Clifford Denton asks: is there something special about the year 2015? What should we make of the large number of anniversaries celebrated this year? Are they just 'coincidences' - or is Almighty God speaking to us through them?

Looking back while going forward

It is a biblical principle to constantly look back and remember what God has done for his people. This is the basis of the Passover when, once a year, the families of Israel were to gather round the meal table and recount their deliverance from Egypt so many years ago. This was also the opportunity for the baton of remembrance to be passed on to each new generation, as the youngest child asked the father, "Why is this night different from other nights?"

If we do not take steps to remember then we easily forget.

More positively, to look back and remember God's faithfulness helps us to step forward in faith into an otherwise uncertain future.

To look back and remember God's faithfulness helps us to step forward into an otherwise uncertain future.

History is littered with metaphorical ebenezars – our stones of remembrance (see 1 Samuel 7:12). So, in 2015 it is good for us to pause and consider where we have come from and how God has helped us. The United Kingdom, despite all its faults, has much that is good to remember this year.

A Long List of Anniversaries

Earlier this year the Daily Telegraph published English Heritage's 'Top Ten Anniversaries for 2015'. Each has brought with it some form of significant celebration across the nation, including:

1. 800 years since the signing of Magna Carta
2. 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo
3. 600 years since the Battle of Agincourt
4. 100 years since the beginning of trench warfare of the First World War
5. 70 years since VE Day marked the ending of the War in Europe
6. 50 Years since the death of Sir Winston Churchill
7. 750 years since the first English Parliament
8. 700 years since the Siege of Carlisle by Robert the Bruce
9. 1000 years since the Viking invasion of England by Cnut
10. 75 years since the Evacuation of Dunkirk in the Second World War

It is difficult to know where to draw the line on our celebrations of the past. An extreme example is a list of '4000 newsworthy items' occurring in 2015, many less well-known than others but some of major significance to add to our list of 10 (or 20, or 30) or so anniversaries already noted in the news and elsewhere.

Celebrating Major National Landmarks

Every week this year seems to bring a memorial or celebration of yet another major milestone in our history.

For example, on the day that I drafted this article (15 September) there was a memorial flight of a large gathering of Spitfires and Hurricanes across the south of England - perhaps the greatest number seen over our shores since the Battle of Britain, which began on this date 75 years ago. Millions watched the television coverage of this event.

Just over a fortnight ago, amidst much national and international jubilation, the Queen became the longest serving monarch in British history.

Around the same time, in the regular yearly celebration at the BBC's Last Night of the Proms the promenaders burst forth in song with 'Land of Hope and Glory', 'Rule Brittania' and even 'Jerusalem', with keen nationalistic fervour (perhaps the stronger this year because of its many historic reminders). Perhaps this is over-enthusiastic - and yet there is much in our history to stir such sentiments.

All this in a world which is beginning to shake in fulfilment of biblical prophecies pointing to the soon return of Jesus the Messiah.

Rejoice, Repent...or Both?

Could it be that it is no casual coincidence that our nation is remembering so much in one year – but that it is of God? Are we reaching a point where such reflection should lead us to repentance and trust in God for the last few years of this era of human history? This may seem a bleak sort of question to ask of a nation that is celebrating good things, but could this be God's purpose for us (the opposite of what some might think)?

Any one of the major celebrations tugs at the heart. World conflicts where millions of men and women once struggled for survival; major landmarks of the formation of Britain's constitutional principles settling a balance of freedom in which we could be a nation under God; our long-living monarch who made a solemn vow to God to maintain his laws and the true profession of the Gospel.

If we examine the dates closely we find not only political and military milestones but also significant dates of the formation of missionary movements, reminding us how our nation was used by God to send the Gospel to many Gentile nations. Layer upon layer of wide-ranging history is before us this year. It is time to pause and think – and to pray.

Man's Point of ViewFlypast for Battle of Britain anniversary, 2015. See Photo Credits.

Many of the celebrations this year have been accompanied by Church services. This, on the face of it, brings some encouragement. Yet, if we dig a bit beneath the surface there is a tendency for two points of concern. One is that services are increasingly multi-faith – a heritage of Empire perhaps, when we failed to sufficiently emphasise the Gospel at the time of our greatest opportunity, majoring instead on trade and political influence. Now we reap some repercussions as our nation struggles for identity, when biblical principles are gradually compromised in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society.

Secondly, there is a growing tendency to remember what men and women did, rather than what God did for us. Of course there has been much human effort to bring our nation through its developing history, and much human sacrifice in the cause of freedom. Yet we did not do this alone and we must balance our view of man's contribution with a clear understanding of how God has helped us – perhaps more than we think.

God's Point of View

Has God sent us a clear word during this year of celebration that draws our attention to his own perspective and his own call to our nation? Surely this is the opportunity for us to seek him and ask him. Throughout our history the hand of God has been on our affairs. If there is anything good then it is he who brought it about. At our best we realised this, but the memory soon fades.

For example, in the hours of our greatest need in the Second World War, the King called the nation to prayer. When victory finally came, after many a miraculous deliverance, the first thing that Prime Minister Winston Churchill did was lead the entire body of Parliament to St Margaret's Church in Westminster to give thanks to Almighty God.

We are in a different war now. It is more in the spiritual domain. This is the time of rising deception, false prophecy and false messiahs (among other things), as foretold by Jesus himself (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13). Is this why we are looking back so significantly to the ebenezars (stones of remembrance) of our history?

Is God himself wanting us to pause and consider our history from his perspective and not our own? How much time do we have? Perhaps this year, perhaps the duration of our Queen's reign, who knows? Is this why there is so much emphasis on looking back all in one year – to make the point most strongly?

Days of Prophetic Fulfilment

It is interesting that there was another year of significant memories not long ago - the year was 1988. Then, we recalled such things as:

• 450 years of the availability of the English Bible in every parish
• 400 years since the defeat of the Spanish Armada
• 350 years since the National Covenant in Scotland
• 300 years since the 'Glorious Revolution'
• 250 years since the conversion of the Wesleys
• 150 years since the abolition of slavery in the British Empire;
• and - still of great and central importance - 300 years since the Coronation Oath Act.

1988 was another significant year to reflect as a nation.

Around that time a number of Christian ministries came to prominence; among them was the Prophecy Today. Having been launched in its print magazine format in 1985, in 1988 the Prophecy Today team undertook a national tour with large meetings around the country, declaring the word of the Lord for our times.

Now, at the time of this second wave of significant memorials, Prophecy Today has been re-launched. The first editions of the earlier magazine brought warning. Now we are at a time of fulfilment. Perhaps 2015 marks a decision point for our nation in greater ways than most of us have realised.

It is time for us to pause and consider so that we might, in a meaningful way, turn to prayer. It is a poignant, God-given moment in our history where, in the context of present crises among the nations and with weak international leadership, we can recall what God has done for us in the past, and ask him what he has to say to us today. This is true for both the Christian Church and the nation as a whole.

This year is an opportunity for both church and nation to pause and consider what God has done for us in the past, and to ask him what he has to say to us today.

Monica Hill looks at the spiritual gift of 'encouragement' - a gift which not only lifts others up and builds up the Body of Christ, but also blesses those who give it.

'...if it is encouraging, let him encourage...'

Like all the gifts listed in Romans 12, encouragement is given to build up the Body of Christ and cannot be used in isolation from other people. The gifts that follow in this list ("contributing, leadership and mercy"), although they can be used in a natural way, all need the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to reach their fulfilment.

We need to be exercising these no longer in "the pattern of the world, but by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2), so that we can see things God's way and embrace Kingdom values rather than worldly ones.

Biblical Examples

There are plenty of biblical stories of encouragement. God instructed Moses in Deuteronomy 1:28: "commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see."

David encouraged Joab in 2 Samuel 11:25, by sending a message: "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

In 2 Samuel 19:7, Joab exhorted David: "Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now."

God desired to encourage Job (16:5): "But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief."

In the New Testament, "Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers." (Acts 15:32). Paul obviously saw this gift of encouraging in Tychicus as he sent him to both the Ephesians (6:22) and the Colossians (4:8), and he also sent Timothy to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 3:2). Paul was always encouraging the body of believers in Thessalonica to build each other up (1 Thess 4:18, 5:11, 5:14; 2 Thess 2:17).

The writer of Hebrews advocated "encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (3:13). This is emphasised even more in 10:25: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching".

Jesus is the ultimate example as he encouraged and built up the most unlikely of people. Without his encouragement during his time on earth and the support of the Holy Spirit following Pentecost, Peter and a number of other disciples would have stayed fishermen and Matthew remained a tax collector, rather than leading a worldwide movement as strong advocates of the Gospel.

Paul would also have remained a persecutor of the church rather than the missionary to the Gentiles. Jesus saw the potential in individuals and both taught and encouraged them to live their lives to the full with a real purpose. He continues to encourage those who are weak, believing in them and trusting them. He sets standards and rebukes where necessary, as well as encouraging, and he is calling upon us to do likewise.

Jesus sees the potential in individuals and both teaches and encourages them to live their lives to the full, with a real purpose.

Responsibilities of Leaders

Paul's instructions in 2 Timothy (4:2) were "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction". Teaching is seen as primarily encouraging and rebuking – "to encourage others by sound doctrine and to refute those who oppose it" (Titus 1:9, 2:15) and self-control is also to be encouraged!

So What About Us?

Never underestimate the value of words of encouragement that you can give to others. It shows that you understand where they are and what they need to hear – especially when they are feeling low and misunderstood. It shows you are giving your support and will give them confidence to go forward; it can build them up, uplift and inspire them to believe that they can do something and that they have the potential to make a success of the life that God has given them.

Never underestimate the value of words of encouragement that you can give others.

From my own experience, I have seen the change it makes in an obese child who had given up on physical exercise to be encouraged to try something new and finding they could do it; or the confidence it gives to make the child no-one wants on their team, captain for the day. Each child began to believe in themselves with this encouragement and grew towards the potential which was latent. If a word or small act like these give encouragement, how much more can we help change the world if we have this gift and practise it wisely?

Finally

Isaiah 1:17 tells us to "learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow".

We all know that we need encouragement at various stages in our life – especially when we feel low or depressed. Our Lord hears "the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry" (Psa 10:17).

God is a very present help in our own times of need. We need the reassurance that God remains the same - faithful, loving and powerful - through changes big and small.

Ask God to give you this gift of encouragement and exercise it daily: encourage others and be encouraged.

If you have any other comments on 'encouragement' as a spiritual gift, please do add them below.

References

1 Quote selection from here.

From dreams and visions to props and enaction: Edmund Heddle continues to look at the visual side of prophecy.

Many imagine that the use of visual aids and drama in putting over the word of God is a modern innovation. The fact is that both were used by the prophets of the Old and New Testaments and indeed, by our Lord Jesus himself. In so doing they teach us an important lesson today: that we should not present the message only in word but also in action.

Once a prophet realises that the Spirit is capable of presenting what God wants to say in dramatic action as well as in convincing word, and once he is willing to be open to some of the unusual things the Spirit may urge him to do, he discovers that enacted prophecy can make a greater and more lasting impact than the word alone.

Visual aids and drama have long been used to put across God's word – enacted prophecy can have a much greater impact than the spoken word alone.

Enacted prophecy in the Old Testament

After Solomon died he was succeeded by his son Rehoboam, who foolishly followed the advice of the young men over the elders, as shown in the classic reply that he made: "My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (1 Kings 12:11). As a result of this short-sighted policy the ten northern tribes revolted under Jeroboam.

But before this, the prophet Ahijah had told Solomon he was to be king over Israel by an enacted prophecy. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into ten pieces, giving them to Jeroboam. His actions confirmed his divine appointment (1 Kings 11:29-36).

Later in the history of God's people, the prophet Micah was so upset as he contemplated the disaster that would overtake Samaria and Jerusalem that he said, "Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about barefoot and naked" (Mic 1:8). In this way he enacted his identity with nations that would be driven away naked into exile. To his words and actions he added his cries, saying he would wail with the strength of a jackal until his voice was so strained that it would resemble the squeaking of a baby ostrich.

Micah's greater contemporary Isaiah also enacted his concern for the people of God by appearing in the streets of Jerusalem over a period of three years in the rags of a prisoner of war, with scarce enough covering to be decent. This would be the sad result for Israel when Egypt and Cush were led into exile by the king of Assyria as prisoners of war. Then they would have to say, "See what has happened to those we relied on" (Isa 20:1-6).

Ahijah took his new cloak and tore it into ten pieces. Micah wept and wailed, and went about barefoot and naked. Isaiah spent three years in the rags of a prisoner of war.

Later on a prophetic word was enacted by Jeremiah in Egypt (Jer 43:7-13). Although he had persistently warned the remnant of Judah, "Do not go to Egypt" (Jer 42:19), when they insisted, he decided it was right to go with them. While there, God told him to take a number of large stones and to bury them in mortar at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanes and to prophesy that the king of Babylon would invade Egypt and set up his throne above these very stones. Far from avoiding trouble by escaping to Egypt, they had brought it upon themselves by their disobedience.

Nebuchadnezzar would set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt and would smash some of the obelisks in Heliopolis. The archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie believed that a raised pavement he discovered was the place where Jeremiah buried his stones. Two of the Heliopolis obelisks survive to this day. One is in New York City and the other - incorrectly known as Cleopatra's Needle - on the Thames Embankment in London.

Jeremiah was led by God to bury large stones at the entrance to Pharoah's palace in Egypt – enacting a prophecy that Babylon would eventually invade and take over.

False Enactions

It is a testimony to its effectiveness that a false prophet, Zedekiah, copied what he had seen other true prophets do in enacting their prophetic words. On one occasion the kings of Israel and Judah were sitting on their thrones in Samaria with all the prophets prophesying before them when Zedekiah brought the iron horns he had made and said, "With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed" (1 Kings 22:11).

All the false prophets agreed until a true prophet, Micaiah, came on the scene. When consulted he told the king to go ahead, but his tone of voice and his manner betrayed the fact that he was speaking in irony and that he meant just the reverse of what he said. Because of his faithful testimony Micaiah was put in prison on bread and water, where he realised a truth many of the Lord's prophets have also since discovered: that evil men hate the true word of God (1 Kings 22:18 and 26-27).

It is a testimony to the effectiveness of prophetic enaction that false prophets through history have copied the same behaviour.

Marital Enactions

Jeremiah was forbidden to marry and to have children. This was to make his marital state a witness to the imminent disaster that would overtake God's people: "They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried...they will perish by sword and famine" (Jer 16:1-4). Every time he was asked why he was not married it gave him the opportunity to bring to people a warning of what was ahead unless they repented. Today the testimony of those who choose to remain unmarried for the sake of the gospel is a powerful enactment.

In contrast to Jeremiah, Hosea was told to marry, but to take a prostitute as a wife (Hos 1:2). Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord is depicted by Hosea in terms of a wife who turns her back on a faithful husband in order to give herself to a succession of lovers. In spite of God's goodness to his people, Israel went lusting after Baal and other gods of Canaan. Hosea 2:2 appears to contain a formula for divorce: "She is not my wife, neither am I her husband" but the God Hosea depicts cannot take that action. He is the one who says, "How can I give you up? How can I hand you over?" So the prophetic word is powerfully enacted.

In contrast to both Jeremiah and Hosea, Ezekiel is allowed to marry a wife who is "the delight of his eyes" (Eze 24:15-19). But suddenly he is told that he is about to lose her; nevertheless he must not weep or shed any tears. God shows the prophet that he also is being bereaved of "the delight of his eyes", by which he means his sanctuary in the temple in Jerusalem. God says they are not to mourn the desecration of his sanctuary because it is the result of their persistent sin (Eze 24:20-24). In each of these examples the family life of the prophet enacts and makes clearer what God is saying.

Enacted prophecy by Jeremiah

It is in the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel that we see the constant use of enacted prophecy. Both prophets are involved with the closing stages of the kingdom of Judah and exile and captivity of God's people in Babylon.

There are five enacted prophecies in addition to the one already mentioned:

1. Jeremiah is told to make thongs and yoke-bars and to put them on his neck. This is to illustrate his message - unacceptable to them - that only by submitting to the King of Babylon could they remain in their own land. Hananiah the false prophet disagreed and broke the yoke-bars from Jeremiah's neck. Jeremiah's reaction is to make iron bars instead of wooden ones and to announce that Hananiah would die that very year because he had preached rebellion against the Lord (Jer 27 and 28).
2. Jeremiah is told to buy a linen waistcloth and to bury it in a cleft of the rock by the river Euphrates. After many days he is told to return there to collect it, only to discover that it was good for nothing. So he enacts God's desire that Israel would cling closely to him and the refusal that was to spoil the whole relationship (Jer 13:1-11).
3. Jeremiah is told to buy a potter's earthenware jar and to smash it by the Potsherd Gate in the presence of the elders of the people and some of the priests. Then he was to say, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter's jar is smashed and cannot be repaired'" (Jer 19:1-12).
4. Jeremiah is told to buy a field at the very time when the entire surrounding country was in enemy hands. This strange action dramatised eloquently Jeremiah's confidence in the future of God's people and in their certain return to their homeland. His actions spoke more convincingly than any words could have done of his absolute confidence in the Lord's promise: "Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land" (Jer 32:6-15).
5. Jeremiah is told to take a scroll and to write on it the doom of Babylon. This he was to give to Seraiah (a brother of Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe) to take to Babylon. When he got there he was to read it aloud, to pray and then to throw it into the river Euphrates (having first attached a stone so that it would sink). As he threw it into the water he was to say, "So will Babylon sink to rise no more!" In all these examples it is clear that the dramatic symbolism adds considerably to the verbal communication (Jer 51:60-64).

Enacted prophecy by Ezekiel

In the prophecy of Ezekiel we have a series of symbolic actions which are required of the prophet and which represent the siege, capture and the future of Jerusalem. Like Jeremiah he was required to enact the message he had to pass on verbally.

1. Ezekiel is told to carry out certain symbolic acts which portray the siege of Jerusalem.
   • He is to take a brick whilst still soft and to portray on it the mounds and battering rams attacking Jerusalem.
   • He was to place an iron plate (such as a griddle on which cakes were baked) between himself and the brick to symbolise the barrier between God and his people.
   • He was to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for forty days representing the years of Israel's and Judah's chastisement.
   • He had to bake a cake out of a strange mixture of grains but was permitted to eat only twenty shekels' worth once a day with a small quantity of water. The cake was to be baked on human dung, but at the prophet's entreaty this repulsive condition was relaxed. In all these ways God's judgment on sinful Jerusalem was portrayed (Eze 4:1-17).
2. Ezekiel is told to shave his head and beard by using a sword. The hair was then to be divided into three equal portions. This showed that a third of the population would die of famine or disease, another third would be killed by the sword and the final third would be scattered among the nations. The few hairs the prophet managed to save were to be tucked in the folds of his garment. But even some of this righteous remnant would have to face further judgment (Eze 5:1-4).
3. Ezekiel is told to pack his belongings for exile and to bring them out of his house while the people were watching. He was to do the same thing in the evening but was first to dig a hole through the wall and to drag his kit through, again before the people. He was to cover his face while he was doing these things. The idea was to provoke the people to ask questions. The Lord's instruction was, "Now that these rebels are asking you what you are doing, tell them". By his obedience to the Lord's instructions the prophet had become a sign to the people (Eze 12:1-11).
4. Ezekiel is told to make and erect a signpost in such a way that it indicated one route starting from Babylon and continuing until it diverged into two roads, one leading to Jerusalem and the other to Rabbah (today's Amman, capital of Jordan). Ezekiel is told that the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road to use various methods of divination to discover which way to go. He will however take the road to Jerusalem, because God intends to use him to punish his people (Eze 21:19-23).
5. Ezekiel is told to take the cauldron and having put water and meat into it, to bring it to the boil. The cauldron is Jerusalem, the pieces of meat are its inhabitants, the fire and boiling water stand for the siege and its severity; finally, the pieces pulled out of the cauldron symbolise the universal dispersion of the people when the siege is over. Even the cauldron is defiled and must be put on the fire until its impurities are melted away. Jerusalem must be destroyed in order to be cleansed (Eze 24:3-12). But there is hope for the future and this is shown as follows:
6. Ezekiel is told to unite the sticks of Joseph and Judah: "Son of man, take a stick and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah...' Then take another stick and write on it, 'Ephraim's stick...' Join them together so they become one in your hand". The thrilling message is then given: "I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone...I will make them one nation in the land. There will be one king over them all" (Eze 37:16-22)

Enacted prophecy in the New Testament

There are numerous places in the gospels where Jesus enacted what had been prophesied about him in the Old Testament. The clearest example is his entry into Jerusalem on an ass, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah: "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey'" (Zech 9:9; Matt 21:1-11). We can certainly see the power of enacted prophecy in the comment of Matthew, "When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred".

The second example from the New Testament is found in Acts 21:10-11 where a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He took Paul's belt, tied his own feet and hands with it and said, "the Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him to the Gentiles'." Hearing this, the believers in Caesarea tried to stop Paul from going up to Jerusalem. They had misunderstood the reason why Agabus had been moved to present this enacted prophecy.

It was not to stop Paul from going to Jerusalem, but to prepare him for what would await him there, just as Jesus himself had been warned by the Holy Spirit about what would happen when he arrived there (Mark 10:32-34).

To be a truly biblical prophet today we need to remember that God's prophetic word can be more powerfully presented when we make use of the 'eyegate' as well as the 'eargate'.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 5, September/October 1987.

Clifford Denton examines the historical conquest of Israel by Rome and its creation of the Israeli diaspora.

Every Bible student needs a grasp of history and to set this alongside the purposes of God as revealed in Scripture. What was happening on the world stage when Jesus was alive, and in the first years of the Church's existence?

Roman Occupation

This is the background to the Roman domination of Israel preceding the biblical account of Jesus and the Apostles.

In the years before Rome, the Greek Empire dominated Israel. There was resistance from the Maccabees, a group of Jewish rebels, during this time. The years that followed saw the rise of the Hasmoneans as a priest-king dynasty in Israel, but which did not restore Israel as a truly Torah-based society.

Rome grew as the new world power and it was in the year 63 BC that the legions under Pompey entered Israel. Jagersma's account of Pompey's arrival (History of Israel to Bar Kochba, SCM Press 1985, p98) reads:

Bust of General Pompey[While] the Roman general Pompey was busy with his successful campaign in Asia (66-62 BC); one of his generals, Scaurus, had captured Damascus for him in 65 BC. Soon after that he turned his attention to Judaea. At about that time delegations came from both Aristobulus and Hyrcanus [two rival Hasmonean princes] to ask for his help. Both offered him gifts. On this occasion the Romans opted for Aristobulus.

In 63 BC Pompey himself arrived in Damascus. There not only delegations from Aristobulus and Hyrcanus but also representatives of the people of Judaea came to him. These last asked Pompey to abolish the Hasmonaean dynasty because they wanted to be ruled by priests.

At the time of this meeting Pompey did not make any decision...Arisobulus was least happy with the delay. He...established himself in the fortress of Alexandrium to make his position secure. This action aroused the wrath of Pompey, who immediately invaded Judaea. Aristobulus quickly surrendered, but most of his supporters refused.

Pompey then went back to Jerusalem and besieged the city. Hyrcanus and his followers opened the gates to the Romans, who were then able to occupy the city and the royal palace. However, a group of the supporters of Aristobulus, who had already been taken prisoner, occupied the temple. Only after a siege of three months did the temple fall into the hands of the Romans. To the dismay of the pious, on this occasion Pompey entered the Holy of Holies.

Pompey led Aristobulus and numerous Judaean prisoners through Rome in triumphal procession by which he celebrated his return. When they were later freed, the latter formed the beginning of a great Jewish community there.

The weak Hyrcanus II was eventually made the High Priest, and political rule was given to his powerful advisor, Antipater. Antipater's sons Phaesel and Herod (later Herod the Great) were given the task of governing Jerusalem and Galilee respectively, and the Romans gathered tax from Judaea. In 43 AD, Herod showed his allegiance to Rome by opposing an insurrection in Galilee and then opposing and undermining the Sanhedrin.

The Fall of the Temple

Jesus had made it clear that the Temple would fall:

...the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down. (Luke 21:6)

This prophecy came to pass in 70 AD, during the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 AD. This was the first of three major revolts by Judean Jews against the Roman Empire, brought on by religious and political tensions. It will be discussed in more detail next week). Josephus gives a graphic account of the Temple's fall:

And now two of the legions had completed their banks on the eighth day of Lous. Whereupon Titus gave orders that the battering-rams should be brought and set over against the western edifice of the inner temple; for before these were brought, the firmest of all the other engines had battered the wall for six days together without ceasing, without making any impression upon it; but the vast largeness and strong connexion of the stones was superior to that engine, and to the other battering rams also...

...and now the soldiers had already put fire to the gates, and the silver that was over them quickly carried the flames to the wood that was within it, whence it spread itself all on the sudden, and caught hold of the cloisters. Upon the Jews seeing this fire all about them, their spirits sunk, together with their bodies, and they were under such astonishment that not one of them made any haste either to defend himself or to quench the fire, but they stood mute spectators of it only...

While the holy house was on fire, everything was plundered that came to hand, and ten thousand of those that were caught were slain; nor was there a commiseration of any age, or any reverence of gravity ; but children, and old men, and profane persons, and priests, were all slain in the same manner..." (Quoted from The Wars of the Jews)

Model of the Second Temple, destroyed in 70 AD.Temple Mount today.Jagersma summarises this sad event in Israel's history too (p144):

In early 70 Titus began the siege of Jerusalem...Titus had in all four legions and auxiliaries for this siege. The beginning of the siege fell some weeks before Passover.

The Romans began by attacking the northernmost wall. In military terms this side was always the most vulnerable part of the city to defend...three weeks later the Romans had the whole of the inner city in their hands. Meanwhile a pressing lack of food in the city made itself felt. That of course was disastrous to the morale of the defenders.

The focal point of the dispute now shifted to the temple mount with the citadel of Antonia and the upper city. When the defenders succeeded in destroying the entrenchments which the Romans threw up against the wall Titus had a stone wall put round the whole city. This was done in three days. Shortly after that the Romans were able to capture the citadel of Antonia in a night attack; it was then completely destroyed.

A great blow to the morale of the besieged was the day when the offering of the daily morning and evening sacrifice had to be stopped. From that day on the temple was only a fortress. At the cost of very severe losses Titus succeeded in gradually getting it into his hands. According to Josephus, Titus wanted to spare the temple. This does not sound very plausible, since such an action would go against the usual military practices of his time. Be this as it may, the temple went up in flames. This event is still recalled in the synagogue on 9 Av (about August). [emphases added]

After the fall of the Temple the upper city of Jerusalem was taken, the whole battle lasting five months and wreaking terrible destruction, evidence of which can still be found today. 700 young Jews were paraded in Rome. Others were put to work in mines in Egypt or sold as slaves. The triumphal march of Titus in Rome is depicted on the Arch of Titus in the city and can be seen today. He took with him the Menorah and the Table of Shewbread from the temple.

Some Jewish families fled to the fortress at Masada near the southern shores of the Dead Sea, where they were surrounded by the Roman army who gradually ascended the mountain. In the year 73 or 74 the families took a suicide pact as their capture and humiliation became certain. So ended the devastation of Israel. The Temple, and hence Israel's religious and national centre, was lost, sacrifices ceased and a new Jewish Diaspora began.Stone outline of Roman encampment, viewable from Masada.The location of the Masada fortress.

Impact on Early Christianity

The fall of the City of Jerusalem and of the Temple in 70 AD coincided with the early days of the community of disciples in Jerusalem and the spread of the Gospel to the Gentile world. The Council of Jerusalem had taken place 20 years earlier. Paul's three missionary journeys had already taken place and both he and Peter had suffered martyrdom in Rome.

The majority of the New Testament Scriptures had been written. The Christian Church was a visible body within the world of Judaism. Theological issues had arisen and the separation from the Synagogue had begun.

The destruction of the Temple contributed to this separation. In the final chapter of his book A House Divided: The Parting of the Ways between Synagogue and Church (Paulist Press, 1995), Vincent Martin writes:

The reaction to the catastrophe of 70 C.E. among Jews and Christians proved to be diametrically opposite. The Jews rejected the NEW and the Christians rejected the OLD. The Jews affirmed that salvation for Israel could be found only by upholding in its pure form the Sinaitic Covenant; the Christians proclaimed that salvation for Israel, and the Gentiles, could be found only in the eternal covenant established through the risen Jesus.

Judaism...was unique, clearly distinct from all other religious systems. Totally God-centered, it had a deeply humanistic quality emphasizing ethical and social values. It was a "classical" religion, moderate, measurable, seeking harmony with nature, bursting with love of life and joy – when not punished by the Lord.

Suddenly, the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth with its more radical aspects, the proclamation by the Twelve that the same Jesus was truly risen inaugurated the heavenly Jerusalem, and the reaching out of Saul of Tarsus toward the Gentiles, all seemed to destroy the delicate equilibrium God had built through centuries of patience and inspiration. Not only did these novelties not correspond to the actual messianic expectations of the common people, but they were changing the focus of traditional Jewish life from covenantal justice toward gratuitous love, from concern with this world toward concern with the world to come, and from nationalism toward universalism. Such new perspectives were not essentially anti-Jewish, or completely foreign to Judaism, but they were stretching Temple Judaism to its limits and even beyond its limits.

Martin goes on to distinguish out various reactions to Jesus and the early Church from within the Jewish community, and shows how the political situation at the time framed these different responses:

To understand the reaction of the Jewish people to this new teaching, we must carefully separate the reaction of the Sadducean party in control of the Temple, and indirectly of the nation, from the general reaction of the people. The colonial situation, the fear of the Romans, and the will to maintain a grip on political power, led to an unavoidable conflict at first between the religious establishment and Jesus of Nazareth, and later his Galilean disciples. As the Sadducees lost all power after the burning of the Temple, the general reaction of the Pharisees and the common people remained the most significant response. Originally it was not negative. It was rather a feeling of uncertainty concerning the imminent coming of a hoped for messianic event mixed with a deep uneasiness at experiencing cherished traditions stretched beyond acceptable limits.

It is principally Pauline evangelism which started to transform an attitude of respect, curiosity and distance into a negative reaction. The sense of self-identity and the struggle for national survival in difficult political circumstances brought forth a great fear that the dissolution of Torah Judaism into an a-temporal and universal Judaism would strike down the dividing wall carefully constructed by Ezra and would finally destroy the integrity of the nation. The leaders of the Diaspora dreaded that Paul would attract many Jews to this strange and easier kind of Judaism; they were deeply offended at the manipulation of Jewish sanctities by uncircumcised Gentiles. This time it was not a matter of systematic doubt or suspended judgment but of a religious injury that needed an antagonistic answer. (ibid, p178-179, emphases added)

For Study and Prayer:

What should a Christian's attitude be to the dispersion of the Jews over nearly 2,000 years - and to the restoration of Israel today?

Next time: The Jewish Revolts

'Jacob's Tears', DVD documentary by Hatikvah Films (2015, 1 h 44 mins, available from the publisher for £15, or click here to stream immediately for £9.99)

How does one explain the 'why', 'what', 'where' and 'how' of the greatest catastrophe in Israel's national history (known as the Shoah in Hebrew), which took place less than 100 years ago in a highly civilised, cultured European country, during the twelve year reign of Hitler's Third Reich?

A DVD produced by Hatikvah Films, narrated by Peter Darg and Richard Climpson and presented by the late Lance Lambert, is a thought-provoking, arresting narrative of the Holocaust – presenting both Jewish and German viewpoints.

The Seeds of the Holocaust

The seeds of the Holocaust were planted in the German psyche well before World War II. During the 1930s, Hitler became the most successful politician of his era, uniting the Germans by blaming the Jews for the country's post-WWI political, economic and social woes. This created a climate for virulent anti-Semitism.

In 1930 after re-creating and enlarging 'the throne of Satan' (Rev 2:13), an ancient stone altar in Pergamum, as part of the new Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg, Hitler used the enormous arena to accommodate the masses, who offered their adulation in raised-arm salutes to their Fuhrer. "Heil Hitler" means 'salvation comes from Hitler'.

This DVD by Hatikvah Films, presented by the late Lance Lambert, is a thought-provoking, arresting narrative of the Holocaust, presenting both Jewish and German viewpoints.

Sister Joela Kruger of the Evangelical Sisters of Mary explains the spiritual dynamic in Germany during that time. Hitler sought to eradicate the Christian witness there and to transfer the peoples' allegiance to himself - hence the conflict of the two crosses: the broken swastika and the true Cross of Jesus Christ.

Tragically the Church was silent, even after the horrific events of Kristellnacht on 9 November 1938. German Jews were set upon by the SS and SR, beaten, their homes attacked and looted and their synagogues burnt to the ground. Some brave Christian leaders - Dietrich Bonhoeffer amongst them - did speak out against Hitler, but NOT (significantly) against his treatment of the Jews.

Looking East

As the gas chambers of Auschwitz and Dachau became the hideous killing factories for European Jewry and other despised ethnic groups, Hitler turned his eyes towards Jerusalem. Being a prominent foreshadowing of anti-Christ, he allied himself with the Mufti of Jerusalem. Both men held an endlessly hostile attitude towards the Jewish people and they signed an agreement for the 'extermination' of the Jews.

By 1942, a German conquest of the Middle East seemed a distinct possibility. The British held the Mandate in Palestine (as it was then known) but the country was very vulnerable, completely surrounded by armed and dangerous enemies. The Germans were strategically placed to overcome the Allies but failed to capitalise on their advantage. The Allied victory at El Alamein secured the national homeland of the Jews – the land of Israel; many saw this as a victory by the finger of God.

Curses and Blessings

Many Germans today acknowledge that the Holocaust left a nation under a curse. Families have suffered generationally from the commitment of their forebears to the Third Reich. But praise God, those who come to Christ in repentance have the curse broken by Christ's work on the cross. What grace has been poured out to all sinners!

Is Germany cursed or blessed? Commentaries by Dr Harald Eckhert, Chairman of European Coalition for Israel and Dr Jurgen Buhler, Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem are emotionally revealing. Some Germans have led the way into deep repentance for their nation's sins against the Jews. The late Basilea Schlink of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Darmstadt was a guiding light, leading the way. The nation has been rebuilt, is prospering and secure. Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Germany owes its nationhood to the State of Israel. Both countries maintain a loyal, reliable and strong alliance. As Dr Eckhart asks with fear and trembling "can we as a nation match up to the grace that the Lord has poured out upon us?"

Some Germans have led the way into deep repentance for the nation's sins against the Jews, and God has poured out grace upon them. But anti-Semitism has not been entirely eradicated.

Sister Joela Kruger says that not all Germans are repentant. There is another form of anti-Semitism taking root there. It is opposition to the State of Israel. God's judgement has nevertheless been suspended to give Germany an opportunity to become a sheep nation (Matt 25:32). But he will have the last word.

DVD

I commend the DVD to all who have a desire to understand the role Germany played on the world stage during the 12 years of the Third Reich. The scenes and images on the DVD are familiar to some but traumatising for others - there is a warning about allowing children to watch it.

God Almighty does not change. He has said that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, BUT whoever curses Israel will be cursed. Let us too, as a nation, take warning.

Clifford Hill connects the migration crisis to Bible prophecies about the end of days, and suggests that God may have a special purpose for Britain at this time.

As of today, Friday 18 September, in this fast moving crisis, Croatia has become the latest European country to close its borders as the great migrant invasion of Europe intensifies, and Hungary has begun extending its fence along the borders with Croatia. Even Germany has introduced border controls to stop the unmanageable flow of migrants from Austria.

Europe in Turmoil

So what is the significance of all this as Europe is thrown into turmoil by what appears to be an unending flow of migrants? Clearly these are not just refugees fleeing war-torn Syria and Iraq, but something is stirring in nations right across the world where there is dissatisfaction with current life chances. Already hundreds of thousands are on the move and potentially this could be millions who want to jump on the bandwagon and reach Europe.

It is significant that the most popular destination is Germany – not because the migrants speak German but because it's the richest country in Europe. Angela Merkel has lit the touch paper of a migrant tsunami that is already causing major confusion, social chaos and political disunity throughout Europe. It has the potential of creating a catastrophic social, economic and political disaster.

Militant Islam

It is significant that the majority of the migrants attempting to enter Europe are Muslims. Some 25 years ago I published an article in the print magazine Prophecy Today saying that the greatest threat to peace in Europe was not from the Soviet Union but from militant Islam. The USSR was at the height of its power and the Cold War between East and West occupied the attention of newspapers and politicians alike. Islam was hardly given a thought except to note the brutal war between Iran and Iraq that lasted for most of the 1980s and resulted in more than 1 million deaths. But for those who were studying the signs of the times with an open Bible and an ear tuned to God, there were unmistakable warnings that Islam would soon be a major threat to world peace.

For those studying the signs of the times with an open Bible and an ear tuned to God, there have long been warnings that Islam would soon threaten world peace.

MI5's WarningMigrants push through a police line in Croatia on Thursday.

I'm not implying that I was the only one sounding a warning note about Islam. In Prophecy Today we published a number of articles in the 1980s by writers such as Clifford Denton, Lance Lambert, Ray Register, John Lafin, John Ray and Patrick Sookhdeo, who all perceived danger lying ahead. This danger is now being intensified by news of ISIS' plans to infiltrate Europe with half a million jihadists and that an unknown number have already mixed with the flow of migrants into Europe. This danger was highlighted yesterday by the head of MI5 warning that they had intercepted and prevented five attempts by jihadists already this year.

200 More Mosques

It is notable that Saudi Arabia, which has so far taken no refugees from Syria, has offered to build 200 mosques in Germany! No doubt this is their contribution to the Islamisation of Europe! Saudi Arabia has also just announced that it intends to crucify an 18-year-old boy for taking part in a protest against government policy. This is in accord with sharia law that they want to impose upon Europe!

So what's going on? Is there any word from the Lord? What does the Bible have to say about the times in which we are living?

Lance Lambert's View

Lance Lambert, who died recently, was one of the greatest of modern prophets, a Jew who accepted Jesus as Messiah. He gave us two interviews for Prophecy Today some three months before the 40^th anniversary of the State of Israel. We published these in March and May 1988 and are re-publishing them today and next week because we believe they are relevant to the situation that is now developing across the Middle East and Europe (see the first article here). Lance said that he did not think that anything remarkable was going to happen to Israel on the 40^th anniversary. He said,

I do feel that we have nevertheless passed irreversibly into the last phase of world history. We know this from Luke 21:24, where Jesus prophesies that the Jewish people will fall by the sword, be taken as captives into all the nations, and Jerusalem trampled on by foreigners 'until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled'.

Times of the Gentiles

Are the 'times of the Gentiles' now fulfilled? This is the big question that biblical scholars have been debating since 1967, when Israel re-gained hold of Jerusalem. There is no definitive answer to this but the 'great shaking of the nations' prophesied by the biblical prophets (Isaiah 2, Haggai 2 and Hebrews 12) appears to be happening in our lifetime.

Back in 1988, Lance Lambert stated a belief that we have passed into the last phase of world history, when the 'times of the Gentiles' will be fulfilled.

Words of Jesus

Add to these prophecies the words of Jesus' warning that "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places" (Matt 24:7). Jesus also warns that those who believe in him will be persecuted and at the same time there will be a great increase in wickedness, but the gospel will be preached in the whole world (Matt 24:9-14).

There is plenty of evidence in the daily news that all these things are happening today, including the Church worldwide growing at the fastest rate in history, despite the great falling away in Europe. So how does the migration crisis in Europe fit into this picture?

The Servant Songs

The prophet Isaiah actually refers to the British Isles a number of times. He links "the islands" with "the ends of the earth". In those days the islands off the coast of Europe were at the end of the known world, so it is a reasonable assumption that he is referring to the British Isles. There are some significant references in what biblical scholars know as 'The Servant Songs' (all Messianic statements that link Israel as a nation with the person of Messiah). The Songs show God working out his ultimate purposes for the salvation of the nations through Israel and the Messiah.

Can Britain Serve the Purposes of God?

The first of the four 'Servant Songs' is Isaiah 42:1-4 which begins "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations." God has undoubtedly used and mightily blessed Britain in the past, but in today's highly secularised environment, has the faithful remnant of believers sufficient spiritual strength to stand against the tide of unbelief and godless moral anarchy? Is there sufficient spiritual strength to serve the purposes of God at such a time as this?

Isaiah actually refers to the British Isles a number of times, perhaps indicating that they have a special place in the purposes of God.

This prophetic statement indicates that the British Isles have a special place in the purposes of God. God does not change his mind so this is still true today! The second Servant Song (Isa 49:1-6) begins with a call to the islands – "Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations..." It concludes with the promise to Israel, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

Final Great Conflict

Historically, Britain has indeed enjoyed a special place in God's purposes, being used powerfully in the worldwide spread of the Gospel. But does that purpose still exist for modern, 'post-Christian' Britain?

The final reference to 'the islands' in Isaiah is found in the last chapter, which is all in the context of the final conflict before the advent of the new heavens and the new earth, establishing the reign of God upon earth. It speaks of a sign being sent to "the distant islands...They will proclaim my glory among the nations" (Isa 66:19).

If we put this in the context of Jesus' words in the days leading up to his second coming, "There will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again" (Matt 24:21), we may expect a time of unparalleled upheaval and conflict among the nations.

My own interpretation is that we are moving towards a time of great conflict that will engulf Europe and the Middle East. The 'Arab Spring' that began on 18 December 2010 in Tunisia lit the fuse for this period, which has spread across North Africa and the Gulf States to link with the intense conflict within Islam that began with the Iran/Iraq conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims and is now devastating Syria.

Britain's Biblical Heritage

An irreversible process has begun that will lead to open conflict unless there is divine intervention. If it is a right interpretation of Isaiah's vision, Britain has a special part to play within the purposes of God. The question is whether there is sufficient strength in the Judeo/Christian biblical heritage of the nation to enable Britain to carry out its role of bringing the word of the Lord into this situation.

Leaving the EU

In order to do this it may be that Britain will need to separate from the rest of Europe and be prepared to stand alone under God (alongside an increasingly secularised Europe but not under its godless direction). I believe the word of the Lord to Britain today is, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty" (Zech 4:6). To this we must add the words of Jesus to his disciples that we should, "watch and pray" (Matt 26:41).

I believe that we are moving towards a time of great conflict in Europe and the Middle East, unless there is divine intervention. Britain may well have a special part to play, but will she be prepared to stand for God?

Dr Hill will elaborate on this theme in another feature article, to be published on Friday 25 September. In the meantime any comments from readers posted below would be greatly appreciated.

Stand in Support of Israel and Britain's Jewish Community: 20th September 2015 (THIS SUNDAY), Golders Green.

For Christians who love the British Jewish community and Israel, Mordecai Voice are organising a rally THIS COMING SUNDAY at Golders Green, London.

Mordecai Voice say: "We want to let the Jewish community know that we love them and stand with them. We will show them that we will not be passive and that we also love Israel! We will be there to declare God's heart for his people; to stand with and pray for them and to praise God. We call it a 'stand for' because we are not protesting against any government, religion, etc but to be FOR Israel and the Jewish community and to show it publicly.

For more information or to sign up for last-minute information on exact meeting places, visit the Mordecai Voice website.

In our series on the Jewish High Holy Days, Helen Belton examines Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Hebrew/English Phonetic Bible (CD-ROM), available from Hebrew4Christians for $59.95 + P&P

For the serious student of the Bible, a basic knowledge of Hebrew is extremely beneficial, and not just for understanding the Old Testament. The writers of the New Testament were mainly Hebrew thinkers and there is often a Hebraic subtext to their writings (especially the Gospels and in particular the words of Jesus himself). But for many Christians, the language can be a difficult one to learn or even begin to grasp in any way. There are many resources and learning aids available but this can still be a daunting enterprise.

Hebrew4Christians

One very useful website is Hebrew4Christians. This site is well-stocked with articles, ideas and features, and provides an easy first step into many aspects of Hebrew. It also allows for those with some experience to develop their studies further, as well as providing extra items that are fascinating and informative.

One significant aid available to purchase via this website is the transliterated Hebrew-English Bible on CD-ROM. This software is compatible with both Windows and MAC, and enables anyone without any previous knowledge of Hebrew to begin to read the Biblical text verse-by-verse throughout the entire Hebrew Bible. Each verse is clearly set out with the original Hebrew, an English translation and, crucially, a complete and clear phonetic transliteration broken down syllable by syllable. By turning the Hebrew letters into an equivalent sound-based English script it becomes easy to learn individual Hebrew words and eventually how the sentences are put together.

Though a basic knowledge of Hebrew is extremely beneficial for any serious Bible student, attempting to grasp the language can be a daunting enterprise.

The software also contains a guide to Hebrew pronunciation so you can speak it accurately, faithful to the original sound of Biblical Hebrew. The seven rules of 'How to Read Transliteration' means you can get started very quickly. The claim is that you will be proficient in an hour!

Facilities

There are also search options and the ability to copy the Hebrew or English text into your own documents or print selected pages. This is invaluable when teaching small groups or making presentations to a larger audience. Be warned though, there are over 4000 printable pages, so you need to be selective! This is not something to be printed out as a whole, just portions when required.

Once loaded onto your computer there are three shortcuts placed on your desktop. These represent three separate files called Bibles. 'Bible 1' uses the special Hebrew font created by The Society of Biblical Literature, which allows for the exact placement of the Hebrew vowel marks. It is a secured file which means you can only view and print, not copy, but that doesn't matter as this facility is available in the other files.

'Bible 2' contains a different font that is superior for printing, giving a very clear text, but there is no transliteration for this Bible, nor does it copy so well. However, 'Bible 3' is much better for copying, though again there is no transliteration; Bible 1 is the only file that provides this. Its font is described as 'unicode' and allows any Hebrew or English text to be copied and pasted into a word processor document. It also has a very fast search facility in both Hebrew and English. Bible 2 will also search quickly, though only in English, whereas Bible 1 needs some initial 'training' before it will search – but guidance is given on how to set this up.

Worthwhile investments

So between these three Bibles everything is provided and to a high standard. The current cost is $59.95 plus shipping and handling from the USA, but this is a very worthwhile investment. And it needn't stop there! Two other similar CD-ROMs are also available. One includes the earlier pictographic script from which it is believed modern Hebrew letters are derived, so these 'word pictures' can be compared with the Masoretic text. This is slightly cheaper at $49.95.

At the same price of $59.95 there is the latest offering: the entire New Testament text in Greek and a modern Hebrew translation, both with phonetic transliterations. In this fascinating new venture not only can you learn to read the Greek but you can also see what the same verses would be like in Hebrew – very informative when looking at the Hebraic background to the New Testament and seeking links with Old Testament words and passages.

Overall, there is much here to inform and instruct anyone for whom the original Biblical texts provide the keys to a greater understanding of God's word.

Edmund Heddle's series on prophecy continues, turning this week to visual ways in which God speaks.

According to Peter's words on the day of Pentecost, dreams and visions are two methods that God desires to use in communicating his prophetic word to man. He claimed that the pouring out of the Spirit that morning had fulfilled Joel's prophecy and had made possible the promise that "your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams" (Joel 2:28).

God had used both dreams and visions from the earliest days of the Bible story, though the number receiving such communications was few. Now, many more would be able to receive what God wanted to convey to them by means of dreams and visions, and they in turn could pass on the prophetic word to others. A study of the New Testament reveals that some of the most important decisions reached by the early church were made in response to God's visual direction, yet very many Christians still do not take seriously the place of dreams and visions in seeking to hear God's voice today.

God spoke in various ways

The first words of the letter to the Hebrews tell us that "in the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets...in many ways" (Heb 1:1). In defending Moses from the jealous criticism of Miriam and Aaron, God said: "When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses...with him I speak face-to-face, clearly and not in riddles..." (Num 12:6-8). God's normal way of speaking to his prophets was in dreams, visions and riddles (riddles, or 'dark speech', refer to God using language figuratively, as in a parable). Moses had a unique relationship with God, who spoke to him 'face to face' (Ex 33:11; Deut 34:10).

In the sad story of King Saul it is recorded, "When Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets" (1 Sam 28:6. Urim means 'lights' and its associated word thummim means 'perfections'. They were connected with the breastplate of the High Priest in some way so as to discover God's will, though no-one now knows how). It was in this desperate situation that Saul made the bad mistake of consulting a medium, and paid for it with his life. God spoke to Israel in differing ways. Many Christians limit the way they hear God to the scriptures or a chance word in a sermon, oblivious of the fact that God's word to us can be visual as well as verbal.

Scripture tells us that God has always spoken in visual as well as verbal ways.

God's word: verbal AND visual

It is significant to observe that the 'writing' (as distinct from 'oral') prophets of the Bible divide into one group of whom it is said that they 'saw' visions (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum and Habakkuk), and a second group of whom it is said that 'the word' of the Lord came (Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi).¹ The heading of Micah's prophecy contains a reference to both vision and word. God reveals himself in pictures as well as in words.

A picture (so it is said) is worth a thousand words; but if lacking a word that is specific, a visual representation may remain vague. God uses both the verbal and the visual (eg in the Old Testament the Tabernacle and its ceremonies, and in the New Testament the parables and stories of Jesus). Alongside our stress on the word, we need in today's church to recover the important place of visual prophecy.

Alongside our stress on the written word of God, we need in today's church to recover the important place of visual prophecy.

Dreams and visions

If dreams and visions were removed from the Bible, a considerable amount of both Old and New Testaments would undoubtedly vanish. The significant difference between a dream and a vision is that the former occurs during sleep, the latter in full consciousness. The quickly changing images which God brings to our minds during sleep receive minimum conscious resistance, whereas with a vision some effort on our part is necessary to keep the pictures before us. Both dreams and visions pass quickly from the mind and it is desirable to follow the good example of Daniel and to write down what we have seen before it vanishes (Dan 7:1; Job 20:8).

It is pointed out that Peter was in a trance while he received the vision that resulted in the conversion of Cornelius and the opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles. A trance in the Biblical understanding of that word is a mental state into which God brings the person he is addressing so that the senses are partially or wholly suspended. It is not to be confused with an hypnotic or self-induced condition.

The difference between a dream and a vision is that the former occurs during sleep, whilst the latter occurs in full consciousness.

Did Jesus experience either dreams or visions? There is no record that he did, but his words in Luke 10:18, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven", may be describing a vision he was seeing. As perfect man he may well have dreamt. We know that he knew perfectly what Moses knew but partially, for he really knew God face-to-face.

Analysis of Bible dreams and visions

In the Old Testament, eleven dreams are recorded, four for those within the covenant people (Jacob, Joseph, Solomon and Daniel) and seven outside (Abimelech, Laban, Pharaoh, his butler and his baker, a Midianite, and Nebuchadnezzar). In the Old Testament there are six visions, five within the covenant people (Abram, Jacob, Samuel, Nathan and Daniel) and one outside (Balaam).

In the New Testament, four dreams are recounted, two from within the covenant people (Joseph and Paul) and two outside (the wise men and Pilate's wife). There are seven visions recorded in the New Testament: six within the covenant people (Zechariah, Peter, John, Ananias, Paul and Stephen) and one who later was brought into the covenant people (Cornelius). There may well have been others, all depending on whether the phrase 'the Lord appeared' means that they had a vision. If so, then the names of Isaac, Gideon, Manoah's wife and Elisha will also need to be added.

Content of Bible dreams and visions

Dreams and visions recorded in Scripture may be grouped as follows:

1. God speaking, or an angel: The objective is to deliver a message, and apart from seeing the angel there is no other visual content.
2. A picture: The revelation is pictorial and conveys no words; a stairway, a flock of speckled goats, a sheaf of corn, some fat and lean cattle, and a loaf of barley bread. Those outside God's people needed an interpretation of the meaning of what they saw.
3. A revelation: The dreams of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, together with the visions of John on Patmos recorded in the Revelation, give an outline of God's purpose for the nations and his church.
4. Divine instructions: Telling people what God wants them to do, such as going back to one's native land, escaping to Egypt, calling at Judas' house or coming over to Macedonia.
5. Divine encouragement: Spoken to Abram when he was still childless; to Solomon letting him choose what he wanted; to Joseph when he discovered Mary's condition; and to Paul when he was tempted to be afraid.
6. Divine warning: Spoken to David through Nathan, to Eli's house through Samuel and to Pilate through his wife.

In studying the content of dreams and visions, it is also important to see that they were given at vital turning points in the history of God's people. For example, in the early history: Abraham's wife being kept undefiled by Abimelech, and Jacob fleeing from his brother and subsequently returning to the land. In the infancy of Jesus: Joseph being told not to divorce Mary, and later to flee to Egypt and to return to settle in Galilee.

In the early history of the Church: Peter being told to go to the house of Cornelius, Ananias being directed to the house of Judas to meet Saul and later Paul, to cross to take the gospel westwards to Europe. All these important decisions were consequent upon dreams or visions.

It is important to realise that dreams and visions crop up in Scripture at vital turning points in the history of God's people.

Dreams and visions in church history

When the last apostle died, there was no sudden end to the function of dreams and visions in the church as it continued to grow and develop. Church historians quote incidents showing that God continued in picture language to speak by dreams and visions to Polycarp, Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine and Jerome.

Nearer our own times, John Newton, who was concerned about his condition before God, had a dream which made the way of salvation clear to him. Charles Finney in his autobiography recalls a number of visions he received. In the early days of the Pentecostal movement, William F P Burton, an engineer, went out to Africa to spread the gospel. He had regularly, in his room when he was praying about Africa, seen a vision of a sad native, with a yearning look and a white growth over one eye. At a later date he saw this very man sitting in one of their meetings listening to the message in Africa.

There is insufficient space here to tell of a tent full of angels (in the early days of the British Pentecostal movement), or of a church on fire and yet not being burnt down (in the Indonesian stories of Mel Tari); of the visions that have transformed the life and ministry of David du Plessis, and of Demos Shakarian who founded the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International; or of the thrice-repeated vision of fires burning all over Great Britain from Lands End to the top of Scotland, given to Jean Darnall and which found their fulfilment in the 1971 Festival of Light.

Finally, consider the Asian minister who was present at the Carmel Gathering in 1986 and had been given a vision of men asleep on the benches in their church whilst the women were standing with their arms uplifted, crying to God (click here for full details of the vision). He knew it showed the true situation in the church in Britain, but to whom should he deliver the content of his vision? The Lord answered his question by giving him a vision of the face of a woman, well-known to us but unknown to him. All he had to do was to wait at the foot of the stairs until the woman appeared whose face he had seen in the vision.

God's forgotten language

Someone coined dreams and visions as 'God's forgotten language', but we cannot afford to forget or neglect them. It would be foolish to become addicted to them, but every one who is seeking to discharge a prophetic ministry needs to present God's 'now' word visually as well as verbally. As Bruce Yocum puts it (Prophecy, p97): "Through visions God opens up to us his action and his plan in a new and powerful way; they have impact." They are also 'faith-building', and that is the purpose for which prophets are in business.

Offer your sub-conscious to God

Without the enabling of the Holy Spirit, no-one can function as a prophet and it is only as we yield our sub-conscious mind to be directed by the Spirit that we shall be able to give visual prophecy its proper place.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3, No 4, July/August 1987.

References

1 The prophets Jonah and Daniel do not have the usual biographical introduction.