In ancient times, there were no newspapers, radios or televisions. Important news was spread by individuals given the responsibility to go throughout the land telling the news. The emperor would send these individuals out to tell the people his news. These men were known as heralds.

The herald took his responsibility very seriously. He made sure that he gave the news exactly as he had been given it by the emperor. The news of the emperor could not be taken lightly.  The herald spoke loudly and distinctly. He made sure that he gave the message accurately. It was his responsibility to make sure that the people knew what the emperor wanted them to know.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:9, we read, "For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." The words "we preached" come from the word for the emperor's herald. Paul was speaking for the Emperor of emperors, the King of kings. Paul considered his message very, very important.

When we teach others about the Bible, we need to make sure that we teach the truth. It is a serious thing to tell others the Gospel. We should not be silly when we teach others. We want to make sure that they understand and hear exactly what God wants them to do.

I am glad that God gave us the Bible. It is exactly what we need to know to obey God. It is what we are to teach others. Without the Bible, we would not know how to live like God wants us to live. I know that you want to obey God. And I know that you want others to obey God.

Every country or kingdom has a ruler or leader. That ruler will need to communicate with other leaders and rulers. Today, that can sometimes be done by telephone, but sometimes the leader will want to send a representative to give a message for him. In biblical times, this is the way it was almost always done. The leader would send a special messenger to give a message to another ruler. That messenger was known as an envoy.

In Mark 1:3, we read, "As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." The word "send" is the word used in ancient times for the sending of an envoy.

This passage is referring to John the Baptist. John was sent as God's envoy to give a message to the world. John's message was that the Christ was coming. John was telling the Jews that they should prepare for the Christ. John called the people to repent of their sins and be ready for the Christ.

It is interesting that the words "it is written" is in the perfect tense in the Greek language. This means that the prophet's words had been written down and the action was completed. God had given the prophecy many years before that John would come as his envoy. And now it was happening. Just as God's prophecy was true, so were the words of John. All of the Jews should have listened, and we should listen today.

I am glad that we have a God who always fulfilled his promises. And he will fulfill the promise of eternal life in heaven for us, if we will obey him. God has given us the Bible to read and study so that we can know how to obey him. Each of us should do our best to learn what God wants us to do.

Keep reading your Bible, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.