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“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean,” Ezekiel 44:23.

I have been reading my way through the book of Ezekiel of late as I follow ‘Robert Murray McCheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar’, a very useful guide to systematically reading one’s Bible.

Since chapter 40, I have been reading about the future temple that will occupy its place in Jerusalem in the days of the Saviour’s Millennial Reign (Revelation 20:4-6).

The details of the temple structure given to us are really beyond our comprehension today but one day, as will be the case in many matters, we will with ease fully understand the significance of the details given. However, we may observe now that the details of the temple suggest that which creation generally declares, “the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard,” Psalm 19:1-3, so it will be with the details of the temple. That spoken of by Ezekiel will reveal features of the ‘great and glorious Architect’ of the splendid edifice.

SERVANTS

The ministering of God’s servants within the temple are also detailed for us in these chapters. The text I wish to draw attention to encapsulates the essence of their service.

I. THE PRIEST WAS EVER TEACHING GOD’S PEOPLE

What a wealth of knowledge concerning the truth of God is to be found in a consideration of the details of the garments the priest wore, the sacrifices he offered and his general conduct in the tabernacle and later in the temple?

1. The holy garments that the priest was required to wear sets forth the state we must be in as we come before the Lord. As the Old Testament saints were told: “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God,” Leviticus 20:7, even so are we in the New Testament era required to observe just such a command. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy,” 1 Peter 1:15-16. Holiness of thought, word and deed is likened onto a garment to be donned. (more…)

“Church claims pupils called ‘bullies’ over homosexuality views”, so ran a headline of a BBC online news report here in Northern Ireland.  It was a report on a meeting between representatives of the ‘Transferor Representatives’ Council (TRC)’ and MLAs on Stormont’s Education Committee. The chair of the education committee is Alliance MLA, Nick Mathison.

In the ‘Belfast Newsletter’, the report on the same matter was headlined: “Presbyterian and Methodist churches defend sex education (RSE) in Northern Ireland controlled schools to Sinn Fein and Alliance Party MLAs”.

The ‘Transferor Representatives’ Council’ (TRC) represents the three largest Protestant denominations, which handed some 500 schools into state care from the 1920s-50s, thus creating the controlled sector.

Dr Andrew Brown and Dr Rebecca Stevenson represented the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and Dr Anita Gracie the Methodist Church in Ireland.

The BBC news report served to highlight the depths of the acceptance of the corruptions of false doctrine within ecumenical denominations here, while the ‘Belfast Newsletter’ emphasised, ‘Sinn Fein and Alliance MLAs have pressed Protestant church representatives to justify why a Christian perspective should be valid in sex education in controlled schools.’

Both Sinn Fein and Alliance parties would be most happy to see every last remnant of Bible truth removed from state school classrooms.

Stormont’s Education Committee

The representatives from the TRC were there at Stormont  to give evidence about Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) before Stormont’s Education Committee.

If the Government has its way, it will soon be compulsory for all post-primary schools in Northern Ireland to teach pupils about access to abortion and prevention of early pregnancy. Such is the result of former Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris laying regulations on RSE in Parliament in 2023. (more…)

Under the headline: ‘Why I’m glad my Christian beliefs shifted before my wonderful granda passed away’ a journalist, Gareth Hanna, who makes no secret of his rejection of the Bible, rejoices in his casting away of the truth of the word of God. An alternative title for the article seems to be ‘Traditional Christian beliefs are throwing grieving families into needless despair’.

I think he has been told to change the title so that the blasphemous point he is trying to make is even more clear to ‘BT’ readers!

Although I have already sent out an article today, I must answer this wicked man’s deceptions!

Gareth Hanna is one whose writings I have challenged before and contradicted from the Word of God. It is to the shame of the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ that they have given space yet again to such blasphemies but I suppose, having embraced that position decades ago, that newspaper is unlikely to change.

As for the writer, Gareth Hanna, as a Christian one must sense with sorrow, something of the horror that the Bible reveals awaits someone of his opinion!

Hanna’s article ends with this self-evidently stupidly defiant statement:

I say, ‘self-evidently stupidly defiant statement’, for the simple reason that while he employs the word ‘unsaved’, the opposite of the word that is used of God to describe those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary and who are thus assured of heaven’s peace and joy for all eternity, he then deliberately misleads his readers by stating that those who come under this term, ‘unsaved’ are not to be considered eternally lost! To be concerned about being ‘unsaved’ is needless. Hanna says! He would have his readers blindly follow his reasoning and reject the plain Word of God! (more…)