The Lighthouse

The season of goodwill has come just at the right time.

God is about to do mighty things in and through Britain.

Amidst threats of hell and terror on all sides, heaven awaits those who trust in the Lord!

Appreciating the rich symbolism of Old Covenant metaphors and their fulfilment in Jesus – and in us.

At Christmas time especially, we all have an enhanced appreciation of light and its capacity to decorate and illuminate, brightening up the gloom. As our Editor-in-Chief expands on elsewhere in this final 2018 issue of Prophecy Today UK, the scriptures emphasise that God is light, and in that light we find life (1 John 1:5; John 1:4).

That we might learn this lesson, the Lord has written it into the DNA of Creation. Life on this planet is completely dependent upon light: for energy, warmth and food. It is from light that Earth gets its vibrant colours, its daily and seasonal rhythms and its water cycle. Since the dawn of civilisation, light has been central to human culture and communication, giving comfort, guidance and security – whether warming fires or the gentle glow of evening lamps.

Put simply, in light is our life: and this physical and social lesson points us towards a greater spiritual reality.

The Bible reminds us that the world’s physical light originated in the spoken, creative word of God. The immortal words of Genesis 1: “Let there be light!” spoke light into darkness and life into a lifeless void. Revelation reminds us that at the end of history, physical light sources will be replaced by God himself (Rev 21:23, 22:5). Intentionally, the Bible is book-ended with references to God as the eternal and true source of Light.

In light is our life: and this physical and social lesson points us towards a greater spiritual reality.

But not just the Light – God is our light, personally as well as universally. We see this most clearly in Exodus, where God’s presence leads the Children of Israel through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, appearing as a pillar of fire by night “to give them light on the way they were to take” (Neh 9:12).

It is here that we learn that God desires to lead his children in the way they should go, illuminating their path. This idea was built into the communal life and worship of Israel through the rich symbolism of the menorah. Though this is celebrated most prominently at Hanukkah, it is worth meditating on again as we approach Christmas and celebrate the coming of Messiah, the True Light, into the world.

The emblem of the State of Israel.God with Us

The distinctive seven-branched candleholder is apparently the oldest continuously used religious symbol in the Western world (perhaps the entire world) and serves as the main symbol on the official emblem of the State of Israel, referencing the miraculous endurance of the Jewish people. Scripturally, it first appears in Exodus 25, where God instructs Moses on how to make this elaborate lamp to light the Tabernacle, the community’s place of worship and meeting with God.

Shining continuously in the centre of the Israelite encampment, the menorah signified the presence of God dwelling in the midst of his people. It was David who later sang: “You are my lamp, O Lord, the Lord shall enlighten my darkness” (2 Sam 22:29).

Known in rabbinic culture as the ‘light of the world’, the menorah was a constant reminder to Israel of their God-given mandate to display his glory, truth and faithfulness to the nations. And it was close to the menorah in the Temple courts in Jerusalem that the Son of God later dared to declare “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Beautiful Detail

But there is more meaning within God’s instructions for the menorah that often gets missed. Made of pure gold and all of one piece despite its ornate details, the menorah speaks of God’s majesty, purity and his all-sufficiency. We have no need to attach anything to the Lord; he is more than enough.

Beaten and hammered into shape, the menorah speaks of God the Son: sinless and pure, but afflicted and stricken – made perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10). Similarly, the menorah’s light was fuelled by pure olive oil, the crushed fruit of the ‘eternal’ olive tree, just as Jesus was “crushed for our iniquities” (Isa 53:5). The oil also speaks of his anointing as our King and Great High Priest.

Shining continuously in the centre of the Israelite encampment, the menorah signified the presence of God dwelling in the midst of his people.

The unique, distinctive shape of the menorah - three branches on one side, three on the other and one in the middle – is also full of meaning. The six branches, biblically the number of fallenness, symbolise imperfect humanity while the seventh represents Yeshua, dwelling in our midst, making us perfect. The six branches are traditionally dependent on the central candle, the shamash or ‘servant’, from which the others are lit, just as Yeshua, the Servant of Isaiah 42, humbled himself to become “a light to the Gentiles”.

So, hidden in the branches of the menorah is a picture of our Servant King, and a picture of us, his people, together living in the pattern of our Master: children of the light (Eph 5:8). This new community of faith shines forth light in the darkness, as God always intended. Indeed, some see in the menorah a picture of the olive tree of Romans 11, in which Jew and Gentile are joined together in Yeshua, or the vine of John 15, symbolising Yeshua as the source of life and love for all believers.

The menorah is quite obviously shaped like a tree – which in Scripture connotes both life and wisdom (e.g. Prov 3:18). The ornate almond blossoms are reminders of our authority as a priesthood of believers, just as Aaron’s staff budded with almond blossoms to symbolise God’s approval for the Levitical priesthood. Some see the buds and blossoms on the menorah as a symbol of believers being the ‘first fruits’ of a greater harvest to come, since almond trees blossom early, heralding the spring.

In the menorah we also see a tree that is continuously ablaze but not consumed: a vivid reminder of the burning bush where God met Moses so powerfully, as well as the Day of Pentecost when tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the disciples. We are reminded that as living sacrifices, God desires to indwell us with his glory - not consuming us but shining out through our lives to the rest of the world. We are also reminded of the need to be filled continuously with the oil of the Holy Spirit, that we might be prepared for his return (Matt 25).

Children of Light

The menorah is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of God dwelling with/in man and man dwelling in/with God: a picture fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming and also in us, “sons of light and sons of the day” (1 Thess 5:5). “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

As we receive the light and life of Yeshua within our souls and become part of his Living Menorah, so we ought naturally to shine in the midst of a dark world, radiating his light to the lost. Just like the nation of Israel was and is called to be a light to all other nations, so we are called to “let our light shine before men, so they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

The menorah is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of God dwelling with/in man and man dwelling in/with God: a picture fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming and also in us.

Christmas affords us all opportunity in this respect, that through us others might be drawn to “the true Light which gives light to every man” (John 1:9).

What an incredible gift: that our God, who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16), laid aside his garments of light (Ps 104:2) and took on human flesh, that we might become “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as stars in the universe, holding fast the word of life” (Phil 2:15-16). Glory! This is what Christmas should celebrate – and it is what the world desperately needs.

Celebrating the good news of Christmas-tide.

For many years the prologue of John’s Gospel (John 1:1-18) has been a favourite passage of Scripture for me. As a student I could recite from memory the whole prologue in Greek, although today I can hardly get beyond the second verse. But I have grown to understand its message much more. “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

This is the central message of the Gospel and it expresses the tragedy of our human nature. God has sent his truth like the sun penetrating the darkness of the night: but it has not been understood by human beings, whom God created in his own image for intimate fellowship with him.

Through the Prophets of Israel, over a period of many centuries, God progressively revealed his nature and purposes to humanity. This prepared the way for the coming of Messiah, Jesus, who added to that revelation an understanding of God as our Father who loves us with an unconditional and un-ending love. That love was so great that it even took Jesus to the Cross in order to provide for our salvation.

The Incarnation: Blessing and Tragedy

The tragedy of the incarnation is emphasised in verse 10 which states “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.” Traditionally, theologians have understood the enlightenment brought by Jesus as the illumination of reason and conscience, thus bringing the Gospel into line with Stoic ideas about the logos as something that dwells in every human being, a seed within each one of us that enables us to develop full understanding of truth.

But the coming of the light actually brings judgment, because it reveals the fact that human beings love darkness rather than light; although it is not God’s purpose to bring judgment but to create faith leading to salvation. The amazing truth of the incarnation is that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” so that we can actually see the light shining in the darkness of the world around us.

Of course, human beings prefer the darkness because they cannot understand the light, which actually requires a change of mindset. Indeed, it requires accepting that we need the light in order to be able to understand anything at all in the created order of the universe. Only the true light of the world can give us real, genuine understanding. It changes everything, giving us a different position from which to perceive reality.

In order to accept the light, we have to be prepared to forsake the pursuit of our own self-interest. But in the process, we actually become children of God instead of being creatures of the world, which is an entirely new status. As Paul said, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).

Opportunity to Respond

Of course all human beings, whether they believe or not, are surrounded by the light of Jesus, because he has made his dwelling among us. This was part of God’s intention from the time he created the universe and made human beings capable of being in relationship with himself, the Creator. He chose the people of Israel to be the means through whom he would bring light to the world and fulfil his purpose of enabling everyone to become children of God – part of the community of believers.

This was revealed to the Prophet Zechariah 500 years before the coming of Jesus. He shouted for joy when he received this revelation: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you, declares the Lord. Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you” (Zec 2:10).

The prologue of John speaks about the true light of the world – the person and power and wisdom of God, who created the universe – coming to take a permanent place among human beings, so that they could perceive truth in a way that had been hidden from previous generations.

In order to accept the light, we have to be prepared to forsake the pursuit of our own self-interest; but in the process, we become children of God.

The nativity that we celebrate at Christmas has very flimsy historical links with the date of Jesus’ birth and even less to do with the tinsel and wrappings and commercial Christmas of today. But the fact that lights are switched on in our towns and villages and decorate our homes is an acknowledgement of the central truth of the incarnation – that the true Light has come into the world of humanity.

As we are each a creation of God, there is built into each one of us the ability to respond to (or the freedom to reject) the true light. For those who do respond, there is the wonderful experience of becoming a child of God which changes our perception of everything: in the same way as the light of a new day dispels the darkness of night and enables us to see things that were only dimly perceived in the darkness.

Witnessing to the Light

The Fourth Gospel prologue tells us that John the Baptist was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way and to be a witness to the light. He was not the true light – he was a reflection of the light, but when Jesus came, the true light which was there in the beginning, and through whom the universe was made, was now available to human beings in a new way.

God actually humbled himself and took human form as his final great act of salvation, to enable sinful men and women to see the truth and to give them the power to overcome the forces of darkness that drive us all towards self-destruction. This is the good news of Christmas-tide - the coming of truth and light into our world of sin and darkness.

Surely there has never been a greater need for such a message than there is today! As children of the light we need to take a break from all the works of darkness around us (including our Parliamentary Pantomime) and take every opportunity of sharing the good news with others during this Christmas season. Let’s make it truly a season of light and truth!

The Lord be with you and bless you as you bless others.

The danger of losing the heart and soul of Christmas

It’s that time of year when we’re all so busy rushing about Christmas shopping that we fail to stop and think what it’s all about – that Jesus is the reason for the season.

We’re caught up in a whirl of almost mindless acquisition that mirrors much of Western society. But we can’t take any of it with us (to the next life), so why are we so frantically running after those mostly material things?

As I write, my dear mother, aged 95, is clearly seeing out her last days during which we will be doing all we can to bring comfort and peace in the midst of her pain. And I’m so glad that, in his official role as ‘curer of souls’, her vicar has been round to pray with her.

There’s nothing like such times to help us focus on what really matters – a person’s soul. That is now our chief concern, as it always is for our family, friends and neighbours.

Be Rich Towards God

Several members of my far-flung family have lost money in business in recent years, and are no doubt struggling to come to terms with that.

Similarly, much of the virtual civil war over Brexit revolves around the issue of finance. City-slickers and others who thrive on trade with Europe care little for the nation’s soul, its health, its sovereignty; they seem more concerned about the depth of their pockets. But neither staying nor leaving is likely to be a cure-all for our economic ills.

It is foolish to ignore the spiritual side of your life and leave your Maker out of the picture.

Jesus told the parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns to store his surplus grain without considering his soul or consulting his Creator. His goal was “Eat, drink and be merry!” The result was disaster. He may have been rich, but suddenly he had nothing – and God said to him: “You fool! This very night your soul will be required of you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

Jesus adds: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God” (Luke 12:16-21). Indeed, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
It is foolish to ignore the spiritual side of your life and leave your Maker out of the picture. As with my family, financial hardship is already hitting a growing number of Westerners who have relied too long on a life of plenty. Further financial icebergs are sure to sink our misplaced hopes and dreams. But if you place your trust in the Lord, you will avoid hitting the rocks (see Psalm 46:1-3; Matt 7:24-27; Isa 54:11).

Trust in Him

The company for whom I worked most of my full-time career in journalism has just gone into administration. I had suspected something was seriously wrong when my pension fund was taken over by a ‘protection’ scheme. “So is my pension secure?” I ventured to ask the new owners. “Yes or no?”

Not surprisingly, the long-winded legally-phrased answer left me none the wiser. So, with pensions apparently going pear-shaped, I’ll keep trusting God – that’s certainly the best pension plan!

With many of us in the West finding far too much comfort and solace in material possessions of late, it’s no wonder we’ve lost focus on our souls, perhaps stopped meeting with other Christians or even forgotten the staggering glory of the Christmas story that tells of how God came down to live among us and be our comforter and strength. His name is Jesus, which means the One who saves, but he’s also Emmanuel, which means God with us.

With many of us in the West finding far too much comfort and solace in material possessions, it’s no wonder we’ve lost focus on our souls or even forgotten the staggering glory of the Christmas story.

Stay Heavenly-Minded

The slaves who worked the cotton fields of America’s Deep South had little solace in this life as they literally slaved away for hours on end under a hot sun. Instead, Heaven became their hope and comfort, even while they were still on this earth, as they sang of a brighter day and a better tomorrow: ‘Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home’ with reference to the way the great Prophet Elijah was taken up to Heaven as he was going about his earthly business for the Lord (2 Kings 2:11).

The song is now more usually associated with England rugby matches as fans stir up their swashbuckling heroes at Twickenham. It was adopted as the national team anthem after it marked a turnaround of their fortunes 30 years ago, following a long losing run in what was then the Five Nations Championship.

With the apparent help of boys from a Benedictine school, who sang it whenever a try was scored following a tradition at their school games, England turned a 0-3 half-time deficit into a stunning 35-3 victory over Ireland.

And by the time the national team returned triumphantly from the 2003 World Cup in Australia, their plane was dubbed Sweet Chariot.

But the song surely needs to become the cry of all our hearts; and not just at rugby matches. For such heavenly-mindedness is bound to make us more earthly use as we spend time worshipping God, loving our neighbours and keeping a loose hold on our material belongings.

Be Still and Know

In the midst of the hurly-burly run-up to Christmas, I can think of no better way to conclude than by quoting today’s (12 December) More Precious than Gold devotional written by Mother Basilea Schlink, founder of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, a German-based international order set up in the wake of World War II specifically to bless the Jewish people.

Heavenly-mindedness will make us more earthly use as we worship God, love our neighbours and keep a loose hold on our material belongings.

The verse on which she focuses is Psalm 46:10 (CEV): “Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God!’”

Mother Basilea adds: “Only in quiet waters does God cast his anchor. God only draws near to a soul that enters quietness, a soul whose thoughts and feelings have been stilled. So avoid all loud behaviour and agitated speech, for they drive away the presence of God. Let everything be still within you and, where possible, around you. Then God will draw near and speak with you.”

No-one holds a candle to our Lord Jesus, who brought light and life to all who believe

As we approach the traditional season of Christmas, we (in the Northern Hemisphere) are all too aware of the gathering gloom of midwinter, and are anxious to help dispel the darkness with a multiple array of bright lights.

The Prophet Isaiah addressed this dilemma when he proclaimed that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isa 9:2) – although he was thinking more of man’s spiritual condition than their general environment.

Written around 600 years before Christ, this is one of his many references to the coming Messiah, and points (in the preceding verse) to the very region where he would engage in most of his earthly ministry – “Galilee of the nations [or Gentiles]”.

In the midst of the oppression of Roman occupation, a Jewish virgin would give birth to a son, who would be ascribed a series of majestic titles including ‘Prince of Peace’.

Feast of Dedication

As with Christians, Jews at this time of year also light up the darkness with a glittering host of candles to celebrate Hanukkah, the feast of Dedication.

I well remember sharing the excitement of the occasion with Jerusalem residents five years ago, as joyful groups celebrated in restaurants festooned with brightly coloured lights and menorahs.

Though not among the prescribed seven feasts dating back to the time of Moses, Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival Jesus himself attended and is celebrated close to Christmas (appropriately, though not intentionally) to mark God’s miraculous intervention during the reign of the ruthless Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus Epiphanes. He desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig there and blasphemously proclaimed himself God.

As with Christians, Jews at this time of year also light up the darkness with a glittering host of candles

Judah Maccabee led a brave and successful revolt against the tyrant in 164 BC and re-established temple worship (Hanukkah means ‘Dedication’) with the aid of the menorah (seven-branched candlestick) which burned miraculously for eight days despite having only enough oil for a day. The Greeks had polluted the rest.

In my opinion, the feast also foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), described as “the light of the world”, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that it falls around the same time as Christmas (even though it is more likely that Jesus was born in the autumn) when much of the world is lit up with elaborate decorations to commemorate his birth some 2,000 years ago.

Messianic Jews (who do believe Jesus is their Messiah) celebrate both feasts and it is interesting to note that the sight of a menorah as part of the festive decorations is increasingly common.

The Only Hope for Peace

And yet, at a time when billions of people celebrate the coming of light into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, a dark evil casts a shadow over the place of his birth as sabre-rattling surrounding nations threaten the very existence of Israel.

Paradoxically, the spectre of Armageddon continues to loom each year just when the world focuses on the coming of the ‘Prince of Peace’.

Armageddon is not some sci-fi invention of a film-maker’s overactive imagination. It’s a reality; for there will come a time, very possibly in the near future, when the nations of the earth will clash in a catastrophic battle on the plains of Megiddo in northern Israel – the Bible makes this clear. But then the Messiah will return in power and great glory to put an end to war and usher in a thousand-year reign of absolute peace.

As my wife and I were reminded a few years ago in a Christmas card from the Jews for Jesus organisation, the baby born at Bethlehem is the only hope for peace in the Middle East.

Explaining the feast of Hanukkah, a Jews for Jesus spokeswoman said: “That is why each year we kindle our lamps, one light for each of the eight nights,” adding: “The Hanukkah Menorah has nine branches and we light each of the branches with the ninth candle, the shammas or servant candle. The light of the menorah reminds us of our Messiah Jesus, the Servant King, of whom the Apostle John said: ‘The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.’

“We can’t help but see the connection between the light of Hanukkah and the light that pierced the darkness when Yeshua [Jesus] was born. During this Hanukkah and Christmas season, let us remember that the light of the world has come among us to bring hope and life to all who believe.”

In my opinion, Hanukkah foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), described as “the light of the world”.

Shining in the Darkness

But as Jesus was misunderstood, so are his followers. As John also wrote: “The light [of Christ] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood [or overcome] it.” (John 1:5).

Conflict over Jesus’ claims was also apparent during the Hanukkah feast he attended. John writes: “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe…’” (John 10:22-25).

Millions of Christians today testify to being among those who once walked in darkness, but have since seen “a great light”. Their testimony is the same as the slave ship captain turned hymn-writer John Newton, who so beautifully reflected the truths of the Gospel with the words: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

Knowledge and wisdom in an age of deception and unreality.

The Roman Governor of Jerusalem’s iconic question, “What is truth?” has probably never been more apt than it is today in the 21^st Century AD. Whether Pilate was being sarcastic or he was genuinely seeking for truth has been debated by scholars for 2,000 years. In light of the spat between the leaders of Britain and the USA over the tweeting of video clips, it would be good if all those involved paused to ponder his question.

We live in an age when technology has delivered the tools to create deception, whether by airbrushing photos or by deliberately producing deceptive videos, distorting the truth and creating fake news.

It is certainly unfortunate that the President of the United States should have retweeted video clips that had come from a doubtful source. It shows a lack of wisdom and a willingness to use material from a campaigning group to vilify millions of people who belong to a particular religion.

But it is equally foolish for the British Prime Minister to use the same medium of communication to point out the unreliability of the clips. Surely the more sensible approach would have been to make a quiet phone call. At least that way would have maintained personal relationships and not caused a rift between two friendly nations.

Knowledge AND Wisdom

The trouble with our generation is that we have enormous knowledge but we lack the wisdom in how to use it. There is good reason why Paul, writing to the church in Corinth where there was a lot of squabbling and disunity, referred to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The first two of these he linked together as ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ (1 Cor 12:8).

Celestial truth cannot be understood by the normal processes of human reason – it requires divine revelation.

There is surely a very good reason for linking these two. We can acquire an enormous fund of knowledge in our media-saturated world, where we have the whole internet at our disposal. But without the wisdom of how to use this knowledge, we can create chaos and confusion rather than promote enlightenment.

Jesus is the Light of Truth

As we enter the season of Advent it would be good to ponder on the prologue of John’s Gospel where he focuses upon the theme of light and darkness - also the theme of Hanukkah and Diwali at this time of the year. The unique feature of Advent, according to John’s teaching, is that although the light of truth came into the world at the birth of Jesus, the world did not recognise him.

John says that through the coming of Jesus, God actually came and “made his dwelling among us” – literally – “he pitched his tent among us”, as foretold by the Prophet Zechariah (2:10). But our human reason cannot cope with this. Despite all the accumulated knowledge of centuries of human development, this celestial truth cannot be understood by the normal processes of the human brain. This kind of knowledge requires wisdom that is actually a spiritual gift which can only be received through divine revelation.

God actually has to do something to our human nature to enable us to receive this wisdom, which enables us to perceive truth that goes way beyond the realm of human reason. This is what Jesus had to explain to Rabbi Nicodemus who was a devout scholar, a highly educated man and a senior academic. But his whole mindset was limited to learning on the level of human reason. Only a spiritual revelation would enable him to perceive ‘Kingdom truth’.

It was like opening the curtains in a darkened room, bringing a flood of light that shows all the things that were in the room but previously hidden by the darkness – things that you could stumble over in the dark.

The trouble with our generation is that we have enormous knowledge but we lack the wisdom in how to use it.

Deceit is Easy

In our world today, millions of people are going about stumbling over fake news, half-truths and blatant lies. They are easily deceived because they don’t know the truth that sets them free from all the duplicity, deviousness and unscrupulous machinations of the crooked generation in which we live. They are trying to see in the dark; trying to discern falsehood without having ever known truth.

It should be a salutary wake-up call to us when the leaders of the nations are found peddling fake news. How can we expect our children to discern right from wrong and to be protected from the multiple dangers of the internet and social media, if our leaders shows so little discernment?

It is small wonder that our children peddle nonsense and vilify one another over their mobile phones, sometimes with devastating effects upon their mental health.

Season of Opportunity

During this season of Advent, we have the opportunity in very practical ways to spread the true message of Christmas – the true light that has come into our dark world.

But so much depends upon our relationships with others, and how we use the tools of communication society has given us. If Donald Trump and Theresa May had only spoken to each other instead of tweeting, an embarrassing international incident could have been avoided. Surely this is a lesson to us all.

Postscript

Last week there were comments left on the editorial, speaking of the need for greater interaction between authors and readers. I warmly respond to this - we want to make this site much more open to constructive and thoughtful correspondence. Our Editorial Board are grappling with this subject and we are open to suggestions from any of our readers as to how we can improve such interaction so that we can all learn from one another in our search for the truth.

As part of this, don’t forget that we have established a secure site for such discussion, in partnership with the team at Issachar Ministries. If you would like to use this (there is a fee for joining) please contact Jacqueline at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Avoid the new religion that seeks to dazzle through glitter and sparkle

Coming back to the UK after our unexpectedly lengthy tour of Israel, we were particularly struck by the emphasis on Christmas – even our cappuccino at Heathrow had to be decorated with a tree-shaped sprinkling of chocolate!

Christmas lights soon beamed on us from all sides, reflecting less on the theological aspect of the feast as on the usual glitz and glamour and commercial hype we have all come to know and love – perhaps not!

And then there were massive crowds at the shops on Sunday – now the new religion on what used to be the Christian Sabbath. In Bawtry, on the edge of Doncaster, Christmas trees were lavishly bedecked with baubles in a brilliant array of colours – and, as ever, we sense the danger of not seeing the wood for the trees.

I am reminded, however, that festive lights will also now be adorning Jerusalem in celebration of Hanukkah – marking the time when the menorah candle burned miraculously for eight days despite having only enough oil for one, following victory over the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus Epiphanes who desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig there and blasphemously proclaimed himself God. But focus on what the light means, not on its beams!

Look for the True Light

For we’re submerged in so much darkness today – not least the marginalisation of the Christian Gospel to the point where it has become politically incorrect – and yet we all make a big fuss of this incredibly important Christian festival!

In truth, all these bright lights are, for the most part, dragging us further into the gloom of materialism, partying and pointless debt, rather than towards the true light to which they are allegedly designed to draw our attention.

So my Christmas (and Hanukkah) message to readers is: don’t look for the bright lights; look rather for the true light “that gives light to everyone”, according to John the Baptist (John 1:9) – a light that leads to everlasting life, and is not snuffed out with the brief passing of our lives.

Yes, we all like shiny things, but unless they are part of Heaven’s treasure, they will fade and rust and turn to dust (Matt 6:19-21).

All these bright lights are, for the most part, dragging us further into the gloom of materialism, rather than towards the true Light.

The Significance of Jesus’s Coming

A famous passage of Scripture, often associated with Christmas, speaks of the light that the Messiah will bring to the world. Its context, most significantly, is of the darkness of the occult, which has gripped so many in our day (Isa 8:19).

The prophet, however, goes on to predict a great honour that would be bestowed on the region to which he refers as ‘Galilee of the nations, the Way of the Sea’: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isa 9:2).

A major highway at the time, connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, straddled the coast of Israel before moving inland towards Galilee and then beyond into Syria. Galilee was thus an international crossroads whose people were immensely privileged to have seen a great light when Jesus came among them.

No Longer Inhabited

The ruins of Capernaum. See Photo Credits.Yet many rejected him and failed to grasp his significance. True, 2,000 years later he is still much spoken against, but he is nevertheless the most famous man who ever lived. He performed many miracles in Galilee – in Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida – and warned those cities that they would be judged for their rejection of Messiah.

As for Capernaum, where much of his ministry took place, he said: “Will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades; for if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day” (Matt 11:23). Capernaum was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 AD. We could only view its ruins. Yet a short distance away is the town of Migdal, still a thriving community where former prostitute turned passionate believer Mary Magdalene came from.

A little further down the coast still is the city of Tiberias, a popular resort frequented by the occupying Romans in Jesus’s day – yet it is not mentioned in the Gospel accounts. Also not mentioned is Sebastia, the ancient capital of Samaria up in the hills, which was the ‘in’ place for the jet-set of the day, with its spa and baths adorned with beautiful columns. Now, apart from a few remaining columns, it is a barren ruin in a dustbowl with little to suggest it was the Las Vegas of a bygone era.

The true light came first to Galilee, but many rejected him and failed to grasp his significance.

The Obedient Blessed

Meanwhile, seemingly insignificant events and people have changed history. One example is Joppa, now known as Jaffa, at the southern tip of Tel Aviv. It was there, in the house of Simon the Tanner, that the Apostle Peter had a vision, and because he acted upon it in obedience to the Lord, it became the means by which the Gospel was preached to the entire Gentile world.

The Roman centurion Cornelius, 40 miles up the coast, had a similar encounter, and he acted upon it because he was a God-fearing man who loved the Jews. Genesis 12:3 tells that those who bless the seed of Abraham will themselves be blessed while those who curse them will come under judgment. And so the Holy Spirit fell on these Gentile believers.

Life in All its Fullness

Joppa (now Jaffa) is once more significant today as the entry point of Jews returning to Israel from every corner of the globe. Airliners from all over the world fly over this ancient port bringing the scattered seed of Abraham back to the Promised Land.

The bright lights of Tel Aviv. See Photo Credits.

What’s more, many of them are now turning back to the Lord, having acknowledged Jesus as their Messiah. And we worshipped with some of them (in Hebrew), which was an amazing privilege. It was such a moving experience to witness hands and eyes lifted to the skies in praise and adoration of the Lord we love.

And they are reaching out to a world still lost and confused; Tel Aviv is a hedonistic city where many indulge in a club-and-coffee bar culture that leaves little room for God. But there is a great openness. They may be lost, but they are looking for a Shepherd. Pray that their eyes will be open; go if you can and tell them about Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus). They are looking for fun and fulfilment, but they often find mere emptiness, as at the bottom of a beer glass or coffee cup.

Like us in Britain, they too are looking for the bright lights, but are so dazzled by the glitzy neon signs that they miss the real thing – the true light that gives light to every man. Jesus says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Like us in Britain, Israelis too are looking for the light, but are so dazzled by the glitzy neon signs that they miss the real thing.

Light to the World

As I was standing on the Mount of Olives, I contemplated how Jesus paid such a heavy price for our salvation as he sweated blood among the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane below.

The olive tree is a symbol of the Messiah. Its fruit is harvested using sticks to beat them down from the overhanging branches; Jesus was whipped for us. The olives are then crushed for their oil; Jesus was crushed for our iniquities (Isa 53:5). But the oil is then used to light a candle…to bring light to the world!

Let’s focus on the true light this Christmas – and Hanukkah.