Bethesda Shalom

Revelation 11 We are met in this chapter for the first time, explicit mention made of the beast.  Until now, not a single mention of this character has been made by name; everything that we have said about him, we have done so by inference.  Before Revelation 11, the word "beast" in reference to the Antichrist is nowhere to be found; yet after Revelation 11; the word "beast" in reference to the An...

Proverbs 3:5 David brings a message that has at its core, absolute surrender to God!  "…In Scotland once I was in a company where we were talking about the condition of Christ's Church, and what the great need of the Church and of believers is, and there was in our company a godly worker who has much to do in training workers, and I asked him what he would say was the great need of the Church, and...

Revelation 10 Six angels have given sound to their trumpets; two great woes have been brought upon humanity by the hand of God with the most devastating effects.  One trumpet has yet to sound, the seventh and the last; the third and final woe.  Just as there was an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals, so we have here, another interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. John beholds...

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 The longer that I'm alive and the longer that I continue in service to the Lord, is the more that I've come to realise, you can't please everyone!!  What will be pleasing to one, will inevitably be the cause of displeasure to another and what will serve to light a smile on one face will no doubt serve to put a frown on another.  Of course, as a Christian, we're mandated to let...

Revelation 9 Four blasts of the trumpet have gone before us; four pronouncements of God's judgment aimed at the earth in which men are indirectly affected by the catastrophic impact each judgment brings with it.  Three great woes now await the inhabitants of the earth.  In a manner reminiscent of the days of Moses in which the kingdom of Egypt was judged by ten plagues which befell it; so, in a si...

Matthew 28:19-20 The last words of our Lord, recorded by Matthew, were not, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"; the last words of our Lord were; "...and  lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world".  My Brothers and Sisters, take these words to heart!!  Let them be the meditation of your thoughts. ...

Revelation 8 Following the brief interlude of chapter 7, we rejoin again the events of the seven seals, which has been the central theme of Revelation, since chapter 5.   Six seals have thus far been opened, revealing dark and terrible days ahead, which shall take place upon the earth on a global scale. Seven angels assigned with a staggering mission. To each is given a trumpet which when blown br...

Luke 8:41-56 No Christian has ever been rightly designated as such, without first having in them the seed of faith.  Yet friends, having faith in God; trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ is not a once and for all done thing.  Faith is not a one-time decision, but a continuation of ongoing decisions as we choose to place our trust and confidence in God and His Son.  Anyone who has walked for some tim...

Genesis 5:18-27 The greatest privilege ever to have been afforded to mankind is not the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.  It is not the right to a prompt and fair trial by jury and nor is it the right to vote.  These are all fantastic privileges that for the most part, we in the West take for granted; but I want to say Brethren, that a man can have all of these and yet miss the very...

Revelation 7 We come again in this teaching to another interlude (the second of a number that is found scattered throughout the Book of Revelation).  Chapters 4 and 5 both served as an interlude to bridge the gap between the events following the letters to the Seven Churches, in order to prepare the reader for the opening of the Seven Seals in chapter 6.  Six seals have thus far been opened, with...

Genesis 12:1-5 You've all heard the expression, "Patience is a virtue".  The studious school teacher reminds the student of this and the loving parent the child.  So much truth is contained in this tiny phrase, and when we educate our young in this precious lesson, we're really trying to teach them that being able to wait for something without becoming frustrated is a valuable character trait to h...

Revelation 6:9-17 At the opening of the fifth seal, the wrath of Antichrist is poured out upon believers in Jesus Christ.  John beholds under the altar, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.  This is a time of tremendous persecution upon the righteous, who are willing to give their lives to the very end.  A cry is heard ascending from under t...

Matthew 5:10-12 As we come to this eight and final beatitude, it appears at first sight to be a contradiction in terms.  "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake…"  How can it be, that the words "blessed" and "persecuted" could ever appear in the same sentence?  Doesn't persecution involve pain and suffering; torment and affliction?  Aren't these bad and to be avoided at all...

Before turning to examine the first four seals, the ground must be prepared in order to give one a framework in which to make sense of these tremendous events.  That which shall take place at the opening of these seals all pertain to a future period of time yet to come, known as Daniel's seventieth week.  At that time, according to the prophet Daniel, a peace treaty will be signed between the Jewi...

Matthew 5:9 The longer that I walk with the Lord, the more I realise that I'm not an island.  Must I walk with the Lord alone, absolutely!!  But my personal walk with the Saviour is for the purpose of a corporate walk with the Body of Christ to which I am a member.  The time that I spend alone with the Saviour in fellowship, is fitting and preparing me for the fellowship that I am to spend with ot...

Matthew 5:8 I've found that a man will study theology all day so long as nothing is required of Him that will disturb the stagnant waters of the heart.  Someone once told me of a minister who when pressed on the matter of the quality of his personal devotional life to God, he refused to give an answer.  Business was his cover and when backed into a corner and forced to give an answer, he slumped i...

Revelation 5 Two whole chapters are given us by the Apostle John in order to prepare the reader for the awesome events that are to follow, when in chapter 6 a scroll is opened which sets in motion a series of cataclysmic events known as the Tribulation period which culminate in the closing out of this present age and the bringing in of the Messianic Age.  Chapter 4 prepared us for what we have now...

Matthew 5:7 I've found generally, that in times of peace, man is much more the ready to cast judgment upon his neighbour and throw stones at his fellow man.  From his seat of comfort and safety, he peeks his haughty head over his proud shoulder to peer down on those beneath him.  "Thank God" he say's that I am not as other men are.  You say, I'd never say that...ah friend, you might not say it in...

Matthew 5:6 There are some things that you cannot give to a man in this life, and one of those things is an appetite.  You can set a plate of food before a man sick with an illness and he's no stomach for it, even it be his favourite meal!  In fact, rather than crave the food, he's repulsed by it...and you know, when we open the door to sin in our lives and we allow worry and unbelief to consume u...

Revelation 4 We move on in this eleventh teaching to survey an awesome sight. John hears the voice like a trumpet, calling him to come up hither, where he beholds the throne of God surrounded by a company of celestial beings, worshipping the One who sits upon the throne whose appearance is like unto a jasper and sardine stone! O how feeble are our praises by comparison! How little worth we ascribe...

Matthew 5:5 There are some characteristics which heap upon the man or woman possessing them, all the scorn and derision of a society which maintains that weakness is a thing most to be pitied! Yet our Lord dared to run counter to it all when He declared a blessing upon the head of the one who would pursue the way of meekness!!  Perhaps in no other area is the demonstration of the power of Christia...

Revelation 3:14-22 When one thinks of the Seven Churches of Revelation, the Church perhaps that comes more readily to mind than any other is the Church in Laodicea.  History records that where Laodicea was situated geographically, it lay along a great river and in the centre of where three great roads converged.  This commercial advantage made Laodicea a city of tremendous wealth and prosperity, s...

Matthew 5:4 Perhaps of all of the beatitudes, this second one, is at first glance, one that fallen man could perhaps go along with; that is until he understands the reason for the mourning! "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted".  Who doesn't like to be comforted when heavy–laden and grieved of heart?  When some great ill afflicts the human soul?  The loss of a precious family...

Matthew 5:3 This sermon is the first in a series of eight sermons preaching through the beatitudes.  You will notice that the word 'beatitude' has a single 't' rather than a double as in 'beattitude'.  This is because, in Latin, 'beatitudo' means "a state of blessedness".  In fact, the word beatitude means "supreme blessedness" which is why each of the eight beatitudes begins with the word 'Blesse...

I find it no coincidence that the only two Churches of which our Lord had nothing indicting to say, both found themselves in the midst of the purging fires of persecution! Twenty-eight miles south-east of Sardis lay the city of Philadelphia.  Its natural geography served well to illustrate the robustness of the Church residing in this city as one of bearing up under trial.  Philadelphia lay on the...