|
|
The
Reflections Newsletter
Monday, April 26, 2010
**In This Issue**
- Taking a Look at
Matthew
- What Does the Bible Say About...?
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.
Taking
a Look at Matthew
When we look at the Gospels carefully,
we see that they are skillfully designed.
Each
one is tailored to suit a specific perspective.
Matthew
was a Jew, a Levite; he presents Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel - the
Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
This
first book of the New Testament plunges right in to establish Jesus as the
Meshiach Nagid, the Messiah the King.
After
first establishing the royal genealogy, Matthew then proceeds to focus on the
fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies: Matthew uses the term "fulfilled"
82 times!
Matthew emphasized what Jesus said.
He
evidently recorded the discourses verbatim. As a customs official, he was a
shorthand writer. The
reason Matthew's Gospel is so much longer than Mark's is that he includes Jesus'
extensive discourses, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse.
Without these discourses, Mark's Gospel would be
longer.
Early Origin
Many scholars now believe that the Gospels were written before Paul's first
imprisonment in 57-60 AD, and that virtually all of the New Testament books were
written before Jerusalem's destruction.
There is no hint in the New Testament of Nero's persecutions after 64 AD, nor of
the execution of James, the Lord's brother, in 62 AD. There is not the slightest
mention of the Jewish revolt against the Romans, which began in 66 AD, or of the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. I would think that it would have made the 11
o’clock news, not to mention that these historic events would have been
irresistible in making many of the arguments against the
early dating of the New Testament books.
Textual evidence suggests that the Gospels were originally written in Hebrew.
In
hundreds of places the Greek sentence structure betrays a Semitic influence and
implies a translation from the Hebrew.
It
appears that within five years after the death and resurrection of Christ, most
of His words and deeds had been committed to a simple written Hebrew form and
Matthew is, of course, assumed to be part of this compilation.
In 1994, an ancient segment of the Greek text of Matthew's Gospel was analyzed
and it appears to be dated before 66 AD.
Known
as the Magdalen Papyrus, it contains segments of Matthew 26:23 and 26:31 on both
sides of three fragments.
Using
a scanning laser microscope for dating has provided physical evidence that the Gospel
according to Matthew is an eyewitness account written by contemporaries of
Christ.
Your Challenge
Matthew's thoroughness and precision lends many special insights as one delves
into his detailed presentations.
His
rendering of the Seven Kingdom Parables in Chapter 13 is remarkably parallel to
the Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, etc.
Matthew’s
presentation of Jesus' confidential briefing to His disciples about His Second
Coming in Chapter 24 is an essential foundation in any eschatological (end-time)
study, no matter the view that one takes.
So,
clearly, this very basic book of the Bible is a most rewarding study to both
novice and experienced Bible students who are willing to diligently dig into it.
What Does the Bible Say About...?
 |
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, "Why
did Adam live to be so old, but some of his descendants died much younger?" |
|
In Genesis 5:5, the Bible tells us that Adam lived to be 930
years old. Most of his known descendants listed in Genesis Chapter 5 lived
to be around that age, and a few even lived longer. The oldest
living man in the Bible was Methuselah, who passed at the age of 969 years of
age, found in Genesis 5:27.
The next list of names that we find is in Genesis 11, which
was after the flood of Noah. After the flood, we find that the lifespan of
people was enormously diminished. The last group of people named in the
list only lived to be 200 to 300 years of age. Many theologians believe
that Noah's flood cause such cataclysmic changes in the earth's atmosphere, that
people could not live as long as prior to the flood. Gradually the earth
became more polluted because of the removal of its protective canopy by the
flood. The sun beat down much hotter on the earth after the flood, which
adversely affected people as well, increasing its affect as more generations
lived and died. Abraham and his immediate descendants live a much shorter
life than even those in Genesis 11, though longer than people today.
Abraham lived to be 175 years of age (Genesis 25:7). In Genesis 35:28-29,
Isaac live to be 180 years of age. In Genesis 47:28, Jacob lived to be
147, and in Genesis 50:26 we see that Joseph only lived to be 110.
Finally, the Psalmist tells us:
"The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and
if by reason of strength, they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor
and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away," Psalm 90:10
KJV ER
What this tells us is that the average lifespan is about 70
years. Some may make it to 80 years, but those years may be very
difficult. I realize that some people do not make it to 70, while others
live to be 90, or even 100 years of age. But, for the most part, people can
expect to live to be 70 to 80 years of age. What is interesting is that
Psalm 90 was written thousands of years ago. This average lifespan is about how
long most people can expect to live today. Evidently, the advances in
medical science made in intervening years have been offset by the damage that
has been done to the environment and the hurried lifestyles and detrimental
diets that saturate modern society. So what Psalm 90 said so long ago
still holds true for us today.
|
|
|
**MEMORY VERSE OF THE
MONTH**
The Lord said to
my Lord, Sit You at my right
hand, until I make Your enemies
Your footstool.
Psalm 110:1
KJV ER
We solicit your prayers and support of this ministry. God Bless.
If you received this email from a friend, you can get a FREE subscription by
signing up at
enews@reflecthisglory.org.
You received this newsletter by request from Reflect His
Glory, a co-ministry with Creation Science Ministries.
Web site:
http://www.reflecthisglory.org/
Online Store: TBA
Email:
questions@reflecthisglory.org
For more information:
info@reflecthisglory.org
Subscribe online:
enews@reflecthisglory.org
Un-subscribe:
nonews@reflecthisglory.org
To change your email address in our database, please unsubscribe your old
address and subscribe your new address.
|
