Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 48
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Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Monday, June 29, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THREE WARNINGS
THREE WARNINGS
In the Bible, the number three is considered, among other things, to represent something real, and solid; a completeness and spiritual perfection. A few examples include:
- Three is the first of the four perfect numbers recognized in Biblical numerology.
- There were three Patriarchs of Israel: Abraham, Issac, and Jacob [Israel].
- Three men announced to Abraham that Sarah would bear a son.
- Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish.
- And it took him three days to journey across the city to Nineveh
Additionally,
- Three years was the extent of Jesus’ Ministry.
- Jesus went missing for three days when He was 12.
- Jesus was in the tomb for three days.
- The three encompassing theological virtues are faith, hope and charity.
- And three people comprise the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We should therefore take seriously the three main warnings or events mentioned in Scripture. The first of these, of course, was the flood. In those days…
…the wickedness of man was great in the earth…
(Genesis 6:5)
…and the earth was filled with violence.
(Genesis 6:11)
As per usual, the masses,
They ate, they drank, they married wives, [and] were given in marriage,
until the day…the flood came and destroyed them all.
(Luke 17:27)
So, evidently people everywhere ignored the warnings even though it took about 80 years for Noah to complete the ark.
The second main warning was that of a coming Messiah. This had been foretold for centuries by the prophets of old. Micah wrote about the coming judgement of Israel and the future triumph of Zion due to the coming of the Messiah.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you be little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me,
The One to be Ruler in Israel…
(Micah 5:2)
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given…
[And] of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end…
(Isaiah 9:6,7)
Hundreds of years passed between these prophecies and the coming of the Messiah. During that time people forgot, at least in Judah, and everyone apparently just went about their business as usual. It was the wise men of the East who told Herod that it was:
…In Bethlehem of Judea…
…is He who was born King of the Jews[.]
(Matthew 2:5,2)
However, the coming of the Messiah was ignored and He was even rejected by His people.
…He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
(Luke 17:25)
But there is yet another warning in Scripture that most don’t accept - that Christ will come again. And again, the usual warning is in place. Scripture states that:
…as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.
(Luke 17:26)
We are also told:
…that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first…
(2 Thessalonians 2:3)
For many will come in My name…and will deceive many
And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars.
For nation will rise up against nation…
And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
[And] many will be offended, will betray one another…
And because lawlessness will abound,
the love of many will grow cold.
(Matthew 24:5-6,7,10,12)
Over the past few years, we have seen all of the above and in increasing frequency and severity. But as has been the case before, most of the world continues to ignore what is happening and continues to go on as usual. We never seem to learn from history. Two events have occurred after warnings; we now have the warning about the third and that would apparently make the prophecies complete. Are we, like others in the past, going to ignore what we have been given?
It certainly is something to think about.
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Monday, June 22, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - JESUS WEPT
JESUS WEPT
God, when in His earthly form as Jesus, had the entire gamut of human emotions as did any other man. He laughed, ate, enjoyed company, and associated with this friends as would anyone else. But also, as the shortest verse in the Bible relates, in addition:
Jesus wept.
(John 11:35)
He did this after He arrived in Bethany; four days following the death of His friend Lazarus and when He found Lazarus’ sister also weeping. As a result,
…He groaned in the spirit and was troubled
[and] Jesus wept.
(John 11:33&35)
But why would Jesus weep? He knew what He could do and what He was about to do, and He also knew where the spirit of Lazarus had gone. But grieving is a human emotion and at that time Jesus was fully human. In addition, He would have had empathy for the sisters of Lazarus who would no longer see their brother or so they thought.
Perhaps Jesus also wept because of what He was about to do. He knew to where Lazarus had gone and what his new resurrection body would be like. He might have surmised that perhaps, having seen beyond the veil, that Lazarus might have some mixed feelings about what was to happen. After all,
Lazarus had seen the other side.
He had seen eternity.
Did he want to return to the miseries and problems of human existence?
Did he want to leave where he was at?
Was he happy to return to humanity?*
In part, did Jesus weep because He knew what He was causing His friend to leave? Returning to earth meant coming once again to the troubles and illness of this life and knowing that you would once again have to endure the process of dying. That in itself could be something to weep over.
We all have, or will have, loved ones, relatives, or friends pass away at some time. Some will pass away easy and some will have an arduous passage from this world. It is a journey we all must take at some time and in some manner. Life apparently has three cycles and there is a transition between each; from before life by birth into this world, time in this world, and from this world by death into the next. The Bible says that for those who follow Christ, death is really a gift into an eternity where:
…the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them…
God Himself will be with them, and be their God.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain…
(Revelation 21:3-4)
It is never easy losing a loved one or close friend. But for those who believe in Christ the Bible gives great assurance of the promises and hope in the world to come. Those who pass into that realm are unlikely to ever want to come back but wait there for us to join them. Loving Jesus, and then being assured of what lies ahead, is something we should always be thinking about.
*Adapted from a novel Lazarus exact reference not available
Sunday, June 7, 2026
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