GladTidingsO F T H E K I N G D O M O F G O D 11446688

GladTidings

Israel at War – Again– page 3

World Tension Predicted– page 5

Nebuchadnezzar – page 16

Israel at War – Again– page 3

World Tension Predicted– page 5

Nebuchadnezzar – page 16

Bible Talks, Study Classes, Sunday Schools and Youth Clubsare held regularly by Christadelphians worldwide. The address

of your nearest group can be obtained from either the Distribution Secretaries or from the local agents or

information addresses given above.

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

used.

✤ The New King James Version iscopyrighted by Thomas Nelson.

✤ The Revised Standard Version is copyrighted 1946 and 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the NationalCouncil of Churches in the USA.

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

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

122nd Year 1468A monthly magazine published by the

Christadelphians (brothers and sisters in Christ) andavailable throughout the world.Its objectives are – to

encourage study of the Bible as God's inspired message tomen; to call attention to the Divine offer of forgiveness of

sins through Jesus Christ; and to warn men and women that soon Christ will return to Earth as judge and

ruler of God’s world-wide Kingdom.

AcknowledgementsPhotographs:

The Noble Sanctuary, Jerusalem(Al-Haram al-Sharif)

photos.com

Illustrations:istockphoto.com 3,5,6,8;clipart.com pgs 4,11,14-17;Christian Clipart 12,14,18.

ContentsJ06

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Editor: Owen Tecwyn Morgan26 The Crescent, Hampton-in-Arden, Solihull, B92 OBP, England, UK glad.tidings@virgin.net

Publisher: The Glad Tidings Publishing Association (a registered charity) number 248352

ContentsIsrael at War

– Again ...................3

World Tension Predicted................5

The Conclusion of the First Missionary Journey.................10

Jesus Heals a Man at Bethesda..........13

Nebuchadnezzar....16

Your Example ........17

About Mary Magdalen.............18

Israel at WIsrael at War – Againar – AgainThe newborn nation had to fight for its

very existence in 1948 when surroundingnations tried to destroy it. There wasIsraeli involvement in the Suez War of1956. In the Six Day War in 1967 Israelcaptured large areas of former Arabterritory with devastating swiftness. Butin 1973 they were taken by surprise inthe so-called “Yom Kippur War,” when ittook them time to turn things around andpush back their enemies.

Peace with SecurityOver the last thirty years many differentattempts have been made to find aformula which would enable all thenations of the Middle East to livetogether in peace. Some of thoseattempts have worked, including lastingpeace treaties with Egypt and Jordan,when land was traded for peace.

But Israel’s unilateralwithdrawal from Gazaseems to havemade

The eyes of the world are looking onceagain towards the Middle East wherethat inflammable mix of hate and politicshas exploded once more.

This time it was the terrorist groupHezbollah who started the fight,apparently quite deliberately, by seizingtwo Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raidand then firing rockets into northernIsrael. Israel hit back hard with abombing campaign which was firstintended to disrupt the terrorist supplylines and then do them severe damage.But airpower alone is seldom enough towin a war and the bombing and shellinghas had some severe side-effects,especially for civilians inadvertentlycaught up in the fighting.

Family ProblemsThe roots of this conflict go back to Bibletimes when the forefathers of today’snations fell out and fought one another.Abraham had two sons (Isaac andIshmael) who quarrelled; then Isaac hadtwin sons (Jacob and Esau) who had tolive apart. Add in a few more complica-tions, like Abraham’s nephew Lot and hischildren, and you have a mixture ofattitudes and animosity that stretches wayback.

Abraham’s grandchildren had lots ofchildren themselves and, just as thedescendants of Jacob formed the nationof Israel, the Arab nations are descendedfrom his other relatives. They didn’t get onin ancient times and they don’t appearable to live together amicably now.

Since the Israeli people re-emerged onthe political scene, having been anindependent nation since 1948 whenthe United Nations voted to partition theland between Israelis and Palestinians,there have been several wars and many incidents. Israel’s security fence

122nd Year 3

4 Glad Tidings

little difference, for it enabled terroristextremists to get arms they had previouslybeen denied and to launch rocket attacksagainst Israel, which have in turn triggeredviolent responses. And Israel’s withdrawalfrom Lebanon in 2000 seems only tohave given Hezbollah extremists anopportunity to stock up with ever moresophisticated rocketry and to build strongdefences.

Even the security wall being constructedbetween Israelis and Palestinians on theboundary of what Israel considers to beher eastern border will offer little defenceagainst rockets, although it doesseem to have brought relieffrom the spate of suicidebombers that had become aregular problem both forIsraelis and Arabs living inIsrael.

Non-PoliticalStance“Glad Tidings” does not take a politicalposition in relation to these matters for avery good reason. We are not a politicalorganisation. As a community, Chris-tadelphians do not vote in politicalelections and we take no active part inthe political process. From our neutralperspective it seems to us that there arerights and wrongs on both sides, as allthe nations involved seem toacknowledge in due course.

People are only human: everybodymakes mistakes and human judgementis notoriously fallible. But we do notabstain from worldly politics just becausepoliticians and worldly leaders get thingswrong. We keep apart because we havea leader in heaven – the Lord JesusChrist – who has promised that he willreturn to earth to sort things out and torule on earth as King. He is the One wefollow and his word is our command.

Now here is the intriguing fact, whichis why we are looking keenly at themilitary events now underway once again

in the Middle East. The prophets longago predicted that Jesus would returnwhen there was a war taking place in andaround Jerusalem. In the next articleLawrence Cave gives more informationabout those predictions and suggeststhat world tension is to be expected. It ispart of the build-up to the setting up ofthe Kingdom of God on earth. Then, andonly then, will people live together inpeace and harmony.

Nobody Knows WhenIf we knew precisely when all thesethings were going to happen we could, ofcourse, adjust our behaviouraccordingly. Nothing would take us bysurprise and we would never need to

think things out in advance. Butnobody knows when Jesus willreturn, although many people

have tried to estimate it, and havegot their calculations wrong! Asked

when he was coming back, Jesus toldhis followers:“Of that day and hour no one knows, no,not even the angels of heaven, but myFather only” (Matthew 24:36).

His recommendation therefore was thatwe should watch and be ready for anunexpected event. We are to keep alertand make sure that our thinking andbehaviour is acceptable to God at alltimes.

We are living in dangerous times, wheneven the most powerful military nationscan do little to ensure lasting peace andwhen the most persuasive people will beunable to coax warring factions torecognise and respect one another. Butout of this uncertainty will come onecertain thing.

At a time of crisis and confusion, JesusChrist will come to save his people andto rescue mankind. You have anopportunity now to prepare for thatevent. The bad news will not last for ever.

Editor

� Our world is full of tensions.

� One major source is the Arab/Jewish conflict.

� This tension was predicted inthe Bible.

� The Bible also predicts thesolution.

The Bible has predicted the pastaccurately – so we can rely on itspromises about the future. Give the Biblea chance to speak for itself and you willsee that it is relevant to the 21st century.Don’t rely on what other people sayabout the Bible – have a look foryourself.

The Jew/Arab conflict

We are all aware of the tension thatexists between the Jews and the Arabs.It dominates world politics. The problemcentres on the Middle East, where muchof the world’s oil is to be found. Thismeans that the whole world takes sidesin this situation.

The terrorist problem has itsroots in this conflict. BothJews and Arabs claim aright to the same land.The Jews currentlyoccupy the land in theform of the nation ofIsrael. The Arabswant a Palestinianstate on the sameland.

Tension –Arabs andJews

Both Jews andArabs correctly

claim the man Abraham as their ancientancestor. Both claim that they shouldhave the land promised to Abraham.

So we can see the possible tensionswhen two groups of people believe theyhave a right to the same piece of land.Thousands of years ago, the Biblepredicted that this tension would developinto hatred and cause the internationalproblems that we see today. BeforeAbraham’s son Ishmael was born, hismother was told:

“You shall name him Ishmael … hishand will be against everyone andeveryone’s hand against him, and he willlive in hostility toward all his brothers”(Genesis 16:11,12 NIV).

4,000 years ago, problems werepredicted among Abraham’s children.There are many verses in the Bible whichtalk of the hatred that the descendantsof Ishmael and Esau would have for theJews, who are Jacob’s descendants.

The prophet Ezekiel makes aprediction against “Mount Seir”, which is

the area where some of Esau’sdescendants settled:

“... set your face againstMount Seir and prophesyagainst it, “… you shallbe desolate. Then youshall know that I am theLord. Because youhave had an ancienthatred, and haveshed the blood of thechildren of Israel bythe power of thesword” (Ezekiel 35:2, 4- 5).

This is anotherprediction of the

WWorld Torld Tension Predictedension Predicted

122nd Year 5

An angry protester raising a fist in the air in a New York march about

“Justice for Palestine”

6 Glad Tidings

hatred of the Arabs for the Jews. One ofthe most amazing comments about thishostility is in Psalm 83. The writer of thePsalm is pleading for help because theJews are surrounded by enemies.

“They have taken crafty counsel againstyour people, and consulted togetheragainst your sheltered ones. They havesaid, ‘Come, and let us cut them off frombeing a nation, that the name of Israelmay be remembered no more” (Psalm83: 3,4).

The Psalm goes on to list theseenemies, which include most of thenations which surround Israel. It wouldbe difficult to give a more accurateprediction of the current situation – thenation of Israel surrounded by enemiesthat would like to see Israel removedfrom the map.

Tension – Hamas

The destruction of Israel is central to theaims of Hamas, the Islamic ResistanceMovement. In recent elections for thenew Palestinian parliament, it claimed76 of the 132 seats, giving it a majorityin the Palestinian Authority.

The Covenant (or Charter) of Hamaswas published in 1988. The preface to

the charter quotes Imam Hassan al-Banna who said:

� Israel will exist and will continue toexist until Islam will obliterate it, justas it obliterated others before it.

Article 13 of the charter says:

� There is no solution for thePalestinian question except throughJihad. Initiatives, proposals and inter-national conferences are all a wasteof time and vain endeavours.

On April 1, 2006, Hamas’ ForeignMinister Mahmoud Zahar said:

� I dream of hanging a huge map ofthe world on the wall at my Gazahome which does not show Israel onit.

The president of Iran, MahmoudAhmadinejad, expressed the samesentiments in October 2005 at aconference in Tehran on the subject,“The World without Zionism”. Quotingone of Iran’s past leaders, he said:

� Israel must be wiped off the map.While Iran is not, strictly speaking an

Arab country, it does have a significantArab population and has strong ties withArab countries. It is clear that the

Palestinian Authority as well as Iranwants the nation of Israel destroyed –part of the ongoing fulfilment ofpredictions made thousands of yearsago.

Tension – Jerusalem

Another aspect of the tension betweenJews and Arabs concerns the city ofJerusalem,which Israel confirmed as itscapital by passing a special law in 1980.The status of the city has remained acentral issue in the dispute betweenIsrael and the Palestinian Arabs.

Both sides constantly repeat that therecan be no negotiation on this issue anddespite the efforts of many world powers,there seems no answer to this problem.

Interestingly, the Bible predicted thissituation several thousand years ago:

“It shall happen in that day that I willmake Jerusalem a very heavy stone forall peoples; all who would heave it awaywill surely be cut in pieces, though allnations of the earth are gathered againstit” (Zechariah 12:3).This verse makes it clear that:

� Jerusalem is going to be a bigproblem

� Attempts to solve the problem will fail

� The result will be that everybody willbe against Jerusalem

We can see evidence of the first twopredictions regularly in the media. It isnot difficult to imagine how the thirdprediction could occur. Later on in the

122nd Year 7

prophecy of Zechariah, further detailsare given about the time when all nationsare against Israel:

“For I will gather all the nations to battleagainst Jerusalem; the city shall betaken, the houses rifled, and the womenravished. Half of the city shall go intocaptivity” (Zechariah 14:2).

It is very unusual for only half a city tobe taken in war. But that is what theBible has predicted will happen toJerusalem. The Palestinians repeatedly

The Bible correctly predicted –� tensions between Arabs and Jews� surrounding nations would want Israel destroyed� Jerusalem would become a major problem� attempts to solve the problem of Jerusalem would fail� half of Jerusalem would be in dispute

8 Glad Tidings

make it clear that they want EastJerusalem as their capital, whichIsrael took from Jordan in 1967.

Whose land is it?

When Abraham was promised theland under dispute, which of hisdescendants were to be included?The Bible answer to this question hasfar-reaching implications. The firstpromise to Abraham says:

I will make you a great nation; I willbless you and make your name great;and you shall be a blessing I will blessthose who bless you, and I will curse himwho curses you; and in you all thefamilies of the earth shall be blessed…(Genesis 12 v 2,3).

Looking carefully at this, we see thatlands are not mentioned. Abraham waspromised that he would be the father ofa large nation, be blessed and protectedby God. But note carefully the last part ofthe promise – that everyone could beinvolved. People from all nations – Jews,Arabs and others – can be included inthe good things promised to Abraham.

Abraham was promised the land on alater occasion. This is what he was toldwhen he was at a place called Beth-el, afew kilometres north of Jerusalem:

“Lift your eyes now and look from theplace where you are – northward,southward, eastward, and westward; forall the land which you see I give to youand your descendants forever” (Genesis13:14,15).

But Abraham had a problem – he hadno child. Naturally speaking, as he grewolder it became highly unlikely that hewould have a child. But he continued tohave absolute confidence in thepromise. The New Testament confirmsthat this was the case:

“ He [Abraham] did not waver at thepromise of God through unbelief, butwas … fully convinced that what He hadpromised He was also able to perform”(Romans 4: 20,21).

The New Testament also tells us thatthe good things promised will be given tothose who have the same kind ofconfidence or faith as Abraham. It alsotells us that Abraham was promisedmuch more than the land under dispute– he is called the “heir of the world”:

“Abraham and his offspring received thepromise that he would be heir of theworld… through the righteousness thatcomes by faith ... Therefore, the promisecomes by faith, so that it may be bygrace and may be guaranteed to all

� The land of Israel was promised to those who haveconfidence in what God says

� This includes anyone from any nation

122nd Year 9

Abraham’s offspring–not only to thosewho are of the law but also to those whoare of the faith of Abraham” (Romans4:13,16).

So the land which is currently beingargued about will be given to those who,like Abraham, have confidence in thepromises made by God – not to thosewho want to take it by political or militarymeans.

World tensions resolved

We now need to find out how the goodthings promised to Abraham will resolvethe present world tension. To understandhow this will happen we need to look atanother verse which talks about thepromises to Abraham:“Now to Abraham and his Seed [oroffspring] were the promises made. Hedoes not say, ‘And to seeds’ as of many,but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who isChrist” (Galatians 3:16).

Here we are told that the promises toAbraham are centred on the Lord JesusChrist. Before he was born, the Biblepromised:“He [Jesus] will be great, and will becalled the Son of the Highest; and theLord God will give him the throne of hisfather David. And he will reign over thehouse of Jacob forever, and of hiskingdom there will be no end” (Luke1:32,33).

The Bible is quite clear that JesusChrist will return to the earth. When hewent, his followers were told:

“This same Jesus, who was taken upfrom you into heaven, will so come in likemanner as you saw him go into heaven”(Acts 1:11).

There are many Bible verses that talkabout the just and fair worldwidegovernment that Jesus Christ will set upwhen he returns. We are told that he willhave the wisdom and power to resolvedisputes.

Summary

The Bible correctly predicted: � Tensions between Arabs and Jews� Nations surrounding Israel calling for

its destruction� Jerusalem would become an interna-

tional problem� Attempts to solve the problem of

Jerusalem would fail� Half of Jerusalem would be in disputeBased on the Bible’s track record we cantrust promises not yet fulfilled:

� Jesus Christ will return to the earth

� He will have the wisdom and powerto solve international problems

Lawrence Cave

For more evidence of this sort,which demonstrates that the Biblecan be trusted and should be readcarefully, look at the website –

www.theevidence.org.uk

� The Bible predicts that Jesus Christ will return to earthto set up a worldwide government.

� He will have the wisdom and power to resolve allworld tensions and to bring lasting peace.

10 Glad Tidings

Preaching in IconiumWhen Paul and Barnabas arrived inIconium (modern Konya, Turkey) theywent to the synagogue and proclaimedtheir message to the Jews and also tothe “Greeks”, that is, Gentiles whoattended the synagogue services andwere known as “God-fearers”. TheApostle’s preaching was well-received bya large number ofthose present and“a great multitude”became converts toChristianity.

However, theformer pattern ofevents experiencedby Paul andBarnabas in PisidianAntioch wasrepeated here. TheJews who did not respond to the Gospelmessage resorted to a technique, whichwas to become almost routine whereverPaul preached, of stirring up troubleamongst the non-Jewish element of thecity. How this was achieved is notspecified but we may imagine that theyused the same method as provedeffective later on in Thessalonica,namely alleging that

“These who have turned the worldupside down … contrary to the decreesof Caesar, saying that there is anotherking - Jesus” (Acts 17:6-7).

Although it is highly probable that theJews distorted the Gospel message, theinfluential citizens of Antioch would bealarmed at the potential disruption oftheir peaceful lives and would be anxious

to demonstrate theirallegiance to Caesar.

Grace andMercyFar from being disheart-ened, the Apostlescontinued to speakabout the grace of God,that is, the undeservedfavour that God wasprepared to bestow on

repentant believers. Grace and mercyare two key components of the Gospel,which the Apostles were preaching, andthey represent two aspects of God’sbenevolence. Mercy is the withholding ofthe punishments that we certainlydeserve, while grace is the bestowal ofblessing that we by no means merit.

The Apostle’s preaching wasaccompanied by irrefutable evidence of

Growth of the Gospel – 17

The Conclusion of theThe Conclusion of theFirst Missionary JourneyFirst Missionary JourneyThis series which traces the spread of the gospel as recorded by Luke in the

Acts of the Apostles was last featured in Issue 1464 and now resumes. Paul andBarnabus set out from Antioch in Syria to preach the gospel first in Cyprus andthen in Asia. In Antioch they had some encouraging response from Gentiles who

gladly received their message but the Jewish reaction was adverse, so theytravelled on to preach elsewhere.

122nd Year 11

its authenticity as they performedevident miracles, yet the population wasdivided with regard to their verdict, forsome supported the Apostles whileothers sided with the Jews. Things cameto a head when the Jews, aided andabetted by some of the Gentiles,intended to abuse and ultimately stonethem. Before this could begin, theApostles became aware of what wasafoot and, following the command of theLord Jesus in such situations (Matthew10:23) they fled from the city, travellingon to the neighbouring cities of Lystraand Derbe and the area nearbyin order to preach theGospel.

The Healing of aCripple in LystraIn Lystra they encountered aman who had been born acripple and so had never beenable to walk (Acts 14:8-10). Thisman listened to Paul’s preachingand was evidently receptive to themessage. Paul realised that he hadsufficient faith to be healed and, nodoubt in order that all those presentwould be aware of what was about tohappen, said loudly “Stand up straighton your feet!” The man did soimmediately and then began to leap andwalk around.

This miracle is very reminiscent of thatperformed by Peter in Acts 3:2-10. Inboth cases the cure was immediate andnot only was there a physical restorationof the limbs but the necessary co-ordination, which takes weeks in agrowing child, occurred simultaneouslyalso.

A Case of Mistaken IdentityThe effect on the crowd was electric andthey began to shout in their local dialect

“The gods have come down to us in the

likeness of men!” (14:11).This comment has an interesting

historical context. In the eighth book ofhis Metamorphoses, the poet Ovidrelates a well-known story of how theGreek gods Zeus and Hermes (theRoman gods Jupiter and Mercury) arrivedin this region anonymously and weregiven hospitality by an old couple,Philemon and Baucis, who wererewarded for their kind-heartednesswhile their unwelcoming neighbours wereinundated by a deluge.

The crowds were, no doubt, concernedthat this should not happen once moreand so they made preparations toworship Paul, whom they identified withHermes/Mercury because he was themain speaker, and Barnabas whom theyassumed must be Zeus/ Jupiter.

Archaeological evidence of the jointworship of these two gods in Lystra wasdiscovered in an inscription at Sedusadedicating a statue of Hermes to Zeusand also a stone altar near Lystradedicated to Zeus and Hermes.1

Men Like UsWhen Paul and Barnabas realised thatthey were about to be revered as godsand that oxen were to be sacrificed intheir honour they were alarmed and,tearing their clothes as a sign of theirdistress at the impending blasphemy,they ran into the crowds crying:

“Why are you doing these things? We arealso men with the same nature as you,and preach to you that you should turnfrom these vain things to the living God,who made the heaven, the earth, thesea and all things that are in them, whoin bygone generations allowed allnations to walk in their own ways” (Acts14:15,16).

1 See F.F. Bruce (1960) New TestamentDocuments (fifth edn) IVP, London, p.96

12 Glad Tidings

The crowds must have been startled bywhat they heard and perhaps werebeginning to feel rather foolish. Paul andBarnabas continued

“Nevertheless he (God) did not leavehimself without witness, in that he didgood, gave us rain from heaven andfruitful seasons, filling our hearts withfood and gladness” (Acts 14:17).

The people were still inclined toworship the Apostles but eventually werepersuaded against this.

Modern EquivalentsThe comments of Paul and Barnabas areequally relevant in the 21st century whenmen and women worship the “vainthings” of materialism and “walk in theirown ways” rather than in God’s way. Theevidence of God’s existence and hisbenevolence remains so that, in Paul’swords,

“For since the creation of the world Hisinvisible attributes are clearly seen,being understood by the things that aremade, even His eternal power and God-head, so that they are without excuse…”(Romans 1:20).

Persecution AgainSoon the mood of the people changeddramatically. The euphoria that prevailedwhen they thought they had been visitedby the gods changed to disappointmentand perhaps even resentment that theyhad, at least in theirown eyes, beendeceived by Pauland Barnabas.

At this point Jewsfrom Antioch andIconium arrived atLystra and turnedthe people againstPaul. Having failedto stone him in

Iconium, they succeeded in Lystra. Oncethe grisly task was completed theydragged his body out of the city,“supposing him to be dead”. Later,however, surrounded by his disciples,Paul miraculously recovered andreturned to the city. On the following dayhe departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Paul refers to this experience in hisletter to his son in the faith, Timothy:

“…you have carefully followedmy…manner of life … persecutions,afflictions which happened to me atAntioch, at Iconium, at Lystra – what per-secutions I endured” (2 Timothy3:10,11).

It is probable that his comment at theend of his letter to the Galatians, whowere living in the very region where hewas stoned, refers to this event also:

“From now on let no one trouble me, forI bear in my body the marks of the LordJesus” (Galatians 6:17)

Preaching in DerbeThe preaching of the Gospel in Derbewas successful and produced manyconverts without, it seems, any hostilityof the kind that accompanied theApostles in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra.When Paul and Barnabas had completedtheir work they retraced their steps,visiting the infant churches they hadfounded in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.

At each place they encouraged thedisciples to be true to theirnew-found faith in spite of thelikely risk of persecution,adding “We must throughmany tribulations enter theKingdom of God”. Their owncourage in returning to citieswhere they had suffered was apractical example to the newconverts.

Knowing that it might be

located near one of the gates ofJerusalem where there was a pool ofwater, comparable with the Romanbaths, where people came to bathe forhealth reasons. On this occasion thepool was surrounded, as usual, by agreat multitude of sick people, blind,lame, paralysed, waiting for the‘moving of the water’ (v.3).

These people had been led tobelieve that: “an angel went down at a

The name Bethesda means ‘house of mercy’, anappropriate name for a placewhere Jesus could perform amiracle. You can read allabout it in John chapter 5,verses 2-9.

The scene at Bethesda was quitedifferent from the other places whereJesus had performed a miracle. It was

122nd Year 13

some time before theywould be able to visitagain, it was alsonecessary to ensurethat each church wasprovided withleadership to continuethe work of preachingand to maintain orderand discipline. So,“they appointed elders in every church”.The plurality of leadership would help toshare the responsibilities and ensurethat a consensus was maintained in anydecisions. With prayer and fasting thenewly-appointed elders werecommended to the Lord in whom theyhad believed.

Home to Syrian Antioch The Apostles returned through Pisidia toPamphylia. In Perga they preached theword, making good their apparentomission on the way into the country.Then they made for the port of Attaliaand sailed for Antioch in Syria. Oncehome in Antioch, from where they hadoriginally been commended to the grace

of God for the workthat they had nowcompleted, theygathered the wholechurch and recountedwhat had transpired.No doubt there wasgeneral amazementand also profoundjoyful gratitude on

learning how God had been with themand had “opened the door of faith to theGentiles”.

They remained in Antioch “a long time”with the disciples, possibly because ofdifficulties that arose from visitorsarriving from Judea with views thatconflicted with the experiences of Pauland Barnabas. These views were toplague the early church, and Paul inparticular, for some time. The next articlewill explain how the problem wasresolved officially, even though itpersisted as an undercurrent fordecades.

John Hellawell

The Miracles of Jesus – 3

Jesus Heals Jesus Heals a Man at Bethesda a Man at Bethesda

14 Glad Tidings

certain time into the pool and stirredup the water; then whoever stepped infirst, after the stirring of the water, wasmade well of whatever disease hehad” (5:4).

There is nothing in the rest ofScripture to support such an idea: itwas obviously a superstition which hadgained credence and to which thesepoor people clung hopefully as apossible means for their cure.

38 Years SickThe first thing Jesus did there was toengage in conversation with one ofthose present who had been there forthirty-eight years: he asked him if hewanted to be madewell. This man didnot know aboutJesus; thesepeople, located asthey were in oneplace, wereisolated from newsof what went on inthe rest of thecountry. His replytherefore was totell Jesus that hewas not able to getinto the water firstwhen the water was troubled, forsomeone else got there first. Jesusthen said to him, “Rise, take up thybed and walk!”

Immediately the man was madewell, took up his bed (a smallmattress) and walked (v.9). Thismiracle was performed on a Sabbath.In this way the man’s dearest hopewas realised. There was no visitingangel, no disturbance of the water, norwas there a race to get into the waterfirst. It was just the exercise of thewonderful Divine power Jesus wasgiven to heal diseases.

Compassion on the SabbathOn most occasions when Jesus curedthe sick, he expected them to believethat he was indeed able to cure them.In this case, however, Jesus did not dothis, nor did he attempt to heal any ofthe other sufferers who werelanguishing beneath the five porchesof Bethesda. There was an importantissue that he wanted to deal with, par-ticularly for the benefit of the Jewishleaders.

The issue was that it is lawful to dogood, including healing the sick, on theSabbath. The Jewish leaders wereobsessed with the idea that healing

the sick on the Sabbathwas ‘work’ that broke oneof the laws included inthe Ten Commandments.It was not long, therefore,before someone noticedthis man carrying his bedand accosted him saying,

“It is the Sabbath, it is notlawful for you to carryyour bed” (v.10).

The man replied, “Hewho made me well said tome, ‘Take up your bed andwalk’”. He meant that he

had been told to walk home with it. If itwas lawful to heal a cripple on theSabbath, surely it would be lawful forhim to take his bed home too.

Sabbath LawWhat did the law about the Sabbathactually say? Here it is:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keepit holy. Six days you shall labour and doall your work, but the seventh day isthe Sabbath of the LORD your God. Init you shall do no work: you, nor yourson, nor your daughter, nor yourmanservant, nor your maidservant, nor

122nd Year 15

your cattle, nor your stranger who iswithin your gates. For in six days theLORD made the heavens and theearth, the sea, and all that is in them,and rested the seventh day. Thereforethe LORD blessed the Sabbath dayand hallowed it” (Ex.20:8-11)

The term ‘work’ is defined inLeviticus 23:7,8 by the addition of theadjective ‘servile’ (AV) or in the NKJV‘customary,’ with the marginal note‘occupational’. The adjective wasadded here for clarification becausethe context of Leviticus chapter 23included work which had to be done bythe priests and Levites and sometimesthis had to be done on a Sabbath day.These duties were excluded from thelaw which forbade ‘work’ to be done ona Sabbath.

With this information we can decideinto which category ‘healing a sickperson’ belongs. Surely it cannot beregarded as ‘servile’ or ‘occupational’work. It must therefore rank as‘hallowed’ in the same sense as workcarried out by the priests.

There is another reason why Jesussometimes healed people on aSabbath. He knew he would berejected by the rulers and be crucifiedso that he would be able to offer toGod a perfect sacrifice for the sins ofthe world (John 1:29). This had to takeplace. Healing people on a Sabbath

was one of the reasons for the Jewsrejecting him and then bringing abouthis crucifixion.

A Final AddressThe remainder of this fifth chapter ofJohn describes how Jesus met thiscripple (now cured) in the temple andsaid to him: “Sin no more lest a worsething come upon you.” The identity ofJesus was then disclosed and theusual opposition to him was aroused.Surrounded by his opponents andprobably also by a crowd of other moresympathetic listeners, Jesus thendelivered an outstanding addressdescribing his intimate relationshipwith his Father and what he will do withthe marvellous power God had givenhim.

Jesus declared, among other things:

“The hour is coming in which all whoare in the graves will hear his (the Sonof Man’s) voice and come forth —those who have done good to the res-urrection of life and those who havedone evil to the resurrection of con-demnation” (John5:28-29).

This means that those who havedone good will enjoy a Sabbath of restfor 1000 years, in the Kingdom ofGod, which Jesus is coming again soonto establish on earth.

Ralph Green

Sabbath CelebrationWhen Jesus healed someone or allowed his disciples to feed from the standing cornon the Sabbath he was in fact showing us the essence of the Sabbath’s celebration,a day for praise and thanksgiving with a true sense of fellowship with the Almighty.It was a day which demonstrated that the Sabbath was made for man and not viceversa. It was also an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty in all things and Hisspecial relationship with people.

David Nightingale Come and See

16 Glad Tidings

Mighty MonarchYou don’t become themost powerful man inthe world without havinga streak of steel in yourpersonality and I am themost powerful person inthe whole of the knownworld.

I have everything, anempire gained fromconquest, a strong economy and all thetrappings of wealth and power, not justpalaces and the most stunning hanginggardens but the power to control everyaspect of people’s lives in manycountries. Put simply I am the greatestliving man. Yet I have learned a very hardlesson and I have had to recognise thatthere is a power even greater than mine.

I’ve had Daniel in my court for a longtime. As a member of the ruling family ofJudah he was brought to my palacewhen we conquered that little kingdomseveral decades ago. He soon made hismark for he was able to tell me themeaning of a dream I experienced whenall the other astrologers in my court hadmiserably failed to know what I haddreamt, never mind its meaning.

Daniel claimed that it was theJewish God of Heaven who hadrevealed all the information tohim. Since that time we havehad many conversations forhe has become one of thepolitical leaders of my court,

though he is always verygentle and unassuming. Hekeeps to his own religiouspractices and meditates a lot.

Nightmare It wasn’t so much a dreamthis time that made me sendfor Daniel, more of anightmare. There was a hugetree in the middle of mycountry, so immense that the

sky couldn’t be seen. It was a strong treecovered in beautiful lush leaves,weighted down with fruit. Birds sang inits branches and many animals shelteredbeneath its leaves from the heat of thesun.

Suddenly, I heard a voice demandingthat the tree be destroyed and be left inthe middle of the field with nothingexcept its bronze bound stump. Then thenightmare changed and talked about aman, covered with dew and living withthe animals and plants for seven yearsuntil he learned that God rules in thekingdoms of men. I woke terrifiedsending immediately for my astrologers,who were useless. It was time to call

Daniel again.Daniel was silent for a while,more I think because he did not

want to tell me the meaningrather than that he did notunderstand the dream. I

reassured him of my favourand finally he told me that

Days that changed my Life

NebuchadnezzarNebuchadnezzarIn this series Cynthia Miles offers us an insight into the thinking and

attitude of some of the characters in the Bible. This month her subject is one ofthe mighty men of ancient history – the ruler of the Babylonian empire which,

in its day, was a hugely powerful dominion led by a monarch who could exercise absolute power.

122nd Year 17

the dream related to meand would make myenemies happy.

I was the tree, thesuccess and power ofmy kingdom was all theprosperity createdduring my reign. WhatDaniel was predictingwas my downfall, apunishment from hisGod for my arrogance and failure torecognise that all I had came from theGreat God of Heaven.

Nightmare ExperienceI did try to follow Daniel’s advice for atime, help the poor, be moreconsiderate, but the dream evaporatedand I forgot it as the months passed. Iwas out in my beautiful garden onemorning, contemplating my achieve-ments. There was plenty to boast aboutand I called out, “look what I’veachieved”.

No sooner were the words out of mymouth than the voice came fromheaven, “power is taken from you”. I’m

not sure quite whathappened next. Theytell me now that Isuddenly went mad,insisting on livingoutside, like and withthe animals, for sevenyears, unable to rule. Iwas certainly cut downto size.

My mind has healednow and my power has returned, but myattitude has changed. I know I waspunished for utter arrogance. God doesrule in our earthly kingdoms, he createsPresidents, Prime Ministers andMonarchs bringing to power or removinganyone he wishes. We answer to God notGod to us. Daniel has helped me tounderstand him much better now and Iglorify the God of Heaven who is rightand just.

The day I heard His voice challengingmy attitude was the day I learned justhow small even the most powerful man is.

Cynthia Miles

Choose well the path you take, for this you knowThat many eyes are watching where you go;No matter what you choose, another willFollow in your path, for good or ill.

No matter how obscure your life may be,No matter how you shun publicity,No man lives to himself; the things you doGuide others on the way, as well as you!

So live your life that, were each action known,You would be proud to call them as your own;Let your example help another seeThe proper way to gain eternity.

Author unknown

YYour Exampleour Example

18 Glad Tidings

Have You Read?

About Mary MagdalenAbout Mary MagdalenWho was she?

� During Jesus’ ministry: Luke 8:1-3;� At the crucifixion: Mark 15:40-41,

Luke 23:49; John 19:25.� Burial preparation: Luke 23:55-56� At the burial of Jesus: Matt.27:55-

61; Mark 15:47� At the resurrection: Matt. 28:1-10;

Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-11; John20:1-2

� Meets her resurrected Lord: John20:10-18

Mary Magdalene is one of a group ofwomen who followed Jesus during hisearthly ministry. Her name indicatesthat she came from a city on the Seaof Galilee (120 miles north ofJerusalem) and also that she wasunmarried; if she had been marriedshe would have taken her husband’sname (e.g. Mary wife of Simon). Afterthe resurrection she is not mentionedin Scripture by name, but Acts 1:14(cp Luke 8:2) would indicate that shewas with the disciples at Pentecost.Some non-Biblical sources have formany years put forward ideas aboutMary that have attracted attention andstirred the imagination of fictionwriters. What do the New Testamentgospels tell us about her?

When did she live?

Her appearance in the gospels isprobably somewhere between 29 and33 AD. The chronology at the time ofJesus is unclear as the calendar got alittle mixed up when attempts weremade to establish the precise time ofJesus’ birth.

Where can I readabout her?

How Mary might have looked before she met Jesus

122nd Year 19

� Her gratitude Mary was drawn to care for her Lord after Jesus cured her from a severe, possiblymental, illness1 .

� Her generosity Mary, along with other women2, provided Jesus with practical help3, giving whatthey could to support him financially. Since Jesus ‘had nowhere to lay his head’4he was dependent for his physical care on the goodwill of women like Mary.

� Her courage At a time when Jesus’ own disciples were in hiding for fear for their lives, she stayedwith his mother, Mary, at the foot of Jesus’ cross5 no doubt comforting both. Shefollowed Joseph of Arimathea to note where he took Jesus’ body for burial6. Latershe went there with the other women to anoint Jesus’ body. (Since he died on theeve of the Sabbath Jesus’ burial was hasty and no anointing was performed.)Fearless for their known connections with a man condemned for his claims, MaryMagdalene and these faithful women insisted on performing this rite that involvedthe touching of a dead body, making them ritually unclean7.

� Her faithShe was the first person to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection8 and it wasto her that Jesus gave the instruction to tell the others that he was alive9, indicatinghis trust in her faith and integrity.

� Is it true that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute?Although she is mentioned in all four gospels, not one of them says that she was.An old Jewish text indicates that the city of Magdala was famous for its fornicationso her name may have been wrongly associated with this. The gospel of Luke firstmentions Mary Magdalene just after recording the incident of the sinful woman10,leading some to make a connection.

A sixth century pope once preached that Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister ofMartha11 and the unnamed sinner in Luke chapter 7 were the same person.Although in 1969 this unfounded conclusion was rescinded, the idea has enduredin some areas. However, even if it were shown that Mary Magadalene had beeninvolved in prostitution, she would not be the first such person recorded in the Bibleto be redeemed.12

1 Luke. 8:2; 2 Luke 8:2-3; 3 Mark 15:40-41; 4 Matthew 8:20; 5 John 19:25; 6 Matthew 27:57-61;7 Numbers 19:13; Luke. 23:55-24:1; 8 Mark 16:9; 9 John 20:11-18; 10 Luke. 7:36-50, 8:2; 11 John11:1-2; 12 Joshua 2

What should I look out for?What should I look out for?

Local Information

A Covenant GodGod made a covenantwith his chosen peopleIsrael but, being human,they failed to obey God,as have all men andwomen throughouthistory. Something elsewas needed if God’splan for the humanrace was to succeed. So God caused a Son to be born of thevirgin Mary who would “save his peoplefrom their sins”.

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