Sister and Other Church Relationships

In harmony with the principles of holy Scripture and our Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dordt), the PRC through its Committee for Contact with Other Churches maintain full sister church relationships with three foreign churches and a corresponding relationship with one other foreign denomination.

Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland (162)

Website

83 Clarence Street,

Ballymena BT43 5DR, Northern Ireland

Services: 11:00 A.M. & 6:00 P.M.

Pastor: Rev. Angus Stewart

7 Lislunnan Rd.

Kells, Ballymena, Co. Antrim

Northern Ireland BT42 3NR

Phone: (from U.S.A.) 011 (44) 28 25 891 851

pastor@cprc.co.uk

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Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore (114)

Covenant ERCS 2022

Website

11, Jalan Mesin #04-00

Standard Industrial Building

Singapore 368813

Worship Services: 9:30 A.M. & 2:00 P.M.

Pastors: Josiah Tan (2021) and Marcus Wee (2022)

Ptr Josiah Tan 2023 Pastor J. Tan

Ptr Marcus Wee 2023 Pastor M. Wee

148 Bishan Street 11 #06-113

Singapore 570148

pastor@cerc.org.sg

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Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia (EPC) (2)

For information on this small Presbyterian denomination in Australia with whom the PRCA have a "corresponding relationship", visit their website.

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Protestant Reformed Churches in the Philippines (11)

PRCP Organization Banner 4 9 2014

Berean PRC, Antipolo City - Pastors: Rev. V. Ibe; Rev. L. Trinidad (emeritus)

Provident PRC - Pastor:

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09 May

Covenant Reformed News - April 2019

Published in Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Covenant Reformed News

April 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 12

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (6)

The first article on “Zechariah’s Day of the Lord” (Zech. 14:1-15) proved that these fifteen verses predict Christ’s second coming, including events that immediately precede it and the new creation that it ushers in. In the next four instalments, we treated four of the six main themes in this passage: the plundered city (1-2), the coming God (1, 3, 5), the holy war (3, 12-15) and the movements of Judah’s mountains (4-5, 10-11). Now we will cover one of the remaining two topics: the flowing of living waters (8). Next time, Lord willing, we will consider the sixth and final motif: the change in cosmic light (6-7). All of this is a demonstration of the gracious, global and exclusive kingship of Jehovah for the salvation of His elect church in Jesus Christ: “the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one” (9).

In Zechariah’s vision, as one might have expected, the movements of Judah’s mountains (4-5, 10-11) affect the flowing of living waters (8). Such was needed because Jerusalem lacked a river, having only springs. King Hezekiah had built a channel to bring these waters into the city itself (II Kings 20:20) but it was still barely enough, especially in summer droughts.

The Old Testament prophets picture the glorious, coming salvation in terms of living, that is, not stagnant but flowing, water. First, Joel speaks of waters flowing east from the temple: “a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim” (3:18). Second, Ezekiel also envisions water flowing east from the temple; he speaks of it getting deeper and deeper, until it can only be crossed by swimming, before adding that it will heal the Dead Sea (47:1-12).

Zechariah 14:8 goes further, for the living waters from Judah’s capital city will never fail in any season and will flow not only east to the Dead Sea but also west to the Mediterranean: “it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.”

At this, the premillennialists exclaim, “Isn’t the [earthly and literal] millennium going to be wonderful! Believers of Jewish descent are going to have a well-irrigated land!”

The problem with premillennialism is that its sights are far too low and earthy. This fits with its faulty hermeneutic: its literalism regarding Old Testament apocalyptic imagery. It refuses to let Scripture interpret Scripture and especially will not allow New Testament Scripture interpret Old Testament Scripture.

What was John shown in Revelation 22:1? “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” The “water of life” or the living or flowing waters spoken of by the prophets are here described as “pure” and “clear as crystal.”

What is the source of these life-giving waters? Jerusalem (Zech. 14:8) or, more specifically, its temple (Joel 3:18; Eze. 47:1), where God has His throne, symbolized by the ark of the covenant. Revelation 22:1 is even more explicit: “the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

The idea is that the Triune God rules through the Lamb, Christ crucified. What is the water of life that flows from the Triune God through Jesus? The Holy Spirit. He is the water and river that brings life in the new heavens and the new earth. The Judaizing premillennialists are fixated merely on physical, running water in Palestine!

Even the true, enlightened saints in the Old Testament knew better than premillennialism. Psalm 46:4 declares, “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.” But there is no literal river in Jerusalem, either in the days of the old or the new covenant!

So to what is the Psalmist referring? The Holy Spirit who invigorates and refreshes God’s children, for the Most High is in the midst of Jerusalem by His blessed Spirit. He is the Spirit of Christ crucified and risen, since the Lord’s death for us has not only purchased the forgiveness of our sins and everlasting righteousness, but also the Holy Spirit, who is poured out on the church in this age (Zech. 12:10) and is the flowing river of the age to come (14:8).

What shall we say regarding the development of the imagery of the mountain movements and the living waters together? First, the Mount of Olives divides and moves north and south, creating a valley to the east of Jerusalem (4). Second, this has two results: it removes a formidable barrier to the east, enabling the flight of God’s people (5) and the flow of the waters of life (8). These last two pictures speak of Jehovah’s gracious, saving work in Jesus Christ, both the preservation of His elect saints and the gift to us of His life-giving Spirit, respectively. Rev. Stewart

_____________________________

Herman Bavinck: “Now it is true that [the] future is depicted [in the Old Testament Scriptures] in images derived from the historical circumstances that then prevailed, so that Zion and Jerusalem, temple and altar, sacrifice and priesthood, continue to occupy a large place in it. But we must remember that we ourselves do the same thing and can only speak of God and divine things in sensuous, earthly forms. One reason God instituted Old Testament worship as he did was that we would be able to speak of heavenly things, not in self-made images but in the correct images given us by God himself. The New Testament, accordingly, takes over this language and in speaking about the future kingdom of God refers to Zion and Jerusalem, to temple and altar, to prophets and priests. The earthly is an image of the heavenly ... The New Testament views itself—and there can certainly be no doubt about this—as the spiritual and therefore complete and authentic fulfillment of the Old Testament” (Reformed Dogmatics, 4:659, 660).

Deep Issues Raised by the Intermediate State

In the February News, I answered a question concerning the intermediate state, that is, the state of the soul between the believer’s death and the final coming of Christ, when all the bodies of the dead shall be raised. I say, the state of the soul between the believer’s death and the final coming of Christ but we must remember that the question also can be asked concerning the impenitent wicked. Do their souls go to hell, while their bodies remain in the grave until the resurrection? Yes (Luke 16:19-31). Quite naturally, however, the discussion almost always concerns the elect.

Although the question I face now was submitted by the same person who asked the last one and although the question I am going to answer is not clearly stated, I think the reader is concerned with those who were raised from the dead by the Lord or by His prophets, that is, brought back to this life.

There are a number of such cases in Scripture. Elijah and Elisha both raised young boys, born in the apostate Northern Kingdom, from the dead. The bones of Elisha were given power by God to raise an unknown man from the dead, when his body was hastily thrown into the prophet’s grave, as those who were going to bury him had to flee for their lives from a Syrian raiding party (II Kings 13:20-21). The Lord also raised the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain and Lazarus.

These last three whom Christ raised were raised in an interesting order, for each was dead longer than the one whom He previously raised. The daughter of Jairus was raised shortly after she died, the son of the widow of Nain was raised as he was being carried away to be buried and Lazarus was raised after he had been dead for four days and already buried.

I said in my earlier article that the only possibility for the intermediate state of those brought back to this life was that God prepared some special place for their souls until their bodies were raised. Such provision of their souls would be a kind of short period of soul sleep. But the Bible does not give us any information about this question and we can only speculate.

There are other aspects to this question of the intermediate state that only make the question more difficult.

The Scriptures teach that during the history of this world, before the coming of Christ and the final resurrection, the souls of believers are consciously in heaven. The word of Christ to the thief on the cross was that today he would be with Him in Paradise (Luke 23:43). The fifth seal, when opened, reveals the souls of the elect under the altar who are eager for their fellow saints to join them in glory when their cause would be vindicated (Rev. 6:9-11).

It is highly unlikely that, when Lazarus and the others I mentioned died, they were taken to heaven. Anyone who has been in heaven would not want to return to this present, fallen world, for he would take on a depraved human nature once again after he had tasted the delight of moral perfection. This is not even mentioning going from the glory and joy of Christ’s presence back to the misery of this corrupt and violent earth.

This brings up the question of the Lord’s resurrection and exaltation. Christ arose from the dead and appeared to His disciples and others in the forty days between His resurrection and ascension. Where was Jesus during those forty days? Was He in heaven? Did He only return to earth for His ten or eleven appearances? Or was He in this earthly creation somewhere for forty days, though invisible?

The appearances themselves include aspects that we do not understand. He appeared in different forms to different people (Mark 16:12). He may have appeared to Mary as a gardener. Did He ever appear without nail holes in His hands to the disciples?

There is a striking passage in John 21 where we are told that, when the Lord appeared to some of His disciples who were fishing, they wanted to ask who He was but they did not dare, for they knew it was Jesus. They thought they recognized Him, but they were not sure and wanted desperately to ask (12).

When the Lord appeared, He did so in a way that would lead one to the conclusion that He had been with them all the time but that He was invisible. When He twice stood before His disciples in the upper room in John 20, He passed through locked doors or walls (or simply appeared), and knew exactly what they had been talking about. He was there all the time but they could not see Him. Had He not told them, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20)?

Stranger yet, when we go to heaven and when our bodies are raised to be joined with our souls, we will not need, nor be able, to eat earthly food. Yet our Lord, in the period before His ascension and exaltation at His Father’s right hand, ate fish and honey in the presence of His disciples (Luke 24:41-43) in His resurrection body.

So the questions multiply—and I have no answers to them. They are puzzling and outside the realm of our experience. In fact, the wonderful works of God are, after all, works that belong to heaven, but burst into our earthly creation to reveal to us that God is the God of His people and that His work of salvation is from heaven, not from this earth. It is a marvel beyond us. No wonder that, when God’s works are revealed in Christ, they are more distant yet from our understanding, though they are performed right in front of us. When heaven breaks into our earthly creation full of sin and death, one will stand with one’s hand over one’s mouth, and be filled with awe and wonder.

The wicked deny it all and will not believe what they cannot explain. The righteous bow in humility and confess it all to be true, for our God saves us in Christ—a wonder of grace that takes eternity to understand and to praise the One who does such miracles.

I have written all I know of what the Bible teaches us. There is more, far more. I cannot wait to see it all. That will be glory, the glory of our Triune God! Prof. Hanko

Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena, BT43 5DR • Lord’s Day services at 11 am & 6 pm
Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live broadcast: www.cprf.co.uk/live.html
Pastor: Angus Stewart, 7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland, BT42 3NR • (028) 25 891851
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • www.youtube.com/cprcni • www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC

Forward

South Wales Lecture

Thursday, 6 June
7:15 PM

Speaker:
Rev. Angus Stewart
(pastor of the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church, N. Ireland)

Subject:
The Burnt Offering

The first sacrifice in the history of the world and in the levitical offerings (Lev. 1), what is the idea of the burnt offering? How does it picture the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? What are the lessons for the people of God today?

Venue: Margam Community Centre
Bertha Road, Margam, Port Talbot, SA13 2AP

Book Table (including DVDs,
CDs & pamphlets)
Coffee & tea provided afterward

www.cprc.co.uk
www.cprf.co.uk/swales.htm

The Amazing Cross
Herman Hoeksema
(160 pp., hardback)

“The vicarious suffering of the Lord must occupy a central place in the consciousness of faith and in the preaching of the gospel. On the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ depend all of salvation.” So states the author of these powerful meditations on the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, giving us all the reason we need to read them and digest them, to believe on the Christ presented in them and magnify the God of our salvation whose work is set forth in them. (The 13 chapters of this book were originally published as part of Herman Hoeksema’s longer work, When I Survey.)

Only £11.00 (inc. P&P)

Order from the
CPRC Bookstore
by post or telephone
7 Lislunnan Road, Kells,
N. Ireland BT42 3NR
(028) 25891851

Make cheques payable to “Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.”
Thank you!

Christ’s Presence in the
Lord’s Supper

10 classes on Belgic Confession 35 (Vol. XXIX) on CD in an attractive
box set

How is Jesus Christ present in the Lord’s Supper? What are the views of Rome, Lutheranism and Anabaptism? Why is the Reformed doctrine biblical? Listen and learn about the second sacrament our Lord gave to His church!

(1) Introduction and the Doctrine of Transubstantiation (Matt. 26:26-29)
(2) Transubstantiation: What Remains or Is Added or Subtracted? (I John 1)
(3) The “Miracle” of Transubstantiation (Mark 14:22-25)
(4) “This Is My Body”—Grammar (Luke 22:7-23)
(5) “This Is My Body”—Other Arguments (John 6:32-65)
(6) Lutheran Ubiquity (Phil. 2:1-11)
(7) Lutheran and Romish Views Compared (I Cor. 15:40-48)
(8) Lutheran Arguments for Ubiquity (Eph. 4:1-12)
(9) Reformed and Anabaptist/Baptist Views Compared (1)
(Matt. 26:26-29)
(10) Reformed and Anabaptist/Baptist Views Compared (2) (I Cor. 10:14-22)

£10/box set (inc. P&P)

Listen free on-line or
order from the
CPRC Bookstore
by post or telephone
7 Lislunnan Road, Kells,
N. Ireland BT42 3NR
(028) 25891851

Make cheques payable to “Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.”
Thank you!

01 May

Reformed News Asia - April 2019

Published in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore

Issue 54 - April 2019

Pamphlets

We print pamphlets written by our members and those from other Reformed churches of like-minded faith. They include a wide range of topics from doctrines to church history and practical Christian living. These pamphlets serve to promote knowledge of the true God as expressed in the Reformed faith.

NEWPamphlet!

Unity of the Church

By Various Authors

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:1-3

Where this unity is established there is no schism, no conflict, no warfare; rather, peace reigns. All disrupting forces have been eradicated. Harmony, tranquillity, unanimity prevail. When the Spirit of unity takes hold of us, members of Christ's church, then we, too, endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Then we make every effort, strive diligently to guard the unity which the Spirit has wrought.

Click here to view our catalogue of pamphlets.

Click here to make an order.

All pamphlets are free. CERC reserves some discretion regarding large orders and/or orders from those outside Singapore.

Featured Book

For local orders (S'pore), please contact Ms Daisy Lim at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For international orders, click here.

The Royal Sufferer
by Herman Hoeksema

From the RFPA website:

Christ is and was the king…
…whose kingdom is not of this world, and who rejected all the glory that this world offers.
…who refused to allow the Jews to crown him king, though he was the King of the Jews.
…who fought alone, without an army.
…who was arrested by his own people, and mocked by the representatives of the Roman Empire, the great earthly kingdom of that day.
…who was crucified because he was King, and remained King when he died.
…who, being risen and ascended, is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
To this divinely anointed King, this book is witness. Behold your King, and worship him!

Audio Recordings

Click to listen to the series of sermons by Rev Arie Den Hartog

Jesus At The Last Passover With His Disciples
Jesus In Gethsemane
Jesus At Calvary
The Miracle of Jesus' Resurrection

Upcoming Events!

Sports Day - 20 May 2019

CERC Church Camp 2019

Some details of this year's church camp are as follows. More details will be announced closer to the date.

Date: 10-13 June 2019
Venue: Pulai Spring Resort, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Theme: Holiness: "Walking in the Spirit" - Gal 5:16.
Speaker: Rev. A. den Hartog

Past Events...

Infant Baptism of Jeshurun

We were blessed to witness the Infant Baptism of Jeshurun, son of Yang Zhi and Nicolle! We rejoice with them, thanking God for adding to the church and praying for God's blessings upon them as they bring up their covenant child in the fear of the Lord. The applicatory sermon preached under the title 'Daily Performing Our Vows', Psalm 61:8 can be found here. May we examine ourselves also and glorify God as we perform our vows.

Gospel Meeting 2019

This year, our Gospel Meeting was given by Rev Arie Den Hartog, under the theme of 'The Suffering Servant of God', taken from Isaiah 53:1-5 and can be found here. Thank God for sending His Son to die on the cross for us! Thank God for the good time of fellowship also and we welcome many visitors.

Wedding of Jonah and Zhi Leng

This April, Jonah and Zhi Leng were united in holy matrimony. We rejoice with them and pray the Lord's blessings upon their union!

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." Ephesians 5:31-32

Notes

Salt Shakers

Salt Shakers is a bi-monthly magazine published by the youth in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church (CERC). Included in each issue are writings pertaining to bothReformed doctrine and practical theology. Contributors to Salt Shakers include our pastor, youth and members of CERC, and pastors and professors from the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. Salt Shakers also features articles from the Standard Bearer and other Reformed publications. Click here to access.

Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church
We are a Reformed Church that holds to the doctrines of the Reformation as they are expressed in the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt.

Lord's Day services on Sunday at 930 am & 2 pm ~ 11 Jalan Mesin, #04-00, Standard Industrial Building, Singapore 368813 ~ Pastor: Vacant ~ www.cerc.org.sg

23 Apr

New Salt Shakers Magazine - April 2019

Published in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore

"Covenant Keepers", the youth ministry of the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore (our sister church), has now released the April 2019 issue of "Salt Shakers" (#54),their youth magazine.

The APRIL 2019 issue of "SS" is once again filled with interesting and instructive articles, and our PRC young people especially are encouraged to make it part of their reading content.

Below you will find a note from the "SS" Committee introducing the contents of this issue and images of the cover and table of contents. The entire issue is also attached here in pdf form.

Dear readers,

Our second issue of the year is here! An assortment of Reformed, Christian literature awaits your spiritual consumption; download the PDF attachment below!

May the LORD continue to use the magazine for your spiritual profit and the glory of His name.

In Christ,

Lim Yang Zhi, On Behalf of the Salt Shakers Committee

Inside the April Issue:

~ Giants Contending for the Faith

~ Wisdom (2): Wisdom and the Tongue

~ Heroes of the Faith - Barak

~ Homosexuality: What Does the Bible Teach (2)

~ Going Green in the Right Direction

~ Godly Zeal in the Second Generation (2)

~ Fellowship and the Incarnation

~ How the Reformed Faith Arrived in Kolkata

~ New from the Churches

05 Apr

Covenant Reformed News - March 2019

Published in Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Covenant Reformed News

March 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 11

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (5)

The earthquake and mountain movement in Zechariah 14:4-5 point to something far greater, as the book of Revelation teaches: “the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (6:14). “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great ... And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (16:18, 20).

The explanation lies in the fact that Judah, indeed the whole of Canaan, is a picture of the world or cosmos in biblical typology. For Abraham was not promised merely a strip of land on the east of the Mediterranean Sea (Gen. 12-25); he was an “heir of the world” (Greek: kosmos), as Romans 4:13 teaches!

It is not only a mountain in Judah or even all the mountains of the world but the cosmos itself and even the very heavens that will be shaken! “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:16). “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations” (Hag. 2:6-7). Haggai 2 is quoted and explained in Hebrews 12:26-27: Jehovah “hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

It is not only in Zechariah 14:4-5 but also in verses 10-11 that we read of mountain movements. “All the land [of Judah] shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem” (10). From Geba, Judah’s northern border (II Kings 23:8), to Rimmon, its southern border (Josh. 15:32), all will be levelled to a plain.

Also something happens to Jerusalem. It will be elevated: “it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses” (Zech. 14:10).

In other words, before the fulfilment of this prophecy, Judah is hilly and uneven, while Jerusalem is higher than most parts of Judah, though lower than some of the surrounding mountains. But Zechariah 14:10-11 pictures Judah as one large plain, with Jerusalem elevated above it.

The premillennialists wax lyrical about how wonderful it will be when Jerusalem in the Middle East is raised above a level Judah. Our response is: “Your Jerusalem is too low; it is too earthly!”

The biblical and Reformed position is, first, that even now we have a far more elevated city, the “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26). Second, we look for the future coming of the new Jerusalem from heaven, as in the vision of the beloved apostle: “I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2).

Our hope is Christ’s coming to usher in the new heavens and the new earth with “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (22:1-2).

Let us return to the imagery of Zechariah 14:10-11. First, these verses state that Jerusalem will be “inhabited” by people dwelling there. Compare this with the far more excellent “holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband ... Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev. 21:2, 3).

Second, “Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited” (Zech. 14:11), for “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

Third, Zechariah 14:10 speaks of the gates of Jerusalem’s walls but the coming reality will be much more wonderful: “that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels” (Rev. 21:10-12).

Fourth, “there shall be no more utter destruction [or curse]” for Jerusalem (Zech. 14:11) in the new world, for “there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him” (Rev. 22:3)! Rev. Stewart

Two Questions on Creation

Question 1: “What kind of light did God create on the first day? On the fourth day, He made the sun, moon and stars. They are light-giving bodies.”

We must not forget that the whole work of creation is a miracle. As with all miracles, we cannot explain creation completely for we cannot comprehend God’s mighty works. Our confession is always, “How great and marvellous are Thy works, O Lord!”

Nevertheless, I can suggest one possible answer to your question. It arises from the fact that the creation of the stars, the sun and the moon was the creation of light-bearing bodies. That is, they have no light in themselves but were created to carry the light created on the first day. On the fourth day, God gathered the light He had created on to the heavenly bodies.

There are many things to learn from the creation of light and it is well that we mention a few. One is that before the creation of light, all that the Almighty had created was one mass “without form, and void” (Gen 1:2). It is impossible for us to imagine it. It was not just a huge hunk of clay or anything resembling it. It was lifeless, unformed, neither hot nor cold, without any kind of movement. But from it came the entire creation, not only the earth but the entire solar system.

For the creation to be formed, light had to be created. Light is the source of life. With it we have heat and cold, light and darkness, and movement. No creation would have been possible without light.

Yet, even though light is the fundamental creation of God that gave form to it all and even though it was created first, man still does not know with certainty what light is. Some say it is packets of energy. Others say that light is waves. Yet others say that light is both under different circumstances.

No one understands what light is, even though it is God’s first creation, yet evolutionists in their folly claim to understand how all things came into existence.

Further, light is closely associated with what was once called the “ether theory.” That theory claims that the whole of space is filled with some sort of invisible substance called ether through which light can travel.

This controversy brings to mind an interesting discussion that was held in my Reformed Dogmatics class in the days of my seminary training. My professor, Herman Hoeksema, was lecturing on creation and defended the ether theory. One student, braver than I, contradicted him by saying that the ether theory had been disproved. His only response was, “We shall see.” Lately, I have been reading that the ether theory is returning in scientific discussions.

However all that may be, astronomers reckon that there are billions of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Yea, there are billions of galaxies in outer space, each with innumerable stars. They all give light, some so much light that, if even one were as near to us as our sun, the earth would be burned to a crisp.

The Bible often speaks of holiness as light. God’s holiness is His light. All the light in the universe is only a revelation of the light of God’s holiness. All the light of trillions of heavenly bodies is only a flickering and sputtering flame in comparison with God’s infinite holiness. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers ... What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Ps. 8:3, 4).

Even before the creation of light-bearing bodies, the diffused light was divided into light and darkness, for “the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen. 1:5). Darkness is the absence of light, and darkness in Scripture is used to describe sin and evil.

The dawn of a new day speaks of the defeat of darkness by the light. It will be perfectly and forever light, when Christ comes again to destroy evil and make all things new. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5); we shall be like Him!

Question 2: “If God’s creation took six days, how can we explain the seventh day?”

I am happy to answer this question because it gives me an opportunity to say some things that I have long wanted to say but lacked the occasion.

First of all, God rested on the seventh day and, regarding His creation, we read, “behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). Did God mean by that only that the creation was free from all moral defects? No. Nor did God cease working when He finished His work of creation, for He continues to uphold and govern every creature by the word of His power. We call this providence.

God means by this that He entered into the enjoyment of His own work, for it was perfectly suited as a stage on which He would enact the great drama of the fall and sin, the salvation of His elect church in Christ, the revelation of His justice in punishing the wicked in hell, and the revelation of His grace in Jesus Christ in the everlasting new heavens and new earth. God rested in the sure confidence that His creation was perfect to serve His purpose.

In the old dispensation, the seventh day was at the end of the week because man had to work six days to enjoy God’s sabbath, that is, the enjoyment with God of His works. But because of sin, the day of rest, the seventh day, was completely out of reach for man, for he could not labour one second of an entire week so as to earn the sabbath.

But Christ arose on the first day of the week and thus began a new sabbath. Christ is God’s perfect work, for He kept God’s law and through His obedience earned rest for His people. When we enjoy a sabbath, we do so by faith in Christ which enables us to serve God faithfully the rest of the week. Christ has done for us what we could never do.

As Hebrews 4 is at great pains to inform us, we enter into God’s rest to rest in fellowship with Him only by faith in Jesus. That is, not by our own works do we enter rest. Such nonsense brings us into wicked legalism. But by faith in Christ, in union with Him, we enjoy God’s perfect work by entering into the rest that He graciously gives us through Christ’s atoning sacrifice and victorious resurrection.

We must lay aside all our works for they are nothing but “filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). Christ’s obedience, not ours, secures our rest. Christ’s work, not ours, gives us the true rest. By faith in Christ, we enter into God’s work and rest in His everlasting covenant of grace. Prof. Hanko

Forward

South Wales Lecture

Thursday, 25 April
7:15 PM

Speaker:
Rev. Martyn McGeown

Subject:
The Development of God’s Covenant (5): Jacob

Having traced the development of God’s covenant with Adam, Abel, the saints before the flood (especially Enoch), Noah, Abraham and Isaac, we will now consider God’s covenant with Jacob. Jacob struggled for the covenant for his whole life, yet he had to learn, through much divine chastisement, that the covenant is not gained by man’s trickery or efforts, but through God’s grace alone and by faith in His promises!

Venue: Margam Community Centre
Bertha Road, Margam, Port Talbot, SA13 2AP

Book Table (including DVDs,
CDs & pamphlets)
Coffee & tea provided afterward

www.cprc.co.uk
www.cprf.co.uk/swales.htm
www.limerickreformed.com

Gospel Living
(vol. II)

8 sermons on Romans 12:13-21 on CD or DVD in an attractive box set

What is the Christian life which flows out of the gospel of sovereign grace (God’s unconditional election, Christ’s particular atonement, justification by faith alone and sanctification by the Spirit)? Romans 12:13-21 explains by dealing with hospitality, like-mindedness, humility and (extensively) revenge!

(1) Christian Hospitality
(Rom. 12:13)
(2) The Christian’s Reactions (Rom. 12:14-15)
(3) Being Like-Minded Towards One Another (Rom. 12:16)
(4) No Retaliation! (Rom. 12:17)
(5) Be at Peace With All Men! (Rom. 12:18)
(6) Vengeance! (Rom. 12:19)
(7) Heaping Coals of Fire on Your Enemy’s Head (Rom. 12:20)
(8) Overcoming or Being Overcome? (Rom. 12:21)

£8/box set (inc. P&P)

Listen free on-line or
Order from the
CPRC Bookstore
by post or telephone
7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland BT42 3NR
(028) 25891851

Make cheques payable to “Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.”
Thank you!

The Original
Five Points of Calvinism

400th Anniversary of the Synod of Dordt

Mini-Conference

Saturday, 13 April
1) The Onset of the Great War: Ecclesiastical and Doctrinal - 11 AM
(lunch served between
the two lectures)
2) The Confession of the Gospel (of Grace): The “Five Points of Calvinism” (as the Content of the Canons of Dordt) - 1 PM

Wednesday, 17 April
7:30 PM
The Defence of the Gospel: The Rejection of Errors

Wednesday, 1 May
7:30 PM
The Other Decisions of the Dordt Synod and Their Importance for the Reformed Churches Today

Speaker
Prof. David J. Engelsma
emeritus Professor of Dogmatics at the Protestant Reformed Seminary, USA

Venue
Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence St., Ballymena,
N. Ireland BT43 5DR

Prof. Engelsma is also to preach, DV, at some of the CPRC worship services (11 AM & 6 PM) on Lord’s Days 14, 21 & 28 April and 5 May

www.cprf.co.uk/dordtconference.html or for more details contact us at (028) 25 891851
video live-stream available at www.cprf.co.uk/live.html

27 Mar

New Salt Shakers Magazine - February 2019

Published in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore

"Covenant Keepers", the youth ministry of the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore (our sister church), has now released the February 2019 issue of "Salt Shakers" (#53),their youth magazine.

The FEBRUARY 2019 issue of "SS" is once again filled with interesting and instructive articles, and our PRC young people especially are encouraged to make it part of their reading content.

Below you will find a note from the "SS" Committee introducing the contents of this issue and images of the cover and table of contents. The entire issue is also attached here in pdf form.

SS 53 Feb 2019

Inside the February Issue:

Editorial: A Threat to Unity - Aaron Lim

Scripture's Covenant Youth (XV): John the Baptist - Prof. Herman Hanko

Wisdom (1): The Meaning of Wisdom - Prof. Herman Hanko

Homosexuality (1): What Does the Bible Teach? - Rev. Angus Stewart

God Laughs - Daisy Lim

Quit You Like Men (IV) - Woon Tian Loong

Contemporary Covenant Theology - Prof. David Engelsma

Affluence - Paul Ong

The Zeal of the Second Generation (1) - Rev. Arie denHartog

Fellowship with God (II): The Believer's Good Works - Rev. Nathan Langerak

Reflection: the British Reformed Fellowship Family Conference 2018 - Cheryl Lim

Whiter Than Snow - Rachel Yeow

07 Mar

Covenant Reformed News - February 2019

Published in Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Covenant Reformed News

February 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 10

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (4)

In the first instalment of “Zechariah’s Day of the Lord,” we proved that Zechariah 14:1-15 “predicts Christ’s bodily return, including events that immediately precede it, and the new heavens and the new earth that it ushers in.” The next two issues identified and explained three topics in Zechariah 14:1-15: the plundered city (the equivalent of the great tribulation), the coming God (that is, “that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13) and the holy war (which finds its culmination in Christ’s destruction of the wicked at His return).

This and subsequent issues of the News will treat other themes in Zechariah 14, D.V. We begin with the movements of Judah’s mountains. Verses 4-5 speak of an earthquake and mountain formation (orogeny), involving the Mount of Olives, which is given this name here for the first time in the Bible (4). Running north-south to the east of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives was a ridge largely covered with olive trees.

Zechariah 14:4 states that “the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” Three things are described as happening to the Mount of Olives. First, it would split east-west. Second, the two halves would then move, with one shifting north and the other south. Third, this would create a valley going east from Jerusalem between the two halves of the (old) Mount of Olives.

What is God’s purpose in cleaving the Mount of Olives and creating a valley heading east from Jerusalem? It is to serve the flight of Jehovah’s people, a flight like that during the earthquake in King Uzziah day: “ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal [a place east of Jerusalem that is probably also mentioned in Micah 1:11]: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” (Zech. 14:5; cf. Amos 1:1).

This is a flight from what? If the answer “persecutors” is given, someone might object, “But I thought that Jerusalem was besieged and plundered (Zech. 14:1-2), and that Judah was going to fight its enemies (14)!” However, Zechariah 14 consists of apocalyptic imagery. The point of the passage is that God will preserve His people from their enemies, even at the end of the world when things look darkest (cf. Rev. 12:14-16).

What causes the earthquake and orogeny or mountain movement, this east-west tear through the Mount of Olives, with one half heading north and the other going south? That is, what power is at work to form a valley so that God’s people can flee? This question is significant because the Mount of Olives is a formidable barrier to swift flight east from Jerusalem, as David and his loyal entourage experienced in II Samuel 15.

The answer is Jehovah’s “feet”! “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” (Zech. 14:3-5).

“Aha!” says the triumphant premillennialist, “This must be literal. Jesus Christ’s physical feet will touch the Mount of Olives which will divide and form a physical escape route for the Jews!”

The first element in our response is to declare loudly that Jesus Christ has one, and only one, second coming, not several second comings, contrary to premillennialism. Holy Scripture predicts His coming with the glorified saints to the air where those believers who are still living will rise to meet the Lord (I Thess. 4:17).

Second, we point out that the premillennial literalism ignores biblical language and imagery. Here are four biblical texts that speak of God’s coming to Mount Sinai: “the Lord descended upon it” (Ex. 19:18), “Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God” (Ps. 68:8), it “melted from before the Lord” (Judg. 5:5) and it “melted like wax at the presence of the Lord” (Ps. 97:5).

The theophany at Mount Sinai became a model for God’s coming to help His people, as in Isaiah 64:1-3: “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.” Three times we read here of Jehovah’s “presence” causing awesome things!

Similar language is used of God’s coming to Samaria in Micah 1:3-4: “For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.” Yet the Almighty did not literally “tread” or “trample” upon that city when it fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC. Nor were Samaria’s hills physically “molten under him” or its “valleys ... cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.”

Nahum 1:5 states three things which happen at Jehovah’s presence: “[1] The mountains quake at him, and [2] the hills melt, and [3] the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.”

So what does God have to do to cleave the Mount of Olives and create a valley? Only the soles of His feet need to touch it for it to cleave or split under Him! But we have run out of space, so more will be said on this subject next time, DV. Rev. Angus Stewart

The Intermediate State

I have received two questions from readers of the News concerning the intermediate state, that is, the state of believers between their deaths and the resurrection of their bodies. Both concern the difficulty of understanding how the soul, parted from the body, can live without the body.

This is not an easy question to answer, for we know so little both of the mighty works of God and the life we will live outside of the body in heaven. We should also remember that the question applies to the wicked, as well as the righteous, although their end is hell.

The question has been faced since early in the church’s history. Calvin wrote a book against “soul sleep” in which he denied the view that the soul at death enters a state of unconsciousness. One Dutch theologian proposed the idea that the souls of the elect live out of and through the body of the exalted Christ before the resurrection of their bodies. Other theories have also been offered.

In Reformed churches, the denial of soul sleep is a confessional matter. “What comfort doth the ‘resurrection of the body’ afford thee? That not only my soul after this life shall be immediately taken up to Christ its Head; but also, that this my body, being raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul, and be made like unto the glorious body of Christ” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. & A. 57).

This is clearly biblical teaching. In Luke 23, the thief nailed alongside Jesus’ cross asked to be remembered by Christ when He came into His kingdom (42). The Lord responded, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (43).

Some Roman Catholics, in the interests of defending the horrible doctrine of purgatory, claim that a comma should be placed after the words “To day,” as do the cults. The meaning then would be that Jesus’ words to the thief merely meant that He spoke these words “To day,” that is, the day on which He died on the cross and was talking to the thief, as if the verse were: “Today I say to you, ‘You shall be with me in paradise.’” That is a forced interpretation that the text will not allow. The truth is that Jesus promised the repentant thief that, on the very day they were hanging on their respective crosses and would presently die, they will be together in heaven.

Other proof can be found in Revelation 6:9-10. When the fifth seal is opened, John saw the “souls” of the martyrs crying out, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” The point here is that the souls of God’s people are already in heaven and even ask how long it will be before Christ comes to destroy the wicked.

A problem arises with the resurrection of those Jesus brought forth from the grave: the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain and, most notably, Lazarus. Where were their souls after they died and before Jesus raised them?

It seems impossible that these three were recalled from heaven itself. That would have been a most terrifying experience for these three people. They would have to have been brought back from their blissful life in glory, where they sinned no more, to a world of pain and bitterness, only to have to face death once again.

My dogmatics professor in seminary thought that he could not explain the question in any other way than that God prepared a special place for their souls in which place they remained unconscious until Jesus called them back to this life. But he acknowledged, as we all do, that the ways of an infinite God are unknowable and beyond comprehension.

One more problem remains and the awareness of it may go a long way to explaining the issue of the intermediate state. The simple fact of the matter is that we have very little understanding of what heaven is like. We know only what the Bible reveals to us, and Scripture’s revelation of heaven is always by means of figures, analogies and symbolic language.

God reveals heaven to us in language that is not always literal because He desires to keep the knowledge of heaven from us, perhaps so that He may surprise us with its glory when we arrive there. Scripture speaks of heaven in such, sometimes mysterious, language because heaven is so completely different from what we know here on earth that no earthly language can be created to describe it. Paul states that, when he was taken up into the third heaven, he heard “unspeakable words” (II Cor. 12:4), by which he means that there were no words in any human language that could describe what he heard: the words of heaven being too “heavenly.”

People have many misconceptions about heaven. Some think it will be the place where they can continuously do what they like best here on earth: play golf or whatever. Others look forward to seeing loved ones who have died before them, thinking that their interactions with them will largely be the same as before. Yet they forget that all earthly relationships shall come to an end, and our heavenly relationship will be to Christ and our spiritual family in the perfected kingdom of God.

When we do finally enter glory two things will be outstandingly wonderful: we shall see our Saviour face to face and our depravity will be no more. We will, I am sure, be like the Queen of Sheba who fainted when she saw the glory of Solomon and his Jerusalem, exclaiming, “the half was not told me” (I Kings 10:7).

When we come to heaven and see it in all its glory, we will do one thing and one thing only: praise the God who through Christ has done so wondrously. Now already there are times when heaven touches earth and the result is a miracle: marvellous things take place. All the glorious records of those times are in the Scriptures to spur us on to faithfulness. The greatest miracle of all is the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God incarnate.

Let us live expecting unexpected wonders in Christ in the world to come, as we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” Prof. Herman Hanko

Forward

South Wales Lecture

Thursday, 21 March
7:15 PM

Speaker:
Rev. Angus Stewart

Subject:
The Canons of Dordt:
The Original Five Points
of Calvinism
(400th Anniversary Lecture)

What are the Canons of Dordt (1618-1619)? Are they biblical? Why are there five points? How are these doctrines related? And what have they to say about worship?

Venue: Margam Community Centre
Bertha Road, Margam, Port Talbot, SA13 2AP

Book Table (including DVDs,
CDs & pamphlets)
Coffee & tea provided afterward

www.cprc.co.uk
www.cprf.co.uk/swales.htm

For His Mercy
Endureth Forever

illustrated by
Kathleen DeJong
(36 pp., hardback)

“O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 136:3-5).

God’s mercy endures forever. And the same mercy He displayed in the creation of the world and to His people Israel, He also reveals to His children in Jesus Christ. The words of this psalm, and illustrator Kathleen DeJong’s beautiful acrylics and line drawings, will inspire covenant children and their parents to thank God each day for His unending mercies.

Only £8.80 (inc. P&P)

Order from the
CPRC Bookstore
by post or telephone
7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland BT42 3NR
(028) 25891851

Make cheques payable to “Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.”
Thank you!

01 Mar

Covenant Reformed News - January 2019

Published in Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Covenant Reformed News

January 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 9

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (3)

Three verses in Zechariah 14 specifically refer to God’s coming at the end of this age: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh” (1), “Then shall the Lord go forth” (3) and “the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee” (5). Putting all this together, Jehovah goes forth from heaven (3) so that “the Lord my God shall come” in the air (5; cf. I Thess. 4:17) with the result that this day—the best of all days—comes to the Most High for His glory (Zech. 14:1)!

Notice the first person singular pronoun in verse 5: “the Lord my God shall come.” Zechariah is speaking here, first of all, but every believer also declares with true hope in Jesus, “the Lord my God shall come” (5). This is our confession regarding Christ: He is Jehovah God. As well as confessing Jesus’ deity, the believer affirms that He is “my God” personally: “I have covenant fellowship with Him, as one chosen in Christ, redeemed by Him and united to Him by a living faith.”

When the resurrected Jesus was before him, Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). When we think of Christ’s return, each one of us says, “the Lord my God shall come” (Zech. 14:5). He will come for His church and for me personally, if I am alive on the earth at “the day of the Lord” (1).

This is our comfort. This is deep consolation also for the saints to whom we speak of these things. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thess. 4:17-18).

There is also an important preposition in Zechariah 14:5: “the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” The “saints” or holy ones are the elect angels and/or the glorified believers (I Thess. 4:14). This is our honour: to be with Christ as His train, flanking Him on that glorious day. This also magnifies the glory of the Lord Jesus, for He is coming with His perfected people attended by His mighty angels.

The coming of God in Jesus Christ is the climax of the “holy war” in the Bible: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:3).

Deuteronomy 20 is the greatest chapter in the Bible explaining Israel’s holy war. Fundamentally, the command is fear not: “let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them” (3)! Why? “For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” (4). Scripture includes many instances of the holy war: the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex. 14-15), the fight with the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-16), the conquest of Canaan in the book of Joshua, the battles of the judges, the wars under Samuel and David, etc.

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the culmination of the holy war, the war to end all wars. This will be the case because, first, Christ will fight not only against the Egyptians or the Philistines but against the whole world of the ungodly. Second, this battle will occur at the end of the world: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:3).

Zechariah 14:12-15 graphically portray how God will destroy the Antichristian forces at Christ’s second coming. Verse 12 describes a plague upon the wicked people: “this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh [in which they attacked the church] shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes [that looked with hatred upon God’s people] shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue [that they used to slander the saints] shall consume away in their mouth.” Ultimately, this is the horrible corruption of hell (Isa. 66:24; Mark 9:44, 46, 48).

The destruction of the wicked on the day of the Lord is also presented in terms of infighting: “it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour” (Zech. 14:13). There are other instances of God's holy war taking the form of infighting among His enemies (e.g., Judg. 7; I Sam. 14; II Chron. 20).

Zechariah 14 pictures the church as joining in the holy warfare: “Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance” (14). We will be victorious and we will take the spoil!

Moreover, the plague will be not only on people (12) but also on the animals: “And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague” (15).

There are many other passages which describe the holy war that God fights with the wicked at the end of the world. Ezekiel 38 portrays an earthquake (19) that even makes the fish of the sea and the birds of the air to quake at Jehovah’s presence (20). Like Zechariah 14, Ezekiel 38 speaks of infighting among God’s enemies: “I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother” (21). Then it mentions six more divine judgments: “I will plead against him with [1] pestilence and with [2] blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, [3] an overflowing rain, and [4] great hailstones, [5] fire, and [6] brimstone” (22).
Revelation 19:11-21 pictures Christ coming on a great white charger with His armies following Him on white horses. The birds feast on the carcases of His defeated foes. Upon their capture, the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire.

Likewise, when “the camp of the saints” is surrounded, fire from God comes down to devour the wicked (Rev. 20:9); and the breath of Christ's “mouth” and “the brightness of his coming” will consume the man of sin and son of perdition (II Thess. 2:8).

The culmination of the holy war at the second coming of Jesus Christ is founded upon the great battle of the cross. There our Saviour defeated sin, Satan and the world, when He bore the punishment for our iniquities. Only the mop-up operation remains, the final destruction of all the wicked, those who thought that they had won! Rev. Stewart

Polygamy in the Old Testament

A reader writes, “I Corinthians 6:9-10 states that ‘neither fornicators’ ‘nor adulterers’ ‘shall inherit the kingdom of God.’ Surely in Israel people like King Solomon (1,000 wives and concubines) and those returned exiles described in Ezra 10 (assuming they remarried) would have been guilty of these sins and thus were barred from heaven? Surely God never lowers the standard of the law?”

We read of various men in Old Testament times who married more than one wife or who had concubines. In fact, some of the most prominent saints in the old dispensation married multiple wives or took concubines. I need name only a few: Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and others. Undoubtedly, some of the kings married more than one wife because it was a custom in those days for monarchs to demonstrate their greatness with a harem. Judah even had intercourse with a woman he thought was a whore, yet Tamar’s son by Judah, though born outside of wedlock, was a father in the promised line that brought forth our Saviour.

Sadly, fornication also occurred among the males in Israel. When Judah was guilty of this sin, it seems as if no one thought much about it (Gen. 38), although, when Shechem the Hivite raped Dinah, Levi and Simeon were furious (Gen. 34). There is evidence though of Judah’s repentance (38:26; cf. 44:18-34).

The case of some of the returned captives who married foreign wives is somewhat different (Ezra 10). They sent away their wives and the children born to them. This was probably done under the law of Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

But even this regulation in Deuteronomy 24 has been an occasion for some serious disagreement and debate. It is a passage in Scripture that is appealed to in support of the legitimacy of remarriage after a separation or divorce in new covenant days. It is interesting to note, however, that the New Testament Scriptures emphatically forbid remarriage in the case of a rupture of the first marriage, so long as one’s spouse is alive (Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; Rom. 7:2-3; I Cor. 7:39).

It is true, as the questioner observes, that God never lowers the requirements of His law. But it is also a fact that the seriousness of a sin is determined by God in connection with the circumstances. Jesus Himself reminds us that the one who knew his Lord’s will and disobeyed him is worthy of many stripes, whereas ignorance is a significant mitigating factor (Luke 12:47-48). Therein also lies the solution to the problem.

There can be no question that God punished the sins of adultery and fornication in the old dispensation as well as the new. Lamech, in the line of Cain, had two wives. He murdered a man and then boasted of his foul deed to his wives. He was totally disinterested in obeying God’s laws (Gen. 4:19-24).

Abraham, who married Sarah and took Hagar as a concubine, saw Hagar’s attitude towards Sarah change after Hagar conceived (16:4). He finally had to send Ishmael away because of Ishmael’s sin of mocking Isaac. Jacob married Leah and Rachel, and took two concubines, but witnessed nothing but jealousy on Rachel’s part and strife between the two sisters. Elkanah married Peninah and Hannah, but endured the grief of seeing Peninah mocking Hannah. Solomon had many wives but they led him to serve idols. God did not allow the sin to go unpunished!

The sin was less serious, however, in the old dispensation than it is in the new.

There is a good reason for this. Marriage is a picture of a heavenly reality, the true and spiritual marriage of Jesus Christ and His church (Eph. 5:22-33). The heavenly and spiritual marriage of the Lord and His bride was only dimly perceived in the old dispensation. There are many times, especially in the prophets, where God calls Israel His wife. And so the relationship of marriage and the true heavenly marriage was already dimly defined. But the picture in earthly marriages of the heavenly marriage was not very clear. The picture was blurred and of poor quality.

Yet it was a sin to distort the picture of marriage by marrying many wives. Those who did this were afflicted with trouble and grief in their homes.

I suppose, perhaps, that an illustration can be used. If you have a picture of someone you loved, anyone who would mar that picture by tearing it or defacing it with a pen would do you a great wrong and you would be angry with such a one.

But if the picture of someone you loved was a picture of someone still living and somebody would murder that person, the sin would be far greater.

So it is with marriage. The picture of our marriages is that of Christ and His church. But the marriage of Christ and His church is a reality already accomplished in those who believe in Christ and are grafted into His body by a true and living faith. Any two saints that are married are also married to Christ. The reality itself of Christ and His church is present in a very real sense in our marriages.

To desecrate our marriages by unlawful divorce and to remarry if divorced are dreadful sins that mar the figure of the reality. A man and a woman, united in sacred marriage, cannot and may not break the bond that binds them as one, simply because the bond between Christ and His people cannot be broken.

Marriage is a great gift. It is a union of love rooted in Christ’s love for His bride. It is the sacred bond that it is because it is God’s way of bringing His elect children to life in His church (Mal. 2:15). It is honourable and beautiful. Yea, it is an institution that God created in Paradise. Prof. Hanko

Forward

Grace & Assurance:
The Message of the Canons of Dordt

by Martyn McGeown
(384 pp., hardback)

In 1618-1619, the great Synod of Dordt met to counter the Arminian error that was threatening the peace and welfare of Christ’s churches in the Netherlands. The fruit of their deliberations was the Canons of Dordt, which set forth the scriptural truth of unconditional election (and reprobation), limited (or particular) atonement, total depravity, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints.

This accessible commentary on the Canons leads readers through the biblical and comforting message of the creed: being wholly saved by God’s efficacious grace, we have the steadfast assurance of our eternal election and blessed glorification.

Only £19.80 (inc. P&P)

Order from the
CPRC Bookstore
by post or telephone
7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland BT42 3NR
(028) 25891851

Make cheques payable to “Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.”
Thank you!

Gospel Living (vol. I)

12 sermons on
Romans 12:1-12
on CD or DVD in an attractive box set

Coming after the most doctrinal presentation of Christ’s salvation in all the Bible (Rom. 1-11), Romans 12 superbly explains the holy life and Christian ethics which flow from the gospel of sovereign grace!

(1) Presenting Our Bodies a Living Sacrifice
(2) Christian Thinking About Oneself
(3) The Members of the Body
(4) The Gifts of the Members of the Body
(5) The Seven Gifts of Romans 12
(6) Gifts and Office-Bearers Among the Members of the Body
(7) Love Without Hypocrisy
(8) The Moral Absolutes of Good and Evil
(9) Abhor! Cleave!
(10) Relating to One Another
(11) The Christian’s Work
(12) The Christian’s Attitude

£12/box set (inc. P&P)

Listen free on-line
or order from the
CPRC Bookstore
by post or telephone
7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland BT42 3NR
(028) 25891851

Make cheques payable to “Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.”
Thank you!

28 Feb

Reformed News Asia - February 2019

Published in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore

Issue 53 - February 2019

NEWPamphlet!

Evangelism in the Established CHurch

By Jason L. Kortering

" The heartbeat of all evangelism in the local church is the living testimony of a godly walk by the members and their eagerness to share the gospel with those who cross their pathway. The great motivation for effective evangelism in the local church is a heart that truly loves God and loves the neighbour for God’s sake. If we truly love God, the goal of evangelism is not self, not even the neighbour, but it is God and His glory through the gathering and strengthening of His precious people. "

"..personal evangelism is God’s work through us. We must be obedient to Him and pray that His Holy Spirit will use us to promote the gospel to His glory."

Click here to view our catalogue of pamphlets.

Click here to make an order.

All pamphlets are free. CERC reserves some discretion regarding large orders and/or orders from those outside Singapore.

Featured Book

For local orders (Singapore), please contact Ms Daisy Lim at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For international orders, click here.

Walking in the Way of Love - Volume 2
by Nathan J. Langerak

From the RFPA website:

This volume treats the apostle's explanation of the main theme of the epistle in his glorious paean to love in 1 Corinthians 13. Also included in this commentary is treatment of the doctrinal heart of the epistle—the apostle's instruction regarding the resurrection. The apostle grounds all of his instruction about the way of love in the gospel of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This second volume covers chapters 10-16 of 1 Corinthians.

Audio Recordings

Click to listen to the sermons on Lord's Day 3 in 2 parts by Rev Audred Spriensma

Humans Wonderfully Made
The Blessedness Of The Truth: The Fall Into Sin

Upcoming Events!

Good Friday Gospel Meeting - 19 April 2019

Past Events...

Church Retreat

This year, our church retreat consisted of a speech by Prof Cammenga titled "Unity of the Spirit and the Bond of Peace" followed by prayer meeting and a time of fellowship over lunch. The speech follows our church's theme for 2019: Keeping the Unity of the Church from Ephesians 4:1-3 and can be found here..

Wedding of MIlton and Celina

This January, Milton and Celina were united in holy matrimony. We rejoice with them and pray the Lord's blessings upon their union!

Infant Baptism of Asher

We were blessed to witness the Infant Baptism of Asher, son of Lee Yang and Joanna! We rejoice with them, thanking God for adding to the church and praying for God's blessings upon them as they bring up their covenant child in the fear of the Lord.

"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."
Genesis 17:7

Notes

Salt Shakers

01 Jan

Reformed News Asia - December 2018

Published in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore

Issue 52 - December 2018

NEWPamphlet!

Christian Liberty

By Various Authors

"Christian liberty, therefore, is simply this, that we willingly walk in the narrow confines of God's commandments and find our happiness there."

"Thus our liberty means this: we MAY serve God, we have the right to serve Him. The living God banishes sinners out of His sight; He receives us as His children. We CAN serve God. We are 'restored in the likeness of Christ to be friend-servant in His house, using our gifts and talents to His glory. We WILL serve God. The psalmist sang, "'tis good to do His will." In the Dutch we used to sing, "Thy loving service has never yet wearied me." From all this follows the MUST. We may, and we also must. There is no conflict here. This “must” is as much the inner impelling of the Spirit as the outer command of God's law. The desire lives in our heart to serve the Lord our God, to hate sin, and to flee from it. This obligation we gladly assume."

This pamphlet talks about Christian Liberty in the church, in our lives, in practical living, in making decisions, etc. Read to find out more about the main principles of Christian liberty, how we can evaluate it and use it properly in our lives.

Click here to view our catalogue of pamphlets.

Click here to make an order.

All pamphlets are free. CERC reserves some discretion regarding large orders and/or orders from those outside Singapore.

Featured Book

For local orders (S'pore), please contact Ms Daisy Lim at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For international orders, click here.

Micah
by Martyn McGeown

From the RFPA website:

Christians want to know Christ from the Old Testament, from Micah, and the other minor prophets. And yet for many of us the minor prophets are like a sealed book. The inspired writing of the minor prophets are addressed to the people of God and addressed to us also in the New Testament church. As inspired scripture they indeed speak of Christ: Micah does so extensively, and not only in the obvious reference to Bethlehem in chapter 5:2.

The prophet Micah proclaims the incomparable God of judgment and mercy. This God is our God, the God of all who believe in Jesus Christ. And this prophecy has vital lessons to teach us today.

Audio Recordings

Click to listen to the series of sermons by Rev Arie Den Hartog

Nicodemus' Visit With Jesus
Jesus'Gift Of Living Water (Jesus And The Samaritan Woman)
Jesus And The Young Rich Ruler
Jesus And The Syro-Phoenecian Woman
Jesus And Zaccheus

Upcoming Events!

Chinese New Year Visitation (9 Feb)

Past Events...

Reformation Day Conference 2018

On the 3rd of November 2018, CERC held its annual Reformation Day Conference under the theme "By Grace alone". Commemorating 400 years of the Canons of Dordt, we give thanks as we acknowledge the great work of God! We were privileged to have Rev Den Hartog who delivered 3 speeches and Rev Singh who spoke about the mission work in Kolkata. We were blessed by the talks and enjoyed the good fellowship with one another. May we continue to be zealous to contend and preserve the truth.

Rev Den Hartog delivering one of his speeches

Rev Emmanuel SIngh speaking on the mission work in Kolkata

Vacation Bible School 2018

From 11-13 Dec, CERC's Vacation Bible School was held under the theme of "Are you a Christ-like Giver?". The camp was held over 3 days with lessons, indoor games and an outdoor activity at the high elements at Forest Adventure. The lessons were focused on giving and we are grateful for the time of instruction and fellowship among the children.

Lesson time

One of the many indoor games

Brave kids on the high element course!

Children visiting Aunty Sarah

Baptism & Confession of Faith

We thank the Lord for blessing CERC with new members who joined through Confession of Faith and Baptism. We rejoice in the growth of the church and the profession of faith of these brothers and sisters in Christ.

Confession of Faith of Chin Yuh Bin, Annie Chin, Nichelle Wong and Eric Quek

Baptism of Joezer Chin

Baptism of Emily Chua

Trip to Philippines

Elder Leong and Deacon Lee made a trip to Philippines from 15-20 Dec in order to explore the possibility of a sister church relationship with the Protestant Reformed Churches in the Philippines (PRCP). We thank God for the warm welcome by the brethren from PRCP and the opportunity to confirm the confessions, distinctives, church orders and practices of both churches. May the Lord lead and direct the decision on establishing sister church relationship with one another.

CKCKS Camp 2018

The annual CKCKS Camp was held on 19-22 Dec under the theme "Contentment as Covenant Youth", taken from 1 Timothy 6:6. We thank God for a spiritually refreshing time and good fellowship for our young people. May the Lord grant them contentment and strengthen their faith as they strive to live antithetical lives.

Group shot of the campers!

One of the messages - workshop by Joshua Tan

Some of the fruitful discussions

Camp games including ping pong with the hands

Outing - Laser tag at a nearby park

Notes

Salt Shakers

27 Dec

Covenant PRC, N. Ireland Newsletter - December 2018

Published in Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena, NI

27 December, 2018

Dear saints in the Protestant Reformed Churches,

US Trip

“The RFPA, the CPRC, and the Spread of the Truth” was the title of my lecture on 27 September at the annual meeting of the Reformed Free Publishing Association in Grace PRC (www.youtube.com/user/ReformedFree Pub). Our congregation and its witness is massively helped by the RFPA, so it was good to accept its speaking invitation.

The day before, I gave a chapel speech for Eastside Christian School in Grand Rapids on “The Sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17). That evening, at the request of Principal Pete Adams, I delivered a lecture with slides on “Martin and Katie Luther: The Reformation of Marriage” to supporters of Eastside. Sadly, the CPRC does not have a Christian school, so it is an extra privilege to do something to help Reformed education.

Mary and I made our first ever visit to Wingham PRC in Ontario, Canada, on Sunday, 30 September, when I preached at both services and gave a PowerPoint presentation on the witness of the CPRC in the evening. We stayed at the home of Travis Hanko, our nephew, and his wife, Averly (Kikkert), whom we first met at the 2016 British Reformed Fellowship conference in Northern Ireland.

On Wednesday, 3 October, “Martin and Katie Luther: The Reformation of Marriage” was again the subject, this time for Pittsburgh PRC's 21st Annual Reformation Lecture. There was a good attendance, including some who had watched CPRC YouTube videos. It had been some years since we were last in Pittsburgh and it was lovely to see some old friends, as well as learning from the experiences of Rev. and Mary Bruinsma in missions and smaller churches.

Between Wingham and Pittsburgh, Mary and I stopped off at Niagara-on-the-Lake (where some significant conferences were held involving missions, fundamentalism, and dispensationalism) and the powerful Niagara Falls. After Pittsburgh, we hiked and dined with Lee Carl Finley, who has had an article on Job published in the British Reformed Journal, and his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Rebecca, in Ohio. We also benefited from our visit to the Creation Museum in Kentucky.

On the Lord's Day of 7 October, I preached in Southeast PRC and Zion PRC, where I also showed CPRC slides. Meeting the saints in the PRC is always a blessing and it helps strengthen our sister-church relationship with you. After enjoying our relaxing trip and visiting family and friends, we flew home armed with as many RFPA books and PR pamphlets as our weight allowance would permit.

Back in the manse in Northern Ireland, we met up with Rev. Ken Koole, who had been preaching and teaching catechism classes in the CPRC during the last two weeks. The next Sunday, he took the services in the Limerick Reformed Fellowship (LRF).

Other News

Due in part to the pile-up of other work after our trip to America (and Canada) for the RFPA speech (24 September - 8 October), my usual bimonthly letter has become, in this instance, a quarterly letter, covering the period from 17 August almost to the end of this calendar year. During these four months and ten days, we had an excellent haul of 60 new translations, including 14 Hungarian, 7 Portuguese (by a Brazilian believer who migrated to Australia and his brother back in Brazil), 6 Polish (by a new translator), 6 Russian (including the “Foreword” and the first three chapters to the British Reformed Fellowship book, Be Ye Holy by Profs. Hanko and Engelsma), 3 N. Sotho and 3 Zulu (all of the Three Forms of Unity in these two languages were supplied to me by a brother from South Africa), 1 Afrikaans, 1 French, and 1 Italian.

However, it is our Spanish section that has seen the largest increase in the last quarter of a year (www.cprf.co.uk/languages/spanish.html). Doner Bartolon of First PRC in Grand Rapids sent us 18 translations, mostly of Rev. Rodney Kleyn's Reformed Witness Hour addresses on eschatology, along with links to their Spanish video recordings on the PRC Español YouTube channel. We added Doner's contact details at the bottom of all of our 195 Spanish translations and he has already heard from two interested brethren in Chile.

Besides visitors to our Sunday services from the PRC (about ten saints), England, and Canada, Mary and I enjoyed hosting Peter and Bec DeJong from Launceston Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia (13-15 October), as well as Giovanni and Sarah Pecora from Turin in Italy (10-17 November). The Pecoras heard of the CPRC through the over 550 items on our Italian webpage (www.cprf. co.uk/languages/italian.htm).

The CPRC Reformation Day Lecture this year was titled, “Two Men from Trier: Karl Marx (and Communism) and Caspar Olevianus (and the Heidelberg Catechism)” (26 October). 2018 was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx from Trier in western Germany. Trier is also the city of Caspar Olevianus, one of the principal authors of our Heidelberg Catechism. The speech compared and contrasted these two men from Trier: their lives, their main works, their ideas, and the results of their ideas. Key issues in the clash of worldviews between Marx’s atheistic communism and Olevianus’ Reformed faith include origins, alienation, work, private property, class struggle, the good life, history, and the end times! Much of the left-wing, anti-Christian, politically-correct world is based on Marxist and neo-Marxist thinking. The video, complete with a PowerPoint presentation, is online (www.youtube.com/watch?v= tN34URO2NXU).

I gave the same speech, also with slides, in South Wales (22 November). The lecture was very well attended and it was followed by a lively discussion.

My previous speech in South Wales was “Christ Our Sacrifice in Isaiah 53” (31 August). Before the lecture, Mary and I headed to Devon in SW England to check out two possible venues for a British Reformed Fellowship (BRF) conference. The first was Heatree Activity Centre in the wild and rugged Dartmoor National Park (www.heatreeactivitycentre. co.uk). The second was Brunel Manor in the English Riviera, the mansion in which Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the great mechanical and civil engineer, intended to retire (www.brunel manor.com).

Reports of July's BRF conference on “The Reformed Family—According to the Word of God” with Prof. David Engelsma and Rev. Andy Lanning were carried in the English Churchman (14 & 21 September) and Evangelicals Now (October). An article about Rev. Martyn McGeown's excellent book Grace and Assurance: The Message of the Canons of Dordt was published in the Ballymena Guardian (13 December) and the Tyrone Courier.

Our Tuesday morning Bible class has enjoyed studying the burnt, peace, sin, and trespass offerings in Leviticus 1-7 and how they picture the work of Jesus Christ. Some of the results of these studies are to be found on-line in two tables: “The 6 Stages in Offering the 4 Bloody Sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7” and “Lessons Regarding Sin, Christ, and Our Calling from the 4 Bloody Sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7” (www.cprf.co.uk/quotes.htm#sacrifices).

The second and third box sets of the Wednesday night classes on baptism from Belgic Confession 34 are entitled “OT Prophecy on the Children of Believers in the NT Age” (covering Isaiah 40-61, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel 34-37 in 6 CDs) and “NT Teaching on the Children of Believers” (8 CDs treating passages in all four gospel accounts, Acts and most of Paul's epistles, plus the relationship between circumcision and baptism, and the Reformed view of covenant children). These doctrinal box sets are available from the CPRC at a very reasonable rate and all the Belgic Confession audios can also be listened to free on-line (www.cprf.co.uk/audio/belgicconfessionclass.htm).

The CPRC YouTube page recently reached the 1,000 subscriber mark (www.youtube.com/ user/CPRCNI). Stephen Murray, our audio-visual man, has put many hours of hard work into putting thousands of our videos online, and making DVDs and CDs.
The new British Reformed Journal (BRJ) was recently published, with articles on “Answering the Fool” (Rev. McGeown), “Our Covenant God: Friend, Husband, and Father (3)” (Seminarian Matt Kortus), “Martin Luther and God’s Saving Righteousness (2)” (Rev. Stewart), and “God’s Universal Church: A Report on the 2018 BRF Conference” (Rhonda Boer). US subscribers will soon be receiving their copies. Subscription for 4 issues of the BRJ for those in North America costs $20 (US). Simply make your check payable to “Mary Stewart” and mail it (with your name and address) to Mr. Fred Hanko, at his new address: 725 Baldwin St., #A-18, Jenison, MI 49428.

Our thanks to all who sent us letters, cards, and emails. We ask for your indulgence in not replying individually for we already post thousands of items every year (Covenant Reformed News, BRJ, books, free pamphlets, and other church work).
The Lord be with you all in 2019!

Rev. Angus & Mary Stewart

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Missions Menu

Our Lord's Great Commission

Mark1615-1 In obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ we go, here in North America and abroad. Pray for the work of our churches, our mission committees, our missionaries - and pray for those who hear!

The Heidelberg Catechism:

Question 54. What believest thou concerning the "holy catholic church" of Christ?

Answer. That the Son of God from the beginning to the end of the world, gathers, defends, and preserves to himself by his Spirit and word, out of the whole human race, a church chosen to everlasting life, agreeing in true faith; and that I am and for ever shall remain, a living member thereof.

The Canons of Dordt

1st Head, Article 3: And that men may be brought to believe, God mercifully sends the messengers of these most joyful tidings, to whom he will and at what time he pleaseth; by whose ministry men are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. Romans 10:14, 15:"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?"

2nd Head, Article 5: Moreover, the promise of the gospel is, that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out of his good pleasure sends the gospel.

Missions of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America

Sister and Other Church Relationships

Berean PRC, Antipolo City - Pastors: Rev. V. Ibe; Rev. L. Trinidad (emeritus)

Provident PRC - Pastor:

Covenant Reformed News

April 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 12

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (6)

Deep Issues Raised by the Intermediate State

Inside the April Issue:

Covenant Reformed News

March 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 11

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (5)

Two Questions on Creation

Inside the February Issue:

Covenant Reformed News

February 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 10

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (4)

The Intermediate State

Covenant Reformed News

January 2019 • Volume XVII, Issue 9

Zechariah’s Day of the Lord (3)

Polygamy in the Old Testament

Covenant Protestant Reformed ChurchBallymena, NI

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Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena, NI