Why must we die?

The Bible states that 'it is appointed unto men once to die'. This most obvious of facts is among the most distressing things that we human beings face. I have a friend who committed suicide just before Christmas about eleven years ago. Why - I can speculate but I do not really know. One my friends in Liverpool then found that her partner's nephew has been found dead in his flat. Death comes to us all but why?

I’ll get round to it someday!

How good are you at complaining. One man who was interviewed recently on television reminded us that whinging is different to complaining. Whinging is apparently just moaning but not doing anything about it. Formal complaining means that you are holding the service provider responsible for what they do or do not do and making sure that you get what you are paying for.

 

Once when coming back from a trip to Africa. En-route our cases stayed in Dubai while we flew to Lusaka. They caught up with us eventually, but we have a claim to lodge for extra expenses incurred because of an extra night that we stayed in Lusaka. Have I submitted it yet? I think you probably can guess the answer. 

Most of us feel that we deserve to get what we pay for. This is only fair, and it is our right but how many of us get round to complaining when things go wrong. The purpose for writing this article is not actually to encourage you to complain (not that it would be a bad thing) but to point out that most of us don’t get round to it very often. We mean to but we don’t quite get round to it. That’s true about a lot of things.

 

Think about this for example. How many of us have joined a gym and never used it? How often do we think about slimming but never quite get there? Or your mortgage – you know the rate could be lower but because of the hassle of changing provider we never get round to it. All these examples are about things that could improve our lives but we put off doing anything about. I want to ask you to consider another area of your life which we all tend to ignore and pretend that it’s too much hassle – that is your relationship or lack of one with God. We can all argue why we don’t think God is real but in our hearts, we know that God is there. Most of us live life as if it will never end and accuse people of being morbid who raise the issues of life after death. But we all know that we will die one day and to ignore the afterlife is fatal. You say if I’m wrong, I’m wrong but the reality is if you’re wrong you will be lost forever in a place you don’t want to be. 

Who do we blame when tragedy strikes?

We often hear of tragedies! They shock us and often produce an impulsive reaction. In 2016 we heard the horrific news that an alligator had dragged a two-year-old boy into a lake at Walt Disney World. Disney closed all the beaches at its resorts. More than fifty law-enforcement personnel searched the lake. They eventually found the boy's body and presume that he drowned.

Some blamed Disney for not posting signs warning about alligators in the water. Others were quick to blame the parents. As with the boy who fell into a gorilla pit in Cincinnati, people on social media lambasted the mother and father who allowed their son to play in the water.

Why do we feel such a need to assign blame when tragedy strikes?

A scientist decides that there really is a God

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

I was looking at the books on the shelves of a shop in Weston-super-Mare when my eyes alighted upon a specific title.  It said in bold red letters, ‘THERE IS NO GOD”.  On closer inspection the word ‘No’ was crossed out and the letter ‘A’ had replaced it  and so it actually read, ‘THERE IS A GOD’. I could not resist purchasing the book especially as the sub-title said, ‘How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind’.  The book was written by Professor Antony Flew who had been a writer and defender of the philosophy of atheism for many years.

What if you could discover the true meaning of life?

All photos used courtesy of Unsplash

I want to ask you today the same question that the James (one of the writers of the New Testament in the Bible) asked nearly 2000 years ago - "What is your life?". What's it all about? Songs have been written about it; films have been produced about it.  For many, there is no greater question to be answered and yet most people believe that they probably will never ever find the true answer.

The most glorious word in the English language - Forgiveness

 

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In the New Testament Jesus spoke to a man in need with these important and life-changing words, “Your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5.20) and they brought wonderful comfort to the man who heard them. We also read in the New Testament these words, “And Jesus said unto her, Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7.48). and the woman who heard Jesus speak was greatly blessed.

These are the only two examples in the New Testament of Jesus telling people directly that their sins were forgiven, with one being male and the other female. This simply reminds us that God’s forgiveness is available to anyone whether man or woman, because we are all in the same spiritual condition of having sinned by breaking God’s commandments and therefore needing His forgiveness.

Are you afraid of growing old?

 

All photos are courtesy of Unsplash.

We know that life is constantly changing and that nothing lasts forever. In many ways, this is a harsh and sad reality. Most of us find it hard to accept that we will grow old, that loved ones will pass on, and that children will grow up and leave home. You know the types of things that I am talking about. Sad but true!

Please read on, as I have good news for you. The Bible teaches that God made us with an eternal soul. The soul is the real person, the real you. Although the body stops living upon our physical death, the soul lives on. Many people don't believe this anymore. The late Stephen Hawking, a British Physicist and author, dismissed the notion of an afterlife. He once said 'I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers. That is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'. 

This argument sounds very feasible, especially when proposed by such an intelligent man. However, it ignores that we are not just biological computers. It ignores man's consciousness, which the best of brains have grappled with but have to admit is beyond their explanation. Consciousness cannot be defined in purely physiological terms. Add to this the evidence for the supernatural and the spiritual, and you have many questions that we will struggle to answer unaided.

 

Let me remind you of the book, which has for generations provided answers that could not find their source solely in the mind of a human being - the Bible. It is easy to dismiss the Bible as purely the writings of men, but that would not be doing justice to its information, origins and the consistency of its message. The Bible has an inbuilt prediction and fulfilment testing system, which either stands or falls on the substantive evidence of archaeology, science, history, geography and social development. There have been no developments to date in any of these disciplines which have produced evidence that undermines the truthfulness and integrity of the Bible.

If all of this is true, may I suggest we pay more attention to what the Bible teaches about life, death, the afterlife, God, etc.? For example, one of the books of the Bible (John's gospel) explicitly states that it was written 'that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name'. 

I pray that this will be the outcome if you read the Bible for yourself.

I invite you to read more articles about how to have peace with God.

The lessons from a humble egg

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When travelling through the countryside in the past, I often saw notices outside farms, houses and cottages, announcing ‘New Laid Eggs for Sale’. Today, there seem less notices offering eggs in this way. The whole business of delivering the humble egg to the home or food factory has developed into a major industry. Most people don’t realise what is involved in the journey of the egg from the chicken to the dining table.

Nowadays most eggs are purchased from supermarkets or shops or delivered in bulk to food producers; they are not bought on a country road. To supply millions of eggs constantly, there is a whole industry working day and night to meet the demand.  

In 1951 in Lincolnshire, a man started his egg business with one hundred and fifty chickens and eight acres of land. In those early years eggs would be taken round to people on a pushbike or sold on a stall in local markets. Over a period of seventy years his family have grown the business until it has become one of Britain’s largest suppliers and packers of eggs. They now have two million free range and organic birds producing millions of eggs each week. In fact, each week around six million eggs are supplied to one of the biggest supermarket stores in Britain. All of this is supported by 40 rearing farms and the business’s dedication to both the quality and welfare of the birds. A nutritionist helps with the provision of an enriched feed diet. This includes paprika and marigold that gives the yolks a deep, rich orange colour.

Plastic Surgery

A few years ago an 82 year old woman in America had major cosmetic surgery involving a face lift, botox injections to smooth out the wrinkles, lip re-sculpting, and much much more. It all had required seven hours of surgery and had cost $25,000. When she was asked why in the world she would do this, she replied that there was no point in waiting until she got any older.

Somewhere on our planet today, according to scientists, is a child who they say will still be alive 150 – 180 years from now. That sounds so incredible until, according to the same scientists, we consider how our lifespan has increased over the years.

When Jesus died at around age 33, He would have been pretty old for that part of the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the average lifespan  was 49 and many women died in childbirth. Many more people died of disease. If they lived to be 60, they were pretty old. If someone died in 1965 at the age of 74 it was considered relatively old for that time, but now the average lifespan is just over 81 years of age. The retirement age is being pushed up and there are people in their 80’s who are running marathons.  

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Habakkuk

 

When God Seems Silent: Habakkuk, the Gospel, and the God Who Saves

Most Christians know what it feels like to pray, wait, and wonder why God doesn’t seem to act. The prophet Habakkuk understood this deeply. His short book opens with a cry that many believers have echoed: “How long shall I cry for help?” Habakkuk saw “evil, destruction, violence, strife and contention.” That world feels very much like ours.

Yet Habakkuk’s journey—from confusion to confidence—beautifully mirrors the truth of the gospel itself. His prophecy is not just an ancient complaint; it is a doorway into the good news of Jesus Christ.

1. The Burden of a Broken World (Habakkuk 1:1–4)

Habakkuk begins with a “burden”—a weight he carries as he looks at the injustice around him. He asks why God allows violence and why justice seems distorted. His honesty is refreshing. The Bible never asks us to pretend everything is fine.

The New Testament affirms this same realism. Paul writes, “The whole creation has been groaning” (Romans 8:22). The world is not as it should be. Sin has fractured everything—our hearts, our relationships, our societies.

The gospel begins here: with the acknowledgement that we cannot fix ourselves or our world.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Nahum

Nahum: The God Who Judges, The God Who Saves

There are parts of the Bible we rarely visit, and Nahum is often one of them. Yet this short prophecy is very relevant for our generation. It reminds us that God is not only the Saviour who delights in mercy—as Jonah discovered—but also the Judge who acts in righteousness, as Nahum boldly announced.

Jonah's ministry resulted in the repentance of Nineveh. Nahum's ministry, about a century later, announced the judgment of God upon the same people. One hundred (or perhaps 150) years separate these two books. Still, the lesson is timeless: when you forget what God has done for you, you set yourself up for trouble, i.e. God's judgment.

1. The Core Message of Nahum

G. Campbell Morgan summarised Nahum's message like this:

"The core of the predictive message of Nahum was the utter destruction of a great city and a great people by the will and act of God."

R. K. Harrison adds: "In this small prophecy of doom, the author demonstrated… that the God of the nation whom the Assyrians had despised was in fact the artificer and controller of all human destiny."

This is not merely history. It is a reality for us in our current world. It is gospel truth. 

The New Testament affirms the same truth:

• God rules over nations — "He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31).

• God's justice is perfect — "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right" (Genesis 18:25, echoed in the NT principle of divine justice).

Nahum reminds us that God is not passive. He acts, He intervenes, and He judges.

Language

It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 7,000 languages throughout the world. Each language has its own alphabet, the majority of them have 26 letters in their alphabet but there are some that differ for example, Hebrew has 22, Arabic has 28, Scandinavian languages have 29, Russian has 33 and so on. As children in primary school we were taught the alphabet of our native tongue but most children have the ability to speak their native language before they go to school.

At the United Nations the representatives for each nation sit at their desks in the debating chamber.  There is a room overlooking the chamber that houses the interpreters who can translate what is being said into the language of their representative country. This reveals to us the importance of having the correct understanding of any communication being made, accuracy is of prime importance. The two main languages spoken in the United Nations building are English and French. Most notices around the building are written in these two languages.  

Jesus - Historical Figure or Hoax?

Well what have I been up to today? I was supposed to be having a day off but I ended up visiting a school and talked to boys and girls about the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. I am reading a brilliant book about Jesus, at the moment. It's called 'More than a carpenter' by Josh McDowell. It's well worth a read.

The Lord Jesus Christ is no ordinary person. I make this statement in the present tense because the Lord Jesus is not just a figure of history but he is, today, still alive in heaven. I don't mean alive in the way we might think about a relative who has died and hope is now in heaven (as a Christian I believe people who have turned from their sin and accepted Jesus as their Saviour will be in heaven when they die but this is not my point at the moment). I mean that Jesus is alive, physically in heaven. Your response might be - impossible and unbelievable! 

The record of the life of Christ is all highly improbable if you ignore the key ingredient, God. I agree that believing that Jesus was more than a man, lived an absolutely faultless life, could do miracles, somehow became accountable for sin and evil and died to pay the price to deal with it on a cross outside Jerusalem and finally three days after his death came back to life. Add to that he lived on earth for forty days after his suffering, death and resurrection and physically rose from the earth and passed through the sky and space into the presence of His Father, God in heaven itself. On a purely rationale level this sounds like I am stretching facts and calling it truth! 

BUT WHAT IF......

A careful analysis of the facts points to Jesus being the Son of God!

The evidence points to it being statistically impossible for the historical predictions (the bible calls them prophecies) being fulfilled accurately being mere coincidence!

It was impossible to deceive so many historians and eye witnesses on a such a grand scale!

The probability of it being the truth is higher than the probability of it being a lie?

I believe that this is the truth of the matter. I believe that the evidence to the authenticity of the bible is there if you care to look for it. I believe there is no other honest conclusion that you can come to about who Jesus is if you are prepared to genuinely look at the facts.

In support of this the bible clearly states: 'these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life in his name', John 20:31. 

Visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk for more information. 

Books

Books have been published and produced for hundreds of years. Some people predicted their demise with the advent of modern technology, such as Kindles and other electronic devices for reading. 

However, as a visit to a bookshop makes clear, books are still being produced in large quantities in hard copy, both hardback and paperback. There are still vast numbers of people who love to hold a book and turn the pages, and many also find looking at a screen a numbing and difficult experience.  

Reading is vital for education and the gaining of information. The Apostle Paul, right up to the end of his life, maintained his reading regime as he asked, in the last letter he wrote addressed to Timothy, that books be forwarded to him and also the parchments (2 Timothy 4.13). The Apostle John, in a statement of hyperbole or exaggeration to make a point, said, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." (John 21.25). He indicates that we only have a sample in the Gospel accounts of the wonders and miracles performed by Jesus.  

Without Christ, Christmas is nothing!

If there is no Christ - there is no Christmas! Which is why are Christians are so convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Why you might ask, it's an excellent question.

Our belief is laid on a very solid foundation. First of all we believe in divine revelation not just human discovery. In fact to learn about something outside of our sphere of experience we all accept we need information from a trustworthy source. If you are serious about discovering the truth - check the Bible out. It is a trustworthy source. Read it, check it's sources, speak to those who believe it, look at it 's accuracy in every sphere it touches. There can only be one answer to the question of the origin of a book that was written over one thousand five hundred years by forty different authors, many of whom did not even know each other. The Bible is God's message to mankind.

The Story of Christmas - No 4

Luke 1:39-56 Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;

And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Memorial - Beautiful Star

 

 Beautiful Star, KY 1298 

 

This memorial in King’s Lynn cemetery is a crafted stone replica of the fishing boat in which eight St Monans fishermen perished in a storm on the way home from the East Anglia fishing in November 1875. Five East Fife boats were wrecked and 37 men were lost at that time. 

There are poignant inscriptions on the memorial, but the passing of time has made them difficult to read. The names of the men who were drowned can be made out - the oldest was James Patterson, the skipper, age 49, and the youngest was Robert, his son, who had just turned 18. 

Then these words are written beneath - 

When the shore is won at last, 

Who will count the billows past? 

While we linger on the shore of life, 

A wave wafts us to eternity. 

Life, how short! 

Eternity, how long? 

Isn’t it true that life on earth is short and unpredictable, whereas the eternity which follows is long and sure to come? 

A Comparison of Cities

In 1859 Charles Dickens wrote ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, the opening paragraph reads, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.’ 

The two cities were London and Paris and records life as it was leading up to the French Revolution. Dickens observations of his day are timeless and well fit the day we live in too.

The Apostle John wrote the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ at the close of the first century AD and majors upon two cities at the end of the Book, Babylon and Jerusalem, also a third city, the New Jerusalem. Those chapters also speak of  Heaven and Hell but more of that later!

The first recorded city is found in Genesis 4:17, “And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.” Cain was the first person to be born into the world and he became a murderer when he killed Abel, his brother. From the beginning of time cities have been associated with murder. In our day there are cities throughout the world that record over a thousand homicides every year.

Genesis 10 to 12 tells us of the beginning of two notable cities, Babylon, built by Nimrod, and Nineveh built by Asshur (Assyria). 'And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.'

A true story of a city beneath the waves involves an island called Pavlopetri, off the south east coast of Greece. Forty years ago an oceonologist first observed the submerged city and recently a team of Australian scientists have charted the streets, walls and buildings and produced a very interesting documentary about this lost city.

Genesis 19 tells us of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities of extreme wickedness that God rained fire and brimstone upon. The man Lot and his two daughters escaped to a place called Zoar which lays at the southern tip of the Dead Sea. Although there is no biblical record of the whereabouts of the remains of these cities many believe that they are at the bottom of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is a lake and the lowest place on earth, it is about 1400 ft. below sea level and is over 1000ft. deep. Israeli scientists are presently drilling in the centre of the lake, for forty days and forty nights, to a depth of 300 meters, taking core samples for analasis to determine (amongst other things) previous volcanic activity and possible future ones. The present conflict of Gaza and Israel is indicative of the hatred between Arab and Jew, which will spread further affecting neighbouring nations and the world at large.

John tells us in Revelation 17 and 18 of the destruction of Babylon (in Iraq) both religiously and politically. Babylon epitamises all religious rebellion to God, embracing all false cults and religions of the world. Christ will destroy all of these along with the political power of the Beast with all his military might at Meggido in the valley of Jezreel. Jerusalem is called in Psalm 48 and Matt. Ch.5 “The city of the great king”. It is the city where Christ will reign universely.

Exerps from the opening paragraph of this month’s editorial of the Society for Distribution of Hebrew Scriptures reads, ‘ ‘JERUSALEM TRODDEN DOWN. From the time of Israel’s first carrying away into captivity under the Babylonian conquest until 1948, Jerusalem had been in the hands of Gentiles. To judge from its physical state in the year of Israel’s return, the Gentiles had done precious little with the land in all the years of occupation. Over the centuries the city has been destroyed twice, besieged twenty-three times, captured and re-captured forty four times. We cannot think of any city that has been the subject of so much destruction.’ Jerusalem has been the devil’s target to destroy from the beginning, but he has not succeded and he never will.

I mentioned earlier a third city called The New Jerusalem. Revelation ch.21 begins, 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.' That will be a great city to live with Christ. 

Will you be there?  God bless.

Written by a Guest Blogger for FTMP
For more info go to seekthetruth.org.uk