Fascinating times to the Bible reader

Recent times have been fascinating to the Bible reader. Wherever we look we see turbulence and unrest, and genuine concern among the public who wonder how things will turn out. Extensive street protests in Hong Kong have led to concerns the Chinese government may become more involved. The US president is facing a drive to impeachment from his Democrat rivals. In Israel a second inconclusive election leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vulnerable. And among all this the UK government, Parliament and the EU are all at odds over Brexit, with a deadline of October 31 just three weeks away from the publication of the October issue, but now postponed to 31 January 2020. It is comforting to know that in all this unrest our God reigns. It is He who is in charge in the kingdom of men and all things are working out according to His timetable and plan. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1, NKJV). Knowing this to be so we can rest assured that at some stage the Almighty will intervene in the most dramatic way by sending His Son to reign from Mount Zion. What a wonderful prospect and what a blessing to “seek first the kingdom of God”.

As always, all our plans and endeavours are intended for the glory of Almighty God and are subject to His blessing. All those facets are being looked at in the new issue of the Christadelphian Magazine. In the community section a report on the successful Southport campaign might encourage ecclesias low on manpower but still eager to preach to consider holding a campaign. In Israel and their Land some interesting statistics about the Israeli economy indicate why it is fast becoming an attractive spoil. In ‘Exposition’ we continue the series on Elijah and analyse the problematic phrase “the kingdom of God suffers violence”. In the practical section the first article (of two) considers the role of sisters in today’s ecclesial world. And this month there is a bumper correspondence section with five pages of letters. News from ecclesias and organisations around our worldwide community remind us how blessed we are to belong to the name of Christ and the household of God.