Articles of the Christian Faith from the Holy Scriptures

By Mahlon Treaster

At West Colesville Baptist Church, I taught the adult class of men and women for over forty years. I hope what I have written encourages Christians to live a godly life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685172312

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Articles of the Christian Faith from the Holy Scriptures

Mahlon Treaster

ISBN 978-1-68517-230-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68517-231-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Mahlon Treaster

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Tithe

Sunday, Sonday, Someday

Is the Bible True?

Fear

Be Sure

Isaiah

Isaiah Chapter 53

Migdol by the Sea

Apocrypha

Election

Kingdoms

Faith

Aliens

Symbolism

Genealogy

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Jesus and David Betrayed

Body, Soul, and Spirit

Sacrifice

Is God a Loser?

Power That Multiplies

In the Beginning

Fall Away

Is Jesus Jehovah?

Three Days and Three Nights

Sabbaths

Job

Vindictive

Bow Down

Is Your Name Mahlon?

The Prophet Jesus

Humility

About the Author

Acknowledgments

I thank the Lord for giving me the wisdom to write.

James 1:5, 1 Corinthians 1:30.

I thank Pastor Brian King, Pastor George Waggoner and Pastor Glenn Treaster for encouraging me to write. I am a graduate of Baptist Bible Seminary with a teacher's training diploma, a three-year Bible diploma and a five-year theology degree. I thank Cathy Wagstaff for typing the articles. She is Pastor Ken Wagstaff's wife. He is pastor of Community Baptist Church in Apalachin where I am a member.

Tithe

The first place we read about the tithe is in Genesis 14:20. There we read that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, king of Salem, who was a king of Salem and a high priest of God (v. 18). Abraham had just won a war against certain enemies that had captured his relative Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Melchizedek brought food and drink for Abraham and blessed Abraham in the name of the Most High God and blessed the Most High God for giving victory to Abraham. Salem is considered to be later named Jerusalem. Abraham is a Hebrew (Gen. 14:12). He is the father of the Hebrew people (Gen. 15:5). But who is Melchizedek? Is he a Gentile? What we do know is Jesus is our high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:17).

In Leviticus 27:30–34, we learn that the tithe was a commandment that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai for the Jewish people. In Numbers 18:26–28, we learn the tithe is to support the Levites who serve the Lord and a tenth of this tithe is to be given to Aaron the priest to support his ministry. In Deuteronomy 12:6, we learn the people of Israel are to bring free will offerings as well as the tithe to Him to a place He chooses (v. 5 and 11, 14:22–23). In 2 Chronicles 31:4–6, we see the people obeying the command to tithe. In Nehemiah 10:37–39, we see the children of Israel bringing the tithe into the house of God. And this is what we Christians do today. We give our tithes and offerings to God in the house of God, which we call a church. The money we give pays for the ministry of the pastor, the needs of the church building and property and to support missionaries. The church does not pay taxes. And the money you give to charity is not taxed.

We discover in the last book of the Old Testament that Israel went astray and stopped tithing. They now did not love the Lord with all their heart. Malachi 3:8–10,

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The children of Israel became so stingy they did not realize what they were losing.

In Matthew 23:23, we see Jesus criticizing the scribes and pharisees for not doing the important things of the law, judgment, mercy and faith and of course not to leave tithing undone. They were good givers but they were not good livers. Their life did not match their good giving. They must have thought their good giving made them important to God. In Luke 11:42–44, we read a similar account. Jesus tells them they lack the love of God. In Luke 18:11–12, we read about a self-glorified Pharisee telling God how good he is and he tithes all that he possesses. Before God he was not justified (v. 14).

As far as I know, the New Testament does not command the church to tithe. The New Testament teaches us that God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). In Hebrews 7:5–11 and 17, we learn an example of tithing. Abraham gave tithes to a priest named Melchizedek. I think Abraham did this out of love for Melchizedek. Now Jesus is a priest ordained forever by God after the order of Melchizedek. Since Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, by example, we Christians should pay tithe to the Lord Jesus our high priest who replaced Melchizedek. Do you love the Lord Jesus enough to give Him the tithe and offerings? Since God commanded the people of Israel to tithe, how can we out of love for the Lord Jesus give any less? I guess it comes down to the question, do I love my money more than I love the Lord? Or do I love the Lord more than I do my money? Or are you a Christian that can say to the Lord Jesus, I love you more than all the gold and all the silver in the world.

So if you tithe and God does not open the windows of heaven for you, so what? After this life is over, the great blessings God gives you will last forever. Amen.

Sunday, Sonday, Someday

The Apostle John called Sunday The Lord's Day. He said, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day (Rev. 1:10). It was on this Sunday that John received special revelation messages from the Lord Jesus Christ to write to the seven churches of Asia. The Apostle John is a Hebrew. It is reasonable to think that if this day was a Saturday, John would have said, I was in the spirit on the Sabbath day. But this he did not say. Furthermore, the messages sent by the Lord Jesus Christ are not sent to the synagogues. At the end of the book of Revelation, we read, I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches (Rev. 21:16). Churches have been worshipping the Lord on Sundays for a very long time and have called Sunday The Lord's Day. Considering all of this, Christian, is Sunday the Lord's day to you?

We all know the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected on a Sunday. A short time after this special Sunday came another special Sunday called the day of Pentecost. We read in Acts 2:1, And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Believers in the Lord were waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower them to minister. On that same Sunday there were many Jews who came from different countries to celebrate that day. They heard the Word of God preached to them in their own language. And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? (Acts 2:8). About three thousand of these devout men were saved that Sunday. The same day there were added to them about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).

Evidence that the church now exists is found in the same Chapter. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:47). Evidence that the day of Pentecost is a Sunday is to be found in the book off Leviticus 23:15, 16,

And ye shall count unto you from the morrow (Sunday) after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow (Sunday) after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days? and ye shall offer a new meat offering to the LORD.

Day fifty is a Sunday and it is the day of Pentecost when the church was born, as recorded in Acts chapter 2. The Word in the Hebrew for fifty in Leviticus chapter 23 is kham-ish-sheen. The Greek word for fifty is pentekoste. Pentekoste translated into English is Pentecost. Since the Lord was resurrected on Sunday, and the church began on a Sunday, and Christians have continued to worship on that day for a long time; Christian, do you consider Sunday as a special day to worship?

In the New Testament, when you read, The first day of the week, take notice that day is a Sunday. When you read the word Pentecost, that day is a special Sunday. In Leviticus chapter 23, we learn that God commanded the Jews to keep the day of Pentecost (Sunday) as a holy convocation (assembly). They are not permitted to do servile work that day and it is to be a law for them forever. And ye shall proclaim on the self same day, that it may be a holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations (Lev. 23:21). This is the command that brought Jews from all over the world to assemble together on the day of Pentecost as we read in Acts chapter 2. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5). They heard the Word of God preached to them and many of them were saved?

It amazes me that God commanded the Jewish people to keep that Pentecost Sunday and does not command the church to keep the day it was born, which is the same Sunday. The New Testament does not give any command to worship on Sunday. But as we study the Scriptures, we learn how important that day is to our Lord. It is apparent that He wants us to worship Him voluntarily and out of a heart of love for Him. The lack of attendance to the Sunday worship services will eventually close down a church. You are very important in your attendance to the church. Christian, how important is the church to you? Christians do have a command and a responsibility. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is (Heb. 10:25). Isn't it evident to you that we should assembler together to worship on the Lord's day?

Another Sunday that was important to Israel is the day the sheaf of the first fruits of their harvest was to be waved before the Lord. Ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the Priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow (Sunday) after the Sabbath the Priest shall wave it (Lev. 23:10b, 11). One day after that Sabbath was the presentation of the firstfruits of the harvest and fifty days after that sabbath was Pentecost. Therefore, we understand that our Lord was resurrected on the day of the waving of the firstfruits of the harvest. The Apostle Paul relates to this in 1 Corinthians 15:20, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming" (1 Cor. 15:23).

On resurrection day, the Lord Jesus appears to two men on the way to a village called Emmaus. He explains the Old Testament prophesies that relate to Him and disappears? (Luke 24:13–31). That evening, he appeared to the disciples in an upper room: The door being closed and Thomas being absent. Eight days later, Jesus