Biblical Truth and Discipleship
Tragedies such as both World Wars, the Great Plague of the 14th century, the great Irish Famine, the Indonesian tsunami of 2004, the 911 attack, and Covid 19 brought people to their knees in grief. Many of these calamities reminded people that mankind is not in control of natural disasters and therefore hope can only be found in a power greater than man's ingenuity and capabilities.
John Owen observed that Christians were well aware of why sin was to be resisted, but they were not properly instructed in how to resist it. His response was to write a type of guidebook for Christians to use in their struggles against sin---"The Mortification of Sin."
Every person finds the concept of heaven fascinating, whether they are believers or not. The idea of an afterlife is found in most of the religious beliefs of the world. It is as if the concept of a blissful afterlife is hard wired in humans. I believe it is because the perception of heaven, or an afterlife of eternal bliss has been placed in the spirit of mankind as a means to offer hope in a harsh and chaotic world.
Just like the visions of Zechariah, the visions of Ezekiel provide a glimpse behind the veil that separates the physical world and the spiritual world. These visions often presented physical images of spiritual realities that the prophets struggled to explain.
In this exposition of the first of Zechariah's Night Visions, the reader and bible student is presented with a teaching on the interpretation of prophetic visions. It was demonstrated that deep study and research can yield great rewards. Aspects that are not apparent in a casual reading of the material are discovered through this type of study. This leads to greater insight into the riches of the Word of God which brings wisdom to the believer.
The book of Zechariah begins with a rebuke from God to the Israelites for having deserted Him and engaging in evil deeds. God calls on the people to return to Him through repentance so that He can return to them. The Lord works through the prophet Zechariah by delivering eight visions which reveal messages that are to be given to the people for their encouragement.
This segment of the Reading the Bible series will focus on the use of visions and dreams by God as an instrument of divine revelation. The books of the prophets contain many of these visions which they received from God and recorded them as they were instructed by the angelic messengers.
The Gospels are the collected works of four of the Apostles, who as eyewitnesses to the events surrounding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, recorded them as evidence of their truthfulness.
Hosea 4:6 Teaching Ministry 