PREPARATIONS AND PROBLEMS

One thing becomes very apparent

when we study Christian history –

that is whenever anyone says, “Let

us get up or arise and build” the

Devil is quick to awaken and say “Let

us get up and destroy!”

The Bible records for us that there

were about 50,000 Jewish people

now living in and around Jerusalem.

Unfortunately they had very little

concern for the sad and fallen state

of Jerusalem and the Temple.

However, we need to note that once

Nehemiah made it known that he

was about to start a rebuilding

project all the problems began! We

learn from this that no battle

commences in the spiritual sense

until someone dares to stand up for

what they know is right.

A question that we might like to

ponder is: How much overtime has

Satan had to put in due to our

willingness to stand our ground for

God’s glory?

The Bible makes it clear that

whenever we stand up for Jesus as

citizens of Heaven then the Devil

will throw all that he has at us to try

to destroy our walls of faith. He will

do all that he can to ruin our steps

of obedience. If you don’t want to

be involved in the battle, then may I

suggest that you remain seated!

The action of Nehemiah is a good

example for us today. He first took

a tour of inspection and viewed the

state of affairs. Likewise, whenever

we are called to undertake a task for

God we should also view the scene

by taking a good look at our own

lives. In doing so we will be able to

identify the difficulties and weak

points. We may even weep over the

ruins that we find. However, with

God’s help, we don’t have to linger

over every negative situation. We

just need to look at them with

honesty and then gracefully and

humbly hand them over into His

loving care. Or, as the great hymn

says, ‘Take everything to God in

prayer.’

Great and wonderful movements of

renewal and revival begin in God

when one humble Child of God is

willing to make amends. Nehemiah

was brave and bold enough to look

fully at the facts and analyse them,

then turn to God for guidance. May

we also pray:

O God, how can we stay seated

when there is so much at stake?

Many walls of Your Kingdom have

been destroyed and neglected.

Please give us courage this day to

stand up and be counted. Teach us

Lord, how to take a glance at the

problems of our own lives and to

look to You for the possibilities that

lie ahead. Amen.

Once Nehemiah is in possession of

all the facts he then convenes a

REBUILDING THE WALLS NEHEMIAH Chapter 2:10-20 By Arfon Lloyd Thomas (UK)

Photo: © Paul Prescott

4

meeting of all the inhabitants and

draws their attention to the

problems that surround them.

Likewise, the Bible tells us that the

Holy Spirit convenes a meeting with

each one of us and convicts us of sin

– yet conveys a passage of

righteousness through Christ Jesus

our Lord.

Sometimes the spiritual matters of

our lives become somewhat clouded

by familiarity and we need to be

firmly confronted. We need to look

around to see and take note of our

spiritual home.

God never intended us to be as

ruined walls – for this would never

glorify Him.

How desperately we need Godly

men and women to take a stand

within the Church today. We need

people to stand up to the opposition

of the Devil and his dominion. We

also need to stand together and say,

“Make all the threats you want to,

we will not be diverted from our

task of rebuilding God’s House for

His glory.” We are called then to

continue the work of rebuilding

broken walls as we praise His Name.

Nehemiah rejected the opposition

because he was under a commission

from God the Father and that is why

he was able to stand his ground.

Let us be reminded that Satan has

camped for long enough on God’s

property and it’s time for us to

stand up and say, “In the Name of

Jesus it’s time for you to go.”

Prayer:

O Lord, forgive us for our timidity when facing Satan and his forces. We know we are no match for him in our own name. But in Your Name there is just no contest! Help us to rise up and resist him for Your glory. Amen.

Building the Walls Worldwide

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

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

Contact the Bible Studies Online International office at:

admin@biblestudiesonline.co.uk

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ompanion.html

5

'Brian,' I started, so what's the thought behind a rescue club?'

'I guess, to rescue you from a difficult place.' Brian replied.

Well I,m not sure if every golfer needs such a club in his or her bag, but I am convinced we all need rescuing from a very difficult place.

One of the hardest tasks I have as a preacher is to try and open the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf and the Iips of the mute. of course I refer to the spiritual life of individuals and not the physical, although Jesus has and still continues to heal the sick. However, the spiritually blind refuse to see the

truth, the spiritually deaf refuse to hear the truth and the spiritually mute refuse to talk about the truth.

Some just get very angry, very defensive and storm off.

Please stay with me for a sentence or two as I explain what I mean by being rescued. God has declared that not one of us is perfect and that we have all fallen short of His standard. Many I years ago I failed an examination by two marks. Fifty percent was the pass and I achieved forty eight percent. ''Are you going to fail me for the sake of two marks?'' I asked my tutor.

The reply was straight to the point. 'Two marks or forty-two marks short, it matters not. You still fail.' The point was made.

l think if God would settle for 'reasonable behaviour' as a pass mark for Heaven most of us would settle for that, or to put it in golfing terms, we would 'take it off the tee' . The problem is, God will not compromise, and the pass mark into Heaven is one hundred percent perfection. This means we are all stuck, because none of us are perfect. We need rescuing.

The pass mark into the Kingdom of God is not achieved by our good works or by our own self righteousness. You cannot go to Heaven by going to church, reading your Bible or even saying prayers. You cannot go by way of confession to a priest or by saying that you were christened as a baby.

Tom is one of our top golfers at Merlin. He is well respected as he serves the community as a police detective, undertaking a very important role. Having said that, Tom would see himself very much as 'one of the boys' and without going into detail his life had been at low

A Round with God Testimonies from the Golf

Course

By Matthew Parsons Photo © Karlien Du Plessis

Evangelist with Assemblies of God UK

6

ebb prior to meeting his wife to be, Hannah.

I first met Tom at Merlin and although I found him to be very approachable he would say today that at that stage in his life, he was not a very nice person. On one occasion, he shared with me about the death of his dad. we went on to talk about heaven and eternal life and Tom was slightly interested without being totally dismissive. From that time I, with a few friends started to pray for him. It was no great surprise therefore when some months later he opened up to me again as we stood at the bar of the clubhouse.

'Something has happened to me. I don't want anyone to really know about it, but I have had a real experience of God'. What Tom didn't know was that following a chat I had with him when he shared about his step-dad dying, I and a few others had been praying for him on a regular basis.

'So what happened?'' I asked trying to give a quiet controlled answer, while inwardly I was jumping up and down rejoicing. 'l was out on the road, when suddenly this lorry was coming up behind me, I lifted my hands and said 'God I am yours,' and something has happened, but can you keep it quiet?'' We spoke for a few minutes about becoming a Christian, and we arranged to meet at his home the following week so that we could talk through what being a Christian was all about. Within a few days I was sitting with Tom and his lovely wife Hannah. I learnt more about horses in thirty minutes than I had learnt in fifty years owing to Hannah's expertise. Soon we were talking about what had happened to Tom. I explained that being a Christian was about having a restored relationship with God and not about trying to keep a

list of do's and dont's, must and must not's. We agreed that we had all sinned and l then shared one of my favourite verses in the Bible being 'The wages of sin is death, but the FREE GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.'

'You know Tom,' I continued 'What this verse is saying is that God is offering us a free gift. Eternal life. All of our sins, past, present and future were laid on Jesus Christ so we could be forgiven. The cross, Tom, is where Jesus laid down His life and became God's eternal sacrifice for sin. It's the place where we meet the grace of God and accept by faith God's free gift of forgiveness and salvation.'

That night, Tom accepted Jesus. As we prayed a very simple prayer I could sense that something very real was taking place in Tom' s life. 'Wow that's amazing' said Tom when he finished his prayer. It was a wonderful evening. Of course I was to keep it all very quiet, but I was not surprised when out if this new found relationship with God, Tom got a Bible, started to pray and even came to church. ln addition he started to tell others about this wonderful new life he had found in Jesus.

Yes, Jesus came to rescue all of us who have sinned and fall short of God's high standard. The question we must ask ourseIves is a simple one, ''What will I do with God's free gift of salvation?' Jesus has paid the price. All of us can be saved and all of us can be rescued from a lost eternity.

The Rescue Club is designed to get you out of danger. Do you have one in your bag? The rescue man, Jesus Christ, came to save you. Will you invite Him into your heart?

A Roung with God by Matthew Parsons

is available in paperback (101 pages) from Amazon UK price £5.99

Buy the book at Amazon UK

Famous Golfing Quotes

The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course. ~ Billy Graham

Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. ~William Wordsworth

If you drink, don't drive ~ Don't even putt. ~ Dean Martin

7

Recently our newspapers and television reports were filled with the story of miners trapped underground in the country of Chile. How pleased we were to see those miners rescued out of a horrible pit!

Ps.40v2:He brought me up also out

of an horrible pit, out of the miry

clay and set my feet upon a rock and

established my goings.

The word here means to be lifted

up, to rise up, to raise, to be brought

up.

The verse tells us that he, that is,

our Lord himself reaches down to

where we are. Verse one tells us

that he inclined to me and heard my

cry. Whatever the situation we are

in, when we call, he is ready to

respond and moves to help us.

Ps.113v5-7: Who is like the Lord our

God, who dwells on high. Who

humbles himself to behold the

things that are in heaven and in the

earth. He raises up the poor out of

the dust and lifts the needy out of

the dunghill.

The words ‘horrible pit’ are a

reference to a cistern, a dungeon, a

pit or grave. It is a place of

devastation, desolation and

destruction. This is a perfect

description of the destination of all

who turn against God.

Ps.9v17;The wicked shall be turned

into hell and all nations that forget

God.

The word that that is used for the

grave or the pit is inter-changeable,

both can be used, as the following

few verses show.

Job.33v18:He keeps back his soul

from the pit and his life from

perishing by the sword.

Ps.28v1:Unto you will I cry o Lord

my rock; be not silent to me. Lest if

you be silent to me, I become like

them that go down to the pit.

Although Christians die, God shall

redeem our life from the horrible pit

of death and corruption to the glory

of resurrection.

Hos.13v14:I will ransom them from

the power of the grave. I will

redeem them from death. O death I

will be your plagues. O grave I will

be your destruction.

The verse goes on to describe being

brought out of miry clay. This

describes the kind of earth

unsuitable for most plants. It is a

thick, slimy consistency, which is

difficult to remove and if a person

stands in this type of ground long

enough, can find themselves stuck

fast and unable to move. This is an

apt picture of the world that has the

unsaved held fast in its grip. They

can do nothing of themselves to get

out of it, only God in his mercy, can

reach down and lift them free; this

speaks to us of God’s salvation.

Ps.37v39: But the salvation of the

righteous is of the Lord. He is their

strength in time of trouble.

Is.12v2: Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid; for the

Lord Jehovah is my strength and my

song; he also has become my

salvation.

The verse goes on to say, and set my

feet upon a rock. This describes a

place that is firm, sure and

steadfast. It is also a description of

God.

1.Sam.2v2:There is none holy as the

Lord: for there is none beside thee:

neither is there any rock like our

God.

Ps.18v31:For who is God save the

Lord? Or who is a rock save our

God?

It is a spiritual foundation that

provides security.

The scriptures tell us that Christ

himself is the cornerstone.

1.Pet.2v6: Wherefore also it is

By Wesley Chick (UK)

Rescued from the Pit

Rescued from the Pit

By Wesley Chick (UK)

Photo: © Velvertweb

8

contained in the scripture, behold I

lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect,

precious; and he that believes on

him shall not be confounded.

1.Cor.3v11: For other foundation

can no man lay, than that is laid,

which is Jesus Christ.

Mat.21v42:Jesus said to them. Did

you never read in the scriptures, the

stone which the builders rejected,

the same has become the head of

the corner; this is the Lord’s doing

and it is marvellous in our eyes.

Eph.2v20: And are built on the

foundation of the Apostles and

Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being

the chief cornerstone.

As the chorus of the hymn puts it.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all

other ground is sinking sand.

The verse ends, and established my

goings. Having rescued us from the

pit and set us on the rock, we see

now that we are established along

the journey of our Christian life. The

word for establish here means, to

stand firm, steadfast, sure, faithful,

to be established. As saints we are

secure, firmly established and

cannot be moved.

Job.11v18: And you shall be secure,

because there is hope; you shall dig

about you and you shall take your

rest in safety.

2.Chr.20v20: And as they went

forth, Jehosaphat stood and said,

hear me, o Judah, and you

inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in

the Lord your God, so shall you be

established. Believe his prophets, so

shall you prosper.

Col.2v6+7: As you have therefore

received Christ Jesus the Lord, so

walk in him: rooted and built up in

him and established in the faith, as

you have been taught, abounding

therein with thanksgiving.

Ps.55v22: Cast your burden on the

Lord and he shall sustain you; he

shall never suffer the righteous to

be moved.

Ps.66v8+9: O bless our God, you

people and make the voice of his

praise to be heard. Who holds our

soul in life and suffers not our feet

to be moved.

There is an old chorus we used to

sing, not heard so much these days.

It says,

O glory to God he lifted me up, he

lifted me up I know. He reached

down his hand and lifted me up and

that’s why I love him so.

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New commentary on 1 Corinthians out now!

9

Image: ©Lostarts

The Holy Rosary Shop? How ‘religious’ can you get?

It is no secret that Jesus was an enemy of religion. Some say that the word ‘religion’ comes from the Latin word religare, which means “to tie, or to bind.” Concerning the religious leaders of His time, Jesus said: “…they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers” (Matt.23:4).

He was referring to how the leaders restricted people’s lives through a superabundance of rules and regulations. The Law had 613 commandments, but the scribes and elders decided that was not enough and added thousands more! That’s what religion does – it lays heavy burdens upon unsuspecting people who are led to believe that these man-made commandments are actually God-given. In contrast, Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He never came to bring people into bondage through the imposition of laws, but to set them free by means of the truth.

And yet, the New Testament epistles abound with exhortations relating to how we, as God’s people, should live. So what’s the difference? If we fail to answer this question correctly we will either end up using the New Testament in a legalistic way, or we will simply disregard all the instructions from the epistles and the truth will not impact our living.

Legalism or morality teaches us how to behave. In contrast, authentic Christianity helps us to “learn Christ” (see Eph.4:20). What does that mean to “learn Christ”? Here are three important distinctions between legalism, or morality, and New Testament instruction.

1) Morality tells people what to do, or not do, without any reference to Christ. It is a list of rules that can be used as a general moral checklist, even outside the context of the Church. We can give the same rules to the world – and in fact, sadly, much of Christianity today attempts to moralize society in this way. In contrast, the apostles always first taught Christians who they were in Christ and then exhorted them to be those people, i.e. to live in the power of their new creation identity. First they taught the believer’s position in Christ; and then they exhorted their hearers to embrace the ‘walk’ that corresponds with that position.

I often use a pair of scissors to illustrate this point. If you attempt to cut a piece of paper with a single blade of the scissors you are going to find it difficult. Scissors are effective only as both blades close against each other to produce a cutting result. Likewise, Paul’s epistles, such as Romans, Ephesians and Colossians are made up of two parts. The first part is doctrinal, in which Paul tells us who we are in Christ. In the second half he goes on to exhort us to let there be an outworking of what God has worked in us (Phil.2:12-13). No one who preaches or teaches from the Word of God has the right to exhort God’s people to behave in a certain way

without first telling them who they are in Christ. Otherwise they will just bring their hearers under the power of legalism and condemnation. On the other hand, if we think it is sufficient to only focus on the doctrinal truths of our new creation identity, without teaching the walk that corresponds with the new life, we will be equally deceived.

2) Morality makes demands upon us to produce something. We are expected to manufacture certain behavioural works. In contrast, in Christ we are given something. We have been given a life; His life! He that has the Son has the life. So, for example, instead of trying to produce patience, purity, love, generosity, etc., by faith I put on the new man which is the very life of Christ Himself (Eph.4:24; Rom.13:14).

3) Morality is an attempt to clean up bad habits. But the Christian life is different to this. The old behavioural patterns are replaced, not by focusing upon them but by embracing the new. When Spring arrives we don’t go into the garden and pluck off all the old leaves from the trees. Why? Because the new leaves automatically push the old ones from the branches. Likewise, as we put on the Lord Jesus Christ we make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its desires. By yielding the members of our bodies as instruments of righteousness unto holiness, we inevitably make them unavailable to serve sin. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh!

Ken Legg (AG Gold Coast, Australia)

How To Walk Worthy Without Becoming Religious

By Ken Legg

10

One of his disciples said unto him, Lord,

teach us to pray, as John also taught his

disciples (Luke 11:1).

The plea and purpose of the apostles

were to put the church to praying. They

did not ignore the grace of cheerful

giving. They were not ignorant of the

place which religious activity and work

occupied in the spiritual life. But not

one or all of these, in apostolic estimate

or urgency, could at all compare in

necessity and importance with prayer.

The most sacred and urgent pleas were

used, the most fervid exhortations, the

most comprehensive and arousing

words were uttered to enforce the all-

important obligation and necessity of

prayer. —E. M. Bounds.

In traveling among the nations, John R.

Mott made it a practice to study the

sources of the spiritual movements

which transformed whole communities.

Invariably, when he could reach the

source, he found it to be intercessory

prayer.

“I heard of a man,” he says, “who spent

three hours a day in intercession.”

When someone asked him, “How can

we multiply intercessions?” he said, “I

used to lay down a great many points

on how to get people to pray, but I have

made up my mind that the only way to

get them is to do it myself.”

—Selected.

Leaders of men and movements have

seen this importance of prayer-training.

D. E. Hoste, successor to Hudson Taylor,

places this need above all other

branches of instruction:

“In connection with the Training Home,

the thought sometimes comes to me, in

view of the growing emphasis on prayer

and intercession in those parts of the

field where there has been special

spiritual blessing, whether the exercise

of them should not have a more definite

and larger place in the course of

preparation. The leadership would

need to be by someone who through

much exercise and even travail, has

himself been baptized with a true and

fervent spirit of prayer.

“Should it not be recognized that the

practice of prayer and intercession

needs to be taught to young believers,

or rather developed in young believers,

quite as much, if not more so than other

branches of the curriculum?”

The late J. D. Drysdale, founder of

Emmanuel Missions and Training

School, possessed this same vision:

“If I am concerned that my flock be men

and women of prayer, then, as their

pastor, I must lead the way; apathy in

me will produce apathy in them. The

church prayer-meeting ought to be the

best attended in the week, and if it is,

success will follow the ministry of the

Word at the weekends. I would rather a

thousand times set men and women to

pray than teach them to preach.

The homiletics class can teach them to

preach.”

J. H. Jowett, a most godly and moving

preacher, emphasized the same need:

“I would rather teach one man to pray

than ten men to preach.”

In his autobiography, Bristol Fashion,

Hugh Redwood states that as a young

convert no-one had taken the pains to

teach him how to pray, and to this he

attributed his failing to make the most

of a period in his life which could have

proved so useful. After years, he

rediscovered Christ through prayer.

What books we might have had from

the pen of this journalist had some

simple Christian introduced him to

access to God by prayer!

Photo © Eric1513

Train Others to Pray An extract from “Kneeling we Triumph” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey

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

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

“More ships!” some cry; “More guns! More fighters in the air!” But wise the King who calls for—more prayer! Remember, angels use this ancient thoroughfare— So keep the highways clear: more prayer!

One day will not suffice to meet time’s wear and tear; Each hour of life must see—more prayer! Again, and yet again, the scrolls of God declare, The deepest need of men—more prayer!

—Unknown.

11

NEW! The Pentecostal

Bible Commentary

Series: 1 Corinthians

Here is an extract from the

section on the Gifts of the Holy

Spirit.

The Gifts of Inspiration

The Gift of Prophecy

Paul refers to this as one of the

greater gifts of the Spirit (see

chapter 14) because of the manner

and scope of its effects. It ministers

edification, exhortation and comfort

to the whole local church

simultaneously.

To edify is to build up spiritually,

whilst to exhort is to teach and

challenge; indeed, the original

meaning of the word exhort is ‘a

calling near’ (paraklesis). Horton

speaks of the ‘balmy words of the

Holy Ghost that encouragingly lead

us away from the world and its sin

and care, and call us near to heaven

and God's sweet presence’. To

comfort is to console or solace when

in trial or distress. So as Ellicott says,

prophecy is meant for ‘building up,

stirring up [and] cheering up’. A gift

of healing may benefit a person's

body in this life; but prophecy

ministers to a person's spirit and

prepares them for the next life.

Prophecy helps the church on the

heavenly road, imparting the will

and mind of God, and strengthening

believers for the fight of faith. Its

effect is immediate and far reaching,

for the gift ministers directly to a

person's spirit.

Prophecy is a divinely inspired and

anointed utterance. It is not

deliberated, and so is not to be

confused with the ministry of

preaching. Horton realised this and

wrote: ‘as speaking in tongues is a

supernatural utterance in an

unknown tongue, so prophecy is a

supernatural utterance in a known

tongue’.

Although prophecy does not

originate from the human mind, the

prophet is only enabled to prophesy

according to the measure of faith.

This appears to indicate that as a

person matures as a Christian, so

they should also mature in their use

of this gift. It is not that the gift itself

has been improved, but that the

Holy Spirit takes hold of whatever

measure of faith and spiritual

experience is present in the

individual’s life, so that those who

are more spiritually mature are able

to sustain a greater degree of

inspiration.

To have the gift of prophecy does

not entitle a person to claim the

office of a Prophet, although there

are some who have been entrusted

with this office by Christ for the

benefit of His church. Although they

are all gifts of grace, the gifts of the

Holy Spirit are not exactly the same

thing as the ministry gifts of Christ,

listed in Ephesians 4. The difference

is that whilst any believer may

possess and use the gift of prophecy

(14:5), a Prophet is himself or

herself a gift to the church, ordained

by Christ perpetually to that office.

The Gift of Tongues

This is a supernatural utterance by

the Holy Spirit in a language wholly

unknown and unlearned by the

speaker. The utterance is never

understood by the speaker and

generally not by the hearer. It is a

manifestation of God by His Spirit

speaking through the channel of the

human speech organs. In private or

personal use, the gift enables the

human spirit to pray directly to God

without engaging the understanding

of the mind (14:14); whereas in

public use, these utterances are God

speaking to people through human

channels in a language not

understood by the hearers. It is a

miraculous sign (Mark 16:17), but if

those present cannot understand

what is said then clearly it has no

other benefit unless it is

accompanied by its companion gift

the interpretation of tongues. Hence

Paul’s instruction that in public

worship, if there is no one present

with the gift of interpretation, the

12

person with the message in tongues

should not give it (14:28).

There have, of course, been many

anecdotal instances of persons

being present at the time that a

message in tongues was given who

understood the language being

used. For example; a close friend of

mine is a well-known author, and a

fluent French speaker. He related

how he had scorned the idea of such

a gift as tongues being available to

believers today until he heard an

uneducated young man in his home

church in Sheffield speaking in

absolutely flawless French; and my

friend became even more amazed

when the pastor of that church (who

was not a French speaker either)

gave by way of interpretation a

word for word translation of the

original message into English. Whilst

such an occurrence provides the

hearer with a more substantial

proof of the gift’s reality; and hence

of the reality of the great Source of

all gifts; it appears to be the

exception rather than the rule.

The Interpretation of Tongues

The person using this gift has not

understood the message in tongues

as originally given. Nor have they

been given the supernatural ability

to translate. Rather, they have been

given by the Spirit the same

message (not necessarily the same

form of words but the same burden

or meaning) that was given to the

person who uttered the tongue. The

difference being that this time it is

given in the speaker's own language.

So the interpreter does not translate

what was originally said, but gives

the sense and meaning of what was

said. When used together, these

two gifts are equivalent to the gift of

prophecy in their effect on the body

of Christ.

12:11. It is one and the same Spirit,

distributing as he decides to each

person, who produces all these

things.

How diverse these gifts are! Not

every believer has them all, nor do

all believers have the same ones, for

the Holy Spirit gives to each one

according to His own will. Yet in this

instance His will is not arbitrary; for

God gives His gifts to those who

seek and ask for them. All of the

gifts of the Holy Spirit are available

to the whole body of Christ, and all

Christians are encouraged to seek

and ask that they might receive and

thereby be equipped for their

involvement in God's purposes.

The Pentecostal Bible Commentary Series: 1 Corinthians, pbk 316 pages.

Available now for £2.80 at the UK Kindle store or $4.41 in the US Kindle store.

Paperback available from Amazon (worldwide) and from all good bookstores price

US$11.60 (£7.50)

Photo © Buckskinman

Our Father in heaven,

Holy is Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For Yours is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory,

for ever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

13

David asks the question, "Who will

ascend the hill of the Lord? And who

will stand in his holy place." Perhaps

David had in mind the worshippers

who went up the hill of Zion to the

temple to worship God. Who would

God hear and receive? Yet there is a

greater meaning here. For when

David asks, "Who shall ascend..?",

he is actually asking, "Who shall

enter into the very presence of God

in heaven and remain there, to

minister eternally before him?"

We are certain that there is only one

answer to this question. Only one

person in history has ever met these

requirements, and that is the Lord

Jesus Christ.

For Christ has not entered the holy

places made with hands, which are

copies of the true, but into heaven

itself, now to appear in the presence

of God for us; Heb 9:24

1. The Justice of Christ's

Exaltation

Christ's Exaltation is Just

because of his Pre-Existence

It is not unreasonable to suppose

that since Christ is the mighty

Creator who came from heaven in

the first place, it is quite right for

him to return there.

David begins this Psalm with the

words, "The earth is the LORD s, and

all its fullness, The world and those

who dwell therein. For He has

founded it upon the seas, And

established it upon the waters. v1-2

Jesus Christ Himself is credited with

the act of Creation. The Scripture

insists that Christ is the Son of God

who was there in the beginning.

Speaking of Jesus, the apostle John

says,

In the beginning was the Word, and

the Word was with God, and the

Word was God. He was in the

beginning with God. All things were

made through Him, and without Him

nothing was made that was made.

John 1:1-3

In writing to the Colossians, Paul

says:

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation [that

is, begotten before all creation,

meaning He Himself was not

created]. For by Him all things were

created that are in heaven and that

are on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or

principalities or powers. All things

were created through Him and for

Him. And He is before all things, and

in Him all things consist. And He is

the head of the body, the church,

who is the beginning, the firstborn

from the dead, that in all things He

may have the preeminenc.. Col.

1:15-18

The writer to the Hebrews says:

God has in these last days spoken to

us by His Son, whom He has

appointed heir of all things, through

whom also He made the worlds;

Heb. 1:2

Jesus often referred to "coming

from Heaven" or "Coming from the

Father" and of "returning to the

Father." e.g. Jesus said to them, "If

God were your Father, you would

The Exaltation of Christ. In Psalm 22 Jesus was the lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Psalm 24 He is the exalted King, the Lion of Judah.

Psalm 24 by Mathew Bartlett

Image © BCritchley

14

love Me, for I proceeded forth and

came from God; nor have I come of

Myself, but He sent Me. John 8:42

"I came forth from the Father and

have come into the world. Again, I

leave the world and go to the

Father." John 16:28

"And now, O Father, glorify Me

together with Yourself, with the

glory which I had with You before

the world was. John 17:5

It was fitting that Christ who knew

the glory of being as one with God

his Father in heaven should return

to the place where he came from.

And it is perfectly fitting that God

the son should be so exalted.

Christ's Exaltation is Just

because of his Sinless Perfection

Jesus Christ is the one person who

has never sinned in action- he has

clean hands. He is the only one who

has never sinned in thought or

motive - He has a pure heart. He is

the only one who has been faithful

to God in all circumstances. Even in

the desert where He fasted alone

for forty days and nights being

tempted by the devil, when the

tempter came to Him and showed

Him all the kingdoms of the world

and their glory in a moment of time,

saying all these will be yours if you

bow down and worship me, Jesus

replied "You shall worship the Lord

your God and serve him only."

Nor was Christ ever guilty of perjury.

He never made a false oath or told

any lies whatsoever.

Even when Caiaphas the High Priest

had the audacity to put him on oath

to the Living God, Christ answered

honestly. Caiaphas said "Are you the

Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

Jesus replied "I am. And I tell you

that henceforth you shall see the son

of man sat at the right hand of God

and coming on the clouds of

heaven."

Christ's Exaltation is Just

because of his Obedience

Christ Jesus, who, being in the form

of God, did not consider it robbery to

be equal with God, but made

Himself of no reputation, taking the

form of a bondservant, and coming

in the likeness of men. And being

found in appearance as a man, He

humbled Himself and became

obedient to the point of death, even

the death of the cross. Therefore

God also has highly exalted Him

Phil 2:6-9

Jesus Christ always did the will of his

Father. The reason he left heaven

and was born as a baby in

Bethlehem was to accomplish his

Father's plan to save sinners.

Although Jesus was always perfect

with regard to his sinlessness, yet by

suffering death and sorrow he has

become perfect (all we need) as the

author of eternal salvation for all

who believe in him. It was God's

plan, not Christ's that he should

suffer and die on the cross for our

sakes. As a man, Christ had a will of

his own. But for our sakes, in the

garden of Gethsemane the night

before his crucifixion, he prayed

"Father, not my will, but yours be

done" and he went through with the

shame and agony of the cross.

It is for this reason that Paul says

God has highly exalted him.

Summary

This great Christ, who is creator and

master of the universe, for our sakes

he humbled himself to become a

man and lived a life of spotless

purity, always doing what pleased

his father God in heaven. He

suffered all the pain and woes that a

human man can suffer, and

completed his obedience by dying

on the cross for the sins of the

whole world, so that we may have

eternal life. Little wonder, then that

such a mighty Saviour should be in

the words of Paul

Therefore God also has highly

exalted Him and given Him the

name which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee

should bow, of those in heaven, and

of those on earth, and of those

under the earth, and that every

tongue should confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

Father. Phil 2:9-11

2. The Triumph of Christ's

Exaltation

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant

because He has fulfilled the

Word of Scripture

Then He said to them, "These are the

words which I spoke to you while I

was still with you, that all things

must be fulfilled which were written

in the Law of Moses and the

15

Prophets and the Psalms concerning

Me." Luke 24:44

For hundreds of years before Jesus

came God had sent prophets with

His word, predicting the days when

God would send His Son to earth to

be our Saviour. They told of His birth

to a virgin (Isa. 7.14) in Bethlehem

(Micah 5.2). They told of Herod's

trying to kill Christ when He was still

an infant (Jer. 31.15). They told of

His flight to Egypt to escape Herod

(Hos. 11.1). They told of His living in

Nazareth as a boy (Matt 2.23) and of

His moving to Capernaum as a man

(Isa9.1). They told of his entering

Jerusalem (Zech. 9.9) on a donkey

and of his being betrayed by a close

friend (Ps 41.9) for thirty pieces of

silver (Zech. 11.13). They told of his

unfair trial (Isa 53.8) and of his being

handed over to be crucified (Ps 22.

16). They also told of his

resurrection (Ps16.10). Christ came

as the fulfilment of the words of the

Scripture. After all that had been

written about Him was fulfilled, we

see Him returning to heaven in

triumph as heaven's appointed King.

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant

because He has finished the

Work of Salvation

In Mark we read "When he had

spoken these things he ascended to

heaven where he sat down at the

right hand of God." This speaks not

only of taking up his rightful place of

authority, but of a work completed.

The ascension shows that Christ had

by His death and resurrection

accomplished all that was necessary

for the redemption of all mankind.

John Baptist said, behold the Lamb

of God who takes away the sin of

the world.

God so loved the WORLD. God is not

willing that ANY should perish, that

is why Christ has provided the

means of salvation for every man

and woman and child that has ever

been born.

Just as the resurrection gave God's

Amen to the "It is finished of Christ",

so the ascension and exaltation of

Christ give the Amen to the great

commission "to go into all the world

and preach the gospel - make this

full, free salvation which I have

obtained known to everyone. And lo

I am with you always."

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant

because His Victory is

Unchallenged

It was usual in David's time and in

history since, for a victorious King to

return with his army in triumphant

procession with the spoils of victory.

In the battle of Calvary, the Lord of

glory has fought and won on his

own. He has shown that he is strong

and mighty in battle. By enduring

the shame and agony of the cross,

he defeated death, and all the hosts

of Satan who - for all their professed

wisdom did not know the wisdom of

God which had foreordained that

Christ should die for our sakes.

If they had, says Paul, they would

not have crucified the Lord of Glory.

(1 Cor..2:7-8)

So now this Psalm pictures Christ

returning in triumph to the ivory

palaces of heaven, the undefeated

and unchallenged victor, leading the

souls of the redeemed dead in his

procession to the shouts of joy of

millions of angels. The everlasting

gates of heaven, into the presence

of God himself, open to Him of their

own accord that He might rightfully

enter in.

3. The Blessings of Christ's

Exaltation

We have already mentioned that

the Lord Jesus has not returned to

heaven empty handed - he has the

spoils of victory. What His death and

resurrection have accomplished for

us, He is able to bestow from

heaven because of His exaltation.

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His Power

The exalted Christ has power to give

His church the gift of eternal life.

Jesus said, "I give them eternal life,

and they shall never perish; neither

shall anyone snatch them out of My

hand." John 10:28

"You have given Him authority over

all flesh, that He should give eternal

life to as many as You have given

Him." John 17:2

By His Power God brings us into a

relationship with Himself whereby

we share in His own nature and in

the divine life. "As His divine power

has given to us all things that

pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of Him who

called us by glory and virtue" 2

Peter 1:3

By that same power, we are kept

eternally:

16

who are kept by the power of God

through faith for salvation 1 Peter

1:5

This blessed existence will never

end, and we shall know God and

enjoy fellowship with him forever. If

what you heard from the beginning

abides in you, you also will abide in

the Son and in the Father. And this is

the promise that He has promised

us--eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His

Presence

Paul is at great pains to show, in

Eph. 4.9-10, (as Peter also explains

in 1 Peter 3.19) that Christ when

absent from His body for three days,

descended into the lowest place,

the place of departed spirits, and

there proclaimed deliverance for

those saints, such as David, who had

lived and died in hope of His

coming, but who had never seen it.

Then in His resurrection and

ascension He ascended to the

highest place so that He might fill all

things.

When Christ walked as a man on

earth, as a man He could only be in

one place at a time. Yet now the

exalted Son of God is able to say to

His followers I am with you always

and everywhere in every situation

until the world ends. He is able to

say to countless millions of believers

all over the world at the same time

"wherever two or three gather in

my name, I am there in the midst of

them." Notice that Christ is not

saying "The Holy Spirit will be

there." Although I'm sure that He is.

He says "I will be there" Christ in His

exalted glory is omnipresent -

everywhere at the same time,

although invisible to us, yet real and

tangible in His presence.

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His

Promise

Jesus taught His disciples about

many promises which God had

made, but there was one thing so

special that he referred to it as "THE

promise of the Father."

And being assembled together with

them, He commanded them not to

depart from Jerusalem, but to wait

for the Promise of the Father,

"which," He said, "you have heard

from Me; for John truly baptized

with water, but you shall be

baptized with the Holy Spirit not

many days from now." Acts 1:4-5

Jesus had often spoken publicly

about this promise: On the last day,

that great day of the feast, Jesus

stood and cried out, saying, "If

anyone thirsts, let him come to Me

and drink. He who believes in Me, as

the Scripture has said, out of his

heart will flow rivers of living water."

But this He spoke concerning the

Spirit, whom those believing in Him

would receive; for the Holy Spirit

was not yet given, because Jesus

was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39

Peter said "This Jesus God has raised

up, of which we are all witnesses.

Therefore being exalted to the right

hand of God, and having received

from the Father the promise of the

Holy Spirit, He poured out this which

you now see and hear. Acts 2:32-33

Jesus had told His disciples "It is to

your advantage that I go away; for if

I do not go away, the Helper will not

come to you; but if I depart, I will

send Him to you. John 16:7

It is because of the exaltation of

Christ that we experience the

blessings of His promise through the

power and presence of the Holy

Spirit in our lives.

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His

Purpose

God's purpose for all who trust

Christ as Saviour is that they may be

conformed into Christ's likeness. In

order for this purpose to become an

on-going reality in our daily lives,

Christ has given certain gifts to

every member of His body, so that

the church may build itself up in

love, every member growing into His

likeness until Christ may be seen in

and through us. (Eph. 4:7-13)

Every member of the church has an

important part in the fulfilment of

God's purpose. Let us never despise

the gifts God has given, however

insignificant some might seem. We

must use them for his honour and

the good of the church of Christ (1

Pet. 4:10).

Through his exaltation Christ gives

us the blessings of his power, his

presence, his Promise and his

purpose. May we never fail to lay

hold of all these until we all come to

the unity of the faith and of the

knowledge of the Son of God, to a

perfect man, to the measure of the

stature of the fullness of Christ

AMEN. Photo Lion © Sallytaz Lamb, Leetorrens

17

God was completely in control of the situation: He always is! God was still one step ahead of Jonah. God not only had the great fish in the right place at the right time but He had prepared it to swallow Jonah and to retain him in its stomach for three days and nights without any harm coming to him (without him being digested), also providing him with air to breathe during that time. Whether it was a whale or not makes no difference in fact throughout the scriptures whenever fish is mention their species is not given. This great fish had been especially prepared by God to save Jonah from drowning and to provide him with transport to Nineveh.

The Runaway Prophet

The Book of Jonah

Chapter One A brief Bible study by Derek Williams.

Photos this page: © Jeff Schulz. Bottom Right: © Fotogeek

V15. On throwing Jonah overboard the sea immediately becomes calm, a confirmation that they were doing according to the will of God.

This is the same with us when we know what God wants us to do but a battle goes on within us. The moment we yield to the will of God we have that peace and calm within that confirms we are going in the right direction even though we may have doubts and fears later.

V16. When the sailors saw the miracle that had happened they became fearful of the power of the God who could do such a thing (Mark 4:41). We are not told what manner of sacrifice they offered or what their vows were. They may have just added Yahweh to their list of other gods or they may have turned from them and accepted Him as the only true God.

The Lord Prepares 1:14 - 17.

V14. The "therefore" refers to the fact that in spite of all their efforts the sailors could not prevail against the will of God. So they submit to it and cry upon Jonah's God using His name Yahweh to have mercy on them. They realized that in order for their lives to be saved they would have to sacrifice Jonah.

This reminds us of the prophetic words spoken by Caiaphas the high priest concerning Jesus (John 11:49 -52). They ask the Lord to be forgiving for throwing him overboard and that He would not lay this charge against them because they were doing that which was according to the Lord's plan (Psa. 115:3). This again is echoed in the New Testament concerning Pontius Pilate (Matt. 27:24-25).

18

Jonah's Prayer 2: 1 - 10.

V1. Jonah continued his downward

experience until he was brought to

the place of repentance where he at

last realized that he could run away

or hide from God or escape his

responsibility. It is from the depths

of the fish's belly which had taken

him down to the deepest depths of

the sea that Jonah cries upon the

Lord from the depths of his soul.

V2. He is honest with God and

confesses that it is because of his

affliction that he cries to Him (Psa.

120:1). His testimony is that the

Lord was gracious and merciful in

hearing and answering his cry. The

experience he was going through

was that of a living hell where the

presence of God was absent but

then God heard him!

V3. Again he recognized that it is the

hand of God that had brought him

to this place. It was a place of no

escape for he was encompassed

round about by the waters and he

could not deliver himself, no one

else could help him, there was no

hope for him except from God.

V4. Although he felt the heavens

were as brass and that God had

turned His back upon him he yet

looked towards God in repentance

for mercy and deliverance.

V5. It was not only his body that was

engulfed by water but it was the

experience of his soul too until he

felt that his whole life was

entangled and his mind deranged

with doubts and difficulties. All this

was brought upon him by his on

disobedience !

V6-7. When he was at the end of

himself, when he felt that he could

take no more, and had humbled

himself, the Lord delivered him (1

Cor. 10:13). In his extremity he had

forgotten the Lord, or more likely in

his suffering's he chose not to, but

now he turns his eyes and his soul

towards heaven and to the only one

who could deliver and save him. Of

course we are not like Jonah, are

we? V

8. To try and cope without God or to

turn to other things for help is to cut

ourselves off from our only hope,

God's mercy.

V9. Jonah had learnt his lesson and

so he declared that he would offer

to God the sacrifice of his lips. That

is, he would never cease to praise

and give Him thanks for what he had

done for him (Hebrews 13: 15).

Jonah also promised that he would

fulfill the vows that he had made to

the Lord God, that is, he would

declare the word of the Lord as he

had been asked to do in the first

place. Jonah had personally proved

and received the salvation of the

Lord and knew without any shadow

of doubt that it only comes from

and belongs to Him through Jesus

Christ our Lord (Psa. 3: 8; Acts 4:12).

V10. If the prophet had found it difficult obeying the voice of God, yet the fish immediately obeys the Lord’s command and delivers Jonah safely on to dry land.

We are not told exactly the location where the fish spat Jonah out, except that it was clearly no more than three days journey away from the city of Nineveh.

19

The Harvest of the Earth.

The Lamb and the 144,000 . v1 - 5.

1. "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads."

The scene changes dramatically from the vision of the beasts to one of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, which is a reference to heaven itself. With Him are the 144,000 who were sealed in their foreheads with His Name and His Father's, so most translations read (Rev. 7:3).

2. "And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps."

John hears a voice from heaven sounding like a great waterfall and like the rumbling of mighty thunder. The voice sounds like the music of harpists accompanying themselves on harps.

3. "They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth."

They sang a new song, before the throne of God, the four living creatures and the elders - new possibly meaning that it is sung in a fresh or different way (see Rev. 5:8 - 10) Only the 144,000 redeemed from the earth are able to learn to sing this song.

4. "These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God and to the Lamb."

John's description of them is a reference to their spiritual character. The saying, "they have not defiled themselves with women and are virgins" is not a reference to their marital status. (This would imply that the 144,000 were all men).

They have kept themselves morally pure, free from illicit sexual intercourse and idolatry, from the contamination of a godless world (Col.3:5). They are fully committed disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have been redeemed by Christ and together with all who have been purchased by the blood of Christ they are a kind of first fruits (James 1:18).

5. "And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God."

There is no deceit or falsehood in them for in the sight of God they are blameless, not in themselves, but in Christ. Col. 1:22.

The Proclamation of the Three Angels. v6 - 13.

6. "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people-"

Here begins another series of visions about events which actually should precede the events recorded in first five verses. John saw an angel flying in mid heaven announcing the good news of salvation through the atoning death of Christ to put away sin and His resurrection to justify the believer. This is the everlasting Gospel. Yet whilst the Gospel is everlasting in its effects it is limited in its application to the present age of grace. The message is to be made known throughout every tribe and nation (Luke 2:10 - 11).

7. "Saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgement has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."

The call of the angel is for all men to fear God as creator and to give Him honour and praise for the time of His judgement has come (John 12:31 -32, John 16:8 - 11).

8. "And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

Another angel followed the first to proclaim the fall of Babylon. This is the first time in Revelation that "Babylon" is mentioned. The literal city of Babylon was founded by Nimrod (whose name means "rebel" (Gen. 10:10). It was here that men began to build the tower of Babel (meaning confusion) in direct rebellion against God. Gen. 11:7 - 9. The city was a centre of idolatry and oppression. Peter refers to Babylon in his epistle (1 Pet. 5:13) and it is

Our In Depth Study. Revelation 14. By Derek R. Williams. Photo © Godfer

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

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generally excepted that it is a synonym for Rome. Babylon is mentioned again as the object of God's wrath in Rev. 16:19, the mother of harlots, Rev. 17:5, its fall, Rev. 18:2, judgement Rev. 18:10, thrown down and found no more in Rev. 18:21. It is the source and centre of godlessness, greed, idolatry, perversion etc. a cesspit of iniquity. It has ensnared and engulfed the whole world in the passions of its harlotry. It may not be a literal revival of the city is meant here, but rather that the fruits of the rebellion against God which it came to symbolise - a world system opposed to its maker - is meant. It is of course possible that such a system may be governed from a particular city at the time of these events. However, the age of rebellion and of man's casting off God will come to an abrupt end.

9-10. "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."

A third angel cries a warning with a loud voice that anyone who bows to pay homage to the Anti-Christ or his statue or who receives his mark will suffer the fullness of God's wrath and indignation in the same measure as it will be poured out on "Babylon". God will show no more mercy in those days, for all will have been given every possible opportunity to repent, without effect. They shall therefore be tormented with a combination of fire and sulphur before the presence of the angels and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

11. "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

This punishment will be an eternal punishment; it will never cease or for one moment be made more bearable. This will be the everlasting conscious

punishment of all those who gave themselves over to worship Anti-Christ and his image.

12. "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

The patience and endurance of the saints on earth will be tested at that time, for they will remain true to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ whilst all others worship the beast.

13. "Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them."

Those who are Christ's and martyred during the reign of Anti-Christ, will enter into the same blessedness of everlasting rest that Christ gives to all His people, who have died in Him throughout the church age. John is recording these words from heaven as being true and faithful. Tatford records that one expositor says: "These Jewish martyrs had not only lost their part in the rapture of the Church, but also in the glory of the Kingdom". However, they enter into that same rest as the Church that had gone before them (Heb. 4:9 - 10). Their patient endurance will be their testimony."

Reaping the Earth's Harvest . v4 - 16.

14. "Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle."

John sees the Lord Jesus sat on a white cloud wearing a golden crown (the victor's wreath) and having a sharp sickle in His hand (Matt. 24:30 - 31).

15. "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

An angel comes from the presence of God proclaiming that the time had come

for Christ to reap in the harvest of the earth (Joel 3:12 - 13). The measure of the sins of the wicked are now filled up and the time of their destruction has come.

16. "So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped."

In response to the angel's call the harvest is cut down and gathered ready for judgement.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath. v17 - 20.

17-18. "Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe."

A fifth angel comes from the temple in heaven with a sharp sickle in his hand. Another who has power over fire comes from before the altar and shouts to the one who has the sickle to thrust it in and gather the grapes from the vineyard of earth for they are ready (Rev. 6:9-10).

19-20. "So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs."

This being done, the harvest is thrown into the winepress of God's wrath (Rev. 19:15). The crushing of this harvest takes place outside Jerusalem where rivers of blood shall flow for a distance of 200 miles as high as a horse's bridal. The Anti-Christ, false prophet and all the rulers of the earth will be there and all of them shall be finally overcome. (Joel 3:11 - 14; Rev. 19:17 - 21)

.From The Revelation of Jesus Christ by Derek Williams (paperback £6.99)

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Praying According to the

Word of God

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be

done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:10

This Bible Study has been taken

from Chapter VI of Daniel

Kolenda’s new book “Your

Kingdom Come” and is for those

who desire to enter into a divine

partnership with God and His

purposes by joining the prayer

revolution.

Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:9-10

“Our Father who is in heaven,

hallowed be Your name. Your

Kingdom COME. Your will be done,

on earth as IT IS IN HEAVEN.”

Jesus taught us to pray that all the

glory of His Father’s Kingdom would

break through and be manifested

on the earth, bringing the

transference of all of Heaven’s

purposes and blessings into the

earthly arena.

Many years ago, I had a most

interesting vision. I saw a massive

dam. It was holding back a mighty

river on one side, but on the other

side was thirsty ground, parched

and cracked in the sun. I

understood that the river

represented the glory of God, and

the parched ground represented

the world. I knew that it was God’s

will that the knowledge of His glory

cover the earth as the waters cover

the sea, and so I said, “Lord, how

will Your glory breach that massive

wall?” Then I saw it. Tiny broken

places began to form in the dam,

hairline fractures that seemed so

insignificant. But out of those tiny

cracks, razor sharp spurts of water

began to spray through. The

cracking continued and I watched as

small chunks of the wall began to

fall away. Soon water was gushing

in from all sides, and suddenly, in

one moment, the mighty dam was

swept away and the parched

ground was covered. Then the Lord

spoke to me and said, “My glory will

cover the earth through broken

people.”

Suddenly, I saw Jesus at the Last

Supper breaking the bread of

communion, and He said, “…This is

my body, which is BROKEN for

you…” (1 Corinthians 11:24). When

Jesus spoke of His body being

broken, He was speaking of the

crucifixion.

Immediately the words of the

Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 came

flooding into my spirit: “I have been

crucified with Christ; and it is no

longer I who live, but Christ lives in

me; and the life which I now live in

the flesh I live by faith in the Son of

God, who loved me and gave

Himself up for me.” What a

powerful confession! To be

crucified with Christ… this is the

brokenness that will result in His life

flowing out through ours to the dry

and parched world around us. “It is

no longer I who live, but Christ lives

in me….”

When we are broken, like Gideon’s

clay jars, the light of Christ inside

will shine out, and those rivers of

living water inside of us will come

pouring out as Jesus promised they

would. But how can we be crucified

with Christ? Should we find a band

of Roman soldiers and ask them to

nail us to a cross? The reality is that

Jesus had laid down His life long

before He was nailed to the cross.

Hear Him praying in the garden,

“…Not my will, but thine, be done”

(Luke 22:42). This is true

brokenness. It’s where the real

crucifixion takes place, and it is in

this laying down of our own will and

desires that our prayers become

truly powerful.

Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of

God are a broken spirit: a broken

and a contrite heart, O God, thou

wilt not despise.”

One of the greatest hindrances to

the true revelation of the glory of

God in the earth is prayer offered

by those who have personal

agendas that seek to exalt

themselves. They pray, “Not thy

will, but mine, be done.” God sees

absolutely everything. He hears

every prayer, but He also looks

deep within the heart of the

individual who prays the prayer,

and clearly understands the

motivations of the heart which are

behind it! Nothing is ever concealed

from His eyes. Prayer of any sort for

anything is always going to be

subject to His scrutiny. He not only

hears what we petition Him to do,

but He also sees all – the true

reason that the petition is being

made. This is what James was

referring to when he said:

22

“You lust and do not have. You

murder and covet and cannot

obtain. You fight and war. Yet you

do not have because you do not

ask. You ask and do not receive,

because you ask amiss, THAT YOU

MAY SPEND IT ON YOUR

PLEASURES” (James 4:2-3 NKJV).

God loves it when we pray the

things that are on His heart more

than our own. One of the highest

purposes of prayer and intercession

is to help bring His Kingdom into the

earth so that He will be glorified.

The truth is clearly illustrated by

Jesus when He said, “And whatever

you ask in My name, that I will do,

THAT THE FATHER MAY BE

GLORIFIED IN THE SON. If you ask

ANYTHING in My name, I will do it”

(John 14:13-14 NKJV).

Many people have attempted to

use faith and prayer in the name of

Jesus as a blank check to get

whatever they want for themselves.

God has given us wonderful

promises about asking, believing,

and receiving. That is not in dispute

whatsoever, but there is a higher

calling in faith and prayer. It is to

ask for things, that when given, will

be used exclusively to bring glory to

our Heavenly Father through His

Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! It’s a

type of prayer that is not about us,

but it is all about Him and for Him.

This is the kind of prayer that God

desires. Jesus has promised that if

we pray that way and with that

motivation, “If you ask ANYTHING in

My name, I will do it” (John 14:14

NKJV).

In 1 John 5:14-15 NKJV, we find

another wonderful promise of

scripture. It reads as follows: “Now

this is the confidence that we have

in Him, that if we ask anything

according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us,

whatever we ask, we know that we

have the petitions that we have

asked of Him.”

One of the great secrets of prayer is

the discovery of the unlimited

power that is available when God’s

people begin to intercede for things

that God has clearly promised in His

written Word. Faith and expectancy

in intercession are little more than

presumption and delusion if they

are not firmly rooted in that which

is the expressed will of God to

perform. Thank God that because of

His great love, mercy, and grace, He

doesn’t give us everything we ask

for. If He did so, many times

disaster would be the result for us

as well as the abortion of His

purposes and plans!

God is absolutely honest. He can

never lie. He will never promise

things that He is unable or unwilling

to deliver. We can have absolute,

unwavering confidence that when

we go to Him in prayer, seeking

those things that we know are His

expressed will to give and to do, a

revelation of His glory and power

will soon come. It will never fail.

When we know that we know that

we know what the will of God is, we

can pray that will with the

unwavering assurance that the

answer is on the way.

When we begin praying for a mighty

outpouring of the Holy Spirit that

will break the devil’s back and

glorify God, the heavens will begin

to leak under the weight of His

glory. When we begin to

passionately pray that souls be

saved and that the name of the

Lord Jesus be famous in the nations,

we can be absolutely confident that

Heaven is beginning to move in

response. Jesus has promised that

when we pray with the motivation

that His Father be glorified, He will

respond by doing ANYTHING that

we ask Him to do!

When we begin to pray, “Not my

will, but Thine, be done,” our lives

become a crack in the wall that

allows the glory of God to flow to

the earth. The Scriptures declare

that one day the knowledge of this

glory will completely cover the

earth like the waters cover the sea.

There could not be a more

thorough saturation. Although this

prophetic promise is still unfulfilled,

we have seen many glimpses of

what happens when God’s people

pray.

The next great move of God will

come as a result of Prayer &

Obedience by the body of Christ.

Discover how God made us

partners with Him for the

fulfillment of His purposes in the

earth.

Don't miss your opportunity to

purchase the first book released by

Author and Evangelist Daniel

Kolenda.

GET THE BOOK NOW! $12.99

HARDBACK

http://bit.ly/A0OmSW

Be Blessed,

Daniel Kolenda, Evangelist

To find out more, or to support the

work of CfaN visit their website:

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

Article reproduced with the kind

permission of Christ for all Nations.

23

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