Prison Fellowship

PRISON FELLOWSHIP

I am sure someone will think this is going to be about how to conduct a prison fellowship without being one of the prisoners, but that isn't going to be the case. Rather, I would like to bring to light people who were in prison that were godly men, and their conduct, and the effect it had on those whom they interacted with. The first prisoner just has to be Joseph, wrongfully imprisoned because of his master's wife, who claimed he wanted to take her to bed, when in fact it was the other way around. Let's see what happens...

"And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper." (Gen. 39:20 - 23) Let me also point out this was not a comfortable prison like they have in America, this one was hard to live in! "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:" (Psa. 105:17 - 18) Now in the beginning it says that God gave Joseph favor in the eyes of the keeper. Most prisoners act like they belong in prison, and so they will not receive favor in the eyes of their guard. But Joseph, a godly man, received favor; he acted like he was trustworthy among all the other prisoners, and God opened the eyes of the keeper to this, so that he would give Joseph a trustee position, and this was a unique favor. You see, in reading further, he had charge over the other prisoners, and that is a responsible position. If you don't have the respect of the other prisoners, and if you didn't treat them fairly, they would logically make you wish you weren't in that position, but Joseph didn't have that problem, because God was with him, and whatever he did went well. If one of us should find ourselves imprisoned, fairly or not, we can see from Joseph's situation that because he maintained faith that God would see him through it. Despite his miserable estate, feet shackled in painful fetters, yet he maintained his godly integrity and behaved in a manner all who interacted with him gave him favor, from the guard to the fellow prisoners. He eventually was freed, because he interpreted a dream to the butler, who in the end finally remembered Joseph, who correctly interpreted his dream. We believers are ambassadors for Christ, and even if we have the trial fo being in prison, we are to maintain the integrity of a Christian. Quick soul check; how many of us have a hard time even when we've never been in prison? My guard isn't always up, either! I confess!

Jesus gave us an example of why we should think of people in prison, despite not knowing who they were: "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me." (Matt. 25:34 - 36) We need to remember that people in prison are not only a lonely bunch, but a number of them will finally feel so down and out, they will hope in God, and if we come into a prison as His ambassador, we will give them great hope, and they will believe God sent us, and won't they be correct? The least of our brethren are not only the poor and homeless outside of prison, but the wretched inside, as well! Some are inclined to visit the sick in the hospital, some are inclined to feed the homeless on a corner of an intersection, but some are inclined to visit in prison; these people need love, too!

We also may be given tribulation that because we are a witness for Christ, that we be cast into prison for His sake! "Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 'Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.'" (Acts 5:17 - 20) "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29) "And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:40 - 42) I have written these three pieces of scripture to show how the apostles went to prison for Jesus' name's sake, and refused to bend from their duty to preach and teach the gospel. Note how none of them broke down. No, they were united in fellowship and belief that their ambassadorship required them to be of one accord, despite the threat of prison and a beating! They put in the forefront of their minds that Jesus promised a great reward for not bending away from their integrity.

"Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, 'Arise up quickly.' And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, 'Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.' And so he did. And he saith unto him, 'Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.' And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, 'Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.'" (Acts 12:5 - 11) In verse 2 of this chapter James was killed, but Peter was saved just before he was to be killed by Herod. Note in verse 6 that Peter was sleeping. Now if you knew the king was planning to bring you forth to be executed the next day, would you be sleeping? Peter had faith in God whatever his destiny, and he demonstrated this to the effect he slept between the two guards, which would have made a faithless person all the more afraid. As we can see in this passage, his faith paid off, and he was freed by God!

Okay, this one will be a little bit long to read, but it is the best example of ambassadorship of Christ in a prison, how to bring about fellowship under this extreme fire: "And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.' Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.' And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." (Acts 16:23 - 34) How many of us could do this? First, they were beaten badly, as "many stripes" depicts. Then, they have it that their feet were fastened in the stocks. This is NOT FUN! It is painful and extremely uncomfortable, since you can't move from that position once your feet are trapped in them. What was their response? SINGING AND PRAYING! Singing so loud, the rest of the prisoners heard it! Now some would think these two were gone mad, but the ones who did not think that way would marvel; wouldn't you? Wouldn't your curiosity peak? Okay, you hear them singing, and now the ground responds with an earthquake so intense, everyone is FREED! So why doesn't everyone leave? Paul and Silas didn't! The guard knew the consequences for escaped prisoners, and was ready to kill himself, but Paul stopped him! Now when you're in this guard's position, and two very unique men protect your position in life by keeping all the prisoners from escaping without touching them, I think you will give them your full and undivided attention! As you can read from the end of the scripture, the guard becomes born again, and is converted, demonstrating this by the way he treats Paul and Silas after they answer his question about salvation. Their prison fellowship behavior won at least one soul that we have read of to Christ. Can you imagine the effect it had on the other prisoners, even though it is not written?

God forbid any of us become, peradventure, in a situation that puts us in prison (although just being a Christian may come to that). But if it does come to pass, we have all this to dwell on for model behavior, should we need to be ambassadors for Christ under extreme conditions such as these!

2 Blessed To Be Depressed!

2 Blessed 2 B Depressed! (Matt. 5:11 - 12)

I initially heard this saying on a radio talk show, and I liked it so much, I adopted it, but I wanted to add a little to it to make it a great witnessing opening. I was reading the Bible one day, and, "Ah, I have it!" "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." (Matt. 5:11 - 12) I'm too blessed by the promise of a great reward in heaven by Jesus, to be depressed by the evil being said against me by unbelievers in my Savior. I could also have used what Luke wrote: "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets." (Luke 6:22 - 23) I have had this actually happen to me, so I know I have a great reward by Jesus' promise here. Indeed I know men and women who hate me, not that they have said it, but in their demonstration of their behavior, although cetain women have borne false witness against me as an excuse to disconnect from me. I have had someone change their Email and phone number to get away from me, used what I said as an excuse to be offended other than my doctrinal belief in Jesus, but the core of what really caused them to seperate was when they changed churches, so I know the real problem that was between us. But I focus on the reason for my reward rather than be troubled by the loss of people who haven't accepted Christ the way I have.

Peter also wrote of blessings for revile and scorn for the name of Christ; "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (1 Pet. 4:12 - 16) Now the strange thing Peter refers to is the fact that just because you've been converted to being born again doesn't mean everyone else did, too. You will suffer losses of friends and family, but also the heathens and all other manner of unsaved people will be disgusted at your belief in Christ. As for Peter's sin warning, some have lost presence of mind that they are to behave as ambassadors of Christ, and it is hypocrisy to practice these sins and yet claim to walk in His light. Peter's final comment on this concept is to not be embarassed or ashamed to claim your Savior. remember also Jesus' words on this point; "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

Now I want to point out that the apostles of Christ thoroughly understood this tenet, and I offer this scripture to show how they behaved after a beating for His name's sake! "And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:40 - 42) So ought we who believe behave also! Bloody backs hurt for a time, but eternally enjoying rewards promised in heaven are forever!

Remember how it is written also that they treated the prophets the same way? Yes, they treated them even WORSE! "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their backs, and slew Thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to Thee, and they wrought great provocations." (Neh. 9:26) If we are to be put to such a test, so be it, but the ultimate rewards surely await those who gave all for the name of Christ, and who voluntarily became the mouth of God! Here Nehemiah is speaking of the Jews and Israelites who backslid to the point of behaving the same as the heathens, and yes, they didn't want a conscience with a mouth convincing them of their sins, so they silenced them with death! Nevertheless, the prophets were convinced to this death they experienced that they would receive reward for their sacrifice.

When we become born again, we will witness the truth as we are guided by the Spirit, and if we have been going to a false doctrine church, they will separate you from them, if you don't separate yourself from them at the first! And who said this before the day of our birth? Jesus! "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me." (John 16:1 - 3) Now what a nice thing to know; they will separate themselves from us because we know Jesus and the Father!

Paul wrote to the Colossians a unique tenet concerning this suffering for Christ, as he also suffered for the church; remember, the church is not a building, but the congregation of Christ, which is you and me who believe! "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;" (Col. 1:24 - 25) Here Paul is teaching that because of the union of believers with Jesus as His family and church, Paul's suffering for their sakes can be called the afflictions of Christ Jesus too! All who suffer for Jesus speak of Him, and to whom do we speak of Him except our fellow believers, and to unbelievers in the truth and Christ, that we may edify one another, and win the lost to Christ! But not all unbelievers will accept what we will wpeak, and then comes the persecution! I once was delivering mail on the lower south hill of where I live, and he was hurt because he witnessed of Christ in an apartment complex where he lived, and he was heckled and suffered humiliation for his speking of Jesus, and you know what I did? I told him, "Hey, don't be glum, brother! Because they treated you with ridicule, you now have a reward promised to you in heaven by Jesus Himself! Focus on this and bring yourself joy!" It picked him up much to hear this from his older brother Christian, and so we should do for one another in like situation. Let all who profess Christ and receive a negative response never lose the presence of mind that they are TOO BLESSED TO BE DEPRESSED!

Timeline Of The Epistles

Timeline Of The Epistles
 

When most people pick up a Bible, the majority of them do not know the Epistles of Paul were not written in it in chronological order. That's right! They weren't! To prove it to yourself, study the book of Acts, and you'll find them in the following order...
Galatians was written about 49 A.D. Acts 14:21 - 28 describes the period when Galatians should have been written. "And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples." (Acts 14:21 - 28) His first two trips in this epistle are found, but not his third. "Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days." (Gal. 1:18) "Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also." (Gal. 2:1)

Next you will find that 1 and 2 Thessalonians was written about 51 A.D. "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:" (Acts 17:1) The Thessalonican church was founded in this chapter, and since these two letters were collectively written by Paul, Timothy, and Silvanus, this window of time wherein they were together presents the only way both letters were written in this time period.

After these letters, Paul is said to have written 1 & 2 Corinthians, about 55 A.D., although there is dispute that 2 Cor. is written after Romans in 58 A.D. "Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia. And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go." (1 Cor. 16:5 - 6) Paul was in Ephesus and writing that he was going to come to them by way of Macedonia. "So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season." (Acts 19:22) With this combination, one can conclude Paul wrote 1 Corinthians while in Acts 19 (Ephesus).

Romans was written about 58 A.D., 2 years before Paul is imprisoned at Caesarea. The keys to figuring out when this book takes place is toward the end of the epistle. "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem." (Rom. 15:25 - 26) "Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother." (Rom. 16:21 - 23) It is apparrent that he wrote 1 Corinthians and Romans on the missionary journey in Acts 18:23 - 21:17, since the Jerusalem offering of Rom. 15:25 - 26 matches the one in 1 Cor. 16:1 - 3. Romans most likely was written during Acts 20:1 - 4.

"Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children." (2 Cor. 12:14) Since he is ready to go there a third time, he has already been there twice! As he is not a prisoner in this letter, he must be between his first and second, a free man. "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;" (2 Cor. 11:25) Anyone there can show me where in Acts Paul suffers a third shipwreck? I can't find it, therefore 2 Corinthians has to happen after Acts is completed by Luke.

1 Timothy and Titus both seem to have been written about 62 - 63 A.D. "Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine," (1 Tim. 1:2 - 3) "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (1 Tim. 4:13) These two passages indicate Paul is still a free man, and he is not in immediate need of assitance like in 2 Timothy, therefore they are chronologically separately written letters.

"For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:" (Tit. 1:5) With no mention of being in chains, Paul has to be in between arrests. Therefore he has the opportunity to write Titus' epistle in the same timeframe as 1 Timothy.

Colossians is the next letter to be written, it would seem. "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:" (Col. 4:3) See, Paul is in prison again, and he has decided to send Tychicus and Onesimus..."All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here." (Col. 4:7 - 9) "When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter." (Tit. 3:12) Paul wasn't sure he would send Tychicus or Titus, as you can see, but in Colossians he says so, forcing Colossians to be written after Titus. Placing the epistles is difficult, except for very meticulous care to see who was with Paul when, and other clues otherwise passed over!

Ephesians is very hard to place chronologically, but it is very close to Colossians, since he again speaks of sending Tychicus to them. "But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts." (Eph. 6:21 - 22) Tychicus was evidently quite a runner! What zeal he must've demonstrated for the Lord to the early churches!

Mixed in with these two very closely is Philemon, a short epistle, as one can see, wherein Paul is sending the slave Onesimus back to the owner he belongs to, Philemon. "I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:" (Philem. 1:10 - 12) It is thought provoking to note here that Onesimus was likely unsaved in that he found it right to run away, but, led to the Lord through Paul, now willingly returns to Philemon through instruction from Paul, to once again be a slave to an apparently Christian Philemon!

The last of this tight group of writings seems to be Philippians, then at a later time, his last will be 2 Timothy. He gives evidence that he is not only in prison, but being held by Caesar, which places him located in Rome! "All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household." (Phil. 4:22) Also, look at these next two passages: "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all." (Phil. 2:16 - 17) "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." (2 Tim. 4:6) See how he knows beforehand that he is going to be executed for being a Christian? Twice he references that he will be an offering; an offering to God! In Philippians, it is worded as though he is not sure, but maybe. In 2 Timothy, however, he is sure of it!

2 Timothy is Paul's last letter, written in 67 A.D., one year before the emporor Nero dies. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim. 4:7 - 8) Because Paul says in his letter "I have finished my course", it is very clear Jesus has made him aware he will be martyred for Christ!

So here you have the real timeline of the epistles of Paul, put in chronological order by the evidence of his writings. Once converted, Paul led a great up and down rollercoaster life for the Lord, with works for God like church planting as highs and beatings and imprisonments and even a stoning for lows. You have likely been reading them in the order they were placed in the bible, but now you have an opportunity to read the Pauline epistles in chronolgical order! Only can you tell me if it made a difference when you do so?

The Three Pillars Of Enmity With God

THE THREE PILLARS OF ENMITY WITH GOD
 

I mean not to make these three pillars to seem as a good thing, nor to stay they will stand against God, but rather that these three things are a constitution of all that can be wrong with a person, and that they will in fact be destroyed by God when Jesus comes to rule His millenial kingdom! These are positions taken by enemies of the cross, and so long as a person stand in these attitudes toward the world, they will be condemned, except they repent and be born again! First we must name these pillars and I would also like to give examples...
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15 - 17) The three are named in this passage from 1 John; (1) The lust of the flesh. (2) The lust of the eyes. (3) The pride of life.

"And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, 'Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, 'I am with child.'" (2 Sam. 11:2 - 5) In four Bible verses, David was led from temptation to full-blown adultery! The first step to his lust of the flesh was in seeing and desiring in his mind; he looked off his house's roof, and below it he could see plainly this fabulously beautiful woman bathing as we all do, without clothes, and instead of turning away, he looked and lusted after her body. Don't think that women are invulnerable to the same type of incident in reverse roles, because they are! David was human, but he was supposed to look away and not pursue; however, he did. It then is written that he asked about this highly desireable physical specimen of a woman, and he is still not taking grasp of the presence of mind to remember it is sinful to lust after a woman who is married, let alone the fact she is not his wife, nor that he is married already! Finally, he cannot resist taking her to his bed, and he calls for her, and acts out the sin that initially was only in his mind. He gave way to temptation and sinned. This is lust of the flesh. It is bad enough to lust in the mind, and Jesus also pointed this out! "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matt. 5:27 - 28) We can maybe count on our fingers on one hand how many reading this can say they haven't done this in their lifetime even in their mind! Thank God we sinners saved by His grace can come to Him for forgiveness when we confess our sins! "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"And He spake a parable unto them, saying, 'The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?" And he said, "This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.'" But God said unto him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'" (Luke 12:16 - 21) Peradventure a person has the opportunity to become wealthy, that person should consider it a test what they do with that wealth!  Do we use it selfishly, or unselfishly?

"And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, 'It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.' And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." (Acts 12:21 - 23) So great was his impiety, that God allowed him smitten with worms to his death. The unsaved act out their daily lives in enmity, don't they? We who have been born again were once that way, and God could have had us die in our sins, but we received grace in His sight, we lived before our conversion only because He longsuffered us, knowing we were His elect who would choose His Son as our Savior and accept His yoke upon us! "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Pet. 3:9)

So let us knowing these things, avoid enmity with God as much as our humanity will allow. We can be forgetful, we are human, and subject to temptation and sin, trials and tribulations beset us on this day and anothe, but may we always remember that He is faithful to forgive as we confess all sins in our remembrance, and praise Him for His Son's sacrifice for our sakes on that cross at Calvary!

The Hebrew Months

The Hebrew Months

I am currently writing this bible study in the month of Tebeth. It is the Hebrew month comparable on our Julian calendar to part of December and part of January. To make you more confused, this is NOT the first month of the Hebrew calendar! The first month of the Hebrew calendar is Nisan, or Abib. If you equated the Hebrew months to the Julian months, and found these Hebrew month names in Scripture, I think you would find the Bible interesting from this new perspective; for example, the only occurrence of this month is found in the book of Esther; "So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign." (Esth. 2:16)

Nisan appears first in Nehemiah: "And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence." (Neh. 2:1) It also appears in Esther, and then, no more. "In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar." (Esth. 3:7) Nisan is comparable to the March-April timeframe of our Julian calendar. Nisan was also called Abib, but that is its given name by the Canaanites, therefore we use more rightly Nisan!

The Next month of the Hebrew calendar is Iyyar, or Zif, and it is equivalent to our April - May timeframe of the Julian calendar. "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD." (1 Kings 6:1) It appears again in verse 37 of the same chapter, and then no more. It would seem the months are rather infrequently noted in the Bible, doesn't it?

The third Hebrew month has the name Sivan, and is commensurate with our May-June on the current calendar we use today. "Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language." (Esth. 8:9) This month, too, appears only once in the Old Testament, and no more in the rest of the Bible.

The fourth Hebrew month is called Tammuz, and as you can assume, it covers our June - July of the Julian calendar. Oddly enough, it does not appear as a month in the Bible, but rather as the name of a false god: "Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." (Ezek. 8:14) Instead, it is addressed as the fourth month, but not by name. "And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land." (2 Kings 25:3)

The fifth month, Ab, likewise does not appear in the bible by its name, but only is addressed as the fifth month. "And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month." (Num. 33:38)

The 6th month, Elul, is another of the months that actually appears by name; "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days." (Neh. 6:15) Again, this is one of those months that only appears in the Bible once by name.

Now here's an interesting month, the 7th month. It is initially named Tishri, but appears in the Bible by its other name, which is Ethanim! "And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month." (1 Kings 8:2) This is another month that only appears once by its name; not its original name, but its other given name. Out of the four months which have two names, this is the third. The last one with two names is the next month, the eighth month.

"And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it." (1 Kings 6:38) This is not the original name of the eighth month, just like the 7th month. Its original name is Marchesvan, but it does not appear in the Bible. This is another month whose name only appears once.

The name of the ninth month appears in the Bible, but with a slightly different spelling. "The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace," (Neh. 1:1) "And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;" (Zech. 7:1) This month appears only twice by name, and no more. It is otherwise addressed as the ninth month.

The 10th month is another whose name shows up in the Bible; "So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign." (Esth. 2:16) Once again, this is the only place where the month shows up by name.

The eleventh month of the Jews, named Shebat, is another one of those months whose name does not appear under this spelling, but a slightly altered one; " Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying," (Zech. 1:7)

The 12th and last month of the Hebrews is called Adar. It first appears as the name of a place rather than as the name of their month! "And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:" (Josh. 15:3) It later appears by name as addressing the month itself. "And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king." (Ezra 6:15) "In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar." (Esth. 3:7) "And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey." (Esth. 3:13) "Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar." (Esth. 8:12) "Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)" (Esth. 9:1) "For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand." (Esth. 9:15) "On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness." (Esth. 9:17) "Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another." (Esth. 9:19) "To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly," (Esth. 9:21) Wow! It appears 9 times by name in the Bible, and mostly in the book of Esther! But why did I bring these months names into a Bible study, and most of them are not even addressed by their names, and only one is heavily used among the 12?

If you look at the story of Esther, Haman sets up the month of Adar as an important month, as he hated the Hebrews because of his disdain for Mordecai. In other words, he was a bigot! He was prejudiced against all the Hebrews for Mordecai's sake! The king at that time was not a Hebrew, Ahasuerus was a Persian, which would make him Iranian in today's geography! He reigned over 127 provinces, which included Israel. Haman was an Agagite. But coming back to the month, from Esther chapter 3 to chapter 9, the month is busy! For us, we see the time as taking place the last half of February through the first half of March. It helps paint the picture of the time! We now know that the book of Esther is much ado about what is a cold month for us.

Now look at Nehemiah's addressing of the first month; we now know that Nehemiah gave king Artaxerxes his sad face as spring was sprung, and this would be good timing for his plan to rebuild Judah, complete with walls. If we consider the months when we read the Bible, it is like putting together a puzzle, in that we can better imagine what it was like in the time we are reading about. We must remember a lot of the Old Testament is like a history book centered around God's people, and what may seem obscure, boring dry facts are actually pieces of a puzzle for examining life in the times of these people! Now let's look at the help of knowing the month in another OldTestament era...

"And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD." (1 Kings 6:1) Just like the passage from Nehemiah, spring is apparently a good time to build in Israel, because Nehemiah asked in the first month to go and build in Judah, while Solomon built the first house of the Lord in the second month. Giving Nehemiah time to travel, they both would've begun building around the same timeframe!

So now we know how and why Hebrew months are often given in the Bible concerning the history of this people; it helps us to see the story better, and also gives us the realization how perfect God's timing is for energizing His people to do things when the time is right in His perfect time!