Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - CLIMATE

 CLIMATE

As we are all aware, there have been many problems with the world’s climate over the past few years - the flooding in Pakistan, the similar flooding in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the heat in Italy and Greece, the wildfires in Europe and in Canada, the floods in the U.S, etc. The list can go on and on. Even closer to home, we have had floods, wildfires, and considerable damage from hurricanes, with even further flooding and damage just the last week or so.

All of this, and much more, is considered to be the result of climate change primarily brought about by man’s use of fossil fuels and resultant CO₂ emissions. This is admittedly a large part of the problem, but is it the whole story? After all, there have been times in the past when extreme climate changes have occurred long before mankind was even here. For instance, the Ice Age is a well documented phenomena in which ice covered much of the Northern Hemisphere. And it is also evident that, at some time in the past, vegetation must have covered most, if not all, of the globe in that even under the deserts and the present day ice caps large amounts of fossilized fuels exist, giving evidence that at one time these areas grew large amounts of organic material

Or perhaps there is even a further reason. The Bible has warned us on many an occasion to either follow God’s rules or pay the consequences. It states in Deuteronomy:

…if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God…

Blessed shall you be in the city and..in the country…

…the Lord will cause your enemies…to be defeated…

The Lord will command the blessing in your storehouses 

and in all to which you set your hand…

The Lord will open to you…the heavens, to give the rain to your land…

and to bless all the work of your hand.

…if you heed the commandments of the Lord…

[and] not turn aside..to go after other gods to serve them.

(Deuteronomy 28:1,3,7-8,12-14)

It also gives the warning that:

if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God..curses will come upon you…

Cursed shall you be in the city…and in the country.

Cursed shall be the…produce of your land…

The Lord will send…rebuke in all that you set your hand to do…

until He has consumed you from the land…

…your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze,

and the earth which is under you shall be iron.

The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust…

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies…

And every sickness and every plague…

will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed.

(Deuteronomy 28:15-16,17,20-21,23-25,61)

The point being that none of us have obeyed God. All of us, individually and collectively, have done things which we should regret and for which we should repent - “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Many times in the past, when the Israelites disobeyed God, He would leave them to their own devices and problems would befall them. Only when they returned to God did their situation improve. As individuals and as nations, we have all fallen far from God’s direction.

…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,

nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts…

Professing to be wise, they became fools.

(Romans 1:21-22)

So, perhaps instead of just concentrating on CO₂ reduction, perhaps we should consider more the basic instructions as given by God. In that way, we could just possibly see more of the positive changes that we all desire. After all, when the Israelites repented, as reported in Judges, God once more returned to their aid and restored their land.

It does give one something to think about.  

  

 

Dr. Barclay is on Vacation

 

There will be no Something to Think About or Bible Study this week as Spencer and Caroline have taken a well-deserved vacation.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Colossians Part 4

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - JUST SOME FACTS

JUST SOME FACTS

There are two basic theories about how all we see and experience came about. One, of course, is the theory of creation which essentially states that God created everything by His Word and for His purpose. The other theory promotes the idea that everything simply, and spontaneously, evolved over time, without guidance, into what we have today. Neither theory can be totally proven nor disproven but only one today is accepted by science and therefore taught to students. This in spite of the fact that the theory of evolution contradicts the Law of Thermodynamics which, in essence, states that the universe is, over time, evolving from a more organized to a more disorganized state and not spontaneously becoming more organized as evolution implies. There are also some interesting questions I have never seen answered.

If the universe is as old as science claims, how large was the sun at the beginning? If a few degrees in temperature can cause the changes that climate change can apparently bring, how did the earth develop considering how hot it must have been a few billion years ago?

If the universe developed from a “Big Bang” as we are told, where did the energy originate from? According to E=MC², Einstein’s Theory upon which atomic energy and power (as well as the atomic bomb) is based, the energy required to create the universe can be roughly approximated. In the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WW2 only about 500-700 milligrams of matter was converted into energy. That relates to about one-third of the weight of a dime. If that little amount of matter can create energy equivalent to 15-20 thousand tons of TNT, how much energy would be required to create the universe with an estimated weight of 2.0x10⁴⁹ tons and where did that energy come from?

There are less complicated facts to consider as well. A comet’s vapour trail can be up to 10,000 miles long but that vapour condensed may take up a space of less than one cubic inch.*

The rings of Saturn are about 500,000 miles in circumference but only about a foot thick.*

There are more insects in a square mile of rural land than there are humans on the earth.*

A single human chromosome contains about 20 billion bits of information, which if written in ordinary sized books, would require about 4 thousand volumes to contain it all.* And each human cell contains 46 chromosomes and many of these cells are so small that hundreds could fit in the head of a pin.

These are only a few examples of many pieces of information and questions that need to be explained as to how such could occur through spontaneous and random happenings. It seems to me that it requires a lot more faith to believe in the universe just happening by chance than to believe that:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… 

(Genesis 1:1) 

…and that everything in creation came about from there.

Just something more to think about. 

*From David Guzik’s Bible Study Guide on Colossians 1

    

Caroline Barclay - July 16, 2023

Church Service July 16, 2023

 

Master's Hand Service

Sunday July 16th at 6 p.m.

Hillside Community Hall

27 Chance Harbour Rd.

Speaker Caroline Barclay

Worship with Jasmjne Trott

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Colossians Part 3

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - BABYLON

 

BABYLON

One of the great cities of the ancient world was Babylon. It apparently developed in the area where the Tower of Babel was founded, according to the Bible, by Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah. Babylon, over the years, developed into a great city, and at one time was believed to be the largest in the world. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it was the capitol of the empire ruled over by King Nebuchadnezzar. It was he who, while surveying his domain, proclaimed:

Is not this great Babylon, 

that I have build for a royal dwelling 

by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty? 

(Daniel 4:30)

And it was to this same king that a voice from heaven spoke these words soon after his proclamation:

…to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 

And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. 

They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, 

until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, 

and gives it to whomever He chooses. 

(Daniel 4:31-32)

The king’s arrogance and self importance caused his downfall and the city itself also declined in importance until it essentially ceased, as a city, to exist. This should be a warning for us in this day, because ignoring God in our affairs can still lead to unwanted results.

In the Book of Revelation, Babylon is again mentioned as a symbol of self reliance and arrogance, and as such is really a paradigm of any major metropolis or nation. In such a context, the Bible states:

…Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, 

a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 

Therefore her plagues will come in one day —death and mourning and famine…

(Revelation 18:2,8)         

So what are the reasons given for this situation? There are apparently five.*

Iniquity.

In the time of Daniel, Babylon was a major metropolis and had become a network of demonic activity, including astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers, whose activities and philosophies were reaching out across nations and effectively possessing the minds of many. It had become 

…a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit… 

(Revelation 18:2)

Influence. 

At the city’s zenith, Babylon exerted considerable secular attractiveness to surrounding nations and peoples. As a result, people of wealth, influence, and power were all attracted to this city as well as the crime bosses and drug promoters. As the Bible says:

…all the nations have drunk of the wine of her fornication, 

the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, 

and the merchants of the earth have become rich 

through the abundance of her luxury.

(Revelation 18:3)

Infidelity. 

As with the intended old tower of Babel, the sins of this city have piled one on top of the other and:

…her sins have reached to heaven, and God has rememberers her iniquities.
(Revelation 18:5)

Insolence. 

In spite of all that goes on in this city, it continues to think of itself as a glorious place and tends to promote all that is going on within its’ borders. Babylon tends to continue to promote its’ lifestyle and activity.

In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously…

for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow’
(Revelation 18:7)

Inhumanity. 

As a great city, involved with all sorts of commerce and trade, it was apparent that some of this activity involved the sale and trade of humans into forms of slavery and prostitution. And anyone who objected to such activity would just be shoved aside or silenced.

…merchandise of gold and silver…and bodies and souls of men. 

And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, 

and of all who were slain on the earth.

(Revelation: 12,13,24)

In this city, everything may seem to be going well for those who inhabit this area, but as with Sodom and Gomorrah, change may come quickly. Man never learns from history that it is not wise to neglect God and His ordinances. For as it continues:

…in one hour she is made desolate… 

Her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine…

for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

(Revelation 18:19,8)

How much like Babylon are our cities and nations becoming today and what is the likelihood of similar happenings in our day as those that befell Babylon in the Scriptures? After all our world is changing and not, for the most part, for the better. Is there still time for humanity to change or not?

It does give one something to think about.

*As noted in The Book of Signs pgs 48-51 by Dr. David Jeremiah

GOD BLESS

 

 From the book Every Day with Jesus, written by David Jeremiah I came across this reading. I would like to share it with you.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” This is taken from Psalm 1:1 NKJV

In the Good News it reads like this:

“Happy are those who reject the advice of evil men, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.”

 

David Jeremiah writes: Sometimes you’ll hear the German word gesundheit when someone sneezes. It literally means “health,” so saying it after a sneeze means  ”Good health to you!” The English expression “God bless you” was intended the same way: “May God bless you with good health!”

    But what does blessing mean? Why do we say, “God bless you,” upon parting, or sign our emails with “Blessings”? In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the word for blessing literally means “happiness.” The Old Testament word osher came from a root meaning  “to be level or right, to go forth in properness and rightness.” The New Testament makarious also means to be happy – that is, “to live in God’s favour.” So when we say, “God bless you“, we are invoking the happiness only God can provide. And we find that happiness by living according to His guidelines for life – full of the Spirit and based on the Word.

        Who wouldn’t want to live a happy life? While the world promotes many paths to happiness, only God’s blessings can bring true happiness.

Have a great day and God Bless

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Colossians Part 2

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think Aout - BALAAM

 Balaam

In the Book of Revelation, Christ makes a comment concerning the church at Pergamos in which He states that: “…I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam…” (Revelation 2:14). 

Now Balaam was a prophet who was apparently hired by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites. Balak, the Moabite king was fearful of the advancing Israelite army which had already defeated two other kingdoms, and so sought to obtain an advantage by having this prophet curse the Israelites. However, under God’s direction, Balaam only managed to pronounce blessings on the Israelites rather than curses even though he had taken the fee offered by Balak to curse the Israelites. This is all recorded in Numbers 23-24.

Thus it seemed Balaam was unable to curse the Israelites and Balak was becoming more upset with Balaam who was still eager to receive the fees further promised to him. As a result, Balaam decided that since he was unable to curse the Israelite people, he would devise a plan to deceive them. He apparently persuaded the Moabite women to be available in such a way that the men of Israel would prostitute themselves with them. Likewise the Median women were also there to seduce the Hebrew males. This is all believed to be due to the inducements of Balaam. (Numbers 31:16)

As a result of all this, the Israelite people:

…began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab… 

…[who] invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, 

and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

(Numbers 25:1-2)

So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, 

and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

…And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

(Numbers 25:3,9)

So Balaam was considered the cause of, and the reason for, the severing of the power the Israelites had from God. And this occurred because the Israelite men became seduced by the women of Moab and Midian, and all this due to the counsel of Balaam. Where he could not curse, he corrupted. He counselled that, because the Israelis were the covenant people of God, they could sin with apparent immunity.

And such apparently is the case still today. There are teachings that indicate that, because we are saved by grace nothing can remove that from us. The Bible teaches that we, in fact, run a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) and are engaged in a conflict (2 Timothy 2:4, Ephesians 6:10-18) in which we must be victorious to obtain the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8).

As Paul put it in Romans: “…Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1,2). The idea is that, just because we have been saved by grace, we are not free to sin at liberty. As such practices brought down the Israelites, so may we suffer the same fate. And this idea that, because we have been chosen (or saved) we are free to engage in any moral or pagan ritual without penalty is really the doctrine of Balaam.

And it really is something we should all think about.