The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 1:18-21, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

What a blessing it is to occasion the birth of a child! Although births are largely the same,
each child is unique and precious to its parents and ultimately to the world-at-large. At the same time, there was never a birth like that of Jesus. His mother was human, but His Father was the Holy Spirit of God.

Engagement to the Jews in biblical times was considered as sacred as marriage itself; therefore, when Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he immediately surmised that she had become so by another man and decided immediately to divorce her. But the LORD God had a plan to preserve the Child.

Dreams were often viewed quite sacredly in those days; thus, when the LORD visited Joseph in a dream, revealing to Joseph that this Child was truly a miracle of the LORD, Joseph altered his intention to divorce Mary and from that point accepted the Child as the Son of God.

From the Child’s lowly birth in Bethlehem, through the visit of the Magi in His formative years, He was divinely protected all the way to the Cross. He was His Heavenly Father’s
intentional Sacrifice for the sins of every generation of the entire world. He is the Father’s
Sacrifice for your sins and for mine.

I trusted Jesus as my Savior when I was seven years old. I viewed and trusted Him as the only One who could forgive my sins. All that was required was a simple, honest prayer. It can be that way for you, too.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6 ).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Malachi 3:1-4 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.
2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
3 “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.
4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.”

Malachi was the last of the prophets. His prophecies have a grave and solemn importance. First, the prophecy shows the state of the remnant of Israel that, in the LORD’s mercy, had been brought back from Babylon; and secondly, because the correspondence demonstrates the element of God’s people at the moment of the prophet’s writing.

At the same time, Malachi’s prophecy shows the account the LORD’s people should
possess when the LORD Christ comes—possibly, in our own time.

There are three “messages,” in this short book: a message of Love (1:1-2); a message
of Rebuke (1:6-2:17); and a message Hope (3:1-4:6).

In the message of Love, the LORD declares His love for Israel and offers her many
proofs (1:3-5). In the Old Testament, we have the declaration of the LORD’s love for
Israel; in the New Testament, we have His love for the entire world (cf. John 3:16).

The message of Rebuke is addressed to the priests. They failed to reverence and honor
the LORD, whom they were purportedly serving (1:6). Simultaneously, they were offering
to God what they would not dare offer to their governor (1:8).

The message of Hope contains a series of prophecies that speak to the Coming of the
LORD. At that time, His people will reside in a sad state (3:7-15); yet, there will be a
faithful remnant (3:16-18) for whom there will be no terror (4:2-4). Elijah will come (4:5).

As Israel was warned to be prepared for Christ coming, so the Church is warned to be
prepared for the Rapture. He will come for His own, rescuing them by Rapture from the
horrors of the Antichrist! Jesus is indeed coming for His own! He will deliver His own
from the devastation that will fall upon the earth! Signs of the times are already upon us.
Are you ready? Will you be? I pray you will.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Zechariah 1:1-4, “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying,
2 “The LORD was very angry with your fathers.
3 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.
4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”‘ But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the LORD.”

From this basic challenge to repent, Zechariah moves on to give eight visions designed to further encourage the LORD’s people. The prophet first cites the material side of prosperity that will come (1:7-17). Additionally, there is coming a spiritual side of prosperity (3:1-6:8). Interestingly, the prophet cites the material first. Perhaps, he knows that will get his listeners’ attention and set them up for the spiritual side that is coming.

Two years later, he answers questions concerning the observance of certain feasts that the people themselves had instituted. While it is dangerous for any people to institute things that the LORD has not commanded, it does speak well that the people were asking if what they were doing was acceptable to God. Far too often, we just launch out and do whatever seems good to us, and later ask the LORD to bless it. That’s putting things together backwards.

There is far more to what Zechariah says than can be stated in our small letter. Still, we will all do well to follow Scriptural teachings as we know them while being careful at the same time to neither overlook His teachings nor include aspects He has not included. There is a great deal of false teachings permeating the world-at-large today. Seek a church that advocates the whole council of God and shares it faithfully and consistently with humility. The LORD will be honored and you will be blessed.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Haggai 1:2-7, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.”‘”
3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”
6 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

What do we do when things just don’t seem to go right? We do the easiest thing there is: Blame someone else! Isn’t that the easiest, most economical way? It’s not my fault! Never! It’s just got to be someone else!

The Israelites were much like that. The LORD had blessed them immensely! Sixteen years befroe, they had fought a war and won! The focus should have then been to honor the LORD who brought them through; but – they were tired; it was a time to rest. We’ll get around to it, they seemed to be saying. But for now, we just need to rest. Sixteen years!!

How do you get a nation of “old geezers,” who just want to sit in the sun and whittle, to get on with the work for which the battle was initially fought? You seek out an energetic young man to sound the alarm. Haggai was just right for that situation! We’re not sure where Haggai was born; and we’re not certain of his actual age –yet he was called into service by the LORD!

Haggai gave five stirring messages to the people. The first was: “Consider your ways!” Things weren’t going well materially for the people. “Did you ever wonder why?” is the question wrapped in Haggai’s early message. We’re too much like Israel today. The Israelites had built nice homes for themselves, but the House of the LORD lay in virtual waste! Think about it, young Haggai says. Consider, too, that you lack the food supply you need. Any idea why that might be occurring?

Once started, you would think the people would be excited! No, they got discouraged when they pictured the House they were building for the LORD was vastly inferior to the one Solomon built. It’s difficult to calculate this attitude unless it was just an excuse to quit working.

Finally, they became encouraged when they learned that their House of the LORD would be superior to the immediately former one. Lee (Outlined Bible) gives the theme as: “God first in life and service!” What wonders the LORD would perform for us, were we to adopt the power of that declaration. But, how is that to be realized? First, by reading the Bible daily; second, by talking with Him daily in prayer; and third, by sharing Him with others. Yet, it all starts with Haggai’s admonition: “Consider your ways!”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Zephaniah 3:17-20, “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts– They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them.
19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth.
20 “At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the LORD.”

Were you ever whipped severely as a child? If you were, the chances are it was not because your parent hated you, but because he loved you and wanted you to grow up and become a good child and, later, a good parent. My mother told me how severely her father punished her, while crying more than she, while he whipped her.

Zephaniah commenced his ministry in the early days of Josiah about 641-610 BC. He foretold the doom of Nineveh that occurred in 625 BC. “The Day of the LORD” is mentioned seven times and functions as a major emphasis of this book.

The prophet notes the jealousy of the LORD, first upon Israel (1:18), and then over all of the Earth (3:8). Has the LORD not a right to be jealous of the nations He has formed? Indeed He has! Yet, like a God-fearing parent, He chastises us, His children, in the effort to produce in them more and more of His likeness. Zephaniah concludes his message to Israel by saying that the LORD’s jealousy has been quenched and He is at “rest in His love” (3:17).

When your endeavors seem to be going wrong, consider that you may be suffering under the LORD’s loving wrath. If your wrong-doing is not being chastized, you had better assess whether you truly belong to Him.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom