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The
Best Commentary On The Bible Is The Bible Itself The
Reflections Newsletter
Monday, February 23, 2009
Editor's Note: We invite you to
view the CSM website.
http://www.creationscienceministries.org
**In This Issue**
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Welcome to the Reflections Newsletter from Reflect His
Glory. RHG is a co-ministry with Creation Science Ministries. Feel
free to send this to your relatives and friends.
- The Book of Jude
-
What Does the Bible Say About...?
The Book of
Jude
This smallest book of the New Testament is also, in many
ways, the most thought provoking.
The Epistle of Jude is a book that contains only 1
chapter with 25 verses, is unfortunately neglected
by students, yet it also is overflowing with
fascinating Old Testament references and allusions.
Allusions like lessons from Israel in the Wilderness, the angels that
sinned, the strange events in Sodom and Gomorrah, Michael and Satan's
contention over the body of Moses, other insights from Cain, Balaam, Korah,
as well as the oldest prophecy in the Bible attributed to
man.
The Book of Jude contains allusions to events in
the Old Testament that are only found in the New Testament: the Second
Coming prophecy of Enoch, that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, the
names of the two magicians in Egypt, that Elijah prayed to stop rain for
a period of 3 1/2 years, and that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was not
Egyptian. Wow!
Why should we study the Book
of Jude? First, because
even though it was written in the first century,
it applies to us today. Next,
it was written for the end times, for the end of the Church Age.
The Church Age began with
the Acts of the Apostles. However, the end
of the Church Age could very well be called the
Acts of the Apostates. Jude is the only book
that is totally devoted to the great apostasy.
"... when the Son of Man
comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke
18:8)
Jude is the entrance 'hallway' to the
Book of Revelation. It
includes the oldest prophecy spoken by
man in the Bible, and it speaks
of the Second Coming of Christ Jesus,
which was declared prior to
the flood of Noah!
There are four facts emphasized in the
Book of Jude:
1) We know the Lord's coming is sure;
2) We know who will be accompanying the Lord
on His return;
3) We know the purpose of His coming; and
4) We know the result of the Lord's coming.
This letter was written by the "brother of James," who
was one of the four brothers of
Christ Jesus. While
James was the head of the church in Jerusalem; neither James nor Jude
were among The Twelve. As a matter of fact, at
first they were not believers.
Why did Jude write this letter? Well, James'
epistle deals with good works as evidence of saving faith,
and evil works as evidence of apostasy. Why
must we contend for the faith? Because there are "tares
among the wheat" (Matthew 13:25), false brethren
have stolen into the church, and the saints are in peril, all due to the
"doctrines of demons."
James is not telling us that we must
do good works to be saved when he says "faith without works is dead" (James
2:20, 26). What he is saying is that God sees our works as He sees
everything in our lives. The works that we do are for the benefit of
man to see our love of God through the works that we do. It is not
that we have to do good works, but that we want to do good
works, showing the faith we have in Christ Jesus.
Going back to the Exodus, it was an 11-day journey
from Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea, yet it took Israel almost 40
years! Over a million left Egypt, but
only two Israelites who were over 20 years of age
when they (the Nation Israel) left Egypt ever reached Canaan!
Why? Read Numbers
14:27-35 for the answer. We are to leave behind the wilderness
of doubt, defeat, and failures,
to enter victory!
We live in exciting and challenging times.
There is much we can learn from this
little book that we can apply
to our lives today.
What Does the
Bible Say About...?
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In this section of the
Reflections Newsletter we answer questions that have been asked.
If you have a question that you would like ask, and do not mind having
it printed in the newsletter, (your name will not be mentioned), feel free to
send your question in an email to me at
biblequestions@reflecthisglory.org. Of course, you may call me
anytime by phone at 801.302-1111.
The question for this issue is,
"In reading First Kings chapter 5, it speaks of a 'King
Hiram' in Tyre. But several chapters later, it seems that Solomon
brought him to Jerusalem to work on the furnishings of the first Temple.
This work seems a bit out of character for a king. Could you please
explain?" |
The answer
to your question is simply that there were two
Hirams, both of whom were from Tyre.
The first Hiram, who is initially mentioned in 1
Kings Chapter 5, was the King of Tyre. Among
his exploits, he built a causeway that connected the
coastal city of Tyre to an offshore island having
the same name. He worshipped false gods and
built temples to Hercules and Astarte. Even
though he was an idol worshipper and not Jewish, he
was a friend to both David and Solomon who were
kings of Israel. Hiram furnished David with
materials to build his royal palace, and Solomon
both materials and workmen to construct the first
Jewish Temple. As part of the payment for his
efforts, Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in
Galilee. The Bible says that Hiram was less
than pleased with these cities (1 Kings 9:10-13).
The second Hiram was an artificer in bronze.
Although he lived in Tyre, and his father was from
Tyre, his mother was from the Jewish tribe of
Naphtali. So the second Hiram had strong ties
to the nation Israel. First Kings 7 outlines
all of the elaborate vessels and bronze furnishings
that Hiram made for the Temple. It is obvious
that he was not only gifted, but a hard worker.
He provides us today with a valuable example of how
to utilize our talents to our utmost for the glory
of God. |
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**MEMORY VERSE OF THE
MONTH**
Therefore the Lord
Himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
KJV ER
We solicit your prayers and support of this ministry. God Bless.
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"Then Jesus
said to those Jews which believed on him,
"If you continue in
My word, then are you
My disciples indeed;
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."
John 8:31-32
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