David Pawson
Man of God
February 1930-May 2020

David Pawson was a remarkable gift to the Body of Christ in that he was more than just an outstanding expositor of the Word of God. David was sent out world-wide by the Holy Spirit as an apostle and prophet. From time to time he would make a prophetic declaration, and these all came to pass with the passage of time.

David was also a fearless preacher and, though of small frame, he could “pack a punch” as he faithfully preached God’s Word. He never shied away from the difficult passages of the Bible, and over the years, many came to hear him when we invited him to be a guest speaker. In all respects he was quite formidable, but those who knew him well found him to be a kind, loving and a generous man. If David Pawson became your friend, then you had in him a friend for life and this was the great privilege that I enjoyed.

I am thankful for his life and work, by the love and grace of God. David Pawson’s ministry will now live on and impact many more lives because he left a library of his many books and videos for all to enjoy and be uplifted and edified by.

This great servant of God has gone home and may we all finish as he did.

Thanks be to God for the life of David Pawson.

Malcolm Hedding

A few important thoughts

The high point of the book is the Revelation or Second Coming of Christ. As we have already noted, the whole book is written for the whole Church, and it lays out before it the great triumph that it will enjoy when Jesus comes again in great power and glory. This visible, real return of Jesus to the Mt. Of Olives is the blessed hope set before it. This, indeed, is what the book of Revelation is all about. There is thus no word or hint, in the entire oracle, of a so called secret rapture that supposedly takes place before all the cataclysmic events spoken of in the book transpire. Jesus is in fact forearming His Church by giving it this book and thereby assuring it that, beyond the great trials ahead, is the glorious triumph of His Second Coming or Revelation. As I stated, this is the blessed hope of the Church!

According to the book then, the Day of the Lord or the Day of His wrath takes place on the day of Jesus’ physical and real second coming in great power and glory. This is also the day when the Church is raptured or “snatched away” to meet Him as He comes in flaming fire to wage war against the ungodly of the earth. Of this scripture plainly speaks:

“………since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those
who trouble you, and give you who are troubled rest with us when the
Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty Angels, in flaming fire
taking vengeance on those who do not know God………when He comes in
that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those
have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

It is the Day when Jesus comes in flaming fire that the Church will first see Him and get rest from its trials on earth and be glorified. John’s Revelation agrees with this (Revelation 6:12-17; Revelation 19:11-16). It is thus important to note then, that the Day of God’s Wrath is not the Great tribulation but the Day of Jesus’ visible and real Second Coming. This takes place after the changing of the luminaries which actually takes place after the conclusion of the Great Tribulation according to scripture (Matthew 24:29; Acts 2:20). It is certainly inconceivable that Jesus should send a message of hope and encouragement to His Church in the world, which totally ignores, and says nothing about, His coming for it earlier by way of a so called secret rapture! The same is true of Jesus’ “Olivet Discourse” recorded in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. In these great eschatological passages there is not one word about a secret rapture from the Savior. In talking to His Disciples,the Savior’s focus is entirely upon His glorious, real and visible second coming!

Friends, there is only one Second Coming and the Bride must make herself ready. The great trials ahead will be a catalyst for this:

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in
white robes and where did they come from?” And I said to Him, “Sir, you
know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great
tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:13-14

Nothing has brought into focus more the approaching days of great trial like that of all the events unfolding around the Corona Virus. We hear calls for global government and for a global religion, coupled with demands for increased surveillance of citizenry and the bodily implant of microchip technology; all in the name of increased protection, safety and well being. The Mayor of Chicago recently declared that citizens should be compelled to obey the new regulations imposed upon them and that in the end they must give allegiance to the coming New World Order. In addition, a well respected Italian politician recently said this on the floor of his nation’s Parliament:

“The real goal of all of this is total control. Absolute domination of human
beings, transformed into guinea pigs and slaves, violating sovereignty
and free will. All thanks to tricks disguised as political comprises.”

The Seven Seals (Revelation 6-8:1)

These give us a sweeping view of all the end time events much like Matthew 24 and Mark 13 and are very similar in content. As we have already noted in our previous study together, the Seven Seals constitute the Title Deed to earth and all that is in it, since it was purchased with Jesus’ blood. He paid the “Ransom Price” (Mark 10:45), and this then paves the way for Him to open the seals and finally take possession of that which is His, including the Church by her resurrection from the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). With His feet on the Mt. Of Olives the final seal will be opened and the, “Kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.”

1. The first seal
Alerts us to the fact that a great all conquering deception awaits the world in that an Antichrist global ruler, cloaked in the white robes of innocence, will arise, rule all nations and bring them into devilish bondage and destruction. His anger will particularly be aimed at the Church and the nation of Israel. We will say more about this later but we should note that the spirit of Antichrist is strongly present in the world today.

2. The second seal
This seal heralds the arrival of a fiery red horse, a symbol of blood, that rides out to foster war across the earth. The rider wields a great sword, and this confirms Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 that the end time will be characterized by, “Wars and rumors of wars” especially at a time when leaders proclaim, peace, peace!

3. The third seal
This seal predicts a global economic meltdown leading to starvation and hyper inflation, all represented by a black horse. We should all take note of this and endeavor to be free from debt and financially secure and independent as possible. This financial meltdown is definitely coming and may have already started.

4. The fourth seal
Here a pale or grey horse is scene representing death and the place of the shadowy dead. This rider will bring global chaos to millions across the globe and thus two billion people will die from all manner of evils including hunger, plagues, wars and wild animals. These are the ungodly who have not yielded their lives to Christ.

5. The fifth seal
The final days leading up to Jesus’ Revelation will be characterized by a vicious persecution of the Church and so the souls of the martyred saints are seen in heaven beseeching their Lord to avenge their blood so spilt on the earth. They are told to be patient until all those appointed to martyrdom are gathered in. This terminology is interesting because it conveys the will and sovereignty of God in this persecution, since it no doubt purifies His Church. This is a picture of the Great Tribulation because after this the luminaries change constituting a warning that the great Day of God’s Wrath is about to befall the earth. We have here a biblical truth that not many in the wider Church are prepared to entertain!

6. The sixth seal
Here the sign of the coming of Christ appears, in that the moon turns blood red and the sun turns black like sackcloth. In addition, the stars of heaven fall and the sky rolls back like a scroll revealing the oncoming arrival of the Son of Mam. The small and the great, and the armies of the world, and the masses all together, recognize in this sign that the Day of Wrath is upon them and they call out to the mountains to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. This is the Great Day of the Lord about which scripture everywhere speaks. This also harmonizes with that which Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 24 ( Matthew 24:29-31). It is to be noted that it is on this day that Jesus gathers His elect, that is His Church, from the four corners of the earth. This is the final saga of the present order of things. His Revelation has been accomplished.

7. The seventh seal
Heaven falls silent because all is accomplished. Christ has finally overcome the world and His people will rule and reign with Him forever, world without end. However, between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seal is an interlude wherein the triumph of the Church, of all ages is pictured. A multitude that cannot be counted, and built on a Jewish spiritual foundation, is seen in the presence of God giving Him glory and honor for the great redemptive work that He has wrought in Christ on their behalf. These we are told, “shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

So be it! Maranatha!

Malcolm Hedding

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Before we encounter the dramatic events of the end time, which will unfold on earth so as to facilitate the Revelation or Second Coming of Christ, we are introduced to the two realities that anchor our faith in God. These are the following:

1. Sovereignty

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.”
Revelation 4:11

At the beginning of chapter four John is called into heaven and once there his eyes gaze upon the very nerve center of the whole created order; the Throne of God. This Throne is all glorious and is encircled by an Emerald Rainbow. It is also transcendent and therefore entirely removed from creation. The Throne of God is then self sufficient, magnificent beyond words and all powerful.

Encircling this Throne is a heavenly court of angelic elders and the Almighty Himself. He is not seen but is described as the combined brilliance of Jasper and Sardius stones. Seven Lamps of fire, symbols of the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2), are set there as well and four Living Creatures, symbols of Jesus’ life and ministry as reflected in the four written Gospels, are also in attendance. This glorious scene, unfolding before John’s eyes, sits on a magnificent Sea of Glass. Everything here speaks of rest, control, authority and power. There is no sense of panic, urgency and crisis here because an all powerful and sovereign God is in total control of His world and therefore His eternal purpose is on track and cannot be subverted. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can shake Him, but He can shake the world and will! Hebrews 12:25-26

All of the heavenly host rightly worship Him and acknowledge His holiness and glory. They ascribe blessing to His wonderful name and proclaim that indeed, He created all things and that by Him they consist and are upheld. This is bold truth sweeping away the foolishness of godless evolution! As we see this scene, by the help of the Holy Spirit who illuminates the pages of scripture, we too, like John, are caught up into heaven and long to be there.

Our God is indeed sovereign and exists as three persons and all of these have the very same essence (John 10:30). In these turbulent and dark days we need to rest our eyes and faith upon these things. The message of chapter four is clear, heaven has everything under control and, if we will focus on this glorious place, we will have nothing to fear and a wonderful joy and peace will flood our hearts.

2. Redemption

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals;
for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by
Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people
and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our
God; and we shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 5:9-10

The situation on earth is entirely different, it is chaotic and filled with the darkness and wickedness of sin. Even the natural creation of fawn and flora has become fallen, down graded and polluted because of humankind’s rebellion against God (Romans 8:18-22). It anxiously awaits a resolution to the problem. John, overcome by this appalling reality, looks for a deliverer on earth who will save the earth and her inhabitants from this great chaos and wickedness. One who would bring an end to evil, sinfulness and alienation from God but there is no one because the problem begins with humankind’s relationship with God. But, of a truth, the chasm or breach between God and the people of this world is so great and far reaching that no human being can close it. It is, in all respects, a bridge too far because humankind’s sinfulness falls hopelessly short of the perfection of God, even our very best efforts cannot save us (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 3:18). We are consequently forever separated from God and therefore doomed and destined to spend eternity under His wrath! John we are told, wept!

Indeed, would to God, that we would all weep because of our sinful condition, but then John sees a Lamb, as if slain, and He steps forward to take the Scroll of Seven Seals from the hand of God. This is the Title Deed to all things on the earth by which sin is cast out, evil is overcome and men and women can be reconciled to God and delivered from the ravages of the Devil (2 Corinthians 5:18). By the Lamb’s indestructible and perfect life and, by His death on the cross and resurrection, He has breached the chasm and reconciled us to God His Father. He has thus, if received by faith, defeated the grip that sin has on our hearts, He has delivered us from all demonic power and He has paved the way, by His Revelation or second coming, to finally assert His liberating authority and power over creation and the human race. Heaven rightly rejoices. Revelation 11:17-18

The Lamb will thus open the seven sealed document. This imagery, for our understanding, is taken from the book of Jeremiah, since in his day when you bought property it only became yours when you actually stood on it and broke the final seal of the deed of sale (Jeremiah 32:9-12; Jeremiah 37:11-12). When Jesus puts His feet on the Mt. of Olives then the final seal will be broken and the ” kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ” and we shall reign on the earth with Him. What an amazing day of triumph this will be. No wonder it is the blessed hope of the Church ( Titus 2:11-13).

In essence then, the Scroll of Seven Seals is the key to understanding the book of Revelation because all else in the book is an in depth commentary of these seals. This commentary includes a description of cataclysmic events and the “players” around them like Israel, the Antichrist, the Two Witnesses and Babylon.

Malcolm Hedding

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The book of Revelation, as we have seen, has to do with those things that have to take place in the world, the Church and in Israel in order to facilitate the unveiling or Revelation of Jesus Christ or His second coming. In that sense then, the book is about Jesus. Of this an Angel reminded John as recorded in chapter nineteen and verse ten. He is the spirit of prophecy. We would do well to take note of this when we examine the detailed information given about other issues contained in this prophetic oracle. As we now move to consider the main teaching of the book we should briefly consider the following:

1. The book is about judgment. (Psalm 92:7)
This is a major theme of the book since it constitutes that process whereby Jesus brings His
enemies to His footstool so that He may rightly stand up and crush them. It also then has to
do with judging His people the Church. She will be evaluated and judged so that she may
repent, be purified and made ready for His revelation. The Church must hear the voice of the
Spirit of God, change and overcome. In fact judgment begins with the household of God as
1 Peter 4:17 tells us and this is why, before doing anything else, Jesus turns His gaze and
attention upon the Church. That is, His message to the Seven Churches of Asia. Before
proceeding it is important to make a few comments about God’s judgment as reflected in
scripture.

The God of the Bible judges His world and His people. He has not lost control of the world
and certainly this includes the powers of darkness. They, not being omnipotent, omnipresent
and omniscient, actually and unknowingly serve His purposes in the matter of judgment. We
see this supremely reflected in the death of Jesus. The Devil induced Judas to betray Jesus
(John 6:70, John 13:1-2; 26-27) since he was determined to kill Him. Jesus acknowledged
the power play of the powers of darkness in His arrest and crucifixion (Luke 22:53) and yet
they were unwittingly playing into the hands of God and fulfilling His purpose for the
redemption of humanity. The thing that the Devil desired the most and planned for became
his undoing, defeat and downfall.

The same thing is happening today in terms of the Corona Virus, in that it is entirely devilish
and demonic but, by the sovereignty of God, it is rightly judging the world and purifying the
Church! The great manifestation of the judgment of God that will take place at Armageddon
is in fact orchestrated by evil and demonic spirits (Revelation 16:12-16). These, once again, in
their mad drive to destroy the human race, will play into the hands of God to achieve His
purpose and triumph and in the end guarantee their destruction. Revelation 20:10.

2. Jesus message to the seven Churches of Asia

Chapters two and three record the evaluation or judgment that Jesus pronounces over His
Church in the world. This is reflected in His dealings with seven churches that were real and
were located in Asia. Interestingly, they give us a remarkable reflection of the state of the
Church as it journeyed through 2000 years of history to the present. Also, His message to
them, taken all together, gives us a picture of what the Church in any area of the world
should look like. We should closely study Jesus’ message to His people in Asia.

The Church’s high calling is to reflect Jesus. This is why in chapter one Jesus is seen by the
light that is cast by the seven golden lamp stands (Revelation 1:12-16). The glory of Jesus’
person, as John sees it, is a message in itself and a lesson to the churches. So, His feet are
of burnished bronze, a symbol of judgment, His eyes a flame of fire, a symbol of His
holiness, His hair is white as wool, a symbol of His divinity, He wears a priestly garment, a
symbol of His atoning work on the cross and His voice is like many waters, a symbol of His
sovereignty (V14).

Of the seven churches that Jesus addresses only two are commended. That is the Church at
Smyrna and the one at Philadelphia. In terms of the one at Smyrna, it is to be noted that the
Devil is about to “throw some of you into prison” but again, in so doing he is playing into the
very purpose of God ( Revelation 2:10). That is, Jesus is about to test them. The Church at
Philadelphia, by contrast, because of her faithfulness, is about to have a new door of
opportunity and ministry opened up for her ( Revelation 3:8).

The other five churches of Asia are riddled with a lack of love for Christ, sexual perversity,
lawlessness, authoritarian and cultic leaders, idolatry and lukewarmness. We would do well
to examine our own hearts about these things. We must hear what the Spirit of God is saying
to us, repent, that is turn around, and overcome. An overcomer is a failure who gets it right
by the grace of God. This call to overcome is constant and even appears later in the book
with reference to the Church’s battle against Antichrist (Revelation 14:11-13; Revelation 13:
10; Revelation 21:7) . The Apostle John was himself in tribulation as he endured under the
Antichrist of his time, which was embodied in the Caesar of the Roman Empire (Rev 1:9).
He himself, in his first Epistle, stated that history would be riddled with many Antichrists and
the Church of the Living God would have to overcome these ( 1 John 2:18). This they would
do by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and they would even lay down their
lives in death (Revelation 12:11).

Malcolm Hedding

The term Revelation means, the making manifest or the unveiling of Christ

A. Authorship, exhortation and warning

The book was written by John in response to the inspiration that Jesus gave him. John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos and, being fairly advanced in years, he wrote the book between AD 92 and 94. The book carries a blessing and warning depending on what attitude the reader takes when he or she approaches it. However, it remains the most neglected book of the Bible by preachers. Revelation 1:3, Revelation 22:18-19.

B. Purpose and concepts

1. To assure believers in Jesus of His ultimate and final triumph over all that is wicked and evil in the world. Revelation 1:7-8, Revelation 22:12-13, Revelation 21:3-4.

2. The book is written in typical Hebraic style meaning that it employs: progressive prophetic fulfillment, Hebrew parallelism and remez. We will say more about this later. Most important of all is the fact that the whole book is written to the whole church! Revelation 1:10-11. Every page of the book is relevant to the church.

3. To set out the things that have to take place in the church and the world in order to bring forth the triumphant second coming of Jesus. Jesus can only step onto the stage of history, literally and physically, when this stage has been set.

In terms of the world; wickedness has to ripen and come to its fullness (Matthew 22:44)….and, in terms of the church, she has to be judged and purified. That is “The Bride must make herself ready.” Revelation 14:14-20 sets forth this principle. Harvest time is coming!

Note: The fullness of wickedness is embodied in the person and regime of Antichrist
and the fullness of the church’s purification is achieved by enduring these.
Revelation 14:9-12; Revelation 7:13-17. Remember, judgment begins with the
household of God! 1 Peter 4:17

Today the “setting of the stage” is rapidly taking place. You have to be spiritually blind not to see it. The rise of electronic money and surveillance systems, the emergence of micro chip implanted technology and the frequent calls by many in places of power and authority for a one world government and religion are all unique signs spoken of in the book of Revelation.

Indeed, the “setting of the stage ” is rapidly drawing to a close and the people of God must get ready for the greatest event in history! Very challenging days are ahead of us and the Corona Virus is just the beginning of sorrows but Christ is coming!

Click here to go to the video message

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, what-
ever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate
on these things.”
Philippians 4:8

We have noted that in the fateful week before Jesus was crucified He stayed with Mary, Martha and Lazarus at their home in a small village on the eastern slopes of Mt. of Olives called Bethany. From there He would walk to the Temple area every day and in its precincts He would engage the people and, inevitably, His antagonists. The synoptic Gospels, and that of John’s, give us a fairly comprehensive insight into all that He taught during the last days of His public ministry. We should take note of the following:

1. Our big donors

Being in and about the Temple precincts Jesus drew near to the Treasury. It was here that the people gave their financial contributions to the work of God. Standing quietly to the side He watched as donors arrived and gave their gifts to God. In particular He took note of a widow who gave very little as compared to the other donors (Mark 12:41-43). By the gift of the word of knowledge, He knew that she had in fact given all that she had to live on and in fact, by so doing, had given more than all the other donors because she gave out of her deficit and not her surplus. Big donors gave huge amounts of money but they still had more than enough to live on. They gave out of their surplus.

In essence then the widow, as a donor, was more important than all of them because God knew the circumstances of her giving and He would look after her and multiply her seemingly small contribution in a way that it did more for the Kingdom of God than all the contributions of the well off! But, no one took notice of her because donor appreciation means that it is the big buck contributors that need to be cultivated, given special gifts like pens and calendars and afforded special privileges like special receptions, access to high level meetings and prominent seats at special events. The deficit donor is all the while ignored and left to give in the shadows, as this woman was, but they are the most important contributors to the work of the Kingdom of God on earth! We have not yet learned the lesson and therefore the work of God suffers. Jesus brother James warned us against carnal donor appreciation methods (James 2:1-6).

2. Our glimpse into the consummation of the age

On one of the days during Holy Week, as Jesus was leaving the Temple compound for Bethany, the Disciples drew His attention to the well constructed grandeur of the Temple stones and the glory of the building in general (Matthew 42:1-2). In response He stated that in the not too distant future the holy building would be besieged and its stones torn down one by one. As one can imagine this statement alarmed the Disciples who then in turn enquired when this would be and what would the sign of His coming? Why did they link the destruction of the Temple with His coming? Because, still grappling with the nature of Jesus’ messianic calling, they knew that when Messiah comes He would build the Temple and usher in the age of redemption (Zechariah 6:12-13). If then then the Temple was shortly to be destroyed it would presuppose that He would have to come a second time to fulfill this prophetic messianic vision; hence the question.

Jesus, seated with them on the Mt. Of Olives (Matthew 24:3), then answered their question. He did this by reinforcing the notion of the Temple’s imminent destruction at the hands of the Romans but then He went on to talk to them about the signs and events that would take place heralding His second coming. This conversation is comprehensively recorded in Matthew 24. One can also find it recorded in Mark 13 and Luke 19 and 21.

In terms of the signs, we should note the followings:

The Temple of Jesus’ day was in fact destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD just as He had prophesied. The warnings He gave in this “Olivet Discourse” enabled the early church to escape and take refuge at a place called Petra, east of, and beyond, the Jordan River, in what today is the country of Jordan. As pertaining to Jesus’ second coming, He gave signs that can be broken up into three categories: Those that have to do with the world, those that have to do with Israel and those that have to do with the church. In terms of the world He said that there would be famines, wars, pestilences, earthquakes, false religious leaders, signs in heavens, fear taking hold of the hearts’ of men, and distress amongst nations. In terms of Israel, He said that the Jews would be exiled to the four corners of the world but they would be regathered from the nations and they would be restored to the city of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24). The Fig Tree would come to life again! Finally, in terms of the Church, He said that many within it would grow cold and lose their zeal for the things of God, probably since the people of God would be persecuted. However, a true remnant would fulfill the great commission by preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth…….., and then the end would come (Matthew 24:14). It is important to realize that when these signs are present or, are all taken together, then the end will come (Mark 13:28-31). In essence this means that the signs in Israel are the validating ones because they are without precedent.

In terms of the events, we should note the following:

There would be a ” similar model” to that which took place in AD 70. That is, the Temple would again be desecrated by an imposter who scripture calls the Beast, the Son of Perdition, the Lawless One and the Antichrist. This wicked entity will be destroyed by Jesus at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9). The days leading up to the arrival of the Lawless One will be characterized by religious deception, the arrival of a New World Order ( global government), a great falling away of believers and the impartation of an embedded number in the hands or foreheads of everyone on earth, enabling them to buy and sell (operate financially) ( Revelation 13:17-18). Need I say, these days are rapidly approaching. In the last few days alone, Gordon Brown (the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom), Bill Gates and Henry Kissinger have all called for the implementation of a New World Order, characterized by a new global financial system. It is important to understand that the “similar model principle” is employed by Jesus so that we can be without excuse, be well prepared, understand things clearly and warn others. Is it not amazing that Jesus took the time to warn His Disciples, and us, of these things just a few days before His death? The lesson is clear, He is coming back to rule and reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:15-16). That is, after all these events have taken place He will come again, in great glory and splendor, and His elect, having been gathered to Him from the corners of the earth, will rule and reign with Him, world without end, forever and ever!

Jesus concluded this remarkable discussion with His Disciples by calling upon them to watch and pray (Matthew 25:13). They would need to do this in order to escape the awful events of AD 70 and we need to watch and pray as we see the very challenging days of His second coming fast approaching. Also, He devoted a good portion of His discourse to warning us to be ready, to be full of zeal, to live holy lives, to love Him and to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 25:1-13).

Have we heard Him this Passover in 2020?

Malcolm Hedding.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, what-
ever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if anything praiseworthy- meditate on
these things.”
Philippians 4:8

Jesus spent His last few days before Passover at the house of His dear friends; Lazarus, Mary and Martha (John 12:1-2). They lived in a small village on the eastern slopes of the Mt. of Olives called Bethany also near to Bethphage or “The House of the Fig Tree.” In the day He would ascend the Mt. Of Olives, walk down its western slope and enter the Temple compound via the Golden Gate. Here He would teach and interact with His Disciples, and detractors, returning every evening to a place of warmth, fellowship, acceptance and love.

One morning as He went through this routine, on His way up the eastern slope of the Mt. Of Olives, He spotted a fig tree and feeling a little hungry He rummaged through its leaves seeking its fruit and finding none He cursed the tree (Mark11:12-13). The next morning, while on the way to the Temple precincts, the Disciples took note of the fact that the fig tree had actually withered and died. They of course made comment about this to Jesus who in turn urged them to have faith in God (Mark 11:20-22).

All of this is quite instructive for us as Christians, especially as we walk through all these events at this time of Passover. I wish to draw your attention to the following:

1. Jesus was all the time conscious of His unique destiny

The shadow of the cross was cast over His life when He submitted Himself to John’s Baptism in that, by doing so and being sinless, He identified His life with the sins of the world, which He would one day carry away (John 1:29). During the Passover week Jesus, having entered Jerusalem triumphantly, did not cleanse the city, as many expected that He would, but He cleansed the Temple by overthrowing the tables of the Moneychangers and Racketeers (Matthew 21:12). This did not bless His antagonists and it heightened their anger and determination to get rid of Him. Jesus was well aware of this, but He did not shrink back because He was absolutely certain of His destiny. He thus pushed forward trusting fully in God His Father to help and sustain Him.

Sometimes the destiny to which God calls us is not easy to walk out, it will involve trial, difficulty, resistance and suffering but, like Jesus, we have to be single minded and pursue the will of God relentlessly all the while knowing that God will help us and enable to us to achieve His plan for our lives ( Acts 21:11-13). Consider Paul’s life; he was called to accomplish much for Jesus but to achieve this he had to suffer much! (Acts 9:15-16). The message is clear, take hold of your destiny no matter what the cost.

2. Jesus had faith in God

The episode surrounding the cursing of the Fig Tree has many teaching angles, however the main concept that Jesus wishes to get across to His Disciples is this, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:20-22). This sounds fairly simple but actually it is very profound in that, to have faith God one must know exactly who He is and consequently what He is capable of. Paul wrote that, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). In short, the more you know, and are convinced of, about the character of God so the more you will be able to trust Him! I recently had complicated surgery and that which gave me complete peace about the procedure was the fact that I knew the surgeon to be one of the very best, if not the best, at his profession. Knowing him, who he was and appreciating his track record brought calm and peace to my life.

In the same way, Jesus teaches us that faith is actually “knowing based.” That is, it only becomes powerful and a reality in our lives when we know who God is, and in our hearts are certain of it. This type of faith will remove the mountains in your life. Most Christians do not have it and will not have it until they read the Word of God day and night and meditate upon it. (Psalm 1:1-3)

3. Jesus needed true friends

Jesus’ love for Lazarus, Mary and Martha is well documented in scripture (John 11:5). With them He could unwind, relax and be at peace. That is, He didn’t have to be on His guard, and He could truly feel loved and cared for. This was the provision of God at a time when the sorrows of His life were quite overwhelming. We all need friends like this but actually more important still is the fact that we must determine to befriend others like this. Life, even the Christian life, as Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress teaches us, is fraught with difficulty and trouble. Can we rise above our personal needs and become a refuge for others when they most need it?

Now is a good time to consider this as we face the uncertain storm of a raging virus in our world. Though we cannot gather at “Bethany” we can gather in so many other ways and we should reach out to one another. Email, phone or text someone today and tell them that you care about them.

God bless you,

Malcolm Hedding.

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“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things
are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-
meditate on these things.”
Philippians 4:8

What has become known as the Passion Week begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Mark11:1-11). This event is worth some consideration as it is filled with symbolism and, most important of all, it fulfills the prophetic scriptures. These prophetic scriptures promised that the King of Israel would present Himself to His people by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey; a symbol of humility.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout O daughter
of Jerusalem, behold your King is coming to you, He is
just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey,
a colt the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9

We would do well to meditate on these things:

1. Jesus came to the people of Israel
His love for them was great and overwhelming since He knew that they were living under the heel of Rome. This complicated their lives as Rome exacted taxes from them and ruthlessly applied its dominion over every part of their lives. This in turn bred discontent, suffering and even rebellion against the regime. The latter was cruelly put down by the Roman occupiers (Acts 5:33-39).

All this reminds us that Jesus was first and foremost called to the people of Israel, “The Daughter of Zion.” His love for His people Israel has never changed and never will. Paul testifies to this in his Roman epistle when he writes,

“Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision
for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and
that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy……”  Romans 15:8-9

Whatever the reasons may be for Israel’s rejection of Jesus, the fact is He still cares for them, loves them and will never abandon them. His great love also extends to the Gentile world and this means, especially at this time of global pandemic, we should all seek Him, draw close to Him and serve Him. Passion week draws our attention to the majesty of Christ, a majesty that has no equal in the world, and it is clothed in His simple clothes and the beauty of His character. Scripture affirms that we should, “Consider Him…. (Hebrews 12:3).”

2. Jesus came as King
The idea that Jesus came to Israel firstly and only as a “Suffering Servant” is not scriptural. The text of scripture affirms that He presented Himself as the true and only King of Israel. Had He been accepted by His people the glorious Kingdom of God, bringing peace and joy to the world, would have been ushered in. The great Psalmist of Israel writes of this kingdom in these terms:

“I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to Me, you are my
Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of Me, and I will give You
the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for
Your possession.”  Psalm 2:7-9

The fact is, though delayed, the King is still coming and His feet will stand on the Mt. Olives (Acts 2:9-11). This day is fast approaching and we must keep our eyes upon it especially as we witness our world in such upheaval, chaos and fear (Titus 2:11-13).

3. Jesus came as a Suffering Servant

The fact that Jesus rode into Jerusalem sitting on the foal of a donkey gave
expression to His humility that would unfold and thus be observable in His sufferings and death. In a certain sense the whole world was responsible for His death in that He suffered and died for each one of us and thereby removed our sins and their consequences from our lives. This means that we are freed from the wrath of God, forgiven, declared righteous and made righteous by the in-dwelling power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-21) (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

This is the gift of God to the world and it is mirrored in the Passover story:

“For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He
sees the blood on the lintel and two doorposts, the Lord will pass
over and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike
you. ”  Exodus 12:23

Peter puts it this way:
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like
silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from
your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot.”  1 Peter 1:18-19

And John the Baptist, when seeing Christ approaching, cried out:
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  John 1:29

It is important to note that both the Apostle Peter and John the Baptist refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. By this imagery they take us back to the Passover story where the blood of a lamb saved the Israelites from destruction (Exodus 12:21-23). This is precisely what Jesus has done for all of us! He has saved us from the Destroyer or the wrath to come.

Palm Sunday reminds us of these things, and we should meditate and think deeply upon them. The Savior of the World has come and consequently we should be filled with sorrow (repentance) and joy. Sorrow, because our sins brought such suffering to the Son of God and joy, because by His passion He has purchased eternal life for us. This is the full and wonderful love of God extended to the world; be sure to receive it.

Malcolm Hedding

“Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91:14-16

As we all face a troubled world we are now, in addition, grappling with the added, and very serious, problem of the Corona Virus pandemic that is raging through many nations. It is very important then that we as followers of Christ should focus our attention on those things that are most vital for our health and well-being. We should then begin by noting the following.

The death of Jesus, as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins and rebellion against God, if accepted by faith and repentance, brings us into a real and vital relationship with God our Father. We are in every way reconciled to God and we know Him, walk with Him and have fellowship with Him. (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 John 1:3)

This great saving work of Jesus gives our lives meaning and purpose so that we together with God can witness our days on the earth as having significance. Also, while declared righteous we have to become righteous meaning that our dear Lord will lead us through trials and difficulties, as He did with Paul, in order to transform us into His image (James1:2-4; Romans 8:29; Acts14:22). Many of these trials are great and leave us bewildered as if some strange thing were happening to us (1 Peter 4:12) but scripture reminds us that God works all things together for our good if we love Him (Romans 8:28). His ways are not our ways and most often we do not understand them! (Isaiah 55:8)

In addition, our great God has given us all an allotment of years (Psalm139:16). If we serve Him faithfully we will reach this allotment and then He will take us home to hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord” (2 Timothy3:6-7; Matthew 25:21). This is the road of heavenly fellowship that Jesus, by His grace, calls us all into! It is sustained by frequent prayer, fellowship and the reading of God’s most holy word (Acts 2:42). It is also a road of mystery sometimes, but it is filled with God’s love and presence; made real to each one of us by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have a down payment of heaven in our hearts! Therefore no one can deter us from our path not even the prospect of martyrdom (Ephesians 1:13-16; Acts 21:13).

There is no doubt that the God of the Bible commands us to be a holy people (1 Peter 1:15-16). Holiness is Christ’s image or character (Ephesians 4:11-16) and this means that as followers of Jesus we are to embrace everything I have written about above with zeal, enthusiasm and Joy. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and consequently our calling in Christ Jesus is to press on aggressively to make all that heaven has for us real in our lives. This is what it means to be holy. (Philippians 3:12)

We live in a world that is dark, evil, greatly troubled and now threatened by a deadly virus. According to the Apostle John it is passing away and we should not love it (John 2:15-17). That is, be influenced by its treasures, riches, lusts and pursuits. Sadly, many Christians are!

Be assured of this; the Corona Virus now sweeping the world is a manifestation of God’s judgment. A global pandemic of this magnitude cannot happen outside of the sovereignty of God. The devil may seek to use it, as he did the cross of Jesus, by breeding fear and panic in the hearts of men and women, but the God of the Bible, by this judgment, is calling His people out of the world to deep repentance. That is to the confession of our sins of commission and omission and to holiness of life (James 4:7-10).The word of God affirms that judgment begins with household of God (1Peter 4:17) and thus the people of God, rather than railing against the devil (Jude 8-9), should get right with God and seek to live as His word says they should. We are all involved with this; me included! In due course God will have mercy on His people because in judgment He always remembers mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2; Lamentations 3:22-24)

The book of Revelation, that warns the world of great coming judgments not too unlike the Corona Virus, tells us that these in terms of the world, are designed to lead it to repentance and salvation (Revelation 16:11). Here again mercy and redemption are in mind.

As this article points out, as Christian people we all have a designated allotment of years and, if we live our lives in a way that we please God (1 Thessalonians 4:1), nothing, not even the Corona Virus, can rob us of this. So, let us cast off all fear and humble ourselves before the throne of God for in due time He will lift us up and make us a blessing to a dying world (James 4:10). Let us be in the world and not of it and let us hold out the love of God for it in the good news of that which Jesus has done for it on the cross. (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8)

Remember that the Word of God calls upon us to submit to the governing authorities as, in their own way under God, they are the servants of God (Romans 13:1-4). Therefore, in terms of the Coronavirus we must:

1. Stay at home
2. Wash our hands regularly
3. Practice social distancing
4. Care for the most vulnerable amongst us
5. Encourage ourselves with the Word of God and ..
6. Pray for one another.

May “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Amen.

“When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive
the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to
forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons. Peace will
come when the Arabs will love their children more than they
hate us.”
Golda Meir

The Nazis believed that if you told a lie often enough it would eventually be accepted as truth. Nowhere is this more evident than in the so called Palestinian/ Israeli conflict. One lie has been heaped upon another until the myth has become popular legend and accepted everywhere as truth. Those who try to put the record straight are ridiculed and not even given a hearing. Why is this so and, more important still is the question, why do learned people who know better accept this scenario? I will leave you to find an answer to this question.

On the 14th May 1948, in response to international approval voiced through the United Nations, David Ben Gurion announced Israeli’s existence as a nation. The very next day five Arab armies attacked Israel with the express intention of, as they put it, “driving the Jewish people into the sea”. This was illegal and an act against the will of the international community and was thus a blatant case of pan Arab aggression against the fledgling Jewish State. Listening today to the media one would never believe that Israel was attacked in this way. If anything the Arabs and the Palestinians are victims of Israeli aggression!

Speaking of Palestinians; up until 1948 Arabs and Jews were all considered Palestinians. I recently met a Jew who showed me his identity card from that era which clearly designated him a Palestinian. The truth is anyone who lived in that region up until 1948, and thus under the British Mandate, was designated Palestinian. No particular racial or ethnic group had that exclusive identity. There were Jewish Palestinians or Arab Palestinians and even International Palestinians and that was it. However, again, you would not know this today. The conventional wisdom is that Arab Palestinians were the only racial group bearing this title. In fact the Arabs in the region up until then were not even thinking in this way. This “exclusive thinking” is a recent development! But then who cares about facts?

Thankfully and rather remarkably Israel won the so-called War of Independence, but the beautiful Holy City of Jerusalem fell into the hands of Jordanian forces and that country then promptly and illegally annexed Jerusalem and the West Bank (Judea/Samaria). This was a real occupation but it drew no real outcry from the world. So, for nineteen years when the Arab/Palestinians had what they say they want now they never lifted a hand to establish a state of their own with East Jerusalem (The Old City) as its capital. An independent Palestinian State was definitely not on their minds; the destruction of the Jews was! So, in 1964 when they held East Jerusalem and the entire West Bank they founded the PLO with the express mandate to liquidate the State of Israel. They not only agreed on a phased plan by which they would accomplish this, but they also launched a terror campaign against the Jews in what was Israel proper. That is, what today is undisputed Israeli territory. Yasser Arafat, up until the day he died, never moved away from the 1964 phased plan for the destruction of Israel and he said it. However, you would never believe this if one listens to the politicians that strut the world and the media that follows them. For them Israel is the obstacle to peace and any declaration by an Arab or Palestinian leader to the contrary is not to be taken seriously. Actually, some of these politicians, sadly from Western Democracies, are now calling for Israel to be reasonable and talk to the leadership of Hamas. The mythological war continues and sadly infects minds across the globe with error posing as truth.

In 1967 Israel was again in the firing line of the pan Arab alliance that thought that they could again destroy her. Emboldened by Russian support, and new generation weaponry from that state, Abdul Nasser removed the United Nations peace keepers from the Sinai, he blocked the Straits of Tiran and mobilized his armed forces and those of Jordan, Syria and Iraq for war with Israel. In addition, he made fiery speeches predicting the destruction of Israel and the arrival of a new era of Pan Arab power. Israel, with little options, seized the opportunity and with lightening speed destroyed Egypt’s airpower in one day and in six days inflicted a crushing defeat on the surrounding Arab armies. The rest is indeed history but today, in many cases, because Israel struck first, she is accused of being an aggressor. These accusers rewrite history by ignoring the hostile posture adopted by Nasser’s Arab alliance coupled with his military mobilization that dragged Israel into a war that she never wanted or initiated. The conventional wisdom is that she should have waited for the “death blow” before defending herself. The Arabs and Palestinians were again projected as the victims!

In 1973 the same scenario unfolded on the Day of Yom Kippur. This time Israel was attacked and taken totally by surprise. Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel, at one point feared that the state would be lost and even said as much. Thankfully the tide of battle turned and with much loss of life Israel survived. Not only did she survive but she almost took Damascus and Cairo! To save Arab honor the world stepped in and Israel agreed to a ceasefire. Strangely today the Yom Kippur war is celebrated as a victory in Syria and Egypt. The myth continues.

In the 1990s and up until the year 2000, by virtue of the Oslo Accords, Israel did the unthinkable and eventually offered Yasser Arafat 97% of the West Bank including significant parts of East Jerusalem including the Temple Mount. A trade off for the remaining 3% of territory was to be made. It was an unprecedented offer that even alarmed many Israelis. Arafat refused it demanding that a right of return of millions of Palestinians be agreed upon that would grant them permission to live, not in Palestine, but in Israel. Israel could not agree to this and thus an offer that would have led to Palestinian statehood was rejected on the grounds of something that had nothing to do with that proposed state. The Palestinians broke with discussions and returned to war by provoking the Second Intifada. Many Israelis died in the most horrific suicide attacks but Israel was the aggressor in the minds many international leaders. The media happily played along with this myth and even fabricated scenarios of so called Israeli abuse of Palestinians. And, as for the Temple Mount where this Intifada began, according to Palestinian historians, including Mahmoud Abbas, a Jewish Temple never ever did stand there, and the Holocaust never happened! The mythological march continued.

And just in case you are doubting all of this, for many in the West, sadly, thousands upon thousands of missiles aimed at Israeli civilians by Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists are not a problem and Israel should definitely not vigorously defend itself from this outrage. She is an aggressor and so, for more than a decade now, the international community has done nothing about these attacks that continue until this day. There were no demonstrations in the streets of Europe, and no one cared up until the day that Israel decided to defend itself. Then the world cared enough to condemn her and the masses came out onto the streets to express their rage against her. All the while millions of people were dying in Sudan, Iraq, Syria and central Africa but no one cared. In Nigeria thousands of Christians are being murdered every month by Boko-Haram, Islamic terrorists, and no one lifts a finger to help them because what really matters is the problem of the Jewish State. It must be delegitimized, discredited and ultimately dismantled and so perpetuating the myths surrounding her conflict with the Palestinians is essential because the ultimate goal is to return the region to the Dar al Salam! (The House of Islam)

Now President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have agreed upon a reasonable and promising peace plan that will afford the Palestinians one last opportunity to acquire a state of their own with the hope of peace, economic development, investment and the delivery of much needed social services to the Palestinian people. Their answer so far has been one of rejection. In fact, Mahmoud Abbas called President Trump a dog! This is not without meaning in the Islamic world since Muslims are forbidden to have dogs because they are considered demonic and evil. It is an insult that one only levels against those that one hates and detests the most. This will surely be to their loss because, should they persist in their rejection, Israel will have no other option than to press ahead with resettling Judea and Samaria, which after all is their ancient biblical and historical heartland. When one builds castles on sand one should not be surprised if they collapse. It is this reality that now faces the Palestinian Authority.

Malcolm Hedding