The Four Horsemen and You -Conclusion of THE RIDER OF THE WHITE HORSE

When did the horsemen begin their ride? Note that the first rider, Jesus begins his ride when he receives a crown.  (Revelation 6:2) When was Jesus crowned as King in heaven?  It was when he returned to heaven after his death.  The Bible shows that a period of waiting began back then.  (Hebrews  10:12, 13) Jesus gave his followers a means of recognizing the end of that waiting period and the beginning of his reign in heaven.  He said that at the beginning of his rule, world conditions would take a decisive turn for the worse.  There would be warfare,food shortages, and pestilences.  (Matthew 24:3, 7; Luke 21:10:11) Soon after World War I broke out in 1914, it became apparent that mankind had entered that era, a troubled time on earth that the Bible calls "the last days." -2 Timothy 3:1-5. 

But why have we seen conditions that are worse, not better, since Jesus received his crown in 1914?  Because at that time, Jesus began ruling in heaven, not on earth.  War then broke out in heaven, and new installed King, Jesus referred to as Michael, cast Satan and his demons to the earth.  (Revelation 12:7-9, 12) Confined here, Satan has been full of rage ever since, knowing that his days are numbered. Indeed, it will not be long before God will carry out his will against Satan  here on the earth. (Matthew 6:10)  Now, let us see how the other horsemen help to confirm that we are, in fact, living during the troubled "last days."  Unlike the first horsemen, who clearly pictures a specific individual, the three that follow represent global conditions that have swept across human society. 

Next time: The Four Horsemen and You -THE RIDER OF THE RED HORSE

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The Four Horsemen and You - THE RIDER OF THE WHITE HORSE

The vision begins this way:  "I saw, and look! a white horse, and the one seated on it had a bow; and a crown was given him, and he went  out conquering and to complete his conquest." -Revelation 6:2. 

Who is the rider of the white horse?  The key to his identity is found in the same Bible book, Revelation, which later identifies this heavenly rider as "The Word of God." (Revelation 19:11-13) That title, The Word, belongs to Jesus Christ, for he acts as God's spokesman.  (John 1:1, 14) In addition, he is called "King of kings and Lord of lords" and is described and True."  (Revelation 19:16)  Clearly, he has authority to act as warrior-king, and he does not wield his power in any corrupt or abusive way. Yet, some questions arise.

Who gives Jesus the authority to conquer? (Revelation 6:2) The prophet Daniel saw a vision in which the Messiah, likened to "a son of man," was given "rulership, honor,and a kingdom" by none other than "the Ancient of Days," Jehovah God. (Daniel 7:13, 14)  Thus, it is Almighty God who grants Jesus the power and right to rule and execute judgment.  The white horse is an appropriate symbol for warfare justly carried out by God's Son, for the Scriptures  often use the color white to symbolize righteousness. -Revelation 3:4; 7:9, 13, 14. 

Next time: Continue with THE RIDER OF THE WHITE HORSE

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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and You/The Four Horsemen and You

They burst forth, hooves thundering!  The four  mighty horses and their riders made a picture so vivid that it almost seems to leap from the pages of the Bible!  The first horse is white-its rider a glorious, newly crowned king. Behind him comes a horse the color of fire, bearing a rider who takes peace away from all earth. There follows a third horse, black as midnight, carrying a rider who holds aloft a pair of scales as a doleful message is proclaimed about a lack of foodstuffs.  The fourth horse is a sickly  pale color, a harbinger of disease and other lethal threats,ridden by Death itself. And the Grave, the common grave of mankind, follows closely, reaping a terrible harvest of lives!n -Revelation 6:1-8.

"I was scared the first time I read about the four horsemen. I felt that Judgment day was coming and that since I was not ready, I would not survive." -Crystal.

"I was fascinated the first time I read about the four distinctive riders on different-colored horses. Once i understood what the vision meant, It all made sense." -Ed.

Can you identify with the way Crystal felt about the four horsemen of the Apocalypse?  Or do you feel the way Ed did?  In either case, the epic ride of those four horsemen forms one of the best-known scenes in Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Did you know that you can benefit personally by understanding this vision?  How? God promises that you can find real happiness by reading, learning from, and living by the things written in that prophetic book. -Revelation 1:1-3.

While some are frightened by the vision of the four horsemen, it is not designed to scare you. In fact, millions have found that this vision strengthens their faith and even points them  to the hope of a bright future. It can mean the same for you!  Please read on.

The Four Horsemen -Who Are They?

The four horsemen may seem mysterious and terrifying, but that does not have to be the case. Why not? Because the Bible and the events of modern history helps us to identify clearly what each horsemen pictures. And although their ride has signaled calamity on earth, it can also mean good news for you and your family. How so, first, let us determine the identity of each horsemen. 

Next time: The Four Horsemen and You/ THE RIDER OF THE WHITE HORSE

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Conclusion of TEACH YOUR CHILDREN/What Can We Learn From a Criminal?

What do you think? Will Jesus be here on the earth with the criminal who was sorry for his sins? -No, Jesus will be in heaven ruling as King over the Paradise earth.  So Jesus will be with the criminal when he raises him from the dead and see that he is taken care of the Paradise on earth.  But why will Jesus  let a man who was a criminal live in Paradise? -Let's talk about this.

It is true that this criminal did very bad things. But so have billions of other people who have lived on earth.  Most of them, however, did bad things because they were never taught about Jehovah and what he wanted them to do.

So people like that, including the criminal Jesus spoke to on the stake,  will be resurrected to life in Paradise right here on earth. They will be taught what God's will is. Then they can prove that they love Jehovah.  

Do you know how they can prove that?

By doing what God wants them to do. How wonderful it will be then to live in Paradise and always be with people who love Jehovah and one another! 

Next time:The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and You/The Four Horsemen and You

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TEACH YOUR CHILDREN/What Can We Learn From a Criminal?

The criminal we can learn from is the one you see Jesus speaking to in the picture.  That criminal is sorry for his crimes. He asks Jesus:  "Remember me when you get into your kingdom."  Do you know what Jesus is saying to him?  -Jesus is promising him:  "Truly  I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise."

What do you think that Paradise will be like?  To make sure we get the right answer, let's talk about the Paradise that God made for the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.  Where was that Paradise?  Was it in heaven, or was it on earth?

 You are right if you say it was on earth. So when we think of the criminal being "in Paradise," we should think of him living right here on earth when it becomes a paradise.  What will that Paradise be like?  - Let's see.

After Jehovah God created the first human pair, Adam and Eve, the Bible says that he put them in a paradise right here on earth. It was called  "a garden in Eden." Can you imagine how beautiful the "garden in Eden" must have been? -Surely, it was a nicer and more beautiful place to live in that anyone today has ever seen? 

Next time: Conclusion of TEACH YOUR CHILDREN/What Can We Learn From a Criminal?

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Conclusion of ARCHAEOLOGY NECESSARY FOR FAITH? - A New "City"

Since the apostle Paul had the greatest respect for God's Law and the temple arrangement, his words obviously do not imply that these divine arrangements were to be looked down on.   (Acts 21:20-24)  Paul was so simply showing that the Christian arrangement was superior to the Jewish system.

No doubt Paul and other Jewish Christians of the first century had specific knowledge of many fascinating details  of the Jewish system of things.  And since archaeology opens windows to the past, some of those details  can  now be appreciated  by Christians. Yet, note  where Paul told the young man Timothy to focus his main attention:  "Ponder over these thing [having to do with the Christian congregation]; be absorbed  in them, that your advancement may be manifest to all persons." -1 Timothy 4:15.

Commendably, Biblical archaeology has expanded our understanding of the background of the Bible. Yet, Christians realize that their faith is dependent, not on evidence unearthed by men, but on God's Word, the Bible. -1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. 

Next time: TEACH YOUR CHILDREN/What Can We Learn From a Criminal?

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ARCHAEOLOGY NECESSARY FOR FAITH?

A New "City"

On Pentecost 33 C.E., the Jewish nations lost its favored position before God.  (Matthew 21:43) This made way for something much greater -a heavenly government that would bring blessings to all mankind.  (Matthew 10:7)  True to Jesus' prophecy, Jerusalem with its temple was destroyed in 70 C.E.  Archaeology supports the Bible's record of such an event. Yet, for Christians, faith is not dependent on whether ruins  of that ancient temple have been found. But this one is a different type of city.

In the year 96 C.E., the apostle John, who had heard Jesus' prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple and had lived to see its fulfillment, was given the following  vision:  "I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God."  A voice from the throne said:  "He will reside with [mankind], and they will be his peoples.  And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out ever tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning not outcry nor pain be anymore." -Revelation 21:2-4. 

This "city" is made up of faithful Christians who will serve as kings with Christ in heaven.  Together they form the heavenly government-God's Kingdom-that will rule over the earth, bringing the humans race back to perfection during the Millennium.  (Matthew 6:10; 2 Peter 3:13)  The first century Jewish Christians who were to be part of that group realized that nothing they had in the Jewish system of things could be compared with the privilege of ruling with Christ in heaven. 

The apostle Paul, writing of his former prominent position in Judaism, speaks for them all: "What things were gains to me, these I have considered loss on account of the Christ.  Why, for that matter, I do indeed also consider all things to be loss on account of the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." -Philippians 3:7, 8. 

Next time: Conclusion of ARCHAEOLOGY NECESSARY FOR FAITH? -A New "City"

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ARCHAEOLOGY NECESSARY FOR FAITH?

In 1873 the English clergyman Samuel Manning wrote concerning Jerusalem:  "Dawn by an irresistible attraction, pilgrims flock hither from the ends of the earth. The crumbling walls, the squalid filthy streets, the mouldering ruins, are regarded with a profound and reverential interest by millions of mankind, such as no other spot on earth can excite." 

THE Lure of the Holy Land has drawn people since at least the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine.  For some 1,500 years, pilgrims came and went, seeking a religious, personal contact with the Holy Land.  Yet, surprisingly, it was not until the early 19th century that scholars began accompanying these pilgrims, thus opening the era of Biblical archaeology-the study of the artifacts, peoples,  places, and languages of the ancient Holy Land. 

The findings of archaeologists have resulted in an increased understanding of many aspects of Bible times. Also, the archaeological record has often harmonized with Bible history.  But is such knowledge  necessary to a Christian's faith?  To answer, let us focus our attention on the site of many archaeological digs-the city of Jerusalem and its temple.

'A Stone Will Not Be Left Upon a Stone'

On the Jewish calendar date of Nisan 11, in the spring of 33 C.E., Jesus Christ, accompanied by some of his disciples, left the temple in Jerusalem for the last time. As they made their way to the Mount of Olives, one of the disciples said: "Teacher, see! what sort of stones and what sort of buildings!"-Mark 13:1.

These faithful Jews felt a deep love for God and his temple.  They were proud  of this magnificent complex of buildings and the 15 centuries of tradition they represented. Jesus' reply to his disciple was shocking:  "Do you behold these great buildings? By no means will a stone be left her upon a stone and not be thrown down." -Mark 13:2. 

Now, that the promised Messiah had arrived, how could God allow the destruction of his own temple? Only gradually, with the aid of his holy spirit, would Jesus' disciples fully grasp what he meant.  What, though, do Jesus' words have to do with Biblical archaeology?  

Next time: ARCHAEOLOGY NECESSARY FOR FAITH? 

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The Great Irish Famine An Epic of Death and Emigration -BY AWAKE! WRITER IN IRELAND

Disease and a Third Crop Failure After two successive failed potato crops and mass evictions, the decimate population had to contend with yet another savage blow. Disease!  Typhus, dysentery, and scurvy claimed more lives. Many of the survivors must have thought that things could not possibly get worse, but they were wrong. 

Encouraged by a successful crop in 1847, farmers trebled the acreage of potato planting in 1848.  Then came catastrophe! That summer proved to be very wet.  Blight struck once more.  The crop was lost for the third time in four seasons. Government agencies and charities were stretched to the breaking point. Even then, the worst was not over. In 1849 a cholera epidemic claimed the lives of a further 36,000. 

The Aftermath

The epidemic, however, marked a turning point.  The next potato crop was successful. Slowly, things turned improved.  The government enacted new laws that canceled all debts resulting from the famine.  The population begin to grow once more. Although the blight affected a few crops in the following years, there was again anything approaching the scale of the horrors that  accounted for the loss of over a quarter of Ireland's population during these tragic years of famine. 

Today, all over Ireland broken-down stone walls and ruined houses stand as a stark reminder of the harsh times that resulted in the wide-spread Irish diaspora.  In the United States alone, over 40 million can claim Irish descent. U.S. President John F.Kennedy as well as Henry Ford, inventor of the For motor car, were directly descended  from emigrants who sailed from Ireland on famine ships.  

The repeated failure of the potato crop was of course, a major factor in the sad story of death and emigration. Another important factor in this sad story was what the ancient Bible writer described as "man dominating man to his injury.' (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Thankfully, we are assured of God's Word, the Bible, that the Creator of the earth and all its produce will establish a paradisaic new world, bringing lasting peace and prosperity to all.  (2 Peter 3:13) Also, the ancient psalmist foretold:  "There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow." -Psalm 72:16. 

Next time: ARCHAEOLOGY NECESSARY FOR FAITH?

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The Great Irish Famine An Epic of Death and Emigration - BY AWAKE! WRITER IN IRELAND

Emigration En Masse

Emigration was not new. Since the beginning o the 18th century, there had been a steady trickle of emigrants from Ireland to Britain and America. After the winter  of 1845, the trickle became a torrent!  By 1850, 26 percent   of the residents of New York were Irish-there were more Irish-born citizens there than in Ireland's capital city, Dublin.

During the six years of the famine, five thousand ships mad the hazardous  3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic.Many of the ships were old. Some had previously  served as slave ships.  They only continued in service because of the emergency. Little improvement had been made in their claustrophobic living quarters. There was not sanitation, and passengers had to survived on only the barest rations.

Thousands of passengers, already weakened by the famine, became sick.  Many died while at sea. In 1847, ships bound for Canada came to be coffin ships. Of the 100,000 or so emigrants they carried over 16,000 died either at sea or soon after landing. Letters sent back to friends and relatives in Ireland told of these perilous conditions-but still the emigrants left in droves.

A few landlords assisted their former tenants. One, for example, chartered three ships and contributed toward the passage of a thousand of his tenants. Most emigrants though, had to struggle to find their own fare.  Often only one or two from a large family could afford the passage.  Imagine the heartbreak at the dockside  as thousands of family members said farewell-likely never to see one another again.  

Next time: The Great Irish Famine An Epic of Death and Emigration -BY AWAKE! WRITER IN IRELAND -Disease and a Third Crop Failure

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