The Bible Channel - Discover the Bible. (By Christadelphianvideo.org‪)‬ Christadelphians Talk

Our readings in Isaiah and Revelation both challenge us with figurative language about the climax of life on earth.  There are many passages in God’s word which make reference to the heavens in a way in which it seems clear they symbolise, in certain contexts, the ruling powers on earth. 

    Through Isaiah God says, “My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the people; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm (Jesus) they wait.  Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke and the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever …” [51 v.5,6]   

     This earth is being physically abused by human beings and needs renewal, but mankind is unable to agree how to stop this abuse. Representatives of many nations have just gathered together but nothing was achieved!  They, and the people they represent, are too self-centred in their attitudes: a world govt. is essential. The few people today who really know God, find it dangerous in an increasing number of countries, to make their faith openly evident. 

Now note the next verse in Isaiah, “Listen to me you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law: fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings … but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”  And so “the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” [v.11]

When “the heavens vanish like smoke” then “the number of the beast … the number of a man … 666” [Rev 13 v.18] will become clear.  There have been many proposals as to the interpretation of this number, most of them focusing on the Papacy.  After 6 comes 7 and this is the opposite, the number of perfection and completion with the opening of the seventh seal.  

    There are hidden seven’s in Revelation, there is one in this chapter, “Here is a call for the endurance (AV patience) and faith of the saints.” [v.10]  The Greek word hupomone occurs in Revelation just 7 times, and is a message to those who carefully search the Scriptures.  As the “heavens vanish like smoke” let us patiently endure knowing God’s righteousness is about to appear.






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We do not know a great deal about Isaiah’s personal situation.  In John’s Gospel we read that “Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him” [12 v.41], so the seeing was with the eye of faith, a vivid picture in the mind.  Isaiah “saw” what was to come, believing with such total conviction that the experience was counted as seeing and John’s quotations from Isaiah are of the reactions, so largely negative, people were to have to God’s messages; this causes us to meditate on reactions today.  

The more we ourselves read and reflect upon what we read, the more we are challenged.  We meditated on this as a result of reading Isaiah’s words in today’s chapter, “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious” [50 v.4,5]. 

It is a privilege each day to start by reading God’s word, to awaken our minds, refresh our thinking with godly thoughts before our minds need to focus on the challenges of the day, let us not be rebellious. This is, as we recall the in the words of James, “the wisdom that comes down from above” [3 v.15].  It gives us that inner strength and ability, not only to sustain us for another day, but also, it may well be, we may be used by our Lord by bringing us into contact with someone “who is weary” and we can impart to them some of the “strength” we have received from God’s word.

Now the passage in Isaiah goes on to record a situation which was fulfilled in the life of the Master at the time of his arrest; but it must, we suspect, have also been part of the prophet’s own experience, “I gave my back to those who strike … I hid not my face from shame and spitting (see Mark 15 v.19) …But the Lord GOD helps me … therefore I have set my face like a flint …” [Isaiah 50 v6,7].  

    Let us try harder to feed on God’s word “morning by morning” and experience all the benefits that he can give, setting our faces to serve him in whatever situations we encounter. 






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As we continue reading the final message of Jesus in Revelation we reflect on how much heart searching it has caused believers in every generation.  

    It’s wonderful visions of an ultimate age of perfection and glory are balanced by the awesome series of woes beforehand. The last 1900 years bear testimony to the judgements that were predicted – but so many crisis have been the natural results of man’s follies and blindness toward God.  

For many in this present age, especially the young, it is hard to relate to the woes and disasters which many chapters describe.  For one thing they are portrayed in largely symbolic language, for another, nearly all the present generation have not personally experienced fearful times of crisis. Our TV screens have been making them real, but the trouble is, so much of it is fiction, it does not seem real.  Added to this, Computer war ‘games’ have desensitized so many to the awesomeness of it all. 

A few still exist who can remember being huddled into shelters with schoolmates because of “flying bombs” – also seeing gangs of workers under guard because they were ‘prisoners of war’ – they also experienced the urgent noise of anti-aircraft guns trying to shoot down enemy planes.  

We know that awesome weapons of mass destruction exist – and there are powerful rockets able to deliver them, but it’s a threat we have become used to.  After the collapse of Communism over 20 years ago, everything seemed rather good, but it has not lasted!  

    Today’s political instability and disharmony between nations, with an impotent “disUnited Nations” unable to do anything other than talk, is worrying to some; but unless it affects them personally most people ignore what is happening. 

We read today in Revelation, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth” [8 v.13], and the people who suffer that “Woe” are “those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” [9 v.4]  But those who do have that seal “are before the throne of God … for the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” [7 v.15,17]  When the real day of “woe” arrives will you possess “the seal of God”? Jesus said, “ .. be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matt 24 v.44]






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It appears to us as we read the unfolding visions in Revelation that their sequence reveals different aspects of the ‘march’ of human history – as human beings try to avoid their responsibility to their Creator and the Saviour he provided.   These different aspects all climax in the time when “the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone … (say)… hide us … from (God) … and the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” [6 v.15-17]

That is the key question – “who can stand?”  When the systems of life on earth are totally falling apart in a greater crisis than ever before – only those who truly “know” God and “the Lamb” will be preserved.  The rest will  experience the divine wrath on a godless world.  

    But note how in Ch. 5 there is reference to “golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints” [v.8]  The elders who hold the bowls sing “a new song” to the Lamb (v.6) that has now appeared on the scene – and how wonderful are the words they sing.

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom of priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth” [v.9,10]  May we so live now that we are among the “ransomed people”. 

In 1 Samuel 2 we have Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving for her child Samuel; with what heart felt vision she ends it with the words, “He (God) will guard the feet of his faithful ones … The adversaries of the LORD are broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.” [v.9,10]  Hannah was obviously a very spiritually perceptive person!   May we have the same spirit, and regular reading of God’s words are an essential part of this!  

    Her prayer (and ours?) is about to have its final and complete fulfilment as are the other prayers that are counted as incense in “the golden bowls”   Make sure yours are among them so that you “can stand” on that “great day.”






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Our readings today all provoke some challenging thoughts. First we read Hannah’s impassioned prayer leading her to tell Eli the priest, “I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD” [1 Sam. 1 v.15] Such is human nature that we usually only do this when there is some real crisis. Hannah proves herself to be a very spiritual woman and tomorrow we will read her marvellous prayer of gratitude, “My heart exults in the LORD.” [2 v.1] Is that our experience?  

    Do we really count our blessings? What qualifies as a blessing?  Food for thought.

God’s message through Isaiah is very challenging, “I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning … I will accomplish all my purpose.” [46 v.9,10]

    This pronouncement was followed by the statement, “Listen to me you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness.” [v.12] Sadly God could equally say that today – not only to the world – but to most if not all of those who claim to be Christian.

The third chapter of Revelation gives us 3 illustrations of the ultimate purpose of God in Christ’s messages to three different churches.  The message to Sardis said there were “still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments (of righteousness – see Ch.7 v.13-14 & Isaiah 61 v.10) and they will walk before me in white, for they are worthy.” [v.4]

He commends those in Philadelphia for their “patient endurance” and as a result of this says, “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on earth.” [v.10] Believers over the centuries have experienced severe times of trial, but many scriptures make it clear that an ultimate “time” is coming!

He reproves the believers in Laodicea for their attitude!  “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” [v.17] adding, “Those whom I love I reprove and discipline” [v.19]  And, what is the personal part of the “end” that God declared from the beginning? Verse 21 tells us, “The one who conquers (AV overcomes) I will grant him to sit with me on my throne …” [v.21]

    May he love us and may we accept any “discipline” he sees necessary so that we are counted “worthy”.








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Today we started reading the thought challenging last book of the Bible.  At the start the symbolic language is clearly explained, assemblies of believers (which is the meaning of the word for ‘church’) are called “lampstands” (1 v.20 – candlesticks in the old A V – places where light should shine forth).    The book is “a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must soon take place.” [1 v.1] 

‘Soon’ is as seen from God’s perspective!  It was 2,000 years from Abraham to Christ! God’s angel told Abraham when he stopped him from sacrificing Isaac, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” [Gen. 22 v8], yet it took him 2,000 years (in man’s time frame) to provide it. And here we are 2,000 years later and …?

In this last book the answer is revealed – often by linking together messages God gave to the prophets, as we are reading in Isaiah.  The 2nd chapter shows that our Lord and Saviour is the one “who walks among the seven golden lampstands” [v.1] and because of that he can say to them all, “I know your works …” [v.2, 19, etc] The first church, at Ephesus is praised for their “patient endurance , and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles, and are not, and have found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” [v.2,3] 

Those words are all positive and encouraging – and it comes as a shock to then read, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first.  If not …” [v.4,5]  The works of those who bear Christ’s name are only complete when their “works” show the love they profess.  The more intensely we develop our relationship with Christ, a true loving relationship, the more this will result in actions. It is dangerous to only do things from a sense of duty.

The comparison to the message to the church at Pergamum [v.12-17] is significant.  This church is contending with the influence of “Satan’s throne” which must be a centre of evil in their city “where Satan dwells”[v.13] Despite this, “…yet you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness who was killed …”  We reluctantly realize that opposition and danger in one form or another is ‘good’ for us.   Revelation is a message for all generations and our final thought is in v.25 “… hold fast what you have until I come”   Surely that is a message for today.






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