It Came To Pass

Romans 15:3-4, “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

The little phrase “it came to pass” is mentioned 463 times throughout the inspired King James Bible (398 times in the Old Testament, and 65 times in the New Testament). That just might be the most repeated phrase in the Holy Scripture, and I think it has significant practical meaning.

Dear reader, whatever heavy burdens you may be carrying right now, it shall come to pass. If you are going through a divorce, it will come to pass. If you are physically crippled and confined to a wheelchair or a hospital bed, it will come to pass. Everything in this temporary world shall come to pass, whether it be good or bad.

I am often reminded of Jacob's words to Pharaoh in Genesis 49:9a, “And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been...” Jacob had suffered so much throughout his miserable life. After deceiving his father Isaac, to defraud him and his brother Esau, Jacob fled for his life to go live with his uncle, Laban. But his heathen uncle took advantage of him time and time again, lowering Jacob's wages ten times. Laban tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters, to conscript him to serve for another 7 years in the field.

I could write a lengthy book about the miserable life of Jacob. I could write about his 10 sons by Leah and her handmaids, who wickedly sold Joseph into slavery, and then lied to their father about his fate. Unless you've lost a child to a wild animal attack, eating your child alive, we cannot understand Jacob's inexplicable pain. I could also write about Reuben, Jacob's eldest son, who slept with his father's concubine, Bilhah. I can only imagine Jacob's intense feelings of betrayal, anger, helplessness and jealousy that he suffered for years because of such awful betrayal by his own son and wife.

When God touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, it is my humble opinion that the LORD did that on purpose, so that Esau would feel compassion toward his crippled brother. And then I could write about Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel, who prematurely died while giving birth to their second child, Benjamin. I fully know the inexplicable pain of suffering from betrayal, cruelty and loss; but no one knows your pain except you! It was Jacob's pain of soul and body that broke, shaped and conformed him into the image of Christ.

No one knows your pain except you!

If you are at a bad place in your life, just hang in there friend, because things always change; but if you are at a good spot in your life, don't get use to it—don't get used to it—because things always change. And it came to pass!

I think this is a significant finding, that 463 times in the Scripture we find mentioned the comforting phrase “it came to pass.” Life doesn't stand still for anyone!

Life Is A Veil Of Tears

To be quite honest, due to my continual suffering from debilitating agonizing neck pain, burning nerves throughout my upper body, and related bodily afflictions, I am looking forward to the eventual end of this life's journey. I think if I found out tomorrow that I only have six months to live, I would throw a party. I am a happy person, but I am also miserable in suffering. I share the exact same sentiments as the Apostle Paul who exclaimed in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

One of my favorite sermons by Pastor Danny Castle at the Shining Light Baptist Church in Morganton, North Carolina, is titled: '7 Reasons Why I Want To Go To Heaven.' Yes Sir! I feel the same. I am so tired and wearied with this old sin sick, broken and insane world. Dear reader, Pastor Jack Hyles once said in a sermon that, “Life is a veil of tears.”

Life is a veil of tears.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “The Patient Waiting Of Christ”

Whatever burden you may be carrying today friend, it shall come to pass. if you are struggling in your marriage, going through a painful divorce, or are recovering after a divorce, God loves you and so do I. Your life is not over dear friend!

It disgusts me how so many self righteous Pharisaical professed Christian groups today, like the cesspool of hypocrisy at Pensacola Christian College (PCC), look down on divorced people. When, as a divorced man, I attended their cult in 2021, the shameful senior pastor of Campus Church Jeff Redlin treated me like garbage, belittling me with his harsh comments and throwing me under the bus. I simply asked him if I was welcome as a divorced person at Campus Church, since I had every intention of getting remarried. I had already heard that they cruelly mistreat divorced people, but I needed to know for myself. I needed to know if they cared about me as a human being, and they don't.

Kindly said, they are a cult of proud married people; once you are divorced, even if you're just 20 years old, you are strictly forbidden to ever date or remarry. And if you do get remarried to someone else, they will expel you from their community, like the Mormons do. That is insanity!!! Ultimately, their ungodly pastors banned me since August 2, 2022, from attending their Campus Church. Really loving people, huh? Run from that horrible place!

My Humble Opinion On Divorce And Remarriage

And while I am on the topic dear reader, the inspired Holy Bible is very clear in 1st Corinthians 7:1-2, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” How can a divorced child of God obey this passage of Scripture if they are prohibited to ever get remarried? They cannot.

The Bible teaches in 1st Corinthians 7:11 that a wife who abandons her husband is not permitted to remarry, but that is simply because she can go back to her husband. I humbly believe that in such a case, if the former husband has moved on to remarry someone else, the wife is only then free to remarry another. Granted this is not God's prefect will. Nor is it His acceptable will, which according to the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 7:6-7 would be to just remain unmarried until death, to focus solely on serving Christ. That is what Paul did. Since Paul spoke of being "loosed" from a wife, he was likely married previously.

And there there is the permissive will of God. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 7:9 that if you are burning with sexual desire, it is better to marry than to burn. The Bible doesn't exclude divorced people! If we take all these Scripture passages into consideration, only a fool for a pastor would teach that once divorced your life is over.

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) wisely recommended that someone wait at least five years after a divorce before moving on. To clarify, if your spouse wants you back, you do not have a right to go remarry someone else. When making decisions concerning divorce and remarriage, our guiding principle is The Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” There is no law against love. I humbly think I have the mind of Christ in this matter (1st Corinthians 2:14-16).

Whatever your hardship, burden, pain, broken heart, dilemma, loss, challenge or suffering may be dear reader, it shall come to pass!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

It Came To Pass