Monthly Archives: September 2016

The Circumcision Made Without Hands

Posted on by Pastor Paul M. Sadler

“We were wondering if you could shed a little more light on what Paul meant by the phrase, ‘the circumcision made without hands.’”

“And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (Col. 2:10,11).

According to the Abrahamic Covenant, the Israelites were to circumcise their male children on the eighth day. Normally the father performed this procedure, which made the little one a child of the covenant. Although circumcision did not save the child, it did give him a favorable position to enjoy the blessings of God, which included salvation. With one turn of the wheel, God often accomplishes a two-fold purpose. In addition to the religious rite of circumcision, the eighth day was significant in that the vitamin K content in the blood (clotting agent) is at its highest level during a lifetime.

The circumcision “made without hands” is an operation of God. This pertains to our spiritual circumcision in Christ. In short, the Father surgically removed our sins when Christ was cut off at the Cross. An understanding of this truth will enable us to live a deeper life in Christ knowing that our sins are forgiven.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

John 20:14-18 – Gabbing With The Gardener

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

 

Summary:

Mary thought the Lord was a gardener (v.14) because the Lord’s tomb was in a garden (Jo.19:41,42) and who else would be at the tomb at dawn (v.1)? But why wouldn’t she recognize the One who cast seven devils out of her? It was because the Lord had the power to change into “another form” (Mark 16:9-12), and if we’ll be able to also (Phil.3:20,21), perhaps this is how we’ll be recognizable to loved ones who only knew us at a young age, etc.

Notice Mary “turned herself back” (v.14) from the angels she was talking to. Would you turn away from an angel? You would if you sought the Lord like Mary did—and you should (Ps.73:25)! But the Jews had to seek Him to be saved (Ps.69:32; Am.5:4,6) and they will again in the Trib-ulation (Deut.4:29-31). Mary is a type of these Jews. Their faith will be rewarded (Jer.29:13; Mt.7:7; Heb.11:6), as was Mary’s, when she turned to the Lord and found Him

When Mary turned from angels to the Lord, she typified Hebrews 1:4, where the writer is basically saying the Lord was better than “the word spoken by angels” (Heb.2:2), the Law (Gal.3:19). Who doesn’t know that? The Jews in the Lord’s day, who were clinging to the Law (John 9:28) as God was trying to introduce the new words of Christ (Heb.1:1,2), just like men today are clinging to the words Christ spoke on earth to the Jews when God is trying to introduce the words of Christ through Paul to us Gentiles. Mary illustrates what Israel should have done, and what men today should do, turn to God’s newest revelation.

Notice Mary turned again to the Lord (John 20:16), as Israel will have to in the Tribulation (Ps.80:3,7,19; 85:4). God will chasten Israel to get her to turn to Him (Jer.31:18,19), prompting the Jews to pray the prayer of Lamentations 5:21,22. That’s what the apostles prayed for in Acts 1:6, the restoration of David’s kingdom.

The Lord told Mary not to touch her (John 20:17) “for” He hadn’t yet ascended into heaven. He knew she planned to do more than touch Him, she planned to hold Him as if she’d never let Him go, and He had to ascend to the Father! She’s a type of what Israel should have done, held Him after the resurrection and not let go! We see this illustrated in Song of Solomon 3:1-4, where the bride ignored the watchman (cf. “watchers,” Dan.4:17) as Mary ignored the angels, and found her husband and wouldn’t let go till she married him, a type of what Israel, Christ’s bride, should have done, held Christ till the marriage of the Lamb.

But the Lord tells Mary to tell the disciples He must ascend to the Father first. Why not tell her to tell them He’d risen? Because if they came looking for Him, He may have ascended and they’d think she was lying or deluded! But why worry about that if He didn’t plan to ascend for forty days (Acts 1:1-9)? He was talking about another ascension. Old Testament saints went to Paradise when they died (Lu.23:43) down in the heart of the earth (Mt.12: 40), but Paul was caught “up” to Paradise (IICor.12:4), so we know the Lord took those saints to heaven after He rose. That explains why He later let men touch Him (Mt.28:9).

The “brethren” He told her to go tell weren’t Mary’s kids (John 7:5), they were His spiritual brethren (Mt.12:50). This is the first time He calls them brethren. Now that He has died for them, He is “not ashamed” to call them brethren (Heb.2:10,11). That’s why the Lord could talk to them about His Father and theirs, for if you are brethren you have the same father.

But notice the Lord also talked about His God and theirs. That’s because His death inaugurated the New Covenant (Heb.8:10), and that’s why God was “not ashamed” to be called their God (Heb.11:16). And since we are involved in the New Covenant, He is not ashamed to be called our God

Notice the Lord didn’t tell Mary to tell His brethren, “Re-member how you forsook Me and fled when the going got tough? Well, I’m back, and it is time for your punishment.” He’d already forgiven them and was ready to get on with His work. Anything you can learn from that if you’ve forsaken the Lord when the going got tough? He’s already forgiven you, and just wants you to get on with His work!

A Precious Commodity

Posted on by Pastor Paul M. Sadler

It has been said that “when Raphael died at thirty-seven years of age, they carried his marvelous painting, ‘The Transfiguration,’ only half finished, in the funeral procession as a symbol of the incompleteness of life and the brevity of time.”

Time is a precious commodity! When the Apostle Paul instructed the Ephesians to redeem the time, he wanted them to make wise use of it. They were not to squander it on worldly pursuits that would draw them away from the things of the Lord. But redeeming the time also implies taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves in life. When Paul, for example, was unjustly incarcerated at Rome, he did not view his circumstances as a setback in his ministry, but as an opportunity for the furtherance of the gospel. It gave him access to Caesar’s household that he would not have otherwise had. And as a result, many were saved.

Rather than dwell on his mitigating circumstances that would have only frustrated the grace of God, Paul instead chose to produce what is perhaps his greatest body of work—his Prison Epistles that continue to minister to the Body of Christ to this very day. This is why it is important to follow Paul’s example, that we too might be more productive in the Lord’s service. His unfaltering love and devotion to the Savior, Who saved him on the road to Damascus, was the motivating influence in his life, as it should be in ours.

As you read these lines, there will be numerous opportunities throughout the coming year to make a difference in someone’s life. But it is essential to take advantage of them as Paul did. Perhaps it’s a neighbor down the street who needs a helping hand. Reach out to them, as the Lord reached out to us; and when you do, take the gospel with you. Become a mentor to someone who is new to the faith, someone who has more questions than answers about the Word of God. Make a difference in someone’s life. Only eternity will bear out the fruits of your labor for Christ. You will be amazed when you get to Glory and someone walks up to you and says, “Thank you for the word of encouragement that day, it was a turning point in my Christian life.”

May God help us to live every day in light of the Judgment Seat of Christ, where we will all stand astounded at what could have been.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

John 20:9-13 – Seeing Is Believing

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

 

Summary:

What Scripture didn’t they know yet (20:9)? Psalm 16:10 speaks of Christ’s resurrection (cf.Acts 2:25-31) as does Is-aiah 26:19, which indicates God planned to become a man and die and rise. If an expectant dad dies before his baby is born, he can’t see his seed, but Isaiah 53:10 predicts God would prolong Christ’s days so He could see His spiritual seed, believers! To the victor go the “spoil,” but only if the victor is alive, and God divided the spoil with Christ (v.10).

The Lord often told them He’d rise from the dead (Mt.16: 21). Of course, every time He told them, they didn’t under-stand (Mark 9:10,31), but His enemies understood (Mt.27: 62-64). They didn’t understand He’d rise because they didn’t understand He had to die (Lu.9:44,45). Mostly be-cause they’d seen him raise the dead, etc., but also because they’d heard it taught that Christ wouldn’t die (John 12:34). Don’t believe everything the preacher says!

The empty graveclothes proved to John that the Lord rose, but the Scriptures are what he should have considered “more sure” than what he saw (IIPe.1:16-18).

If you believed the Lord rose, wouldn’t you go looking for Him? Peter and John went home (John 20:10). Of course, since the Lord’s mother now lived in John’s home (Jo.19:27), maybe he figured the Lord might go see His mother. Maybe Peter went home to search the Scriptures to see if John was right, that the Lord had risen.

But how come they both had homes to go to if the Lord said they had to sell houses to gave eternal life (Mt.19:29) and Peter claimed they’d “forsaken all” (v.27). Well, Naboth knew the Law wouldn’t let him sell his inheritance (IKings 21:1-3 cf. Num.36:7). So selling “houses” didn’t mean selling their primary homes, just investment property.

Mary arrived “early” at the tomb (John 20:1), and God said that “those that seek Me early shall find Me” (Pr.8:17), and Mary was about to prove that true! Of course, Proverbs 8:17 on the surface just means you should seek the Lord early in life (Eccl.12:1). But seeking the Lord early will help the Tribulation Jews (Lu.13:23-25). The Lord plans to help Jews seek the Lord early by giving them the Tribulation (Ps.78:34). Tribulations make people seek God (Hos.5:15). Does that make you feel differently about your tribulations?

When you see an angel on either end of the Lord’s funeral bier (John 20:12) it should make you think of the mercy seat (Ex.25:18-20). The angels looking at the mercy seat were symbolically desiring to look into the salvation of men (I Peter 1:10-12), wondering how the blood of animals could pay for the sins of men. Now I don’t mean to say that the angels on the Lord’s funeral bier now understood that Christ’s blood paid for our sins; that wasn’t made clear until Paul. But the fact that they were sitting symbolizes how we can rest in Christ’ death and resurrection. They just didn’t know what they were symbolizing!

Angels were used to guard access to God from sinners like Adam (Gen.3:24) but now they welcome a sinner like Mary Magdalene because God’s holiness had now been satisfied by Christ’s death and resurrection. They didn’t yet know why they could welcome sinners, but did as they were told.

If “why weepest thou?” sounds like a rebuke (20:13), it should. There is a time to weep and a time to laugh (Eccl.3:4), and the time to weep was when the Lord died, but now He’d risen! Did you notice she didn’t seem dis-tracted by the fact that she was talking to angels! She was seeking the Lord, and wasn’t satisfied with angels! That’s good advice today, when the Christian world seems fascin-ated by angels. Be like Mary, and seek the Lord instead! And be like her in that when they took her Lord, it upset her. Preachers today try to take your Lord and replace Him with “another Jesus” (IICor.11:4), one that will heal you, but you’ll have to go back for more healing next month. One that will make you rich, if you give the church more than you can afford. One that will leave you feeling guilty and defeated when you fall into sin, instead of thanking God for His grace and moving on, as God would have you do. Be like Mary and don’t let anyone take your Lord!

Is There Anybody Listening? – 2 Thessalonians 2:5-7

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

 

Summary:

After telling the Thessalonians in person the Rapture will come before the Day of the Lord, in a letter, and again in this letter, Paul wondered if they were listening (v.5) be-cause they were acting like they weren’t. They were troub-led and shaken in mind (v.2), so Paul says it again (v.1-3). When seasoned saints who know the truth are troubled you don’t have to come up with a new angle on the truth to comfort them, you only need repeat the truth, as Paul did.

Since “withhold” (v.6) means “to hold back” (Pr.11:26), we know he’s telling them again, though some say the Spirit is holding back the Antichrist, not the Body of Christ. But Paul hasn’t mentioned the Spirit previously, so when v. 6 begins “Now ye know…” I have to think he’s repeating what he said in 1-3, the rapture must come first. Plus, the Spirit will be here during the Tribulation (Isa.59:19,20; Mt. 10:19; Rv.11:11). If the Spirit could be here at the same time as the devil (Lu.4:1,2) He can be here with the beast.

Those who think the Spirit is the Withholder may wonder how the Body of Christ would have the power to restrain the beast, but we don’t hold him back by any power of our own, but on the strength of God’s promise that he can’t come till we are gone, just as Noah’s flood couldn’t come until Methuselah died because his name means “when he is gone it shall come.” He too withheld God’s judgment through no strength of his own but by the strength of God’s promise.

When Paul says Antichrist will be “revealed in his time” (v.6), Isaiah predicted the Lords “little ones” (cf.Mt.10:41, 42) would one day be a majority and the “nation” (Mt.21: 3) of the “little flock” (Lu.12:32) would become “a strong nation” in the kingdom.” Redeemed Israel has always been a minority on earth, but that will change “in his time,” and Antichrist will be revealed “in his time.” And the time of a prophetic figure can’t come during the age of the mystery.

If any thought he wouldn’t be revealed, Paul told them that the mystery of iniquity that would produce him was already in the works (v.7). But if it was, how come it hasn’t pro-duced the Antichrist in 2,000 years? Well, remember, Paul thought he’d be among the “we” who live to see the Lord come (ITh.4:15). If He came back then, the mystery of iniquity Paul saw working would have produced the beast.

So what is the mystery of iniquity? We’ve seen the “woman” of Revelation 17:4,5 is the idolatrous false Judaism called “Mystery Babylon,” and is again called a mystery (v.7). Think that might be the mystery of iniquity? God calls idolatry “iniquity” (Ezek.14:3; 44:10,12), and this harlot sits on the beast (Rev.17:3), meaning he rises up under her. Paul may not have seen idolatry in Israel, but idolatry is Baal worship (IIKi.10:26) and he saw Baal worship (Mt.23:14). Since the Rapture didn’t come, Baal worship will rise again after the Rapture

It’s like how God promised to send Elijah before the Lord (Mal.4:5) and He did (Lu.1:16,17). But John the Baptist would have been Elijah only “if” Israel received the kingdom (Mt.11:7-14). So Elijah will have to come again, and be one of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-6) who could destroy their enemies with fire and cause it not to rain (cf. IIKi.1:10-12; James 5:17). But that doesn’t mean John wasn’t Elijah, the Lord said he was (Mt.17:10-13); but there’ll have to be another. And the Mystery Babylon Paul saw in his day would have produced the antichrist, but now another will have to be formed after the Rapture.

But Paul says that “he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (v.7). The Greek word for “let” is the same as “withhold,” and the English word also means to hinder or restrain. This is what “let” means in the Bible also (Ex.5:4). We can prove that Mystery Babylon will form after the Rapture, for if it were destined to form before, Paul would have listed it in his lists of the signs of the last days. The fact that he doesn’t proves that not only will you not see the Antichrist, you won’t even see the idolatry form in Judaism to become the Mystery Babylon Harlot that will produce the Antichrist. Once again all the stage-setting for the Day of the Lord will take place in the gap after the Rapture and before Daniel’s 70th week.