Pastor Matthew Trott Dec. 21, 2025

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 25

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - ADVENT

ADVENT

The Advent season is one recognized by many churches throughout the Christian world, but not all. The word advent means “coming” or “arrival” and when Roman Christians first tied it to the coming of Christ, it was not to Christ’s coming as a child in the manger but to His second coming as a judge of the world.* However, now it is more recognized as relating to Christmas as well as to future revelation. Each of the four Sundays of Advent refers to one aspect of the faith and each follows upon the previous.

The first aspect is “hope” and represents what we all need - hope for our health, our families, our country, and our future. We need to have hope that our present existence with all its trouble, turmoil, anger, and distress is not all there is; and to those who follow Christ we have the hope, really the certainty, that it is not. The Bible states that:

…Our days on earth are as a shadow, 

and without hope. 

(1 Chronicles 29:15)

But,  

Be of good courage… 

All you who hope in the Lord. 

(Psalm 31:24)

There is hope in your future, says the Lord… 

(Jeremiah 31:17)

[for] if we hope for what we do not see, 

we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 

(Romans 8:25)

And…

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, 

we are of all men the most pitiable. 

(1 Corinthians 15:19)

Therefore,        

…sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, 

and always be ready to give a defence 

to everyone who asks you a reason 

for the hope that is in you… 

(1 Peter 3:15)

Without hope how can anyone expect to have peace which is the second part of Advent. If there is no prospect of a future, how can anyone have true peace when only blankness and darkness lie ahead of them? But hope in Christ confers just the opposite for He said:

…Peace be with you. 

(John 20:19)

These things I have spoken, 

that in Me you may have peace… 

(John 16:33)

Peace I leave with you, 

My peace I give to you; 

not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

(John 14:27)

And if you truly have hope and peace then you are more likely to be content and therefore have true joy in your being, and that is the third part of Advent. The Bible mentions happiness only once for that is an emotional response to external influence and can come and go as the mood strikes. But the Bible mentions joy almost 160 times for that is an internal influence from God and one can still have joy even in the most trying circumstance. So the Bible says:

…Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning 

(Psalm 30:5)

Those who sow in tears 

Shall reap in joy.

(Psalm 126:5)

And Jesus said:

These things I have spoken to you, 

that My joy may remain in you, 

and that your joy may be full. 

(John 15:11)

And only when you know you have hope and peace and joy can you really appreciate the true love of God. That is, after all, the true end of Advent and the true hope of all who believe in His second coming. For He said:

…I have this against you, 

that you have left your first love. 

(Revelation 2:4)

So,

keep yourselves in the love of God, 

looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

(Jude 1:21)

For after all…

…God is love, 

and he who abides in love abides in God, 

and God in him. 

(1 John 4:16)

Just something else to think about this Advent season.

 

*taken from Christianity.com

Blake Storey Dec. 14, 2025

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 24

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - BETHLEHEM

 BETHLEHEM

    The town of Bethlehem has become an inherent part of the Christmas story, and has become immortalized in the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem. But its history goes back much farther than the time of Christmas. For it was back in the time of Jacob and Rachel that the place is first mentioned in the Bible, although it was called by a different name in those days.

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath 
(that is, Bethlehem) 
(Genesis 35:19) 

It was from Bethlehem that one came to judge Israel in the time of the Judges

After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 
(Judges 12:8)

    And of course, it was from Bethlehem that Elimelech and his wife Naomi set forth to Moab when a famine swept through Judah. It was to Bethlehem that Naomi would return with Ruth after the death of her husband and sons and where Ruth would meet and marry Boaz beginning the line from which David, and later Jesus, would come.

    It is interesting that Bethlehem literally means “House of Bread” and perhaps this is significant in that Jesus later became known as the “Bread of Life.” Of course, the best known way in which the town became acknowledged is in the prophecy of Micah.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me 
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from old,
From everlasting. 
(Micah 5:2)

    Now, Micah lived and prophesied around 720 to 698 BC, approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ. Since there were 12 tribes of Israel and about 2000 villages and towns in Judah at the time this was written, the chance that this prophecy would be true was at least 1 in 2500*. And yet, we are told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea at the appointed time; centuries after Micah gave this prophecy. At the same time, this is only one of about 300 passages that refer to the coming Messiah and are fulfilled by the birth of Jesus. Still, we tend to ignore the fact that He came because we get so wrapped up in details over which people want to dispute and disagree. 

    The main point is that He was born according to the prophecies and died according to what had been prophesied; fulfilling much more that could ever be done by mere chance alone. If we don’t know the exact time of His coming, or the location of the true stable or cave in which He was born makes little overall difference. What is important is that He was born in or around the location that the prophets foretold and that He came in fulfillment of multiple Old Testament prophesies. 

    The fact that He came is what we should be thinking about.

*The Signature of God by Grant Jeffrey, p.g.,172-173 

                

Pastor Daverro Smith Dec. 7, 2025

Pastor Matthew Trott Dec. 7, 2025

Christmas Eve Service

 

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 23

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - HELL

HELL

It is generally accepted that most people believe in a heaven and that most also hope to go there after death. But fewer appear to believe also that there is a hell awaiting those who do not make the proper arrangements for heaven. And in the Bible, the prophets and Christ  apparently speak more about hell than about heaven.

There are three words translated as hell in the Bible. The greek words:

Gehenna: the place of punishment 

Matthew 5:22,29; 10:28 and James 3:6 (YLT)

Hades: the abode of the dead

Matthew 11:23, 16:18, Luke 16:23, Acts 2:27

Sheol: a Hebrew word meaning the grave

Psalm 16:10, 18:5

Scripture does not describe a situation in which a person ceases to be aware or to have a conscious existence. If there is no awareness after our death, then what Jesus stated about punishment makes no sense when He referred that it would be better to live life handicapped than:

 

to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-

where [the] worm does not die, 

And the fire is not quenched. 

(Mark 9:43-44)

And the Bible refers to the fate of those unsaved with the following words and statements.

…many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

Some to everlasting life,

Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 

(Daniel 12:2)

…He will answer them saying,

‘Assuredly, I say to you, 

inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, 

you did not do it to Me.’

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, 

but the righteous into eternal life. 

(Matthew 25:45-46) 

[T]he master of that [evil] servant 

will come on a day when he is not looking for him 

and at an hour that he is not aware of, 

and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. 

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Matthew 24:50-51)

His winnowing fan is in His hand, 

and He will…gather the wheat into His barn; 

but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.

(Luke 3:17)  

…the righteous judgement of God, 

who “will render to each according to his deeds”: 

eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good 

seek for glory, honour and immortality; 

but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, 

but obey unrighteousness—

indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish…

(Romans 2:5-9)

…those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These shall be punished with everlasting destruction 

from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power… 

(2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

…the Lord, having saved the people out of Egypt, 

afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain…

He has reserved in everlasting chains…for the judgement of the great day; 

As Sodom and Gemorrah… 

having given themselves over to sexual immorality 

and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, 

suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 

But these speak evil of whatever they do not know. 

These are spots in your love feasts…

wandering stars for whims reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 

(Jude 1:5-7; 10-13) 

…If anyone worships the beast and his image…

he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God…

He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…

and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; 

and they have no rest day or night. 

(Revelation 14:9-11)

A lot has been said regarding those who do not believe and accept the gospel. It certainly should be enough to give one something to think about.

Adapted from The Evidence Bible, p.g. 1659