Bible Study with David Hathaway (TV Audio Podcast)

The Day of the Lord / 2 Peter 3 Bible Study (TV Audio #535)

'Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
'But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
'But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. (2 Peter 3.3-10, NIV)

The world is facing a spiritual crisis / 2 Peter 2 Bible Study (TV Audio #534)

The world is in its greatest crisis ever. Politicians have failed to find the answers and actually make matters worse. Recent history often discredits past politicians and shows how their decisions, with hindsight, were disastrously wrong. Too often they lied to us, not willing to trust us with the truth. 
However the conclusion that I have come to after 90 plus years, is that this world is a battle ground. On one side is a God of love, who not only created us for a purpose, but was willing to sacrifice His own Son to rescue us from our own follies; on the other side is a very evil spirit, determined to control the world by subversion and encourage men to create their own destruction.
2 Peter 2 delivers a strong warning against those who do wrong and encourage others to follow them in doing evil. Peter says false teachers will arise among believers. He compares them to false prophets from Israel’s past, explaining that they will introduce destructive heresies, deny Jesus, and exploit people with deceptive words. Their actions lead others into sin, and they bring disrepute to the truth.
Peter assures that God will judge these evildoers, just as He judged the ancient world during Noah’s time and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. However, God also knows how to rescue the godly, as seen with Lot.

Prophecy of Scripture / 2 Peter 1 Bible Study (TV Audio #533)

'So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
'For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
'We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.' (2 Peter 1.12-21, NIV)

The Truth and Authority of the Bible (TV Audio #532)

All my life I have believed in the Authority, Truth and Accuracy of the Bible. As a boy I learnt from my father, who was the General Superintendent of the Elim Churches, that 'All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,' (2 Timothy 3.16-17, KJV).

Serve the Lord willingly / 1 Peter 5 Bible Study (TV Audio #531)

'And now, a word to you elders of the church. I, too, am an elder; with my own eyes I saw Christ dying on the cross; and I, too, will share his glory and his honour when he returns. Fellow elders, this is my plea to you: Feed the flock of God; care for it willingly, not grudgingly; not for what you will get out of it but because you are eager to serve the Lord. Don’t be tyrants, but lead them by your good example, and when the Head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honour.
'You younger men, follow the leadership of those who are older. And all of you serve each other with humble spirits, for God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets himself against those who are proud. If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in his good time he will lift you up.
'Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.' (1 Peter 5.1-7, TLB)

Have the same attitude as Christ / 1 Peter 3&4 Bible Study (TV Audio #530)

You must have the same attitude Christ did... The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore be earnest, thoughtful men of prayer. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love makes up for many of your faults.
Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you. Instead, be really glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterwards you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory in that coming day when it will be displayed. (1 Peter 4, TLB)

A chosen people / 1 Peter 2 Bible Study (TV Audio #529)

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2.9-10)

A living hope / 1 Peter 1 Bible Study (TV Audio #528)

'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.' (1 Peter 1.3-5, NIV)
Introduction (1.1-2)Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, addresses his letter to believers scattered across various regions. He emphasises that they are chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit, and saved through Jesus Christ.
A Living Hope (1.3-12)Peter praises God for giving believers a "living hope" through Jesus’ resurrection. He reminds them that their inheritance in heaven is imperishable. Though they may face trials, their faith is being refined like gold. He highlights that salvation is something even prophets and angels longed to understand.
Call to Holiness (1.13-21)Peter urges believers to prepare their minds for action, be sober-minded, and set their hope fully on God's grace. Since God is holy, they must also live holy lives. He reminds them that they were redeemed not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ.
Love and Obedience (1.22-25)Believers are called to sincere love for one another, as they have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God. He quotes Isaiah, emphasising that while human life is fleeting, God's Word lasts forever.

God works miracles (TV Audio #527)

When I was in prison for smuggling Bibles into Russia I was sentenced to what could have been ten years. I was not allowed a Bible, but I reminded the Lord that in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they began to praise the Lord, He sent an earthquake and freed them. By faith I asked the Lord to do the same for me – He answered – and 12 months later, God opened the prison doors by a miracle!  
Suppose God answered my first prayers and released me from the prison within one or two days, what would have happened? Imagine if God had organised things ‘extremely well’ and got me out of prison really quickly – I would not be evangelising in Russia the way I do now, I would not have the ministry I have today. The longer I stayed in the prison, the bigger the miracle became – in the end it was the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, who came to Czechoslovakia, just to get me out! I was not thrown out of the ‘back door’! I was released in a blaze of publicity! That’s God! But the whole miracle took one year to prepare. I didn’t let go of God even in the darkest days of despair – I knew, I believed – but it hurt and it was hard. If only you could know how bad those days I spent in prison were!
When I had cancer in my throat and asked God for healing, the devil said it was impossible. I fought unbelief and doubt so that when the answer came, it was an even greater miracle than I had asked for! When I was in prison for Bible smuggling, I fought against the demons of despair, fear, unbelief – and when the final answer came, it was many times greater than I had imagined in my wildest dream!  
It’s the same with you. Hold on. Don’t let go of God! God WILL do it! If it takes three months, three years, God WILL do it.

The Kingdom of God in Power (TV Audio #526)

'For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power... For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes,' (1 Corinthians 4.20; Romans 1.16, NIV).
I have seen the power of God in an incredible way. From childhood, I wanted every day and every part of my life to be under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. Now when I look back over 75 years of ministry I know with absolute certainty that there has been both purpose and direction in my life. God has been in control of all my days and all my experiences. Everything that has happened in my life was foreknown in His plan.
I shall never forget the dramatic and exciting evangelism we held in Yambol, Bulgaria, before communism finally fell there. It was August. The music group Vinesong and I arrived the day before the opening. What could we do? Nothing? No!!! So without permission, we decided to hold an open-air service in the big square in front of the Communist Party Headquarters in Yambol! This city of 100,000 had never witnessed such scenes before! As darkness fell the beautiful worship music drew the crowds. But when Vinesong sang in Bulgarian, ‘I bow the knee to Jesus’ – the whole crowd, 10,000 strong, knelt in prayer with their hands raised in worship and acceptance of Christ! Even the communist police on duty took off their hats, and the Communist Party Flag, which until then had been fluttering bravely in the breeze, hung down limp as if it too was bowing before the Name of Jesus!
What a tremendous start it was to the conference and evangelism! The morning and afternoon teaching sessions in the sports stadium were filled with people hungry for the Word of God – and packed for the evening evangelism with 7,000 crowded in, people standing, 2,000 repenting… For four days, we witnessed the mighty Power of God, not only in conversions, but also in mighty miracles of healing. Night after night crutches were thrown onto the platform as people were delivered and walked out free. The blind, the deaf, the sick – all were healed. Revival swept from there – we travelled by road in broken down communist cars from church to church to church – the Power of God was falling – no time seemingly to eat, sleep or even drink a cup of tea! For two years the Holy Spirit moved across the whole of Bulgaria! Eighty new churches were opened as a direct result of that evangelism!”