Who will “fear and tremble”? What will be the cause?  We follow on from yesterday’s thoughts and read and reflect on the remarkable latter day prophecy given to Jeremiah while he is “shut up in the court of the guard” [33 v.1]   His situation was a real trial of his faith – and we should ponder what kind of desperate situations we might experience in the “time of trouble, such as there has never been … But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” [Dan. 12 v.1] 

How long before this time?  God has not provided a calendar, but he has provided signs! Israel regathered and turmoil in and around the Holy land! The verses at the end of Daniel 11 are but one place where the signs are described..   Jesus said, “for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” [Matt 24 v.22] 

About his people, now in terrible trouble, Jeremiah is told, “I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security, I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel … and this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.” [ v.6,7,9] 

God then tells Jeremiah, “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness … Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called, ‘The LORD is our righteousness.” [v.15,16]  Imagine the feelings of the prophet as he, in his anxieties over all that is happening, and his personal situation, receives this divine message. 

Now switch the perspective to the 21st Century and the potential, before Christ comes when  “they shall fear and tremble…” [v.9] but while those who do not know God’s word will do so out of great anxiety, those who do know – and most surely believe his word, shall, says the Lord to Jeremiah, “fear and tremble because of all the prosperity I provide … there shall be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride …” [v.10]   Let us make sure we are part of the bride; meditate on Rev. 19 v. 7-9.

In the end there can be no half measures in truly believing, and, as a result, having a daily relationship with our Saviour.  The completion of this relationship leads us to more and more fully sense the wonder of the Creator of all things – and the unlimited nature of those “all things.”

In 1st Kings today we read one of the longest chapters in the Bible: it describes the awesome glory of the Temple in which just about everything was overlaid with gold.  Solomon had just completed it and we read his words of benediction.  First he offers an emotional prayer to God, “that all the peoples of the earth may know your name” [ch. 8 v.43] When he finishes his prayer “he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, ‘Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel …” [v.56] and we ponder how even greater, far greater, must be the blessing and the joy, and the greater “rest” when, as we will read on Friday, Jesus the greatest king of all opens “the house of prayer for all nations” [Mark 11 v.17]

Solomon brings his benediction to a climax with a petition to the Lord “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other” and then utters the even more significant words, “Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”   [v.61]

            Human nature is such that the challenge to be “wholly true to the LORD” is only accomplished when we have a real living relationship with Him and his Son, and how thought provoking is our chapter in Mark in showing us how the disciples failed to be fully committed, despite constantly witnessing remarkable miracles and hearing his teaching..  

Jesus said to them, “Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?  And do you not remember? ….Do you not yet understand?” [8 v.18,21] And for ourselves, having eyes, do we not read, and having brains, do we not yet understand?  Let us apply our God-given intellect ever more diligently to what we read and then make sure we meditate upon it.  A true blessing for us – every day – only by this means will we be “wholly true to the Lord”  

A @Christadelphians Video: Video Summary Description: Nowhere does the Bible teach gender as a choice, but something you are born with. Men are not better than women, nor women better than men. Men and women have equal value in God’s eyes. This address is a strong motivation to read the Bible for yourself instead of relying on other people’s interpretation.

In this **thought-provoking** and **insightful** presentation, Bible scholar Stephen Palmer delivers an **outstanding** and **revealing** exposition on what Scripture truly teaches about gender, sex, and the divine purpose for men and women. We explore how the Bible has been **falsely accused** of justifying oppression, when in reality it provides a **wonderful foundation** for marriage, family, and mutual respect.

Starting from the creation account in Genesis, we discover that God’s plan from the very beginning was to create **male and female in His image**—both equally bearing His likeness. The Bible reveals that men and women are **biologically binary** and designed for complementary roles that reflect profound spiritual truths.

This presentation powerfully addresses contemporary cultural debates while remaining firmly grounded in **Scriptural authority**. We examine how Jesus Himself elevated the status of women, rejecting the chauvinism of His day, and how the Apostle Paul teaches that **in Christ there is neither male nor female** when it comes to salvation.

The **beautiful truth** emerges that marriage itself is a “great mystery” pointing to the relationship between Christ and His church. Far from being a relic of patriarchal oppression, the Bible’s teaching on gender offers a **liberating vision** of equality, dignity, and purpose for all humanity.

00:00 – Introduction: Why Study Gender?**

04:17 – Foundation Principles: God’s Word as Our Guide**

07:24 – Creation in Genesis 1: Male and Female in God’s Image**

14:00 – The Fertility Crisis and God’s Purpose**

17:39 – The Chiastic Structure of Genesis 5**

20:26 – Galatians 3: Equality in Salvation**

24:22 – Genesis 2: The Creation of Woman**

30:03 – Jesus on Marriage and Divorce**

34:21 – Ephesians 5:

42:06 – Conclusion:

Bible Teaching About Gender with Bible scholar and author Stephen Palmer

Renowned author and Bible scholar **Jonathan Bowen** takes you on an urgent, verse-by-verse journey through Scripture’s most dramatic prophecies. With the world’s geopolitical landscape shifting rapidly, this isn’t just another Bible study—it’s a wake-up call.

Jonathan Bowen masterfully connects the dots between ancient prophecy and today’s headlines, answering the critical question: **What does the “Day of the Law” mean for you, and how should we be living now?**

Whether you are a seasoned student of prophecy or new to Bible study, these deep-dive presentations will challenge your understanding and ignite your hope in God’s unfolding plan.

** In this series, you will discover:**
– The prophetic significance of the “Day of the Law” and its fulfilment in our time.
– How current events in the Middle East and global politics are aligning with biblical predictions.
– The vital role of God’s law in the coming Kingdom.
– Practical wisdom on how to stand firm and faithful in a world on the brink of change.

**Don’t just watch the news—understand the prophecy!**

Jerusalem is under siege, all the messages the LORD caused Jeremiah to prophecy about the city are now starting to happen.  The prophet is surprised by being told to buy his uncle’s field, “for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” [ch. 32 v.7]  He does so and a “deed of purchase” is signed.  He is told to “put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time. For thus says the LORD of hosts … Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”   [v.14,15]

Jeremiah is a man of faith, he seeks to understand; we can conceive of him meditating, he writes, “I prayed to the LORD saying, “Ah, Lord GOD!  It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm!  Nothing is too hard for you.  You show steadfast love to thousands … O great and mighty God … great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.” [v.17-19].   We note and ponder the point the LORD is making, he is looking to see what “fruit” the ways of his people produce!  What “fruit” do our ways produce?

What does God see in Jeremiah’s day?  The Lord says, “And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction.” [v.33]   Today we can say, very few have diligently read God’s word so as to receive instruction – and the world is full of ‘bad fruit’ as a result.  

How greatly was the Bible appreciated when it was first available for everyone to read – but there is little appreciation today!  Our world faces God’s anger and his acts of judgement, just as Jerusalem faced it in the days of Jeremiah.  Let us read and listen, and then, as with the few who did listen in the prophet’s days, God says, “I will rejoice in doing them good” [v.41] What a wonder the divine rejoicing will be!  May we be there to share in it and know ‘the joy that knows no ending.’ 

Today’s chapter in Jeremiah [Jeremiah 31] provides us with a sequel to yesterday’s thoughts about God’s reaction to the time when the all nations, at the climax of human history, regard Israel as “outcasts … for whom no one cares” It is of the highest interest because of the attitudes today more and more fit this picture.

     Today’s chapter follows on from the final verse of Jeremiah 30, “The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this. “At that time“, declares the LORD. I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” [Jeremiah 30:24; 31:1  they are consecutive verses]

     Jeremiah 31:7 reads, “… raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.” The meaning is not totally clear, but it implies there is a time when leading nations learn the reality of God’s existence “and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth” [Jeremiah 31:8]. We know that half of the Jews still live in other lands, also, that the land promised to Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, is a great deal more than Israel possesses at present.

     This spirit is totally opposite to what many nations, especially the Islamic, are saying today. As we read on, these words jumped out at us (among a number of others). “Behold the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (all 12 tribes) … this is the covenant I will make … after those days, declares the LORD, I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they shall be my people.” [Jeremiah 31:31-33]

     This climax of human history also brings the return of Jesus to earth and the resurrection. These events are the trigger for these verses to be fulfilled.

A @Christadelphians Video: # YouTube Summary/Description**[Actual, provable Bible Truth]** In a world that celebrates what Scripture clearly defines as sin, we must stand firm on God's Word. This thought-provoking and insightful presentation tackles the difficult subject of LGBTQ+ issues from a thoroughly biblical perspective, examining what the Old and New Testaments actually say about homosexuality, identity, and God's design for humanity.Join us for this outstanding expositional study as we blow the trumpet and sound the warning that our community desperately needs to hear. Drawing from the Law, the Prophets, and the Apostles, we present a clear, compassionate, and uncompromising look at what God thinks about these matters—not what the world thinks, not what we think, but what the Father has revealed in His Word.This wonderful presentation offers hope through the powerful truth that **such were some of you**—but you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Change is possible. Overcomers are made through faith.## 📖 Chapters00:00 - Introduction: The Watchman's Call00:43 - A Clear and Present Danger01:12 - Sounding the Trumpet (Ezekiel 33)02:51 - Perilous Times (2 Timothy 3)03:57 - Calling Evil Good (Isaiah 5)04:37 - Seeking God's Thoughts (Isaiah 55)05:43 - Paul in Corinth: A Difficult Mission06:44 - Reproving Darkness (Ephesians 5)08:09 - The Counsel of God (Acts 20)09:22 - The Law: Leviticus 18 & 2010:27 - New Testament Clarity (1 Corinthians 6)11:48 - Romans 1: The Exchange14:28 - The Depraved Passions15:46 - Leaving the Natural Use16:36 - The Reprobate Mind17:40 - Sodom and Gomorrah: The Example19:39 - Refuting the "Pride Only" Argument21:40 - The Principle of Witnesses23:45 - Multiple Witnesses Established24:15 - Jude's Testimony27:14 - The Physical Testimony of Sodom28:14 - Filthy Dreamers29:22 - The Natural Man Cannot Understand31:09 - Peter's Warning (2 Peter 2)34:33 - Peter's Message of Hope35:26 - The Ecclesial Danger37:29 - Refuting "Born That Way"38:03 - The Heart's Deceitfulness (Jeremiah 17)39:47 - What Defiles a Man (Mark 7)40:21 - James on Temptation41:40 - The "Wired That Way" Argument42:50 - God's Design: Male and Female43:40 - Psalm 139: God's Handiwork44:42 - The Potter and the Clay (Romans 9)45:45 - The "Two-Spirits" Concept Refuted46:34 - Biblical Biology: Body + Breath = Soul49:38 - Such Were Some of You (1 Corinthians 6)50:26 - A Message of Hope52:12 - Repentance: A U-Turn53:00 - Putting to Death the Flesh (Colossians 3)54:55 - To Him That Overcomes (Revelation 2-3)55:40 - Overcoming Through Faith (1 John 5)58:14 - The Spies: Caleb's Faith vs. Fear59:43 - Pulling Down Strongholds (2 Corinthians 10)01:00:40 - Greater Is He That Is in You01:01:18 - Present Your Bodies a Living Sacrifice01:02:20 - Able to Keep You from Falling (Jude)01:03:42 - Conclusion## 📖 Bible Verse Categories📖 Leviticus 18:22; 20:13📖 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 14:37📖 Romans 1:17-32📖 Genesis 18:20-21; 19:4-5📖 Ezekiel 16:49-50📖 Jude 1:7📖 2 Peter 2:1-22📖 James 1:13-15📖 1 John 2:15-17; 5:4📖 Revelation 2-3 (Overcomers)📖 Colossians 3:5-14## TagsBible study, biblical truth, Christadelphian, Jonathan Bowen, LGBTQ and the Bible, homosexuality and Christianity, Bible Standard, sound doctrine, watchman, prophetic warning, such were some of you, biblical exposition, in-depth Bible study, scripture analysis, Christian teaching, biblical identity, faith, overcoming sin, repentance, Gospel hope, Christian communityWe are a Christadelphian team, Brothers and sisters of Christ, and we're passionate about delivering powerful, Scripture-based content to strengthen and inspire your faith journey. If this presentation resonated with you, help spread the encouragement—share it with a friend today!

All 3 readings today are very thought provoking. First, in 1 Kings 3 we have Solomon’s choice of wisdom when the LORD appears to him and says, “Ask, what I shall give you” [1 Kings 3:5] and he responds, “Give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people” [1 Kings 3:9] and the LORD gives him that and more. What mind will those in the kingdom be given?
         Then in Mark 4 we have a succession of parables by Jesus beginning with that of the sower together with an explanation of its meaning. How applicable to today is the kind of soil the seed falls into – the soil where “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word” [Mark 4:19]          And then in Jeremiah 30 we read some really fascinating long term prophecies which climax in the last verse with, “in the latter days you will understand this.” Jeremiah is told, “Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land, that I gave to their fathers’ they shall take possession of it.”[Jeremiah 30:2-3]        Then the LORD says, “We have heard a cry of panic, of terror and no peace … Why has every face turned pale? Alas! that day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.” [Jeremiah 30:5-7] Israel was not saved out of trouble in the days of Jeremiah, nor after they rejected their Messiah and put him to death, but we live “in the latter days” and those who truly fear God and understand “the intentions of his mind” should be in the process of gaining that inner strength of true faith so they possess a face that does not “turn pale”.
      The time is coming when Jacob (Israel) will at last have “quiet and ease none will make him afraid” [Jeremiah 30:10] And those who truly know God’s word will have the same experience for the kingdom will be established.

Today we read of David’s final words of advice to his successor – Solomon. Two weeks ago we read of Solomon in his youth “and the LORD loved him” from his birth [2 Sam 12 v.24]. Today we particularly noted David’s parting words to him, “Be strong, and show yourself a man. and keep the charge of the LORD, your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes his commandments … that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn” [1 Kings 2 v.2,3] 

      David’s words are ideal for all human beings to take to heart.  It does not mean strong in a physical sense, but strong in attitudes of mind and belief and service to God. Let us keep in mind what we read recently in Romans about Abraham. “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” [Ch.4 v.20,21]. 

        David had originally set many examples of living and acting with a strong faith; this is an attitude of mind that constantly has the vision to see God is in overall control.

        Solomon would not have experienced his father at his spiritual best. The phrase “and the LORD loved him”  surely reflects the relationship he developed with God, a foundation for all the proverbs he was to write.   In recognising this let us give the highest priority to developing our own relationship with God, our relationship cannot be second-hand, we must pray for his oversight of our lives remembering that “whatever is not of faith is sin” [Romans 14 v.23]. 

  We will read tomorrow (Mark 4) of the seed that is scattered, it either produces more seed that germinates to produce a valuable plant –  or it doesn’t, there is no third option. Thus those who develop a genuine faith in God and his oversight in their lives will win through whenever life for a time become difficult, and it  maybe become very difficult in coming years, even months.. 

    While there is opportunity we must be strong and live in the right spirit.  Jesus was still looking for workers in his vineyard at “the eleventh hour”[Matt. 20 v.6]   WE are now living in the eleventh hour so let us live so that we may prosper wherever we turn in our life and our relationship with our Lord! 

Today we began reading the Gospel of Mark.  It begins with an account of the preaching of John the Baptist in fulfilment of the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way…” [v.2]  Although John did no miracles, “all the country of Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him and being baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” [v.5]  He was achieving a remarkable impact for we read in Acts how Paul encountered those baptised by John as far away as Ephesus (see Acts 18 v.25; 19 v.3) 

Mark tells us, Jesus began to preach “proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.” [v.14,15]  The king of the Kingdom was “at hand” and the gospel he taught was about the heavenly kingdom to come on earth [Matt. 5 v.5]  Beginning with John it was a renewal of God’s message after about 400 years of silence since the prophet Malachi.  When Jesus said, “the time is fulfilled” it was the time period of 70 weeks (70 x 7) prophesied through Daniel (9 v.24). Many knew this time was just about completed and “the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the (Messiah) Christ”  [Luke 3 v.15]

There have been many attempts in earlier generations to understand the other time periods Daniel details; there was considerable anticipation more than 150 years ago that his return was imminent, but Jesus told his disciples just before he ascended to heaven, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” [Acts 1 v.7]  

The main clue we have been given is in Luke 21 v.24 that Jerusalem would cease to “be trampled underfoot” by non-Jews and at that time it should be understood “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”  At that time, said Jesus, there will be “distress of nations in perplexity … people fainting with fear and foreboding at what is coming on the world” [v.25,26]  There  are the strongest reasons to believe that today “the time is fulfilled”  so let us do what Jesus told true believers to do, “… when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”