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APOLOGETICS
Contending
for the
Faith
Dr. Brian J. Bailey
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“Contending for the Faith”
Copyright © by Brian J. Bailey
All Rights Reserved
Printed March 2006
Design of Front Cover:
Copyright © 2006 Brian J. Bailey and his licensors
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
All Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the King James Version Bible unless otherwise stated.
Printed by:
Zion Christian Publishers
P.O. Box 70Waverly, New York 14892
Phone: 607-565-2801
Fax: 607-565-3329
www.zionfellowship.org
ISBN 1-59665-031-1
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Acknowledgements
Editorial team: Carla Borges, Mary Humphreys, David Kropf,
Justin Kropf, Caroline Tham, Paul Tham, David Wallis, and
Suzanne Ying.
We wish to extend our thanks to these dear ones for without
their many hours of invaluable assistance, this book wouldnot have been possible. We are truly grateful for their
diligence, creativity, and excellence in the compilation of this
book for the glory of God.
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Contents
Preface
Introduction 9
1 Contending for the Faith 13
2 The Authenticity of the Bible 19
3 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ 494 Inspired Prophecies Concerning Israel 71
5 The Teachings of Moses 91
6 The Teachings of the Prophets 97
7 The Teachings of Jesus 107
8 The Teachings of the Apostle Paul 121
9 The Teachings of Other Notable Apostles 129
10 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ 137
11 The Preparation of the Saints 145
12 Eternal Judgment – Heaven 149
13 Eternal Judgment – Hell 155
Epilogue 165
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PREFACE
In examining many other religions in this world, I have found
that most recognise Jesus Christ as a good man or as a prophet.
The difference between Christianity and all other religions is
that we recognise Him as the Son of God and the Saviour of
the world.
Thus the key to discussing our faith with others centres on
the fact that we need to convince others of the deity of Jesus
of Nazareth, and then lead them to accept Him as their own
personal Saviour. To this end is this little book written. It is
the very same reason John wrote his gospel,“…that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing, ye might have life through his name” (Jn. 20:31).
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9
INTRODUCTION
Vision
Contending for the Faith was birthed by a vision of the End
Times where I saw a young Christian woman verbally enticed
by other women who were of the Muslim persuasion to
apostatise and convert to Islam. So strong was the spirit
emanating from this group of women (who appeared to be
Persian) that this girl in the vision was overcome with their
arguments. Sadly, she did indeed deny the Christian way of
life, and became a Muslim.
Was this just an isolated vision? No, afterwards I was informed
by others that they too have had similar spiritual warnings
always directed towards women. It was a vision that was
confirmed again and again.
Regretfully, I have met notable Christian leaders with tragic
tales to tell of women missionaries in Islamic nations who
have even divorced their husbands to become converts to
Islam. To bring it even closer to home, a girl whom I had
personally dedicated soon after her birth, in later years, left
her husband and followed an Arab of Islamic persuasion to
live with him.
After these experiences, the burden to write this book becameso intense. The purpose of this book is that in reading it,
Christians will realise that the Bible is God’s Book and that
the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the
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10 Contending for the Faith
Life, and that no man comes to the Father but by Him. He is
the Door, and if any man enters in, he shall be saved. Excepta man be born again (which occurs when one asks the Lord
to come into his heart), he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.
Therefore, I solemnly plead with you, dear reader, not to
neglect the reading of His Word. Furthermore, I exhort you to
encourage others to so do. I urge you to pass this book on to
others, with the hope that it will also prove to be a blessing to
them, and keep them on the straight and narrow path of the
just until the very end.
This book shows us how to contend with others for the Faith
that was once delivered to the saints and by which and for
which they have fought a good fight, turning many into the
paths of righteousness. May you, too, be a valiant soldier of
Christ, putting the enemy to flight, prying many from Satan’s
deceiving ways and subtle ruses.
One must never forget when presenting the Gospel of the
Lordship of Christ that we cannot convince people without
the action of the Holy Spirit. It is He who convicts of sin,
righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8). The Holy Spirit guides
into all truth and glorifies Jesus. Therefore, we must not strive,
but be gentle unto all men, “in meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves,” for we are our own worst enemy
(2 Tim. 2:24-25).
It is God who gives repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth, for it is the wicked works that a man has committed
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11 Introduction
that alienate his mind from the truth (Col. 1:21). Therefore,
God’s gift of repentance is essential to understanding theGospel of Truth.
We can only know who Jesus is by revelation. This is clearly
shown by the Lord Himself when He asked His disciples,
“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said,
Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and
others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them,
But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon
Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 16:13-17).
All religions that deny the deity of Christ are not of God.
Moreover their followers are deluded and are walking in
darkness. They are controlled by evil spirits and are without
hope. All that they do is in vain, for they teach the traditions
of men.
Let us make it very clear; Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.” There is but one way to enter
heaven’s gates of splendour, and that is
by the way of Jesus. The Apostle Peter
stated plainly in Acts 4:12, “Neither isthere salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Do not
neglect the
reading of
His Word!
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12 Contending for the Faith
Specifically, we are told in Jeremiah 10:2 that we are not to
learn the ways of the heathen. Learning the tenets of other religions is not helpful; it is actually dangerous to the faith of
a believer.
The Apostle Paul stated clearly in 1 Timothy 1:4-6 that we
are not to “give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which
minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in
faith: so do…” Rather, we are to hold the faith and a good
conscience, which “some having put away concerning faith
have made shipwreck” (1 Tim. 1:19).
I have known of many missionaries who have diligently studied
the heathen religion of the land of their calling. The result has
been that a number have actually lost their faith, whilst others
have experienced a dullness of spiritual perception and
revelation, even when reading their Bibles. Their messages have
lost the anointing and they speak without conviction. They
experience doubts and depression, for they have given heed to
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Tim. 4:1).
The best defence is attack; the proof of the deity of Christ
that we will now present in the following chapters will be
like a sword piercing the ploys of the enemy. It will cause the
devils who teach such erroneous doctrines to tremble. It will
set every honest heart dancing with joy and expectation, for
they will know the truth of the deity of Christ, which will setthem free (Jn. 8:32).
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13
CHAPTER
ONE
Contending for the Faith
As we know, that great Apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle
Paul, contended much for the faith in the presence of religious
leaders, governors, and kings. His methods and instruction
are therefore of great value to us as we seek to follow in his
footsteps.
Firstly, he warns us in his Ephesian epistle that our battle is
spiritual. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this world,
and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).
We made mention of our vision of those young women being
overcome by the arguments of the Islamic women. Yet it was
not just the arguments—these young women were being
attacked by the very strong spirit of Islam.
In order to fight, we must be equipped; therefore, we have
the admonition to put on the whole armour of God that we
might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done
all to stand. This is clearly stated in Ephesians 6:13,
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand.”
We see here the emphasis that theApostle places on standing for he
repeats himself by saying in verse 14,
“Stand therefore…”
In order to
fight, wemust be
equipped.
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14 Contending for the Faith
The Heavenly Armour
Now we have the components of the heavenly armour: “Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield
of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:14-17).
Our “loins girt about with truth” —King David declares that
it is the truth of the Word of God that the Lord wishes us to
have in our inward parts (Ps. 51:6), for it is the truth of the
Gospel that sets us free (Jn. 8:32).
Next we have the “breastplate of righteousness.” It was
because of their unrighteousness that the Israelites of old were
given over by God to statutes that would do them no good.
Therefore we must live the life of the Christian in all holiness
with sobriety, for in walking in the Spirit we will indeed fulfil
the righteousness of the law of God (Rom. 8:4).
Thirdly, we are to have our “feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace.” We must realise that our Leader is
the Prince of Peace, and that we are called to follow peace
with all men wherever possible (Heb. 12:14).
We must then take up the “shield of faith” to fend off the
fiery darts of doubt that the adversary seeks to hurl at us
(Eph. 6:16). Words of doubt, if permitted to lodge in our
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15Contending for the Faith
hearts, can send their deadly poison throughout our being
and corrupt the pure truth of the Gospel and cause us toquestion, “Hath God said?”
Now comes the “helmet of salvation” we are to put on to
protect us from the enemy who seeks to erect those strongholds
in our mind, which are alien to the ways of God (2 Cor. 10:5).
Oh, that we might have the mind of Christ as the Apostle
Paul possessed.
The above pieces of armour are all protective pieces, and
made to defend us, but as every soldier knows, one does not
win wars on the defensive but through bringing down
the strongholds of the enemy. This we do through offensive
weapons. For the Christian soldier, he is provided with the
“sword of the Spirit,” which is the Word of God.
While on the Isle of Patmos, the Apostle John, when
contemplating our blessed Lord, saw that out of His mouth
went a sharp two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than
any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
It is with this sword of the Spirit that the Lord confounded
the barbs of Satan in the wilderness. With those words, “It iswritten,” Jesus sent the devil away defeated by the eternal
Word of God (Mt. 4). That is the way we, too, may not only
contend for the Faith, but also defeat the enemy through
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16 Contending for the Faith
whichever mouth he chooses to use when he seeks to turn us
from the pathway of righteousness.
I would like to give a personal word of testimony concerning
the power of the Word. I was in the old land of Yugoslavia at
the height of Communism. Walking along a street in Belgrade,
I perceived that there were embassies from Communist nations
on either side of me. Then I started to hear voices that
penetrated my mind eulogising communism, and I was
bewildered. They seemed to be so plausible in their arguments
concerning the so-called good that their brand of socialism
was doing for their people.
As these voices increased, seemingly a dark cloud encompassed
my mind, and I was finding it more and more difficult to argue
with them. Until the Holy Spirit, like a ray of light, penetrated
this cloud. He simply said, “Ask them, ‘Where is the Blood?’”
I then said, “Where is the Blood?” Immediately the darkness
vanished and my mind was again filled with light. Because,
according to the Word of God there is no redemption without
the shedding of blood. The demons have to flee before the
Living Word from the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord consistently quoted from the Old Testament when
arguing with the scribes and Pharisees. For example, in
decrying their way of life, He quoted from Matthew 15:7-9,
“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings
are but rules taught by men.’” (NIV)
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17Contending for the Faith
The Apostle Paul, likewise, used a quotation from the same
prophet Isaiah (ff. Isa. 6:9) when he decried those to whom hewas ministering in Rome. We read in Acts 28:24-28, “And
some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed
not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they
departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake
the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying,
Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall
not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are
dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal
them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of
God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”
When arguing before King Agrippa, Paul made mention of
the fact that the king believed the prophets (Acts 26:27). Paul
also revealed how he witnessed and contended for the faith,
“Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this
day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other
things than those which the prophets and Moses did say
should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should
be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show
light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23).
Therefore, as did Jesus, the Apostle Paul argued with those
with whom he contended for the Faith from Scripture.
To the Greeks in Athens, and later, on Mars Hill, he preached
of Jesus being raised from the dead for our justification
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18 Contending for the Faith
(cf. Rom. 4:24-25). His sermon is written at the foot of Mars
Hill upon a bronze tablet both in modern and ancient Greek. Wesimply quote Acts 17:31, “Because he hath appointed a day, in
the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
To the Roman Governor Felix we read of Paul’s witness in
Acts 24:24-25, “Several days later Felix came with his wife
Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to
him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed
on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix
was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave.
When I find it convenient, I will send for you.’” (NIV)
Yes, Paul did not always receive a good response, but as he
wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, “For we are unto God a sweet
savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the
other the savour of life unto life.” He was a savour to some of
life unto life and of others of death unto death. They were prepared
for their eternal destination. All were without excuse.
To those of us who are called to contend for the faith (and in
reality we are all to be witnesses for the faith), let us be very
clear that our purpose is to present the Gospel to all men
everywhere in a manner that they can easily assimilate andunderstand. It is, as Paul states, to lead men and women to
salvation, which is alone found in Jesus Christ, for there is no
other name under heaven whereby we can be saved (Acts 4:12).
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19
CHAPTER
TWO
The Authenticity of the Bible
The Bible is referred to as the Sword of the Spirit; as such
it is the greatest weapon in the arsenal of the Christian
soldier. We should never cease to read it! We must have its
contents written upon the fleshly tables of our heart so
that we are ready to give testimony to our beliefs by quoting
from it.
Our Lord Himself did just that when confronting the
arguments of Satan in the wilderness temptations. In the
three temptations of Satan, the Lord simply replied, “It is
written” and quoted a Bible passage. With that, Satan was
forced to abandon the attacks (Mt. 4:1-11).
The Bible completely devastates the Muslim faith.
Originally, Mohammed made reading the first five books
of the Bible (the writings of Moses,
called the Pentateuch) and the four
Gospels a requirement. As a result,
the Imams (or teachers of the Muslim
religion) have been forced into saying
that what we now have is corrupted,
and so they no longer advocate this
reading. However, their assertions arefallacious. Below we quote some
reasons advocated for the textual
accuracy of our Bibles in whatsoever
Today’s Old
Testament is
exactly the
same as it
was when
originallyinspired
by God.
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20 Contending for the Faith
languages they may be written, for they are all taken from
the original languages.
Accuracy in Transmission
The Dead Sea Scrolls prove the accuracy of the
transmission of the Bible. Those scrolls discovered at
Qumran in 1947 were copies of the Book of Isaiah made
in 150 B.C. They were identical with the text in our
modern Bibles.
Therefore, we have undeniable proof that today’s Old
Testament is exactly the same as it was when originally
inspired by God and written by the scribes of old. With
meticulous care, they copied those pages reverently,
knowing that their work was going to be used to instruct
God’s people in future generations.
The accuracy of the Old Testament Scriptures can
likewise be affirmed by the fact that the Lord Himself
quoted extensively from them and never questioned their
textual accuracy.
The New Testament’s accuracy may be verified by the
enormous number of copies that date back to only 100
years after the original copies were written. The Church
fathers have left us enough quotations from the NewTestament so that even if no copy of the New Testament
existed, scholars would be able to reconstruct all of the
books with the exception of perhaps only eleven verses.
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22 Contending for the Faith
by a letter from Pilate to Tiberius (Wesley Center Online,
n.d., The Letter of Pontius Pilate, Which He Wrote to theRoman Emperor, Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ).
Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar the Emperor, greetings.
Upon Jesus Christ, whose case I had dearly set forth to
you in my last, at length by the will of the people a bitter
punishment has been inflicted, myself being in a sort
unwilling and rather afraid. A man, by Hercules, so pious
and strict, no age has ever had nor will have. But
wonderful were the efforts of the people themselves, and
the unanimity of all the scribes and chief men and elders,
to crucify this ambassador of truth, notwithstanding that
their own prophets, and after our manner the sibyls,
warned them against it. And supernatural signs appeared
while he was hanging, and, in the opinion of philosophers,
threatened destruction to the whole world. His disciples
are flourishing, in their work and the regulation of their
lives not belying their master; yea, in his name most
beneficent. Had I not been afraid of the rising of a sedition
among the people, who were just on the point of breaking
out, perhaps this man would still have been alive to us;
although, urged more by fidelity to your dignity than
induced by my own wishes, I did not according to my
strength resist that innocent blood free from the whole
charge brought against it, but unjustly, through the
malignity of men, should be sold and suffer, yet, as theScriptures signify, to their own destruction.
Farewell,
28th March
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23The Authenticity of the Bible
• Secular historians such as Josephus speak freely of Him.
We quote passages from his Antiquities of the Jews. Book XVIII, Chapter III, #3:
...Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if
it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of
wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive
the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many
of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the]
Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the
principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the
cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake
him; for he appeared to them alive again the third
day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten
thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And
the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not
extinct at this day.
The Existence of Jesus—Spiritual Sources
There is also overwhelming proof of the existence of Jesus
from spiritual sources, since the Gospels were written a very
short time after the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Apostle Peter spoke thusly: “For we have not followed
cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but wereeyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the
Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom
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24 Contending for the Faith
I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven
we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. Wehave also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do
well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture
is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not
in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:16-21).
The Apostle Paul encountered the resurrected Christ on the
road to Damascus, as we read in Acts 9:3-6: “And as he
journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there
shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to
the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling
and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and
it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
The Apostle John writes: “That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of
the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto
us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
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25The Authenticity of the Bible
fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ”
(1 Jn. 1:1-3). The Apostle John had, of course, had personalexperience of walking with Jesus, even being with Him on
the Mount of Transfiguration.
Moreover, some 60 years after Christ’s crucifixion, John was
exiled on the Isle of Patmos, where the Book of Revelation
was entrusted to him, to be published and made known to the
churches of his time.
Now we want at this point to give a very brief understanding
to you, beloved reader, of the contents of the Bible, which
is a compilation of 66 books written over a period from
circa 1400 B.C. to circa A.D. 90.
The Bible is divided into two main sections called the Old
Testament (comprising 39 books) and the New Testament
(with 27 books). These books and their primary message are
as follows:
Old Testament
The first five books of the Old Testament were written by
Moses and are called “the Books of Moses” by the Jews. The
Lord Jesus quoted extensively from Genesis and Deuteronomy
in His teachings.
Genesis is the Book of Beginnings, which details the work
of God in His act of creation. Creation is a widely debated
event, but it should be clear to any intelligent individual that
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26 Contending for the Faith
things do not “just happen” as the evolutionists would have
us believe. The basic reason given by Aldous Huxley, one of the leading evolutionists of the nineteenth century, for his
hope that there was no God was:
I had motives for not wanting the world to have a
meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and
was able without any difficulty to find satisfying
reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who
finds no meaning in the world is not concerned
exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he
is also concerned to prove that there is no valid
reason why he personally should not do as he wants
to do, or why his friends should not seize political
power and govern in the way that they find most
advantageous to themselves…For myself as, no
doubt, to most of my contemporaries, the philosophy
of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument
of liberation. The liberation we desired was
simultaneously liberation from a certain political and
economic system and from a certain system of
morality. We objected to the morality because it
interfered with our sexual freedom. (Vol. 3, June,
1966, p. 19)
In response to the question, “Do you believe in God?” Aldous
Huxley, in effect, said, “I do; but I held to a vain hope thatthere was none to assuage my evil conscience and so continue
in my sinful ways.” The Apostle Paul warns that evil works
alienate the mind from God and His ways (Col. 1:21).
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Hebrews 11:3 says that it is “through
faith we understand that the worldswere framed by the word of God, so that
things which are seen were not made
of things which do appear.” Those who
do not love righteous living are given over by God to a mind
incapable of sound judgment, incapable of acknowledging
God. They do those things that are not convenient and have
pleasure in them (Rom. 1:28-32).
Scientifically, there are absolutely no facts to support
evolution. In order for evolution to be sustainable, there must
be the transmutation of the different species, both animal and
human; yet there are none. Even those who seek to mate a
horse with a donkey end up with a mule that does not
reproduce itself, and is known for its stubbornness.
All things must have a beginning. What is the beginning of
this universe according to the evolutionist? A big bang! And
then things just started to happen! Any scientist will be forced
to admit that this does not occur in nature.
The act of creation is one of infinite and exquisite order,
something that could not be produced by random selection
nor by random happenings. All creation declares that there is
One who is called God, who is directing and ordaining all
things. Can a big bang produce such exquisite beauty as thecreation we see in, for example, a rose or a lily? The Lord
Himself stated that Solomon in all his beauty was not arrayed
as one of these (Mt. 6:28-29).
All creation
declares that
there is a God
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King David stated that he was “fearfully and wonderfully
made” (Ps. 139:14). Even a cursory study of DNA wouldreveal the total complexity of this wonderful body that was
formed in our mother’s womb by the wonderful Christ of
God (cf. Jer. 1:5).
This first book, Genesis, contains also the great subjects
of the creation of Adam and Eve, and their fall, a result of
their disobedience. Thereby sin entered into the world, with
the consequent judgment upon all mankind—namely, the
Flood, in which only Noah and his family were saved.
Genesis goes on to reveal how God chose Abraham, the
Father of the Faithful and also the friend of God, to start
the nation of the chosen people, which eventually became
known as Israel. Furthermore, we see how that nation,
through a famine ordained by God, went down into the
land of Egypt.
The Book of Exodus deals with the deliverance of the
Israelites from Egypt. After 430 years in the land of
Egypt—now in abject slavery and suffering a genocide
directed against their male babies—Moses is sent by God
to be their deliverer. He, through ten mighty plagues, brings
the nation forth from the bondage of Pharaoh into the
wilderness. There, God met them at Mount Sinai and gave
them the basis of the law of mankind—the TenCommandments, and also the pattern for the Tabernacle
of Moses, whereby man can understand how he might
approach unto a holy God.
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The Book of Leviticus is essentially the handbook for the Old
Testament priesthood, giving them instruction concerningtheir dress, and the sacrifices that they must offer up to God
on behalf of the people. It also contains the civil and spiritual
laws for the nation.
The Book of Numbers is the book that deals with the 40 years
of wilderness journey of Israel from Mount Sinai unto the
plains of Moab.
The Book of Deuteronomy, meaning “the second reading of
the Law,” repeats the Ten Commandments, and gives prophetic
utterances concerning the future of Israel when they enter the
promised land of Canaan. This land (which is now called Israel)
was given to Abraham, as is recorded in Genesis 15:18, “In
the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt
unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”
Furthermore, concerning Abraham’s seed, Genesis 17:19
says, “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son
indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will
establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,
and with his seed after him.” It is clear from the preceding
verse that the inheritance comes through Isaac, not Ishmael
as the Muslims claim.
The Book of Joshua deals with the leader who succeeded
Moses. He took the children of Israel across the River Jordan,
but did not complete the occupation of the land.
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The Book of Judges is an account of the next 300 plus years
when the Lord raised up judges, or saviours, to deliver thechildren of Israel from the enemies who had overrun them.
There were 13 in all, including Abimelech, the apostate, and
the well-known Samson, the “strong man” of Israel.
The Book of Ruth is a little book containing the history of a
Moabite girl who was widowed and who faithfully followed
her mother-in-law Naomi back to Israel. There, she married
Boaz, who was in the line of David, and became King David’s
great grandmother. Historically, this book is situated at the
time of Gideon (Jdg. 6).
The First Book of Samuel is the history of four men—two
who failed God (Eli the high priest and Saul the king), and
two who replaced them (Samuel the priest and prophet, and
David who became king).
The Second Book of Samuel deals with the reign of David
until his death.
The First Book of Kings details the history of the reign of
Solomon, who was noted for the great wisdom that God gave
him. It also covers the time of the Divided Kingdom, from
the reign of Jeroboam of Israel until Ahaziah (kings of the
northern ten tribes called Israel) and of Rehoboam until
Jehoshaphat (kings of the southern kingdom of Judah).
Examining the characters of these kings is very instructive,
as we see the judgments and unhappiness of those of Israel
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who wickedly departed from the Lord. Yet we also find
the faithful ones of Judah, who enjoyed God’s blessingand prosperity when they walked with Him, and who
received His judgments when they walked contrary to
His commandments.
The Second Book of Kings covers historically the
remaining reigns of the Northern Kingdom monarchs from
Ahaziah to Hoshea and the fall of their capital, Samaria,
in 722 B.C. to the Assyrians. During the period when Ahab
and his sons reigned, Elijah, the mighty prophet of the
Lord, ministered to the Northern Kingdom. Elisha, who
took up Elijah’s mantle (after Elijah ascended in a
whirlwind into heaven) ministered to their successors. In
spite of the mighty signs and wonders that these prophets
were permitted to perform, there was no true repentance
on the part of these Northern Kingdom monarchs.
The Southern Kingdom of Judah survived until 586 B.C.,
when it fell to the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar. The
Southern Kingdom was blessed by three pious and righteous
kings—Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah—who had
remarkable revivals during their reigns. These revivals of
righteousness helped to prolong the monarchy and the nation.
However, their heirs were wicked kings—Jehoram, Manasseh,
Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah—who
brought the nation of Judah to ruin by their sinfulness.
The First Book of Chronicles may essentially be divided into
two parts. The first part deals with the genealogy from Adam
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32 Contending for the Faith
until the time when Israel was carried into Babylonian
Captivity. This was compiled by Ezra (see 1 Chr. 1:1–9:1).The second part treats the life of David from another
perspective than that of 1 and 2 Samuel. This section goes
into much detail concerning the preparation that David made
for the temple and its infrastructure, as well as the rest of the
secular administration of the kingdom.
There is no book that recounts all these details of life as does
the Bible. It could have only been inspired by the Lord. No
other religion provides such extensive records concerning life
from the Creation in such a meticulous and careful manner.
It is God’s book written by the inspired writers of bygone
generations. No historian could have written such a book,
for he would not have had such information available to him
from any secular source.
The Second Book of Chronicles continues the historical
account of the kingdom, beginning at the reign of Solomon.
It traces the history of the nation through the times of the
divided monarchy, focusing upon the kingdom of Judah. This
book was composed by the priest and scribe Ezra, that blessed
teacher of the Restoration Period.
Rather than viewing history from a political point of view (as
is narrated in the books of the Kings), Ezra places his focus
upon the spiritual and everlasting effects that the lives of thesekings of Judah had upon the nation. It is worthy of note that
this evaluation of the kings could well form the basis for our
own appraisal of our church and above all, of ourselves. What
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33The Authenticity of the Bible
influence do our lives have upon those with whom we come
in contact? Is it toward righteousness, or a carelessness of spiritual values?
This book ends with a short statement of the fall of Jerusalem
to the Babylonians and the fact that the Jews were servants to
Nebuchadnezzar until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.
Seventy years were the Jews in captivity according to the
prophecy of Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11).
“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word
of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be
accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king
of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus
king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD
God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build
him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there
among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with
him, and let him go up” (2 Chr. 36:22-23).
The Book of Ezra takes up the history of the nation of Israel
where 2 Chronicles has closed, at the time of the proclamation
of Cyrus. It tells how Zerubbabel the leader of the Jews, and
Joshua the high priest, built the temple of the Lord in
Jerusalem in place of the Temple of Solomon, which had been
destroyed by the Babylonians.
Then the second return of the Jews from Babylonian Captivity
took place in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes I, king
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of Persia, under Ezra. Ezra was the teaching priest who compiled
the books of the Old Testament and set them in order, as well asthe writer of some of them. This great man was so esteemed by
the Jews that they venerated him as the “Second Moses.” Ezra
also set in place the worship and ministry of the Temple.
The Book of Nehemiah deals with the building up of the walls
of Jerusalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah
was granted his request to do so by the king. This man was
known for his kindness and generosity towards others, and
God set him in place as governor to oversee His land and care
for His people.
The Book of Esther contains the story of a young Jewish girl
who became queen of the vast Persian Empire, as the wife of
Xerxes, who was the richest of all those Persian kings.
Historically, this book is situated between chapters six and seven
of the Book of Ezra.
The Book of Job tells the story of one of the three most righteous
men of the Old Testament days, who was severely tried by God
and triumphed gloriously. He became therefore, a model for
all who pass through the furnace of affliction to trust in the
Lord, who does all things well.
The Psalms are primarily composed by King David. They are
a source of strength and encouragement to saints of all ages inthe pilgrim path from earth to heaven. We recommend daily
reading in the Psalms to develop your devotional life and
strengthen your inner man.
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The Proverbs are a compilation of the teachings of King
Solomon. Reading and meditating upon them will promote wisdom.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon’s soliloquy on
the vanity of life, written by one who had not learnt from
his own teachings.
The Song of Songs teaches the believer the way to union
and communion with Christ.
The Book of Isaiah, as we will see later, is a remarkable
book which reveals prophetically the life and sufferings
of our blessed Lord some 800 years before His birth.
The Book of Jeremiah was written by a prophet who
ministered in the closing years of the southern kingdom.
He pleaded with God’s people to return to Him and so
avoid the coming judgment; but Judah would not listen.
The Book of Lamentations expresses, in five different
laments, the sorrow of the people after God’s judgments
have fallen upon them because they did not heed the words
of Jeremiah and turn from their sins.
The Book of Ezekiel was written by a prophet who had been
taken to Babylon in the second captivity with King Jehoiachin.Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel ministered warnings to the Jews in
Jerusalem. After the fall, he spoke of the Temple that shall be
built in the millennial reign of Christ upon earth.
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The Book of Daniel was written by a man much beloved.
Daniel was one of the three most righteous men (along with Noah and Job) of the Old Testament times (Ezek. 14:14). He
was taken in the first captivity during the reign of Jehoiakim
and received visions of the days that covered the Babylonian,
Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires. His prophecies even
extended to the days of the Antichrist (the coming of whom
is prophesied in the Book of Revelation) and the millennial
reign of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ will destroy the
Antichrist and reign victoriously over all the earth.
The Book of Hosea is the first of the so-called “Minor
Prophets,” who number 12 in all. Hosea warned the
backsliding northern kingdom of their ultimate destruction
because of their sinful ways. He also spoke of the ultimate
restoration of Israel in the End Times. Thus the theme of this
book is often termed the “Restoration of the Backslider.”
The Book of Joel promises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
upon all believers, which was fulfilled on the Day of
Pentecost. This blessed experience is for all those who have
received Christ as their personal Saviour, as the Apostle Peter
declared in Acts 2:38-39, “Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as manyas the Lord our God shall call.” The blessing is also for
you, dear reader. It builds us up in the most holy faith, as
we see in 1 Corinthians 14:2, “For he that speaketh in an
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unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God:
for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”
The Book of Amos is well known for God’s question, “Can
two walk together unless they be agreed?” It is also known
for the promise to raise up the ruins of David’s Tabernacle.
This promise is quoted by the Apostle James in Acts 15:13-
17. He used this promise as a proof that the Lord would
include the Gentiles in the Age of the Church.
The Book of Obadiah depicts God’s judgments upon Esau,
who rejected his birthright. It is a sombre warning that those
who depart from the path of righteousness, leaving God’s
purposes for their lives, will be made small.
The Book of Jonah is one of the most well known books of
the Old Testament. In it, we have the account of the prophet
who was swallowed by a great fish. This event is
substantiated by the Lord Himself, as
being a type of His own death, burial,
and resurrection (Mt. 12:40). Christ
was three days and three nights in the
earth and then was resurrected. How
can anyone doubt that the Bible is the
Word of God? An event occurring
some 800 to 900 years before the birthof Christ was not only confirmed by
Him before His crucifixion, but was
also fulfilled by Him!
Such
prophetic
accuracy can
only come
from the
Almighty who inspired
such men.
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The Book of Micah is well known because of the prophecy
that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. True to this prophecy, the Lord Jesus was born in a manger in
Bethlehem, which means the “House of Bread.” Christ is
the Bread of Life.
The Book of Nahum primarily prophesies the fall of Nineveh
(capital of the Assyrian Empire) some 100 years before the
Babylonians captured it. Nahum even declares that the gates
of the rivers which protected the city like a moat would be
thrown open. Who but God could declare these things that
were as yet afar off?
The Book of Habakkuk declares that God will raise up the
Chaldeans (or Babylonians) against Jerusalem because of the
evil of its inhabitants. Thus again we see that the Bible is
filled with books that declare the future of their period and
beyond. Habakkuk declared that this very small nation of
Chaldea would be the instrument by which God would judge
His people.
The Book of Zephaniah, written by the last of those prophets
who were before the Babylonian Captivity, gives a warning
that is as applicable for us (living in the last days) as it was to
the inhabitants of the southern kingdom in his day: “Gather
yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not
desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day passas the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon
you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you.
Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have
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wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it
may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger”(Zeph. 2:1-3).
The Book of Haggai was written at the time of the first return
of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. This prophet, along
with his fellow prophet Zechariah, rallied the people to complete
the building of the Temple, in the reign of Darius. It is therefore
contemporary with the events recorded in Ezra chapter six.
The Book of Zechariah reveals the Lord’s love for His people
in that beautiful phrase, “…He that toucheth you toucheth
the apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8). This book contains many
prophecies concerning the Second Coming of Our Lord. One
such prophecy declares that His feet shall stand on that day
upon the Mount of Olives. This was confirmed by the angels
as the Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives. They said to
some of His disciples who were eyewitnesses of His ascension,
“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven” (Acts 1:11).
The Book of Malachi, written by the last prophet sent of God
before the first coming of the Lord, speaks of His coming
some 400 years before His birth. Malachi also declares that
before His Second Coming, both Moses and Elijah shall againminister. This is confirmed by the Apostle John, who was
shown these two witnesses prophesying in Jerusalem before
the great and terrible day of the Lord (Rev. 11:1-7).
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As we have just had but a cursory look at these Old Testament
books, do they not detail, like no other book has ever done,the history of mankind in a manner only the Creator would
be able to do? He inspired men of many generations to write
an account of events, not only of their days, but also of those
to come. Then we read many generations later of those events
that they had prophesied coming to pass. How did they do
so? The prophet declares that he received visions and saw
the very events of which he prophesied being shown him
before his eyes (Isa. 1:1, Jer. 1:11).
Beloved, only the God of the universe could do such things. The
prophet declares that God asks the question, “Who hath wrought
and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the
LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Isa. 41:4).
The Intertestamental Period
Even in the intervening years between the ministry of the last
prophet Malachi and the birth of Jesus, prophecies given by
the prophet Daniel in the mid 5th century B.C. were being
fulfilled. The fact that a Persian king, who would be the richest
of them all, would arise and that he would stir all against the
realm of Greece came to pass in 480 B.C. Then the prophecy
that the first king of Greece, who was Alexander the Great,
would trample underfoot the Persian Empire was fulfilled in
330 B.C. when he defeated Darius III, the last Persian Emperor.
Daniel also prophesied that Alexander’s Empire would be
broken up into four parts and from one of them would come
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one who was called the little horn, which would cause great
havoc in Israel. He then declares that the ships of Chittim(Cyprus) would come against this king, who would cause the
sacrifices of the Temple to cease. Of course, all of this came
to pass, just as it was written. There were numerous other
prophecies which delineated, with great accuracy, the political
situation in Israel until 171 B.C.
Such prophetic accuracy can only come from the Almighty
who inspired such men. Can we possibly doubt that the Bible
is the Word of the Living God?
The New Testament
Now let us move on to the New Testament, where so many of
the Old Testament prophecies have their fulfilment. Saint
Augustine made the observation that the New Testament is
in the Old Testament concealed, while the Old Testament is
in the New Testament revealed. How true this is, as we shall
see, when we now look at the New Testament books, 27 in
all. They commence with the four Gospels, which view the
life of our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ from different aspects.
Yet so wondrously do they flow together in harmony!
The prophet Ezekiel had a vision of those four living creatures
that surround the throne. They depict four different aspects
of the nature and ministries of our blessed Lord.
The first creature had the head of a lion, representing Jesus as
the King of Kings, for the lion is king of the animal kingdom.
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Matthew portrays Jesus as the King of the Jews and gives his
genealogy through the line of David, the king of Israel.
The next creature had the head of an ox, depicting Jesus as the
priest who offers Himself without spot or blemish unto God.
The Gospel of Mark contains more of the passion of Jesus, as
He offers up His life, than any of the other Gospel writers.
The third head is that of a man. Luke, the beloved physician,
shows forth the humanity of Jesus in all His wondrous facets
as the Son of Man.
Then the fourth and final head is that of an eagle, which
soars into heavenly places. This is so depicted by John, who
reveals Him consistently as the divine Son of God.
Gospel Symbol Christ as:
Matthew Lion The King of Kings
Mark Ox The Sacrifice of God
Luke Man The Son of Man
John Eagle The Son of God
The Gospel of Matthew displays the finest teaching of all times
by Jesus, when he records the Sermon on the Mount. At the end
of His teaching we read, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had
ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes” (Mt. 7:28-29). There is no teaching that can be compared
to that of the Son of God. Christ is brilliance personified.
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The Gospel of Mark is a very fast moving chronological account
of the life of Christ, containing 18 of His miracles, 18 of His parables, and 18 of His discourses.
The Gospel of Luke, written by the beloved physician, records
heart-warming stories like those of the Prodigal Son and the
Good Samaritan, which have entered into the vocabulary of
nations around the world. There is no other storyteller like our
wonderful Lord.
The Gospel of John contains accounts of the seven signs, seven
discourses, and seven parables, that are, for the most part,
unique to this Gospel. It completes the account of His life and
ministry from eternity to eternity.
The Acts of the Apostles reveals the continuing ministry of the
Holy Spirit through the ministries of Peter and Paul, which
spread the Gospel throughout the known world of New
Testament times.
The Epistle to the Romans contains the doctrines of the Christian
faith, and is called the “Masterpiece of the New Testament.”
First and Second Corinthians give excellent teachings
concerning the gifts of the Spirit and love. They also reveal
the compassionate Christ, and the fact that He is the God of
all comfort.
The Epistle to the Galatians is an excellent source of teaching
to show that salvation is only through faith, and the believer’s
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consequent, complete assurance of eternal life. This is
something that no Muslim can ever have.
The Epistle to the Ephesians shows forth the depth, height,
length, and the width, of the love of God. Paul shows us how
our life should be governed by three words: (1) Sit in the
presence of God for strength; (2) Walk in the Spirit; and finally
(3) Stand , being clothed with the armour of God to withstand
all the wiles of the enemy.
The Epistle to the Philippians shows forth the way to qualify
for the First Resurrection, and to hit the mark of the high
calling of God for our lives.
There are two resurrections. The First Resurrection at the
Second Coming of Christ for which the following
qualifications are required to know Christ intimately—the
power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings,
and to be made conformable to His death! The Second
Resurrection takes place at the end of the 1000-year reign of
Christ upon earth.
The Epistle to the Colossians presents Jesus as He truly is—
the Magnificent Christ of God, filled with all the power and
wisdom of Almighty God Himself.
First and Second Thessalonians give a brief understandingof some of the events that lead up to the Second Coming, and
the undeniable fact that the Beast (or Antichrist) must first
appear before the Lord comes again.
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First and Second Timothy are pastoral epistles, giving
guidance to Paul’s spiritual son and a young pastor, Timothy,who had been entrusted with the task of remaining at Ephesus
to put the Church there in order.
The Epistle to Titus was written to one who had been appointed
the Bishop of Crete. Titus is given instructions concerning the
appointment of elders and the conduct of Christians of all ages.
The Epistle to Philemon, written to the Bishop of the
Colossian Church, is a plea by Paul for this bishop to receive
back his runaway slave. This little epistle is of great comfort
to those who have “Prodigal Sons.”
The Epistle to the Hebrews is an epistle addressed to the
Jewish members of congregations. It is a magnificent exposé
of the fulfilment by Christ of the Old Testament offerings
through the offering of His own body by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Its principal theme is that the New Testament is
so much greater than then the Old Testament by virtue of the
greatness of the sacrifice of Christ, whose blood sealed the
New Covenant. In contrast, the Old Covenant was sealed by
the blood of animals, pointing in type to the more precious
blood that would be poured out to seal the New Covenant.
The Epistle of James compares the wisdom of this world with
that of heaven. Basically it may be said that earthly wisdomis sensual, devilish, envious, and produces confusion.
However, the wisdom which is from above is pure, peaceable,
gentle, merciful, and full of good fruits.
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First and Second Peter give warnings concerning those who
have departed from the faith. In Peter’s first epistle he warnsof the enemies from without , and in the second, he warns of
those enemies from within the body of Christ.
First, Second, and Third John contain two principal themes
(1) that God is love, and (2) that we are to have fellowship
with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Apostle John
himself experienced this in his lifetime, and he encourages
us to do likewise. What other religion proclaims such a
message? God is a God of love; and we are to be filled likewise
with His love, that we may manifest it in our daily walk
towards God and towards others.
The Epistle of Jude basically warns us of those who turned
aside, and of the despair of their end. Jude also gives us an
understanding of how Michael the archangel was sent to retrieve
the body of Moses. Moses had been buried by God so that he
could appear with Elijah upon the Mount of Transfiguration.
He also reveals that Enoch prophesied of the Second Coming
of Jesus, before the days of the Flood. Only one who was
inspired by God could look over some 5,000 years and declare
such an event. What other religion can claim such feats of
prophetic understanding and pronouncement?
The Book of Revelation is a phenomenal book, in that it
describes those things that are to come upon the earth, as thecoming of the Lord draws near. Certain judgments, termed the
seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven last vials, will
be poured out upon the earth. Then Moses and Elijah will testify
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47The Authenticity of the Bible
with great signs and wonders from Jerusalem for 1,260 days.
After this they will be slain by the Antichrist (or the Beast).
The Unholy Trinity, consisting of the Dragon (Satan), the
Antichrist, and the False Prophet, will exercise ascendancy
over the earth and its inhabitants for 1,260 days. The Lord
will come to fight them at the Battle of Armageddon, where
He will defeat them.
The Beast and the False Prophet will be cast into the lake of
fire, and Satan will be put into the bottomless pit. There he
will remain for 1,000 years, after which time he will be
released for a brief season. He will again deceive those that
dwell upon the earth and bring them to fight against the
holy city of Jerusalem. Fire will come down to defend the
beloved city and then Satan will also be cast into the lake of
fire. After that there will be the New Heavens and the New
Earth; and the servants of the Lord shall see His face forever
and ever.
No religion has ever provided such an understanding of events
still to come, for none can. Only God can declare the future,
with the power to bring the declaration to pass.
When contemplating this wonderful book, the Bible, we find
there is no other book like it. It declares the happenings from
Creation until the New Heavens and the New Earth. As theLord says, “Before they spring forth, I do declare them unto
you.” This is the proof that Christianity is the one and only
true religion in which one can place one’s trust for eternal life.
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48 Contending for the Faith
Eternal life comes from faith in the person and sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ, recognising that He died for our sinsupon the cross of Calvary, becoming the acceptable sacrifice
for our sins before the Father. We must, therefore, present
Jesus as the Saviour of mankind to all with whom we come
in contact. We must also encourage them to read the Bible as
God’s Word.
Eternal life comes from faith in the person
and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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49
CHAPTER
THREE
The Inspired Prophecies of J esus the Christ
None other than the true and living God is able to declare the
future and bring it to pass. That is why it is clearly stated in
Revelation 19:10 that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy, “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said
unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of
thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God:
for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Therefore, in this book on apologetics, which we have
entitled Contending for the Faith, our greatest weapon is
the spirit of prophecy that declared the birth, life, ministry,
death, and resurrection of Jesus hundreds of years before
He was born. No other religion can make the claim that
their founder’s birth and life was declared before he was
born. Therefore, we do not need to (and, in fact should
not) study other religions, but rather present the positive
truths of Christianity.
Our situation can be illustrated by the manager who was
training my wife to be a bank teller. It was in the days of
silver coins. He required her to pick up a silver dollar coin
and drop it on the counter a number of times until she had
mastered the ring that it made when it hit the counter. Shesaid, “Why do you not give me forgeries also so that I may
know their ring?” His response was, “Know the real and you
will easily detect the ring of the false.”
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50 Contending for the Faith
Know the Bible and you will immediately detect the
erroneous doctrines of the heathen and be able to refute them by the presentation of the claims of Christ to be the Son of
God. Then expound His teachings, and the other religions
will easily be exposed for what they are—doctrines from
the pit of hell. Thus, to study for ourselves and then to present
to others the irrefutable fact that His whole life was
prophesied before His birth (which no other religion can
claim for their founders) is very convincing.
The Life of Christ from Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah contains the recorded prophecies of the
prophet Isaiah, who lived during the reigns of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. He therefore
lived and prophesied from about 750 B.C. until 690 B.C.
The authenticity of Isaiah is remarkably proven by the Dead
Sea Scrolls. These scrolls were discovered by a shepherd in
a cave by the Dead Sea, and they contained approximately
75% of the content of the Book of Isaiah. These scrolls were
copies of the book made in 100 B.C. and are exactly the
same text as those of the English Authorised Version. Thus,
this conclusively proves that Christians have not altered the
original text of the Bible, as some suggest.
This book gives us a clear-cut definition of the one and onlytrue and living God as compared with the religious deities
of the heathens. God says, “To whom then will ye liken me,
or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes
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52 Contending for the Faith
going to examine in detail some of the prophecies
concerning Christ in this beloved book.
His Conception
Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you
a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel.” No other religion claims an
immaculate conception of their founder (Mt. 1:18-21).
Immanuel means “God with us,” showing clearly that the
One who was to be born was none other than the Son of God.
He Is Named from the Womb
We read in Isaiah 49:1, “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken,
ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the
womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention
of my name.” Christ was named while in the womb of His
mother Mary by the Archangel Gabriel (Mt. 1:21).
His Birth
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Again
we see the declaration that the child that is to be born is God.Moreover, in Isaiah 7:15 we have the key to His growth from
“a child” to “a son,” “Butter and honey shall he eat, that
he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”
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53 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
Butter is the abundance of milk; and the spiritual sense of
milk is the elementary doctrines of the Word of God. (Pleasesee Hebrews 5:12-6:1-3 and 1 Peter 2:2.) Honey has the
connotation of revelation; and, therefore, refers to the
enlightening by the Holy Spirit,” in this context. (Please see
1 Samuel 14:27 and Ephesians 1:17-18.)
Then Christ becomes the tried, tested, and mature Son of
God, the One who is designated as the Prince of Peace. Here,
therefore, is the nature of Christianity: Christ gives us
peace with God. The peace He gives is the peace of God that
passes all understanding and keeps our minds and hearts in
the love of God. This is something no other religion can give,
although some do make this promise.
We are told in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” No other
religion can make that claim.
The Arrow of God
In Isaiah 49:2, the prophet depicts Christ as the Arrow of
God, saying, “And he hath made my mouth like a sharp
sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made
me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me.” Here,
Isaiah portrays the Saviour of the world as having a mouthlike a sharp sword. Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:12, “For the
word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of
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soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Therefore, the Heavenly Father, in preparing His Beloved Son
for the ministry that He had ordained for Him, taught Him
the knowledge of His Word. Thus, He was as David, who
said, “The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word
was in my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). So we see that at the age
of 12 in the temple, the Lord was able to confound the doctors
of the law with His questions and His answers (Lk. 2:46-47).
However, rather than sending Jesus forth to minister at this
stage, it was the Father’s will that He return to Nazareth and
be subject to His parents. Isaiah describes this period in the
formation of Jesus as “in the shadow of his hand hath he hid
me.” There He learnt obedience by the things that He suffered
(Heb. 5:8). During those 18 years of suffering, He became
that polished shaft. He increased in wisdom, in stature, and
in favour with God and man (Lk. 2:52).
Then Christ was placed in the quiver. An arrow that is ready
is so placed until the time that the archer wishes to fire it.
Thus, Jesus was ready to be sent into the ministry before the
time appointed by the Heavenly Father. John the Baptist had
not yet prepared the way for Him through the message of
repentance. He thus had to patiently wait until the Father bid
Him go to meet John at the River Jordan.
John’s ministry is also powerfully portrayed in Isaiah 40, again
hundreds of years before it came to pass, as the voice of one
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55 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make His paths straight.” Not only does the Lord God Almightydeclare the coming of Christ, but also He shows the ministry
of the one who will go before the King of Glory and introduce
Him to Israel. Can any other religion make such claims? Can
anyone deny that Jesus is the Son of God?
At the River Jordan, the Arrow was placed, as it were, into
the bow of God and shot toward the mark and destiny for His
life, in the full purpose and pre-determinate will of God—the
cross of Calvary.
The ministry of the Lord is described in this way: “The spirit
of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”
(Isa. 61:1). This passage was quoted verbatim by the Lord in
the synagogue of Nazareth, as recorded by Luke in his Gospel
(Lk. 4:16-22).
Isaiah 11:1-5 describes the anointings that covered Jesus:
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,
and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of
the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him
of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall
not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
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57 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
Because of His love for His people throughout all generations,
Jesus gave His back to the smiters.
May we ask which other religion can claim that their founder
paid such a price for our health and healing? Which other
religion can claim that their founder, because of the price He
paid by such physical pain that He bore, could then say that
His followers could lay hands upon the sick and they would
be healed? No, not one, no not one.
Can anyone claim that their founder gave an invitation
(Jn. 16:23), “If you ask anything in My name, My Father in
heaven will do it”? No, not one. He furthermore said, “I will
never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). What founder
could make this statement, signifying that He is omnipresent?
In a vision of the night, the Lord gave me understanding of
this truth. I saw Him standing above the earth, and when one
of His own prayed or called out to Him for help, it was no
angel that was sent, but Christ Himself. He came out of
Himself and stood at their side to meet their needs. He can do
this because He said as He left this earth, “All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mt. 28:18).
His Death—the Cross of Calvary
The death of our Saviour was by crucifixion, and this Hesuffered to provide a sacrifice for our sins. Death by
crucifixion was not only demeaning, but was also deemed a
cruel form of punishment. In fact, it could not be inflicted
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upon a Roman citizen. It was reserved for subject nations
of Rome, for the slave class of men, and generally only for crimes of sedition.
Christ became obedient to the will of His Father, even the
death of the cross. Which other leader did this for His
followers? That is why there is no other name under heaven
whereby a man may be saved (Acts 4:12).
Isaiah 53:7-8 states, “He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from
prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his
generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”
Jesus would bear in His body those four wounds in His
hands and feet, as well as the fifth inflicted by the spear of
the Roman soldier at the cross after His death. Those
wounds were prophesied some 400 years before His
crucifixion, by the prophet Zechariah when he recounts
the amazement of the defenders of Jerusalem at His Second
Coming. We read what they say in Zechariah 13:6, “And
one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine
hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was
wounded in the house of my friends.”
With what perfect accuracy this wonderful Heavenly Father
decrees the way that His Beloved Son must suffer to redeem
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59 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
us from our sins. In fact, we read in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall
see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure
of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah reveals to
us that, in a sense, it pleased the Heavenly Father to bruise
His Son Jesus for our sakes.
It was extremely painful for the Heavenly Father to so
afflict His Son, for which father would wish to see his
son enduring pain because the father had so decreed? Yet
it was necessary for our salvation. The Father so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son to be
crucified for our sins that whosoever believeth in Christ
shall not perish but have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16).
Then too the Son, filled with the love of His Father,
rejoiced to do the will of the Father in submitting to the
death of the cross. Even as it is declared of Him by King
David in about 1000 B.C. in Psalm 40:7-8, “Then said I,
Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within
my heart.”
Quoting from Hebrews 10:5, it says of Jesus, “Wherefore
when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and
offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” Through the offering of the body of Christ, we have
redemption and forgiveness for our sins, thus saving
mankind from eternal death (Col. 1:13-14).
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Not only that, but Christ will prepare for us a place in heaven
where we will dwell with Him forever. What founder can say,“I go to prepare a place for you, for in My Father’s house are
many mansions?” He then follows this by declaring in
John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also.”
From Isaiah whose name means “salvation,” we now turn
to the gleanings from the sayings of Jesus, the Saviour of
the World.
Gleanings from the Sayings of Jesus
In His teachings to that noble soul Nicodemus, a teacher of
religion, Jesus also showed that there is a spiritual requirement
for entering heaven, when He replied to the questions of
Nicodemus. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3). Then to re-emphasise this
truth, He repeats Himself, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5). The interpretation
is that “of water” is the natural birth, but “of the Spirit” is to
be born again by receiving Jesus into our hearts by faith.
But all of Christ’s teachings must be examined. We find thata life of righteousness must follow this blessed experience.
He said in Matthew 5:20, “For I say unto you, That except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the
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61 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the
kingdom of heaven.” Which leader can give the instructionto His followers that they must thereafter live a righteous
life? And then give the power to live victoriously over sin
through the blessed experience of “Christ in you the hope of
glory” (Col. 1:27)?
In Christ’s lifetime, not all could believe that He was the Son
of God. His response to this was simple: “But if I do, though
ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and
believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (Jn. 10:38). In
other words Jesus was saying that the very miracles that He
was doing proved that He was indeed the Son of God, for He
was doing them in the name of His Father.
Let us look at the seven miracles or signs that are recorded by
His beloved disciple, the Apostle John, in his Gospel.
1. Christ turns water into wine (Jn. 2:1-11). In this epic
miracle, Jesus proves that He is the One who alone can
transform the elements into whatsoever He will. Even in our
day, we know of such happenings through His disciples doing
likewise. No other founder has given such proof of his deity.
2. The healing of the nobleman’s son (Jn. 4:46-54). Jesus
just spoke the word and even though that son was in another
town, he was healed. It confirmed the prophetic wordconcerning the ministry of Jesus, for it is written, “He sent
his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their
destructions” (Ps. 107:20).
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3. The healing of the paralytic man (Jn. 5:1-9). This man had
been paralysed for 38 years. The healing of this man caused adeep resentment amongst the Jews, who were offended that he
had been healed on the Sabbath day. Jesus entered into a discourse
with them in which He made this solemn statement, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24).
4. The feeding of the five thousand (Jn. 6:1-14). Not only did
the Lord bring healing wonders wherever He went, but He also
met the needs of the hungry. Has any other founder so fed His
followers with but five barley loaves and two small fishes after
having given thanks to the Heavenly Father?
5. Christ walks upon the water (Jn. 6:15-21). Again showing
that He had the power over the elements, Jesus walked on the
water after perceiving that His disciples were experiencing
problems when rowing in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. They
received Him willingly into the boat, which immediately arrived
at shore—two miracles, may we say, in one. The latter miracle
was repeated in the days of the Acts of the Apostles when Philip
was transported by the Spirit from one place to another in an
instant (Acts 8:39).
The point which we wish to make is that the wonders of the
Master are reproduced in the lives of His disciples. Thisconfirmed His prophetic utterance when He said in John 14:12,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
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shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Has any other
founder made such a profound promise? Do we have readilyidentifiable proofs of their fulfilment as we do of the wonders
of Jesus?
6. Christ heals the man born blind (Jn. 9:1-41). So great was
this miracle that the testimony of the man who had his eyes
opened said, “Since the world began was it not heard that any
man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man
were not of God, he could do nothing” (Jn. 9:32-33). The
Pharisees, however, cast him out of the synagogue; knowing
this, Jesus went and found him. The following dialogue ensued:
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had
found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of
God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might
believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen
him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I
believe. And he worshipped him” (Jn. 9:35-38).
Surely such testimony is irrefutable, for Jesus alone performed
such miracles. He also healed Blind Bartimaeus, who was
sitting by the wayside begging. Knowing that it was Jesus
who was passing by, he cried out, “Thou Son of David have
mercy upon me.” Jesus commanded him to be called, and as
we read in Mark 10:51-52, “And Jesus answered and said
unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The
blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made
thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and
followed Jesus in the way.”
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This in effect was the message of Jesus, who declared that
He was the Light of the World, substantiating it through thismiracle of the man born blind, and reconfirming it by the
healing of the wayside beggar. Surely all who have invited
the Light of the World into their heart can say with the
man born blind, “One thing I know that, whereas I was
blind, now I see” (Jn. 9:25). Who else can open natural eyes
and also the eyes of our understanding to acknowledge Jesus
to be that Light of the World?
7. Christ raises Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:1-44). Here is
a miracle that shook the very foundations of religious leaders’
opposition to Jesus. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha,
was sick. Jesus, upon learning of this, chose to remain at
Jericho so that Lazarus might die. Upon this realisation, He
came with His disciples to Bethany, a village on the Mount
of Olives.
Martha ran to Him and said, “If you had been here, my brother
would not have died.” To this Jesus responded, “Thy brother
shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall
rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto
her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou
this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art
the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world”(Jn. 11:23-27). However, Jesus, declaring that He was the
Resurrection and the Life, was foretelling His own
resurrection, of which we shall speak later.
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Coming then to the place where Lazarus was buried, Jesus
wept. The Jews said, “How He loved him!” Then theycontinued by saying, “And some of them said, Could not
this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused
that even this man should not have died?” (Jn. 11:37).
The account continues, “Then they took away the stone
from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted
up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast
heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
because of the people which stand by I said it, that they
may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus
had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come
forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and
foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about
with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let
him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and
had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him”
(Jn. 11:41-45).
Lazarus was not the only one that Jesus raised from the
dead, for He raised up also the son of the widow of Nain
(Lk. 7:11), where the people had great fear and declared
that God had visited His people through a great prophet.
May we ask who else has raised the dead other than Jesus
Christ? No one. Only because of His power that He gaveto His disciples, did the Apostle Peter raised Tabitha (or
Dorcas) from the dead, as we read in Acts 9:36-42. This
proves conclusively that Jesus is alive and that the
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vibrancy of His life and power flows through His
Church today. Now let us consider His own resurrectionfrom the dead, which is the fundamental tenet, belief, and
doctrine of the Christian Church.
The Resurrection of Our Lordand Saviour Jesus Christ
As we have already mentioned, the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy. For it is written that He will do nothing
except He reveal it to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).
Thus, the Old Testament prophets had an understanding of
the fact that Jesus would die and be raised again.
After speaking of His death, Isaiah then speaks of Jesus
prolonging His days and seeing the fruits of the travail of
His soul and being satisfied (Isa. 53:11). This would only
be possible if He were resurrected. This is exactly what
the following verse promises will happen, “Thy dead men
shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as
the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead”
(Isa. 26:19). The fulfilment of this prophecy is recorded in
Matthew 27:52-53: “And the graves were opened; and
many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came
out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the
holy city, and appeared unto many.”
How is it possible for a mortal man like Isaiah to declare an
event 800 years beforehand and then have it come to pass,
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67 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
unless the Almighty has declared it and brought it to pass
by His wisdom and power?
Long before, in about 1400 B.C., Moses had declared His
resurrection in the following words, “See now that I, even
I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make
alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can
deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven,
and say, I live for ever” (Deut. 32:39-40).
This prophecy will be fulfilled when the Lord stands upon
the Mount of Olives and is spoken to the defenders of
Zion. They respond (and we quote Isaiah 25:9), “And it
shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have
waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD;
we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in
his salvation.”
The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ was attested to
by many who saw Him after that great event:
The Five Appearances on Resurrection Day
• To Mary (Jn. 20:11-18)
• To the other women (Mt. 28:1-10)
• To the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
(Lk. 24:13-24)• To Peter (Lk. 24:34-35)
• To the ten apostles (Jn. 20:19-21)
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Five Appearances between the Day of
the Resurrection and Ascension Day
• Eight days later to the eleven including Thomas
(Jn. 20:26-31)
• To the seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (Jn. 21)
• On the mountain in Galilee (Mt. 28:16-20)
• To the 500 brethren (1 Cor. 15:6)
• To James the Lord’s brother (1 Cor. 15:7)
Then followed the ascension of Christ from the Mount of
Olives, which is recorded in Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:9-11.
We know that He appeared to the Apostle Paul on the road to
Damascus at his conversion. Many have seen the Lord at their
conversions throughout the Church Age, including the author.
He also appeared to people at different times during their ministry,
as was the case with the Apostle Paul (Acts 22:18), the Apostle
John on the Isle of Patmos (Rev. 1), and also to the author.
Beloved, Jesus is alive; can others say that of
their founders?
The Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Then, too, Christ is coming again. Other than the Christians,only the followers of the Antichrist and the False Prophet can
make the claim that their founder is coming again. But let us
consider the great difference. The Antichrist and the False
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69 Inspired Prophecies of Jesus the Christ
Prophet, we are told, come from below, from the bottomless
pit (Rev. 11:7).
Now let us consider the greatness of the resurrection of Christ.
The Apostle Paul prayed that the Ephesian Church might receive
the spirit of wisdom and revelation to appreciate this event, when
he writes, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the
riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought
in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his
own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the
head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness
of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:18-23).
Where was our Lord when He was resurrected? The Apostle
Peter states in 1 Peter 3:18-20, “For Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by
the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the
spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when
once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” Our Lord was in the centre of
the earth in Satan’s kingdom. His body was in the tomb, but
His spirit was in the earth where hell is located.
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70 Contending for the Faith
Therefore, He was raised by the power of God from the very depths
of hell itself. Yet He was not alone, for the Apostle Paul tells us,“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended,
what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up
far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)” (Eph. 4:8-10).
Thus, when resurrected, our Lord brought with Him all the Old
Testament saints from their repose in paradise, which was just
under the surface of the earth, as we understand from Samuel,
who was brought up by the witch of Endor (see 1 Sam. 28:15).
Therefore, the resurrection of Christ was a momentous occasion
worthy of our Almighty God and Heavenly Father. Who else has
been resurrected never again to experience death? Can we not
see that Christ alone is the only way? His empty tomb is forever
a monument to His Resurrection.
The purpose of the resurrection is to show that He was raised
for our justification, that all who believe in Him might have
eternal life. Christ has been accepted as a perfect sacrifice
for our sins.
Thus, in this glorious book, the Bible, the life, ministry, death,
and resurrection, of our Lord Jesus Christ are revealed. As we
study and thoughtfully consider these facts, we must realise that
His life was portrayed by those Old Testament prophets years before His birth. But all that they said faithfully came to pass.
Who else could have inspired such writings but God? Who else
is Jesus but the only begotten Son of God?
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CHAPTER
FOUR
Inspired Prophecies Concerning Israel
One of the absolute proofs that the Bible is the inspired Word
of God is given in the fact that concerning the history of Israel,
events which were foretold in great detail (years before their
time) have come to pass.
The Promise to Abraham
We start with the Father of the Faith, Abraham, of whom God
declared that, through him, all the nations in the earth would
be blessed. His call was declared in Genesis 12:1-3, “Now
the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,
and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a
land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and
thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all
families of the earth be blessed.”
Abraham obeyed the Lord and went into the Land of
Canaan. There he sojourned; the Lord appeared unto him
and said that He would give the land to the seed of
Abraham. Genesis 15:5-6,13-14 says, “And he brought him
forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said
unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the
LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness...And
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he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be
a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them;and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that
nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward
shall they come out with great substance.”
This prophetic utterance was fulfilled when the Israelites went
down into Egypt, and became a great nation, and were brought
up out of Egyptian bondage through the ministry of Moses.
How accurate is our God!
Then Abraham had two sons, as Paul recounts in Galatians 4:22.
The one, Ishmael, was by a bondmaid (Hagar), and the other,
Isaac, by a free woman (Sarah). Moreover, Abraham was told
that the covenant would be established with Isaac. Isaac was the
miracle son of Abraham and Sarah whom they had when both
were past the time of childbearing. This is one of the most
important prophecies of those times, because in this prophecy
the Bible refutes the declaration of Mohammed and his followers
that the covenant was through Ishmael.
Mohammed claimed direct descent from Ishmael through
Kedar, but this could be spurious, since nothing was recorded
of his life until some 150 years after Mohammed’s death.
Although Muslims consider Abraham a prophet, they now
declare the Pentateuch corrupted, for if they did not, it would
demolish their Islamic teaching.
Abraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a bride for Isaac. By
Rebecca, whom Eliezer brought back, Isaac had twins—Esau
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73 Inspired Prophecies Concerning Israel
and Jacob. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob; and so it was
through Jacob that the covenant was established. After wrestling with God, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, “a
prince with God.”
Israel had 12 sons who became the heads of the 12 tribes of
the children of Israel. One of these 12 sons was Joseph. Joseph
had the most peerless character of all. He received dreams
when he was only 17 years old. In effect, by these dreams he
understood that he would rule indeed, one day, over his
brethren, and that his father and mother would bow down
before him. He was persecuted by his brethren and sold into
Egyptian captivity.
Captivity in Egypt
Although in Egyptian captivity, Joseph became steward in
the household of Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Falsely
accused by the wife of Potiphar, he was cast into prison where
he again rose to prominence. In prison, the word of the Lord
tried him until he was brought before Pharaoh to interpret his
dreams. As a result of his successful interpretation, Pharaoh
made Joseph the second ruler of the land after himself.
According to the interpretation of the dreams of Pharaoh,
there came the seven years of prosperity with bountiful
harvests, where Joseph amassed enough for the seven yearsof famine that would follow. He was thus able to preserve the
population in the time of famine in the land of Ham. So when
Joseph was 39 years of age, his brothers came bowing down
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before him; and he provided a place in the land of Egypt for
them to dwell. Thus, the dreams of Joseph (which he had been given at the tender age of 17) came to fruition.
We are told in the Psalms that it was God who called for this
famine. Its purpose was to bring Jacob and his family down
into Egypt to sojourn and multiply there.
Then there arose a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph, with
the result that he was afraid that the children of Israel would
outnumber the Egyptians. God turned the hearts of the
Egyptians to hate His people (Ps. 105:25), and they oppressed
them. This was to fulfil the prophecy that the Lord had given
to Abraham that his seed would be a stranger in a land that
was not theirs (Egypt), and that they would serve them for
400 years (Gen. 15:13).
Release from Egypt
When Israel cried unto Him, the Lord raised up a saviour in
the person of Moses. Using Moses and his brother Aaron,
God showed His signs and wonders in the land of Ham
(Egypt). This was to further God’s purposes so that He could
get Himself a glorious Name through the manifestations of
His power by the ten plagues.
Through these ten mighty plagues the Lord judged Egypt, asHe had declared to Abraham in Genesis 15:14. True to this
prophetic word to Abraham some 400 years before, the
Egyptians sent forth God’s people with their substance.
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At this mountain, the Lord gave Moses the moral and social
law recorded in the book of Leviticus. Among theseteachings was the commandment to love their neighbours
as themselves.
The Plains of Moab
After their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness, they came to
the plains of Moab where God gave the fifth book of Moses,
called Deuteronomy.
This journey is mentioned by the
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10
as being undertaken for our
instruction, upon whom the end of
the world has come. He also
mentions it frequently in his
epistle to the Hebrews. The
journey from Egypt (a type of this world) to Zion (a type of
spiritual Zion in heaven) is full of truths and illustrates the
journey of a Christian from earth to heaven.
(For further study, please see our book entitled The Journey
of Israel ).
Prophecies to the Twelve Tribes
Both Jacob (Gen. 49) and Moses (Deut. 33), before their
deaths, gave prophecies to the individual tribes. These we
will now consider.
The journey of
Israel illustrates
the journey of aChristian from
earth to heaven.
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A sombre story should be inserted before we continue with our
narrative. A certain pastor looked at his children one day withgrief. He saw, so clearly, traits in them that would cause trouble
later on. In agony of spirit, he went before the Lord to enquire
as to why the children had these traits. The Lord responded,
“Consider your spiritual condition at their conception.” Upon
reflection, the pastor realised to his sorrow that they were
manifesting evil tendencies that he had not dealt with in his
own life at the time of their conception. So he repented before
the Lord for the condition of his children. Therefore, seek the
Lord earnestly before conceiving a child, so that there is not
something in us that will bring forth sorrow in another.
Rachel’s envy was costly. Her son Dan is the apostate tribe, in
that he is not mentioned in the book of Revelation 7:5-8 among
the other eleven tribes. He is replaced by Manasseh, the eldest
son of Joseph (who had the double portion). There are two
other groups of 12 leaders in the history of the nation of Israel,
each of which has an apostate. There was an apostate judge
(Abimelech) and an apostate apostle of the Lamb (Judas).
Note how the passage on these tribes in Genesis chapter 49
finishes— “I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD”
(Gen. 49:18). Here it seems that Dan plagues the other
members of the Church. He is a vessel of wrath that God
endures with much longsuffering, and uses to afflict the
righteous until He has accomplished the work of refining.This is so that He might make known the riches of His glory
on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto
glory (Rom. 9:22-23).
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79 Inspired Prophecies Concerning Israel
A further note on Dan is that while we do not see him in
heaven, he does appear in the list of tribes in the millennial period of Christ’s reign upon earth (Ezek. 48). There is then
strong credence for the belief that Dan will go with the
Antichrist and later with Satan when he is released after 1,000
years to deceive the nations one last time (Rev. 20:1-10).
Naphtali, son of Bilhah (Rachel’s maid), meaning
“wrestling”— He was conceived in a spirit of strong wrestling
with Rachel’s sister Leah. What a miserable household Jacob
created for himself; yet God, in the greatness of His
magnanimity towards men, used even their frailties to bring
forth something beautiful in their lives. The prophecy that is
pronounced over Naphtali is that he is like a hind let loose
(full of energy) who gives goodly words. How sweet and lovely
is this one in spite of Rachel’s condition at his conception!
Then Moses in his prophecy declares, “O Naphtali, satisfied
with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess
thou the west and the south” (Deut. 33:23). This speaks of the
fact that they inherited land to the west of the Sea of Galilee,
going toward the south. It was to them that Isaiah 9:1-2 speaks,
when they are promised a great light, the Lord Jesus. He
performed nearly 70 percent of His miracles in their land and
the land of Zebulun, which adjoins them in the south.
Can we possibly doubt that the Bible is anything less thanthe inspired Word of God? Which other book has been able
to predict happenings here upon earth some 800 years before
the event? No other.
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Gad, son of Zilpah (maid of Leah), meaning “troop”— Of
him it is written that he shall execute the justice of the Lord.This was true in the days of Elijah, who was of the tribe of
Gad. He became one of the two Anointed Ones, along with
Moses, who stand before the Lord of the whole earth.
Asher, son of Zilpah, (maid of Leah), meaning “happy” —
He was to be blessed with children, to become acceptable to
his brethren. He received the glorious promise, “…As thy
days, so shall thy strength be.” Also, he would dip his foot in
oil (Deut. 33:25).
Issachar, son of Leah, meaning “to hire” —For the conception
of this son, Leah hired her husband from Rachel with the
mandrakes of her son Reuben (Gen. 30:15). Therefore, his name
means “to hire.” Of him it was said, “Issachar is a strong ass
couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was
good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder
to bear, and became a servant unto tribute” (Gen. 49:14-15).
Again, how the scenario at conception forms the character of
the child. Conceived as one who has been hired, when grown
Issachar elected to become a servant. O how we should learn
from such lessons! Their blessing, along with that of Zebulun,
was that they were to rejoice in their tents (theirs was the joy of
those who serve others, as we read in Deuteronomy 33:18).
Zebulun, son of Leah, meaning “dwelling place”— Of him
it was prophesied, “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the
sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border
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On the plains of Moab, Moses declared the future bondage of
Israel to the Babylonians. He said that when they entered theland they would forget the Lord and His commandments. God
would raise up another nation that would besiege them and
overthrow them, taking them into captivity (Deut. 28:47-53).
This prophecy was given circa 1400 B.C. and was fulfilled in
586 B.C. through the Babylonians, some 800 years later.
How can one say that the nation of Israel is like unto any
other nation? No other nation is governed by such prophetic
sayings. The Bible is filled with prophecy that governs the
history of the children of Israel from their inception as a nation
until the end of the 1000-year reign of Christ upon earth, as
we shall see later in our exposé of their history.
Conquering the Promised Land
Crossing over into the Promised Land, there was another
mighty miracle. The River Jordan, at flood time, rolled back
its waters and Israel crossed over dry shod, even as they had
done some 40 years before at the Red Sea.
The Lord then appeared to Joshua, the new leader who
replaced Moses after his death. He gave him the battle plan
to capture the first city Jericho. The Israelites were to walk
around six days in silence and then on the seventh day to
walk around seven times, at which time the congregation wereto give a mighty shout. This they did; and the Lord caused
the walls to fall down! The Israelites then rushed in and
captured the city and slew the inhabitants.
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83 Inspired Prophecies Concerning Israel
The Reign of David
It was not until the coming of David that Israel claimed all
of the land which God had promised to Abraham. This
remarkable man of God was in a very real sense a type of
the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
David was a prophet , and through his psalms, of which there
were over 70 in number, he gives encouragement to the saints
of all times, as well as prophesying the sufferings of Jesus,
particularly in Psalm 22. As a priest , he had the revelation
of the true sacrifice that God desires—a man who will
do all His will (Ps. 40:6-8). This was fulfilled by the Lord
Jesus Christ, but is also the goal of all believers. We, too,
should seek to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, wholly
acceptable to the Father. As king , David was a type of Jesus
the King of Kings who, when riding upon the colt into
Jerusalem, was hailed by the multitudes as their King on
Palm Sunday.
After this warrior king had subdued the enemies of Israel, he
brought the nation into the long promised rest of God and
prepared them for the ascent of his son Solomon to the throne.
The Reign of Solomon
Solomon built the temple, which pattern David had receivedfrom the Lord. Solomon ushered in a new dispensation of
God’s dealing with Israel—the Lord raised Israel up to teach
the nations the ways of God in all wisdom.
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Israel, a type of the Church, was used especially in this new era
under Solomon to be the nation that taught others the wisdomof God. All nations came to hear the wisdom that God had
given him. The notable Queen of Sheba said to the king, “It
was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and
of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came,
and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told
me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I
heard” (1 Ki. 10:6-7). In like manner, the Church is to do the
same today, as we read in Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that
now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.”
Solomon’s reign opened auspiciously with the glory of the
Lord filling the temple, but it started to degenerate due to
Solomon’s taking many wives. This was in direct disobedience
to the laws for kings promulgated in Deuteronomy 17:17.
These women turned the heart of Solomon away from God to
worshipping idols. The Lord then decreed that after his death
the kingdom would be divided, and so it was. The descendants
of David reigned over the Southern Kingdom of Judah, while
the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were from the
common people, as were their priests.
The Northern Kingdom
From the onset, the Northern Kingdom went into idolatry and
every imaginable sin. Although God rebuked them through
major non-writing prophets (Elijah and Elisha, for example),
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The Restoration Era
The next dispensation in the history of the nation of Israel
is called the Restoration Era. Essentially, it is the period
from the return of Israel to Jerusalem in three distinct
migrations back from Babylon to their own land. The first
of these migrations took place in 536 B.C., led by
Zerubbabel. Under his supervision, the temple was
completed in 516 B.C. Chronologically, the Book of Esther
follows, being set during the reign of Xerxes
(486-461 B.C.). Then Ezra led the second return during
the reign of the next king Artaxerxes in 458 B.C. Finally,
the third migration took place under Nehemiah in 445 B.C.,
who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. In our chapters on the
prophets, we will develop the fulfilment of other prophecies
during this time period, which lasted until the time of the
birth of Jesus in 5 B.C.
Successive Powers
The nation of Israel was governed successively by the
Babylonians, the Persians, and then the Greeks under
Alexander. Then followed two of the dynasties of
Alexander’s generals—Seleucid, who reigned from Syria,
and Ptolemy, who reigned from Egypt.
Israel in the Time of Jesus
Afterwards Rome became the dominant power and ruled
Israel through an Edomite king, Herod the Great, who was
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the king at the time of the birth of Jesus. This was followed
by the nation’s being divided and ruled by his sons: HerodAntipas, Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (4 B.C.–A.D. 39), to
whom Pilate sent Jesus (Lk. 23:7-12); and Herod Philip II,
Tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis (4 B.C.–A.D. 34). The
relevant Roman emperors were Octavius Augustus Caesar,
who was emperor at the time of His birth, and Tiberius,
who was Emperor at the time of His crucifixion. Pontus
Pilate was appointed governor of Judea and was such at the
time of the crucifixion of Jesus.
On His last walk from Jerusalem to Golgotha, Jesus
responded to the weeping women in this manner,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for
yourselves, and for your children” (Lk. 23:28). This He
said to confirm His words concerning the fall of Jerusalem
in A.D. 70, which He had prophesied in Luke 21:20-24,
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let
them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let
them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not
them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these
be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written
may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child,
and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall
be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall beled away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled.”
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The Re-Emergence of Israel
The nation of Israel has not been an entity since A.D. 70 when
it was made desolate by Titus. Only in A.D. 1948 did it leave
British mandate and become a sovereign nation again. This
was to fulfil the prophecy of Jeremiah 30:3, “For, lo, the days
come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of
my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause
them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it.” For what reason? It is to be there for Jacob’s
Trouble, or the Great Tribulation (Jer. 30:7).
The days leading up to this event are also clearly given to us
by the prophets, as we read in Joel 3:1-2, “For, behold, in
those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the
captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all
nations, and will bring them down into the valley of
Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people
and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among
the nations, and parted my land.”
So what we are seeing taking place in the beginning of this
21st century—the land of the nation of Israel being divided—
has actually been prophesied of by the prophet Joel some
2,700 years ago. How can such a precise account of modern
events have been foretold except by God Almighty, who can
declare political situations and bring it to pass in His timetableof events? There are other events that have been foretold by
the prophets concerning the days in which we are living, but
we look at these more closely when we come to later chapters.
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We will cover chapters on the messages of the prophets and
the Second Coming of the Lord.
The Future of Israel
The history of the nation of Israel in this dispensation of grace
in which we are now living will come to an end with the last
great siege of Jerusalem. Surrounded by the heathen nations,
Jerusalem will be broken into, but Zion will hold out. Then
the Lord Himself shall appear and His feet shall stand upon
the Mount of Olives, as it is written in Zechariah 14:2-4:
“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the
women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off
from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against
those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his
feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which
is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward
the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of
the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it
toward the south.”
Then shall the Lord Jesus reign in Jerusalem and for 1,000
years there shall be His reign of blissful peace upon earth,
with Israel being the most respected nation upon earth. After this shall come the new heavens and the new earth. Even the
Heavenly Jerusalem will have 12 gates upon which are written
the names of the 12 tribes of Israel (Rev. 20-21).
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Is there any other nation that has such promises from such a
God as Israel’s? No, not one. Can we not see that the onlytrue God is the God of Israel who only doeth wondrous things?
Let us fall down and worship Him. Is there another book like
unto the Bible? No, not one. So let it be our daily meditation.
Amen, and praise the Lord.
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CHAPTER
FIVE
The Teachings of Moses
The most revered figures in the mind and heart of the pious
Israelite are those of Abraham and Moses. Possibly, the learned
would include Ezra, who was termed the Second Moses. It
is, however, to the person of Moses that we will turn in order
to understand the foundation that this man, mighty in words
and deeds, accomplished during his earthly sojourn.
The Ten Commandments
Moses, called of God and chosen to be the saviour of his
nation, was faithful in all his house. With mighty signs and
wonders, he brought forth Israel out of Egyptian bondage.
However, he made a far more lasting impression upon the
nation in giving to them the Law. This was based upon the
Ten Commandments that Moses received while he was on
Mount Sinai with God for 40 days and nights. These Ten
Commandments, written by the finger of God upon two tables
of stone, have been the foundation of all Western law. What
are they?
We read in Exodus 20:3-17, “Thou shalt have no other gods
before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve
them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting
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the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my
commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD
thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless
that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to
keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six
days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the
LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour
thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon
the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt
not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not
steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou
shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant,
nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing
that is thy neighbour’s.” A similar list is given in
Deuteronomy 5:7-21. As we mentioned earlier, Deuteronomy
means the second reading of the Law.
It is worthy of note that all civilisation is founded on these
commandments. The Atheistic French revolution sought tochange the day of rest from the seventh until the tenth day.
They, however, had to return to the original seven days since
neither man nor beast could support a ten-day cycle.
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The Significance of the Feasts
Moses was called the lawgiver, and as such He laid the
foundation for the civil jurisdiction in the nation of Israel.
However, he not only did that, but gave the spiritual and
ceremonial law as well, as recorded in the Book of
Leviticus (called the “handbook” of the priests). The Book
of Leviticus details the ceremonies that were to be
performed during the year; these included the weekly
Sabbaths and the feasts of the Lord. These feasts also show
us the seven experiences in the life of a Christian. They
are as follows:
1. The Feast of Passover , symbolising salvation,
for Jesus Christ is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7).
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread , speaking of
feeding upon the Bread of Life (Christ—the
Word of God). After conversion, we must read
the Word of God every day.
3. The Sheaf of the First Fruits, typifying Christ’s
resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23). It represents water
baptism (being buried with Christ, and then
rising in newness of life to walk with Him).
4. The Feast of Pentecost , which is the feast that
governs the baptism of the Holy Spirit with
its initial sign of speaking in other tongues
(Acts 2:1-4).5. The Blowing of Trumpets (Lev. 23:24), which
signifies that the Lord is going to do a new thing
(cf. Num. 10:1-10). It is a fresh seeking of God.
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Here in the very presence of God Himself, Moses spoke face
to face with God, as a friend speaketh to His friend.
Has any leader, through direct contact with God, been able to
give such explicit directions to his nation concerning the laws
and spiritual guidance, as did Moses? Has any leader had
such an intimate relationship with his God, as did Moses?
Has any religion so influenced mankind and been an example
to humanity as that of Israel’s as enunciated in the Bible? Has
any leader manifested the visible glory of God, as did Moses,
such that he had to cover his face when addressing the people?
No, not one. Surely, we need no other proof than that the God
of Israel is the only true God, the Lord Creator of the universe.
Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mt. 5:17).
Every jot and tittle of the Ten Commandments, and the spiritual
significance of the ceremonial law was fulfilled by Jesus. The
Tabernacle of Moses, which was a pattern of the Heavenly
Temple, was purged by the blood of animals. However, we are
told in Hebrews 9:23-24 that the Heavenlies are purged by the
blood of Christ Himself.
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CHAPTER
SIX
The Teachings of the Prophets
Our theme throughout this book is to prove the infallibility
of the Bible as the Word of God, to show that no human
mind could have written or composed it over the centuries
that it covers. Also, we have said that the testimony of the
Lord Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy; therefore, the Bible is
proved infallible by reason of the declarations that we find
therein concerning future events that have already come to
pass. With confidence we can anticipate that those things,
which have not yet had their fulfilment (because of their
timing), will indeed be brought to their fulfilment.
The Old Testament of the Bible is divided into the
following sections:
• The Pentateuch, which comprises the five books of Moses
(the author).
• The Historical Books, written by diverse authors.
• The Psalms, written principally by King David.
• The poetical books of Solomon.
• The Prophets, which are 16 in all, comprise the Major
Prophets (Isaiah; Jeremiah along with his Lamentations;
Ezekiel; and Daniel), and then the 12 Minor Prophets.
We have already resourced material from all these sections, but we do want to look carefully again at the teachings of the
prophets. Essentially we could say that their message revolved
around the fact that Israel did not keep the Law of Moses
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(which was supposed to be their wisdom). The prophets
therefore were continually calling the nation back from their sinful ways into the paths of righteousness, which consisted
of keeping those laws.
However, flowing throughout their calls to repentance were
promises that the Lord was making to the nation concerning
their future. We therefore will seek to look at these prophetical
books one by one and glean some of these promises to sustain
the theme of the infallibility of God’s Word.
The Book of Isaiah
We have already quoted extensively from this book to show
that the prophet prophesied the coming of the Lord Jesus and
the future of the nation of Israel. However, there are one or
two prophecies that we can mention which we have not quoted
before. One concerns Cyrus, of whom Isaiah speaks some
150 years before his birth. It says of him that a king will rule
in righteousness. It was the consensus of historians that Cyrus
was the ideal and model leader.
Cyrus was particularly noted for his magnanimity, and as
Isaiah 45:13 states, he will let the prisoners of Israel go, neither
for price nor reward. Just as God had declared, this was exactly
what he did. After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, Cyrus in
the first year of his reign made the decree that the templeshould be rebuilt in 536 B.C. (Ezra 1:1-4). Thus before the
temple was even destroyed, the Lord declared that it would
be rebuilt.
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The Book of Jeremiah
The weeping prophet is profuse in his warnings of the fall of
Jerusalem to the Babylonians. These all came to pass. But in
one exceptional prophecy on this subject, he declared that
the captivity would be of 70 years duration (Jer. 25:11). The
beginning of the 70 years was from the time of the first of the
three captivities in the year 606 B.C. This prophecy was read
by Daniel in the first year of Darius, king of the Medes in the
year 539 B.C., after he took Babylon (Dan. 9:1-2). It was
only three years later that Cyrus ascended to the throne in
536 B.C. and issued his decree permitting the Jews to return
to their homeland and rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1:1-3). Have
there ever been any prophetic writings that have declared such
happenings with such detailed precision?
The Book of Ezekiel
This book portrays visions of the heavenlies and the throne of
the Almighty surrounded by four living Creatures (Ezek. 1).
Has any other religion been able to provide such detail of the
throne of God? No, not one.
The Book of Daniel
This provides accurate historical data of the events in the
court of King Nebuchadnezzar during the period when hisson Evil Merodach replaced him upon the throne for seven
years. The king had been transformed into a beast but returned
to the throne when his mind became normal again. He then
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101The Teachings of the Prophets
imprisoned his son for mismanagement of his affairs. It was
during this imprisonment that Evil Merodach became friendswith Jehoiachin, captive king of Judah, and lifted up his head
when he again became king upon the death of his father
Nebuchadnezzar (2 Ki. 25:27-30).
This book also contains an accurate record of the events in
the court of the last night before the fall of Babylon to Cyrus.
The hand of God wrote upon the wall of the banqueting hall,
“MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN.” By the interpretation
of Daniel, it was a message to the king that he had been
weighed in the balance and found wanting. That night King
Belshazzar was slain by the forces of the Medes and Persians
which captured the city (Dan. 5).
Other remarkable prophecies of Daniel have already been
mentioned in that he declared the world’s kingdoms in order
from Babylon, Persia, Greece until Rome and then on to the
Last Days (Dan. 2). At this time ten kings must arise in the
confines of the Old Roman Empire, followed by the
appearance of the Antichrist from hell. After the reign of the
Antichrist for some three-and-a-half years, the Lord will come
in the clouds and bring in His reign of peace for 1,000 years.
The Book of Hosea
This tender compassionate prophet was ordered by God tomarry an unfaithful wife who later went after other men to
her ultimate degradation. The prophet was then told to buy
her back. This was a sign that Israel had been unfaithful to
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God but that He would restore them unto Himself when
He returns to earth. He also promises that He will raise upDavid to be their prince (Hos. 3).
Hosea also warned of the coming destruction (in his days)
of the northern ten tribes because of their wickedness. This
happened in 722 B.C. with the fall of Samaria, their capital
city. Has any other prophet of another religion been such a
sign of things to come? No, not one. In the last chapter of
his book, Hosea calls upon Israel to repent and show the
way whereby a backslider may return to God—by calling
upon Him to be merciful and take away all iniquity from
his life (Hos. 14:1-4).
The Book of Joel
This prophet speaks with great clarity concerning the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which was fulfilled upon the
Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. Joel is quoted by the Apostle
Peter (Acts 2:14-21) as prophesying about the baptism of
the Holy Spirit and the subsequent actions of the disciples.
Joel also warned of the parting of the land of Israel that we
are seeing taking place in our times. Joel 3:1-2 says, “For,
behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring
again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also
gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valleyof Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my
people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered
among the nations, and parted my land.”
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103The Teachings of the Prophets
Nevertheless, the Lord gives hope and assurance to comfort
His people by stating that He will defend them and destroytheir enemies. In verse 16, He says to His people, “The
LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from
Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake:
but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the
strength of the children of Israel.”
Can any other religion give such solace to their followers
and declare with such certitude that which is to come
amongst the troublesome nations of the Middle East?
The Book of Amos
Amos was an uneducated man who brought forth such
truth in warnings to his people concerning coming
judgments, and yet also such hope for the ultimate future
of Israel. One prophecy for which he is well remembered
is that God would raise up again the Tabernacle of David,
“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that
is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will
raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of
old” (Amos 9:11).
This prophecy was quoted in Acts 15 by the Apostle James
to justify the inclusion of the Gentiles into the Church.
Two other well-known verses are: “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3) and “God will do
nothing but that He reveals it to His servants the prophets”
(Amos 3:7).
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The Book of Obadiah
Dealing primarily with the judgments upon Edom, this book
is of special interest for us today since Edom forms part of
the Kingdom of Jordan. In the end when the Lord returns
Israel will judge Esau (or Edom) (Obad. 1:21). This is to
avenge the terrible anger and violence that Edom has had
against Israel.
The Book of Jonah
This is best known for Jonah’s experience of being in the
belly of the large fish for three days and three nights. This
was quoted by the Lord to justify the fact that He was in
the nether parts of the earth for three days and three nights
(Mt. 12:40). His ministry was to warn Nineveh of
oncoming judgment if they did not repent. On this
occasion, they repented but returned to their wicked ways.
And so later, Nahum pronounced the finality of God’s
judgement upon them.
The Book of Micah
The prophet Micah is best known for his prophecy that Jesus
would be born in Bethlehem Ephratah. Micah 5:2 says, “But
thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forthunto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting.” This was
understood by the scribes and Pharisees when they so
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105The Teachings of the Prophets
responded to the question of Herod the Great as to where
the King of the Jews would be born (Mt. 2:5-6).
The Book of Nahum
Here, the prophet is declaring the destruction of Nineveh,
capital of the Assyrian Empire. He is also pleading with
backslidden Israel to keep the seven feasts of the Lord. We
must never forget that, in the midst of judgment, God’s
people must still live a life of holiness.
The Book of Habakkuk
Habakkuk speaks of coming judgments upon Judah from the
Babylonians. This nation was raised up by God to take the
Jews into captivity in Babylon where God would purify them.
The Book of Zephaniah
Zephaniah was a descendant of King Hezekiah, and the only
prophet from the royal line of David. Together with Jeremiah
and King Josiah, he spearheaded the greatest revival that the
nation of Israel had ever experienced.
The Book of Haggai
Prophesying during the Restoration Period, Haggaiencouraged the people to resume the rebuilding of the
Temple that they had commenced some 16 years previously.
He also promised that the Last Day Church would be more
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glorious than the New Testament Church was on the Day of
Pentecost (Hag. 2:9).
The Book of Zechariah
Being a man of vision, Zechariah spoke of the last siege of
Jerusalem before the Second Coming of Christ. The Lord will
stand on the Mount of Olives to fight for His beleaguered
people in Jerusalem.
The Book of Malachi
The last of the Old Testament prophets, Malachi prophesied
of the First Coming of Christ. Also, he spoke of the coming
of Moses and Elijah before the great and terrible Day of the
Lord at His Second Coming.
Conclusion
Thus, these prophets all prophesied of the things that would
come, some of which have already been fulfilled and others
that are surely to come to pass. Again we must ask this question:
“Has any other religion produced such manifest proof of its
divine origins as the Bible with all this prophetic flow
throughout the ages?” Should we dare turn to another for our
help in time of need? The prophet Joel promised that whosoever
will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel. 2:32). No other name than the name of Jesus can save us. Leave Him
not. Do not let this so great salvation slip away from you like
water from a leaky vessel. Be warned, dear ones.
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CHAPTER
SEVEN
The Teachings of J esus
In all religions, the founders leave instructions and teachings
for their disciples to follow. Our Lord’s teachings are
encapsulated in the Four Gospels of that part of the Bible called
the New Testament. Jesus commanded tremendous respect for
His teachings, for He was called Rabbi (a term of reverence
and respect), in spite of His relatively young age. Moreover,
those who heard Him bore witness to His teachings. We quote
Matthew 7:28-29, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended
these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For
he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
A Higher Standard
The greatest of all His teachings are contained in the portion
that is termed “The Sermon on the Mount.” Although parts of
it appear elsewhere in the Gospels, its quintessence is found in
Matthew chapters 5-7. It commences with that which is termed
“The Beatitudes.” These are nine in number and are the very
foundation of New Testament doctrine. They may be compared
to the Ten Commandments, to which Jesus bore witness by
saying, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mt. 5:17).
The theme of these teachings is that they are superior
to even those of Moses, who had received the Ten
Commandments from the hand of God Himself. Jesus
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would repeatedly say, “For I say unto you...” Then He
would follow with a comparison between some of thoseearlier commandments and His own.
For example, let us take the third commandment: “Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.” Jesus says,
“But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven;
for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his
footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the
great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because
thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your
communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than these cometh of evil” (Mt. 5:34-37).
The sixth commandment is: “Thou shalt not kill.” Then
Jesus says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca,
shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall
say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Mt. 5:22).
Then we have the seventh commandment: “Thou shalt not
commit adultery.” The teaching of Jesus is: “But I say unto
you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”
(Mt. 5:28).
Then Jesus continues by quoting diverse commandments
and, as always, giving a higher standard. We quote one of
these from Matthew 5:43-45, “Ye have heard that it hath
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been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine
enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless themthat curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That
ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Maturity
His teachings encompassed all aspects of life here upon earth.
They could be summed up in His own words: “Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect”
(Mt. 5:48). The Greek word for perfect, “teleios,” has the
sense of completeness, maturity, and full age. In other words,
this is how a mature Christian should live, by fulfilling the
law of love. An understanding of this is to consider a Golden
Delicious Apple. It is perfect at every stage of its development
yet not fit for the Master’s Table until it is mature.
Giving
In the matter of giving He expects us to: “Take heed that ye
do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise
ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven...But
when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy
right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee
openly” (Mt. 6:1,3,4). It is obviously a far higher standard
to give secretly than openly.
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Prayer
Then Jesus tells us how to pray by giving us this wonderful
prayer that has become known as the “Pater Noster,” “After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will
be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever. Amen” (Mt. 6:9-13).
Forgiveness
He gives this warning on forgiveness, “For if ye forgive
men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6:14-15). How
this teaching exudes the perfection of the character of our
God! We are told that He is merciful, gracious, longsuffering,
abundant in goodness and truth (Ex. 34:6).
Faith
Then our Lord turns to the wonders and marvels of creation,
which we see around us. He uses this to increase our faith
and trust in the Heavenly Father to care for our needs. Wequote Matthew 6:25-34, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no
thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the
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life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the
fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they? Therefore take no thought,
saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things
do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that
ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Has any founder
of a religion ever given such teachings and promises to His
followers? No, not one.
Eternal Judgment and True Righteousness
Now follows ominous warnings concerning eternal judgment.
Incidentally, Jesus spoke more on the horrors of hell than the
pleasures of heaven. It was this earnest passion for souls that
animated His teaching and preaching. He demonstrates this in
His most famous sermon by saying, “Enter ye in at the strait
gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it” (Mt. 7:13-14).
He follows this with a warning to those who have experienced
salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
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of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, havewe not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mt. 7:21-23).
The Lord warned against hypocritical religious people. He
has afore said, “For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven” (Mt. 5:20). This warning is for us, beloved.
He also taught that, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil
fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire” (Mt. 7:16-19).
How different the attitude of the compassionate Christ is from
the attitudes of those of other religions, who will often murder
those who do not submit to their views. Truly, as Jesus said,
the false prophets are known by their fruits (Mt. 7:20).
We, as Christians, are to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit of God in our lives, which is: “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).
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113The Teachings of Jesus
Upon this subject of fruitfulness in the Christian life He
stated, “I am the true vine, and my Father is thehusbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye
can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as
a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burned...Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples” (Jn. 15:1-6,8).
The Snare of Riches
Jesus taught concerning uncertain riches and the end of those
who accumulated this world’s goods by saying, “Then said
Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich
man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again
I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God” (Mt. 19:23-24).
The Lord told the following story of a rich man who enjoyed
all the comforts of this life and a beggar named Lazarus, whosat at his gates begging. They both died, and the beggar went
to heaven, while the rich man lay tormented in the flames of
hell. Which other founder speaks with such clarity of vision
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concerning the afterlife, warning and demanding a life of true
righteousness from His followers?
On Sexual Purity
While some religions profess to offer their followers an
eternity of sensuality (as well polygamy, here below), the Lord
Jesus taught that the redeemed will, upon resurrection, be
like the angels who do not marry nor are given in marriage.
He also taught on sexual purity here in this life.
His Character
The life of a founder is very revelatory, for by it we may learn
His ways and also examine them to determine the veracity of
His teachings. Here are some of the testimonies to Jesus’ life
by those who lived in His time. Nicodemus, that noble ruler
of the Jews, said this: “The same came to Jesus by night, and
said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come
from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with Him” (Jn. 3:2).
Those sent by the Pharisees to apprehend Him, when asked
why they had not brought Him, replied, “Never man spake
like this man” (Jn. 7:46).
His Righteousness
At Christ’s death on the cross, the centurion gave this testimony,
“Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified
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God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man” (Lk. 23:47).
Moreover, we are told that “when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those
things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this
was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54).
His Mercy
The character of Jesus shows forth in a very important
discourse between Himself and the Pharisees, which we read
of in Matthew 9:10-13, “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at
meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came
and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the
Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth
your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus
heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what
that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am
not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Christ’s intent is to show forth the mercifulness of God , His
Heavenly Father. He intends for His followers (or disciples) to
do the same. Perhaps we could say that it is highlighted in the
following rebuke that He gave lovingly to His disciples on the
road to Jerusalem from Galilee, “And it came to pass, when
the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly
set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers beforehis face: and they went, and entered into a village of the
Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive
him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
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And when his disciples James and
John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come
down from heaven, and consume them,
even as Elias did? But he turned, and
rebuked them, and said, Ye know not
what manner of spirit ye are of. For
the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to
save them. And they went to another village” (Lk. 9:51-56).
His Meekness
The very nature of Jesus is revealed by His introduction to
Israel, given by John the Baptist, His forerunner, “Behold the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world!” Thus,
Isaiah confirms this when describing Jesus. The prophet
declares when describing His death, “He was oppressed, and
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isa. 53:7). We see
this fulfilled when He was before the Roman Governor, “And
[he] went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus,
Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer” (Jn. 19:9).
Furthermore, Jesus (being the only begotten Son of God) could
say of Himself, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and
ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30).
Christ’s intent
is to show
forth the
mercifulness
of God.
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tabernacle of the congregation. Jesus manifested a far more
excellent glory upon the Mount of Transfiguration in the presence of Moses and Elijah as well as the chosen three of
His disciples—Peter, John, and James. Above all, He was
in the presence of His Heavenly Father, who gave this
testimony, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I Am well
pleased; hear ye Him” (see Mt. 17:1-9).
The relationship between Moses and Jesus is described as
follows, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a
man speaketh unto his friend” (Ex. 33:11). Numbers 12:8
says that Moses beheld the similitude of the Lord.
Another Old Testament saint who had intimate knowledge of
Jesus (he was called the friend of God) was faithful Abraham.
Of Abraham, Jesus said that he rejoiced to see Christ’s day.
This means that Abraham had had the privilege of seeing in
vision form the life and ministry of the Lord and Saviour of
mankind, Jesus Christ. Can any other religion so speak of
such momentous and wondrous things? No, not one.
David the warrior king could say, “I have set the LORD always
before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved”
(Ps. 16:8). How many can echo those words with respect to
their gods? Furthermore, David could say that the Lord was
with him whithersoever he went. Only the omnipresent God
could do according to the declarations of King David.
Later in life when his army days were over, David had further
experiences with God concerning the pattern of the temple
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which would be entrusted to his son Solomon to build. David’s
testimony is found in 1 Chronicles 28:19, “All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand
upon me, even all the works of this pattern.” Can any other
god so intimately direct his people?
Then the prophet Isaiah had a remarkable revelation of God.
He testified thusly, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw
also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and
his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each
one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with
twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one
cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD
of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:1-3).
These saints all saw Jesus before His incarnation as the Son
of Man. Which religion has ever had visions of their founder
before His birth, even some 1,000 years ago? Christ has
been seen before His birth, during His earthly ministry, and
after His resurrection by four of His Old Testament prophets.
Of which person can this be said, besides the only begotten
Son of God?
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CHAPTER
EIGHT
The Teachings of the Apostle Paul
All great teachers reproduce themselves in their pupils
(who propagate, expound, and explain the teachings of
their masters). This, of course, was true with Jesus,
whose apostles recorded His teachings and then
expounded the doctrines of the New Covenant. None
did so more than Paul, who had special revelation given
to him in the Arabian Desert after his miraculous
conversion (Gal. 1:17).
Paul contended earnestly for the Faith, and through his
spiritual sons having been well trained by him, that zeal
for the truth was passed on to many generations. The
Apostle Paul’s two greatest teachings are encapsulated
in his epistles to the Romans and Hebrews respectively.
They expound, in great detail, the doctrines of the Church.
The Epistle to the Romans
The epistle to the Romans is called “The Masterpiece of
the New Testament.” In it Paul outlines the steps in the
Christian experience and life.
Righteousness by Faith
Firstly, he explains the purpose of the ministry—to bring
people to the obedience of the faith. He points out that
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the theme of the Gospel message is “the just shall live by
the faith of the Son of God” (Rom. 1:17).
He then explains that the wrath of God is revealed against all
because there is none righteous, “for all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). God’s provision
for our need is the sacrifice of Christ, through which we are
counted righteous if we believe that He was delivered for our
offences and raised again for our justification.
He expounds on this truth in Romans 3:21-25 by saying,
“But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is
no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past, through the forbearance of God.”
The fruit of being justified by faith is the certainty of being
saved from the wrath of God. This brings peace, hope, love,
and joy (Rom. 5:1-5).
Holiness and the Crucified Life
One then progresses to the life of holiness, which comes
through knowing that our old man was crucified with
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123The Teachings of the Apostle Paul
Christ. This enables us to reckon that we are dead to sin.
Thereby, we have power not to yield to sin but to yield torighteousness. We are then able to walk in the Spirit and
thus fulfil the law of righteousness (Rom. 6:1-14).
The Church Inherits the Blessings of Israel
Paul turns then to the fact that the nation of Israel, through
their rejection of Christ as their Messiah, forfeited their
privileges. These are given to the Church, the people “which
are not a people,” spoken of by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:21.
All these happenings—the rejection of Israel through her sins
and the raising up of the Church—were declared some 1,400
years before they took place on the Feast of Pentecost in
Acts 2:1-4 and in Acts 10, when the Gentiles were also made
part of the Church through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
upon those gathered in the house of Cornelius.
Paul specifically mentions the blessings of being the adopted
sons of God—the glory, the covenants, the giving of the
law, and the service of God—blessings which belonged to
the nation of Israel but which the Church now enjoys. In the
end when Christ returns, the nation of Israel will be received
back into the household of God.
The Practical Walk
Paul concludes this epistle by explaining the practical walk
of the Christian in the world, which is a life of humility,
love, and compassion for the needy.
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The Epistle to the Hebrews
The Superiority of Christ’s Blood
The Apostle Paul devotes this epistle to showing the superiority
of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant given at Mount
Sinai. He cites the fact that the New Covenant is founded upon
the sacrifice of Christ, whereas the Old Covenant is founded
upon the sacrifice of animals (Heb. 9:11-14).
The Superiority of Christ over Moses
He also proves the greatness of Christ as compared to Moses
(the author of the Old Covenant), whom Christ formed
because He was the Co-Creator of the human race (Heb. 3).
The Superiority of Christ over Angels
The nation of Israel was keenly aware of the ministry of angels,
who have been used numerous times in their history. The
children of Israel were led by an angel throughout their
wilderness journey from Egypt to the River Jordan. When
they were in the Promised Land, angels appeared to Samson’s
mother to announce that she would have a son. Of course,
there were also those dramatic appearances of Gabriel to
Daniel, giving him an understanding of the times that would
befall Israel even unto the Last Days.
Paul addresses the fact that Christ is so much greater then the
angels, for they are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister
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125The Teachings of the Apostle Paul
to the heirs of salvation, whereas Christ is the Son of God.
When He entered the world, the Father commanded that allthe angels should worship Him. Unto none of the angels, at
anytime, did the Father say, “Sit on my right hand until I
make thine enemies thy footstool” (Heb. 1:4-14).
The Superiority of Christ over the Prophets
In this very beautiful and endearing epistle, the Apostle declares
that Christ is also so much greater than the prophets. They
declared His message, but He was the Message (Heb. 1:1-2).
The Melchizedek Priest and the New Covenant
Another wonderful truth that flows through this epistle is
that Christ is the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek,
which is a royal priesthood (Heb. 7). This is the New
Testament priesthood, which is eternal and is also composed
of born-again believers. We, as such, may go within the veil
that separates the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, into
the very presence of God Himself (Heb. 10:19-23). For when
the Lord was crucified, the veil of the Temple was torn from
top to bottom (Mk. 15:38). The Holy Spirit thus indicating
that by the sacrifice of Christ and His most precious blood,
which was shed for us, the way into the Holy of Holies is
now open.
In the Holy of Holies, there is the Ark of the Covenant
(made of wood covered with gold inside and outside). It
speaks of Christ, the Son of Man (wood) and Son of God
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(gold). Within the Ark are the two tables of the Law, which
signify Christ’s fulfilling the Ten Commandments.
For us, it is to have those commandments written upon
the fleshly tables of our hearts; therefore, to delight to do
the will of God. All this was prophesied by the prophet in
Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the
LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write
it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be
my people.”
Again, we see how all things that the Heavenly Father
has ordained, He has declared, as He said He would,
through His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). Is there
another book that can declare such mysteries as the Holy
Bible? Do not these facts encourage us to believe that
Christianity and Christianity alone is the only true and
living way to heaven above?
How can anyone know, as with the case of Jeremiah, that
a new covenant would be ordained by God and brought
into being by the Sacrifice some 600 years later? (This
Sacrifice would open the way into the
Holy of Holies and enable Him to write
His laws upon the fleshly tables of the
hearts of the believers.) No one couldhave recorded these truths except those
who knew and heard the voice of God,
as did the prophet Jeremiah.
The way
into the
Holy of Holies is
now open!
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127The Teachings of the Apostle Paul
The Heroes of Faith
Then too, the Apostle Paul gives a heart-gripping
recitation of the acts of the heroes of faith throughout
the ages, from Abel who offered a more excellent
sacrifice, to Enoch who was raptured, from Noah who
built an ark to the saving of his house, to Abraham who
left his home town of the Ur of the Chaldees to go to a
land he would one day inherit. Then there is Moses, who
by faith passed through the Red Sea.
Beloved, there is no other religion that can take one back
to the days of Adam, and recount all those wondrous
happenings as proof of the trust that men and women
have had in the Almighty. One can see through the
Biblical accounts that faith in the one and only true and
living God remained vibrant throughout the 6,000 years
of man’s existence upon earth.
Paul concludes this epistle by turning the eyes of his readers
to Christ (who is the Author and Finisher of our faith),
and His splendid example of a life well-lived in fulfilling
the Father’s will. He says in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
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Also, in Hebrews 12:18-24, the Apostle directs us towards
Mount Zion, and the city of the living God—Jerusalem.Symbols of the presence of God and His holiness.
Thus, this epistle solves many theological questions and
explains the Old Testament types in a way that brings forth
clarity of thought and vision to our being. Through this,
our feet are placed upon a sound path of righteousness for
our lives that will bring us to our heavenly home.
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CHAPTER
NINE
The Teachings of Other Notable Apostles
The Apostle Paul was the most prolific writer of the New
Testament era, nonetheless, other apostles made significant
contributions. Among these we have listed the following:
The Apostle John
Jesus—the Incarnate Word of God
The Apostle John was the nearest and dearest of the Apostles.
In his Gospel and the Book of Revelation (given to him by
the Lord), he gives us an outstanding understanding of those
things that were before the foundation of the world unto the
very end of time.
John reveals to us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God and all things were made by
Him…” (Jn. 1:1-2). Moreover, Christ was the life and light
of men; and He lights (or gives life and conscience to) every
man who comes into the world (Jn. 1:4).
Furthermore, speaking of Jesus, he says, “And the Word wasmade flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace
and truth” (Jn. 1:14). Therefore Jesus is the very embodiment
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130 Contending for the Faith
of the Word of God, and in Him we see all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily.
John also tells us that “as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name” (Jn. 1:12). John is confirming that which
was written in Psalm 82:6, “I have said, Ye are gods; and all
of you are children of the most High.” He quotes Jesus, who
said, “… Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If
he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and
the scripture cannot be broken)…” (Jn. 10:34-35).
The above mentioned verses serve to substantiate the fact
that all those who receive Jesus as their Saviour become sons
of God. Likewise, they are also to manifest the truths of the
Living Word in their lives, being living epistles known and
read of all men everywhere (2 Cor. 3:2-3).
Leaving now his Gospel, let us turn to the Book of
Revelation. Here we have a view of the Second Coming of
the Lord Jesus that we will address in more detail when we
come to Chapter 9. Flowing with the revelation in his
Gospel—that Jesus is the incarnate Word of God—John
shows that at His Second Coming, as the heavens open,
Jesus is seated upon a white horse. He is called Faithful and
True, and His name is the Word of God.
There is a consistent theme that tells us that Jesus is the Word
of God incarnate. Therefore, it is logical that a terrible warning
is given at the end of the Bible— To touch the Bible is to
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131The Teachings of Other Notable Apostles
touch the very revelation and person of God Himself,
personified by the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begottenSon of God. We quote Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify
unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of
this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall
add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And
if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of
life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book.”
The Apostle Peter
The Apostle Peter, the first Apostle of the Lamb, writes in his
epistle that we, “being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of
man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth
for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached
unto you” (1 Pet. 1:23-25).
Here Peter is confirming that the Word of God is none other
than Jesus Christ, “But with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily
was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:19-20).Which other religion can possibly claim such a truth for its
founder—that He was foreordained before the world was
made? Not one.
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To Be Like Jesus
Consider this beautiful description of Jesus Christ our Lord,
of whom Peter had such intimate knowledge, “For even
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when
he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he
threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body
on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were
as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:21-25).
The standards of the conduct for believers in the Christian
religion are nothing less than to be like Jesus. Has any other
religion such high requirements for its followers? Consider
too these words from the pen of the premier Apostle of the
Lamb, “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion
one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but
contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called,
that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life,
and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and
his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do
good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their
prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do
evil” (1 Pet. 3:8-12).
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133The Teachings of Other Notable Apostles
For the promise of God, as we now read in 1 Peter 5:10 is
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto hiseternal glory by Christ J esus, after that ye have suffered a
while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
Now Peter gives us the simple steps whereby we may attain
this perfection, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add
to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and
to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Pet. 1:5-7). Love is
the bond of perfection.
Peter is extremely practical in that he shows us not only the
greatness of Christ, but also gives us clear-cut rules on living
a holy life. He speaks of the experience with Christ on the
Mount, when God made known unto him, John, and James,
the power, honour, glory, and majesty of His Son. They heard
the voice of the Father saying, “This is My Beloved Son in
whom I am well pleased” (2 Pet. 1:16-17).
Peter writes on the virtues of humility and sobriety, so that
we no longer live the rest of our time here in the lusts of
the flesh, but in the will of God. He exhorts us therefore to
pay attention to prayer, hospitality, and having a fervent
love one to another because love shall cover a multitude
of sins (1 Pet. 4:7-8). The prayer of King David is very
apropos here, when he cries unto God in Psalm 51:10,“Create in me a clean heart!” As we take up that cry from
the depths of our souls, we shall not be far from the pathway
of holiness.
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The Apostle James
The Apostle James, the half-brother of our blessed Lord Jesus,
and pastor of Jerusalem, was called “camel knees” because of
the thick calluses that had formed upon his knees due to his
long hours spent praying in that kneeling posture. He writes in
a fashion very akin to the Lord.
Faith
He tells us to ask in faith for wisdom, saying in James 1:5-7, “If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let
not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
Furthermore, he declares to us that believing alone is not
sufficient, because we have to practise what we believe—since
faith without works is dead. Our faith is made perfect by works
(Jas. 2:14-26).
Controlling Our Tongues
The one who can control his words manifests Christian
perfection; for the one who can control his tongue is able to
control all the other members of his body. He says, “For inmany things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body”
(Jas. 3:2).
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135The Teachings of Other Notable Apostles
Patience
Another main theme in James’ epistle is an exhortation to let
patience have her perfect work. He says in James 1:2-4, “My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing.”
James invokes the prophets and Job as role models of those
who were examples of suffering, afflictions, and of patience.
Thus we are given three distinct aspects of Christian perfection
which come through (1) patience, (2) controlling our tongues,
and (3) practising our faith through good works. Such counsel
one will find in no other religion except that of the true and
living God.
Thus the writings of these premier apostles show forth what
manner of lives we should lead and, of course, the absolute
deity of Jesus Christ. They then point to the Second Coming of
our Lord, a subject that we will take up in the next chapter, the
tenth in our study of apologetics.
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CHAPTER
TEN
The Second Coming of OurLord and Saviour J esus Christ
Much is written prophetically of the First Coming of
Christ. He was born to a virgin in Bethlehem, Judah,
which had been declared by the prophets (Isa. 7:14,
Mic. 5:2). Yet even more is written of the promise that
He will return again.
Certainly these events are still in the future, yet living in the
commencement of the twenty-first century, we may see these
signs of His Second Coming beginning to unfold before
our very eyes. Let us consider some of them. This is not
necessarily a study of that blessed event, but rather a viewing
in the context of apologetics, wherein we have to give a
testimony of the hope that is within us (1 Pet. 3:15). Then
we are to contend earnestly for the faith that was once
delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3). Thus doctrine of the
Second Advent cannot be omitted!
Just prior to Christ’s crucifixion when He was seated upon
the Mount of Olives, some of His disciples asked the Lord,
“When shall be the sign of Thy coming and the end of the
world?” In precise chronological detail, the Lord Jesus
answered them (see Mt. 24, Lk. 21, Mk. 13).
No other religion can possibly foretell the future in the
manner that the Bible does. We have chosen to combine
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of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall socome in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.”
Spoken of by Daniel
Now another prophet who spoke of the Second Coming of our
Lord is Daniel. He had remarkable revelations, even to the
declaration of empires that were to arise after the Babylonian
Empire, in which time he was prophesying (Dan. 2).
Daniel also saw that before the Lord returns, a significant
man must first arise who would proclaim himself to be God.
It speaks of this man in Daniel 7:25, “And he shall speak
great words against the most High, and shall wear out the
saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:
and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times
and the dividing of time.” This man is known by several titles,
such as the Beast, the Man of Sin, and the Antichrist.
Furthermore, Daniel tells us of events that must precede the
appearance of the Antichrist; we shall briefly consider them.
Firstly, as we have afore said, Daniel tells us that the empires
of Persia, Greece, and Rome must follow that of Babylon. All
these have done so and passed away. But then in the End Times,ten kings or kingdoms must come forth from that old Roman
Empire; after they have arisen, another comes forth who will
be the Antichrist. Therefore, the events leading up to the Second
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Coming of Christ are well documented, as the one and only
true and living God alone could foretell and establish.
Our Lord, quoting another passage of Daniel, declares that the
Antichrist must erect an image to himself and place it in the
holy place (Dan. 9:27, Mt. 24:15). Thus to do so, the temple at
Jerusalem must be rebuilt in order for this prophecy to be
fulfilled. There are also prophecies in the Book of Revelation
which confirm that the image to the Antichrist will be made,
and that the temple will be rebuilt (Rev. 11:1-2, 13:14-18).
Prophecies in the New Testament
Now let us return to the discourse of our Lord to His disciples
upon the Mount of Olives. His first warning concerned the siege
of Jerusalem, which was fulfilled some 40 years later in A.D. 70.
Of this, the Lord said that Jerusalem would be trodden down of
the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Lk. 21:24).
This is basically the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Romans until
the return of the Jews to their land in A.D. 1948.
The Beginning of Sorrows
He then gives warnings concerning earthquakes, the sea, and
the waves roaring. The Lord said in Matthew 24:7, “For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” We have seen these come to
pass in the year 2004 with the tsunami which shook Indonesia
and neighbouring lands. Earthquakes have shaken peoples
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in diverse places around the world very recently too. The Lord
terms these things as “the beginning of sorrows” (Mt. 24:8).
He gives the admonition that he who endures unto the end
shall be saved (Mt. 24:13). Can we contemplate going into
these End Times without the Saviour of the World? Is there
any other religion that has predicted events in the past with
such accuracy? What can declare the future with such
assurance, as the Bible, written by the sovereign Creator?
The Great Tribulation
The Lord continues by warning that when “the image that
makes desolate” (an image of the Antichrist) is placed in the
Holy Place, the Great Tribulation shall begin. The Great
Tribulation is also called “Jacob’s Trouble” in Jeremiah
chapter 30. After the Great Tribulation (which shall be
shortened because of the elect’s sake), there will be signs in
heaven. The sun and moon will darken. This is followed by
the sign of the return of the Lord in the clouds with great
glory, and the armies of heaven with Him (Mt. 24:15-27).
This has been corroborated by the prophet Joel, who spoke
of these events some 800 years prior to the Lord’s discourse
upon the Mount of Olives, “The sun and the moon shall be
darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The
LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but
the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of
the children of Israel” (Joel 3:15-16).
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The Final Siege of Jerusalem
Another factor that will occur before His Coming is the final
siege of Jerusalem, when God declares that He will bring all
nations against Jerusalem. At this time He will come upon the
Mount of Olives and fight for His people Israel (Zech. 14:2-9).
The Millennium
Not only does the Bible (through Jesus and the prophets) speak
of Christ’s Second Coming, but it also speaks of the events
that follow this most notable of all events. Namely, that the
Lord Himself will reign for 1000 years upon earth. We are
further told that the overcoming saints will be resurrected.
Revelation 20:4-6 reads, “And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years. But the
rest of the dead lived not again until
the thousand years were finished. This
is the first resurrection. Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second deathhath no power, but they shall be priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years.”
No book
declares the
past, present,
and futureas does
the Bible.
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At this time, King David will be the prince of united Israel
again. This is foretold in Hosea 3:5, “Afterward shall thechildren of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and
David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness
in the latter days.” It is also confirmed in Jeremiah 30:9,
“But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their
king, whom I will raise up unto them.” Then the prophet
Ezekiel declares, “And I will set up one shepherd over them,
and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed
them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will
be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I
the LORD have spoken it” (Ezek. 34:23-24).
Not only will David be resurrected, but also Jesus will reign
amongst His ancients gloriously, as it is written in
Isaiah 24:23, “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the
sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount
Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
The purpose of this book is to affirm your faith in the only
true and living God. These truths are not exegeted in depth,
but only to prove that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony
of Jesus, and that Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and
the Life. Christ alone is spoken of in the Bible as being
the way to salvation through believing that, by His shed
blood, we have redemption by the grace of God. No
book declares the past, present, and future as does theBible. God alone can be the Author; He magnifies His Son
as the only Way by which we may be received into those
eternal portals of heaven.
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CHAPTER
ELEVEN
The Preparation of the Saints
We have examined the irrefutable proofs that the Bible
alone is the Word of God and that Jesus is the Word made
flesh. Now we must consider, in view of the terrible times
that are about to break upon the world, the preparation of
the saints.
Who will indeed overcome in the Last Days and enter
heaven’s gates? The Lord Himself warned that because sin
will indeed increase, the love of many shall wax cold
(Mt. 24:12). Only those who endure unto the end shall be
saved. Beloved, be strong in the Lord. How else are we to
be strong in the Lord but through the study of His Word?
It is essential that we realise that wisdom and
knowledge are the stability of our times (Isa. 33:6).
Being Preserved
Yet there are also specific instructions for the saints
concerning these times. Zephaniah 2:2-3 says, “Before
the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff,
before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you,
before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. Seek
ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which havewrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek
meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the
LORD’S anger.”
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Righteousness
Two virtues are emphasised—firstly that of righteousness.
This is very important, for in times of judgment the standards
are considerably higher as we see in Ezekiel 14:14: “Though
these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they
should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness,
saith the Lord GOD.”
Considering these three men as role models, we read that
Noah (who lived in a time of judgment and was the only
one saved of all his generation) found grace in the eyes of
the Lord (Gen. 6:8-9). He was a just man and was perfect in
his generations.
Daniel, living in the days of the Babylonian Empire,
purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with
the meat and wine of the king’s house (Dan. 1:8). During
the days of the Medes and Persian Empire, it is said of
Daniel that an excellent spirit was in him and that he was
faithful; neither was there any error or fault found in him
(Dan. 5:12; 6:3-4).
Job is spoken of by God Himself, “And the LORD said unto
Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8).
These shining men are held up to us as examples of
righteousness. The definition of a righteous man, and the
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147The Preparation of the Saints
appropriate 17 qualities are given to us in Ezekiel 18. Some
of these are as follows:
1. He is just, lawful and upright
2. He has not defiled his neighbour’s wife
3. He has done no violence
4. He has walked in the statutes of the Lord
5. He has kept the judgments of the Lord and has
dealt truly
Meekness
Returning now to Zephaniah, we must remember that the
other principal virtue required in order to be hid in the time
of trouble was meekness. Few possess this prime virtue. In
the Bible, only two men are noted for this quality of
character—Moses and the Lord Jesus Himself.
Meekness may be defined through the understanding of the
Greek word “praus.” It is the word that is used for an animal
that is domesticated, or trained and disciplined. The meek
animal is one that obeys commands, and is controlled by
the reins which communicate the will of the master. There
is no reaction to distractions or unpleasant conditions. It
awaits direction and thus has all its own passions under
subjection to a higher power, which for the animal is its
master, and for us is Christ. That disciplined person might be likened to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots,
perfectly trained, and moving only at the behest of Pharaoh’s
charioteer (Song 1:9).
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We are commanded to seek meekness. In order to seek that virtue,
we must desire it. When we have a revelation of the true beautyof meekness, we develop a longing for the beauty of meekness
to be revealed in our heart. Then we are on the right path to
being hid in the day of trouble that is coming upon the entire
world. Having a strong hunger and thirst for these two precious
virtues is a long step towards being protected in these last days
of horrendous judgments that are coming upon the earth.
The blessings of the meek are as follows:
1. They will be taught His ways (Ps. 25:9)—the
children of Israel saw His wonders, but Moses
knew His ways (Ps. 103:7).
2. They inherit the earth, and therefore have a
goodly inheritance here on earth and in eternity
(Ps. 37:11).
3. They are greater than those who take a city
(Prov. 16:32).
May we close with those words of the premier apostle in
1 Peter 3:4, “a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of
God of great price.” Jesus manifested this meekness when,
before His shearers, He opened not His mouth (Mt. 27, cf.
Isa. 53:7). This was when He was before Pontius Pilate the
Roman Governor at the judgment hall.
In closing this chapter, may we ask if there are any other religions that teach such qualities of character, and are given
such sparkling demonstrations of such virtues by their founder?
We know of no other one. There is no other.
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CHAPTER
TWELVE
Eternal J udgment – Heaven
To one extent or another, most religions acknowledge the
existence of heaven, and point to it as the desirable eternal
place of repose for the soul. But how many can give a
description of heaven as it really, truly exists? Most religions
give a very nebulous picture of that which awaits the soul of
the redeemed. The Bible, however, gives a very clear
understanding of that which awaits us in our eternal home.
In addition, Christians have been blessed with the accounts
of some of the saints who, during their lifetime, have been
privileged to have visions of heaven. Some have even had
visits to the realms of the blessed in their eternal abodes.
What Heaven Is Like
The Bible speaks of the eternal city called “New Jerusalem,”
which has 12 gates of pearl. The street of the city is “pure
gold, as it were transparent glass” (Rev. 21:21). It has glorious
foundations garnished with all manner of precious stones. The
city is foursquare—the length, breadth, and height, are all equal,
being 1,500 miles in measurement. It is situated upon heavenly
Mount Zion, which is the habitation of the Lord and of the
spirits of just men made perfect (Rev. 21:10-27, Heb. 12:22-23).
The Lord Jesus describes the atmosphere of heaven to be
one of pure joy when He invites the righteous to enter into
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the joy of their Lord (Mt. 25:21). He also speaks of going to
prepare a place for His disciples, for in His Father’s houseare many mansions (Jn. 14:2). So in heaven there are the
mansions for the redeemed. Several ladies have described
the beauty of my own dear wife’s heavenly mansion, with it
being one of sheer beauty and delight, bedecked with all
kinds of precious stones.
Describing heaven, certain saints who have had these special
privileges of seeing those vistas of sheer beauty and joy have
remarked that they were so surprised that heaven was so much
like earth. Yet it was of such incredible beauty that no earthly
abode could compare. Not only were there houses, but there
were also fields, valleys, and grassy landscapes.
The saints were also purposefully employed in a manifold
variety of occupations. There were schools for the babies and
the young, where some taught and cared for the little ones.
Seemingly, our earthly occupations prepare us for similar
careers in eternity. Houses were being built and prepared for
the saints that were soon to leave the earth and enter places
that they had earned by their earthly endeavours.
Not All Are Equal
The Apostle Paul stated that as one star differs in glory
from another, so not all are equal in heaven. He says in1 Corinthians 15:41-42, “There is one glory of the sun,
and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So
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151 Eternal Judgment – Heaven
also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption.”
The Lord Jesus clearly confirmed this when He declared,
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called
the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven” (Mt. 5:19).
Rewards of the Overcomers
We are told that those who overcome shall receive
special rewards:
• Rev. 2:7 – eat of the tree of life
• Rev. 2:10 – receive a crown of life
• Rev. 2:17 – receive a white stone with a new name
• Rev. 2:26-28 – be granted rulership over the nations
• Rev. 3:5 – wear white raiment
• Rev. 3:12 – become a pillar in the temple of God
• Rev. 3:21 – sit with the Lord in His throne
The Apostle Paul speaks of anticipating receiving a crown
of righteousness, as will all those who love His appearing
(2 Tim. 4:8).
A vision accorded to a certain lady after her pastor died provides
us with more information concerning the lot of the redeemed
after they enter heaven. The pastor was conducted by an angel
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into a large hall in which there were several hundred saints.
These saints came one by one to the pastor and thanked himfor certain blessings that they had received through him. Then
according to the measure of the blessing was the precious jewel
that they gave to the angel, who then put it into a crown.
One thanked the pastor for a certain message that had meant
so much to him; others thanked him for a prophecy, a word
of encouragement, or a pat on the back. Still others thanked
him for having led them to salvation, or other blessings such
as water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When
they had all passed by, and the angel had put all the jewels
into the crown, he placed it upon the head of the pastor.
At this point we should ponder and consider that our rewards
are going to be commensurate with the good that we have done
to others. As it is written, some works precede the righteous
and others follow. The works that precede us lay up treasures
in heaven, and they that follow us are because of our impact
on our spiritual seed. Let us seek to be rich in good works
towards others, for they will come back upon our own head.
My own dear wife led a life of hospitality and kindness.
Moreover, she ministered the Word unto many. Now the Lord
has graciously given visions to several ladies in various
countries concerning her very beautiful home above.
Heaven is so very lovely, peaceful, and joyful, but it is also
meaningful. It is so fully satisfying to every redeemed soul
who is welcomed there. Let us contemplate this beautiful scene
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shown to the Apostle John, “And he showed me a pure river of
water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on
either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and
of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their
foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no
candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them
light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:1-5).
Now we must consider the words of the Lord Jesus Himself
concerning the qualifications for entering heaven, “Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God...Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God...Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again...That whosoever believeth in himshould not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life” (Jn. 3:3,5,7,15-16).
Therefore, the Bible makes it very clear that we must be bornagain. This experience all may have, if they will confess that
they are sinners and come to Jesus by faith, receiving Him
into their hearts as their Lord and Saviour.
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CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Eternal J udgment – Hell
Nearly all religions are agreed concerning the existence of
hell. The Bible declares that it is in the nether parts of the
earth. The Lord Jesus spoke more extensively concerning the
torments of hell than of the joys of heaven. He furthermore
tells us the reason for the creation of hell—that it was for the
devil and his angels who had rebelled against God before the
foundation of the world (Mt. 25:41).
God Is Not Willing That Any Should Perish
Hell is the place to which all who are not admitted to heaven
go eternally. Thus the great desire of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit is to work together to save souls from
hell. In the eternal wisdom of the Father, before the foundation
of this world, He knew that Adam would sin. Therefore, to
save mankind He knew that He must pay the price of the
death of His only begotten Son. The Son freely gave Himself
as a living sacrifice before the Father to die upon the cross of
Calvary so that all who believe upon Him might not perish
but have eternal life (2 Pet. 3:9). Therefore, the condemnation
is that of unbelief in the Saviour’s love for us.
What Hell Is Like
The torments of hell are very real, and we shall consider them.
A description of hell is “the blackness of darkness forever”
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(Jude 1:13). It is living in no light whatsoever; in other words,
perpetual darkness. Then there is the agony of others who areendlessly tortured by the sins that they have committed in
this life. “Whose worm dieth not” (Mk. 9:42-48), means that
those sins are like worms that continually gnaw upon those
souls, adding to their suffering by the constant pain that they
experience through those worms.
Others are constantly chained to their friends with whom they
walked while upon earth (and participated in their sins), but
now they bemoan their fate and accuse each other for their
torments. Some actual testimonies of life in hell, which have
been gleaned from personal experiences, tales of friends, or
other sources, are now pertinent.
Not All Are Equal
There are many compartments or departments in hell; and
not all suffering is alike for the damned. According to their
life lived here upon earth, so are their torments or punishment
evaluated. Those who have had more opportunities here upon
earth to have accepted the Gospel, and yet have refused, have
the greatest grief .
My own grandmother, to whom I had witnessed upon many
occasions, had a most terrible entry into hell. She had
rejected the Gospel. Her last moments upon her deathbedwere filled with murmuring and complaining about events
in her life. I then was in another country, but the Lord showed
me in a vision of the night my grandmother entered into
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screaming the very virtue that he had mocked: “MERCY,
MERCY, MERCY, MERCY,” his words becoming fainter and fainter as he fell. On the sides of the pit there were caves
filled with the pitiful cries of the damned as they were in
various stages of being tortured.
The Wages of Covetousness
In another vision of hell, a woman was being force-fed hot
steaming spoonfuls of sulphur. The demon who was
performing this torture (apparently with much glee) said that
in life this woman hoarded gold, living only to gain more,
idolising it. Now she was being fed that gold. The woman
shouted out, “HE LIES, HE LIES! If it were my gold, I could
accept it with joy.” How the character and desires that have
been formed in us upon earth by our actions remain with us
eternally in hell!
The Wages of Compromise
Preachers and ministers of the Gospel should take heed to
this next scenario. It concerns a group of the damned who
were sitting in a circle. In the midst was a preacher who had
been their pastor while on earth. He had preached sermons
on earth that had lulled them into a false sense of security. He
had not preached that unless they were born again they could
not enter into the kingdom of heaven. They, too, had obviously been content, and now they were all in hell. In the vision,
they were mocking this false preacher of the Gospel and
forcing him to stand up and preach to them. Oh, if we would
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only realise that we shall be in eternity with those for whom
we are responsible on earth—for good or bad!
Knowing this, how should we live, not only towards the Lord,
but also towards one another? Our prayers for one another
should be considered, as well as our kindnesses, and our words
of exhortation. Above all, if we are called to minister, how
careful must we be to guide people along the pathway of
righteousness. We must always seek to deliver the whole
counsel of truth so that they might enter into all the
experiences that the Lord has for them.
The Wages of Theft
Yet another warning to ministers is the experience of a minister
who died in Nigeria. He was shown many awesome things,
but in one instance he saw the iron gates of hell closing upon a
group of the damned who had just arrived at the gates of death.
Among them was a pastor whom he knew. Seeing him, this
backslidden pastor cried out in agony of soul. He had stolen
from the offering box, and his plea was, “Oh, please pay back
that money for me!” The anguish of his theft was already starting
to torment him. In his error, he thought that if another person
paid back his debt, it would remove that anguish and gnawing
that his soul was already beginning to feel.
The Wages of Lack of Compassion
The Lord gave a parable concerning the rich man and the
beggar Lazarus. When both had died, Lazarus was in
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Abraham’s bosom, but the rich man was in the torments of
hell. He, looking up and seeing Abraham, pleaded with himto send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue,
for he was tormented in the flame (Lk. 16:20-31). There
was a pastor of whom I knew who had a vision of this rich
man; and he declared that every time the rich man opened
his mouth, a flame would come out of his mouth with an
awesome intensity of heat, which nonetheless did not
consume this rich man.
The Wages of Turning Away
Another case of the torment of those who knew the way and
turned from it is illustrated by an orphan who was taken
into a good man’s orphanage. There he made friends with
another orphan. As the years went on, this orphan decided
to leave the orphanage and go into the world. He did so,
and entered the world of drug smuggling. One day he stepped
into the road, not observing an oncoming car, which hit and
killed him instantly.
Some time later, a godly pastor went to the orphanage and
there was a precious move of God. Visions were given to
the orphans of heaven and hell. This friend of the orphan
who had left was taken in the spirit to hell. There he heard
ear-splitting shrieks coming from a dark cave. Being
bidden to enter by the angel who was conducting him, hesaw a ferocious demon with a terrible metal whip beating
the back of a young man. The young man, in his torment,
turned his head and there, the orphan who was being
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granted the vision saw it was his friend who had left the
orphanage. His friend had left the ways of righteousness,and had gone into deep sin and was now paying eternally
for his lusts.
Hopelessness in Hell
For myself, I had been writing one of my books, and had
been thinking to illustrate the Lord’s life by a certain English
king. Then one night I was literally transported into “the
blackness of darkness forever,” a part of hell (Jude 1:13).
This is how the Apostle Jude describes the eternal abode of
some of the damned.
There was a terrible sense of being lost forever, and the
anguish of hopelessness. Out of that impenetrable darkness
came that English king, who in the gracious tone of a monarch
said, “Kind sir, can you show me the way to the light?” To
this I had to respond, “It is given unto man once to die and
then the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). There is no hopefor those
confined to the chambers of hell’s misery. Thus by that
experience, I knew the Lord did not want me to use that king
to illustrate the life of the King of Kings.
Lady Astor, a friend of the playwright George Bernard Shaw,
described her last visit to him. Upon his deathbed he said,
“Nancy, it is getting darker and darker and darker.” In contrast,Victor Hugo, the noted French author of Les Miserables, who
was a Christian gave the testimony, “As I get older, it gets
lighter, and lighter, and lighter.”
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Eternal Fire in Hell
Other sombre accounts of hell follow. A French-Canadian
acquaintance of mine recounted the case of a relative who
was a backslider and a hypocrite. He read the Bible avidly,
but did not live the life. As he was dying, his moans and cries
became more and more pitiful. He kept saying, “Oh it is
getting warmer and warmer, and now hotter and hotter!” As
his life ebbed away, he started to describe the flames of hell
to which he was going. Yes, a part of hell does consist of a
furnace called “the lake of fire.” Into this fire the damned are
consigned (Rev. 20:15).
We can repeat the account of one saint who observed the
eternal agony of one group of young people who were friends
on earth and were constantly exposed to the Gospel but
rejected it. They suffered a multiple car crash and were all
killed together. This saint, who had known them upon earth,
was shown in a vision their eternal destiny.
He was brought to the edge of the lake of fire, and there saw
the carcases of those in the lake swished up to the surface
only to be plunged down again in to the swirling mass of
the other lost souls. Then to his
horror he saw the group of these
young people together come to the
surface; and they, like the others before them, could only through
parched and burning lips cry,
“WATER , WATER, WA…” Their
There is no
hope for those
confined to thechambers of
hell’s misery.
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cries became fainter as they were plunged below again into
that burning caldron.
Where Is Hell?
Hell, we are told in the Bible, is in the nether parts of the
earth (Ezek. 31:18). It is also called the pit (Isa. 14:9,15) and
the “abyss” (Rev. 9:2). The Birmingham News, April 10, 1987
had an article entitled, “Earth’s Centre Hotter Than Sun’s
Surface, Scientists Say.” The article stated that scientists had
discovered that the earth’s inner core has a temperature of
over 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lessons Learnt
We can give so many accounts of hell and those who are
confined there, but we pause to consider what one’s attitude
should be towards hell. Is it going to be like Ted Turner, the
millionaire, who said in an interview , “I’m looking forward to
dying and being cast into hell. That’s where I belong”? (Ott,
Daniel, n.d.) These are the words of a very foolish man who
will eternally regret saying this. For by our words we shall be
justified or condemned.
Do not wait, like the thief on the cross, to have a last-minute
repentance. Do not be like the son of a friend of mine, who
coming back to the Lord on his deathbed, confessed to his father that the Lord had forgiven him, but there was no inheritance
awaiting him. Why not live a life of righteousness and so enjoy
those rewards forever and forever, as does my dear wife?
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EPILOGUE
This little book has been written for one purpose—that those
of you who read it may be encouraged and strengthened,
knowing that the Bible alone is the Book of Truth that God has
given to His people to guide them safely from earth to heaven.
We are admonished to believe that salvation is only through
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour.
The Bible defends itself, and proves itself through its prophetic
content. It is like no other book written. Holy men of old
were moved upon by the Holy Spirit to write it. As the Apostle
Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.” God alone, the All-knowing One, could have inspired
its content, which was written from generation to generation
for our enlightenment.
We trust that you will not only read the Bible daily, but also
make it your daily meditation. It will be like a lamp unto your
feet, and a light unto your path. It will bring you comfort and
consolation in times of sorrow and grief. The pages contain
answers for all of your life’s problems and will be your guide
throughout your earthly sojourn. Through its pages the Lord
will speak to you, encouraging and admonishing you.
This life-giving Book will, through obedience to its teachings,
transform you and bring joy and happiness to you, so that
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you will become more and more like the blessed Author—
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Ask Him to reveal Himself to youthrough studying chapter after chapter, and He will do so.
You will find Him to be a friend who sticks closer than a
brother. Although others may forsake you during life’s trials,
you will find Him true to His Word. He will never leave or
forsake you. Then you may boldly declare, “I will not fear
what men might do; in God do I put my trust, for the Lord is
my helper.” Amen!
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Holy Bible, King James Version. (1998). First Electronic
Edition STEP Files. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Parsons
Technology, Inc.
Huxley, Aldous. “Confessions of a Professed Atheist,” Report:
Perspective on the News, Vol. 3, June, 1966, p. 19.
Josephus, Flavius. (1974). Antiquities of the Jews, translated
by William Whiston, A.M. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book
House.
O’Neill, Ernest. Is There A God? (n.d.)
Retrieved November 15, 2005 from:http://www.worldinvisible.com/apologet/god.htm#ft3rt
Ott, Daniel. Hellpage.com (n.d.)
Retrieved February 22, 2006 from:
http://www.hellpage.com/index1.htm
St. Augustine. Lifeoftheworld.com (n.d.)Retrieved November 15, 2005 from:
http://lifeoftheworld.com/lotw/02-03/02-03-01.php
Wesley Center Online. (n.d.). The Letter of Pontius Pilate,
Which He Wrote to the Roman Emperor, Concerning our
Lord Jesus Christ
Retrieved November 15, 2005 from:http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0810.htm
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Books by Dr. Brian J. Bailey:
Commentaries on Books of the Bible
Genesis Minor Prophets 2
Feasts and Offerings (Joel - Zephaniah)
(Leviticus) Minor Prophets 3
The Book of Judges (Haggai - Malachi)The Gentile Bride of Christ The Gospel of Matthew
(Ruth) The Gospel of Mark
The Restoration Era The Gospel of Luke
The Three Houses of Esther The Gospel of John
Psalm I More than Conquerors
Psalm II (Romans)
Psalm III Soldiers for Christ
Wisdom Literature (Ephesians)
(Proverbs and Ecclesiastes) Hitting the Mark
The Bride (Philippians)
(Song of Solomon) Colossians & Philemon
Isaiah Within the Veil
Jeremiah (Hebrews)
The Book of Lamentations The Two Wisdoms
The Chariot Throne of God (James)
(Ezekiel) The Epistles of John
Daniel The Revelation of Jesus ChristMinor Prophets 1 (Revelation)
(Hosea)
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Topical Studies
The Journey of Israel The Tabernacle of Moses
David and Solomon The Kings of Judah
Leadership The Kings of Israel
The Cross and Resurrection Names of GodThe Life of Christ Pillars of Faith
The Ministry of the Prophet Teachers of Righteousness
The Comforter The Second Coming
(The Holy Spirit) Know Your Bible
Contending for the Faith