Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 3

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - LIGHT

LIGHT

The world is full of colour. Light bathes everything in its rays and that which is not absorbed by an object, is reflected and gives that object its colour. Thus, the colour of any object is that part of the light spectrum that the object does not take in but gives back so that the eye can receive it. Therefore, a red object is so because the red part of the light spectrum is not absorbed while the other parts are. So, it is with other colours. A white object reflects all light and a black one none of the light that hits it.

Now the Bible tells us that:

…God saw the light, that it was good,
and God divided the light from the darkness.

(Genesis 1:4) 

In a way, God made the world so that it would reflect all his being and not just part, but even though…

The people who walked in darkness 

Have seen a great light… 

(Isaiah 9:2)

Unfortunately, the result often is that…

this is the condemnation, 

that the light has come into the world,

and men loved darkness rather than light, 

because their deeds were evil.

(John 3:19)

Again, the result of loving darkness instead of the light is that…

those who leave the path of uprightness

walk in the ways of darkness… 

(Proverbs 2:13)

eats in darkness… 

(Ecclesiastes 5:17)

[and comes] and departs in darkness, 

and its name is covered with darkness. 

(Ecclesiastes 6:4)

Now, if darkness results from all the light that falls somewhere being absorbed, then those who walk in darkness are those who absorb all and give little and end up having little. If one never gives out the love that resides in them, then love will likely not be given to them. A person will never be rich if he holds all that he has and never shares wealth to some extent. And a person will never be blessed or happy if he never gives blessing and happiness to others. A flower is only admired for its beauty if it reflects at least some of the light that shines upon it.

This is why Jesus said that:

 

…I am the light of the world. 

He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, 

but have the light of life. 

(John 8:12)

…whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 

(John 12:46)

For you were once darkness, 

but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of light… 

(Ephesians 5:8)

He also said that:

As long as I am in this world, I am the light of the world.

(John 9:5)

And, referring to His followers, He also said

You’re the light of the world… 

(Matthew 5:14)

and so…

Let you light so shine before men, 

that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven. 

(Matthew 5:16)

If we are to let our light shine, we must try to give back much of what God has given us; only then will we be walking in the light and not immersed in darkness. It's only what we give away of ourselves and our abilities that make us truly healthy, wealthy, and wise. By doing that, we walk in the light of the world and not in its darkness. 

Something we all should think about. 

 

Blake Storey June 29, 2025

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 2

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - TWO VISIONS

 TWO VISIONS*

In the book of Daniel, we are told of two visions which were revealed to the prophet. In the first, Daniel interpreted the meaning of a gigantic statue that came in a dream to Nebuchadnezzar. He revealed the statue’s form to the king:

 

[T]his image’s head was fine gold,

its chest and arms of silver,

its belly and thighs of bronze,

its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and…clay.
(Daniel 2:32-33)

Each piece of the statue’s form represented, in turn, a different kingdom. The head of fine gold was Babylon, the chest and arms of silver a second kingdom, the belly and thighs of bronze a third empire, and the legs of iron and a fourth kingdom respectively. These in turn apparently represented the empires of Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome with the feet of iron and clay indicative of a future kingdom yet to come.

This vision was felt to portray the future of human history, as it tended to show the major players in coming world events with the ten toes of iron and clay indicating the strength and weakness of the end times of a future type of Roman Empire. We do not hear as often the end of the prophecy where a…

…stone cut out without hands, 

which struck the image on its feet of 

iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 

(Daniel 2:34)

This stone is believed to refer to Jesus, who will come back at the end of time and topple the last empire. It also tends to show that man’s dominion on earth began more as gold and ends with dust.

But there was also a second vision as recorded in Daniel 7. In this case creatures came from the sea.

The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings…

And another beast, a second, like a bear…

and there was another, like a leopard, 

which had on its back four wings like a bird… 

…a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. 

It had huge iron teeth…and had ten horns. 

It was different from all the beasts that were before it… 

(Daniel 7:4-7) 

Again, the creature like a lion was felt to represent Babylon, the second creature to represent Persia, the third - Greece and the fourth, the old Roman Empire and a civilization in the future. But no shattering of this last civilization in this instance.

It is interesting that Daniel used the names of familiar animals to describe the first three creatures but not the last. The word he used to describe the final beast is the Hebrew word “shainah” which means different or altered or changed. 

Does this then mean that the civilization of the end time will be different or altered from those of previous times, that it will be more unnatural? That it will be a civilization, at odds with the normal creation and so, then, with God’s creation. Those, then, who live in those times must be willing and able to stand against this altered creation and creature if one is to survive. And this all must come before the stone, cut without hands, breaks into pieces the civilization at the end times.

If one looks around, it is not hard to see that right now we are living in a civilization at odds with creation and God’s order. And that should be enough to make us all concerned.

Certainly something for us to think about.

*Adapted from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn, p.g. 114 

Pastor Matthew Trott June 22, 2025

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 1

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