Prayer

I am removing one article from my blog for a little while to look at a problem. I ask that you pray for me during this time as I exam some things.
Blog was posted on June 28 Women on Mission Field

SAYINGS NOT IN BIBLE "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child" & PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR BIBLICAL DISCIPLINE

“No, that’s NOT in the Bible!” There is an alarming amount of biblical ignorance in our churches today. For fun, let’s take a quick Bible Knowledge Test. Here are twelve familiar phrases, put a check mark beside the ones you think are found in the Bible. Good Luck!

“Ashes to ashes; dust to dust”
“The apple of my eye”
“Eat, drink, and be merry”
“Like mother, like daughter”
“Eat sour grapes”
“The prodigal son”
“A drop in the bucket”
“The Lord’s Prayer”
“This, too, shall pass”
“Confession is good for the soul”
“Honesty is the best policy”
“The skin of my teeth”

The six phrases found in the Bible are: (1) “the apple of my eye” Zechariah 2:8; (2) “eat drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19); (3) “like mother, like daughter” (Ezekiel 16:44); (4) “eat sour grapes” (Ezekiel 18:2); (5) “a drop in the bucket” (Isaiah 40:15); (6) “the skin of my teeth” (Job 19:20). How’d you do?
Truthfully, you don’t have to know everything about the Bible to be a Christian. I heard about a guy in Smith County who had no Christian background, but he wanted to join a church. At the first church they told him before he could join he had to answer the Bible question, “Where was Jesus born?” The guy was clueless about Jesus, so he answered, “Longview.” The pastor laughed at him and told him he couldn’t join. He went to another church wanting to join, and they asked him the same question, “Where was Jesus born?” This time he gave a different answer and said, “Tyler.” Wrong again. He visited a third church and said to the pastor, “I tried joining two other churches and they made me answer a Bible question before I could join, do you require that?” The pastor said, “No, you don’t have to answer a Bible question to join our church. We open our arms to anyone, and we want to teach you what the Bible says.” The man said, “Great, this is my kind of church–I want to join! But while I’m here can I ask you a Bible question?” The pastor said, “Sure.” He said, “Can you tell me where Jesus was born?” “Why, He was born in Palestine.” the pastor said. The man slapped his head and said, “I was close–I knew it was somewhere here in East Texas!”

You may be like that guy. You may not know where to find the book of Proverbs without looking in the Table of Contents–that’s okay. You’re in the right place–our job is to teach you what the Bible does say.

If you really want to know the Bible it will help you discover many of the popular sayings people think are in the Bible really aren’t there. Most folks think they’re quoting the Bible when they say, “Spare the rod; spoil the child.” But you won’t find it in the Bible. While the Bible teaches the importance of loving discipline, that phrase doesn’t appear.

In my studies, I’ve attempted to find the origin of all these sayings. The first time this aphorism appears in print is in a long satirical poem called “Hudibras” written in the 1663 by English poet Samuel Butler. The poem, which fills up an entire book, is a satirical attack on hyper-legalistic Puritanism. Butler writes: What med’cine else can cure the fits / Of lovers when they lose their wits? / Love is a boy by poets stil’d; / Then spare the rod and spoil the child. (Hudibras, part 2, canto 1, lines 841-844).

The current version of the saying is probably based on Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” In our 21st century, post-modern culture, it is not a popular subject, but we cannot escape that the Bible says “sparing the rod” does much worse than spoiling a child–it demonstrates the parents actually hate child! So, for all the parents, grandparents, and children, let’s see what the Bible says about using the rod of correction in raising children.

Spare the rod, spoil the child Despite popular opinion, the famous saying, "Spare the rod, spoil the child," cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. The saying, however, should not be considered invalid as there are verses that promote a similar concept.

Proverbs 13:24
He who withholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from Sheol.

Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

I. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR BIBLICAL DISCIPLINE

Parenting is the only profession that when you finally have enough maturity and experience to do it well, you find yourself out of a job. That’s probably why grandparents often make great parents, and in our culture, we’re seeing a growing number of grandparents who have the primary responsibility of raising children.

Any parent who has more than one child would agree parenting attitudes change between the first and the last child. Here’s a humorous look at the way maternal attitudes change with multiple children:

Maternity Clothes:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirms your pregnancy. 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes!

Preparing for Birth:
1st baby: You practice deep breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t practice breathing because you remember it didn’t help last time.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

A Crying Baby:
1st baby: At the first sign of a whimper or frown you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Babysitters:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Before you walk out the door, you leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

Activities at Home:
1st baby: You spend time every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend time making sure your older child isn’t poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of time every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins:
1st child: You rush the child to the hospital and demand an X-ray.
2nd child: You carefully watch for coin to pass.
3rd child: You deduct it from his allowance!

Let me share with you five practical guidelines for applying Biblical discipline to your children or grandchildren:

1. Never use your hand to punish your child

God instructs parents to use a “rod” for an important reason. A rod is a neutral object. It’s much better to use a switch or a small stick to punish your child than to use your hand. You should only use your hand to caress and to soothe your child–you don’t want your children growing up in fear of your hand. It’s tempting for parents to spontaneously slap their misbehaving child on the leg, but that’s a bad habit to begin. It’s never appropriate for a parent to use their fists or hands to beat their children on their head or face–it is child abuse. I recall one of my uncles used to “thump” my cousins on the head with his hand. They seemed to fear their father.

The word “rod” in Proverbs is the Hebrew word shabat. It was used to describe the rod a shepherd used to tend his sheep. The shepherd rarely used the rod to “beat” a lamb; instead, he firmly struck their hindquarters to get them to go in the right direction. The sheep came to fear the rod without fearing the shepherd. If a lamb wandered off beyond his reach, the shepherd tossed the stick in front of the lamb, and it would send the lamb scurrying back into the flock.

There’s a great lesson here for parents. It’s no fun to use a rod to punish your child, but the Bible says it’s an important part of “directing” their lives. God has equipped children with a perfect spanking place that has plenty of padding and no vital organs. Someone once said, “When your child is good, pat them on the back. When your child is bad, pat them a little lower on the back.

My mother used a switch to punish us. She kept the switch hanging on the wall over the stove in the kitchen. Beside the switch hung a picture with the words, “I need thee; every hour I need thee.” written on it. When I learned to read, I thought saying applied to the switch–I didn’t know it was the first line of a hymn!

My older sister didn’t get as many spankings–she was too busy telling on me and my brother. When my mother used the switch, my brother and I screamed and hollered like we were dying, then we’d go off and giggle. But we knew judgement day was coming when my Dad got home. He used his belt doubled over–it was a good old fashioned business meeting–my dad made the motions and we carried out the action! I got more spankings than I can count, but I can say I deserved every one of them, and there were times when I deserved one and didn’t get one. I don’t ever recall my parents striking me or slapping me with their hands. I loved my parents, but I didn’t particularly care for my dad’s belt or switch in the kitchen.

2. Never punish your child in anger

In our enlightened American culture, spanking is no longer in vogue. In fact, some people will hear or read my words and will immediately classify me as someone who advocates child abuse. There is a huge difference between child abuse and loving, caring biblical discipline. There is no excuse for abuse and the parent who abuses their child deserves to be publicly beaten. Abuse often occurs when a parent loses his or her temper. Loving discipline is always applied calmly and in a measured fashion.

In Proverbs 13:28 the word “careful” speaks of timing. The King James Version translates it, “He that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” The word “betimes” is the word “carefully.” It’s a bad time to punish your child when you’re mad. It’s a bad time to punish your child in front of his or her peers. There is a proper time and place for spanking, and it should be done in private after you’ve had a chance to calm down.

A lady passed by a man in a grocery store. He was standing behind his shopping cart and inside the cart was a three-year-old boy screaming at the top of his lungs. As she got closer she heard the man saying, “Easy, Albert. Settle down, Albert. Take it easy, Albert.” She stopped and said, “Sir, I want to commend you on the gentle way in which you are speaking to Albert.” He said, “His name is Sam. My name is Albert. Easy Albert.” Physicians have a saying, “When the patient is having a heart attack the first pulse you take is your own.” This means unless they are calm they won’t be able to help the patient. The same is true when you use the rod of correction.

3. Don’t make idle threats

The worst thing you can do is to threaten your child with punishment and then not deliver on your promise. For instance, you warn your child not to cross the street in front of your house alone because you don’t want him to risk being hit by a car. Then you tell him if he wanders across the street you are going to spank him. Later you find your child across the street and you rush over and drag him back, fussing the whole way. If you say, “I told you I was going to spank you, but I’ll going to let you off this time, but don’t you do it again, or I’ll REALLY spank you.” That behavior will create a belief in your child that they can disobey the rules without facing the consequences. That’s a dangerous lesson.

Don’t threaten to spank your child for everything (there are other tools for punishment). Spanking should be reserved for the most serious acts of willful disobedience and attitudes of rebellion. If you threaten to spank your child for every little mistake, your child will grow up fearing the consequences of trivial mistakes. For heaven’s sake, don’t spank your child for mistakes, accidents, or for acting childishly.

A few years ago, Ann Landers offered a newspaper column entitled “How to Be a Stupid Parent.” She wrote: “Let your kids get away with anything until you get fed up. Then lose your temper. Holler. Scream. Go wild and clobber them. If they turn out well, it won’t because of you; it will be a miracle.”

4. Talk before and after the punishment

Before any punishment is inflicted, the rules of engagement need to be clearly communicated to your child. Tell them what the rules are, and explain why you have these rules. Then tell them what the punishment will be if the rules are violated. When you tell your child they can’t do something and they ask, “Why?” The answer, “because I said so, that’s why!” only produces sullenness and anger in them.

When your child deliberately violates the rules, then it’s time to apply the punishment you promised. Talk to them before the punishment and tell them what they have done wrong and remind them of the punishment you promised.

God is the same way. He always warns us before He inflicts punishment. In Revelation 3:21, Jesus said, “Those I love I rebuke and discipline.” Like parents, God only disciplines those He loves, and He does it two steps: First, there is the warning, and then there is the discipline.

Sometimes the “rebuking phase” is the most painful part of the punishment stage–for both parent and child. When our girls were at home we had a trouble stick we kept in a bottom drawer in the kitchen. When punishment was due, Cindy or I would talk to our girls about the rules and the punishment, and then we would have them go to the drawer and get the trouble stick. That’s when the crying would start–before the first blow! After the actual punishment we would leave them in their rooms for a few minutes to think about their action. Then we would go and hug them and tell them how much we loved them and how we only wanted the best for them. We certainly weren’t perfect parents, but we both agreed on this method of loving punishment.

5. Praise more than you punish

This message is more devoted toward the punishment phase of discipline because it is addressing the popular saying about “sparing the rod.” But it’s much more important to give your child positive encouragement than punitive discipline. Punishment discourages bad behavior, positive praise encourages good behavior. A shepherd used his rod to direct the sheep and to protect them from harm. By teaching your child right and wrong, you are actually protecting them from the dangers they will face in the world.

Parents are given a warning in Colossians 3:21, “Fathers (parents) do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged.” Eugene Petersen paraphrases it, “Parents, do not come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.” (The Message)

If your child brings a report card home with four A’s and one B, are you the kind of parent who focuses on the B and asks, “What happened in class?” Or do you celebrate the A’s? I heard about one boy who brought his less-than-sterling report card to his dad. He said, “Dad, here’s my report card along with one of yours I found in the attic!

You will embitter your children if you constantly focus on their weaknesses rather than their strengths. Give your children ten times more compliments than complaints and make sure they receive a hundred times more hugs than spankings.

II. POSITIVE RESULTS OF BIBLICAL DISCIPLINE

Spare the rod; spoil the child speaks of the negative consequences of withholding punishment. But according to the book of Proverbs there are many positive benefits of correctly applying the rod of correction to the seat of the problem. Let’s notice three.

1. Biblical discipline is a lesson in love

Our primary text says the parent who spares the rod hates his son. The word “hate” means to “consider as an enemy.” Sometimes parents say, “I can’t spank my sweet little angel because I love him so much.” Well, the Bible says if they need spanking and you spare the rod, you really hate them. The second half of the verse says “he who loves his son is careful to discipline him.” When my daddy used to whip me he usually made two statements. First, he’d say, “Son, I’m doing this because I love you.” I wanted to say, “Well, dad, don’t love me so hard!” Then he would say, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” And I just didn’t believe that–but I do now.

God loves us unconditionally, yet sometimes He has to punish His children. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:11-12: “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves.” When we are in the middle of God’s chastisement, we may not think God loves us very much–but He does. The most loving thing you can teach your children is there is a difference between right and wrong and doing wrong results in unpleasant consequences. That’s a good lesson they’ll use for the rest of their lives.

2. Biblical discipline roots out rebellion

There are two basic moral philosophies in the world. The humanistic philosophy says man is basically good at heart and any evil is his life is because of his wicked surroundings. On the other hand, the Bible teaches we are all born with a wicked, rebellious nature. Humanism says all man needs to excel is a boost from below. The Bible says man needs a birth from above.

We’re reaping the bitter fruit of the liberal indoctrination from the 1950s and 1960s, which taught parents should never punish their children because it may stunt their development. The philosophy of Dr. Spock and other “experts” was if Junior wanted to saw the legs off your dining room table, you just make sure the saw is sharp so he won’t be frustrated.

But the Word of God says we are all born with a rebellious nature. Proverbs 22:15 says “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Some parents don’t want to spank their little precious because they think they are a tiny rose just waiting to bloom and develop. Sadly, if you don’t do something to break the stubborn, rebellious will of your child, that little rose may grow up and blacken your eye.

Sadly, we have many adults who have grown up and are just big babies. They still possess this childish, selfish attitude. If you don’t think grownups can act like babies, just go to a Little League baseball game and listen to the parents whine!

Sometimes when a toddler stomps his foot and says, “No!” Parents laugh and say, “Isn’t that cute?” But it’s not cute, it’s dangerous. When your children willfully disobey you, and you spank them, you are teaching them an important life lesson: They are not a law unto themselves. Someone (parents) has moral authority over him and there are unpleasant consequences to disobeying authority. If your child doesn’t learn that lesson they will have trouble in school, trouble at work, and trouble with the law. Most kids only need about four or five real spankings in their life to get the point–although it took many more than that for me. There are some things a child can learn through the seat of his pants that otherwise he would have to learn later in life at the cost of much greater suffering.

3. Biblical discipline steers toward salvation

When you teach your child they will be held accountable to you for their actions, you are also teaching them that they will be held accountable to a higher authority–God. Even before a child reaches the age of accountability before God, they should be held accountable to their parents.

The Bible says by punishing your child when they are disobedient, you are teaching them about the reality of eternal punishment for rebelling against God. Proverbs 23: 13-14 says, “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.” If you could have heard my brother and I scream when my mother used the switch on us, you would have thought we were dying–but we weren’t. I’m sure my parents spoke many life-lessons to me as a child–but I don’t remember a single verbal statement. But I do remember learning for disobedience and rebellion judgement day was coming! My parents loved me dearly, but they loved me enough to discipline me. I grew up understanding God loves me, but I will be held accountable to Him for my life and actions. Today, my brother and I both are serving God today in vocational ministry.

CONCLUSION

Parents, your children will only be with you for a few short years. Enjoy them! But you must understand the values and beliefs they develop in their first few years will be ingrained on their hearts forever. Francis Xavier wrote: “Give me the children until they are seven and anyone can have them after that.” They really are like wet cement.

When it comes to discipline, it’s easier to let things slide. No parent wants more stress, and spanking a child raises a parent’s stress level. But you will do yourself and your child a great favor by lovingly applying the rod of correction when it is needed.

It’s tough being a parent of only one child, but could you imagine being a mother of 17 children? Suzanna Wesley was the mother of 17 children, most of them became ministers or married ministers and two of her sons, Charles and John Wesley are heroes of the faith.

Although she had 17 children, she took time each day to personally interact and talk with each of them. Later in life, she wrote this about parenting: “The parent who seeks to subdue the self-will of their child works with God in the saving of a soul. The parent who indulges the child’s self-will does the devil’s work–and does all to kill their child’s body and soul forever.”

Those are strong words from a mother, but her words are reflected in the scripture we’ve examined. “Spare the Rod; spoil the child?” No, that’s NOT in the Bible. But the Bible does teach loving, Biblical discipline can keep your child out of trouble and ultimately out of hell.

If you are an adult, you may have bad memories about your childhood–whether or not you were spanked or beaten or slapped. But right now you need to know God loves you and He will be a perfect Father to you, if you will surrender your heart to Him. His arms are wide open to receive you today.

SAYINGS NOT IN THE BIBLE "Moderation in all Things"

The phrase, "Moderation in all things," is common extrapolation of Aristotle's Doctrine of the Mean (as presented in his Nicomachean Ethics). His ethic works around finding the mean, or middle gorund, between excess and deficiency. An example of this would be his presentation of courage being the happy medium between the extreme of rash action and the deficiency of cowardice, in respect to a person's possible action in the face of danger.

It should be noted that Aristotle's ethic is often misundertood by its summary: moderation in all things. It is frequently reasoned by those unfamiliar with context that the common phrase means that a person should approach all things (whether healthy or unhealthy) with moderation; therefore, reasoning that a moderate amount of a bad thing can be indulged is not uncommon to find. This is an inaccurate representation of the perspective summarized in the popular phrase.

But what about Scripture? Though there is no direct quotation matching the proverb, Paul does use a similar idea in his description of the successful athlete:

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:25).

While Paul could be making reference to an Aristotalean sort of ethic of moderation here, it is more likely that the phrase translated here as "temperate in all things" should be better rendered as "wholly self-controlled" or "entirely self-disciplined." Several alternative translations favour this reading of the text. Thayer's Greek Lexicon notes that Paul is presenting the figure of an athlete who trains himself, taking charge of his body, abstaining from "unwholesome foods, wine, and sexual indulgence" that he might perform at the peak of his potential prowess.

Weekend Heaven "The Royal Wedding"

THE ROYAL WEDDING
On July 29, 1981, the most elegant, most talked about, most watched wedding in the history of planet Earth occurred. The fairy tale romance of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles raised worldwide interest in Britain's royal family. The heir to Britain's ancient throne and his beautiful princess-to-be obliged their admirers by holding a glittering storybook wedding with all the royal trappings imaginable. No one was disappointed.

Crowds of six hundred thousand people filled the streets of London, eager to catch even a glimpse of Prince Charles and Lady Diana on their wedding day. The couple was married at St. Paul's Cathedral before an invited congregation of thirty-five hundred and an estimated global television audience of 750 million—making it the most popular program ever broadcast. The entire nation of England enjoyed a national holiday to mark the occasion. Most people felt this was the wedding to beat all weddings, and would never be surpassed in its size, scope, and splendor.
They were wrong.

The Greatest Wedding of Them All
One day, in the not-so-distant future, Heaven will host a royal wedding that will cause the royal wedding of 1981 to be quickly forgotten. The wedding in Heaven will involve grander participants, a superior officiator, a much larger audience, and the best feast of all time. It will be called the marriage supper of the Lamb, and it is described in the book of Revelation.

6Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Marriage of the Lamb
7"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." 8It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb '" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."
REVELATION 19:6-9 (NASB)

Heaven will host the greatest wedding of them all.
One day the streets of Heaven will resound with the joy¬ous bells of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Using Revelation chapter 19 as the foundation, we can glean many insights into Heaven, the home of the greatest royal wedding of them all.

The Royal Bridegroom Is Jesus
This event is called the wedding of the Lamb. The Lamb is the Bridegroom. So who's the Lamb? Fortunately, we need not speculate. John the Baptizer told us that the Lamb is Jesus.

29The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
JOHN 1:29 (NASB)

John wanted to clearly explain to the Jews that he was not the Messiah. He was the forerunner of the Messiah, the path preparer for the Messiah. John said that he was the friend of the Bridegroom, but Jesus was the Bridegroom.

27John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28"You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.' 29"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice So this joy of mine has been made full. 30"He must increase, but I must decrease.
JOHN 3:27-30 (NASB)

John was not the only one who knew Jesus was the Royal Bridegroom. Jesus Himself referred to Himself as the Bridegroom.

33And they said to Him, "The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink." 34And Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35"But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days."
LUKE 5:33-35 (NASB)

Many thought Prince Charles made an extremely majestic and handsome groom in the full dress uniform of a British naval commander. However, the splendor of every human prince in history will pale in the grandeur and brilliance of Prince Jesus arrayed for His wedding day.

The Bride Is the Church
In understanding the Bible, it is vital to know that when the Bible speaks of the church, it is always speaking of a designation of people, and it is never referring to a building. In fact, there were no church buildings for one hundred or more years after the birth of the church. The church has many local assemblies but the church is one united entity made up of redeemed people of every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Just as a bride pledges supreme love and unparalleled loyalty to her husband forever, members of the church, the Bride of Christ, are those who have pledged priority love and utmost devotion to Jesus forever. It is our natural response to the sacrificial love He has already shown us. Paul wrote, "Husbands, love your wives [your brides], just as Christ also loved the church [his bride] and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25). He also wrote, "I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2).

Lady Diana made a beautiful bride. People gasped at the way her elaborate and costly dress adorned her beautiful figure. In a similar yet vastly superior way, the Bride of Jesus will be a glorious virgin, simply, yet majestically, dressed in the pure white linen of those whose sins have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ and who show their gratitude by living righteous lives.

8It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
REVELATION 19:8 (NASB)

The Guest List Will Be Impressive in Size
Lady Di and Prince Charles had thirty-five hundred invited guests. The marriage of the Lamb will have a much, much larger number in attendance. John said that he "heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah!' . . .For the wed¬ding of the Lamb has come" (Revelation 19:6-7). The guest list will include all the angels. Scripture tells us they number more than humans can count. The believers from the Old Testament era will also be glad guests at the wonderful wedding party.

God the Father Will Be the Gracious Host
Although not stated in Revelation 19, other scriptures tell us that in a unique and wonderful way, at the marriage supper of the Lamb, God the Father will serve as both the Father of the Bride and the Father of the Groom (He is our Father—Matthew 6:9). Because God is easily the wealthiest being in the universe, absolutely no expense will be spared. Everyone who wants to attend is welcome. There will be enough sumptuous food to last a thousand years!

Luke recorded a story Jesus told which serves as a portrait of how eager the Father is to have multitudes attend His Son's wedding. God wants everyone to be there

Parable of the Dinner
16But He said to him, "A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.' 18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.' … 21"And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'… 23"And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.
LUKE 14:16-18, 21, 23 (NASB)

Ancient Hebrew Wedding Customs
History tells of three common elements of a Jewish wedding during the time of Christ. A look at these three elements gives us insight into the incredible celebration that will occur in Heaven.

1. The Betrothal Stage
According to the custom, during this stage in the relation¬ship between a bride and groom, three things occur: First, the parents select a bride for the son. Second, a contract is signed. Third, the bride's father is paid a dowry. As you may recall, this was the stage Joseph and Mary were in when he found out she was pregnant. It required a divorce to break a betrothal. Fortunately, the angel told him the baby she was carrying was one miraculously conceived by God, so Joseph didn't divorce her. The rest is history.
On a spiritual level, God the Father selected a bride for His Son before the records of time (Ephesians 1:3-4). Jesus and the Father created a contract of commitment called the new cov¬enant (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 9:15). The Father gave His Son, and Jesus gave His life to pay the price for His bride (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 5:25). The betrothal has been fulfilled.

2. The Presentation Stage
In an ancient Hebrew wedding, the bride was fetched to the house of the groom's father for a private ceremony. One day soon, Jesus will come to get His Bride to join Him in His Father's house. Spiritually, this event has been called the Rapture of the church. Many consider it to be the next event on the prophetic calendar.
"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
JOHN 14:2-3 (NKJV)

16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
I THESSALONIANS 4:16-17 (NASB)

3. The Celebration Stage
In an ancient Hebrew wedding, a public party was held to cel¬ebrate the wedding. All of the friends and family were invited. These parties were huge celebrations. It was said that in those days, the party presented by a poor man would last all day; the wedding supper of the son of an average man would last close to a week; and the celebration given by a rich man would last up to a month. But the party provided by a king for his son could last for one year!

Well, friends, as they say, "you ain't seen nothin' yet." The Bible tells us that the party thrown in Heaven by God the Father for His Son, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will not be a one-day affair. It won't last a mere week or month; it will not last a year. No, there is a strong possibility that the marriage of the Lamb, given by God the Father for His son, King Jesus, and His daughter, the Bride of Christ, will last one thousand years (Revelation 20:1—6)!

So What?

What good does knowing this do us now? It certainly gives us something marvelous to look forward to. It gives us hope. Sometimes Christians look at people in the world who are godless and who seem to party their lives away, and we feel a twinge of envy. We ponder, "Why do the ungodly get to have all the fun?"
Friend, if you miss a few decades, worth of parties down here, don't worry. God is going to throw us a thousand-year party up there!

SAYINGS NOT IN BIBLE "To thine ownself be True"

To thine ownself be true When prompting people to follow their conscience on matters, the oft-touted "To thine own self be true" is occasionally cited as a Biblical recommendation. In truth, this saying originates in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. Polonius, the older counselor of Prince Hamlet's uncle, King Claudius, is in the midst of dispensing advice to the prince when he speaks forth the famous line: "This above all things: to thine own self be true" (Hamlet, 3.1.81). Among his platitudes, he also says, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (3.1.78) — another saying occasionally mistaken for Scripture.

But really how good is Polonius's advice? Scripturally, we can only trust our conscience to guide us as far as it is being informed by the Spirit of God. Men, of their natural selves, are entirely corrupted; and so, to hold true to themselves would be to choose poorly indeed. Rather, we should seek God in prayer and ask Him to guide us in the paths of righteousness (cf. Psalm 23:3).

SAYINGS NOT IN BIBLE "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you The biblical parallel to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is found in the following verse: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them (Matthew 7:12; cf. Luke 6:31). The phrase, "love thy neighbor as thyself," also bears a close relation to the saying and is found throughout Scripture (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8; Luke 10:27). James even refers to "love thy neighbor as thyself" as being "the royal law" because it is the embodiment of all the laws dealing with human relationships.

While many will happily point out that the New International Version translates the Lucan passage as "Do to others as you would have them do to you"—which is nearly identical to the standard, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. However, as close as this phrasing is, we cannot point to the NIV for the phrase's origin. The NIV was first published in 1973, well after the phrase came to popularity. Further, as the NIV is founded on a translation framework known as dynamic equivalancy (in which passages are translated in a so-called thought-for-thought manner rather than by a more literal guideline), it seems apparent that they translated the passage in order to reflect the well-known phrase.

Further research indicates that the phrase's earliest known origin comes from a Roman Catholic catechism from 1583 (which reprints an earlier of the same from 1567). The particulars of the phrase may in fact date further back even than this, as the idea of an ethic of reciprocity has been common throughout the world even into ancient histories (we find evidence even in the ancient Greeks).

So, in the end, while the saying does not appear in its common form in any of the more literal translations of Scripture, its sentiment is certainly biblical.

SAYINGS NOT IN BIBLE "Money is the Root of ALL Evil"

Money is the root of all evil This expression stems from the biblical phrase that says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (1 Timothy 6:10). There is a big difference between the two statements. Money is neutral and can be used either for the good or for the bad. Money of itself is not evil, yet the love of it is the root of all kinds evil.

Can money perform actions by itself? Is it not merely pieces of paper and shaped metal alloys? If this is true then how can money be the root of all evil?

I’ve had many interesting discussions over this topic especially with left-wing socialists who believe that the world would be a better place if we ascribed to an economic system that gives each person equal portions.
By asking this question we’re making the assumption that money has some level of influence over the beholder. That in effect, those who earn or have more money are more likely to be “evil” than those who don’t. If it were true then we could safely assume that those who have the least amount of money would be the nicest people in the world. Conversely presuming the opposite of wealthy people.

Or is it just that people are somehow altered by having money that they end up being more evil as a result? This could be true but it therefore alleviates the finger pointing at money and pokes at the behaviour of the person.

My theory is that some people are inherently evil with, or without money, while others are characterised with kindness and generosity with, or without, money. It’s just that money exposes what’s actually inside the person who has it.

SAYINGS NOT IN BIBLE "This too shall Pass"

This too shall pass Trials and difficult circumstances are difficult to bear and one comfort that many have come to share with friends assailed by trouble is the saying: "This too shall pass." The possible origins of this are too many and varied to review in depth here.

"This too shall pass" (Hebrew: גם זה יעבור‎, gam zeh yaavor) is a phrase occurring in a Jewish wisdom folktale involving King Solomon. The phrase is commonly engraved on silver rings.

Many versions of the folktale have been recorded by the Israel Folklore Archive at the University of Haifa. Heda Jason recorded this version told by David Franko from Turkey:

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it." "If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?" "It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility. Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah. He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass." At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.

The phrase "This too shall pass" and the associated ring story were made popular by Abraham Lincoln in his 'Address Before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin' on September 30, 1859:

It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass away." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!

An adequate question for the believer to ask though is how biblical is the comfort found in the reminder that "This too shall pass." Really we should be focusing on the promise of what awaits us who believe. Romans 5 reminds the believer that suffering produces hope for the kingdom of God; if we simply take heart in the temporary end of a given earthly trial, we are finding comfort in the wrong thing.

One of my favorite Bible Professors in Seminary on test day would come in after he handed out the test he would say, "This too shall pass but we will see if you will"

SAYINGS NOT IN THE BIBLE The Eyes is the Window to the Soul

I often get questions by people asking me to locate various sayings in the Bible which do not exist. Many sayings have developed throughout the years by a variety of means. Scripture supports the purposes of some of the sayings while contradicting others.


The eye is the window to the soul
The Bible does not speak of the eye being a window to the soul, yet it does represent the eye as being a lamp of the body.

Matthew 6:22
The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

Luke 11:34
The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.