The Heaton File

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

Preach The Word

It is hard to imagine that in an educated world where many people are literate that for a vast portion of history, most people could not read or write. Before the modern age of education, news and notices would be carried throughout a community by people called town criers. This was the means of communicating important news to the populace.

When Paul told Timothy to preach the word, the apostle used a Greek word that suggests a proclaimer or crier of news. Timothy’s task was as simple as bearing the news of Jesus Christ to the world much like a town crier would spread the news throughout a community. But his task was serious in the manner he was to carry out preaching the word. It would take preparation and choose the time of the season to impress the message of grace upon the hearers. Preaching the word is not using sentences together to be heard. Paul did not tell Timothy to talk; he told him to preach. Without preparation, there can be no preaching.

Preaching the word requires the courage to speak the word of God without partiality. God’s word is written to comfort the afflicted and it is written to afflict the comfortable. If a man preaches the word of God without the elements of correction, he is not preaching the counsel of God. Jesus taught the word of His Father often coming in conflict with the accepted norms of Jewish teaching but the Son of God was not dissuaded to patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage the people. Good teaching comes from the willingness to preach only the word of God without fear of contradiction or recourse from others.

The nature of the word of God is that it is divine in its origin and has remained unchanged from the days of Moses until the final blot of ink dried on the Revelation as written by John. Men have preached a different gospel than the pure word once delivered to the saints but they have not changed the word of God, they have only corrupted the view of God’s word for their fallacious teachings of apostasy.

Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would not want to hear the word of God. It would become too demanding and restrictive to the carnal desires of men’s hearts. Preaching the word of God is sound doctrine and the demonstrative teaching of one truth from one Lord and one God makes many feel uneasy. Shortly after the church began, false doctrines began to rise up among the brethren and many were led away by hearts unwilling to follow the pure word of God. Following their own desires of human wisdom, men began to draw around them those who would tickle their ears with words that seek to justify their false beliefs. Truth was rejected and men followed after preaching that was nothing more than myths.

Preaching the word is not a complicated endeavor. There are many churches today calling themselves by different names, teaching different ways of salvation, and following their own desires for identity as followers of God. Paul exhorted Timothy to remember there is only one truth and that is defined by sound doctrine. The Bible is very clear in its message and no one is excused to allow false teachings to permeate the teaching of men. What is declared in the Bible is plain, open, easy to understand, and powerful.

The litmus test for a believer is to challenge any and everything that is said and done by an examination of the word of God. Paul warned Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season because the eternal question is answered in the Book. There will be no second chances or rewrites when all stand before the Lord. If truth is not established on earth, it will be secured by the foundations of judgment when all men stand before God. Preaching the word is proving what you believe by what God says, not what men say – including what this writer says. Let God be true but every man a liar.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Treasured Highly By God

Many things please the heart of the Lord when He sees His creation obeying His will and following His wisdom. As Creator, God formed man and woman to give Him glory and to find happiness within themselves as His creation. Every problem men face comes from their rejection of the law of God. Sin is at the root of the misery of humanity. As a consequence of disobedience, the human race has suffered disease, war, hatred, strife, and death. This has not been what the Lord planned but men sought their own wisdom and suffered because of it.

In a world filled with disappointment, the Lord finds something that is very precious in His sight. He considers this quality of great value, immense value, and eternal worth. Peter describes a character that is unique to pleasing the Father so much it is said to be very precious in the sight of the Lord. It is not the external manifestations of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. God looks into the heart of man and when He sees the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, He is very pleased.

The fundamental difference between God and man is what measuring rule is used to ascribe praise. Men will adorn the outward appearance with youthful vitality, wealth, and beauty as a sign of prosperity. More often than not, this kind of beauty is only skin deep as the heart is corrupt, vile, and full of wickedness. Judging from the outside, praise and honor are bestowed in great measure by the voice of society that accepts the lie of Satan that life is about the carnal. Ironically, the steps of time mar the beauty of youth and nothing will stop it save death. Older men and women will take great strides to look younger while making themselves look more ridiculous in a futile attempt to return to a time long passed. When men judge one another by the outward appearance they use a failed measuring stick that will fade away.

God looks at the hidden heart for the truth of the character. He is not impressed with the adornment of arranging the hair, the wearing of precious stones, or wearing fine apparel. What men use to judge is rejected by the Lord as vain. When God sees the heart of a woman that is godly, humble, kind, and filled with love for the Divine, this is what is very precious and true. The Lord treasures most highly the heart of a man that is wholly devoted to Him, prayerful, filled with the Holy Spirit, and seeking to guide others to Christ. As the body decays, the inner spirit of the person grows younger in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Nothing pleases God more than to see that spirit manifests a greater sense of spiritual devotion to Him.

Ultimately, the one thing that is precious in the sight of God is that which will never be taken away. The adorning of the hair, wearing gold, and putting on fine apparel may fill a coffin but the body is dead and of no value. That which is precious in the sight of God will live on after death as the redeemed find the eternal precious reward of salvation. A gentle and quiet spirit will bring the soul to paradise. God sees the heart of the blessed as one who seeks a higher nobility found in Jesus Christ and not in the trappings of the world. What God sees as the most precious thing will be the reward of the words most precious to be heard by man: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter in.”

Also, he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron. (1 Kings 15:13)

Grandmother Is Wrong

After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel fell into a civil war that divided the northern ten tribes from Judah and Benjamin in the south. All of the kings of the north were evil and Israel would be destroyed by the Assyrians two hundred years later. In the southern kingdom of Judah, some of the kings were able to restore the worship of the one true God. The first two kings, Rehoboam and Abijah, walked in the ways of evil and did not serve the Lord. Asa, great-grandson of Solomon, became king following the short reign of his father Abijah and would rule forty-one years.

The reforms of Asa were sweeping in their designs to return Judah to the Law of Moses and to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord. He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines, smashing the sacred pillars and cutting down the wooden images. The king banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. A major reform came when Asa removed his grandmother Maachah from her position as queen mother. The reason was that Maachah had made an obscene Asherah pole. Asherah was a Phoenician goddess, closely connected with Ashtoreth and her worship. This idol was a sensual Canaanite goddess Astarte.

When Israel entered Canaan, the Lord warned them to destroy the altars of the gods, break their images, and cut down their groves. Maachah had become enamored with Asherah and worshiped the forbidden gods. Asa took her image, crushed and burned it by the brook Kidron. He did not allow the family ties of his grandmother or parents to dissuade his decision to serve the Lord with all his heart. The reforms of Asa were established as a covenant between the people and the Lord to seek God with all their hearts and with all their souls. Refusing to worship the one true God was punishable with death. This law included the grandmother of Asa.

Family is a strong tie that binds the hearts of children and grandchildren to a lineage of blood. It has been said that grandmothers are the old ladies who keep mothers from spanking their children. An Italian proverb sums it up: If nothing is going well, call your grandmother. Few forces in the world can move heaven and earth like a grandmother looking after her grandchildren. She is revered, treasured, and respected with great reverence. But grandmother can be wrong and sometimes she can be so wrong it has eternal consequences.

Asa took a brave step to remove his grandmother from being queen mother and to crush and destroy her idols. The king was fully devoted to serving the Lord and he did not allow the love and influence of his grandmother to change his mind. Jesus taught His disciples that if a man loved his father or mother more than they loved Him, they were not worthy to be His disciple. He also said if a man loved his son or daughter more than Him, they were not worthy of Him. Asa knew the importance of serving God above his love for his grandmother.

It is sad to talk with people in the religious world about the gospel of Jesus Christ and hear them say they are unwilling to give up what their parents or grandparents believed. When the faith of a person is based on what grandmother believes instead of the word of God, there is a judgment that is brought by the Lord of condemnation. They refuse to say that grandmother was wrong or to suggest she followed a system of error. Their feelings of familial allegiance prohibit them from changing the family religion. If this was the case with King Asa, he would not have challenged his grandmother and her idol worship. Maachah was wrong. There was no doubt. Asa had to make a difficult choice. It was hard. His decision would cause a lot of problems in the family. Because his heart was wholly devoted to God, he chose to serve God and destroyed the idols of his grandmother.

Grandparents are nearly perfect (that is my story). Parents are pretty special and somewhat perfect. Grandchildren are wholly perfect. But when it comes to the word of God all grandparents and parents are sinful creatures struggling to seek the Lord. As much admiration and love one can have for their grandparents and parents, the will of the Lord is singular and without respect to the person. Grandparents can be wrong about what they believe as well as their parents. A child must make their faith their own according to what the Bible says. When judgment comes, no one will be able to answer for the individual. No grandparents will be brought to the bar of justice, no parents, no teachers, preachers, friends, or neighbors. Asa knew his allegiance was a personal choice. He made the right decision.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. (Luke 4:40)

The Touch Of His Hand

There was little time for rest in the life of Jesus. His schedule was an exhaustive work of traveling, teaching, and healing. When the Lord came to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, He went to the synagogue and began teaching. During the day, He healed a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. The news about Jesus spread through every village in the area. Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Peter for the night. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever and the family asked the Lord to heal her. Standing at her bedside, Jesus rebuked the fever, and it left her. A meal was prepared and Jesus along with His disciples enjoyed a momentary respite.

As the sun went down, people throughout the village brought sick people to Jesus begging Him to heal them. Word of His power filled the streets and crowds thronged to the man from Nazareth to be healed. It had been a busy day for the Lord and He could have turned them away or the Lord could have prayed to the Father to blanket the area with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal everyone who came. When Jesus healed the daughter of Jairus, He was not present to touch her. It was within the power of the Lord to heal the multitude in any other fashion but Jesus laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. No one left that day without feeling the hand of Jesus on them to heal them. They left released from the burden of disease because of the touch of Jesus.

It is remarkable at the physical stamina of Jesus. Some days were nonstop activities of walking, teaching, healing, persuading the religious rulers, instructing His disciples, and the many hours Jesus spent in prayer. He had the power of Heaven at His beckoning call and yet He takes the time to touch every single person to heal them. Every person felt the power of God flow through their bodies as the disease immediately left them but they could never forget what it felt like to have the hand of Jesus touch them. The disease was gone but not the touch of the Master’s hand.

When man was created, the Lord said it was not good for him to be alone. There is something innate in man that requires touch. One of the basic needs of a man is the need to be connected with another. Why do cultures have different ways of saying hello like shaking hands or the European kiss? There is something about the joy of touching that connects people. Jesus understood the need of touching everyone He healed to show them He cared for them – in a very personal way. It would have been exhausting to touch every person that came to the house that night but the love of Jesus flowed throughout the hearts of the healed when they walked away with the fingerprints of Jesus upon them. They would enjoy life being cured of their disease but how could they forget His touch?

Jesus returned to the Father two thousand years ago and will not return to earth to walk among men. The Lord is not restricted by the frailties of the human body that would tire over time. He still touches lives today. The age of miraculous healing ended many centuries ago but the power of the touch of Jesus is what changes lives still. When a person came to Peter’s home that night, they saw Jesus take time for them and lay His hand on them. He will touch your life and change your life because He cares for you as if you were the only person on the face of the earth.

There may be nearly seven billion people on this planet but Jesus has time to touch you and heal you. Like that night after teaching in the synagogue, you must come to Jesus seeking healing. It does not matter what sin you have done, Jesus can touch you and heal you. He is willing to cleanse you of the greatest disease (sin) if you are willing to repent and change your life. When you rise from the waters of obedience you can know that Jesus touched you – especially you – to heal you. The touch of His hand awaits your open heart.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Healthful Teaching

One of the goals of life is to enjoy a measure of health allowing for the enjoyment of the good things found in the world. Good health is not always easy and can be compromised from genetic dispositions, harmful diets, and physical abuse. Billions of dollars are spent every year in the pursuit of health whether in gyms, diets, and fads but the single goal in mind is to remain young and full of vitality. The discipline of medical science has opened up incredible gains in understanding human anatomy helping people live longer and fuller lives. Having a sound body is highly prized.

Spiritually, there is a body of truth that is described as healthy and unhealthy. Paul explains to Timothy the need to follow after sound doctrine suggesting there is a form of teaching that is good and one that is destructive. The Holy Spirit warns of a time when men will no longer accept the pure word of truth once for all delivered to the saints. Sound doctrine comes from teaching that is pure, undefiled and uncorrupted. After the apostolic times, the church would enter into a time of transformation when the gospel of Christ would be corrupted, teaching doctrines that were unsound or unhealthy. This became a reality not long after Paul penned his final letters.

Apostasy is the renunciation of a pattern of truth. Jesus came to bring the eternal truth of His Father to the world and they killed Him. When the disciples of Christ began to teach the doctrines of Christ, many would accept and follow the Word but many would deny Christ. The early church went through persecutions because of those who rejected the teachings of Christ. One of the most insidious parts of persecution came when men began to change the teachings of Christ. Paul said men would not be satisfied with the doctrine of Christ and like itching ears, they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. Sound doctrine would not be enough for them. They would change the word of God to fit their wisdom.

When a man does not endure sound doctrine, he will turn his heart away from the truth and accept myths or doctrines God has not taught. The Holy Spirit warned of the apostasy and Paul wrote about the coming apostasy. It would do well for devoted people of God to examine the doctrines they follow and see if they have become victims of the myths of men who have taught things that are not in the Bible. Sound doctrine can only come from one book and sound doctrine will the same for all men. The idea of choosing a church of personal choice is following after the myths of men. Teaching doctrines not found in the Bible is following a false doctrine. Sound doctrine is a healthy doctrine based upon the word of God.

The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 14:12-14)

It Should Be A Lesson

The COVID-19 pandemic that has swept across the face of the earth is nothing new. There have been many catastrophes that have enveloped the world with disease, wars and natural disasters. Without a reference to history, many believe the present distress as unique. Much has been compared with the pandemic of 1918 that killed millions. The reasons behind these global events are difficult to measure within the scope of whether by the direct hand of God or the natural order of the world that is made up of disease, hatred and the natural occurrences of tragedy.

Trying to understand the scope of the present distress, many have called it an act of God upon an evil world. Observations are made at how sinful the world has become and the Lord is reaping the whirlwind of His wrath upon the wickedness of men. This could be the case but it must also be understood the world has been much more wicked in times past than now. Indeed during the days of Noah, the world was so wicked it was destroyed by a global flood that left only eight souls alive. Throughout the history of Israel, many lost their lives to plague, fire, war, and pestilence because the Lord brought these pandemics upon those who rebelled against Him. The Assyrian army lost 180,000 soldiers in one night by the hand of God. Many examples are affirmed to be by the will of the Lord through the Bible.

Trying to establish God as the author of the present distress as a reason to punish the wickedness of man has some merit but misses the point that is needed more than trying to determine a cause. Whenever a pandemic is found in history, the prognosticators of doom want to paint a picture of divine wrath. Without the Lord revealing if He directly has caused the distress it would seem improbable for the wisdom of man to make such a conclusion. Again, what men fail to see is the lesson of the distress is what must be learned rather than attributing an author.

During the days of the captivity when Israel found itself enslaved by the Babylonians, Ezekiel was sent to preach to the people of God. He reminded Israel idolatry had been their downfall and the reason for their destruction. The picture he paints is a vivid telling of how wickedness had destroyed a nation. Using the language of prophetic pronouncements of doom, the prophet reminds the people what God had done to them. The nation had become so corrupt and evil it was time for judgment and the hand of the Lord brought the Assyrians and Babylonians against His own people.

Ezekiel describes how the Lord cut off Israel’s supply of bread with famine, allowed the wild beasts to roam freely, brought wars against His nation, and sent pestilence among the people as His four severe judgments on Jerusalem. In remarkable contrast, the prophet uses Noah, Daniel, and Job as examples of the wrath of God. He said that if these three men were in the world at the time, the wickedness was so great only these three men would have been saved. Each of these men lived in a time of great judgment. It is clear from scripture the reasons behind the judgments against the world of Noah, the family of Job and the nation of Israel during the days of Daniel came from the mouth of God.

The lesson of COVID-19 is not whether one can speculate that God has brought this pandemic against the world because of wickedness; which is an important lesson to learn. When this distress is gone and the world returns to whatever level of normality it can live with the real purpose of the pandemic is going to be what has been learned. Everything held dear has been taken away. This insidious virus reminds men they are not as smart as they believe themselves to be. There are many things in this world that man cannot control. While the virus is a complex organism it is a simple microbe that has brought the world to its knees.

Ezekiel was not telling the people of Israel anything they did not know. What he was trying to tell them was to learn from the lesson and become better people because of it. COVID-19 will have a greater impact for good if lessons are learned to turn hearts to God. People who do not change their lives after the pandemic is over have wasted the greatest opportunity to become stronger individuals with a greater view of life. Greater faith must come from this distress. More devotion is the message that must be seen when the end comes. Churches must be more convicted of their purpose, saints must realize the joy of salvation and lost souls must come to see the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Sadly, when trials are over, people return to the empty lives they had before. That will be the case when COVID-19 is gone. The world will continue to fall back into the practice of evil and disregard for God. Let it not be the case with your life. Many people have died from this virus and many were not prepared to die. Death will come in one form or another. Preparation for death begins with acknowledging the will of God. Surviving COVID-19 should prepare the soul to prepare for eternity. Let the lessons be learned.

As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man. (Proverbs 27:19)

The Heart Is A Mirror

Mirrors have a long history over time as men formed reflections by polished stones, copper, bronze, and metal-backed glass. Water was probably the first form of the mirror but men found it hard to hang on a wall. In 1835, a German chemist named Justus von Liebig developed what would become common for mirrors today. Mirrors are one of the most common items in the world and yet the least applied. They are an essential part of life but more often than not create a false image of the reality of what is reflected.

One of the important functions of a mirror is to reflect the truth with an assumed action to correct what needs to be changed. The principle of a mirror is that what is seen is absolute. What is seen is real. How often the function of a mirror is only to fill the heart with vanity. The wise man suggested as a face is reflected in water, so the heart reveals the character of a man. This can be good and this can be bad. There is no prejudice in a mirror. What is in the heart is what makes the person righteous or unrighteous.

The heart reveals the true character of a man like a mirror gives a true image of the face. Looking into the heart will describe the kind of person he or she will be. Unveiling the heart will tell a man what kind of person he truly is. There are no false images of the heart. Jesus taught His disciples that what comes out of the mouth originates in the heart. Like a mirror, the heart reflects the good or the evil heart. It is possible to put a false image before others but the heart is a bright, shiny, and revealing mirror. One of the challenges faced in the heart is to admit what is there is possessed by the soul. If a man wants to be devoted and faithful to God, he must begin with his heart. A faithful, dedicated and prayerful servant is not one on the outside. The beginning of holiness is when the heart becomes the image of God.

Modern mirrors are made by coating glass with a substance on the back that causes the reflection. Spiritually speaking, if a piece of glass has nothing on the back it is nothing by a clear piece of glass and empty. A heart that is not filled with the grace of God is empty. Sadly, every heart is filled with something. Most fill their hearts with the pleasures of the world, carnality, immorality, and pride. This makes the heart an empty shell of deceit because none of these things will last. When a man places Jesus Christ in his heart he will reflect the glory of God in his life. Like mirrors who reflect the true nature of what is standing before it, so the heart reflects the true image of the soul.

A man’s heart reveals the nature of a man. That is an eternal truth. If a person wants to reflect holiness they must have holy hearts. Kindness comes from hearts filled with kindness. Forgiveness cannot come from hearts that are not reflecting the forgiveness of God. Mirrors tell a stark story because they reflect the truth. Examining life will determine the reality of the heart of what is important. The kind of person you are comes from the kind of heart you have. If you are not living a life devoted to God it is because your heart is not devoted to God. That is an eternal truth. Thankfully hearts can change to reflect the glory of God. When you look into water, you see a likeness of your face. When you look into your heart, you see what you are really like.

Now a certain man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!” So the king died and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken. (1 Kings 22:34-38)

King Ahab And The Bible

God’s word is certain. It is true. There is no shadow of turning in the clarity of His word. No man can escape the word of God as it is settled in heaven. When the Lord makes a promise, it will come to pass and can only be changed by the will of God’s own might. Nothing man can do will hinder the will of the Lord is accomplished. Hiding is of no avail. Running away is useless. Ignoring God will not deter Him. The Lord will carry out His divine will in the fashion that suits His glory.

Ahab was the seventh king of Israel and was one of the most wicked rulers in Jewish history. His wife Jezebel had an immense influence upon him leading the northern tribes of Israel through twenty-three years of brutal oppression, murder, war, and unbridled immorality. Through the prophets Elijah and Micaiah, Ahab was condemned for his rebellion and a final pronouncement was placed upon his life. When the king of the southern two tribes came to Ahab seeking unity to fight at Ramoth Gilead, Ahab joined forces with Jehoshaphat after his prophets pronounced victory for the kings. Micaiah was called to declare the word of God to Ahab telling him the king he would die in battle.

When the battle began, Ahab disguised himself and went into battle. Thirty-two captains of the Syrian army were seeking to find and kill Ahab. Their only mission was to find the king of Israel but failed to find him. It seemed Ahab had escaped death as prophesied by Micaiah. And then a remarkable thing happened from the hand of God. A soldier from Syria randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Ahab bled to death in his chariot. He was brought back to Samaria and buried. As much as he tried to change the word of God, the king of Israel met the fate as declared by divine will.

The word of God determined Ahab was to die and regardless of the futile attempts by Ahab to change the course of God’s will, a random soldier finished the will of the Lord. From the beginning of time, men have tried to circumvent the word of God. They have ignored it, denied it, tried to change it and often sought to destroy every remnant of the word of God. Two thousand years ago Jesus died outside of Jerusalem and His story is proclaimed to the world without stopping. Men have tried to destroy the story of Jesus but to no avail. Religions have created their own doctrines seeking to change the word of God. The world is filled with dogmas of men that pervert the word of God but God’s word remains unchanged. It remains true.

Nature declares the nature of the word of God. On the fourth day of creation, the Lord set the sun, moon, and stars in their place. In the thousands of years, the world has stood, the sun continues to do what it was purposed to do. The moon has remained in its orbit with constancy. All of the stars of the heavens continue to declare the glory of God unmoved and unchanged by the events that happen on earth. No matter what man does, the sun, moon, and stars remain constant. When Moses penned the first books of the Bible he determined the word of God as true and they have remained unchanged. The Old Testament is established upon the same word and the New Testament declares the majesty of the unchanged word of God. The Bible declares the glory of God as do the heavenly bodies.

Denying truth does not change the truth. Ignoring truth will not decrease the word of God. Seeking to change the word of God will only corrupt the mind of the person, not the word. When God told Ahab he would die, it was through the agency of a random person to accomplish what the Lord determined. His word would not be changed. The death of Ahab is an example of the power of the word of God. Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light: and there was light.” And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:” and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:1-10)

Man, The Moon, And The Bible

Following the Second World War, another war began that was known as the Cold War which pitted the United States against the Russian nation called the U.S.S.R. One of the focal points of this conflict began when the Russians placed the first satellite into orbit in October 1957. This led to the “space race” and a determined American plan was made to land a man on the moon before the Russians. Following the Mercury and Gemini programs that put Americans into space, the Apollo program was created to put a man on the moon. Apollo 8 was the first mission that succeeded in placing into lunar orbit three Americans: William Anders, James Lovell, and Frank Broman. It is from this historical flight the first “earthrise” was seen.

On Christmas Eve 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 gave a live broadcast to the world. Frank Borman called the moon a “vast, lonely, forbidding type of existence.” They were the first humans to witness the moon from such close proximity. James Lovell paid tribute to the Earth’s saying it was a “grand ovation to the vastness of space.” And then something remarkable happened. William Anders began by saying, “We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.” Then the three men read from the Bible the account of Genesis 1:1-10.

It was a historical time in the history of mankind to send three men to the moon and return them safely. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. Man among the stars was a dream that many believed would open up the heavens to space travel and colonization. This would never happen and cannot happen as Paul declared in his sermon to the Athenians the habitation of man is determined and his boundaries established.

It remains to be appreciated that three men who first saw the surface of the moon and the earth glowing in the vastness of dark space declared the glory of God in the story of creation. This did not make everyone on earth a believer in God. What it did is confirm the intrinsic nature of man to recognize a higher being than himself. Neil Armstrong would remark on his return to earth, “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” Earth seems so large to those who stand on the ground but in truth, the earth is so insignificant in the vastness and largeness of space.

The Bible has been attacked, abused, criticized and many have sought to destroy it. Nonbelievers have campaigned to destroy religion and a belief in God. When a society can minimize the presence of God they become animals turning on themselves with carnal desires, hatred, and hopelessness. All the attempts to destroy the word of God fail and it remains unchanged, unmoved and unrelenting in its purity of doctrine. The greatest achievement of man to send three men into the vastness of space is punctuated by the reading of the Creation story. God is glorified in the weak attempts men make to exalt themselves. His creation is so vast and so powerful and a man indeed is a small pea in the vastness of the universe.

Two thousand years ago outside the city of Jerusalem, an innocent man died on a cross for all those who live on the tiny rock that circles the sun. God so loved the world – earth – that He gave His only begotten Son that those who believed in Him would find eternal life. Apollo 8 did not prove that God was real. When the Lord created the universe He established who He was. Some men look at the heavens and believe in themselves. Others view the heavens with eternal awe and declare, “In the beginning GOD.”

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

The Greatest Pandemic

The world of 2020 will never be the same and will always be remembered in history as the year the COVID-19 virus swept around the world killing more than one hundred thousand people. It is an incredible tragedy that has fallen upon humanity without respect to age, nationality or gender. Most coronaviruses aren’t dangerous but the strain of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) has become deadly. The impact economically will be felt for decades. There is a certain sense of uncertainty of how the virus will fully impact the world and time will unfold the answers.

There have been many pandemics throughout the history of mankind. Typhoid fever, smallpox, the Cyprian plague, bubonic plague or Black Death, leprosy, measles, cholera, and various strains of the flu like the Spanish flu of 1918 fill the pages of the tragedies fallen upon humanity. The Bible tells of pandemics that impacted the world. When the Lord delivered the Hebrews from the bondage of Egypt, He crippled the nation on every level of their civilization and religion. The water turned to blood; frogs, lice, flies invaded the land; livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts and darkness were the precursors of a final plague.  When the tenth plague descended upon the Egyptian populous, all the firstborn of men and animals lay dead in one night.

The children of Israel would suffer plagues from the Lord because of their disobedience. God’s anger was aroused against the people when they complained of having no meat to eat. He sent the quail to satisfy their carnal appetites but not before sending a great plague among them. After the people refused to enter the promised land and Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, 14,700 people died in a plague, besides those who died when the earth swallowed them alive and fire destroyed 250 men who were offering incense. Seventy thousand men died in a plague during the reign of David.

Disease, suffering, and plagues have a cause. Eternally, they can be traced to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were expelled because of sin. As long as man had access to the tree of life in the midst of the garden, he would not die. God took the tree of life away from man and man faced the reality of sickness, disease, and death. Adam lived 930 years but he still died. All men die. There is no exception. Whether by natural cause or disease or violence, every person will die.

The apostle Paul declares that just as through one man’s death spread to all men, a greater disease and pandemic came as a result of the decisions of Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. COVID-19 is a serious disease that must be met with the greatest of caution and concern. However, because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. The malady of sin has a greater impact than COVID-19 or any other known disease. According to some statistics, 56 million people worldwide die every year. Whatever that number is, the reality of death is always present in the world and millions die every year.

Jesus said the reality of eternity is the majority of the millions of people who die every year have no hope. It is sad that anyone must die from COVID-19 but all the virus does is destroy the body. Sin is the eternal disease that will destroy a soul in eternal condemnation. They are still working on a cure for COVID-19 but the cure for sin came two thousand years ago outside the city of Jerusalem when the Son of God rose from the dead. Sin came to the world by the act of one man but because one person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Jesus died to offer men an eternal hope that will never be taken away.

Death is found in two forms. There is physical death that destroys the body but that is all it can do. Spiritual death destroys the eternal nature of man and its consequence will never end. The cure for COVID-19 will offer relief to the human body but death will still come in another form. Salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to save the eternal soul from destruction. Eternal life means that death has no victory and there is no sting from the cruel hand of sin. God be praised that Jesus died to take away sin.