No Something to Think About or Bible Study This Week of Jan. 29th

Dr. Barclay is on vacaton so there will be no Something to Think About or Bible Study this week.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 38

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - FAILURES

 FAILURES

One of the features that contribute to the authenticity of the Bible is the fact that it does not pull any punches in so far as the character of the most important people in the Book is concerned. In this context, the inability of such people, especially males, to live up to their responsibilities is not hidden but in fact is emphasized to show how the entire story of the Bible has unfolded.

Most, if not all, of the main protagonists of the Biblical stories have been failures to some degree beginning with the earliest events in the Biblical narrative. And this refers to Adam himself, who, according to the Bible, was put in the garden “…to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

In other words, he was to protect and guard the area God had placed him in. This he apparently did not do for when Eve disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree, Adam was “with her” (Genesis 3:6) and so failed to protect and keep both the garden and his companion from the wiles of Satan. After all, it was to Adam that God gave the initial instruction not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and not to Eve.

Abraham also failed to protect his wife when circumstances required it. When he entered Egypt due to a famine in his homeland, he said to Sarah:

“Please say you are my sister, 

that it may be well with me for your sake, 

and that I may live because of you”

(Genesis 12:13) 

and again when he stayed in Gerar:

 

“…Abraham said of Sarah his wife, 

‘She is my sister’…”

(Genesis 20:2) 

and so failed to protect and support his wife.

Isaac seemed to be no different for when he also was at Gerar, and the men of the area asked about his wife Rebekah He said:

“…‘She is my sister,’ 

for he was afraid to say,

 ‘She is my wife’…”

(Genesis 26:7) 

and so failed in the same way as did his father Abraham.

In a different context but also in a similar way, David failed to protect his kingdom, his relationship with God, and his honour by falling for Bathsheba and having her husband killed so that he could have an adulterous relationship with her. As a result, the Lord said;

“…‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house;

and…the child who is born to you shall surely die.”

(2 Samuel 12:11,14)

These are only four cases where the head of the house, the male, failed to protect that which was under his charge; his lands, his wife, or his position and yet God continued to bless each of these people. But there still seemed to be consequences. In each case, the eldest son seemed to pay to some extent for the father’s misdoings. Adam’s son Abel was killed by his brother Cain; Abraham’s eldest son Ishmael was supplanted by his second son Issac, and Issac’s eldest son Esau was displaced by the second son Jacob. And the first son of the relationship between David and Bathsheba died.

In a way, this is similar to the way the eldest son of Pharaoh and the other Egyptians died when they failed to listen to God. 

“…the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, 

from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne 

to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, 

and all the firstborn of livestock…

there was not a house where there was not one dead.”

(Exodus 12:29-30)

In view of this, perhaps our failure in the expectations of God and in not protecting our family, property, etc., over which we were given control has more consequences than might be otherwise considered.

In any case, it should give one something to think about.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 37

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - SEVEN DISPENSATIONS

 SEVEN DISPENSATIONS

One of the ways of interpreting Biblical history is that of dividing the time of the earth’s existence into ages or dispensations. In most cases, the ages are noted as having seven divisions; although some sources mention only three and others as many as thirty-seven. Scripture, in reality, mentions seven.

Initially, there was the Dispensation of Innocence. This extended from the dawn of time to the fall of man. God walked with man and was his intimate friend. Man was given instruction on how to maintain and look after the earth and essentially had complete freedom with one exception - to avoid the tree from which God forbid them to eat. When man disobeyed God, it ended this age and ushered in a second.

The Dispensation of Conscience followed the fall of man and extended through to the time of the flood. This was a time when man no longer had complete freedom but was instead made to deal with nature and multiple problems because of the curse on nature and the resultant difficulty in working and producing food. But it also gave the first indication of the future salvation and grace of God.

The third age was the Dispensation of Human Government which really began in Genesis Chapter 8. After the flood, God gave to Noah many of the responsibilities that He had initially given to Adam; namely to replenish the earth and have dominion over it. But, instead of this taking place, God’s commands were again not followed and, instead of replenishing the earth, mankind began a monument to their own pride and achievements. This resulted in God scattering them and their language creating human governments and multiple nations.

This was followed by the fourth age called the Dispensation of Promise which started with Abraham’s call to leave his home country of Ur and ended with the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. The main feature of the period was the Abrahamic Covenant given to Abraham by God. This indicated that he would be blessed, that his name would be great, and that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed, ultimately fulfilled through the birth, life, and death of Christ.

The giving of the Law began the fifth age called the Dispensation of Law. It extended from the time in Exodus until the death of Christ. The Law was how God dealt specifically with the Jewish people and laid down the rules of the worship, conduct, and day to day life. It, however, was such that no man could possibly follow the Law completely and so once again, man resorted to his own interpretation and rules.

With Christ’s death and the New Covenant in His blood, we entered the sixth age, the Dispensation of Grace. This overtook the Law and began with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and will end someday when the church is Raptured. It deals primarily with the New Commandment: “that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Mark expands on this a bit more by saying:

 

“…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 

This is the first commandment. And the second like it, is this: 

You shall love your neighbour as yourself…”

(Mark 12:30-31)

When the above age ends, it will usher in the final age, the Dispensation of Judgement and the Millennial Kingdom over which Christ will rule for 1000 years. This apparently will begin after the Rapture and with the seven years of judgements known as the Tribulation. This will not be a time when people should want to be on the earth for the Holy Spirit will have been removed and all sorts of evil will occur. This is the time spoken of in Revelation and although it will end in Christ’s Millennial Rule for a thousand years, it will in itself be a time most people would be better off missing. If there is any doubt, read the Book of Revelation. The age will end with the final Judgement at the White Throne.

We have proceeded through six of the seven ages of man and are still in the Dispensation of Grace. While here, there is still time to avoid the seventh age and the trials associated with it. According to the Bible, our present trials have nothing on what will take place then. It is a time to be avoided and that’s still possible while we remain in the present age and if we accept God’s gift of forgiveness through Christ. If you believe the Bible at all, it’s the way it must be.

Certainly something to think about.    

Church Service on Sunday January 22, 2023

 

Master's Hand Ministry will be having a service at Summer Street on January 22nd at 2 PM.

Please join us for worship. 

Everyone welcome.

NOTICE

 

Dr. Barclay is taking a well-deserved break.

There will be no Something to Think About or Bible Study this week.

January 22nd Service

 

Master's Hand Ministry will be having a service at Summer Street on January 22nd at 2 PM.

Please join us for worship. 

Everyone welcome.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 36

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - SATANS' SEED

 

SATAN’S SEED

In the Book of Genesis, the statement is made that:

“And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman, 

And between your seed and her Seed;

He will bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

(Genesis 3:15)

This statement is made in the context of the curse proclaimed by God on the serpent:

“You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly shall you go,

And you shall eat dust 

All the days of your life.”

(Genesis 3:14) 

And also on the earth:

“Cursed is the ground for you sake;

In toil you shall eat of it 

All the days of your life.”

(Genesis 3:17)

This implied that since Satan is immortal the curse would be as long as the present world system endures. But it should be noted the curse was on Satan and the earth and not on Adam and Eve who were told to essentially be fruitful and multiply. From the remainder of the Bible, we are familiar with the eventual coming of the Seed of the woman, but how about the seed of Satan?

It is interesting that, due to the initial fall of man from the grace of God, sin has always been at man’s doorstep. This is why, when Cain became angry at not being accepted through his own efforts, God relayed this message to him: “…if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.(Genesis 4:7) When Cain slew Abel, the response was: “So now you are cursed from the earth…” (Genesis 4:11). 

So, it was the descendant of Adam and Eve who was cursed and not the parents. The same seems to have applied to the son of Noah. When Noah, after the flood, planted a vineyard and drank too much of its benefits, he was subsequently seen naked, by his son Ham, who relaid the event to his brothers. Noah, angry at Ham for this, cursed Ham’s son, Canaan, when he said:

“Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants

He shall be to his brethren.”

(Genesis 9:25)

As Cain was cursed, it identified him with his figurative father, the devil. This follows the original curse that God placed on Satan and later His warning that sin was at his door. This concept has been carried down through history in the premise that those who rebel against God and His purposes will be identified as followers of Satan. Christ confirms this when He confronts Abraham’s descendants and says:

“You are of your father the devil, 

and the desires of your father you want to do… 

…If God were your father, you would love Me…”

(John 8:44,42)

“…whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”

(John 4:34)

1 John 3 puts it this way:

He who sins is of the devil, 

for the devil has sinned from the beginning…

…Whoever has been born of God does not sin, 

for His seed remains in him…

…In this the children of God 

and the children of the devil are manifest:

Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God,

nor is he who does not love his brother.

(1 John 3:8-10)

This further illustrates why Paul, in the Book of Romans, states that:

nor are they all children 

because they are the seed of Abraham…

…those who are the children of the flesh, 

these are not the children of God,

but the children of promise are counted as seed.

(Romans 9:7,8)

So, in essence, those who rebel against God and His promises are the ones considered to be the seed of Satan and are under the curse. This is why there has always been such animosity between God’s people and the peoples of Canaan and why God said:

O Canaan, land of the Philistines:

“I will destroy you;

So there shall be no inhabitant.”

(Zephaniah 2:5)

And also why people still refer to the mark of Cain and the way of Cain in reference to wrongdoers:

not as Cain who was of the wicked one 

and murdered his brother…

…because his works were evil 

and his brother’s righteous.

(1John 3:12)

Woe to them! 

For they have gone in the way of Cain,  

have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit…

(Jude 1:11)

So it should be clear that the seed of Satan really refers to anyone who has rebelled against God and His precepts, and therefore, follows in the character of Canaan or in the footsteps of Cain. And so, whether one is a follower of the Seed of the woman or belongs to the seed of Satan is something which we all have to eventually decide.

And it certainly is something to think about.