Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 17

Brad & Laurie Eagles

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - TRADITIONS

TRADITIONS

Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, made this statement: 

…stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught…

(2 Thessalonians 2:15)

We all seem to follow our own traditions. Each culture or society seems to have its own way of doing things and from which there seems to be no real departure from that pre-established practice. For example, a church service tends to have the same order of service, type of music, length of message, etc., and all of this done in the same allotted period of time. We tend to wear the same type of clothes (our “Sunday clothes), sit in the same seats, talk to the same people, and have the same ancillary events - youth groups, men’s or women’s events, special speakers, Bible studies, etc. And often all this is done to make those sitting in the pews feel content. There often seems to be more emphasis on the mode of service than the content of what is being said.

As a result, each body has traditions which they tend to follow. But really, all these activities that we do and follow are actually traditions of man and not of God. And we are warned about following the traditions or doctrines of man.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, 

“Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, 

but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

He answered and said to them, 

“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, 

as it is written:

‘This people honours Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

and in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

(Mark 7:5-7)

The traditions spoken of by Paul were not those which seem to divide a church and appear to authenticate one denomination over another but rather those basic truths sent down from one generation to another and on which the foundation of the faith rested. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the unchanging relationship between God and man, and the righteousness that won’t fade or wear away are the traditions that we should be focused on and not the church traditions that have been devised by ourselves.

At the very least, it is something we should be thinking about.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 16

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - LOVERS

LOVERS

The Bible states: 

that in the last days perilous times will come: 

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money…

…[and[ lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God 

(2 Timothy 3:1-2,4)

In addition, Scripture goes on to say that people will be…

…boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, 

unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers… 

…despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty…

…[and] denying [God’s] power.

(2 Timothy 3:2-5)

These things apparently come about as people turn away from God and rely more on their own desires and instincts. As a result, Scripture notes that:

Professing to be wise, they became fools…

…For this reason God gave them up to vile passions…

…[and] God gave them over to a debased mind…

…being filled with unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, 

covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit… 

…[they are] backbiters, haters of God, violet, proud, boasters…

…unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 

who, knowing the righteous judgement of God, 

that those who practice such things are deserving of death, 

not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. 

(Romans 1:22,26,28-32)

If one considers what is said above carefully, it is not hard to see how much of this can be applied to the present leadership we have in the world today; and when you add to the above the warnings mentioned in Matthew 24:

And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. 

See that you are not troubled;

for all these things must come to pass,

…nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 

And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes…

…many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 

(Matthew 24:6-7,10-12)

With all of this in evidence, along with the present state of the world, is it not hard to believe that this planet may well be approaching a turning point unlike any we have seen before. Unless some drastic change occurs in the minds of our leaders, this world seems destined to the end foretold years ago in Scripture. Furthermore, Scripture goes on to say:

…this gospel of the kingdom will be preached 

in all the world as a witness to all the nations, 

and then the end will come. 

(Matthew 24:14)

As this can now be done with ease, thus, when combined with the statements above is it not prudent to be expectant of what might shortly lie ahead? Are we actually in those times spoken of in Scripture? If we have done as Christ commanded, we should have no long lasting concern. After all, it was Christ Himself who said:

See that you are not troubled…

…[for] he who endures to the end shall be saved.

(Matthew 24:6,13)

All in all, this is certainly something to think about. 

   

 

Fred Jeffries July 21, 2024

Fred Jeffries July 21, 2024 (youtube.com)

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 15

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - FALLING AWAY

 FALLING AWAY

In 2 Thessalonians this is written:

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

(2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Now, this is really referring to the Day of the Lord but a falling away from the faith and religion has occurred many times throughout history; being documented first in the book of Genesis.

…the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, 

and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil… 

And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth… 

(Genesis 6:5,6)

Now every time that man fell away did not usher in the Day of the Lord but it often did usher in times of despondency and destruction. This has been documented many times throughout the Bible and is really no different in our own day. Again, there has been a falling away from the church in that church attendance has steadily declined over the past century. Since 2000, people who attend church on a regular basis has slipped from about 35% to about 20% and those who never attend has increased from about 12% to near 35%.* So, the falling away is occurring again and the question is why? Some reasons may include the following.

First, the church no longer preaches as it did in the beginning. Paul said that he and his companions:

…preach[ed] Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness… 

(1Corinthians 1:23)

…and the early church grew like wildfire. Perhaps we again need to get back to the same basics as did the early church.

Second, the church often seems to be influenced by so-called prophets and their false revelations. The false revelations put forward by such persons are more often influenced by self benefit than by truth.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, 

but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 

(Matthew 7:15)  

Additionally, the church also seems to be inundated with false teachers, who misconstrue God’s word and as a result mislead many. People often leave the assembly because they can feel the mistruths presented.

But there were false prophets among the people, 

even as there will be false teachers among you, 

who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, 

even denying the Lord who bought them, 

and bring on themselves swift destruction. 

(2 Peter 2:1)

Finally, there are cases where the Word itself seems to have been altered by interpretation so that the Word may not be accurate even if delivered honestly. This may, in part, be why the Bible itself says to:

Test all things; hold fast to what is good. 

(1Thessalonians 5:21)

…no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation… 

(2 Peter 1:20)

As a consequence of all this, there has been a falling away from the church with a further consequence of a decline in church funding. This results in less ability to do what the church was intended to do. We seem to forget that we were:

 

…created in Christ Jesus for good works… 

(Ephesians 2:10) 

…and also that:

…heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, 

also the earth and all that is in it. 

(Deuteronomy 10:14)

Perhaps a better understanding of these things might lead to a more coming to and a less falling away from the church body.

At the very least, it is certainly something to think about.

*churchtrac The State of Church Attendance: Trends and Statistics [2024]

  

Service of July 14, 2024 with special guests Todd and Natalie MacDonald ...

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 14

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - DETAILS

 DETAILS

There are many small details mentioned in the Bible which seem to be of little significance at first look. On closer examination though they may be of more consequence than originally thought, especially as referenced later in the New Testament after being mentioned firstly in the Old. One problem, however, may come from the fact that we don’t know the original Hebrew and the meanings hidden in that language.

For example, when God called to Moses from a flame of fire from the midst of a bush; he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

                                                    Then Moses said

I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.

(Exodus 3:2-3)

Now, according to some commentaries, the Hebrew word used to describe this bush means “to stick or prick” indicating that it was a thorn bush; the same type that provided the crown of thorns for Christ at the crucifixion. And the fact that it burned but was not consumed may also refer to Christ being wounded but not defeated. 

When God told Moses to cast his staff on the ground in Exodus 4:3, Moses…

…cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it. 

(Exodus 4:3)

Afterward, the Lord told him to 

“Reach out your hand and take it by the tail."

(Exodus 4:4)

Now this is probably the worst way to pick up a snake, and this snake was most likely a cobra. The snake, however, was the emblem of Pharaoh and also a great fear of Moses. But by doing this it meant that Moses had to face his greatest fear, and if he could face the snake, he could face Pharaoh. 

Christ also, as a human, had to face His greatest fear.

Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me, 

(Luke 22:42)

[Then] being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. 

Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

(Luke 22:44)

But because He was able to face and overcome this fear, He was able to deliver for us the salvation intended by God. It also infers that we may have to realize and conquer significant fear ourselves to remain dedicated to, and true to, our faith.

Even the word Pharaoh itself has a subtle meaning in that the Hebrew letters of the word “Pharaoh” can mean “evil speech” in any form including the anti-Semitic decrees by which the Egyptians enslaved and harmed the Israelites. Now, in the book of Exodus chapter 4 verses 6-8, God gave Moses another sign; that of the leprous hand. In the Torah, leprosy is believed to occur primarily as a result of evil speech and therefore this sign of the leprous hand was an indication that God:

would judge the pharaohs of Egypt who, in their pride and arrogance, 

thought they were semi-gods who could oppress and abuse the children of Israel.*

Therefore, the leprous hand was an indication of the forthcoming judgement of God; a sign that many today might well take into consideration in their present political dealings.

The subtleties in the Bible are something to be found and understood if the full meaning of Scripture is to be appreciated.

Just something more to think about.

*Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel, pg. 87 

 

Caroline Barclay July 7, 2024

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 13

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE PAST

 THE PAST

One of the great questions involving the Bible considers the problem of the age of the universe and of course of the earth. Geology records that the earth has been in existence for billions of years whereas the Bible indicates a much shorter time span. It has always been a source of contention as to which of the estimates is correct.

Now I don’t propose a definite answer to the dilemma, but there are some clues as to how it may all be reconciled. There has always been mention that the earth in Genesis was already formed when it was created and so had its past, so to speak, inherent in the creation. In other words, it was created with a past already built in and so would appear to be older than it actually was. So when God said:

…Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, 

and the fruit tree that yields fruit… 

(Genesis 1:11)

…the grass, herbs and trees just were already and did not have to grow from seed. After all…

 

…God saw that it was good. 

So the evening and the morning were the third day. 

(Genesis 1:12,13)

This theory has been put forward to help explain the discrepancy between science and the Bible. But there is a miracle in the New Testament that may also give some evidence and credence to the above proposal. Anyone who has ever been involved with the making of wine knows that a good vintage takes time to mature and ferment. For that reason, some good wines take years to properly mature and develop which is why older vintages often are much more expensive that those of more recent years.

In considering this, look at John chapter 2 and the wedding in Cana. This involved the well known miracle where Jesus changed the water into wine. Jesus said:

…Fill the waterpots with water… 

(John 2:7) 

And after they were filled full to the brim, He said:

…Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast… 

(John 2:8)

And when the master of the feast tasted it, he called the bridegroom and said:

…You have kept the good wine until now. 

(John 2:10)

So, if the best wine was the water turned to wine and good wine comes with aging, then the “age” of the wine must have been built into the miracle. And if aged wine can be produced by God in an instant then why not an aged earth or universe?

Perhaps this is one reason why materials and substances seem to be older and to test older than they may really be. Perhaps it’s one explanation to help resolve the dichotomy between science and the Bible. At the very least, it does give one something to think about.