For the serious Bible student (or anyone who wants to become a serious Bible student), there are only a few Bible versions that deserve consideration:

1. The King James Version (also known as the Authorized Version) is still much used, and even revered, in Christadelphian circles — although its inadequacies (due primarily to its age) are known and understood. Much of the best Bible study material is based on the KJV, as are the good analytical concordances and lexicons. Many believers, not quite able to tear themselves away from it for more modern (and possibly more accurate) versions, nevertheless supplement their KJV reading and study with occasional reference to good modern versions.

A good study Bible still available within the Brotherhood is the “Interlinear” (KJV and English Revised Version line by line, one under the other), but beware! It requires some practice to read it smoothly.

2. The Revised Standard Version (RSV, 1952) is the earliest of the modern translations still being used in significant numbers. It was intended as a further revision of the KJV and English RV, and is generally respected for its scholarship.

3. The New International Version (NIV, 1978) is perhaps the best translation in American English today. It is close to the Hebrew and Greek text while at the same time reproducing our language as it is spoken today. As an advertisement for the NIV says, “If King James were alive today, he’d be reading the NIV!” (In the New Testament, the NIV does have some unfortunate choices, from more obscure ancient manuscripts, that reflect a “trinitarian” bias on the part of the translators. These erroneous translations should be noted and replaced, in most cases, with the alternative renderings from the margin.)

4. The New American Standard Bible (NASB, 1960) is the most literal, word-for-word translation on the market today — which is not to say it is necessarily the best. Many feel its extreme literalness makes it a poor translation, because its English is consequently choppy and decidedly poor. As a study Bible, however, if not as a reading Bible, it has some appeal among Christadelphians.

And there, probably, the list of recommended versions should end. Other possible versions range from the mediocre at best (New English Bible, Good News Bible, or Today’s English Version) to the very poor (Living Bible, and the various “special sect” translations — like the JWs’ “New World Translation”).

Many of the versions are available in expensive “study editions”, with extensive marginal notes. These notes, while sometimes containing valuable material, can often be very biased and misleading. It would be far better to get a good wide-margin Bible with marginal references, but no notes. These types of Bibles, seen commonly among Christadelphians, are available from various sources in all four recommended translations. Make up your mind to produce your own marginal notes as you study, a practice infinitely better for personal development than relying on the notes of “orthodox” commentators.

Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Bang…?

The Big Bang may well be the most amazing discovery in the history of science. Imagine if you can, every single particle that makes up every single person, planet, star and galaxy of the entire Universe bound into a ‘singularity’, a point of infinite density occupying zero volume, and unleashed in a mammoth explosion of energy that marks the dramatic beginning of time, space and everything. Imagine these cosmic fireworks unfolding like flowers, clustering into galaxies and bursting into stars, stretched apart with the fabric of space over billions and billions of light years, and throughout it all swirling clouds of gas condensing and forming the planets, nebulae and stars we see today!

Try to grasp the power behind such a creation, and the genius of the mind who engineered it! Absolutely incomprehensible!

Truly this was the Lord’s doing, and surely it is marvelous in our eyes!

Yet at the beginning of this century, the Universe was commonly thought to be infinite and static, with the assumption that it had always existed. It was just… there! Even though most religious people accepted that God made all things, few considered the possibility that the actual creation of the Universe would ever be discovered or described by science.

But this is exactly what the “Big Bang” is all about.

It was Einstein’s amazing calculations early this century that first suggested that the Universe was expanding, but, as he did not believe it, he added a “fiddle factor” into his maths to stabilise his Universe, hoping to discover the reason later. By 1929 Edwin Hubble’s deep space observations had shown the Universe to be vastly more immense than previously imagined, and his discovery of galaxy redshifts demonstrated that the Universe was indeed expanding. There was no avoiding it this time, and Einstein realized that his cosmological constant “was the greatest mistake of my life.”

The first amazing implication of an expanding universe was that if the Universe was indeed smaller and smaller the further we explore back into time, then we can extrapolate a moment of beginning (10 to 15 billion years ago) where the Universe was incomprehensibly small in a way where all known laws of physics break down. Which for many people sounded like a very unsatisfactory arrangement, and was the source of much scientific debate. But when Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered the predicted background radiation in space in the 1960s, the case for the Big Bang was considered sealed.

Why?

Well, it had been realised for some time that if the Universe was in fact expanding, space would be expanding with it and any radiation in that space would be proportionally “stretched”. The Big Bang fireball would have generated intense very short wavelength high-energy radiation but, as the Universe expanded, this would be progressively expanded into radiation of microwave wavelength and diminished in intensity to something of a whisper.

In 1964, Penzias and Wilson were testing an experimental microwave antenna and were plagued by a background hiss that would not go away, no matter where the antenna was pointed. Speculation blamed some pigeons roosting inside, who were soon forcibly evicted, but the hiss continued. A discussion with radio-astronomers led to the realization that they had tuned into the relic of the Big Bang, and the mysterious hiss became one of the most persuasive evidences for the Big Bang.

Since then, several other discoveries have also confirmed the theory, and most astronomers now regard the evidence for it as “overwhelming”.

Yet Gen 1:1 had always said, “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth.” The Bible had always described an ultimate beginning. Today, few Bible students familiar with the Big Bang theory would doubt that Gen 1:1 is a reference to this grand beginning of our magnificent and expanding Universe.

One thing that impresses me in all this is the way the scientific community came around to accept the Big Bang. Nobody wanted it, and it hardly sounded like an original idea either. It was resisted strongly for years, partly because it had such a disconcerting Biblical flavour, sounding too much like Christianity’s Creation “ex-nihilo” (‘out of nothing’) and partly because it could have no scientific explanation. Science is in the business of giving cause to effects, but here was the greatest effect of all with no cause. In fact the very term “Big Bang” was coined by Fred Hoyle in derision of the concept! Yet the observational evidence became overwhelming, and science was forced to follow. In fact, Fred Hoyle himself ended up doing much of the science that helped explain it, and the name has stuck.

(Actually, this is science at its best and most reliable. Unwilling scientists were forced to follow the evidence because the evidence demanded it rather than because it supported their pet theories.)

A big difficulty for a scientist in accepting such an unexplainable for a First Cause is that a great big “stop” sign is put in place saying, “No questions please!” Don’t enquire about the cause, because any ideas cannot be tested! This is anathema to the scientific mind, partly because it opens up the field to total speculation which can never be tested. The rapid progress of science in the last two centuries has been largely due to an approach that has eschewed untestable speculation and superstition in favour of rigid testing procedures. Yet all that science can test is that which is within the Universe. Beyond the Universe, anything is possible.

Why bother then with trying to explain anything? If we admit that the Universe itself is physically inexplicable, then how can we be sure that any physical explanation for anything is truly meaningful? How can any scientific explanation of anything be truly worthwhile if the origin and cause of the Universe is beyond scientific enquiry? These are very disturbing questions. It is impossible to fully explain our cosmos unless we have a source of information from beyond the Big Bang!

So stop worrying! We ‘theologians’ and our Bibles are not being tossed away yet! Quite the opposite it seems! For we have a source of information from beyond the Big Bang.

Today, the essential Big Bang concept is so firmly entrenched that the best way to get attention for a cosmological article is to include in the heading “Is this the end for the Big Bang?” or something equally controversial. While we do well to be cautious about any scientific theory, and findings which appear to challenge the theory behind the Big Bang do get reported quite often, every astronomer I have spoken to has no hesitation in affirming that the Big Bang remains by far the best fit with observation. And after all, what scientist worth his salt is not looking for problems to solve? And there are many problems to solve, especially problems of detail. But the debate is not so much over WHETHER the Big Bang has happened, but HOW the Big Bang unfolded.

Unfortunately, we tend to grab these headings and triumphantly exclaim, “See, the scientists can never agree and obviously don’t know what they are talking about! Why don’t they just read the Bible and get the answer?” Personally, I’m glad some don’t. There is no witness like an unwilling witness. And we forget that science is attempting to explain how the Universe happened in mechanical terms, rather than why it exists in absolute terms. It would seem very foolish to turn the tables by pretending to understand the mechanics, and perhaps lose direction and find that scientific men are coming closer than we to understanding the “why” when we have had the revealed word of God to tell us, but we were too busy debating the wrong thing to notice the question.

In fact, the funny thing is, the Bible always talked about a beginning of the Universe, but when science discovered and described it, how many of us disputed it? Amazing! Surely this must be telling us something!

What I find particularly interesting about this beginning, is that God was already there. Which means that if the Big Bang marks “the beginning” of the Universe, then God was not only “before” the Universe came into existence, (rather logical if He created it after all!) but, being before it and the Creator of it, he is logically above and beyond it, independent of and unconstrained by anything that is part of it.

In other words, this implies that God is independent of and unconstrained by physics, chemistry and biology, and indeed, any of the laws or dimensions of the Universe that science is able to describe, including gravity, time, and the speed of light. All these things are created by God FOR this Universe and as part of it, rather than some sort of eternal conditions that he has to work under. Perhaps this explains why science cannot “prove” God, simply because God, being beyond the Universe, cannot be tested by experiments within the Universe. The command, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord your God” suggests that human beings have always tried to put God to some sort of experimental test. But proof of God will always be in the mind of the individual moved by the evidence. And there is no shortage of evidence, as Paul says in Rom. 1:20: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” Many people have observed that a man will either see the finger of God at work in everything, or he can never see it at all.

This is especially true of the Big Bang theory. Many will see it as obviously demanding a God as the “first cause”, while others are determined to hold fast to unbelief. When the editor of New Scientist magazine made a little comment on the “no need for God” question, he was so swamped with correspondence that a special newsletter was required just to publish “the God letters”… all written by scientists! He later admitted that the very argument he had used (Occam’s razor) to do away with the necessity for God had been skillfully turned around to REQUIRE God as a first cause.

One of the more fascinating things about the Big Bang is the precision engineering involved to make it all work. Sir Bernard Lovell, in his book “In the Centre of Immensites”, pp 122,123, remarks about the Big Bang: “If at that moment the rate of expansion had been reduced by only one part in a thousand billion, then the universe would have collapsed after a few million years… Conversely, if the rate had been marginally greater, then the expansion would have reached such magnitudes that no gravitationally bound system (ie, galaxies and stars, etc) could have formed.”

Surely this finely tuned explosion suggests our Universe was no mere accident? No galaxies = no stars, and no stars = no planets, no planets = no earth, no earth = no life, and all that means no you and me.

Then there are the laws controlling the fundamental forces of the Universe. I’ll let Alan Hayward explain with an extended quotation from his excellent book “Creation and Evolution” p 61…

“There appear to be just four basic forces holding everything in the universe together, from the smallest atomic particles to the greatest galaxies. Physicists call them the gravitational force, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. Each of these has a characteristic strength that physicists have measured.

“If we ask, why do those forces have those particular strengths, there seems to be no answer…

“Something (or Somebody) has evidently tailored the values of those four fundamental forces of nature, so as to give the universe precisely the properties it needs if life is to exist in it.

“To give just one example of the way these forces are matched, take the relationship between gravity and the weak nuclear force. It is the perfect balance between these two that has caused the universe to keep expanding at a comfortable steady rate. To achieve this, according to Paul Davies, the two forces have to be tuned to each other with the astonishing accuracy of one part in ten thousand billion billion billion billion!

“If they became mismatched by this minute amount in one direction, then, says Davies, ‘the expansion of the universe would be explosive, and it is doubtful if galaxies could ever have formed against such a disruptive force.’ With the same amount of mismatch in the other direction, ‘the explosion would be replaced by a catastrophic collapse of the universe.’

“All this, says Davies, provides ‘compelling evidence that something is “going on” ‘.

(Alan Hayward, “Creation and Evolution”, p 61, and quoting from Paul Davies, “The Accidental Universe”, p 110)

Several years later, while discussing some even more astounding fine-tuned coincidences, Paul Davies (in his best-seller “The Mind of God”, in a chapter called “Designer Universe”) is less hesitant at expressing what he thinks is “going on”, and arrives at the following conclusion:

“The apparent ‘fine tuning’ of the laws of nature necessary if conscious life is to evolve in the universe then carries the clear implication that God has designed the universe so as to permit such life and consciousness to emerge. It would mean that our own existence in the universe formed a central part of God’s plan.”

The apostle Paul reminded the Colossians that the whole Universe was created for Christ, things in heaven and things on earth, and we have been invited to share with him. Do you think it is possible that we have under-estimated just what this means?

It seems to me that an awful lot of time and drama are passed over in the simplicity of the opening words of our Bibles, presumably because they would distract from the essence of the message. Yet the shepherd boy’s quiet consideration of the sun, moon and stars enabled him to face the giant Goliath in a spirit of astonishment that such could dare defy the armies of the Living God! Job had his attention directed to consider the behaviour of a creation whose hidden secrets teach us about the power and intellect of our God, and the prophet Isaiah urges the people several times to lift up their eyes to consider the heavens and the implications they have for worship. There is nothing in science that can ever take this wonder away. Whether a scientist is digging up fossils of ancient life forms or peering into the awesome depths of space, or whether he is studying the biological marvels of our “fearfully and wonderfully made” human frames or teasing out the secrets of the atom, he or she is exploring the handiwork of God in a skillful and disciplined manner, whether they acknowledge it or not.

Truly this world is full of hard-hearted and stiff-necked people who will always resist the truths inscribed into the very fabric of Creation. We must resist allowing anyone’s human prejudices and opinions to obstruct the wonder and reverence due to our Creator, and we must be equally careful lest our own prejudices and opinions interfere with our ability to recognise and be motivated by the hand of our God seen in the discoveries of science.

JP

“The LORD possessed me (wisdom) in the beginning of his way, before his works of old I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men” (Pro 8:22-31).

The Blind Men and the Elephant

By John G. Saxe

It was six men of Indostan, To learning much inclined, Who went to see the elephant, (Though all of them were blind,) That each by observation Might satisfy his mind.

The first approached the elephant, And, happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl “God bless me! but the elephant Is very like a wall!”

The second, feeling of the tusk, Cried: “Ho! what have we here. So very round, and smooth, and sharp? To me ’tis very clear, This wonder of an elephant Is very like a spear!”

The third approached the animal, And, happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up he spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the elephant Is very like a snake!”

The fourth reached out his eager hand, And felt about the knee: “What most this wondrous beast is like Is very plain,” quoth he; “‘Tis clear enough the elephant Is very like a tree!”

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most: Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an elephant Is very like a fan!”

The sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the elephant Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right And all were in the wrong!

“The life is in the blood”: Lev 3:17; 7:26,27; 17:11,14; Deu 12:23.

• Blood is the source of life — its red blood cells supply oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the human body. [Christ’s blood is a “transfusion” of life to us: “Drink my blood” (Joh 6:53-57; 1Co 11:25-27; Mat 26:27,28). What was forbidden — ie the partaking of the natural blood of other animals — is commanded of us, on a spiritual level. It is only through Christ and his shed blood that we may have life.]

• Blood is the agent of cleansing — it removes carbon dioxide and toxins and waste products from every body cell, and transports them to the lungs and kidneys, where they are excreted or expelled. [Likewise, believers are “washed in the blood of the Lamb”: Rev 7:14; 1Jo 1:7; Heb 9:11-14.]

• Blood is the agent of overcoming disease — its white cells attack and neutralize and consume invading bacteria and viruses and “alien” bodies. All immunizations and vaccinations make use of this amazing capacity of the human body to heal itself. [By Christ’s blood we can overcome all difficulties and trials: Rev 12:11; Joh 16:33. He is the one who has overcome all things, and when we are inoculated with his “blood” we are provided with the necessary “antibodies” to fight off the “disease” of sin: Heb 2:14-18; 4:15.]

“Imagine an enormous tube snaking southward from Canada through the Amazon delta, plunging into oceans only to surface at every inhabited island, shooting out eastward through every jungle, plain, and desert in Africa, forking near Egypt to join all of Europe and Russia as well as the entire Middle East and Asia — a pipeline so global and pervasive that it links every person worldwide. Inside that tube an endless plenitude of treasures floats along on rafts: mangoes, coconuts, asparagus, and produce from every continent; watches, calculators, and cameras; gems and minerals; forty-nine brands of cereals; all styles and sizes of clothing; the contents of entire shopping centers. Five billion people have access: at a moment of need or want, they simply reach into the tube and seize whatever product suits them. Somewhere far down the pipeline a replacement is manufactured and inserted.

“Such a pipeline exists inside each one of us, servicing not five billion but one hundred trillion cells in the human body. An endless supply of oxygen, amino acids, nitrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sugars, lipids, cholesterols, and hormones surges past our cells, carried on blood cell rafts or suspended in fluid. Each cell has special withdrawal privileges to gather the resources needed to fuel a tiny engine for its complex chemical reactions.

“In addition, that same pipeline ferries away refuse, exhaust gases, and worn-out chemicals. In the interest of economical transport, the body dissolves its vital substances into a liquid (much as coal is shipped more efficiently through a slurry pipeline than by truck and train). Five or six quarts of this all-purpose fluid suffice for the body’s hundred trillion cells” (Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, “In His Image”, p 55).

There are many writers and perhaps even some thinkers who would readily fall into error if asked to describe the true Christadelphian. In the Brotherhood there has been a very natural tendency to put the emphasis upon the subject that is to the front at the moment; and in times of controversy the true Christadelphian is known by being on “our side”. The word, however, means brother of Christ, and as the Lord himself gave us an explicit definition we should experience no difficulty in recognizing a much fuller meaning. “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother.”

This is a principle of first importance. It is so fundamental and so simple that it is continually ignored. There is nothing in the nature of paradox in this statement. It has long since been recognized as a truism that men rarely think seriously of principles that are fundamental and obvious. Such truths are accepted as a matter of course. Every man wants to have truth on his side and it becomes quite natural to assume that it is there, especially when feeling is strong. In the same way men can readily persuade themselves that God is on their side, even while they are violating every command He has ever given. The warring nations and churches all cry “God is with us”, even though they could not advance a single argument to show that they are with God. Individuals are just the same. A man will profess his firm belief in providence and relate a remarkable experience to prove the fact of divine intervention in human affairs. He tells us how a series of extraordinary mishaps prevented him from sailing in a boat in which he had booked a passage. After full details of how others were helped by circumstance to catch the boat while he was prevented, we reach the rich conclusion that the boat went down with all on board. We should be accounted rude if we inquired how such selection could be regarded as an evidence of providential intervention. He takes it for granted that if God interferes in human affairs at all, a special care for him will inevitably be a first charge to the angels, while the lives of other men will be a matter of comparative indifference.

In similar manner, men assume that God will come into line with their feelings in time of controversy. Their differences are stimulated by opposition; they work themselves up to passionate attack or defence. Then if they think of God at all they assume that He will be angry with those who oppose them. They are falling into just the error of the striving nations. They are not trying to be on the Lord’s side but rather assuming that the Lord will be with them.

We do well, then, so far as we are able, to break away from human passions and prejudices and test ourselves by this first principle. What is the will of the Father in heaven? We who believe the Bible have plenty of instructions to guide us in life. We must get the answer from the “Word” and not from our own hearts. In some respects, ecclesial life is sure to resemble the political or commercial world, for we find the same elemental facts of human nature; but, as we value God’s offer of life, we must find a much higher standard of conduct.

If we venture to criticise brethren and urge them to take a course contrary to their inclination, we are sure to get some hard knocks. That is a matter of universal experience. It is equally natural that we shall receive commendation and support from those who are still more critical. In such circumstances there is a great danger that we may run to extremes, just on the lines of political parties. A man’s estimate of any situation is so easily biased by personal feeling. Resentment of harsh and unfair words will often play a potent though entirely hidden part in framing a policy. Then, when a party has been formed, when once a decision has been taken, the natural tendency will be to support the party and attack all opposing parties by fair means or foul.

Possibly some readers will exclaim, “On what a low plane you put the matter! Political parties are doubtless developed in this manner; but in the Truth it is different!”

Certainly it ought to be quite different; but we are dealing with the same human nature, the worst of which nearly always comes to the front in time of strife. We can only make ourselves different from the world by taking heed to the words of Scripture. They are plain enough. We must not suppose that the words regarding the evil human heart and the worthlessness of flesh only apply to other people. We are all of the same nature. The most dangerous men are those who are never conscious of being on a low plane. They can mistake the motions of sheer diabolism for a righteous and worthy zeal. The elements of diabolism are in us all. Often they may be aroused into activity and they will blend with ideals in the most complete manner. There is enough of the genuine to hide the spurious, and unless we apply the acid test base metal will pass off as gold.

Are we doing the will of the Father in heaven? That is the real test. It is not a question of doing what we assume ought to be His will. It is not enough to find in our hearts general desires and aspirations in the right direction. Is the work we are doing now in accordance with the revealed will of God? Are we engaged in the works of love, dispensing the bread and water of life, doing good to all men, especially those of the household of faith? Are we crucifying the flesh by enduring evil treatment without retaliation, leaving vengeance of all degrees to the Lord?

It is so easy to be self-deceived in these matters. If men revile us they are doing harm to the Truth. We can soon persuade ourselves that an effort to crush them and make them appear contemptible is simply in the interests of the Truth and not a matter of retaliation at all. This is simply one of the familiar disguises of the heart. Its shallowness is revealed by the fact that sometimes we have such a personal and enduring affection for certain men that when they are unfair to us we have no desire to retaliate or to say anything that would wound. We never feel then that there is any command in Scripture to make us more severe as a matter of duty. A simple statement of the Truth as we understand it does not need the personal hits so dear to the old man of the flesh. If men watch for iniquity in us and make us offenders for a word, or for a possible inflection they choose to put on a word, we must not retaliate by watching for iniquity in them. Sometimes brethren who criticise us lay themselves open to attack by the most amazing inconsistency. It would be easy to raise an agitation which would cause the critics trouble and perhaps even make them appear contemptible. By all worldly standards such retaliation would be right; but would it do any good to the cause of the Truth? Would such work please our Father in heaven? That is the only test that matters.

In these days of divine silence, and in the absence of visible authority, we have to choose for ourselves what course we shall take and to what manner of work we shall devote our strength. We must try to be honest and free from self-deception in making the decision. Shall we best do the will of our Father in heaven by building up those who have found the saving faith, but who need the helping, sympathetic hand as sorely as we need it ourselves; or would the Father be better pleased if we devoted our energies towards pulling down that which once we built? There are thousands of brethren and sisters who need exhortation, there are millions of fellow creatures who have never heard the Gospel. There are some hundreds who are separated from us by points of disagreement, although if taken individually we should all alike pass the most severe examination devised by any brother of a generation ago. Here we have a choice of fields in which to labour. It might be possible, even easy, to attack the last-named class and skilfully raise such agitation that strife would rage where now there is peace, and we might gain a few adherents out of the wreckage. We may feel that something would be gained even though a few babes should be slain in the struggle. We might easily be tempted to such a course by the natural instinct of retaliation, disguised and out of sight. Sometimes drastic ways may be legitimate, and we can soon persuade ourselves that as we are convinced of the soundness of our position, the possible gain of a few will justify the means. What is the revealed will of our Father in heaven? Would He desire us to raise strife in such quarters, to expose the naked inconsistency of some zealous but mistaken men in order that a few who already hold and practice the One Faith might obtain a better knowledge of human values? The Word condemns such strife and places the sower of discord among brethren as the apex of abomination. It tells us to preach the Word, to be instant in season and out of season; to reprove, rebuke and exhort with long suffering. It presents us with a series of letters to the churches showing where responsibility lies, and how we should trust each other. It gives us a picture of the judgment seat, with the whole emphasis put on positive and constructive work. It warns us repeatedly against judging and condemning each other, and of the danger that we may be guilty of greater errors than those we condemn. It lays down the principle that men may be doing good work even though they “walk not with us”. It tells us that the servant of the Lord must not strive but be patient, long suffering and apt to teach.

There is an immense field of constructive work before us. Every pound we can spare and every talent we can muster can be devoted to work that we know is right. Truly it is easy to find out the revealed will of God, and the one who shall do the will of the Father in heaven is the true Christadelphian.

(PrPr)

The idea of reconciliation is quite pervasive in the teachings of Christ. How else could it be for one in whom God was reconciling the world to Himself (2Co 5:19)? This is nowhere more evident than in that section of his teachings known popularly as the Sermon on the Mount. Here, in rapid succession, the Divine Master places his blessing upon the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers — the reconcilers! The “Beatitudes” are followed by the warning of Mat 5:20: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus could not have meant that his listeners should follow a more abundant “righteousness” than that of the Pharisees: that would have been well-nigh impossible at any rate. He must have meant a “righteousness” of a different sort — leaving behind the painstaking legal hair-splittings of washing and purifying; the wearisome fretting about contamination and separateness in a ceremonial sense.

The righteousness that Jesus advocates is an earnest, loving consideration for one’s brother, the principle rather than the appearance of righteousness, a reaching forward and not a pulling back: “Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment” (Mat 5:22, RSV).

We can well imagine the skeptic’s words: ‘Yes, this is all well and good; but what does it have to do with ‘fellowship’?” The answer is found in the next two verses (Mat 5:23,24). The “gifts” we offer to God at this time, which Christ must have had in mind, are prayers and praises (Psa 141:2; Hos 14:2). The “altar” to which we now approach is Christ himself, in heaven at the right hand of the Father, where he acts as priest and mediator also (Heb 13:10; 1Jo 2:1). The lesson is obvious, and has — it may now be seen — a strong bearing upon our “fellowship”: Even if your “lamb” or “gift” (ie your personal, individual worship and service) is “without blemish”, you must still be reconciled to your brother before God will be pleased to accept it! Only when reconciliation is sought, and peace is made, and brethren dwell together in unity (Psa 133:1) — only then is the invitation extended: “Come and offer thy gift.”

The Proverbs tell us there are seven abominable things, which God hates. The seventh (the worst?) of these is “he that soweth discord among brethren” (Pro 6:19). If this is so, then the teaching by contrast would be this: he whom God loves above all else, who is worthy of the seventh (the greatest?) blessing, is the peacemaker and the reconciler — ”he who sows accord among brethren”.

“The command of Christ is, ‘BE RECONCILED.’ Jesus does not discuss where the fault may lie. That is unimportant. The important part is — Seek reconciliation, continually, always. Not just go through the motions once or twice, like a technical Pharisee. He says — BE reconciled; keep at it; never give up the effort. IF THESE COMMANDS WERE OBEYED, THERE COULD BE NO ECCLESIAL PROBLEMS” (GVG, Berean 57:47).

“Brethren in Christ must PRACTICE reconciliation, atonement, and unity, not seeking to expose sins but to recover the sinner. They have no authority from Christ to mark up the failings of others and to make known from the housetops their deviations and sins… We should be no wedge-drivers but reconcilers, and not fall into the error of rejoicing more over the one sheep that is lost than over the one that is found, over withdrawing fellowship rather than restoring it” (CMPA, “Fellowship — Its Spirit and Practice”, The Christadelphian 109:11).

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; 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” (1Pe 1:13-16).

Peter is quoting an Old Testament passage, or rather a series of passages, from Leviticus:

Lev 11:44,45: In the context of a section prohibiting certain foods, and making a distinction between clean and unclean animals. The reason for this call to holiness: “For I am Yahweh that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God” (v 45).

Lev 19:2: The commandment to holiness comes here at the head of a series of injunctions, which include “Fear your father and mother”, “Keep My sabbaths”, and “Turn from idols”.

Lev 20:7,26: The same commandment again (“Be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God”) occurs at the beginning and end of a catalogue of sexual laws — -against fornication, incest, adultery, and so forth. Again, the same reason for this call to holiness is given also: “For I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine.”

This reason for holiness is echoed in Peter’s letter, where after the verses cited above he reminds the believers that they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ out of their former “useless way of life” (1Pe 1:18,19), so as to be a holy nation, a purchased people, kings and priests who have been delivered out of darkness into light (1Pe 2:9,10).

Lev 21:8: Priests were to be “holy unto God” — — that is, not defiled with the dead.

***

The basic ideas of both the Old and New Testament words for “holy” (Hebrew “kadesh” and Greek “hagios”) are quite similar: They signify “set apart, pure, sanctified”. This process of being called out to form a distinct community or congregation, this separating or severing of a special group for a special purpose (Lev 11:45; 20:26), is the means by which the “ecclesia” is formed. Under the Law, as we have seen in Leviticus, God’s people were set apart, or made “holy”, physically — — that is, they were brought out of Egypt, placed under dietary restrictions, commanded to abstain from immorality and idolatry, and constantly reminded of the divine deliverance that set them apart. This separateness in a physical sense required even the extermination of the Canaanite nations in their midst.

But, under Christ’s “law”, the ecclesia is to be a congregation of “called-out” and “set-apart” ones even while in the midst of evil men and evil institutions:

They are to be a “city set on a hill”, an “island” of light in a sea of darkness (Mat 5:14-16), harmless and blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse people (Phi 2:14,15). Their “holiness” is to be not so much one of erecting physical barriers between themselves and that which is unholy, but instead a spiritual separation and preparation of mind and attitude and conduct.

***

1Pe 1:16 is an echo of Matt 5:48:

“Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

The word “perfect” (again, both in Hebrew and Greek) means “to be complete or finished”, as a “perfect heart” — one that is whole, undivided in its loyalties, complete in its integrity; in a word, “holy”. A consideration of holiness, therefore, leads us naturally to Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount”: the living heart of the Truth, the “manifesto of the Kingdom”. “If ye love me,” said the Master, “keep my commandments.” And here they are: prayer, self-denial, loving one’s enemies, giving, preaching.

“Be ye therefore perfect.” Does Christ really expect us to be “perfect”? What he does expect (even demand) is that we exert every effort in that direction. He. requires no more than the very best we can do, but he will accept no less. This command leaves us absolutely no excuse for relaxing our efforts at any point short of perfection, or complete holiness. The great example is God Himself, awesome as that example may be:

“Be ye holy, for I am holy.”

“Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Holiness is both a series of acts and a state of mind. It cannot be one without the other. To the Pharisees it was the first but not the second, and their lives became an endless round of external, superficial “obedience”. But we may easily drift to the other extreme: Growing complacent in our reliance on the mercy of God, we may come to act as though “holiness” is nothing but a state of mind, and “deeds” make no real difference, because after all Christ can forgive!

It is true that Christ can and will forgive, and salvation is by grace and not by works. But our works — — our acts of “holiness” — — are the only means of putting ourselves into the position where we may hope for and expect forgiveness when we fail. The crucial truth is that God will not forgive our shortcomings unless we are seriously striving for holiness and perfection!

***

It is common however, for man to offer objections (even if subconsciously, and only to himself) to a life of holiness. Such objections fall into several categories:

“All people fall Short of perfection and holiness; so I am content with my failings”: But the question should not be: “Is absolute perfection possible?” but rather: “Do I come as near perfect holiness as sincere intention and careful effort can take me?” Jesus has said, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24).

Many will at the last fail to obtain salvation, not because they made no effort, but because they did not make effort enough!

“I am so much better than most people; surely ‘that’ is enough”: This was of course the common mistake of the Pharisee, concerned as he was with the outward appearance. But it may be our mistake also. Are we, perhaps, “better” than the world in externals only? A little more Bible reading, more regular attendance at “church” meetings, a little more care in refraining from the grosser and more obvious sins? Such a self-perception may be terribly dangerous, because it can lull us into a complacent, sleepy satisfaction. And we shall find at last that we have been no more than “white-wash jobs”! “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Mat 23:27,28).

“Love is the important thing; works are secondary”: But Jesus has said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Where in the Bible is love an emotion, and not an action? What is love, after all, if it is not obedience? Can disobedience be a manifestation of love?

***

It is evident, then, that Scriptural holiness is the mind of Christ, assimilated to ourselves (Phi 2:5). To the degree we make his mind ours, we are united and single and “perfect” in our loyalties (Mat 6:21-24). Life is too short to serve two “masters”, whether it be God and business, or God and gardening, or God and physical fitness. Holiness, then, involves the first step of “choosing the Kingdom”. If we have not chosen first the kingdom of God (v 33), it will make no difference what we have chosen instead!

Is this last statement true? Will it really make no difference whether we choose drugs, or a business promotion? Whether we choose politics, or football? Money, or family? Whether we choose, in short, the “disreputable”, obviously unworthy pursuits… or the “respectable”, society-pleasing pursuits? Surely it will make no difference that really matters, for we will have missed the purpose for which we were formed, and rejected the one thing that has any lasting value. Does it matter to a man dying in the desert, by which wrong road he missed the only well?

***

Acts 5 records the sad tale of Ananias and Sapphira, early disciples who pretended to be something more than they were. Caught between two worlds, desiring to have one foot in each, imperfect in their devotions, they lied to the Holy Spirit. They kept back part of the sales price of their possessions, and were struck dead for their pains.

We have “sold” the “old man” and laid the proceeds at the feet of Jesus. Have we also kept back part of the price? — — “I will do this and that for Jesus and then something else for myself.” If we have taught ourselves to think this way as a matter of course, then we will never be “holy”. We will never even be really happy. The “natural man”, like a little parasite, just will not quite let go. The less he is “fed”, the more he will complain and make a nuisance of himself… until he is truly dead! Jesus says, “Give me all. I don’t want 50% of your time and 20% of your money. I want you! I haven’t come to torment your ‘old man’, but to kill him once and for all. Hand him over, and I will give you a new self… a new man!”

Surely, if the cross of Christ is worth anything, it is worth everything. Surely, if Jesus is the Son of God, we must serve him and him alone. Surely, if we recognize that we need the “cure” for sin and death, we must sign up for the “full treatment”. Surely, there can be, in this war, no battles of “containment” or “limited objectives”, but a fight to the finish:

“Be ye holy, as I am holy.”

“Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven in perfect.”

***

Imagine yourself a living house. Jesus comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he’s up to: he’s fixing the plumbing and mending the leaky roof, and you’re not surprised. In fact, you’re rather pleased with the improvement.

But soon he starts knocking out walls and adding a new wing — courtyards and towers are going up everywhere. It’s all such a fuss, and the hammering never stops, and you’re tired and fed up, and all you ever wanted to be was a decent little cottage, no better than most. But he’s building a palace!

Why is he going to all this trouble? Well, you see, Jesus intends to come and live ill this house himself.

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy… and the dragon gave him his power… and great authority” (Rev 13:1,2).

Introduction

They are such frightening pictures, aren’t they? Wild dragon-like monsters, with purple and red crocodile hides, fierce countenances, sharp claws, thrashing tails, and extra heads and horns sprouting out at odd angles? Did Daniel have terrible nightmares as a child which he could never put out of his mind? Did the apostle John use psychedelic drugs, as some cynics have suggested? Are twentieth-century readers supposed to take all of this seriously anyway?

Yes! There is rhyme and reason to these fantastic visions. It is not necessarily the easiest thing in the world to make sense of it all. Maybe none of us can expect, at the present time, to make sense of ALL of it. But the Bible does provide, both in its historical sections and in other more straightforward prophecies, guidelines by which we can begin the task of unraveling the apocalyptic enigmas.

“Beasts”?

The Bible tells us generally that men who know not God, or who treat other men in a brutal fashion, are no better than “beasts” in God’s sight, and that they will ultimately perish like beasts (Psa 49:12,20; Ecc 3:19,20). This is probably the rationale for Gentile oppressors of God’s people being characterized as “beasts” of prey, in Daniel and elsewhere. The great “Beast” of Rev 13, with its 7 heads and 10 horns, also is said to have the number of a man (v 18), perhaps indicating that it represents a particular man.

At least one man in Old Testament times was actually made by God to be like a “beast”. This was the great king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who recognized himself in the “head of gold” in the image of Daniel 2, and whose great pride and arrogance brought upon him an unusual judgment from the Almighty: see Dan 4:16,25,32,33.

Only a coincidence? Or does this suggest that the “Beast” of the Last Days will be Babylonian, as was the “Beast” Nebuchadnezzar?

Furthermore: is it another coincidence that the “Beast”, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, set up an image (of himself?) to be worshiped by all his subjects (Dan 3:4-6) — remarkably similar to the image (not to mention the overall circumstances) described in Rev 13?

Such “coincidences” may in fact be useful patterns — arranged by the Divine Hand — upon which the outlines of future events may be discerned. In other words, Old Testament history may point the way to the fulfillment of New Testament prophecy. For example, along with “Beasts” and images, Babylon and the Euphrates River (the great river that flowed through the heart of ancient Babylon) also appear as symbols in the Book of Revelation:

1. Rev 9 describes a great Destroying Power bound at the Euphrates River — the river which flows directly through modern-day Iraq (Rev 9:12-21).

2. Rev 16:12 pictures the Divine judgments poured out upon the Euphrates River, causing it to dry up; this leads immediately to the fall of Babylon (Rev 16:17-21; cp Rev 14:8; 17:5; 18:2,10,21).

All this makes sense if the fate of the Euphrates River and the fate of Babylon are closely connected in the Last Days, as they were in Daniel’s day — when the drying up of the Euphrates was the proximate cause of the capture of Babylon by Darius the Mede (Dan 5:31; cp Jer 50:38; 51:36). And all these details point to the greater Middle Eastern area as the scene of Revelation’s final fulfillment.

The Beast of Rev 13 combines the characteristics of the four beasts of Dan 7. Thus:

Beast of Revelation 13	Daniel 7
Like a leopard	3rd beast
Feet like a bear	2nd beast
Mouth of a lion	1st beast
10 horns	4th beast

The Apocalyptic Beast appears to be a composite of all four beasts of Dan 7. Furthermore, the four beasts have, collectively, 7 heads and ten horns, ie:

Beast	Heads	Horns
Lion	1	—
Bear	1	—
Leopard	4	—
Fourth Beast	1	10
Totals	7	10

And the one Beast of Rev 13 likewise has, all to itself, seven heads and ten horns! This is not random confusion and monstrosity for its own sake; there is pattern here, and in pattern there may be discerned divine inspiration and direction for our understanding.

“Heads”?

The idea that the great Beast of Revelation somehow combines and represents the four kingdoms of Daniel, which in turn trod down Israel, suggests the following analysis (names on the same line are equivalent):

The 4 kingdoms of Dan 2;7	The 7 heads of Revelation
1. Babylon	1. Iraq*
2. Persia	2. Iran*
3. Greece (a)	3. Greece* Turkey (c) Egypt (Ptolemy)* Syria (Seleucus)*
4. Rome	4. Rome (b)

* These five “heads” had ruled over Israel by John’s time. Egypt (the king of the south) and Syria (the king of the north) each ruled for only short periods during approximately 300-100 BC (see Dan 11).

• After the death of Alexander the Great, his vast empire was divided into 4 parts, ruled over by his 4 generals. Greece’s 4 “heads” (Dan 7:6; 8:8,22) — roughly equivalent to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Syria today — plus the 3 other kingdoms — Iraq, Iran, and Rome — (with one head each) = 7 “heads”.

• The 6th “head” “now is”: At the time of John’s writing, Rome ruled over Israel. Counting the five that had already ruled over Israel, and the sixth was “now is”, there is left only one other head, which is…

• The 7th “head” — which in John’s day “is still to come”. Of the seven “heads” as outlined above, this would leave only the Turkish/Ottoman Empire. Although it ruled over the Middle East for a long time, it ruled only for a “short time” over Jewish-populated Palestine. There may also be a place here for another Last-Days power (somehow related to all the others) which will rule for the very “short time” of about 3 1/2 years.

“Horns”?

In Daniel, the alignment between Dan 2 (the “Image”) and Dan 7 (the 4 “beasts”) suggests that the (10?) “toes” that arise after the fourth empire are equivalent to the 10 “horns” that grow out of the fourth “beast”.

In the first instance of fulfillment, the 10 “horns” were the mercenary armies of the Arabs and Idumeans (Edomites) which assisted the Roman legions in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish state in AD 70 (cp the historian Josephus in his Wars of the Jews) [see Lesson, Ten toes, identity].

But Daniel also indicated that the 10 horns also exist when “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44). Since the Kingdom of God has not yet been set up as predicted here (see also Dan 7:27), there must be a further fulfillment of the toes prophecy. This illustrates the dual-fulfillment feature common in Daniel’s prophecy (and other Bible prophecies): once in an immediate and preliminary and partial sense, and once again (in a more complete sense) at the time of the end.

With Israel back as a nation in their land again (since 1948), the stage is set for another fulfillment. Who are most likely to be the 10 “horns” of the Last Days?

Psalm 83 lists 10 nations — giving their ancient names — which will join together in their determination to destroy Israel as a nation in the Last Days.

Likewise, recent Middle East history has seen ten Arab nations — occupying generally the same territory as the nations of Psalm 83 — gain their independence during the same generation (1922–1971) that saw the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948. (This is probably the import of Jesus’ words in Luke 21:29: “Behold the fig tree [Israel] AND ALL THE TREES.”)

There are currently, in the area occupied by the old Roman Empire, exactly 10 such independent Arab nations. This scenario even allows for the infamous eleventh “horn” of Dan 7, which arises after the others and acts as a catalyst in the defeat and persecution of Israel — the incipient “nation” of Palestine. At this writing it is not yet independent, but it could become so soon. Will this be the eleventh horn which comes up among, and after, the former ten?:

1. Egypt (1922)
2. Saudi Arabia (1932)
3. Iraq (1932)
4. Lebanon (1943)

5. Syria (1946)
6. Jordan (1949)
7. Kuwait (1963)
8. Bahrain (1971)

9. Qatar (1971)
10. United Arab Emirates (1971)

and

11. Palestine (?)

Thus the following analysis (names on the same line are generally equivalent):

10 Nations of Psalm 83	10 (and then 11) Horns of Revelation (a)
1. Assur (Assyria)	1. Iraq
2. Hagarenes	2. Egypt (?)
3. Tyre	3. Syria
4. Gebal	4. Lebanon
5. Moab	5. Jordan
6. Ammon
7. Edom	6. Saudi Arabia
8. Amalek
9. Ishmaelites	7. Kuwait 8. Qatar 9. United Arab Emirates 10. Bahrain
10. Philistines	11. Palestine (PLO) (b)

• These nations (all Arab) are all remnants of the Roman Empire in the Middle East (thus justifiably considered the “extension” of Rome, and the “toes” of Dan 2). This criterion (ie being part of the old Roman Empire) would exclude other nations like Yemen, Oman, and Iran. In fact, the territory of the ten Arab kings, along with that of Israel, is the only area of the whole world where all of Daniel’s four kingdoms actually ruled (ie where the territories of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome at their furthest limits overlapped)!

• The eleventh “horn”? It seems to be similar to the other ten horns, yet it is somehow different, and it arises later and displaces three others (perhaps Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria?).

Summary

The two charts may now be combined, and — for purposes of contrast — set alongside the list of the aggressor nations of Eze 38 (once again, an attempt is made to show equivalency from left to right):

The 4 Kingdoms of Dan 2; Dan 7	The 7 Heads of Revelation	The 10 Nations of Psalm 83	The 10 (and then 11) Horns of Revelation	“Gog and Magog” of Eze 38
1. Babylon	1. Iraq	1. Assur or Assyria	1. Iraq	—
2. Persia	2. Iran	—	—	1. Persia
3. Greece ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”	3. Greece 4. Turkey ” ” ” ” 5. Egypt 6. Syria	— — — — 2. Hagar 3. Tyre, and 4. Gebal	— — — — 2. Egypt 3. Syria, & 4. Lebanon	2. Meshech 3. Tubal 4. Gomer 5. Togarmah — — —
4. Rome ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”	7. Rome ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”	5. Moab 6. Ammon 7. Edom 8. Amalek 9. Ishmael ” ” ” ” ” ” 10. Philistia	5. Jordan ” ” 6. Saudi Arabia ” ” 7. Kuwait 8. Qatar 9. UAE 10. Bahrain 11. Palestine (PLO)	— — — — — — — — —
—	—	—	—	6. Libya
—	—	—	—	7. Ethiopia

General Comments on the Chart

A. While there are numerous points of connection between the nations of Psa 83 and the Beasts, heads, and horns — the nations of Eze 38 are largely a different group. Might they not (as Rev 20 suggests) attack Israel only after Christ and the saints have defeated the Arab powers and established the Kingdom in Jerusalem?

B. One of the 7 “heads” of the “Beast” is wounded with a “deadly” wound, but recovers — so that all the world gazes in awe at the Beast (Rev 13:3,5,6). At this date, it can only be speculation, but is the Iraq of Saddam Hussein that head? And is Saddam’s recent overwhelming defeat in the Gulf War the “deadly wound” from which he (the “Beast”, like Nebuchadnezzar) will rise again to dominate the Arab nations and threaten Israel once more?

C. The confederacy outlined above (in the first four columns) also includes the historical “kings of the north” (Syria) and “south” (Egypt). In Bible times, powers to the immediate north and south often put Israel into a pincers between them (cp all of Dan 11). Will they do so again?

D. The last element (and one of the most significant elements) of such a confederacy could be a newly-independent and vocal Palestine. Could PLO head Arafat be the second “Beast” of Rev 13 and the “little horn with a mouth speaking great things” of Dan 7:20 (ie great things against Israel)? Consider that Daniel’s beastly image had Babylon (Iraq?) for a head, but David’s beastly image — Goliath — was a Philistine, or Palestinian!

Conclusion

It is at least a possibility that such a confederacy as outlined above could arise in the near future, to threaten Israel (and, to some extent, the rest of the world). If it did, it would be at least one means of fulfilling the apocalyptic visions of Daniel and John. The great “image” of Dan 2, the 4 “beasts” of Dan 7, the 7 “heads”, the 10 toes and 10 “horns”, and the eleventh “horn” speaking blasphemous things may be seen to have their modern counterparts in such a pan-Arab coalition.

There may well be other scenarios that, at this point, are still possible — from both a Biblical viewpoint and a political one. Even at this late date, other changes could take place in the developing picture — new leaders rising up to displace old familiar ones, new treaties and agreements among the principals. Events have moved so rapidly in the last several years — so there is almost nothing imaginable which can surprise us any more. Or is there?

It is the business of all disciples to keep open minds as they study their Bibles in these turbulent and exciting times, and most especially to prepare themselves spiritually for the return of Christ.

The eight “Beatitudes” of Mat 5:3-12 are best understood and interpreted by the eight contrasts, or “Woes” of Mat 23:13-33:

THE BEATITUDES (Mat 5:3-12)	THE WOES (Mat 23:13-33)
The kingdom opened to the poor (v 3).	The kingdom shut (v 13).
Comfort for mourners (v 4).	Mourners distressed (v 14).
The meek inheriting the earth (v 5).	Fanatics compassing the earth (v 15).
True righteousness sought by true desire (v 6).	False righteousness sought by lies (vv 16-22).
The merciful obtain mercy (v 7).	Justice, “mercy”, and faith left undone (vv 23,24).
Purity within, and the vision of God hereafter (v 8).	Purity without, uncleanness within. “Blindness” (vv 25,26).
Peacemakers, the sons of God (v 9).	Hypocrites, and lawless (vv 27,28).
The persecuted (vv 10-12).	The persecutors (vv 29-33).

We have recently passed a significant turning point in our daily activities. We have completed another year of our lives. Can we say that we have completed another year of service to our Lord? Or have we merely passed the time with our minds and energies intent only upon this life that will soon pass away? Let us remember the words of wisdom to be found in Isa 40:6-8:

“All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

According to the prophet Isaiah, the grass here represents all man-kind. We cannot console ourselves with the belief that this is speaking only of those who know not the Truth. Isaiah says… “all flesh”. He is speaking of each one of us — even though we understand the Truth and have accepted it in baptism. Just as the plants around us, we are each in the process of withering and fading away. “In Adam all die.” “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” This sad decree set by God upon the head of Adam has never been lifted, and it applies with equal intensity to all of his descendants.

We know that (physically, at least) we are “in Adam”, that we must die. What is the use of God repeating the fact to us so many times throughout the Bible? Let us read again the last phrase in that quotation from Isaiah:

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

Here is the lesson God would have us to learn — that only in His eternal word is there any hope of life. Only in the Bible can we learn the secret of a satisfying and rewarding life in this present time. And only in the Bible can we learn how to obtain everlasting life in the future.

***

As mentioned just before, we have passed a significant point in our everyday life. We have completed another calendar year, but more importantly we have completed another reading of our Bibles with Robert Roberts’ “Bible Companion”. In the past year we have gone through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. Since we have accomplished this over the last 12 months, why not just put our Bibles away in a comer and find something else to read? We have given it a lot of attention in the past; we have read every bit of it carefully. Doesn’t it seem silly to start right over and read the same book again?

The only explanation we can give for such odd behavior is that we know the Bible to be unlike any other book that has ever been written. Jesus tells us, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” “Study the scriptures, for they are they that testify of me.” As Isaiah said, “The word of our God shall stand for ever.’ This is why we must be concerned with our Bible reading, and why we should be thankful for the works of John Thomas and Robert Roberts and many other brethren. The only other worthwhile books besides the Bible are the books that can faithfully help us to understand God’s Word better.

It is well worth noting that each of our three reading sections for the year closed with words of blessing. In Job and Malachi and Revelation, we must remember and ponder these blessings. And we must strive to see that they apply to us. If we knowingly turn our back upon the promises of our Father, all we can expect is shame and rejection when we stand before the Son of God.

Let us remember that such blessings as these do not come to us if we merely sit complacently and tell ourselves that “we have the Truth”. Unless we work eagerly to fulfill His requirements, we will be like the servant who hid the talent which his master left with him. What was said by his lord upon his return?

“Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat 25:30).

Job

The first of the three instances of blessing occurs in the last chapter of Job. Job had been a righteous man all the days of his life. He had led his family in worship of God. He had taken up as his own the cause of the poor and the orphans. He had “feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:8).

God caused many trials and sufferings to come upon His servant Job. Through this Job came to a more perfect realization of the power and majesty of his God. And he repented of his few presumptuous words and thoughts, and humbled himself before his Creator:

“Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:6).

In many ways Job typified our Saviour Jesus Christ. He endured many sufferings of a physical nature. And, possibly even more difficult, he endured the ignorance and false accusations of both his family and his friends. And in the end he proved to be a faithful servant, and he offered up sacrifice and prayed on behalf of his antagonistic friends.

In all these ways Job represented Christ. And since we are commanded over and over to be followers of Christ, these incidents in Job’s life may apply to us as well. We are tried and chastened, that our faith may be made more perfect. We may suffer embarrassment and ridicule from our friends and families if we try to live according to the Truth.

But if we, by “a patient continuance in well-doing”, are found to be worthy as Job was, then his blessings may apply to us:

“The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before… So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning… After this Job lived an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations” (Job 42:10,12,16).

Each of these things given to Job were wonderful gifts, but only very small in comparison to the crown of life which waits for us, and which these blessings represent.

Malachi

The second of the three blessings occurs in the last two chapters of Malachi. Malachi was the last of all the Old Testament prophets. He prophesied only about 400 years before the coming of Christ. The major portions of his message, like many of the prophets before him, concerned the children of Israel and their wickedness and neglect of God. Malachi accused both the common people and the priests: The commoners had offered polluted and feeble and worthless sacrifices to God, and had kept the best for themselves. Therefore they were lying and stealing from God. And the priests, by both word and deed, encouraged the people to do this:

“Ye (the priests) are departed out of the way: ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi” (Mal 2:8).

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed Me, even the whole nation” (Mal 3:8,9).

But even in the midst of such widespread hypocrisy and false worship, there remained a remnant of faithful ones who sought to obtain the blessings of their Lord:

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Mal 3:16,17).

For us, the lesson is very clear. We live in the midst of a wicked generation of men who have corrupted God’s way upon the earth, just as men did in the time of Noah. We must encourage one another to stand against the currents of change around us and to continue toward our goal. We must come together and speak often to one another. As Paul expresses it:

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb 10:24,25).

If we truly fear the Lord, then our names will be written in the book of remembrance, or the book of life. And we will become His jewels, or His “peculiar treasure” — as the margin of that verse indicates. In this way, we will fulfill God’s promise to Israel in the time of Moses:

“Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me from among all peoples… and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exo 19:5).

In Mal 4:2, the prophet offers a promise of the Messiah, “But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.”

There is no doubt that Jesus, the Sun of righteousness, will arise one day soon — bringing eternal life to the saints and peace to the battered world. But let us remember that he will “arise” unto us individually only if we “fear His name” in the proper way, and only if we “speak often one to another”.

Revelation

The last section of the Bible Companion is the New Testament, which is practically concluded with these words of blessing, Rev 21:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth (ie, the former evil order of affairs) were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (That is, there were no more unregenerate persons, described in Isaiah as the troubled sea, which casts up mire and dirt — Isa 57:20.)

And in the 22nd chapter, in words which require no explanation: “And he shewed 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… was there the tree of life.”

But again, as always before, let us remember that these blessings are conditional: They are not blessings for everyone, but… “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (22:7). To have any hope, we must search the book of Revelation and all the rest of Scripture, and endeavor to keep all the sayings of God’s word.

The New Year

We have paused at the end of a year’s reading, to take stock of a few of the tremendous number of promises recorded in the Bible for our sakes. Let us keep these promises before our minds always, and never regard the daily readings as a chore to be performed, but instead as a God-given opportunity to approach to the mind of God, to receive strength and encouragement, and to learn of His ways and walk in the steps of His Son.

Now we begin a new year with the Bible before us. We read in Genesis of the awesome majesty and power of God in the Creation, and we see His constant concern that provision may be made for man, with the help of God, to overcome his own evil tendencies. In the sacrifice for Adam, the protection of Noah, and the calling of Abram — we continually see God’s love for us, and His purpose “to bring many sons to glory”.

In Psalms, we learn words of acceptable praise to our Heavenly Father. And we learn fresh admiration for His everlasting word of life:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psa 19:7,8).

And finally in Matthew, we again begin to read of the life of the only-begotten Son of God — the focal point in God’s plan of redemption for those that fear His name:

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2Co 5:19).

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom 8:3).

We have come to the end of one year and we have begun the next. We must never, however, come to the end of our reading and study of God’s word. And we must always continue to put off the old man and put on the new man, by the “renewing of our minds”. But now for a moment we can stand at the summit, the crossroads of the word of God. We can see how every part is related, how it all combines in one glorious purpose. We can look both backward into history, and forward into the future as God unfolds it; and we may gain a glimpse of just a fraction of the greatness of our Father in Heaven.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out. For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things. To whom be glory for ever. Amen.”