glad tidings - dorridge hope
TRANSCRIPT
What is Faith? - page 3What is Faith? - page 3Incredible? - page 12 Incredible? - page 12 Robots - page 15 Robots - page 15 www.gladtidingsmagazine.orgwww.gladtidingsmagazine.org
of the Kingdom of God 1605GladTidingsGladTidings
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GladTidingso f t h e K i n g d o m o f G o d
134th Year 1605A monthly magazine published by the Christadelphians (brothers and sisters in Christ) andavailable throughout the world.
Acknowledgements
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What is Faith? ............................3
How We Know About God ....5
Samson – a Flawed Man ofFaith .........................................8
Incredible?................................12
Robots .......................................15
War and Peace .........................18
Its objectives are – to encourage the study of the Bible as God'sinspired message to mankind; to call attention to the Divineoffer of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ; and to warnmen and women that soon Christ will return to Earth as judgeand ruler of God’s world-wide Kingdom.
ContentsContents
134th Year 3
worry? He has faith in the rope and isprepared to commit his life to it. Ibelieve that the rope is as strong as itsmanufacturer claims, but would nottrust it with my existence. That is thedifference between faith and belief.
The Bible Definition
In Glad Tidings, we often refer toHebrews 11 as the ‘faith chapter’, as ittells the stories of men and women offaith, and why they are counted asfaithful. The start of that chapter givesus a definition of faith:
Now faith is the substance of thingshoped for, the evidence of things notseen (Hebrews 11:1).
So, faith is more than just belief. It isabout substance and evidence – it isbased in reality. Faith is something wecan see. How can this be, given that itis not a thing that we can pick up orshow in a picture?The writer acknowledges this in one
of the first examples used in thischapter:
By faith we understand that the worldswere framed by the word of God, sothat the things which are seen werenot made of things which are visible(v3).
Genesis chapters 1 and 2 describethe creation, carried out by the wordand power of God. We cannot see God,or His power, or His word, but we cansee the world in which we live. That isevidence for those things we cannotsee.
I have a friend who loves to climb. Heis happiest hundreds of feet up in theair, with nothing but his skill andstrength keeping him in place. Oneslip, one lapse of concentration, couldbring a fall and terrible injury on therocks below. What protects him? Arope, barely a centimetre thick.He is of course not alone in this: the
front cover picture shows how manyclimbers camp overnight, suspendedby rope from the rock face. It is hard toimagine how one might sleep like this,but they do. And it is not a new phe-nomenon. I was fascinated with thestories around attempts to climb thenorth face of the Eiger, a mountain in
Switzerland. This was first achieved in1938, and back then the climberswould tie themselves onto the rockface to sleep overnight. Apparently,they were so tired from their exertionsthat they would sleep soundly forseveral hours, despite the danger andthe cold.I once asked my friend how he could
put his trust in such a flimsy lifeline.He answered that it was more thanstrong enough to hold the weight ofseveral people, so why should he
What is Faith?What is Faith?
4 Glad Tidings
Without faith it is impossible to pleaseHim, for he who comes to God mustbelieve that He is, and that He is arewarder of those who diligently seekHim (Hebrews 11:6).
Committing to God
We all have the same opportunity to bepart of God’s plan. We can read ourBibles and understand what Godwants to say to us. There is plenty ofproof in the Bible that what it says istrue, so we can believe it. Then we cancommit ourselves to Him. Or we canchoose not to.Think about the climber and the
rope. I can believe the rope is strongenough, but that belief alone will neverget me up the rock face. My friendtrusts the rope, has faith in it, and sogets to stand on top of the mountain,drinking in the view and excited by hisachievement.Faith is putting what we know into
action, showing evidence for what is inour hearts. A life of faith will be fulfil-ling now, but more importantly bringsus into God’s family and His plan. He wants to place us in His kingdom,
to show us the whole of His purposefulfilled. Let’s trust Him, put what wecan read into action, and be part of thegreat things God has prepared forthose who love Him.
Editor
Seeing the Invisible
The remainder of Hebrews 11 isdedicated to showing faith in action,helping us to ‘see’ what in practice isinvisible. Faith is shown by people’sresponse to it, and how they act uponit. It is shown by action:
For by it the elders obtained a goodtestimony (v2).
The first examples (in verses 4–7)are taken from the early chapters ofGenesis. Abel was murdered by hisbrother, but had shown his faith inbringing the right sacrifice. Enochpleased God in his life, showing faith.Noah prepared a huge boat, milesfrom the sea and in a world which hadnever seen rain. It is worth reading thestories in Genesis chapters 4–6 toexperience the real drama in eachcase.Each of these men believed God,
trusted Him, and acted on that confi-dence, committing their lives to Him.This is faith. Seeing their actions, wewitness their faith.
Vital to Please God
More importantly, we are told that Godrecognised their faith. He acceptedthem because of their faith and credi-ted it to them as ‘righteousness’ orbeing acceptable to God. Another goodexample of this is Abraham, a keyfigure in Hebrews 11:
He believed in the LORD, and Heaccounted it to him for righteousness(Genesis 15:6).
In fact, faith is not just important, itis critical if we want to be part of God’spurpose:
Do get in touch with your questions
or comments
134th Year 5
If we want proof that God exists, and ifwe want to find out more about Him,then the Bible is the key. It is the vitalsource of information about God.Without the Bible, it would just beguesswork and wishful thinking.
Inspiration
God has revealed His message to us inthe Bible, and it took many centuriesto complete. He did this through people whom He
chose to act as His messengers. Therewere over 40 writers – including kingsand peasants, doctors and fishermen,princes and herdsmen, poets andlabourers. If this work was man–made, then the result would havebeen a complete jumble of ideas andopinions. Instead, there are 66 bookswhich give one consistent message.There is no contradiction, no disagree-ment. ‘Inspiration’ is how the Bible
describes the process by which Godcaused people to speak and writewhat He wanted.
From childhood you have known theHoly Scriptures, which are able tomake you wise for salvation throughfaith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scrip-ture is given by inspiration of God, andis profitable for doctrine, for reproof,for correction, for instruction in right-eousness, that the man of God may becomplete, thoroughly equipped forevery good work (2 Timothy 3:15–17).
This is how Peter, Jesus’ disciple andanother Bible writer, put it:
No prophecy of Scripture is of anyprivate interpretation, for prophecynever came by the will of man, but holymen of God spoke as they were movedby the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20–21).
We are given good reasons to believethe Bible to be the Word of God.
The Witness of Jesus
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, believedthe words of the Old Testament. Hequoted them extensively and referredto the characters and stories from itspages. After his resurrection, heshowed himself to some of his disci-ples, as Luke records:
Then he said to them, “O foolish ones,and slow of heart to believe in all thatthe prophets have spoken! Ought notthe Christ to have suffered thesethings and to enter into his glory?” Andbeginning at Moses and all theprophets, he expounded to them in allthe Scriptures the things concerninghimself… Then he said to them, “These
The God of the Bible - 2The God of the Bible - 2
How We Know About God How We Know About God
6 Glad Tidings
are the words which I spoke to youwhile I was still with you, that all thingsmust be fulfilled which were written inthe Law of Moses and the Prophetsand the Psalms concerning me.” Andhe opened their understanding, thatthey might comprehend the Scrip-tures. (Luke 24:25–27, 44–45).
Jesus also promised that the power ofGod would be there for the New Testa-ment writers:
When he, the Spirit of truth, has come,he will guide you into all truth; for hewill not speak on his own authority, butwhatever he hears he will speak; andhe will tell you things to come. He willglorify me, for he will take of what ismine and declare it to you (John16:13–14).
The Proof of Bible Prophecy
As we know, sometimes to our cost,human predictions cannot be trusted.Weather and stock market forecasts,even football transfer rumours oftenturn out to be wrong. But God’s predictions are different.
The Bible contains many prophecies ofthe future which have all come true –or are coming true. As no human canforetell the future, these are proof ofHis existence and His power.
I am the LORD, that is My name; and Myglory I will not give to another, nor Mypraise to carved images. Behold, theformer things have come to pass, andnew things I declare; before theyspring forth I tell you of them (Isaiah42:8–9).
The history of the nation of Israel,along with prophecies about Jesus, arejust two examples of fulfilled prophecy.
Israel
Some 3,500 years ago, God said thisto the people of Israel:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obeyMy voice and keep My covenant, thenyou shall be a special treasure to Meabove all people; for all the earth isMine. And you shall be to Me akingdom of priests and a holy nation(Exodus 19:5–6).
What’s more, He promised them theland that we now call Israel. This isbecause He made specific promises toAbraham about his descendants – theJews.
I will make your descendants as thedust of the earth; so that if a mancould number the dust of the earth,then your descendants also could benumbered. Arise, walk in the landthrough its length and its width, for Igive it to you (Genesis 13:16–17).
To your descendants I have given thisland, from the river of Egypt to thegreat river, the River Euphrates(Genesis 15:18).
But holding on to this land woulddepend on their behaviour towards
134th Year 7
God. Despite His extraordinarypatience with them, if they continuedto be disobedient to Him, they wouldbe punished:
The LORD will scatter you among allpeoples, from one end of the earth tothe other, and there you shall serveother gods, which neither you nor yourfathers have known—wood and stone.And among those nations you shallfind no rest, nor shall the sole of yourfoot have a resting place; but there theLORD will give you a trembling heart,failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Yourlife shall hang in doubt before you; youshall fear day and night, and have noassurance of life (Deuteronomy28:64–66).
This came true and you can read allabout it in history books. The Jewswere scattered from their land, andhave been persecuted almost every-where they settled. Older readers mayremember it happening in Europe, inthe 1930s–40s.But God also said He would limit
their punishment:
“For I am with you,” says the LORD, “tosave you; though I make a full end ofall nations where I have scattered you,yet I will not make a complete end ofyou. But I will correct you in justice,and will not let you go altogetherunpunished” (Jeremiah 30:11).
In fulfilment of His words, Jews areback in that land and are a nation intheir own right. But troubles continuefor them and their neighbours. Here isa prophecy that has not yet been ful-filled, but will be – perhaps very soon– because the solution to the problemof Jerusalem is seen as the key toworld peace.
It shall happen in that day that I willmake Jerusalem a very heavy stone forall peoples; all who would heave itaway will surely be cut in pieces,though all nations of the earth aregathered against it (Zechariah 12:3).
Jesus Christ
By the time that Jesus was born, ahuge amount of information about himhad already been prophesied. Hereare just a few examples.
❖ He would be born in Bethlehem(Micah 5:2) to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
❖ He would be devoted to obeyingGod (Psalm 40:7–10), whichwould lead to him being misunder-stood by his family (Psalm 69:8–9)
❖ He would preach obedience to God(Isaiah 61:1–3)
❖ He would be betrayed by a closefriend (Psalm 41:9); both Jews andforeigners would be involved in hisdeath (Psalm 2:1–3)
❖ He would have a dreadful death(Psalm 22, with graphic details)
❖ He would be raised from the deadand go to God in heaven (Psalm16:10–11)
❖ He is destined to rule the world(Psalm 2:4–12).
These are only some instances ofhow the Bible is proved to be God’sWord. If we choose to know moreabout God’s purpose, the Bible is theonly place to find it. It’s here that wediscover that it contains remarkablepromises to us – not just about this lifebut also about the life to come.
Rod Hale
Samson is an unusual Bible character,who divides opinion on how to under-stand his behaviour. He is included inHebrews 11, the chapter which listsmany great men and women of faith.However, his story contains detailswhich seem to contradict the view ofSamson as a faithful man. This paradox is actually true of many
people who pleased God. We can gaingreat encouragement from Samson,seeing that despite our flaws, we toocan inherit God’s promises, asSamson surely will.
A Special Role
An angel was sent from God to tellSamson’s parents about him before hewas born.
For behold, you shall conceive andbear a son. And no razor shall comeupon his head, for the child shall be aNazarite to God from the womb; andhe shall begin to deliver Israel out ofthe hand of the Philistines (Judges13:5).
Being a Nazarite was being set apartto commit one’s life to God. This wouldbe central to Samson’s spiritual suc-cesses and failures. Interestingly, Samson was not to
bring about a total deliverance fromthe hands of the Philistines but he wasto begin that noble work, a work thatcontinued under the leadership ofSamuel the prophet (1 Samuel 7:3–14) and King David (2 Samuel 3:18).The victories of these great men were
only partly to do with their own endeav-ours. None of them could haveachieved anything without God.Samson had to learn this lesson thehard way, but only after he had experi-enced notable victories.As Samson grew up, ‘…the LORD
blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORDbegan to move upon him at MahanehDan between Zorah and Eshtaol(Judges 13:24–25). This power of God gave Samson
extraordinary strength and he used itto start saving Israel and to kill manyPhilistines.
Controversy
These successes were brought aboutin highly unorthodox ways. Forexample, Samson looked for a Philis-tine wife, which would ordinarily beunacceptable for a Jew. However, onthis occasion we read:
It was of the LORD—that He wasseeking an occasion to move againstthe Philistines. For at that time thePhilistines had dominion over Israel(Judges 14:4).
Perhaps this would allow him to infil-trate the enemy ranks, or perhaps itwas to initiate the flashpoint whichwould come next.On the way to meet this woman,
Samson came across the vineyards ofTimnah. It is surely significant that weread of a Nazarite encountering a vine-yard, as he was prohibited fromdrinking wine or other alcohol, or
8 Glad Tidings
Samson – a Flawed Man ofSamson – a Flawed Man ofFaithFaith
134th Year 9
eating anything produced from grapes.Despite this enormous temptation,there is no evidence to suggest that heate or drank anything prohibited.
The Sweet Riddle
However, Samson then confronted alion, which ended up providing a temp-tation which was too strong to resist.The spirit of God enabled Samson to
kill the lion, using that miraculousstrength. Bizarrely, honey could laterbe found in the carcass. As this sweetdelight could only be obtained bytouching a dead body, which was mostdefinitely unclean for Israelites totouch (see Leviticus 11:27) it doesseem that eating the honey was not agood thing for Samson to do. Perhapsthis explains why, after sharing it withhis parents, Samson ‘did not tell themthat he had taken the honey out of thecarcass of the lion’ (Judges 14:9). This encounter with the lion would
have further significance in Samson’slife as it provided the material for hisfamous riddle:
Out of the eater came something toeat, and out of the strong came some-thing sweet (v14).
This passage raises many questions:What was the point of this interaction?Was humiliating the Philistines with ariddle part of the plan to save Israel?Perhaps this was an arrogant displaywhich showed that Samson hadbecome distracted from his mission.
Attacking the Philistines
Whatever one decides regarding theriddle, the spirit of God was still uponSamson. He was able to fulfil thewager he made about the riddle in
dramatically violent fashion. His oppo-nents solved the riddle by threateninghis wife, forcing her to make him tellher the answer. In response, Samsonkilled thirty Philistines and gave thethirty changes of clothes to them. Following this minor victory over
Israel’s persecutors, Samson’s Philis-tinian wife was given to his friend;understandably, he was furious. In anelaborate attack on the Philistines’economy, Samson’s unorthodox beha-viour continued:
Then Samson went and caught threehundred foxes; and he took torches,turned the foxes tail to tail, and put atorch between each pair of tails. Whenhe had set the torches on fire, he letthe foxes go into the standing grain ofthe Philistines, and burned up both theshocks and the standing grain, as wellas the vineyards and olive groves(Judges 15:4–5).
The Philistines blamed Samson’swife and her father for bringing aboutsuch a disaster and burned them alive.This provoked Samson even more, sothat in revenge he ‘attacked them hipand thigh with a great slaughter’ (v8). Although Samson was killing many
Philistines, it ultimately appeared tomake the situation worse. In an act ofcowardice, the Israelites handed their
10 Glad Tidings
champion over to their Philistine rulers(verses 12–15). In characteristically paradoxical
fashion, Samson used his God–givenstrength to complete an even moreimpressive victory, killing a thousandmen with the fresh jawbone of adonkey. On the one hand, touching thejawbone was unclean for an Israelite todo (see Leviticus 11:26). On the otherhand, what an extraordinary triumphGod brought about by Samson! Itechoes the words of Joshua:
One man of you shall chase a thou-sand, for the LORD your God is He Whofights for you, as He promised you(Joshua 23:10).
After his victory celebration, Samsonrecognised that it was God who wasresponsible for his triumph:
You have given this great deliveranceby the hand of Your servant (Judges15:18).
More Conflicting Actions
The contradictory actions of Samsoncontinued:
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw aharlot there, and went in to her(Judges 16:1).
However, the local people tried totake him prisoner, which led to himtaking remarkable action:
Samson lay low till midnight; then hearose at midnight, took hold of thedoors of the gate of the city and thetwo gateposts, pulled them up, barand all, put them on his shoulders,and carried them to the top of the hillthat faces Hebron (v3).
This seems to be a partial fulfilmentof one of the promises to Abraham:“your descendants shall possess thegate of their enemies” (Genesis22:17). Samson’s next love was for another
woman called Delilah. This was entire-ly disastrous and led to him being welland truly humbled. Firstly, Delilah was willing to betray
him in exchange for money. How couldSamson love such a woman? We all make foolish decisions in life
and frequently fail to learn from ourmistakes. Comfortingly, Samson – aman recorded in the faith chapter –was no different from us. Yet again, a woman was to entice or
entrap Samson, and again he gave inwhen he was pressed. By giving in toDelilah’s pleading, he revealed that,spiritually speaking, he was indeed asweak as any other man.
Really Weak
It was only after Samson’s hair was cutoff that “the LORD had departed fromhim” (Judges 16:20).This is very important to bear in
mind. Even after the incident of theharlot and the other possible indiscre-tions described above, God was stillwith Samson until this failure.We can take comfort from this. Like
Samson, our actions can sometimesbe inconsistent: on the same day wecan perform acts of goodness and actsof wickedness, but God will still be withus, if we stay with Him. His patience is not infinite however,
and He will ‘depart from us’ if we straytoo far from His ways, or deny His sove-reign power and will, as Samson did inallowing his hair to be cut.It would appear that Samson strug-
gled with temptation when he saw it,
134th Year 11
as most men and women do. It wastherefore an appropriate punishmentthat his eyes were gouged out and hewas brought to Gaza, the very placewhere he saw the harlot. The Philistines were jubilant with his
capture, describing Samson as “thedestroyer of our land, and the one whomultiplied our dead” (Judges 16:24). Such a description means that
Samson’s victories were significantsuccesses in the life of this unorthodoxleader.Samson’s confidence in his own
strength to resist temptation and so towin battles against the Philistines washis downfall. Being forced to be agrinder in a Philistine prison was whatwas required to humble him and forhim to remember that it was God whohad been the source of his strength.The time in prison also allowed his hairto grow again (Judges 16:22), theoutward sign of his dedication to God. The Philistines then brought Samson
out of prison to mock him in theirtemple of idol worship:
Then Samson called to the LORD,saying, “O Lord GOD, remember me, Ipray! Strengthen me, I pray, just thisonce, O God, that I may with one blow
take vengeance on the Philistines formy two eyes!” (v28).
God heard his prayer:
Samson said, “Let me die with thePhilistines!” And he pushed with all hismight, and the temple fell on the lordsand all the people who were in it. Sothe dead that he killed at his deathwere more than he had killed in his life(v30).
Like Jesus?
This final victorious act of self–sacri-fice is where Samson can justifiably beseen as a parallel to the Lord JesusChrist. Jesus did many wonderful works in
his life but it was his sacrificial deathwhich achieved the greatest victory:the conquest of sin and death. In thesame way, Samson killed greatnumbers of the Philistines in his life,but far more in his death.We can identify with Samson’s expe-
rience of serving God. Sometimes wecan be inconsistent; sometimes wecan give in to our selfish desires; fromtime to time we can forget that it isGod who is the source of all strength. When this happens, let us remember
that we can return to our God inhumble prayer and be forgiven, asSamson was. God has a plan for us,and He will not leave us, if we do notleave Him:
For God has not given us a spirit offear, but of power and of love and of asound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
I can do all things through Christ whostrengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Stephen Blake
12 Glad Tidings
People react in different ways to thechallenge of Bible truths. Some maymock them; others may find theminteresting but avoid giving themserious thought. Those who give themgenuine consideration will sooner orlater find them a compelling reality. In the first century, the Apostle Paul
spoke publicly in Athens, debating withthe philosophers there. He talkedabout the certainty of a moral reckon-ing at the end of the world, and aboutresurrection; the mix of responses wasas we might expect:
When they heard of the resurrection ofthe dead, some mocked, while otherssaid, “We will hear you again on thismatter.” So Paul departed from amongthem. However, some men joined himand believed (Acts 17:32–34).
Paul was not put off by this, and theresurrection continued to be at theheart of his message. He would contin-ue passionately preaching the gloriousmessage of the gospel (the good news,or glad tidings) summarized like this:
The things concerning the kingdom ofGod and the name of Jesus Christ(Acts 8:12).
In fact, he challenged the highestauthorities in the land when he was ontrial for his life. He asked:
Why should it be thought incredible byyou that God raises the dead? (Acts26:8).
It was King Agrippa who heard thatquestion, and heard Paul confirm the
truth that Jesus Christ had indeedbeen raised from the dead (v23). Itshook him to his very core, and he con-fessed:
You almost persuade me to become aChristian (v28).
A Cornerstone of Christianity
Christianity is not a man–made collec-tion of fables, but God’s message tomankind, proven by history and experi-ence. One of its foundations is life after
death by resurrection from the grave;this is the true Christian hope of ever-lasting life in the kingdom of God – onthis earth. And it will happen onlywhen the Son of God, the Lord JesusChrist, returns to the earth to establishthat kingdom.Paul emphasizes this in his First
Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15,which is full of evidence and explana-tion of resurrection.
Now Christ is risen from the dead, andhas become the firstfruits of thosewho have fallen asleep. For since byman came death, by man also camethe resurrection of the dead. For as inAdam all die, even so in Christ all shallbe made alive (v20–22).
In fact, Paul makes a challengingstatement which leaves us in no doubtas to the importance and truth of thisteaching:
But if there is no resurrection of thedead, then Christ is not risen. And ifChrist is not risen, then our preaching
Incredible?Incredible?
134th Year 13
is empty and your faith is also empty(v13–14).
If there were no resurrection, thenfaith would be pointless, worthlessand all who have put their trust in Godwould have made a huge mistake. HisSon, Jesus, lived an absolutely perfectlife. Could it be that after he was cruci-fied, died and was buried, that was all?
A Hard Reality
All his life, Jesus trusted that hisFather would not leave him in thegrave to corrupt, as promised in thePsalms:
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol[the grave], nor will You allow Your HolyOne to see corruption (Psalm 16:10).
We may marvel how Christ’s motherkept her hands off the soldiers as oneof them pierced her son’s side with aspear as he hung on the cross (seeJohn 19:34). It seems almost incredi-ble that God, Jesus’ Father, watchingthe tragedy on Golgotha should havedone nothing. But we read that “thesethings were done that the Scriptureshould be fulfilled” (v36). And on the third day, Jesus Christ did
rise from the dead. His faith in Godwas justified, vindicated, proven trueby the remarkable fact.
The Defeat of Sin
If Jesus had not been raised from thedead, then as Paul writes, there wouldbe another terrible consequence:
And if Christ is not risen, your faith isfutile; you are still in your sins! (1Corinthians 15:17).
Without his resurrection, then Bibleteaching about forgiveness would allamount to mere mockery. The prophetIsaiah spoke about resurrection andforgiveness and put it like this:
You have lovingly delivered my soulfrom the pit of corruption, for You havecast all my sins behind Your back(Isaiah 38:17).
If the cross had been the end,Christ’s brave attempt to be a Saviourwould have failed. Then his opponents,selfish, wicked, sinful people, wouldhave had the last word after all. Notonly this, we would all be left subject tosin and death, without hope of recon-ciliation to God or a place in Hiskingdom.But Jesus Christ did rise from the
dead, sin is defeated, and we haveeverything to live and hope for in him,“who was delivered up because of ouroffenses, and was raised because ofour justification” (Romans. 4:25).
The Defeat of Death
The last consequence which Paul sug-gests, if Jesus had not risen from thedead is that after death we would havehad no hope:
Then also those who have fallenasleep in Christ have perished(1 Corinthians 15:18).
14 Glad Tidings
In other words, if Jesus never rosefrom the dead, why should they? If theone perfect life that has ever appearedon earth failed to overcome sin anddeath, how could anyone else? If thatwas the case, then they would haveperished, died permanently, withouthope for the future. But as we have seen, Jesus was
raised, and he was raised to an eternallife of power. This means we can haveconfidence in life after death for hisfollowers:
Yes, we had the sentence of death inourselves, that we should not trust inourselves but in God who raises thedead (2 Corinthians 1:9).
The Lord is not slack concerning Hispromise, as some count slackness,but is longsuffering toward us, notwilling that any should perish but thatall should come to repentance(2 Peter 3:9).
The Triumph
So, with Paul, we have looked at thegrim prospects and consequences ifChrist had not been raised from thedead.We also saw the apostle’s burst of
triumph: Now Christ is risen from thedead (1 Corinthians 15:20).How did Paul know? We have the
answer in verses 5–8 of this chapter.Paul had spoken to many of the peoplewho had met Jesus after his resurrec-tion: Peter (Cephas), the twelveapostles, over 500 people at once,and James. Finally, Paul himself hadmet Jesus on the road to Damascus.Paul was inviting his readers to do
the same, to meet and talk to theseeyewitnesses and hear the proof forthemselves. We are 2000 years too
late to do this ourselves of course.However, what we do know is thatthese witnesses were not disproved.Rather they gave faith to those whospoke to them, and despite terribletorture and death, they refused todeny what they knew to be true. Wecan share Paul’s confidence. Jesusrose victorious over death:
I am he who lives, and was dead, andbehold, I am alive forevermore. Amen(Revelation 1:18).
The living Christ now sits at the righthand of God, waiting to return to earthto raise and judge the dead, and grantimmortality to the faithful. He is God’sevidence that death is not necessarilythe end. His resurrection is also God’sguarantee that He will carry this out:
He has appointed a day on which Hewill judge the world in righteousnessby the man whom He has ordained. Hehas given assurance of this to all byraising him from the dead (Acts 17:31).
Through baptism into Jesus’ savingname we access the promise of resur-rection and immortal life, a promiseand a life which nothing can ultimatelydestroy. We can have a permanent per-sonal relationship with him who said:
I am the resurrection and the life. Hewho believes in me, though he maydie, he shall live (John 11:25).
Claud Lamb
134th Year 15
After the loud bang, Arthur opened hiseyes, relieved that he was still alive.The crash had happened suddenly andunexpectedly. In a state of shock heclimbed out of his car, which lookedlike a write-off, and staggered acrossto the other car. He was ready to givethe driver a piece of his mind. However, Arthur was concerned
when he could not see the driver,fearing that he could be severelyinjured. Then the truth dawned on him:there was no driver. Arthur had heardthat driverless cars were being testedin several countries, but it was his firstencounter with one. Questions hadalways been asked about their safety.For example, who would be responsi-ble if they were involved in a serious oreven fatal road traffic accident?
Robots and Responsibility
Debates about robotics and deviceswith artificial intelligence have ragedfor years, as the issues are complex. Itis undeniable that, for a number ofpurposes, such systems are safer,more productive, more efficient andmore precise than human beings.Good examples of this are the han-
dling and disposal of dangerousnuclear waste, where radiation levelsare far too high for humans; the metic-ulous interpretation of X-Rays andscans; and precise keyhole surgery. The engineers who design these
systems include experts in hazardanalysis, and they try to cover everyeventuality. In some cases thisinvolves systems being programmed toimprove or ‘learn’ - to modify theirbehaviour based on their ‘experience’.Important questions need to be
addressed about where blame fallswhen such automated systems fail,either through sabotage or mistake.Some people argue that the systemsshould be transparent; in other wordsthat their line of reasoning should beclear. Others say that a named humanbeing should always take responsibilityfor a system’s decision. Anotherapproach would be for a black boxdata recorder (as in an aeroplane) to
RobotsRobots
16 Glad Tidings
Consequently, the Bible makes itabundantly clear that we are respon-sible for our own actions:
The soul who sins shall die. The sonshall not bear the guilt of the father,nor the father bear the guilt of the son.The righteousness of the righteousshall be upon himself, and the wicked-ness of the wicked shall be uponhimself (Ezekiel 18:20).
While sometimes we can claim thatwe did not really mean to do some-thing, we cannot claim to have been‘sabotaged’ by any external force:
Let no one say when he is tempted, “Iam tempted by God”; for God cannotbe tempted by evil, nor does HeHimself tempt anyone. But each one istempted when he is drawn away by hisown desires and enticed(James 1:13–14).
In some circumstances, we are noteven innocent of the failings of otherpeople, because we should be a goodinfluence.
If the watchman sees the swordcoming and does not blow thetrumpet, and the people are notwarned, and the sword comes andtakes any person from among them,he is taken away in his iniquity; but hisblood I will require at the watchman’shand… Nevertheless if you warn thewicked to turn from his way, and hedoes not turn from his way, he shall diein his iniquity; but you have deliveredyour soul (Ezekiel 33:6, 9).
How to Choose?
We have some control over thecompany we keep and the environ-
enable experts to analyse accidents,identify the likely causes and thenremedy them.
Our Freedom of Choice
We are not robots. The Bible says thatGod, our supreme designer, allows usto make our own choices in life,whether good or bad. Using our intelli-gence and power of reasoning we havemore choices than are available to arobot. Some decisions are just amatter of personal preference with noserious consequences. But we canalso, either deliberately or by mistake,make decisions that are harmful.When Adam and Eve chose to disobeyGod’s specific commandment in theGarden of Eden, the results were dis-astrous for the human race.
In any situation, our actual choicesmay be influenced by our geneticmake-up and by our personal circum-stances. Nonetheless we are notpre-programmed or controlled by anexternal console. Nor are we left to ourown devices. God has given us divineguidance in the Bible, telling us what isright and what is wrong.
134th Year 17
ments in which we operate. We mustchoose the right sort of friends, asungodly influences will encourage usto have bad habits:
Do not be deceived: “Evil company cor-rupts good habits” (1 Corinthians15:33).
Unlike robots, there can be no doubtabout who is responsible for what wedo. However, like robots, we cannotalways give an honest explanation ofour reasons or motives.If we are truthful with ourselves we
know that we are not always able toexplain why we have done or not donecertain things. So we can fool our-selves, and we can fool other people,especially after the event – we can bevery devious! But we do not need a black box
recorder because we can never foolGod. He always understands ourmotives and thoughts. So, He does notneed our explanations – we are totallytransparent to Him. In fact, we cannoteven argue with Him, or justify our-selves to Him, as the man Job foundout – see how in Job 38:1-4 and 40:2.Furthermore, we can never, ever blameHim (or His design of us) for our ownfailings: we are wholly responsible forourselves. God has told us the cause of our bad
ways, and also how to be saved fromdestruction by accepting His offer ofeternal life. The good news is that
despite our failings, He is willing toforgive us and welcome us into Hiskingdom.
Learn From God
Arthur is still not sure whether he, thedriverless car, or some other factorwas responsible for the accident:lawyers are still arguing. However, when deciding who is
accounted worthy of eternal life, Godwill have no dilemmas of judgement –He knows everything. It is thereforevital that we use our God-given reason-ing abilities to learn what He wants ofus and to do the best we can to obeyHim, avoiding influences that couldlead us astray. We are not robots. We make our own
choices and we alone are responsiblefor our actions and hence for oureternal destiny.
Anna Hart
To access previous editions of ‘GladTidings’ please visit our website:www.gladtidingsmagazine.org
18 Glad Tidings
The human race has had thousands ofyears to establish peace on the earth,but look at the state of affairs. In thelast hundred years, over one hundredmillion people have died in war.
Frightful weapons have replaced therifle and shell, which were terribleenough. Death can be delivered overvast distances, and with great accura-cy. Weaponry exists that can eliminate250,000 people in a vast fireball, in amatter of seconds. We see too thenumber of wars in Africa, in the MiddleEast and elsewhere, where brotherkills brother and millions are home-less. It is frightening.I have just been reading Joel and
there is a verse that rivets the atten-tion. It looks at the time just beforeJesus returns to set up God’s kingdomon earth, and it states:
I will show wonders in the heavens andin the earth: blood and fire and pillarsof smoke (Joel 2:30).
I wonder if this is a description of theeffects of modern warfare. Certainly,Daniel warned us of frightening times
just before the Kingdom of God isestablished:
There shall be a time of trouble, suchas never was since there was a nation,even to that time (Daniel 12:1).
Preparation
This is not meant to worry us but toprepare us. When we see these thingshappening, we can be sure that theLord Jesus is preparing for his return.What a glad day that will be!Whatever fearful events may take
place the Lord Jesus calls on his fol-lowers to stand firm for their faith. Inthat grand Sermon on the Mount, hetold us how to live, how to prepare:
Blessed are the meek, for they shallinherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).
In a world where many think only ofthemselves, he shows that pride is anenemy of true Christianity.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shallobtain mercy (v7).
Being merciful is important on a per-sonal level, behaving in a forgiving,gentle way to those around us. At anational and global level, it is sadlylacking, one of the root causes of warand atrocities.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for theyshall be called sons of God (v9).
Peacemakers are few and farbetween in our world. Jesus teaches
War and PeaceWar and Peace
134th Year 19
us that it is a vital character trait in hisfollowers. We have peace with God, soshould be constructive not destructive. Just before he faced the horror of
man's cruelty in his torture and death,Jesus gave us a powerful example ofthis type of attitude when he said:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I giveto you; not as the world gives do I giveto you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).
Better Times Coming!
At Jesus’ return, there will be peaceand harmony for those who have lovedhim. That is when the world’s wars willbe replaced by perfect peace. What avision!How then could a Christian press a
button and wipe out a whole city? Orspray gas over little children? There isso much confusion among the nationsthat statesmen do not know which wayto turn. Efforts to find peace fail or aresabotaged. Jesus said this about thetime before he comes back:
There will be signs in the sun, in themoon, and in the stars; and on theearth distress of nations, with perplex-ity, the sea and the waves roaring;men’s hearts failing them from fearand the expectation of those thingswhich are coming on the earth, for thepowers of the heavens will be shaken.Then they will see the Son of Mancoming in a cloud with power andgreat glory. Now when these thingsbegin to happen, look up and lift upyour heads, because your redemptiondraws near (Luke 21:25-28).
It is an invigorating call to all whofollow the Lord Jesus. Don’t bedespondent, don’t give up, be ready!
The awful problems of the world aresignposts that the Kingdom of God iscoming.The prophet Isaiah had much to say
about the Kingdom. He wrote aboutthe work of Jesus in establishingpeace and doing away with theweapons of war:
He shall judge between the nations,and rebuke many people; they shallbeat their swords into ploughshares,and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword againstnation, neither shall they learn waranymore (Isaiah 2:4).
Describing the rule of the Prince ofPeace, Isaiah said:
Of the increase of his government andpeace there will be no end, upon thethrone of David and over his kingdom,to order it and establish it with judg-ment and justice from that timeforward, even forever. The zeal of theLORD of hosts will perform this(Isaiah 9:7).
Isn't it exciting to think on what Godhas prepared for those who love Him?No human can promise that but Godwill fulfil it, and soon!
Ken Clark
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