____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ July 23, 1995 ____________________________________________________ Prophecies Concerning the Nations by Wayne S. Walker The prophecies of the Old Testament, written hundreds of years in advance of the events foretold, containing details that would be far beyond the scope of mere human speculation, yet fulfilled in minute detail, constitute one of the strongest proofs of the inspiration of the Bible. Only a divine hand could account for such amazing predictive ability. In fact, God Himself declared that such evidence was a proof of His superiority over mere men and idol gods. Our last article in this series looked at prophecy as it related to the nation of Israel. In this article, we want to begin consideration of some prophecies concerning the nations. God said to Israel, ```For I am with you,' says the LORD, `to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished'' (Jeremiah 30:11). The Jews, though punished, still exist as a people. But the other nations no longer exist. One example is Egypt. Egypt was the oldest, earliest civilized, and longest-lived of the ancient empires in the near and middle east. The remnants of its glory can still be seen in the sphinx, the pyramids, and the ruins of its temples. Yet in Ezekiel 29:2 God said, ``Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.'' One of these prophecies against Egypt was that ``the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste'' (Ezekiel 29:9ff). Ancient Egypt was reputed to be a very lush land. But over the years, the Nile River channel has not been kept up and there has been a change in the rainfall patterns. As a result, the water no longer carries as much silt to fertilize the land nor fish for food. Salt water now backs up in the delta and only a narrow strip of land on either side of the Nile is now arable. Thus, the land is far less productive than in former days. Another such prophecy of Egypt was, ``It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never against exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over nations anymore'' (Ezekiel 25:15). The ancient Egyptian empire as it existed in Bible days is no more. Yes, there is a political entity today known as Egypt. But it does not rule over nations as it did in former times. It is not even made up of ethnic Egyptians but of Arabs. The people who made ancient Egypt a world power ceased to exist as a race. One final prophecy about Egypt that we shall note is found in Ezekiel 30:13 where God said, ''...I will also destroy the idols, and cause the images to cease from Noph; there shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt....'' This prophesies the end of rule by the Pharaohs. In 720 B.C. Egypt was conquered by Sargon of Assyria. Following this, it was ruled by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Macedonians. The Ptolemies did create an independent Egypt for a time, but since 30 B.C., it has been controlled by Romans, Arabs, Turks, French, and English. And again, the country of Egypt today has none of the splendor and majesty of the ancient Pharaohs. Everything that the Bible says would happen to Egypt has occurred. -- Via With All Boldness, June 1995 ___________________________________________ "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21). ___________________________________________ Facts You Can't FAX!!! by William C. "Bill" Sexton My thinker was activated on a recent Wednesday morning as I read Ellen Goodman's column entitled ``Busiest post-modern families may be the most prone to tradition binge.'' Her electronic and computer imagery grabbed me. This writer told of her experience of being in San Francisco, away from her Boston home, on a radio show, with one speaking of the ``new intimacy of InterNet.'' She said it is ``hard to bring dinner to Mom by modem.'' She went on to speak of links we have in the computer world, some of which makes it possible to do so many things, make connections from a distance. Yet often they keep us from our families. This should be a matter of concern. (1 John 2:15-17) Modem and Fax machines make it possible for us to send nearly anything around the world in seconds or at the most in minutes. Yet, there are so many things that we can't do with modern technology--such as touch someone with the key-board, prepare a Thanksgiving dinner and fax it to members of the family in their different settings. Man still needs personal contact with people that can't be accomplished with modem technology--it can and does help in many ways, but there is a need to manage our resources, time, talent, abilities, etc., so as to spend time with people! Our families in particular. I have had no experience with the modem and fax--although I have had one of each for over two years, as an internal part of my computer. I have never learned to use them. The booklet that came with them surely was not written to be understood by an amateur such as I. I've tried a few times, stopped in frustration, failing each time, so I leave them there--unused! Some day perhaps I'll grow up in this respect. How good it is to be able to place a document in a machine in Kansas City and have it reproduced almost instantly in Atlanta or Chicago--that's a fax. But send a rose to mother or the wife, that can't be done--except have some one on the other end deliver such, which may be just as good. However, touch, presence, intimacy is lacking in all such equipment. Problem? Solution? The Fact is that our families grow and spread to distant places, leaving vacuums--the need to get together and embrace each other, touch and manifest LOVE and appreciation--of each other rather than things. In our day with all the opportunities available, we may be very lonely. At the holiday season, strange as it may appear, is the time when more people choose to take their own lives than any other. Why? The sense of needing togetherness and yet failure to accomplish that goal. Paul points to the comfort that can only come from people. Learn a lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5:11: ``Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you are also doing.'' Beloved, let us see the need to have personal contact with our family members, neighbors in our community, brethren in the congregation of which we are members. Let us show our concern by taking the time to visit, study, and, persuade and exhort each other to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Via With All Boldness, June 1995 ___________________________________________ Getting INTO Christ by Tom Edwards A while back a person named Roger, on a computer bulletin board, asked me, "How do we get 'into' the body of Christ?" Since all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3), and in Christ there is ``no condemnation'' (Rom. 8:1), this is certainly an important question. The Bible shows that one enters the body of Christ (which is the church, Eph. 1:22,23) the same way one enters Christ, and that is by the combination of faith (Jn. 8:24), repentance (Acts 17:30), confession of faith in Christ (Acts 8:36,37), and water baptism for the remission of sins (Gal. 3:26,27; Acts 2:38). Water baptism is the last step that puts one ``into Christ''; and, thus, into the body of Christ (the church). As Paul states in Galatians 3:26,27: ``For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.'' Notice the connection between faith and baptism, and compare this to Jesus' statement in Mark 16:16: ``He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved....'' Faith and baptism, along with repentance and confession of faith, puts one INTO Christ. ___________________________________________ We Must Be Careful by U. L. Bruce 1. In the pulpit, lest we start preaching what the people want to hear rather than what God wants said. Gal. 1:10; 2 Tim. 4:1-4. 2. In the pew, lest we be influenced by personality and charm (or lack of it) rather than the word of God. John 8:32. 3. When we present a funeral address, lest while wanting to say something good, we leave the impression somebody is going to heaven apart from faithful service in the Lord's vineyard. Rev. 2:10 4. While living in the world, lest we become so friendly with and attached to the world that we become an enemy of God. Jas. 4:4. 5. In assessing our values, lest we find ourselves calling evil good, and good evil, and putting darkness for light and light for darkness; and putting bitterness for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isa. 5:20. 6. In our evaluation of character, lest we place the hypocrite for the godly and treat the godly as if they were defiled in some way. Matt. 23:29-33. 7. In our ``making a living'' and ``educating our children,'' lest we start trying to gain the world and consequently lose our soul. Matt. 16:26. 8. As a congregation, lest we be regulated and influenced by what we as members like or dislike rather than what is written in the word of God. 2 Tim. 3:16,17. 9. As parents, lest while showering our children with love, affection and attention, we don't condition them to shower us and society with problems that not only will break our hearts but will cause them to lose their souls. Eph. 6:1-6. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________