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Below is an article — “Yet More Prophecy Being Fulfilled”. It is a comment from God’s Word on a recent news report which is a revelation of one of the latest developments in man’s depraved departure from God.

I read in my Bible this morning: “Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous. And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries,” 2 Chronicles 12:5-8.

I noted how God’s servant was ready to give God’s Word in the midst of a national crisis. Preachers today would need to realise that God expects them to pronounce His mind and will in a day of confusion and calamity. Silent pulpits are not God’s will!

This article is an applying of God’s Word to events of today.

I trust it is a blessing.

Sincerely in Christ’s name,

Ivan Foster

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Yet More Prophecy Being Fulfilled

“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth,” Revelation 18:21-24.

The following headline appeared in a newspaper just a few days ago. Little did the reporter, or indeed the people she wrote about, realise that they were fulfilling just what the Bible tells us will be a feature of the final lawless days of this age!

Troubling rise of the ‘silver snorters’: Treatment for over 60s cocaine users has shot up in the last year. Patients as old as 90 have been going to hospital after using the class-A drug.

What the headlines tell us is that drug-taking has become endemic, encroaching even upon the ranks of the elderly!

The general public, certainly the city dwellers, have become used to the miserable sight of the wretched drug-addict, usually lying helpless, under the miserable influence of that taken in pursuit of escaping life’s miseries!

That it should now involve that section of society which one would expect to be above such a destructive indulgence is alarming. It will add to the incidents of crime and to the financial burden on the NHS.

Above all, it denotes the demise of any fear of God and regard for His Word amongst a section of society where it might have been expected! (more…)

This is our third study in response to a request from one of our readers to set forth the Bible’s teaching on HOLINESS.

Let me quote again the Shorter Catechism’s definition of Sanctification or HOLINESS, for I am using its statement as the basis of this study.

“Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”

In our third study we will concentrate upon the fact that:

SANCTIFICATION ENTAILS OUR BEING RENEWED IN THE WHOLE MAN AFTER THE IMAGE OF GOD

This is a very important TRUTH.

Let me begin by commending to you a sermon I preached many years ago on the subject of ‘Imitating God.’

It is found on the main page of ’The Burning Bush’ and study number 57 of my series of studies entitled: “Unsearchable riches of Christ in Ephesians.” Here is a link to that sermon: “Imitating God, Pt 1”

ALL TOO MANY CHRISTIANS HAVE A CONCEPT OF ‘HOLINESS’ THAT IS NOT THAT OF THE BIBLE! 

Paul said: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise,” 2 Corinthians 10:12. Dr John Gill said of these words: “They only consulted themselves, and measured and compared themselves with themselves; which was acting just such a foolish part, as if a dwarf was to measure himself not with any kind of measure, or with another person, but with himself; only surveys himself, and his own dimensions, and fancies himself a giant.”

It is easy to set up a rule, born of what we think is right and measuring ourselves by that rule, form a very high but very wrong notion of ourselves.

We are to measure ourselves against the revelation of the Lord, given us in the Bible. He is the rule of perfect holiness. (more…)

“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 be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh,” Luke 21:20-28.

On Thursday past (7th), I read Luke chapter 21 as part of my regular daily devotions. It is a portion familiar to me and I know that many seek to use it to deny the position I take in eschatology, namely Historic Pre-Millennialism.

However, that requires those who seek to deny Historic Pre-Millennialism from this passage, to deliberately avoid what it is the Saviour plainly says!

Regrettably, it is not unusual for the Saviour’s words to be misunderstood and misapplied by men. Here is one example. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body,” John 2:19-21.

But it was not only His opponents who misunderstood what the Saviour meant. His disciples likewise formed false opinions of what the Saviour said to them. Here is one example of that: “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep,” John 11:11-13.

‘They thought’! Herein lies the problem. Back in the days of Isaiah the Lord had said: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9.

We do not naturally think on the same plane as does the Lord. His thoughts are on a very much higher plane! When the Saviour refers to death as a ‘sleep’, that was easy for Him to Whom belongeth all power. However, we, living as we do within our very limited perspective, cannot imagine being awakened from death as something as easy as awakening from sleep! Therefore, a very limited understanding of Christ’s words is arrived at.

1. Sadly, though it is understandable that men make this mistake, it is a mistake which robs them of much! Our earthly minds fail to grasp the wonderful and heavenly import of His words and, in so doing, we deprive ourselves of that which He desires to impart to us by His words. A receiving of Christ’s words, without limiting them, brings great benefits. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you,” John 15:7. (more…)