AT LEAST KING JOSIAH TRIED!

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King Josiah was the 16th king of the southern kingdom of Judah from 640-609 BC.

Josiah’s grandfather was perhaps the most evil of the 19 kings of Judah. His 55 year reign was mostly marked by terrible evil.

The Assyrians carried Manasseh to Babylon in hooks, bound with bronze fetters. In his suffering there, he humbled himself and repented of his evil way. We don’t know how, but God brought him back to Jerusalem. He then removed the idols, foreign gods, altars for sacrificing to those gods, etc. 2 Chronicles 33:18-19 mentions his prayer. There is a book in the Apocrypha called “The Prayer of Manasseh”, a short prayer that he supposedly prayed. We are not sure of the authenticity of that book, but 2 Chronicles 33:19 says that his prayer was recorded in the records of Hozai, so it is possible that “The Prayer of Manasseh” is really his prayer passed down throught Jewish history. As evil was Manasseh was, God forgave him and he died in a right relationship with God. God is such a merciful, forgiving God.

His father was the evil king Amon, the son of Manasseh. Amon began to reign when he was 22 and reigned for only 2 years. Most of his teen and young adult life would have been watching his father Manasseh do evil things. He would have also sseen Manasseh’s repentance and reforms, but that did not make an impact on Amon. How evil was Amon?

Josiah began to reign when he was 8 years old. Amon his father reigned for 2 years. That means that Josiah was 6 years old when his grandfather Manasseh died and 8 years old when his father Amon died. . His memories of his evil father Amon would not have been good as a 6 and 7 year old child. Fortunately his memories of his grandfather might have been mostly good as a 4 and 5 year old child since Manasseh would have been doing his reforms during those years of Josiah’s childhood.

Here is a great image detailing the age of Josiah when he began to reign at age 8 and did reforms. (Actually it should be 26 years old, the 18th year of his reign, when he repaired the temple.

During the repair of the temple when he was 26 that Hilkiah the priest found the “book of the Law” (i.e. the Pentateuch) and brought it to Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:14-21). The king tore his clothes and he himself read the book of the Law to all the elders, priests, Levites and people of Judah. He told Hlkiah to ask the prophetess Huldah what his (i.e. Josiah’s) fate would be in light of the curses that he read from the book of Deuteronomy, no doubt, as consequences for all the evil that Manasseh and Amon had done in Judah ( 2 Chronicles 34:22-30). Huldah told him that he would be spared seeing the punishment that God was going to inflict on Judah, but that the evil was so wide spread that Josiah’s reforms were “too little, too late” to save Judah from being carried off into Babylonian captivity. There were 3 deportations to Babylon that began almost immediately after Josiah died during the reign of the last 4 evil kings of Judah, and in 586 BC King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and took the last group of captives to Babylon, beginning the 70 years of exile in Babylon.

So why this lesson on King Josiah at this particular time? It is b/c of my concern for America. I know there is a lot of talk about “make Ameria great again”. You can buy a MAGA hat for $50. I do hope that we can balance the budget, trim the deficit, cut government spending, secure the border, reduce inflation, etc. But will America truly repent of the greed and sexual immorality that permeates our country? Will the churches who promote LGBQT go back and read the Bible condemnation of homosexuality and repent? Will our leaders truly turn to God for guidance on how to lead this country? America has typically bounced back from ungodly stretches of its history with “grass roots revivals” like the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings, and the Jeremy Lanphier prayer revival (that spread across many cities with thousands praying every day at noon)? But those revivals were based on people believing that the Bible was the word of God. If the Bible said drunkenness was a sin, then to repent means to quit getting drunk. But today about 70% of Americans believe that same sex relationships are morally acceptable. If someone does that believe that homosexuality is a sin, then they won’t repent of that. Therefore a grass roots revival will be nearly impossible unless we do what Josiah did. We need to rediscover the Bible, open and study it, and let the Bible tell us what sin is, and then repent if we are guilty of sin. What will be the fate of America if we do not repent and restore the Judeo-Christian values that this country was built on? Only God knows the answer to that, but I am praying for a revival. American Christians have so many resources that can and are being used to drill wells overseas and print Bibles to spread the gospel. I don’t want to see that end.

In the mean time, we need to pray daily and earnestly for our country and our leaders. 1 Timothy 1:1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

THE INAUGURATION OF JESUS AS KING OF KINGS

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Most of us are watching the inauguration ceremony of Donad Trump as I write this article. I am amazed at the bureaucracy of the federal govenment, but also anxious to see what reforms Trump will initiate very soon once he is inaugurated. I am anxious to see if anyone will actually curb government spending and try to balance the budget (fat chance!). Boos and cheers at the ceremony as different ones walk in: sounds more like a sporting event. Oh well, enough of that. First time in 47years that it is indoors (due to the cold). I hope that it not a bad omen! All smiles as the most recent presidents are announced. A stirring rendition of “Glory, glory hallelujah, His truth is marching on”. I pray that God’s truth in morals will truly march on. Will we truly have one of those “grass roots revivals” that America experienced like the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings and the Lampier Prayer revival? That remains to be scene. The smiles have rescended among some as Trump takes shots at the past administration. Very interesting that he claimed that he was saved by God from the assassination attempt on his life so that he can make America great again. Several standing ovations and applause. He just declared that the government would recognize two genders, male and female. Closing with a moving prayer by Pastor Sewell, quite appropriate on MLK day, reminiscent of a MLK speech.

I want to focus on a far more important inauguration, i.e. the inauguration of the king of kings, Jesus Christ. I read several articles that suggested different moments in the life of Jesus in which he was inaugurated. Was it at His baptism, Last Supper, or maybe His ascension?

We need to look at a couple of key passages in discussing this.

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions,and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Most say this refers to the ascension of Jesus into heaven, but there’s a passage in Luke that needs to be considered.

Luke 19:11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Several things to notice in this parable. Some supposed that “the kingdom was going to appear immediately”. The kingdom referred to in the kingdom promised in Daniel 2:44-45 that would be established in the days of the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, i.e. the Roman Empire. Both Jesus and John the Baptist had said “the kingdom is at hand”. The phrase “at hand” means “at hand” in the time frame of those Jesus is speaking to. Jesus made that even clearer in Mt 16:27  “For, the Son of Man is about to come ( mello, which. always means “about to be or about to happen” in the NT) in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work. 28 Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in his reign.” (YLT) Not only does Jesus say that the judgement and 2nd coming was “about to” happen, but He also says that some of those he was speaking to would still be alive to see Him coming (His 2nd coming) in his kingdom. That kingdom that was “at hand” would indeed be established in the first century, but it was not a physical kingdom like that of the Jewish kingdom in the OT. It was a spiritual kingdom, the church. Jesus had said, John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my officers had struggled that I might not be delivered up to Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.” (YLT) Jesus had said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Peter used the keys to open the door to enter that kingdom when he preached the first “gospel sermon” in Acts 2 and 3,000 were baptized for the remission of sins, becoming the first church, which is the spiritual body of Jesus of which he is the head. The kingdom of Jesus on earth in the NT was the church. Paul said, Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The Colossian Christians were in that kingdom.

So that kingdom of Daniel 2:44,45 was to be established within the lifetime of those Jesus spoke to, but in Luke 19 some supposed it was to appear immediately (i.e. immediately after Jesus’ lifetime which ended in about 30 AD). The establishment of that kingdom, the church, would indeed begin soon in Acts 2, but would involve a transition period of 40 years, from 30 AD to 70 AD. The parable says that “the nobleman would go into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return”. It says that “having received the kingdom” (in the far country) that he would “return” (the 2nd coming) to “reign”. That tells us Jesus did not officially receive his reign over his kingdom until his 2nd coming (his “return” from the farcountry).

Doesn’t that sound just like our inauguration process? We elected a president back in November. There was a transition period until Jan 20 till the official inauguration. The president elect did not take over the powers of the president until Jan 20. Jesus ascended into heaven to receive his kingdom, so technically he became king at this ascension. But he would not officially begin to reign fully until 70 AD, just as in the parable of Luke 19. Jesus’ official inauguration as King of Kings began in 70 AD and continues today since his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

I close with Revelation 11: 15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give You thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.” This would be fulfilled after the events of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. God and His Christ would begin to reign in the everlasting church kingdom from then on and He is reigning today over His spiritual kingdom, the church, which is above all the kingdoms of the world.

Gabriel told Mary, Luke 1:32 He (her baby Jesus)will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Isaiah had predicted, Isaiah 9:For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.”

Peter preached Acts 2:29 “Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore, since He has been exalted at the right hand of God, and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’ Peter is saying that Jesus was raised and exalted at the right hand of God and had begun sitting on the throne of David. Not the physical throne of David as in the OT, but sitting on a spiritual throne of David (figurative fulfillement of 2 Samuel 7). He has been sitting on that throne since Acts 2 in 30 AD.

Zechariah adds another promise, Zechariah 6:13 Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the majesty and sit and rule on His throne. So He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’ Jesus will be king and priest at the same time. That would nto be possible under the Law since Jesus was of the tribe of Judah but the high priest could only come from the tribe of Levi. I think all Christians agree that Jesus is our high priest today. That must be in heaven since the Hebrew writer said, Hebrews 8:4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law”. A little deductive reasoning here: 1) Jesus is our high priest in heaven now, and He could not be high priest on earth. 2) He is our king at the same time that he is our high priest. 3) Therefore, he must be king in heaven and not of earth.

His kingdom must be a kingdom that was established in the first century. That could only be the spiritual kingdom, the church. This debunks all the theories that Jesus will return some day to establish a physical kingdom on earth and reign a thousand years in that kingdom. Most say that Jesus did plan to establish a physical kingdom in the first century, but that he delayed that b/c of his rejection by the Jews. Hebrews debunks the notion of a delayed kingdom (and 2nd coming): Hebrews 10:For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay. That was written in about 62 AD and predicts that Jesus would come in a “very little while” (the 2nd coming) and would not delay. That fits his 2nd coming in 70 AD.

Even if you don’t agree with some of this article, we can all agree that Jesus is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. We can agree that the church is an important part of his kingdom, even if not all agree on the establishment of some future kingdom. Let us offer praise to the King of Kings.

One of my favorite songs is King of Kings by Hillsong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQl4izxPeNU

Listen to that song as you read the lyrics:

In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope, without light
‘Til from Heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfill the law and prophets
To a virgin came the word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt

Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross
For even in your suffering
You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation
Jesus for our sake you died

Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

And the morning that You rose
All of Heaven held its breath
‘Til that stone was moved for good
For the Lamb had conquered death
And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who’d come
To the Father are restored

And the church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel, shall not faint
By His blood and in His name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me

Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

Praise forever to the King of Kings

Amen and Amen!

WE SAW THEE NOT

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I google youtube.com and get multiple videos on sports, politics, even the Bible and Christian songs. This morning the song “We saw thee not” popped up and I listened to it. You might want to listen to a youtube acapella version of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d25PYT8v71I

1 We saw Thee not when Thou didst come
To this poor world of sin and death;
Nor yet beheld Thy cottage home,
In that despised Nazareth;

Refrain:
But we believe Thy footsteps trod
Its streets and plains, Thou Son of God:
But we believe Thy footsteps trod
Its streets and plains, Thou Son of God.

2 We saw Thee not when lifted high
Amid that wild and savage crew;
Nor heard we that imploring cry,
“Forgive, they know not what they do!”

Refrain:
But we believe the deed was done,
That shook the earth and veiled the sun;
But we believe the deed was done,
That shook the earth and veiled the sun;

3 We gazed not in the open tomb,
Where once Thy mangled body lay;
Nor saw Thee in that “upper room,”
Nor met Thee on the open way;

Refrain:
But we believe that angels said,
“Why seek the living with the dead?”
But we believe that angels said,
“Why seek the living with the dead?”

4 We walked not with the chosen few,
Who saw Thee from the earth ascend;
Who raised to heav’n their wond’ring view,
Then low to earth all prostrate bend;

Refrain:
But we believe that human eyes
Beheld that journey to the skies;
But we believe that human eyes
Beheld that journey to the skies.

Anne Richter wrote the hymn “We Saw Thee Not”. John Hampden Gurney modified the hymn and published it in Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship in 1851. The tune (Shaw) was composed by Knowles Shaw (1834-1878; see #75).  It first appeared around 1877 in one of his Sunday school song collections and became popular after being included in James H. Fillmore’s The New Christian Hymn and Tune Book, Part III, in 1887. There was a 5th stanza added: Stanza 5 (not used by Shaw) says that we do not see Him now, yet we believe His word “And now that Thou dost reign on high, And thence Thy waiting people bless, No ray of glory from the sky Doth shine upon our wilderness. But we believe Thy faithful word, And trust in our redeeming Lord” (repeat).

What a great song! The life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Do you remember what Jesus said to doubting Thomas? John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas was able to put his fingers in the holes in Jesus’ hands and side. It took that for Thomas to believe. That is a great proof for the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection was not just believed by a group of people who were expecting a resurrection. It was believed by the apostles who did not expect Jesus to die, certainly not die and be raised. But it was also believed by Thomas who did not even show up when Jesus first appeared to the 10 apostles on the night of the day he was raised (John 20:19-25). John 20:24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” So he still didn’t believe even though the 10 told him they had seen the resurrected Jesus. He needed more proof. So this adds to the proof that the resurrection of Jesus really happened.

The same argument could be made of James, the Lord’s brother, who did not believe in Jesus when he was alive but became a believer after seeing Jesus raised. We don’t know when the resurrected Jesus appeared to James, but 1 Corinthians 15:7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” The same argument could be made of Saul who was killing Christians until the resurrected Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Nothing could have converted Saul (Paul) other than actually seeing the resurrected Jesus. He had everything in Judaism but gave it all up after seeing Jesus and spent the rest of his life witnessing the resurrection and suffering for Jesus, eventually being beheaded by Nero in 67 AD. So the resurrected Jesus was seen and believed by his skeptics.

But Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That would be anyone who believed or believes in Jesus even though they did not actually see the resurrected Jesus. That would be us. That’s not saying that we are more blessed than those who actually saw the resurrected Jesus. It is just saying that we can be blessed with faith even though we did not see the resurrected Jesus.

An interesting question: Would you rather have lived back then and have been able to actually see the resurrected Jesus, or live today when you have to rely on the written testimony of those who did see the resurrected Jesus? It would be nice if Jesus would appear to any skeptic today and allow them to put their fingers in the holes, but he doesn’t. Why doesn’t he? A little speculation here. Satan told Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down (from the pinnacle of the temple) and the angels will catch you”. Jesus replied, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”.

We use the law of gravity and the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) in many equations and applications in physics. What if, every time we use that, someone says “would you prove to me that the acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2 ? That would be proving something that is a solid, irrefutable,proven law of physics. The same with the resurrection of Jesus. God gave us sufficient proof that Jesus was raised from the dead. We have the credible witness of the apostles. We have many post resurrection appearances of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15), even to 500 (many of whom Paul said were still alive when he wrote that so that skeptics could actually talk to some of them if they so wished). Luke told Theophilus that Jesus was raised from the dead and that he had confirmed that by talking to “eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:1-4). We have skeptics like Thomas, James, and Paul who were very reluctant to believe in Jesus until they actually saw the resurrected Jesus. We have the resurrection of Jesus being preached in the same city in which it allegedly occurred (Jerusalem) just 50 days after the resurrection, and yet no one said “you can’t prove that”. Imagine if I claimed that someone was riased from the dead in Maple Hll Cemetary 50 days ago right here in Huntsville, Al. That would be so easy to disprove if it did not actually happen. But thousands in Jerusalem became believers. Not all did, but there was sufficient evidence to convince thousands right there in Jerusalem where the resurrection happened. I doubt there would be one single believer of my claim that someone was raised 50 days ago in Maple Hill.

Could Jesus have appeared to even more after his resurrection? Sure. Would that have made the proof of his resurrection greater? I suppose. Could he make multiple appearances today to prove to skeptics that he was raised? Sure. Would that help people believe in Jesus? Mabye some. But do you remember what Jesus said to the rich man: Luke 16:27 And he (the rich man in torment) said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Not everyone would believe if even if Jesus made appearances today. But the bottom line is that God gave us sufficient proof that Jesus was raised and He will not allow us to continually test him over and over to prove that again. A teacher will not stop his physics lesson every time someone asks him/her to prove that the acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2.

Peter felt that the proof for the resurrection of Jesu was sufficient. Acts 10:39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” He did not feel that Jesus needed to appear to “all the people” to prove that He was raised.

Back to the song: We did not see him walk the earth, be crucified, be raised, and ascend to heaven. But we believe! We are the “blessed” who did not see the resurrected Jesus and put our fingers in the holes, and yet we believed. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”

Now would be a good time to listen to the song, “I know whom I have believed” acapella. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bRV3J4n8cc The song says “I know not” why God and Christ so graciously loved and saved us, how faith saved us, how the Spirit moves to convict men of sin and create faith, or what good or bad times we will face in the future. But one thing is sure: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded, that He is able, to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day”. This is another of those great songs from the 1800’s (1883 AD to be exact). It is interesting that different endings to the refrain appear in different song books based on 2 Timothy 1:12. Some versions, similar to the KJV (for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”), read “He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him” and others read “He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me”. Was it what Paul entrusted or committed to God or was it what had been entrusted to Paul (i.e. the gospel). Let’s just say “both” and get the main point. “I know (without a doubt) whom (Jesus) I have believed”. To know Jesus is to know and believe the intellectual facts of his life, death, and resurrection and that he is our Savior. But it is also to have an intimate knowledge of Jesus like what you have with your mate b/c you made a commitment to him/her to spend your whole life with him/her. You committed your whole life and love to your mate, and your mate committed his/her whole life and love to you. Both is true.

So, begin your day today listening to “We saw Thee not” (and maybe “I know whom I have believed”).


PAUL’S LAST LETTER: 2 TIMOTHY (PT 2)

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7) 3:1-9 Avoid false teachers in the “last days” who slip into households and lead believers astray. They are like Pharoah’s magicians (Paul even names them even though they are not named in Exodus) who tried to lead Pharoah into not believing that Moses was giving him the word of God. Those “last days” would be the last days of the Jewish Age (from 30 AD to 70 AD when the temple was destroyed by the Romans), but Paul’s warning would apply to us today living in the Messianic Age (the “age to come”). Look at the list of sins given in these verses and you will see the same today. There are still plenty of false teaches who “slip into” the church and lead believers astray, starting up cults or splitting churches, preaching for money and interested in power and control.

8) 3:10-12 Follow my (Paul’s) teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, and sufferings.” Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 11:1. Would you recommend that someone you are mentoring follow your example in these matters? We are to follow Jesus’ example, but it sure helps to have some mentor in our lives to set the example for us. I’ve had mentors like that. When my wife and I first left Birmingham to attend a school of preaching for 2 years in West Monroe, La, we met Hugh and Dorothy Minor. They became mentors and examples to my wife and I all through the years during the school and after that as our paths crossed over the years. We had the privilege of working with them for many years here in Huntsville before they passed away. Hugh especially was my mentor with the way he handled church matters and problems. His wisdom, love, and patience was so obvious. I only wish we had spent more time with them. Unfortunately, that’s what we often say when a friend dies, so go spend more time with that person now.

9) 3:13-17 Continue in the scriptures that you were taught from childhood that are able to make you wise unto salvation in Jesus through faith. That would be OT scriptures that he would have been taught in childhood of course. But Paul then gives a great statement on all Scriptures: 3:16 All Scripture (graphé: Scripture, writing) is inspired (theopneustos: God-breathed, inspired by God) by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” From AI: “ In the New Testament, “graphé” primarily refers to the sacred writings of the Old Testament, regarded as divinely inspired and authoritative. It is used to denote the collection of books that constitute the Hebrew Bible, which were considered the Word of God by early Christians. The term underscores the belief in the divine origin and enduring authority of these texts.” A good definition of “inspiration” is found in 2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Their original writings and teachings were infallible words of the Holy Spirit even though they were allowed to use their own vocabulary and thoughts. We don’t have the original OT or NT writings, but we have plenty of manuscripts and translations that are trustworthy. The battle today is about the inspiration of the Bible. From the gallup poll, 2022: “A record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.” Bottom line, if you believe fallible men wrote the Bible, then it is not the authoritative word of God binding on us today. The inspiration of the apostle Paul is questioned when he condemns homosexuality. Those who question that might still say they believe the Bible is the word of God, but they would “twist” his writings (2 Peter 3:16), saying that Paul’s writings are just his homophobic opinions not binding on us. So it is important that we correctly understand the claim of the inspiration of the Bible.

When Paul says “All Scripture” I think he is here including any of the NT inspired writings along with the OT scriptures. Peter calls Paul’s writings “Scripture” in 2 Peter 3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” By 67 AD when Paul wrote 2 Timothy, there would have been several NT inspired writings like the gospels, Paul’s other letters, and the rest of the NT letters that were being circulated and copied by the churches.

10) 4:1-5 Do the work of an evangelist: preach the word at all times, patiently correcting, rebuking, and exhorting. Paul said that times would come when men would “not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” BTW, Paul also said: 4:1 I do fully testify, then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to (mello, always means “about to” in the NT) judge living and dead at his manifestation and his reign”. That imminent judgment was the motivation for being diligent in preaching the word, to get people ready for that judgement. The Bereans were the example of those who searched the OT scriptures to see if Paul’s teaching about the Messiah was true. Acts 17: 11 Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Paul told the Thessalonian believers: 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.” Contrast that with those that Paul predicts would accumulate teachers who would simply tell them what they want to hear and not what the word of God says. We are faced with that today big time. The Bible is clear in condemning the LGBQT movement and teachings. But that movement still has hundreds of paid preachers who tell them what they want to hear, i.e. that homosexuality is not a sin, even though the word of God clearly condemns it.

11) 4:9-15 Come to me in Rome as soon as possible, before winter (4:21), bringing Mark, my overcoat, and books. We don’t know if Timothy made it to see Paul before he was beheaded in 67 AD. Only Luke is with Paul in this 2nd Roman imprisonment, others having deserted him or gone on to do evangelistic work (like Titus to Dalmatia).

12) 4:19-21 Greet Aquila and Priscilla and Onesiphorus. Aquila and Priscilla had made tents with Paul in Corinth before moving to Ephesus, and had a housechurch in Ephesus when Paul wrote 2 Timothy. Onesiphorus is only mentioned twice in the NT (here and 2 Timothy 1:16). He had served Paul during the 3 years Paul spent in Ephesus on his 3rd missionary journey. He had come to Paul in his 2nd Roman imprisonment and helped Paul. So Paul ends 2 Timothy with “tell everyone hello; give them my love.”

In closing, let’s notice Paul’s “mood and state of mind” during this 2nd imprisonment. He was fully expecting to die soon. 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.” He is disappointed at those who forsook him and left him, no doubt fearing they would be imprisoned. 1:15 You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.” 4: 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” 4:16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.” But he is not “doom and gloom”. 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 4:17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Will you be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” when your death is imminent? Will you be fully confident that the Lord will reward you with eternal life in the heavenly kingdom? Paul is such a great example for us to follow. He said in Philippians 1 that he preferred to die even during his first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 27, 28) but that he thought that the Lord wanted him to live and preach longer, and he was indeed released. “For me to die is gain, but to live is Christ”, he said. But now in 2 Timothy, he is ready to go. After reading what all Paul suffered since becoming a believer in Jesus, you can see why he was ready to go. 2 Corinthians 12: in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is [k]led into sin without my intense concern?” Paul was probably about 30 years old when he was converted (Acts 9) and about 60 years old when he died. Paul had 30 long, tough years as the apostle to the Gentiles! He sufferred much and often. He gave his life for Jesus, martyred in Rome by Nero.

I’m glad Paul wrote this last letter to Timothy before he died. There is so much in it for us today!

 

PAUL’S LAST LETTER: 2 TIMOTHY (PT 1)

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Acts 27,28: Paul is in a Roman prison when he wrote the “prison epistles” (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). Actually, more like “house arrest” in his own quarters with a guard for 2 years. He had appealed to have his trial before Caesar and apparently was wating for that trial. We don’t have any follow up on that trial, but we think that he was released after the 2 years and made another missionary journey.

Here is a great map from thebiblejourney.org tracing of his last missonary journey after he was released.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-16.png

“Paul commissioned Titus to be the leader of the local church while in Crete (which Paul had visited only briefly before, en route to Rome – see Titus 1:5 & Acts 27:8-9). He visited Miletus (and left Trophimus there because he was ill – see 2 Timothy 4:20) and then left Timothy in charge of the church at Ephesus (see 1 Timothy 1:3) (see 2 on Map 28). He may have visited Colossae (see Philemon 1:22) before he continued to Troas (where he left his coat with Carpus – see 2 Timothy 4:13) (see 3 on Map 28).

Paul then went on to Philippi in Macedonia (see 1 Timothy 1:3) where he wrote his First Letter to Timothy and his Letter to Titus between 63 and 66AD (see 4 on Map 28). He may have visited Ephesus again (see 1 Timothy 3:14 & 4:13) before travelling back via Corinth (see 2 Timothy 4:20) (see 5 on Map 28) and Nicopolis (see Titus 3:12) (see 6 on Map 28) to Rome (see 7 on Map 28) where he was imprisoned in the Mamertine Prison (see 2 Timothy 1:8,16-17 & 2:9). From Rome he wrote his Second Letter to Timothy shortly before he was beheaded (as he was a Roman citizen) in c.67AD during the intense persecution of Jews and Christians by Nero (see 2 Timothy 4:6).

Paul may also have visited Spain at some time between 63 and 67AD (see Romans 15:24 & 28) but we have no Biblical evidence of such a visit.”

I encourage you to take time right now to read 2 Timothy (12 minutes reading time). As you read it, think about the mood that Paul was in during his last months in prison in Rome before he was beheaded. It says a lot that he would write his last letter to Timothy, “my beloved child” (2 Timothy 1:2; 2:1), his “child in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). If you knew your death was imminent and that you could write one last letter, who would you write it to? I would probably write it to my surviving family, but Paul had no surviving family that we know of. His family was his church family. His brothers and sisters were those who worked with him preaching the gospel to the Roman Empire. You can just feel the emotion as he thinks about his time with Timothy: 2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” He hoped that Timothy could come to him soon: 2 Timothy 4:9 Do your best to come to me soon.” We don’t know if Timothy made it to see Paul before he died.

Paul had a lot of instructions for Timothy.

1) 1: 6 “Kindle afresh (anazópureó: To rekindle, to stir up, to fan into flame) his gift (i.e. his evangelistic miraculous gift, Ephesian 4:11). The ESV translates it “fan the flame”. That’s not to say that Timothy’s zeal had begun to waver. It is just a reminder to constantly keep that zeal blazing, just like you stoke a fire constantly to keep the fire bright and burning.

2) 1:8 Don’t be ashamed of Paul’s imprisonment. Some of Paul’s enemies might try to make Timothy be ashamed of Paul being in prison as a condemned criminal worthy of death. Especially Jewish unbelievers might say that Pauls’ death proved that he was just another misled false teacher of this false sect called Christianity. After all, his imprisonment was at the time that the Jewish rebels were rebelling against Rome, trying to convince all Jews that victory over Rome was imminent.

3) 2:1-7 Be strong, suffering hardship as a good soldier, a competitive athlete, and a hard working farmer. Those are 3 down to earth examples to show Timothy how to handle his suffering.

4) 2:2 Entrust the gospel to faithful men who would then be able to teach others. An evangelist must train others to carry on the work. This verse was our “mission statement” when we went to Trinidad to do 3 years of mission work. There were already hundreds of baptized believers in Trinidad due to evangelistic campaigns and several churches already established (we worked mainly with two of them in the south). We baptized several more and established 3 new congregations while there. But our main focus was identifying and training their leaders to carry on the work after we left. We had a “Saturday school” where we taught many of the church leaders the same Bible courses that we had studied in our 2 years in a school of preaching in West Monroe, La. Apparently that worked b/c those leaders carried on the work in the churches for the next 50 years without depending on U.S. money to pay preachers there! I recently talked to several of those leaders via WhatsApp. That was very encouraging to me. Those leaders also continued to train other men. A son of one of those leaders worked with some of the new congregations and did mission work over in Guyana, South America. Paul wanted Timothy to do the same training of leaders, and I’m sure that he did.

5) 2:14-19 Remind those faithful men (and all believers) to “accurately handle the word of truth”. Avoid disputes over words, worldly and empty chatter. Especially avoid heretical teachings like that of 2 men who were saying that the resurrection had already taken place. Paul had said that “there is about to be (mello, which always means “about to” in the NT) a resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous (Acts 24:15). That would be the resurrection of Daniel 12:2 which would occur at the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD. The OT dead in hades would be raised to receive their final sentencing in 70 AD. Paul wrote 2 Timothy in 67 AD, so that resurrection had not taken place yet. We don’t know exactly what arguments were used by those 2 men to say the resurrection had already happened. It is interesting that Paul did not just say, “it is obvious that the resurrection has not happened yet b/c no one has seen bodies coming out of the tombs”. Apparently, the resurrection as Paul taught it was not a bodily resurrection as many teach or else Paul could have said that and used that argument against them. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul taught that the resurrection would be changing to immortal spiritual bodies, not physical bodies raised. He even told them in 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” He told them that some of those he was writing to would still be alive at the resurrection that was “about to happen” (Acts 24:15). But dead or alive, the believers would be given immortal, spiritual bodies at that resurrection. Either Paul is a false prophet predicting this to happen in their lifetime or else it did happen, and it did. Yes, that means that I am saying that, based on Paul’s writing, the resurrection “has already happened” at 70 AD. You might say I am a heretic for teaching that just like those 2 men. But the difference is when those 2 men made that statement and when I am making that claim (which is today, long after 70 AD). Food for thought!

6) 2:22-26 Flee youthful lusts and purse righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Don’t be quarrelsome in trying to correct those teaching error. Many who try to “defend the faith” end up being very argumentative, thinking their opinion on doctrine is the only correct one. That leads to sectarianism. The church I was raised in taught a lot of truths but also became very argumentative about minor doctrines, condemning those who disagreed.

THE “NONES” (NOT THE “NUNS”): A BIG THANK YOU TO ACC IN AUBURN, AL.

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According to the new set of data, 28% of Americans classify themselves as “nones” (atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular”) when asked about their religion. So that is 3 out of every 10 Americans classify themselves as “nones” in religion. I always blame the millennials, but they are a big part of the “nones”.
According to pewforum.com, only 50 percent of Millennial ages 18-29 are certain they believe in God. Then there is Gen Z:  Eighteen percent of Gen Z affirmatively identify as either atheist (9 percent) or agnostic (9 percent). In contrast, fewer than one in 10 (9 percent) baby boomers and 4 percent of the silent generation identifies as atheist or agnostic.”

Breaking the “nones” (which includes all Americans) down further:

Our survey (pewresearch.org) data shows:

  • Most “nones” believe in God or another higher power. But very few go to religious services regularly.
  • Most say religion does some harm, but many also think it does some good. They are not uniformly anti-religious.
  • Most “nones” reject the idea that science can explain everything. But they express more positive views of science than religiously affiliated Americans do.

So, according to pew, “most” still believe in God or a higher power, so that is good. Most likely they accept that higher power could be the god of many different world religions like Buddhism, Hindusim, Islam, etc., so they might not believe in Yahweh of the Bible as the one true God. They are not necessarily “anti-religous”, but they certainly have little interest in “going to church” and being a member of a certain religion. They might be more likely to not believe the Biblical account of creation. They might not believe that the Bible is the actual word of God, our authority for all matters today. They might reject the apostle Paul’s denouncing of homosexuality, saying that is just his homophobic opinion not binding of Christians today. So even the “nones” who stlll believe in God don’t necessarily believe that the Bible is the authoritative word of God for us today. Many feel that they can determine what sin is without going by the Bible, which is why so many are following the LGBQT movement, even among Christians.

One comment said that there is little evidence that the “none” will ever start going back to church attendees. That is probably true. But we can rejoice that many of the Gen Z (maybe not the “nones” among the Gen Z) are turning to God and a belief in the word of God. My granddaughter goes to Auburn (to my dismay, “Roll Tide), and she and many of her friends attend ACC (Auburn Community Church). I looked up their website to read their beliefs. ACC believes the bible is the “verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God–breathed.” ACC “believes God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, the one true Holy God”. ACC “believes Jesus Christ is completely human but, at the same time, completely God. He is the only plan for bringing people who are far from God back into a right relationship with God. He lived a perfect life, so that He could be a substitution for us in satisfying God’s demands for perfection. He defeated death in His resurrection so that we could have life.” ACC “believes that the church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born–again persons. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control. We recognize believer’s baptism and the Lord’s supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church.” ACC ” believes that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.” They believe that people “will exist either eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation.” ACC “believes the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration.” ACC “believes marriage as a simple yet profound covenant: one man and one woman, committing to each other for a lifetime. It’s a unique, God-ordained covenant that grows and sustains, reflecting the deep, enduring love Christ has for his Church. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. In God’s wisdom, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.”

I’m pretty sure they don’t mind me quoting from their statement of faith on their website! ACC is what we call a “fundamentalist” church. From AI: “A fundamentalist church is a church that adheres to the beliefs of Christian fundamentalism, a conservative Protestant movement that emphasizes the literal truth of the Bible. The Bible is literal and inerrant. They believe in the Virgin Birth, Resurrection, and Atonement of Jesus Christ. Christian fundamentalism began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a reaction to theological liberalism and cultural modernism . The movement was fueled by opposition to the teaching of evolution and biblical criticism. Fundamentalists are almost always described as upholding beliefs in biblical infallibility and biblical inerrancy, in keeping with traditional Christian doctrines concerning biblical interpretation, the role of Jesus in the Bible, and the role of the church in society.”

I am so thankful that ACC is helping ground Auburn students in their faith in Biblical truth. I probably would not agree with their beliefs on a lot of issues, but I totally agree with their statement of faith in the basics. So then I go to school where I teach and one of our teachers is struggling over her church going with the LGBQT split in the Methodist church. She feels betrayed by her church’s liberal views. Many others are caught in that same drama. I am thankful that the ACC pastor came to Auburn to establish this church 10 years ago. He would truly be like the apostle Paul who did not want to build on the foundation others had laid, but instead establish churches where needed. This is alarming: “Barna Research estimates that 70% of high school students who identify as Christian will lose their faith or have little to no faith after entering college. They also project that 80% of people raised in the church will be “disengaged” from their faith by age 29.” “When a young adult goes to college for the first time they are saying goodbye to friends, family and their faith. According to the Barna Group, roughly 70% of high school students who enter college as professing Christians, will leave with little to no faith.” That makes you really think about where to send your child to college. Maybe you should seriously look at conservative Christian colleges so that your child will be mentored by sincere Christian teachers and wll be taught that the Bible is the word of God. That doesn’t guarantee that they will not lose their faith even while attending a Christian college, but it surely increases the odds of them not losing their faith.

So, a big thank you and praise God for ACC! I am so thankful that my granddaughter has ACC to attend and be an active part of. It is the closest thing you can get to having a “Christian college culture” in a public college. It is taking that culture to a public college instead of isolating that culture in a private Christian college. No doubt ACC will convert and ground students who might never have become Christians and who certainly would never attend a Christian college.


MORNING PRAISE

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My wife has had some issues with her eyes and ears. She had one of those “sudden loss of hearing” issues and lost some hearing immediately. Steroid shots resolved it. We foiund others who had the same problem. Her eye issue is not getting worse, so we are thankful for that. But at dinner last night, she was talking about reading about the complexity of the human ear. I would just be copying stuff from some article if I tried to discuss that complexity, but I apologize if I quote AI here b/c it is so good. Probably taken from some article but I don’t know where so I can’t give credit, but here it is.

“According to religious perspectives, the complexity of the human eye and ear is often cited as evidence of intelligent design by God, with intricate features like the eye’s lens focusing mechanism, the retina’s light-sensitive cells, and the ear’s delicate system of bones that amplify sound waves demonstrating a level of sophistication that could not have arisen by chance; the Bible verse “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12) is frequently used to support this view. 

Key points about the complexity of the human eye and ear:

  • Eye:
    • Multiple components working together: The cornea, iris, lens, vitreous humor, and retina all need to function precisely to produce vision. 
    • Light adaptation: The ability to adjust to different light levels, from bright sunlight to dim environments. 
    • Color perception: Specialized cone cells in the retina allow for the detection of a wide spectrum of colors. 
    • Blind spot compensation: The brain seamlessly fills in gaps in vision caused by the optic nerve. 
  • Ear:
    • Sound amplification: The tiny bones (ossicles) in the middle ear amplify sound vibrations to reach the inner ear. 
    • Cochlea design: The spiral structure of the cochlea allows for the differentiation of different sound frequencies. 
    • Balance system: The vestibular system within the inner ear helps maintain balance and spatial awareness. 

Arguments for intelligent design:

  • Irreducible complexity:Some argue that the eye and ear are examples of “irreducible complexity,” meaning that if any single part of the system is missing, it cannot function properly, implying a need for a complete design from the outset. 
  • Fine-tuning:The precise arrangement of components in the eye and ear seems optimized for their specific functions. 
  • Unparalleled engineering:The complexity of the eye and ear surpasses any man-made technology with similar capabilities. ”

I had never noticed that verse: Proverbs 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye,the Lord has made them both.”

From istockphoto.com

You see a human eye and it just looks simply, right?

But then you read what steps occur to have vision in that eye.

From rivertowneyecare.com

From 2eyesvision.com

We could go on and on about the design of the human body parts, like the heart, the brain, or the different systems of the body, etc. They are Integumentary System, Skeletal System, Muscular System, Nervous System, Endocrine System, Cardiovascular System, Lymphatic System, Respiratory System, Digestive System, Urinary System, and Reproductive System (Female and Male). As you know, they all have to work correctly together at the same time to have a living body. If atheism is correct, each of these parts and systems had to evolve from nothing by chance over millions of years. But back to the eye and ear: how could the complex eye and ear have evolved all the essential complicated parts and the steps needed to produce sound and sight with those parts. If you can believe that just happened by chance evolving from nothing, then you have more faith in an unproven evolutionary theory than just believing in God.

But you are probably a Christian reading this blog and you believe in God. So I don’t need to convince you that God made the human eye and ear. My point today is to just get us to sit back in awe at God’s creation of the eye and ear. He did that, along with all the other body parts and systems, in one 24 hour day (in my opinion). But even if you are a theistic evolutionist and believe that God did create them through evolution over millions of year, you still have to be in awe of God even doing it no matter how long he took to do it.

So just take a moment today to look at those pictures of the eye and ear. Google all the steps that it takes for those complex parts to produce sight and hearing. From AI: “To produce sight, light enters the eye through the cornea, passes through the pupil controlled by the iris, is focused by the lens onto the retina, where photoreceptor cells convert light into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve, allowing the brain to interpret the signals as visual images; essentially, light enters the eye, is focused on the retina, and the brain processes the resulting electrical signals to create vision.” We have some amazing cameras that are complex, but nothing like the human eye. If you saw a camera that could do amazing things, would you not think that there was someone who designed it? Why would we not think there was a supernatural being who designed the human eye?

From AI: “The steps of hearing are:

Brain interprets signals as sound: The brain interprets the electrical impulses as sound. 

Sound waves enter the ear: Sound waves travel through the air and enter the outer ear. 

Eardrum vibrates: The sound waves hit the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. 

Middle ear bones amplify sound: The vibrations are sent to the middle ear, where three bones (the malleus, incus, and stapes) amplify the sound. 

Vibrations reach the cochlea: The vibrations are sent to the cochlea, a fluid-filled organ in the inner ear. 

Hair cells in the cochlea move: The vibrations cause the fluid in the cochlea to move, which makes hair cells move up and down. 

Hair cells send electrical signals: The movement of the hair cells creates electrical impulses. 

Auditory nerve sends signals to the brain: The electrical impulses travel to the brain through the auditory nerve.”

Look at how a cochlear implant works: From AI: “A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing to perceive sounds and understand speech. It’s surgically implanted in the inner ear and consists of two parts: an external device and an internal device. How it works: The receiver sends the signals to the cochlear nerve, which then sends them to the brain. A microphone picks up sound from the environment. A speech processor analyzes the sound and converts it into electrical signals. The signals are sent to a receiver implanted in the inner ear.” That is nothing compared to the human ear, but you would automatically think that someone designed the cochlear implant, would you not? How could anyone not see that a supernatural being designed the human ear?

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made (like the human eye and ear). So they are without excuse.”  An atheist is not just unaware of intelligent design of the earth. He is “suppressing the truth” that there is a supernatural being who created and designed everything. His pride in his own intelligence and his faith in science had blinded him to the truth that there is a creator God.

So, again, this morning, get you cup of coffee (I drink only chicory now) and sit back, look at the pictures, and praise God for his awesome creation. In one way, you think “how could God even do that complex design of the human eye and ear? Why did He make it so complex?” Maybe it was simply to amaze us at His power if we ever question belief in God. Maybe it was to give us irrefutable evidence that there is a creator God so we can give a defense of the hope that is within us. 1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The Greek word for “defense” is apologia: Defense, Answer, Apology: a verbal defense (particularly in a law court). The term implies a reasoned argument or explanation like a defense attorney would use to try to defend someone accused of a crime. We get the word “apology” from apologia, but the defense of our hope of believing in God and eternal life is not an “apology”: “I’m sorry that I believe in a creator God instead of atheism like many believe today. I’m sorry if that offends you or if that makes you think that I am not very intelligent or scientific.” No, it is firm rational, reasonable arguments and the design of the human ear and eye alone should be enough to convince someone that there is a creator God. So, let us praise that God.

From AI: “Charles Darwin considered the complexity of the human eye to be a significant challenge to his theory of evolution, stating that “to suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances… could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree” (from On The Origin of Species) – essentially acknowledging that the eye’s intricate design appeared almost impossible to explain through gradual evolution alone; however, he still believed that the eye could have evolved through natural selection given the existence of numerous intermediate stages of eye complexity in different species.” In other words, he says that it is “absurd in the highest degree” to believe that the human eye could have evolved by chance, but then he still believes it happened! That is “suppressing the truth”.

Darwin also said: “ If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ (like the ear or the eye or he brain or the heart, NF) existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” (From On the Origin of Species). Now to be honest, he did add: ““But I can find out no such case.” Can someone honestly believe that the human ear and hearing could have been formed by random, numerous, successive (over millions of years), slight modifications? Darwin, in spite of his own admission, accepted evolution.

So was Darwin a theistic evolutionist? Did he believe that God over millions of years controlled evolution to produce the design of the human body (and everything)? From AI: “Charles Darwin’s religious views were complex, and he was not a strict theistic evolutionist. He was a sincere Christian when he set sail for the Galapagos Islands in 1831, but by the time he died in 1882, he described himself as an agnostic.” “He also said that science and religion were separate, and that he didn’t believe in revelation.” So he came to doubt the Bible, especially the Genesis account of creation from nothing in six 24 hour days. The theory of evolution, even theistic evolution has caused many to become “agnostic”, which means doubt in the existence of God and in the Bible as God’s word. I contend that Genesis claims that God created everything in six 24 hour days. The Hebrew word yom always is used as a 24 hour day when used with a numerical adective (1st day, etc.), or with “day and night”, which is how it is used in Genesis 1. On day 4, God creates the sun and the moon to “rule” over night and day. Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule (memshalah: Dominion, rule, authority, government)the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night.” In other words, the sun and moon dictated what a day and night would be from that time forward. You might question whether days 1-3 were 24 hour days, but even those were described as “evening and morning” so we believe they were 24 hour days also. But even if day 4 started 24 hour days and nights, then day 4-7 were 24 hour days according to Genesis. This account does not look like figurative language or symbolic. It looks like historical narrative, just telling in plain language how God created everything in six 24 hour days. If days 4-7 were 24 hour days, then on days 5 and 6 it says that God created all fish, birds, land animals, mammals, man, etc: all in two 24 hour days. You can simply say this account is simply a myth or an allegory, but it is hard to deny that the Genesis account claims everything was created in six 24 hour days. So, even if you believe in theistic evolution, that God used evolution over millions of years to create everything, you might end up being an agnostic, doubting the plain, lieteral, historical narratives of God’s special revelation in the Bible, especially in the creation account in Genesis 1. You might start doubting all the historical stories, like Jonah in the fish for 3 days. You might start doubting any of the miracles of the Bible. You might end up an agnostic (like Darwin), which is one step from being an atheist.

I have ended up on evolution and didn’t mean to, but it just flowed there this morning. Praise God for the creation of the human ear and eye.

Proverbs 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.”

IT ONLY LEAKS WHEN IT’S RAINING

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Ok, I got over my “You had a bad day” (see the article) and moving on. I found the two plumbing leaks: one around the base of a commode and the other in the copper pipe between the hot and cold taps on our whirlpool tub. Fortunately, they only leak when you use them. So I told my wife that the solution was “just never use that commode or take a bath in the master bedroom tub. Good, cheap solution, yes? It’s like a roof that leaks. It only leaks when it’s raining, so you don’t pay much attention to it until it is raining. So you don’t worry about fixing it until it’s raining, and you can’t fix it when it’s raining. So, when the rain quits, you forget about fixing it.

Is that the way you solve problems in life? You have a conflict with someone that only reignites when you get together at some family get together. So you suffer through that event, wishing you could reconcile with that person. But then you go home after the get together, and the conflict doesn’t show up again (it is still there though) until the next get together, and the same cycle repeats itself. You know that the conflict needs to be addressed, but you don’t have the courage or faith or wisdom to address it with the person. That’s no way to handle conflict resolution.

Can you think of similar problems that you put off trying to solve? I thought of James 1 when I wrote this. James 1:
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

The Holy Spirit has given us the wisdom of God to handle any and all trials or problems. That doesn’t necessarily mean the removal of the trial or problem (though it might), but the wisdom to make it through the trial or problem and to find the good that God can bring from that trial or problem. Remember Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Paul said, Philippians 4:12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” God did not remove Paul’s problems. He left him with his “thorn in the flesh”. 2 Corinthians 12: 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” He endured suffering and persecution as a Christian until his death which ended with him being beheaded. But God gave him the wisdom and strength to make it through all his trials, using them to the glory of God. So he was content with his trials and problems b/c they helped him trust in God’s power.

I am very impatient. I want a solution to problems immediately. I google a solution on my own and rush into trying to solve the problems on my own without consulting God and asking for wisdom (James 1:5). I remember problems David faced. Here is a great article by Maurice Bassali: https://tafj.org/2012/01/06/davids-nine-inquiries-of-the-lord/ He discusses the 9 times where it explicity says that David “inquired of the Lord” and asked the Lord what to do when faced with a danger during the 10 years in the wilderness that he fled from King Saul. For example, he “inquired of the Lord” if he (David) should take his men and resure the city of Keilah from the Philistine attack. The Lord told to go rescue them and that he would be successful. But after rescuing them, Saul found out that David was in the city of Keilah and Saul was coming to get the men of Keilah to surrender David so he could kill him. So David “inquired of” the Lord and asked him if the men of Keilah would be loyal to David and not surrender him to Saul or would they give him over to Saul. God told David that they would give him over to Saul, so David left Keilah and was spared. That’s just two of the 9 instances where David “inquired of the Lord” for how to handle problems. Don’t ask me how God gives us wisdom and answers to problems, but I believe he does. But we must ask, and we must ask in faith.

But at other times it seems as if David’s problems got worse when he did not “inquire of the Lord” for how to deal with them. 1 Chronicles 21 is one example. God was about to allow Satan to bring some punishment on Israel b/c of their sins. David did not inquire of the Lord on what to do. Instead, he panicked and told Joab to number the fighting men of Israel. Apparently David expected an enemy was about to come attack Israel as had happened many times in the past, and he wanted to know his military strength to ward off such an attack. Joab advised him against that, but did what David ordered. But then God punished David for trusting in his military strength and not inquiring of the Lord on how he should handle the crisis. God then gave him 3 choices for his punishment.

David got quite desperate at times and didn’t always inquire of the Lord when facing danger. One time he faked being mad in order to get the king of Philisia to not kill him but to allow him to live safely in Philistia. That led to David going out to kill many Canaanites and yet lying about that to the kind, telling the king that he had been killing Israelites. That let to the king wanting David to be his right hand man in attacking Israelites. I don’t know what David would have done if the Philistine commanders had not objected to David going with them to fight Israelites which caused the king to take David out of the attack. David did not inquire of the Lord in these situations and look what it led to.

So, my recommendation. Write down all the trials and problems that you are currently facing, short term and long term. Ask God for how to handle those. Be specific. Then do your research and see if you can find God’s wisdom on what to do. Trust that He will in some way give you a specific answer to each problem. Consult with others whom God might use to help you find solutions. Then act on God’s answers and trust him that He will work with you no matter what happens. He might not remove the trial or problem, but He will help you handle it and gain something good from it.

YOU HAD A BAD DAY

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Most of us older folks remember the song “You Had A Bad Day” by Daniel Powter in 2005. It topped the charts in England and rose to #1 in the U.S. in 2006. It is a reminder that, even if you had a bad day once in a while, things will get better. Here’s the music video of the song that is really neat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH476CxJxfgx Powter plays the piano while a young woman and a young man go through a bad day at work. Just watch it: it has a really neat ending! Unfortunately, Powter was named Billboard magazine as the #1 one hit wonder of the 2,000’s for his song. It’s a feel good song that many sing or listen to in order to help them get through a bad day. Here’s the Coca-Cola commercial with the song as a guy has a terrible day but in the end a girl brings him a Coke and everything is ok. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JKYMdRS8_gx In America, Powter’s album was released in 2006, and this song became a hit when the TV show American Idol started using it as a theme for the “goodbye video” for the departing contestants who were voted off the show on the fifth season. Here’s that video. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xltph1?scrlybrkr=f2f8117fx I was sitting in the drivers’ license office waiting to get my star ID and I saw a teen girl walk out crying (I think she just failed her driving test). I don’t guess she would have appreciated me going up to her and singing the song, but I did feel for her.

I’m sure everyone can relate to this song. Yesterday I had 2 plumbing leaks to deal with in our house. I’m crawling around on my belly in our crawl space under the entire house to check for leaks and my new super bright 12k flashlight goes out completely (I didn’t keep it charged), leaving me crawling around in the dark. That’s when you think, “Are there any snakes down here?” We have had copper heads in our driveways in my neighborhood. My lower back is hurting bad from crawling around in the crawl space. I was a little impatient with a few students (is yelling at them considered “impatient”) and thought “Why am I doing this?” My WordPress blog site pops up and immediately goes blank on Chrome (I am on Safari for this article). Then there was a potential serious health issue for someone that I love that I was thinking about all day. The snow and ice is coming and the difficulties that go along with that. A few other inconveniences and things that didn’t go right, and I said to my wife, “It’s been a bad day.” She replied, “No, a bad day is what our friends are going through today. One lost her husband to cancer, and another is being driven in an ambulance to a hospital in Nebraska for a possible 2nd heart attack In a week (winter storm conditions are terrible there right now). Another friend is being treated for a brain tumor. Another is experiencing a marriage break up. I could go on with many other situations.

The chorus to Powter’s song is: “Because you had a bad day, you’re taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don’t know, you tell me, don’t lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day, the camera don’t lie
You’re coming back down and you really don’t mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day.”

The song “I had a bad day” is a “sad song” that we sing when we are having a bad day “just to turn it around”. You fake a smile at work even though this depressing cloud of a bad day hangs over you. The songs says “Well, you need a blue sky holiday”. What a neat thought! Not just a holiday from work, which we all look forward to. Well make it a sunny, blue sky holiday instead of a rainy holiday.

A key thought in the song: “So where is the passion when you need it the most? Oh, you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost.” You lose your normal passion for what you love doing. You are a teacher and you teach kids because that is your passion in life. A young person I talked to said se chose teaching as her major. She could have chosen a more certain career to make more money. Often it is hard to get good, safe environment, teaching jobs. One can make more money working in a nice cubicle for government money with less stress. But that young person said she chose her “passion” over money. I told her she was making the right choice. My wife and I chose our passion of doing the Lord’s work, wherever it might be (we did mission work in Trinidad, West Indies and Colombia, South America and then 35 years in two different Christian education ventures), whatever the pay (we never took a ministry job b/c of what it payed or turned it down for what it didn’t pay).

But the Lord has blessed us so much. We have more money than we need. We have converts and Christian friends and co-workers all over. I got an email from someone in Trinidad wanting my phone number so her mom could call me. She said she was the daughter of the first family we baptized in a town in Trinidad, the key founder lady with 5 kids of the church we started in that town. I’m always suspicious of scammers using info like that to get my personal info, but I replied and sure enough the mom called me and we had a wonderful chat. Her kids are all grown now and the church is doing very well. That was so rewarding to me. We baptized a lot of people during 3 years in Trinidad and I wonder how many are still faithful today. I do know of many who are. I have an engineering degree from UAB and started work as an engineer with Alabama Power Company in 1971, but resigned 2 weeks later to move to Louisiana and attend a 2 year school of preaching. We went from there to Trinidad for 3 years. I often wonder, “what if I had just stayed as an engineer in Birmingham for those 5 years after graduating from college?” The Lord could have used me as an engineer, I’m sure, but I would never have met and baptized that lady in Trinidad. I think all 5 of her kids have become Christians and started Christian families long after we left Trinidad in 1976. We didn’t make a lot of money, but I wouldn’t trade money for those memories that we have now. That’s my testimony for today of what God has done for us. Too many Christians are living for what money they can make and what they can buy. I hope you don’t fall into that snare. 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” I struggle with being content, being at peace, and not worrying. I have so much more possessions and money than I ever had while living in Trinidad, and yet I probable I am less happy than when in Trinidad. I need to restore my “passion” for doing the Lord’s work, wherever that might be. I teach students every day whose lives God might use me to change.

Enough about me. You might be saying, “let me tell you about my bad day; hey, I’ve had a bad year.” Some readers have had some really tough times in 2024. The loss of loved ones. Major health issues. Divorce. Family problems. Economic problems, etc. But let’s take it one day at a time. When you have a bad day: 1) Sing the song “I had a bad day” and wish for a “blue sky holiday” that will inevitably come. 2) Think of others who are doing a lot worse than you are. 3) Think “what is the worst thing that could happen”. In view of the hope of eternal life that you have in Jesus, does anything bad that happens in this life really matter? Nope.

So, my wife inspired this blog article. If the article helps you, you can thank her! Enjoy the videos if you haven’t already.