It
is almost twenty years since Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in a
tunnel in France. It was the 31st August 1997 and her funeral at
Westminster Abbey was on the 9th September 1997. During that period of
time the Nation was in a state of shock and needed a spiritual voice to be
heard that would guide people to have faith in God but it was not heard!
Expressions
of grief were displayed by the million plus bouquets of flowers placed at the
gates of Kensington Palace and Althorp House which stacked to over five feet high.
The
recent terrorist atrocities in London and Manchester have brought about the
same state of shock to our Nation and the World. If ever a voice was needed to direct the
Nation back to God it is now. In the fifties and sixties the voice of Billy
Graham brought the Gospel to the major cities in the U.K. and hundreds
responded and were born again. At the same time pop groups presented an
alternative way of life upon which the drug culture flourished. Before we were
converted in 1957, my wife and I heard Billy Graham preach at Stamford Bridge,
the home of Chelsea F.C. We did not go to hear the preacher but to watch the
football. What he said during the half time interval had no effect on us.
Another voice would be used by God at a later date in an R.A.F. billet, this
voice brought the truth of God to my heart and mind and the salvation of my soul was
experienced.
There
are three particular voices in the Bible that I want to bring to your
attention.
1 The voice of John the Baptist,
2 The voice of the Son of God,
3 The voice of a multitude in Heaven.
1 The voice of John the Baptist.
Matthew ch. 3 begins “In those days came
John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye:
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the
prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way of the Lord, make his paths straight .” John the Baptist was the voice that Isaiah
prophesied in Isaiah 40 that Messiah would come and that there would be a voice
heard to prepare the way for Him. John’s message warned of the brevity of life
when he said “All flesh is as grass”, bringing people to think about God and eternity. He preached at the Jordan that men and women should repent of their
sin and prepare to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, who was at hand. John’s
message carried a similar content to present day evangelist’s message, who
preach that men and women should repent and believe the gospel. The Lord Jesus
Christ will soon return to earth to establish His Kingdom, but before that He
will return to the air to take the Church to Heaven. Therefore like John, we say “Prepare ye the way of the
Lord.”The Lord is coming, are you ready my reader to meet Him? Have you
repented of your sin?
2 The voice of the Son of God
The Son of God said in John chapter 5 verse 25,`“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have
life in himself; And hath given him
authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” Jesus spoke in
these verses of two different times and two different conditions of death. He
said “The
hour is coming, and now is”, indicating that people born in Adam are
dead in trespasses and sin, and they are spiritually dead. The gospel is
preached throughout the world and they that hear and believe are born again.
The spiritually dead are quickened, made spiritually alive at that point of
believing and receiving Christ into their life.
The second period of time has not yet
arrived and this will involve all the physically dead who will be raised either
to be with Christ or to be banished in Hell.
3 The voice of a multitude in Heaven
The believers in Heaven are heard
with one voice, Revelation chapter 19 verse 1 says, “And after these things I heard a great
voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour,
and power, unto the Lord our God.” This is the real ‘alleluia chorus’,
the word appears four times in six verses, prior to the Marriage of the Lamb to
His bride which is the Church of God. Notice in the text that this is the voice
of much people, singing as they have never sung before, singing in unity,
singing with one voice. Can I ask you, will your voice be with that great
company in Heaven?
Written by a Guest Blogger for FTMP
No comments
Post a Comment