The man who refuses to allow his wife any freedom of speech in the spiritual progress of their lives, throttles the voice of the Holy Spirit to himself. The woman who throttles that same Voice, allowing herself to be a ‘doormat’, prevents her husband from being moulded by His word through her. [Read more…]
Archives for June 2000
83. My Help
It was not good for Adam to be alone. The Lord therefore created Eve to be his wife, as the AV puts it, “a help meet for him.” A more comprehensive translation would be “a help, his real counterpart.” It was therefore God’s plan and design that a man’s wife should not just be his “real counterpart”, but also his “helper”. [Read more…]
82. No Escape from the Fire
“Everyone shall be salted with fire.” Mark 9:49 Now let us read what the learned John Gill said in his “Expositor” about our Lord’s words. [Read more…]
81. The Unacceptable Face of Universalism
In the last number I reproduced William Barclay’s testimony as to why he believed in Universalism. I referred to his courage in respect of his openness. After all, he was a Professor of Divinity in Glasgow University. Some men hold to Universalism and keep it close to their chest, knowing the price they would have to pay in advertising their beliefs. Others have preferred to live with truth as they see it, regardless of the brick-bats and abuse. [Read more…]
80. Professor William Barclay
Courageous Advocate of Universalism
Born in 1907, the son of William Dugald Barclay of Fort William, a Gaelic-speaking highlander, William spent most of his life in Bonnie Scotland. He was educated at Dalziel High School, Motherwell, “just an ordinary school – – Scottish education at its best.” In 1925 he went to Glasgow University, and left four years later with a first-class honours degree in Classics. Then in 1929 he entered Trinity College, Glasgow to begin the final stage of his training for the ministry. In 1933 he married Kate, the daughter of the minister of the parish of Dundonald in Ayrshire. “I cannot think what life would have been like without her.” Thence he set out on his career, as a Minister of the Gospel at Renfrew, and later in life became Professor of Divinity atGlasgow University. [Read more…]
79. The State of the Dead
Concluding Remarks
I would like to comment on the last three WPs. First of all one or two general remarks, which come as a result of readers’ comments received so far. [Read more…]
78. Ancestral Bondage
In this last of the three papers on the state of the dead, we shall be quoting from those who adopt the practice of “Healing the Family Tree”, founded in 1994 by Dr Kenneth McAll, who was born in China in 1910. His experiences as a medical doctor in Japanese internment camps led to the study of psychiatry, and a life devoted to the healing ministry. His best-selling book “Healing the Family Tree” has sold nearly a quarter of a million books, and is translated into at least 13 languages. [Read more…]
77. Possession
In this paper we shall take an extract from a most fascinating book, entitled “Visions of Immortality”, the incredible findings of a century of research on death, by Ian Currie, Element, 1998. Large paperback @ UK £9.99 USA $15.95. It comes from a lengthy chapter on Possession, not by evil spirits, but by the dead. (Mainly from pages 248-250) Once again, no assessment will be made of the material at this stage, but it is presented to add to the whole picture. We find that we cannot agree with all of the author’s conclusions, but the material he presents is of the utmost importance to all who are interested in learning about the existence of the spirit after death. [Read more…]
76. The Opening of the Sheath
In the last W.P. I mentioned that all living human beings had an invisible sheath, or aureole, surrounding them. In this number, I should like to quote from the book by George Ritchie, entitled “Return from Tomorrow”. 1978. Kingsway Publications. In 1943 Ritchie was serving in the army as a young man, and at Christmas time he died of double lobar pneumonia. But nine minutes later, armed with an unforgettable experience of eternity, he returned from the dead. He had walked and talked with Jesus through a series of teaching experiences, some of which were terrifying, others enthralling. In 1978, as a practising psychiatrist, he finally, and somewhat reluctantly, put pen to paper to tell the world of his adventure during those nine minutes. The following extract relates specifically to his experience in a bar, where he witnessed the opening of the sheath. [Read more…]