Pastor Dave MacLean June 30, 2024

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 12

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - FORTY

 FORTY

It has been said that there is nothing in the Bible that does not have significance. This certainly seems to be true in regard to the recurrence of certain numbers in Scripture. For instance, the number three [3] seems to refer to something which is solid or complete in God’s plan. It is considered a perfect number, as is the number seven [7] which in turn often refers to spiritual perfection and completion. This holds true for many numbers used frequently including the number forty [40].

Forty occurs 159 times in the NKJV of Scripture. It is often associated with times of consecration, trial, or transformation and it is the only number in English whose letters appear in alphabetical order.

There are many examples of how this number is significant in Scripture, including the following:

Forty days and forty nights of the great flood (Genesis 7:4)

Forty years Moses lived in Egypt (Acts 7:23-29) 

Forty years Moses was in Midian (Acts 7:30)

Forty years Israel was in the wilderness and ate manna (Exodus 16:35)

Forty days and night that Moses was on the mountain with God (Exodus 24:18)

Forty years were the intervals of peace in the age of the Judges (Judges 3:11)

Forty years David ruled as king of Israel (2 Samuel 5:4)

Forty years Solomon ruled Israel (2 Chronicles 9:30)

Forty years of judgement Ezekiel prophesied for Egypt ( Ezekiel 29:11-14)

Forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness before He was tempted (Matthew 4:2)

Forty days was Jesus seen by many after His resurrection (Acts 1:3)

Now there are many other examples of the number forty being used in Scripture and it might be good to look at just a few more. For instance:

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

 In the day of trial in the wilderness…

…Therefore I was angry with that generation 

(Hebrews 3:8-10)

Now with whom was He angry forty years?

Was it not with those who sinned, 

whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

(Hebrews 3:17)

It rained forty days and forty nights at the time of the flood. Elijah, in fleeing from Jezebel, went in forty days and forty nights to Horeb. Christ was forty days on earth before His Ascension. The number forty obviously holds great significance in the Bible but does the number have any meaning for us today? Although it is not Biblical, some people believe that the souls of the deceased undergo a transition during this time from earthly life to the afterlife. Others believe that the mourning period after death is forty days. It’s interesting to note also that the period of time between the start of WWII and the next European war - Russia and Ukraine - is about eighty [forty x2] years. 

The number forty in the Bible is certainly something to think about.

Pastor Terry Dorian June 23, 2024

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 11

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - FATHER'S DAY 2024

                                                                                              

                                    FATHER’S DAY 2024

Father’s Day was first conceived by Sonora Smart Dodd, who wanted to create a day to honour her father, a Civil War veteran who became a widower and then raised Sandra Dodd and her siblings alone after her mother passed away. The idea spread and grew in popularity  after it started and, in 1972, became a holiday in the US, along with it being celebrated in many other countries as well. Created to honour one man, it has since stood everywhere to honour those men who are there, or should be there, to honour in turn their wives, their children, and most importantly their God.

After all, everything that we are able to do, give, or obtain is ultimately a gift to us from God and, therefore, this day should really be a day, as should all others, when we give honour to Him as our ultimate Father. It is a day when we, if possible, should be with Him for at least part of the Day.

Israel [Jacob] recognized this principle when he blessed Joseph by saying in part:

…The God who has fed me all my life long to this day… 

(Genesis 48:15)

Joshua also realized the overriding need to recognize the overlying fathership of the true God when he said:

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 

[then] choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, 

whether the gods which your fathers served…or the gods of the Amorites…

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 

(Joshua 24:15)

As Jacob before him, Joshua recognized the Lord was the one who:

…fed me all my life long to this day… 

(Genesis 48:15)

and also that He was the one…

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases, 

(Psalm 103:3)

and that

He heals the brokenhearted 

And binds up their wounds 

(Psalm 147:3)

because 

…I am the Lord who heals you. 

(Exodus 15:26)

And in addition, the Bible states that

…You are the God of my salvation… 

(Psalm 25:5)

and

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid? 

(Psalm 27:1)

The one who provides, forgives and heals, treats, and gives strength, as well as being our salvation: should not He be the ultimate Father we all honour on this day?

Perhaps it is something we all should think about.

 

Jasmine Trott June 16, 2024

 

Jasmine Trott June 16, 2024 - YouTube

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 10

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - DO YOU BELIEVE?

 DO YOU BELIEVE?

That doesn’t seen to be a difficult question but, when you think about it, perhaps not as easy as first thought. Belief was one of the main points in Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica when he stated that:

…when you received the word of God which you heard from us, 

you welcomed it not as the word of men, 

but as it is in truth, the word of God… 

(1Thessalonians 2:13)

It was evidently due to this belief that their…

…faith toward God has gone out…

[and] you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 

(1 Thessalonians 1:8,7)

So, in light of this, the question must be raised as to whether we have the same degree of faith as did the people in that church in Thessalonica. After all, much has changed since Paul ministered and penned the letter referred to in the Bible. The development of all the means of communication that we now have and the influx of commentators on any subject causes one to wonder just what is real and what is not. Nowadays, there are so many books with myths and wonders and miracles, and shows which display beings who possess superhuman characteristics that the separation of reality from fiction becomes more difficult each year. When beings such as Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, etc. can do what’s attributed to them, it becomes easy to understand why the Bible becomes just another book of myths and superhuman stories.

In light of this, it seems to be more difficult than ever for people to have faith that the Bible is just not another book of stories but that it really does give the history of the relationship between God and man and that:

 

All scripture is given by inspirational of God, 

and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 

for correction, for instruction in righteousness… 

(2 Timothy 3:16)

Without all the distractions of the modern world, the church at Thessalonica believed that what they had heard came from God and so went on to do remarkable things. But today those distractions are present and increasing every day. Perhaps that is why the Bible states:

Let no one deceive you by any means; 

for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first…

(2 Thessalonians 2:3)

In many ways, that falling away certainly seems to have occurred causing many to disbelieve that the word such as Paul preached was really the word of God. As a result, the faith of many is lacking and as it is written:

without faith it is impossible to please Him, 

for he who comes to God must believe that He is, 

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

(Hebrews 11:6)

And because there is a lack of faith… 

There is no fear of God before their eyes. 

(Romans 3:18)

Lack of faith leads to a lack of fear and a world such as we have today. In due time, we will all know the truth and in the meantime, the question remains.

Do you believe?

It is something to think about. 

 

Rev. Vincent Hanley June 9, 2024

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu7CkZUbcn8

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 9

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - EXAMPLES

                 

EXAMPLES

One of the features of the Bible is that it not only relates history but that the history it does relate is often allegorical in nature. In other words, there is often a second meaning behind the actual words that have been written. This was recognized years ago and commented upon by Clement of Alexandria when he inferred that beyond the literal rendering of the text there are other meanings that need to be discovered.

One example of this is the story of the confinement of the Israelites in Egypt and their subsequent journey through the desert to the promised land. As it states in 1 Corinthians:

I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, 

all passed through the sea,

all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea… 

(10:1-2)

All of this is referring to the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and their subsequent deliverance. They were led by the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night and passed through the sea as it was parted by God; such being considered a form of baptism.

[A]ll ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.

(1 Corinthians 10:3-4) 

This is referring to the manna from heaven, feeding those being delivered, and to the water that came from the rock that Moses struck as mentioned in Numbers 29:11. But this in turn also referred to Christ. We read that Christ is in fact the “bread of life” (John 6:35) and “the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 2:13). Christ also stated that “the water I shall give him will never [allow him to] thirst”(John 4:14) 

But in spite of the food that God provided, the water that came from the rock, and the guidance that was given both day and night, most of those Israelites who were delivered protested and complained. 

But with many of them God was not well pleased… 

(1 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)

This was primarily because they did not show any gratitude or thankfulness for what God had given them but:

 

…sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play… 

(1 Corinthians 10:7)

This actually was a form of idolatry as it further states:

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, 

The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 

(1 Corinthians 10:7 KVJ)

So, because of this idolatry and lack of gratitude on the part of the Israelites, the displeasure of God caused…

…their bodies [to be] scattered in the wilderness. 

(1 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV)

Therefore, that in spite of what they had experienced spiritually and had received as blessings, most never received what God had in store for them. 

The carcasses of you who have complained against Me 

shall fall in this wilderness… 

(Numbers 14:29)

And this, according to Paul, was an example to the church at Corinth as to ourselves:

Now these things became our examples, 

to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 

(1 Corinthians 10:6)

As Clark stated: “It seems as if the Corinthians had supposed that their being made partakers of the ordinances of the Gospel, such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper, would secure their salvation, notwithstanding, they might be found partaking of idolatrous feasts; as long, at least, as they considered an idol to be nothing in the world."*

We may be in the same position if we also only believe that an idol is something that is overtly worshipped and not really anything which can take the place of God in our lives. The history of the Israelites was an example to the Corinthians, and also to ourselves, as to how we should conduct our lives.

And it should give us all something to think about. 

*Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 6 (Romans-Revelation) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832)

Steve Mac Cabe June 2, 2024