Living with the Glory of the Lord by Malcolm C Davis; published by and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 276 pages. Price £8.99 (9781909803787)
Living with the Glory of the Lord is an addition to Malcolm Davis's list of expositions published in recent years. Already in print are books on Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah and Joshua, each of which has been well received. This latest exposition follows the format of the author's Concise Commentaries. 155 of the 276 pages are devoted to an outline of each of Ezekiel's 48 chapters; on average, therefore, a chapter outline is a little more than three pages. Particularly for Christians who have no working knowledge of Ezekiel's prophecy, this approach will prove helpful.
As well as a Concise Commentary on each chapter, the book contains eight practical studies on Ezekiel's major themes and recurring phrases; these include the Names and Glory of God, God's dealings with Jews and Gentiles, and recurring phrases such as "son of man" and "the hand of the Lord". Living with the Glory of the Lord also contains two charts on the Millennial Temple Ezekiel describes, and a map of the Land of Israel, showing the inheritance of each tribe in the future millennial reign of Christ.
The publication of Living with the Glory of the Lord is to be welcomed. It is more than another introduction to a book that, to many, delivers "a complex message … full of symbols and parables, along with prophetic utterances that are not easy to unravel" as John Riddle remarks in the Foreword. In clear uncomplicated language, Malcolm Davis writes from "a conservative Pre-millennial, Pre-tribulational standpoint, which accepts inspired Scripture at face value and believes that it should be interpreted as literally as is reasonable." Few readers will fail to gain much from the clarity of the teaching; and many studying Ezekiel for the first time will equally be pleased to note its relative brevity.
TW
The Folly of Atheism by Fraser A Munro; published by and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 24 pages. Price £1.75 (9781909803800)
The Folly of Atheism is "based on a well-received message preached at Kilmarnock Christian Conference in October, 2013", notes the back cover of this booklet.
The author's exercise is to be welcomed at a time when Christians, young and not-so-young, are often the objects of ridicule in a society that has been duped into believing that the propaganda of militant atheists has been proven to be factually correct. So forceful has been the pressure applied against God, Creator and Saviour, that men and women will jump to the defence of the atheist's cause without ever having given careful consideration to their specious claims. Indeed The Folly of Atheism begins by listing two incidents involving Christians being persecuted for their faith, one in Tibet in the 1950s, the other in Scotland in 2013.
The author has avoided the temptation to build his case wholly on scientific grounds. He presents seven reasons why Atheism is foolish, each of them pertinent to his case, and each of them within the reach of a wide readership, not all of whom would be Christians. His seven reasons are:
Atheism ignores creation around us; conscience within us; cravings from us; the care upon us; the Canon of Scripture before us; the Christ who came to us; and conversions among us.
Also helpful in The Folly of Atheism is the inclusion of "10 Things that We are Not Often Told". Undoubtedly, in a number of situations, this booklet will be of benefit to many.
TW