In the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul was not wanting in reminding his readers of the superlatives relating to Christ’s work. Frequently he used the expression “much more”. Here are a few. They make uplifting reading. [Read more…]
4. God of all men
The wisdom of Solomon
“You are merciful to all men, because You have power to do all things. You overlook the sins of men to the end that they might repent. For all things that exist are dear to You, and You hate nothing that You have created. Why else would You have made it? And how can anything continue in existence, had it not been Your will? How could it have endured unless You had called it into existence? You spare all things because they are Yours, our Lord and Master who loves all that lives, for Your Incorruptible Spirit is in them all. For this reason You correct offenders little by little, admonishing them and reminding them of their sins, that they may leave their evil ways and put their trust O Lord in You. – – For Your strength is the source of justice, and it is because You are Master of all that You spare all. You show Your strength when men doubt the perfection of Your power; it is when they know it but remain insolent that You punish them. But with the strength at Your command You judge in mercy and rule us in great forbearance, for Your sovereignty is over all. The power is Yours whensoever You have the will.”
The Wisdom of Solomon, 11:23 – 12:2 & 12:16-18
112. The Secret of 276
In the 27th chapter of Acts, Luke gives a graphic account of the tragic sea voyage in which the Apostle Paul, as prisoner, sailed from Caesarea to Italy, in the custody of Julius the Centurion. And in that account, he tells us that 276 souls were saved alive from the shipwreck, not one being lost to the raging sea. This is the location of the number 276 in the New Testament, and in due course we shall find that this precisely stated number is full of significance, in exactly the same way that we saw the significance of 153 in the last paper. But the secret must remain until the end of this paper. [Read more…]
106. An Everlasting Problem
Over the years we have written several articles about the meaning of words like “for ever and ever,” and we have read many different articles from the pens of others on the same theme. Each of us has in his own way tried to wrestle with the fact that we have no confidence in The English translations, knowing that “Conscious Everlasting Torment” is an affront to the Divine Nature. However, there has always been a niggle at the back of my mind over the translation. No matter how hard I have tried to justify translating the Greek word AION as something other than ‘ever’, it has always left that slight feeling at the back of my mind that I might have been twisting things for the sake of “correct theology”. Let me say right now that I maintain the theology of Ultimate Reconciliation without a shadow of doubt. [Read more…]
79. Sodom’s Great Secret
Sodom and Gomorrah have at last been found. Or should I say, they have at last been RECOGNISED, because they have been lying undisturbed for thousands of years, unrecognised. I have written about this recently, based on the exciting Video produced by Jonathan Gray. Someone wrote to him saying, “How can you say that bricks and stone have been turned to ash? That never happens.” He replied, quite correctly I feel, that when a volcano explodes, literally millions of tons of VOLCANIC ASH spew out, known as TUFA. Nobody doubts that. And it is the result of intense heat on rocks. What happened at Sodom is the result of intense heat – “the Lord rained on Sodom fire and brimstone.” The word “ash” is used in the Bible to describe the result, and that is exactly what Wyatt and Gray found. It is a fitting testimony to the accuracy of holy writ. [Read more…]
54. A Gross Exaggeration
In our recent Bible Study meetings we have been going through Revelation in some depth. It has been a very difficult series, and we have felt so inadequate to unlock the meanings of the visions John saw. However, much has been learned of spiritual value in our daily walk, regardless of whether we reached any meaningful conclusions about the future. We were encouraged to read in chapter one that God has a blessing for those who READ and those who KEEP the words of “this prophecy”, but He didn’t say “those who UNDERSTAND”! [Read more…]
49. Vengeance
We should like to thank all those who respond to our Telegraphs, either by thanking us for fellowship, or with problems and disagreements needing to be tackled. Our readers will have noticed that our theme of late has been very much devoted to the issues connected with Ultimate Reconciliation, and this is because we have sensed the Lord’s gracious pressure upon us in that direction. Some have written to say that the expositions have released them from perplexities concerning God’s character (in connection with the popular notion of hell-fire), but others have given us lists of references which support a most gruesome scene in the distant future, seemingly contradicting our thesis. [Read more…]
48. Freewill
The word FREEWILL immediately conjures up thoughts of the argument that has existed for nearly four centuries over PREDESTINATION and FREEWILL, as expounded originally by CALVIN and ARMINIUS. Before investigating the subject of freewill further, it might be profitable to state what the Encyclopaedia says about these two men. [Read more…]
47. “Too Hard”
“My heart is bubbling over with a goodly theme – – My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer – -.” (Psalm 45:1)
Yes, we truly have a goodly theme, and desire to share what we have learned, for by sharing we believe that we shall give glory to the Lord, who so greatly deserves our praise! Our title “Too Hard” may seem a little enigmatic, but let us unveil the reason straight away by considering the conversation the Angel of the Lord had with Abraham, about the prospect of his having a son through Sarah. [Read more…]
46. Confession and Torment!
We have to admit that sometimes the titles of our PTs may appear to be a little bizarre. But there is a very good reason for us to write on the themes of “confession” and “torment”, and the outcome, we promise you, will be far from bizarre. We are now just a matter of hours away from Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, when the High Priest went, once each year, into the Holy of Holies to present an offering for the sins of ALL ISRAEL. And as we come to the N.T. and realise that our Great High Priest offered Himself without spot to God, and entered into the Holiest in heaven, it was on behalf of ALL PEOPLE, not just Israel. [Read more…]