A Place of your Own A Place of your Own –– page 3page 3Christians and the State Christians and the State –– page 8page 8
The Garden of Eden The Garden of Eden –– page 11page 11
GladTidingsGladTidingsOF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 1485
Bible Talks, Study Classes, Sunday Schools and Youth Clubsare held regularly by Christadelphians worldwide. The address
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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 English Standard Version is published by Harper CollinsPublishers © 2001 by CrosswayBibles, a division of Good NewsPublishers. Used by permission.
✤ 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
124th Year 1485A 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 messageto men; 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.
Acknowledgements
Photographs:
Moving Housephotos.com
Illustrations:istockphotos pgs 5-7; Clipart.com3,4, 8-13,15-19.
ContentsB08
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Editor: Owen Tecwyn Morgan26 The Crescent, Hampton-in-Arden, Solihull, B92 OBP, England, UK [email protected]
Publisher: The Glad Tidings Publishing Association (a registered charity) Number 248352
Contents
A Place of Your Own...3
The Problem ofSuffering ...................5
Poem: Comfort .............7
Christians and the State...................................8
The Garden of Eden ..11
Paul Travels to Corinth.................................14
Digging for Victory ..18
124th Year 3
banks who first lent the money tohouseholders have been selling thosemortgage debts on, to other institu-tions, resulting in the ‘sub-prime loancrisis’, as it has become known. Allwould have been well if the borrowershad carried on paying back what hadbeen borrowed, with interest. All is notwell when a lot of them cannotmanage that! The seriousness of theseevents can be judged from theunprecedented actions now beingtaken by national banks in many coun-tries.
Financial CollapseNearly two thousand years ago, theapostle John was told about the state
of affairs that wouldexist in the final phaseof human government,just before God inter-venes to save theworld. The catalogue ofhuman misery that hewas shown, in The Rev-elation of Jesus Christ,includes a depiction ofa collapsing financial
system, in which all the previouslyprosperous people lament their losses.The worldly system is depicted as a city(like that of ancient Tyre or Rome,once economic centres of the world)which collapses, a collapse whicheveryone sees:
“The merchants of these things, whobecame rich by her, will stand at a dis-tance for fear of her torment, weepingand wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas,that great city that was clothed in finelinen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned
Everybody needs somewhere to live.Most people used to rent accommoda-tion, or work for their employer in ahouse they provided. Nowadays,people like to own their own houses, ifthey can afford to, and they do so byborrowing money from banks or build-ing societies, which they pay back overtime – sometimes over a long time.
Tomorrow Never Comes But what happens if you can’t affordthe payments, because of ill health orbecause you lose your job? That iswhat has happened to a lot of peoplerecently, especially in the UnitedStates, and the repercussions havespread right across the world.
That inability to payhas affected thefamilies, first andforemost, who havelost their homes.Then it has troubledthe banks and build-ing societies wholent the money, andwho are no longerable to recover thefull amount they loaned. The arrival onthe market of excessive housing stockhas caused property prices to fall, withmany properties standing empty and indecline.
We now live in a world which isdirectly affected by things that happenfar away, which is why people talkabout ‘the global village’. Who wouldhave thought that a mortgage crisis inthe States would have wiped billions ofdollars of value off financial institutionsall over the world? But that is exactlywhat has happened; because the
A Place of Your OwnA Place of Your Own
4 Glad Tidings
thing far better, when the Lord JesusChrist returns from heaven. He will notdestroy the earth, however; nor will hetake his followers away to somewhereelse. When he was living on earth, asa mortal man, he had nowhere to liveand he certainly owned no property(see Matthew 8:20). But when Jesusreturns he will have somewhere to live:somewhere to call his own.
Long ago, Almighty God selected aspot on the earth’s surface which Hewould call His own. He said that Hewould ‘place His name there’; it was tobe His. For a long time the children ofIsrael waited to find out exactly wherethat special place was and were finallytold that it was the city we now knowas Jerusalem. That is the place, Scrip-ture says, from which Jesus will reignas King.
Coming KingThat’s the good news the Biblecontains – that a King is coming toreign over the world and transform it.When Jesus reigns as King, he will putright all the things that we cannot nowremedy. He can heal the sick, feed thehungry, bring peace to countries thatare at war, teach the ignorant, controlthe rebellious, bring justice and fair-ness in place of injustice and
oppression. In short, Jesus will right all
wrongs and change everything thatneeds changing. He is the man whois uniquely qualified to do all this,because he is the Son of God. Andhe invites men and women tobecome part of that new world, tofind forgiveness by belief andbaptism, and to get a new and
livng hope. We need to be ready.
Editor
with gold and precious stones andpearls! For in one hour such greatriches came to nothing’“ (Revelation18:15-17).
Our modern world, which is so proudof its technology and computerisation,is more vulnerable than at any previ-ous time in human history. Should it:
� run out of renewable energysources,
� suffer a major computer collapse,
� be unable to limit the on-goingchange to the earth’s climate,
� fail to control the spread and use ofweapons of mass destruction, or
� see the present credit bubble burst then widespread catastrophe would
result. And it is just such a worldwidecatastrophe which has been foretoldby God’s prophets, who spoke andwrote thousands of years ago, whenhuman society was in a very differentstate.
God’s PlaceOnce, long ago, humans acted in sucha devastating way that almost theentire population of the earth wasdestroyed. Only eight people survivedthat catastrophe, when a worldwideflood brought utter devasta-tion. Noah and hisfamily began all overagain, in a new-madeworld, and the Bible saysthat their experience is tobe replicated at the end oftime (see Luke 17:26-30 and 2 Peter3:3-7).
Much of our worldis to be destroyedand replaced by some-
124th Year 5
Because we have sympathyfor those who suffer greatlyand want to do what we canto help, we sometimes ask,“If there is a loving God, whydoes He stand back and donothing, while the world isfull of suffering?”
Suffering in our own lives can be abig problem. Some of us are not ableto believe in God or the Bible until wehave found an answer to the problemof suffering.
We shall look at this problem andsee that:� we suffer because we live in an
imperfect world� suffering can be a warning that
something is wrong� suffering can make us stop
and think� suffering can help build our
characters� sometimes there are reasons
for suffering� the Bible tells of a future time
when there will be no more suf-fering
Suffering seems to be of three types;that which is:� caused by ourselves – pain and
suffering as a result of accidentinjuries: suffering resulting fromour lifestyle
� caused by mankind in general –war, persecution and pollution,and
� outside human control – floods,earthquakes, illness and death
We shall look at these three cate-gories and see what we can learn.
Our Imperfect WorldWe live in an imperfect world full ofimperfect people. This is the rootcause of all suffering. The Bible tells uswhy there is this imperfection and whathas been done to remove it in thefuture. If you have confidence in theBible message and come to believewhat it tells you – and we think there isplenty of evidence to give you that con-fidence – it has plenty to say about thissubject. It even says that suffering canact as a reminder to help us thinkabout things seriously.
The Bible tells us that God some-times sends suffering to encourage usto go in the right direction in life:
“Now no chastening seems to be joyfulfor the present, but painful; neverthe-less, afterward it yields the peaceablefruit of righteousness to those whohave been trained by it” (Hebrews12:11).
Solomon’s PrayerSolomon, the wise king of Israel, gavea prayer at the dedication of thetemple he had built. This is part of thatprayer:
Part One
The Problem of SufferingThe Problem of Suffering
6 Glad Tidings
When the heavens are shut up and thereis no rain because they have sinnedagainst You, when they pray toward thisplace and confess your name, and turnfrom their sin because you afflict them,then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin ofyour servants, your people Israel, that youmay teach them the good way in whichthey should walk; and send rain on yourland which you have given to your peopleas an inheritance. (2 Chronicles 6: 26,27).
From this we can see that Solomonis suggesting that natural disasterssuch as drought can be sent to makepeople stop and think about how theyare living. God brings suffering onpeople for their own good. It followsthat we should think about why ourworld is not perfect and what we canbe doing about it.
Our own actions
� Minor InjuriesWe cause suffering and pain to our-
selves in many ways. Wemay burn ourselves on ahot object, bruise ourhand by hitting it withsomething or strain amuscle by lifting aheavy object. This sortof suffering is helpful: ittells us not to do itagain! Next time we arein a similar situation, weremember the pain andact appropriately. Pain isa warning that things arenot right. We must stop and thinkabout the problem.
The importance of this kind of pain isillustrated by an American boy whowas born with no sense of pain. Hewas nine years old when his mothertook him to the John Hopkins medical
school in Baltimore one November dayin 1937. We might think that not beingable to feel any pain would be great.However this is what the examiningdoctor wrote in his report:
� Partial blindness in one eyebecause when he had sand in hiseye he did not notice it until perma-nent damage had been done
� Scars on almost every part of hisbody
� Enormous scar across his buttocks,where he had sat on a heater anddid not notice until his flesh wasburnt to the bone
� One foot permanently deformed, ashe had broken a bone and walkedabout on it for months before it wasspotted
� Both hands so badly cut that hewould never again be able tostraighten his fingers
We can see from this that pain actsas a danger signal to the rest of us, butthis unfortunate boy had nothing towarn him to stop and think when hisbody was being injured.� Accidents
Many of us are willing to do thingswhich we know could involve sufferingif things go wrong. Do we consider therisks before we do them? Modern
124th Year 7
ignore the warning and suffer the con-sequences later!
Some of us choose to eat too muchof the wrong kinds of food and becomeoverweight, with the increasing risk ofheart disease and diabetes. Becauseof immorality, AIDS is another problemthat humanity has inflicted on itself.
All of these problems are warningsthat we are abusing our bodies.
Lawrence CaveTo be continued
travel is one example. Many of ustravel in cars, knowing of the sufferingthat could occur.
Some of us, when thinking about thepotential suffering involved in aero-plane accidents, decide that the risk isnot worthwhile and do not travel byplane. The risk of suffering from acci-dents sometimes makes us stop andthink about what we are going to do. � Lifestyle-related suffering
Many of us suffer as a direct result ofthe sort of life we choose to lead. Insome countries, cigarettes carry ahealth warning, yet how many people
� We live in an imperfect world � Pain is a warning that things are
not right� Suffering from accidents makes
us stop and consider what couldhappen
� Lifestyle-related suffering shouldmake us want to change ourlifestyle.
When illness brings us very lowOr we’re not young any moreOur frailties may bring us down,And when our health is poor’Tis then that just a kindly wordCan make our spirits rise;We thank God for the bond we shareWithin a love that ties.
Our hearts can grow so lonelyWith our life partner gone;We know that we shall meet againBut Oh the time’s so long,And when we are confined at homeAnd the hours go slowly byOur ill-health is so hard to bearWe try hard not to cry.
Our Lord when in his days of flesh Endured the cross of shame‘For the joy that was set before him,’And we must do the same;For though it seems so far awayWhen our frailties will be goneWe shall know the Kingdom gloriesWhen we are ‘clothed upon’.
Peggy Rawson
Comfort
8 Glad Tidings
Strangers and PilgrimsAt this point we deliberately cut off ourconnections with this world, and set offon a journey to God’s Kingdom. We arelike Abraham, leaving Ur of theChaldees to go to a land God wouldshow him. Or we take the Israelites asour example, for they left Egypt tocross the wilderness tothe Promised Land.
The Lord Jesus iscoming soon, to sweepaway all human govern-ments, and to becomeKing of the whole world.In that day of revolutionand permanent change,all right-minded people,aspire in God’s mercy tobe Jesus’ immortal min-isters and officials: thepeople who will help himto rule his kingdom.
That being so, on theday we are baptized wesay goodbye to the country of our birth.We become citizens of God’s kingdom.No longer is our loyalty to England,Russia or America, but to Jesus ourKing. In a figure of speech, our positionbecomes that of aliens – people wholive in a country but have a differentnationality. Or, putting it another way,we are like travellers with a visa,passing through one country on theway to another.
This attitude is found in all the great
men and women of the Bible. In theirhearts, they were pilgrims, travellingever onwards with no time to stop andbuild a house. Take a look at theseimportant Bible passages which showthis should be our attitude, too:
“By faith Abraham obeyed when hewas called to go out to the place which
he would afterward receive asan inheritance. And he wentout, not knowing where he wasgoing. By faith he sojourned inthe land of promise as in aforeign country, dwelling intents with Isaac and Jacob, theheirs with him of the samepromise; for he waited for thecity which has foundations,whose builder and maker isGod” (Hebrews 11: 8-10).
Citizens of HeavenIn this quotation we see thatAbraham literally left the
country of his birth, and deliberatelylived in a tent not a house, when hereached the Promised Land. He wasshowing his Canaanite neighbours thathe did not belong to their society, butwas waiting for the day when Godwould give him their land. All believersare in the same position, waiting forJesus to give them the Kingdom. Wemay not actually sell our house andmove, like Abraham did, but in ourhearts that is what we do when we arebaptized. We leave behind this evil
Christians and the StateChristians and the StateFor every would-be disciple of Jesus, there has to be a day of decision.
Through a growing understanding of the Scriptures, we come to realise that theonly way to eternal life is through Jesus Christ. We recognise that we need to
leave behind our connection with Adam the Sinner, and join ourselves to Jesusthe Saviour. So we are baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
124th Year 9
world of sin and wickedness.
“These all died in faith, not havingreceived the promises, but having seenthem afar off were assured of them,embraced them, and confessed thatthey were strangers and pilgrims onthe earth. For thosewho say such thingsdeclare plainly thatthey seek a homeland.And truly if they hadcalled to mind thatcountry from whichthey had come out,they would have hadopportunity to return.But now they desire abetter, that is, a heav-enly country. ThereforeGod is not ashamed tobe called their God, forHe has prepared a city for them(Hebrews 11:13-16).
Note the expression ‘strangers andpilgrims’. A stranger is an alien, and apilgrim is a man on a journey. Note toothat it says these great men and theirfamilies never went back to the placethey had left, even though they couldeasily have done so. In return,because they were now walkingthrough their lives with God, He wasprepared to be known as the God ofAbraham and the God of Isaac. Hetravelled with them.
Outcasts from Society
“Therefore Jesus also, that he mightsanctify the people with his own blood,suffered outside the gate. Therefore letus go forth to him, outside the camp,bearing his reproach. For here we haveno continuing city, but we seek the oneto come” (Hebrews 13:12-14).
In this passage we see that Jesushimself had to turn his back on ‘the
camp’ – the Jewish state, the Templeand the Law and all that they stood for.This act of separation cost him suffer-ing and persecution. The writer sayswe may experience the same harshtreatment when we walk away from
this world; people consider us tobe traitors, and disloyal to theState. Many of the ChristianJews who read the letter to theHebrews would have had literal-ly to walk away from Jerusalemwhen the Roman armies sur-rounded it in AD 70. If theyclung to the Jewish state andstayed in the city, they lost theirlives. We have to be preparedlikewise to drop everything andgo when the call comes.
If we linger and look back, weshall be overthrown. Speaking of
the day of his return in Luke 17:29-32, Jesus has a three-word warning –‘remember Lot’s wife!’ Lot’s wife hadher heart in the city of Sodom, whereher house was, with all her posses-sions. When the angels came to warnher to leave immediately, she lingeredon the road. She looked back, and wasturned into a pillar of salt as thesulphur rained down and destroyed thewicked city.
“Therefore ‘Come out from amongthem and be separate, says the Lord.Do not touch what is unclean, and Iwill receive you. I will be a Father toyou, and you shall be my sons anddaughters,’ says the Lord Almighty” (2Corinthians 6:17,18).
Note the words ‘come out’. Theseare the same words that the Lordspoke to Abraham. We have, Paulsays, to separate ourselves from theidolatry and filth of the world, andbecome God’s children, part of his bigfamily.
authority resists the ordinance of God,and those who resist will bring judg-ment on themselves ... Rendertherefore to all their due: taxes towhom taxes are due, customs towhom customs, fear to whom fear,honour to whom honour” (Romans13:1,2,7).
It might seem strange to think ofCaesar, or the president, or the localcouncil, being appointed by God. Paulis not saying they are good servants ofGod who respect and fear Him. Manytimes they have been idol worshippersor atheists.
But God sets them there to give pro-tection to honest citizens, and,generally, to allow freedom to preachand to worship. Of course, there havebeen periods when that has not hap-pened, but God eventually disposes ofwicked rulers and appoints others intheir place. Paul says in this passagethat it is a matter of conscience for theChristian to pay all forms of tax –custom dues as well as income tax.We must not cheat or evade our legalresponsibility.
So the followers of Jesus should bemodel citizens, obeying the laws of theland and quietly awaiting a better gov-ernment when the Lord Jesus Christreturns from heaven. They arestrangers and pilgrims here until thattime and must remember that theirtrue loyalty is to heaven. Should therebe a conflict of interest, then heavenmust come first. The right attitude topolitics and any involvement in local orcentral government is something thatneeds separate consideration in thenext issue, God willing.
David M Pearce
Must we Obey?If we are no longer in our hearts citi-zens of England or Russia or America,do we need to obey the laws of thosecountries? The Bible says we shouldobey them, and take care that wenever have to go to court for breakingthem. We must remain law-abidingpeople. Here is a passage from theapostle Peter:
“Submit yourselves to every ordinanceof man for the Lord’s sake, whether tothe king as supreme, or to governors,as to those who are sent by him for thepunishment of evildoers and for thepraise of those who do good” (I Peter2:13,14).
We should never find ourselves beingarrested for stealing or fraud or vio-lence. Our Master has taught us allthese things are wrong. Our livesshould be examples of truth and kind-ness and patient submission. Petersaid in the passage above that weshould obey every law that the king orpresident sets over us, so it applies toeveryday things such as not exceedingspeed limits if we are driving a car, orpaying our taxes to the government.For Jesus said himself, on two occa-sions, that his followers must pay theirtaxes (see Matthew 17:24-27 andMark 12:17).
God’s AppointmentThe apostle Paul also said that wemust pay the government its dues,because it has been set there by Godto preserve law and order, and it needsmoney to do so:
“Let every soul be subject to the gov-erning authorities. For there is noauthority except from God, and theauthorities that exist are appointed byGod. Therefore whoever resists the
124th Year 11
❶ The first geographical locationmentioned in the Bible is Eden. Thename means ‘delight, pleasant’ andis descriptive of a large tract of landof which the garden, which the LordGod planted, formed a small part.
❷ Many suggestions have been madeas to the location of this garden. Inparticular the naming of the fourrivers of Eden has led many toassume that the land between thetwo rivers (i.e. Euphrates and Tigris),sometimes called the “cradle of civili-sation” was the site of the paradise ofGod.
❸ This view does not take account ofthe flood of Noah’s day when “thefountains of the great deep werebroken up”. There must have beenearthquakes of cosmic proportions;great cataclysms that rent the surfaceof the earth and sent great tidalwaves sweeping over the earth. Thetopography of the land must havebeen drasticallychanged, so there canbe no guarantee thatthe rivers we knowtoday follow their origi-nal courses. In fact thedescription of Hiddekel(the Tigris) as ‘thatwhich goes towards theeast’ is in contradictionto its present course,which is approximatelyin a southerly direction.
❹ Again account shouldbe taken of the fact that
when man was cast out of the gardenhe travelled in an easterly direction(Genesis 3:24; 4:16). It seems morelikely, therefore, that the growth ofcivilisation in this area is a develop-ment that can be traced to the periodafter man was cast out of the gardenand perhaps more certainly to theworld after the flood, than to thatwhich preceded it.
❺ It should be considered also thatthere is something incongruous aboutthe idea that God should haveallowed the area which was onceassociated with the paradise whichHe planted, and where He waspleased to dwell with men, to becomethe seat of the kingdom of men –Babylon in all its pride and arrogance.Throughout Scripture Babylon is thevery opposite of all things divine.
❻ It might be thought, in the light ofthe foregoing, that it is not possible todetermine the location of the garden
and certainly we cannotbe dogmatic about theissue. But the Bibledoes seem to give usclues and the whole ofScripture points indis-putably to one placewhere the Garden ofEden could have beenplanted. There is a landin which God hasalways delighted andthat is the land He gaveto the people of Israel.Moses said of this land,that it is:
Foundation Principles in Genesis
The Garden of EdenThe Garden of Eden
12 Glad Tidings
“a land for which the LORD your Godcares; the eyes of the LORD your Godare always on it, from the beginningof the year to the very end of theyear” (Deuteronomy 11:12).
❼ Why did God choose this land?Why did He select Jerusalem? Why isit in this place that God has beenpleased to reveal Himself to men andto dwell among them in past ages?Because it is a very special place, asthese two Scriptures indicate:
“When you cross over the Jordan anddwell in the land which the LORD yourGod is giving you to inherit, and whenhe gives you rest from all yourenemies round about, so that youdwell in safety, then there will be theplace where the LORD your Godchooses to make his name abide”(Deuteronomy 12:10,11).
Solomon stood before thealtar of the LORD in thepresence of all the con-gregation of Israel, andspread out his handstoward heaven; and hesaid … “that your eyesmay be open toward thistemple night and day,toward the place of whichyou said, ‘My name shallbe there,’ that you mayhear the prayer whichyour servant makes toward this place”(1 Kings 8:22-23,29).
❽ This decision was not taken sud-denly. It was not a change of plan,but in the eternal purpose of God, thechoice was made before ever theGarden of Eden was planted, that inthat place God might walk amongstmen and have communion with His
creatures. In other words, God hasconsistently manifested Himself inthis place throughout human history.Surely the garden of Eden was not inthe place where men have traditional-ly supposed it to be, but in the areasurrounding the city Jerusalem, theland of promise which will yet be theseat of God’s kingdom upon earth.
It is here that God “will give to eatfrom the tree of life, which is in themidst of the Paradise of God.” (Reve-lation 2:7). It is “there (in Zion) theLORD commanded the blessing – Lifefor evermore” (Psalm 133:3) when Hewill transform the earth, “The LORDwill comfort Zion, he will comfort allher waste places; He will make herwilderness like Eden, and her desertlike the garden of the LORD; joy andgladness will be found in it, thanksgiv-
ing and the voice ofmelody” (Isaiah 51:3).
❾ How significant it istherefore to reflect uponthe fact that there, in thevery same locality, whereman first sinned, the Lordwas crucified. In Jesus –nailed to a tree – we haveonce more in Eden a veri-table “tree of life” towhich men may comeand, by God’s grace livefor ever.
DigressionWe might profitably digress here. Tothe thief on the cross, the Lord Jesussaid “today you will be with me in Par-adise.” (Luke 23:43). The wordtranslated “today” can equally be ren-dered “this day”. So, in response tothe man’s request: “Lord, rememberme when you come into yourkingdom”, the Lord Jesus answers him
124th Year 13
that in this day, this day of which youspeak, you shall be with me in para-dise. The question we need to answeris why did the Lord Jesus on this occa-sion refer to paradise withall its echoes of Edenrestored?
There appears at firstsight to be a discrepancybetween Matthew’s gospeland Luke’s record.Matthew says that boththieves taunted him (Matt.27:44). Luke tells us thatone of the thieves railedon him saying: “‘If you arethe Christ, save yourselfand us’. But the other,answering, rebuked him”(23:39,40).
What is the answer tothis apparent discrepancy? There is noerror. We know that Jesus was on thecross for six hours. Matthew recordsthe initial response of both menwhereas Luke is telling us of the sub-sequent change that occurred in oneof them as a result of what transpiredas they all hung together on theircrosses.
Surely what we see is that theprimary concern of Jesus, as he suf-fered, nailed to his cross, was still forothers, for these two malefactors whowere dying without hope and withoutGod in the world. What a thrilling andmoving thought it is that in his lasthours, the Lord might have preachedthe gospel to these two men, and tosuch good effect, that one of thembecame one of the most outstandingillustrations of faith in all Scripture.
A Believer!The dying thief believed – and how itmust have gladdened the Lord’s heart.He believed in a dying man who taught
about resurrection from the dead andthat salvation from sin and death couldbe obtained through him – Paradiseindeed! If indeed the Lord was cruci-
fied in Eden, howappropriate; for surely hemust have talked ofAdam’s transgression, ofsin and death, of mancast out of the garden, ofthe way of salvationthrough him, in his sin-lessness.
If this is indeed so, withwhat added meaning canwe invest the words ofthe thief:
“Do you not even fearGod, seeing you areunder the same condem-nation? And we indeed
justly, for we receive the due reward ofour deeds; but this man has donenothing wrong” (23:40,41).
Such is the significance of the placewhere the Lord was crucified, and thisis the reason for the Lord’s otherwisestrange use of the word “Paradise” onthis occasion. It speaks to us of Edenrestored, of God dwelling amongstmen, of peace and joy and happinessin God’s coming Kingdom on earth.
Dudley Fifield
If you want to access backnumbers of “Glad Tidings” youcan find copies for the last few
years on our website:
www.gladtidingsmagazine.org
Key LocationThe location ofCorinth was a keyfactor in its commer-cial success, for itwas situated near theIsthmus of Corinth –the narrow landbridge between theAdriatic and theAegean seas. Thismeant that it wasclose to the north-south land route andthe overland crossingbetween the ports ofLechaeum in the west and Cenchrea inthe east, where a Christian communitydeveloped. We learn that Phoebe, aninfluential lady who had become a believ-er, was from Cenchrea (Romans 16:1).
Cargoes were transported across thisnarrow strip of land and smaller boatswere even hauled overland on rollers,thereby avoiding a sea journey of about500 miles. Nero began to construct acanal in 67 AD, but it was not until the19th century that boats could passthrough the isthmus.
Corinth had been razed to theground in 146 BC as punishment forits anti-Roman revolt and lay derelictfor about a century, when it was rebuiltas a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in46 BC with the name Laus Iulia
Corinthus (Corinth, thepraise of Julius). This meansthat it was a relatively newcity, only about 100 yearsold, when Paul arrived. In 27BC it became the capital cityof Achaia. The city hostedthe Isthmian Games in astadium attached to theTemple of Poseidon(Neptune) and this seems tohave provided Paul withsome of his metaphors inhis Corinthian correspon-dence.
Corinthian Char-acteristicsAs a flourishing maritime capital city,Corinth was totally cosmopolitan with allnations, creeds and religions represent-ed. This mixture tended to encouragethe adoption of the lowest commondenominator of behaviour and the citywas described as the “cess-pit of theEmpire”. In particular, it was notoriousfor its sexual licence which, given thegeneral laxity in these matters in Greeksociety and religion, must have beenextreme. The Greek verb korinthiazo, ‘toact the Corinthian’, described debauch-ery and fornication at its worst. Otherphrases to enter the Greek languagewere ‘Corinthian companions’, and‘Corinthian girls’, both euphemisms forprostitutes.
The Growth of the Gospel Message – 27
Paul Travels to CorinthPaul Travels to CorinthLeaving Athens, Paul travelled to Corinth. The contrast between the two citiescould hardly be greater. Athens was a cultivated, university city populated by
intellectuals who, in the words of Acts 17:21, “spent their time in nothing elsebut to tell or to hear some new thing”. Corinth was a cosmopolitan city with two
ports and a thriving, prosperous commercial outlook. John Hellawell nowexplains what happened.
124th Year 15
Corinth boasted a large Temple ofAphrodite (Venus) which was staffedby 1,000 female attendants who were,in effect, prostitutes. In Greek societyno stigma was attached; rather it wasregarded as commendable to visit thetemple and indulge in such “worship”.It is necessary to mention thesethings, for it is hard to imagine a lesslikely place in which the Christian faithcould flourish. Yet, as we shall see, inspite of the city’s immorality and mate-rialistic outlook, the Gospel messagetook root and blossomed.
The Power of the GospelAs Paul was to remark later, amongstthe converts that he made in Corinthwere those whose lives were formerlytotally alien to the Christian standardsof morality and behaviour. His listincludes those who had been
‘fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homo-sexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetouspersons, drunkards, revilers and extor-tioners’ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Given such a list it is evident that theGospel message was able to effect adramatic change in the lives of those
who were willing to respond positivelyto the preaching of Paul. No-one isbeyond the reach of the Gospel, pro-vided that they repent and arebaptised. No-one can use their currentlifestyle as grounds for rejecting theoffer of salvation and saying that theyare beyond redemption. The grace ofGod in Christ Jesus is more than ade-quate for every need.
Jewish “exiles” in CorinthOn arriving in Corinth Paul found Aquilaand Priscilla and it is suggested thatthis was not simply a chance meeting:Paul knew that they lived in Corinth.Aquila was a Jew from Pontus, theregion of Asia Minor which lies on thesouthern shore of the Black Sea.Priscilla is a diminutive of Prisca, thename which Paul uses when he sendsgreetings to the couple in Romans16:3. They had come to Corinthbecause the Emperor Claudius hadexpelled all the Jews from Rome. TheRoman historian Suetonius explainsthat “they (the Jews) were constantlyrioting at the instigation of Chrestus”.It seems likely that Suetonius mistookthe real cause of the riots – Christus –
16 Glad Tidings
and assumed that the ringleader hadthe quite common name Chrestus. Thetwo words would sound very similar. Ifthis is correct, we can guess that theFaith had been brought to Rome byJewish Christians who had returnedafter Pentecost (Acts chapter 2).
OppositionThey would, no doubt, have met withopposition to their preaching about theLord Jesus. The response of the Jews whoresisted the preaching and found them-selves unable to refute the evidencepresented by the Apostles and others,that Jesus was the long-promisedMessiah and that all the events of his lifehad been set out prophetically in the OldTestament Scriptures, was tocause a riot. Paul had experi-enced this in almost every citywhere he preached: at PisidianAntioch (13:14); Iconium(14:5); Lystra (14:6); Thessa-lonica (17:1) and Berea(17:13).
The number of Jews inRome was likely to be quitelarge so the oppositionwould be formidable. It must havereached the stage where the PaxRomana in Rome had been shatteredto such an extent that the Emperor lostpatience and solved the problem byexpelling this notoriously troublesomerace in about 49/50 AD. Of course,this would include law-abiding believ-ing Jews like Aquila and Prisca.
A little detective work shows that thecouple travelled extensively. In 1Corinthians 16:19 they are in Ephesushaving travelled there with Paul (Acts18:18,19); yet later, when Paul wroteRomans from Corinth, they were backin Rome (Rom.16:3)! One mightsurmise that they had branches oftheir business throughout the Roman
Empire.
Paul the TentmakerPaul stayed with them because theyshared the same beliefs and they weretentmakers. When we are told that itwas because Paul was of the samecraft or trade (Acts 18:3), we maywonder why Paul, the lawyer and uni-versity graduate should be atent-maker. Unlike some other reli-gious leaders, a rabbi was notregarded as being a full-time occupa-tion. The rabbis taught that even arabbi should have a trade: “Whoeverdoes not teach his son a trade is asthough he brought him up to be arobber”.
So, Paul the lawyer wasalso taught the family busi-ness of tent-making. It isquite possible that thebestowal of Roman citizen-ship on the family at sometime in the past was forservices to Rome, espe-cially the Roman army,which had a great need fortents for its troops. If, as
some commentators suggest, the termis extended to include other, similar,products and especially leather-goodsthen there would be an even greatermarket.
Paul begins his preachingAs was his usual custom, Paul beganhis preaching by attending the syna-gogue. His policy was to preach to theJews first and then to the Gentiles(Romans 1:16; 2:9-10).
It is interesting to note that archae-ologists have found a lintel in Corinthwith an inscription, although incom-plete, that was from “The Synagogueof the Hebrews” and it may well be theone in which Paul preached. This
preaching continued every Sabbath forsome time and initially he had somesuccess and was able to persuade“both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4).This probably means Jews and Gentile“God-fearers”, that is, Gentiles whoattended the synagogue services, butwho were not full proselytes.
The Jewish faith was attractive tonon-Jews who had become disillu-sioned with the current Gentilereligions, but many were not preparedto undergo the rites which would benecessary to become proselytes, inparticular circumcision, a procedurewhich was abhorrent to Greek andRoman culture. In passing, it is proba-bly significant that when Gentileslearned that Christianity did not requirethem to submit to circumcision, thismade it particularly attractive to con-verts, especially since it was regardedinitially as a form of Judaism.
More OppositionWhen Silas and Timothy joined Paul inCorinth he seems to have concentrat-ed his efforts in persuading the Jewsthat Jesus was indeed their Messiah orChrist. Once more, the Jews opposedPaul and blasphemed. In response,Paul used the gesture of shaking hisgarments to signify he would no longerbe ‘contaminated’ by the dust of theirpresence (cf. Nehemiah 5:13 and Acts13:51) and warned them of theserious consequences of their rejec-tion of the Gospel: “Your blood beupon your own heads; I am clean…”and added “From now on I will go tothe Gentiles” (Acts 18:6).
Paul needed a new venue for hispreaching. He was offered the houseof a man named Justus, who wor-shipped God and, ironically, was nextdoor to the synagogue! Even moredevastating for the intransigent Jews
was the decision by their synagogueruler, Crispus, and his entire house-hold, to join Paul. This had a dramaticeffect on others when they heard of itand they believed and were baptized(Acts18:8).
Paul may have begun to wonderwhether his success in converting theGentiles would have the same effectas elsewhere, that is, to provoke aJewish back-lash. The Jews did notaccept the Gospel and yet objectedviolently when the Gentiles did so. Thiscould happen again, in Corinth, but theLord Jesus appeared to Paul in a night-time vision reassuring him:
“… Do not be afraid, but speak, anddo not keep silent; for I am with you,and no one will attack you to hurt you;for I have many people in this city”(Acts 18:9-10).
This assurance would have been agreat source of strength to Paul, for bynow he must have become tired of thephysical suffering which he hadendured continually. His later accountto the Corinthians makes us realise theextent to which he was prepared to goto bring the momentous news of theGospel to the world (2 Corinthians11:23-33). Perhaps more encouragingwas the Lord’s comment “I have manypeople in this city”. From a humanviewpoint it would have seemedunlikely that many of the population ofCorinth would have been interested inthe Gospel message.
Once more, the power of themessage became evident, offeringsomething far more worthwhile thanthe temporary pleasures and material-ism of that city. This message isequally relevant for today.
John Hellawell
18 Glad Tidings
to forget it if we usually get food fromthe local supermarket with very littletrouble. It’s different if you have togrow your own; that brings home thereality of the situation, for tilling the
ground can be reallyhard work. In our lastarticle we saw howJesus taught us to faceup to reality: we need torepent and change ourwhole approach to life ifwe are to have anyprospect of everlastinglife. What did Jesus tellus about the ‘after life’and did he say anythingabout the dreadfulcurse that threatens our
extinction? He did! Jesus replaced thecurse with blessings like these:
➨ Blessed are the meek, for theyshall inherit the earth
➨ Blessed are those who hunger andthirst for righteousness, for theyshall be filled…
➨ Blessed are the peacemakers, forthey shall be called sons of God
➨ Blessed are those who are perse-cuted for righteousness’ sake, fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven(Matthew 5:5-10).
The BlessingIf we were snatching after straws wemight be tempted to think that‘heaven’ is the place the righteous goto at death. This cannot be so if youread these promises carefully. Theinheritance God promises His children
I am a terrible gardener. It’snot that I don’t do it or don’tenjoy it, but I do tend to digup what was wanted andleave the weeds that shouldhave been removed.
What I plant seldomseems to thrive or producea crop similar to the oneon the packet. The wholething often leaves me dis-appointed and frustrated –but then I go back andhave another go. It’s agood job that food on thetable doesn’t depend onmy gardening skills.
Gardening does howeverremind me of where it all went wrong.Remember how, in the Garden ofEden, Adam and Eve took the fruit theyshould have left and ate it, only to bepunished for breaking God’s law.Among other things, God said this:
“Because you have heeded the voiceof your wife, and have eaten from thetree of which I commanded you,saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursedis the ground for your sake; in toil youshall eat of it all the days of your life.Both thorns and thistles it shall bringforth for you, and you shall eat theherb of the field. In the sweat of yourface you shall eat bread till you returnto the ground, for out of it you weretaken; for dust you are, and to dustyou shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).
The CurseWe sometimes forget that this state-ment governs our lives, and it is easy
His Master’s Voice – 12
Digging For Victory! Digging For Victory!
124th Year 19
is upon the earth, but it will be in aworld where the hungry are filled,where peace prevails and when theKingdom of God has come fromheaven, at the Return of the LordJesus Christ.
Jesus confirms this when a little laterin this address he shared with his dis-ciples a prayer which included therequest:➠ Our Father in heaven
➠ Hallowed be your name
➠ Your kingdom come
➠ Your will be done on earth as it is
in heaven ( Matthew 6:9,10).
Notice that Jesus prays for two things:
➨ God’s Kingdom to come
➨ God’s will to be done on earth (inthe same way in which it is nowdone in heaven).
“Thy Will be done”Clearly God’s will is rarely done onearth now; sadly there are very fewmen and women who acknowledgeHim or do what He requires. So, in thisprayer, we hear Jesus explaining thatGod has a plan.
One day, the sort of things that nowexist in heaven – where God rules andHis will is done perfectly, in particularby the angels – will happen on theearth also. Jesus was praying for thecompletion of that plan – the comingof a time when those who are prom-ised a blessing will receive the ultimateblessing of being in God’s kingdom onearth.
At that time the curse will beremoved and blessings will abound.There is much to think about, ofcourse, including:
➟ When all this will happen,
➟ What will happen to those who arenow unconscious in death and
➟ What is to happen at the judge-ment?
But, for the moment let’s concentrateon the promise that there is a timecoming when everything in the gardenwill be rosy, for blessing will triumphover cursing.
As the prophet Amos said about thattime:
“Behold, the days are coming,” saysthe LORD, “When the ploughman shallovertake the reaper, and the treader ofgrapes him who sows seed; the moun-tains shall drip with sweet wine, and allthe hills shall flow with it. I will bringback the captives of my people Israel;they shall build the waste cities andinhabit them; they shall plant vine-yards and drink wine from them; theyshall also make gardens and eat fruitfrom them. I will plant them in theirland, and no longer shall they bepulled up from the land I have giventhem,” says the LORD your God (Amos9:13-15).
David Nightingale
Local Information
Allegiance to Christ
The true Christian belongs wholly toChrist, not half-heartedlyto this passing world. If heor she is wise, they willgive their allegiance tono-one else. Only oneman who has ever lived isworthy of such confi-dence and trust: only Jesus Christ iscapable of always doing the rightthing and of consistently making thebest decisions on our behalf.
Reg Carr
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