GENTLE BREEZE
By NELLY FAVIS VILLAFUERTE
Nelly Favis Villafuerte
Nowadays, there is a marked increase of false teachings confirming 1 Timothy 4:1 and Matthew 24:5-9 that in the last days, there would be a significant increase in false teaching. Let’s refresh our minds with the Biblical prophecy in 1 Timothy 4:1 (New International Version) that says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
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Let me share with you some false teachings that are spreading around:- That there is no hell where people suffer since God is love and will not condemn.
- That there is a place called Purgatory where sins are cleansed.
- That Adam and Eve are just myths, a fable and there is no truth to it.
- That the Bible is an outdated book. No relevance in contemporary living.
- That a personal relationship with Jesus will not save us.
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The false teachings going around that discredit the Holy Bible are simply conveying the message that the Bible is just an ordinary human book. Is it? It is not the Bible is the living Word of God – the world’s best seller put together in a period of 1,600 years covering 60 generations participated in by more than 40 authors from different backgrounds writing in different styles on hundreds of controversial subjects covering varied happenings at different times in different places, in three different continents (Asia, Europe, Africa), under different moods and at different times and in different languages. The first writer died 1,450 years even before the last writer was born;* * *
Did you know that there are many biblical stories that coincide with historic and scientific facts. Amazing coincidences that have been baffling people to this day. Many Bible-believing Christians call these so-called coincidences miraculous events. They have talked about it, argued about it, researched about it, and scratched their heads in confusion.* * *
Let me share examples of interesting stories in the Bible about amazing coincidences. There are two accounts when God performed two miracles that explain why there is a missing day. Biblical story number one is found in the Book of Joshua of the Old Testament. Joshua was a brilliant military leader who was anointed by Moses as his successor in leading the Israelites to the Promised Land – Canaan. The key to Joshua’s success as the leader of the Israelites in the journey to the Promised Land was his submission and obedience to God. No wonder God fully supported the military exploits of Joshua.* * *
In one battle where Joshua was helping the Gibeonites (an ally) fight the forces of the kings of the Amorites, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” (Joshua 10:12) “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies as it is written in the book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel.” (Joshua 10:13-15)* * *
It will be noted that the above-quoted Biblical verse says that the delay of the sun going down is “about a full day.” Meaning that it is not one full day. There are stories that the astronauts and space scientists have been checking out where the positions of the sun, moon and planets would be 100 years and 1,000 years from now, with the use of computers and other high-tech equipment. The astronauts and space scientists are puzzled about their finding – that 23 hours and 20 minutes are missing! Short of 40 minutes to complete a day. The Joshua story about the sun standing still (found in Joshua 10:13-15) partly answers the mystery of the missing time.* * *
The other story about the missing 40 minutes (to add to the 23 hours and 20 minutes in the Book of Joshua to complete one day) is about Hezekiah, king of Judah for 29 years. When King Hezekiah was seriously sick, he prayed and cried to the Lord. The Lord God told prophet Isaiah to tell the king the following: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David” (2 Kings 20:5-6).* * *
When King Hezekiah asked Isaiah for the sign that the Lord would heal him, Isaiah said that either the shadow go forward ten steps or it shall go backward ten steps. Hezekiah requested that the sign for his healing be that the shadow goes backward ten steps. Finally, in the words of the Bible: “The prophet Isaiah called upon the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz” (2 Kings 20:11). Ten degrees is equivalent to 40 minutes. Exactly the number of minutes needed to complete into one day the 23 hours 20 minutes missing in the story about Joshua!* * *
This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.Be joyful and forgiving!
(Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)