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Monthly Question Page

Q. Could you explain the significance of the colors of the four horses in Revelation chapter six? (Part 2).

A. “A white horse” (verse 2). The white horse symbolizes a judgment involving conquering and victory for the rider. Later in Revelation when the Lord comes to reign, we read, “Behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war” (Revelation 19:11).

“Another horse that was red” (verse 4). With the coming of this horse, peace is take from the earth, there is killing, and there is war. The red horse, no doubt speaks of bloodshed, this being the result of the white horse and its rider.

“And lo a black horse” (verse 5). This horse figures mourning, consternation, and famine. As a result of conquest and bloodshed, there will be scarcity and want, and the masses will be deprived of the necessities of life.

“Behold a pale horse” (verse 8). The pale horse has the name of Death stamped upon the rider. It signifies that pestilence will follow famine. Hell (Hades) follows as it swallows up its victims. What awful judgments are coming on this world!

We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Not Ashamed

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16).

After his remarkable conversion on the way to Damascus, Paul never lost sight of the gospel of Christ.

He always had a readiness to preach it.

He always had a desire to defend it.

He had a lifestyle to promote and commend it.

He had a joy in suffering because of it.

He had a willingness to die for it.

He felt he had an enormous responsibility to bring the gospel to all people. There is no question; he was not ashamed of the gospel. He knew its transforming power, and what it had done for him in turning his life around. As a result he wanted everyone to hear, to know, and to experience it for themselves. Near the end of his life he could encourage a young man named Timothy “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8).

What an example for us to share the gospel with others!

Monthly Scripture Reading

Luke 5

3 And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4 Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.

6 And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken.

Sighing or Singing

“The children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage” (Exodus 2:23).
“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord” (Exodus 15:1).

There is really no song to sing until the burden of sin is removed. The Israelites never sang in Egypt while they were slaves to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, a picture of Satan and this world. All they could do in Egypt was sigh! Only after they experienced redemption and deliverance and were safely on the Sinai side of the Red Sea could they sing the praises of the Lord.

 The unsaved world tries to make music but often it has a rather despondent tone, and the words are usually hollow and empty. Not so with the believer. For the one who knows Christ as Saviour, he can truly say, “He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God” (Psalm 40:3). A Christian may not be the greatest singer, but they have the privilege of opening their mouth to “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1).

Are you a sigh-er or a singer?

Dear Young Christian:

Are you a worrier like me? Here are some interesting definitions of worry that I came upon while browsing through an old book from my library shelf:

Worry is the advance interest you pay on troubles that seldom come.

Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.

My problem is, I tend to worry about things that I think are going to come about in the near or distant future, and then when the time comes, they never even happen. The Lord had to say to Mary’s sister, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). To us He says: “Be careful for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). In other words, “Don’t be full of care. Don’t worry about a thing.” We can leave everything in the hand of the Lord this coming week. No matter what may happens, He is in full control.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Forsake

“He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me”?
(Matthew 27:46).

To forsake is to leave without help or protection, to abandon. The Lord promises to never do that to His own. We are safe and secure with Him. Men may fail, and indeed do, in spite of promises and vows, but the Lord, who knows us better than anyone else does, is still a true, faithful Friend, Master, Helper and Guide.

This is reason enough to rejoice every morning! And yet, how we are touched when we remember that He, God’s perfect, holy, sinless Son, was forsaken while He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Yes, He was forsaken of God during those hours of darkness while He “made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Lord Jesus was forsaken that we might never be forsaken. What love!

There Is a God

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

“Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist there is no God.” — Haywood Brown

Have you ever noticed how much time atheists and unbelievers spend trying to convince themselves and everyone else that there is no God, no life after death, and no such place as heaven or hell? Often they go to great lengths, talking on and on, and presenting argument after argument.

But the Bible, creation, and many other infallible proofs, establish beyond a shadow of a doubt the existence of God, and our responsibility to Him as our Creator.

Though we have sinned, and though there is the reality of judgment as a result, yet our God is a loving God and Saviour. “God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

Is He your God and Saviour? If not, trust Him today! He is living and real, and able to save!

Thankfulness

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

It is sometimes difficult to witness for Christ in the daily routine of life and show ourselves to be different from the world. A very simple, but evident action, is to give thanks for everything. Do you start every meal with thanks to God, even in a crowded restaurant or school cafeteria with your friends present? Do you thank God for daily strength, for clothing, home, money and transport? Let us make sure that we give God our Father the thanks He deserves for giving us the daily mercies that we so often take for granted.

One of the characteristics of the times we live in, is unthankfulness. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be … unthankful” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2). Let’s be careful that the spirit of the age does not affect us as believers. Our testimony to the world is often the fact that we have a thankful spirit no matter what the circumstances. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

Practical Applications
of God’s Word

Part 7 — Cleansing

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word”
(Psalm 119:9).

There is a practical purifying effect that comes from daily reading of the Bible. It is “the washing of water by the Word” (Ephesians 5:26). This was the great spiritual lesson that the Lord was illustrating in a practical way, to the disciples in the upper room, when He washed their feet. The water of the Word removes those things that defile us and dull our affections. That is why He said to Peter, when he objected to the Lord washing his feet, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me” (John 13:8). We cannot enjoy fellowship with the Lord, without the cleansing of the Word.

When I was growing up there was an older brother who used to tell us, that in his working days when he came home from the office, he needed a good wash. He wasn’t talking about soap and water, he was talking about the water of the Word. He used to also tell us that a basket cannot hold water but running water through it will keep it clean. Let the Word of God have its cleansing affect on your life everyday!

Learning or Doing

There was a man in New York City who died at the age of 63 without ever having had a job. He spent his entire adult life in college. He had acquired so many academic degrees that they looked like the alphabet behind his name.

Why did this man spend his entire life in college? When he was a child, a wealthy relative died who had named him as a beneficiary in his will. It stated that he was to be given enough money to support him every year as long as he stayed in school. And it was to be discontinued when he had completed his education.

The man met the terms of the will, but by staying in school indefinitely he turned a technicality into a steady income for life — something his benefactor never intended. Unfortunately, he spent thousands of hours listening to professors and reading books but never “doing.” He acquired more and more knowledge but didn’t put it into practice.

The Bible says: “Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). If we read the Bible or listen as it is taught but fail to put to work what we have learned, we are as bad as that man with his string of degrees. His education was of no practical benefit to anyone.