Margaret Wiltshire reviews two biographies ahead of the Christmas break.

With so much unbelief in the truth of the Bible these days, including within the ‘Church’, it was a treat to read biographies of two Englishmen who have followed the Lord their entire lives.

One is five years older than me, the other five years younger. They have both created lasting legacies in God’s Kingdom; but how different their callings.

'Strands of Destiny' (2017, Sovereign World)

Peter Horrobin began his working life lecturing in college and university, and late moved into publishing. One day, while restoring a broken-down car, God spoke to him: “You could restore this broken car, but I can restore broken lives. Which is more important?” So began Peter’s search for what God meant him to do and finally the opening of Ellel Grange in Lancashire as the centre for a Christian healing ministry in 1986, 16 years after his original call to the healing ministry.

Peter’s model for the healing ministry has been replicated in two other centres in England: Glyndley Manor near Eastbourne, and Pierrepoint near Farnham. Ellel Ministries also has centres in 30 countries round the world; continuing to grow and spread the fragrance of Christ and his healing love. Peter remains international director.

This easy-to-read book about how God prepared Peter for his life’s calling and established his ministry over a period of several decades is encouraging and faith-building

‘Strands of Destiny: How God used a crashed car to envision and build a ministry that touches the nations’ (464pp) is available from the publisher for £14.99. Also on Amazon Kindle. Find out more about Peter’s life and work on his blog.

'A Man After God’s Own Heart' (2017, Eurovision)

David Hathaway’s biography is a much more challenging read. An evangelist from his early years, he found himself unwanted by the Church in this country. In 1959 he heard that there was to be a World Pentecostal Conference in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in 1961. He wanted to be there, but had no money to buy an air ticket, so he decided to go by car and set up an expedition to take paying passengers.

Everyone said it was impossible, but his own father had taught him ‘that there is no such word in the English language as ‘can’t’’. His was the first overland trip - and it generated so much interest that he was almost forced to set up his own travel company. This led him to several Eastern European countries, through which he had been travelling, taking Bibles to the underground churches.

Eventually he was caught and spent a year in a Communist prison in Czechoslovakia. What he endured. How he learnt to pray! What vision and courage he had after his release, to proclaim the Good News to people. What miracles he has seen as he has evangelised in the former Soviet bloc. And now God has given him a heart for our own nation.

David’s own remarkable story definitely comes with a challenge to the reader. While we are not all called to ‘live on the edge’ in the way that he has, we are all called to deepen our relationship with the Lord and to grow our faith. Are we ready to step out, in our land, and see great things happen for the Kingdom?

‘David Hathaway: A man after God’s own heart’ (254pp, paperback) is written by Katie Morris and Timofey Medvedev. Available from the publisher for £10. On Amazon Kindle for less.

Appreciating the rich symbolism of Old Covenant metaphors and their fulfilment in Jesus – and in us.

At Christmas time especially, we all have an enhanced appreciation of light and its capacity to decorate and illuminate, brightening up the gloom. As our Editor-in-Chief expands on elsewhere in this final 2018 issue of Prophecy Today UK, the scriptures emphasise that God is light, and in that light we find life (1 John 1:5; John 1:4).

That we might learn this lesson, the Lord has written it into the DNA of Creation. Life on this planet is completely dependent upon light: for energy, warmth and food. It is from light that Earth gets its vibrant colours, its daily and seasonal rhythms and its water cycle. Since the dawn of civilisation, light has been central to human culture and communication, giving comfort, guidance and security – whether warming fires or the gentle glow of evening lamps.

Put simply, in light is our life: and this physical and social lesson points us towards a greater spiritual reality.

The Bible reminds us that the world’s physical light originated in the spoken, creative word of God. The immortal words of Genesis 1: “Let there be light!” spoke light into darkness and life into a lifeless void. Revelation reminds us that at the end of history, physical light sources will be replaced by God himself (Rev 21:23, 22:5). Intentionally, the Bible is book-ended with references to God as the eternal and true source of Light.

In light is our life: and this physical and social lesson points us towards a greater spiritual reality.

But not just the Light – God is our light, personally as well as universally. We see this most clearly in Exodus, where God’s presence leads the Children of Israel through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, appearing as a pillar of fire by night “to give them light on the way they were to take” (Neh 9:12).

It is here that we learn that God desires to lead his children in the way they should go, illuminating their path. This idea was built into the communal life and worship of Israel through the rich symbolism of the menorah. Though this is celebrated most prominently at Hanukkah, it is worth meditating on again as we approach Christmas and celebrate the coming of Messiah, the True Light, into the world.

The emblem of the State of Israel.God with Us

The distinctive seven-branched candleholder is apparently the oldest continuously used religious symbol in the Western world (perhaps the entire world) and serves as the main symbol on the official emblem of the State of Israel, referencing the miraculous endurance of the Jewish people. Scripturally, it first appears in Exodus 25, where God instructs Moses on how to make this elaborate lamp to light the Tabernacle, the community’s place of worship and meeting with God.

Shining continuously in the centre of the Israelite encampment, the menorah signified the presence of God dwelling in the midst of his people. It was David who later sang: “You are my lamp, O Lord, the Lord shall enlighten my darkness” (2 Sam 22:29).

Known in rabbinic culture as the ‘light of the world’, the menorah was a constant reminder to Israel of their God-given mandate to display his glory, truth and faithfulness to the nations. And it was close to the menorah in the Temple courts in Jerusalem that the Son of God later dared to declare “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Beautiful Detail

But there is more meaning within God’s instructions for the menorah that often gets missed. Made of pure gold and all of one piece despite its ornate details, the menorah speaks of God’s majesty, purity and his all-sufficiency. We have no need to attach anything to the Lord; he is more than enough.

Beaten and hammered into shape, the menorah speaks of God the Son: sinless and pure, but afflicted and stricken – made perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10). Similarly, the menorah’s light was fuelled by pure olive oil, the crushed fruit of the ‘eternal’ olive tree, just as Jesus was “crushed for our iniquities” (Isa 53:5). The oil also speaks of his anointing as our King and Great High Priest.

Shining continuously in the centre of the Israelite encampment, the menorah signified the presence of God dwelling in the midst of his people.

The unique, distinctive shape of the menorah - three branches on one side, three on the other and one in the middle – is also full of meaning. The six branches, biblically the number of fallenness, symbolise imperfect humanity while the seventh represents Yeshua, dwelling in our midst, making us perfect. The six branches are traditionally dependent on the central candle, the shamash or ‘servant’, from which the others are lit, just as Yeshua, the Servant of Isaiah 42, humbled himself to become “a light to the Gentiles”.

So, hidden in the branches of the menorah is a picture of our Servant King, and a picture of us, his people, together living in the pattern of our Master: children of the light (Eph 5:8). This new community of faith shines forth light in the darkness, as God always intended. Indeed, some see in the menorah a picture of the olive tree of Romans 11, in which Jew and Gentile are joined together in Yeshua, or the vine of John 15, symbolising Yeshua as the source of life and love for all believers.

The menorah is quite obviously shaped like a tree – which in Scripture connotes both life and wisdom (e.g. Prov 3:18). The ornate almond blossoms are reminders of our authority as a priesthood of believers, just as Aaron’s staff budded with almond blossoms to symbolise God’s approval for the Levitical priesthood. Some see the buds and blossoms on the menorah as a symbol of believers being the ‘first fruits’ of a greater harvest to come, since almond trees blossom early, heralding the spring.

In the menorah we also see a tree that is continuously ablaze but not consumed: a vivid reminder of the burning bush where God met Moses so powerfully, as well as the Day of Pentecost when tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the disciples. We are reminded that as living sacrifices, God desires to indwell us with his glory - not consuming us but shining out through our lives to the rest of the world. We are also reminded of the need to be filled continuously with the oil of the Holy Spirit, that we might be prepared for his return (Matt 25).

Children of Light

The menorah is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of God dwelling with/in man and man dwelling in/with God: a picture fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming and also in us, “sons of light and sons of the day” (1 Thess 5:5). “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

As we receive the light and life of Yeshua within our souls and become part of his Living Menorah, so we ought naturally to shine in the midst of a dark world, radiating his light to the lost. Just like the nation of Israel was and is called to be a light to all other nations, so we are called to “let our light shine before men, so they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

The menorah is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of God dwelling with/in man and man dwelling in/with God: a picture fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming and also in us.

Christmas affords us all opportunity in this respect, that through us others might be drawn to “the true Light which gives light to every man” (John 1:9).

What an incredible gift: that our God, who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16), laid aside his garments of light (Ps 104:2) and took on human flesh, that we might become “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as stars in the universe, holding fast the word of life” (Phil 2:15-16). Glory! This is what Christmas should celebrate – and it is what the world desperately needs.

Celebrating the good news of Christmas-tide.

For many years the prologue of John’s Gospel (John 1:1-18) has been a favourite passage of Scripture for me. As a student I could recite from memory the whole prologue in Greek, although today I can hardly get beyond the second verse. But I have grown to understand its message much more. “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

This is the central message of the Gospel and it expresses the tragedy of our human nature. God has sent his truth like the sun penetrating the darkness of the night: but it has not been understood by human beings, whom God created in his own image for intimate fellowship with him.

Through the Prophets of Israel, over a period of many centuries, God progressively revealed his nature and purposes to humanity. This prepared the way for the coming of Messiah, Jesus, who added to that revelation an understanding of God as our Father who loves us with an unconditional and un-ending love. That love was so great that it even took Jesus to the Cross in order to provide for our salvation.

The Incarnation: Blessing and Tragedy

The tragedy of the incarnation is emphasised in verse 10 which states “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.” Traditionally, theologians have understood the enlightenment brought by Jesus as the illumination of reason and conscience, thus bringing the Gospel into line with Stoic ideas about the logos as something that dwells in every human being, a seed within each one of us that enables us to develop full understanding of truth.

But the coming of the light actually brings judgment, because it reveals the fact that human beings love darkness rather than light; although it is not God’s purpose to bring judgment but to create faith leading to salvation. The amazing truth of the incarnation is that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” so that we can actually see the light shining in the darkness of the world around us.

Of course, human beings prefer the darkness because they cannot understand the light, which actually requires a change of mindset. Indeed, it requires accepting that we need the light in order to be able to understand anything at all in the created order of the universe. Only the true light of the world can give us real, genuine understanding. It changes everything, giving us a different position from which to perceive reality.

In order to accept the light, we have to be prepared to forsake the pursuit of our own self-interest. But in the process, we actually become children of God instead of being creatures of the world, which is an entirely new status. As Paul said, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).

Opportunity to Respond

Of course all human beings, whether they believe or not, are surrounded by the light of Jesus, because he has made his dwelling among us. This was part of God’s intention from the time he created the universe and made human beings capable of being in relationship with himself, the Creator. He chose the people of Israel to be the means through whom he would bring light to the world and fulfil his purpose of enabling everyone to become children of God – part of the community of believers.

This was revealed to the Prophet Zechariah 500 years before the coming of Jesus. He shouted for joy when he received this revelation: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you, declares the Lord. Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you” (Zec 2:10).

The prologue of John speaks about the true light of the world – the person and power and wisdom of God, who created the universe – coming to take a permanent place among human beings, so that they could perceive truth in a way that had been hidden from previous generations.

In order to accept the light, we have to be prepared to forsake the pursuit of our own self-interest; but in the process, we become children of God.

The nativity that we celebrate at Christmas has very flimsy historical links with the date of Jesus’ birth and even less to do with the tinsel and wrappings and commercial Christmas of today. But the fact that lights are switched on in our towns and villages and decorate our homes is an acknowledgement of the central truth of the incarnation – that the true Light has come into the world of humanity.

As we are each a creation of God, there is built into each one of us the ability to respond to (or the freedom to reject) the true light. For those who do respond, there is the wonderful experience of becoming a child of God which changes our perception of everything: in the same way as the light of a new day dispels the darkness of night and enables us to see things that were only dimly perceived in the darkness.

Witnessing to the Light

The Fourth Gospel prologue tells us that John the Baptist was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way and to be a witness to the light. He was not the true light – he was a reflection of the light, but when Jesus came, the true light which was there in the beginning, and through whom the universe was made, was now available to human beings in a new way.

God actually humbled himself and took human form as his final great act of salvation, to enable sinful men and women to see the truth and to give them the power to overcome the forces of darkness that drive us all towards self-destruction. This is the good news of Christmas-tide - the coming of truth and light into our world of sin and darkness.

Surely there has never been a greater need for such a message than there is today! As children of the light we need to take a break from all the works of darkness around us (including our Parliamentary Pantomime) and take every opportunity of sharing the good news with others during this Christmas season. Let’s make it truly a season of light and truth!

The Lord be with you and bless you as you bless others.

That would be a strange greeting at this time of the year, wouldn't it! But if we are not careful, as Christians this could be the impression we give. There are a couple of possible reasons for a Christian to be against celebrating Christmas.

One reason is the way that worldliness has taken over. The airwaves, whilst being filled with carols that convey wonderful truths about the birth of the Saviour of the world, have become (to many people) like the masterpiece that has blended with the wallpaper on the wall where it is hung: no more than a pleasant backdrop - background music to the shopping spree.

A second reason is that many Christians have retraced their theological steps to the Jewish roots of the faith and have found that Christmas never was a biblical feast, but a remodelling of a pagan festival of winter solstice worship of the sun (not the Son!). A natural consequence of this would seem to be, as in our day, an eventual reversion to these pagan roots – something Christians understandably want to avoid.

Bygone Blessings

I have been among the foremost of those who have highlighted the importance of returning to our Jewish roots, focussing our celebrations on the biblical timetable in step with the Jewish world and thereby not partaking in an unscriptural religion.

Yet I also come from the generation who were children in the post-war years, brought up in a nation where Christmas did centralise the birth of Jesus. Children today would not easily understand how our families and communities those years ago focussed their thoughts more on the Nativity than on the TV, the food and the presents.

There are a couple of possible reasons for a Christian to be against celebrating Christmas.

Yes, we had presents and yes, we had a celebratory festive meal (the one and only time in the year when our family had a chicken lunch!) and some treats to follow - but just a few presents and many of us made our own decorations. When we broke up from school for the holidays, it was with the Bible passages describing the birth of Jesus in our mind, strengthened by the words of the carols we sang. We had the clear sense that the blessings of our family times were a consequence of our celebration of Jesus' birth – we weren’t thinking about the winter solstice and pagan worship. Our national culture had grown to have a different emphasis.

One cannot ignore such rich blessings from the Lord. But neither can one deny that Jesus was not born on 25 December, that the wise men did not visit him on the same day as the shepherds, and all the other myriad mistakes that are made with the ‘Christmas story’. So how do we approach Christmas this year, whilst working (in God's timing, which may be different from ours) to take the worldliness out of our celebrations and relocate them rightly on the biblical calendar?

Positive Changes

My personal answer is to ensure that any adjustments made to our celebrations are made in a positive way, in recognition of what Jesus has done. We do no good in our Christian witness to give a negative message to the world. There is still plenty of opportunity for our Christian witness at Christmas to have a positive effect on many people around us.

My own approach is - in moderation, and remembering past blessings - to still enjoy many of the carols, to wish my friends a happy (not necessarily merry!) Christmas, and to remember that although the Lord told us to remember his death until he comes, he was born as a human being - something to celebrate on any day of the year.

My personal answer is to ensure that any changes to our celebrations are made in a positive way.

Meanwhile, I believe that the Lord is reminding us of his design of the yearly cycle of the Feasts (the three main ones being Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) so that in time we will re-calibrate our years in step with these rhythms. But in his time. I believe we will have readjusted to this before Jesus returns, but to force the pace would be wrong and may even take away from the beauty and significance of these Feasts.

Remember what Paul taught in Romans 14:5, Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. Some will get there quicker than others, but let us be patient and persuasive rather than judgmental. And in these days of transition, let us still seek to bless our friends by saying, ‘Have a happy Christmas’ - and really mean it.

European nations pay for defiance of God’s plan

As Christmas draws near, the gloomy prospects of Brexit proposals are somewhat overshadowing the bright lights of Britain.

Virtual civil war has broken out within the ranks of the political class, but there is a general blindness to the real cause of our troubles, which lies with our relationship – not with Europe – but with Israel.

Nations are trying to tamper with God’s dwelling-place on earth and are suffering serious injury as a result.

As writer and theologian Frank Booth reminded me, after Donald Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017 in recognition of the obvious, European leaders May, Macron and Merkel joined the voices raised against the decision. Look at them now!

Zechariah 12:3 says: “I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock [or heavy stone] for the nations; all who try to move it will injure [or grievously hurt] themselves.”

And Booth asks: “How can anyone who knows the slightest thing about the history of Israel deny Jerusalem as her natural historic capital?”

Signs of the Times

In the bleak midwinter, a popular carol, seems an apt description of the view ahead of us in the UK. But the hymn should also remind us of what life is really about, especially of how – 2,000 years on – we are still profoundly affected by the Christ child who came into the world to save us from our sin.

Bethlehem may have been his birthplace, but Jerusalem – just six miles away – was and is the key to the world’s future. It was there that our Lord died as the perfect sacrifice for sins, where he rose from the dead three days later, where he subsequently ascended to Heaven after appearing to more than 500 witnesses, and where he will return - probably in the very near future judging by the many signs of his coming already being fulfilled.

Nations are trying to tamper with God’s dwelling-place on earth and are suffering serious injury as a result.

The most obvious of these has been the re-birth and rise to prominence of the State of Israel, symbolised in the Bible as the fig tree (see Matthew 24:32-34). The blossoming of the fig tree has come about as a result of the return of Jews from every corner of the world to the land promised them some 4,000 years ago. All the world has witnessed this phenomenon, fulfilling an abundance of ancient prophecies (e.g. Jer 23:7f; Jer 31:16f; Ezek 36:24; Isa 43:5-7).

But as the scriptures also predicted, they would not be welcomed back to their homeland by their neighbours – hence the current upheaval in the Middle East.

So how does this affect the UK and why is this issue – and not Brexit – the source of our difficulties?

Britain’s Capitulation

Britain has been granted the inestimable privilege (by God himself and through international treaties) of facilitating Jewish repatriation. This was thanks to godly men like Wesley, Wilberforce and their evangelical successors, whose influence caused the Government of 1917, led by David Lloyd George, to issue a promise to do all it could to make this possible through what came to be known as the Balfour Declaration (signed by Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour).

Despite later reneging on this pledge and betraying the Jews – even refusing entry (to then British-controlled Palestine) to thousands of would-be immigrants trying to escape the Nazis – we at least got the ball rolling which enabled a reborn Israel to rise from the ashes of the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’ (Ezek 37) that was the Holocaust.

But as we kept caving in to Arab intimidation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict worsened and our great empire – on which the sun never set – began systematically to fall apart in direct fulfilment of Genesis 12:3, promising blessing to those who bless the seed of Abraham and cursing to those who don’t.

In addition, Joel 3:2 guarantees judgment on the nations that have scattered his people and divided up their land. All the talk now is of a ‘two-state solution’, carving up territory designated (both by God and international treaties) as belonging to the Jews.

Jerusalem the Key

Jerusalem is the key to all this. Plans for dividing the city into east and west in order to achieve peace are actually a recipe for further bloodshed, as Israel’s enemies want all of it.¹ The last great war, the Bible says, will be over the status of Jerusalem, not Europe or the Far East.

Australia’s lukewarm attempt to please both sides of the divide by only recognising West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and holding off acceptance of East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital until a two-state solution is found, will cut no ice with God, who spits such lack of commitment out of his mouth as English folk might do with tepid tea (see Rev 3:16).

Australia’s lukewarm attempt to please both sides of the divide will cut no ice with God, who spits such lack of commitment out of his mouth (Rev 3:16).

While this position might be seen as a step in the right direction, Australia’s Pentecostal Christian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should note what has happened to Britain, Germany and France since Donald Trump’s brave decision to move his embassy to Jerusalem.

Taking their cue from the politically correct secularists, May, Merkel and Macron defiantly refused to follow Trump’s example, and all three are now in grave difficulties.

Open warfare over Brexit threatens to bring further chaos to Britain including the distinct possibility of a Government led by Jeremy Corbyn, an ally of terrorist groups wishing to obliterate Israel and who shows no sign of lancing the boil of anti-Semitism within his party.

Merkel, meanwhile, has a fragile hold on power as Germans express great frustration with the problems caused by mass immigration, and deadly street riots – led by a movement reported to be grossly anti-Semitic – have erupted in Paris in protest at Macron’s ‘reforms’.

Reaping the Whirlwind

Such a triple calamity can be traced back, quite simply, to defiance of the God of Israel and of his commandments which have formed the basis of Western civilisation.

We are reaping the whirlwind of anti-Semitism and godlessness after shamefully turning our backs on the God who bought our redemption when his Son was brutally murdered in his very own city (Ps 48:1-3).

The Bible is clear that our security as nations and individuals depends on our attitude to Jesus, to the Jews and to Jerusalem (John 3:16; Gen 12:3; Ps 122:6).

References

1 See also Senior Palestinian negotiator: all of Jerusalem on table, World Israel News, 18 December 2018.

When a person prays to God, it is a conversation between that person and the Heavenly Father, just as a child might approach a parent. It can involve listening as well as speaking. It can be a prayer of thankfulness, or of asking for some particular thing, be it provision of an earthly need, or of wisdom, knowledge or understanding, within a heartfelt expression of love of God, trust, faith, praise and worship. But many prayers are based on a personal need.

There is a difference between intercession and other aspects of prayer. Intercession is not prompted by one’s own personal need but by the need of others.

A Priestly Calling

The ministry of intercession is illustrated by the ministry of the Levitical priests of the Old Covenant. Their ministry centred on the Tabernacle. They received the tithes and offerings and they took the requests of the people to God. This was, in particular, the daily ministry of the High Priest.

It was a calling to come close to God, with true reverence and fear: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified” (Lev 10:3). For such a calling the Priests were to be properly prepared: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink…when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die…that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (Lev 10:9-10).

The entire Book of Leviticus helps us to understand our priestly ministry through the call of the priests of the Old Covenant and the preparation required of them by God. Leviticus 21, for example, is an entire chapter on the call to holiness.

The Book of Exodus includes other teaching about the ministry of the priesthood. For example, in Exodus 28, there is a description of the garments of the High Priest. The High Priest’s ephod was woven with threads of gold, blue, purple and scarlet. These colours speak of royalty and the ministry of intercession: blue for the heavens, red for the earth and the purple being a blend of blue and red which symbolically show how intercession merges things of earth with things of Heaven.

On this ephod were two onyx stones engraved with names of the 12 tribes of Israel, so that the High Priest would carry the remembrance of Israel’s tribes before the Lord: “And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial” (Ex 28:12). This illustrates the calling of the priests as intercessors for the people – coming before God to carry the needs of the people to him.

Priests of the New Covenant

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, all believers are now called into a new priestly ministry within the New Covenant: “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” (1 Pet 2:9).

No longer is there one tribe called to minister in the Tabernacle, but all are called to minister to one another in the various gifts and ministries that God has apportioned according to His own purposes (1 Cor 12).

Among those ministries is the ministry of intercessory prayer. We are all called to prayer. Occasionally some are called specifically to the deeper aspects of the ministry of intercession, especially at times of crisis.

An example of this was the call on a group at the Bible College of Wales to intercession for the nation through the Second World War. They recognised in particular the need to pray for the Jews in the death camps and for the restoration of Israel to their Land after the war (see Rees Howells: Intercessor, Lutterworth Press, 2003).

The Greatest Intercessor

The Lord Jesus is the High Priest of the New Covenant (Heb 8). His sacrifice on the Cross fulfilled the types and shadows of the Old Covenant and transformed them into the ministry of the New Covenant of the Melchizedek ‘priesthood of all believers’.

His cry from the Cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34) was the deepest of intercessory prayers and now “He lives at the right hand of the Father to continue to intercede for us” (Heb 7:25).

Those called to the intercessory ministry in our day share in the continuing intercessions of Jesus, which Paul expressed in this way: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church” (Col 1:24).

Standing in the Gap

When we fulfil our calling to minister to one another and to God in intercession, it is for people who have, themselves, become separate from God. There is a gap between them and God and they cannot pray for themselves. So we stand in the gap on their behalf.

With no-one to stand in the gap, there is the risk of God not withholding his judgment: “So I sought a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but found no-one. Therefore, I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and have recompensed their deeds on their own heads, says the Lord God” (Ezek 32:30-31).

The Lord Jesus fulfilled the call of the intercessor to the uttermost: “Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore, His own arm brought salvation for Him” (Isa 59:16).

Identification

Intercession involves identification – understanding the needs of others, seeing their helplessness, often having experienced the same pains as those for whom we pray. Intercessors stand in the gap on behalf of others bearing their need and pain to God as if it were theirs.

This was seen in the baptism of the Lord Jesus, when he went into the midst of repentant sinners who could not achieve their own salvation and immersed himself fully in baptism in the River Jordan. This stands symbolically for the immersion in his ministry on their behalf, which was completed on the Cross.

Identification with the needs of others is a deep call to ministry. It is not as deep as the Lord himself went when he suffered for us, but it cannot be taken lightly by those who are called to prepare for their part in the ministry of intercession.

A Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Just as with all ministries, a call to the ministry of intercession can be all-consuming. It requires preparation and dedication. Above all it is not achieved by the will of the flesh but by the call of God. The ministry is fulfilled through workings of the Holy Spirit in and through us. As Paul said in Romans 12:1, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, and as he said in 1 Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

This is why, at times our intercessory prayers are groans that cannot be uttered in words: “…the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered” (Rom 8:26).

For Such a Time as This

Just as when Esther went into the presence of the King of Persia to intercede for her people, so many of God’s people are being called into the ministry of intercession today. We are not called into the presence of an earthly king but into the presence of God to intercede for the Church and the Nation. Just as Esther was prepared, so we must be prepared for this privileged and holy task.

First produced for the 2018 Day of Prayer for the Nation

Issachar Ministries Trust, Office 5, Shannon Court, Sandy, Beds SG19 1AG

For the last couple of decades, the hope for revival in the UK has held firm among many Christians. But what are we expecting and what are the conditions for such revival?

Torah Portion: Genesis 44:18-47:27.

God is Sovereign - He really is in control, of everything.

Who could have perceived God's purposes when the teenager Joseph was sold by his brothers for 20 shekels of silver to a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt; when he was mistreated by Potiphar and his wife, then imprisoned and forgotten for years? Where was the golden thread of His working in all of that?

Stepping back to look outside the immediate events of Joseph's life, over the generations, God was in the process of revealing Himself to the growing nation of His people Israel, leading them to know Him as all that they needed in every way. He took them first to a land of plentiful provision, but then into slavery and finally out into a deserted wilderness where there was nothing else but Him, before He guided them to the beautiful land of His promise.

Joseph’s story was but one thread in this developing tapestry – but nevertheless an important thread that God took great care weaving in.

Conviction of Calling

From his youth, Joseph had a deep sense of identity. Apart from being so favoured by his earthly father, his sovereign Heavenly Father had equipped him through two dreams, giving Joseph a profound conviction of His call to serve Him through leadership. This call was founded so deep down in Joseph’s spirit that it later sustained him through the pain of separation from his father's house, as well as the privations of years in prison and profound injustices he suffered and survived.

Before all this, as a shepherd, Joseph would have learned to be tough and resourceful, especially when far from home. Protecting and providing for a wayward flock was far from a walk in the park but it must have provided him with transferable skills for his future work 'shepherding' people. He would have acquired cultural, administrative, practical and domestic skills in Potiphar's house and in jail. In both places, many people were entrusted to his care and direction.

But, first and foremost, Joseph's identity and sense of belonging was rooted in the community of his large family. Later, becoming a husband and father himself, the fulfilment of his dreams unfolded as he became the administrator of God's plan to save nations – including his own - from famine.

Joseph’s attitude shows that he had fully accepted God's sovereignty in his life. Having taken office as Prime Minister of Egypt, he was able to say to his brothers, "But God sent me ahead of you…it was not you who sent me here but God…" (Gen 45:7-8). What a man that he could eventually forgive his brothers and send them back to their father with joy and even humour: "And don't quarrel on the way!" (Gen 45:24).

Endnote: The Importance of Family

Human family ties run deeper than explanation or description can tell. Even in the grip of worsening famine, when he was experiencing its devastating effect on his whole family of 70 people, Jacob flatly refused to allow Joseph's brother Benjamin to go with the other brothers to buy food in Egypt - such was the extent of his grief over Joseph's apparent death.

When Jacob finally permitted Benjamin to go, they returned with the news, "Joseph is alive! In fact he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned in disbelief. "But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived: 'I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.'"

Not a comfortable prospect when you're 130 years old, but blood was thicker and stronger than comfort and convenience and the toll of decades of sadness rolled steeply away. It meant everything to Jacob to know that his son Joseph, eldest son of his most dear wife Rachel, still belonged to their unique family.

How like our loving God to weave into His greater plans for Israel this small-scale family reunion – and how beautiful a picture it presents of Israel’s drawing near and eventual reuniting with their ‘Brother’, Yeshua.

Author: Sally Bolton

Torah portion: Genesis 41:1-44:17

In Zechariah 3:1-4 we read of High Priest Joshua, back from exile, standing before the Angel of the Lord (Yeshua/Jesus) with the Accuser (satan) standing at Joshua’s right to accuse him. But apparently before this can happen, Yeshua calls upon God the Father to rebuke satan. Joshua was indeed “a burning stick snatched from the fire”. Matthew Henry in his commentary deduces that the fire was Babylon from which Joshua had literally been delivered. Joshua, High Priest, carrying all the sin of the remnant of Israel returning from Babylon, was covered with dung / animal filth / excrement.

But Yeshua has the authority and chose to use it to have Joshua’s filthy garments of sin removed, to take away his guilt and to Himself dress Joshua in fine robes with a turban (endorsing Joshua’s office).

Joseph: A Similar Picture

I see a similar picture in this week’s Torah portion. In Genesis 41:14 Pharaoh summoned Joseph out of the dungeon. That he had to shave and change his clothes tells us that Joseph was in no state to stand before a king. From our vantage point we can see that the survival of all Israel rested upon how Joseph would act at this pivotal moment.

Where satan was ready to accuse Joshua in Zechariah, Pharaoh threw down the gauntlet to Joseph: “You’re a dream interpreter? Do it!” If Joseph got this wrong, Israel would be doomed. But Joseph got it right! He very clearly and deliberately called God into the situation: “It is not me but God will give Pharaoh an answer…” (v16).

In v25-32 Joseph continued, “God has told Pharaoh what He is about to do…God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do…because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will shortly cause it to happen”.

Pharaoh accepted God’s interpretation of the dreams and then like the Angel of the Lord in Zechariah, using his authority, placed his signet ring on Joseph’s hand (endorsing Joseph’s office), and had him clothed in fine linen with a gold chain around his neck (v42).

In these accounts, both Joshua and Joseph were lifted out of a place from where they had been badly soiled, to a place of responsibility where the survival of both themselves and Israel was on the line. And in both instances it was God who chose and saved!

Jesus: The Branch

These are vivid pictures of God’s ultimate act of redemption through Yeshua. Continuing Zechariah’s vision in 2:8, God the Father went on to tell Joshua that He would send his servant, ‘The Branch’, who would remove the guilt of His land (Israel) in one day. We now know that Yeshua is The Branch. He came and took on Himself the sins of all of us who put our trust in Him.

In Romans 5:6 Paul says, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, the Messiah died on behalf of ungodly people”. That includes you and me. But so what? You will likely know the saying “He’s come up smelling o’ roses”. My point is that if God hadn’t chosen and shown me mercy, I would have remained to this day in a life covered with dung, just as in Zechariah’s vision of Joshua.

As the passage goes on in v9: “therefore, since we have come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God’s judgment”!
Like Joseph and Joshua, I have been exonerated, given a new set of clothes. I am, and will be, one of the “huge crowd…standing in front of the throne and in front of the lamb, dressed in white robes…” (Rev 7:9).

There is a rider to these thoughts. Joseph was given a job to prepare for saving many through the coming famine. Joshua was given a job bringing Israel back to the ways of God (Zech 3:7). You and I have also been given jobs, each unique, but all bound up in Yeshua’s Great Commission at the end Matthew 28. Let us each continue daily to seek and do that which God has given us, so that one day we might hear from Him “Well done good and faithful servant!”

Author: John Quinlan