The Bible Magazine, Vol. 11, Issue 3biblemagazine.com/magazine/vol-11/v11i3mag.pdfis life, and honor, and glory for evermore. I THE BIBLE MAGAZINE VOL. 11. ISSUE No.3. WRITTEN OVER

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Vol 11. Issue No 3. May 1998

May 1998 Vol. 11. Issue No.3.

Publishing Editor: Paul BillingtonPhone/Fax: (250) 962-6178

Editorial Address:The Bible MagazineBox 2004Prince George, B.C.V2N 2J6 Canada

e-mail:[email protected]

SubscriptionsNorth America

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Phone/Fax: [email protected] Africa

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AustraliaAleck Crawford6 Ingomar Court,Hallett Cove,South Australia 5158.

[email protected]: 08-8381-3616

Christadelphian Scripture StudyService Local Representatives.

New ZealandMr. D Archer11 Hampton Hill Road.Tawa, Wellington, NZ 6203

Phone: [email protected]

Page 2 THE BIBLE MAGAZINE VOL. 11. ISSUE No.3

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LOCAL INFORMATION

A WITNESS OF BIBLE TRUTH FOR OUR TIMES

The Bible Magazine Internet Edition On-Line

The address to access The BibleMagazine Internet Edition on the WorldWide Web is:

http://www.netbistro.com/~ biblemag/

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”— John 17:17.

What Sets The Heart on FireJohn Thomas emphasises the need of a vision that can grip our hearts and minds. A dry academic study alone will not inspire. Page 3.COVER

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Page 4.

John Ramsden traces the power of Turkeythrough history and prophecy. He shows usevents that must yet happen in order tocomplete the picture given by Scripture.


EDITORIAL THE YEAR 2000 & THE FALL OF BABYLON Page 9.

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Don Pearce shows the link between ancient Babylonand the modern spiritual Babylon; how the myths ofthe past have been adopted by theChristianity of the present age. Page 10.

MMIILLEESSTTOONNEESS UUPPDDAATTEEBy Don Pearce Page 14.Recent events reviewed.

By Paul

Billington

“The flesh profiteth nothing” saidJesus, it is like the grass of the field.Such was the terrible lesson of theHolocaust. The nature, temptations andsacrifice of Christ teaches us this Truthalso. There can be no human salvationapart from God manifestation. Only ifHis word abides in us can we havehope of life. Page 16.

THE MAKING OF A SAINTArt Bull continues his article commenced in our last issue. Page 18.

Through the use of video The Bible Magazine seeks toprovide visible evidence for the Truths of God’s Word

BACKPAGE

THE ANGLO-AMERICAN ATTEMPT TOBRING PEACE TO ISRAEL Page 13.

By Paul Billington

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n Luke it is written concerning Jesus, that “Beginning atMoses and all the Prophets, he expounded unto them(Cleopas and his companion) in all the Scriptures the things

concerning himself.” This exposition of the Old Testament musthave been of stirring and absorbing interest to these disciples, orthey would not have said, “Did not our heart burn within us whilehe talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us theScriptures?” An exposition of Moses and the Prophets set theirheart on fire—a fire which continues to burn so long as thebelieving mind retains, or “keeps inmemory,” and dwells upon the things ofthe Spirit revealed to them...

This (use of Scripture has) fallen intoneglect as the annals of “an old Jewishalmanac,” of interest only to the studentof Hebrew antiquities; all of whoseattempted expositions evaporate incurious remarks upon Israelitish customs,and the fulfilment of a few types andpredictions in the sufferings of Jesus.Such archaeological dissertations wouldhave inflamed the heart of Cleopas aslittle as they enkindle those of ourcontemporaries. Setting the heart on fire by a narrative of factsunconnected with the scriptural exhibition of the glory that shallfollow, is impossible, being contrary to the nature of the humanmind as God has constituted it.

Cleopas was well acquainted with all the sufferings of Jesus,for he had witnessed them; yet did his Lord address him as a“Fool, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets havespoken.” He “trusted that it had been he who should haveredeemed Israel.” The baptism of Jesus in suffering produced noglowing of his heart so long as he perceived no prospect ofredemption for the nation through Jesus. His heart was perplexed.The disciples of Jesus looked to him as Jehovah’s representative,by whom He would “put down the mighty from their thrones, andexalt them of low degree,” when he would “fill the hungry withgood things, and send the rich empty away;” and “help his servantIsrael, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to their fathers,to Abraham and his seed for ever.”

The father of John the Baptist expressed their hope in Christwhen he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,... for he hathraised up a Horn of Salvation for us (Israel) in the house of hisservant David,...that we should be saved from our enemies andfrom the hand (power) of all that hate us; to perform the mercypromised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; theoath which he sware to our father Abraham that he would grantunto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemiesmight serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before

him all the days of our life.” But when Cleopas and the rest sawonly the triumph of the Serpent power over the Woman’s seed,there was no burning of the heart, no “joy unspeakable and full ofglory” through the crucified Nazarene. He had cast down nothrones of the mighty; he had failed to help Israel, who was still inthe hand of the enemy; he had not accomplished the thingspromised to Abraham and his Seed; those of low degree were stillin degradation hungering after the good things devised to the rich;and he himself was to all appearance overcome. Could he be the

king “of whom Moses in the law, and theprophets did write?”

To set the heart on fire we must have acomprehensive view of “all that the prophetshave spoken” concerning Christ. The wantof this was the weakness of Cleopas, and thecause of ours. Jesus strengthened him byshowing that Moses and the prophets taughtthat the Christ’s path to glory was throughsuffering. The connection between sufferingand glory was the point illustrated in theconversation. Had the Christ not suffered,Jehovah’s holy covenant confirmed toAbraham would have remained without

force; and so no right to blessings, spiritual or political, byindividuals or nations could have been obtained. No exaltationwithout trial is a principle of the divine economy which cannot beevaded by those who would attain to glory.

The disciples were slow of heart to perceive this until it was sostrikingly illustrated in the sufferings of Christ. These were great,but greater still the glory which absorbs the less. Paul thoughtnothing of them, esteeming them as mere light afflictions thatwere but for a moment; because they worked out for him a farmore exceeding and eternal weight of glory. In this, he followedJesus; and exhorts us to do the same in imitating him. But, if wewould be exalted to this indomitability of mind, we mustfamiliarize ourselves with “the glory to be revealed.” This willmake us invincible. The darts of the enemy will fall ineffectivefrom our shield; and though “a spectacle by reproaches,” we shallbe strengthened by the might of truth, which is God’s power, in theinner man, to obtain the crown of righteousness at last.

Jesus “opened to them the Scriptures,” that they might obtaina view of the glory to which they had been called. Howinestimable a blessing is the Bible open to the understanding!Gold and silver cannot purchase it; therefore the world is destituteof it: to the wise and learned it is sealed. Money cannot repay ourdebt of obligation to him who opens to us the book. Cleopas andhis companion could not have recompensed Jesus for setting theirhearts on fire; for the understanding of “the word of the kingdom”is life, and honor, and glory for evermore.

I

THE BIBLE MAGAZINE VOL. 11. ISSUE No.3.

WRITTEN OVER 100 YEARS AGO

John Thomas. 1805-1871

What Sets The Heart on Fire.

“Setting the heart on fire by a narrative of factsunconnected with the

scriptural exhibition of theglory that shall follow, is

impossible, being contrary tothe nature of the human mind

as God has constituted it.”

900 years earlier—the full story beingrecorded in Daniel chapter 2. He had seenthe image of a man representing futureworld empires and not surprisingly, the

image had two legs representingthe divided nature of theRoman Empire (shown on themap below).

The End of RomeWhen the time had come

for God to end the politicalpower of the western legof the Roman Empire hisagents for achieving itwere the barbarian hordes

of northern Europe—theHuns, Goths and Vandals,

etc. Their “commissions” aredescribed in Revelationchapter 8:7-13 as the first fourTrumpet judgments and thesebring us to AD 476 (see map 1opposite). About 150 years

ne of the politically mostdifficult, and strategicallymost dangerous situationsfacing the EuropeanUnion today is the

application from Turkey to join them. At atime when the EU is happily consideringapplications from former communist EastEuropean countries, and even the island ofCyprus, Turkey is annoyed at the EU’srefusal to accept their application. Thereasons given for not doing so includeTurkey’s poor “human rights” record: thelack of a proper democratic culture; itstreatment of the Kurds and theunpreparedness of its economic infra-structure, etc. Whether these are the realreasons or not is hard to say, but maybe ithas more to do with a mistrust of thegrowing Islamic militancy in Turkey and thelong-standing bitter animosity from Greeceon account of Turkey’s ethnic cleansing ofthe Greek population from Turkey’s Aegeanseaboard in the 1920’s, plus rival claims onCyprus.

What Does the Bible Say?In view of the Bible’s clear indication of

current developments in Europe (andBritain’s growing isolation from it) Israel’scurrent troubles, Russia’s amazing trendtowards a form of nominal Christianity; onemight well ask: “Does the Bible sayanything about Turkey?” The answer is“Yes!” but we do need to go a long way backin history in order to see things in theircorrect Biblical perspective—as far back, infact, as the days of the Roman Empire whenin the time of Christ its area of dominationwas as shown on the map (right).

In AD 96 the Apostle John receivedseveral visions, recorded in the book ofRevelation, concerning the rise and fall of

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certain world powers prior to the return ofChrist to set up the kingdom of God onearth. These included two waves ofjudgments which would come upon theEmpire in the various forms it was to takeover the next 2000 years. These judgementsare described as trumpets and vials. Theywould also involve other countries, such asTurkey, to which we find reference inRevelation chapters 9 and 16 under what theBible describes as the 6th Trumpet andthe 6th Vial.

We have to remember that bythe 4th century the RomanEmpire had virtually split in two,following the decision ofConstantine to move the capital ofthe empire from the city of Rome tothe Greek city of Byzantium, whichwas renamed as Constantinople andis known today as Istanbul.Amazingly, this development hadbeen revealed to the BabylonianEmperor, Nebuchadnezzar, some

By John Ramsden


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TTRRUUMMPPEETTSS TTHHAATT SSOOUUNNDDEEDD TTHHEE DDEECCLLIINNEEAANNDD FFAALLLL OOFF TTHHEE RROOMMAANN EEMMPPIIRREE

THE BARBARIANINVASIONS OF THEWESTERN EMPIRE

ISLAM SWARMED INTOTHE EASTERN AND

NORTH AFRICAN PARTSOF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

THIS MAP SHOWS THE MOGULPOWERS “BOUND” AT THE

RIVER EUPHRATES

Revelation chapter eight describeshow, in response to the prayers ofbelievers, judgements came uponthe Roman Empire. Thesejudgements are described astrumpets being blown (a depictionused by the invaders themselves asshown here). The three maps inthis panel outline the events ofhistory which fulfilled the prophecygiven in Revelation chapters 8 and9, as far as the 14th verse.

MAP1

MAP2

MAP3

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later came Mahomet, whose activities arecovered under the 5th Trumpet in Revelationchapter 9:1-12. By the 7th century thisSaracen power had swarmed like a plague oflocusts across north Africa into Spain andonward to Poitiers in northern France, thusremoving the western Roman power fromthese parts (Map 2, page 5).

Then, another 400 years later, as we readin chapter 9 verse 13 onwards there camefour more tribal hordes from the east—mostly Islam orientated—which sweptacross Syria, Palestine, across Turkey andonwards to the very gates of Vienna—destroying, as it did so, the city ofConstantinople in AD 1453. Thus now wasthe eastern leg of the Roman Empirepolitically annihilated—albeit with the oldEastern Caesars and their entourage fleeingnorthwards to Moscow to become the Czarsof a “Third Roman Empire” based inMoscow. Thus we have the remarkablesituation whereby an early form of “MilitantIslam” replaced much of the territory of theoriginal Roman Empire (see map of TurkishEmpire in 1683 opposite).

The judgment of the 6th Trumpet tells usof four waves of marauders appearing on thescene from the area around and beyond theRiver Euphrates. They proceed into the landoccupied by the eastern Roman Empire. Itwas just as if the river Euphrates itself wasbursting its banks and overflowingwestwards to the land of Turkey andonwards into Europe (See Maps opposite).

Historians describing these eventsconfirm the amazing accuracy of theprophecy which was given upwards of athousand years earlier. They tell how:• in the 11th century came the Seljuks• in the 12 century came the great Genghis

Kahn and his tribe.• in the 13th century came Timurlane.• in the 14th century came the Ottomans.It was the Othmans—better known as theOttomans—who gave their name to thatgreat Islamic Empire which for the next 500years was to smother and stifle much of theMiddle East with its corrupt and inept rule.

God’s Unfulfilled PromisesWe must now divert from our theme in

order to recall God’s long declared plan forthe establishment of a State of Israel prior tothe return of Christ. Since the time of theRoman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70the Jews had been dispersed throughout theworld and therefore did not exist as a clearlyidentifiable nation. And yet time and timeagain God had, through many Old Testamentprophets, spoken of his promise to restoreHis people to the land of Palestine and createan independent State of Israel. Some of thesewe now see partly fulfilled by the veryexistence today of the State of Israel which

this year celebrates its 50th anniversary: Forexample, Jeremiah had said:

“He that scattered Israel will gather himand keep him as a shepherd doth hisflock.” — Jer 31:10.

That is all well and good— but howcould those promises possibly be fulfilledwhen the Islamic Ottoman Empire had forhundreds of years dominated the land? Howcould any reasonable person be expected tobelieve those promises unless they wereprepared to believe the word of Bibleprophecy concerning Turkey as well asIsrael? Yet this is exactly what

Christadelphians have been doing since themiddle of the 19th century (see poster onpage 8). Confidence in what eventuallymust come to pass stemmed fromRevelation chapter 16:12. This chapter—written in code—outlines a further set ofjudgments known as Vials. Most of thesewere directed against a latter form of thepower of Rome often referred to byhistorians, and even some Europeanpoliticians1, as the Holy Roman Empire. It isnot our present purpose to offer a detailedexposition of this chapter but suffice it tosay that it has to do mostly with the work of


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The Islamic (Ottoman) Turks ruled over the Holy Land with brutality, as the 1915hangings by the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem (below) illustrate. It would be essential toremove this power in order to allow a Jewish restoration. The Mosque of Omar(above, photographed in 1871) , standing on the site of the Jewish temple stillprevents restoration in the fullest sense. This Islamic presence has to be eliminated.

Page 7

Napoleon in bringing that Holy RomanEmpire to an end—something achievedunder the symbolism of the 5th vial by1806.2

Then came the 4-part judgment of the6th vial—the last great sign of our timesleading up to the return of Christ (v. 15) andthe ensuing battle of Armageddon (v. 16).

“The sixth angel poured out his vialupon the great river Euphrates andthe water thereof was dried up.”How are we to interpret this sign? First

we must understand that in Bible prophecyrivers are often used to represent nations.When they conquer other nations they aresaid to “overflow”. Consider how the Bibledescribes the invasion of Israel by theAssyrian Empire.

“The Lord bringeth upon them thewaters of the river...even the king ofAssyria...he shall go over his banksand he shall pass through Judah; heshall overflow and go over...” (Isa.8:7).

Turkey “Dries Up”Correspondingly, when a nation

declines in power it is said to “dry up”. Sowhen, in the context of the 6th vialjudgment we read in v. 12 of the Euphrates“drying up” it is a clear signal to us that theTurkish-Ottoman empire would eventually—before the return of Christ referred to inverse 15 —go into decline. How it cameabout during the late 18th and early 19thcenturies is a fascinating story in itself!3

With Napoleon and the Holy RomanEmpire out of the way, the leading powersof Europe, namely Russia, France, Britain

THE BIBLE MAGAZINE VOL. 11. ISSUE No.3

Sultan Mahomet II(above) conqueror ofConstantinople, capitalof the Byzantine(Eastern Roman)Empire in 1453. Thepainting (right) depictsthe battle for the city.

After the fall of “ChristianConstantinople” and itsconversion by sword, thethrone of the empire wasclaimed by Moscow on thebasis of the marriagebetween Ivan III to Zoe,niece to Constantine XI,the last reigning Byzantineemperor. Thus the seat ofRome has passed to Russia.

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THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE & THE RISE OF A TURKISH EMPIRE

THE EUPHRATES POWER IS “LOOSED”

THE TURKISH(OTTOMAN)

EMPIRE IN 1683

Page 8

and Austria, and eventually Germany, turnedtheir attention to carving up the ailingOttoman empire described by Czar Nicholasof Russia in 1844 as “The Sick Man ofEurope”.

Little could those Kings, Presidents andCzars have realised that they were, in effect,doing the will of God in clearing a way forthe eventual establishment of a nationalhome for the Jews. Only with Turkey out ofthe way could there be an independent stateof Israel. And only when that existed wouldChrist, accompanied by his faithful servants,return to the land originally promised to theJews. So as Revelation chapter 16:12 alsotells us the ultimate purpose of the drying upof the Ottoman Empire was so that:

“...the way of the kings of theeast may be prepared.”

Tempted by intensive Germandiplomacy into siding with theGerman “Central Powers” in theFirst World War, Turkey lost outdisastrously as a result. In 1917 theBritish army drove the Turks out ofPalestine and entered Jerusalem,paving the way for the BritishGovernment’s Balfour Declarationwhich proposed that the land ofPalestine should immediatelybecome a National Home for theJews— a development that wouldlead 40 years later to the creation ofthe State of Israel. The old despoticrule of the Sultans over theirOttoman empire came to an end—to be replaced by the secularrevolution of Kemal Ataturk whosought to bring Turkey into linewith 20th century Europe.

Prophecy Partly Fulfilled!Two problems remain:a. Who are the Kings of the

East referred to in verse 12?b. Can we say that the

Euphratean power of Turkey reallyis dried up?

We shall deal with the firstquestion in a future issue (Godwilling). Meanwhile the answer tothe second question is “No!”

Now why is that? Because,very simply, Turkey is still there:staring the world in the face, presenting theEU with difficult questions to answer,dividing opinion among NATO partners,causing great animosity to its neighbourGreece and, who knows, possibly affording agreat opportunity to Russia for an earlyconquest.

The Coming Russian InvasionDaniel and Ezekiel both speak of a time

when Russia (described in the Bible as “TheKing of the North”) will lead a confederacy

of nations down into the Middle Eastagainst Israel ready for the time of God’sjudgments upon the nations, which aredescribed as “Armageddon” in part 4 of this6th vial4. As Christadelphian Bible studentshave pointed out for the last 130 years thisconfederacy will have the support of severalIslamic nations. And it just so happens thatTurkey’s 60 million population is 98%Islamic (which many people believe is amajor underlying reason why it is notwelcome in Europe).

So we watch what is going on betweenTurkey and its neighbours with greatinterest. We note, for example, itscontinuing conflict with Greece. Quarrels

about violations of air space and maritimeexploration rights exploded last autumn intovirtual aerial dog-fights between partners inthe NATO alliance! The Republic ofSouthern Cyprus is applying to join the EU.Turkey has threatened that if the EU acceptCyprus but reject its own application, it willformally annex Northern Cyprus. Cyprusreacts to this sabre rattling by asking Russiato supply it with missiles: Turkey says itwill not allow them to pass through the

Bosphorous. Russia objects most stronglyabout Turkey’s hostile attitude. Russo-Turkish relations are now at a very low ebb.So it was not surprising that in January(1998) the world wide internet carried aleaked intelligence report saying:

“There is now a distinct possibilitythat Turkey could find itself at warwith Russia over the supply ofmissiles to Cyprus... by the end of1998. Turkey has said delivery of themissiles would be a cause for war...and the former Prime Minister, TansuCiller has warned that unless there isa change in policy “Turkey is goingto war with Russia.”

We do not know how these problemswill be solved, nor do wise Bible readerspredict an outcome. Except, of course,to restate their confident belief in thoseclear, unmistakable, Bible propheciestelling us to expect a Russian invasion ofIsrael. One look at the map shows thatstanding right in the way of Russia isTurkey! So only when Russia doesmake that assault on Israel, invadingTurkey en route and re-establishing itspower in Constantinople from whenceits Byzantine forebears were turned outin AD 1453, will it be possible to saythat the Euphratean power of Turkeyhas, once and for all, been dried up.With Russia in Turkey, we shall see theimage of Daniel’s prophecy as a symbolof the kingdoms of men in a position tobe struck down by the returning all-powerful Christ. So, as oneChristadelphian student of prophecywrote in 1849 in a book about the Hopeof Israel:“When Russia makes its grand movefor the building up of its image empirethen let the reader know that the end ofall things, as presently constituted, isat hand.”

Footnotes1“Europe is living largely by theheritage of the Holy Roman Empirethough the great majority don’t know

it.” (Dr. Otto von Habsburg, AustrianM.E.P.)2 See the Bible Magazine for July 1997 for abrief history of the Holy Roman Empire andhow it ended.3 Lords of the Golden Horn by Noel Barberprovides a well researched account.4The Bible Magazine for July 1995 containsa description of where and whenArmageddon will take place.


A Christadelphian Public Lecture at about the time ofThe First World War comments upon

Turkey in Bible Prophecy


he approach of the coming millennium,and especially the milestone of the year

2000 A.D., is receiving all the hype andattention that Christendom can muster.Leaders such as Hal Lindsey are, in their ownways, making the best they can out of thisgreat opportunity for publicity. What most ofthese spiritual merchants seem to miss outhowever, is the fact that the new millenniumwill witness the fall of the great False Church.It is the time when a strong voice will declare:“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen...”—Revelation 18:2. Contemporary with the fallof this “Babylon” the Second Coming ofChrist is to occur.

According to an article in the Times ofLondon (April 24, 1998) the Pope hashowever assured the world that “the end ofthe world was not nigh” and “fears that thenew millennium would usher in the LastJudgement were unfounded.”

Yet in the book Millennium Prophecies byStephen Skinner (Carlton Books, 1994) wecame across the following unusually frankpassage:

“The idea of a coming Messiah was aChristian inheritance from Judaism.Christianity, of course, maintained that theMessiah had arrived, and had shownHimself several times after the crucifixionto His disciples. The common belief wasthat He would soon return yet again,hence the concept of the Second Coming.

Many believed that He would return withan army, maybe even an army of angels,and triumph as a military saviour overtheir oppressors, the Romans. Earlybelief, before it was mythologized byOrigen and St. Augustine, was clearly inan earthly kingdom of God, not in somelong-deferred heaven. But as thecenturies rolled on the expectation wasmoved forward and hopes were pinned onyears like AD 1000 or AD 2000.”

The writer goes on to say that:“apocalyptic writings, both Jewish andChristian, often speak of the destruction ofBabylon (or in a more guarded way of thedestruction of Rome), and the arrival of asaviour Messiah who, after a period oftribulations, will do physical battle with theenemies of the godly, often at Armageddon,before establishing a 1000-year kingdom hereon earth...”

To such writers these things are meretraditions and legends—yet they are clearlytaught in the Bible. The “mythologized”beliefs of Christendom that are taught todayare themselves a fulfillment of prophecy—this is exactly what the apostle Paul saidwould happen — see 2 Timothy 4:3,4. The

belief of the millennial reign of Christ and thesaints on earth was changed for the paganconcept of souls going to heaven at death.

This religious “Babylon” (sometimesdescribed as the reign of Antichrist) has beenexpected to fall around the beginning of thenew millennium.

As the physical world was created in sixdays (Genesis 1 and 2), and as a day canrepresent a thousand years on the Divine scale(2 Peter 3:8), so a new creation will emergeafter 6,000 years. This will be a seventh“day”, or sabbath rest of a thousand years(Hebrews 4:4-6, also v. 9; Revelation 20:4-6).This sabbath is the reign of Christ and thesaints upon earth. Such a reign will ofnecessity bring about the fall of“Babylon” and will see itsfalsehood exposed before all theworld.

This 7,000 year plan hasbeen understood by many andhas been anticipated overseveral centuries. The schemehas also been thought to fit in(more or less) with other timeperiods that are given inScripture.

In a book published in 1687by the Huguenot writer PeterJurieu, reference is made to Monsieur duMoulin, “For he thinks that Antichristianismwill not be at an end before the year 2015, sowe should have yet 330 years longer tosuffer.” The basis for this expectation,apparently, was the rise of the pope’s temporalpower “towards the year 755,” to which wasadded the apocalyptic 1260 day-years.

In 1701 Robert Flemming in his The Riseand Fall of Rome Papal arrived at similarconclusions. He takes the year 758 to markthe ascent of Roman power with the so-calledDonation of Pepin. He wrote: “Now, if wemake this the era of the papal kingdom, the1260 years will not run out before the year

2018, according to the computation of Julianyears; but, reducing these to prophetical ones,the expiration of the papal kingdom endsexactly in the year 2000, according to ourvulgar reckoning.” Flemming continued:

“...after the militant state of the ChristianChurch is run out, in the year 2000, it is toenter upon that glorious sabbaticalmillenary, when the saints shall reign onearth, in a peaceable manner, for athousand years more.”

Another writer, Thomas Newton,published his work in 1754. The samereasoning and conclusions are seen yet again:

“Now the power of the pope, as a horn ortemporal prince, it hath beenshown, was established in theeighth century: and 1260 yearsfrom the time will lead usdown to about the year ofChrist 2000, or about the6000th year of the world: andthere is an old tradition bothamong Jews and Christians,that at the end of six thousandyears the Messiah shall come,and the world shall berenewed, the reign of thewicked one shall cease, and

the reign of the saints upon earth shallbegin.”

Chronological difficulties and revisionsmade to the calendar over such a long periodof time make it virtually impossible for us tobe certain of the true year 2000. We knowthat we are living at about this period—giveor take a decade. In any event, it isfascinating to behold the leaders ofChristendom preparing to celebrate an eventwhich may well herald their own imminentdownfall—Revelation 18:5-8.

The Pope’s assurances that the end is notnigh may be less than infallible — it may bewishful thinking!

EditorialTHE YEAR 2000

& THE FALL OF BABYLONTHE YEAR 2000

& THE FALL OF BABYLON

The Fall of Babylon: Foreshadowing an Apocalyptic Overthrow of Rome?

Thomas Newton 1754

T

the author of the pagan religious rites andalso as “the interpreter or divider of thespeeches of men”.

Now Bel or Belus, the god of Babylon,also means confounder. Bel was the fatherof Ninus or Nimrod. So he too was Cush.

The Greeks regarded Janus as theoriginal god who was also called Chaos, iethe god of confusion. Hence he looked bothways! The Chaldeanpronunciation of Chaosis Ch_s or Cush! Hissymbol was a club,which in Chaldee comesfrom “to break in piecesor scatter abroad”.

So there are verystrong echoes found inmythology derived fromthe account of Babel inGenesis chapters 10 and

Page 10

centre of false worship, which continueddown to the time of Daniel. Babylon wasoverthrown, but Daniel saw that the stumpof the Babylonish tree was to be preservedin order to flourish again in the latter days(Daniel chapter 4).

Let’s consider the Kingdom of Babylon,so we can better understand what we shouldbe looking for today.

We must go back to Noah and his sons,Shem, Ham and Japheth (Gen 10:1). Ham’seldest son was Cush, and his grandsonNimrod (v6, v8).

Hislop in Two Babylons shows how theBabylonian, Egyptian and Greek deities hadtheir origins in real people — Cush, Nimrodand Nimrod’s wife, Semiramis, being theprime source for many of them.

CushCush was the original Mercury and

Her-mes or “Son of Ham”. He is known as

ome is a growing player on theworld stage. As we look atunfolding events in the worldtoday from the angle ofprophecy, the picture given in

Revelation chapters 17 and 18 is of the finaloverthrow of the Papal system — theWoman and the countries of western Europe(the Beast) upon which she “rides.” Thestriking feature about the woman is thename that is written on her forehead; thisharlot woman is emblazoned with the nameof Babylon.

Let’s see the origins of this symbol thatis linked with Babylon.

Cush and NimrodWe marvel at how early Divine Truth

was corrupted. We see human nature atwork so soon after the Flood. Noah’s sonHam was the father of Cush, whose sonNimrod founded Babel. This was to be the


By Don

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11, including the confounding of speech andthe scattering of the people. It seems thatCush was involved in laying the foundationsof Babel, with his son Nimrod becoming thefirst king.

Nimrod We read of Nimrod’s exploits in Gen

10:8-12. He was a mighty hunter before theLord. “Before” can be understood in the

sense of “against”. Hewas in opposition to thefollowers of God. Hebrought people into cities— starting at Babel andextending to Nineveh,200 miles to the north.His hunting skills arerecorded in mythology.Hislop derives his namefrom Nimr-rod: thesubduer of leopards.

Page 11

(Nimr — a leopard, and rada or rod—tosubdue). The Egyptians who worshippedhim as Osiris spoke of him as being the firstto hunt with dogs and leopards (whichindeed were trained to hunt). He is picturedas a hunter, sometimes clothed with aleopard skin.

Now the Greeks worshipped Nimrod asBacchus, who is associated with drinking.This gives a link back to theprevious chapter in Genesis,which records Ham’s part inthe result of Noah’sviticultural efforts. Bacchus issometimes depicted holding acup and branch (as seenpictured above). This waspart of the Babylonishmysteries —it had to beinterpreted. The sacred namefor cup is kh_s (Cush). The

branch indicates he is a scion or branch, andso: son of Cush.

Nimrod was also known as Kronos —horned one. He was king of the Cyclops whowere known as the inventors of towerbuilding—a feature of Babel! Pherecydesrecords of Kronos that he was first before allothers that ever wore a crown. Early crownsconsisted of a band of iron with horns. So


n Pearce

OOAAHH

MM JJAAPPHHEETTHH

UUSSHH

SSEEMMIIRRAAMMIISSJanus (Cush) and his emblem

Page 12 THE BIBLE MAGAZINE VOL. 11. ISSUE No.3

Nimrod was the first king! To the Babylonians Nimrod was known

as Ninus — the son. The significance of thismeaning we will see shortly. Ninus was thefirst King of the Assyrians, the

“first who carried war against hisneighbours, and conquered allnations from Assyria1to Lybia.”

Trogus PompeiusBefore looking at the building of Babel,

we need to just look to Nimrod’s death andthe system of worship his wife set up afterhis death. Although scripture is silent aboutit, mythology says that he met a violentdeath. The Egyptians who worshippedNimrod as Osiris had him slain by Hercules,one of whose names was Sem or Shem!

Semiramis According to mythology this was

Nimrod’s wife. A woman of great beauty —the original Venus, but a woman not notedfor high moral standards! To the Egyptiansshe was known as Isis, the goddess offertility, with her child Horus.

As the wife of Nimrod, she was Baalti,that is, My Lady, which in Latin becomesMea Domina, from which we get Madonna.Amongst her many titles were:

The Lady, Lady of the Sea, (Virgin)Queen of heaven, Mother of God,Virgin mother.

Semiramiswas being

worshipped asDiana of theEphesians in

the days ofPaul. She was

sometimesknown as the

goddess oftowers — notethe tower-like

crown uponher head.Also

her darkfeatures.

The Mother and ChildShortly after Nimrod’s “untimely” death

she had a child, whom she claimed wasNimrod reincarnated. A virgin birth!Around the world are statues of the motherand child, and known under many names—but she is the original. Often she is depictedas dark — a descendant of Ham, yet thechild fair (compare the black madonna).The Mother was the dominant figure.Although she claimed the child was Nimrodre-incarnated, a strong warrior, yet he isdepicted as a child. Around this claim shebuilt a false system of worship. Sheclaimed to be the woman, whose seed(Nimrod reincarnated, born to a virgin)would conquer sin.

BabelWe move back to events before

Nimrod’s death, and look at thebuilding of Babel. The city wasbuilt at Shinar (Gen 11:2). Thedistinctive feature of the city wasits tower, which is described asreaching to heaven (v4). Hereis a combination of thepolitical and the religious — the cityand the tower. Even today, spires andtowers are a feature of religious buildings.

As well as the earlier link we have seenwith Cush and towers, there is aninteresting link with Semiramis and Babel.In the Ephesus of Paul’s day, she was beingworshipped as Diana of the Ephesians.Diana was known as the goddess of towers,and is sometimes so depicted.

It is therefore reasonable to link the godof towers to her husband Nimrod. Thismakes an interesting link with Daniel 11:38“The god of Guardians” or fortifications.

We learn that their purpose in buildingBabel was to defy God’s command tomigrate in order to repopulate the earth.They wanted to make a name. Yet the namewas already there—but they didn’t want tolisten to it. Shem means name. It is thesame Hebrew word. They were inopposition to the things that Shem stood for.

Babel was to be the capital2 city of thekingdom of men. It was a deliberate attemptto defy the God of heaven, uniting differentpeople who submitted to the rule ofNimrod. It certainly earned its name Babel— confusion—because of the subsequentconfusion of tongues. The various familiesin it were scattered, taking with them thefalse teaching of Cush, Nimrod andSemiramis.

Footnotes1 The ancient classical writers included

Babylon with Assyria. 2 beginning (Gen 10:10) = 1st in rank or

time)

A worshipper kisses the Black Virgin ofMontserrat.: The false religion of Babylon

and of Ephesus (opposite) lingers on inthe Roman Catholic Church of today.

This article, originally written for, but notpublished with Milestones 1997, has beenabridged.

but it seems clear that manyJewish settlements willremain in the area taken byIsrael in 1967. This is inharmony with Ezekiel 38which described settlementson “the mountains of Israel”(v. 8) and “in the midst of theland” (v. 12). Such a situationcan be seen today in Hebron.Israel has given the town tothe Palestinian Authority, butthe Jewish settlement ofKiryat Arba remains thereand is under Israeli control.

That is a pattern that might beexpected in the rest of the West Bankterritories.

Of course, any securityagreement would only last for ashort time. As Ezekiel shows, theLand will be invaded by thenorthern Gog. When thathappens, the State of Israel as weknow it will be destroyed—butit will be replaced (after thedefeat of Gog) by the restoredKingdom of Israel under theRoyal House of David. Thenation of Israel that we seetoday comprises someraw materials out ofwhich the Kingdomis to beconstructed.


hen Britain issued the 1917 Balfour Declaration, callingfor a National Jewish Home in Palestine, she embarkedupon a long road which has seen many twists and turns

in her efforts to manoeuvre between the interests of Jew andArab. At one point pro-Zionist, at another pro-Arab; Britain hasalways maintained a lively interest in the Holy Land, itspeoples—as well as in the oil produced by Israel’s neighbours.

When Britain had its fingers burnt, the United States ofAmerica embarked upon the same road—and not without somesuccess. By 1979 the U.S. (as well as circumstances) hadbrought Egypt and Israel to the peace table. From that point ittook another 14 years to bring Israel’s Prime Minister (Rabin)and PLO chief Yasser Arafat together on the White House lawnto sign a “peace accord”. After the assassination of Israel’sRabin and a consequent change of government in Israel the“peace process” became bogged down, and now a frustrated U.S.administration is reaching the end of its patience so the Brits aregetting back into the act. Whether the meeting of the parties,scheduled for May 4th, achieves progress or not—it is adevelopment that attracts the attention of those who understandwhat the Bible has described in its prophetic drama concerningthe latter day restoration of Israel.

As we have shown in our recent booklet “Cry of theProphets” and in the recently produced video The Lions ofTarshish, the destiny of the English-speaking peoples is firmlylinked to the latter-day restoration of Israel. An Anglo-Americanattempt to bring peace to Israel at a conference hosted inLondon, is in harmony with this general prophetic scene.

As we write these lines, the London talks are still almost twoweeks away, so it is impossible for us to know what, if anything,might be achieved through them. What we do know is that theinterest of the Anglo-American power in Israel’s security will bemaintained to the end. This is seen from Ezekiel 38:12. Iffrustration at the lack of progress drives the Anglo-Americans towash their hands of the issue for now, they will be back later!

The situation described in this chapter of Ezekiel would leadus to expect that a form of security for Israel will be achieved atsome point in time. Even another war would not alter this. Thewords are quite specific: “...and they shall dwell safely (orsecurely, RV) all of them” (verse 8). They are seen as a “land ofunwalled villages,” and “at rest, that dwell safely (securely), allof them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars, norgates” (verse 11). This is what Scripture says—but how andwhen will it be achieved? What agreements? What concessionsand compromises? What guarantees will be given—and bywhom? These are interesting questions to which we do not, asyet, know the answers. There are early signs of a possiblewillingness on the part of Britain to become involved in securityarrangements in the area—a declaration on security was signedduring a recent visit by Tony Blair to the Gaza strip; this couldbe preparing ground for something more substantial in the nearfuture, but time will tell.

The Rabin-Perez government of Israel had been preparing togive away land taken by Israel in 1967. That deal died withRabin—today the discussion concerns between nine and thirteenpercent. What the eventual outcome will be we cannot know—

THE ANGLO-AMERICAN ATTEMPTTO BRING PEACE TO ISRAEL

WBy Paul Billington.

Red dots mark majorJewish settlements.

Page 14

MMIILLEESSTTOONNEESS UUPPDDAATTEEBy Don Pearce

“Such a pact would effectively shut theUK out of key positions in the EMUdecision-making for the foreseeablefuture.” Sunday Telegraph 1-3-98

There are many groups in Britainopposed to giving up the pound. LordTebbit has united parties “in a grandalliance to save Britain from the euro”.Lord Tebbit warned:

“Not only are there huge economicrisks, but the risks of forcing a politicalunion on the unwilling peopleof Europe is more likely toblow the European Unionapart than to bind ustogether.” Daily Telegraph20-3-98.

Meanwhile the poundsurges on the foreignexchanges, in expectation thatthere will be further interestrises to dampen growth. Thesehigh rates contrast with the lowinterest rates in the rest ofEurope. It also increases theprospect of Britain doing bettertrading with the euro fromwithout with interest rates

e will take a brief look atvarious matters whichhave progressed sinceMilestones 1997 was

completed in early January.EMU qualification

The figures for qualification havebeen so fudged that it now appears thatall the countries seeking to join in economicand monetary Union, have qualified.Germany is still fearful of having Italy as amember, and it will be interesting whetherGermany tries to impose a compromise thatwould protect the euro from Italy’s weakeconomy. The member states are due to casttheir votes for adopting the euro at the end ofMay. All those who receive sufficient voteswill embrace the euro at the beginning ofnext year.

The Vatican, which is independent ofItaly, but uses the Italian lira (as well asminting her own coinage) has said that shewill “almost certainly” tie her economy withthe euro. Catholic Herald 13-3-98.

Britain’s refusal to join in the first wavehas resulted in her being marginalised. Shehas been pointedly refused a place on the“Euro X” committee of European financeministers, which is being set up to discusspolicy matters for those countries that arewanting to adopt the euro. It was felt itwould be a snub to Britain to convene thefirst meeting while Britain still held the EUPresidency. However the French had otherideas. “Britain is heading for anotherbruising battle with France” said the DailyTelegraph after the French had insisted thatthey needed to meet sooner than that. DailyTelegraph 9-3-98.

Additionally, Britain has been sidelinedover key positions in the new EuropeanCentral Bank. A covert deal is reported tohave been made between France andGermany. In return for France withdrawingher candidate for the ECB in favour ofGermany’s choice of Wim Duisenberg, theDutch central bank governor, France will begiven the vice presidency, and chairmanshipof the Euro X committee. The SundayTelegraph stated:

“The deal would confirm Franco-German primacy in the creation of theeuro and secure an orderly progression tothe formal establishment of the ECB inJune.

attractive to the investor, rather than insidewhere she would be forced to adopt the sameinterest rates as her fellow members. TheBank of England governor, Eddie George,predicted that:

“The introduction of the euro is anopportunity for London, not a threat.London thrives on liquid marketsregardless of currency, and it will thriveon the euro even while we remain on theoutside.” Daily Telegraph 21-1-98.

Saddam Defies theWorld

During Januaryand February theMiddle East newswas dominated bySaddam’s defianceof the UN WeaponsInspectors. It seemedas if a rerun of theGulf War of 7 yearsago was about tounfold. Britain andAmerica stood firmand began a build upof military might inthe Gulf region. Tony

WW


GERMANY’SECONOMICBLITZKRIEG

As Britain refusesto join the Single

EuropeanCurrency Germany

strengthens hercontrol

Page 15

Blair’s visit to President Clinton in earlyFebruary was an opportunity to displaysolidarity in their stand:

“I shall be telling President Clinton thatBritain will stand shoulder-to-shoulderwith America and our other allies infacing up to the threat that Saddamposes...”

So declared Mr Blair on the eve of his visit.In the event—for the time being at least—the situation was defused by Kofi Annan’svisit as Secretary General of the UN. Thesituation did however reveal someinteresting aspects. Russia showed herselfactive in Saddam’s defence. Europe—apartfrom Britain, also opposed measures, as didmany of the Gulf States. It certainlyrevealed fault lines in the unity that was themark of the previous conflict in 1991. Thistime it was much closer to the expected“North” “South” situation that we foresee atthe time of Armageddon. Both France andGermany have been flouting UN sanctionsagainst Iraq—they are quietly trying torebuild their trade with Saddam.

An Israeli Iraqi expertreported in The Jerusalem Post:

“As I see it, the move (bySaddam) was co-ordinated withRussia. There was aconvergence of interests to undothe New World Order created in1991 on the battlefield of Iraq,and it was fitting that theysought to undo it on the samefield.“France and China were alsointerested in seeing this happen.They no longer wanted a worldwith one major power.“Saddam tried to find cracks inthe new order, and he did. MostArab states refused to moveagainst him this time. In effect,he created a counter-coalitionand engineered his own dualcontainment policy—against the US andBritain. He prevented them from doingwhat they wanted, and isolated them inthe international area” Jerusalem Post7-3-98.

IsraelIsrael found herself humiliatingly

unprepared for the possibility of MiddleEast conflict. Long queues formed at gasmask distribution centres. They wereeventually told to stop open 24 hrs a day inorder to cope with demand! Schools andhouseholders had to purchase polythenesheeting and sealing tape to create sealedrooms against gas attack. The media wasblamed for spreading fear and panic.

One unexpected effect of the deal struck

by Kofi Annan, was to increase the pressureon Israel to find a settlement with thePalestinians. If the USA and Iraq can beprevented from going to war, then surely—the argument ran—Israel can be forced tomake peace with the Palestinians.

The EU is keen to use her influence inthe matter. In Britain’s role of EU presidentfor the period, the British Foreign Ministervisited the Middle East in March. His timein Israel hit the headlines! Robin Cook is notnoted for his smooth diplomacy. Hecertainly upset many in Israel by his remarksand seeming arrogance. It will be interestingto see how quickly Tony Blair can improvematters when he visits in April.

It will probably have killed off anychances of the EU influencing the finding ofa solution. This is how the angels can workto turn events! It leaves America as the onlycontender. They have put forward a phasedhandover plan which would transfer 13% ofthe West Bank to Palestinian control over a12 week period. In return the Palestinians

would have to restrain any incitement in itsterritories as well as rescinding the sectionin the Palestinian Charter that calls forIsrael’s destruction. Mr Netanyahu says thisplan threatens Israel’s security—he isprepared to hand back only 9% of the WestBank. It would seem reasonable that acompromise that involves Americanguarantees of security will be reached.

At the same time Israel is keen towithdraw her troops from Lebanon—it hasproved a running sore for her. Many soldiershave died in action there. Israel has putforward plans for her withdrawal fromSouthern Lebanon, provided that their placeis taken by Lebanese, UN or Americantroops. Kofi Annan is due in Israel in the

last week of March and is expected to focuson these plans. After a year of little progresson the Peace Talks there is now a prospect offurther progress being made.

Meanwhile the rift between Israel andJordan over last year’s bungled assassinationattempt seems to have been healed. The twocountries are working together on manyprojects. The Allenby Bridge is to be rebuilt.A railway is to be built between the Dead Seaand the Red Sea. More international flightswill be allowed into Eilat and AkabaAirports. They are also looking again at thefeasibility of a Mediterranean-Dead SeaCanal. The sea water falling down to theDead Sea would be used to generateelectricity to power desalination plants, toprovide fresh water to this arid region. Tradebetween the two countries more thandoubled in 1997 to $32 million (JerusalemPost 21-3-98).

KosovoThis little state is a potential powder-keg

to reignite the Balkans! It sets Greeks againstTurks. It is home to a large number ofAlbanian refugees —predominantlyMuslim. Yet to the Orthodox Serbs,Kosovo is regarded as the cradle oftheir civilisation, even though theynow only make up 10% of thepopulation. They are trying to driveout the Moslem population, and theyhave carried out “ethnic cleansing”attacks against several villages,leaving many brutally murdered.Greece backs the Serbs, Turkey theAlbanians. Many fear a rerun of thesituation in 1914, which led to WWI.We hope to deal with this presentsituation and the wider growingconflict between Greece and Turkey inthe next issue, God Willing. It can setthe scene for the ultimate move ofRussia into Turkey, an event whichprobably lies beyond the call to theJudgement seat for the believers —

the coming of the Lord Jesus must be veryclose.

Burial of the Tzar's bonesAt last the Russian Church has

reluctantly agreed to the burial of the TsarNicholas and his family who were murderedin the Revolution. The date of July 17th—the80th anniversary of their murders—is beingpenciled in for the funeral. The Kremlin hasforced the issue, declaring that it would be animperial-style burial in the Romanov vault inSt Petersburg. The Queen and other crownedheads of Europe will be invited, although itis expected that she will delegate to anothermember of the royal family to attend (DailyTelegraph 28-2-98).



he slaughter of six million Jewsby the Nazis during theSecond World War stands asan object-lesson before thewhole world. It reminds us of

that often heard saying that “human life ischeap”. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

“All flesh is grass; and all thegoodliness thereof is as the flower ofthe field: the grass withereth, theflower fadeth... surely the people isgrass. The grass withereth, the flowerfadeth: but the word of our God shallstand for ever.”—Isa. 40:6-8.

Here is a sharp contrast for us toconsider: Human lives pass into oblivionlike withered grass and the faded flower, yetthere is something that stands for ever—andthat is the word of God. Jesus makes a verysimilar comparison when he says: “the fleshprofiteth nothing: the words that I speak untoyou, they are spirit, and they are life” (John6:63).

This concept runs counter to theproclaimed philosophy of the modern world,for this world claims to place great value onhuman flesh whilst it despises and rejects theword of God.

Human Nature CondemnedIn the book of Genesis we read the

account of sin’s entry into the human scene.The transgression of our first parentsbrought the death penalty (Genesis 3:17-19).Their children inherited their mortality as aphysical principle within their nature— “andso death passed upon all men” (Romans5:12).

It is clear from Scripture as well as fromhuman history and experience, that men andwomen are born transgressors—that is notto say that they bear the guilt of their firstparents, but that all human beings willthemselves transgress God’s laws sooner orlater. This is due to a tendency,predisposition or weakness within humannature—the apostle Paul describes it as “thelaw of sin which is in my members”(Romans 7:23) and as “sin that dwelleth inme” (verses 17 and 20).

All honest-minded people recognise thisweakness within themselves. Despitedetermined resolutions made in the mindnot to do evil, as Paul says: “the evil whichI would not, that I do” (verse 19). This wasIsrael’s position. The people heard andunderstood the righteous laws of God—andthey vowed to do all that was commanded(Exodus 19:8), but Scripture records theirutter failure in being able to do so. Theirexperience echoes Paul’s words exactly.

Human nature then—what the Bibleoften terms “flesh”— is imprisoned, as itwere, by sin and death. These are the hardfacts. Even though the righteous laws andways of God are revealed (as they werethrough Moses to Israel), there is afundamental weakness in our nature thatprevents the perfect obedience desired—asit is written, “There is none righteous, no,not one.” And again: “all have sinned andcome short of the glory of God” (Romans3:10 and 23).

In view of these things, the marredhuman race was condemned to mortality—and justly so! The alternative would havebeen the unthinkable situation where

sinners lived for ever!The picture of the bulldozer moving

carcasses into mass graves is thus relevantto all of us. In a figure, the blade of thatbulldozer is heading for us all. We mayleave this world more comfortably and withslightly more dignity than the Holocaustvictims did—but each of us faces theinevitability of death. We too are like grassthat withers—and 200 years from now mostof us could lie completely forgotten in themass grave of human history.

If it were not for the word of the LivingGod, that would be the end of the matter,until finally the human race destroyed itselfthrough war or some other plague.

The Word Made FleshIsaiah likened perishing humanity to

grass and contrasted it with the word of Godwhich stands for ever. Jesus Christ bringsthese two opposites together in his ownbeing—as John 1:14 tells us: “the word wasmade flesh and dwelt among us... ” Romans8:3,4 says:

“For what the law (of Moses) couldnot do, in that it was weak through(because of) the flesh, God, sendinghis own Son in the likeness of sinfulflesh, and for sin, condemned sin inthe flesh: that the righteousness ofthe law might be fulfilled in us...”

The Lord Jesus Christ then, endorsedGod’s condemnation of human nature—forhe came in that very nature himself andovercame its weakness and its lusts, and heput it to death. As it says in Hebrews 9:26,“...but now once in the end of the world(age) hath he appeared to put away sin bythe sacrifice of himself.” Let us understand

“The voice said, Cry. And hesaid, What shall I cry? Allflesh is grass, and all thegoodliness thereof is as theflower of the field: The grasswithereth, the flower fadeth:because the spirit of theLORD bloweth upon it: surelythe people is grass. The grasswithereth, the flower fadeth:but the word of our God shallstand for ever.”

Isaiah 40:6-8.

By Paul Billington

T


what this is saying: “Jesus Christ is Come in the Flesh”There have been many arguments and

explanations of this issue—and it really isthe understanding of the nature and sacrificeof Christ that identifies the Truth. Theapostle John makes this very clear:

“Every spirit that confesseth thatJesus Christ is come in the flesh is ofGod: and every spirit that confessethnot that Jesus Christ is come in theflesh is not of God”—1 John 4:2,3.

The key words are: “in the flesh”. Whatdoes this mean? Hebrews chapter 2 gives usa very clear picture of the man Christ Jesus:From an open Bible note the followingpoints that are made in this chapter:

• Verse 14: He was a partaker of fleshand blood.

• Verse 16: He was not of angelicnature, but was a natural descendantof Abraham.

• Verse 17: IN ALL THINGS he wasmade like unto his brethren.

• Verse 18: He suffered being tempted,in order that he might support othersin their temptations.This last point is further mentioned in

Hebrews 4:15 where we read that heknows the feeling of our infirmities, and“was in all points tempted like as we are,yet without sin.”

To make any sense this must meanthat Jesus Christ experienced, like theapostle Paul and ourselves, “another lawin his members, warring against the law ofhis mind” (c/p Rom. 7:23). The differencewas that he overcame—he was “withoutsin.”

Christ’s TemptationsIn considering this matter some people

become confused between lust and sin(compare James 1:14, 15).

In our day the English word “lust” hascome to express the idea of “strong sexualdesire; a passionate desire for (something),a sensuous appetite...” (Oxford EnglishDictionary). The word in New TestamentGreek rather carries the idea of “to set theheart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully orotherwise)...” (Strong # 1937/1939). Manylexicons tend to emphasise the evil sense ofthe word, but it can mean the desire foranything. Parkhurst offers a balancedtreatment of the word dividing up its usesas:

1. To desire in a good sense.2. To desire, long for, in an indifferent

sense.3. To desire, covet, lust after, in a bad

sense.A fourth sense signifies contentment,

gladness or delight. Clearly, the context inwhich the word is used will determine thesense in which it is to be understood.

The word is used by Jesus in a goodsense in Luke 22:15, “With desire(epithumia, lust) I have desired to eat thispassover with you...”

Now that Jesus himself experienced thedesires and appetites common to humannature is manifest in the record of histemptations in the wilderness, as well as atother times in his life. He “hungered” (Luke4:2). He “thirsted” (John 4:6) and he had awill which could be considered separatefrom that of God (Luke 22:42). All these“desires” he controlled and regulated by theword of the Father so that he overcame sin.

To claim that Jesus did not experiencethese things is to deny his humanity. It isdenying that he came in the flesh. It removes

all meaning of his victory over sin. Hungeris not sin—but to obtain food to satisfy thathunger by the use of God’s special powercontrary to its intended purpose, would be.

In these things we must read Scripturewith care, taking into consideration otherrelevant passages. For example, to lookupon a woman to lust after her can be as badas committing an act of sin (Matthew 5:28),yet “the desire of women” or wives, is not inthe same category (Daniel 11:37; see also 1Corinthians 7:36; Job 31:1; Genesis 2:18).Clearly, desire with wrong intent is sinful—it is an evil thought (see Genesis 6:5). Jesusnever entertained evil thoughts of that kind,he was “without sin”, but he did possess thenature and the desires from which other menallow their evil thoughts to develop. Thesedesires within him constituted an enemywhich constantly tempted, tried or provedhim. It was an enemy which he finallydestroyed through death (Hebrews 2:14).

The Spirit of ChristIn crucifying the “flesh” Jesus endorsed

God’s condemnation of human nature, andin so doing declared the righteousness ofGod, so giving Him glory. His sacrifice also

gave substance to the declaration that “theflesh profiteth nothing.” But whilst it is truethat Jesus Christ came in the flesh, we mustremember that he was the Son of God—hewas the Word of God in human form—hewas “Immanuel” or God manifested in theflesh (Matt. 1:23; 1 Timothy 3:16). Thisdoes not mean that Jesus was God (as somany of the churches teach), but that he was“the express image” (or impress, theoriginal word signifies an engraving) ofHim (Hebrews 1:3). Here was a perfectreplica of the Father’s character in Hisbeloved Son. As he said, “My meat (ormeat-offering) is to do the will of him thatsent me, and to finish His work” (John4:34). This spirit is again expressed in thewords: “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God”(see Hebrews 10:6-9). There was but oneobjective in the life of this amazing man—

to do the will of His Father. This clearlyrequired that the will of the flesh—thenatural desires of his nature—had to beover-ridden and subjected when theyconflicted with the will of God.

Now this spirit of Christ which was infact, a living expression of the Word inhim, forms the basis of his teaching for hisfollowers. The flesh profiteth nothing, it islike grass—but, “the words that I speakunto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”As Peter quickly acknowledged, Jesus had“the words of eternal life” (John 6:63 and68).

“In Him was Life” (John 1:4)There is then an important conclusion

to be drawn from all this—and that is thatTHERE IS NO HUMAN SALVATION APART FROM

GOD MANIFESTATION. Human nature—“flesh”—is rightly condemned and unlessthe word of God can become a livingprinciple in a person’s life, he will perishlike grass! Like Jesus did, we can stake ourlives on this Truth! There is no future at allfor “self” and there is no room forselfishness in the doctrine of Christ. If wewant to escape the bulldozer, then we mustseek those words of eternal life, walking inthe light of the Truth that we may becleansed from all sin (1 John 1:7).

In the words of God, there is the germ ofLife—a meaningful Life that brings forthfruit in characters destined to live for ever.

This leads into another vital subject, theforgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.This we must consider on another occasion.For now let us see the crucial objective thatis before all true believers in Christ—that ofseeking to understand what God’s will is.What does He require of us? Let us eachdetermine from the Word of God, what itreally means to partake of the Life of Christ(Please see 2 Cor. 4:10, 11; Rom.12:1,2).

“...The Words that ISpeak Unto You,

They are Spirit, andThey are Life.”

“...The Words that ISpeak Unto You,

They are Spirit, andThey are Life.”

Page 17

TheMakingof aSaint

Continued from our last Issue


he council of Nicea decreed that every church altar must contain an“altar stone” housing the relics of a saint. Even today, an altar is definedin the Church’s Code of Canon Law as a “tomb containing the relics ofa saint”. One of the “early fathers” of Catholicism, Chrysostom, wroteabout some Christian martyrs of Egypt, “The bodies of those saints

fortify the city more effectually for us than impregnable walls of adamant; and liketowering rocks placed around on every side, repel not only the assaults of enemiesthat are visible, but the insidious stratagems also of invisible demons, andcounteract and defeat every artifice of the devil as easily as a strong man overturnsthe toys of children” (see John Thomas, Exposition of Daniel).

J.A. Wylie refers to a cholera epidemic in 1832 that desolated the countryaround Lyons, but did not enter the French city. A pillar, erected in the suburbs,commemorates the event, and ascribes it to the interposition of the Virgin Mary.Of his most revered saint, pope Pius IX in his encyclical letter of February 2, 1849,wrote that she “is raised by the greatness of her merits, above all the choirs ofangels, up to the throne of God; who has crushed under the foot of her virtues thehead of the old serpent” (see Genesis 3:16).

K.L. Woodward, senior writer and religious editor at Newsweek, notes in hisbook, Making Saints (1990): “....to a very great extent, medieval Christianity wasa culture of saints and their effects. Every town and village had its patron saint,every church its relics. Countries too had their patrons such as England’s St.George and Ireland’s St. Patrick. Every trade and guild looked to a saint forpatronage; by taking a saint’s name at baptism, every Christian had his or her ownadvocate in heaven.” And Woodward also observes that such saints are still beingmade: the man who became pope Benedict XIV wrote a five volume work as aguide to making saints, which is still used now; Katharine Drexel of Philadelphiawas beatified (near-sainted) in 1988 after a 23 year process. The family coveredthe $333,250 cost of the procedure.

The book of Revelation, which is a continuation of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel12:4; Revelation 5:1; Daniel 7; Revelation 13) depicts the same religiousinstitution that dominated Europe for more than a thousand years. It would bemade rich through its spiritual merchandising. Of her end we are told:

“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no manbuyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, andprecious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet,and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels ofmost precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, andodours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, andwheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves (literally,bodies), and souls of men.”— Revelation 18:11-13.

The rich appointments of the Vatican buildings is the mere tip of the iceberg ofher vast wealth (see Avro Manhattan’s The Vatican Billions). This has largely beenderived through her traffic in bodies (birth, marriage and death with their related“sacraments”) and souls of mankind. Their belief in evil spirits, Purgatory and theconfessional on the one hand, and the power of priests and dead “saints” to deliverthem from evil on the other, combine to make this traffic very profitable. Scripturesays:

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall befalse teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, evendenying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swiftdestruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whomthe way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall theywith feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a longtime lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”— 2 Peter 2:1-3.

The Roman emperors in Constantinopleevidently promoted celibacy (in accordance withDaniel 11:37) for that class of Christians called theclergy, who would therefore be considered moreholy and worthy to rule the church. But they also“honoured the god of forces” with gold and other

T

By Art Bull

Left: a sculpture which issupposed to depict theArchangel Michael, reveredby the Roman EmperorJustinian in Constantinople.


precious gifts. It was Justinian, emperor inConstantinople, who honoured the bishop ofRome by writing him a letter in March 533,recognizing him as the legal head of all thechurches in the eastern and westernprovinces of the Roman Empire. In this way“the king who does according to his will”(implying that it is not the will of God asrevealed in the Scriptures — see Daniel11:36-39) acknowledged this “strange god”as high priest (taking the old Pagan title,Pontifex Maximus) over the “most strongholds”. Edward Gibbon, in his later historyof the Roman Empire, writes:

“Justinian sympathized with his subjectsin their superstitious reverence for livingand departed saints.... he had secured thepatronage of the Virgin and St Michaelthe Archangel; and his recovery from adangerous disease was ascribed to themiraculous succour of the holy martyrsCosmos and Damian.”

A later emperor in the East was Phocas,who did more to elevate the power of Rome’sbishop. Being also a zealous saintworshipper, he permitted the Pantheon,originally a temple dedicated to all the pagangods, to be a church devoted to all the saints.

The “saints” of the Roman calendarinclude both dead persons and angels. Butare angels to be worshipped? When oneappeared to Samson’s father and mother, herefused to be worshipped or even honoured(Judges 13). The reaction was the same whenthe apostle John attempted to worship an

angel:“And I John saw these things, and heardthem. And when I had heard and seen, Ifell down to worship before the feet of theangel which shewed me these things.

Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not:for I am thy fellowservant, and of thybrethren the prophets, and of them whichkeep the sayings of this book: worshipGod.”— Revelation 22:8-9.

The apostle Paul specifically forbids theworship of angels in his letter to the believersat Colosse:

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat,or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, orof the new moon, or of the sabbath days:Which are a shadow of things to come;

but the body is of Christ. Let noman beguile you of your reward ina voluntary humility andworshipping of angels, intrudinginto those things which he hath notseen, vainly puffed up by hisfleshly mind....”— Coloss 2:16-18.

But who are the saints referred toin the Bible? Headings in the olderEnglish versions give the title toMatthew, Mark, Luke, John,Stephen, Paul, James and Jude— butnot to the prophets, or any of thefaithful of Old Testament times. Arewe to take it, then, that the Apostlesand others constitute a separate classof believers? The word “saint”(Greek, Hagios means holy,dedicated to God, reserved for Godand his service). Scripture showsthat intercession is made for thesaints, rather than the saintsperforming the intercession:

“And he that searcheth the heartsknoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,because he maketh intercession for thesaints according to the will of God.”—Rom 8:27.

Scripture also shows that the generalcommunity of believers forms a holypriesthood:

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up aspiritual house, an holy priesthood, tooffer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptableto God by Jesus Christ.”—1 Peter 2:5

Not only the disciples of Christ are holy(Romans 1:7), but so were the prophets:

“That ye may be mindful of the wordswhich were spoken before by the holyprophets, and of the commandment of usthe apostles of the Lord andSaviour....”— 2 Peter 3:2

The faithful of Israel in Old Testamenttimes were saints:

“He also exalteth the horn of his people,the praise of all his saints; even of thechildren of Israel, a people near untohim. Praise ye the LORD.”— Psalm148:14.

All those, in every age, who have madea covenant with God are saints:

“Gather my saints together unto me;those that have made a covenant withme by sacrifice.”— Psalm 50:5.

The Emperor Justinian (centre).

WHO ARE “THE SAINTS”?According to the Bible a “saint” is one

who has been “sanctified”. As our writerpoints out in this article the word isderived from the Greek hagios. The sameword is frequently translated as “holy”, soa saint is someone who is holy—a “HolyOne”, a holy man or woman.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary says thatthe word “fundamentally signifiesseparated”. All true believers aresanctified—that is separated—by theword of the Truth which they believe—seeJohn 17:17. Saints are people who aretaken out of the Gentiles for the Name (seeActs 15:14). Believers are to separatethemselves from sin and the ways of theworld—“Wherefore come out fromamong them, and be ye separate, saith theLord...” (see 2 Corinthians 6:17). Being

thus separated from worldly living theyare dedicated to the things of God, strivingto live lives which reflect their calling inChrist.

A “sanctified” vessel or other objectwas one that was set apart from commonuse and was only used in the service ofGod. It was special. The Bible is a “holy”book; we call it the “Holy Bible” or “holyScriptures”—literally a “special Book”.Israel were God’s special people (seeDeuteronomy 7:6); they were a holypeople—that is, they were saints (Psalm148:14).

The Truth calls upon us to “come out”or separate ourselves from false worship(see Revelation 18:4). We may thenbecome united to Christ by baptism intohis Name—Matthew 28:19,20.

BIBLE MAGAZINE

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BIBLE MAGAZINE

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THROUGHSUBSCRIPTIONSECRETARIES

See panel on the inside frontcover of this issue

It is the duty and privilege of all those who “know the word ofthe Lord” to declare it to others. In these days when godlessness andunbelief are so wide-spread, it is more urgent than ever that we seekfor ways in which we might be able to “strengthen the things thatremain” (Rev. 3:2).

There is a great deal of evidence in the world today which canhelp strengthen faith and provide grounds for confidence in theTruth of the Bible—but most people rarely get to see it. So oftenpeople are not even aware of some of these things. The video cameracan bring this evidence right into the homes of countless people whocould otherwise never have the opportunity to see it—and this iswhy The Bible Magazine has undertaken the task of videoproduction, taking viewers to behold the many forms of evidence

“Hear The Word of The LORD, O yeNations, and Declare it in The Isles Afar Off...”

that support the word of God which we seek to declare in lands “afaroff”.

The very survival of the Bible is itself a miracle, and it isreassuring to see 2,000 year-old manuscripts of it such as the DeadSea Scrolls in Jerusalem. That the word of the Lord can today bedeclared in Gentile nations afar off is also worthy of note. This ispossible because, under the good hand of God, men were raised upwho were willing to translate it into the common tongue. As we readthe words, it is well to remember those who often gave their lives sothat we can do so.

The message which Jeremiah 31:10 says should be declared infar off lands is: “HE THAT SCATTERED ISRAEL WILL GATHER HIM...”Today this prophecy has been partially fulfilled so that we may see

with our eyes the amazing fulfillment ofGod’s word.

Not only so, but some of those nationsto whom the word of the Lord has beendeclared, were influenced by it andbecame actively involved in the process ofestablishing a national home for theJewish people in Palestine. The series ofvideo tapes entitled For Zion’s Sake bringthese things vividly before those who areable to watch them, and provide solidgrounds for faith in the precious Word ofGod.

We urge our readers to use these tapesin passing on the message to others. Ourobjective is to attract interest so thatviewers will be motivated to READ THE

BIBLE for themselves.

Bible Magazine videos take you on the spot, explaining relevant Scriptures so that you can see prophecy fulfilling with your own eyes!

From Jerusalem & The Shrine of The Book... To William Tyndale’s monument in Vilvorde, Belgium

The Jaffa Gate through which Allenby entered Israel’s Knesset (parliament)

Tin mines in Cornwall Germany’s Gateway to a New Europe

Strasbourg whereRussia’s flag now flies

Documents

The Bible Magazine, Vol. 11, Issue 3biblemagazine.com/magazine/vol-11/v11i3mag.pdfis life, and honor, and glory for evermore. I THE BIBLE MAGAZINE VOL. 11. ISSUE No.3. WRITTEN OVER