Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 3 * BOOK 73 INCARNATE CHRIST:  GOD BECOMES MAN - 3 Genesis 3:15 and Galatians 4:4 All right, good to have everybody back again. We’ll go for program number three. For those of you in the studio audience, you can be turning to Matthew chapter 1.  Again, we want to welcome our television audience.  How we thank you, and we just praise the Lord for all your kind letters and your financial help.  We couldn’t do it without you.  A lot of people wonder, you know, where do you get the money for this?  It comes in voluntarily, mostly twenty-five to a hundred dollars.  But anyway, the Lord supplies, and like I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, we will never ask for a dime, never have and never will.  If we run short, we’ll just cut expenses.  That’s the way it’s going to work. All right, we want to keep going on Christ, the God-Man, the Incarnate.  And like I mentioned in the very first program, you won’t find that word in your Bible.  It’s been coined by Bible scholars and so forth.  I looked it up again to be on the safe side just before I left this morning; the word incarnate simply means God-Man, or God who became human.  And if I’m not mistaken, I stand to be corrected again. But if I am not mistaken, of all the religions in the world, and I don’t like to call Christianity religion, but for sake of my illustration, of all the religions of the world, I don’t think there is a single one that teaches resurrection from the dead as we do. They know nothing of resurrection. Their word is Reincarnation.  In other words, if you take the Hindu religion, you can start out as the very lowest of the low, and if you do pretty good, you’ll be reincarnated and come back as what?  Something a little better, over and over until finally they attain a “god” position.  Well, that’s reincarnation, and that is not a scriptural concept.  We do not teach a reincarnation.  We teach only resurrection from the dead. Now, if you’ll remember when the Apostle Paul was confronting the intellectuals of his day up there on Mars Hill, what was the one thing that upset them so?  Resurrection from the dead.  They said whoever heard of such a thing?  Yet the very basic premise of our faith is the resurrection from the dead—for salvation believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, as found in I Corinthians 15:1-4.    Which is another thing, why did God have to become human?  So that He could die.  And why did He have to die?  So that He could be resurrected from the dead and impart eternal life.  Well, that’s all coming in the next half hour or two, or whatever it’s going to take. All right, let’s go to Matthew chapter 1 and take a brief look at the genealogies of Christ from two different viewpoints.  And why two?  Well, we have to look at it from the father’s side, or what we would call the male element, and then Luke is going to show us from the mother’s or the female side.  Matthew chapter 1 is the genealogy of Joseph.  Even though he was not the physical father, he was the legal father.  That’s what we have to look at. Matthew 1:1 “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, (See that?  It’s His genealogy.) the son of David, the son of Abraham.”  Now the scoffer never stops to think; they just ridicule.  But if you’re a Bible student, immediately you should ask yourself the question, why does this stop with Abraham?  Why didn’t it go on back through Noah and Seth and all the way to Adam? Well, because the promise of the King, which was a spiritual element, only came from Abraham on.  There was no concept of a King and Kingdom between Genesis 1 and Genesis 12.  Consequently, since Matthew is going to present Jesus Christ as the King, the Messiah, the Redeemer, the spiritual side of the coin, we only go back to Abraham. Isn’t it amazing?  Exactly as it should be.  That’s the supernatural part of this Book. And like I said, the scoffer never sees that.  He doesn’t look that far.

  He won’t study.  But you have to understand that for a reason Matthew’s genealogy only takes us back from the time of Christ’s birth to the beginning of the Jewish race. The promises of a covenant people and a Redeemer and so forth go to Abraham.  All right, here we have the generations of Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:1b-2 “…the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Here it begins.) 2. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;” And so on and so forth all the way up through (I’m not going to read all the generations), until we come all the way up to verse 16. Matthew 1:16-17 “And Jacob (Not the same Jacob of Genesis.  This is just a common Jewish name.) begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, (but not the father of Jesus) of whom was born (speaking of Mary) Jesus, who is called Christ. (the Anointed or the Messiah) 17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon until Christ (That is until His birth, His first advent.) are fourteen generations.” Now, what does that show you?  God is on a time factor.  All the way up through the Old Testament almost every prophecy was given in what?  A time frame.  And God is meticulous.  People think that He has nothing to do with time.  Yes, He does.  He has everything to do with time.  It’s all according to His timetable.  Right now today we are on the very day that He pre-prescribed for us to be.  We are on His timetable. You know, that’s why I’m getting less concerned about the whole political situation. Because after all we are so close to the end; it’s all in His control.  I’m going to quit getting all upset about what’s taking place.  I have in the past, but I’ve given up on it.  It’s in God’s hands, and I’m going to leave it there. All right, let’s go on to the other side of the genealogy tree. That’s in Luke chapter 3, where we have the genealogy of the female or Mary.  This was the genealogy of the legal father, Joseph, and now we’re going to look at Luke chapter 3 and the genealogy of Jesus Christ through the side of Mary.  All right, let’s start at the beginning in verse 23. Luke 3:23a “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) (in the rank and file of Israel) the son of Joseph, who was the son (Actually, he was the son-in-law, if I’m not mistaken.) of Heli,  24. Who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi,…” and so on and so forth. Again, we aren’t going to go through all the begats and so forth.  I’m going to bring you all the way up to verse 38 just to show you how far this genealogy goes.  Well, it’s self-evident. Luke 3:38 “Who was the son of Enos, (That’s Enoch in the Old Testament.) who was the son of Seth, (Remember, he took Abel’s place after Abel was murdered and Cain left. In Abel’s place came Seth.) who was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”  From God at creation. All right, now you say, well, Les, what are you driving at?  Just like the genealogy of Matthew was Christ as the King, the spiritual side, the God side, the Deity side; this genealogy takes us all the way back to the beginning of the human experience – to Adam.  Christ was not only the progeny of God Himself as the Redeemer, the King, the Savior, but this genealogy takes Him all the way back and ties Him in with the humanity side of Adam.  You see that? Now this is the miraculousness of Scripture. That here we have two genealogies with two completely difference concepts—one only going to Abraham, but the other one going all the way back to Adam and tying us in with his humanity. All right, since you’re in Luke anyway, and to show that He was so human that He suffered as a human; He got hungry as a human; He got tired as a human; and He prayed to the Father as a human.  I want you to see just a few of these.  All right, let’s look at the first one in Luke chapter 2 verse 40.

Luke 2:40 “And the child grew, (speaking of Jesus up in Nazareth) and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”  All right, there it shows that He was typically normal in His growing up years. All right, let’s go to John’s Gospel and look at another aspect of His humanity in chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. John 4:5-6a “Then he cometh to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being (What’s the next word?) wearied (He was getting tired.) with his journey, sat thus on the well:…”  Now you know, I just made that point again in Albuquerque last Saturday.  I’ve made it in several other seminars in the last several months.  My favorite way of expressing the Gospel in its purity, and, oh, how it has been besmirched and blemished by mankind.  I’m going to take the time to rehearse it again, because I want people to get used to using it.  Now you’re all going to remember what I’m talking about.  I’ve done it before.  I’m going to do it again. There were two times in all of the biblical history where God did something so perfect, so flawless, that there wasn’t another thing that He could do.  He couldn’t go back and fix something.  There was nothing to smooth out.  Everything was perfect.  Twice.  The first time was after creation.  Genesis 1:31 says that He looked at creation and it was perfect.  And after He saw there wasn’t anything more that He could do, you get into Genesis chapter 2 and what did He do?  He rested.  And I made the point that when you rest, what do you do?  Well, you sit down.  And this says the same thing.  He was weary.  They had been walking probably many a dusty mile in old, hot Middle Eastern Israel.  So He came to a place and what could He do?  He sat down.  He rested. All right, in Hebrews chapter 1 we have the second time, and it was after finishing the work of the cross which was so perfect.  It was so complete.  Even at the cross He said, “It’s finished.”  And He went on through the power of resurrection and put the frosting on the cake, if I may put it that way.  So in Hebrews He could now say that He had purged all our sin.  There was not a speck of sin that wasn’t purged.  He finished the work of the cross, and it was so perfect, it was so flawless, that what could He do?  “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.”  All right, then I go on to say that if our Gospel is so perfect, all you and I have to proclaim is that Christ was crucified and shed His Divine blood.  That’s why He had to be the God-Man.  We’ll come back to that again.  He shed His blood.  He physically died and was laid in the tomb and three days later He was reunited with body, soul, and spirit, like we will be one day.  And by that resurrection power He could now proclaim salvation to the whole human race, by believing that plus nothing. And from the day that the Apostle Paul was commissioned to take that glorious Gospel out into the Gentile world, from day one, what has man done with that finished work?  Added to it.  Always gluing something on and requiring something of people.  You say, like what?  Well. I guess the worst one is baptism.  Look at the millions upon millions upon millions of people who have lived and died in the last 2,000 years and went out to eternity thinking that baptism was part of salvation—an integral part, an important part. And this Book tells us that if that’s the way they went out into eternity, they went out lost.  Now that’s frightening, but it’s the truth of the matter. All right, what’s the next one?  Membership in something.  Oh, you’ve got to do this.  You’ve got to give.  You’ve got to tithe.  That’s all “stuff” that man has added to that glorious Gospel.  And God won’t have it.  He finished it!  It was perfect!  And that’s the only salvation that He can look at.  And that’s what you and I have to let people know and, oh, they hate it.  Don’t think I don’t know they hate it.

  They think you’ve still got to do something.  No, you don’t.  It’s all done. All right, enough of that.  I couldn’t pass it up when I saw that word wearied and He sat down.  Now that’s the way I teach.  I never had any idea of doing that today.  But He sat down, and that’s what He did when He finished the work of salvation.  He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.  All right, so He, in his humanity, grew tired.  He grew weary. All right, let’s go back a few pages to Matthew chapter 8.  Let’s see, I think I want verse 23.  Matthew 8 verse 23.  Oh, this is the one I’ve been waiting for.    This is two-fold.  I can give you both sides of the coin—His humanity and His Deity.  All got it? Matthew 8:23-24 “And when he was entered into a ship, (Not a great big ship as we picture them today.  It was just more or less an oversized boat.) his disciples followed him. 24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was (What?) asleep. What does that show you?  His humanity.  Does God ever sleep?  No.  God in His total Deity doesn’t ever sleep.  But here God is in His incarnate human body, and it says He was sleeping?  Why do we sleep?  Well, we get tired.  Just like we showed you in the Samaritan situation, He was weary and He sat down.  Well, here He even went down, evidently below the deck, and He was asleep.  That’s His humanity.   But, oh, now we flip the coin, and we’re going to see a bit of His Deity in verse 25. Matthew 8:25-26a “And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. (We’re sinking.) 26. And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?...”  Now, what do you suppose He’s driving at?  Don’t you know who I am? You know, that reminds me.  That’s like a guy that came rushing up to the head of the line at the airline ticket office, and the ticket lady told him go to the end of the line.  And he said, “Lady, don’t you know who I am?”  So she got on her microphone and announced to the whole airport, “Will somebody please come to such and such a ticket office.  I have a man here who doesn’t know who he is!” But see, that’s the same way with the Lord.  Fellows, don’t you know who I am?  We’re not going to sink.  I’m the God of this lake.  I’m the God of this Sea of Galilee.  But now look what He does. Matthew 8:26b “…Then he arose, (from His sleep) and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”  Now, I know you’ve all read that calming the sea, but do you really stop and analyze that?  How that this seemingly normal human being could simply arise from His bed of sleep, stand on the deck of that little boat and speak to the wind – be quiet.  This is a perfect illustration of the power of His Godhead, even in human form.  He never stopped being God. In the womb of Mary He was still the God of Creation.  Never lose sight of that.  So He stood up on that little boat, and He rebuked the wind.  He spoke to it, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:27 “But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea (What?) obey him!”  Why should they?  He’s the creator.  Everything is held together by His spoken word.  The universe with all the billions upon billions upon billions of stars and galaxies are held together by the voice of this same Jesus of Nazareth. Now, I have to emphasize that, because, beloved, if He were anything less than that, He could have not paid my sin debt nor yours.  But He did.  It’s paid in full.  Simply because of who He is.  And that’s why we have to teach, that, yes, He was totally human, because He had to die in the realm of humanity to suffer and shed His blood for us. Now, I was going to use a little illustration to start this half hour and forgot.  Many of you have probably heard of it.  I heard it way back when I was a young teenager, and I’ve heard it more than once since.  But it’s a good illustration.  A gentleman had an anthill in his back yard.

  And he was always obsessed with watching those ants.  And if you’ve never done it, try it.  It’s enough to just hold your attention.  He was standing there.  He was watching those ants.  And every once in a while he’d reach down in between and he’d pick his hand back up. Finally his neighbor couldn’t take it any more, so he walked over and said, “What in the world are you doing?”  He says, “Well, I’m watching this hill of ants, but the reason I lean down every once in a while is because that one poor little fellow is trying to put a little piece of straw down the ant hole, but he can’t make it work because it’s always laying crosswise.  So I try to reach down and help him turn that straw so he can take it down into the ant hole.” And the neighbor says, “Well, you dummy!  You’ll never be able to do that until you become an ant.”  You got the picture?  Those ants weren’t going to have anything to do with him.  They scattered.  But if he could have become one of them, they would have accepted his help. All right, now I love that illustration, because you see, that’s what God had to do.  Why does the whole human race hang up on idolatry?  Why are the humans so obsessed with idolatry, and they have been.  Because, you see, they want to worship something that they can touch.  They want to worship something sitting on their mantle that they can look at.  That they can identify with.  But to take something by faith?  It’s so hard.  So, yes, all up through the Old Testament they had to be satisfied with the Theophanies—when God appeared in human form and then disappeared.  And from then on they had to take it by faith. All right, beginning with our New Testament economy, with His first advent, we have God in the flesh. We no longer are looking at something that is invisible; that is impossible to imagine.  He was here in the flesh.  He said, “Handle me.  Touch me.”  Even after His resurrection.  He was for real, beloved.  And He never laid aside one ounce of His Deity.  Never! Now, our time is just about gone.  Let’s look at one or two more in Luke chapter 22.  This is, of course, at the time of the crucifixion—His passion.  Let’s start at verse 39 when He’s in the Garden of Gethsemane. Now you want to remember that Matthew, Mark, and Luke depict Christ primarily from His human side.  John will depict Him from the Deity side.  So, here we have things in Luke and Matthew and Mark that you won’t find in John, because he does not look at His humanity. Luke 22:39-42 “And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 40. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41. And he was withdrawn to them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.”  Of course, He was speaking of the horrors of the cross that were now right in front of Him. Luke 22:43-46 “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  (See, there’s His humanity.) 45. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46. And he said unto them, Why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.’” Well anyway, you come all the way down through the next series of verses, and it’s a constant exposure of His humanity. Luke 22:54-55 “Then they took him, (He was completely submissive.) and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off. 55. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall,…” You know the account of all this.  All right now verse 63. Luke 22:63-64 “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him.  64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?” Well you see, he never responded except in His humanity.

  And that’s what we have to understand.

"You look totally gorgeous...", Shifu breathed softly, rubbing his nose against Lin's cheek and admiring her elegant golden-hued hanfu in the mirror.

"You aren't bad either, master," the red panda girl giggled, "Let's go."

"MASTER SHIFU! They hung the lanterns, hey, Lin - you look bloody awesome, the flowers are all over the Valley and stuff... me and the guys just thought... maybe..."

"Catch your breath, panda and inform the others you got my permission to go to the village and celebrate," Shifu smiled, and the Dragon Warrior surged towards the door, waltzing.

The Valley of Peace literally shone with an abundance of various shades of lights, mostly scarlet and orange - red pandas observed it while still standing on the Palace's forecourt. A pair of sparkling paper hearts swiftly passed over their heads as they descended the steps to the main square. 🎑

The signs were lavishly decorated with flowers and ribbons, the stalls were full of souvenirs, baked goods and sweets - couples strolling past stopped to pay the clerks and continue their way through the brightly lit streets with their paws entwined, enjoying delicacies. Shifu looked at Lin pointedly, then held out his paw, smiling broadly and she drew her hand through his arm. 🌺

The master's heart was filled with love and warmth as he selected the most beautiful amber mascot for her, and these feelings were multiplied when he saw Po at the next counter, treating confused Tigress, who slightly covered her mouth with her paw from happy timid laughter.

The black late-summer sky lightened with thousands of lanterns, simultaneously rose into the air.

"Isn't it charming?", Lin whispered, when they let go their one.

"It is", Shifu agreed, thinking about the brightest and most wonderful thing of today - it wasn't even a lantern.

"我愛你", he purred, and she raised on her toes to lick the bridge of his nose lovingly.

Saints&Reading: Fri., Mar., 27, 2020

Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica

The Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica suffered in the third or fourth century. She was a slave of the Jewish woman Pautila (or Pantilla), wife of one of the military commanders of Thessalonica. Pautila constantly mocked her slave for her faith in Christ, and tried to convert her to Judaism. Saint Matrona, who believed in Christ from her youth, still prayed to the Savior Christ, and secretly went to church unbeknownst to her vengeful mistress.

Pautila, learning that Saint Matrona had been to church, asked, “Why won’t you come to our synagogue, instead of attending the Christian church?” Saint Matrona boldly answered, “Because God is present in the Christian church, but He has departed from the Jewish synagogue.” Pautila went into a rage and mercilessly beat Saint Matrona, tied her up, and shut her in a dark closet. In the morning, Pautila discovered that Saint Matrona had been freed of her bonds by an unknown Power.

In a rage Pautila beat the martyr almost to death, then bound her even more tightly and locked her in the closet. The door was sealed so that no one could help the sufferer. The holy martyr remained there for four days without food or water, and when Pautila opened the door, she again found Saint Matrona free of her bonds, and standing at prayer.

Pautila flogged the holy martyr and left the skin hanging in strips from her body. The fierce woman locked her in the closet again, where Saint Matrona gave up her spirit to God.

Pautila had the holy martyr’s body thrown from the roof of her house. Christians took up the much-suffered body of the holy martyr and buried it. Later, Bishop Alexander of Thessalonica built a church dedicated to the holy martyr. Her holy relics, glorified by many miracles, were placed in this church.

The judgment of God soon overtook the evil Pautila. Standing on the roof at that very place where the body of Saint Matrona had been thrown, she stumbled and fell to the pavement. Her body was smashed, and so she received her just reward for her sin.

Troparion — Tone 3

With undaunted spirit you preserved the Faith, / And your soul, Matrona, was not enslaved by the cruelty of your torturers. / You excelled in contest, slaying the crafty one / And were mystically wedded to the Lord of creation. / Fervently entreat him to deliver us from all harm!

Kontakion — Tone 4

Filled with the light of the Spirit, O Matrona, / you regarded your prison cell as a bridal chamber; / and from it you hastened to your radiant dwelling in the heavens, crying out: / “In divine love for You, O Word, I gladly endured scourgings.”

Source The Orthodox Church in America

Gén��sis 12:1-7 NKJV

Promises to Abram

12 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the [a]people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as [b]the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your [c]descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Footnotes:

Genesis 12:5 Lit. souls

Genesis 12:6 Heb. Alon Moreh

Genesis 12:7 Lit. seed

Proverbs 14:15-28 NKJV

Proverbs 14 New King James Version (NKJV)The Ways of Life and Death

14 The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the [a]trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness will utter lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands. 7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit.

9 Fools mock at [b]sin, But among the upright there is favor.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied [c]from above.

15 The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps. 16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident. 17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of wicked intentions is hated. 18 The simple inherit folly, But the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 19 The evil will bow before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, But [d]the rich has many friends. 21 He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

23 In all labor there is profit, But [e]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is folly.

25 A true witness [f]delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge

To Those Who Disagreed With My Posting Last Week: Thanks!

A Supplemental Message to Those

Who Disbelieved Last Week's Warning

by Minister Paul J. Bern

To view this on my website, click here :-)

Last week, as my regular readers know, I published a post about how there could well be an economic reset in the world's future, starting with the United States. I also used a lot of Bible scripture to back up my words. I got a lot of strong positive feedback about last week's posting, but there was a fair amount of the negative kind too, primarily from atheists and religious conservatives. I have found myself on the receiving end of open derision from a small but highly vocal minority because of my “radical” views, as one man called it. 'How could there ever be an economic reset when capitalism works so well', was just one of the replies I received (heavily edited, of course). Apparently many of those individuals did not bother to read the entire article or, worse yet, just glanced at the title and the picture, and jumped to whatever conclusion suited them for that moment.

The Bible has a lot to say about nonbelievers, but I'm going to quote this week from the Book of 2nd Peter, something I don't often get a chance to do. Peter may have been an illiterate fisherman who dictated the two small books named after him, but he was filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts chapter 2), and as such he “wrote” some beautiful stuff, and I quote: “3) Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4) They will say, 'Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.' 5) But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6) By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7) By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” (2 Peter 3, verses 3-7)

Where is Jesus? I thought he would have come back by now. What's the holdup? These three questions are on the lips and minds of believers and scoffers alike. After all, Jesus said about the End Times, 32) “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33) Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34) Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24, verses 32-35) For those of you who may not know, 'the fig tree' is a Biblical symbol for the nation of Israel. So these words of Jesus, spoken when he was speaking to the Twelve about the End Times, refer to the rebirth of the nation of Israel, which happened in May of 1948.

“....when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” So from these words of our Lord and Savior we can safely conclude that the End Times that Christ spoke about in Matthew chapter 24 have arrived, most likely beginning with the first two world wars. Since the nation of Israel was 'born' on May 14, 1948, one could normally conclude that one generation – roughly 70 years – away from the nation of Israel's birth could be assumed to be 2018. But it's 2019, people, and nothing having to do with a Second Coming of Christ is on the horizon. It's been over 70 years, a generation plus one more year, and still – nothing yet.

People are beginning to have doubts because Christ's return is taking longer than anticipated by many true believers, not to mention the skeptics. But the apostle Peter knew through the indwelling of the Spirit within him that this would occur. That's why he dictated the following words as he continued in 2nd Peter chapter 3: “8) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11) Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12) as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13) But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” (2nd Peter 3, verses 8-13)

It is perfectly normal to have generally doubtful or even pessimistic thoughts enter our minds. It's even perfectly normal, believe it or not, to have doubts about the Bible, about God, and about the purpose and meaning of life itself. But I think Peter was saying right here to stop wasting time worrying about these matters, because they are often beyond our control – but not all the time. In verse 8, Peter is saying as best as he could that God is timeless, and that He operates in a higher dimension of existence than ourselves. Since God does not experience the passage of time like we do, his schedule, his timing, and that of humanity often don't coincide. Often this can appear to us as if a certain prayer to the Lord has not been answered. But oftentimes, it's not that God isn't going to answer our prayers. He's just waiting for an opportunity to give you even more than you asked for.

In the very next verse, the Bible tells us plainly why Jesus will be late in returning. “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Jesus is waiting to return so that as many who want to enter into his Kingdom, who want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, can be brought into it. The apostle Paul wrote, “God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all people come to repentance.” So there you have it from the apostles Peter and Paul. God is going to wait for as long as he can before shutting the door. But once that door is shut, it will be shut forever, and then massive destruction will come.

“....the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” Whatever nature this colossal event is going to be will be unknown right up until the moment it happens, there can be no doubt about that based on what I'm reading in verse 10. All indications are that – based on how this passage of Scripture is worded – Peter was speaking about some kind of massive cosmic event, either a large asteroid or comet striking the earth. I'm sorry to disappoint some of you, it isn't going to be Nibiru which, if it does indeed exist, is somewhere beyond Neptune right now. That's past Uranus, past Saturn and Jupiter too. It takes Neptune, the outermost planet of the four, 80 years to go around the sun. If Nibiru is beyond that, even if it were headed straight for us it would take 40 or 50 years to get here. Think about it, and do the darned math while you're at at so all you people can stop worrying about 'Nibiru'.

“11) Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12) as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming....” God is watching each and every one of us. Not to whack us on the tops of our heads every time we're 'bad', but because he cares for us like a parent would their little children. If you were raising kids, would you give them candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Out of the question! Would you take them to Six Flags or Disney World every weekend, whether they deserved to go or not? As before, completely out of the question. We are raising responsible adults, not spoiled brats and car thieves. Notice the part where Peter states that we “look forward” to Christ's return and that we are to “speed its coming”? The reason Christ has yet to return is because we are not ready for him to do so. And that's just for the believers. The nonbelievers would simply be swept away if Christ returned overnight. They would all be gone, and all their belongings with them, before morning light.

So Peter is clearly telling us that we need to clean up our act, and that we are rapidly running out of time to do so. Otherwise, “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.....” “The heavens” presumably means the skies above us, implying a natural disaster of such Biblical proportions that the earth's atmosphere may be completely burned away, similar to what apparently happened on Mars sometime in the distant past. In that event, the earth's surface would be unlivable, but it would be possible to have large pockets of breathable air underground in caves. Maybe the cave men of 100,000 years ago lived there for the same reasons, having themselves escaped a similar calamity. Could this have been what Peter was trying to warn us about? Nobody knows for sure, but we all had better live each day as if that one is our last.

Lord, what a faithful friend we have in you. You carry our sorrows and our griefs and our pain. Thank you for the privilege of taking everything to you in prayer. Remind us when we are overwhelmed with the grief of this great loss that we don’t need to forfeit peace or bear needless pain; we can take our troubled hearts to you. There has never been a faithful friend like you, who shares our sorrows and knows our hearts. Thank you, sweet friend. Amen.

[Pro 21:20-31 NKJV] 20 [There is] desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it. 21 He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor. 22 A wise [man] scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the trusted stronghold. 23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles. 24 A proud [and] haughty [man]--"Scoffer" [is] his name; He acts with arrogant pride. 25 The desire of the lazy [man] kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. 26 He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare. 27 The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination; How much more [when] he brings it with wicked intent! 28 A false witness shall perish, But the man who hears [him] will speak endlessly. 29 A wicked man hardens his face, But [as for] the upright, he establishes his way. 30 [There is] no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD. 31 The horse [is] prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance [is] of the LORD.

[1Sa 9:1-26 NKJV] 1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name [was] Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2 And he had a choice and handsome son whose name [was] Saul. [There was] not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward [he was] taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, "Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys." 4 So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find [them]. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and [they were] not [there]. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find [them]. 5 When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who [was] with him, "Come, let us return, lest my father cease [caring] about the donkeys and become worried about us." 6 And he said to him, "Look now, [there is] in this city a man of God, and [he is] an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go." 7 Then Saul said to his servant, "But look, [if] we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and [there is] no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?" 8 And the servant answered Saul again and said, "Look, I have here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give [that] to the man of God, to tell us our way." 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for [he who is] now [called] a prophet was formerly called a seer.) 10 Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God [was]. 11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met some young women going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?" 12 And they answered them and said, "Yes, there he is, just ahead of you. Hurry now; for today he came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place. 13 "As soon as you come into the city, you will surely find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about this time you will find him." 14 So they went up to the city. As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, 16 "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me." 17 So when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people." 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me, where [is] the seer's house?" 19 Samuel answered Saul and said, "I [am] the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that [is] in your heart. 20 "But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom [is] all the desire of Israel? [Is it] not on you and on all your father's house?" 21 And Saul answered and said, "[Am] I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?" 22 Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there [were] about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it apart.' " 24 So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set [it] before Saul. And [Samuel] said, "Here it is, what was kept back. [It] was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 When they had come down from the high place into the city, [Samuel] spoke with Saul on the top of the house. 26 They arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, "Get up, that I may send you on your way." And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel.

[Mar 7:24-30 NKJV] 24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know [it], but He could not be hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw [it] to the little dogs." 28 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." 29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.