From: Marilyn Agee
Re: Clay Contrell: Methuselah's date of death
Hi:
In his teaching "ON THE GREAT FLOOD OF NOAH," Lambert
Dolphin
(http://ldolphin.org/flood.shtml)
said, "Noah waited another seven
days before the rains began. Ray C. Stedman suggests this may have been a
memorial period for Methuselah who had just died."
Some times we have to try to read between the
lines to get the whole story.
I don't know exactly where or when Ray Stedman
mentioned a memorial period for Methuselah. He
wrote about several saints in the Bible having to wait longer than they
thought they would for prophecy to be fulfilled. Many times, he wrote
about Nethuselah. He would start out with "Some scholars derive the meaning of
Methuselah from the Hebrew root muth,
which means "death," and translate the name "His death shall bring (it)."
Commentary Part II, Chapters 9-13, HEBREWS
Commentary Series, By Ray C. Stedman).
My
thoughts. In Noah's day, it wouldn't have
looked right for Methuselah, who was not a hybrid creature, to die
along with the hybrid creatures when it began to rain. For his death to be
significant, it would have to precede the day it began to rain. I think it would
have happened before Noah loaded the Ark. What better time for Noah to start
loading the Ark but the day Methuselah died?
Gen 7:1 says, "And the LORD said unto
Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous
before me in this generation." It makes sense in my head that the Lord
would not say this until Methuselah was dead. I think Methuselah died,
then the Lord told Noah to load the Ark, and that was 7 days before it started
to rain.
Many times in the Bible, faith is tested by
having to wait a little longer than expected for prophecy to be fulfilled, just
as we are having to wait a little longer than expected for the Rapture to
take place. That seems to be by design.
Remember
that in the parable of the ten virgins Mt 25:5 says,
"While the bridegroom TARRIED, they all slumbered and slept." When they were
awakened, it would be too late for the foolish virgins to buy extra oil. The
wise virgins were ready before they went to sleep. They already had enough oil
of the Holy Spirit.
We
should have enough oil of the Holy Spirit, then wait on the Lord patiently
and not lose faith. Abraham didn't wait long enough. That's why Ishmael was born
before Isaac, and look at all the trouble that mistake is causing in our days.
The angry Ishmaelites are trying as hard as they can to keep Isaac's
descendants from inhabiting their God-given land. They won't be driven out,
for the Lord chose Isaac, and the Lord rules in the affairs of
man.
Clay Cantrell (23 Aug
2010)
"Question for MJ
Agee re Methuselah"
Sister -
You've stated in your last Pro and
Con this info:
"I think Noah started loading the Ark on Cheshvan 10,
and the Lord shut the door on the 17th. If I remember right, Methuselah died
on Cheshvan 10, so Ariel Sharon just might die on that date."
Simple
math from Genesis 5 numbers places Methuselah dying in 1656, the year of The
Flood.
I'm wondering where you got your specific death date for
Methuselah of Cheshvan 10?
Thanks.