Ezra 9:1-15 (KJV)

1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

Matthew 12:1-14 (KJV)

1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day

The chapter we have now begun is full of prophecy–prophecy of which part has been fulfilled, and part remains to be accomplished. Two great events form the subject of this prophecy. One is the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent end of the Jewish dispensation. The other is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the winding up of the state of things under which we now live. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event which happened only forty years after our Lord was crucified. The second coming of Christ is an event which is yet to come, and we may yet live to see it with our own eyes.

Ezra 8:1-36 (KJV)

1 These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king. 2 Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.

Matthew 11:16-30 (KJV)

16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

(1) Church Logo

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the theme from which Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church got her name. It is based on Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”.

Our church logo depicts our Lord’s imminent return. Believers are to be “looking for that blessed hope.”

We see in the beginning of this passage, one of the many proofs that our Lord Jesus Christ was really man. We read that “He was hungry.” He had a nature and bodily constitution, like our own in all things, sin only excepted. He could weep, and rejoice, and suffer pain. He could be weary and need rest. He could be thirsty, and need drink. He could be hungry, and need food.

Matthew 11:1-15 (KJV)

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

(1) O Love that Will Not Let Me Go

Born in Scotland in 1842, Dr. George Matheson from his earliest childhood had deteriorating eyesight. By the time he was eighteen he became totally blind. In spite of the handicap, he distinguished himself as a brilliant student at Edinburgh University, earning a doctorate. Later, he established himself as an eminent preacher and writer and was honoured by an invitation from Queen Victoria to preach at Balmoral Castle.

When the young lady to whom he was engaged found out that he had become blind, she refused to marry him. Out of that rejection, he wrote of a love that was steadfast and unfailing amidst all the circumstances of life, gave us the devotional treasure, “O Love that Will Not Let Me Go.”