Author: BTP

Monthly Question Page

Q. Who is the Messiah and what does the title mean?

A. Messiah is the English translation of the Hebrew word, “Mashiach,” and means “anointed.” In our English Bible the word, other than in Daniel, is often translated “Christ” or “the Christ.” This links Messiah and Christ together as being “the Anointed.” The Messiah is the only hope, not only for Israel, but for the Gentiles as well.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:25-26). These verses show that although Israel was cut off from being a nation because of their rejection of their Messiah, yet He will establish them in Millennial blessing and reign over all the earth as “KING OF KINGS” (Revelation 19:16).

We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to [email protected]

Egypt

As I indicated on Monday, I am in Egypt this week, and today I took an hour boat ride on the Nile through the heart of the city of Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is a city of almost 20 million people (estimated), and the Nile is considered the longest river in the world.

Egypt must have been a glorious nation in the days of Joseph and Moses. Today it is in economic, political, and religious turmoil. However, the following verses show that God will yet bless Egypt in a future day when He deals again with the prophetic earth. “And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it…Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance” (Isaiah 19:21, 25). (Read the verses in between the two quoted to get the full picture).

No doubt this blessing will be due to Egypt sheltering the children of Israel in the time of the seven-year famine, (Genesis 47), and sheltering the Lord as a young child from the hatred of Herod who wanted Him killed (Matthew 2:13).

 

Monthly Scripture Reading

John 1

16 And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared him.

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

 

Shopping Spree

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed” (Revelation 3:18).

“One of these days I must go shopping…”

I am completely out of self-respect.

I will exchange some self-righteousness for some humility, which is less expensive and wears better.

I need some tolerance which is really “in” this season.

Someone showed me some samples of peace. We are low on that, and one can never have too much.

I must try to match some patience that my neighbor wears. It might look good on me as well.

I’ll try on the garment of long-suffering that they are displaying. I never thought I wanted to wear it, but I feel myself coming to it.

I mustn’t forget to have my sense of appreciation mended with some inexpensive everyday goodness.

I wonder, does my transformation robe need patching a bit?

 

Dear Young Christian:

I am writing this page as I look out over the city of Cairo Egypt from my ninth story bedroom window. Yesterday it was 47° Celsius which is the same as 120.2° Fahrenheit. I fear it is going to be the same or more today.

With a fan blowing on me I am thinking about the children of Israel as they worked beneath the hot desert sun so many centuries ago, and how the Lord said to Moses, “I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant” (Exodus 6:5). They may have thought that God had forgotten about them, but He saw their difficulty, He heard their groans, and at the right moment and in the right way, He was going to deliver them.

Maybe you are going through some hard thing this week. You feel the Lord has forgotten you, that He doesn’t hear your groans or even your prayers. But be assured that He is well aware, and has not failed you. Just as He eventually did the best for the Israelites, so He will do for you. Trust Him!

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to [email protected]

Hallelujah

“And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia” (Revelation 19:4).

Some words were coined for use only by Christians, and such is the word HALLELUJAH! Actually the word is Hebrew, and is a compound of two words, hallal and jah. The first word, hallal means “to praise,” and the word jah is the word for God, the same word which means Jehovah.

Hallelujah is a universal word and understood by all who love God’s Word everywhere. Simply put, the word means, “praise be to God.”

It is understandable that the world does not grasp the meaning nor significance of the word Hallelujah, for only those who are redeemed by the blood of Christ can truly praise the Lord for what He has done for them.

The word is used a number of times in the Psalms, but in the King James Version it is always translated, “praise ye the Lord” or something similar; such as Psalm 104:35 and 106:1. John uses it four times in the Book of Revelation.

Praise the Lord today; He is indeed the worthy One!

 

A Giver

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”
(1 Timothy 1:15).

Each January, I have the privilege of giving the gospel in the schools in the Bahamas. In doing this I try to take an incident or story from their history that has an application to the truth of salvation.

On my arrival in Nassau one year, I visited a new museum, called the “Pirates of Nassau Museum.” I was taken from one display to another and listened to the history of the pirating in the Caribbean. I soon realized that those scoundrels had only one thing in view in coming to those areas in around the Bahamian Islands, and that was to get something for themselves. Yes, they were out to GET, by whatever means it took.

It was then my joy to be able to go to the schools and tell of the Lord Jesus, who came to this world, not to GET, but to GIVE. The pirates of Nassau stole and murdered; the Lord gives life and an inheritance to those who receive Him as Saviour. He Himself said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

 

Companions

There is an old saying, “A person is known by the company he keeps.”

With this in mind, make sure you select as friends and close companions, not only other Christians, but those who are out and out for the Lord — those who are really on the Lord’s side. The company we keep will influence us for good or for evil. Make sure you company and fellowship with the godly. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another” (Malachi 3:16). This kind of interaction with other believers who desire the Lord’s glory has His distinct approval and commendation.

The Lord’s earnest desire, and we might add, ours as well, is that you would grow to be men and women whose influence upon your generation will be felt; an influence which will stamp its own character on souls for eternity; for influence — good or bad — never dies. The impress of eternity is upon each one of us.

David said, “I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep thy precepts” (Psalm 119:63). Can you honestly say that as well?

 

Minor Prophets — Obadiah

Obadiah has a very short and direct message concerning the future judgment of Edom. The Edomites are the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, as we see from Genesis 36:1. “Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.” They have always been staunch enemies of the people of God, as we see in Exodus 17 when Amalek, Esau’s grandson came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. Later the wicked man Haman, another descendant of Esau, tried to have the Jews annihilated in the book of Esther.

Along with many other nations they are determined to have Israel destroyed. A careful reading of Psalm 83 will clearly show their hatred as they say, with other nations that join with them, “Come let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel be no more in remembrance” (Psalm 83:4). (Notice the connection with Edom in verse 6 of the Psalm.)

Edom’s judgment will be complete and final as is indicated by verse 10: “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever.” God does not look lightly on any nation or people who have despised or suppressed Israel in any way.

 

Patience

I saw, what I thought was a very good definition of patience:

Patience is trusting God’s timing!

Trusting God’s timing is more than just waiting God’s timing. We have no choice but to wait for God’s timetable, but, at least for myself, I don’t always do it with patience or trust. To realize that His timetable is really the best, and that He knows, not only what we need, but when we need it, will give us a real peace and calm in our hearts that we cannot experience otherwise.

David put it this way: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass…Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself.” (Psalm 37:5,7).

To some degree we are all creatures of impatience. Seven times in the book of James we have the word patient or patience, beginning with the following exhortation: “The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3-4).