Glynis Bredenkamp

The fith seal shows us that the Church will be persecuted and will be Matyred. Matthey 29:9 "Then you will be tortured, killed and hated all over the world because you are Mine" (Living Bible) The matyred "Souls" are home with Christ, (Heaven) 2Cor. 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (N.I.V.) Italics mine. Their proximity to the Alter signifys that they were "Sacrificed"for their belief. This alter could be the Sacrificial Alter mentioned in the O.T. The annimals were sacrificed on the alter and their blood ran dowwn under the alter. It could also depict the sacrifice of The Lamb of God on the alter & those souls sitting under the alter (close to Him) would be washed clean by His Blood and are with Him for eternity. Their cry for vengence is a prayer for God's justice and righteousness to prevail on earth against sinful man. The white robes of the souls signifies their fully redeemed state. They are asked to wait a little while longer in order that God completes what He has promised to do and in His own time. From this we too can learn to be patient and "wait on the Lord". In Christ, Glynis

Hi There' Would just like to say that I am blessed by this study and enjoy studying the various answeres as we learn so much from each other. I found this question rather difficult to put into words but here goes! The same quality of worship is offered to both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son as both are one, namely God. Yet, they are both part of The Trinity, God the Father God the Son, the third member of the Trinity being The Holy Spirit. They are equal. In John 14:9,11 we see this. Verse 9"....Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" and in verse 11"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me" They are our Creator. Genesis 1:26 Let us in our own image" Also our Father (God) and Mediator (Jesus Christ). In Christ. Glynis.

Jesus is worthy of opening the scroll first of all because He is our Mighty God creator of everything. Because of His love for the world He came to earth as man and made the ultimate sacrifice of shedding His blood for all humanity, those of the past, present and future throughout the whole world, so that those who declared Him as their Lord & Master could have eternal life with Him serving the Father. In Vs.12 we see the Attributes of Jesus. His strength, wisdom, all-powerful etc. He is worthy of all honor, praise & Glory. Oh, the day when we can all stand before Him & see & feel His glory, giving Him praise and honor. Amen! In Christ, Glynis

Loosening of sexual standards, be it to conform with the prevailing morals of the culture is totally against Gods word. This is clear throughout the Old & New Testament. Did God not destroy Sodom & Gomorrah because of their loose morals? If a Christian allowed him or herself to conform to these loose morals or we compromised & allowed them into our Churches what kind of message are we giving out to the unsaved world? This is very difficult for our Christian Youth of today who are tempted by the morals of "the world". The teenager naturally wants to belong to a group & does not want to be left out. I work in a Reproductive Health Clinic, where I deal with girls from as young as 12-14years, who are sexually active. I found this very difficult at first. As a Nurse we are ethically not permitted to promote any "kind of religion". As I matured in my Christian Faith & in age, as well as in my counseling skills, I found ways of getting round this. I am often not very successful. The young woman or girl, although she admits what she is doing is wrong will continue to do it in order to "be in with the group". This she does in spite of the horrendous insidence of H.I.V. in South Africa. Although I have to be careful not to preach the word of God too openly I have followed Christ's example to love the sinner but not their sin. The girls know that I do not approve of their life style but they know that I am always available to talk to.

A congregation can lose its "First Love" for Jesus by turning their eyes off Jesus onto themselves. Instead of making Jesus the Centre of their very existance, the congregation themselves & the world is at its centre. A Church that spends time in Prayer & Worship is a Church that has a genuine love for Jesus. This type of praying & Christ centred Church will show a dedicated commitment to all its ministries, be they outreach, care for the poor, elderly or just plain lost in their community. Lack of Love in a Church shows when little time is spent in prayer or commitment to meaningful Ministries. They tolerate various kinds of sin such as adultory and even Homosexuality which I am very sad to say is happening in many of the so called esablished churches here in South Africa. A Congregation can regain its love for Christ by making Christ its centre and by portraying this to the world by the example of their life-style. They will not tolerate sin but will rather help those in sin to find their way to God. They will be a lamp on a stand that lights up their community with the love of God. In christ. Glynis

The significance of the exhalted Jesus walking amongst the lampstands is to show us that He is the centre, the heart of the Church, in fact He is the Church. We must always keep in mind that although we as humans are part of the Church we are there to serve, praise & glorify His name. Jesus is our Lord, Master, King & head of the body of the Church. He is the High Priest & Judge. In Christ. Glynis.

Hi There, God is telling Gideon to stop being so inward looking but to look outwards towards God. To put his faith in God not himself. Faith is the core of the Christians life and being. It is when we lose faith that things start to go wrong in our lives as Christians. The scripture that immediately came to mind this evening as I was thinking about this passage was Heb.11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of want we do not see. My prayer is: Lord help me to realize that in my own strength I can do nothing but by puting my faith in You alone I can accomplish anything. God Bless, In Christ. Glynis