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Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Monday, May 11, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE BRIDEGROOM
THE BRIDEGROOM
If the Bible is looked upon in its totality, it really is a story of love and marriage between a groom and his bride, and is told along the same lines as that of a Jewish betrothal in the time it was written. At that time, marriages were arranged and the future groom would come, at the proper time, to the home of the future bride’s parents to meet with them and become “engaged,” after which the groom would leave and return to his own place to prepare a place for his new wife.
Early on, the Bible talks about marriage between a man and a woman in that…
…a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.
(Genesis 2:24).
Thus in the New Testament, we have Christ leaving his heavenly home and the persona of the Father and coming to the place where His bride would be - Earth. So too, when the church was formed to become Christ’s bride, it was to prepare itself to later join with Christ to become “one flesh” as described in the earlier chapters of Genesis. During the time of its earthly existence, the church, meaning all Christians, was to prepare itself to become the New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ.
Then I, John, saw the holy city New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(Revelation 21:2)
And while the bride is apparently becoming prepared, Jesus, as any good Jewish male would do when expecting a future marriage, has gone home to His father to prepare a place for the bride.
In My father’s house are many mansions;
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go to prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.
(John 14:2-3)
Christ has made a promise to his bride to come back to, in essence, marry the church as the New Jerusalem and essentially to be one with His bride as man and woman were to be one flesh as told in Genesis. Jesus has promised to come back for His bride and to be united with the church in a ceremony called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And then it will be said:
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come…
(Revelation 19:7)
…Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!…
(Revelation 19:9)
He who overcomes shall inherit all things,
and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
(Revelation 21:7)
…God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying…
(Revelation 21:4)
…Write, for these words are true and faithful.
(Revelation 21:5)
Being united with Christ for eternity is certainly something wonderful to think about.
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - OUR DAYS
OUR DAYS
Do you ever wonder how many days you’re allotted? It’s perhaps better we do not know, but that doesn’t mean that God is unaware of such days. It states in Jeremiah:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you
…to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
We also read in Psalms:
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they were all written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
(Psalm 139:16)
This tends to verify what Drs. Lundahl and Widdison talk about in their book The Eternal Journey. When discussing the purposes of earthly life they quote Huffman who says:
I learned that the most important thing we can do on this earth
is to show consideration, love and kindness to others.
There are no bonuses for position alone, nor power and wealth.
We are judged by how we treat people, and what we do for others.*
This all came from an examination of the findings from near death research and various NDE cases that suggest the meaning and purposes of life.**
This in turn agrees with what is said in Ephesians:
For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 2:10)
Now, if God has ordained beforehand the good works that we are prepared for, it certainly indicates that He, beforehand, had thoughts towards us and fashioned the days for us. And this, in turn, indicates that we had an existence in Heaven before our earthly birth and that a plan was laid out for us at that time. That plan being in His Word that we were too follow.
Now, we all know that the future is not all rosy for any of us and contains a lot of misery for many. Perhaps that is why we are not to look into the future and to take each day as it comes so that we can more readily concentrate on the good works God had previously ordained for us to do. After all, He did say:
…do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
(Matthew 6:34)
Additionally, we are warned about consulting fortune-tellers for…
…the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.
(Deuteronomy 18:14, NLT)
So, if we are to believe that God has, and knows, the plans He created for us and we aren’t supposed to know the future, we must, therefore, take each day as it comes and not worry about tomorrow even though we all do to some extent. We should concentrate on those good works we were destined to do and that God had prepared beforehand for us to do. And the main good work is, as He has previously told us, to love God and each other. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:
…Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13)
It really is something to think about.
*The Eternal Journey p.g. 55 by Craig R. Lundahl, PhD and Harold A. Widdison, PhD
**The Eternal Journey p.g. 53
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Monday, April 27, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - ISHMAEL
ISHMAEL
One of the main stories in the Bible concerns Abram and his sons, Ishmael and Issac. In the book of Genesis, God promised a son to Abram by Sarai his wife. But Sarai, being elderly and feeling that:
…the Lord has restrained me from having children…
(Genesis 16:2)
implored Abram to go
…to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her…
(Genesis 16:2)
But when this happened, Sarai became upset and
…when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
(Genesis 16:6)
Now, we know that Abram did have a second son, this time by Sarai, called Issac and it was with Issac that God promised to:
…establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,
and with his descendants after him.
(Genesis 17:19)
However, when Hagar (Sarai’s maid) fled an Angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness and said to her:
…Return to your mistress,
and submit yourself under her hand.
(Genesis 16:9)
…I will multiply your descendants exceedingly…
(Genesis 16:10)
Then,
Behold you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him…
(Genesis 16:11,12)
And so when Issac was only very young, and Ishmael was in his early teens, Sarah again said to Abraham (previously Sarai and Abram but God commanded their names changed).
…Cast out this bondwoman and her son…
(Genesis 21:10)
Therefore, both Ishmael and Hagar were sent again into the wilderness without provision.
As a result, Ishmael had no status, birthright, or inheritance even though being the firstborn, these and other amenities should have been afforded to him according to the custom of the time. Perhaps it was because, at least in part, that Ishmael was not from Abraham’s wife as was Issac, that this developed but this is what occurred. And it can only be expected that as a result, Ishmael would be upset and angry and embittered over these circumstances.
In spite of his beginnings, God told Hagar to:
…lift up the lad and hold him with your hand,
for I will make him a great nation.
(Genesis 21:18)
And so He apparently did, for Ishmael’s descendants became the Arab nations of today and from this body seemingly came Mohammed, the founder of Islam.
At the same time, the descendants of Issac also became a great nation known as Judah (Israel), home to the Jewish people. Of course from them would come Jesus, from whom the Christian church developed.
It’s interesting to see how many of the world’s problems of today between nations and religions began centuries ago when a man, Abraham, committed adultery (even if at his wife’s suggestion) and conceived a son by one other than her.
For when Abraham had made a feast for Issac on the occasion of him being weaned, it is said that:
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian…scoffing
(Genesis 21:9)
The animosity between Ishmael and Issac, which began at a time when they were both young, apparently continued through their descendants up to the present day and results in the world’s continuing problems. It’s hard to realize how one act centuries ago can have such longstanding and far-reaching consequences.
And it does give one something to think about.
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - WATER TO WINE
WATER TO WINE
At times the details in a story make the whole event much more understandable and interesting if those details are known; and so it is in the Bible. There are few, if any, details which are not important to the overall meaning of the story. Such is the case during the wedding at Cana when Jesus turned the water into wine.
It is said that…
…there were six waterpots of stone,
according to the manner of purification of the Jews…
(John 2:6)
The Jewish people used this water for purification after touching something unclean or to wash before dining, praying, or other activities. Although it could be used for cleansing, it really did little in the sense of purification. In addition, the fact that there were six (the number related to man and human weakness) further identifies the human aspect of this part of the story.
But Jesus, in changing the water into wine, transformed the element used by man into the symbol that would later be used to represent the blood of Christ at communion and so, in effect, was a precursor of the death of Christ and His sacrifice.
So,
when the master of the feast…
tasted the water that was made wine
(John 2:9)
and said:
“…You have kept the good wine until now!”
(John 2:10)
He in effect said that the inferior action created by man had been changed into the ultimate purification by the blood (wine) given by Christ and for the purification us all.
Just a little something more to think about.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Sunday, April 19, 2026
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Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 39
Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 39
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https://youtu.be/W72bGxEfxIE?si=g7egOp6CXWlesXqx
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - DETAILS - PART 2
DETAILS
PART 2
Before we leave this time of year perhaps we should look at just a few more of the details surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection, for it seems there are a number that are rarely mentioned.
At the time of Christ’s death, John is reported as saying this:
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear,
and immediately blood and water came out.
(John 19:34)
This type of fluid indicted that Christ probably had terminal pulmonary edema and a pleural effusion. This would not be uncommon coming from injuries suffered in a situation such as was taking place. But at the same time, we also know that it is by the blood that we are saved and brought into the righteousness of Christ often represented by the white robes of revelation.
…on the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes…
(Revelation 4:4)
…a great multitude…clothed with white robes
(Revelation 7:9)
…These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation,
and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
(Revelation 7:14)
So Christ’s last received injury, the spear, caused a discharge composed of the cleansing blood and associated white (or light) fluid suggestive of the resultant purity.
And after the resurrection, the tomb which Christ had occupied was not entirely empty on resurrection morning. It is true that Jesus was no longer there but there were linen cloths left behind.
and the handkerchief that had been around His head,
not lying with the linen cloths,
but folded together in a place by itself.
(John 20:7)
In those days, it was customary for a Jewish man to crumple up his napkin or handkerchief when he left, for instance a table, and was finished with no intention of returning. But if that same person was only leaving for a time and meant to return, then he would fold up neatly his napkin so that it would be available on his return. This, then, was the first indication after the resurrection that Christ’s departure was not permanent but only temporary and that He would be returning someday to complete His purpose.
Just a few more little details that make the crucifixion and resurrection more meaningful and overall give us something further to think about.
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 38
Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 38
Monday, April 6, 2026
Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - DETAILS
DETAILS
The Christian faith has just observed what people consider to be the most significant time in the entire year; or is it? We observe Easter as the time of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection even though it is Passover and those customs, and not Easter per se, that is connected to the event. There is no real evidence that He died on Friday or rose on Sunday. But one thing is certain and that is that He actually lived, died, and rose again.
While the exact day may be debatable, the time of the crucifixion was precise. In the Jewish temple the morning sacrifice was at 9 AM and that is precisely when Jesus was hung on the cross.
Now it was the third hour,
and they crucified Him
(Mark 15:25)
It was nine in the morning when they crucified Him
(Mark 15:25 NIV)
The sacrifice that took place at nine probably went on for some time as there were multiple sacrifices to be done. One source, Joachim Jeremias, states that over 15,000 lambs would probably be sacrificed during the morning hours*. Josephus, the Jewish historian suggests that upward of 250,000 animals may have been killed altogether**.
In any case, the sacrificial procedure would have taken some time and it has been said that the streets would be red with blood by noon when the sun was at its peak. It was precisely then that the sky grew the darkest and “night” covered the land.
Now when the sixth hour [12 noon] had come,
there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
(Mark 15:33)
And at the ninth hour [3 PM] Jesus cried out with a loud voice…
…and breathed His last.
(Mark 15:34,37)
And this was at this time - of the afternoon sacrifice in the temple - when Jesus gave up His Spirit.
In addition to the timing of His death, there were many other details which may not be obvious when only doing a quick reading of the story. For instance, there’s the use of hyssop, a shrub, which was used at the crucification.
Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there;
and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop,
and put it to His mouth.
(John 19:29)
Hyssop was the plant used in Exodus to smear the blood on the door frame at the time of Passover. It was also apparently used, at times, to sprinkle the blood over the altar.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop,
dip it in the blood that is in the basin…
(Exodus 12:22)
John reports that after the hyssop and sour wine were given…
[Jesus] said, “It is finished!”
(John 19:30)
Furthermore in Exodus, when the hyssop was used to mark the doorposts of the house it was to be done in a specific way. First applied across the lintel [horizontal] part of the door and then the doorpost; in a way making a cross symbolic of what was to come in the future.
Little details, all of which make the Passover events more real and understandable, and give us all some more things to think about.
*The Eucharistic Words of Jesus p.g. 42 by Jochim Jeremais
** The Jewish War 6.9.3. by Flavius Jusephus
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