Classes on Matthew End & the Crazy Schedule Begins

The last day of classes on Friday was extended by about 30 minutes so we could finish the material. We started at Matthew 24 and made it through the end of the book by about 12:30pm. Of course, we started on time at 7am and only took one break of about 15 minutes. Even with such a demanding schedule, the class was extremely attentive and fully engaged in the study. Many had never studied Matthew 24 all of the way through and repeatedly expressed the fact that it would help them a great deal as they deal with premillennial friends and family. As I have noted before, the vast majority of gospel preachers, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao, have been converted from denominationalism – most from an Evangelical, Charismatic or Pentecostal group that teaches Premillennialism.

In addition to Matthew 24 and the judgment of God against of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, we noted the Judgment at the end of time in Christ’s final coming. We showed how the texts of Matthew 24 and 25 not only contradict the teachings of Premillennialism, but also refute the errors of “Realized Eschatology,” otherwise know as the “A.D. 70 Doctrine.” We gave attention to the principles governing all judgments of God, whether temporal or eternal and the need for all of us to be watchful and prepared for the coming of the Lord. Matthew 25 also brought us to a study of the eternal nature of both heaven and hell. We saw some of the statements made by Homer Hailey and Edward Fudge denying that hell will be eternal. However, the same Greek word is used in Matthew 25:46 to affirm the duration of both “everlasting punishment” and “eternal life.”

We studied Matthew 26 and 27 as a narrative of the garden preparation, unlawful trial and crucifixion of Christ. As Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, His disciples were still in doubt that He would be taken and killed as He had repeatedly said, but we noted that it was another step taken by the Lord to prepare them. (We also quickly noted some of the errors surrounding the Lord’s Supper in contrast with Jesus’ instituting it and how it was properly implemented in the worship of the first century church.) We showed that the trial of Jesus was a clear violation of OT principles regarding the lawful establishment of truth. We looked at the horrible suffering of Jesus from the garden of Gethsemane to the trial and on to the mocking, scourging and crucifixion. We looked step by step in the account as Jesus perfectly fulfilled prophecy, fully submitted to the

suffering and became the perfect sacrifice by which we could be saved. After the crucifixion narrative, we concluded the study with examining Matthew 28 and the account of the resurrection. At the conclusion of the book, I asked them to sing “Tell Me the Story of Jesus.” Those who know me well know that is my favorite song and I very rarely make it through the song with dry eyes. This time, I kept my composure until we discussed the passages we could put with each verse and how we should always keep those events in our minds. As we came to an end, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. What a wonderful Savior we have!

With so little sleep throughout the week, I went to my hotel room and crashed on Friday afternoon through that night. I met Jonathan for breakfast before he took me to the airport. With the typhoon bringing heavy rains and winds to Manila, I was not sure whether the flight would be canceled. When I got there, I found that my flight to Manila was not canceled, though most were. I had bought my round-trip tickets from Manila to Cebu and returning long ago, paying in advance extra for the excess baggage weight. (That fee is more than the flight itself if you pay for it on the day of the flight, so I always buy it in advance.) My original plan was to have Saturday evening as well as Sunday afternoon and evening to study for the classes in Pasay starting Monday morning. However, when I got the invitation to preach at the Sunday

services of the “Bright and Morning Star Church” (known as BMS), I had to buy another round-trip (without any luggage) to get back to Cebu on Saturday night and back to Manila on Sunday afternoon. It was a major hassle, not to mention the added expense, but I was not going to pass up this opportunity that we have been working towards for about 3 years. To make a long story short, I preached on “God’s Use of Prophets,” a lesson showing the verbal inspiration of the Scripture and how it will not allow for any changes of the divine message. It ended with the fact that the Holy Spirit not only inspired the unchangeable message of morality and the reality of an eternal heaven and hell, but also inspired the unchangeable message affirming only one true church built by Jesus, one pattern for authorized worship and one gospel plan of salvation. The lesson was well received and I believe several of the members are getting closer and closer to understanding the truth and obeying it.

As I finish this report, I am back in Manila at a hotel close to the meeting place of the congregation in Pasay. The Lord willing for tomorrow, we will begin the class there on “Learning to Use the Bible.” We will begin the classes a little later tomorrow so that Jonathan and I can get a little rest because the last few days have been very demanding and exhausting. (Jonathan and Nanette are due to fly into Manila about 1am Monday morning!) Please keep these classes in your prayers.

I am sorry for not getting out a report daily during the past week. It was a far more challenging class and immeasurably more time consuming for the daily preparations than any classes I have conducted before. I hope to return to my normal daily reports during this week’s studies that are scheduled to end Wednesday afternoon. Thank you again for your help in support and prayers to assist in this work! I appreciate it far more than words could ever express! God bless!