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It is written:
Matthew 13:37-43-He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Tonight while listening to the preaching of the Word of God, something struck me. For years, I have known that sometimes the Lord, His Prophets and Apostles will sometimes quote from uninspired books in their Writings. These non-canonical books were likely well known to the people who lived during those times, and they would have understood them to be good historical references.
One of those books that is referred to by the Prophet Isaiah, and by the Apostles Paul and John, is a book known as the Life Of Adam And Eve. It is a book that tells the history of Adam and Eve after they left the Garden of Eden. Tonight, I noticed that the Lord Jesus refers to this uninspired work as well.
Matthew 13:43-Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Life Of AdamAnd Eve 29-“Then God will live with men on earth, and then, righteousness will begin to shine….Therefore the Lord will repel from himself the wicked, and the just will shine like the sun, in the sight of God. At that time, men will be purified by water from their sins. But those who are unwilling to be purified by water will be condemned.” (Scriptural Research Institute, The Life of Adam and Eve Collection, 95 (Kindle Edition); Digital Ink Productions).
This is another example of how the Bible sometimes refers to these non-canonical works and by doing so encourages us to read and study them, using Holy Scripture as the final authority in all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). It is also worth noting that these non-canonical work (which dates to at least as early as 330-143 B.C.) foreshadows the plan of salvation that the Lord Jesus instituted:
Mark 16:15-16-And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
If you have not obeyed Jesus’ plan of salvation, please do so today.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
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