The river of the water of life—as clear as crystal— pouring out from the throne of God. (Rev. 22:1)

2

I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily And send down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5

In this month’s issue:

4. For the Asking Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)

5. Sealed Until that Day Kenn Legg (Australia)

6. Revelation 20: Events at the End of the World Mathew Bartlett (UK)

9. The Living Church (Sermon Outline) Mathew Bartlett (UK)

11. Hearing His Voice Begins With “Turning Aside” Daniel Kolenda (CfaN)

13. Faith-builders Bible Study Mark 13 Derek Williams (UK)

17. In Depth Study – Zechariah 3 Mathew Bartlett (UK)

19. Gaius the Prosperous Soul Haydn O. Williams (UK)

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4

An extract from ”Kneeling We Triumph” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey BUY ON KINDLE! £3.86 Reproduced by kind

permission of Harvey Publishers. Image© Winterberg

It was impossible for God to lie

(Heb. 6:18).

Yea, let God be true, but every

man a liar (Rom. 3: 4).

But without faith it is impossible to

please him: for he that cometh to

God must believe that he is, and

that he is a rewarder of them that

diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).

Human sin began with loss of faith

in God. When our mother Eve

listened to Satan’s sly innuendoes

against the character of God she

began to entertain a doubt of His

integrity, and right there the doors

were opened to the incoming of

every possible evil, and darkness

settled upon the world.

The Bible talks about man’s being

alienated from and an enemy to

God. Should this sound harsh or

extreme you have only to imagine

your closest personal friend coming

to you and stating in cold

seriousness that he no longer has

any confidence in you. “I do not

trust you. I have lost confidence in

your character. I am forced to

suspect every move you make.”

Such a declaration would instantly

alienate friends by destroying the

foundation upon which every

friendship is built. Until your

former friend’s opinion of you had

been reversed there could be no

further communion. Only a

restored faith could bring about a

restored friendship. Now, it is well

known that people do not go boldly

to God and profess that they have

no confidence in Him, and no one

except the rare professional

unbeliever is willing to witness

publicly to his low view of God. The

frightful thing, however, is that

people everywhere act out their

unbelief with a consistency that is

more convincing than words.

Idolatry is the supreme sin and

unbelief is the child of idolatry. Both

are libels on the character of the

Most High and the Most Holy. “He

that believeth not God hath made

him a liar,” wrote the apostle John.

A God who lies is a God without

character, and where there is no

character there can be no

confidence. The joyous message of

Christianity is that there is a way

back from this place of unbelief and

alienation. “He that cometh to God

must believe that he is, and that he

is a rewarder of them that diligently

seek him.”

The Gospel message declares that

the wronged God took the wrong

upon Himself in order that the one

who committed the wrong might

be saved. Repentance is, among

other things, a sincere apology to

God for distrusting Him so long, and

faith is throwing oneself upon Christ

in complete confidence. Thus by

faith reconciliation is achieved

between God and man.—A. W.

Tozer.

Our limitless trust in God seems to

satisfy Him as nothing else can do,

because it corresponds with His

eternal faithfulness, it honors His

veracity, and is a constant silent

worship of all His perfections. God

forever honors those who believe

Him. He has organized us on a

pattern of trust, and not to trust

ourselves in God is to derange the

very plan of our creation. Faith in

God is at once the sweetest

necessity, the sublimest duty, and

the greatest privilege of a creature

toward his Creator.—G. D. Watson.

The first requirement of

prayer is to believe.

Believe that God is and that

“he is a rewarder of them

that diligently seek him.”

Believe that God is alive and

therefore has power—not

only for Peter’s deliverance,

but for ours.

Believe that God is love and

that He cares for His own.

Believe that God is power

and therefore no power can

stand against Him.

Believe that God is truth and

therefore cannot lie.

Believe that God is king and

that He will never abdicate

His throne or fail in His

promise.—Leonard Ravenhill.

Hold God’s Character True

5

The Blessings of the Righteous –Ken Legg After creation, the first act of God

towards man was to bless him. This

is God’s heart towards us. The

Hebrew word for ‘bless’ is barak or

baruch meaning to empower to

prosper in all areas of life. After God

made Adam He placed him in a

garden to tend it, dress and work it

so that it would yield its fruit.

The Foundation Of Blessing Is A

Right Relationship With God

The foundation of blessing is to be

rightly related to God. So when

Adam disobeyed God and became

disconnected from Him he

experienced the curse. Tending was

replaced with toiling. The curse of

the law means we have to toil to

get what God originally gave us. But

immediately after the fall God gave

the promise of a Saviour. The Seed

of the woman would come and

bruise the head of the serpent and

overturn the curse, restoring the

blessing once again. The foundation

of blessing, as before, would be a

right relationship with God. But

there’s a difference. We would not

be innocent, like Adam, but

righteous. Innocence means there is

no guilt before God…yet! But we

live with the knowledge that we can

and will sin, resulting in judgment.

In contrast to this, righteousness

means that the perfect

righteousness of Christ has been

imputed to us and we are therefore

permanently ‘in the right’ with God

and always qualified for His

blessing. We are blessed because

we are righteous. Christ has

delivered us from the curse of the

law having become a curse for us,

so that we might experience the

blessing of Abraham (see Gal.3:9-

14). If we don’t understand this,

every time something goes wrong in

our lives we will think that God is

catching up with us for some

personal sin or even a generational

sin. Many Christians live like this.

The Blessing of Abraham

Let’s look at an example of the

blessings of righteousness in the life

of Abraham. When he went down

to Egypt he was afraid of the

Egyptians. His wife was beautiful

and he feared the Egyptians would

kill him so that they could have

Sarah. So he said to her, “Say you

are my sister.” They went along

with this plan to the extent that

Pharaoh took her into his house. He

was about to sleep with her until

God plagued him and his house

with ‘great plagues’. When the

reason for this was revealed,

Pharaoh blamed Abraham for

behaving this way. He then restored

Sarah to him, and gave him many

sheep, oxen, servants, silver & gold.

At this point I can almost hear the

cry, “Unfair!” Maybe you even think

I’ve read the Bible wrong. No, I

haven’t. In fact an almost identical

situation occurred sometime later

when Abraham went to the land of

Gerar. The King of Gerar,

Abimelech, was also led to believe

that Sarah was Abraham’s sister. So

he took her with the intention of

having her as his wife. But God

came to him in a dream and said,

“You are a dead man if you touch

this woman! She’s married. Now

restore her to her husband

otherwise you are dead!”

Abimelech rose early the next

morning (as you would!) and

restored Sarah to Abraham and

gave him many sheep, oxen,

servants and silver as well.

It would seem from the passage

that Abraham didn’t do this just

once or twice; it was his practice

wherever he went (see Gen.20:13).

So how could God, who cursed

mankind on account of sin, not

punish Abraham for his sin? In fact,

He blessed him while he was

sinning! The reason is that though

Abraham was not innocent, yet he

was permanently righteous.

God does not impute sin to the

righteous. In Romans chapter 4,

where Paul discusses our

righteousness in Christ, he quotes

David who said: “Blessed are those

whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered; blessed

is the man to whom the LORD shall

not impute sin” (Rom.4:7&8). Under

the New Covenant God promises: “I

will be merciful to their

unrighteousness, and their sins and

their lawless deeds I will remember

no more” (Heb.8:12). There are

consequences for wrong doing. If

we sow to the flesh, from the flesh

we will reap corruption – not from

God (see Gal.6:8). God does not

impute our sins to us because they

have been imputed to Christ.

Instead Christ’s righteousness is

always imputed to us. That’s why

there is no condemnation for those

who are in Christ – not now, not

ever. We are blessed because of

Jesus!

That’s the good news of the gospel

of grace: “…God was in Christ

reconciling the world to Himself,

not imputing their trespasses to

them…” (2 Cor.5:19 – emphasis

mine). And if you are in Christ, God

will never impute your sins to you.

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6

!

Many Christian statements of faith

include a line such as this: we

believe in the everlasting conscious

bliss of all who truly believe in our

Lord Jesus Christ. In this chapter

John has a glimpse into the eternity

of joy which we shall call ‘the

eternal day’. He sees a new heaven

and earth, which Peter says, is “the

home of righteousness.” He views

the New Jerusalem, the church of

Jesus Christ, as the grand

masterpiece of God’s new creation.

John uses the best words human

language will allow to describe the

unspeakable beauty of the scene

before him. His vision discloses:

The Future of the Church

An Exalted Setting

In Verse 10 John is carried away in

the Spirit to a vast and high

mountain, which speaks of the

exaltation of the bride of Christ. The

city comes down out of heaven

from God. Already believers have

been “raised up together and are

seated together in heavenly places

in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2.6) And our

greatest hope is to be “forever with

the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4.17)

From the eternal viewpoint of the

sacred vision, John sees this already

fulfilled. The city HAS God’s glory.

Romans 5:1 tells us that having

been justified by faith in the Lord

Jesus Christ, we rejoice in hope of

the glory of God, which one day will

be ours. In verse 11 John describes

the beauty of the saints; and in

verse 2 the church is compared to a

bride beautifully adorned for her

husband. At that time God’s people

shall be beautified with God’s glory.

For the Lord takes pleasure in His

people; He will beautify the humble

with salvation. Psalms 149:4

The glory of God’s people is to reign

throughout eternity with him. You

may recall from our earlier studies

at the beginning of the book of

Revelation that Jesus said “He who

overcomes I will grant to sit with me

on my throne.” (Rev3.21) The

church will occupy an exalted

setting in eternity.

An Endless Stay

In verse 3 we read: “And I heard a

loud voice from heaven saying,

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is

with men, and He will dwell with

them”. The key to eternal bliss is

God’s dwelling among people. As

the bride of Christ descends out of

heaven from God, her eternal

communion with God has already

begun and will never be

interrupted. There will be no need

for a temple in heaven, for God’s

presence will be immediate and full.

God’s purpose to dwell among

people forever will be fulfilled,

hence the cry goes up - it is

completed. God made humanity for

fellowship with Himself, and sent

Christ into the world to redeem

sinful humankind, that he might

dwell with them forever. The

church will enjoy an endless stay in

eternity - God with us and we with

God.

An Everlasting Supply

Our every need and wish will be

supplied in heaven. In verse 6 Jesus

promises to give the water of life

freely to all who thirst. What is this

fountain of the water of life? These

are the deep supplies which, if I

might use such a phrase, fuel the

Godhead himself. God is all

sufficient in himself and he chooses

to share that all sufficiency with us.

That is the water of life, flowing

from the throne of God. God is

Revelation 21

The Eternal Day

Truth for Today

A brief extract from our forthcoming book.

By Mathew Bartlett

Image © Pidiyath100

7

never in want, and we shall not be

in want. In his presence there is

fullness of joy (Ps 16.11); but there

is also fullness of all things. All

things are freely given to us in

Christ. As verse 7 highlights: The

one who conquers will inherit these

things, and I will be his God and he

will be my son.

Similarly, Paul writes: He who did

not spare His own Son, but

delivered Him up for us all, how

shall He not with Him also freely

give us all things? Romans 8:32

Throughout eternity, the Alpha and

Omega, the beginning and end will

be our all in all. When we read

these words, we should not think of

the Lord Jesus Christ as akin to

bookends – Alpha at the one end

and Omega at the other. Instead, he

is the A to Z, the sum total of all

things, and all sufficient for us.

The fatherhood of God brings to us

an all satisfying relationship. If only

we could fully understand the

words “I will be his God and he will

be my son” we would know that all

we need is found in Him. We are

born of God’s Spirit and share his

divine nature, so it is our place to be

with him. The child of God will need

no other amusement in heaven, for

we will never be dissatisfied.

The future God has planned for his

church is an exalted setting,

endless stay and everlasting

supply.

The Features of the Church in

Eternity

John is using familiar words to

describe heavenly realities. Having

described the church as a bride, he

also describes it as a city, indicating:

The Structure of the Church in

Eternity.

It is laid out as a square, with three

gates on each of its four sides,

twelve gates in all.

These gates are inscribed with the

names of the twelve tribes of Israel,

whilst the foundations of the city

are inscribed with the names of the

twelve apostles of the Lamb. God’s

everlasting purpose in his dealing

with men in both the Old and New

Testaments is now fulfilled; its

foundations show that the church in

heaven is made up of Jews and

Gentiles from every nation.

Each gate is a single pearl. That is a

message in itself. The tropical sea

pearl oyster secretes layer upon

layer of a shiny substance called

nacre onto any foreign object, such

as sand or a parasite that enters

into its shell. Eventually, over a

period of seven years, a beautiful

and valuable pearl is formed. The

pearl is all that remains to tell of the

oyster’s victorious battle with its

sufferings. We will, of course, be in

heaven because of the shed blood

of Christ, a sacrifice that will never

be repeated. Nevertheless the gates

of the city, speak of:

The Shelter of the Church,

The heavenly pearls are all that

remain of the sufferings his church

passed through on its way to

heaven. No more suffering will

reach us in that heavenly shelter;

our suffering will be over forever,

but what it produced in us, the

perfect beauty of the likeness of

Christ, will remain.

The Size of the Church

We are not to think of the

redeemed of the Lord as being

some minor community. The people

inhabiting New Jerusalem will be

more numerous than the sand by

the seashore. John has already

described the church in heaven as

being “innumerable” (Rev. 7.9).

Although I’m honestly not sure if we

should take these measurements

literally, I’ve done some calculations

with them all the same. According

to the earthly measurement used

by the angel, the city covers a land

area of 2 ¼ million sq. miles, 10

times the size of the British Isles.

However, the height of the city is

remarkable. If it were on earth

today, it would reach further into

space than some satellites. If we

were to flatten it out to the height

of the highest skyscrapers on earth

the New Jerusalem would occupy

more than 30 times the surface

area of our planet (including all the

seas). To sum up, the point is very

simply made: it is a vast place.

Symbolism aside, the message is

clear - there is plenty of room in

heaven for everyone.

Our attention is next drawn to the

thickness of the walls - 144 cubits or

(over 200 feet). In ancient times,

the thickness of a city wall was a

measure of its security. No enemy

could enter through walls so thick.

This implies:

The Saint’s Security

Sin (v8)(v27), death (v4), pain (v4)

and sadness (v4) will never enter

heaven. There will be no separation

from God or each other. Notice: WE

shall be forever with the Lord, not I.

We will be with him but we will also

be with each other, and with our

Christian loved ones who have

passed on before us, eternally.

What a blessed thought. The

fellowship God enjoys with his

people we shall also enjoy with

each other in perfect and unending

love and unity. Maybe that is why

8

there is only one street in heaven, a

symbol of our unity and community.

The Saint’s Perfection

The precious stones the city is built

with speak of the saint’s perfection.

Each believer is a living stone, and

precious to God. These precious

gems represent the perfections of

Christ which have now been

revealed in and through the

redeemed, who share his image.

For whom God foreknew, He also

predestined to be conformed to the

image of His Son, that He might be

the firstborn among many

brethren. (Rom. 8:29)

As Ephesians 5.27 says, Christ will

‘present to Himself a glorious

church, not having spot or wrinkle

or any such thing, but that she

should be holy and without

blemish.’ When we see Christ we

shall be like him, for as 1 John 3:2

says, “we shall see him as he is.”

The perfection of the saints is also

shown by the perfection of the city,

since the numbers, all derivatives of

12, are taken by many scholars to

be a reference to the perfections of

divine character and government.

Next we turn our attention to the

doors, which are eternally open.

This tells of:

The Saint’s Freedom

The twelve gateways do not reveal

the way to heaven, for there is only

one way to heaven - the Lord Jesus

Christ said ‘I am the Way’, and ‘I am

the door’. But the gateways reveal

the freedom of the saints. Open

doors mean the freedom to come

and go as we please. There will be

no one to harass or stop us

worshipping God in heaven. There

will be perfect liberty. No church

meetings will need to be held in

secret behind locked doors. The

doors will never be closed, there

will never be the need to lock up at

night, for there will be no night; and

though attended by angels, these

must be seen as attendant servants

rather than guardians of the city,

since the city has no need of a

guard – there are no more enemies

to harass. “Open Doors” is a good

name for an organisation seeking to

help persecuted believers meeting

behind closed doors for fear of their

enemies. There will be no closed

doors in heaven, but eternal

freedom to worship God.

We have dealt with the future of

the church and its features in

eternity, but finally, what will be the

function of the Church in heaven?

The Function of the Church

To Bring Glory to God.

The church shall function in heaven

to bring glory to God. Paul repeats

this theme again and again in

Ephesians. He tells us that the

church will be to the glory of God

for his grace:

‘our adoption as sons by Jesus

Christ.. Is to the praise of the glory

of His grace.. (Eph. 1:5-6) that we

who first trusted in Christ should be

to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:12)

..the redemption of the purchased

possession, will be to the praise of

His glory’. (Eph. 1:14)

It will be to the glory of God’s

wisdom. Paul says that even now,

“the manifold wisdom of God is

made known by the church to the

principalities and powers in the

heavenly places, (Eph. 3:10) And so

for eternity the church shall display

his wisdom.

For I consider that the sufferings of

this present time are not worthy to

be compared with the glory which

shall be revealed in us. (Rom. 8:18)

Notice that the scripture says, ‘They

shall bring the glory and honour of

the nations into it.’ (v26) Here is

something that the saints will take

with them into heaven - their own

glory, that is, their characters or

own selves which have been

purified and perfected in Christ.

What we are will not be abrogated

in heaven. ‘I will know even as I am

known.’ We will know each other in

heaven. The saints themselves are

to be to God’s glory - as Paul tells

the Thessalonians ‘you are our glory

and joy’. (1 Thess. 2:20).

To bring Worship to God.

Looking briefly at chapter 22:3 we

read: ‘His servants shall serve him.’

What will our heavenly service be?

It will consist chiefly of worship.

Worship has been described as the

highest form of service. One of the

final commands in the book of

revelation is ‘Worship God!’ (Rev.

22:9). It is a command the child of

God should delight to keep;

worshipping God through eternity.

Conclusion

The eternal day will be an eternity

of joy for all the redeemed. The

bride coming down out of heaven

introduces us to what could rightly

be called “The Marriage Supper of

the Lamb.” the eternal union of God

with his people. No wonder the

angel has earlier announced

‘Blessed are they who are called to

the marriage supper of the Lamb.’

(Rev 19.9) I’m getting ready for the

marriage feast, are you?

9

It came even to pass, as the

trumpeters and singers were as

one, to make one sound to be

heard in praising and thanking

the LORD; and when they lifted

up their voice with the trumpets

and cymbals and instruments of

musick, and praised the LORD,

saying, For he is good; for his

mercy endureth for ever: that

then the house was filled with a

cloud, even the house of the

LORD; So that the priests could

not stand to minister by reason

of the cloud: for the glory of the

LORD had filled the house of

God. (2Ch 5:13-14)

INTRODUCTION

There is a longing in us all to sense

the presence of God. Whilst there is

no gimmick or formula by which we

might demand God’s presence,

praise frees the human spirit to

appreciate the presence of God.

The above reading relates to the

inauguration of the Temple by

Solomon and the installation of the

Ark of the covenant; the event was

accompanied by praise and

worship. Similarly, when the Holy

Spirit came to his temple (the

Church) at Pentecost, he inspired

praise and worship.

1. THE REDISCOVERY OF

WORSHIP

The people of Solomon’s time were

praising and thanking the Lord.

There will always be the outpouring

of the Spirit when there is worship.

The people had been serving, but

now they were praising. In the early

church it was as they ministered

unto the Lord, the Ho/v Ghost

said....”

(a) “For He is good...”

This is praising God for who He is.

Those who have never come to

Christ see no loveliness in God. But

we who know Christ can praise God

for His pure, lovely holiness - “holy,

holy, holy....”

We praise God for his infinite

wisdom - “In Him are hid all the

treasures of wisdom and

knowledge...”

We praise God for his power -

everything is in His hand, and so

answers can be received to our

prayers.

(b) “For His mercy endureth for

ever....”

This is praising God for what He has

done for us: His salvation; care and

forgiveness –

We note that the Ark was now in

the Temple. In a similar sense, God

is with us as an abiding presence.

Even when we fail God, God does

not fail us.

There’s nothing between me and

weeping and wailing....But Christ.

Thank God for his glorious

intervention in Christ!

SENSING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

2 CHRONICLES 5:13-14

A Sermon Outline by Rev. Ramon Hunston (Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada)

Image © Maryna Kriuchenko

10

(c) Thanksgiving is God’s Will

In everything give thanks: for this is

the will of God in Christ Jesus

concerning you. (1Th 5:18)

Thanksgiving expresses faith. It is

the experience of commitment.

2. THE REDISCOVERY OF

FELLOWSHIP

“They were as one.”

(a) Their hearts were one.

There was nothing between them;

this is the Biblical essential of

relationships.

‘Behold, how good and how

pleasant it is for brethren to dwell

together in unity! It is like the

precious ointment upon the head,

that ran down upon the beard, even

Aaron's beard: that went down to

the skirts of his garments; As the

dew of Hermon, and as the dew

that descended upon the

mountains of Zion: for there the

LORD commanded the blessing,

even life for evermore.

(Psa 133:1-3)

Note also Jesus’ prayer: "That they

may he one...and the glory that

Thou gayest Me, I have given to

them." (John 17:21-22)

(b) Their prayers were as one, just

as on the day of Pentecost the

disciples were all of one accord in

one place.

They made “one sound.” When we

are united together by the same

Holy Spirit, we enjoy corporate

worship which is the secret of

corporate blessing.

(c) Their spirits were as one.

We must be united in one purpose -

to praise the Lord.

That ye may with one mind and one

mouth glorify God, even the Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 15:6)

Our praises are only acceptable to

God through Christ.

3. THE REALISATION OF GOD’S

PRESENCE

(a) The cloud filled the house

(Temple)It was the same cloud as in

the wilderness... but now a

different generation.

God led the children of Israel by a

pillar of fire in the wilderness. For

the Church today he has sent the

Holy Spirit, the fire of Pentecost.

(b) The priests could not stand to

minister.

It was the same experience as when

the Tabernacle was set up but once

again it was now a different

situation. On this occasion as then,

God kindled the fire on the altar.

We must never restrict God to

acting in the past. Pentecost was a

once for all event in the plan of

God, but God wants the same

power of the Holy Spirit to be

experienced by a new generation in

our day.

(c) The glory of the Lord filled the

house (Temple).

Fire came down from God following

Solomon’s prayer. (7:1-2)

There was the same power and

presence. The God of the Old

Testament is the God of the New.

He has lit the holy fire of Pentecost,

but consequently he would have us

keep it burning in our hearts in a

spirit of worship.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity… for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Psalm 133:1-3 Image © Zoom-zoom

11

The other day I went with my

father to the shooting range. He

was heading out on a hunting

trip, and before he left I wanted

to help him “sight in” the rifle

I had bought him as a gift. We

looked through the scope, which

we had just attached, aimed at

the target, and fired, knowing

that we would most likely miss

the bull’s-eye. But by firing at

the target, we could see where

we needed to make an

adjustment to the scope. We

were only able to make

corrections when we saw how

we were missing the mark.

I think this is typical of life. We

usually learn more from our

mistakes than our successes. But

unless you fire, you will never

miss, and unless you miss, you

will never be able to make the

adjustments necessary to hit the

bull’s-eye.

Whenever I begin a new project

or initiative, I never view my

initial plan as the final draft. I

dive into it knowing that I will

learn as I go. This means that

I’m not paralyzed by a fear of

failure; rather I am looking

forward to learning what not to

do.

I see my initial plan as an

uncalibrated machine with many

dials. The dials are all the

different variables represented

in that particular project. Once

the machine is running, I can see

what is working and what is not

working. I am diligent to gather

sufficient feedback, and then I

will begin to tweak the “dials”

based on that feedback.

Even when I feel like everything

is running smoothly, I will

continue to step back often to

analyse the process. If

something is working well, I will

try to capitalize on it. If

something is not working well, I

will adjust it or prune it off

altogether. It is an ongoing

dynamic development that

never ends.

This process is where real

progress is made, but until you

take action, all of your planning

Ready, Fire, Aim Bible Study by Daniel Kolenda (CfaN) Photo: © Ellah By kind permission of CfaN, an extract from Daniel’s new book-

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12

and strategizing is simply

untested theory.

Having said all these things, let

me be clear: taking action is not

just a matter of trial and error.

At its core, it is a matter of

faithfulness.

Even if there are a thousand

things you cannot do for one

reason or another, there is

always something you can do. It

may seem small or insignificant,

but the eyes of God are on you.

He is watching to see what you

will do with the opportunities He

has given you, and your

response will determine

whether He entrusts you with

more.

I was preaching in a church some

time ago when a young man

came up to me with tears in his

eyes and said, “I have a calling

like yours. The Lord has called

me to preach the gospel. I

believe I am going to win

millions of people to the Lord,

but I don’t know where to start.”

I put my arm around him and

said, “I think I can help you.” He

said, “You can?” I said, “Yes, I

can tell you where to start.

Start by telling your unsaved

family members about Jesus.

Then go and tell your unsaved

friends about Jesus. Then go out

to the street corners and preach

the gospel to lost people

wherever you can find them. As

God sees your faithfulness, He

will give you more.”

Another young man shared his

vision with me one day. He said,

“I am going to start a house of

prayer. I am going to have

prayer, intercession, and

worship going on twenty-four

hours per day, seven days per

week, three hundred sixty-five

days per year.”

“That’s a wonderful vision,” I

said. “When will it begin?” He

said, “Well, first I need to gather

several dozen worship bands

together and several hundred

intercessors who share my

vision.” I could see a problem in

his plan right away.

“Can I give you some advice?” I

asked. He was very eager to hear

it. I said, “Why don’t you start

with one evening per week or

one day per month? Start by

doing whatever you can do, and

as you are faithful, God will give

you more.”

Unfortunately my advice was

too unexciting for that young

man. He decided to do it the

more dramatic way and wait

until all the bands and

intercessors had been

assembled. I’m sad to report

that several years later, he still

has not started the house of

prayer.

I did not start by preaching to

millions of people. I started

preaching as a teenager to lost

people on the streets. I went

door to door in my

neighbourhood and witnessed

to my neighbours. I went to the

parks and stood on park

benches and preached. I stood

up in restaurants, outside

movie theatres, on street

corners. I have been escorted

away by police on more than

one occasion for preaching the

gospel.

When I first launched into full-

time evangelistic ministry, I had

only one preaching invitation.

But that invitation led to another

and another and another. Today

I have more invitations than I

could ever accept, but it all

happened one door at a time.

There’s an

ancient

Chinese

proverb that

says, “The

journey of a

thousand

miles begins

with the first

step.”

Perhaps you don’t know how to

get from A to Z, but you don’t

need to know that. All you need

to know is how to get from A to

B. Once you get to B, then you

will go to C, and one step at a

time you will find that the

waters will begin to part as your

feet get wet.

13

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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 Plot Against Jesus

14:1 Two days before the Passover

and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

the chief priests and the experts in

the law were trying to find a way to

arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

Although the religious leaders in

Jerusalem had been talking for

some time about ridding

themselves of Jesus it was not until

two days before the Passover that

they met together to plan on how

they could bring about his death by

deceptive means. That they sought

to do this by stealth reveals that

they knew they had no justification

for their actions.

14:2 For they said, ‘Not during the

feast, so there won't be a riot

among the people.’

They originally hoped to put the

plan on hold until after the

Passover, in case it caused uproar

among the people, with whom

Jesus was popular. So they planned

to take Jesus after the feast, until

circumstances caused them to

change their plans. In fact, it was

God’s own plan that was about to

be fulfilled in Jerusalem (Prov.

19:21; Job 5:12; Psalm 33:11).

Jesus Anointed

14:3 Now while Jesus was in

Bethany at the house of Simon the

leper, reclining at the table, a

woman came with an alabaster jar

of costly aromatic oil from pure

nard. After breaking open the jar,

she poured it on his head.

This event took place in Bethany

where Jesus often resorted when

going to Jerusalem. This time the

supper is held in Simon the leper's

house; since Simon was present he

had obviously been healed by the

Lord. The differences in Matthew's

(Matt. 26 6-13) and Mark's account

of this anointing with that of John's

(John 12:1-8) might readily be

explained if we assume that Martha

and Mary had prepared supper in

Simon’s house.

Matthew and Mark place this event

two days before the Passover;

whereas John mentions Jesus

arriving in Bethany six days before

the Passover. But we have already

seen in Mark that Jesus spent

several days in Bethany before his

execution, and so although he

arrived six days before, the

anointing may well have taken place

The Faith-builders Bible study series

Mark Chapter 14 By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

Mark Chapter 2 (abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

14

(as Mark relates) two days before

the Passover.

Although Mark does not name her,

John affirms that is was Mary the

sister of Lazarus who poured a

liquid perfume made out of pure

nard on Jesus’ feet (nard was

extracted from the spikenard plant).

It was very costly and highly prized,

being imported from Arabia, India

and the Far East. Since Mary was

someone who listened attentively

to Jesus’ words (John 10:39), had

she saved the perfume purposely,

realising that she was anointing

Christ for his burial; or did she act in

ignorant devotion? She did not keep

anything for herself but gave it all to

Jesus.

Mark says that Mary anointed

Jesus’ head whilst John mentions

his feet. It is quite likely that Mary

(who had come to anoint his body

for burial) would have anointed

both.

14:4-5 But some who were present

indignantly said to one another,

‘Why this waste of expensive

ointment? It could have been sold

for more than three hundred silver

coins and the money given to the

poor!’ So they spoke angrily to her.

The act of worship which expressed

Mary’s love for the Lord brought an

angry response from the onlookers,

including the twelve disciples. They

all sharply criticised Mary. To them

it was a complete waste of an

expensive item which could have

been used for better things. Their

minds were still fixed on material

benefits and so they were blinded

to the spiritual significance of what

Mary had done. In any case after all

that Jesus had done for them

should they begrudge him this

honour? In John's gospel we are

told that it was Judas Iscariot that

made the most objections, since he

been stealing from the purse he had

been entrusted with (John 12:6).

14:6 But Jesus said, ‘Leave her

alone. Why are you bothering her?

She has done a good service for me.

Jesus knew what was in Mary’s

heart and comes to her defence,

rebuking the disciples for accusing

her. He commends Mary for her act

of faith, declaring it to be good and

beautiful as an expression of love.

14:7 For you will always have the

poor with you, and you can do good

for them whenever you want. But

you will not always have me!

Mary seemed to understand

something that the disciples had

not, although Jesus had repeatedly

told them about it: he was leaving

them. In fact his hour had almost

come; now was the time to do

something for him. There would

always be poor people in the world

for whom they could give help at

any time.

14:8 She did what she could. She

anointed my body beforehand for

burial.

Jesus informs them quite clearly

that she had anointed him for his

burial.

14:9 I tell you the truth, wherever

the gospel is proclaimed in the

whole world, what she has done will

also be told in memory of her.’

Mary's act of devotion would be

remembered as a testimony to her

wherever the gospel was preached;

her actions are worthy of being

commended as an example for all

believers to follow – symbolising

complete surrender to the Lord.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

14:10-11 Then Judas Iscariot, one of

the twelve, went to the chief priests

to betray Jesus into their hands.

When they heard this, they were

delighted and promised to give him

money. So Judas began looking for

an opportunity to betray him.

After this Judas Iscariot wasted no

time. He had made up his mind to

betray Jesus into the hands of his

enemies and so conspired with the

chief priests how he might betray

him into their hands without the

people knowing. They rejoiced to

hear this, since this is what they had

been waiting for. Who better to

help them than one who was his

disciple and professed friend (Psalm

41:9; Psalm 55:12-14)? The price

that they would pay Judas for the

life of the Lord was thirty pieces of

silver, the price of a slave.

The Preparation and the

Passover

14:12 Now on the first day of the

feast of Unleavened Bread, when

the Passover lamb is sacrificed,

Jesus' disciples said to him, ‘Where

do you want us to prepare for you

to eat the Passover?’

When the disciples asked Jesus

where he wanted them to prepare

for the Passover, they found that

God had already made preparations

of his own.

14:13 He sent two of his disciples

and told them, ‘Go into the city, and

a man carrying a jar of water will

meet you. Follow him.

As they entered Jerusalem they

would meet a man carrying a

pitcher of water, an uncommon

sight enough, as it was usually the

15

women or children who did this. He

would lead them to the place which

God had ordained for this last

supper. Mark seems eager to affirm

that God was not leaving any of the

events surrounding his Son’s last

days to chance.

14:14-15 Wherever he enters, tell

the owner of the house, 'The

Teacher says, ‘Where is my guest

room where I may eat the Passover

with my disciples?’ He will show you

a large room upstairs, furnished and

ready. Make preparations for us

there.

God had also prepared the owner of

the house to receive the disciples,

and when they arrived he guided

them to an upper room which was

already prepared for the Passover

celebration.

14:16-18 So the disciples left, went

into the city, and found things just

as he had told them, and they

prepared the Passover. Then, when

it was evening, he came to the

house with the twelve. While they

were at the table eating, Jesus said,

‘I tell you the truth, one of you

eating with me will betray me.’

The disciples obeyed Jesus without

question and it found things to be

exactly as he had told them. So they

prepared the Passover ready for his

arrival. When we do exactly as Jesus

commands us we will find that all

things will work out right.

At evening time, Jesus arrived with

the rest of the twelve, and as they

sat down to eat, he dropped the

first bomb shell of the evening. One

of the twelve, one of those closest

to him, was going to betray him. We

cannot imagine what a shock this

must have been to the disciples; all

except for one.

14:19 They were distressed, and one

by one said to him, ‘Surely not I?’

The disciples began to show their

sadness at hearing this news; yet it

is significant to notice that they did

not ask “who is it?” or insist that “it

isn't me”. Their hearts had been so

pierced by Jesus’ words that even

the innocent among them began to

examine themselves, and asked him

one by one “is it I?”

14:20 He said to them, ‘It is one of

the twelve, one who dips his hand

with me into the bowl.

In reply, Jesus did not openly name

the betrayer, but gives an almost

“cryptic clue” so that the person

himself would know that Jesus was

not ignorant of his plans. According

to John 13:26, it appears that only

John saw who dipped his hand in

the dish at the same time as Jesus,

and so understood the betrayer to

be Judas Iscariot.

14:21 For the Son of Man will go as

it is written about him, but woe to

that man by whom the Son of Man

is betrayed! It would be better for

him if he had never been born.’

The fact that every minute detail of

the plan of salvation was

foreordained by God did not

absolve Judas Iscariot from blame

for the part which he played in it.

Like any other person, Judas had a

free will; he did not have to betray

Jesus. Jesus gave him plenty of

opportunities to repent but he

continually hardened his heart.

Therefore he would pay the

dreadful penalty for his actions and

there would never be a rest for his

soul. That is why Jesus said “It

would be better for him if he had

never been born”.

14:22-26 While they were eating, he

took bread, and after giving thanks

he broke it, gave it to them, and

said, ‘Take it. This is my body.’ And

after taking the cup and giving

thanks, he gave it to them, and they

all drank from it. He said to them,

‘This is my blood, the blood of the

covenant that is poured out for

many. I tell you the truth; I will no

longer drink of the fruit of the vine

until that day when I drink it new in

the kingdom of God.’ After singing a

hymn, they went out to the Mount

of Olives.

Judas having left, Jesus proceeded

to institute a new memorial - the

communion - to replace that of the

Passover. Just as the Passover

involved the death and blood of a

lamb, so the memorial Christ

instituted would point to his own

broken body and to his blood shed

on the cross.

As Passover commemorated the

Jews’ deliverance from slavery to

Egypt, so the communion pictures

the deliverance which Christ

provided (through his death) from

the slavery of sin. Christ gave

himself for us that we might be

redeemed, purchased for God by

his blood. This blessing of

redemption is closely related to the

forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7).

The Passover provided a number of

types and pictures of the reality

which was soon to be fulfilled by

Christ’s death, and which thereafter

would no longer be needed. Christ

would never take Passover again,

but he would share the blessings of

the redemption which it symbolised

with all the believers in his

kingdom. Barnes says, “The

observance of the Passover, and of

the rites shadowing forth future

things, here end… Hereafter, when

my Father’s kingdom is established

in heaven, we will partake together

of the thing represented by these

16

types… the blessings and triumphs

of redemption.”

Before facing his last and fiercest

battle at the cross, Jesus paused to

sing hymns of praise to God with his

disciples. It is commonly accepted

that the hymns sung by Jews on

such an occasion Psalms 113-118. In

Christ’s singing there was a note of

praise for the victory which he was

about to accomplish. Following the

hymn, they set out for the Mount of

Olives, where in a garden called

Gethsemane, they often met to

pray.

14:26-31 Then Jesus said to them,

‘You will all fall away, for it is

written, 'I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.' But

after I am raised, I will go ahead of

you into Galilee.’ Peter said to him,

‘Even if they all fall away, I will not!’

Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you the

truth, today -- this very night --

before a rooster crows twice, you

will deny me three times.’ But Peter

insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I must

die with you, I will never deny you.’

And all of them said the same thing.

The Old Testament had predicted

the scattering of Christ’s disciples at

the time of his arrest and

crucifixion. But Jesus introduced a

new reality – he would gather them

to himself again after he was raised

from the dead. All the disciples,

including Peter, were indignant at

the suggestion that they would

forsake their Lord. They

overestimated their own ability and

loyalty; though Jesus ability to keep

his word was never in doubt.

14:32-41 Then they went to a place

called Gethsemane, and Jesus said

to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I

pray.’ He took Peter, James, and

John with him, and became very

troubled and distressed. He said to

them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved,

even to the point of death. Remain

here and stay alert.’ Going a little

farther, he threw himself to the

ground and prayed that if it were

possible the hour would pass from

him. He said, ‘Abba, Father, all

things are possible for you. Take this

cup away from me. Yet not what I

will, but what you will.’

Then he came and found them

sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon,

are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay

awake for one hour? Stay awake

and pray that you will not fall into

temptation. The spirit is willing, but

the flesh is weak.’ He went away

again and prayed the same thing.

When he came again he found them

sleeping; they could not keep their

eyes open. And they did not know

what to tell him. He came a third

time and said to them, ‘Are you still

sleeping and resting? Enough of

that! The hour has come. Look, the

Son of Man is betrayed into the

hands of sinners.

As Christ approached the garden of

Gethsemane, he began to enter his

agony, an agony which only he

could face. The sorrow of it was

itself sufficient to kill him (14:34).

Asking all his disciples, some further

off and some nearby, to pray with

him, he fell on his face to intercede

with God for the last time as a man;

asking that if it were possible, the

hour might pass from him. It was

certainly possible, for Christ would

not be forced to suffer and die for

the sin of the world. Yet it was the

only way for lost sinners to be

redeemed for God; their

redemption by any other means

was impossible.

The salvation of sinners was the

purpose for which Christ had come

into the world (1 Tim. 1:15; John

3:16). Realising this, despite the

agony of the moment, Christ

purposed to go through with the

plan - not for his own sake, but for

ours. He prayed, “yet not what I

will, but what you will’ (v36). An

angel appeared to strengthen him,

lest the sorrow be too much for his

human frame to bear (Luke 22:43).

The Betrayal and Arrest

14:42 Get up, let us go. Look! My

betrayer is approaching!’

After his agonizing triumph in

Gethsemane Jesus woke his

disciples as his betrayer came near.

14:43 Right away, while Jesus was

still speaking, Judas, one of the

twelve, arrived. With him came a

crowd armed with swords and clubs,

sent by the chief priests and experts

in the law and elders.

Even as he spoke, Judas arrived with

a detachment of temple police,

heavily armed. Judas may have had

some idea of what the disciples’

reaction to Jesus’ arrest might be,

particularly Peter's and so he may

have advised them to bring

weapons.

14:44-46 (Now the betrayer had

given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I

kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead

him away under guard.’) When

Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus

immediately and said, ‘Rabbi!’ and

kissed him. Then they took hold of

him and arrested him.

Judas had also agreed the means by

which he would identify Jesus. The

kiss was the usual form of greeting

in New Testament times (Rom.

16:16); and among Christians this

affectionate greeting demonstrated

love and brotherhood (1 Pet. 5:14).

The callous way in which Judas used

17

the kiss and hypocritically

addressed Jesus as “Rabbi”

demonstrated that he had gone

beyond all hope of repentance

(Prov. 27:6). In this way Judas

handed the Saviour of the world

into the hands of cruel men.

14:47 One of the bystanders drew

his sword and struck the high

priest's slave, cutting off his ear.

John 18:10 reveals that it was Peter

who made this useless attack upon

Malchus, one of the high priest's

servants, cutting off his ear. Luke

informs us (Luke 22:51) that Jesus

touched the ear of this servant and

healed it immediately. Even to

those who had come out to destroy

him, Jesus showed love and

compassion. The one who

commands “love your enemies”

(Matt. 5:44) never asks us to do

anything which he did not do first.

14:48-49 Jesus said to them, ‘Have

you come with swords and clubs to

arrest me like you would an outlaw?

Day after day I was with you,

teaching in the temple courts, yet

you did not arrest me. But this has

happened so that the scriptures

would be fulfilled.’

Although it appeared that Judas

was handing Jesus over to his

enemies, and that they now had

Christ in their power, Jesus

remained in complete control of the

situation. He even dictated the

terms of his own arrest,

confounding his enemies by

challenging them (John 18:7-8).

Pointing to their weapons he

reminds them that he was daily in

the temple but they did not seize

him. The fact that they had come

armed under cover of darkness

proved them to be wrong. Yet all

things were happening in

accordance with the scriptures: God

was in control (Isa. 53:7).

14:50 Then all the disciples left him

and fled.

Here we see the fulfilment of Jesus’

prediction in verse 27; all the

disciples left him and fled.

14:51-52 A young man was

following him, wearing only a linen

cloth. They tried to arrest him, but

he ran off naked, leaving his linen

cloth behind.

It is thought that this young man

(who would have been in his teens)

might have been Mark the writer of

the gospel. The temple guards were

unable to arrest him, but he only

narrowly managed to escape by

leaving his clothing behind.

The Religious Trial of Christ

After Jesus’ arrest they took him to

Annas, who had retired as high

priest fifteen years previously and

was the father-in-law of the present

high priest, Caiaphas (John 18:13). It

was Caiaphas who had prophesied

that it was needful that one man

should die so that the whole nation

should not perish (John 11:50-51).

From there they led Jesus to

Caiaphas, and the 71 members of

the Sanhedrin (the religious

authority of the Jews) assembled to

put Jesus on trial, laying false

charges against him.

14:54 And Peter had followed him

from a distance, up to the high

priest's courtyard. He was sitting

with the guards and warming

himself by the fire.

Peter, who originally fled with the

rest of the disciples in the garden,

returned to follow Jesus at a safe

distance and gained entry into the

high priest's courtyard through

John's influence (John 18:16). He sat

among the enemies of Christ,

warming himself by the fire.

14:55-56 The chief priests and the

whole Sanhedrin were looking for

evidence against Jesus so that they

could put him to death, but they did

not find anything. Many gave false

testimony against him, but their

testimony did not agree.

The fact that they had difficulty

finding people to act as false

witnesses against Jesus proves that

they could not justify his arrest. The

text suggests that they were forced

to bribe people to make false

accusations; but even then these

could not agree, God throwing their

false testimony into confusion.

14:57-59 Some stood up and gave

this false testimony against him: We

heard him say, 'I will destroy this

temple made with hands and in

three days build another not made

with hands.' Yet even on this point

their testimony did not agree.

At last there were some who came

forward to say that they had heard

Jesus threaten to destroy the

temple and then rebuild it. This was

of course true, but in context, Jesus

had been speaking of his death and

resurrection. “Yet his death did

destroy the need of the temple and

established the church as a new

place made without hands in which

God would dwell” (Wesley Bible).

14:60-61 Then the high priest stood

up before them and asked Jesus,

‘Have you no answer? What is this

that they are testifying against But

he was silent and did not answer.

Again the high priest questioned

him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of

the Blessed One?’

18

Caiaphas then took matters into his

own hands, being amazed at Jesus'

silent response to all the

accusations being made against him

(1 Pet. 2:23).

If he had chosen to believe the

scriptures, Caiaphas would have

recognised Christ as the Son of God

by his demeanour without having to

question him (Isa. 53:7).

14:62 I am, said Jesus, and you will

see the Son of Man sitting at the

right hand of the Power and coming

with the clouds of heaven.

Up until this point Jesus had not

even let his own disciples openly

confess him as Christ (Mark 8:30;

Mark 9:9). But now there was no

longer any need for concealment

for his time had come.

So Jesus answered with an

emphatic “I am!” This claim to be

the “I am”, the deity, the messiah-

King who was destined to sit at the

right hand of God, from where he

would come again in glory and

judgement, was too much for the

high priest.

14:63-64 Then the high priest tore

his clothes and said, ‘Why do we still

need witnesses? You have heard the

blasphemy! What is your verdict?’

They all condemned him as

deserving death.

Caiaphas could not have asked for

any better. As far as he was

concerned this was blasphemy,

justification enough to condemn

Jesus to death. And so it was by the

religious leaders of his time that the

Lord Jesus Christ is condemned to

death.

14:65 Then some began to spit on

him, and to blindfold him, and to

strike him with their fists, saying,

‘Prophesy!’ The guards also took

him and beat him.

The Sanhedrin had no power to

carry out their sentence of death,

for this could only be done by the

Romans.

Nevertheless, all restraint and

respect for Jesus was abandoned as

they abused him shamefully,

spitting in his face (Isa. 50:6). They

blindfolded him, asking him to

prophecy who hit him. In this way

he was despised, rejected and set at

nought (Isa. 53:3).

Peter's Denial

14:66-67 Now while Peter was

below in the courtyard, one of the

high priest's slave girls came by.

When she saw Peter warming

himself, she looked directly at him

and said, ‘You also were with that

Nazarene, Jesus.’

Whilst all this was going on, Peter

was still warming himself by the

fire, keeping company with those

who were Christ’s enemies. Nor did

he go unnoticed, for a servant girl

recognised him and accused him of

being a follower of Jesus.

14:68 But he denied it: ‘I don't even

understand what you're talking

about!’ Then he went out to the

gateway, and a rooster crowed.

Peter pretends that he doesn't

understand what she means – this

is the first denial - and the cock

crew - Peter had begun to fall, just

as Jesus had predicted.

14:69 When the slave girl saw him,

she began again to say to the

bystanders, ‘This man is one of

them.’

The girl was not going to let Peter

get away with such a denial, and on

seeing him again she made her

accusation to others standing by

that he was one of Jesus’ followers.

14:70 But he denied it again. A short

time later the bystanders again said

to Peter, ‘You must be one of them,

because you are also a Galilean.’

This time, Peter denied that he was

a disciple of Jesus – this was the

second denial. The third time Peter

was approached by those who

stood with him, for his Galilean

accent betrayed him. Surely, if he

was a Galilean, he must be one of

Christ's followers.

14:71-72 Then he began to curse,

and he swore with an oath, ‘I do not

know this man you are talking

about!’ Immediately a rooster

crowed a second time. Then Peter

remembered what Jesus had said to

him: ‘Before a rooster crows twice,

you will deny me three times.’ And

he broke down and wept.

On this third occasion Peter denied

with oaths and curses that he ever

knew Jesus at all - and the cock

crowed again. Peter completely

falls. At this point Luke reveals that

Jesus looked at Peter - not with a

look of condemnation but a look of

love.

It was enough; Peter remembered

Jesus' prediction and was

completely broken in spirit and

wept. Like Jeremiah before him,

Peter had learned to admit “my

heart within me is broken” (Jer.

23:9). This was not to be the end of

Peter; for his broken and contrite

spirit and the fact that Jesus had

prayed for him remained as his all-

sufficient protection (Psalm 34:18).

19

Vision Four: The Cleansing of the

High Priest vv. 1-7

3:1 Next I saw Joshua the high

priest standing before the angel of

the LORD, with Satan standing at

his right hand to accuse him.

Joshua the high priest was among

those who had returned from exile

in Babylon to Jerusalem. Zechariah

sees him in vision form standing

before the angel of the Lord with

Satan making accusations against

him. The devil had done the same

to God’s servant Job (Job 1:6-12),

and presumably does so to all

God’s servants, since he is known

as ‘the accuser of the brothers’

(Rev. 12:10).

3:2 The LORD said to Satan, "May

the LORD rebuke you, Satan! May

the LORD, who has chosen

Jerusalem, rebuke you! Isn't this

man like a burning stick snatched

from the fire?"

Joshua stands in front of the Lord

as one who is justified in his sight,

and so the Lord rebukes Satan for

daring to bring an accusation

against God’s servant (Rom. 8:33);

for if God be for us, who can be

against us (Rom 8:29-31)?

3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in

filthy clothes as he stood there

before the angel.

The dirty clothes which Joshua

wore were symbolic of his own sin

and possibly (since the high priest

represented the nation) that of all

Israel. The scripture had already

declared all people to be sinners,

and all human righteousness is as

filthy rags (Isa. 64:6).

3:4-5 The angel spoke up to those

standing all around, "Remove his

filthy clothes." Then he said to

Joshua, "I have freely forgiven your

iniquity and will dress you in fine

clothing." Then I spoke up, "Let a

clean turban be put on his head."

So they put a clean turban on his

head and clothed him, while the

angel of the LORD stood nearby.

But in a picture of cleansing,

forgiveness and justification, the

angel ordered Joshua’s soiled

clothes to be removed and that he

be clothed instead with clean

robes. Joshua also received a clean

turban, the sign of high priestly

office, which bore a gold plate

engraved with the words HOLINESS

TO THE LORD (Exodus 29:6; 39:30).

For the Jews, this would have been

an indication that God would

honour his covenant. The sin of the

people was to be removed, and

they would once again be seen as

the nation belonging to God, with a

renewed and cleansed priesthood

and rebuilt temple. Their enemies,

represented in the vision by Satan,

would be unable to overcome

them or thwart God’s purposes.

The early church realised that this

vision provided an illustration of

what Christ has done for Christian

believers. Christ has carried our sin

away in his own body on the cross

(1 Peter 2:24) so that our filthy

garments might be taken away and

our sins are forgiven (1 John 2:12).

Subsequently, Christ clothed us

with the garments of his

righteousness and salvation (Isaiah

61:10). By faith in Christ we are

justified in God’s sight (Gal. 2:16);

that is, we are accepted as part of

God’s covenant people, in a right

relationship with God. Christ has

cleansed us in order to make us

holy; we are a kingdom of priests

(1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6) that we

might serve God acceptably with

reverence and godly fear (Heb.

12:28) offering spiritual sacrifices

to the Lord (1 Peter 2:5).

3:6-7 Then the angel of the LORD

exhorted Joshua solemnly: "The

LORD who rules over all says, 'If

you live and work according to my

Our In Depth Study

Zechariah Chapter 4

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

20

requirements, you will be able to

preside over my temple and attend

to my courtyards, and I will allow

you to come and go among these

others who are standing by you.

Having cleansed and justified

Joshua, the Lord next gave him a

solemn commission. The Lord’s

charge to Joshua was for him to

perform the duties of high priest,

the vision thereby ordained Joshua

as high priest in the eyes of the

people.

But more than that; for the return

of the nation of Israel to the

Promised Land was a re-

establishing of their God-given call

to be witnesses to the nations; and

this was to be inaugurated by the

consecration of their high priest as

much as by the rebuilding of the

temple.

Having been made holy, Joshua

was to serve God in holiness of life’

keeping his commandments

blamelessly. This is always to be

the result of consecration to God’s

service. Like Joshua, it is only once

we have been cleansed that we can

be consecrated to serve the Lord;

just as in Exodus 29:20 Aaron and

his sons had to have the blood of

the sacrifice applied to them

before they could minister. The

result of our cleansing and

consecration is to be obedience

(Rom. 6:1-2); for the deeper our

appreciation of our forgiveness,

the deeper will be our devotion to

God (Luke 7:47).

The Greater High Priest to Come

vv. 8-10

3:8 Listen now, Joshua the high

priest, both you and your

colleagues who are sitting before

you, all of you are a symbol that I

am about to introduce my servant,

the Branch.

God sends a message to Joshua

and his contemporaries about the

servant of God who was one day to

appear, whom Isaiah and Jeremiah

had already identified as ‘the

Branch’ (Isa. 11:1 and Jer. 23:5). It

was important to note that this

branch was to be of the line of

David; yet Joshua the high priest is

set forth as a picture of him in

order to indicate that he would

also be a priest, bearing the sin of

many (Isa. 53:10-11). Of course,

Israel knew that this could never

be – priests only came from the

tribe of Levi; yet as the writer to

the Hebrews explains, the priest

God spoke of was appointed after

the order of Melchisedec, not the

order of Aaron,; that is, according

to the power of an endless life.

Jesus Christ is the branch born of

the seed of David, who because of

his endless life remains a priest of

God forever (Rev. 1:18; Heb. 6:20).

3:9 As for the stone I have set

before Joshua -- on the one stone

there are seven eyes. I am about to

engrave an inscription on it,' says

the LORD who rules over all, 'to the

effect that I will remove the

iniquity of this land in a single day.

It is uncertain whether an actual

engraved precious stone was

placed before Joshua during his

consecration; at least in this vision

of his consecration. If so, it would

have served as a perpetual

reminder before the people of

God’s promise in this verse – to

remove the sin of the people

through the ministry of ‘the

branch’.

The Lord Jesus Christ is again and

again referred to as a ‘stone’ in the

scriptures. He is a chosen and

precious stone (1 Peter 2:4), yet he

is the stone which the builders

rejected (Psalm 118:22; Acts 4:11)

and the one who became a trap

and snare to those who did not

believe (Isaiah 8:14; 1 Peter 2:7).

On this stone, the Lord says, are

seven eyes (originally, possibly

seven facets), a symbol speaking of

the all-knowledge of God. The

servant who is anointed with the

sevenfold Holy Spirit (Rev 4:5; Isa.

11:2) will also possess such all-

knowledge. Engraved on the stone,

which is Christ, is the sign that God

would remove the iniquity of the

people in a single day - the

dreadful day when Christ hung on a

cross at a place called Calvary and

God laid on him the iniquity of us

all (Isa. 53:6).

3:10 In that day,' says the LORD

who rules over all, 'everyone will

invite his friend to fellowship under

his vine and under his fig tree.' "

The result of Christ’s removing the

iniquity of the people is described

vividly in terms of fellowship,

abundance and peace; a message

which would have been welcomed

by the fearful exiles. Moreover, the

fact that everyone would have his

own supply and could sit in peace,

suggests that they would be no

more slaves or servants (as they

had been in Babylon). Through

Christ we enjoy fellowship with

God (1 Cor. 1:9) and one another (1

John 1:7). Through Christ we have

peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and

with each other (Eph. 2:14).

Through Christ we have abundance

(Rom. 8:32). Through Christ we are

no longer slaves or servants but

sons and friends (Gal .3:26; John

15:15).

21

From ‘Meet These

Men: Character Studies

in the Bible’

A forthcoming book based on

studies by the late Haydn O.

Williams. Image © Dvest

James The Lord’s Brother

AS far as we know, there were three

people named James who followed

the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. James the son of Zebedee and

brother of John was one of the

twelve apostles (Matt. 10:2), and

was executed at the order of King

Herod (Acts 12:1-2).

2. James son of Alphaeus was also

one of the twelve apostles and was

known as James the less, to

distinguish him from the other

James (Matt. 10:3). He was

probably just not as big!

3. The third James is called “the

Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19) and

is believed to have been the eldest

brother of Jesus, the son of Mary

and Joseph. (Mark 6:3; Matthew

13:55-56). To be a natural brother

of Jesus must have been a great

privilege, when you think of who

Jesus was - the great creator who

became our Saviour. James would

have played, schooled, studied and

went to the synagogue with Jesus

as the custom was, and perhaps

they even worked together in

Joseph’s carpentry shop. James may

have been able to tell us more

about the obscure years of Jesus. As

Christians we too

count it a privilege to know Jesus

Christ, for to know him is eternal

life.

It is this third James that I wish to

focus on in this study.

New Creation of James

Although James was Jesus’ brother,

he had not always been a believer

or follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says that at one time His

own brothers did not believe.

So Jesus' brothers advised him,

"Leave here and go to Judea so your

disciples may see your miracles that

you are performing. For no one who

seeks to make a reputation for

himself does anything in secret. If

you are doing these things, show

yourself to the world." (For not even

his own brothers believed in him.)

(Joh 7:3-5)

This reminds me of Joseph’s

brothers who did not believe his

dreams, but who later came to

understand when Joseph revealed

himself as ruler of all Egypt. Many

Christian parents have wept

because their children do not

believe.

Conversion

The life of Jesus must have

profoundly influenced his family,

because a day came when they

believed and followed him.

All these continued together in

prayer with one mind, together with

the women, along with Mary the

mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

(Act 1:14)

In a similar way, how a Christian

lives can greatly influence their

families for Christ. (1 Peter 3:14).

We don’t know when or how James

came to believe, but some accept

that it may have been after Christ’s

death and resurrection, because the

Lord Jesus Christ personally

appeared to him after he rose from

the dead.

Then he appeared to James, then to

all the apostles. (1Co 15:7)

Salvation is brought about by divine

revelation, as it did to Paul on the

Damascus road. The Holy Spirit

convinces of sin and makes known

the risen Christ. We must believe in

the miracle of the resurrection in

order to be saved (see Romans

10:9).

22

Devotion

James was a son of Israel but by

faith in Christ he became a son of

God (John 1:12). He became a

devoted follower of Jesus. We

notice that James was a humble

man, referring to himself as the

“bond servant” (a servant of love)

of Jesus Christ. He also confessed

Christ to be his Lord. In this James is

an example to all believers who are

also bondservants, confessing Christ

as Lord.

The High Calling of James

His Obedience

Having trusted in Christ James

proved his devotion by his

obedience. He was among the 120

disciples who obeyed the command

of Jesus to wait in Jerusalem for the

promise of the father. As a result he

was gathered with the others in the

upper room. (Acts 1:14).

Consequently he received the gift of

the Holy Spirit on the day of

Pentecost. If we claim that Jesus is

our Lord then we too will obey him.

He is Lord, but we must prove he is

our Lord by obedience. We too

must receive the Holy Spirit.

And we are witnesses of these

events, and so is the Holy Spirit

whom God has given to those who

obey him." (Act 5:32)

His Office

James the Lord’s brother was not

one of the twelve apostles but he

was certainly a man of importance

and considered a leader or Pastor of

the Church in Jerusalem.

When Peter was released from

prison by an angel he said ‘Tell

James and the brothers these

things," (Act 12:17)

When the church at Jerusalem met

to discuss the matter of

circumcising Gentile converts,

James was not only present, he had

the final word to say on the issue

(Acts 15:13).

Later, when Paul came to Jerusalem

for the last time, he reported news

of his mission to James (Acts 21:18).

James was truly blessed with a

great ministry.

The Excellent Character of

James

If we accept that James the Lord’s

brother wrote the epistle of James

then we can see from its contents

that he must have been a holy and

good man of God.

He was a Practical Man

James was a wise counsellor and his

writings reveal him to be a practical

man. He insists that pure religion is

practical, that faith without works is

dead, and that we must not just

hear but be doers of the Word.

Pure and undefiled religion before

God the Father is this: to care for

orphans and widows in their

misfortune and to keep oneself

unstained by the world. (Jas 1:27)

So also faith, if it does not have

works, is dead being by itself. (Jas

2:17)

But be ye doers of the word, and not

hearers only, deceiving your own

selves. (Jas 1:22)

He was a Praying Man

James knew from his own long

experience that “the effectual

fervent prayer of a righteous man

avails much” (James 5:16). James

was a man of prayer. Church legend

has it that so used was this man of

God to bow his knees in prayer that

he had “camels knees”, worn by

constant use in this habit.

He was a Patient Man

James wrote about patience.

So be patient, brothers and sisters,

until the Lord's return. Think of how

the farmer waits for the precious

fruit of the ground and is patient for

it until it receives the early and late

rains. You also be patient and

strengthen your hearts, for the

Lord's return is near. (Jas 5:7-8)

This kind of patience means

persevering in our faith despite

trials until Jesus comes again.

Indeed, perseverance in the face of

suffering was the theme of Job,

whom James urges us to emulate.

Think of how we regard as blessed

those who have endured. You have

heard of Job's endurance and you

have seen the Lord's purpose, that

the Lord is full of compassion and

mercy. (Jas 5:11)

James also wrote of having patience

with others:

Understand this, my dear brothers

and sisters! Let every person be

quick to listen, slow to speak, slow

to anger. (Jas 1:19)

He was a Perfect Man

It might seem strange to end on this

note, for James certainly did not

consider himself a perfect man in

these sense of sinless perfection

(James 3:2). But he did speak of

perfection as a measure of spiritual

maturity (James 1:4).

James was an elder to whom other

elders looked up; and he was rightly

called to be the leader of the church

at Jerusalem.

23

Many people see Christmas as the

most wonderful time of the year!

But even now, as the Christmas

lights are switched on, darkness is

all around us in our world. On TV

we see reports of terrorism, war

and murder. Terrible crimes are

committed against the innocent.

Some terrorists even say they have

committed their crimes “in the

name of God.”

Doesn’t God care about what is

happening in our world, supposedly

in his name? Hate, envy, murder

and greed are all deeds of darkness.

But the Bible says:

“God is Light and in Him is no

darkness at all.”

This Christmas - a time for

celebrating Christ’s birth - millions

will be drinking too much, partying,

taking drugs and behaving

immorally. This sinful darkness has

nothing whatever to do with the

birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus

said:

“I am the Light of the World.

Whoever follows me will not walk

in darkness but will have the light

of life.”

Jesus Christ, the true light, has

come into the world to bring us out

of the darkness of sin and into a

relationship with God. His Light

shows up our actions and thoughts

for what they really are - sinful. The

reason God sent His Son Jesus to die

on a cross, bearing our sin and its

punishment, was that He might

“rescue us from the power of

darkness and bring us into the

kingdom of His Beloved Son”. Jesus

rose from the dead and is alive

today to bring men and women

“out of darkness and into His

marvellous Light.”

To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

is to be saved from the darkness of

sin now and forever; to be

guaranteed a place in the eternal

light of God’s glorious heaven.

To refuse to believe the Lord Jesus

Christ is to condemn yourself to

what the Bible calls “the blackness

of darkness forever”. Jesus clearly

taught that anyone who died not

believing in Him would spend

forever in a place called hell. Jesus

said “in hell, the worm does not die

and the fire is not quenched.” He

called it “outer darkness, where

there is weeping and gnashing of

teeth.”

This Christmas, as we celebrate that

Jesus Christ, the Light of the World,

has been born, let us not forget the

reason why He came. His birth

means we all have a choice to

make.

Are you in darkness or Light?

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Contact Us Editor: Mathew Bartlett

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