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Dear Friends,

Thanks for praying for Cheryl the past few days! This is a note to ask you to keep it up because there’s a real battle going on for the health of her body.

In Christ’s Love, Gary and Cheryl

I don’t always understand myself, do you? Why I feel one way today and very differently tomorrow. Nor do I always understand why I react the way I do or why my body affects my emotions the way it does or my mind affects my spirit.

That’s why Psalm 139 is so precious to us who love Christ. It reminds us that there is One who knows us perfectly – our rising up, our sitting down, the words we speak before we say them, as well as the bad things about us that no one else knows and which we’ve thankfully forgotten. And yet, even though we stand naked before Him, He loves us dearly and safely leads us through life’s trials guiding us with His perfect wisdom. This ought to give us a great sense of well-being, especially at those times when we do not know what to do or how to pray.

Cheryl and I faced such a dilemma last night. Cheryl is a cancer survivor who finished chemo and radiation in November and had surgery in December to remove any remaining cancer cells. From a clinical standpoint, she has a 95% chance of survival. However, the truth about the body is that our parts are intricately connected and dependent on one another for good health. Perhaps this is what the Psalmist had in mind when he wrote: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb; I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” The body is wonderful because of its brilliant design and God-given ability to rejuvenate itself when injured. However, it is also fearful in the sense of how carefully balanced its systems are. (Click on picture below for full size.)

So when 16 lymph nodes were removed from the right side of Cheryl’s abdomen for biopsy, it hindered her body’s ability to drain the fluid causing lymphedema (swelling in her leg), which sets her up for infection. That was the situation we faced last night. It looks like the infection is returning. Should we check you into the hospital? Or should we wait and pray and hope it gets better? For those interested in how God designed the lymph system and why you need your lymph nodes, click here for a concise and excellent explanation – Lymph System.

Well, the good news is that Cheryl is now receiving excellent care at St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. The doctors and nurses have been fantastic, and she is now on IV antibiotics to kill the infection in her leg. They’ve also done a CT scan to make sure that an abscess has not developed. If it has, she may have to undergo surgery. We are praying that won’t be necessary. But the best news of all is that God knows every detail about her body, mind, and spirit and what she needs even before she needs it. He is her Good Shepherd who will lead us in the right path for her care. With so many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ praying with us, how could we ever doubt that! As for me, I am selfishly full of praise because I still have the wife of my youth whom I love with all my heart sharing life with me, no matter what comes our way. How can it get any better than that!

So with the Psalmist, I say: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you…Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:17-18, 23-24

A dear friend shared a Mother’s Day story with me from a safer time when children didn’t have to be on guard against strangers. A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived 200 miles away. However, as he got out of the his car, he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong. She replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother, but I only have 75 cents, and a rose costs two dollars.” The man smiled and said, “Come along with me. I’ll buy a rose for you.

Together they entered the shop where the man bought a rose for the girl and ordered flowers for his mother. As they were leaving, he turned to the girl and asked if she’d like a ride home. “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother,” she said and directed him to a cemetery where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet, and proceeded to drive 200 miles to his mother’s house.

If like me, your mother is no longer living, I’m sure you miss her greatly and wish you could spend another Mother’s Day with her. Thankfully, if we belong to Christ, heaven is not far away. On the other hand, if your mother lives nearby so you can visit her, make a big deal of Mother’s Day this year. Or if you can’t visit her, but can call, make time for a long chat on the phone sharing your favorite memories with her, so she realizes how much you love and appreciate her. The Bible says of a godly mother: ”Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” (Proverbs 31:28-30 NKJV)

Oh, and one more way we men can celebrate this holiday. Who is it that now provides you with the love and nurture your mother used to give you? That gift from God is your wife. Following the death of Sarah, Isaac’s mother, the Bible says: “And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.” (Genesis 24:67 NLT) Spend a few tender moments with your wife this Mother’s Day, not only thanking her for investing so much in your children, but also for bringing so much joy and comfort to you.

Up until 150 years ago, the Genesis Flood was the accepted explanation for the major geologic features on earth. Today little consideration is given to it except by those who read the Bible. It is dismissed as a children’s Sunday School story, even though the memory of a global flood is found in the ancient writings of almost every culture. Here are the high points for your adult consideration: 

Flood Stories

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1. It was global in scope. To underscore its veracity, 3 of the first 8 chapters of Genesis are dedicated to the Flood, giving us an exact timeline and dozens of details. Genesis 7 says the rain continued 40 days until the water covered all the high mountains and remained at that high water mark until the 150^th day when it began to recede. Where did all the water come from? Genesis 1:7 says that “God separated the waters that were above the sky from the waters below the sky.” In other words, there was a water canopy (ice rings?) encircling the earth prior to the Flood giving it a tropical climate and protecting humanity from the aging effects of the sun. But at God’s command, “all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and floodgates of the sky were opened.” So there was water from above and great subterranean waters from below. This means there was great volcanic and geologic activity in the Flood. Where did the water go afterwards? It’s still here with us. 70 percent of our planet is still covered with water.

2. The ark was huge. Many wonder how Noah fit so many animals on the ark. In their classic book, The Genesis Flood, Morris and Whitcomb the number of air-breathing animals taken aboard the ark at 35,000, the average size that of a sheep. As the largest ship ever built until the steel ships of the 19^th century, the ark easily handled this number. The ark was 450 feet long (1 ½ football fields), 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high with a capacity of 1.5 million cubic feet, equal to 569 railroad stock cars. 30% of the ark held the livestock with 70% remaining for food storage and living space. Remember also that Noah didn’t have to catch the animals. God brought them to him (possibly when the animal instinct of migrating prior to natural disaster began). Most also hibernated during the voyage, minimizing the work of feeding and clean-up that Noah had to do.

3. The impact of the Flood continues. Psalm 104 credits the Flood with the formation of the great mountains and grand canyons throughout the world today—“The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which You established for them.” In fact, it’s likely that there were no great mountains or  canyons until the Flood. Plant and animal matter compressed under hundreds of feet of sediment also accounts for the oil fields and coal mines that provide us with fossil fuels. The gradual extinction of beasts like behemoth and leviathan (Job 40-41) also occurred due to rapid climate change. The unshielded effects of the sun soon reduced the lifespan of mankind to less than 200 years. Most tragic of all, an entire generation was destroyed because they would not repent at Noah’s preaching and turn back to the God who loved them and made them.

Why maintain our belief in Noah’s Flood? 2 Peter 3:7 says it is by remembering God’s past judgment that we keep from being caught unaware by the judgment to come. For “by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” Jesus said the same thing, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man…people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” I write this in love for two reasons: So you won’t be caught unprepared and to urge you to remind your friends in love that there is a way to escape the judgment to come. Our ark is the Lord Jesus Christ who promises salvation to everyone who believes in Him.

Little Grand Canyon

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Have you ever considered the incredible faith and patience of Noah? Sure, there were the 120 years it took to build the ark (Gen. 6:3) during which he preached repentance to the people of his day with only 7 responding – his wife, his 3 sons, and their wives. But consider a few more facts that must have tried his faith:

1) Collection and Care of Animals. When faced with great responsibility, it’s natural to wonder, “How am I going to pull this off?” In Noah’s case, he was to take 7 pairs of every clean animal and 1 pair of every unclean animal with him in the ark “to keep them alive on the face of the earth.” (Gen. 7:3). In their book, The Genesis Flood, Morris and Whitcomb estimate the number of creatures at 35,000. But at 450 feet long and 75 feet wide, the ark God designed could have easily handled this number. With 1.5 million cubic feet of storage, it was the largest vessel in history until the steel ships of the 19th century. Nor did Noah have to roam the world trapping animals, for God brought the animals to him (Gen. 7:15). Creation scientists say this may have been when God first instilled His creatures with the instinct of migration, fleeing to safety when they sense disaster approaching.  It was also likely at this time that they began to hibernate, making Noah’s job of feeding and cleaning easier than we’ve imagined.

2) Anxiety in the Storm. Have you ever had to weather a ferocious wind storm? Imagine Noah’s experience – never seeing rain before, huddled in the dark of the ark listening to all of nature (rain, wind, earthquakes,  volcanoes, and geysers) explode around you, while you and your family are tossed about on the waves of a newly formed sea. This was the first and greatest natural disaster in history. The anxiety must have been terrible. Of course, they had God’s promise to keep them calm: “I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you.” (Gen. 6:18-19) They had God’s promise of protection. So why be anxious? But then, we have God’s promises too: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “All things work together for God to those who love God.” “Casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.” And yet, even with thousands of assurances, don’t you still get anxious at times?

3) Waiting to Disembark. The Bible says the rain persisted 40 days and 40 nights with the water remaining at its highest level for 150 days. Then it slowly began to recede. But not quickly. It took 221 more days for the waters to subside and the earth to dry up enough for Noah’s family to disembark from the ark. Remember too that during their voyage and most of the time they rested on Mount Ararat, they couldn’t see what was happening around them because it wasn’t until Day 314 that Noah was allowed to remove the covering from the ark. Like us, he had no calendar of upcoming events or road map of how his life was going to turn out. All he had was God’s assurance that He would lead him one day at a time. So he waited and waited until the all-clear signal was given.

That’s a Fact – Outrunning Disaster

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What can we learn from Noah’s experience? Regardless of the dangers through which we pass, God is good and can be trusted. He gave Noah the wisdom to build the ark. He brought the animals to Noah. And once the rain began, the Bible says the Lord, not Noah, shut the door of the ark. (Gen. 7:16) That was the most significant reminder that the good hand of God was upon him, for it assured Noah of his security in God. As such, it wasn’t unlike Jesus’ promise to us, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone pluck them out of My hand. My Father who gave them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) So trust Him, dear friend, no matter what trial you’re facing . Trust Him to care for you and to carry you safely through it to the other side.

The Bible says the resurrection of Jesus was “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20), meaning there is still a harvest of good things to come. What good things? Christ returning from heaven to raise from the dead all who have ever loved Him and taking an entire generation of believers to heaven with Him though they haven’t yet died. Imagine the impact on the unbelievers around us! Millions of believers worldwide caught up to heaven like Enoch and Elijah without suffering death or dying. Fantastic, yet that’s what Jesus said. “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.” Every generation of believers has lived in anticipation of that, and every Easter ought to be fresh fuel stoking our hunger for it. But could it happen this Easter? Here are 3 reasons why it could:

1) It is evil enough. Some believers point to God’s first great judgment of the earth and argue that things aren’t that bad yet. After all, when God destroyed the world with a Flood, it was because “the earth was filled with violence” and “every intent of the thoughts of (man’s) heart was “only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5-11) No argument from me that that was the case, nor do I think that the world today is as bad as it can get. But that misses the point, because the Bible doesn’t say the world will be as bad as it can get before Christ returns and removes His people to heaven. People will proceed from bad to worse (2 Tim. 3:1-13), which is a good description of the post-Christian world in which we live. But the Bible says the worst will come after our departure from this world, not prior to it. Paul refers to this in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 where he describes “the restraining power” of the Holy Spirit which is now at work through His church holding back the full force of evil. But one day soon that holy restraint will be removed, antichrist will be revealed, and all hell will literally break loose on this planet.

2) Christ’s return is imminent. That means that it could happen at any minute. That’s why believers in every generation have expected Jesus to return in their lifetimes. It’s not that they were naive or misunderstood the Bible. It’s because they were living as He told us to live – as if He is standing “right at the door.” (Mark 13:29) The fact is, not one prophecy of Scripture must be fulfilled before Jesus returns. Anything that remains to be fulfilled can take place after His return for His church, not before it, for His return for the church has always been imminent. As long ago as Acts chapter 3, Peter pleaded with the people of his generation, “Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.” (Acts 3:19-20)

3) The stage is set for all that will take place after Jesus returns for His church. Two facts make our generation unique: 1) Israel is back in its homeland after 1900 years of exile surrounded by enemies who reject the God of the Bible and seek its destruction. This is just as the prophets predicted and perfect opportunity for a counterfeit Christ to deceive both Israel and the world. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies… and the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place… lift up your heads for your redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:20, 28; Matt. 24:14) 2) All the technology is in place for the antichrist and false prophet to control world commerce. This makes Revelation 13:16-17 not only possible, but plausible. “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has  the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

So, yes, I believe that the time is short and that Christ could return this very evening. The preeminent Resurrection passage, 1 Corinthians 15, promises:

I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed…When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

But if it doesn’t happen tonight – if Christ postpones His return for a year or two or ten – don’t be discouraged. The reason for His delay is grace. “Not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance,” He is giving your son, sister, or neighbor more time to  believe. (2 Pet. 3:9) So do what you can to help them along. Invite him to church on Sunday.  Send her a note telling her that you’re praying for her. I want Jesus to return tonight. But for His glory, I also want Him to be loved by as many as possible in the little time we have left.

Did you know that Methuselah’s father was a prophet? His name was Enoch, the 7^th from Adam in the godly line of Seth. Enoch lived a long life compared to our modern average of 70-80 years. He lived 365 years. But that was relatively brief  compared to his son Methuselah who set the record of 969 years! Genesis 5:21 says, “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.” But then he suddenly vanished without a trace.

Where did he go? I’ll get back to that in a moment. First, let me draw your attention to the inciting event that took place in his life 300 years before that eventually led to his disappearance. Prior to Methuselah’s birth, the Bible says nothing about Enoch’s relationship with God. But the moment he held that baby boy in his arms, something changed inside of him. That baby turned his daddy’s heart to God. For it was only “after he fathered Methuselah” that Enoch walked with God. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, let the child you love do the same to your heart. For that’s why God gave him or her to you. Like Enoch, you may not have walked with God in the past, but you can let the spiritual well-being of the little one you love be a reason to walk with God every day you have left!

What could happen if you do? Enoch walked so closely with God that He made him a prophet at the age of 65, the first prophet mentioned in the Bible and the first to foresee the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I mentioned in my last post the warning of judgment found in his son’s name. Methuselah means, “When he dies, it will be sent.” Methuselah’s life was a prophetic clock by which the world could gauge the nearness of judgment, for just as Enoch said, God sent the Flood the very year Methuselah died, destroying every living thing on the face of the earth. Only his grandson Noah’s family repented at his preaching. But don’t think the danger has passed. For God gave also Enoch a glimpse into the judgment we face today. ”Enoch, the 7^th from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’” (Jude 14-15)

Then, having preached his message of righteousness for 300 years, Enoch disappeared. Genesis 5:24 makes this cryptic statement, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” Thankfully, Hebrews 11:5 gives us this added explanation: ”By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him.” Enoch was one of two men in the Bible who were taken up into God’s presence without suffering death. (2 Kings 2:11 describes the other one.) I’d like that. Wouldn’t you? Why did God honor him in so great a way? The verse adds, “For before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” I take it, then, that to walk with God means to please God and that there is nothing more important in life than doing that.

So my question for you is: Are you walking with God and doing the things that bring Him pleasure? Please don’t think of great projects you can achieve and lay at His feet in sacrifice. Those things, often attained by the wrong means and with selfish motives, don’t please Him nearly as much as simple acts of kindness and prayers offered from pure hearts washed clean by the blood of Christ. “For He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

By the way, the Bible says that, like Enoch, an entire generation of believers will one day be caught up into God’s presence without dying. (1 Thessalonians 4:17) How I pray that we will be that generation! But to enjoy that honor, what must be true of us today?  We must continue walking with Him, “so that we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.” (1 John 2:28-29) But more about that in a future blog…

There is no question that this is what the Bible claims. A simple comparison of Genesis 5 with Genesis 11 reveals that the antediluvians (those before the Flood) lived much longer than those who came afterwards. The average age of pre-Flood patriarchs was 900 years, whereas the postdiluvian age quickly fell to fewer than 200 years. Methuselah lived the longest (969 years). In fact, add his age to that of Adam (930 years), and the lives of those two alone were enough to span the entire gap (1656 years) from Creation to the Flood. That would be like one of Saint Peter’s grandkids, who sat on his lap listening to him describe what it was like to walk on water, living to tell us what his grandpa said today.

Nor will it work to say that the word “year” meant something different after the Flood than before it. People do that with Genesis 1. They say the word “day,” in describing the 7 days of creation, refers to vast geologic ages spanning billions of years. Tough to explain why each geologic age is said to have begun with an evening, marked by darkness, followed by a morning, marked by light. Be that as it may, there is no question what the word “year” means in Genesis 5. It means what it does in Genesis 11 – 365 revolutions of the earth on its own axis while making 1 orbit around the sun. In other words, a year is a year is a year.

So how did they do it? How did the antediluvians live to be nearly 1,000 years old? Two reasons are given by creation scientists: 1) Good genes. Adam and Eve were originally designed to live forever. So is it any wonder that even after their fall into sin, they and their children lived such long lives! It took thousands of years for the human gene pool to degrade to the point where it is today. By the way, if you want to live to a ripe old age, they say the key is still good genes. So pick your parents carefully. Norwegian parents hold the most promise,  often giving birth to children who live well into their 90s and beyond!

Even more important was the: 2) Good climate. The Apostle Peter states it as an article of faith that the world that perished (2 Peter 3:5-6) was very different from the world we know today. Genesis 1:7 gives a clue as to why. It says that in God’s original design, there was water both below and above our atmosphere, perhaps in the form of ice rings circling the planet. (Have you ever wondered where all that water came from for the Flood?) This would have had two positive effects. It would have allowed light to penetrate while shielding earthlings from the harmful rays of the sun that cause rapid aging. It would have also had a greenhouse effect, giving the entire planet a tropical climate. (This is a possible  explanation for the fossils of palm trees that have been found at the poles.)

So what’s the best tip if you want to live a long life? Be born before the Flood! But since you can’t do that, here are two principles for life today: 1) Obey your parents. Ephesians 6 advises: “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.” Why is obedience to parents a key to living long? They teach us the secrets to life. “Look both ways before you cross the street.” “Wash your hands after using the bathroom.” “Eat your veggies.” “Get outside and get some exercise.” Furthermore, God promises to bless us if we honor our parents, His first representatives in our lives, and there is no substitute for His blessing. What if your parents weren’t good role models? 2) Obey God’s principles for life. The Bible is filled with them: Avoid strong drink. Stay out of debt. “Flee sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” (1 Cor. 6:18)

Back to Methuselah for a moment. Did you know there’s a hidden warning in his name. Methuselah means: “When he dies, it will be sent.” What will be sent? The Flood! Methuselah’s father was a prophet who warned that God was about to judge the world. Like today, nobody wanted to hear it. Nevertheless, judgment fell. Right on schedule, as his father predicted, Methuselah died the 1656^th year after Creation, the very year that the Flood swept away everything on earth that had the breath of life in it. Why end on that sad note? As a word to the wise. For as long as the lives of the antediluvians were, each one’s epitaph is the same: “So all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.” You see, the most vital  principle for life is this: Live for something that lasts longer than this life -