Let us turn to Matthew 13. In Matthew 13, we have the parable of the sower, the sower of seeds, and it begins in verse 3. Matthew 13:3-9:
And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And then a little further down in Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable in verse 18. Matthew 13:18-21:
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
I will stop reading there.
We were looking at this parable a few weeks ago, and we saw how God is likening the Bible, He is likening the Scriptures to “seed.” Spiritually, that is what is happening every time we read from the Bible. Every time we read from the Bible, whether here or at home or with our children or in our own private reading, “seed” is falling on the heart.
That is why it is such a great thing to read the Bible. This is because that is the only way that there can be blessing of God, where God can save someone, where the Holy Spirit can enter into an individual and that person can have their sins forgiven and experience the salvation of God. It is through the reading of the Bible: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
In other words, if we do not read the Bible, if we do not take time to read the Bible, then there is no “seed,” and it is guaranteed that nothing is going to grow. There is not going to be any “fruit,” and there is no way that somebody can become saved. So you just look at it as the way God is outlining it. And He also says, “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly.” And so, yes, that encourages us to share the Gospel with the world, as much as we can, but also with our self.
If we are sowing sparingly in our own life, if we really are not picking up the Bible and spending any length of time in studying or reading the Bible, well, what kind of “fruit” is going to come forth from that?
Have you ever planted grass out front? Maybe the first or second time you did it, you did not know how much seed to get. So you sprinkled it and everything worked fine. God blessed it and the grass grew in patches—in patches all over. It did not look that good.
What we should have done is gotten a whole bunch of seed and strewn it all over and then kept throwing it out there and kept watering it, kept taking proper care of it, and then there could be a beautiful lawn.
It is basically the same spiritually when we are reading the Bible. The more we read, the more possibilities, if we are not saved, that God could save us through the hearing of His Word, and also that He could save us and bring froth “fruit” to a great degree, because we are just placing ourselves under the hearing of His Word.
And so, I think a few weeks ago, we looked at how some people have these, spiritually speaking, these “seeds” fall on their hearts, and yet “the cares of this world” grow up and “choke the Word.” That, of course, is happening all over the place, where there are other things, other factors that are entering in. And so, for one reason or another (there is nothing wrong with the “seed” itself), it is not taking root. There is no growth. There is no spiritual blessing.
God is in charge of that, as we read in 1 Corinthians 3. Let us go there. 1 Corinthians 3:6 says:
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
And so, we always have to look to God. Yes, we can do certain things. We can pick up a Bible our self and we can read it or we can share that Bible with others in our family or in our neighborhood. We can share the Word and we can pray for them, but always God has to give the increase. Nothing is going to grow without Him blessing it, and that goes for things in the world as well as spiritual things. God must bless His Word.
Well, here, in the explanation of this parable in Matthew 13, there is something that I thought would be good for us to look at, beginning in verse 20. It says in Matthew 13:20:
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Have you ever met somebody like that? I have a few times. They were out in the world, doing whatever they were doing, and somehow they heard the Gospel. And they are the ones where a lot of times we hear people say that they are “on fire for the Lord.” They are “on fire.” They are always talking about the Bible.
I actually remember going on a mission trip with an individual like that, and everybody was so impressed. He was such a new believer and on fire for the Lord, and it was a pleasure sitting down and talking with him. And yet, not long after that trip ended, he disappeared. He disappeared. You know, I cannot make any judgments. I do not know what happened to him.
But I also remember individuals who have come to Bible studies and things like that. They seem very excited, very eager to hear the true Gospel. And then after, really, not that much time, they seem to be gone. They seem to be gone, and, you know, you hear reports, “Oh, yes, he went back; he does not believe the Bible anymore,” or he is giving evidence that he is not a child of God in any way.
We wonder how that can be. How is it? And Jesus explains that it is to be expected in some cases. In some instances He says that there will be some who hear the Word and “anon,” which means kind of like immediately, “with joy receiveth.”
It is so wonderful! It is so wonderful! But then in verse 21, He goes on to say in Matthew 13:21 what happened to the person:
Yet hath he not root in himself…
There is no “root,” and that is related to Jesus being the “root” of the “stem of Jesse.” If you go to Isaiah 11:10:
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
And that is referring to Christ. He is the “root of Jesse.”
So some hear the Word and yet he/she does not have “root in himself.” There is no Holy Spirit. There has been no saving work of God in their heart. And so, now comes the test. Next is the trial.
There is always a test. There is always a trial. God has always worked that way with man. That is why He planted that tree in the Garden of Eden, “the tree of knowledge of good and evil”; the one tree that they could not partake of. They could eat of any other tree, but God said, “No. You cannot have that tree.” And man failed the test.
And so, when someone says, “I am a Christian; I am a child of God; I am a believer,” it is not left at that. It is not left there, because God will test that profession of faith.
And many, of course, today, say that they are Christians who are in the churches and congregations of the world, and God is finished with the churches and congregations. So they are giving evidence that they failed the test. So that is how God normally works as He brings the Gospel into the world.
It goes on to say in Matthew 13:21:
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth (or endureth) for a while…
Now that could be any length of time, really, that you want to place in there, even though in this passage it is indicating someone who pretty quickly falls away. And this is the reason that he goes away:
…for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word…
And that means the Bible. Tribulation or persecution arises. It comes into someone’s life because of the Word.
That means that as we learn things from the Bible, as we learn truths from the Bible, what is going to result will be tribulation and persecution. That is going to naturally follow. They go hand-in-hand.
Jesus said in John 16, the last verse, in verse 33, John 16:33:
…In the world ye shall (or will) have tribulation…
And “tribulation” is the same word, thlipsis, that is found here in Matthew 13, where it says “tribulation…ariseth because of the Word.” And it is the same word in Matthew 24, where it says, “For then shall be great tribulation.” That is megas thlipsis.
And so, the normal thing, it is the expected thing, the typical thing for Christians throughout time, is for tribulation to arise as a result of the Word. And it has happened in history in homes.
Maybe in a Muslim household, one becomes saved and that person then has to live like a Christian. You do not live undercover when you are a Christian. Is that not right? Jesus says that you become like a “light.” You are a messenger of the Gospel.
So, eventually, people are going to know that you are a Christian. And it could be a very minor persecution. It could be being shunned or separated from or just disliked. Or it could be major, where people have been put to death for the sake of the Word. They hold to the Word.
When God saves someone and when they begin to believe the Bible, then there is going to be something that comes up where you have to take a stand, where you have to say, “The Bible says this, so I cannot do that anymore.”
In our modern day, it might be going to the ballgame on Sunday. It could begin there, where you have always done that. You have always been a fan and you have always gone down with your family and your friends. Then you hear the Gospel and you read that we are not to do “our own pleasure” on God’s Holy Day, but we are to do things His way. And so, suddenly, you have to tell your friends and family, “No. I cannot do that.”
Over time, things will develop, and there will be another thing and another thing and another thing, until there will be tribulation and there will be affliction as a result of holding to the Word, because when we learn something from the Bible, it normally affects the way we live. It affects the way we interact with other people, and that produces tribulation.
Let us go over also to Mark 4, which is a parallel passage. In Mark 4, it says in Mark 4:17, and, again, this is the explanation of the parable:
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction…
And that is the word thlipsis.
…or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
“Immediately they are offended.” It is not coming because of you and me, especially if we spent time in the world. We know this because we were out there and we got along in the world and people got along with us. Maybe some did not like us; yet, some did like us. But we were out there in the world living amongst the people of the world; however, now there has been a big change, but just as God said to Samuel, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me.”
That is how it is with every Christian who brings the true Gospel of the Bible. They are bringing the Word of God, which will produce affliction in their lives or there will be persecution. It is always “for Christ’s sake” or “for Thy Word’s sake” or “for righteousness’ sake.” You see those kinds of expressions sprinkled throughout the Bible, and it is all one and the same. Christ is the Word. He is Righteousness. And it is all for Jesus’ sake that believers suffer in this world and endure tribulation.
And the true child of God will endure. The true believer will endure. They are going to be carried on by God. Day-by-day, they will be strengthened. They will learn to trust God more. They will learn to be just encouraged in the Gospel itself, and they will learn that this is nothing out of the ordinary. It is to be expected, as Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.”
But if someone is not rooted in Christ, if they are not grounded by the saving grace of God, then “when affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word’s sake,” they will be “offended.” They are going to be offended. They are not going to be gracious. They are going to be deeply troubled because the Word that they have begun to hear, this doctrine, is an offense to others and has become an offense to them.
That is actually the Biblical principle. There will be tribulation as a result of the Word of God. But in the “latter days,” in the end time, there is “great tribulation.” There has always been “tribulation,” because believers have always held to the Word. But now, there is megas, Great Tribulation.
Why would that be? Well, we know. We know because God has sealed up the Word “till the time of the end.” And now, He is uncovering it. He is unsealing it. He is revealing truths that have never been known.
Since 1994, after that first 2300-day period, God began to pour out the “latter rain,” to send the second “jubilee” into the world, where He is bringing the truths of the Bible. And during this time, there are going to be all kinds of doctrines that are opening up to our understanding.
I used to think that the Church Age was the big event, that the end of the Church Age was the big event, that when God called His people out of the church that was a milestone. And, actually, it is. It is a big event. It is a milestone. But it is only another doctrine. It is only another teaching.
Just like in the late 1990’s when we were learning about the faith of Christ; that was a big event. That was a major doctrine when we learned that we are not saved by our own faith. We are not saved by accepting Christ or by making a decision for Him, but by the “faith of Jesus.” By the “faith of Christ,” we are “justified.” And God plainly states that in Galatians 2:16.
That was major. That was major because at that point, or a little thereafter, we began to realize and understand that the freewill gospel was “another gospel.” You know, that was not understood prior to that.
I remember, you know, we would say, “No. That is not how God saves.” But you would not dare say or think that it was “another gospel.” They were Christians. They were brethren. And so there was a lot of acceptance of individuals holding to the freewill gospel.
But after we began seeing very clearly that, no, we are saved by the “faith of Christ”—man’s faith never has anything to do with salvation—it really made a major rift with people who are holding to the freewill doctrine, and they began to split. Some of those did not like that. They did not like that, and then later on, of course, would be the information on the end of the Church Age.
It was about 2001 when most believers began to hear about it and began coming out of the churches and congregations—almost 6, 7 years after the “latter rain” period had begun in 1994. And some people, they tried to adjust calendars and the timeline of history to make room for that event, because there was a discrepancy. 1994 ended that 2300-day period. It should have been the “latter rain.” Why were believers still in the churches for over 6 years?
Well, because it is just another doctrine. It is a major doctrine, but it is just another doctrine that God is opening up. After He opened up the information about the “faith of Christ,” He opened that up. So there is no need to adjust the calendar to try to have it fall in 2001. Some people have done that, and it is incorrect. It is incorrect.
It was another doctrine that God was teaching us, and, again, many were offended by the Word. They were offended by that, and they thought, “Oh, no. Oh, no. I was with you up to a point. I was with you, you know, as God says, ‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ I was right there with you. I liked that Family Radio was strong on women not teaching or that a deacon or an elder had to have qualifications fulfilled. I liked those things. And even election, I was with you there. But when you say that the Church Age is over, oh, no. I know my church is faithful.” And many parted ways. They did not like, really, what God was saying. They did not like the truth that God was revealing from the Bible. And, of course, they would never say that it was God; they would say that it was man, that it was just a man’s idea, that it was manmade doctrine.
But the true believers, they hear these things and they begin studying and checking it out, and they say, “Oh, yes. God does say that judgment begins at the ‘house of God,’ and He does say in Jeremiah that the city will be ‘without an inhabitant,’ and He does command us in Revelation, ‘Come out of her, My people,’ and in Matthew 24, to ‘flee into the mountains,’” and on and on and on.
After believers check out all of the information, “Okay. Okay, Lord.” We are not the boss. We are not the ones who dictate to God what the Gospel is. We just follow. We are servants. We are servants, and if God says that it is “sanctified by the Word of God,” as it indicates in 1 Timothy, when God makes a change in program or in doctrine and He sanctifies it “by the Word of God and prayer,” it is “nothing to be refused.” We are not to say, as Peter on the housetop, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.”
Well, yes, that could be our initial reaction for a short period of time, as it was with Peter. But when God confirms it—as He showed him the vision three times and sent three emissaries from Cornelius’ house, indicating that it was His purpose that the Gentiles were to come also into the blessings of the Gospel, that they also were to hear the Word and experience salvation, just like the Jews—well, then, a true child of God, who maybe, initially, at first reaction says, “Not so,” will say, “Okay. Okay. Whatever you want, Lord. I am sorry that I was so stubborn. I am sorry. Who am I? Who am I that I would have that kind of reaction to Almighty God whose thoughts are higher than my thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth? If He says that He wants the Gentiles included in the Gospel, His plan of salvation, who am I to say no?”
And yet many professing people of God, at the time, the Jews, said, “No so, Lord,” and continued that way for the rest of their lives. And, actually, that whole church of Israel continued in that rebellion against God, saying, “No. God has not changed. The traditions of our fathers, the Law of Moses, is still in effect. We are to continue circumcising or to continue offering sacrifices.”
And, you see, they were fighting against God, not man. They were not fighting against the apostles, even though I am sure that in their councils and in the synagogues, they were saying, “It is James and it is John and it is Matthew. It is these men, these heretics. It is these individuals who are bringing another gospel, other than Moses and the Law.” They would not give the credit to God, or they would not say that it was God doing it. Although one of them did say, “If it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it.” He allowed that much in making his statements to his fellow Jews. But, you see, there was a great offense at that time with the Apostle Paul for the Word’s sake, and it has continued up until today.
So God opened up the Scriptures concerning the end of the Church Age, and God recently has opened up the Scriptures concerning total depravity. That one offended some people, but they were willing to live with it—where man is not totally depraved—because it does not come up too often in conversation. It is not something that you really have to act upon, like leaving a church.
And so, even though, “I do not like that particular doctrine,” yet it was not something where people were offended to the point of leaving altogether the whole truth of the Gospel or throwing up their hands and saying, “Well, that is it! That is it! That is the straw! That is the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
That is an incredible statement coming from people who have been following the truth. And it has been proven that, yes, this doctrine is true, that doctrine is true, that doctrine is true, and now there is another doctrine. And when people have the reaction, “This is the last straw!,” well, did they not believe the other ones? Did they not believe all of those other ones? Why would this be the last straw? Or were they just hanging on? “Oh, I am uncomfortable with that. I do not like that,” but they were not saying anything. And, now, this is the last straw.
You see, there is a lack of honesty there. There is a lack of honesty when people are so offended and they are at the point, “Well, I just cannot take this anymore.” It really makes you wonder what there were doing with all of the previous teachings. Were they checking them out? Were they finding in the Scriptures that they were true, and that, “Yes, that is why I am going to believe this and that is why I am going to follow this, because the Bible says it”? Or maybe there were other reasons.
In Mark 4:17, it says:
…afterward, when affliction…
And that is thlipsis.
…or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
Turn over to Matthew 24, beginning in verse 9. It says in Matthew 24:9-13:
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted…
That is thlipsis.
…and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Did you ever read that verse here, and I think that it is also in Mark, where it says, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”? Did you ever wonder, “endure” what? What are we enduring? We are to endure “sound doctrine.” That is what we are enduring: the Bible’s teaching, the Word and what the Word says and what God is teaching from the Word. If you do not endure “sound doctrine,” of course, you are not going to be saved. Because it has offended you, you do not like it.
For instance, annihilation. Who likes that word? I do not like that word. I really do not. It is not in the Bible. I do not like that word. It is an offense, that particular word, because it has been associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I know that, in the past, I would not even begin to listen to somebody, really, once they started talking about annihilation. “Well, they are not teaching what the Bible says. The Bible is so clear. It has proven that there is a Hell.” Of course, I never really checked into that, but that was what I knew and that was what I had thought, that it had been proven that there is a Hell.
And so, when someone would say, “Oh no, you are just destroyed,” I did not listen very closely. I would turn them off and think of a couple of verses and go there and say, “Well, this verse.” And it did appear to teach that there was an eternal damnation. But, you see, this one is a big offense. This one is really a big offense, especially for individuals who have come out of the churches and congregations.
We were talking earlier about people who have come out. Their families know and their friends know. And now, the same teacher and the same ministry that was proclaiming the end of the Church Age is proclaiming a doctrine of annihilation, which is about as anti-Reformed as anything can be. And so, now your family and friends are thinking, “Oh!” They have a reaction just like I did when I heard that word, or like many of us did. “That is a cult! Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that! That is heresy.”
And so, now, people who came out of the church, why did they come out of the church? I do not know. Were they true believers? Maybe someone can be initially offended. They are a true child of God, so maybe they will study it out and they will be like Peter and they will, eventually, in their actions, be obedient to whatever God says.
But, in other cases, many have come out of the churches because they are independent-minded. They like the idea of having no rulers over them. They do not like the idea of authority figures. And so, that does appeal to many people, especially in America. And yet, they were not really saved.
So here is a teaching from the Bible that is guaranteed to offend, and it is. And now, many people might even be embarrassed. They might even be embarrassed that they were associated with a ministry that was teaching the end of the Church Age, which they agreed with, but now they are feeling, like with their friends and family, that they are a target. They are just wide open for someone to persecute them or afflict them or bring tribulation “for the Word’s sake.” It is very uncomfortable, it is very troubling, and they are not going to follow anymore. “This is it. This is it. I will not go along anymore.”
Well, you see, we have a little under three years left, and it is intensifying. The test is getting bigger and bigger. It is increasing, as God is opening up the Scriptures.
Now is it a test for the true believer? Is it a test for the true believer? Well, we can have that initial reaction, like Peter. It just sounds strange to our ears. But the true believer is safe, because God is the One who is going to guarantee that and He is the One who is going to make sure that His people do continue to follow. And His sheep “hear His voice” and recognize His voice and will continue to obey His voice, eventually. So it is not so much a great testing period for the true believer, but it is for anyone else who is not truly a child of God.
Before we close, I want to look at the Bible’s definition of persecution. Does anybody know what it means to be persecuted? What is persecution?
(Someone from the fellowship): “To chase after.”
Right. Right. It is to “follow after.” That is the Bible’s definition of persecution. We think it is being thrown into prison, maybe the government does not like a particular people, and that can be involved in it. But, basically, it has to do with following on someone’s heels. That is the Bible’s definition.
For instance, let us go to Psalm 7:1. It says:
O JEHOVAH my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:
Also in Psalm 119:157, it says:
Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
And let us go back to Exodus 14:4, where it says:
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them…
Do you see that right there? “Follow” is the word “persecute” that we just read in the Psalms. And it is the typical word for “persecute” in the Old Testament.
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them…
And then verse 8, Exodus 14:8:
And JEHOVAH hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after…
That is the word “persecute.”
…after the children of Israel…
Then in verse 9, Exodus 14:9:
But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh…
That word “pursued” is the word “persecute.”
Also in 1 Samuel 23:28, it says:
Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines…
So we can see, historically, literally, how their pursuit was persecution, for the Egyptians to go after Israel, that nation of slaves. They were hot on their tail in order to bring them back into captivity. And Saul was constantly chasing David. All over the countryside of Israel, he was, again and again, after him in order to kill him, historically.
But, you see, that is God’s definition of persecution. Somebody, for whatever reason, just is not going to give up the chase, no matter what happened. Look at Egypt, how they were destroyed by God and by those plagues. And even after all that, they still get their chariots and horses and army and follow after the nation of Israel.
They could not help it. They really could not help it, because that is the nature of man, the nature of the flesh. It is contrary to the Spirit, and those who are “in the flesh” persecute those who are “in the Spirit.” That is what it says in Galatians.
We do not have time to go into it, but it is the same idea in the New Testament, where, actually, that word “persecuted” in the New Testament is also translated as “follow,” like those who “follow after righteousness.” That same word for “follow after” in the Greek of the New Testament is also translated as “persecute.”
For instance, if you go to Matthew 5:10-12, in the Beatitudes:
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…
Or we could put “for the Word’s sake” or “for Christ’s sake” in there; whatever you want.
…for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Do you see how Christ is really saying that it is a blessing to be persecuted, because it indicates that you are following the footsteps of the prophets who have come before you? “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?,” it says in another place, as Jesus was talking to the leaders of Israel?
All of God’s people are persecuted by those who are, normally, in the church, or in that body of the outward representation of God’s people on earth, whether it be Israel in the Old Testament or the church in the New Testament; and they really cannot help it. They really cannot help it.
We mentioned this earlier in the first study, but is it not strange and is it not unusual that so many people are crying, “Heresy!” and “Heretic!” and “Camping-ite!” (and this and that), and yet they are listening so closely to Family Radio?
Have you ever heard that one man who calls up, “Brother Camping, in June of last year at this particular time of day, you made this statement!” Wow! I do not listen that closely! Do you listen that closely? Wow!
He is taking notes. He is jotting down times. He is saying exactly what was said and how it was said, and why? Why is he doing all of that? And he is not alone. Why? Why listen so much, so attentively, yet so critically? Why? If it is a cult, if it is “another gospel,” if it is a heresy, why?
I do not try to find out everything that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are teaching. I do not care what the Mormons are teaching. I am not going to go follow after them. But we have individuals who, I am sure, listen to us, or they listen to the website or something like that. Why? Why?
They are listening with a specific purpose in mind, so they can find something wrong in order to jump on it and pounce on it and bring persecution. That is why, because God’s people are always persecuted. “All that will live godly,” the Bible tells us, “shall suffer persecution,” because “godly” living means that I am going to obey what the Bible says; and for His Name’s sake, there will be persecution.
And, actually, when I hear all of that stuff, it does not really trouble me that much. It almost comforts me, because it is evidence that we are going down the right road and that we are following in the right steps. We are experiencing what many of God’s people have experienced, except never, perhaps, to this degree, because it is megas thlipsis; it is great tribulation, and I am sure that there is more to come over the next nearly three years.
Okay. We will stop here, and let us close with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank You for Your Word, and Your Word is a great comfort to us. It is a great encouragement to us. It is something that we love and we desire to hold to, although we know that in our self we would be like Peter and the other apostles. When put to a test, we would deny Thee three times, if it were our own strength. But we pray, Father, that You would strengthen us, that we would be strong in the Lord and in the power of Your might, that we might uphold Your Holy Name at this time and that we might hold to what the Bible says without shame. Let them be ashamed which transgress without cause, but let us hold to it as simply holding to the whole Bible and whatever You say in Your Word. Father, we pray that You would be with us now and the rest of this day and help lead us and continue to guide us through this week. We ask for Your blessing on our fellowship, and may we continue to keep our thoughts on things above. And we pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
If anyone has a question or a comment that you would like to bring up, you are welcome. At this point, you can raise your hand, here or on Paltalk, and we will be happy to give you the time to say whatever you would like to say.
1st Question: How does the five months in Luke 1:24 come into play:
And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
Chris: In Luke 1:24, the five months are mentioned with Elisabeth who conceived and would eventually give birth to John the Baptist, and she “hid herself five months.” But I do not know. I had an idea before, but I forget what it was. I am not sure how we can understand that.
Are there any other question? Anyone on Paltalk? Okay. Let us close.