Month November 2018

REASONS for a REAL Day

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One of my earliest theological questions after becoming a Christian was, “how long were the days in Genesis One?” I suppose that many of you continue to wonder about this question. There are really only two arguments:

  • A Literal 24-hour day
  • Each day could be figurative and include eons of time between the days.

Over the years I’ve come to believe that the days of Genesis one (and all the events of Genesis 1-11) are literal. Here is a list of reasons why I believe in a literal 6-day creation.

MOSES; the Holy Spirit inspired author of Genesis, was told by God at Mt. Sinai; “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,” [Ex 20:11] The context is the giving of the weekly Sabbath keeping. Therefore, God is the creation days with the 6 literal days of work in a week.

YOWM; which is the Hebrew word for day, when preceded by a number, is always used as a literal, single revolution of the Earth, day. This word is used in Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 14, 16,18, 19, 23, 31; Exodus 20:11 as well as the passages related to the keeping of the many feast days.

EVENING & MORNING: Whenever ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ are used in the Old Testament, it always has the meaning of one 24-hour day. If God wanted to tell us that He created everything in 6 24-hour days, what words would He use? The answer – THE SAME words used in Genesis 1.

A WEB OF LIFE PROBLEM: If each ‘day’ represents eons of time, how did plant life survive for millions of years between day 3 & day 5 when insects were created?

JESUS’ TEACHING: He taught that men and women were here from “the beginning of the creation” [Mark 10:6]. If the days are eons, then Jesus was wrong about when man was made, for Genesis has them showing up on day 6, millions or billions of years after the beginning.

DEATH PRECEDED SIN: If the day / age theory is right, then death preceded the fall of man. It was the sin of Adam that brought death into the world. If evolution is true, then death was already a well-established concept. “For since by man came death,” [1Cor 15:21].

GENEALOGIES: Rejecting a literal 24-hour day causes another problem for the Christian. The genealogies in Gen 5 & Luke 11 have a literal man named Adam. If the eon theory is right, which includes the theory of evolution, then you don’t have a literal man named Adam. The Adam of Genesis 1-3 is the same man named in Genesis 5 & Luke 11, an ancestor to our Lord Jesus the Christ.

APPEARANCE OF AGE: Regardless of the theory, both camps believe in an Almighty God. The question then becomes, why does God even need a 24-hour day? Couldn’t all of it have been done in an instant? Another question is, how old did Adam appear when he was formed? Even the atheist Stephen Hawking suggested that if an Almighty God were real, then He could just as easily have created the light between distant stars and the Earth. This would give the appearance of age. We even have a modern-day example of rock & canyon formation within days & months, Lake Shasta near Mt. St. Helens.

These are just a few reasons why I believe in a literal 24-hour 6-day creation. There is even more evidence beyond these. Since none of us were there, we are completely dependent upon the evidence, and for the believer in God, we are totally dependent upon His revealed word as the only eyewitness to these events.

This leaves us with FAITH. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” [Hebrews 11:1]. Nobody can ‘PROVE’ what happened. Even the atheist must have faith in his theory, for he wasn’t there.

Acceptance of an evolutionary viewpoint is contrary to scripture and is the beginning of a host of other errors when this viewpoint is accepted.

Give THANKS for He is GOOD

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This week our nation pauses to give thanks. I’m unsure as to who the Atheist, Agnostic, Arrogant or the Absent minded shall thank, but the Christian has an ALMIGHTY GOD to whom we can give thanks. Rather than more words from me, let’s go to the Psalms of Thanksgiving. [Note: The Hebrew word for ‘THANKS’ <yadah> is also translated as ‘praise’ This bulletin only contains the verses translated as ‘THANKS’]

Psa 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee THANKS?

Psa 18:49 Therefore will I give THANKS unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

 

That I may publish with the voice of THANKSgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psa 26:7

 

Psa 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give THANKS at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psa 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give THANKS unto thee for ever.

 

I will give thee THANKS in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. Psa 35:18

 

Psa 50:14 Offer unto God THANKSgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Psa 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with THANKSgiving.

Psa 75:1 <<To the chief Musician, Altaschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.>> Unto thee, O God, do we give THANKS, unto thee do we give THANKS: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

Psa 79:13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee THANKS for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.

Psa 92:1 <<A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.>> It is a good thing to give THANKS unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Psa 95:2 Let us come before his presence with THANKSgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms.

 

Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give THANKS at the remembrance of his holiness. Psa 97:12

 

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with THANKSgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa 105:1 O give THANKS unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

Psa 106:1 Praise ye the LORD. O give THANKS unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 106:47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give THANKS unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

 

O give THANKS unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psa 107:1

 

Psa 107:8 Oh, that men would give THANKS to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 107:15 Oh, that men would give THANKS to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

 

Oh, that men would give THANKS to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psa 107:21

 

Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of THANKSgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Psa 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of THANKSgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Psa 118:1 O give THANKS unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 118:29 O give THANKS unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 119:62 At midnight I will rise to give THANKS unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.

Psa 122:4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give THANKS unto the name of the LORD.

Psa 136:1 O give THANKS unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 136:2 O give THANKS unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 136:3 O give THANKS to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 136:26 O give THANKS unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 140:13 Surely the righteous shall give THANKS unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Psa 147:7 Sing unto the LORD with THANKSgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17

What Did Jesus Do For You?

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Jesus Endured so much for us.

Our Lord and Savior put up with a lot. I mean, A LOT. Below is a list of things done to our Lord.

  • Mat 27:30 And they SPIT upon him, and took the reed, and SMOTE him on the head.
  • Mat 26:67 Then did they SPIT in his face, and BUFFETED him; and others SMOTE him with the palms of their hands,
  • Mat 27:2 And when they had BOUND him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
  • Mat 27:26 and when he had SCOURGED Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
  • Mat 27:28 And they STRIPPED him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
  • Mat 27:29-30 And when they had platted A CROWN OF THORNS, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and MOCKED him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they SPIT upon him, and took the reed, and SMOTE him on the head.
  • Isa 50:6 I gave my back to the SMITERS, and my cheeks to them that PLUCKED OFF THE HAIR: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
  • Mat 26:60 But found none: yea, though MANY FALSE WITNESSES came, yet found they none. At the last came TWO FALSE WITNESSES,
  • Luke 23:40-41 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same CONDEMNATION? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but THIS MAN HATH DONE NOTHING AMISS.
  • Mark 15:31 Likewise also the CHIEF PRIESTS MOCKING said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
  • Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they PIERCED MY HANDS AND MY FEET.
  • Mat 27:35 And they CRUCIFIED him,
  • John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear PIERCED HIS SIDE, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

This list is hard to read when you remember why He came to earth. To free us from the bondage of sin, to redeem us to God and all because He loved us. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” [Rom 5:8].

SELF CONTROL

Another thing that comes to mind when reading this list is how much self-control Christ demonstrated. Just before all these things took place Jesus said, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” [Mat 26:53] He said this BEFORE all the abuse, yet during the abuse, He remained silent.

Reading this list, may we come to the same conclusion as the Centurion at the crucifixion, “they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” [Mat 27:54]

A FINAL THOUGHT

When we, those who have put on Christ in faithful baptism, return to sin, it’s as if we’re doing it all over again.

“…seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. [Heb 6:6b]

My hope is that this serves as a reminder of how much Jesus loves you and what He was willing to do for you.

Since He went that far for you, how far will you go for Him?

The Last Day

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When is the Last Day, the rapture or the Judgment day? Many ‘scholars’ have attempted to figure it out. They’ve combed the scriptures looking for clues. They’ve taken dates and times, done the math and have come up with what they believe is the last day.

I recall a fellow who claimed May 21, 2011 would be the end of the earth, the final call, the return of Christ. Either I missed it, or he was wrong. The bible says we’re not going to miss it, it will be the loudest day on earth.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” [1Thess 4:16]

Based on this verse alone, I’d say we didn’t miss it, it hasn’t occurred. There have been others who thought they had predicted the end.

Jehovah’s Witnesses – Charles Taze Russell preached the Second Coming of Jesus was 1874, and the start of the 1000 year earthly reign was 1914, as it was to end in 2914 A.D. When it didn’t happen, they just altered their teaching and set new dates saying something like, “”The light is getting brighter, and we are understanding Bible prophecy better now.”

John Hagee – He has been predicting the end for several years now. Looking at blood moons & eclipses as possible signs. Rather than set a date, he says, “the fuse is lit.”

There’s nothing new about this. The first century Christians wondered about this as well. Paul wrote to the brethren in Thessalonica, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” [2Thess 2:2] He instructed them how they ought to behave as they awaited, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” [2Thess 2:15]

None of us can know when the judgment will occur, only God, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” [Mat 24:36].

Putting this all together we come to some very simple conclusions that will guide us…

  • Don’t believe the predictions. (and don’t follow those who are making such predictions. They’re false teachers. [Matt 24:11; 1John 4:1]
  • Live every day as if Christ is coming today.

Since we know that when He comes, destruction of the world will follow, we ought to “make our calling and election sure” today and every day. [2Pet 1:10]

Peter, writing through the Holy Spirit said; “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” [2Pet 3:11-12]

Don’t take my word for it, just do what Jesus said, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” [Matt 24:42]