Matthew Part 1(Richard Jordan)

8/19/2019 Matthew Part 1(Richard Jordan)

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Grace School of the Bible

MATTHEW (Part 1)

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY

Copyright

All rights are reserved. Except for personal use, no portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Grace School of the Bible

Richard JordanGrace School of the BibleP.O. Box 97Bloomingdale, IL 60108www.GraceImpact.org

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE DOCTRINE

MATTHEW 103-1(Part 1, Lesson 1)

Introduction to the Book of Matthew

This is the first lesson in a study through the Book of Matthew. I want to tell you now that because we have only a certain number of weeks to get through theclass, there is a necessity for me not to go expositionally verse by verse, andleach out everything that is in every verse. Ill tell you now that as we study the Book of Matthew were not going to get everything out of every verse, or spendas long on every verse as I would like to. I am going to have to pick and choos



e some things I think are important in regard to what we are going to try to accomplish.

Matthew is a very important Book. It begins the so-called New Testament: Matthew through Revelation. We divide our Bible into two sections. We call the Hebrew Bible, The Old Testament, and we call the Greek Bible, The New Testament. That is not good terminology, you understand that. You understand that the Old Testament actually did not begin until Genesis 20, and was not ratified until Genesis 24. The New Testament does not actually begin in Matthew 1:1, but we use those terms by accommodation. You do not have to get bent out of shape and worked up about those things as long as you understand that the details of those terms are technically incorrect.

The Book of Matthew stands at the beginning of what are called The Four Gospels. You understand that the term The Four Gospels technically, is also incorrect.These are not gospels, but rather four records of the earthly ministry of Christ. The word gospel means good news. A gospel is a particular message of good news.

These four books - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not technically four different gospel records. Rather, they are four records of the earthly ministry of Christ. But again Ill refer to them as The Four Gospels and it is okay if we understand that we use that terminology by accommodation. So when I talk about the gospel according to Matthew, or the gospel of Matthew, do not get upset. That is

the title given to it: The Gospel according to Saint Matthew. So we use theseterms by accommodation.

There are 28 chapters in the Book of Matthew. There are 1,071 verses and 23,684 words. That is a lot of material, and if we take some time off for tests, we cannot get through in 36 weeks, or even in 46 weeks. I am going to take tonightand the next class by way of an introduction of the Book, so that takes two classes right away. I am going to go rather quickly through a lot of sections in it.

I want you to understand Matthew because it is a critically important book. Itis a transition book. There are three books in the New Testament that, if you dont get them straight, will ruin you because they are transition books: Matthew,

Acts, and Hebrews.

We have previously studied the Book of Daniel, and we have seen the prophetic program in its broad scope in Daniel. Now in Matthew we have come to the place where the Lord Jesus Christ comes, and the at hand phase of the Kingdom prophesied and promised is upon Israel.

Before we get into that, there is a question we should answer. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are four records, four accounts, of our Lords earthly ministry. The question often raised is: Why are there four accounts? Why not one? Why are there four and not six? Why are there four and not two? Why four? That is something you need to understand when you approach the Book of Matthew, because it touches on the very character and essence of the book itself.

There are four gospels, and the gospel accounts are not given in a composite harmony. In fact, it is interesting through the years people have tried to study the life of Christ and try to identify where He was in each place, and try to harmonize, (that is, put into one account), the four gospels. Now folks, if God had intended you to have it that way it would not be any problem, and He could have done that; but He did not. He gave it to you in four.

It is like this building. There are four walls. There is one building, but ithas four walls. That is what you have in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You ha



ve four different composites which make up a whole. In that, you get four different exposures, views, and aspects of the Person and the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Write this down so you get this: the Book of Matthew presents Christ as the King; the Book of Mark presents Him as a Servant; the Book of Luke presents Him asa man, the man Christ Jesus; the Book of John presents Him as God in human flesh, Jehovah God in human flesh.

All four of those are aspects of Christ and of Messiah that are presented in the Old Testament. You will recall that around the throne of God there are four living creatures, four cherubim. Those four cherubim have four faces. Each one of those four faces corresponds to a picture given in the gospel accounts of Christ. There is the lion, the ox, the man, and the eagle (Ezekiel 1).

The lion represents the king of the beasts, and corresponds with the Gospel of Matthew.The ox is a servant. The servant corresponds with the Gospel according to Mark.The man, of course, corresponds with the Gospel of Luke.The eagle (Ezekiel 1), soaring in the heavens would be God Himself, corresponding with the Gospel according to John.

Those four things correspond with what God told the nation Israel to look for in her Messiah. There are four times in the Old Testament that God tells the nati

on Israel through the prophets to behold her Messiah; and each time He does it,He does it a little differently.

King Matthew Zechariah 9:9Servant Mark Isaiah 42:1Man Luke Zechariah 6:12God John Isaiah 40:9

When Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John come along, the writers in essence are saying, Behold your Messiah, Behold the Lord Jesus Christ. Each one of the gospel accouns corresponds with one of the four times in the Old Testament when Israel is told to behold her Messiah. Look at the first one that corresponds with the King in Matthew.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly,and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

In Matthew, with the entering into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, that is the passage they are quoting as they cry Hosanna to Him. Behold thy King cometh. When we read the Book of Matthew it is as though you are reading, Israel, Behold, your King comes. Here He is. Matthew presents Christ especially as the King.

Come over to Isaiah 42 and notice the second Behold that matches the Book of Mark. Again, it is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, [Jehovah is talking, God the Father] whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth [He says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased] I have put my spirit upon him: [That is when He said that.] he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

God says, Behold my servant. That corresponds perfectly with the Book of Mark. Come back with me to Zechariah 6:12. The Old Testament tells Israel to behold her Messiah, first as a King, then as a servant, and now:

Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, sayi



ng, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne:and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

That is the Messiah. God says, Behold the man.

So the Old Testament tells Israel, Behold your King, Behold thy servant, Behold than, and one other one: Isaiah 40:9. He is talking again about the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist is identified in verses 3 and 4, the voice of one cryingin the wilderness. Matthew 3 says that is John.

Isaiah 40: 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength;lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

You see, the Old Testament viewed Him as a King, Behold Him Israel; My Servant, Behold Him Israel; as a man, Behold Him Israel; and as your God, Behold Him Israel.

Isnt it interesting, (it is to me), that two writers in four different accounts tell Israel to view their Messiah such, and when you get in the New Testament itjust so happens that you have four accounts that correspond perfectly with that. Do you know what that tells me? That tells me that the guy that wrote Isaiah,

and the guy that wrote Zechariah, wrote Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I speak reverently, because I am talking about God the Holy Spirit. That is one of those proofs that the eye of faith sees about inspiration.Now, in the same connection as this, there are four titles given to the Messiahin the Old Testament that match the four gospels. For example, the title The Branch: did you notice over in Zechariah that we read Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH? There are four times in the Old Testament prophets, where the Messiahis identified as The Branch. Come with me to Jeremiah 23. Each of these Branch titles refers to the Messiah, and each one again corresponds to one of the four gospels.

Jeremiah 23: 5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute ju

dgment and justice in the earth.

He is going to raise up unto David a Righteous Branch and a King. That corresponds with the King, which corresponds with Behold thy King, which will correspond with the Gospel of Matthew. Now come with me to Zechariah 3:8, and notice the second Branch title.

Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forthmy servant the BRANCH.

My servant the Branch corresponds with Behold my servant which corresponds with thegospel record penned by Mark. Come with me to Zechariah 6:12 that we read just

a minute ago, and notice another emphasis in it.

Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH

The man whose name is the Branch corresponds with Behold the man, which correspondswith the gospel according to Luke. Do you see how these things begin to multiply themselves?

One more: Isaiah 4. Folks, after you study your Bible for a little while, and



you study it from a Bible-believers viewpoint, (that is, study it believing it rather than trying to be a critic of it or trying to tell the Bible what is right; you just study it and let the Bible tell you what is right), pretty soon you begin to discover that Gods Word is the most fascinating Book you ever ran across.Because one little thing here touches another thing over there, and all of a sudden you just go around and around sort of, with your eyes open and your mouth dropped and you say, Wow! Look at all that! Because it is Gods Word. Though there were some forty men who wrote it, God the Holy Spirit is the One that really produced it.

That gives me confidence to know that if God can figure out all this, and writeall this down, and put it together like that; if He can handle all those details, it is not any trouble for Him handling the details of my life. It gives me confidence.

Isaiah 4: 2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD [Jehovah] be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

That passage is a reference to the tribulation and the Kingdom. The Branch of the Lord, the Branch of Jehovah, corresponds with Behold your God. That correspondswith the Gospel according to John.You are seeing here how these things kind of work together. Why are there fourgospels? Because in the Old Testament there are four times God tells Israel, Beh

old your Messiah. There are four Branch titles applied to Messiah. Those four times they are told to behold their Messiah, and those four Branch titles fit together, and correspond perfectly with the four pictures, the four beholds, the four settings-forth, of the Messiah when He showed up in His earthly ministry.

Now how does all this affect the record when you get into the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? If you turn to the Book of Matthew you will notice immediately that Matthew begins:

1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

And on and on it goes through that chapter, and you see the genealogy. It begins with Abraham and goes all the way down to the Lord Jesus Christ in verse 16.

Luke also has a genealogy in chapter 3. The Book of Mark does not have a genealogy, and the Book of John does not have a genealogy.

Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

You see the genealogy of Christ there This genealogy is the lineage of Mary.Matthew 1 is the genealogy of Joseph. Lukes genealogy begins with Mary and Joseph and counts backwards to Adam which was the son of God in verse 38.

Mark does not have a genealogy, and John has no genealogy per se. John begins: In the beginning was the Word. He begins at the beginning. There is something interesting about that. Matthew is going to present the King. You have got to know who the King was, so he goes back to David who gets the promise of the throne, and he goes back to Abraham who gets the covenant giving him the land. So, Hes the son of David and the son of Abraham.

When Luke picks it up he is going to talk about Him as the man, so Luke takes Hisgenealogy back past David, past Abraham, and all the way back to the first man,



Adam. Christ is the second Adam. So even in the genealogies there is a correspondence to the purpose of the book.

By the way, the Book of Mark doesnt have a genealogy. Does anybody care where aservant came from? No. What do you want to know about a servant? Can he perform? Can he work? Can he get the job done? Does he drop the vase and fall over and spill the soup on the tablecloth, or can he serve? That is what you wantto know in Mark.

In John when you Behold your God, does God have a genealogy? No, you know betterthan that. So John says, In the beginning was the Word. Where did you ever reada verse like that? Open your Bible to Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. You begin in John with creation itself.

Even in the very beginning of each of those four accounts you have a correspondence that holds true throughout the record in those four books.

Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

David and Abraham are the issue. David is the King.

1:6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon.

That is the issue.

2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

You see, the issue in Matthew is Where is the King? That is the reason Matthew does not give the nativity. Do you know who gives the nativity? Luke does. Luke takes you to the birthplace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Luke that gives you the detailed accounts of the conception of Christ in the womb of Mary. The miracle takes place, in the conception, and Luke gives the details of how it cameabout. It is Luke that tells you about His birth, and how natural it was although it was in humble circumstances.

Matthew, on the other hand, turns the camera of Scripture over some two years later, and sees the child in a house with His parents being sought after as the King who was destined to dwell in the house of Israel. So you have all kinds of interesting things that correspond here.

The Book of Matthew is the only one of the four Gospel accounts that talks about the Kingdom in the terms of the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew gives you the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew is the one who gives you the details of the great Sermon on the Mount when Christ sits as a King on His throne, and givesthe constitution of His Kingdom, and describes what the lifestyle of the subjects of His Kingdom will be like. Even in the commission in the Book of Matthew, He goes up on a high mountain and He says, All power in heaven and earth is given

unto Me, go ye therefore, because I have all power.

Listen, folks, the Lord Jesus Christ does not exercise all power at this moment. Some of that power has been delegated into the hands of the adversary, and the kingdoms of this world will not become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christuntil He comes back and reigns in His Kingdom. The Kingdom commission is in Matthew as we will see when we get over there. So it all works together.

The Book of Mark is all action. The key word in the Book of Mark, over and over, is immediately, straightway, He arose and did this, and He arose from prayer, He



goes out early. In Mark you never see Him just sitting around. You do not hear much about what He says in the Book of Mark. Mark is not interested in telling you what He said; he wants to show you what He did, His service, His performance, His activity. Here again, there is no record of His birth. You are not interested in the birth of a servant, you are not interested in where He came from.You want to know, Can He work? Mark says, Hey, watch Him work. Watch Him serve.

The Book of Luke presents Him as the son of man. That is the key phrase in theBook: the son of man. Luke is a book that gives you His birth and His genealogy back to Adam. In fact, the only time you see Christ as a boy, as a young child twelve years old, is in the Book of Luke. That is because Luke gives you those snapshots that look in on Him as the man. Luke has that particular emphasis that talks about the human element.

The Book of John: no genealogy, no birth, no temptation. All three other records have the temptation. The Book of John has no temptation. You do not tempt God. There is no garden, none of that. He is GodHe is God.

The authors of each of those books are quite fittingly designed for them. Matthew was a tax collector. Mark, (John Mark), was the servant of the Apostle Paulin the Book of Acts. He quit and then he came back later on. Luke was the beloved physician. John was the apostle closest and most beloved by the Saviour. So each of those brethren had a particular viewpoint: A tax collector: who would be more interested in a king and in governmental affairs? A servant: who wo

uld be more appropriate in describing a servant? A doctorwho could better talk about the human, the man, Christ Jesus? And one who knew Him best, John who loved Him dearest: who could know Him in His real Person any better? Each of those aspects is important.

It is important that we realize, as we will see in our next class, that none ofthese gospel accounts contain the gospel of the Grace of God. None of the accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, contains the message of the gospel of the Grace of God later committed by the risen and ascended Lord to the Apostle Paul and through him to us.

The Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not the only account in Gods Wordof what is spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the most pitifully pathetic

things you will ever see in your life is somebody carrying around a red-letter Bible thinking they have something that is valuable. Red-letter Christians windup in the ditch, because you can read the letters in red and never get saved. You can read the letters in red, and obey the letters in red, and never please God in your daily walk; because the letters in red are the words that Christ spoke in His earthly ministry. They have nothing to do with you and I today. In fact, they themselves say that they are not addressed to you and me as Gentiles, much less to us who were idol-worshipping Gentilesheathen, if you will. I know that doesnt set too well with everybody but that is what we were. We didnt know God. We had nothing to do with Him. We were not out blessing Israel, and taking care of Israel to get saved. We were a bunch of heathen as far as the Word of God was concerned.

What about the Gospel of Grace? You see, after Christ ascended up into Heaven,He spoke again and He gave another message. So there is that fifth gospel that you dont want to forget about that is over in Pauls epistles.

You say, Okay, if that is true, why study the Book of Matthew? Why study the Book of Mark? Why study the Book of Luke? What relationship do we have with them? Lets just forget about them. But you know you cant do that. There are several reasons. First of all, they are the Word of God. Second, if you are going tounderstand the prophetic program, you are going to have to study these books and you have to grasp what is in them. There is something about these books and th



e views of the Lord Jesus Christ that they present that you and I do have a relationship with. I want you to understand that, so you dont get off balance in our studies of Matthew.

The Book of Matthew presents the royal claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. His claims are established as the rightful King of this earth. My dear friend, the Lord Jesus Christ is still the rightful King, not only of this earth but of the universe. When He said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, (Matthew28:18), (talking about His Kingdom), He spoke the truth. That is what explainsfor us a passage like 2 Corinthians 5. I dont know if you ever thought about a passage like this.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,

Can you tell me what an ambassador is? He is a representative of who? Hes a representative of a government, a foreign dignitary, or a head of state. Then folks, if we are ambassadors for Christ then the Lord Jesus Christ must be a head of state somewhere. How is it that He can send us out as His official representatives of His Kingdom and His government if we have absolutely no relationship toit?

2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Who sends out soldiers? Do you understand what I am saying to you? We are soldiers. He says in 2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer with him we will also reign with him. I remind you that the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4 talks about our participation in His heavenly Kingdom.

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

You understand that we today participate in the universal government over whichthe Lord Jesus Christ is the Head. Do you know what the head of the governmentof the universe is called? A King. In the Bible the proper government is a monarchy. I am sorry, you Republicans and Democrats, but thats what it is. The most benevolent, the kindest, the best form of government that ever could be is a m

onarchy ruled over by a righteous man, the Lord Jesus Christ. In that day righteousness will be the order of the day.

Until then there are some other forms that are better than others, but my pointto you is that as Matthew presents Him and presses His royal claims as the rightful King, it does affect us that He is the King; because we participate today in a mystery aspect of His Kingdom that you are not going to find in the Book of Matthew. Later on He revealed to Paul how that His Kingdom was going to extend,not just on this little peanut of a planet down here on the backside of the universe, but it is going to extend out through the universe itself, and that we were going to participate in that heavenly Kingdom.

The Book of Mark presents Him as a servant. And my friend, He is the Perfect Se

rvant even yet. Hebrews says He went into the presence of God for us. Romans 8says that He is there today making intercession for us. Paul tells the Philippians in Chapter 2:

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,and was made in the likeness of men:

That is a servant mentality. Paul isnt saying to follow Christ in the prophetic



ministry, but he is talking about following Him in that servant mentality that He exemplified.

Luke: Behold the Man. He is the Man still. Did you ever read over there in Acts 13:38 where Paul says, through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins? Did you ever read in 1 Timothy 2:5 where he talks about one mediator betweenGod and men, the man Christ Jesus?

You see, He is able to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities because He was a man and He learned obedience. Though He were a Son yet He learned obedience. You see He is able to be touched with the feelings of our infirmities because He has been tempted in all points like as we are. When you look your Saviour in the face, you dont look someone in the face who doesnt understand you. You look into the face of one who understands you completely and fully. That ought to encourage you, you know that? That ought to help you. That ought to make a passage like Romans 8 or Ephesians 6 glow, because He understands. He knows what the suffering of this present time is, and He is the example. Paul said in Romans 8:18:

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

He is saying, When you look at the suffering of this time, and you look at the glory up there that will be revealed in us, this stuff down here isnt even worth th

inking about when you look at that. So just keep looking at that. Look at that glorious inheritance that you are going to have in Him when you get your glorified body and you reign with Him. Occupy yourself with that.

Hebrews 12:2 says, Dont you remember Christ? Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame You see, Christ endured. Why? Because of what was ahead. Hehad in His mind and His soul and His understanding some information about the glory to come that gave Him the capacity to endure. Those are things you need toprofit from with the Man, Christ Jesus, and He is God. He is God still, isnt He? Sure He is.

This is one of these verses I thank God for every time I read the Book of John.

These new Bibles that take the verses out about the deity of Christ and changethem all around, there is one verse they cant mess with because it is in every Greek manuscript they ever found. It is in John 20:28 where Thomas answers, My Lord and My God. Thats even in a Jehovah Witness Bible. My Lord and My God. And thas who He is. It is Paul that says,

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which hehath purchased with his own blood.

The blood that ran through Emmanuels veins was Gods blood. It is Paul that tellsus:

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.10 And ye are complete in him

It ought to be encouraging to you to know He is God. Fantastic!

As we study the four gospels, it is not as though they cant teach us because they can. Now, we are going to study them, not so much in the devotional, not so much in the relational aspects, but we are going to study them dispensationally and doctrinally, especially the Book of Matthew.



I want you to get an introduction and a feel as to how your Bible opens up hereas it presents these things about the Lord. Theres a reason that the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John stand both in the order and the position that they do in your Bible. Just as we have studied about rightly dividing the Word, yourNew Testament is laid out according to a spiritual design that God the Holy Spirit has led the people that put your Bible together to put it in.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the earthly ministry of Christ to the nation Israel.The Book of Acts the fall of Israel, salvation going to the Gentiles,Romans through Philemon the ministry of the church the Body of Christ today,Hebrews through Revelation the ages to come.

A wayfaring man though he be a fool could not err if he just read his index. Thats a marvelous Book, and we are going to have a very profitable time as we study the Book of Matthew together.


We had a general introduction in the last class to the four gospels, and tonight Id like to begin to introduce to you the Book of Matthew in a general way. Next time well begin with verse one and go through the passages as the time allows.In order to understand the Book of Matthew and understand what is going on in it, youre going to have to come over to Romans 15:8. If you want to understand what is going on in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Romans 15:8 is a verse you are going to have to master, understand, and put in your frame of reference. Dont forget it, and operate on the basis of the doctrine and understandingthat is there.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision

People, we recognize He was a lot of different things. He is our Saviour. He is God manifest in the flesh, but in the passage here, the issue is His ministry. He is a minister of the circumcision.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision forthe truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, Forthis cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Notice the verb. There is a root out of Jessethat is the Lord Jesus Christ, theMessiah. Hes going to rise to reign over the Gentiles, and the Gentiles are going to trust in Him. The issue in the passage is the fulfillment of the prophetic program. As we studied through the Book of Daniel, we saw that the goal of prophecy is when the God of Heaven establishes His Kingdom on the earth. Thats whyits called the Kingdom of God, because the God of Heaven establishes it on the earth. Thats why its called the Kingdom of Heaven, because it is the rule of Heaven over the earth. So that is the goal of prophecy, and Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry came as a minister of the circumcision, dealing with the promises th



at God had long made to the nation Israel.

You remember the chart of Pauls view of dispensational truth: Time Past, But Now, The Ages to Come. In Time Past there is a basic distinction: there is the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision. Jesus Christ comes as a minister of the Circumcision to confirm the promises made unto the fathers; that is, to establish them as so, and to bring them to pass. He comes in Time Past. The issue in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is not Now; it is Time Past. Its the issue of His ministry with the nation Israel. We are going to find as we go through the Book of Matthew that the earthly ministry of Christ is to the nation Israel exclusively,at that time.

You say, Why does Romans say the Gentiles will glorify God with them? Thats thepromise of the Abrahamic Covenant. The promise of the Kingdom is that through Israels rise to Kingdom glory the Gentiles will thereby gain the blessing of God.The blessing is in Christ; Israel comes to Christ, is converted; Christ is herRedeemer; He dwells with them as Emmanuel, God in their midst, and then the blessings of God go out through the nation to the Gentiles. Gods prophetic purpose and program has always included the nations. Gods purpose has always been to save the Gentile nations. The day when the Gentile nations of this earth find their salvationrevival and global salvation will be in that Kingdom. Never think, never put into your frame of reference, never come to the Scripture, with the ideathat God doesnt intend to save the Gentiles. He does.

The reason Christs ministry is exclusively to Israel in the gospel accounts, in His earthly ministry, is because in prophecy and in the Covenants of Promise it is through the instrumentality and the channel of Israel that the nations are going to get their salvation. So the goal of God coming and calling Israel to repentance, and seeking her acceptance of the Kingdom, is worldwide revival. It isimportant that you understand that. You are going to see from the very beginning of the Book of Matthew that that is the heartthrob of God as He deals with Israelits to get Israel to be the blessing that God intended her to be to the nations of the earth.

When Christ comes on the scene, in essence He says, Come on, lets get on with theprogram. Thats the idea. You want to avoid the mistake that sometimes grace people make, and dispensationalists sometimes make, of thinking that it is all Jewis

h in the sense that it is exclusive of Gentiles ever getting in. Its not exclusive, but it is through Israel that the Gentiles are to get in. Knowing the program in prophecy, Christ focuses on Israel so that the Gentiles can get their blessing. As it is written, in other words, the Gentiles are to get the salvation that God, through Israel, has promised to give to the nations. In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Thats the promise God gave Abraham.

So Christ comes as a minister to the circumcision. He knows what is going on.It is not a no distinction ministry. The distinction is there between Israel, (the Circumcision), and the Gentiles, (the Uncircumcision), and the ministry focuses on Israel. It is not hatred of the Gentiles on Gods part. It is recognizing that it is time for His Covenants to be executed, and His promises to the nationIsrael to be accepted, and then to operate so that worldwide salvation will go o

ut.

When we start in Chapter 1 of Matthew, immediately were going to see over and over that God deals with Israel. What He keeps saying is, Hey, lets get going. There are people out there and theres something to do. But, He cant get them to go, and they wont be the channel of blessing He intends them to be.

Now, the Book of Matthew: The Gospel according to Matthew. There are 28 chapters in the book. There are 1,071 verses, and 23,684 words. We are not going to get through every word of the book in detail, but we are going to try to go throug



h every verse. You understand that in this short time that we have to go through Matthew, well do the best we can, and there will be places where we can go a little more quickly than others.

Who was Matthew? Come over to chapter nine. Matthew is a publican; he is a tax collector. Folks, Israel thought about the tax collectors probably worse thatyou think about the IRS today. It is not a dishonorable profession today, but in Matthews day it was.

Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew was a governmental official. It is interesting that Matthew is the onechosen by God to pen the gospel that presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the King, the Head of all government. There is something uniquely human about that. Also, there is something interesting about who Matthew is in the sense that he wasa tax collector. He was a part of that despised, hated group in Israel who hadjoined hands in service with the Gentiles. He was a part of the Roman establishment. He had forsaken the distinctiveness of his nation, and had gone over to the enemy, as it were, and he was a part of a hated group in Israel. They despised the people who had gone over to Rome. He, in essence, had given up on his nation and gone over to the enemy, and had joined hands with the Gentiles.

You remember Peter over in Acts 10:14 had said: I have never even kept company with one that is called a Gentile. I have not touched anything that is common or unclean. God had made a distinction between Israel and the nations, and they were to be separate. But Matthew had violated that, and had gone over to them. Matthew follows the Lord Jesus Christ, and becomes one of the twelve apostles.

Matthew 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon,who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and Johnhis brother;3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Matthew was one of the Twelve Apostles, so when he writes, he writes as one whois a part of that governmental authority for the new Kingdom that Christ was going to establish. Now it is interesting in Matthews situation. Matthew is a publican. Hes sort of a shoved-aside part of the nation Israel, and yet the choosing of Matthew to be the writer of the gospel account speaks about a new order that God is going to introduce. Just the choosing of Matthew himself, making him one of the Apostles, reminds us that Christ tells them:

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

He tells the religious leaders of Israel:

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken fromyou, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

That nation, the Apostles, and those following who are identified together through Johns baptism, become the believing remnant in the nation; and thats a new order: a believing, righteous nation in the midst of the apostate nation. Matthewis a part of that; and it is significant in that regard that he is the one chosen of all the others to write this gospel. The Book of Matthew, as I told you last time, presents the Lord Jesus Christ as King.




Someone asks, Doesnt he know Abraham came before David, why didnt he mention David first? The reason is who David was. Look at Verse 6.

Matthew 1:6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon

Now folks, he knows Abraham came first, because the genealogy starts with Abraham in Verse 2. But Jesus Christ is the Son of David thats the throne and the Sonof Abraham that makes Him the heir of the land. The issue in Matthew is Him being the Son of David.

The Book of Matthew can be divided into two sections according to that first verse. In the first section from Chapter 1 to Chapter 26, you have Him presented as the Son of David, that is, presented as the King and rejected as the King. Then in Chapters 26, 27, and 28, you have Him as the Son of Abraham. Who is the son of Abraham? Isaac. Do you know the only proper type of the crucifixion of Christ in the Old Testament is Isaac? Abraham takes him up on the mountain, lays him out there and takes the knife to dash him in the heart, God stays his hand, and Abraham receives Isaac as from the dead. That is the type of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its the type of God the Father taking His own Beloved Son, His only Son. Hebrews says Isaac was Abrahams only begotten son. Hes the darling of his heart. He laid him on the altar to kill him. Thats w

hat God does with Christ. So Christ is the Son of Abraham, (Isaac in His crucifixion). But first He is the Son of David, and that is how Matthew presents Christ in his Book. He presents Him as the King. The first thing you see happening in Chapter 2 is the wise men coming and asking, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? Then you begin to see His ministry in Chapter 3: John, the herald, cries out about the Kingdom, and prepares the way for the King. In chapter 5 He comes and seeing the multitude, He went up into a mountain. In prophetic Scripture a mountain is a type of a kingdom, over and over again. He goes up into a mountain, and when He was setHe sits like a kingon a throne. His disciples come to him, the citizens, then He begins to give to them what they call the Constitution of the Kingdom; that is, He begins to describe in the Sermon on the Mount in Chapters 5, 6, and 7, the characteristics of

the citizens of His Kingdom and the lifestyle they will execute.

On and on you go through the Book of Matthew, Hes the King. Hes the royal King.Matthew dips back into the Old Testament as none of the other writers do, and draws out His character as King. He came to fulfill the promises made unto the fathers. So Matthew presents the Lord Jesus Christ over and over as the King. In so doing that, Matthew presents the gospel of the Kingdom as its theme. Matthew talks about and preaches about the gospel of the Kingdom. The gospel messagein Matthew is the gospel of the Kingdom.

The Book of Matthew is in a real sense a very important book in the context of where it stands. It is a transitional book. You come out of what we call the Old Testament into what we call the New Testament, (We use those terms by accommod

ation.). And Matthew immediately presents Christ, the Son of David, the Son ofAbraham; His royal lineage; His genealogy; Hes the virgin-born Son of God in Chapter 1. Then he presents His young childhood, where He is sought by the wise men, the Gentile kings of the world, who come and seek Him as their King. There is tremendous typology there. Then John the Baptist stands and proclaims the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.



John goes out as the voice crying in the wilderness preaching Prepare ye the way of the Lord. In other words, Here comes the presentation of the King. Lets get right. Lets get things ready. Here He comes. That proclamation: Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, is called The gospel of the Kingdom.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Herod throws John in jail, and Christ goes out preaching the same message that John was preaching: Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom...

Notice please the name of the gospel that they are preaching. The name of the message that says, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand is the gospel of the kingdom. It is important to get a hold of that.

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John

In other words, there was the prophetic Scripture in time past, and the Law message and so forth. They ministered exclusively to Israel until John came on thescene. And since John came, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presse

th into it. In other words, beginning with Johns ministry the issue in Israel isno longer just the Law program. Now there is the added issue of the gospel of the Kingdom. Now God is presenting to that nation the opportunity for her to receive those long-promised blessings, that long-promised King and kingdom. And so a critical time has come for Israel; and the gospel message that is being preached is called the gospel of the Kingdom.

Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sic

kness and all manner of disease.2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

You see, the ministry is to Israel only, because it is to Israel that the promise of the Kingdom is made, and Israel is the one who has to receive it. There is no way for salvation and blessing to go the Gentiles except through the rise of Israel in her Kingdom.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world

for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

That is the tribulation period. The point is that the Book of Matthew looks out toward the second coming and says, the gospel of the kingdom, thats the issue all the way through. The reason that I press that on you is this: the gospel ofthe kingdom is a gospel in which there is no blood atonement as we know it today. When I say blood atonement, I am talking about the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary when He paid for our sins.When we study chapter 3, well say more about this issue; but this gospel of the kingdom defines the nature of the kingdom that is being discussed here. It is th



at literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic Kingdom that we learned about back in the Book of Daniel. The idea of taking the gospel of the kingdom and thekingdom that Matthew talks about, and making it some quasi-spiritual kingdom that is equivalent to the body of Christ, as Christendom does today, is unwarranted in the Word of God; and the only way to teach that is to get out of the Word of God.

I had a letter just this week from some people who were asking me for some information, and in the letter they said, May the Lord bless your part in the ongoingof His kingdom.

I ate lunch a couple days ago with some radio people we deal with, and they were talking about having a part in the kingdom. I said, Wait a minute, what kingdom are you talking about?

We dont have a part in the kingdom as it is presented here. Write this down! The kingdom in Matthew is a literal, visible, physical, earthly, Davidic kingdom.That is what the kingdom of heaven is. The term the kingdom of heaven is found only in the Book of Matthew. The kingdom of heaven is a reference to the literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom.

What John the Baptist and Christ were talking about was that Davidic kingdom that is to come on the earth; not the moral, righteous, spiritual kingdom that yousee when you get over in Pauls epistles. Because people see that word kingdom in

both places they say: kingdom kingdom: they have to be the same. And they dont know how to rightly divide the Scriptures, and dont make distinctions between them, and they wind up making real bad mistakes. Youll break your theological neck if you are not careful to distinguish between them.

Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: forflesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

There is the giving the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that is, the position ofsupreme authority to the head of the twelve apostles, Peter. He is inauguratedas the prince of the apostles, if you want to call him that. He is the head ofthe twelve on the basis of that passage.

Matthew 15:21 From that time forth began Jesus

Wait a minute. What does that mean? That means from this point onward, Jesus is going to begin to do something. Right? That is easy to get. If at this point He begins to do it, was He doing it previously? What did He begin to do?

began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

In other words, He is beginning to tell them that Hes going to go die. Then Peter began to praise God. Hallelujah, were going to have a sacrifice for our sins. No



. That isnt what that next verse says, is it? You know folks, a lot of people never saw that verse before, and thought about the fact that it didnt say that. Do you know what the average religionist tells you today? The average church, the average preacher, the average teaching in the Book of Matthew is that from the very beginning Jesus Christ came along and was doing good, doing good, doing good, and telling everybody He was going to go to the cross and die for their sins and be their Saviour. So they just took Him over there and nailed Him to the cross, and He was the sacrifice that He came to be, and became their Saviour, and they all knew about it all the time. That hasnt got anything to do with what Christ was preaching in His earthly ministry.

You can preach the gospel of the kingdom. The Twelve were doing it, Christ hadbeen doing it. Christ had been going over the cities of Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The men that He sent out to preach the gospel of the kingdom, the twelve and the seventy, whom He sent out to preach the gospel of the kingdom listened to Him, learned from Him, preached what He taught them to preach, and they dont know Hes going to die and be resurrected. Can you preach the gospel today and not preach that Christ died at Calvary, was buried, and raised again the third day? You most definitely cannot.

I got something in the mail today that somebody sent me from Ohio. It says, Youneed to be saved! Well, I believe that. It said, You need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So far, so good. The next thing it said was, You need to repent,and turn from your sin. Uh oh. The next thing you need to do is confess Him befo

re others. There were about five things you had to do, and not one time in the whole letter did it tell you that Christ died for your sins.

Let me tell you something. Nobody gets saved today in the dispensation of grace except by relying exclusively upon the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for them at Calvary. There isnt any salvation anywhere else, my dear friend. You haveto rest in what God did for you, and the message today is Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. These disciples preached the gospel of the kingdom, and didnt even know about His death.

What am I saying? Folks, I am saying that what they preached is not the gospelthat we preach. They are different messages because they are different programs

and different dispensations.

Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power andauthority over all devils, and to cure diseases.2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

These men went out and preached the gospel of the kingdom.

Matthew 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,

44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

Folks, they dont understand it, they dont perceive it, they dont get it when He begins to tell them that He is going to be delivered into the hands of men. Verse22 makes it clear what Hes talking about: He will be rejected, slain, and raised the third day. Over and over you are told in the gospel accounts that they donot understand prior to His death that Hes going to die, much less that Hes going



to die as the sacrifice in payment for their sins.

Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we goup to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning theSon of man shall be accomplished.32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

And they understood these things and praised God that the Scriptures were aboutto be fulfilled? No, that is exactly the opposite of what it says.

Luke 18:34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

Come with me to John 20. After the resurrection of Christ which takes place between chapters 19 and 20, Mary goes and gets Peter and John, and they run to thesepulcher which is empty.

John 20:3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to thesepulchre.4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

As yet, after the resurrection, they knew not the Scripture that He must rise from the dead. John believed He was risen, but still didnt know it was in fulfillmen

t of the Scripture. Folks, these men preaching the gospel of the kingdom, are not going around preaching that Christ is going to the cross. They are not preaching, If you will look forward in faith to Calvary, God will save you.

They were going around preaching about a kingdom that is coming, and sharing the good news that that kingdom is coming, and that the nation Israel needed to get herself in a condition to be ready to receive that kingdom. They needed to come and be identified together with the Messiah by repentance and water baptism ?the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins ? and follow the Lord JesusChrist.

Come with me to Matthew 19 and notice the terms of the plan of salvation that is given there. The Book of Matthew presents the gospel of the kingdom. It does

not tell you Christ is going to die at Calvary for your sins. You do not get that doctrine there, but it preaches a gospel, the gospel of the kingdom, which is: The kingdom is coming. Get right. Get ready for it. Prepare for it. The plan of salvation in the Book of Matthew is entirely different from the doctrine that we teach today for salvation.

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.



Do you know what they are going to do in the kingdom of heaven? They are goingto keep the law. And if you teach the law in the kingdom, do you know what youare? You are great. Go to Romans 6 and 7, and see what Paul says: You are not under the law. You are dead to the law. You have been delivered from the law. That is not the same program.

Watch it work in Matthew 19. This rich young man comes to Christ.

Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

What do you tell a man who asks you how to have eternal life? Look what Christtells him.

Matthew 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: [Are you saying I am God? Thats what he is asking.] but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Thats a strange thing to say, isnt it? Keep the commandments. Is that what you tel a person who wants to get saved? Keep the Commandments? No. You hear me holler, shout, scream, plead, cajole, coo, and everything else, from this pulpit Sunday after Sunday that you dont keep the commandments to get saved. Now what right do I have to change the information if that is what Christ said? There has be

en a change in program, thats what right. There has been a change in the dispensation.

Matthew 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Folks, thats the issue. Verse 21 is the additional message of the gospel of thekingdom. The young man said, I have got the law and the prophets, what else is there?

Christ said, Now the kingdom of God is preached; now you have to come, sell thatye have, give alms, and come and follow me. Remember that passage in Luke 12? It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have and give alms. Thats it. He adds the kingdom message to the commandments.

Matthew 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed

me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

You see, folks, that kingdom gospel is different, and that is what the issue isin Matthew. Go over in Matthew 6, and youll see the basis of forgiveness of sins in the disciples prayer.



Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

That is, Lord, you forgive us as we forgive other people. By the way, thats a prayer for the nation; it was never meant to be an individual prayer. Its a prayer for the nation to pray. Look up the parable in Matthew 18:21-35 tells you how the nation gets its forgiveness: by forgiving.

So the basis of the things is different, the meeting of personal needs is different. Matthew 6: 19-33: Sell what you have, give alms, follow Him, and the things come. In other words, if you sell out now, dont worry about sinking your roots in. Quit your job and sell out, basically is what He tells them. Christ says, Consider the lilies of the field; they dont work; and God takes care of them.

That isnt the message today. God doesnt say, Quit work. The message today is, Wo man. If a man doesnt work hes not supposed to eat. Back there the program was different. They were expecting that kingdom to come. Christ said, You get out there and get in the ministry, and get the ministry going. Dont get sunk in down here because that kingdom is coming. Seek that kingdom first, and all those things will be added unto you, in the kingdom. So its a different kind of a program.

So the Book of Matthew is a book that presents Christ as the King. It presentsthe offer of Christ to the nation, the transition that results from His rejection, His crucifixion, His resurrection and His recommissioning of that offer of th

e kingdom once again to be given to the nation.

There are three verses I want you to look at real quick. I want you to see thetime element in the book, and the transitional nature that is there. There arebasically three crisis points. The first one is in Chapter 4.

Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

[He goes into Galilee, and He didnt come back from Galilee until Chapter 19.]

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;16 The people which sat in darkness

[Those are the people up in that territory. Naphthalim means struggle, and its a reference to the struggling remnant up there in darkness.]

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

From this point onward, in chapters 5 through 11, the emphasis is on His kingdom. Before that, in the rest of chapter 4, He goes out preaching the gospel of the kingdom, identifying the thing, gathering disciples.

In chapter 5, He gives the description of the citizens of His kingdom.

In chapters 6 and 7, He gives the Sermon on the Mount.

Then in chapters 8, 9, and 10 He begins to describe and show His credentials: His rights to be the Messiah. I am the Messiah. He begins to identify, in a serie



s of miracles, ten in all, that He is the Messiah; and the emphasis is on that kingdom.

Then over in chapters 11, 12, and 13, you see the response of the nation to Hispresentation of Himself and His kingdom. The response is rejection.

Matthew 11:20 Then [If you read the passage before this, its the time of questioning and doubting of John, and the questioning and rejection by the people.] began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, becausethey repented not: [They didnt repent.]

11:25 At that time [at the time of their doubting, their rejection, their refusal to repent] Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hastrevealed them unto babes.26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

And from here on, the emphasis turns from being on His kingdom, to being on Him. The focus goes from the wide proclamation of that kingdom, to Him focusing onwho He is. Thats why when you come to Verse 28, you hear Him give that great pronouncement, that great invitation to the nation:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke [He says, Hey, fellows, youre missing the thing; I am the issue.]

In chapter 12 He is rejected as Prophet, Priest, and King.

Matthew 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

He said, I am the greater Priest, and what have they done? They have rejected Him.

12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Who was Jonah? A prophet. They reject Him as the greater prophet. He is the greater Priest, the greater Prophet...

12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

the greater King. He is rejected in all three offices.

In chapter 13, He goes outside the house, sits by the sea, gives the mystery parables of the Kingdom; and from now on, the emphasis changes in chapters 14 through 16. Interestingly enough, the section begins in 11:25 where He says: Youve hi

dden who I am from everybody except who you reveal it to, Father. In 16:17 the Father reveals to Peter who He is.

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.



Then in 16:21, He begins to tell them He is going to go die.

16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that hemust go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

In one of his books, Mr. OHair says about that verse: Hes no longer on the way to the throne, He is on the way to the tree.

You see, there is a transition. There are crisis points; and from here on, theemphasis is on His replacements. He takes those men aside, and is training them and preparing them for the ministry that they will carry on in His absence in the early Acts period. There are crisis points, and there is movement, and there is dispensational changing. Dispensationally you are coming out of the Old Testament into the New Testament basically, into the proclamation and the offer ofthe New Covenant blessings that will be available to Israel in the kingdom. She will receive that kingdom.

We will see as we study that Israel will receive that Kingdom on the basis of the New Covenant. So loosely it is correct to understand Matthew as being a bookthat presents the issues of the New Testament, because that is the basis upon which they will receive their kingdom; although the New Testament could not go into effect until after the cross, but the offer is made for them to get it.

Well start next week with verse one. Let me encourage you to do something between now and then that will help you. Sit down with the Book of Matthew, and readit through all the way at one sitting. That will change your perspective on thewhole book. Dont read a book like this piecemeal. Read it all the way through at one sitting. You say you dont have time. May I encourage you to believe thatyou do. I am at least as busy as you are, and I have read the book through almost thirty times in the last couple weeks just to get ready to teach it.

I am almost as busy as most of you are, and probably as busy as the rest of you. If I can find that time, you can; and I guarantee you it will help you as we study through it. Were going to study details, and go through the book rather slowly; but if you will get the whole thing in your frame of reference at one time,

you will never think about Matthew or any other book in the Bible the way you did before you did that.


We have been studying the Book of Matthew on Wednesday nights for several weeks, and we are going to go through the Book in its entirety. As I told you before, we are not going to try to get everything in every passage, but tonight I am going to try to get through the first seventeen verses with the intention of covering some material that is a genealogy that looks rather dull and dry sometimes,but it is very important.

The Book of Matthew itself is a critically important book. Ive introduced the book to you during the last two classes, and weve seen that the Book of Matthew stands as the head of the Four Gospels as they are called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Jo



hn ? because it presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the King of Israel. It says to the nation: Behold your King.

There are four views of Christ in four gospels. There is not one composite gospel. One of the reasons that it is so difficult for the scholars to produce a harmony of the gospels, that is, one composite out of the four, is that God did not intend it to be that way. God designed four gospel accounts in order to match the four times that the prophets in the Old Testament say, Behold the Messiah! Behold your King. Behold My Servant. Behold the man, and Behold your God cometh t.

Those four Behold statements match the four Branch statements in the Old Testament.There are the Branch titles of Messiah; weve been all through that and you understand it, and have it in your frame of reference, and can bring all that immediately back to mind. Amen. Glory.

Tonight were going to get into the book. There are twenty-eight chapters in theBook of Matthew and that in itself is significant. Numerology is important in the Bible. Twenty-eight is a number that is divisible by seven. Seven, of course, is the number of perfection in the Bible. Four times seven is twenty-eight.Four is the number of the earth. Seven is the number of completeness and perfection, and when you have the perfection of the earth, you will have exactly what you find in the Book of Matthew, and that is the gospel of the kingdom.

The Book of Matthew presents the King. In Matthew chapter 1, you have the genealogy of the King.chapter 2, the birth of the King.chapter 3, the herald of the King.chapter 4, the preparation of the King.chapters 5, 6, 7, the Sermon on the Mount: the platform of the King, the Constitution of His Kingdom, the program that He is putting forth.chapters 8 and 9, the credentials of the King.chapter 10, the message and messengers of the King.chapters 11 and 12, the rejection of the King.chapter 13, the mysteries of the King and His Kingdom.

On and on you go through the book, and it all focuses on the issue of the kingdo

m of heaven: this kingdom that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to bring in.

Were fresh from studying the Book of Daniel; and as we studied Daniel, we saw that the goal of prophecy was clearly laid out in Daniel 2; that is, the God of heaven would set up a kingdom. We come to the Book of Matthew and we find that kingdom: the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom that the God of heaven establishes onthe earth. And, thats the issue here. It is important that we keep that in mind as we study the doctrine in the Book.

Again I say to you, that every passage of Scripture in the Bible, especially the prophetic program, has three different classifications as far as application goes.

1. First, there is the historic application of the passage. It means something, somewhere, at some time in history when it was written. That is called the Grammatical Historical Method of interpretation and understanding.

2. Then there is the doctrinal application. That is, there is a doctrinal anddispensational truth in the passage that relates not just to whom it was spoken, but it relates also to every other verse in the Bible. We are going to focus primarily on that issue.

3. Then there is the spiritual application. That is, there are spiritual truth



s and principles, parallel or horizontal truths in every age, and we can gain information from them spiritually.

We are not going to focus on the devotional, which is the last one, as much as we are going to focus on the doctrinal and dispensational issues in the Book. If you understand the doctrinal import of a book, and especially if you study prophecy, (getting the Book of Matthew down that way), then the other things will come through your meditation. So were going to focus on the doctrine as we go through the book.


Notice that it begins in a particular way: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ. There are basically just two books of generations in the Bible. Comparethat verse with Genesis 5. By the way, the number 5 in the Bible has a primarymeaning associated with death. That is interesting as we study Genesis 5, because this is called the graveyard chapter in the Bible. This is the death chapter in the Bible.

Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam

The book of the generations of Adam. That is the last time you saw that expression until you came to Matthew 1, and found the book of the generation of Jesus Chri

st. When you break your Bible down, there are basically just two men in the Bible: Adam and Christ. Christ is the second Adam, (Romans 5, 1 Corinthians 15).In Adam all die, and in Christ all shall be made alive. And it is interesting as you study through these chapters that that is exactly what happens.

Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

the end of verse 8 and he died.the last three words of verse 11 and he died.verse 14 and he died.verse 17 and he died.verse 20 and he died.

verse 27 and he died.verse 31 and he died.

The only exception in the passage is Enoch who was translated. All the people in the genealogy of Adam, do you know what happens to them? They die. But in Matthew 1, exactly the opposite happens.

Matthew 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara

Do you know what that word begat means? It means to give life to, the oppositeof death. So you have come to a significant point in your Bible when you open i

t up and its perfectly right and logical, and you can see the wisdom of the Spirit of God in placing Matthew first in your New Testament canon; because it introduces the Book of the generation of Jesus Christ. Certainly that is what our New Testament is, to say nothing of the Book of Matthew.


By the way He is called the son of David in Matthew; He is also called the son of David in the Book of the Revelation. The first book and the last book of the



New Testament go together in giving Him that title. He was not the son of David first; Hes the son of Abraham first, Abraham was before David, and Matthew knows that. In verse 2 Matthew lists Abraham first, and doesnt get to David until verse 6. Matthew understands what the record is, but he lists David first becauseMatthew looks back; and the first great figure is David, and Christ is Davids son. Then he looks back beyond that to Abraham, and Christ is also Abrahams son.

God made great covenants with Abraham and David. Both of those men were promised sons. Jesus Christ comes and He is the promised son to David. He is also the promised son to Abraham. He comes as the One who is going to fulfill the royal promises made to David. Being the son of David is the royal connection with the nation. He is their King.

Being the son of Abraham gives Him that racial connection to the nation. He isthe seed of Abraham in whom the promises were to be accomplished. It is interesting that you can divide the Book of Matthew into those two sections. In the first twenty-five chapters of the Book of Matthew, the Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed as the son of David. Hes the King come to the nation, and rejected. In chapters 26, 27, and 28, He is the son of Abraham. Recently we studied Genesis 22, the type of Abraham taking Isaac, his only begotten son, the darling of his heart, up on that mountain and slaying him there, and receiving him back from the dead. That is the type in the Old Testament of the crucifixion of Christ.Thats what you see in Matthew 26, 27, and 28: the Son of God taken out, crucifi

ed, and then received back from the dead.

The son of Abraham, the son of David: Hes the One who has come to fulfill the great focal promises for that nation. The Book of Matthew focuses on those issues, and the people for whom that Book of Matthew was written and is written are the people who stand in the line of David and Abraham. Of course, that is Israel.Interesting as it is too, this first chapter divides itself that way. In the first seventeen verses He is the son of David and He is the son of Abraham, shownin the genealogy. His legal rights to the throne, and to the land, and to the nation Israel are established.

In Verse 18 through the end of the chapter He is identified as the Son of God, and His divine rights to reign as Messiah are established. So it is a critically

important chapter, and it is the logical way to begin as you introduce the King. Here He is.

Matthew 1: 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judasand his brethren;3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar

Notice several things. First of all, the lineage goes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacobs name was changed to Israel, and that is where the nation gets its name. Then there are twelve tribes that come out of Jacob, but Matthew isnt focusingon the twelve tribes. Matthew focuses on Judas, or Judah, the tribe of Judah, and he says, Judas and his brethren, (Verse 2). In other words, Matthew goes with the kingly line of Judah. Go back to Genesis 49 where Jacob gave his propheci

es concerning his boys. He identified the tribe of Judah as being the tribe out of which the Messiah would come, so Matthew is focusing on that tribe, the kingly line of Judah. I emphasize this so that you see from the very beginning, the issue in Matthew is the King.

Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?10 The sceptre [the crown] shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come [Shiloh is the peace-bearer, the rest-bringer.



He is a man, personified in Verse 11. Shiloh is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.] and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

The point is, Judah is prophesied from the beginning to be the kingly tribe, sothat is where Matthew focuses his attention.

Notice in Matthew 1:1, 2, and 3, that Judahs name is called Judas. Does that name remind you of somebody else? Sure it does: Judas Iscariot. There is something interesting in those names. If you go over to Revelation 5:5, you will see that the Lord Jesus Christ is described as the Lion of the tribe of Juda. Are youfamiliar with that title? First Peter 5 talks about Satan going about as a roaring lion. Did you ever see anybody walking around today as a lion? But there will be day when he does walk around on this earth as a counterfeit Christ. Evidently the indication is that the anti-Christ is going to imitate the very tribefrom which He comes.

The reason that name is spelled Judas instead of Judah is the difference in spelling due to the language that the New Testament is written in compared to the Old Testament. The Old Testament is written basically in Hebrew, and the New Testament is written in Greek. A name in one language can be translated into another language and be the same name but spelled differently.

If you take the Spanish name Pedro, and you want to say that in French, you would say Pierre. If you want to say it in Italian youd say Pietro. If you wanted t

o say it in Greek, you would say Petra. If you wanted to say it in English, youd say Peter. Its all the same name.

In English you would say John; the same name in Russian is Ivan. It is an entirely different spelling, but it is the same name. Dont be concerned when you seethe differences in the spelling and pronunciation of these words. It has to dowith the translation from one language to another. Generally speaking, we givethe men the spelling and pronunciation of the names as found in the Old Testament. You see the name Isaiah written in the New Testament Esaias, and that is the same name in another language. Dont be worried about these differences in spellings.

Matthew 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom;

and Esrom begat Aram;4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begatJesse;6 And Jesse begat David the king

You say, why in the world is all that in there? There are some interesting things there. I dont know if you have ever studied genealogies, but there are some interesting things in that passage right there that you dont want to just gloss over.

Some weeks ago we studied about the women in the genealogy of Christ. There the

y are in verse 3: Thamar, and in verse 5, Rachab, and Ruth. Then in verse 6, Her that had been the wife of Uriah, thats Bathsheba. In verse 16 there is Mary. There are five women in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Folks, thats almost unheard of. The Jews didnt put women in the genealogies, and the genealogical records didnt include women; and yet these women are in there. And if that isntenough, some of those women in Christs genealogy were Gentilesin the genealogy ofthe Messiah! Rahab and Ruth were Gentile ladies. Some time ago we studied thesignificance of that, and what those things say to Israel.

Tamar: You say, how would Tamar get in Christs genealogy? Theres only one way:



Genesis 38, because of her sin. Go back and read Genesis 38. There she standsin the genealogy telling Israel who the Messiah will be: He will be the Saviour of sinners. Isnt that what He said in Matthew 9:12 and 13?

Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Thats who He is. Israel needed that warning.

Rahab: she got in the genealogy by her faith. She was there in Jericho, and she had heard about the deliverance that God had brought to Israel. It was her faith that separated her from the judgment of God, and that brought salvation andblessing to her family. That was just the situation that the nation was in even at this time: it was Israels faith in Messiah and being separated to Him that was going to bring salvation and blessing.

Ruth: she got in the genealogy by being married to Boaz. The law said she couldnt come in because she was a Moabitess: put her out. She got in through Boaz bringing her in. Do you know what the law did even to Israel? It condemned them. Do you know where their hope was? Their hope was in that greater Boaz, thatgreater kinsman-redeemer: the Lord Jesus Christ. Boaz was the great kinsman-redeemer in the Old Testament. Every Jew understood the romance of redemption in

the Book of Ruth. They understood that coming kinsman-redeemer who would fit the type, and there is Ruth, identified clearly for them. Boaz places her into the list.

Bathsheba: Bathsheba reminds you of the sure mercies of David. She is in the genealogy because of the sin in connection with the life of King David. There is an adulterer in the Kings palace: David. Sometimes you forget about who David was and what he did, the awful sins connected with his life, his failures and shortcomings, and the judgments on him and on the nation because of his sins. There she stands, and yet God was true to His promise, and He had given what Isaiah 55:3 calls the sure mercies of David.

Mary: Mary signifies God out of weakness bringing forth His strength: usefulne

ss and profitability for God from just a little dedicated handmaiden.

So, these women speak great truths to the nation Israel, and spiritually to us.Their presence here is fantastic. I say, ladies, you never have to feel slighted in the Bible. You know, there is a big deal going on today; the National Council of Churches has come out with their de-sexed Bible: our Mother/Father, Dear Mother God, holy one, and all that kind of business. They take out the name Father and the pronoun Him. I never met a Christian woman that ever felt slighted by the masculine references to God. If she did, she never said anything to me about it. You dont meet thinking people that get slighted by that stuff.

You know, theres not a person in the world who ever had a good daddy that didnt appreciate those places where it talked about God the Father, because he understan

ds what a good daddy, a good father is. Theres not a woman in the world, if sheever had a big brother she loved, who didnt appreciate him. Did you ever have agood, big brother to take care of you? You can appreciate those things. Now Iknow the Lord Jesus Christ is not a big brother, but theres something about thatwhen you see somebody raising their hands in holy horror about that kind of thing. Theres always a little something a little off base there.

You know, people? This Book right here is the Book that elevates and lifts andexalts and holds up the position of women like nothing else ever has in human history. Do you know where women wind up in human history apart from the preachin



g of the gospel of the grace of God and the Word of God? They wind up trampledunder feet as slaves. But you let this Book come in and be preached, and you let the truth of this Book be recognized and honored, and you let it permeate society and get a control of people and dominate their thinking, and do you know what happens? Women are placed up on a pedestal and are exalted.

So its not outside the character of God for these ladies to be in the genealogy.It ought not be so strange. In fact, there are some tremendous lessons here because of their presence.

By the way, the Gentiles that are there have been a problem to some people. Ivehad people ask why in the world would there be Gentiles in the genealogy of theKing of Israel? If He is the King of Israel, why are the Gentiles there? Why folks, dont forget what the purpose of the nation Israel was. Why did God call the nation? What is He doing in the nation? He tells Abraham, In thy seed shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed. Gods purpose in the nation is for the salvation and blessings of God to go out to the nations, to the Gentiles. This isjust a foretaste of it: the fact that the Gentiles are going to receive their blessing through the Israels Messiah.

Verse 6 is important.

Matthew 1:6 And Jesse begat David the king

The emphasis is on the king. By the way, notice it says, David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias. It doesnt say Solomon was the king. The Jews claim Solomon was the king who was to be the true son of David; but it is David who is called the king, not Solomon.

David begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias. Come back to 2 Samuel 12. Theres a verse that people use to try to point out a contradiction in your Bible. Bathsheba is said to be her who had been the wife of Urias, because she was no longer his wife when Solomon was born. Where was Uriah? He was dead. Folks, death ends a marriage relationship, Romans 7 is clear about that. When Uriah died, she no longer was Uriahs wife; she had been. People take 2 Samuel 12:15 and try to contradict Matthew.

2 Samuel 12:15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

See, they say, here it says she is Uriahs wife. The other verse says she had beenell, this verse here is not talking about Solomon; it is talking about the child that David and Bathsheba conceived while Uriah was still alive. Solomon is subsequent to that, so there is not a contradiction, and there is not a problem.

Matthew 1:7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

It is important that you notice that the line goes from David to Solomon, because David had many children. Just as it was important to know it was from Abraham

, Isaac, Jacob, to Judah, it is important to notice it goes from David to Solomon.

I want you to compare a passage in Luke where Lukes genealogy goes in a different direction from here on. Down to this point, from Abraham to David, Lukes genealogy matches Matthews; but from here on they split and go different courses. Matthew follows the royal lineage through Solomon. He had the kingly right to the throne. Luke follows the lineage through one of Solomons older brothers. Lukes genealogy goes the opposite direction from Matthew. Lukes genealogy goes from Mary back to Adam, and Matthews genealogy goes from Abraham forward to Joseph, the hu



sband of Mary.

Luke 3:31 which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed

Luke traces it through David to Nathan, instead of David to Solomon. In a few minutes you will see why that is important.

Matthew 1:7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

You dont notice any problem in that verse but there is a problem. There are three names left out in that passage. In verse 8 after Joram, if you study 2 Kings, youll see that Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah are before Ozias, (Uzziah). Matthew leaves out those three kings. Why would he leave them out? The omission is notan oversight on Matthews part. It is an intentional, purposeful omission. He did it on purpose. Ill show one of the reasons in verse 17.

Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

In other words, Matthews purpose is, from Abraham to David, from David to the Babylonian Captivity, and from the captivity to Christ, to list just fourteen generations in each of those categories. There are more than fourteen generations in there, so he selects some and leaves them out. He does that twice. He does it again in Verse 11.

Matthew 1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

After Josias he leaves out Jehoahaz and Eliakim, whose name was changed to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim is succeeded by Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin is succeeded by Zedekiah who was king when he was carried off to Babylon. Matthew takes Josias and then Jechonias. Jechonias is right in the middle, and Matthew doesnt mention the gu

y before him, nor Zedekiah who comes after him, and is carried away.

Now you say, why in the world is all of that done? Matthew omits the names of Jechonias brethren and just puts Jeconias in there. First, how can he do it legitimately? In Verse 8, how can he say Joram begat Uzziah when he really begat another guy who begat another guy who begat another guy who begat Uzziah? That ought not to be any problem to you by now if you understood what he said in verseone.

Matthew 1: 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, theson of Abraham.

Did Christ have two daddies? Is He the son of David, or is He the son of Abrah

am? He is both. You see, that term the son of doesnt necessarily have to be the actual, physical son of an immediate father. It has the idea of being the descendant of someone. Let me show you an example.

When you begin to define terminology in your Bible, let me give you a hint: the Bible is its own dictionary. The Bible sets up its own system of definitions for terms. You dont run to a commentary or to a lexicon or that kind of thing and force those definitions on the Scripture. First you go to the Bible: take a concordance and look up the way God uses the word in His Word. Youll find that that will save you some trouble, especially in these kinds of matters. Let me giv



e you an illustration that is interesting.

Hebrews 7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithesin Abraham.10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

Was Abraham Melchizedeks immediate father? No. Was Levi in Abrahams loins? He sure was. What is he talking about? Hes talking about descent, lineage, that kind of thing. Hes his ancestor; thats where he came from. Hes his great, grandfather literally, but hes there.

What you have in Matthew is the same kind of thing. Ill show you one that isnt even that close. Come back to 1 Samuel 24. Heres one who is just a relative.

1 Samuel 24:16 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David?...

Was David Sauls son? What kind of relationship did David have with Saul? He was his son-in-law. David was married to Sauls daughter. (The situation was a mistake, but David was Sauls son-in-law.) There hes called a son, but he is a son-in-law. So you see that the Scripture uses the term that way. When you come to Matthew 1, there is no violation of the way the Bible uses the words.

There is a spiritual reason why these names are omitted the way they are. Look

with me, if you will, at verse 8, at the three guys that are omitted: Ahaziah,Joash and Amaziah. When you come to Ahaziah, you get to one of the classic boo-boos in your Bible. Have you ever heard anybody talk about the age of Ahaziah?Let me show it to you. Come back to 2 Chronicles 22, and 2 Kings 8. You wantto pull your hair out sometimes when you try to figure the age of these kings in the Old Testament.

If you want to watch a bunch of unbelievers, modernists, liberals, and scoffers have a good time, turn them loose on these kings in Numbers, Kings, andChronicles. They just have a fit making fun. Ha, ha, ha and all that kind of stuff. If you are a Bible believer you look at those things with a little different point of view. You believe there arent any contradictions in the Bible. Right? And that there arent any mistakes in the Bible. Right? So you read those thi

ngs and you say there must be a reason for them.

I once had a book put out by the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. (Four As. Youve heard of AA, well this had four As.) They put out a book that I picked up at a bus station when I was about sixteen years old. It was entitled 1500 Contradictions In The Word of God. I said, Man, thats got to be good.Ive got to read that. About 1100 or 1200 of them werent worth the powder and salt it would take just to burn them up. Those were instances where they claimed One writer said this, and then two chapters later he said something else. Here hesaid something to someone, and then two chapters later he said something different to somebody else. They said, Hes contradicting himself. Any fool knows better han that.

Some of these things are interesting. There are about 400 of them that I have worked through myself in the past twenty years. When you look at them they puzzle you. I have never found any of them that you couldnt come up with at least a good answer. You couldnt go into a court of law that you couldnt demonstrate conclusively that there is another answer than to say that there is a mistake in theBible. Now, there are some of them that are hard, and this is probably one of the hardest ones.

2 Chronicles 22:2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem



How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign? Forty-two years old.

2 Kings 8:26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem

How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign? Was he twenty-two or was he forty-two? He couldnt be both, or could he? The new Bibles have a real interesting wayof handling that. Do you know what they do? They change 2 Chronicles 22 and say it was a copyists error. Thats the cheap way out, but its a way out. The problem with that is that the Hebrew text in 2 Chronicles 22, says, forty-two. It doesnt say, twenty-two. So in order to solve the problem you have to abandon the Hebrew text, and say that there isnt any Hebrew text that is right, and that they are all wrong. My attitude about that way is that I dont believe that. You can believe that if you want to, but I dont believe that. I believe there are better ways to answer problems like that than just to throw out Gods Word.

You say, whats a good answer? Well, maybe I cant give you one real quick; and were not going to go through all the verses on this. It would take an hour. It gets confusing because you dont remember who is who. Basically, there are two waysto go. First, (This is usually the way it is explained.) Ahaziah ascends the throne when he is twenty-two years old, but he is of the house of Omri. Read therest of the verse there.

2 Kings 8:26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

The house of Omri had been in royal control for forty-two years prior to this.You can demonstrate that fairly easily by comparing verses. So what you have in one passage is a description of a mans age when he began to reign. In the other passage you have a description of how long his kingly lineage had been in effect when he began to reign. Do you understand what I am saying? You can find other illustrations in the Old Testament that happen that way.

Another way of solving it, which is the one I would prefer, is to recognize that Ahaziah was anointed King of Judah at the age of twenty-two; but he didnt come t

o sit on the throne until he was forty-two years old. How did that happen? Omri was succeeded by Ahaziah who represented Ahabs house, (which he did for twentyyears before he took over the throne of Judah). As Jorams son, he would have had title to the throne of Judah. He took that title when he became forty-two, hewas king from the time he was twenty-two, but he doesnt take the throne of Judahuntil he is forty-two. Now thats a little more confusing when you get into the intricacies of all the grandmothers, and the kinfolk, and the step-mothers, and one married to two guys, etc.

Do you know who Athaliah was? She was the daughter of Ahab. Do you remember who Ahab was? Jezebels husband. He introduced what into Israel? Baal worship. He was a wicked kinga wicked kingand a wicked queen. Athaliah was their daughter.

What you have there is, these three people that are omitted in verse 8 are the descendants of that wicked, usurping, Baalite system that gets in therea bunch ofidolaters. Do you know why God omits people like that? Go back with me to Exodus 20.

Exodus 20: 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that isin the water under the earth.5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thyGod am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity [The iniquity there is the iniquity



of idolatry.] of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

That passage is literally fulfilled in Matthew 1, where God Almighty reaches down through the pen of Matthew, and just scratches out all those dudes names. By the way, all three of those guys he left out died violent deaths, and youll see that if you study your Old Testament. There is a spiritual reason that those three people were left out. Matthew deliberately leaves out some people, but there is a spiritual reason he left out the ones he did in Verse 8. It was because oftheir association with Baal worshiptheir idolatrous associations.

You say, why did he pick the ones in verse 11? There is a reason that he included the name of Jechonias instead of his predecessor or his successor. The reason has to do with the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to follow this. Go back to Jeremiah 22, and lets look at Jechoniah.

Jeremiah 22:24 As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim

He just takes the Je, (which stands for Jehovah), clean off the guys name. He says, I dont even want my name on that rascals name. Just call him Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. Now thats the guy we are talking about in Matthew 1:11: Josiah begat Jeconiah.

The lineage in Chronicles is: Josiah, Jehoiakim, then Jehoiachin, which is this

guy were talking about here.

Jeremiah 22:24 As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into thehand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar kingof Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. [Now, heres a message for everybody:]

30 Thus saith the LORD, [God says, you Gentile nations out there, (the earth),you listen to this: I am going to tell you something about Israel.] Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

Folks, God Almighty takes that royal line that runs from David through Solomon to Jechoniah, and God says, When it gets there, you just scratch that line off; because no descendant of Jechoniah will ever get on the throne. Do you see that?Now, that causes a problem in the situation, do you know that? The Lord Jesus Christ has to be the descendant of David, and He has to be the descendant of David through the royal lineage. Hes has to be heir to the throne. Any of Davids boys wont do, it has to be through Solomon. Hes has to have legal claim to that thro

ne. And yet God says that none of Davids descendants through Solomon beyond Jeconiah will ever have any right. He says in Ezekiel: Take the crown off their head. It isnt theirs any more.

Now, if you go to verse 16 in Matthew 1, youll see that the lineage leads right to Joseph. If Joseph is humanly the father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ had no legal right to sit on the throne. If Joseph is the literal, human father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan could walk up to Jesus Christ, turn in the Word of God to Jeremiah 22, and say, You cant sit on the throne.



Now isnt that a can of worms? Do you see how important the virgin birth of Christ is? I hope you do. Folks, I hope you can see from that the absolute necessity for the Lord Jesus Christ to have been born without a human father, especially without Joseph as His father, else Messiah would never have been qualified to reign. There is no way for Messiah ever to reign over the house of Israel as the son of David without being virgin born. No son of David could ever get on thethrone, because God said so back there in Jeremiah 22. He came to Coniah, and Whack! He just took that throne away.

We studied in Daniel that they go into captivity. He made Nebuchadnezzar the head of those nations. What did we talk about Him doing? He took that crown away from Israel, and that position of rulership that He had promised Israel, and He raised up the Gentiles. He took it away from Israel, and the times of the Gentiles politically began.

That is an interesting thing, but how about the Lord Jesus Christ? What about Him? Doesnt He still have to be the descendant of David? Isnt He said to be the son of David over and over in the Bible? Doesnt it say He is the lion of the tribe of Judah? Doesnt it say He is the son of David? Yes, He is. Do you know where He gets that from? Marys genealogy in Luke 3 doesnt run from David through Solomon, but through Nathan. Do you remember I pointed that out to you a minute ago? Now you see why it is important, dont you? He is literally the son of David through Nathan; but He misses the curse on Coniah by virtue of the virgin birth.

To me that is a marvelous piece of Gods handiwork in knowing, providing, and protecting who the Lord Jesus Christ really is. The virgin birth is not just a moral necessity as far as your spiritual salvation is concerned. Its an absolute legal necessity as far as Messiahs ability to reign as the Messiah, and be qualified to sit on the throne.

Matthew 1:12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph

There are no genealogy records anywhere like that one in verses 12-14. There is absolute total obscurity for the genealogy of Messiah except if you believe Matthew. If you dont believe Matthew you have nowhere to go. That is the only place you have to go. After the captivity they dont have it. All those records are gone now anyway. They were all destroyed with the destruction of Jerusalem. So the only place you have the genealogy is here in Matthew, and it is protected that way. Interestingly enough, there are ten names between Zorobabel and Joseph,and Christ.

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Notice how carefully Matthew is wording the verse in order to protect the virgin birth of Christ. Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born not begat, but born Jesus. You know, every verse in the genealogy so far says, he begat, he begat, he begat; but here it says it says, He is born. Do you know the difference between begat and born? One is at the beginning, and one is at the end. The begetting is the conception, and being born is the bringing forth, the birth rocess.

I have told you before that the real miracle was the conception of Christ. Yousee? Its a virgin conception. Its a virgin birth because He was virgin-conceived



. Thats the issue. Verse 16 moves from conception, and says of Jesus, He is born

. He is very careful to change the words so there is no doubt or question aboutthe difference in the situation there.

Joseph is the husband of Mary. The genealogy in chapter one, is the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ only because His mother was married to Joseph. And because she is married to Joseph, Jesus gets the legal claim to the throne. He canlegally claim that throne by virtue of the lineage that He inherits from Josephwhom His mother married. Literally Hes the Son coming through the other line, (Nathan), so He misses the curse on Davids seed.

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Jesus is His name.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

The word means Jehovah Saviour. In the Old Testament it is the word for Joshua: Jehovah Saviour, same word. Joshua in the Old Testament is Jesus in the New Testament; identical words spelled differently like all the other words for the same reason. Jehovah Saviour.

His name is Jesus who is called the Christ. The word Christ means the anointed

one. Its the Greek word for Messiah. Messiah is a Hebrew word that means anointed one. Christ is the Greek word that means anointed one and they are equal toeach other.

John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

You see, Messiah and Christ are the same thing in different languages: Hebrew and Greek. You know that from that verse; its very clear. Christ is the title that the Lord Jesus Christ holds. Come with me to Luke 2 and notice something very interesting about that title.

Luke 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not se

e death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Why would he call Him the Lords Christ?

Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

Why would he call Him His Christ and the Lords Christ? Do you remember in Ezekiel 28:14-16, (weve already studied that), that Satan is called the anointed cherub that covereth? Satan is a christ; he has that title. So it is no wonder thatSatan would come along and try to imitate the Lords Anointed, the Lords Christ, and he is the anti-Christ. Your Bible is very clear to make that distinction.

People, it isnt enough to talk about Christ, and it isnt just enough to talk about Jesus. Hes the Lord Jesus Christ, and you have to remember that; because you can have another Jesus, and you can have the wrong Christ. You will notice in religious circles they are either doing one or the other: they talk about Jesus, Jesus, but theyre not talking about the LORD Jesus. The names Jesus and Joshua arethe same name, but you want to get the right person connected with that name for who He is. And then the title: you might have the wrong person connected with the title. You want to have the Lords Christ. So that is important to know. Christ is the title. Jesus is the name.



Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

There are three divisions there, and they are not set up in an arbitrary fashion. They are set up from Abraham to David, and then from David to the Babyloniancaptivity, and from the Babylonian captivity to Christ. Those three events: Abraham, David, and the Captivity are the three great crisis periods in Israels history. With Abraham you have the founding of the nation. With David you have the establishment of the throne and the kingly line. With Babylon you have the captivity.

With Abraham you have the introduction of the Abrahamic Covenant. With David you have the introduction of the Davidic Covenant. With the Babylonian Captivityyou have the exposition of the New Covenant. So they are very important time elements in the nations history, and they all focus, once again, on that issue of the king.

The Abrahamic Covenant gives Him the right to the land and the nation. The Davidic Covenant gives Him the right to the throne. The New Covenant gives the wherewithal whereby both the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants will be executed by Messiah.

Folks, I want you to understand something. Every page, every verse, every part

of that Bible has information that is valuable for you. Do you know that?

You ask, what about that Ahaziahs age? Do you know what you could do? You could spend the next six months familiarizing yourself with 2 Kings and 2 Chroniclesthat you could understand that. If I stood up here tonight and tried to give you a dissertation on nuclear physics it wouldnt do a bit of good, because I couldnt do it. And, if I could, you probably couldnt understand it, could you? Why? You are not familiar with the information. Its the same thing with those guys back there. It takes time to work all that out, to get it all in your cranium, and let it process through. But, do you know something? You could spend that kind of time in Gods Word. You say thats not practical? Its one of the most practical things that has ever happened to you.

You will be taking time out of your life, focusing on Gods Word, studying Gods Word, and developing the attitude of faith: that I can believe it, I can trust it, I can compare these things, and see how they work out. I guarantee you that you wont be watching television, you wont be doing this and that and all the other fifteen or twenty things youve been trying to get rid of in your life. I never saw anybody sit over a Bible sucking on a cancer stick drinking a Schlitz and getting something out of Gods Word. I never saw that. Maybe you did, but I never did. I have seen people study the Book for over twenty years, and I never saw that. Do you know what I am saying? I am saying that if you have some problems in your life that you just cant lick, let me suggest something to you. Why dont you get familiar with a passage like the one weve just been studying that takes some time to dig out, and do you know what will happen? Youll come in here one day,and start teaching us some of these things, and you will see a transformation ta

king place in your life that only God can perform. Thank God for His wisdom, His marvelous manifold wisdom in providing, protecting, and then giving us information about our Saviour.

Father, we thank you tonight for Your goodness, for Your grace, for the time wecan spend looking into Your Word and studying about it, learning about the LordJesus Christ. We pray that it would equip us, that it would motivate us to know that there are things here that we can spend our lives gleaning and learning and digging out, and that because of it Youll work and produce the likeness of Yourself in us. We thank you for that in Christs name. We thank you for our Saviour



. And as we study and we see how You have provided Him for us, and You have provided everything so wonderfully, we just say, Great things You have done. Thank you again for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. We ask and pray it inHis name. Amen.


Last time we studied the genealogy, and I am conscious of the fact that I am not teaching everything in the passages. We missed a lot of things in Matthew 1:1-17. One example of something you can do on your own is, count down from Abraham in that genealogy, and you will find that every tenth man is somebody special in the history of Israel. If you do that there will be some spiritual lessons that you can glean for yourself. Also think about that three-fold division in verse 17: there are a lot of things in there that are worth studying.

The issue in the genealogy that I want you to see is not necessarily all the technical details, but I want you to get a grasp of what Matthew is doing. My purpose in this class is not to get all the technical details that a critical commentary can give you, but to get the dispensational feel of the book that none of those commentaries ever give you.

What you have in the first seventeen verses is Christ presented by Matthew as the son of David and the son of Abraham. Here He is. His genealogy is traced: He is the son of David.

Beginning in verse 18 you are going to get into the details of His birth. In His birth He is not just the son of Abraham, and not just the son of David, (which

is what Matthew focuses on throughout most of his gospel), but He is going to be the Son of God. Matthew is going to give you the details in the last part ofthis chapter about the exact manner of the birth of the most remarkable man whoever lived and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Notice that it says, when His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph. That is she was engaged to Joseph. Years ago folks used to talk about being betrothed. Betrothed is an engagement with the definite intent of being married.

Notice verse 19: Joseph her husband. Now he is not her husband yet in the sensethat the marriage ceremony has gone on. That does not take place until a little later in the passage, but the issue is that these two are betrothed or engaged, and are considered in the eyes of the Lord as already ready to be married.

Verse 18 is very careful, and I want to call this to your attention, because this passage is specific and careful to protect the doctrine of the virgin conception of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18 Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together she was foun



d with child of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

In other words, the angel has come and said, Youre going to have this child and He is going to be the Messiah. And there hasnt been any sexual relations in her life. If you have a Revised Standard Version, do you know what it does to that verse? It says, How can this be seeing I dont have a husband? Any high school freshman could tell you about that, couldnt he? There are girls in the junior high that dont have husbands but have kids. You go to any public school and you see that. In a lot of private schools you see that. That is not what Mary is saying.The Bible is clear in saying to you in unmistakable termsin no terms that you can mistakeif you dont believe in the virgin birth of Christ, it is because you dont believe the Bible.

The issue has to do with the conception. Do you see that? The conception of Christ is where the miracle takes place. The birth process itself is natural. The miracle is at the conception. Its a virgin conception. Hence we call it the virgin birth. Go back to Matthew 1 and notice as we go through the passage, howcareful the Bible is to say this.

Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

Joseph doesnt want to make a public example of Mary. He is engaged to her and hes in love with her naturally, and he wants to marry her. They have made their plans, and have their wedding date all fixed, and theyre engaged, (betrothed), andshe has to come to him and say, Joseph, Ive got something to tell you. Evidently Mary told him about the angel coming, and about what happened.

I dont know if you ever thought about Joseph, because everyone focuses on Mary.Joseph must have been a shaken fellow at the time. It turns out that Joseph isa great man of faith and also a very kind fellow. He had a right to have Mary taken out and stoned. But he said he didnt want to make a public example of her,that is, he didnt want to take her out and have her stoned.

Come over with me to Deuteronomy 22, and notice the regulations back there about betrothal and espousal.

Deuteronomy 22:23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed [same as espoused]unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbours wife

Thats why Matthew. 1:19 calls him her husband. They are not married yet, but the betrothed woman here is considered to be the wife of the man to whom she is betrothed.

24 so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

The same thing is in verse 21.

Deuteronomy 22:21 stone her with stones that she die.

The issue is that Joseph could have had Mary stoned. As far as God was concerned she was Josephs wife. Now Joseph doesnt want to do that, and rather than making a public example of her, (having her killed), he is going to apply the bill ofdivorcement. Go over to Deuteronomy 24. Hes going to put her away privately. P



rivily is an Old English word for privately.

Deuteronomy 24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come topass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand,and send her out of his house.2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another mans wife.

Instead of having her stoned, killed, made a public example, Joseph was just privately going to get a bill of divorcement and get it over with. But, the Lord intervened.

Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things [I am sure that was a troubled night for Joseph.] behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, [Do you see how that keeps getting emphasized? That is the issue.] fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: [Do you see how that is emphasized again? They havent had the marriage ceremony yet, but theyve been engaged.] for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Virgin conception: again I say, conception is the issue, because Christ was conceived without a human father. Over and over and over again the emphasis is that there isnt any human agency. People say, how could something like that be? Its one of the miracles in the Bible, one of the things that God does. When you un

derstand God, you know miracles arent any problem. An interesting thing happened in 1970. Did you know that in 1970, two British biologists produced a fatherless frog? Did you ever read about that? My encyclopedia yearbook at home has that in it. In 1970, two British scientists in England produced a fatherless frog. They were doing genetic research, and they tooka specialized cell out of the intestines of a mother frog. They extracted the nucleus from that cell, and fertilized one of the eggs of that mother frog. It germinated, and produced a healthy, normal offspring. I read that, and I said, Hmm. Isnt that interesting? Science is just about one thousand nine hundred seventy years behind God. Thats all that is.

Now that isnt what happened with Christ, but if a man in England can figure out h

ow to manipulate fertilization, it isnt any problem for God Almighty to do thosethings. Now God didnt take a cell out of Marys intestines. Anybody who can speak the universe into existence wouldnt have any trouble with any little thing likefertilizing a cell. You can understand that. You need to understand that the doubtings of science and religion and education are just that: theyre doubtings.Never base anything on that. Notice Verse 20 again.

Mathew 1:20 fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife

You ask, why did they have to get married? Joseph was a man of faith. If Joseph had not been obedient at this point, the Lord Jesus Christ would have been denied citizenship in Israel. He had to have a human step-father.

Deuteronomy 23:2 A bastard [someone who doesnt know who his daddy is] shall notenter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

If Mary hadnt had a husband, and Christ hadnt had a step-father, the Lord Jesus Christ would have been denied His citizenship in the nation. So God is preparingthe way for Him, and all the time protecting His citizenship. It is not a divine conception like the modernists saysomething special as with Abraham and Sarah having Isaacits a virgin conception.



By the way, I talked to you last week about why that virgin conception is necessary. Do you remember that we talked about the genealogy? If Joseph is His human daddy, (His literal father), He could not sit on the throne, because of the curse on Josephs line through Solomon. That isnt all. If He had a human daddy He had sin of His own to pay for. Do you know that?

I tell my boys, The only thing wrong with you is that you are kin to your daddy. You see, you get the curse of Adam from your daddy. That seed line goes right through that genealogy. You say, does that mean that your wife isnt a sinner? No, its not that my wife is not a sinner, but that the curse is reckoned through the father. You see, Im the problem. Before you fellows get to strutting too much, remember, youre the problem. Before you go pointing a finger at your wife saying that women are the problem, remember, God says you are the problem. How about that? You have to remember that.

Its always easy to do what Eve did. Adam said, The woman you gave me did it. Evesaid, The snake did it. God said that the woman was deceived; she wasnt in the transgression. Its the man who bears the guilt. So if Christ had a human daddy when He died at Calvary, He died for His own sins, not mine, not yours; He couldnt be any help as a Saviour.

The baby that Mary was going to have is miraculous, it is of the Holy Spirit.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS [The nam

e Jesus means Jehovah Saviour, and it is clear that it means that] for he shall save his people from their sins..Whose people? His people. Who are the people? Israel. Who are they? They are the Lords people, Jehovahs people. It is obvious that Jesus is Jehovah.

thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

It is interesting to note in the verse And she shall bring forth a son, and thoushalt call Evidently Joseph is the one who named Him. Matthew chapters 1 and 2 are the only places that Joseph really appears in this context. Joseph is prominent through here, Mary is not. So he names the boy, Jesus: Jehovah Saviour.

That name Jesus was also given to Mary in Luke 1.

Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Thats quite a promise. His name is going to be Jesus: Jehovah Saviour.

Come over to Hebrews 4, and compare a passage. The name Jesus in the New Testament is the name Joshua in the Old Testament. Joshua in the Old Testament is the same as the name Jesus in the New Testament. One name is Hebrew and one is Greek. They both mean Jehovah Saviour. Thats why I told you last time that Jesus is the name, Christ is the title, and Lord is His position. So Hes the Lord Jesus. Hes Jesus Christ. Hes the Lord Jesus Christ. But you can have more than one Jesus, and you can have more than one Christ.

Notice a verse here in Hebrews that gets people bent out of shape sometimes.



Hebrews 4:8: For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

Now the reference obviously in the context is to Joshua back in the Book of Joshua, but it is translated Jesus. If you have a marginal reference in your Bibleas I do, it will tell you that it is Joshua. The names are the same, so thats the reason its that way. Interestingly enough, that passage in Hebrews 4 ought totip you off to something. Joshua in the Book of Joshua is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ over and over and over again in His second coming, bringing the nation into the promised land. The reason that is there in Hebrews is because the names are interchangeable.Matthew 1:21 I want you to notice this carefully, because a lot of people use this verse as a gospel verse today; and I want you to see it wont work as a gospel message for today.

Matthew 1:21 thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people fromtheir sins.

Tell me something: Gods people today, have they already been saved from their sins, or are they waiting to be saved from their sins? Youve already been saved from your sins, but do you see what that verse says? He shall [future tense] saveHis people from their sins. Here are some people who are Gods people who are going to be saved from their sins. Hes talking, of course, about Gods people, the nation Israel. Come over to Luke, chapter 1.

Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias [John the Baptists daddy] was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; [Now there is salvation from physical oppression by people around them.]72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of ourenemies might serve him without fear,75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. There is salvation from sin. They are going to get deliverance from their enemies, and then get salvation from their sins. In other words, they are looking for a physical deliverance from oppression into a Kingdom wherein they get forgiveness of sins. Come with me to the Book of Acts chapter 3, and notice the same kind of thing.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blottedout, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

They are going to get their sins blotted out when the times of refreshing shallcome from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Folks, the problem that Israel had was that they wanted the physical deliverance



, but they didnt want anybody to turn them away from their iniquities. Thats whyChrist tells them, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; andall those other things will be added to you. Make that the object. The faithful in Israel will get physical deliverance through that tribulation, and the Dayof Atonement comes at the second coming of Christ at the end of that tribulation, going into that kingdom.

What you have in Matthew 1:21, is the Lord Jesus Christ identified as Israels Redeemer. He is going to save His people Israel from their sins. Hes the son of David. Hes the Son of God. Hes going to be the Redeemer for the nation. Then verse 22:

Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and theyshall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

That is the next title. He is Israels Redeemer who is God dwelling with us. You see, the goal of prophecy is God dwelling in the midst of His redeemed people. Matthew is presenting the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who is going to bring about that goal, so he announces Him as such. The Son of David, the Son of God: virgin born to be the Redeemer dwelling among us! Hes God dwelling here with us.

It is exactly the opposite in Pauls epistles. It is not God coming down here to

dwell with us; but its us seated up there with Him, us going to be with Him. Here in Matthew it is God coming down here. There is no way to miss what Matthew is doing. I hope you see that, and get the feel of what he is doing all throughhere.

Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Notice this issue: that it might be fulfilled. Over and over in Matthew, if youfollow the chain of verses that compare to this one, you will see that it might be fulfilled, that it might be fulfilled, that it might be fulfilled. Youll see an of these kinds of verses as you go through the Book of Matthew. You will seethat all of these things are being shown in order to manifest to Israel that the

Messiah is right here in your midst, and He comes fulfilling the Scripture. This Scripture that is being fulfilled is Isaiah 7:14.

Isaiah 7:14 Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son

There was a real controversy years ago about Isaiah 7:14 and the way it is translated. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. The Hebrew word for virgin is the word alma, which comes over into Latin and into English. We use the derivative of the word when we say, alma mater. Alma is a word that the modernists wanted to translate as young woman or young maiden, trying to do away with the virgin birth of Christ.

The problem with that is when you have a verse in the Old Testament that youre no

t real sure about how it ought to be, and its quoted in the New Testament, do you know who interprets it for you? God does. The Greek word for virgin there isparthenos, which means exactly what the English word virgin means. It never means anything else. Thats all it ever can mean, and that is exactly what it does mean. So Isaiah 7:14 should never be a matter for discussion and should never be a problem because Matthew 1:23 settles the issue forever, and clears up the controversy. It can only be virgin and what you have here is an illustration of how the Holy Spirit protects His own work by quoting it in the New Testament in atotally unambiguous way.



I say to you again: The way you understand your Bible first and foremost aboveevery other way, is when you have a verse you dont understand or if there is a controversy, look for another verse to explain that verse to you. Dont run to thecommentary first, or to the lexicon; look for other verses in the Bible. You say, well, I dont know where they are. You read your Bible, study your Bible, getinto your Bible and stay in your Bible like God requires you to do on a daily basis. You have to have a daily intake of sound doctrine, especially you men studying for the ministry. God help you if you are so sorry and lazy that you wont do your job, and stick your nose in that Book and keep it there. I mean, the very idea of a fellow who is going to preach, and he hasnt got time to study his Bible? What do you think God put you in the ministry for, anyway? To make a living? Then youd better get another job. To look good in front of people? Forget it. You havent got a chance. He put you in the ministry to get into that Book,and get something out of that Book from Him, and get it out to people.

There are too many preachers around the country and around the world that dont give a hoot about the Word of God. They just use it and study it to get something to preach so they can tantalize people. Listen, you study the Book, study to learn, and then God will give you something to preach. Youll have something to preach. Thats important. The issue in preaching is to get something from the Lord, and then get it out to others, not just to have something to say. The way you do that is to study so you know where the verses are.

I think it would be a good thing if you had a Bible with no cross-references at

all, and you couldnt have a concordance, or a cross-reference book. I think that would be great. That would keep you in the Book.

There was a fellow sitting at my desk last night looking in a concordance trying to find a verse. He finally asked me where it was, and I told him: Thats better than asking a concordance, just ask me. He said, Thats bragging. I said, Thatsbragging; that is twenty-two years of studying; thats what that is.

I looked up verses today in a concordance; dont get all embarrassed. I look up verses all the time; I need to know where they are. The point is that if you study, and study, and do your job, thats where the work is, thats where the ministryis. Thats the way you understand the Bible. Thats what this class is about. So, you clear up any problems by comparing verse with verse.

I want you to notice something. Remember verse 21: thou shalt call his name JESUS for he shall save his people from their sins. He is Israels Redeemer, and then Hes Emmanuel: God dwelling with His redeemed people. Matthew is presenting Him: Here comes the Messiah. Here He is with all His credentials.

Matthew 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: [There is the marriage.]25 And knew her not [Notice carefully please: knew her not] till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Again, he knew her not. The emphasis over and over in the passage is that there is no human agency involved in the conception of Christ. Folks, you can count

on Him being your Saviour. He didnt have a human daddy.

Notice in the passage it says, till she brought forth her firstborn son. Do you know what a firstborn son implies? It means that there were more after Him. That verse destroys the idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary. The Catholic Bible comes along, and all the modern Bibles that follow in the Catholic Bibles train come along, and do you know what you read in the new Bibles? You dont read herfirstborn because they take that word out of the Greek text. The Greek text that the new Bibles come from doesnt have firstborn in it. It just says, She brought forth a son. They get that from the Catholic manuscripts, Vaticanus. Do you kn



ow what that word is like? Vatican. Do you know why it is like Vatican? Because thats where it is; its a Catholic manuscript.

Come to Mark 6, and notice that the Lord Jesus Christ has plenty of brothers and sisters. You dont read much about Joseph after this but he was around. He hada big family. He may have died young.

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, [Christ must have supported Himself as a carpenter because that is how they knew Him.] the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Folks, look at that. Hes got James (one), Joses (two), Juda (three), Simon (four), and sisters: thats got to be at least two (numbers five and six), and Jesus.Mary had at least seven children. Now how do you get a perpetual virgin out that, brother is a problem for me. I could never figure that out. What they do is to say, Well, it doesnt mean brother, it means cousin, and thats the way they traslate it. The problem with that is that over in Luke 1, youll find that God theHoly Spirit, (in verses 36 and 58), can use the word cousin when He wants to say cousin. God the Holy Spirit knows the difference between a cousin and a brother.

Let me show you two passages. Get John 2 and Psalm 69. Here are passages of Scripture that show the way the Lord does things, folks. Hes not sneaky, but Hes go

t a nut that will fit every bolt, I guarantee you. He fixes His Word so that when you study it, you get in it, you stay in it, and compare passages, you beginto see His sense of humor in taking care of people who try to mess up the Bible.

They come along in Mark 6, and say, cousin! and so God fixes a couple of verses as cross-references to destroy the idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary, and prove that she had kids other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He fixes it in such a way that the only person who will ever find them is someone who believes and studies the Bible. Those who dont do that come along and just want to change the words, and make it like they want it. They want everything to conform to their tradition. They never in the world would think of looking in John 2:17. Look at that verse and tell me how you would ever think that that verse had anything to d

o with Mary having more kids. It doesnt look very promising, does it?

John 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

What does that have to do with what were talking about? Do you see where that passage is quoted from? Its quoted from Psalm 69:9.

Psalm 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches ofthem that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

Who is Psalm 69:9 a reference to? The Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, now go back and look at verse 8.

Psalm 69:8 I [Christ] am become a stranger unto my brethren [that could be Israel], and an alien unto [Oh, oh. Look at that: ] my mother's children.

Isnt that sweet? Thats the way the Lord is. He rewards those that diligently study. Thats interesting to me how God fixes that thing so its clear in the Bible that Mary she was a dear, sweet, wonderful, useful, profitable, dedicated saint, a sinner saved by Gods mercy, with a privileged position, Blessed art thou among women, Elizabeth told her, and indeed she was. But, my friend, Mary would never for a minute call attention to herself, but would point you to her Son, the Lord J



esus Christ.

Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he [Joseph] called his name JESUS.2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men

Matthew chapter 1 gives you the conception and birth of Christ. (The Book of Luke focuses on the nativity scene itself.) And now Matthew chapter 2 is going to give you, in keeping with the nature of the Gospel of Matthew, the coming of the King, the birth of the King. Matthew announces Him: Hes the son of David; Hesthe Son of God; Hes the Redeemer; Hes Emmanuel, God come to dwell among His redeemed people. Now how is He going to be received? Well, Matthew 2 tells you how He is received.

What he basically says is that the Gentiles are ready to receive Him. Then he shows you: butthe nation Israel oh, the nation Israel is still stubbornly refusing. They are indifferent and scornful of Him, and so in chapter 3, what happens?John the Baptist comes on the scene, and he says to the nation Israel, Repent! He comes calling that nation, who chapter 2 demonstrates to be in woeful unbelief, to repentance. Lets read the chapter.

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [Wise men is

magi in Greek, and thats where that word comes from. It just means wise men.]

The passage is going to talk about some things that happen some time after the nativity. In fact, youre going to find, when we get further in the passage, Hes no longer a baby in a manger, but now Hes a little child, as much as two years old, living in a house. So the passage is some time after the nativity. The wise men come to Jerusalem, the capital of the King. They come looking for the King,(verse 2).

But notice one thing. Let me say this in passing: they come from the east. Idont know if you have noticed in your Bible study, especially in the Old Testament, directions are very important to God. When they pitched the Tabernacle, Godtold them to put the door of that Tabernacle facing east. That door looked out

east. When you went into the Tabernacle, which direction did you go? You wentfrom the east to the west. When the priest went in to the Holy of Holies, every time he went in, he went from east to west. And when he left, he went from west to east. In the Bible if you want to in the most profitable direction, go east to west. Thats just interesting.

When God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden, He drove them eastward. When Cain left, out of the presence of God, he went eastward. When Jacob was going to run from Esau, he went eastward. When God took Israel into Babylonian Captivity, they went east. When Jacob wanted to go home, do you know which way he went?west. When God called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldees, do you know what way he went? He went west.

Do you know the way the sun goes? It goes from east to west. When they returned out of Babylonian Captivity they went from east to west. Do you know which way they crossed the Red Sea? Did you ever wonder why God brought Israel around to the east side of the Dead Sea to cross the Jordan River? He could have just brought them up the other way. It was because He wanted them to enter the Promised Land from east to west. When Jesus Christ entered into Jerusalem in His presentation before His crucifixion, He came east to west.

In Acts 16, the Apostle Paul plans to go from west to east up into Asia Minor to preach the Gospel. God said, Dont you go. You cant go. Youve got to go west int



Europe. Its just an interesting thing. You thought Horace Greeley said, Go west, young man, go west, didnt you? I tell you, and Ive told you before, and if you dont believe me, Im going to keep telling you: That Bible, folks, is the greatest scientific textbook on the things you dont understand. When you see that image over there in Daniel 2, do you know which way it lays out? east to west. Noticethat when you are studying your Bible. Okay? Thats just something for you to look at.

Okay, the wise men come from the east. They come from the direction of Babylon.

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

They saw His star. You want to get the details of this passage right. I know how people are at Christmas time: people get emotional, everything is sacred, and all that kind of business; and then someone like me stomps in with his snowshoes on, and bumps into a few things, and everybody is mad at him. But Im sorry folks, the magi, (the wise men), did not show up at the nativity scene. And theydidnt follow a star leading them out of the east to Jerusalem. Why would the star have led them to Jerusalem? Thats the wrong place. They saw the star in the East, when theyre in the East. Get the details right. Okay?

They saw the star in the East when theyre in the East. They knew what the star r

epresented. (Ill show you in a minute why they knew that.) They came to Jerusalem. The star didnt lead them to Jerusalem; they came to Jerusalem. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they got the information about where He was supposed to have been born. So they got ready to go to Bethlehem where Herod was sending them.The star then reappeared, (verse 9), and led them to where Christ was. (They didnt appear at the nativity scene with the shepherds and the goats and the cows in the stable.) They came on the scene, and it could have been as much as two years later, when He was in a house. And He is not in Bethlehem, He is in Nazareth of all places. Ill bet you didnt know that Matthew 2 took place in Nazareth, did you? The problem with all that tradition is that we get to playing our harps, and we quit studying our Bible. So you want to get it straight here.

Matthew 2:2 we have seen His star in the east

The last man known in the East as a prophet before the Gentiles came under the subjection of Israel, was a guy by the name of Baalim. He was a prophet from Mesopotamia. Balak calls him over to Moab, and wants him to curse Israel; but Godwont let him curse Israel. God makes him bless Israel. If you study the prophecies of Balaam, they look toward the second coming of Christ.

Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh:there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

If you look at Numbers 23:7, youll see that Balaam is from the East, a prophet in the East. That is the great Star and Scepter prophecy in the Old Testament. T

hose wise men in the East knew that. They knew some things about His star. You say, How did they know about it? Folks, they had the Bible, thats how they knew about it.

Didnt you ever read in Jeremiah 40, the first five or six verses, about that guyin Nebuchadnezzars army who came up and talked to those Israelites? Here was a heathen guy in Babylon who came up to a bunch of Jews who were being taken into captivity, and he basically quoted Leviticus 26 to them. He said, This is why this is happening to you, and he quoted the Scripture to them.



I mean, folks, that Word of God is out there. People are always worrying aboutthe heathen that dont know. Just what exactly is it that the heathen dont know?What do they know? Did you ever try to figure that out? As far as God is concerned, the heathen know a whole lot of things.

We were out on the street passing out tracts in Selma, Alabama, and a postman asked me once, Where do the heathen go? I looked up and down the street and said, Well, they go to Walgreens, Sears, and Montgomery Ward. He didnt like that, but that where they go. People say, what about the heathen who dont know? Dont be so sure about what they know and dont know. Those guys knew a lot of Scripture.

So they came seeking Christ. Since they were from the East, the Book of Danielwas available to them, because that is where Daniel was in captivity. Youll recall, I trust, Daniel 9: do you remember the seventy weeks? If you could figureout the seventy weeks of Daniel 9, you would know that the crucifixion of Christ takes place at the end of the 69th week, right?

It would not take a genius to run over to Numbers 4. You have the Star in Numbers 24, so you back up to Numbers 4 where you see, over and over, that a priest is thirty years old when he enters into the priesthood. You know that the Messiah is going to be a priest sitting on the throne, (Zechariah 6), so how old do you figure Hell be when He goes into the ministry? About thirty years old. Do you know what they could learn from Numbers 4 which they had, and Daniel 9 which, no doubt, they had? They could date the birth of Christ within three to five yea

rs.

There were people in Jerusalem, (Luke 2), Simeon, Anna, and others, waiting forthe Consolation. They knew that Messiah was about to show up. They had a Bible, they had measured the time, figured it out, and they were up there waiting for it. They were ready. These guys in the East were doing the same thing. His star appeared in the East, and do you know what they did? they high-tailed it up to Israel to worship Him.

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

The first question in the New Testament is: Where is he that is born King of the

Jews?

Do you know what the first question in the Old Testament is? Adam, where are you? God goes looking for him. When you come to the New Testament, these men comelooking for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of man whois come to seek and to save that which is lost. These men were certainly that,because they came not knowing where He was.

There is a lot of discussion about what the star is. What is that star? Somebody says, its an angel. Obviously, it is not a planet because a planet doesnt appear and disappear and move. It couldnt lead anybody to a house, anyway. Theres no way it could do that. Maybe it was an angel. Angels in the Bible are identified as stars. Probably it was an angel that led them to the house.

The other possibility, which is a probability, is that it was the Shekinah glory, the glory of God. Stephen looked up and saw the glory of God and Christ sitting at His right hand. Its the Shekinah glory all through the Old Testament thatannounces the presence of God. It comes into the tabernacle, the temple, and its filled with His glory. Thats the Shekinah: it comes from a Hebrew word that means the presence, and glory manifesting itself. No doubt that star which they saw is that city which the Lord Jesus Christ comes down in during the tribulation, and they see the sign of the Son of man in heaven. That is what they are going to see, is something like what these guys saw here.



I say all of that to say this: All of this is a second coming phenomenon introducing the King. He is the King! Were going to see the Gentiles come to worshipHim.


Id like to look at Matthew chapter 2 tonight, and consider it with regard to thecoming of the King. In chapter 1, we saw the genealogy of the king, and then the birth of the King. In chapter 2, we see a picture of the coming of the King,the Messiah, and the reception that He gets when He shows up.

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea

Bethlehem means the house of bread. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the bread of life, so it is very appropriate that the Bread of Life would be born in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his starin the east, and are come to worship him.

The wise men have come from the East to seek Him. They have come from the East, and go west to Jerusalem to seek the Messiah. I mentioned to you last time that in the Bible, when you go from east to west, youre doing what Horace Greeley said, Go west, young man, go west. But Horace didnt know that in the Bible the proper direction to take is east to west. When you move from west to east in the Bible, youre going the wrong direction. Its an interesting thing that over and overagain, east to west is the right direction. The wise men come from the East, so

that is the right direction to come from. They have seen His star in the East.

In the last lesson we looked in Numbers 23, and saw the prophecy with Balaam about the Star. You saw how Balaam, the prophet in the East, makes a prophecy about the Star and the Scepter. These men had the Bible, and they understood what was going on. The last man in the East known as a prophet was Balaam, (before the Gentiles were crushed under Israel as they came through the land). He prophesied about the Messiahs coming, and identified His Star coming out of Jacob and the Scepter that would rise with Him.

These wise men came from the East looking for that King. Evidently these men had the Bible, they read the Bible, they studied the Bible, they believed the Bible as the revelation of God, and they came expecting the Messiah. Now there is s

omething interesting involved in that issue of their coming and expecting to find the Messiah. That is this: these men obviously had some information about the time of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you had been an Old Testament saint, you could have dated the birth of Christ within three years. Let mego quickly through these things, and refresh your memory.

We have already studied the Book of Daniel so I shouldnt have to spend a great deal of time on that with you. In Daniel 9 you will recall there is a prophecy there about seventy weeks that are going to be determined upon the nation Israel and upon Jerusalem. The weeks begin with the commandment to go forth and rebuild



Jerusalem. There are seven weeks, then the wall is built. Then there are sixty-two weeks. After the sixty-two weeks, Messiah the Prince is cut off, (the cross). Then there is a war. And then there is a seventieth week when the anti-Christ shows up. Look at Daniel 9:25. Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall beseven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: [total of 69 weeks] the street shallbe built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off

You can take Isaiah 53, (as we did when we studied Daniel), and identify cut off as the crucifixion of Christ. These wise men could, (as could any Old Testamentsaint), study their Bible. They knew that the commandment to go forth and rebuild Jerusalem was in Nehemiah chapter 2. They knew the dating system on that aswell as you and I do, if not better. They knew there was a 483-year period of time, (69 weeks of years is 69x7=483 years), between the command to rebuild Jerusalem and the end of the 69th week when Messiah would be cut off, (the crucifiction of Christ). From that passage there in Daniel, they could count forward 69 weeks of years, and know the time after which Messiah would be cut off.

Now come back to Zechariah 6:13, talking about the Messiah.

Zechariah 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear th

e glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne

My dear friend, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and sets up His Kingdom, and sits on that throne, Hes also going to build a temple. In that Kingdom He isgoing to be a priest sitting on His throne. They knew the Messiah is going to be a prophet like unto Moses, (Deuteronomy 18); He is going to be the king, the true son of David; and Hes going to be a priest sitting on that throne. They understood Him to be a prophet, a priest, and a king. Now come to Numbers 4.

Numbers 4:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,

3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:

If you go though that passage you will find that the priest enters into the ministry of the tabernacle at the age of thirty years old, and continues until he is fifty years old. That is the period in which he goes there and serves, going in and out in the tabernacle. He starts as an apprentice when he is about twenty-five years old handling other things; but at the age of thirty he becomes a man who goes in and offers the incense, the sacrifices, and so forth. They knew something about the age of the Messiah who was going to be the Priest sitting on the throne. They knew He was going to begin His ministry at the age of thirty, b

ecause He was to be a priest, and thats when a priest began his ministry.

So you could take that point right there when Christ was to be cut off, back upthirty years to the beginning of His ministry, and there you would have a time-period at which the Messiah would have to be born. Youve got a date for His birth. His birth would have to take place right then in order for Him to be thirty years old when the sixty-nine weeks are over.

What I am saying to you is that those people could take that information and date, within a three-year time-frame, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other



passages in Numbers, we see that the priest started his apprenticeship at the age of twenty-five, so that could add another five years. What I am saying to you is that if you could date the birth of Christ within three to five years, folks, you are getting pretty close. And there were people at the first coming of Christ who had done that. Come with me to Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

That man was in Jerusalem waiting for the Messiah to show up, his name was Simeon. Further on in the passage you see Anna, who was also looking for Him to come.

Luke 2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

There are people in Jerusalem looking for the Redeemer to come.

Luke 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

The people are expecting the Messiah to show up. Why would they be expecting Messiah to show up at that time? Folks, those people knew what the Bible taught.They were Bible-believers, and that is who you are reading about there. They were able to ascertain, within a time-frame of just a few years, that He was coming. So it is not strange in Matthew chapter 2, that these wise men come with the understanding of the time-schedule on which they should be watching for the Messiah. They watch for Him. They see His star in the East, and here they come.

When they get there, (Matthew 2:2), they want to know, Where is he that is born K

ing of the Jews? I love that. Do you know what the first question in the Old Testament is? God asks Adam, Where art thou, Adam? God seeks man. Where are you Adam?

The first question in the New Testament: these men come and say, Where is the Messiah? Thats a good question. Do you know why they want to find Him? You see, God looks for man and man responds. Do you know why they want to find Him?

Matthew 2:2 for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Isnt that wonderful? The kings of the earth, the wise men of the earth, the representatives of the nations of the earth, are coming. Theyve seen the star. Theyve come to worship Israels Messiah. Do you see the foreshadowing in that? Heres t

he Messiah to reign over the earth. Here they come: the kings of the earth are ready to worship Him, and what is the nation doing? Look at verse 3.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Oh, that is sad. It breaks my heart when I read that: Herod the King and Jerusalem with him. Where should Jerusalem have been? with her Messiah. And yet there is Jerusalem with a false king in her midst, and she cares nothing about worshipping and receiving her Messiah. There was no heart for the Messiah in Israel.



Look at verse 4.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princesof Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Thats interesting. They had the answer. They knew where He was to be born. But they didnt care that He was being born. They dont respond. They take their stand over there with old Herod. They dont care that Messiah is in their midst.

You know something, people, I read that and it scares me sometimes, just practically speaking. You can have the knowledge of the Scripture, and know where theverses are, but if you dont have love in your heart for the one to whom those verses apply, youd wind up just like these guys did. You see, folks, a head-knowledge of the Word without a heart-love for the Lord can put you in the same position as these men; and thats being against the Lord Jesus Christ, aligned with the false kingHerodagainst Him.

There are some interesting things here but I want you to get the picture that Matthew is trying to portray to you. Again, I say to you, we are going to go quic

kly through Matthew. What I want you to get is the feel for what dispensationally is happening in the passages: Here comes Christ, the Messiah. Hes born in Bethlehem right where the Scriptures said He would be born. Here come the kings of the East. Here come the wise men, the kings of the world, to worship Him. Theyve seen His star. Theyve believed the message. Theyve believed the Word, and theyve come to worship Israels Messiah, and what is Israel doing? She doesnt give ahoot. Shes not helping them. Shes not coming, leading, and pointing them to Him. Shes over there aligned with Herod the usurper, caring nothing about Messiah.Instead, do you know what she is? She is troubled when she hears that Messiah is born.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Israel is upset. Theyre not rejoicing and praising God. Theyre troubled, theyre bothered, theyre shook up. Do you know why they are shook up? Hold on to Matthew 2:6, and come back to Micah 5 where that is a quote from. Let me show you something real sinister about human nature. The Chinese have a saying: You put a beggar on horseback and hell ride off at a gallop. That should teach you not to put a beggar on a horseback, I guess; or at least put him on a horse you dont care that he takes. Theres a real truth in that about human nature. Watch these guys.

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler inIsrael

Thats the quote. But notice what they do to it in Matthew 2:6.

Matthew 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda

Is that what Micah 5:2 said? Did Micah say that Bethlehem was not the least? No. Micah 5:2 said, though thou be little among the thousands... Micah says, Bethlhem, youre an insignificant little village. But when these guys quote it to old Herod, what do they do? They change it. They insert that little word not in there, and they say, Bethlehem, you are not the least; youre a big shot, Bethlehem.



Why in the world do you reckon they would have done that? Why would you changeit from the least to youre not the least, youre big? You are trying to impress sdy, folks. Do you know why people build themselves up? They are trying to impress somebody. These birds are trying to impress Herod. Theyre trying to impress the ruler there, sticking out their puny little hypocritical chests. Theyre a bunch of hypocrites, thats what they are. They dont care about what God says as long as they can get ahead on the deal. Do you know why they are over yonder with Herod? Thats why. Do you know why they dont care that Messiah is in their midst? Thats why. Theres something about human nature there.

Sometimes people accuse me of being irreverent, and maybe I am a little bit. Islip my shoes off and crack my toes. I guess the choir gets upset when they see me doing that, and Im sorry. I apologize. I wish it wasnt that way. Every nowand then someone says: Youre irreverent when it comes to scholarship and respectability. Listen, do you know something? A passage like that wouldnt make you respect that stuff very much, would it? There are the religious-political leaders of Israel standing there lying through their teeth for personal gain.

Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, If you cant understand it, theres a buck in it somewhere. And, thats a dying truth. You dont have to live in Chicago to know that.

Come over to John 7, and Ill show you what happens to those people when it comesto making application of the truth of that passage. Theyre fast to quote the ver

se, and misquote the verse if you will, in order to use it for their personal advantage. But brother, when it comes to applying the truth of that passage, theyre not interested in it at all.

John 7:25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.

Theyre a bunch of lying rascals! They flat DID know. They quoted the verse in Micah 5:2. They said, We know where this guy comes from; but when Messiah comes,

(this cant be the Him), we arent going to know where Messiah comes from. Bunch ofliars! Where this man came from is right where the Scriptures said Messiah wasgoing to come from, and they didnt want to admit who He was.

John 7:52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.53 And every man went unto his own house.

A bunch of phonies. Theyre deliberately dodging the question. Do you know thatout of Galilee arises the one prophet thats a type of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? Who was that? Thats right, Jonah. Do you know what these guysdidnt want to do? They didnt want Him, and they made up their mind they didnt want Him, and theyre going to use everything they can for their own advantage. Oh, c

an you see the pitiful condition that nation was in, represented by their leaders? The Messiah was in their midst, the nations were ready to receive Him and worship Him. And what did they do? They were making personal gain of the thingsof God. A bunch of hypocrites!

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

Notice: He asked very carefully and diligently what time the star appeared.



8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child [Notice: He is a young child now. Hes not a baby. He has grown up some.] and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worshiphim also.

Herod sent them off to Bethlehem. It is interesting how Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem? Go over to Luke 2. Mary and Josephs home was not in Bethlehem. In fact, they are not in Bethlehem when the wise men find them, but Christ had to be born in Bethlehem. Their home was somewhere else; but they, through the providential working of God, wind up in Bethlehem.

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, [his hometown] into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

God brought to pass the accomplishment of the prophecy of Micah 5:2 through thedecree of Caesar Augustus. That is what is called the providence of God. Thatslike God using the wrath of men to praise Him. The way God deals with Israel, His earthly people, is often in that providential, outworking sense. So the way

that prophecy in Micah was fulfilled was by God using the wrath and the anger and the greed of Augustus for His own end. Thats where the often-heard, and most of the time wrongly-applied doctrine of Divine Providence that you hear so much about in theology comes from. Thats how God works with Israel in the prophetic program.

He works a different way in the age of grace, but thats the way it works in prophecy.

Go back to Matthew and notice what happens with these guys. They are going to Bethlehem according to what Herod tells them.

Matthew 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, whi

ch they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

These guys didnt know where Bethlehem was; they didnt have a road map. They werestrangers in the land, and they leave Jerusalem ready to go to Bethlehem, and the star appears. The star begins to lead them.

This is an unusual star, folks. It appears and it disappears. It appears to them in the East; then they come to Jerusalem, (it doesnt lead them to Jerusalem, they come to Jerusalem); and then it reappears. They saw it in the East and nowthey see it again, and it leads them to the house where Christ is; and then it stands over the house. Thats an odd star. If that is a ball of gas out there inthe universe, how in the world is it going to lead you to a house? Did you ever

figure that out? Thats going to be rather hard, isnt it? You see, its that starwe talked about last time. Its the issue of that angelic presence or angelic manifestation to lead them. Over and over in the Bible, angels are called stars.It has to do with the manifestation of the presence of God as He has come there. Notice: they go to a house where the young child is.

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary

They came to a house, and Hes a young child with His mother and Joseph. Thats not



Luke 2:15 and 16. They dont come to the stable and see Mary and Joseph and thebabe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. They come to a house and He is a young child. Hes as much as two years old. He is not now in Bethlehem.Thats the reason the star had to reappear, and lead them. They were going to goto Bethlehem, and He wasnt there. Where was He? He was in Nazareth.

Come over to Luke 2. You have to think about this. Get the cobwebs out of your mind, and all that tradition youve always heard about the wise men being at thenativity scene in Bethlehem on a starry night with the shepherds. Forget all that. In Matthew 2 He was not in Bethlehem. He was born in Bethlehem, (Luke 2),but He didnt stay in Bethlehem but just a few days. Forty-one days after He wasborn Joseph and Mary took Him up to Jerusalem.

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished,

Leviticus 12 prescribes a forty-day period of purification for a woman after she has had a son. For forty days after the birth of Christ, Mary cannot go into the temple, so when those forty days of her purification were accomplished:

Luke 2:22 they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

So they went up to Jerusalem when He was forty-one days old, and they offered the sacrifice there. When they leave Jerusalem, folks, they dont go back to Bethlehem. That was not home. They went back to Nazareth.

39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

The events that take place in Matthew chapter 2, take place during the events de

scribed in Luke 2:40. Jesus is living in Josephs and Marys home in Nazareth. Thats where the wise men find Him. That is why the star had to come and lead them there, because they were going to go to the wrong place. I say all that to you so that you understand where they were when the wise men came. Folks, be sure to get the details of these passages separated from the folklore that you have inherited through the years about all this. Okay?

Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother

Go through the passage starting in verse 11, and every time they are mentioned,He is described as the young child with Mary. In the middle of verse 13, it is the young child and his mother; verse 14, the young child and his mother.

Every time they are mentioned in the passage Jesus is first. Its the child and His mother. Never once in the Bible is it the mother and the child. The Bible will give you no justification at all for the religious tomfoolery of a Madonna, amother with child. That is paganism straight out of Babylon, Baal worship. A thousand or fifteen hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ you can find Madonnasmother and child figuresin the idolatry of Egypt and Babylon. Theres nothing Christian about that at all, nothing Biblical about that at all. In the Bibleits always the young child and the mother. They come to worship Him, they dont worhip the mother. Gods Word doesnt give you any of that kind of thing. They worship



Christ, not Mary. When they come to worship Him, how do they worship Him?

Matthew 2:11 and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

They come to worship Him with gifts. Now there is a tremendous typology involved in this. Come back with me to Psalm 72 and Isaiah 60. These wise men brought gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

What is gold for? Who do you give gold to? Gold is a gift for a king. How about frankincense? What is that for? Who burns incense? the priest, (Exodus 30:34-38). Incense is for the priest. They brought myrrh. Do you know what myrrh is? Its embalming fluid. In John 19:39 when they come to embalm the body of Christ, they bring myrrh with them. Myrrh is for the prophet; it has reference to the sufferings of the prophet.

These kings bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These men know what they are doing. They know who they have come to worship, and they give Him a gift for His kingship, His priesthood, and His prophetic office. There come the kings of the earth ready to worship Him. Do you know thats a wonderful type and a wonderful picture of something that is going to happen in the days ahead?

Psalm 72 is a passage on the second coming of Christ.

Psalm 72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

When Christ comes, the kings of the earth will bring presents and gifts with which to worship Him. We could multiply verse after verse like this if we had thetime. You look for them. I want you to get the flow of what is going on here.

In Isaiah 60 verses 1, 2, and 3: theres the Messiah, the Kingdom, the glory spreading out over the earth with the Gentiles coming to the brightness of Israels rising with the glory of Messiah in their midst.

Isaiah 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian

and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense;and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

It is interesting that they dont bring any myrrh. Do you know why they dont bring any myrrh? The embalming is all over. The suffering of Christ is at the cross, and the glory is at the second coming. When He comes back the second time, folks, it will be glory. All the picking on the Lord Jesus Christ that is ever going to be done is going to be over with. Do you understand that? Today the Lord Jesus Christ is in rejection; but, my friend, there will never be another hand, or another whip laid on Him; there will never be another arrow, or sling; there will never be another wound laid on Him; because Hes the glorified Son of God.So theres no need for myrrh any longer. Hes the King sitting on the throne, Hes the Priest sitting on the throne.

What youve got in Matthew 2:12 are the kings of the earth ready to worship the Messiah. But in the rest of the chapter, you see His own nation still scornful, still joined with a wicked king, not ready to own Him. The very outset of the Gospel of Matthew presents Christ as Israels King, but the rest of the chapter reads as a doleful reminder of the desolate condition of that nation.

Thats why in Chapter 3, it is in those days that John the Baptist comes crying, Repent! to the nation. Change your mind. Trust Him. Look to Him. Look and live! Lets read it.



Matthew 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return toHerod, they departed into their own country another way. [They go back home.]13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and fleeinto Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek theyoung child to destroy him.14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Christ is forced to flee into Egypt, He is exiled there in Egypt. Its a wonderful type and picture of the Messiahs identification with the desolation of the nation, and His exile. But what a picture of a nation who should have received Him! What does their King have to do? He has to run from them.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, [wrathful, angry] and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, [surrounding area] from two years old and under, [notice carefully] according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Herod asked the wise men: When did you see that star? Give me the date. Lets ge

t it right. When he didnt find that baby, he said, From the time that star appeared, kill every male child born from then until now. Christ could have been upwards of two years old when those wise men saw Him.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Do you see that, folks? The idea is, when Christ was driven out of their midstinto exile, do you know what the nation was doing? They were weeping. Now they were not weeping out of sorrow that the Messiah had been driven away, but theyre weeping. They should have been weeping and mourning as Zechariah 12 says they

will when He comes back. Its a type of the tribulation that befalls the nation because of their rejection of the Messiah. They rejected Him, but the kings of the earth were ready to receive Him. Israel wouldnt have Him so He is driven into exile from their midst. Do you know what befalls them? Great tribulation. Weeping like Rachel wept for her children, mothers weeping for their little babies who were killed by Herod.

As you go through that passage something wonderful happens.

Matthew 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

This is a type of Him coming back. Do you see the typology there? Wonderful pictures that Matthew is writing down to show the nation: Hes the One! He came and the kings of the earth were ready to receive Him. His own nation joined witha wicked king in his scornful rebellion against Him. They were indifferent anddidnt want Him; they were troubled by His presence. He was driven from their midst, and they weep and travail as the result of it; and here He comes back into the land, as one day He will. And what does Israel do?



22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Well get into that in the next lesson when we go on to Chapter 3. Let me just say to you now, the essence of that is that He comes back, but they still reject Him. In fact, that word Nazareth means the place of rejection.

Matthew 2 shows you that Messiah came and the Gentiles were ready to receive Him, but His own people, His own nation wont have Him. They miss Him; what a tragedy. Matthew is written to demonstrate to the nation that Hes the One.

Now there is something here that is a truly blessed truth, practically speaking. I dont want you to miss this. I want you to compare two passages, and see howtouchingly God provides for Marys and Josephs needs in the midst of all these events.

Matthew 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:15 And was there until the death of Herod

Joseph gathers his family and goes to Egypt, and stays down there until Herod dies. Do you know something, folks? That is an expensive undertaking. Have youever just picked up in the middle of the night, left family, friends, job, everything, and gone to another city? That can be expensive. Do you realize that Joseph and Mary were poor people? When they went up to the temple to make a sacrifice for their firstborn Son, notice the sacrifice they made.

Luke 2:23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

If you go back to the Book of Leviticus, youll find that that offering was the po

or mans offering. They were to have offered a lamb. If they could not afford to buy a lamb for the sacrifice, God had made a provision for the poor mans offering. He could offer a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Luke is tellingyou that Mary and Joseph, forty-one days after Christs birth, dont have enough money to make the required sacrifice; so they have to come as paupers and offer the poor mans offering because they are financially destitute. Those were the onlypeople who could offer that offering.

Now Joseph has to go to Egypt, and stay down there until Herod dies. But thereis something that has changed in Josephs status now. Three wise men had come and brought gold, frankincense, (costly spikenard, expensive and valuable), and myrrh. All of a sudden those gifts loomed very large in the life of Mary and Joseph, for they were not only the wise mens way of worshipping Christ; they turn out

to be Gods way of providing the necessary provisions for the journey, and safetyof the family.

You know folks, God is like that. God, through His people, through the proper worship of His people, (in this case, the wise men), always provides for His work. While God doesnt operate in the dispensation of grace as He did in the prophetic program, (there are not absolute parallels in it); there is one thing, and that one thing is, my dear friend, that God Almighty has provided for your need and for my need. In Christ we have abundance, though we are bankrupt.



Do you know the touching thing over there in Luke 2? Mary and Joseph hold thatBaby in their arms, and have to offer the poor mans offering because they cant afford a lamb. Yet, do you know who that Baby in their arms is? Hes the real Lamb. He is the Lamb of God. Hes the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world,Peter said. Hes the real sacrifice of whom all those other sacrifices are just shadows.

I told you that every passage has a historical application. It also has a doctrinal prophetic application, but theres always some practical thing there to encourage your heart on a spiritual level, and that ought to.


Matthew chapter 2. In the last lesson, we got almost to the end of the chapter. We are going to pick up there and go into Chapter 3. Let me remind you what we have been seeing in Chapter 2, so you get the flow, and the continuity, and the thinking of Matthew.

I hope you are reading through the Book of Matthew. How many of you have read it through ten times? How many of you are busier than I am? Should I tell you how many times I have read it through? Okay, I wont, but it is more than that. You need to be reading it. The reason I say that is so you can get the feel of he way it goes. Sometimes we are going to get bogged down in details, as we areabout to do in Chapter 3, but you want to get the flow: think back to Chapter 2 and what we have already seen.

In chapter 1 you have the genealogy of the King. He is announced, His birth takes place, He is the virgin-born Promised One, the One who has come to be the Redeemer, the One who has come to be Emmanuel, God with us. You move into chapter2, and here come the wise men of the earth, the Gentile rulers and leaders. The

y come to Jerusalem and ask where is He? we are ready to worship Him. And whatdoes His nation do? Herod was troubled. The usurper on Israels throne is troubled that Messiah is there, and all Jerusalem agrees with him.

Instead of Jerusalem rejoicing that the Messiah is there, when the nations leaders come and say, We want to worship Him, they are troubled and upset about it. Those wise men found Him with no help from Israel, they found Him by Gods leading.When they get there they find Him in a house in Nazareth, and give Him gifts just as the prophets said they would. Just like the Old Testament promised, the kings of the earth bring gifts, and lay them at the Messiahs feet. They bring exactly the gifts that the prophets said they would bring. Here they are, ready toworship the King, and to worship Israels Messiah; and what is Israel doing? They are scornful. They are joined with an alien king ? a usurper ? having nothing

to do with Him, and in willful ignorance and unbelief.

In fact, when Herod persecutes the people and Messiah has to flee from Israel to Egypt. What does Israel do? They are weeping, not because He had to flee, but because of the judgment that had fallen on them from Herod. They are weeping because their babies are dying. They are not weeping because Messiah was in their midst unrecognized, then had to flee. They weep for the wrong reasons.

What youre getting in Matthew is this picture: Here is your King, Israel. Matthew says: Here is your King. And what happened? When He came and the nations were



ready to worship Him, and what did you do? You didnt receive Him. You ignored Him, and when you did get concerned and were affected by Him, it was all for thewrong reasons.

Matthew 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth ina dream to Joseph in Egypt,20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

Thats a fantastic statement there! Get up and go into the land of Israel.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Just as the Messiah one day will come back to the nation, and come into the land of Israel as her King, here He comes back. But what do they do?

22 But [Isnt that interesting: But] when he [Joseph] heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: [I want you to notice that. He dwells in Nazareth.] that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Do you know what the name Nazareth means? It means the place of rejection. What a way to end Matthew chapter 2. He had gone away, He comes back into the land of Israel, and do they receive Him now? No, they have another usurper on the throne, somebody worse than Herod was. He has to leave again, and be called by a name that means the place of rejection. He is called a Nazarene. There He isin the place of rejection with a usurper in Jerusalem on the throne, just like David of old, and just like Israel will be in the tribulation: Christ rejected,Israel with a usurper on the throne, having nothing to do with her Messiah. Notice Verse 23. There are several things there that you should not miss.

Matthew 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might befulfilled which was spoken

Notice that it does not say that it might be fulfilled which was written. Its important that you notice words like that in your Bible. When it says that it might be fulfilled which was written, or when it says it was written by the prophet, then you can go into the Old Testament and find where it is written. But when itsays it was spoken, you cant always find that written down back there. Do you know why? Because it didnt say it was written; it says it was spoken. When you speak something, is it written down? No, its spoken. You know the difference between something written down and something spoken.

That passage says it was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. That is an additional statement that is not written down in the Old Testament that you and I would not have known about except that it is written down for us in

Matthew 2. Do you remember Acts 20:35? Ill give you some illustrations from other places that hadnt been written down.

Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Can you find the verse in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John where He said that? No,thats an additional statement that wasnt written down in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, and you wouldnt know about it except Paul said it, and then Luke wrote it do



wn here. Come with me to the Book of Jude.

Jude 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

You get the idea that some of those dudes were bad guys, werent they: a bunch of ungodly fellows. But do you know you cant find that in the Old Testament? Somebody came along with the Pseudepigrapha, false writings, and wrote a book and called it The Book of Enoch. They put those verses in it, and said it was one ofthe lost books of the Bible. They say, See, Jude is quoting it. No, no, no, it is not a lost book of the Bible; it has nothing to do with the Bible. That is just a forgery passed off to gullible people who dont believe the Bible anyway. If somebody doesnt want to believe that the Bible is complete, they say the Book of Enoch got left out, and here is the quote that proves its real. Thats not real,theres nothing to it. Its just a bunch of nonsense.

The point is that there are places in the New Testament where something is saidto have been spoken, and it isnt written down in the Old Testament. So this is an additional statement that you now have that you wouldnt have had if it hadnt been written down in the New Testament. They had it, and knew about it by oral tradition. It was passed down orally, and then finally it was put into the Word of

God. Its just like Paul knew what Christ said; somebody told him that the Lordsaid that, and he wrote it down. Thats what you have in Matthew 2:23. It was spoken by the prophets; it wasnt written by them, but it was spoken by them.

It says He shall be called a Nazarene. There is a lot of discussion about whatthat means. What did the prophets mean by that? But there is something very important dispensationally, and that is the idea of what a Nazarene is.

By the way, He was not a Nazarite. The Lord Jesus Christ was not a Nazarite. That is, He did not have a Nazarite vow. He did not have long hair, and a long beard, going around looking like a fleabag looking for a place to infect somebody. You see all that business in the pictures of Christ. He was not a reddish-blond, blue-eyed, Germanic-looking Jew. He wasnt that at all. In the pictures you

have in your Bible, and pictures of Jesus at home with a little halo around His head, why does He always have reddish-blond hair? Dont you know what color hair a Jew born in Palestine would have? It would be black, brother. He wouldnt have blue eyes. Where did you ever meet a Jew born in Palestine of the lineage and of the house of David who had blue eyes?

Some of the modernist unbelievers have said that He was the son of a blond, blue-eyed soldier. Do you know why they said that? One reason is that they are a bunch of lost people trying to deny His virgin birth. Do you know where that kind of stuff came from? It came from the same place that the guy who painted thepicture making Him with reddish-blond hair and blue eyes.

Song of Solomon chapter 5 gives the only physical description of Christ in His h

umanity in the Bible. It says His hair is bushy, and black as a raven, and Hiseyes are as the eyes of a dove. Do you know what color a doves eyes are? They are dark brown. So when you get all that stuff, you just throw it out.

But what is he talking about when he says: He shall be called a Nazarene? a Nazarene, (not a Nazarite), but somebody that lived in Nazareth. Folks, many of the prophets in time past had identified the Messiah as one who would be despised and rejected of men. So when Christ comes, and grows up as a tender plant amongthem, He grows up in a town called the place of rejection.And He is known throughout His life, and in the Book of Acts as Jesus of Nazareth



. Over and over and over again, He is called that. In Acts Peter called Him Jesus of Nazareth whom you have taken and crucified. That name Jesus of Nazareth isa despised name for the Saviour. The reason for it has to do with the attitudethat the nation has toward Him. He dwells in a place, and is known by its name, because thats the attitude that He found among His nation when He came to them.

He came unto His own and His own received Him not. They put Him in the place ofrejection, and they called Him by that name. And Matthew is building his case on that issue. He came, He was exactly what the prophets said He should have been, and you guys muffed it.

In chapter 2, the King comes. The Gentiles are ready to receive Him. Theyre like the Gentiles over in Judges 9. Do you remember Jothams parable over there? The trees of the earth come to the fig tree, then to the olive tree, and then to the vine, and say, Reign over us.

The fig tree says, Not me. Im busy.

The olive tree says, Not me. Im busy.

The vine tree says, Not me. Im busy.

So the old thorny bramble comes up and says, Ill reign over you; but if I do, youre going to have to do what I tell you.

Thats a parable in Judges that describes the opportunity that God was laying before the nation Israel. Here are the trees, the nations of the earth, and they come to Israel who is represented as a vine tree, the nation whom God had plantedin the earth. They say, Reign over us. But Israel said, No, we wont fulfill our oligation. We have our self to please.

They come to Israel as the fig tree, the nation in whom God has established Hisown religion. They say, Rule over us. Israel says, No, we have our own self to please.

They come to Israel as the olive tree, the one to whom God has given special privileges and spiritual capacities and blessings. But they say, No, no. no. We have our own self to please. So the nations wind up with an apostate man of sin ru

ling over them. That is what Israel is doing here, the same thing. He came toIsrael and they said, We dont want Him. No. They reject Him. They go on in their indifference and scornfulness.

So its with that background that chapter 3 begins: In those days Its not in the d of His childhood, for this is between twenty-eight and thirty years after the events in Chapter 2; but nothing has changed, except that now He is popularly known as the carpenter, and the carpenters son who lives in the place of rejection. somebody theyre trying to ignore. In those days came John the Baptist. I hope you see the significance. If you took a line and drew it from In those days back up to He shall be called a Nazarene, youd get the idea.

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of

Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

My, how they needed to repent. How they needed to turn around and change theirmind about their rejection of Him. He came unto His own and his own received him not. Matthew is a tremendous dispensational book showing you the activity thatis going on in relationship to Israel at this time.

John the Baptist is a tremendously important figure. Were going to spend a little time looking at him. Come with me, if you will, to John 1. You know that the



Book of John is written by a different John than John the Baptist. They are two different men. In fact, there are several different Johns in the Bible. TheApostle John wrote the Book of John. John the Baptist was never one of the apostles. He was never one of the people who followed the Lord Jesus Christ aroundas one of His disciples. He was His forerunner.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [John the Baptist].7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

Notice Verse 6: There was a man sent from where? From God. Underline that, would you: a man sent from God. Verse 8 He was sent to bear witness of that Light. Of course, Light with a capital L is the Lord Jesus Christ. John was a mansent from God. I hope you understand that issue of being SENT FROM GOD. John the Baptist was sent to the nation Israel as the result of a direct revelation from God the Father. John was sent by God as a prophet to the nation Israel. Come with me to Matthew 21 in one hand, and Luke 3.

Matthew 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

People are always worried about authority. Who ordained you? Who gave you this authority? Religious people are always concerned about that sort of thing. Jesus taught the people as one having authority. He had the authority, but they wanted to know who ordained Him and who sent Him out.

24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, whichif ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?...

That is a good question. Jesus asked them, Where did John get his authority? from heaven or from men? If you knew the answer, couldnt you answer that? Watch what these guys do.

25 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell

Do you know the reason for a lot of agnostics in the world? Do you know the reason for a lot of ignorance in the world? Do you know why a lot of preachers never stand up and say, This is the truth? This is why. Theyre afraid of something. Do you know what theyre trying to do? Theyre trying to get something. Thats what these guys are trying to do. Theyre a bunch of four-flushers.

Do you know what you and I are supposed to be like? Were supposed to be like Peter. The Lord asks Peter a question, and Peter spits out an answer. There it is, right or wrong. Most of the time hes wrong, but he spits it out. He is guileless. When you see people standing in the corner conniving, the best thing youcan do is just to get yourself as far away from them to the other side of the building as you can, if you cant get out of the building.

These religious leaders were not honest. They were not honestly inquiring. They had something they were trying to do. Notice the question Christ asks them, because there is something very interesting there.



25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?

Where did it come from? It came from heaven. You see, John got his message asa direct revelation from heaven. John was directly commissioned by God Almighty to go to the nation Israel. He was a man sent from God. He didnt just wake upone morning and say, I think Ill put on this girdle and this camels hair, and go out in the wilderness, and eat some locusts and drop a little honey on them, and see if I can find somebody to preach to. He wasnt being different on his own account. There wasnt anything wrong with John. God sent him to do what he did.

Luke 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

Gods Word came to John. John was a man sent by God with a message for Israel. He was a prophet. For four hundred years there hadnt been a prophet from God in Israel, and now John is there. Come with me to Luke 16. Here is a verse you need to be very careful to understand, gentlemen, because it is tremendously important that you grasp what is going on dispensationally with Johns ministry. This is going to be the issue all the way through the Book of Matthew and into early Acts.

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time [since Johns time] the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

The prophets prophesied until John the Baptist came. The law and the prophets were until John. Folks, when you come back to the Old Testament, in Genesis to Malachi, the Law and the prophets are the entire issue. Thats all the issue. When you come to John the Baptists ministry in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, its no longer just the law and the prophets. The issue is the kingdom: the kingdom of God is preached. There is an added issue. The law and the prophets ministered exclusively until John came. The law and the prophets prophesiedabout the Messiahs coming and the kingdom to be established. The law and the prophets looked forward to that time. The law has detailed information and doctrinal content that describes those days in the kingdom. In Colossians 2:16 and 17,

Paul says that the law is a shadow of things to come. That would be the things in the ages to come. The prophets give the details of what is going to be taking place in that kingdom in the ages to come.

So you have the law and the prophets talking about it, preaching about it; but when John shows up, hes not preaching about it; hes not saying it is coming sometime out yonder. When John shows up, he says, That kingdom is ready to show up. The law and the prophets had been predicting it and explaining it was going to come. Now with John, that kingdom is at hand. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That kingdom is ready to show up.

With the ministry of John the Baptist, a new opportunity was made available to the nation Israel that she had never had previously. Up until this time God had

prophesied, He had promised, He had taught, He had given agreements, He had given details, He had given time schedules about that coming kingdom. But there had never been a time when God said, Okay, its time, you can receive it. There had always been a delay. There had always been other things that God was first goingto accomplish. But now He says, Okay, John, its time. Go and tell Israel that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of heaven is presented and preached in two aspects. One is at hand, (when Christ was on earth), and the other is when it is set up, (at the end of the tribulation). When the kingdom is at hand, it is within their grasp. If my b



ook is at hand, its here where I can reach out and get it. What is happening with Johns ministry is that the opportunity is being given to the nation now to receive that kingdom. They could respond in a positive manner, (in the proper way), and receive those long-promised blessings as a reality in their midst.

My point to you is this: with John, the added issue of the kingdom is there. Do you remember the rich young ruler? He came to Christ and asked, Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? (Eternal life is the kingdom for a Jew.)

Christ said, Keep the commandments. Take the law and the prophets, and do them.

He said: Ive done all that. What else do I need?

Christ said: One more thing: sell what you have and give alms.

What message is that? Is that the law and the prophets? No. Thats the kingdommessage which Christ added to the law and the prophets. Now the issue is that the kingdom is available. Thats the issue in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Folks, a new dispensational situation begins with Johns ministry: the issue is the kingdom, and every man presses into it. Thats the issue with everybody now. Go back to Matthew 3.

Matthew 3:1 In those days

Folks, it is important to understand that those days were days of tremendous significance dispensationally for Israel, for at that time a new opportunity had been given, and was being made available from God to the nation.

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The issue of that kingdom is very important. Notice that he says, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. You know that John wasnt just running around the countrysaying, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Somebody would ask, What did you say, John? or What do you have to say for yourself, John?

You know he is not just saying, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. overand over and over again. If you read Luke 3, youll see them asking John, what they must do, and John tells them what to do. He gives them the works meet for repentance. The theme of Johns message is Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Im teaching the guys in the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons 201. Every sermon ought to have a purpose. The most important thing in every message is to have a purpose statement. If I was to wake you up at 3 AM on Sunday, and you are going to preach that morning, you ought to be able to wake up, look me square in the eye and say, Hello. My purpose is They dont believe me, but I am working on th Theyll believe me before its over. A purpose statement is critical.

Do you know what Johns purpose statement was? I want to motivate my nation to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Thats the theme. Thats the focus of his ministry.

It should be no problem for you folks to understand about the kingdom of heavenbecause we have already studied the Book of Daniel. The reason we started withthe Book of Daniel in trying to understand the prophetic program is because it establishes the issue of the kingdom, and the time-schedule by which that kingdom is going to materialize.



I want you to notice where the expression the kingdom of heaven comes from. Goback to Deuteronomy 11, Daniel 2, and Daniel 7.

Deuteronomy 11:18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.20 And thou shalt write them [the words] upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: [why?]21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

Folks, the issue in Israel was to have the days of heaven upon the earth. How are they going to have that? Take the Word of God and obey it in every precept and detail of their life.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, thats the passage they were thinking about. Thats the way its going to be done. The kingdom of heaven, folks, has to do with the days of heaven being executed on the earth. Daniel 2: after the times of the Gentiles is over, and all those Gentile kingdoms are destroyed

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kin

gdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

What is the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of heaven is when the God of heavenshall set up a kingdom that replaces all of the kingdoms of this world. Its when Revelation 11:15 comes to pass.Revelation 11:15 The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The kingdom of heaven is a universal kingdom that never ends. That kingdom will be brought in by the Messiah.

Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they broughthim near before him.14 And there was given him [the Son of man] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is aneverlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

In prophecy, it is as the Son of man that the Messiah receives the authority from the Ancient of days, (God the Father), to administer the kingdom. He comes.So when the Lord Jesus Christ shows up, He shows up as the Son of man in the Book of Matthew.

My point to you is that the kingdom is a literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom that is ruled over by the Messiah. When you come to Matthew 3:2, anybody listening to John understood it that way. The idea that the kingdom of heaven is simply a spiritual kingdom that is practically equivalent to the Body of Christ, is scarcely worth even discussing, although that is the view that the vast majority of Christendom subscribes to. It is called amillennialism or postmillennialism. Every seminary, every Bible College, every university associated with the National Council of Churches or the World Council of Churches, and every other main-line denomination in Christendom or in Catholicism, subscribe to amillennialism; that is, that the kingdom that John is talking about here is a spiritual



kingdom.

Where would they get a bogus idea like that? From failing to see the issue of the mystery. They say, Wait a minute. They talk about a kingdom: John talks about a kingdom; Jesus talks about a kingdom; the apostles talk about a kingdom. But everybody was misunderstanding; because a literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom hasnt come. It didnt show up. Then the problem is that they misunderstood what kind of kingdom was coming, because there is a spiritual kingdom here today, right? It must be a spiritual kingdom, not a literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom that was being discussed, right? Wrong.

What is the problem? They dont understand that God interrupted the prophetic program; and postponed that literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom, and introduced a spiritual body called the Body of Christ. Today God is forming a spiritual unit of believers called the Body of Christ. He has not negated the literal, physical, visible, earthly promises; He has just postponed them.

Folks, if you cant rightly divide the Word, and dont see the mystery, youll never get the rest of the Bible straight either. Youll never get the prophetic programstraight.

The kingdom of heaven can only be the kingdom predicted in Old Testament prophecy, and that kingdom is a literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom. You knowthat. You dont need me to demonstrate it to you, I trust. You know that from th

e Book of Daniel. There are some people here who didnt study Daniel with us, solet me give you a couple verses.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice [where?] in the earth.6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD [Jehovah] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Has that ever happened yet? It hasnt happened yet. Where is that kingdom goingto be? On the earth: a literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic kingdom.Come to Luke 1. Folks, if Mary didnt understand what kind of a kingdom it was the Messiah was going to reign over, right here, the angel Gabriel ought to have s

traightened her out. There is no excuse for Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, the twelve apostles, Gabriel, or anybody else to let people continue with misconceptions about the nature of that kingdom. No excuse. The fact that there is notone place in here anywhere, where anybody ever tries to define what the kingdomof heaven is, shows plainly that everybody understood what it was. If you dont have to define it, folks, its because everybody knows the meaning of it. You see, these people all knew the Old Testament. They knew exactly what God had said He was going to send, and they knew exactly what was going on.

Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Brother, if that is not a literal, physical, visible, earthly Kingdom, I dont know what words mean. Let me tell you something: if you say verses 32 and 33 arespiritual, and the words dont mean what they say and dont say what they mean, andit isnt really Jacob, and it isnt really Israel, and He isnt really going to reignin Jerusalem, and that its all just spiritual, talking about a Gentile like me in



the dispensation of grace, if that is what it is, how can you tell me that thevirgin birth is a fact? How do I know that what he describes in verse 35, the virgin birth of Christ, that that isnt just spiritual analogy, to try to present a truth?

Do you see how people get to be modernists? You become a modernist by following to its logical conclusion the system of logic that you develop by failing to see the mystery. Did you know that the reason that modernism gets such a strong hold is because people dont see the mystery? I tell you over and over, gentlemen, listen carefully: preaching what we understand dispensationally is where the safety of the church lies. If you dont do it, the slide wont end until you becomea modernist. Maybe you wont slide into modernism, and maybe your kids wont, but what about your grandkids and great-grandkids? Dont you love them as much as youlove yourself? Arent you as concerned about them as you are about your own kids? I hope you are. Arent you concerned about somebody elses great-grandkids? Arent we concerned about the truth? I know you are. Im just asking rhetorical questions to drive home the point. Its important. Go back with me to Matthew 3.

Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of heaven is clearly a literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidickingdom; and it is at hand: that is, it is within their grasp. Its there wherethey can get their hands on it. What makes the kingdom be at hand?

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, [Isaiah] saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Why is the kingdom of heaven at hand? Why, all of a sudden, is it within their grasp? How can that be, John? Because the Messiah is in your midst. Do you remember what the verse says over there in John? He was sent to bear witness of the Light. The burning theme of Johns message is that the Messiah is here. When He came, the kingdom vestedin Him came with Him.

Let me show you how closely associated the king and the kingdom are. Compare Ma

rk 11:10 with Luke 19:38. Notice how the terms of the person of the king and the kingdom are used interchangeably. They are one and the same thing. These are parallel passages, same event.

Mark 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the nameof the Lord

Luke 19:38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

Do you see that one passage says the King, and the other says the Kingdom? They use the two terms interchangeably, for when one showed up, the other was there.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: [They are the guys who say the Kingdom is spiritual and nobody can see it.]21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Now that passage is a real wing-dinger. Jesus was standing in front of a bunchof lost, hell-bound Pharisees, and He said, You bunch of guys, the kingdom of God



is in you. Do you believe for a minute that the kingdom of God is inside a lost man? Then what does He mean? The kingdom of God is within you.

Here is one of those places you need to know. He didnt say, The kingdom of God is within thee. He said, The Kingdom of God is within you. Do you know the difference between thee and you? Everybody talks about that poor old King James Bible with archaic English. Well, thank God for that old archaic English that will get you out of the can right here. Do you know the difference between thee and ye? People say, Get rid of those old pronouns. Youd be nuts to get rid of them. Our language today is a very poor language, because it cannot distinguish between the singular and plural second person pronoun. I have to say you when I mean you, Greg; and I have to say, you when I mean all of you. You cant tell whether its singlar or plural, you dont know which it is. In Greek you can tell the difference.In Latin you can. In Spanish you can. In French you can. In Old English youcan. In Old English thee is you singular.

Do you know why in the Bible, they say, Thou, when they are talking to God? Not because it sounds so much more wonderful, but because theyre talking to the oneGod. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. Thats why.

The kingdom of God is within you, (plural), the group. Do you know what Hes talking about? The word within doesnt mean inside the individual. Hes saying the kingdom is in your midst. Let me give you a comparison. Come over to John 1.

John 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

He is among you. The Greek word is the same: The kingdom of God is within you. Thats the exact same idea. The idea is, The kingdom of God is right here in yourmidst, fellas. Look around and youd see Me.

Im trying to get you to understand, folks, that the way that the kingdom of heaven was at hand was that the King was there, and available to His nation. So when John said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he was saying, The King is here. The opportunity to receive Him, and thus to receive the kingdom, is here. John was that voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.

By the way, go back and read Isaiah 40:3 where it says, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Do you know what that word LORD is? It is in all capital letters. Do you know what that means? It means its Jehovah. When he says, Prepare ye the wayfor the LORD, he is saying, Prepare the way for Jehovah. Do you know who John says Jesus is? He says Jesus is Jehovah. Thats a good proof text.

Malachi 3:1 [Describing John] Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before mesaith [Jehovah] the LORD of hosts.

Thats the verse quoted in Mark1:2 that the new Bible versions say that Isaiah wrote. These new Bibles say Isaiah wrote Mark 1:2 instead of saying it was writtenin the prophets. Verse 2 is not in Isaiah, its in Malachi. If you take that rout

e, you not only wind up with an incomplete Bible, or a Bible with a textual mistake in it; but you eliminate a proof text that shows that Jesus Christ was Jehovah in the Old Testament. Isnt that a wonderful thing to know? The Lord Jesus Christ who came, is the manifest person of the Godhead. He is God manifest. He was exactly what Isaiah said He would be: God with us. All of that is wrapped up in what John was doing.

There are some things to notice here about John. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He was wearing that prophets garb. There was some confusion about who he was, and well start with that next time. I dont want you to be conf



used. The issue about that kingdom is that its a literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom being offered to the nation because the Messiah had come. There is a tremendous dispensational issue that begins with John: now the kingdom program is preached. Youre going to find the King, introduced to you by John, authenticated by His Father, and then begin to proclaim the message of His kingdom.


Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

We talked last time about the fact that when John shows up on the scene, he preaches, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The theme of his message hasto do with the kingdom of heaven. The introduction of John on the scene in Israels history is a tremendously important event; because it is that event and thisproclamation of John as a man sent from God with a message from God for the nation Israel that shows there is a new opportunity being given to the nation Israel. No longer is it just the law and the prophets, but now it is an opportunity to receive their kingdom: that long-promised and prophesied, talked about, preached about, and expected kingdom. The Book of Matthew covers that issue, and the

ministry of John the Baptist introduces the issue that the kingdom of God is now being preached. It is being offered and all men press into it: that is, it is the issue now.

Ive told you before that the three hardest books in the New Testament, perhaps the three hardest books in the Bible itself, are the books of Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews. Not that those books are so difficult to read and decipher, but because those three books are transition books. In those books things are changing and moving. Progress is being made in the program and purpose of God. Transitionis in effect, and if somebody is going to break their neck spiritually speaking, it will be in a book like that where things are changing.

In Matthew youre moving out of the exclusive preaching of the law and the prophet

s, and moving into a time when the kingdom of God is being preached. That is becoming the issue: the kingdom is being introduced and talked about.

In early Acts you continue with preaching and offering of the Kingdom to the nation Israel, the fall of Israel, their rejection and setting aside. Then you move from the prophetic program into the mystery program with the Apostle Paul.

Then in the Book of Hebrews, you move back into the prophetic program, but you dont go back into the law and the prophets. In Hebrews you move from the first covenant to the new covenant, from the old covenant to the new, from the Mosaic Co



venant to the better things, better promises, better hope, and better resurrection and all those things. In Hebrews they are moving on into the new covenant blessings. Again, you have transitionmovement.

At this point in Matthew you are being introduced to that with Johns ministry, so John is an important figure for you to understand who he is, and whats going onin his life. Notice verse 2.

Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

There had to be a moral preparation for the kingdom, so John tells them to repent. That word repent means to change your mind. The word repentance does not mean to be sorry for sin. That is penance. It does not mean to pay for your sins. Thats penitence. Repentance and penitence are religious terms. Repentancein the Bible means to change your mind, to turn around in your thinking. Once you were thinking wrong, and now you think right. Once you were thinking your way, and now you think Gods way. That is what John is calling Israel to do: to prepare herself for the Lord.

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias [Isaiah], saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

That is what John is doing. He says, Get ready. The Messiah is coming. The Kin

g is coming. The Kingdom is at hand. It is ready to be delivered to you. It is ready for you to receive it. The opportunity is coming. Get ready for it. Get right for it. Prepare yourself for it.

Notice that verse 4 is very interesting:

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Does that remind you of somebody else in the Bible? Do you remember Elijah? Go back to 2 Kings, chapter 1. John comes in the same reminiscent kind of a way as Elijah came.

2 Kings 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, [theyre talking about Elijah] and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

All they had to do was to describe him and they knew who he was. When John shows up over here, it says he had raiment of camels hair and a leather girdle abouthim. John was a prophet. Come over to Matthew 11, and notice carefully. You want to remember that John is a prophet who is the first prophet who has prophesized to Israel for almost 400 years. Hes a man sent to the nation from God. Here is the Lord Jesus talking about John:

Matthew 11:7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the

wind?8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? [The answeris no to both of those questions.] behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

The Lord considered John to be a prophet. He was a man sent from God with Gods Word for the nation. John was a prophet, and he comes with the leather girdle and the activity in the wilderness like Elijah the Tishbite. Elijah and John are



connected in your Bible.

Come with me to Luke 1, and notice this connection. Notice these things that are said about John the Baptist. This is the angel talking to Johns daddy. Hes telling him he is going to have a son and call his name John.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him [the Messiah] in the spirit and power of Elias, [the New Testament Greek spelling for Elijah] to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Underline to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. What John is doing as he dries to the nation to repent, is making ready a people prepared for the Lord. He is saying, Prepare yourselves to receive the Lord. And he does that in the spirit and power of Elijah.

If youve ever thought about, for example, the passage we read just a moment ago in Matthew 3, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, that is a quote out of Isaiah 40. In the passage in Isaiah, that quotation is a reference to the second coming of Christ back to the earth. That makes sense because John is offering the kingdom which comes at His second coming. John is associated with that issue, but so is Elijah.

Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all th

e proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Please remember that fire and burning associated with the second coming of Christ.

2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

You see, there is punishment, wrath, judgment, and burning up of the unbeliever, the wicked, and the unprepared. But unto you that fear my name, there is salvation at His coming, when the Sun of righteousness, (Who is that? That is Christ),

comes.

3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horebfor all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Underline before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.Israel expected, not just the coming of the Messiah, but also the coming of Elijah before the Messiah in judgment.

Matthew 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? [Why did they say that Elijah must first come? Because Malachi 4:5 said he would first come.]Matthew 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. [get the people ready]12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed [whatever they wanted to]. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.



All of a sudden there is an identity situation going on here. He is John, and yet Christ said he is Elijah; Elijah has come. In other words, everything is ready. Everything is fulfilled. The kingdom can come. The things can be fulfilled.

Whats going on there? Come over to Matthew 11, and youll see the answer in another statement that Christ had already made to the disciples. This is why they could understand in chapter 17 that He was talking about John.

Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is leastin the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

Underline the word if: If ye will receive it. Receive what? What is He talkingabout in verses 12 and 13? He is talking about the kingdom. If you will receive the kingdom, this is Elijah who was to come. Do you see, folks, there is a blending in John between the first and second coming of Christ. The issue involved there is that if Israel had received the kingdom, (if Israel had responded positively and received her Messiah and hence through Him received the kingdom), then John would have been Elijah. He would have been Elijah, whom God in His fore

knowledge knew they werent going to receive. So God, instead of sending Elijah personally, sends John as a type in the spirit and power of Elijah, and providesthe witness and testimony Elijah would have given, without having Elijah himself show up.

So what you have in John is a blending of both together. John would have been Elijah had Israel received the kingdom. God, in His foreknowledge, knew they werent going to do that, so He didnt send Elijah. What I am trying to say to you isthat the stage was set, and that all things were prepared for them to have received the kingdom, and there was even Elijah in their midst.

Come over to John 1. There are two witnesses in Revelation 11 who go before the Lord. One is Elijah, and the other one is Moses. Moses and Elijah are the las

t two men who are named in the Old Testament, (Malachi 4). Did you notice that? The last three people whose names appear in the Old Testament are the Lord, Moses, and Elijah. In John 1:19, they are asking John, Who are you?

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Artthou that prophet? And he answered, No.22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou?23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

They said, Wait a minute, thats supposed to be Elijah. So, there is some confusion in the minds of the people about just who John is. The other passages in Matthew iron out that confusion for you. They say hes not Elijah; but he would have been Elijah had they received the kingdom, and had they trusted their Messiah, and responded in a positive manner to the message of repentance preached to them by Him, His forerunner, and His apostles.

What I want you to see in John is that there are three people involved. Theres Christ the Messiah, theres a question about Elijah, and then a question about thatprophet. That will compare to that passage in Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses say



s, The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, ofthy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. That prophet like unto Moses is the reference. Those witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Elijah is named, and Moses is not, he is called that prophet. The Messiah is to come after that.

Go back to Matthew 3. So, you have John the Baptist identified in verses 2, 3,and 4 as being the forerunner of the Lord. Again, these are all second coming passages. The issue here has to do with looking for the kingdom to come, and the Messiah to bring it. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Here is theforerunner.

This is interesting, just as a sidelight. Compare Isaiah 40:3, with Matthew 3:3.

Matthew 3:3 Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Who is the Lord there? It is the Lord Jesus Christ, right? Is there any doubtabout that? No doubt.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the wayof the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Do you see that word LORD in Isaiah 40:3? Do you see how it is written in all capital letters? Any time you see that word spelled in upper case letters, you u

nderstand, I trust, that the translators put it that way so you would know thatthe Hebrew word that they are translating Lord is the word Jehovah. Isaiah 40:3 says he is going to prepare the way of Jehovah. Matthew 3:3 says he will prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you see who Matthew considered the Lord Jesus Christ to be? He considered the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament to be the Jehovah of the Old Testament.

Come with me to Malachi 3:1, this is another reference to John the Baptist. Itis quoted in Mark 1, verses 2, 3, and 4 as a reference to John.

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith [who

? Jehovah] the LORD of hosts.

I, (Jehovah), will send my, (Jehovahs), messenger, and he will prepare the way before me, (Jehovah). You see the Messiah is: He is to be Jehovah God. Thats nothing new. Come back to Jeremiah 23, a passage weve already looked at.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this ishis name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD [Jehovah] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Do you know who the King, the Righteous Branch, will be? Its going to be Jehovah

incarnate in human flesh. Your Bible is very clear that the Lord Jesus Christof the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, folks. They are one and the same.

Russellites will come along and try to convince you Christ and Jehovah are not the same. And thats what you ought to call them; you ought not dignify them by calling them Jehovahs Witnesses. You dont want to slander the Lords name like that.They are Russellites. They are nuts, heretics, a cult, thats what they are. They have no respect for the Lord Jesus Christ at all. When anybody comes along and tells you that Jesus Christ is an angel, Michael the angel that God the Fathe



r begat, and made Him a god, and all that stuff, hes not worthy of your respect,folks. The Russellite is a deluded nut. If you think thats sacrilegious, well then you dont have your thinking cap on right. Their teaching takes your Saviour, your Lord, and stomps on Him.

I tell you, there are two things that get me wound up, and one is when people mess up the deity of Christ and who He is, and start messing around with Him or with His Book, His Word. I get a little warm about those things. You can say just about anything you want to about me, it doesnt bother me; but you mess around with the Lord and His integrity and Who He is, you need something done to you quick. I might not be the one who will do it, but you need something done to you.Anyway, I want you to understand the issue. Theres a sidelight there that you need to know as a proof text about the deity of Christ, and who He is: He is Jehovah.

Matthew 3:5 Then went out to him [to John] Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Notice it says, Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea. They go out to him. Where is John? Hes in the wilderness, so where do they go? They go out into the wilderness, dont they? What does that remind you of? Do you remember themgoing out into the wilderness one time before in their history, in the Book of Exodus? Do you remember over in Revelation 12, when that man-child is caught up

unto God, and the woman, (Israel), flees into the wilderness where she is fed three and a half years? God feeds her just like He did back in Exodus. They areout in that wilderness. Ive told you before that the wilderness issue back in Exodus, and in Revelation, all works together. Those people out in the wilderness are not going to be out there scratching their head, looking at the stars, trying to figure out what theyre supposed to do, and where theyre supposed to go. Theyre going to be in that Book.

There is all that stuff back in the Old Testament that you think is dead and dehydrated and not a blessing. You wonder why in the world would God, for four thousand years, have preserved a book like the Book of Exodus. Did you ever get a blessing out of reading Exodus 25, 26, 27, and 28 with all that stuff about the tabernacle? I read that and say, What in the world am I doing? I said I am goi

ng to read it, so I am going to read it. Lord, why would you save all this stuff down through history? Because those people over yonder are going to use it, thats why. They go out in that wilderness.

Now, theyre not in Jerusalem, thats what I want you to see. They go out to John,and again, it is all this second coming phenomenon that keeps showing up. Theygo out into the wilderness, and it is Jerusalem and Judaea that go out; they gooutside the camp into the wilderness. This is critically important for you to grasp: what Johns ministry is doing, is calling people out of Jerusalem and Judaea. He is calling people outside the camp of Judaism. Hes calling and separating a believing remnant of people from apostate Israel. It is important that you understand that that issue is going on in Johns ministry. He is separating out alittle flock.


He is separating out a righteous nation, (Isaiah 26 calls it). He is separating out a new nation, (Matthew 21:41 calls it). John goes out into the wildernessas Gods spokesman and Gods prophet, and begins to cry to Israel. The believing remnant comes out, and is identified with Him outside the camp. Notice how they are identified.



Matthew 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Theyre baptized by John. Look at verse 7.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism

John has a baptism that is peculiarly and distinctly his. Come to Acts 13 and Mark 1. In Acts 13:24 Paul is preaching and talking about John the Baptist.

Acts 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

Folks, John preached a national baptism as a means of a national repentance. He preached his baptism, (the baptism of John, Christ calls it in Matthew 21). He preached his baptism to the whole nation of Israel, calling the whole nation to repent. I want you to see that. Johns baptism is a national issue, something that the nation is to submit itself to. He says in Matthew 3:6, that they were baptized of John confessing their sins. This is a national baptism that leads to a national confession of sins in order for the nation Israel to receive remission of sins.

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Notice that. When water baptism was in order in your Bible, it was a national baptism which required a national confession of sins in order for that nation togain forgiveness of sins. Thats the issue. John is standing out there calling.

Let this rectangle represent Israel, called a vine. The vine is representativeof the national life of Israel. God plants a vineyard, and that vineyard is Israel. That vineyard has become apostate. John shows up in the midst of that nation, and goes out into the wilderness, outside of the organized religious and political establishment, and begins to cry to that nation: Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He cries to them to prepare to receive that kingdom.The people in Israel hear it, and they go out. He is forming, inside the nation, a believing remnant. He is gathering together a believing remnant of believers inside of the nation. The way they are identified together as they believe hi

s message and respond to it, is by Johns baptism. (Also see diagram on page 111.)Apostate IsraelJohn Remnant John is preparing these peoplethis cleansed, prepared nation in here. It is a national baptism with a national cleansing in view. The thing that is in view isthe salvation that is offered to them, and promised to them in that kingdom when the Messiah comes and establishes His kingdom. There is judgment coming. There is wrath that is going to be poured out in the tribulation period in the future. The believing remnant are going to be preserved through the wrath into the kingdom. The unbelieving apostate people in Israel will be burned up and not gointo the kingdom.

John is forming a little flock of believers. He is establishing that remnant seed that is spoken so much about in the Old Testament. He is forming that remnant of believers, calling them out of that apostate nation. It is critical that you understand that issue of the formation of the little flock, that righteous nation, Isaiah 26 calls it. It is that new nation of believers inside the apostatenation. Christ, during His earthly ministry, is going to form the governmentalhierarchy for His kingdom out of that little remnant of believers. It is critical that you understand this issue.



Go back to Matthew 3 with me, and lets talk about this baptism for a minute. Johns baptism, and all the rest of the water ceremonies, is an Old Testament ordinance. It is not a New Testament ordinance. First of all, Matthew 3 is an Old Testament situation, is it not? Sure it is. The Mosaic law is still in effect. The Lord Jesus Christ is born under the Law. They function under the law. If you go over to Matthew 8:4, youll see Christ tell that leper to go and do exactly what the law tells him to do. You are still in an Old Testament situation here.

Come over to John 1, and notice that the issue of water baptism is something that Israel expected to happen in conjunction with the appearance of their King and their kingdom.

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

You see, they expect that prophet, Elijah, and Christ to come doing something.What did they expect them to come doing? obviously, baptizing. Why would theyexpect that? Come with me to Ezekiel 36, and Zechariah 13.

Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, [this is Gods prophecy

and promise to the nation Israel] and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land [regathering of Israel].25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from allyour filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

They are expecting a water ceremony in connection with their King coming, and their kingdom coming. They understand that.

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

I know we have a beautiful song that says:There is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Emmanuels veins;And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,Lose all their guilty stains.

But I hope you understand that that fountain in Zechariah 13:1 is not filled with blood. Do you know what its going to be filled with? Water, brother, good old H2O. Those people expected and understood those issues. The water baptism ceremony that John comes with, and all the water ceremonies that are practiced anywhere in the Word of God are connected with the Old Testament ordinances. They are not New Testament ordinances for the body of Christ. They are Old Testamentordinances that have to do with the nation Israel preparing herself to receive her Messiah and to function in her kingdom. Notice there in Zechariah that it says the fountain is open for sin and uncleanness, (cleansing). Come to John 3, a

nd notice how water baptism is associated, in a Jewish mind, with the issue of cleansing and purification.

John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.24 For John was not yet cast into prison.25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

Now, just notice whats going on there. John is baptizing, and so a question aris



es between Johns disciples and some of the Jews who have come there, about what?The question is raised about what they are doing. What are they doing? They are baptizing, but what do they ask about? purifying. Now why would you talk about purifying when you are talking about baptizing? Because in a Jewish mind those two things fit together. Water baptism stands for purification to an Old Testament Jew. He understands that issue that way. And there is a special issuewith regard to purification that John is raising. Come back with me to Exodus 29, Exodus 19, I Peter 2, and Revelation 1.

Exodus 29:1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow [makethem holy] them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

First, you wash them with water.

7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

How do you get the priest ready to function as a priest? you wash him, then youanoint him. You ask, What has that got to do with what John is doing? Exodus 19: notice the kingdom that God promised Israel.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of [what?] priests, and an holy nation

Folks, the nation Israel expected to be a kingdom of priests. If I am going toprepare a priest, and make a priest ready to function, what do I have to do? Ihave to wash him and anoint him. What did John cry and tell them to do? Prepare the way of the Lord! Make yourselves ready! How is a nation of priests going to

do that? Theres a national water baptism, a national washing, to gain a national cleansing, so the nation can function as a priest.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood

Were those people there a royal priesthood? Do you know what royalty belongs to? a king, a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. Look at the diagram. The remnant is identified together by Johns baptism. Later in Acts 2 they are anointed with the Holy Spirit. John tells them it will happen in Matthew 3.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you [not just with water, but] with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.

Hes going to accomplish the preparation. I am just beginning the thing, John says. After Pentecost, Peter writes to the believing remnant that has been identified together as the believers in Israel. He says, You people are a royal priesthood. You are ready.

The thing is beginning with John. Folks say, Our church began with John the Baptist. Let me tell you something: there was a believing remnant, a separated, godly remnant, a righteous nation, that began to be formed in Israel, and they began with John the Baptist. It was a Jewish, baptist church.



Rev. 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that lovedus, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father

Do you see what those people have been made? Theyve been made kings and priests. Thats a royal priesthood.

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shallreign [where?] on the earth.

Folks, there isnt any doubt about whom He is talking about. Thats Israel, thats the remnant reigning with Him. Thats what John is starting when he comes preaching, Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Hes getting that ball going.

I want you to get a grip on this, because it will help you as we go through Matthew if you know it now. Keep in the back of your mind whats going on. Then youll be able to read, especially the parables, and see in the incidents, and see the witness that is constantly being raised by that believing remnant, and the testimony of Christ and the apostles to the apostate nation out there. All of a sudden it will all begin to fall into place for you, and youll see how it fits together. Get Luke 7 in one hand, and Acts 2 in the other hand.

Luke 7:29 And all the people that heard him [John], and the publicans, justified God, [how?] being baptized with the baptism of John.30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, [how did they reject it?] being not baptized of him.

You can see, folks, the issue in Israel at that time is, the message came from God: the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Get ready. Prepare yourself. The kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it. Thats the issue.

Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

The unbelievers are trying to take it away from them by force. They are opposin

g them and wont receive it. They reject the council of God and say, Were not going to give it up. Were going to keep it out here, (outside of the little flock).Theres a battle going on there.

These people in the nation Israel who receive the council of God against them, repent, believe the message, respond in faith, and are identified as believers by being baptized with the baptism of John. That identifies them in the believing remnant, in that little flock, Christ calls it. I want you to learn that terminology: little flock.


They had to be a part of the little flock. The door to the sheepfold, John 10 says is water baptism. John 10 says that the porter who opens the door is John the Baptist. The sheepfold has a porter, and its got a door. John opens the door and lets the Shepherd, Christ, in. How does he do it? John says, I come baptizing in order that Christ the Messiah might be manifest to Israel. The door to that sheepfold, the little flock, is the baptism of John. Come to Acts 2 and notice that the issue does not change after Pentecost.

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and saidunto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?



They hear Peter who told them: You crucified the Messiah. You killed the Messiah. You shouldnt have done it. You mistook Him, you killed Him; God raised Him up, and set Him at His own right hand. He is ready to pour out His wrath. He sent the Holy Spirit to be a witness to the fact that He is up there, and He is who He said He was. I want you to know that this same Jesus whom you have crucified is both Lord and Christ.

They get under conviction, they see what has happened; and they say, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter answers the law-abiding, pork-abstaining, sacrifice-observing, temple-worshipping, Sabbath-observing, bearded Jews. Please understand that.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ [why?] for the remission of sins, [Where did you read that before? Thats exactly what Johns baptism was, folks. It was the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.] and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

You see, there is no change in the message between John and Peter. There are only the added historical developments of the crucifixion of Christ, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now Peter says, You guys repent and be baptized; get washed, and youll get the anointing also. So now there has been the historical addition of the anointing for the nation.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afaroff, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from [what?] this untoward generation.

Can you see what he is saying there? Save yourselves from this untoward, (crooked), generation: this generation on whom the wrath of Almighty God is going to fall. That is the people in the apostate nation outside the little flock. The wrath is going to fall on them. And he is saying, Save yourselves from that apostate group that the wrath of God is going to fall on. How are they going to do it? Theyre going to repent, believe, and be baptized: be identified together in this little flock. They are going to come over and be identified as a part of the

believing remnant, of the little flock, of that righteous nation to whom the Lord is going to give that kingdom.

Now thats the issue in your Bible. John, Christ, the Twelve, and Peter in earlyActs are gathering together the little flock. They are gathering that righteous nation. They are gathering that new nation. They are gathering together the true vine, (not the apostate vine, but the true vine), the true Israel. Paul says, For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.

The Pharisees in John 8 said, We have Abraham as our father.

Jesus replied, If you were really Abrahams seed you would believe Me.

Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

See, it wasnt just the natural lineage and descent; it had to do with responsiveness in the heart. Jesus said, Ye are of your father the devil. How would you like to have someone talk to you like that? Do you know what it was? They didnt have God as their Father. They were Abrahams descendants but now, lets finish by going back to Matthew 3.



Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gatherhis wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

John says, Hey, fellas, theres judgment coming and you dont want to be out yonder in the apostate, untoward nation. You want to be in the little flock. You wantto be in the believing nation. Come, get in. The way they got in was by responding to the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Im spending some time going through these things now as we begin Matthew, because the further we go in it, the more this foundational understanding will give you a capacity to understand all thats going on. I hope you can see the issue of how it is that baptism was for the remission of sins. It was a national issue wit

h the nation, to gain a national repentance.

Folks, no one at any time, anywhere in human history, has ever been justified before God on the basis of works. No individual who ever had faith was justifiedany other way than by faith. We now understand that on the basis of Romans 3, but the issue back there with Israel in time past was that no Israelite ever sawhimself getting saved apart from his nation. Thats why they came confessing their sins. Its the reason they came with this short accounts system of constant confession.

In Daniel 9, they are over in Babylon in captivity, and Daniel learns they are ready to get out of captivity. What does Daniel do? He begins to confess the sins of his people, because that was one of the prerequisites for the nations prepa

ration to receive Gods blessings.

Thats a big mouthful tonight; I trust that you can receive it, and I believe youcan. Go home and study the passages, review the information, and get that understanding about it. Well go over it more as we go through Matthew.


I want to continue where we left off last time with the ministry of John the Baptist, the issue of Johns baptism, and the Pharisees and Sadducees that come to it. Lets begin by reading Matthew 3.

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.



3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

I want to get through this passage, but it is more important that you understand what is going on with John than that we get through a certain amount of material. It is critical in this passage that you understand what John is doing in Israel. Understand the issue of the kingdom of heaven; it is that literal, physical, visible reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth. It is what we call thekingdom program. It is the goal of prophecy that we studied in Daniel, about how the God of heaven is going to set up a kingdom on the earth, and it is going to be as the days of heaven on the earth. The rule of God is going to be extendedon this earth through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the kingdom thatis vested in Christ and given to Israel, the kingdom nation.

The opportunity has arisen now for Israel to receive her kingdom. The nation Israel has been a chosen vessel of the Lord. They are described in Isaiah 5 as avine that the Lord planted in Judah, which is a reference to the nation Israel.

There are a number of different trees in the Bible. There is the vine tree, the fig tree, the olive tree, and a bramble, (a thorn tree). Those four trees were in the garden of Eden, (Genesis 3). Those four trees come all the way throughthe Bible. They all are representative of the nation Israel: the olive, bramble, fig, and the vine.

First there is the fig tree. Do you remember that Adam and Eve used fig leavesto make their clothes? That is a type of the religious life of Israel. The olive tree is a type of the spiritual and covenant privileges of the nation. The vine tree is a type of the nation itself, their national life. The bramble is atype of apostate Israel, the result of apostasy and sin in the nation. These trees are descriptive, over and over again in the Bible, of the nation itself. Go

d says that the nation Israel is like a vine tree, referring to their national life. He describes them that way.

When John comes on the scene, he preaches to the nation Israel, or the vine. John begins to call a remnant of believers from the midst of that nation. He goes out into the wilderness. He doesnt come into Jerusalem, he goes outside of the camp; and begins to call out of the nation a remnant of believers, people who will respond in faith and repentance, and bring forth the works that qualify, or are meet, (fit), for repentance.

That is, John is forming a new nation inside Israel. The nation itself has become apostate. He comes to the nation, and he cries, Repent! He is forming and calling out a remnant of believers that is called a little flock in Luke 12. You a

sk, Why does he say little flock? because the nation is called a flock. The nation Israel itself is not only called a vine, but also a flock. There are a lot of symbols used. They are called a flock of sheep. They are the sheep of His pasture, and the nation is called a sheepfold in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and in the Book of Psalms. A sheepfold is a place where the sheep are gathered together.

John is calling out a believing remnant, who are preparing themselves for the second coming of Christ, and for the kingdom to come. They are preparing themselves to go into that kingdom, and they were going to be the governmental hierarchy who will rule that kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostate nation is



going to have the wrath of God poured out upon them. Gods wrath is coming, and that is what John tells them in verse 7 to flee from the wrath to come. That wrath is going to burn up that apostate group; the wrath is going to fall on them in what we call the tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel 9. We studied all about that in the Book of Daniel.

What he is doing here is separating the men from the boys. He is separating the wheat from the chaff. The wheat, (the good part), He will gather into His garner. The chaff, He will burn up with unquenchable fire. We will see that in a minute.

I am trying to review what we studied in the last lesson. The issue in Johns baptism is the issue of identification together of a believing remnant. When theycome and confess their sins, and are baptized in Jordan by John, it is a national baptism; it is the nation Israel being prepared to function in that kingdom in the position that God has given them in which to function. He is calling out of the nation those who will respond, and those who will become a part of that little flock.

I want you to notice some of the names that are given, and the idea in other passages about that little flock. Come over to Matthew 21, and Luke 12. In Matthew 21, beginning in verse 33, the Lord Jesus Christ gives a parable about a householder.

Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

The householder has planted a vineyard, and dug a winepress. He plans to reap the fruits of the vineyard, (which are grapes). In other words, hes going to reap benefits: the fruit, the good things from this vineyard that he has planted.When the time for fruit came, he sent his servants to get the fruit. He had put certain people in charge of the vineyard.

Folks, God Almighty did that with Israel. He planted the nation. He said, I bro

ught you out of Egypt and planted you in a pleasant land, and its My vineyard that I have planted there in Palestine. He put the nation under the leadership of people: the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who came to Johns baptism in Matthew 3:7, these were the leaders of Israel.

God gave Israel a king and a priest. Moses was a king in Israel, (Deuteronomy 33). God gave Israel two leaders: Moses and Aaron. Moses was the king, the leader; and Aaron was the high priest. All through their history they had leaderswho led them. Moses had the council of seventy which became the Sanhedrin in New Testament times. These were the leaders of the house of Israel.

Do you notice that it says the house of Israel? Do you know how you have a house? You build it. God gave them a building permit, a blueprint. He gave them a

covenant, the Mosaic Covenant. He gave them a blueprint, the law; and told them: Here is what to do. Go build the house of Israel, and make it a house that I can live in their midst of. What did they do? You know what they did. They made a mess of it.

In the parable here, God said, I planted a vineyard, and put people in it to care for it; and what did they do? They took advantage of it. They didnt do it for the Lord, they did it for themselves. When the time came to harvest the fruit, the householder first sent a servant, whom they beat. Then he sent another whomthey killed. Then he sent a third, and they stoned him. Finally he says, I know



what I will do. Ill send my son. They will honor him.

Matthew 21:37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

Do you remember that passage over in Matthew 11 where we read that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force? Thats what He istalking about right there. These guys are not responsive. What were they doing? They are trying to seize the inheritance from God and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will letout his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone whichthe builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

That is the stone in Daniel 2:45, the stone that comes back and destroys the image that Nebuchadnezzer saw that grew up into becoming the kingdom that the God of heaven establishes on the earth. He said, If that Stone lands on you, it is going to destroy you. In other words, they have joined hands together in rebellion against God, and they are going to be destroyed.

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parable, they perceived that He was talking about somebody else? No! They understood that He was talking aboutthem. What He was saying to them was that the kingdom would be taken from them, and they would no longer be the leaders in the nation, the vine. Its going to be

taken from you, and given to a nation.

Notice that it doesnt say nations, plural. It says a nation, singular. The common interpretation of that passage is that the kingdom is taken from Israel and given to the Gentiles. Do you know what is wrong with that? What nation among the Gentiles was it given to? It doesnt say it is taken from Israel and given to nations, plural. It says it is taken from the nation Israel and given to a nation, one nation. The word Gentiles means nations, (plural); not one nation, but all nations outside of Israel. What you have to look for is one nation that brings forth the fruits of the kingdom to whom God gives the kingdom. Come to Luke12 and notice who it is.

Luke 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be

added unto you.32 Fear not, little flock; [Right there is the reason I use the term little flock.] for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

To whom is he talking? He is talking to His disciples. He is talking to His followers. What is going on in the ministry of Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, beginning with John the Baptist and extending all through the earthly ministry of Christ, is the gathering together of this nation, this little flock inIsrael, this remnant of believers. Come with me to Matthew 19, and Luke 22.



Matthew 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, [Christ], Behold, we haveforsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Do you see that? He has gathered together that little flock, and He is going to give the governmental authority of the kingdom to them. They are going to be the nation that brings forth the fruits of the kingdom. When He said ye which have followed me, according to John 15 and Acts 1, He was speaking of those who began to follow Him with the baptism of John. Do you understand how they began to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in view of that coming kingdom? They followed Him beginning with the baptism of John. The issue in Johns baptism was a national repentance. It was a national baptism for a national cleansing in view of separating out that remnant for that kingdom.

Luke 22:28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

There should be no doubt in your mind, (and I trust there isnt), that the issue involved in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and in the ministries ofJohn the Baptist, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the twelve apostles is the formi

ng of that little flock in the midst of that apostate nation. He was taking the vineyard from the unfaithful husbandmen, and giving it to the faithful husbandmen; He was taking the kingdom from the apostate nation, and giving it to a nation that brings forth the fruit thereof. Come with me to John 15, where Christ is in the upper room, and He has just His apostles with Him.

John 15:1 I am the true vine, (Underline it), and my Father is the husbandman.

Hosea 10:1 calls Israel an empty vine. Christ said, I am the real Israel. I amthe real Seed. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every

branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, exceptit abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Do you see the association there? The apostate vine,(apostate Israel)/the truevine, (the little flock). The apostate nation/the new nation, the little flockinside of Israel who are going to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom. All they who are of Israel, (physical descendants), are not true Israel, (the children of Abraham by faith).

There is a great issue involved in that, because there was something fantastic happening there. Ill tell you, folks, there arent many people who understand whatI am trying to show you here; and if you will let it sink into your mind, and your understanding, and deal with the passages in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John from this perspective, you will begin to see what is going on in those books. Itis not a haphazard ministry; there is something real happening there in the midst of Israel, something fantastic that is going to be glorious. Notice He said, I am the true vine. That is, I am the true nation.

Come with me to Joel 2, and Acts 15. Time wise in the prophecy in Joel 2, the c



come back and rebuild the tabernacle of David? What in the world is the tabernacle of David? Who built the tabernacle? Moses. Who built the temple? Solomon. What in the world did David build? He built a tabernacle, (2 Samuel 6). Read it sometime. David brought that ark to Shiloh. He wanted to build God a temple to house that ark, but he never got to do that. He did build the tabernacle in Shiloh and put the ark in it. Then David went in and gave offerings and sacrifices.

David is the only man in the Bible besides the Lord Jesus Christ who is a prophet, a priest and a king all in one person. There is not one other person in allof the Bible except David and the Lord Jesus Christ who held the office of a prophet, priest, and king all in one person. David is a marvelous type of the Lord Jesus Christ in so many ways. He was a king, a prophet, (look at the psalms he wrote), and a priest, (2 Samuel 6). He also built the tabernacle.

What is a tabernacle? A tabernacle is just a tent made out of different kinds of animal skins. What was in that tabernacle? the ark. What abode over the ark? the glory of God. You see, the tabernacle of David was a house made of skinwith the glory of Almighty God in it. Do you know what the nation Israel was supposed to be? The house of Israel was supposed to be a house of people. Youre made out of skin, folks. You are a house of people with the glory of God dwelling in you. Thats what Israel was supposed to have been.

He said, Im going to come back over there and Im going to build, not just a buildin

g, not just a city, but I am going to build again the tabernacle of David. I am going to build that nation. I am going to build a house of skin with the glory of God Almighty in it.

He begins building that house right there with John and the little flock, gathering out those people. He puts His Spirit on them. Were going to see as we go through Matthew 3 in the baptism of Christ, the glory of God resting on these people, (the remnant). What goes on in the early Acts period is that those men go out, and theyve got the glory of God in their midst. Theyve got the Spirit of GodAlmighty functioning on them, and they have the foretaste of the powers of the world to come. And it is just a going out there.

Now, I want to go back to Matthew 3, and go through the passages with you; but I

want you to understand that all of these different issues are coming to a focus. Remember that I said to you in the last two lessons: when John showed up, there came a new opportunity with Israel. Now, in Israels history, for the first time, it had come to the place where they had the opportunity to receive all that the prophets had prophesied and promised. All the promises could now all be fulfilled.

So lets go back to Matthew 3, and go through these things. By the way, rememberthat I use the term little flock when I am talking about the new nation, the righteous nation, the remnant. They are identified together by the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, the confessing of their sins. Leviticus 26 says that when the fifth course of Gods judgment falls on the nation, (and it had in Daniels day, that is why Daniel confessed his sins and the sins of his people I

srael), the nation is to humble themselves, and confess their sins, and forsaketheir wicked ways, and what will God do?

You hear these dudes quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 on the radio and television today, how God is going to heal America if we repent and turn from our wicked ways and all that. Listen. Thats Gods promise to the nation Israel. God never promised to do that for America. Thats not what is going to get Gods blessing on America. Do you know how you can save America, and get Gods blessing on America? It isnot getting everybody to get down on their knees and cry and squall about theirsin; its getting them to stop sin. Righteousness exalts a nation.



And what we are to do today is to apply Biblical principles to the details of life, and do you know what that does? That allows you to live quietly and peaceably in all godliness and honesty. You kick the Bible around, and the Lord JesusChrist around, and join hands with apostate religion like this country has donethe last thirty-five or forty years, take the Bible and be the source and the fount of the greatest corruptions of the Word of God that have taken place since the New Testament was written: and the United States has been that in the last thirty-five years. Do you think youre going to get away with that?

When you sit down and talk with the average Christian today, theyll have fifteendifferent Bibles on their shelves. Count them: the ASV, the New ASV, the NIV,the RSV, the Weymouth, Good News for Modern Man, the TEV, the Living Bible. Theyll have all of them, and you'll find out that none of them believe any of them.Do you know what all those versions have done? In the name of putting Gods Wordin peoples hands, it has taken the text of the Word of God and corrupted it. Ithas put the church today in a situation where if you have a responsive reading in the average Sunday morning church service today, it sounds like a tongues meeting.

Listen to me, William Tyndale in the fifteen hundreds, and John Wycliffe in thethirteen hundreds, had it right over five hundred years ago. They knew that you cant teach people the truth of God Almighty unless they have an authoritative translation of that Book in their mother tongue. Thats why missionaries have been

all over this globe ever since, translating the Bible into the language of those people. Thats the reason you have it in your language.

They didnt try to translate some Roman Catholic corrupted manuscripts into English. They rejected them. They had every new reading that anyone has come up with in the past fifty to two hundred years has come up with, and said is better. They had everything that Vaticanus and Sinaticus has said is better, and that the United Bible Society bends over backwards to promote today. Those men had every one of those readings available to them, and they wrote notes why they didnt use them.

Folks, you cant be the source of that kind of popularization of that kind of corruption of Gods Word without judgment falling. The natural consequence of bad dec

isions brings trouble. There is no authority in the land today, because the foundation has been destroyed. And if you think getting a bunch of confused Christians together, and trying to get them to repent and to confess their sins is going to do any good, well, just go ahead and try it. Im sorry, it isnt going to work. There are things that will work, and what you need to do is to get into theBook, and find out what God says will work, and do those things.

Israel, under that fifth course of judgment in Leviticus 26, is told that when they see themselves in that situation, they are to confess their sins and turn from their wicked way. The baptism of repentance that John preaches to those people for the remission of sins is a national repentance for the forgiveness of the nation for that nation to get its kingdom blessings. John begins to preach that, and gather the little flock together, and what happened in Acts 2, (which we

have already looked at), was the same thing. That is the issue all the way through these passages. Go back to Matthew 3, and watch John warn them about the wrath that is coming.

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers

Thats strong, isnt it? I know some of you folks think I talk tough. You know me, so you know I am not, so you think it is just a put-on. I dont mean it to be.Sometimes someone will say, Youre kinda mean, arent you? How would you like me to



et up here and call you a bunch of snakes?

Go over to Matthew 23, and read what Christ called these guys. He said, You area bunch of whited sepulchers. How would you like for me to talk like that? TheLord Jesus Christ and John the Baptist just peeled the hide off those guys, packed them down with salt, and hung them up on the wall to cure/dry. They were straight-talkers, man. John was talking to the religious leaders of the day. In walked the Pope, in walked Billy Graham, in walked Jerry Falwell, in walked all the big shot guys: Norman Carson Blake, and Norman Vincent Peale, the head of the World Council of Churches, the head of the National Council of Churches. They all came in to see what was going on, and John said, You generation of vipers, you bunch of snakes, you sorry good-for-nothing scoundrels. Id have shaken their hands and say, Hello, gentlemen, and go my way, but not John. You see, people like to act as though nothing matters. Hey, folks, this stuff does matter. It does matter. It does count.

Matthew 3:7 O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [Thats that tribulation wrath out there. On the chart it is in the Agesto Come.]8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: [Thatswhat they said: We are the vine. We are Abrahams seed.] for I say unto you, thatGod is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Isnt that tough? What a rebuke. He said, Youre no better than the dirt. God canuse that stone over there as well as He can use you. Youre not any better than that. Dont go bragging on yourselves. Thats bold, brother, thats bold. No wonder e wound up with his head on a silver platter.

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: [Judgment is coming.] therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

You see, John demands fruit. He said, Bring forth fruit meet for repentance: Hesaid, Bring forth some fruit that demonstrates, that shows the reality of your change of mind. Do you remember that passage? Come back to John 15, and you willunderstand why Jesus was talking about bringing forth fruit. They had to have f

ruit. Why? to demonstrate the reality and genuineness of their repentance. The fruit that these guys had to bear first was that baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. But they refused, according to Luke 7:29 and 30.

John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and everybranch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, exceptit abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.6 If a man abide not in me, [any man not in the little flock] he is cast forthas a branch, and is withered [dries up]; and men gather them, and cast them into

the fire, [over there in the tribulation wrath] and they are burned.

Do you understand that? If you pick up that branch that isnt any good, whack itoff, and throw it down; somebody comes along, picks it up, and burns it. Christ said, If you are not abiding in Me, you are going to get whacked off, the ax isgoing to be laid to the root of the tree. You are going to be cut off, the fire is going to come, and it will burn you to a fare-thee-well; and you arent goingto be around any longer. That is the warning.

John 15:6 is a national reference to the nation Israel with the tribulation in v



iew. The fire has to do with the tribulation fire, and those people burning upin it. If a man doesnt abide in Him and bring forth fruit, he is cast into the fire in that tribulation.

As I said, the individual has to be a part of the little flock, that remnant; and he gets in there by the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. He is identified that way. Why does he do it? Faith, of course, is the issue. Hebelieves what God tells him. What does God tell him? He tells him to join theremnant, so he gets in the remnant, and brings forth the fruits that match the kingdom. Its the true nation that brings forth the fruits of the kingdom.

By the way, thats why in James 2, it says, Faith without works is dead. This guys aith, if it is real faith, is going to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom, because thats what the nation that gets the kingdom does. In the context of James2, the fruits are feeding believers who are hungry because they cant buy food. Does that ring a bell about the tribulation period? Didnt you read in the Book of Revelation that a man cant buy or sell unless he has the mark of the beast? Arent some people going to get hungry? Didnt you read in Psalms about all those poor people in the tribulation that the antichrist oppressed? How do you think they got so poor? They will be in a tough economic and social situation. They cant show their face unless they have a black spot on their forehead or in the palmof their hand. The brethren over there have to take care of one another. Thatsthe reason you see that over in James and 1 John.

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [Notice that fire mentioned there, and remember it.]11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

That baptism of fire is the same as the cast into fire in verse 10, and the wrath to come in verse 7, and the unquenchable fire in verse 12.

There are two baptisms that Christ is going to administer. One, He is going tobaptize the remnant, the little flock, with the Holy Spirit. But then He is going to baptize the apostates with fire: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them

that know not God. Remember if you will, the studies we had on Eternal Judgmentabout the fire at the second advent of Christ. Thats it.

Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; [The wheat goes in to the Kingdom.] but hewill burn up the chaff [the apostate nation that isnt any good] with unquenchable fire.

Basically, what He is saying is that He is going to purge out the rebels. The purpose of the tribulation is to separate the believing remnant from apostate Israel. Its to separate the wheat from the tares. Its to separate the wheat from the chaff. Those are all different figures of speech. You understand that in a stalk of wheat there are kernels, and chaff which is the husk around the kernel.

Are you familiar with how they separate the wheat from the chaff?

Have you ever baked peanuts? I can remember as a young kid going over to my great uncles house, and he would roast peanuts, (goobers), and then we would shell them. You cant get the husk off a green peanut, so he would roast them in the oven on a flat pan. Theyd be real crisp, and wed take them out on the front porch, roll them around, and that husk would fall off. Wed go over to the edge of the porch and blow on them, and all those husks would fly out in the yard. We were separating the husk from the peanuts.



God is separating the chaff from the wheatsame illustration. The stuff that is no good, get rid of it, blow it away. The stuff that is good, lets eat. Hes going to put the wheat into the kingdom. The fire is going to get the chaff. That is the illustration.

By the way, in verse 12, that unquenchable fire: write down by that verse Mark9:43 and 45. Again, that is the issue we talked about in Eternal Judgment, theissue of hell being made visibly, and literally present during the Millennial Kingdom beginning at the second coming of Christ. Thats that unquenchable fire, and they can go out and look at the carcasses of them, and see the souls being tormented in hell, (Isaiah 66, Mark 9, and other passages). Youll have to go over the Eternal Judgment tapes to get all those verses. Thats what that unquenchablefire is in Verse 12.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance

In other words, John is saying if you want to get out of the fire, you have to get in the water, man. Do you want to get out of the fire? Get in the water.

Come to Acts 2, and notice thats exactly what Peter told them. You see, folks, you begin to be able to understand in a unique way whats going on in these passages when you see this issue of the forming of that new nation, that little flock.

Acts 2:37 Now when they [the Jews in Jerusalem] heard this, they were pricked i

n their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, [There is the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.] And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afaroff, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Save yourselves, not from sin, not from hell, but from this untoward generation. Could you save yourself? Could these people have saved themselves from hell?You know better than that. Hes not talking about that. He is saying that the w

rath of God is going to fall on what Luke 11 calls the generation of my wrath.

Save yourself from that generation upon whom the wrath is going to fall. How areyou going to do it? with the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.Get in the remnant. If you want to get out of the wrath, brother, get in the waterthats what John said. Thats what Peter said. Its all the same program.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:

That is a great testimony, folks. The ministry of John the Baptist was fading away, and Christs ministry was taking over. His disciples came and said, John, dont you see, theyre all going after Christ now, and theyre not following you.

John said, He must increase, but I must decrease. Boy, you talk about a man, there was a man. There was a man whose heart was right in tune with what God was doing. There was a man who was willing. Its what God wanted, thats what counted. God, make us that kind of people, folks: people of faith.

He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, (the Acts 2 experience, the Holy Spirits coming), and with fire, (the judgment at the second coming, and whose fan is in His hand.) He is going to come and purge the floor. The fire is tribulationwrath there, folks.



12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gatherhis wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Im still trying to get you to grasp these things. In the next lesson, we will begin to go a little more quickly through the narrative, and some other things, but this is still foundational information: calling out that little flock that begins with Johns baptism and ministry, calling out that little flock, that new nation, who will enter the kingdom.

The wrath of God will fall on the apostate nation, and they have to be in that remnant to be gathered into the garner, into the kingdom. Otherwise folks, the wrath gets them; the tribulation gets them; the judgment gets them.

God is separating out in Israel the believing remnant, true Israel, from apostate unbelieving Israel. That sifting, shaking process begins with John the Baptist. God is gathering together the governmental hierarchy of His kingdom.

Well begin in verse 13 in the next lesson.


Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comestthou to me?15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

That passage has to do with the baptism and the anointing of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has to do with His coming to John, and participating in the baptism into which John is calling the nation Israel. Really, the baptism and anointing has to do with His inauguration into His public ministry. Notice verse 13: Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. If you go over to Luke 3:21, it is talking about the people coming to Johns baptism,and it says, Jesus also. He is also baptized; He came with all of the other peopl

e. He comes with the little flock, that little remnant of believers, who are being identified together as that faithful remnant.

What Christ is doing here is identifying Himself with that faithful remnant of the nation who are being called out to prepare themselves for the kingdom that is coming. Weve been over this issue before, and I want to emphasize it again so you understand what Christ is doing here as He enters His public ministry. When the Lord Jesus Christ enters into His public ministry, He comes to John. John the Baptist has already been preaching; he is calling out of the nation Israel, that vine that God planted in the land, he is calling out a little flock



of believers. Later on they are called the little flock. Later on, Christ identifies Himself and them with Him, as the true vine.

The apostate nation, (outside of the little flock), (see diagram on page 111), the wrath of God is going to burn up. Weve already read about that in verses 10-12, about the tribulation wrath, the fire that will burn them up. John tells them that Christ is going to baptize them with the Holy Spirit, (at Pentecost after the ascension of Christ), and with fire, (in the tribulation). So what Christ is doing is, He comes to John and is identifying Himself together with that believing remnant through the baptism of John. What you have in the passage, (in the baptism of Christ and in His anointing, the Holy Spirit descending on Him, and His recognition by God the Father), is His inauguration, His introduction into His public ministry. Now you know where youre at.

Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

There is the baptism, and the anointing of Christ. He is baptized by John; and then He is anointed: that is, the Holy Spirit comes down on Him. Thisis His introduction, His inauguration, whatever you want to say, into His public ministry. He comes not merely in title now, but He comes to be in fact, the Christ. What does the word Christ mean? It means the anointed one. Messiah is the Hebrew word; Christ is the Greek word. Both of them mean the same thing; the

y mean the anointed. So He comes now, not just to have that title, but to be in fact, anointed. He is beginning His public ministry.

You have to understand, folks, until Christ was about 30 years old, He did not have a public ministry. In fact, come with me to John 2, where there is something you want to make a note of. You hear a lot of stories about Jesus as a youngboy doing this miracle, and that miracle, and all of that kind of business. John 2 will put an end to all of that for you.

John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. [He goes there, and He turns the water into wine. Now look down at verse 11.]

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee

What miracle was it? It was the beginning of miracles. It was the first miracle. When did He begin to perform miracles? When He was a baby? No. When He was 12 years old? No. When He was 22? No, when He was 30. He comes now to John to be inaugurated into His ministry, and it is now that He begins His public ministry. You have all those silent years, and we will talk about that in a little while. Ill show you why they were silent. But you have all that period of silence, and now He comes to be inaugurated.

Notice in verse 16 that He is washed, and He is anointed. Why would He be washed and anointed? He came to fulfill the functions of the offices that He has. Understand that with the Holy Spirit descending on Him, the issue there is anoint

ing. Come over to Acts 10, and Hebrews 1. In the Bible, there are three offices that you are introduced into by being anointed. Do you know what they are? the prophet, the priest, and the king. Christ holds all three of those offices for Israel. He is presented to Israel as their Messiah. He is their prophet, He is their priest, and He is their king. He has other offices besides those three. Those are not the only offices that He holds, but those three are the threeMessianic offices that He holds in relation to the nation Israel and her kingdom program. And one must be anointed in order to get into each of those three offices.



The way you are inaugurated into the office of prophet, priest, and king is by anointing. Anointing was done by pouring oil over the head. Remember when David was anointed king, he was the Lords anointed. Elisha was anointed to be a prophet. The priests were anointed. They were inducted into the office by being anointed. What were they anointed with? oil. What is oil a type of? the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. [What is thatoil that He anointed Christ with?]

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with [what?] the Holy Ghost

The oil is a type of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized,and the baptism has to do with the washing that is required of the priest. Then He is anointed. And what you have is His induction into His office as priest,prophet, and king in Israel. This is a very significant time in the life of the Lord Jesus. This is His introduction into the ministry, and His recognition and induction into the functioning of each of these capacities.

Matthew 3:14 But John forbad him, [he said, No] saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

John knows that Christ is going to come baptizing. In verse 11, he tells them He is going to baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire. So John says, I need you to baptize me, not me you.

3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: [That word suffer means to allow it: Put up with it, John. Allow it to be so.] for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Notice: thus it becometh us He is joining Himself with them. He is coming and joining them; He is not taking their place so they dont have to do it. Isaiah says He is numbered with the transgressors.

Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. What brings Christ to Johns baptism? sin? No. That is what brought everybody else, wasnt it? Look back in verse 6: ..baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their righteousness? No, confessing their sins. But its not sin that brings Christ here, its righteousness. And dont make any mistake about that. Look at verse 17. a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. That eliminates any possibility of any question ever arising as to whether or not the Lord Jesus Christ had any sin in His life or not. God the Father said: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleasedthere is no problem with Him. It wasnt sin, but it was righteousness that brought Christ to Johns baptism.

Involved here is the beginning of a process with Johns ministry, and Christs induction. The Lord Jesus Christ comes, and presents Himself to the nation. He ente

rs into the sheepfold, (with the little flock), the proper way. He comes and does what those who seek to become that righteous nation do. That is, He enters in to the sheepfold at the door. And there is the beginning of the process, in Johns ministry, and in Christs subsequent ministry, of the formation of what Isaiah calls a righteous nation. So he says, thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Come with me to Isaiah 26, and notice this issue of the righteousness nation. They are called by various names. I generally call it the little flock because that is what Christ calls it in Luke 12. Romans 10 calls it the foolish nation. Well get to that later. The faithful, believing, righteousness nation isin the midst of the crooked, perverse, unrighteous nation. They begin to be for



med with John, and that is the nation that will go into the kingdom. (See diagram on page 111.)

Isaiah 26:1 In that day [that day is the kingdom] shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Many of you have learned verse 3. I dont know if youve ever noticed the context: it is a second coming context, where this righteous nation goes right through the tribulation. He keeps them through that terrible time of tribulation, and they go into the kingdom. The cry is like the one in Psalms: Open the gates, and let the righteous nation go in. And they go in to the kingdom. (See diagram on page 111.)

What John is doing, and what Christ is doing, and the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John cover, is the formation of that righteous nation, that little flock, who are going to make it through, and be the nation that inherits that kingdom. You can go through Isaiah 42, Psalm 40; there are numbers of passages that you can go through and see this issue of righteousness. Go with me to Psalm 40.Here is a Psalm that Hebrews 10 quotes as a reference to Christ.

Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order untothee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, [Who is that? Do you remember the passage in Hebrews 10 where that is applied to Christ?]8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithf

ulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

He is out there proclaiming that issue. Do you know what He tells them? Christ tells them to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all that material prosperity that was promised will come, (in the kingdom). Israel wanted to be saved: the unrighteous nation wanted to be saved from their trouble, from their problems, from the oppression of their enemies, but not from their sins. So John and Christ come saying: Repent. And they offer the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins of the nation. That is first. That is the issue there.

Christ comes and identifies Himself with the righteous people in the nation. He

is the righteous One, and he identifies Himself with those who are making up the righteous nation.

Come to John 1, and notice something else John says about the baptism of Christin regard to His being introduced to the nation.

Here is a verse that gives a lot of people problems. If youd talk to them, youd find out they dont know what John is saying in John 1:29. Because of what John says here, and their lack of understanding of what he says, they balk when they hear us talk about the grace message, and the fact that Paul insists that it is gi



ven to him to take the total revelation of whats done at Calvary and make it known. Men in time past in the Old Testament didnt look forward in faith to the cross. These men in John 1 are not looking forward in faith to Christ dying on the cross for their sins. They dont know anything about it. You read in Luke 18 that Christs own disciples dont understand that He is going to die, and that is near the end of His ministry. He begins to tell them about it, and they dont understand; they dont get it; it is hid from their eyes; and they cant grasp what is goingon. And when He does die, they dont understand why He died. They dont understand that He said He was going to die. They dont get it because it isnt revealed to them.

Then somebody says, what does John mean in John 1:29? If the revelation of allthat was accomplished at Calvary isnt manifested until you come to Paul, what does John mean?

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold theLamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John says: Look, there is the Lamb of God who is going to take away thesins of the world. What does he mean? It fascinates me that people get all flustered about this, because it comes from a lack of understanding of what John issaying; and what John is saying is something fantastic. In fact, once you grasp what it is, it is something marvelous. As a grace believer, you dont have to talk to people and hope they dont bring up John 1:29. Ive seen people wilt when tha

t passage comes up. Look at what it says. What is the lamb? Where did they sacrifice a lamb? They sacrificed a lamb to get out of Egypt. What did they kill on the Day of Atonement? A goat. Look at Leviticus 16. You dont kill a lamb on the Day of Atonement. Do you know when they kill a lamb? The lamb is the Passover lamb. When Israel thinks about a lamb, it is the Passover lamb that they think about. John is saying: Here comes the Passover lamb.

What did the Passover lamb do for them? It delivered them from Egypt.Moses, a type of Christ, goes down into Egypt and delivers Gods people, to take them into the promised land. They are delivered by blood and by power. The blood of that Passover lamb gets them out. Every time they had a Passover, it was a memorial of that deliverance. John is saying: There is our deliverer. Did youread Isaiah 59: the Redeemer shall come out of Zion?

John is saying: There is our Redeemer, the One that is going to redeem us out of bondage. Isnt that what the angel told them in Matthew 1:21? Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Then he quotes the next passage, and says his name will be Emmanuel, God with us. You see, He comesto be Israels Redeemer in order that He might be God dwelling in their midst. They had to have a Redeemer first. That is what he is dealing with here.

Did you ever notice what they did with the Passover lamb? Notice how the type fits. When did they take that lamb? They take him on the tenth day of the month Abib. (Later on it is called Nisan.) God says: You take that month, and makeit the first month of the year. Wouldnt you think Hed take him out on the first day of the year? Do you know why He did that? For ten days in that month, there

was no lamb. Did you ever notice that it is thirty years into the life of Christ before He shows up? Thats why.

Then they take him on the tenth day and shut him up, and watch him, and examinehim, for how long? Three days. On the fourth day, they kill him. Then that night they eat him. The Lord Jesus Christ is unknown, just like that Passover lamb for ten days; the one that is going to be the Passover lamb is unknown in the midst of the house. Christ is unknown to His nation for thirty years, and then He is manifest. For three years, He is scrutinized in their midst. Then the next year they take Him and kill Him.



Go to Matthew 21 and see His entry into Jerusalem, and compare that with John 12. Youll see that instead of a triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, He entered into Jerusalem exactly on the day they were selecting that lamb: He is the Passover lamb. He comes in just that way. Notice what he says in verse 30.

John 1:30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. [You understand, that is a great statement about the deity of Christ. Was John or Christ conceived first? John is six months older than Christ, (Luke 1), and John says: He is preferred before me because He was before me. John knew He was God; he didnt have any problem with that.We already saw in Matthew 3 that John identified Him as Jehovah. He knew who He was.]31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

You see, folks, Johns baptism is meant to manifest some people to Israel. John said he didnt know which guy He was; but that He would be made manifest to Israel, thats why I am come baptizing with water. Johns baptism is identifying some people to the nation Israel. It is identifying that little flock of believers. Look at verse 32.

32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me [Who is that? God the Father.] tobaptize with water, [John had a direct commission from God theFather to go out and do what he is doing.] the same said unto me, [God the Father spoke directly to John.] Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

John said: Thats Him! I know Him. The way I know Him is, God the Father told me, when I saw the Spirit descending on Him like a dove, thats the one. The heavens opened and said: Thats the one! John said: Hes the Redeemer! Hes tliverer!

You say, doesnt verse 29 say He is going to take away the sins of the wor

ld? Havent you grasped the point yet, that God said that through Thy seed all thenations of the earth are going to be blessed? God is going to redeem His people Israel in order that that redemption which He gives to them might go to the ends of the earth, and that the blessing might go out to all. Havent you noticed that the focal point of the Book of John is not just Israel. It is Israel, but it is beyond Israel; it is to the world. And the blessings God has for Israel, over and over in the Book of John, he keeps emphasizing: this is for the world, its not just for us.

Come with me to John 10. Notice this thing about Christ being made manifest to Israel through Johns baptism.

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into

the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

If you have a flock of sheep, you have to have them in a sheepfold. Onthe diagram, the sheepfold is represented by the oval in the middle. He says the guy that tries to get in the sheepfold some way besides the door, (maybe tries to climb in the window), what is he? He is a thief and a robber. Klunk him on the head and get rid of him.

2 But he that entereth in by the door [Have you ever heard anybody say: The doo



r to the church is water baptism? Did you ever wonder where they got that? Right there. He that entereth in by the door, is who?] is the shepherd of the sheep.3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth hisown sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

The Shepherd has to come in at the door just like everybody else, and Christ comes in at the door: Johns baptism. Do you know what the Pharisees and Sadducees, and all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem were doing? They wouldnt get in. They are outside of the little flock, and are trying to get in some otherway. They are trying to be Gods seed, the seed of Abraham, and get the kingdom on their own works. Jesus comes in and identifies Himself: the Righteous One, identifying Himself with that righteous nation: Here I am. To Him the porter opens the door. John opens the door. How? Through water baptism.

Folks, the Baptist brethren have said for years that John the Baptist started their church, and they are flat right. There is a Jewish Baptist church that starts with John the Baptist, and the door of that church is water baptism.That is wonderful to understand. There are folks running around this town andall over the country using that terminology, and talking about it, and you get intimidated about it. They didnt just make that up. Thats where they get it. What theyve done is, they havent recognized that they are in the wrong program, but thats what that program is about.

Go with me to Matthew 3. What you have here is the Lord Jesus Christ identifying Himself as the Shepherd by His obedience, by doing what the righteous are supposed to do. He is the head of that new nation, that righteous nation, that little flock, that is being formed inside of that apostate nation Israel.

Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: [In other words, He walked down into the river, John baptized Him, and Hewalked back out of the water to the bank] and, lo, the heavens were opened untohim, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

This is Christs legal induction into His Messianic offices. It is fascinating to see how the events here forecast the future. He is baptized of John in the Jor

dan: He identifies Himself with the believing remnant and them with Him by doing it. He is doing what they do, and they are doing what He did, and they are identified together. Then He ascends out of the water. What does He do? He is here, and He ascends away, (Acts 1). The Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove. In Acts 2, what happens after He ascends away? Down comes the Holy Spirit.

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Do you know what that is? That is the pronouncement of the adoption: the time appointed of the Father when He pronounces Him as His full grown Son, appoints Him to be heir of all things. Do you know when He did that with Christ?at the resurrection. All of that is anticipated here.

I dont know what you think about the dove descending there, but Ive thought about that a lot. Go back to Psalm 68. The symbolism there is very interesting. You know the Spirit of God is not a dove. He descended like a dove, a figure of speech. It is interesting that the Lord would have chosen that particular figure of speech, because it compounds the issue here. This is a second coming Psalm.

Psalm 68:12 Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.



13 Though ye have lien among the pots, [talking about Israel] yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

He is using a figure of speech to describe the glory and splendor that is going to be given back to Israel. Notice what he says. Theyre going to be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. Do you know what silver is in the Bible? Silver is redemption money. Do you remember in Exodus when that firstborn is born, and they had to redeem him with silver? Silver is redemption money. What is gold a type of? deity, royalty.

When the Spirit of God descends on Christ like a dove, it is just another one of those indications that God intends to put on display, redemption and glory through Christ. That is just another one of those ways of the Lord compounding theissue for you in Matthew. What a King He is going to be! What a King Israel has introduced to her here!

In verse 17, that Voice says: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. You see folks, Christ is the obedient man on the earth. He is acknowledged by the Father, and He is anointed by the Spirit. When God looked down at Israel,where did He find favor? What does the verse say? Who was He well pleased with? with His Son, with Christ; and who did Christ identify Himself with? And who was identified with Him? that remnant. Who did God look at and find well pleasing? His Son, and those who had identified themselves together with Him. Youunderstand, folks, that is what these people are going to do: Israel is going t

o be identified with Christ over in the kingdom, and become that righteous nation. Come with me to Jeremiah chapters 23 and 33. Notice how this identification goes in the kingdom.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this ishis name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Who is Messiah going to be? THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jeremiah 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righ

teousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. [Do you see the similarity with chapter 23?]16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. [Who is the she there? Israel.]

Messiah is going to be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. What is Israels name going to be? the same thing. You understand that, dont you? When you ladies walked down the aisle and got married, whose name did you leave with? His name.When you were joined together with your husband, didnt you walk out with his name? Sure you did. That was a happy day in your life. You werent complaining about it; I know you werent. You were joined together, and you were called by his name. My dear friend, it is no accident that God Almighty describes that time ove

r there in the Millennium as a time when He marries that nation; because they are joined together, identified together perfectly.

Go back to Matthew 3. Christ is there identifying Himself with the remnant, and the remnant with Him; and He becomes the Head of that righteous nation inside of the nation Israel, the ones to whom the kingdom will be given.

Notice one thing before we go into chapter 4. In verse 16 you have God the Sonon the ground, God the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and God the Father in verse 17. What is that? That is the trinity. This is the first time the trin



ity is clearly and boldly manifested. It is the first time you see them all together at one time, clearly identifiable, and distinguished in their personalities and operations. I say that to you because of the importance of what is goingon here. When He says: This is my beloved Son, what is He saying? When the Father announces Him as His Son, and the Spirit of God seals Him and anoints Him assuch, what is He saying? Come with me to John 1, and notice what that expression the Son of God means.

John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, I saw thee.49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thouart [who?] the King of Israel.

The Son of God, This is my beloved Son. Do you know who that is? He is the King. Thats who that is. And it is defined as such in the passage. What you have in Matthew 3 is the beginning of a process to establish Christ as the King. Comewith me to Matthew 16, and Acts 13, and Hebrews 1. We are going to go through some verses about the process Christ goes through to be identified and pronounced to be who He is.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

That is called the transfiguration of Christ. Peter, in 2 Peter 1, says that we were eyewitness of His majesty and of His glory. They get the confirmation onthat Mount of Transfiguration, of the glory and the honor that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. They see that glory of the Father in which He is going to come, that He talks about in 16:27. They are seeing His kingdom glory. Notice what is said here:

17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and beholda voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am wellpleased; hear ye him.

That again, is the statement that is in Matthew 3. What I want you to see is the connection. Here, they are seeing His kingdom glory. That statement: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, is an announcement of Him to be the Messiahthe One through whom God is going to establish His headship in the universe. What you have there is the confirmation of the Messiahs identity, again.

Acts 13:33 [Paul is talking.] God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; [In other words, they killed Him, and n

ow God has raised Him up againresurrection.] as it is also written in the secondpsalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

God declares a decree in Psalm 2, and Paul is saying that that decree in Psalm 2 is a reference to the resurrection of Christ. Back there, God says: This day I have begotten thee. The resurrection of Christ is the point where God the Son moves from being a servant to being the Son. The issue is adoption.

You are familiar with Bible adoption as we have already studied it in the Romans class. Adoption has to do with an heir; he is born into the family. He is the



h he suffered;9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

This is who He is. He has that servanthood in order to go to that cross, and identify Himself together with the sufferings of His people. There are three times in the Bible when the wrath of God is poured out without mixture. One of them is hell. Another is the tribulation: the wrath of God is poured out in unrestrained fierceness. The third one is at the cross. Jesus Christ identifies Himself with that suffering nation going through that terrible time of tribulation.He is their Saviour. He is the anchor.

That is why 1 Peter 3:21 talks about Noah and the ark, and says that is a like figure whereunto baptism doth now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What happened with Noah? The wrath of God was poured out on the world in Noahs day. Where did Noah go? He went in the ark. The people who went into the ark, what happened to them when the wrath came? They got out on the new earth. Theywere preserved through the wrath by being in the ark. Peter said thats a like figure whereunto baptism doth now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (not by putting away of the filth of the flesh), but by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How do you get in that ark? by the door. What is the door? water baptism. If you get in that ark, you are preserved right over there into that kingdom. What makes it all possible? Christ does. This day have I begotten Thee. Th

at is what makes it possible, the resurrection.

I wish I could go through the verses in Matthew a little faster, and I have thefrustration, every now and then, of all these things coming together. I try todraw it for you, and put it all together in your thinking; because what is going on in these passages was something fantastic in the program of God for His people! Christ is identified here as that obedient man. God the Father pronouncesHim as such. The Holy Spirit anoints Him as such. He is introduced into His ministry, and look at chapter 4, verse 1.

Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Christ shows up, and here comes the adversary who says: Okay, if you are going to get into the ring, Im going to try you out. And there is the temptation. Well get that next time.


TEST #1

On a separate sheet of properly headed paper, please answer the following questions. Remember to use complete sentences for your answers, except for True or False questions. You may use an unmarked Bible to look up references.

1. Identify the following items that match by drawing a line to connect the



proper items in each column.

Behold thy King The Branch of the Lord JohnBehold the man My servant the branch MatthewBehold your God Davids Branch LukeBehold my servant The man whose name is the Branch Mark

2. What are the three crisis points in the book of Matthew?

3. Matthew 1:1 speaks of the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. What similar book is found in the Old Testament? Explain the importance of these two lineages.

4. Why was Christ called the son of David and the son of Abraham?

5. Outline the book of Matthew around the information given in Matthew 1:1.

6. Why are names in the New Testament often spelled differently from theirOld Testament occurrences?

7. Name the five women in Christs genealogy.

8. What is the significance of the presence of Gentiles in Christs genealogy?

9. Matthew traces Christs genealogy through which of Davids sons? Why?

10. How does the presence of Jechonias demand and ensure the virgin birth?

11. How does Matthew 1:16s use of the term born protect the virgin birth?

12. Matthew 1:21 is a good salvation verse to use today. True or False.

13. Explain the significance of the names Jesus and Emmanuel.

14. Did Mary have other children after the Lord Jesus? Prove your answer from Scripture.

15. What overall view does Matthew 2 give concerning the way in which Christ was received by Israel?

16. What is the doctrinal significance of the gifts brought by the wise men?

17. Explain the star the wise men saw, and its activities in bringing them to where Christ was.

18. What is the significance of Christs residency in Nazareth, and His beingcalled a Nazarene?

19. From where did John the Baptist receive his commission and message?

20. Beginning with the ministry of John, a new and significant era dawned for Israel. Explain what new opportunity was available to her.

21. What is the kingdom of heaven?

22. How was it that the kingdom of heaven could be said to be at hand?

23. What is the significance of Johns ministry being conducted in the wilderne



ss?

24. What was the basic purpose underlying the baptism of John?

25. Who was the little flock? By what other names does the Scripture identify them?

26. What is the baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire?

27. Please explain why Jesus was baptized by John. What light does John 19:1-6 add to the significance of Christs baptism?

28. After His baptism Jesus was anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit. Thus He officially became the Christ. What three offices was He thus inaugurated into?

29. What is meant by the Fathers declaration in Matthew 3:17?

30. Use Matthew 3:15-17 to demonstrate the doctrine of the Trinity.

Bonus: Explain the meaning of Johns statement in John 1:29.

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MATTHEW (Part 1 - 201)



MATTHEW 201-1

(Part 1, Lesson 11)

We have studied the first three chapters of the Book of Matthew and are ready to begin chapter 4. We have seen that the Lord Jesus Christ has been introduced.We have seen the historical setting of the condition of the nation in chapters1 and 2. We saw the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist; and the theme of the ministry of Christ, and of John the Baptist. The heart, the theme, the thrust of what they preached was, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Just like today we preach Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery; t



hat is the theme of what we preach; so it was with them: the theme, the thrustof what they had to say was, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.Christ was introduced; He was inaugurated into His ministry in Matthew 3:13-17.When He was announced, the Trinity, for the first time in Scripture, was fullymanifested in Matthew 3. The Son of man was standing on the earth in the water; the Holy Spirit was descending as a dove from heaven, and God the Father in heaven was speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ: This is my beloved Son, in whom Iam well pleased. The Father announced Him as His beloved Son. The Spirit sealed and anointed Him as such. Here He is, fully equipped, and declared to be whomHe is; and His ministry begins.What was the first thing that happened to Him? In the situation that He has just found Himself in: He has identified Himself with the faithful remnant; He has joined that faithful remnant through submitting to Johns baptism; the Father has declared Him to be His beloved Son; and the Spirit has anointed Him as such; and when all of those things come together, ThenMatthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.That is, He has to come and have His faithfulness and worthiness tested in His position as God's beloved Son. We saw last time that that terminology is in essence saying, This is the Messiah. This is the Christ. He now must be tried and proven to be worthy of that position in respect to His obedience. He comes here to be tempted of the devil. Hes the second Adam. Hes the faithful Man in the earth; and He has to be proven and tested.Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempt

ed of the devil.Notice that word tempted. In the Bible, the word tempt can mean two things. It can mean to be enticed to do something wrong, as when a man is drawn away and tempted in his own lust and enticed.James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.James 1:13 God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:What is he talking about? It means you cannot tempt God Almighty with evil. When Matthew says Jesus is led up to be tempted of the devil, the idea there is that He was not being tempted as God but as man. He was going to be tempted as manas the Son of man, the second Adam.The word tempted also has the meaning, not just to entice you to do something evil; but it can mean to try you, to test you. Write that down in your notes, and

remember the two meanings of the word tempt. The idea here in Matthew 4:1 is to test Him, to try Him out. The way you know that is by comparing Hebrews 11:17 with Genesis 22:1.Your Bible sets up its own system of standards and definitions. Ive told you that before, and you need to be aware of that: the Bible sets up its own system of using words and defining words. If you dont understand a word, you could look it up in a dictionary, and thats a good way to do it; but you can almost without fail, find a way in the Scriptures to understand what you have. If you dont haveanything but that Book, you have enough to help you. There are very few thingsyou cant come to an understanding about, and one of the ways of doing that is tolet the Bible define its own terms for you.Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer himNotice it says, God did tempt Abraham. Now look at Hebrews 11:17.Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was triedYou see, the tempting in Genesis 22 was not to entice Abraham to do something evil; but it was to try him out, to test him. You do that, you test things to demonstrate the validity of the claims of something. In Matthew 4 that is what isgoing to happen with the Lord Jesus. He came to be tempted of the devil. Notice verse 3.Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him



Do you see the terminology used about the devil? Hes the tempter, the one whos going to try you out. What did he do with Adam and Eve? He came into the gardenand tried them out, didnt he? And what did they do? They failed. So Satan came with the same purpose; and here came Christ, the second Adam. He came with the declared intention and purpose of God the Father, of Himself, and of the Holy Spirit to be the One who is going to restore what Adam lost.God placed Adam on the earth to be a prophet, priest, and king. He was to go out and subdue the earth, and have dominion over it. Adam failed. Christ came as the Prophet, Priest, and King. He was anointed and inaugurated into His Messianic offices, (chapter 3). He came with the declared intent of restoring what Adam lost. So what is the devil going to do? Hes going to try Him out and test Him to see what He is made of. Hes going to see if Christ can really meet and match the claims He makes.In 1 Thessalonians 3:5, Paul uses that term the tempter in relation to the members of the body of Christ. Do you know what that tells us? That tells us that though Christ came to be tempted as the King, the guy who came against Him comesagainst us too. He is the master tempter. He is the one, by far and away the master tempter. He carries the title. One of his names is the tempter, and youare going to face him. In fact, you and I war against him, dont we? Thats the focus of our warfare. Its not people we war against, but it is principalities andpowers in heavenly places; its Satan and all of his cohorts in that governmentalsystem he now possesses that we are destined to replace.We are going to learn some things in this passage about Satans tactics, and about how the Lord Jesus Christ withstands his attacks. There is some tremendously i

mportant information here for us, as well as the dispensational truths of the passage.Matthew 4:2 And when he [Christ] had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.The number forty in the Bible is the number of probation, testing. Do you remember how long Israel spent in the wilderness? Forty years. Do you remember Eliwho judged Israel forty years? Samuel judged Israel forty years. Saul was king of Israel for forty years. David was king for forty years. Solomon was king for forty years. Forty, forty, forty, forty: its probation and its testing. Moses fasted forty days. Elijah fasted forty days. Christ fasted forty days, afterward He was tempted. Compare the passage with Luke 4, and the indication is that all through that period of time He was having controversy with Satan.3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command

that these stones be made bread.I want you to notice that when he comes to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ, theres something important going on here. Hes going to try the Lord Jesus with three different temptations: verse 3, verse 5 and verse 8. When he tries Him, theres something interesting about these temptations. Come with me to Hebrews chapter 2, and notice what is going on with the temptation of Christ.Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, [being tested, being tried] he is able to succour them that are tempted.In other words, He can help somebody who is being tried and tested, as Israel will be in the tribulation, why? because He has faced it already.

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.Arent you encouraged by those last three words, yet without sin? What does that mean? Who defeated whom? Did Satan beat Him, or did He beat Satan? The Lord Jesus Christ is the victor, folks. He was tempted in every way you are, and He won. Now, how did you do? Well, lets talk about something else.A question arises here. In the context of Matthew 4 and Hebrews, it is Israel.It is Israel being tested and tried and tempted in the tribulation. But you understand, folks, Israel is just Gods representative nation among men. Its true of



all of us, isnt it? He knows the feelings of your infirmities. Hes the second Adam come to restore for man what man lost and couldnt regain for himself.Theres a problem in verse 15, that oftentimes people who dont think about the Bible raise. It says He was in all points tempted like as we are. Was He ever tempted to get divorced? Was He ever tempted to charge too much money on a Mastercard? No. Was He ever tempted to blow His stack at His wife because the baby was hollering and the bills werent paid and the grass needed to be cut and shes yappingat Him because the tires on the car needed changing? No. Was He ever tempted like that? No. Then, in other words, there are all kinds of problems you have,day in and day out, that He never faced. Then how is it that He was tempted inall points like as we are? Come with me to 1 John 2 and Genesis 3, and lets study this issue of temptation.If you study what your Bible says about temptation, you will find that there are basically three categories of temptation. It says He was tempted in all points like as we are. It doesnt say in every detail, but in all points in which men are tempted. Folks, man or woman, boy or girl, high school dropout, first grader, Eskimo, PhD in nuclear physics: it doesnt make any difference. There are just three points at which temptations enter that you face. These are the three points that Adam missed in Genesis 3.1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

There are some things out there you need to stay away from. The first one named is the lust of the flesh, then the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Those are the three points at which every man is tempted. What do you do when youare tempted at any of these points? You fail. Jesus Christ was tempted at these three points, and He won. He demonstrated and proved that He was victor. Christ was tempted in each of these three points, and He makes it. Come with me to Genesis 3, and see what Adam did when he went up against it, when Adam and Evefaced the adversary.

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleas

ant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat

It is good for food: there is the lust of the flesh.It is pleasant to the eye: that is the lust of the eye.It is desired to make one wise: that is the pride of life.Have you ever noticed how all those things go together? Somebody may say, Well,Adam didnt do it. Look at the rest of the verse.6 and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.That rascal is sitting right there watching that whole thing. Adam watched it,and he knew what was going on. Eve was deceived, but Adam calculated the risk,and made the move. Do you know how he could have stopped that? He could have been a man in his home instead of a hen-pecked husband, and said, Stop! But he did

nt do it. He was guilty.Do you see those points?1. Lust of the flesh,2. Lust of the eye.3. The pride of life.What did Adam do? He failed. What do we do? We fail. Go back to Matthew 4 where you will see the Lord Jesus Christ tempted at each point just like we are, and He wins. Matthew 4:3 says, command that these stones be made bread. Thats thelust of the flesh.6 If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down



Then Satan told Him to come down in a beautiful open display, and show His splendor. Come to the temple in dazzling splendor and beauty, come down. Thats the lust of the eye. Make it appear to be good, make it look good.Satan offers Him all the kingdoms of the world.9 All these things will I give thee...Satan offers Him all the kingdoms of the world. He said, Ill make you a ruler. Ill make you king over everything that I have here on the earth. It will be yours. That's the pride of life.He offered Him rank, station, privilege, rulership. Get something to eat. Comedown and show the splendor of your glory, show off for everybody. Rule over everything.Lust of the flesh: turn the stones into bread.Lust of the eye: come down and let everybody see God take care of you.Pride of life: be ruler over everything.Christ was tempted in all the points like you are tempted. Now, you can put into one of these three categories every temptation that comes against you: categorize it under one of those three things. Itll work. Thats what it means when itsays, He was tempted in all points like as we are. Christ came under the same devices of Satan that Adam came under. Adam fell, but Christ stood. Thats the point. What you have here is the demonstration of the worthiness of the King, the second Adam.Lets go through the details now. Ill try to pick up some of these details that will fit you and me, because theres a lot of information here about these details.These things have to do with things that you and I face when we face the advers

ary. We face those same three things. Adam faced them, Christ faced them, andwe face them. There isnt any doubt about it, you are going to face them, so youwant to get some instructions. You want to learn what not to do from Genesis 3, and you want to learn what to do in Matthew 4 from Christ's example.3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.What is the first word he said there? If Look at verse 6. Whats the first word he says in verse 6? If Look at verse 9.9 All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.If, if, if. Write down in your mind that every time the devil speaks in the Bibl is quoted, he starts with doubtfulness. There are three times. Do you know where they are? One is in Genesis chapter 3, where the devil talks to Adam and Eve. The first thing he says is, Yea, hath God said? Question mark.

Job chapters 1 and 2: Doth Job serve God for naught? Question mark.In Matthew 4, he says, If, if, if. Every time Satan speaks in Scripture, hes qung. Hes casting doubt on Gods Word or Gods people. The modern, critical, skeptical, educated mind of a twentieth century college-educated man is right in line with that. It bothers you when I say that. Im sorry, but its a fact. Folks, I dont have anything against the educational system; that isnt a problem. Its that skeptical, critical, open-ended, no-ability-to-ever-come-to-a-conclusion-and-have-an-authoritative-truth mindset. You see, with them, everything is open to be questioned.Hey folks, there are some things that arent open to be questioned, and there aresome things that youd better come to a solid decision about. Youd better decide whether Yea, hath God said... is true, and know where to find it. Youd better knowwhy you serve God, and youd better know some things about facing Satan like you s

ee here. All that infernal, eternal, unending questioning of truth: that is the devils approach.So when the devil comes, what is he going to try to do? Hes going to sow what in your mind? Doubt. His doctrines are going to sow doubt. You have to be careful about that. Gods Word is going to do what? sow faith. Do you see the difference?Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.I want you to notice something about that. Jesus had been fasting for forty days, and afterwards He was hungry. Satan came and said, If you are the Son of God,



if you are who you say you are, take those stones and make them bread. That doesnt seem to be too bad a temptation. Couldnt you have withstood that temptation?Sure you could. Moses did. Moses handled forty days without eating, three different times. Do you remember reading that in Exodus?Theres more to it here than just the temptation because youre hungry, and youll miss this if you dont think about it. Every temptation that Satan gave Him, (turn the stones into bread, come down out of the sky to the temple, rule over the kingdoms), is a second-coming phenomenon that Scripture commands Christ to perform.Do you understand? Everything Satan tempts Christ to do is something that GodsWord says He is going to do at the second coming.For example, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones to be made bread. Come with me to Revelation 12 and Hosea 2. In Matthew 4, where are they? They are in the wilderness, arent they? Jesus is tempted by Satan to produce bread in the wilderness, right? Look at Revelation 12, and notice that is exactly what He is going to do. Do you remember when God made bread in the wilderness before? He made manna when He brought Israel out of Egypt to feed them in the wilderness. Do you know Hes going to do that again in the tribulation period?Revelation 12:6 And the woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness, [in the middle of the tribulation, the middle of the seventieth week] where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.In the last half of the tribulation she is going to be fed in the wilderness.12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and ti

mes, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.God is going to take that remnant of Israel in the tribulation, (during the seventieth week of Daniel 9), out into the wilderness; and Hes going to feed them there. Now go back to Hosea, and notice what he says there. This is a prophecy about that future day.Hosea 2:14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel], and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as inthe day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.When He brought them out of Egypt, how did He feed them in the wilderness? with manna. Come over to Micah 7. Again, its a prophetic passage about the tribulation.

Micah 7:14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan andGilead, as in the days of old.15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.Folks, in that tribulation, God is going to take those people out there into the wilderness and feed them. What Satan is tempting Christ to do in Matthew 4 isto make bread in the wilderness; and thats something Hes going to do in connection with His second coming. Do you understand what I am saying? All right, go back to Matthew 4.Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle [high point] of the temple, [in Jersalem]6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down

In Revelation 19 He will come down out of the sky. Isnt that what Satan is trying to get Him to do in chapter 4 verse 6cast Himself down from the heights of thetemple?Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his templeHow do you think He would have come if He had jumped off the pinnacle of the temple? He would have come suddenly, wouldnt He? Out of the sky like Revelation says. You see, Satan is tempting Him to do something that Hes going to do; but heis tempting Him to do it at the wrong time. Thats a lot different than putting a bottle of beer in front of you, isnt it? It might not be such a big victory for



you to walk past a fifth of Smirnoff, but to be tempted to do something that is right, just at the wrong time, is a real temptation. That takes some wisdom and some doctrine in your soul to know how to get through. Satan is trying Him out.Matthew 4:9 and 10 is where Satan showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, andsaid, Ill let you be ruler over all of them. Is Christ going to be King of kings and Lord of lords over all the kingdoms of this world? He sure will. Every temptation that Satan put against Him, folks, was a temptation to do something right; but just do it at the wrong time. Its a temptation to do something that Gods Word tells Him to do, but just do it at the wrong time.The reasoning involved there is the ability to perceive where you are in Gods program. You have to understand where you are dispensationally. I hope you understand this because this is the reason that you have to rightly divide the Word.You have to understand whats going on in Gods program; and you have to have a single heart that wants to do what God wants you to do, and nothing else, or youll never make it against the adversary.Now, if you just want to go out and live in sin, and wallow in the pigpen, He will let you go; but you want to be faithful, and serve God. You can go out and live like the devil, and like the world if thats what you want to do; but you want to serve God. You want to be part of the faithful ones, dont you? Sure you do. I do. I hope you do. When the adversary comes against you, hes going to comeagainst you on the basis of who you want to be, test you, and find out whether or not you are really going to be that.John the Baptist came and preached, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at ha

nd. The Lord Jesus Christ came along and preached the same thing. Have you noticed how many of the references we have already looked at in the Book of Matthewwere really second coming passages? Do you remember back in chapter 3, verses 3 and 4, when we looked at the quotes out of Isaiah 40, and saw that it was a second coming passage? In chapter 2, verse 18, we saw the passage from Jeremiah.Verse 15 is a quote from Hosea. They are all second coming passages. Do you remember what I said to you about that?Folks, Christ came, He was crucified, He went away, and the Holy Spirit came. From John the Baptist until Acts 7, the issue in that part of the Bible is the first coming looking forward to the second coming.In Acts 2 and Acts 3, Peter offers to Israel the second coming of Christ. He said that if you will repent, (Acts 3:19, 20, and 21), and be converted, God willsend Christ back down here and He will bring the times of refreshing and restitu

tion of all things. Thats that kingdom. Until Acts 7, the second coming of Christ was an offered reality to those people. That was the time element in which they were.So what Satan is doing is offering to Christ things that He is going to do out there in that tribulation. (The body of Christ in between the first and second coming is a mystery, and they dont know about it. It isnt involved in that information. They dont see it. We arent involved in the information there.) They werelooking forward to the second coming.So Satan took the issue that Christ was preaching: the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and misplaces it, he puts it at the first coming. In essence what he is offering to Christ is everything now, and He can have it without the cross. He can have it without the suffering. Isnt that grand? Folks, Christ met Satan in the same kind of situation that a tribulation saint is going meet him. Ive told you

over and over, Christ came and identified Himself together with that faithful remnant in the nation who will go through the tribulation into that kingdom. Hewas tempted, and identified Himself with the points that were put against Adam;but He was identifying Himself in the specifics in Matthew 4, with the temptations that will be put against the tribulation saints. Here Christ is in exactly the same position as the guy will be over there in the tribulation. That guy inthe tribulation is offered the opportunity to avoid death. If they dont take that mark, what is going to happen? Cut his head off. The temptation will be to avoid death. Here Christ is in the same position, He is identifying Himself with that remnant.



Listen people, theres something deep, wide, and broad about all of this, and I hope you will allow it to sink into your soul about what the Saviour is doing.Now you may ask, If Christ was being tempted to do the right thing at the wrong time, that was a rough temptation, wasnt it? How would you like the adversary to come up against you like that? Is it right to study your Bible? Is it right topray? Is it right to witness? Is it right to spend time with your wife and your family and raise your children right? Is it right to pay your bills? Well, is there a time when you ought to be studying and youre praying instead?Somebody may say, Well, Ive just got to be studying, but he really ought to be outworking. Another guy might be out working when he ought to be studying. Have you ever had to decide that kind of thing in your own life? Another guy says, Well, I have got to study, and what he really needs to be doing is praying. Another guy is praying when he ought to be out witnessing.Folks, I cant tell you what you should be doing. Thank God in heaven that He didnt call any preacher to tell you when you should be doing those things. Thank God for that! I know many fellows who preach, Im one of them, and we arent able totell you. God has made you an adult son or daughter in His family. He has equipped you with divine-operating assets, with information in this Book that givesyou the ability to have the capacity to know what He values and esteems in the details of your life. You are to serve Him as you purpose in your heart; that is, not just do whatever you want to do; but being able to discern the will of God in the details of your life.That is what Christ is doing here. God said, This is My beloved Son, and Christ is demonstrating Himself to be that Son who operates on the basis of His Sonship.

That issue of adoption: Hes demonstrating Himself to be capable of it. We studied through Romans, and you know that issue of adoption. Here it is in the Saviour. Thats how He met temptation. Notice how He has doctrine in His soul, (verse 4), and how He meets this stuff. Satan came along and said, This is what youneed to do: get the food yourself.Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.Isnt that great? The very first words that come out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ after His inauguration and ordination into the ministry is: It is written. Isnt that fantastic? You see, it takes doctrine resident and operative in your soul to overcome the temptation of the devil. Christ got it. It is written. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ was a Bible believer. He didnt spend His time correcting it. He didnt spend His time debating it. He didnt spend His time analyz

ing it. He didnt spend His time revising it and rewriting it the way He wants it. Out it came because He believed it. That was His attitude about the Word ofGod at the beginning of His ministry. Come over to John 17, and look at His attitude toward the end of His ministry.John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me He said, You gave Me some words, and Ive given them to the men which thou gavest me.John 17:14 I have given them thy wordThats what He did. What had He given them? The Word! The Word! The Word!John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.Does that sound like a skeptic to you? Does that sound like somebody who comesalong and says, Well, is that really what God said? It doesnt to me. Do you knowwhat that sounds like? That sounds like a Bible believer to me. That's what th

e Lord was. Do you want to have a ministry like Christ had? Do you want to beable to stand against the adversary like He did? Thats the kind of believer to be. If you want to echo the adversary and fall for his line, just say, If, maybe, sibly, I think so, maybe it is, so and so says this, so and so says that, Ivn, youve got your opinion, everybodys got their opinion, so why dont we just all go fishing. Do you know that most religion is made up of that?So what you need to do is to say, It is written. Do you want to see one of the greatest definitions of inspiration in the Bible? Look at verse 4.Matthew 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedethout of the mouth of God.



Paul said, All scripture is given by inspiration Inspiration means God-breathed.What does it mean by God-breathed? It means that every word came out of the mouth of God. That isnt hard to understand, is it? Inspiration is verbal, plenaryinspiration. God dictated the words that were then written down on the page. How do you know? Because Jesus said it is every word that came out of the mouth of God. I love that. Thats not an appeal, folks, to the thoughts, and the contents, and ideas. Its the words. Thats inspiration. Thats the authority that the Saviour puts in the Book.Notice that He didnt appeal to the spoken word from the Father in heaven back inchapter 3. What did He appeal to? the written Book. It wont do to say, I had avision and God spoke to me. Its what is written down, thats the issue.Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.Why is that an answer? What is He saying to Satan? Go back to Deuteronomy 8, and notice the issue Christ is raising with him here. This is Moses talking to Israel:Deuteronomy 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.The Book of Deuteronomy is a book that focuses on the issue of Israel going in and getting the land. Deuteronomy is the second giving of the law. Theyve been in the wilderness forty years. Moses has brought them up to the river, theyre ready to go into the land, and he rehearses the law for them. Dutero nomos, the second giving of the law: he rehearses it all for them. The point in Deuteronomy

is, Here is how you can get that land and live in it. Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God ledthee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, toknow what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.It is a similar situation where Christ was in Matthew 4, isnt it? Israel was forty years in the wilderness; Christ was forty days in the wilderness. Satan tested and tried Israel in the wilderness to see what was in their heart. Satan tempted, (tested), Christ to see what He was going to do.3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna Isnt that what was going on in Matthew 4? Why don't you make some bread? By the way, manna is described in Exodus as white bread. In Psalms, it is described as ang

els food. 3 which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make theeknow that man doth not live by bread only [Manna is not all there is.], but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.You see, folks, in Matthew 4, Satan said, Turn these stones into bread. You've been here these forty days. Make bread in the wilderness. Christ acts in accordwith what Israel should have learned by their wilderness feeding. What was Godteaching them in the wilderness? Bread isnt the only issue. The most importantthing is not just what you can eat. The issue is obedience to what God says toyou: living by every word that comes out of the mouth of God, simple, absoluteobedience to every word that comes out of the mouth of God.Christ stands there in Matthew 4 as the faithful Man. He stands there as the true Vine in Israel, the true Shepherd, demonstrating to the nation what they shou

ld have learned, and that they, had they been faithful, what their conduct should be. I hope you see that. Its fascinating what Christ did here. Every time He was tempted, He took the position that the faithful one in the nation should have taken.Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city [Jerusalem], and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,The reason it is called the holy city is because the temple was there and the presence of God was in the temple. Is there a temple there today? Is Gods presence there today? No. Is it the Holy City today? No, it is Jerusalem in Palestine. Dont talk about going to visit the holy city and the holy land. Theres nothin



g holy about that land over there. Its no more sanctified or holy today than the ground were standing on here, or the ground across the street where the fellow hollers at us. Its interesting to go see Israel, but its not sanctified. If you go over there, you dont need to bring home a thimbleful of earth, and set it on the mantle to make your home holy. Thats time past thinking.6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it iswrittenSatan was quoting verses to Him. Satan said something, and Jesus responded: Itis written Satan came back with, Okay, do so-and-so for it is written If you want to quote the Bible, come on; I'll quote the Bible. I knew a preacher down south one time. A fellow asked him, Who knows the Bible best in your school? Who knows the Bible best in your church, and in your circle of friends? My friend told him, The devil does. Thats the absolute truth. You dnt ever want to forget that.When you get to thinking you know something about that Book, remember that somebody else knows more than you do. He has had six thousand years of experience dealing with people like you and me. You dont want to get cocky when you mess with him. He knows that Book from one end to the other, and he quoted Scripture toChrist. He used the Word to try to trick Him. I want you to see what he did here.Come back to Psalm 91, and notice what Satan did when he quoted Scripture. He misquoted the passage. Thats Satans tactic. He was not using the Word honestly; he was corrupting the Word of God, and handling it deceitfully to try to get done

what he wanted done. He is just using it to get by with. He doesnt have any conviction that it is Gods Word, that it is true, that you ought to believe it, that you ought to live by it, and let it live in you. Hes just using it to get what he wants done.Matthew 4:6 it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.Psalm 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in allthy ways.12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.Notice what Satan does. First, in verse 11, it says, to keep thee in all thy ways. Do you see that in Matthew 4:6? No. Satan omits that. If you commit your w

ays to the Lord, are you going to be doing what the devil asks you to do? No, so he leaves that out because the cross reference would have taken you over to Proverbs 3:5-7, and it would have told you not to do what he wanted you to do. But that isnt all. Go to Matthew 4:6.Matthew 4:6 He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their handsthey shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.Do you see anything in Psalm 91 that says at any time? Satan added something in there to take its place. He took away something that he didnt want Him to hear, and then he added something to make it sound more enticing to Him.Look at Verse 13, and see what he ignored:Psalm 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.Who do you reckon that is a reference to? Who is the lion? Who is the dragon?

Who is the adder, the serpent? Satan left out the verse that says the Redeemer is going to destroy him, crush his head. He ignores that altogether. Then heleaves out words, and he adds to the text.If youll go over to Genesis 3, and study the passage about Adam and Eves defeat in the garden. Youll see that they subtract from the Word; they add to the Word; they distort the Word; and the result is they fall. But when he came against Christ, he couldnt shake Him. Notice what Christ did:Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written againIsnt that great? Thats good! Satan said, It is written. And the Lord replies: h, but you missed a verse: It is written again. Do you see that? You cant shake



he Lord. He just came right back with a verse. What He quoted is, Thou shall not tempt the Lord, thy God. The point is that Christ responded to Satan the sameway Satan came against Him: quoting Scripture.Listen to me: there isnt any way for you to stand against the tempter unless youve got sound doctrine, an understanding of where you are in Gods program, resident in your soul, and operative there. Unless it reaches down and takes root in your life and governs every thing you do, youll never stand against the tempter. Hes too slick, hes too tough, hes too wily, tricky, crafty for you. You might think you have him beaten because you dont smoke, you dont cuss, you dont lie or steal,or cheat, (much). You may not do a bunch of these things that are sins of the flesh, but hes got you all balled up in something that may be good, but it isnt the best, and it isnt what God would have you do at that time.The only way to stand against him is to do what Christ was doing here. Christ took His place under the law. Im going to show you in the next lesson that everytime He quoted Scripture He quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy, and theres a reason. The first time, He quoted from chapter 8; the next two times, He quoted from chapter 6. You ought to read those chapters between now and next week, and youll understand a little better, when we go over it, why it is that He quoted those passages. He took His place right where God was working. God was forming that faithful remnant inside the nation. Christ was standing right in that placewith them as the true Vine, as the faithful Man in the earth. When He did that,the adversary couldnt touch Him.If youll stand in the place that God has given you today, not in Israels place, but in your place in the Body of Christ, the position God has given you in Christ

today, gentlemen, youll find that your ministry is attended with power although Satan will come against you. Hell quote Scripture against you. Every heresy is based on Scripture; Ive told you that. The most dangerous thing is to be Scriptural but not dispensational, and thats what Satan was doing there. He was tearingup the Bible: changing it, pulling words out, and sticking words in, and then getting it all out of the right dispensational setting. The dispensational setting of those passages is not here in Matthew; its over there in the tribulation.Satan was trying to get Christ not to be dispensational. Be Scriptural, Christ.Come on, Son of God, be Scriptural. Do what the Book says, but dont do it at the right time. Dont do it dispensationally. Christ didnt do it, and He stood.Let that be a lesson to you and me to stand on what God has given us and be faithful to it. And when the tempter comes we have our victory in the Saviour. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.


We will continue where we left off in the last lesson in Matthew 4, studying the temptation of Christ. We went through the dispensational issues, and the general issues that are going on here: why Christ was being tempted, and why that relates to the dispensational truth. Now we are going to pick up the details. I

remind you of the dispensational setting, and call that to your attention. Dontforget the issues that are involved here between Christ and Satan, as far as the program of God, and that Christ is taking His position in the program of God, and operating on the basis of what God is doing at the time.It is always important to study the Bible doctrinally and dispensationally first, so you understand what the dispensational and doctrinal intent is. Then, understanding that, and how it fits in the program where it belongs. Then, of course, you can apply it to yourself, and see spiritual principles that are parallel. We want to start in verse 5 tonight. I dont want to spend all our time with revi



ew. Ill depend on you to bring up in your frame of reference all that information that you have been studying and learning, especially you gentlemen who are studying these things in earnest.Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it iswritten, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.Satan came against Christ, and Christ quoted Scripture. Satan quoted it right back at Him. Satan was trying to trip Him up with the Word of God. He used theWord in guile to trick Him, but he couldn't shake Christ, and he couldn't turn Him away from the Word by using it against Him. We saw how he misquoted Psalm 91. He added words, left out words, and ignored part of the passage that was notto his advantage. Those are his tactics. Christ answers him in verse 7.Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again It is written again. Christ just doesnt quit. Christ has that doctrine in His soul, that information about what God is doing, and He isnt going to allow the adversary to get Him off the track, and cause Him to deviate from what God is doing.He understood that, so He operated on the basis of it. All through this passage, the victory that Christ gets, He gets simply by being submissive to the Wordof God. Thats a great lesson for saints in any age.Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt theLord thy God.Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God, is in Deuteronomy 6. Turn there with me.

Do you remember I pointed out to you in the last lesson that every time Christ dealt with Satan, He quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy, either chapter 6 or chapter 8? We talked a little about why He did that, and why Deuteronomy was the book He chose. He said, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt (try, test, orseek to prove) the Lord thy God. That particular answer by Christ is interesting.When people try to explain that verse, they give all kinds of different interpretations. It has always interested me how most people explain, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. They say that means that Christ is telling him that you dont want to tempt God by having too much faith. In other words, if He goes up to the pinnacle of the temple, and throws Himself down, thats tempting God by daring to have too much faith. Christ is not forbidding an excess of trusting God. He was rebuking a lack of confidence in God, that obeys Him. When He said, Thou shalt

not tempt the Lord thy God, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:16. Notice the passage.Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.Tempting God is defined for you as being what Israel did back in Exodus 17. Goto Exodus 17, and notice how they tempted God compared with how Satan wanted Christ to tempt God. Do you see how Satan wanted Christ to tempt God as they did?Folks, the two greatest words that will help you understand the Bible are the words, like and as. He said, Do you see this? Its like that. Those are words of comparison. In Hosea 12:10, the Lord said to Israel, I have also spoken by the prophets,and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. A similitude is a comparison. That is a tremendously useful figure of speech, and the Bible is full of them. Deuteronomy 6:16 is one. What was He referring to when He said, Dont tempt the LORD thy God?

Exodus 17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of theLORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye temptthe LORD?The people wanted water, and were acting as though God wasnt going to provide itfor them. The first time they got thirsty, they came to Moses, and they began to chide: murmur, gripe and grumble.Exodus 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured ag



ainst Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee ofthe elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, [Notice what they said.] Is the LORD among us, or not?What were they doing? They were doubting Gods provision. They were doubting Gods care. They were doubting whether or not the Lord was going to provide their necessity. They were questioning whether or not He was in their midst. And of course they were doing it by rebelling against Moses and the leadership God gave Moses. What they were doing was testing, trying, and tempting the Lord. The idea there is that they were questioning God. They lacked the confidence to go onin obedience to God.When the thing is repeated in Deuteronomy 6, thats the issue there. When Christquotes it in Matthew 4, thats the issue there. Instead of presuming, and comingdown with a great self-display, and departing from the program of God, Christ rebuked Satan. He answered him, I am not going to question Gods presence, and I am

not going to question His watch-care for Me.I have told you time and again, how the adversary tries to do that to you. Satan, (diabolos, devil), means something that is thrown between. He is a seperator; He is an adversary. Hes someone who tries to separate you from God. Hes one who tries to cause you to doubt Gods care for you, to doubt that God has your bestinterest at heart, and to doubt Gods provision for you.He is not saying here, Dont have too much faith. He is saying, Dont have such lit faith that you dont have any confidence in Gods provision to take care of you. You recall from when we talked about Psalm 91, that Satan tempted Christ, in verses 5 and 6, to get Christ to do what? Something that He is going to do in thefuture, but to do it at the wrong time: just hurry up the program, and get it out of the order that God has it.That second temptation had to do with the lust of the eye, that self-display. I

t was something to appeal to the inner self, the ego.Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.In the first temptation he said, Do it yourself. Turn the stones to bread. In the second temptation, he said, Let God do it for you. Tell Him what to do, and see if He will do it. See if He is on your side. Presume on Him. Then last, he said, Ill do it for you. So he was all out in the open now, and it was perfectly obvious what he was doing. The appeal he made to Christ in verse 8 is something you need to notice very carefully. Come over with me to the parallel passage in Luke where it is stated a little different, and there you get additional information.

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.He is not just on a hill on the earth. Satan had taken Christ to the seat of the government of the universe. It is called the mountain in Hebrews 12, where theseat of the universal government would be going on. He offers Christ the earth. We have already learned, especially when we were studying the Book of Daniel,that the adversary is a usurper. He has sought to usurp the government of the universe, not just the earth, but the whole universe itself: all the power structure and the governmental systems in the universe. He sought to usurp all of that from God Almighty. He has desired to be like the Most High God. He wants to



be possessor of heaven and earth. You will remember that we studied in detailhis policy of evil, the wise plan he developed, in Isaiah 14.Then he took Christ up onto a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the earth, and he said to Him, Youve come to reclaim the earth. Its yours. Ill giv you the planet. Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and theglory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.Let your eye run down through that passage, and you will see that the Lord Jesus Christ never questioned his authority. He never questioned the fact that all the kingdoms of this world at this time belonged to his majesty the devil. He never questioned the right of Satan to offer Him the authority over those kingdoms. You see, these things had been usurped by Satan, and were under his control.You need to learn something, ladies and gentlemen, when you talk about the devil. Ive heard people for years say, If the devil came in here like a roaring lion,Id jump down from this platform and go tie a knot in the devils tail. Have you ever heard anybody say that? Ive heard preachers wax bold when they are preaching in churches. Listen, you wouldnt tie a knot in his tail. Youd better not mess with Satan. If a big old man-eating, African lion came in here tonight, would youtry to tie a knot in his tail? No.You see, the adversary is called the god of this world. In John 12, he is called the prince of this world, the political leader of this world. When he is called the god of this world, that means that he is the religious leader of this world. That is why it tells in Matthew 4, the condition for giving Christ all thos

e kingdoms.Matthew 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. [Thats it.]You see, folks, the devil wants worship. Write it down. Dont forget it. Satansmain sphere, his main arena, his main area of interest, is religion. He desires worship. Thats what he desired back in Isaiah 14, and that is what he wants now. He told the Lord, You bow down and worship me, you be subject to me; and Ill give it all to you. Watch what Christ says to him.Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan Get thee hence, Satan. Thats like saying, Beat it. Get lost, may be in one of odern translation one day. Thats the way Americans talk. Get thee hence, Satan. et out of here. I dont want anything to do with you.Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is writte

n, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.11 Then the devil leaveth himThere was something important happening there when Christ said, Get thee hence. When He looked at Satan and said, Get out of here, it was a direct rebuke. Up to that time He hadnt done that. Up to that time He has dealt with him, and allowedhim to come against Him; but finally He just said, Get out of here! What is going on here, is that there begins to be a tremendous contention and conflict between Christ and Satan. It begins here, and it goes all the way to the end of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Go with me to Zechariah 3. I want you to see the significance of Christ rebuking him like that. Zechariah 3 is a very interesting passage that has to do with a prophetic situation in regard to the Lord Jesus Christ before the incarnation.Zechariah 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel

of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?Notice verse 2. Who rebukes Satan? The LORD, Jehovah. By whom does He rebukehim? By Jehovah. If I am going to rebuke you I wouldnt say, By Richard Jordan, I rebuke you, would I? No, Id just say, Beat it!Here in verse 2, the Lordthe Lord Jesus Christsaid to Satan, The LORD rebuke thee. In other words, He invokes the name and person of God the Father, and rebukes Satan. Theres something interesting there. The Lord Jesus Christ is the rightful K



ing of the universe, was He not? And He has been the rightful King from way back yonder, and He was at this time in Zechariah. God had already said in Psalms2, that this is My King.Psalm 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.But He hasnt taken up the reins yet. So when Christ comes in conflict with the adversary who is the usurper of His position, and He comes in conflict with him over Israel, Gods kingdom nation over which Messiah is to reign, He comes in conflict with Satan over the issue of who is going to rule, Christ says: The LORD, (God the Father), rebuke you. In other words, Christ didnt personally do it. He claims the authority and the edict of the Father to have the right to do it. I still wonder about that in a sense. Here in Matthew 4, Christ is no longer doing that. It is the first time I can find in the Scripture where instead of saying, the Lord rebuke you, He does it Himself.Do you remember in Jude 9, what Michael said about the body of Moses? He didnt dare bring a railing accusation against Satan. Instead, he said, The Lord rebuke you. You remember that, dont you? Why did he do that? Because there was something in the position of Satan that Michael couldnt stand against. If that is true there, then the indication is that over in Zechariah 3, there is something there in the legality of a courtroom situation that was lacking. So the Lord Jesus comes, and He becomes a man.My dear friend, do you realize that if the Lord Jesus Christ had never become aman, all of the total program of redemption would be impossible. The defeat of

Satan himself would never have become a reality. It would only have been a theoretical thing in the program of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration. So He became a man.Do you remember in John 15, He told His disciples, If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin. Why? They would always have been able to excuse themselves. Nobody ever kept the law. Nobody was ever able to do that. How can you expect something of us that is impossible? But Christ came and kept thelaw with no problem. Can anybody ever say then that nobody can keep the law? No, because you can point to the one man who did, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what He is talking about in Matthew, thats the issue. And that conflict beginshere and goes on.The incarnation of Christ was necessary. Hebrews says that He learned obedience, and that He was made perfect through suffering. How do you make a perfect one

perfect? Its not talking about sinless perfection. Folks, the word perfect inthe Bible doesnt mean sinless perfection; that isnt the issue. Weve been over those verses. The issue in perfection has to do with maturity. And as we saw in those verses in Hebrews 5, it has to do with adoption: being grown, brought to that status of being declared to be a full-grown son, no longer under tutors and governors. Christ came to that position.Notice that the contention continues all the way to the cross; and at the crossthe issue is put to rest. There is something wonderful about all this. The Lord Jesus Christ was there doing battle with the adversary: for the earth, and for His people. He stood there as the perfect man, the righteous man, the faithful man on the earth. But my friend, everything He did for Israel, He did for ustoo; because they were just His representative people.There is something wonderful in what Christ accomplished for us, for humanity, f

or man, and those of us who are in Gods purpose and plan for the ages to come. We in the body of Christ have a real part in this too. Our position is not thatkingdom hope on the earth; but there are positions that He will take back in the heavenly places that He is going to take back through the instrumentality of the body of Christ; so we will have a real part in that. All that was a secret at that time, but we can see that Christ was doing what was necessary to take back from Satan that which the dreadful adversary had sought to gain for himself, by thoroughly vanquishing him.Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, [the law] which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to h



is cross;15 And having spoiled [He has beaten, whipped, what?] principalities and powers, [those Satanic hosts] he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it [in what? In that cross].You see, that conflict comes all the way to the cross, and at the cross, Christis in hand-to-hand, toe-to-toe combat with the adversary, and He wins. He triumphs over Satan.Here are passages that give you a glimpse, an inkling, of what was going on in the mind, and in the spiritual realm, during the time at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ was more than just suffering the swaggering insults of godless men, andreligious men. He was in a hand-to-hand, toe-to-toe combat on a spiritual plane with Satan himself.Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...Where did you read that before? Thats what Christ cries out on the cross. There wasn't a Jew standing there at the foot of that cross that didnt know what He was quoting. He was quoting that Psalm. If you want a glimpse into the things that were going on in His mentality and in His soul at this time, read through this passage. Come down to verse 16.Psalm 22:16 they pierced my hands and my feet.Thats the only verse in the Bible that tells you for sure His feet were pierced.We sing that song:Five bleeding wounds He bore,Received on Calvary.They pour effectual prayers;

They strongly plead for me.How do you know His feet were pierced? Thats the verse that tells you. That iswhere you are when you are reading this: on the cross.Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: [Gentiles] the assembly of the wicked [Israel] have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.Who do you think the lion is? Write down by that verse, 2 Timothy 4:17. There, the Apostle Paul said something very similar to that. Its the adversary.

Do you see what that passage is saying? Im just hitting the high points of it.What I am trying to get you to see is that there was a conflict beginning here in Matthew 4, and that there was a continuous battle. Christ had come to claim His position, and when He rebuked Satan, something new began. Not only is therea new opportunity for Israel, but involved in that, the Victor has come. The Messiah has come, and there is a new and fresh challenge to the adversary. That is going to explain to you why, all the way through the earthly ministry of Christ, there is a tremendous eruption of demon possession like nowhere else in the Bible. Many people were possessed by devils. Why? There was that conflict going on; Christ has come to reclaim His nation, and what is the adversary doing? He is holding on.Turn to Isaiah 50. This passage is fascinating. You need to read the chaptersbefore and after this to really appreciate where you are in prophecy.

Isaiah 50:5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Do you know where you are when you read that? That is Christ. By the way, that is the only passage in the Bible that tells you they plucked out His beard. Thats the verse. It gives you the time and location.

7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefor



m when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.They are to be consumed with what Gods Word to them is.8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are roundabout you;15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.You dont presume on the Lord like that and put Him to the test.17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his test

imonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,I read all that to you hoping that you get the feel of it. Christ is taking the place as that faithful remnant in Israel as they prepare to go into the land, and possess the kingdom. They are responsible, and responding to God, and they are using the law, the instructions. Their possession of the earth depends on their loyalty to God, and their obedience to Him. As Christ quotes that, He was saying, I am going to get that kingdom right. There is something fantastic going on in Matthew 4. Christ has come to be the faithful One and He comes identifying Himself with the faithful remnant. The nation had long been in apostasy and unbelief, they had long been in rebellion against God.

John the Baptist comes, and begins to preach and call that nation to repentance, and identifies together the believing remnant in that nation. Christ calls them, the little flock in Luke 12:32. Isaiah 26 calls them the righteous nation.In Romans 10, Paul calls them a foolish nation, its that remnant of believers. The Lord Jesus Christ comes and identifies Himself with those people by being baptized of John. And now having been pronounced by God the Father to be His Son,having been anointed by the Holy Spirit, and having presented Himself as the faithful man in the earth, He comes to be tempted. And He comes and takes His position right where the faithful in Israel will take their position. He does exactly what that remnant of people who will go in and receive the kingdom will do.Knowing that the wrath of God is going to fall and burn up the unfaithful nation, that little flock, that faithful nation, is going to go into the kingdom, andhave Him as their Messiah, their Leader.

He has come there to identify Himself with them, and He does that. In His temptation, that is where He stands; He takes His position right there. Doing that,He demonstrates Himself to be the faithful man on the earth to lead the nation.Notice how this confrontation ends:Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.Do you remember what Satan offered to Christ in verse 6? Satan said, Throw yourself down and let the angels come take care of you. Christ resisted that. Isnt it touching that the angels now come and take care of Him? They ministered to Him. Didnt Satan say, Youre hungry, take that stone and make yourself something to ea



t? Do you doubt that the angels brought physical sustenance like they did for Moses and Elijah? Would you doubt that at all? Not at all. That is what the ministering would be: bring Him a little angels food, and fill his bowl up with some manna, sit Him down there and let Him eat. Why did He get that? Why did He get the ministry of the angels from God? Why did He get the provisions from God? It was because He worshipped the LORD God, not the adversary. He met the crucial test. He worshipped God, and went Gods way. He said later:Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.He met the demands. There are several things to notice here. Folks, if Christwas demonstrating Himself to be the faithful man on the earth, the second Adam,He was doing it for us too. He was tempted body, soul, and spirit. We have already been over His being in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.We saw the categories of the temptations, and they fit. There isnt anything you are going to face in your life, day in and day out, that He doesnt understand, that He cant respond to, that He hasnt been through, and come out victorious. Therefore, I can say to you, and to myself, and to anybody else who wants to listen, that absolute victory in our lives comes, as it did in His life, through complete and total submission and obedience to Gods Word to us. Thats a joy to know, isnt it, to know youve got victory like that?Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;Notice that verse 12 begins with a paragraph mark. There is a time change beginning here, a complete shift. Up until this point He has been laying the foundat

ion for the Messiah. In chapter 2, we saw the birth; in chapter 3, the forerunner; and in chapter 4, the temptation. Now there is a gap timewise; a good bit of His life and ministry that has been skipped.12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;Come to chapter 19, and notice this issue about departing into Galilee. Matthew goes immediately to the Galilean ministry of Christ.Matthew 19:1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;Those two divisions in the Book of Matthew mark a very important division in the ministry of Christ. Geographically, the Lords early ministry is what people call an early Judean ministry, that is, an early ministry in Judea around Jerusalem. He lives in Nazareth, and goes back and forth between the two cities.

Then in verse 12, He went into Galilee. He literally moved from Nazareth to Capernaum, and He spent from Matthew 4:12 to 19:1 in the Galilean ministry. The focus of His ministry was in Galilee, and the trips to Jerusalem were very infrequent. It is recorded only that He went down to the Passover. Then in chapter 19, He left Galilee.Look at the map in the back of your Bible to see where Galilee is located. Galilee is north, and Judah is south, near the Dead Sea. There was a political division between Israel and Judah. Do you remember that political division in the Old Testament? What had happened to Israel, the ten northern tribes? Assyria had come and taken them captive about 700 years before. Then later on, the Babylonians came and took over what was left, which was Judah. After Daniel, with Nehemiah, the Babylonian captives came back from Babylon after seventy years. Daniel gives you the time schedule from after the captivity to the time of Messiah a

nd on to the second coming of Christ.Christ is now going up to Galilee, the northern territory, as opposed to the southern area, (Judea). Early in His ministry, in the first five chapters of the Book of John, for example, are events that take place in His early Judean ministry. Then He moves up to the northern territory and was there from Matthew 4:12 to 19:1.The reason I point that out to you is so that you understand about the geographic location where He was. Thats the reason He is by the Sea of Galilee. When Hewas up there, He was way up north of Jerusalem. He was up in what is called inMatthew 4 and Isaiah 9, Galilee of the Gentiles. Why would it be called Galilee



of the Gentiles? Because the Gentiles had come in and taken over that area. That is Samaria up there. The southern Jews considered that area no longer to be a part of Israel. It has been cut off. Christ was going up there to carry onthe bulk of His ministry.When He came back to Jerusalem in Matthew 19, He came back to die on the cross.That is why Luke said He had set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. Illshow you in Matthew 4 why He goes up north. There is a real significance doctrinally. I want you to get the geographic division, so when we talk about Galilee, you know it's up north. When we talk about Him going to Jerusalem and Judea, He has gone south.Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, [That iswhat caused Him to leave.] he departed into Galilee;In Matthew 19:1, it says that when He had finished these sayings, He went back to Jerusalem. When He had finished His Galilean ministry, He went back to Jerusalem (Judea), His hour having come to be delivered up to the power of darkness.You might wonder, What in the world has all of this to do with anything? Christ was doing something very special while He was in Galilee, and it had to do with that little flock of believers that He was gathering together. John had been silenced, rejected, the forerunner was out of the way; it was time for the Messiahto speak. It was time for the Messiah to start His work after the forerunner had moved off the scene. When it came time for Him to speak, what does He do? He goes to Galilee; he departed from Jerusalem. I want to show you doctrinally what He was doing.(See Matthew 103 diagram.) You have the apostate nation, with the faithful rem

nant inside. Christ separates Himself from the apostate nation, and joins the faithful remnant, (chapter 3), by identifying Himself, numbering Himself, with the faithful remnant through Johns baptism. We learned that the porter opened thedoor, and Christ joined the churchthe little flock. Now literally, when He leaves Jerusalem for Galilee, He is doing physically and ministerily what He had already done spiritually. In other words, He is departing Jerusalem and that part of the nation represented by Jerusalem, and goes into Galilee that He might be the true vine.Is there a nation growing in Galilee? No. Is there a true vine growing in Galilee? No. The apostate vine, (Isaiah 5), was down there in Judah, and it is apostate; and He doesnt want to be a branch coming off of it. He goes up into Galilee, and gathers His little flock together from up there. He is going up there to take the position that prophecy said He was going to take. He is taking up Hi

s prophetic position.Matthew 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:Nephthalim was the territory between the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sea of Galilee.Matthew 4:14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;You see, they dont even consider that a part of Israel any more.16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.All of this action going on here is critical. Folks, you cant overstate this as

far as the little flock is concerned; because Christ is going to Galilee to gather the governmental structure of His kingdom. The government of His kingdom will be the little flock, and the apostate nation will be burned up when the wrathof God is poured out in the tribulation.Christ forsook the apostate system, and went to Galilee, which had been cut off, where they were said to be in the shadow of death. They werent even consideredto be a part of the nation. He went up there like prophecy said He would, and He gathered together that little flock. He is gathering the governmental structure of His kingdom.Matthew 21:43 [Talking to the nation] Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of



God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.Who is the nation? The governmental authority of that kingdom is going to be taken from Israel, and given to another nationnot to the nations of the Gentilesto one nation.Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.Luke 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdomMatthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throneof his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.Where was the governmental hierarchy of His kingdom coming from? It was from that little flock, the remnant out of Israel. Luke 19:11-27, that little flock will be given authority over cities, and so forth, in that kingdom. He is forming that governmental authority and structure for His kingdom. He rejects the apostate nation.Read Isaiah 8:13-9:7. That is a prophecy about Christ: He is the stumbling stone and the rock of offense. You will read about the children the Father has given Him, (that is the apostles, those who are in the little flock). In chapter 9,you come to the prophecy about Him going into Galilee, and showing light to a people who sat in darkness. Then you come to Isaiah 9:6:Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder [That is the second coming in the kingdom.]

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; [What does that remind you of? Exodus 19. He says they are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, (thats a kingdom of priests), an holy nation, (Isaiah 26:2: the righteous nation).] that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness [Matthew 4:16: they sat in darkness] into his marvellous light:10 Which in time past were not a peopleThose folks were cut off, and not even considered a part of Israel.John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk inJewryGalilee wasnt even considered a part of Jewry. They werent considered Gods peopleany more as far as their status in the apostate nation was concerned.1 Peter 2:10 but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but n

ow have obtained mercy.I want you to understand the situation of this remnant of people who were sitting in darkness in Galilee. When He goes to Galilee, that is what He is doing. He was going up there to Galilee to some people whom everybody thought were justnobodies. And do you know what He was doing? He was gathering together the authority of His kingdom.Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know?Paul, in Romans 9-11, is dealing with the dispensation of grace, and the statusof Israel today. In chapter 10, he is dealing with the issue of whether or notGod was fair when He set Israel aside. He is arguing, and making the point that when God reshaped Israel from a vessel of honor into a vessel of dishonor, He was totally fair in His dealings. He was totally righteous and honorable in Hisdealings. Here he is making his point. Did Israel understand the message that

was sent to them? He says, Yes they did understand. Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.This group of people, the little flock, is considered a foolish nation.Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived thatthey were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveledPeople was saying, Here are some men out preaching, and they are a bunch of nobodies. Who are they? Where did they go to school? Where did they get their education? Did they study under Gamaliel? Are they anybody? Who are they? They ar



e nobodies. And yet, they were the ones with the authority in the little flock.The apostate nation outside of the little flock considered the little flock tobe foolisha bunch of nobodies.Romans 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence You see, folks, Israel considered what was going on in the ministry of Christ, and the call that He was making there, offensive. It was offensive to them thatHe would go up into Galilee and gather, out of a bunch of people who were nobodies, the authority of His kingdom. That word offense means scandal. It was scandalous to them to think that God was going to use people from Galilee. Do you know where every one of the twelve apostles came from, except one? Every one ofthem, but one, was from Galilee.Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simoncalled Peter, and Andrew his brother [He picked up Simon and Andrew in Galilee.]Matthew 4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brotherJohn 1:43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.John 1:44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.Matthew 9:1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his owncity. [Capernaum]Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named MatthewThese guys were all from Galilee. Do you remember reading in Matthew 26 and Mark 14, what that little girl said to Peter? She said, You are one of them.

He said, Not me. She said, Thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.There was a man in my house this morning asking my wife and me, Where are you folks from? Youre not from around here. Their speech betrayed them. They were Galileans. Do you know the one who wasnt from Galilee? Look at Matthew 1:2.Matthew 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;Whom did Jacob beget? Judah. What is he called in verse 2? Judas is the Greek name for Judah. Do you know where Judas Iscariot came from? from Judah. Theone exception among the apostles was the one who betrayed Him. The one who betrayed Him was from Judah. Is it any wonder in your mind why Christ left Judah, and then came back there to die? The nation rejected Him. The nation was hard against Him. Jerusalem and Judea were not receptive, so He went up into Galilee

and gathers that little flockthat foolish nation, that believing remnantto whom it was the Fathers good pleasure to give the kingdom. Well start with verse 17 in the next lesson.


Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand.The time element is in verse 12, John was cast into prison. A change took place there: Christ went up into Galilee, and begins His Galilean ministry in earnest. When He does that, He begins to preach. The idea is that He is beginning Hispublic ministry. He begins to preach and say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.In the last lesson I showed you that there is a division in the Book of Matthewbetween the Galilean ministry and the Judean ministry. There is a division in the book between the time He went into Galilee and the time He comes out. Thereare also divisions in the Book of Matthew time wise. There are several of them,



but the most obvious is the division between chapter 4 verse 17, and chapter 16 verse 21.I trust that you are reading the Book of Matthew. Try to sit and read it through in one sitting if you can. Spend an evening and read it. It has about 24,000 words in it, so if you read it a bit slow, it might take two sittings. Read the book through as rapidly as you can. When you do that, you begin to be more conscious of how Matthew lays out the book. Matthew doesnt follow historical order. Mark and Luke do that much better. Matthew groups pieces of information together, not so much with the chronological order in mind, but with the intention of you getting the thrust of the teaching and the doctrine that is being communicated. He divides his book between two tremendously significant time periods in Christs life.Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.He begins to preach about the kingdom of heaven being at hand, He begins His earthly ministry. There is the introduction of His ministry: He is identified with the believing remnant by Johns baptism, He is authenticated by the Father. Then He goes up into Galilee, and from that time forth, he begins to preach: the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The issue is the throne. He is on the way to thethrone. He is preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and is offering the kingdom. Look back at chapter 3.Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.In other words, just prior to His going to preach the gospel of the kingdom in G

alilee, (His Galilean ministry, with its emphasis on the throne), He was announced by God the Father to be His beloved Son. He is the Messiah, God the Father said. Come over to chapter 16, and notice that this section in Matthew ends with the same kind of announcement.Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.The issue there is that He is Davids heir, He is the Son of David. Do you remember when we started Matthew, I showed you in chapter 1, that the Book of Matthewdivides itself between the book of the generation of Jesus Christ the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham? Matthew makes the issue: He is the Son of David:here, here, here. Then He is the Son of Abraham: information, information, information.The Son of David inherits the throne. The Son of Abraham, in the type in Genesi

s 22, He dies. What you have in that first section is the issue of the throne,and that He is the Son of David. Notice this very carefully:Matthew 16:21 From that time forth [underline it] began Jesus to shew unto hisdisciples, There is a time that comes in 16:21, and from that time forth, Jesus begins to do something. Notice that it says, He began That means that prior to this point He had not done it. Before this, He doesnt; now He does. What does He do?Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, howthat he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.Now the issue is that He is going to the tree. As He goes there, He is the Sonof Abraham, as in chapter 1, as in Genesis 22, and so on. The perfect type of the Son of Abraham is Genesis 22. The point I am trying to make has to do with t

he time element. As you study the life of Christ, you see that He goes along preaching the kingdom, then a time comes when He stops. Prior to that time in Matthew 16, all through the early part of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the issueis not the cross; its the throne.I use that terminology because Mr. OHare used to say, Hes no longer going to the throne, Hes going to the tree. Thats the issue there, and it begins in 16:21. Fromthat point onward He no longer goes out and emphasizes His public ministry. Hetold the twelve not to tell anybody who He was. He withdrew Himself, and was training those men for the ministry they will have after He dies and ascends backup into heaven. He was training them for the ministry that they would have in H



is absence later on.Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom Iam well pleased; hear ye him.That is the same thing you had back at the beginning in Matthew 3. Not only that, but if you go over to Matthew 27, youll see that when He hung on the cross and died, a centurion standing by said,Matthew 27:54 Truly this was the Son of God.So, just like the first section was marked in its beginning by an announcement from heaven, This is my beloved Son, so the second section begins with the same announcement. The first section ends with an announcement by Peter that He is theSon of the living God, the Christ. The second section ends with the same announcement. I point that out to you because it is interesting to me that there arethese similarities. It is obvious that Matthew sees one grouping, and another grouping beginning in chapter 16.In Matthew 4:17, we come to the issue of the proclamation of, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I want you to notice chapter 4, verse 23. What is involved in the message, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand? By the way, who preached that first? John the Baptist. Now John is in jail, it is time for the Messiah whom He announced to take His place, and do His own preaching. What does He say? The same message.Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdomPlease notice that He was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Folks, the gospe

l of the kingdom is a message that was preached for some time in the Bible prior to the issue of the crucifixion of Christ ever being raised. That tells me something. That tells me that the gospel of the kingdom did not contain the issuethat Christ is going to the cross, or has gone to the cross. It did not contain the contents of the gospel message that we preach today. What is the gospel that we preach today?1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:In the first time period from Matthew 4 to Matthew 16:21, that was not the issue. In fact, after Matthew 16:21, it says He only began to tell them that He wasgoing to go die. And what was their response? Peter said, It isnt going to happe

n to you. I wont let it.Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching [Notice.] the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. [That is Matthew 4:23 almost verbatim.]Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

What were they going out preaching? The gospel of the kingdom. They were sentout with authority and a commission to preach the gospel of the kingdom. Did they go out and preach it? They flat do. They preached it everywhere they go. Now turn over to Luke.Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power andauthority over all devils, and to cure diseases.2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, [what gospel? The gospel of the kingdom.] and healing every where.Luke 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they



wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.What do you mean shall be delivered into the hands of men? Look back at verse 21.Luke 9:21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man thatthing;That thing is what Peter just said in verse 20, that He is the Christ of God. The context of verses 20 thru 22 is Matthew 16.Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.Hes telling them that He is going to Jerusalem and die. What is their response?Verse 45.Luke 9:45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.They dont understand. These people have been out preaching the gospel of the kingdom all over the place, and they were not aware of the fact that He is going to go die. Folks, the message they had been preaching is not the same message weare preaching today. They preached the gospel of the kingdom, and we preach the gospel that Paul calls the gospel of the grace of God that has to do with the cross. I am sorry when folks say there is only one gospel in the Bible. When Icompare verses in the Bible, I come to a different conclusion: two different messages, two different contents, two different titles.Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go

up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning theSon of man shall be accomplished.32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.Even when He tells them what is going to happen and what the prophets said would be fulfilled, they dont understand. My point to you is that you need to recognize as you go through the earthly ministry of Christ in Matthew, especially in the early stages, that the issue is the gospel of the kingdom. That gospel message is not the message we preach today. Its the height of absurdity when you hear

some dear beloved saint come down front and pray over the offering and say, Lordaccept this offering and bless it for the ongoing of thy kingdom. Where do theyget that? They get that out of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They get that out of following the Lord Jesus Christ around as He walked the shores of Galilee when He was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. They mistakenly think that because the word gospel is there, that it is the same gospel message that we preachtoday.You want to be careful. You want to be patient with people. You dont want to be unkind, or nasty or sarcastic, and kick them in the shins. That is not the point. You dont want to be tossed to and fro by their errors either. You need to recognize what is going on, be aware of it, and be able to grasp it; so you willbe able to show them how to rightly divide the Word of God, and how that what is going on in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John pertains to the ministry of Christ:

it has the kingdom of heaven in view.What is the kingdom of heaven? Is it that God is fixing to start ruling in theheavens? Certainly not; its obviously not that. The only alternative is that the time is near that He will start ruling on the earth. We have already discussed the term the kingdom of heaven. It has to do with Gods rule specifically as it is applied to the earth, and it is the goal of prophecy, Daniel 2:44.Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.



Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,The expression the kingdom of heaven occurs only in the Book of Matthew, (thirty-three times). It is Matthews term to describe the literal, physical, visible, earthly reign of Christ in His kingdom.Matthew also uses the term the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, specifically during the earthly ministry of Christ, is a reference to the same thing: the time when the God of heaven sets up His kingdom on the earth. But generally speaking, the kingdom of God refers to a moral, righteous, spiritual kingdom. That moral, righteous, spiritual kingdom of God is involved in the earthly reign of Christ. The other gospel writers, Luke, and Mark, use kingdom of God because thetwo terms are synonyms in the earthly ministry of Christ; because in the millennial kingdom theyll both exist on the earth at one time. Thats why Christ says inthe Sermon on the Mount, to seek first the kingdom of God, and these things, the earthly kingdom blessings He has been talking to them about, will be added unto them.Israel wanted an earthly kingdom, but they didnt want Gods rule; they didnt want that spiritual side of it. Thats what Christ was talking about when He said, The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Thats that new covenant issue there. The kingdom of God is not simply a spiritual kingdom at all times. In Luke 14:15, Jesus tells them, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Where is that kingdom going to be? It will be on the earth, thats the Millennium.When you are in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the kingdom of God is a synonym f

or the millennial kingdom. When you get over to Romans 14, then it is just thespiritual kingdom. Colossians 1:13 says He hath translated us into the kingdomof his dear Son. That is not the Millennium, thats the spiritual kingdom of God.Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.That is that moral, righteous, spiritual kingdom where Gods Spirit rules. Thats a little different thing, but it isnt always that in the Bible. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the issue at the same time.So Matthew uses that term the kingdom of heaven with a reference to the time when the God of heaven would set up a kingdom on the earth. When the God of heaven sets up a kingdom on the earth, what would you call that kingdom? You could call it the kingdom of God, because the God of heaven set it up, couldnt you? But

couldnt you call it the kingdom of heaven, because the God of heaven set it up, and heaven is ruling?When it talks about the kingdom of heaven, its saying that the kingdom comes down from heaven. It is not the kingdom in heaven, its the one down here that heaven sends down. Its like Deuteronomy 11, its the days of heaven on earth.Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.I want you to notice there are two points to that gospel message Jesus preaches. Number one, the time is fulfilled: that is, the time schedule in Daniel chapter 9, has come into place. Second, the time to fulfill all of that, and the time for all those things to happen are here. They are right on that Jewish time schedule that Daniel had long ago prophesied and foretold. The time is at hand.They are right on schedule, it is fulfilled; and the kingdom of God is at hand.

The King is here, so what do they have to do? Repent and believe the gospel.Get right. Get in the program. That issue of the gospel of the kingdom is important, and thats the message that is going to be preached now in Christs ministry. Go back to Matthew 4.Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brotherWas Simon called Peter at that time? No. Well then, why would Matthew say he is Simon called Peter? Matthew writes later, and hes looking back on the events;



17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: [Are you calling me good? Are you calling me God?"] but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.If you ask folks how to gain eternal life, how many of them tell you something like that? Whats the matter? Dont you believe the Bible? What right do you have to change the message? Arent those the words that came out of the mouth of Jesus? You dont have any right to change the message. You dont have any right not to tell that to a lost person unless God has changed the message, and He has changedthe message between Matthew and where we are today. There is a new message given to us today, and it comes through the ministry of the Apostle Paul.Matthew 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? [In other words, Ive got the law program; what else do I need now?]Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, [I want you to remember about that word perfect, and as we go over to Matthew 5, we will see how it comes into play.] If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.He told him, If you want to follow me, go sell out, buddy. Do you see what Christ was doing? He is adding on to this man the kingdom requirements.

Luke 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [Now look at verse 33.]33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.Do you know why those guys over there in Acts 3, 4, 5, and 6, were selling out?They were participating in the program under which He had put them. Now look at chapter 14.Luke 14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and ch

ildren, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.Those were tough requirements to be His disciples, werent they?Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.Do you know why He tells them that? If you read the context there, you will see it is because if they didnt forsake it all, they would be like Lots wife lookingback. And He had said, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Those folks will have to endure through the tribulation period where the pressure is going to be on them. Part of this program is that they had to forsake this now in light of what they are going to get i

n that kingdom over there. That little flock is forsaking present material things in light of receiving that kingdom, and the blessings that go with it.That is what was going on back in Matthew 4. As He calls His disciples, the whole issue there, and the reason for leaving their nets and forsaking all is the program of which they are a part. It goes right along with that kingdom gospel and message.Mathew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.Accompanying the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom is healing. That is alw



ays the way it is in the Bible. You go over to chapters 8, 9, 10, 15, and right on through the Book of Matthew, and you will see healing, healing, healing, healing. It is always in association with the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. Why is that? Come back to Isaiah 33, and notice the reason that physical healing is associated with the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.For time sake, I dont like to read long passages, but if I read them to you, andif you have read the Book of Matthew and are familiar with what is coming in chapter 5, you will see how it all fits together. When we get to Matthew 5, you can get tangled up just like a fish line. If you took a barrel of fishhooks and shook them up together, theyd be as tangled as Matthew 5 is intertwined with the Old Testament; because that is where it comes from and what it is based on. Beginning in Isaiah 33:10, you have a passage that describes the second coming of Christ.Isaiah 33:10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.Hes getting up to come back as Psalms says, arise O Lord, etc. That is why He wasstanding up in Acts 7, instead of sitting down.Isaiah 33:11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.Thats the flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God. Thats the fire n Matthew 3, where His fan is in His hand. He will gather the wheat into the garner, but Hell burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. That is that baptism of

fire.Isaiah 33:13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites.[question] Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? [another question] who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? [That is Matthew 3. Answer:]15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightlyDo you know who that is? It is that righteous nation I have been telling you about.16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; [See that? He feeds them, like over in Revelation 12.] his waters shall be sure.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beautyDo you remember a verse over there in Matthew 5, where it says, "Blessed be thepure in heart for they shall see God? Do you see how that fits in there?22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.He is the Judge: thats the judicial branch of government. Hes the Lawgiver: thats the legislative branch of government. Hes our King: thats the executive branch if government. According to the Constitution of the United States, those are the three branches of government; and every governmental system has those three.When Christ comes, He will be all three in one.24 And the inhabitant [inhabitant of what? Of the kingdom] shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.In the kingdom, nobody is going to say, I am sick. The reason when Christ came pr

eaching the gospel of the kingdom that He is healing people is that in that kingdom there will be no more sickness. If a man gets sick in the kingdom, it is because he is a rebel and an unbeliever. They are not going to say I am sick. There will be no more sickness in the kingdom. Sometime let your eye run down through chapter 35, and see exactly what Isaiah is talking about.Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.When will that be? When your God comes with vengeance. What is going to happen?



Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, [the regathering of Israel] and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtainjoy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.In that kingdom, sorrow and sighing shall flee awaybe gone.Exodus 15:26 for I am the LORD that healeth thee.He says in Exodus, and in Deuteronomy 7, I will put none of these diseases upon thee. He said, Ill take all these sicknesses and diseases away from you. Thats whwill happen.Malachi 4:2 the Sun of righteousness [shall] arise with healing in his wingsThats the second coming.Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; [When is that? Tribulation.] but he shall be saved out of it.8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. [Drop down to verse 17 and notice one of the blessings of that kingdom.]17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, sai

th the LORDFolks, one of those kingdom blessings is good healthGod taking away the curse, and what Exodus calls the botch of Egypt. Hell take that away. Ezekiel 47 says that out of the temple of God comes a river of water, and on either side of that river grow trees which are for the healing of the nations. God heals Israel andevery one of the nations of the earth that come and submit themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. He heals them.Zechariah 14: you need to read the passage. The nations that dont come up to worship God at the Feast of Tabernacles, and dont present themselves before the Lord, He sends a pestilence among them. He afflicts sickness and pestilence and sorrow and disease upon them. They dont get any rain and that kind of thing.So when Christ comes in Matthew 4 with healing, what is He doing? He is proclaiming the kingdom, and offering and identifying Himself as God. When your God com

es, this is what is going to happen. Who is He saying He is? Hes God. Hes Immanuel. He is God with them. You want to understand, when you read of all that healing in the Bible, and the reason for it, it has to do with that kingdom program. When you see somebody putting up a tent or a multi-million dollar building for a TV ministry, and talking about healing, you need to understand what its all about. You dont need to get all discouraged when you ask God to heal you, and you claim the verse like old brother Shambauch does: I am the Lord God that healeth thee. And you claim that verse and it doesnt work; and it doesnt; you know it doesnt; and I know it doesnt; and he knows it doesnt.When you get down on yourself, you dont condemn God, do you? You condemn yourself. Pretty soon you are even further under the circumstances. You are under the kitchen table, squalling and crying, worrying and fretting. Folks, the kingdom program just won't work today. If you dont rightly divide that Word, you are go

ing to destroy your Christian life; and that is something theyll use to do it with, right there. That isnt how God operates today, and you need to recognize that.But God did operate that way in the past, and it was real; and He is going to do it again in the future. It has to do with the restoration program for the earth. Hes going to take care of your old messed-up body. You keep hanging around in that body and keep turning the calendar pages, and its going to wear out and not work so well. You dont have to worry about that. God has been planning all along to give you a new one; not now, but in the resurrection. It will be a whole lot better than the one you have now. You'll probably be able to walk right th



rough that wall over there.Matthew 4:23 and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease amongthe people.24 And his fame went throughout all SyriaThat is where He is. You will recall that He is up north in that territory called Galilee of the Gentiles. Look at a map. Jerusalem and the Dead Sea are south. The Sea of Galilee is north. Capernaum is nearby, and Nazareth is south and west. Jesus has just moved from Nazareth to Capernaum. He is preaching up inthat northern territory. Syria, (Damascus), is north of there; and His fame isgoing out all over that northern territory.Matthew 4:25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.Notice on the map where these places are: Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea, and beyond Jordan. (That is the territory east of the Jordan River.) He is gathering people together from all of Israel. Where are they gathering? They aregoing up north to where He is, and being gathered to Him. It is a type of the regathering of Israel; He is gathering that nation together.Matthew 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.There is one thing I want you to notice in this verse. They brought people whowere sick with diseases and torments, and they brought people who were possessed with devils, and they brought lunatics. Do you know what a lunatic is? That i

s somebody who is crazy. In the Dark Ages and until recently, when a person was crazy, people would say they were demon-possessed. Dont you ever say that someone who has a mental problem and off balance in their head is demon-possessed. Do you see the distinction that God makes between those conditions? Thats a cheap shot of religious bigots who say that. Its ignorance of the Word of God. Justbecause a person has a mental problem, it doesnt mean it is demonic. A lot of folks have real mental problems; its sickness or chemical imbalances, and that kind of thing. Dont you let somebody say that the Bible says that because theyre crazy that they are demon possessed. The Bible doesnt say any such thing. The Bible distinguishes between lunatics and demon-possessed people. Roman Catholic mythology in the Dark Ages, the same people who were teaching that the earth was flat and you could fall off the edge, were teaching that kind of stuff; not the Bible.

I know that unsaved people out there in the world dont make a distinction between the Bible and religion, or the Bible and Romanism, but you do. Dont get all cowed down by them when they throw that stuff at you, and they will throw it at you. I read a newspaper article in the Chicago Tribune about two weeks ago that did that: We're glad we are twentieth-century enlightened man, and have thrown off the old shackles of medieval churchology that said just because somebody had a little mental problem, he was possessed by the devil. Who told them that? The Bible never said that. What Im saying to you is that you dont have to be intimidated by what people say. What you need to know is the truth about the issue. The Bible makes a distinction between the two different categories.Notice what He did. They brought all that were sick, and what did He do in Matthew 4:24? He healed them. Were there any misfires? No. How many of them didHe heal? All of them. Nobody got wheeled down in a wheelchair in the prayer li

ne and got passed over because it looked like an impossible case. And it wasnt a matter of their faith. Come over to Acts 5 and Mark 6. I want you to understand this.Acts 5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laidthem on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.Please underline that. There is not one modern, so-called faith-healer, (which



is a misnomerthere is nothing in the Bible about that), who heals even a third of the people he practices on, much less all of them. If God sent him he would heal every one of them. What these people were doing was going down to the sick wards and just getting them all up. Why? Because folks, that kingdom program is the issue there in Acts 5, just as it is here in Matthew.Notice Mark 6. Here is a verse you want to remember if you deal with some of these folks and they tell you the reason they dont get healed is because they dont have faith.Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, andJoses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And theywere offended at him.4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a fewsick folk, and healed them.I love that. Mark says that Christ couldnt do any mighty works there, so what did He do? He just healed a few. If you take that verse at face value, then healing a few folks is not a mighty work. Why were all these folks in His own country getting upset about Him healing people? You old self-righteous fellow! People just get so geared in on themselves, rather than recognizing what God is doing today, and how His strength is made perfect in our weakness.Mark 6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.I want you to notice something about that passage. All He could do was heal tho

se people. Why? Because they didnt have any faith. Do you see that? They didnt have any faith, so all He could do was heal a few. Then dont come along and let somebody tell you that the reason you dont get your healing is because you dont have faith. Hey, if you dont have faith, you still get the healing if a guy has the power that God gave those men. Do you know what the problem is? There isnt anyone walking around today who has that power, because God has withdrawn it. God has changed the program.Well start Chapter 5 in the next lesson.


Matthew chapter 5. We are beginning what is called the Sermon on the Mount. This is the first of the great discourses that the Lord Jesus Christ gave.In His ministry there are a number of them, and we will study them as we go through the book.

Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when hewas set [like a king on his throne], his disciples came unto him:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Notice that the topic involved in this passage is the kingdom of heaven. The Se

rmon on the Mount focuses on that. He went up into a mountain: over and over in the Scripture, a mountain represents a kingdom. He went up into a mountain, and sat down, as it were, in His Kingdom; but He was not in His kingdom. He didn't speak to them as though they were in the kingdom, per se, but He spoke to them as though the kingdom were near; so He sat down, and began to teach His disciples.Lets face it folks, every man who heard Him had a beard; he didnt eat pork; he didnt eat bacon; he went to the temple; he worshipped on the Sabbath; he was a circumcised Jew: thats who those people were. When you go through this passage, youare not dealing with Christian doctrine. Here in Matthew 5 we have the Sermon o



n the Mount, and the Beatitudes. You want to notice what the passage says.A modernist has about five passages in the Scriptures that he uses: the Twenty-third Psalm, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Lords Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13. Thats about as big as his Bible is. That is about all most people who go to church know about the Bible. They know those passages because thats all they hear. Then they hear an illustration about somebody fixing a wheel on the wagon, or calling the cows in when it is time to go home in the evening.Do remember when you were young and you lost something? Somebody would say, Well, thats just your little red wagon. How wonderful it was when you found it. That's about the most Bible these people know. This passage doesn't have anything to do with the way they preach about it. A moralist will take these passages and extrapolate or extract portions that they like, and go with them. We dont wantto do that.The Sermon on the Mount has to do with the principles of the kingdom of heaven.Christ was describing kingdom living, and the lifestyle of a kingdom saint. Those people whom He was describing were going to go through the tribulation and into the kingdom. He was describing the type of lifestyle they were to exemplify. He was showing how the establishment of the kingdom of heaven was going to produce the way of life that brings peace and prosperity, blessing and happiness to all mankind.As you read through this passage, you will see their spontaneous living for other people. The way that will come about in the kingdom is that He will put a new heart and a new spirit in them. There will be that filling of the Spirit, andspontaneous living for the Lord and for others, (Ezekiel 36). That is what you

are dealing with in this passage. You need to remember that it is not doctrinefor today. It is doctrine that describes kingdom living. Thats why the detailsof this passage just dont fit us today. For example, look at verse 5.Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.Today they dont, you know better than that. The meek wind up with nothing. There may be an exception occasionally, but that is the rule. That is not the way it works today.Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, [the law of Moses and the prophets, verse 17] and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.Think about it, people. How many of you folks go around teaching people to keep the law? Whats the matter? When you put that verse up against Romans 6:14 or R

omans 7:1-6, what happens? You go away scratching your head if you try to makethem say the same thing. Those verses in Romans say that you are not under thelaw; you are dead to the law; you have been delivered from the law. Here in Matthew, it says if you teach that, you are going to be least in the program. Yousee, the specific details of the passage just wont fit us. Look at verse 21.Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

How many of you folks have ever gotten mad at somebody and were tempted to say,

Raca? Nobody? You dont even know what it means, do you. You see, thats not your situation there. We dont call people raca, and if we do, we are not in danger ofthe council. So, what in the world are we talking about? That is a Jewish situation.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, Where is the altar where you bring the gift? Do you have an altar around here somewhere? No. Its an entirely different situation.Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:



39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.How many times have you heard that? Ive heard preachers say, If someone hits youon one check, turn the other cheek; but after that you can fight.40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.Do you know what they say about that? Watch what is happening with some of these modernists who claim this is doctrine for today. The World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches have been over in India stealing church property from Christian people. Did you know that? They are a bunch of liars and four-flushers. In Angola, in Africa, and South America they play Robin Hood,and take from some people and give it to others. Over there in India, some of the Bible-believing Christians have separated themselves from that bunch of apostate monkeys, and do you know what has happened? The NCC and the WCC are suing them to get the church property that the Christians built.In Peoria, Illinois, there is a pastor who after many years finally got out of that big Presbyterian Church. They denied the virgin birth, and he excused them. They denied the atonement, and he excused them. They denied the Word of God,and he excused them. But when they ordained a woman to preach, he left. Isnt that crazy? If you dont care about the Book, the blood, and all the rest, why would you care if a woman preached? He finally got the courage of his convictions,and got out. Do you know what the denomination is doing? They are suing him for his church building. It is a congregation of about two thousand people. People say to turn the other cheek, but you see they dont practice this doctrine. Yo

u know it wont work today, dont you?Matthew 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.When is the last time you had someone compel you to go a mile? You dont know what he is talking about, do you? If you were to pick up a guy hitch-hiking, is he going to compel you to go a mile? You see, the details of that verse dont fit today. The reason that they dont is not because the Bible is archaic or out of date, its because this doctrine is not ours today.Now listen, much of the ethical content of the Sermon on the Mount that Christ taught is the same ethics that Paul teaches. If you compare Romans 12 with Matthew 5, you will find many places where the ethical content of the two are similar. Thats because Paul says that we are to walk in the Spirit. He says we are to befilled with the Spirit. That is the kind of life-style these people Christ taught are going to have; they will be filled with the Spirit and that will produce l

ife in the Spirit.Paul says that in us the righteousness of the law is fulfilled. The specific details of the two passages dont fit, because the doctrine in Matthew is not ours;but there are some spiritual, ethical things you can learn from this. There are some great truths presented here. I dont want you to think that I am trying todepreciate the value of the passage. We are going to study the verses where they fit, and see how they apply. Then you can glean the application from them more sensibly, instead of trying to figure some way to make them fit today, and then throwing up your hands and quitting.By the way, in verses 1 and 2, the disciples would be those Jewish followersthatlittle flock.Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.Do you see blessed in all those verses? That word blessed means happy. It means the joy and happiness that comes from a real reason, not by just some frivolous, slap-happy thing based on circumstances. That is obvious as you go down to v



erses 9, 10, 11, and 12. It is based not on circumstances, but on something beyond circumstances. It has to do with a real deep reason that makes it so. Because those verses begin with Blessed, Blessed, Blessed, they are called the Beatitudes; which comes from the word blessed. That word blessed is makarios in theGreek. Have you heard of the Archbishop Makarios in Cyprus? His name is that word in the Greek language.Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.The poor in spirit, (the people who know their own spiritual need) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That is, the kingdom of heaven is going to be built on a certain type of spiritual attitude. What is it? Is it pride? No, its humility.The kingdom of heaven wont be built on pride and arrogance. That is the day when the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down. The kingdom of heaven is built on humility.I will be giving you just an overview or commentary on the Sermon on the Mount,because we have to get through Matthew a little more quickly. Write down theseverses in your notes: Psalm 44:18, Isaiah 66:2, and Matthew 11:29.Do you remember what Christ said?Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I willgive you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:

That will be the attitude of the people that live through the tribulation and go into the kingdom.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.That is a special kind of mourning. You have to remember that. Thats a specialcategory of mourning, because not all people are comforted. Judas got real sorry and mourned about having sold out Christ. Did anybody comfort him? Nobody Iever read about. He took back the money the chief priests had given him. Theycussed him out and sent him home. They didnt comfort him. He went out and hanged himself.Do you reckon anybody would comfort a guy in hell? No. So its not a blanket statement. It refers to a specific type of mourning. I see pictures of mommas over there in Ethiopia holding their dead babies with emaciated little frames, squalling and wailing. I doubt anybody can comfort somebody like that. I doubt anybody ever understands that. You put your arm around them, and try to comfort them, but it just doesnt work. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comf

orted, is a specific type of mourning.I want to run a couple verses by you, and let you see how specifically these things deal with the kingdom program and kingdom living.Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: [theSecond Coming of Christ] and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.You see, when He comes back, Israel is going to mourn. Theyre going to be sorry. It isnt going to be only Israel, folks, but the whole earth will mourn. They will mourn because He is coming back in vengeance.Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, andthey also [Israel] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wailbecause of him. Even so, Amen.

People will mourn when He comes back. Israel is not going to be saved until they repent and turn to Christ. When they do that, they are going to mourn over their rejection of Him. The people who mourn over their former rejection of Him are the ones who are going to get into the kingdom. They are the ones who will be comforted.Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day [the second coming when He returns to take Jerusalem], that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom



they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon [site of Armageddon].12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family ofShimei apart, and their wives apart;14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.They are going to mourn because of their rejection of Him. Those who rebel andoppose Him wont get any comfort; but of the people who mourn, Isaiah 40 says: Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. If you want to see the comfort, look at Isaiah 40:1-2, Isaiah 51:11-12, Isaiah 61:1-3. When you read them, you will see the comforting there is in the Millennium. Theyre in the kingdom. The people who mourn will be comforted in the kingdom.Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.Doctrinally, it is a specific mourning, sorrow, and comfort. Practically, you can take that verse, and 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, and say that God is a God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble. You can use those verses like that in Pauls epistle

s, and understand the comparative principle; but you cant take that verse in Matthew 5 as a blanket statement; because it isnt.Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.Somebody who is meek is not necessarily weak. Numbers 12 says Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. You wouldnt call Moses a weak man, or a man without any power. Moses was a real bulldog. He was a blowtorch most of the time, but he was meek; that is, he didnt puff himself up. A meek person is one whocan patiently bear insults and rejection that come his way. Meekness is peace under pressure. Its the ability to bear rejection and bad treatment, to bear insults and not get discouraged personally.5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit [underline the next two words]the earth.What are they inheriting? The earth. Do you see how that fits? If that fellow

in the tribulation is meek, and bears with it, he gets into the kingdom. Christ is making a reference to Psalm 37 when He talks about the meek inheriting theearth.Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: [The apostate nation will be gone.] but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.Youll see the truth that the meek shall inherit the earth again in Zephaniah.Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation [Israel] not desired;2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD's anger come upon you.

3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment;seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of theLORD's anger.Do you see that mention of seeking meekness and righteousness? We are going tolook at the verse about they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Do you know what you do when you hunger and thirst for something? Man, you are desperate for it, and you are out scrounging around to get it. The issue there is thatthe judgment is about to fall; and He says, You guys had better get right. When they do, He says of them, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Again, He is speaking of the little flock.



Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.You can make a spiritual application from that, but the primary application is in the passage in Zephaniah.I have referred several times to that righteous nation in Isaiah 26. I hope that you fellows are studying these passages and not just writing them down. We dont have time here to study all of the context of every passage. I am trying to lay it out for you the best I can, and give you the verses. You need to study those passages and look at all those things after we go over them.This passage in Isaiah 26 dovetails into Matthew so closely that you just cant extricate it. Notice the righteous nation in verse 2. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, in verse 3. Trust in the Lord, in verse 4. For he bringeth down them thatdwell on high, thats the poor in spirit coming down in verse 5.Isaiah 26:5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the pathof the just.8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.They hunger and thirst after righteousness. Righteousness is the lifestyle of the kingdom. When Christ comes, who is He?

Jeremiah 23:6 THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.Notice the connection there. Christ the LORD, (Jehovah), IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.That is, they are desperate for that lifestyle that characterizes kingdom living.Isaiah 26:8 the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within mewill I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.Now theres a fellow who is hungering and thirsting after righteousness, it seemsto me. Theres a fellow whose heart and soul and spirit crave the righteousness t

hat Christ is going to bring. So when you read that they hunger and thirst after righteousness, you know how earnest they are, folks. As I said, you can makea spiritual application. Arent you better off if you hunger and thirst after righteousness?Ive told you before, I took some counsel from a man many years ago. He said, Thefewer things you want in life, the happier you will be. Thats a living truth. The less you desire to have, the happier you are. Do you know how to keep from being covetous and idolatrous? (Covetousness is idolatry, Paul said.) Do you know how to do that? Hunger and thirst after righteousness. If you set your affection on things above, wont you forget about things down here? You might not forget about them, but youll be able to deal with them a lot differently. Theres an application.Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

If you give mercy, youre going to receive it. It is reciprocal. He talks aboutit again in chapter 7.Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do yeeven so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.You would have a problem practicing that today. Suppose a fellow wanted a drink of liquor, and came up and gave you a pint so you would give him one. Thats what it says, doesnt it? Ill be good to you and give you some booze; now youve got to



give me some. You can stretch that verse until it doesnt make any sense. You have a problem when you try to apply it literally out of its context today. But if you leave it where it fits, and compare it with James 2, it will work. You have to leave it where it fits.Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.Let me ask you something. How many of you believe that sometime every man willsee God? Ill tell you that there has not been one soul born in this world who isnt going to face God Almighty one day. If you are lost, you are going to face Him at the Great White Throne Judgment, standing there in rotten, tattered clothes of your own self-righteousness. If you are saved, you know you are going to see Him at the Rapture, dont you?Everybody is going to see God at one time or another, even the people who are not pure in heart. So again, the verse has a specific application. Its not talking about salvation for do-gooders. Come back with me to Psalm 24, and I will show you the doctrine on the passage. Psalm 24 is a Psalm on the second coming ofChrist. In Psalm 22, you have the crucifixion of Christ described.In Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd. There you have the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. You have the congregation that walks in the valley of the shadow of death,the little flock that is comforted by the Shepherds staff in Matthew 4. Then inPsalm 24, you have His second coming:Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.This guy has a pure heart and clean hands. He will be able to go into the presence of God. This is not talking about going up to heaven; he is going to ascendinto the hill of the LORD, and stand in His holy place. He is going to be able togo up to the temple where Christ is.5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.That is an interesting verse. Jacob is put in the place of God. They are seeki

ng God, but He is the God of Jacob.7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; andthe King of glory shall come in.8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; andthe King of glory shall come in.10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.There He is, right in their midst. Do you know who is going to see Him? The pure in heart will go up there and receive Him in that kingdom.Isaiah 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall

dwell with everlasting burnings? [His judgment when He returns.]15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.That guy doing right with the pure heart and clean hands is going to see the King. The pure in heart shall see God. Isaiah 35 says that when you see your Godcome, He is coming with vengeance, (second coming). The lame are going to leap, and the blind will see. Those passages that are quoted over and over have a reference to Christ, and they identify Him. The believers in Israel at that timesaw God in Christ, and they will see Him that way in the kingdom. He is Emmanue



l: God with us.Ever since weve been in Matthew, I have been telling you that those passages in the Old Testament, such as Isaiah 35 which is a second coming passage, refer to Christ coming back in vengeance, and setting things right in His kingdom. Thosepassages are quoted in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where they are saying, This is the Christ. In the prophecy there, and all the way through Acts 7, the issue was the second coming. The issue was the kingdom: the Messiah, the King, is here; and the kingdom is coming. He was there, and He demonstrated Himself to be the One who is going to bring in the kingdom; but the nation overlooked their opportunity.John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.They saw God in Him. He told Philip:John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: They dont understand.Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.How would you like to try to apply that today? That would mean that you would have to join the United Nations, the Peace Corps, and all the other movements going on in the world. Right? You know, there were people in Washington protestin

g against the South Africans, and against the Polish Consulate. Do you know what they were doing? They quoted that verse before they went. You dont see all that on the TV. They said, Were going out and being peacemakers. The chief characteristic of the kingdom will be peace. Listen folks, there hasnt been any peace yet, and there wont be until the second coming. There are forty-two hot wars going on right now, (at the time this lesson was first taught), onthis planet. There are five million people today shedding their lifes blood in forty-two wars. Some old pompous rascal will get on TV and talk about peace. Some old long-robed, begging rascal will get on TV and say, We want to speak out against terrorism, while his church and followers are going out with his blessing at that moment killing people in Northern Ireland.Do you know what is going on in the world, folks? Whatever you can get away with and people don't stop you. That rascal will get on TV and quote: Blessed are

the peacemakers. Hes a liar and a four-flusher to boot. You understand that youcan twist these verses, but they will apply literally over in that kingdom. Thats going to be something! Peace on earth!Did you know that the first time Jesus Christ came to earth, He didnt come to bring peace?Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay;but rather division:52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three againsttwo, and two against three.53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Christ said, I came to bring a sword and division. The next time I will bring peace. Peace will come the second time. Until then, there will be no peace. As we go through this passage, notice that all these things apply if you regard them as kingdom living. If you dont, you will just wind up confused.Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Notice He didnt say, for tomfoolerys sake, but for doing right.Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, [talk bad about you] and persecute you, [not only talk, but treat you badly] and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.



Underline that word falsely. There are two qualifications: first, the talkingbadly about you must be a lie. You are doing something right, and they say something bad about you and persecute you. Then also, it must be for my sake. A lotof people do something right and get rapped about it. There are people who getslandered all the time. Ill bet drunks slander each other. But Christ says to do it for righteousness sake, and for my sake. Thats like in 1 Peter 4, where he sas when you suffer because you deserve it, its no big thing; but when you suffer for Christs sake, thats different.Matthew 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.That has to do with persecution that is true of all real followers of Christ; they are persecuted. You can make a good application when somebody reviles or takes action against you when you are doing something for Christs sake. When you are persecuted or someone slanders you, what do you do? Christ says, Rejoice. Dontget mad and strike back at them. He says, Rejoice. Be happy about it.Thats hard, and its going to be really hard for these people in the tribulation; because theyre going to have their utilities cut off, and theyre not going to be able to buy gas for the car, groceries, milk for the baby, clothes for the kids, feed the dog, or anything else. Theyll be fired from their job. But this Pauline truth applies today:Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.That heaps coals of fire on their head. Did you ever see anybody rejoice aboutthat? A long time ago, I learned that you cannot change people. God can change them, but you are not going to change them. I learned that if I beat my head a

gainst the wall, after a while Ill give up. Ill not knock out all my front teethjust to get my way about something. I have learned that if you cant get it done, well, just praise God, and go on. Dont get mad. Glory to God. Hallelujah.A guy called me on the phone not too long ago, and he said, I think I am going to quit. He was all discouraged. After about the sixth time he called and told me he was going to quit, I said, Praise the Lord. I believe you ought to quit. Hegot all upset with me because I agreed with him. Folks, if thats the way you feel, just quit. Gods work isnt going to suffer because of you. Do you think God needs you? He doesnt have to have you. He doesnt have to have me.Isnt it a privilege to serve God? Isnt it a joy to serve God? Isnt it an opportunity to be sought after? Sure it is. Get up off your bed of tears and get going; and rejoice. We tend to hang on to it. Let it go! If you cant do anything about it, forget it. Thats the attitude. Dont be flippant, crazy, and nutty. Most

of you have trouble not sticking your head out far enough. You get some of these young guys who want to preach, and sometimes they get a little radical, and will be out trying to make trouble for Jesus sake. I dont mean to be foolish, but i you get the persecution, take it. Praise God for it, and dont get all upset.People tell me, There isn't persecution today like there used to be. Well, wherehave they been all their life? The average Christian isnt doing anything to be persecuted for. If you want to know if there is any persecution going on in theworld today, you go to work tomorrow and for twenty-four hours you do everything right. Just imagine doing that. Dont leave one thing undone that ought to be done, and dont do one thing that ought not be done. Say everything right. Dont fail to say everything that ought to be said, and dont say anything that shouldnt be said. Do everything right for one twenty-four period, and see if you dont get opposition.

I said that to a guy one time, and he said, Youre not talking about a working man, are you? I wouldnt have a job by noon. Try it; you'll see. Persecution is there. You see, most people just arent doing anything. I am not worried about you people getting too radical; because, as I said, most of us dont stick out our neck far enough for it to count anyway.The reason the teaching about persecution will fit us today as it does, is because you and I have a very special relationship to the rejection of Christ. The age in which we live is the official age of His rejection. Paul says in Colossians 1:24, that he is filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christfor his body's sake. That is, Paul is suffering. This is the age of Christs reje



ction, and we bear His rejection in the world. As we go out as His body, and live as His representatives/His ambassadors here, the world will react to Him in us as they reacted to Him. They are going to treat us the way they would treat Him. Paul calls it the fellowship of His sufferings.2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.When you read those verses in Matthew, there is a sense in which you can apply them to yourself, spiritually. But if you look at them dispensationally, you will find you cant apply them doctrinally.Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Will you get the kingdom of heaven because you are persecuted? No.5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: Thats a good attitude to have. Someone may say, I thought you said that the kingdom of heaven is to be on earth. How is it that their reward is in heaven? Comeover to 1 Peter, and Revelation 22. These are two passages you need to mark down and remember.1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,Theyve been begotten again. God begat the nation out of Egypt.Deuteronomy 32:18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful,

He begat them once. Christ said to Nicodemus, Ye, (plural, the nation Israel) must be born again. John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:Those people were already the children of God physically. They were Gods chosenpeople. God physically begat the nation out of Egypt, Isaiah says. They can say that the Lord God is their, (Israels), Father; He begat them. Now they have to be begotten spiritually. Peter is saying, Weve got that.1 Peter 1:3 which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto alively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Reserved in heaven for you. Underline that. In Luke 19 Christ told a parable: the man went away to a far country to receive the kingdom and come back. Its a type of Christ going to heaven and getting the authority. In Daniel 7 He went tothe Ancient of Days, and received authority as the Son of man to execute rulership in the kingdom; and He will come back and establish the kingdom. The kingdom is reserved up there in heaven. They are storing up their treasures up there that will be brought back with Him. The reward is there to be brought back in the kingdom.Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, andshall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.14 Ye are the light of the world...

Do you see the two metaphors: salt and light? Salt and light affect things. It is important that you notice that salt has the ability to stop corruption. It is interesting that they are not sugar sticks. Gods man, Gods prophet, is not a



sugar stick; he is salty. There are a lot of parallels between salt and the ministry when it is done right. Salt will sting. Its got a bite. When it bites and stings, it hurts; but it heals. Salt is a preservative. It will get rid of corruption. Salt flavors food. It makes it tasty. If it is salty, can you eatjust one? It gives you an appetite for more, doesnt it? Those are all characteristics that have parallels in the ministry.13 Ye are the salt of the earth:The idea there is that they are the preservative of the earth. Christ is talking to that little flock which is His agent that is preserving the earth; the rest of the nation will be cast out.Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.Of what does that verse remind you? You dont put a candle under a bushel, but on a candlestick. Ye are the light of the world. Do you remember Revelation 1:20?Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.Those seven candlesticks are likened to the seven churches holding forth the Word in the tribulation. Matthew says that candlestick gives light to all that are in the house, (the house of Israel). In Luke 15 there are three parables: the one about the ninety and nine sheep, the one about the woman sweeping and searc

hing for the lost coin, and the one about the lost son. Those parables fit theministry of Christ and His apostles to Israel.The first one about the lost sheep fits the time of the earthly ministry of Christ. The lost coin fits the time of the early Acts period when the apostles go out to preach to Israel. The one about the lost son coming back home is the restoration of Israel in the kingdom.Luke 15:8 Either what woman [type of Israel] having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?Do you see what is happening there? The woman loses the piece of silver. In the Bible, silver is redemption money. The value that Israel has for the world is represented there. Salvation is of the Jews. So she lights a candle, and sweeps the whole house to find that lost thing of value.

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the worldMark says that you dont put it under a bed. Commercialism and laziness put out the light. There are a lot of ways you can apply that in the tribulation, and also apply that practically today. You put the light on a candlestick, (type of the churchesthat witness), to give light to the whole house. Write down Isaiah 60:1-20. There you will see the wonderful light that is given out by Israel in the kingdom.Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Notice the verse. Your light shines before men that they may see your good works. Please notice that the verse does not say that your works shine. The versesays that your light, your testimony, shines; and then they examine your good works. The light shines in order to get people to observe the works. If you want

people to observe your works, you do that by witnessing. Thats a fact. Thats where verse 10 comes in. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'sake.If you go out witnessing, do you know what people do to you? You know, dont you? You start talking about the Lord, about getting saved, and what to do to get to heaven when they die; and what do they do? They look for every little mistake you can make. Theyll put paint cans in your way, and lock doors, and do everything they can to try to get you to lose your temper, to get you to slam down thepencil. Theyll do anything they can to catch you. Theyll put a spotlight on your life so close that people will say, Well, I believe you ought to live it. Let my



life be a testimony.If you let your life be a testimony of honesty and goodness, who gets credit for that? You do. The only way for God to get the credit is for you to talk about Him. People around you might admire you, might respect you, might hold you inhigh esteem; but they are going to give you the credit unless you open your mouth and give the glory to God. And when you do that, they are going to look for the chink in the armor; and they wont think so much of you. (Isnt that a wonderful blessing?)Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Thats true of us too. Paul says:Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine aslights in the world;16 Holding forth the word of life; Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.So theres an application for us to be salt and light.


In the last lesson, we got down through Matthew 4:16; but I want to begin back in verse 13, and point out those two metaphors. We are dealing with the Sermon on the Mount, which is not doctrine for Christians today but rather for kingdom saints. Christ is giving the precepts and principles of His kingdom. He is describing kingdom living: the type of lifestyle that will be exemplified by thosewho go into His kingdom. He is proclaiming the kingdom at hand.Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earthIsrael is always associated with the earth. The believing remnant in Israel has always been the preservative, the salt of the earth. It is the remnant of Israel that has preserved the program of God for the earth.but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? [In other wor

ds, if it has lost its flavor, it is worthless.] it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.Again, Christ has been gathering that faithful remnant. He took the kingdom from the leaders of Israel and gave it to a nation that brings forth the fruit thereof: that nation is the little flock. The Little Flock is not only the salt of the earth, but also the light of the world.Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.In the last lesson, I tried to show you the details about the meaning of the can

dle and the candlestick having to do with the churches in Revelation chapter 1,and the gathering to that light, (the witness of that little assembly). In Mark 4:21, Christ says you dont put the light under a bushel, and you dont put it under a bed. A bushel represents commercialism. A bed represents laziness. Either one will put out the light.The light gives light to the whole house. We looked at the parable in Luke 15,where the lady sweeps the whole house to find the lost coin, (the believing remnant). She had to light the candle in order to find it. Thats what is happening: the woman is a type of Israel. The candle has to be lit in order to gather the remnant.



There is something you need to understand about the light. A light is a testimony in darkness. Just as salt preserves against corruption, light illuminates the darkness. You need to have a grasp on some things in the prophetic Scriptureabout darkness and light. Come over to John 8, and notice a comparison passage. John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them [the religious leaders], saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, butshall have the light of life.In other words, when Jesus Christ was on the earth, the light of the world was here, and light was available.John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.Here you have a situation that describes light and darkness. The Lord Jesus Christ is on the earth and when He is here, there is light; it is daytime. He died on the cross, as the verse says, the night cometh when no man can work. As longas Christ is in the world, it is light; but when He goes out, it becomes darkness. The time period between His leaving, and His coming back to set up His kingdom in prophetic Scripture, is called nighttime.In Malachi 4:2, he describes Christ as the Sun of righteousness aris[ing] with healing in his wings; It is nighttime until the Day of the Lord. When we studiedDaniel 7, we saw that he had a vision in the night. The time period in prophecy between the ascension of Christ and the second coming is called night.Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world

He is talking to that believing remnant which comes out of apostate Israel in the time that is called the tribulation. There is a seven-year time period priorto the return of Christ which is the seventieth week of Daniel 9. That time iscalled the tribulation. The seventieth week is a seven-year period of time. There is a gap in the time schedule between the sixty-ninth week and the seventieth week. During that time there is a believing remnant on the earth, and Christtells them, Ye are the light.The Song of Solomon is a discourse between Solomon and his bride. Doctrinally,it will be between Christ and His bride. It is a conversation between the LordJesus Christ and the virgin daughter of Israel in the tribulation period. Songof Solomon 5:10-16 gives the only physical description of the Lord Jesus Christin all the Bible. Isnt it interesting that you find it in the Old Testament?Song of Solomon 5:16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. T

his is my belovedThere is a song called Altogether Lovely; it was based on that verse. The writer recognized Who the verse was talking about, so he wrote the song about Him. Isnt that what He is to your soul? So Solomon is a type of Christ.Song of Solomon 6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as themoon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?That woman, the bride of Solomon, is typified by the moon; so when He says in Matthew 5, Ye are the light of the world, He is saying that the little flock is thelight of the moon, and clear as the sun. The idea is that they are reflecting His light. The light comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and the light shines in the darkness, just as the moon shines at night. In Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus has told a parable and begins to interpret it.Matthew 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is t

he Son of man;38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnas



hing of teeth.Notice, gentlemen, the Lord Jesus Christ interprets the parable He has just previously told. Every time He interprets a parable He takes every item in the parable and assigns a meaning to it. You read in the theology books and commentaries that a parable has just a general meaning of a general truth, that it is written for the purpose of helping you to understand a spiritual truth that you couldnt otherwise understand. They tell you that you dont have to interpret every detail, just look for the general truth, because it is going to help you understandsome spiritual truth. When you read something like that, just close the book and put it on the shelf.First, the parable was not given to show you a general truth. The parable was for people who didnt have spiritual eyes and couldnt see truth. Go back in the passage to verse 10, where they asked Him why He spoke in parables. In verses 11-13, He answers: it was so the unbelievers could not understand. He spoke in parables so some people couldnt get it.The parable was for His disciples to understand. He interpreted it so they could understand. He took every point and gave the meaning of it. He gave a corresponding value to each detail. You need to understand that the details of the parable have meaning. I know that is different from what is generally taught, but thats the way Christ interpreted it, and you want to take His lead. For example, the tares are the children of the wicked one.The only thing in the parable that He doesnt assign a meaning to is that furnaceof fire. So you take from that, that the furnace of fire is real fire. It hasto be, because its the only thing that is not identified.

Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thyrising.Abundance comes in that Kingdom.Isaiah 60:19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness

shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: forthe LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

(Psalm 30:5 weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.)Isaiah 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, [The meek shall inherit the earth.] the branch of my planting, thework of my hands, that I may be glorified.In verses 19 and 20, He talks about not needing the sun or the moon; thats a reference to a part of the earth that will be illuminated by the Shekinah glory of God in its midst. In Palestine, in the princes portion of that land, the glory of

God is going to shine so brightly that its just going to be eternal day. It will not be because of light from the sun and moon, but because of His presence and that Shekinah glory. That blazing light is a representation of all that He is,His glory being manifested all around.The little flock is the light of the world. They shine in the night. It is important that, when you study the prophetic program, you understand the issue of the night and the day. The time between His ascension and His return to the earth is described as nighttime.Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city [Jerusalem Isaiah 60] thatis set on an hill cannot be hid.



15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.16 Let your light so shine [your testimony] before men, that they may see yourgood works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Do you see the expression your Father? God is a Father to Israel.Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is myson, even my firstborn:Deuteronomy 32:18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.Isaiah 46:3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:The modernists pick up this expression about the Father, and they teach the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man; they teach that God is everybodys father. That is malarkey. God is not everybodys father. Jesus Christ told some of the religious leaders of Israel in John 8:44, Ye are of your father the devil He said, You wont hear my words because you are not of God. God is everybodys creator, ut He is not everybodys Father.How would you like to have me call you the daddy of everybody in Chicago? It would be a low blow, wouldnt it? Arent there are a few people around Chicago that you would be ashamed to be called their daddy? Me, too.To call God the Father of everybody is not honoring the Lord. People who do that dont understand. When you begin preaching out in the world, you are going to find people who think that God is everybodys daddy. Thats the basis of the social g

ospel, and the change of the power structure in society. We are not all Gods children. We might as well face it.What He is doing here is making a distinction between the people who were the descendants of Abraham physically, ethnically, racially, and nationally, and those who were the descendants of Abraham also by faith. Hes gathering that righteous nation together. You dont want to miss that.Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.Thats an important passage. Verse 17 is the salvation verse used by the SeventhDay Adventist Church. They say that when Jesus Christ came, He didnt come to destroy the law and the prophets. They teach that you have to keep the Ten Command

ments, especially the Sabbath day. Commentaries arent much help because most ofthem are written by covenant theologians; and the ones written by those who arent, seem to follow their thinking. They say that when He fulfilled the law as Hesaid, by going to the cross and dying, He fulfilled the ceremonial law. They say that the passage was fulfilled at Calvary.I want you to make a note and be sure you remember this. When He says in verse17, Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not cometo destroy, but to fulfil, that is not a reference to the crosswork of Christ. Matthew 5:17 is not in any way a reference to the cross of Christ. When He talks about fulfilling the law here, He is not talking about going to Calvary and dying to fulfill the ceremonial law. How do I know that? Come over to Matthew 16, and Ill show you. We have been over this verse many times.Matthew 16:21 From that time forth [underline that next word] began Jesus to sh

ew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.Is Matthew 16 before or after Matthew 5:17? You can see what He is saying in Matthew 16:21: From that time forth We discussed the time element involved when westudied Matthew 4. From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem and die.Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.Does that sound like Peter was expecting Christ to go to Calvary and die for his



sins? It sure doesnt. He didnt know anything about that. That hadn't been revealed; it wasn't the issue. It hadn't anything to do with what they were preaching at the time.So, when I go back to Matthew 5:17, I know from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, that what He was talking to those people about in Matthew 5:5-15 andthe first part of verse 16, was not the cross. What was He talking to them about? The kingdom! What was the theme of His message? Repent ye, for the kingdomof heaven is at hand. He was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Look back atMatthew 5:17. That verse doesnt say that He is going to fulfill the law, anyway. Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:Do you see that? Not just the law or the prophets. When He talked about the law and the prophets, He was talking about what was predicted in the Old Testament. We have studied Luke 16:16.Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.Until John the Baptist, there was only the Old Testament. That was the testimony of the law and the prophets. What was the testimony of the Old Testament? What did they predict? What was the goal of prophecy? The kingdom. What about the Law? Come over to Colossians. I want you to get an appreciation for a passage that most people misunderstand and dont even read.Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: [Meat, drink, holy days, new moon and Sabbath days are ordinances, practices, rules, regulations,

festivals of the law, are they not?]17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.That is a prison epistle of the Apostle Paul. Everything in Colossians is in effect today just like it was back there. I can stand here tonight and say to you, the meat, the drinks, the new moons, the holy days and the Sabbaths, (the ordinances of the law), are right now a shadow of things to come. That verse is future from where we are. Do you remember how I keep drawing that chart: Time Past, But Now, The Ages To Come? Do you think you could figure out where the things to come would fit on the chart? Thats future from us. That word are is present tense.By the way, that word are is present tense in every Greek manuscript, so that isn't going to help to change the meaning. It doesnt say, They were a shadow of what is going on today. He is saying that the law back there is a shadow right now

of things that are going to take place in a dispensation that is future from where we are. The law was a shadow of things that are going to take place in the kingdom. That is what the typologys main emphasis is. It is a shadow right now,today; not a shadow of the church the body of Christ, but a shadow of the kingdom. The doctrine that was communicated to Israel through the ordinances of the law back there was doctrine that foretold about the kingdom. When Christ comes to fulfill the law, He will bring in the kingdom which will fulfill the typologythat those ceremonies, rites, and rituals prophesied. That's what they taught and foreshadowed.Come with me to Ezekiel 45, and let me show you that the passage in Colossians is almost a quote out of Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 40-48, you have a picture of millennial worship, the worship of the kingdom age. You are told the location of thetemple, its structure, and physical setup. It is described in great detail. Yo

u can diagram it. It tells the way the land will be parceled out to the tribesof Israel. It is all laid out in these chapters. In chapter 45, he is talkingabout the worship in the land.Ezekiel 45:17 And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.You see the meat and drink offerings, the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths. Ezekiel says these things will be taking place in the kingdom. We, the body



of Christ, are an insertion in the prophetic program that has been postponed but will resume in the ages to come. In time past, the ceremonies of the law pointed to that future kingdom. The prophets in time past prophesied about the kingdom. The goal of everything in time past was the kingdom.Christ was saying in Matthew 5, I have come not to destroy the law but to fulfill it. I am come to bring the kingdom. In that kingdom, the law of God is going to be taught and observed.Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.All flesh will come up to worship the LORD Almighty on the basis of new moons and Sabbath day observances. Those are ceremonies of the law. Come back to Zechariah, and notice that any nation that wont come up and worship according to the feasts and ceremonies is going to be destroyed.Zechariah 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.Where do you read about the feast of tabernacles? Do you read that in Pauls epistles under grace? No, you read about that in the law.Zechariah 14:17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even uponthem shall be no rain.18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there

shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

I am trying to get you to see the importance of the feasts. Over in Revelation14:12, He says, Here is the patience of the saints, and He talks about the peoplewho keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.Go back to Matthew 5 again, and notice the verse in that context. Both the lawand the prophets are going to be fulfilled in the kingdom. Christ didnt say He was going to go to the cross and fulfill the ceremonial law, and therefore we should keep the rest of it today. Thats not the idea at all. He is talking about the kingdom. All this business about Christ going to the cross to fulfill the ce

remonial law, and that we still operate on the moral law today, is what the Seventh Day Adventists and the Reformed Church tell you. They dont keep it either.They call Sunday the Christian Sabbath.In our office we have a calendar from the people who distribute our radio tapes. I noticed that they have Monday as the first day of the week. I called them up and said, Why did you send me a calendar with Monday as the first day of the week? We use Sunday as the first day of the week for our broadcast. He answered, We were trying to recognize the Christian Sabbath. I said, Brother, could we havelunch together? Lets talk about this. (It turned out that it wasnt their own conviction, but that of the company where they had bought the calendars.)Sunday is the first day of the week, folks. Saturday is the Sabbath, (the seventh day). Sunday is not a Christian Sabbath; it was the first day of the week when Christ was raised from the dead. Thats the reason we meet on Sunday. Besides t

hat, you couldnt observe the Sabbath in the United States. You would have to goto Palestine to be able to observe the seventh day.You need to understand that, because you are going to have people pull those verses on you. You need to demonstrate to them in the Scripture that He was not talking about going to the cross. It is eleven chapters later when He started talking about that. What was He talking about in Matthew 5:17? He was talking about the kingdom. That is the theme of the whole message through here.Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle



ome back with me to Isaiah.Isaiah 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it [the kingdom].Do you remember when He went up on the mountain and sat down and gave the Sermon on the Mount? I told you then that a mountain, over and over in the Scriptures, is a type of a kingdom, like it is here.3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways,and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and theword of the LORD from Jerusalem.So what are they going to be preaching? They are going to teach them the law.Come over to Isaiah 42.Isaiah 42:19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD's servant?20 Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.The idea there is that when Christ is reigning on the earth, He is going to execute real, impartial justice. Have you seen a statue of Justice? She has scales in one hand and a blindfold over her eyes. She is supposed to be blind so that when people stand before her she will judge impartially. That is where that idea comes from, right here in these verses.

Isaiah 42:21 The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; [underline it] he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.In that kingdom, the law of God is going to be exalted and magnified among the people. Come back to Matthew 5, and see how the Lord Jesus Christ, from here ondown through Matthew 5, did exactly that. He magnified the law and honored it.From here on, the law takes a new turn. The Sermon on the Mount did somethingthat had not been done before: it took the law and intensified it.When we talk about the law in the kingdom, we are not talking about the Mosaic Covenant. We are talking about the New Covenant which replaces the Old Covenant. Do you remember those verses that say, I will make a new covenant with you not according to the covenant I made with your fathers when I brought you out of Egypt, not like that Mosaic Covenant, but I am going to make a new covenant. I am going to hide my law in your hearts. I will put my Spirit within you and cause

you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-27)You need to be familiar with those passages because what Christ is going to do here is to take the standard of righteousness and put it up just as high as it can get. That is, He is going to make it a standard based on the heart-motive ofthe people. It is going to be a new covenant standard of righteousness, not the old covenant. Watch Him do that.Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.Again, the emphasis is on the kingdom of heaven. You have to have exceeding righteousness: the general principle of the kingdom living is laid down. You have to have a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Their

righteousness was derived from the Mosaic Covenant, from the works of righteousness that they did. We have been through that in the Book of Romans. If you read those passages beginning in Romans 9:30, and read down through chapter 10, you will see that Israel sought to gain righteousness by keeping the Mosaic Lawby their own self-righteous effort. They missed the Messiah because they were not walking by faith, and so they didnt respond in the proper manner.Christ was telling those people that their righteousness had to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees who were attempting to keep the Mosaic Covenant. He told them, You have to have a righteousness that comes from your heart. Thats the New Covenant standard.



Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment Do you see how He passes over the outward act, and applies the standard to the heart attitude with which the act is done?Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.It is a heart attitude. He is setting the standard as high as it possibly can be set. That is not judgment on the basis of the outward action, but on the basis of what is in the heart. When He does that, He demonstrates the depravity and the failure of people.If somebody tells you, I dont sin any more. I live without sin, what they mean isthat their standards are just a little lower than yours are. They probably mean it when they say that. They mean, I havent cussed, I havent drunk or smoked, I havent stolen anything nor lied to anybody. I havent gone out and played cards or gone to the movies, and havent yelled at my wife, and those kinds of things. But if that fellow had really done all that, worked eight hours and even a little extra to make sure he had done enough, and he did everything just right, there is something that guy cant do: he cant control his heart. He can control his outward actions, but there is something he cant do. He cant get to the place where his old heart will respond spontaneously in the right way.

I mean, you just go out and hold that nail up there, and hit your thumb with the hammer. Guess what you do. Do you know why you do that? That is your nature. You let the right person cross you, and you might not blow up at him, but your heart gets in a knot, doesnt it? The old stomach juices begin to flow. You might be able to appear calm, but that spontaneous reaction from the old sin nature is there. Christ is saying, It is not enough in the kingdom to control the outward reaction; you will have to have a change in your heart.Where are they going to get that change? You see, the whole point that God hasbeen making with Israel through her history is that Messiah was going to come and do for Israel what she couldnt do for herself. Deuteronomy 30. Here is that change, right in the middle of a passage dealing with the Palestinian Covenant where He has given them the land.Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the hear

t of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.The answer is in what God is going to do for them. He is going to fix their heart so they can love Him, and therefore get the land and the kingdom. Come to Ezekiel 36 and watch Him do it.Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon youGod is going to re-gather the nation. One of the great themes of the Old Testament is gathering together of the nation. What is over there today is not the fulfillment of the prophecy. This prophecy says that God is going to re-gather the entire nation.24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countr

ies, and will bring you into your own land.25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from allyour filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

That nation was being identified through Johns baptism of repentance for remission of sins.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.



27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall bemy people, and I will be your God.29 I will also save you from all your uncleannessesGod Almighty is going to put a new heart in that nation. That is the promise of the New Covenant. Write down Jeremiah 31:31-34, and look it up. When you gethere in Matthew 5 and find Christ saying, in effect, I did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, I came to fulfill them, and I am going to raise the standards so high that nobody can reach them; so I am going to have to do it for you. He is saying, Hey, Israel, you need Me. You have to have Me. Israel will neverhave what she seeks for, outside of Messiah.Go back to Matthew 5, and notice one more thing. Notice that He said somethingthat puzzles many scholars.Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time

22 But I say unto you27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time

28 But I say unto you 31 It hath been said32 But I say unto you33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time

34 But I say unto you43 Ye have heard that it hath been said

44 But I say unto you

People say that He is abrogating (abolishing) the law. A modernist, Harry Emerson Fosdick, once preached a sermon: Was Jesus A Fundamentalist? His idea was, See, Jesus didnt believe the Bible. He read what it said, and He decided to change it. Look back to verses 17 and 18 where Christ said, Till heaven and earth pass, onejot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Iam not come to destroy, but to fulfil. You know good and well that Christ was not abrogating it. He wasnt destroying it or doing away with it. What He did wasintensify it. He was making it more demanding than it was under the Mosaic Covenant, which they failed to keep. He was making it so the only way they would ever be able to keep it is to get a new heart from Him. Come back to Malachi 3; this is a fascinating passage.You do yourself a great deal of harm, gentlemen, if you dont study the Old Testam

ent; because that is where you will find the basis of understanding the prophetic program. Some of the most marvelous truths are in the minor prophets.Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: [Who is that messenger? John the Baptist.] and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

The idea is that they are going through that tribulation period, and will be cleansed. They are going to be purified, and go into the kingdom.5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.He says, I am going to come down and destroy eight classes of people there: thesorcerer; the adulterer; the false swearer; the oppressor of the hireling, widow, and fatherless; the one who turns the stranger from what is rightfully his; an



d the ones who dont fear God. Those verses are a second coming passage to Israel, warning them to receive the Messiah and get ready to go into the kingdom, andabout the destruction that is coming upon those who dont.Now come to Matthew, and notice how chapter 5 corresponds to the outline of Malachi 3:5. It is interesting to me that He is going to destroy the sorcerers. Thats not in Matthew 5:21-27. In verse 27, there is the issue of adultery. In verse 33, He talks about swearing. Have you ever read the commentaries where theytry to explain why swearing is included? He talks about adultery, and then immediately about swearing. This is talking about lying under oath. Most people dont think swearing is so bad if they compare it with adultery. In verses 38-42, there are the issues of turning the other cheek, going the second mile, and giving to one who asks to borrow. He warns them not to oppress people, but to be free in giving to them. In verses 43-47, He teaches them not to refuse anybody's request. They are to love their enemies and do good to them. Then the last command is telling them to be as perfect as God. They must fear God.It is interesting to me that these concepts that you see over and over in the prophets are what you see in Matthew 5. From here through the end of the chapteris a second coming message to Israel: to those who are preparing to enter intothe kingdom of heaven. Matthew agrees with what is back there in those prophets. If you will study that passage, and think about it in the light of those things, you can work out some of the parallels.


Were going to repeat what we studied a couple weeks ago, because the video didnt work well. We will finish Matthew chapter 5 in this class.Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shallbe in danger of hell fire.Notice again, Verse 21. I pointed this out to you before:Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them... 22 But I say unto you27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time...

28 But I say31 It hath been said... 32 But I say33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time... 34 But I say38 Ye have heard that it hath been said... 39 But I say43 Ye have heard that it hath been said 44 But I say unto youA lot has been made of those alterations there. That is, They used to say this;but I say this. You were told this, but I say this. People say, See, Christ is arogating the law. He is changing the Word of God. Years ago a famous modernist preached a message, Was Christ A Fundamentalist? us

ing these verses to demonstrate that Christ didnt believe the Bible. If you look back at verses 17 and 18, it is quite obvious that He wasnt abrogating, (denying), the passages. He was intensifying the law. He was saying, You have the law,and it says this; but I am saying to you He was intensifying the standard of righteousness of the Mosaic Law to the New Covenant standard: the righteous lifestyle of kingdom living based on the heart-motivation. It cannot be just correct living in the details, but it has to spring from the heart. I have told you before that you might be able to control your outward conduct, but controlling yourheart is something else. You might control the outward reaction, but you cant control the response of your heart. The stimulus comes in anger or malice or what



ever; these responses just come. You might control or repress the response to the stimulus, but Christ is talking about an inward change.Remember this, and write it down: the righteous lifestyle of kingdom living that is demonstrated and required of the kingdom saints in the Sermon on the Mountwas for the purpose of declaring Gods name among the nations. The righteous lifestyle was for the purpose of declaring Gods glory as a testimony before the nations. It was not for the purpose of gaining His approval or His righteousness orHis justification for the believers. These people were not doing these things,and were not told to do them in order to have Gods approval in the sense of gaining right standing and justification. Rather, they were doing it to be a testimony, and to declare His name: all that He wasto manifest Him before the nations.You need to remember that because sometimes folks use these passages to teach works for salvation in the individual sense. We understand from Romans 3, that this is not true. All men in all ages were justified by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ based upon their faith in the message that God gave them at that particular time. Faith has always been what God looks for in man, but the message that God gave them was a message that required a righteous lifestyle. The reasonfor that was the national purpose He had for Israel in regard to the kingdom. So you dont want to forget that.Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:That is the sixth commandment. He is talking about murder. If they were foundguilty of murder, they were to be executed. The passages on this are in Numbers 35:24, and Deuteronomy 19:15-20. If you study those passages on your own, you

will see that someone who was found guilty of murder was to be executed. That is the judgment pronounced there in verse 21.22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shallbe in danger of hell fire.Notice that He goes beyond actually killing somebody to just being angry and calling him names. In other words, theres that heart motivation in the commandment. He intensified the commandment to include the demand that your heart not evenbe angry. When God forbids one sin, at the same time He forbids all sins of the same kind.1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Again, there is that intensified demand of the right heart attitude. That is the New Covenant standard that will bring in the kingdom.Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thoufool, shall be in danger of hell fire.Were you ever in a discussion with somebody, became angry, and were tempted to call him Raca? How many of you ever did that? Nobody. Thats a Jewish word thathas to do with the scorn of an uncontrolled temper. Hes calling him a moron, inessence. You see the Jewish element there: just saying Raca puts him in danger of the council.Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, [When is the last time you had a problem with bringing a gift to the altar? This is a great passag

e to demonstrate the fact that it is not doctrine for the body of Christ; it isa Jewish passage.] and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first bereconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.The point is that they are to take care of the disagreement and not let it continue. Notice the Jewish setting: the gift, and the altar. That is a referenceto Deuteronomy 26:1-4. Study that passage, and you will notice that in the cont



ext Israel is getting the land that the Lord promised to them, which is exactlythe same subject in the context here in Matthew 5. In verse 24 He talks of leaving the gift at the altar. In verse 25 He talks about the adversary.26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.The idea there is that they are to agree with the adversary quickly, lest at anytime the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to theofficer, and thou be cast into prison. There is a parable in Matthew 18:23-35, a parallel reference much like that. It refers to Israels indebtedness to the Lord for His forgiveness, and their refusal to go out and pass the blessing on to the Gentiles. They themselves are thencast to the tormenters, (a type of the tribulation). This is doctrine for Israel in view of the kingdom.There is something you dont want to miss in verse 22.Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:The words, without a cause in that verse, are omitted in the new Bibles. You cansee the problem with that when you compare it to Mark 3:5. (Write down Mark 3:5, John 2:15 and Ephesians 4:26.)Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not In Matthew, if you leave out those words, without a cause, he has no excuse, and he is in danger of the judgment. There is another problem. Mark 3:5 is speaking of Christ.Mark 3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved f

or the hardness of their heartsThe Lord Jesus looked around at those religious people and He was angry with them because of the hardness of their hearts. Leaving out the words, without a cause, may look like a harmless omission in Matthew 5:22, but that demonstrates the seriousness of even seemingly unimportant omissions. When you compare Matthew 5:22 with Mark 3:5, it makes the Lord Jesus Christ condemn Himself. Reading it as it is in the new Bibles: If any man is angry with his brother he is in danger of the judgment. Christ looked around and was angry with the money-changers in the temple, (Mark 3:5 and John 2). Dont leave out words in your Bible. Leave them just as they stand. Matthew 5:22 is another verse you can use to demonstrate the importance of using the King James Bible as opposed to the modern Bibles.Matthew 5:26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, [out of prison] till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Thats a Roman Catholic proof-text for purgatory. If you ask a Roman Catholic for a verse on purgatory, this is one of the verses they will give you. The otherverse is 1 Corinthians 3:15. The answer to that is that there is nothing in those passages about purgatory.27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commitadultery:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after herhath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

There is that heart attitude again. Please notice the intensification of the standard to make it apply to the motives of the heart. That is why the New Covenant says, I will put my Spirit within you, and a new heart will I give you. Ill tak

away the old heart, and put in a new one.Notice: if a man looks on a woman to lust after her, he hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Folks, it takes two to commit this sin; it cannot be committed by one person. So ladies, you need to be careful about the wayyou dress and act with men other than your husband. Mister, you need to be careful about a wandering eye.In your notes, write down 2 Peter 2:14, and compare it with this passage. Revelation 2:14 and 20 tell you that in the tribulation mens eyes are full of adultery and cannot cease from sin. In Revelation 2, there is a doctrine that teaches men not to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols. So the applica



tion of the passage is obvious as it fits the tribulation.29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.You will notice that the Lord Jesus Christ is the original hell-fire preacher.In verse 22, He said, Whosoever shall say to his brother, thou fool, shall be indanger of hell fire. He is the original hell fire and damnation preacher.A lady once told me that she didnt believe in hell fire because she believed in the Sermon on the Mount. I showed her these verses, and she just about swallowed her tongue. Thats the way a lot of people are. They think all there is to theBible are the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Lords Prayer.The Lord Jesus Christ preached about hell. Notice that He said thy whole body be cast into hell. Its better to lose part of your body than to be thrown into hell. Its as though hell were literally present on the earth for these people to becast into. And thats exactly what will take place in the Millennial kingdom. Come over to Isaiah 66. We dont have time in this Bible study to get all the information in this passage, but you can get the tapes of the Bible studies on the doctrine of Eternal Judgment. They go over in great detail the issue of the fireat the second coming of Christ, and the judgment in the Millennium. You will get all the verses laid out for you so you can understand.In the Millennium there is literally a shaft in the earth that goes down into th

e center of the earth, into hell. That shaft is opened in the Millennium. There is a flaming fire set on the earth that burns out from that shaft at the second coming of Christ. Men are able to walk up and look down into hell, and see the damned of the ages cast into hell. In the Millennium, hell is a living, present, and observable monument to the attitude of God Almighty towards sin. Deuteronomy 32 is a second coming passage.Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto thelowest hell, This verse shows that hell is down in the middle of the earth. When Christ comes back, He will set on fire a shaft down into hell over in Palestine south of the Dead Sea. That fire will burn down through the earth into the lowest hell.and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

The fire will burn down and consume the earth, and leave a passageway into hellfrom which people cannot escape, but can be seen into from above.Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.This is a passage about the millennial Kingdom.24 And they [their representatives] shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.Those people can look down and see this. It is the passage that Christ quoted in Mark 9 where He talked about hell-fire: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. It is a reference to Deuteronomy and Isaiah. The reason that Jesus Christ says more about hell and hell fire than any other man in the Bi

ble, is because that becomes a tremendous issue at His coming in His kingdom. So again, what you have here in Matthew 5 is a warning concerning the second coming.Come over to Matthew 5:29-30, where He says it is better to cut off your hand or pluck out your eye than to be cast into hell-fire. Some say that hell is justthe grave. No, no, no. You are going to the grave anyway; it won't do you anygood to cut off your hand, you are not going to miss the grave. Hell can't be the grave, or the verse wouldnt mean anything. Christ wouldnt tell them to pluck out their eye so they won't go to the grave if they are going to the grave anyway.



Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.That is more than the grave, brother. A guy can kill your body but not kill your soul. How about that? That means that when your body dies, your soul doesnt die. But God can also put your soul into hell where you would lose that body-shaped image you have inside of you that is you, which is your soul.31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marryher that is divorced committeth adultery.Those are the regulations about marriage. There is something you want to notice about marriage. Moses gave them a way out of marriage that was dispensational. Marriage is a subject that undergoes dispensational changes.Matthew 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.When God created Adam and Eve, He put them together and said, Thats it.

7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?They asked, Why did Moses allow a provision for divorce under the law? (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)Matthew 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses [underline it] because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.From Adam to Moses there was no divorce. Moses gave those people a way out; this is one of the dispensational changes in Matthew, chapters 5 and 19. Moses, because of the hardness of their heart, (Deuteronomy 24), provided that they could

get a divorce. In fact, there was a very lenient provision given. The reasonis, had it not been that way, God would have just destroyed them. So under Moses, because of their failure to keep the commandment, he gave them a provision:because of the hardness of their heart, he allowed them to have a divorce.Now with the kingdom in view, there was to be no divorce except for fornication. Under the kingdom program, the only justification for divorce was adultery orfornication. Fornication is an important word. The Greek word porneia is where we get our English word pornography. The idea is not just stepping out on your husband or wife and sleeping one time with someone, committing adultery. Fornication has the idea of constant, unceasing activity. That person would be called a whoremonger or a fornicator. Its the lifestyle that is involved there. Its not just a one-time sin, but it is a continually repeated act. It is a pornographic kind of a lewd, dirty, vile, constant thing.

That issue of fornication has a significant parallel in the dispensational aspect here. Jehovah and Israel were married, and had a covenant agreement between them when they came out of Egypt. Because of Israels constant spiritual fornication, going after other gods, (like a wife would go after other men, or a man after other women), God and Israel became estranged. Because Israel forsook God, He divorced them.If you study Hosea 1, you will see the parallel situation with Hosea and his family. God said that was a picture of what was happening with Israel. Jehovah and Israel were estranged and divorced because of Israels fornication. In the kingdom, they are going to be reconciled, reunited, and remarried. Write down Isaia



h 62:1-5, and Hosea 2:14-20. Read those passages, and youll see that reconciliation.Matthew 19:9 Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.That is the kingdom provision for marriage, and it reflects the dispensational situation with the nation Israel. If you want to understand marriage under grace, go to 1 Corinthians 7 for our instructions today.Matthew 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.In verse 34, He says, Swear not at all. That verse is often used to say you shouldnt go into a court and raise your right hand and say, I solemnly swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. That is not what He is referring to. Come over to Matthew 26, and notice that the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, qualifies this to allow a sworn oath in a legal situation. If you have to swear an affidavit, it is not a violation of that passage. You know that this is not doctrine for

you today. People often misunderstand that passage. That does not mean you cant go to court and solemnly swear to tell the truth, or to swear out a legal document. Thats not the issue at all. You know it is not because of Matthew 26 where Jesus Christ is being interrogated by the high priest.Matthew 26:62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.In other words, I put you under an oath to solemnly swear to tell the truth, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God."64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast saidWhen the Lord was placed under oath to give correct testimony in a legal situati

on, He gave the testimony.So, going back to Matthew 5, He was not talking about the legal, courtroom situation. He was talking about normal conversation: dont make an idle oath, or boast.

Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it isthe city of the great King.That is a great passage to remember about Jerusalem, and what its purpose is. It is the city of the great King. Write down by that verse, Lamentations 2:1, and compare that with these verses. You will find that with God, Jerusalem and the earth are used interchangeably, because it is the city of the great King who r

eigns over the kingdoms of the earth.36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.He was talking about their daily conversation. Hes telling them not to go around swearing: taking foul oaths, and binding themselves to a lot of things. Justmean what you say, and let your word be your bond. That is important. Come over to Zephaniah 3, which is a second coming passage.Zephaniah 3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; nei



ther shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouthThe idea is that the remnant of Israel, (those kingdom saints), are to let their word be their bond. The reason that is important is found in Psalms 10 and 55, where He tells about the antichrist's deceitfulness. Those are passages about the man of the earth. These men break their word. Their words are smoother than butter. The poison of asps is in their lips. They are liars and they speak lies. There is a demarcation between the faithful remnant, and apostate Israel associated with the antichrist.By way of application, I want to point out to you that there is something called, Christian cussing. You hear it everywhere. We have it in our vocabulary, and have to be careful about it. It just shows how this Book impacts the world. You can be in church, and a question may be raised, and somebody says, Oh heavens, no, thats okay. But if he says, Hell, no, what is that? Thats cussing. Thats esting to me. Christ said, Dont swear by heaven. He didnt say not to swear by hel. We say, Heavens, no! Heavens, yes! For heavens sake! Heavenly days! Mytars! Thank heaven! Dont swear by the earth. So we say, My land! Land-a-Goshen. Land sakes! Yo I am talking about. He said, Dont swear by yourself. So we say, Well, Ill be a keys uncle! No, you arent. Evolution isnt true. Sure as I live and breathe. ue as sure as I am sitting here! We use Gods name like that. Did you ever notice how cuss words begin with J, G,D, H and S? God, gosh, goodness, gracious, golly gee, Jiminy Cricket. Who is your goodness? God Almighty is. Gee whiz. Gee wilikers. Jesus. Watch the words that come out of your mouth.

Somebody might not say, damn, but he will say, darn it, dadburn, doggoneit. Oe! Wheres the fire? Its hell. We dont want to say hell, so we will say, Oh she, or heck. We say, My goodness gracious, sakes alive! Well, who in the world isur goodness, and who is gracious? The Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, goodness graciousme. Holy cow! Exodus 32. Oh, yeah. So youve got to watch your tongue. People, he things that come out of your mouth will scare you to death if you spend moretime in this Bible. You will find that this Bible is the book that tells you what is going on with people in this world. If there is something out in the world that you dont understand, you just stick in that book long enough, and you will figure it out.Jesus Christ said, But I say unto you, Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Some of you wouldnt let a four-letter cuss word come out of your mouth, but you use Christian swear words all d

ay long. Well, it just goes to show you that our conversation needs to be withgrace, seasoned with salt.Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.You are going to have trouble, folks, if you dont keep control of your tongue. I tell you, gentlemen, that anybody who makes their living with their mouth is going to make a lot of mistakes, so you better keep a real humble spirit. You want to keep your comments and statements simple. Thats hard for some of us to do.I know that some of us just run off at the mouth, and get in the talk mode. When you become conscious that you are talking a lot, you should just stop talking and be quiet. You need to learn to control your tongue. James 3 has good instructions, especially to the tribulation saints, but for all of us.38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a t

ooth:That verse right there is one that is so misused. Go back to Deuteronomy and look at that passage. Every time the television or the movie writers want to make idiots out of Bible-believing Christians and do a smear job, this is the versethey pull out. They show a half-wit with half his teeth gone, and a third of his brain missing, and about two-thirds of his common sense gonesome nit-wit goingthrough the world with a club ready to beat up on some little innocent kidcrying, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Revenge doesnt have anything to do with what Gods Word means in that passage.The provision, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, (write this down), is a



civil regulation. It is not the authorization of individual vengeance, but rather, it is a social and civil regulation.Deuteronomy 19:16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;After the judges have made a thorough inquiry; and have come to a judicial, civil decision in a courtroom, then 19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother:so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit nomore any such evil among you.21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.Its a civil matter, not a personal matter. Dont forget that. Dont let somebody try to make you feel like an idiot because of something in the Bible they take out of context and twist. Dont cut any slack and give any space to people who think they have a proof text for getting even. Good men are always reasonable. Dontforget that. When you meet somebody who isnt reasonable, its because something is sticking in his craw and bothering him. You dont want to do the work of the Lord deceitfully.Jeremiah 48:10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cu

rsed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.The application of that is to get him in that Book in a loving, sweet, kind, plain, blunt, clear manner. You have to know your stuff, guys, and then get on with it.Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.Resist not evil. The modernists love that passage. But that is not a blanket statement on political, social, or military policy. That is a statement about thecontext here. Dont resist evil. So if somebody comes up and offers you a drink, are you supposed to take it? If some drunk comes up to you and says, Here, take a drink, dont resist evil. Are you going to violate one verse to keep another?

What if somebody wants you to steal something? I mean, you are not supposed toresist evil; are you not going to resist stealing? Are you supposed to resist lying? Over in James it says to resist the devil, the evil one. You see, that is not a blanket statement.39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.Do you see how screwed up you can get if you try to follow this passage today?Matthew 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.Theres not anybody I ever heard of who claimed to follow the Sermon on the Mount

and did these things. If you ever met anybody who said they did, they were liars; you know they didnt. There are some good principles.43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just andon the unjust.



e looking at the heart motive. We saw in chapter 5 that the standard of righteousness in the kingdom age is to be the New Covenant standard of righteousness; that is, the law written in their hearts. He dealt with that, and also with theopposition to the kingdom in the latter part of chapter 5.Now in chapter 6, He is going to take that new covenant standard of righteousnessthat heart attitude, and He is going to apply it to the details of the lives ofthese kingdom saints. He ends chapter 5 on that high plane by saying:Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, He is talking about being perfect in obedience to the commands that He has given in verses 43-47, in meeting those requirements perfectly. Heres the standard: even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. In other words, He raises thestandard of perfection, (completeness), to that of the Father. Over and over in chapter 6, He admonishes this remnant that their eyes should be on what the Fathers standard is.Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.He puts the emphasis on the Father.Matthew 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.6 pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, 9 pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

14 , your heavenly Father will also forgive you:15 neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them32 your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.The emphasis is to keep their eyes on the Father. Be ye therefore perfect, evenas your Father which is in heaven is perfect. That is that new covenant standard of righteousness. He is applying that issue of the heart-motive to several different areas of life for this believing remnant, this little flock who will inherit the kingdom.He starts with the generous giving of alms. Alms is a giftmoney that you give to

the poor. That lame man in Acts 3 expected alms from John and Peter. He askedan alms of them. He asked them to give him a gift. Of course, he wanted money.Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:[Dont give alms just to be seen of men.] otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, asthe hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.Verse 2 is sarcasm, you understand. Sometimes people talk about the Lord as though He didnt have a sense of humor. I read a book one time: Did Jesus Ever Smile? Some people dont grasp what they read. They read a verse like that, and never understand it. Nobody is going down on the corner, tooting his trumpet, and then plopping his money in. He is using an overstatement there; He is being sarc

astic. Dont give as though you have a brass band leading you. You know that theydidnt have a brass band, but you know what He is talking about. Dont make a lot of pomp and ceremony.Do you remember the story about the widows mite? The Pharisees came to the temple, (they didn't really have a trumpeter leading them), and they made a big showout of their giving: Does everybody see us? Christ said they were getting theirreward. They were getting their praise right there. He said that you dont wantto exalt yourself; because when you do, you have gotten your reward; and when Christ comes bringing His rewards, there wont be any for you.Matthew 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right



hand doeth:That is an often abused and misquoted passage of Scripture. Did your left handever know what your right hand was doing? Do you ever lie down in the bed at night and talk to your right hand, and ask, What did you do all day today? No. Did your right hand ever pick up any knowledge from your left hand? No, they dont think; your head does the thinking. That is using a figure of speech.Matthew 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.The idea is that if you are going to do something for the Lord, dont do it for apublic display. Do it privately, between you and the Lord. When you do that, you will get a reward from your Father which is in heaven. The motive is the issue. Its not just that you give, but that you give with that heart-attitude of giving as to the Lord. Paul said:Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;As believers today, you and I have to be careful about that. The ethics of this passage are indisputable in any age. You and I always need to be careful thatwhat we do is not for the purpose of being seen of men. You always ought to doat least a little bit of your giving secretly.I have seen associations of churches publish lists at the end of the year of how much each church gave to their association. They look like bankers statements.This church gave so much, and that church gave so much, etc. The pastor of the church that gave the most is soon regarded as the pope in Rome, because thats where the association is getting their money. Their preacher is the big shot. Th

ey say, He gets the money. Well, hes getting his reward, too.You always want to have a couple things you are doing for the Lord all the timethat nobody else ever knows about. You always ought to be giving a little hereand there that nobody ever knows about. When you give to the church, there area few that have to know, like the treasurer who puts the checks in the bank. You ought to give a little bit that nobody knows where it goes but you and the Lord. Thats good discipline for you. Its a good idea, because you are sure you always have something just between you and the Lord. It ought to be something private between you and the Lord. When you get to the judgment seat of Christ, there will be a reward.He promises these saints that there will be rewards that He is going to bring back with Him at His second coming. Notice the end of verse 1.Matthew 6:1 otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Verily They have their reward4 and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.At His second coming, He will reward those tribulation saints with an inheritance in the millennial kingdom.1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,Again, He is talking to the nation Israel. They will have been born again. Technically speaking, you and I are not born again like Israel will be. God begat the nation physically out of Egypt, (Deuteronomy 32; Exodus 4; Hosea 11). He begat them physically as His people, and they are to be born again spiritually, as i

n John 3, and as the passage here says: [He] hath begotten us again. They will be begotten again under the new covenant provisions.1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible [in the Kingdom], and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,Christ went away at His ascension, and received the kingdom from the Ancient ofDays. He will come back and set up that kingdom on earth. In the early Acts period, the Holy Spirit came down upon the little flock. They have an inheritance reserved for them in heaven. It will be brought down and given to them when they reign with Christ in that kingdom.5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be rev



ealed in the last time.Their salvation is going to be revealed at His second coming.9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:That is talking about something that will be brought unto them.13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end forthe grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;Christ will bring that reward to them when He returns.Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.Doesnt that sound like the verses we have been reading in Matthew 6? The guy that makes a lot out of himself: Im giving a lot of money, will be abased. A guy who abases himself, (who gives and lets nobody know), will be exalted. That is the principle of kingdom living.By the way, the second coming is called the Day of the Lord. Do you know the first time it is mentioned, and what it says about it?Isaiah 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.If you were somebody going into that kingdom, do you know what your lifestyle had better reflect? You should put yourself out of the way and exalt the Lord, be

cause that is the principle of kingdom living.Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.In other words, dont ask them, because they might invite you back; and then you would be even.13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just [second coming].So dont give to somebody who can give back, but to somebody who cant. When we get further in Matthew 6, youll need to recall that verse about the maimed, the lame

, and the blind. In that tribulation, there are certain people who are going to be in that condition.The point here in Matthew 6, of course, is the motive of the heart. They have to make sure their heart is doing it for the Lord, and not for public display. They are not to exalt themselves, but to do it for Him. The motive of the heartis the issue. Sometimes people do things without getting recognition, and theymay look humble when their heart wants exaltation. The issue is not just doingthe details correctly; their heart has to be right. Its just like back in Matthew 5 where He made the motive of the heart the issue. There isnt any way to keepthe heart right unless God gives them a new heart. Thats the new covenant standard.Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets

, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.Do you see their motive? They want to be seen of men. Those men were standingout on the street corners making their prayers. Write down Luke 18 in your notes, and read that story about the publican and the Pharisee. They both went to the temple to worship God. One said, I thank God that I am not like that other guy. I do this; I do that; I dont do this; I dont do that. I am right. I, I, I.And I am bringing this gift. I am so wonderful. He has his reward.The publican went there and said, I am just a rotten rascal. Remember that mercy seat in there. Be merciful to me a sinner. Remember the sacrifice, the bloodin there on the mercy seat. Remember that, Lord. I am nothing. I cant make it.



Which one went away justified? The publican. He understood. The Pharisee didnot. Christ is talking about the motive.6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.If you go into the closet, your motive is to get to God. Your motive is not tobe seen of men. Christ is saying that when you pray, your motive needs to be to talk to God, not to have men see you. That is good instruction for you, isnt it? God is interested in the motive of the heart.7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: Do you know who uses vain repetitions, saying the same empty words over and over? Three-fourths of Christendom does. What does the passage say they resemble?Is that a Christian activity? Is that something that God Almighty tells anybody in any age to do? Never, never, never! That passage does away with prayer wheels, (like Mohammad Unsal), for a reminder to pray. It looks like the Wheel of Fortune on that TV program. Spin the wheel, and where it stops you pray for that, and it gets rid of that problem.Then you flip your beads. A rosary has beads. One bead is the prayer, Our Father. The next bead is Hail Mary, full of grace. Later, another Our Father. If you around a certain number of times, you've earned so many days out of Purgatory for your loved one. They have those beads to remind them what to say next. They count them to know how many prayers they have said. I know a guy who said that so fast you couldnt understand a word he said. Youve heard speed-talkers: thatsthe way some people say the Rosaryvain repetition. It is mindless, senseless, ri

tualistic nonsense.7 for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.You see, it isnt just jabbering that counts; it is a heart that wants to talk toGod that counts. People think, I have done a whole bunch of good works; therefore, He has to tip His hat to me, and listen. That isnt the issue. Talking to Godis the issue, and what your motive is.8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth [underline that] what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.Wouldnt that be a lot of comfort to that fellow in the tribulation to understandthat the Father knows what he needs before he asks? This fellow is hiding in the rocks, and they are hunting him down to kill him. He cant buy or sell. He istrying to pass out tracts for Christ, and preach the Word under the threat of his life. Dont you know that it is a comfort for him to understand that the Father

knows? Isnt it a comfort to you? It ought to be.Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Here is a model prayer, an example of what the remnant in the tribulation oughtto pray. I want you to notice that He doesnt say, Here is what you should pray every Sunday morning.9 Our Father which art in heaven, This is what is called the Our Father prayer. Some people call it The Lords Prayerbut its the disciples prayer. The Lords Prayer is in John 17 and 18. Christ never would have prayed this; it is not a Christian prayer. Do you see anywhere that He says, In Jesus name, Amen? This is a Jewish prayer, but it is the official prayer of the Roman Catholic Church. Think about it. It is the official prayer of the Roman Catholic Church, and it is prayed by ninety-five percent of the orthodox, conservative, modernistic, and liberal Protestants.

A couple years ago I saw an article by a grace preacher who said we ought to start using this prayer in grace churches. I have told you that grace people can apostatize too, and depart from the faith.Youll see in a minute why that prayer is so popular. One night my wife and I were in Elmwood Park at a Parent/Teachers meeting at a school, when fire trucks went down the road. When fire trucks go through your neighborhood, you get a little apprehensive about whose house is on fire. The lady who was chairing the meeting said, Mr. So-and-so, go out and see whose house is on fire, and well all pray.

I thought, Boy, this is going to be interesting. I want to see what they are goi



ingdom. Zechariah 14 says, In that day [in the kingdom] shall there be upon thebells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD. Everything is going to belong to Him, and they will honor and praise Him. So when they say, Our Father which art in heaven, they recognize that His throne has been moved away.Hallowed be thy name. He is gone because of them blaspheming and profaning His name. Thy Kingdom come. Their hearts desire is for Him to bring that kingdom back down here now. Get going with the goal of prophecy!People often pray, Our Father, bless us all to the extension of thy kingdom. Bless this offering, and use it for the ongoing of thy kingdom. Bless it to the increase of thy kingdom. What do those prayers assume? If the kingdom is to be extended, it must already be here. If it is ongoing, dont you believe the kingdomis already here? If it is for the increase of the kingdom, it has already arrived. We are bringing in the kingdom, and so You just come help us where we fall short. Thats the average prayer of the amillennialists and post-millennialists who are the great majority of Christianity today.You see, when you begin to study this Bible and rightly divide the Word of truth, you set yourself off from the great mass of people who profess to believe theBible, but who never study it, and don't care about what it says. They all pray the prayer and never think. Dont I tell you that when you go to most churches,where you leave your head? You just unscrew it and leave it in the car in the parking lot, or you are going to get confused. They dont think about what they are saying.When I first got saved, I was a member of a church where they prayed this prayer every time they met. I started studying my Bible and reading Mr. Stams books.

One booklet was The Lords Prayer. That knocked my socks off! Glory to God! Everybody ought to read that booklet.One Sunday, I had the opportunity to teach about fifty young people. I went inthere and said, I want to show you something. I wanted to liberate them. Boy, you talk about a mess! They had a hair-pulling good time. It was my hair they were pulling. I found out that people dont even think.After the study, the leader got up and said, We thank Brother Rick for bringing a good Bible study tonight. Weve learned a lot, and now lets pray. At the end of his prayer, he said, Our Father, which art in heaven He did it again! I was justfifteen years old, and I sat there and thought, Do you reckon that nobody listens? Do you know what I found? That was just about right.Matthew 6:9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10 Thy kingdom come.

When you pray, do you pray for the kingdom to come? (You might if that would hurry up the rapture.) No, were praying for the church to go up, and then the kingdom is going to come. Were not looking for the kingdom to come, but for the church to get out of here. We know that the kingdom is not already here.These apostles and disciples of Christ were told to pray, Thy kingdom come. Theywere told to proclaim, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. They were told to practice the lifestyle of the kingdom. They were told of their promised positions inthe kingdom. He told them that if they were faithful here, He would give them authority over cities in the kingdom. He said to the twelve, Ye which have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. They will be the princes of the nation then. The nation Israel always had twelve princes. Those are the positions that Christ has promised the twelve apostles

.All of those people had an interest in the kingdom, and they understood what was going to happen to them, or at least those present at the time of the tribulation will understand. They will pray, Thy kingdom come. Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.This is an earthly prayer for an earthly people. That explains why it is so popular in Christianity today. Most Christians are an earthly people looking to get ahead down here. They think they have a little life insurance policy to takecare of them over there, because they did so well down here. Its an earthly prayer for an earthly people.



Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. How is it done in heaven? Absolute obedience. There is a third heaven out there in the universe where God dwells. You recall that Job says the second heaven is not clean in His sight, because there is rebellion going on. But in Gods presence, everybody does Gods will. He says, What we want down here is that perfect obedience. 11 Give us this day our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.Think about that issue of getting your daily bread. Come back to Lamentations 5. In the tribulation period, that remnant is going to have to be fed on a daily basis. Lamentations is a tribulation book. It is a lamentation given by Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. It is doctrinally a prophetic, tribulation book, looking forward to the judgment that ends the times of the Gentiles. The Book of Lamentations is a great cry by the tribulation remnant, and by that prophet in the tribulation about the condition of the remnant.Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne theiriniquities.8 Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.Folks, those people are out in the wilderness, and have to go out on a daily basis to get bread with the peril of their lives. Go over to Revelation 12 where they go out to the wilderness and are fed for three and a half years with manna,

just like they were when they came out of Egypt. In Exodus, manna is called light bread. When they pray, Give us this day our daily bread, that will be a literalrequest of these people in the tribulation. Come back to Matthew 6, and see how that provision is promised to them.Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat,or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not thelife more than meat, and the body than raiment?He said, You dont have to worry about what you are going to eat, what you are going to drink, and what you are going to wear. Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall ta

ke thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.Is that operating on a daily basis, or is it not? They dont have to worry aboutgetting bread tomorrow, and having something to drink tomorrow, and what they are going to wear tomorrow. Daily bread is the issue. Doesnt He say the provision is going to be there? He said that He takes care of the fowls of the air, andthe lilies of the field; and are ye not better than they? The provisions in the last part of that chapter are for that tribulation remnant who are in desperate need.You see people, if they dont take the mark of the beast, they cant buy, and they cant sell. When the antichrist comes after them, they flee to the wilderness. Even when they were in town, they couldnt buy or sell, because they didnt have the mark in their forehead or in the palm of their hand. All of a sudden, if you cou

ldnt buy or sell, you would be in a desperate situation in about two days. Someof you guys couldnt get by three days without a cup of coffee, could you? You understand what I mean. The baby gets hungry, and you run out of formula. The baby is crying and squalling because he is hungry. The neighbor comes over and asks, Whats the matter? Arent you a good daddy? Why dont you go and buy some groceres for your kids? You say, I cant; I dont have the mark. Whats the matter with you? Thats child abuse! They turn you in to the governmentSo to stay out of jail and keep and feed their kids, they have to flee to the wilderness.



Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.That is a petition that will literally be made in the tribulation. Do you knowwhat you have to do today for your daily bread? You have to work.12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [Forgive us our sins, what we owe You.]14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.That is an important issue with the nation Israel in the tribulation. Again, that is national Israel being dealt with. Israels forgiveness of sin in the tribulation is conditional on the basis of their works. They have to forgive other people to be forgiven. That is important for Israel in the tribulation.Some people like to think this applies today. If you apply this prayer to believers in the dispensation of grace, you would be teaching them that they can have their sins forgiven by forgiving other people. Isnt that what the old man, (old nature), wants to do, anyway? If you give the old man something to do, wont he take it? Sure he will. Isnt that how Satan blinds the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,should shine unto them? The gospel of Christ says, Dont work. Dont do anything.It has already been done. A person may say, I dont believe that. I dont believe in getting something for nothing. I believe I can do it. Ill take that passage in Matthew. He doesnt understand where this passage fits, and will break his neck on it. He will wind up goi

ng to hell, because he wont trust Christ as his Saviour. He can go to hell quoting Scripture not rightly divided.What does the passage mean? It is dangerous to apply that passage today. Somebody who prays the Lords Prayer today, if they believed what they were praying, on the authority of that prayer, would die and go to hell. If you believe that God will forgive your sins on the basis of your forgiving others sins, you dont have a ghost of a chance.Do you know how God is going to forgive your sins today? We forgive others evenas God for Christs sake hath forgiven [us]. How did He forgive you? Freely, unconditionally, on the basis of you doing absolutely nothing, just resting in whatHe did for you. The only thing you can do without doing anything is to trust what somebody else did for you. You think about that for a while.Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother

sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which wouldtake account of his servants.Then He goes on and tells the parable about the unforgiving servant, and applies it in verse 35.35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, [Israel] if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.Israels debt for crucifying Christ was so enormous that they couldnt pay it, (like this guys debt in the parable), so God forgives them. Christ prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Then He sent the remnant out to the nation to proclaim forgiveness. What did Israel do? They got mad at the remnant

for preaching the gospel of peace to them. Instead of getting right, they persecuted the remnant, (like this servant in the parable who is cast into prison), and He warns them that they will be cast into the tribulation.This is an important issue for the nation Israel in the kingdom. National forgiveness is the issue; I want to emphasize that to you. Back in Matthew 16, and in that parable in Matthew 18, you see that forgiveness is required for the nation Israel for their national sins. National sins have national consequences.Too often, even dispensationalists fail to grasp that this is a national issue with Israel. They take a passage like Matthew 6, apply it individually to people today, and wind up teaching things that arent true. If you teach individual for



giveness from Matthew, you really get into a mess. Let me show you from a passage in Joshua, how God looks at Israel as a commonwealth unit. An individual Jews sin was imputed to the nation, and the nation had to make it right.Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.Achan took, and then hid something God had said not to take. God held the nation Israel in its totality, accountable. God viewed that nation as a commonwealth, as one unit.Joshua 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

The nation went up and lost the battle at Ai because of that sin. Do you see the consequences to the whole nation because of that sin? God dealt with the nation as a unit, so the whole nation was responsible for that transgression: national sin, national consequences. The nation had to get it right.2 Chronicles 7 is another passage that illustrates this. You are going to hear

it quoted. There is a lot of political preaching in the church today on how tosave America, how to get America right, and how to kick out the humanists. I am glad for what they are doing, but those who know something about the Word and about grace ought to do what really counts. You are never going to save Americatalking against humanism. The only way you are going to save America is to getthe Word of God out and go preach the truth of God. Thats the only way you are going to have any spiritual impact. You can have political, economical, social,and educational impact; but folks, freedom and liberty come from the preaching of the Word of God. You might not know that, and they might not know that, but that is where they come from.Listen, you cant do to the Word of God what Americans have done to it in the last eighty years and think you are going to save the day by political action. If you think so, you dont know enough about the Bible to be out there talking about i

t. You ought to be just quiet about it, and go political with the Democrats and Republicans. Thats why were in the mess were in, because of the politics of the Democrats and Republicans.2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will Ihear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.How many times have you heard that verse quoted and people say, That is the hopefor revival in America. Get the nation on its knees before God. Well, it isnt going to work. That was the hope for Israel in time past, and will be in the tribulation; because that is the way God deals with them. I want you to notice that He is talking about hearing them from heaven, and forgiving their sins, (the sins of the nation), and healing their land. You see folks, they were going to get a forgiveness that they could see with their eyes. Look at verse 13.

2 Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;Ill get rid of the locusts; Ill get rid of the pestilence; Ill send rain; Ill heale land. God is going to forgive the nation for her sins; they are going to see the forgiveness; and it will start raining: national sins, national forgiveness, national consequences.Thats the issue in Matthew 6: Thy kingdom come. It isn't one or two individuals praying that, but it is the response of the nation. It is the national repentance that is required. My friend, when you study the issue of confession for forgiveness of sins in your Bible, you will find that Israels national forgiveness is



what the verses check out to be referring to.Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: [See Revelation 3:10; Revelation 12, etc. Deliver us from evil: keep us out of the way of trouble; keep us from the evil that the antichrist wants to do to us.] For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.That statement For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.Amen, is not found in the Catholic Bibles. They dont quote that in the Our Father rayer. In a Catholic Bible, the last part of verse 13 isnt there. Its left out.Look at what David prayed in 1 Chronicles 29. How similar and appropriate it is, especially in Matthew. It isnt found in Luke when he records the prayer; but Matthew is the kingdom gospel, and it is appropriate that it would be recorded there. It is especially appropriate because of its close association with the words of David. Remember how they gathered the collection for the temple, and thepeople consecrated all these things to the Lord. The people gave offerings andrejoiced.1 Chronicles 29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

See how closely that matches Matthew? That is the cry of the kingdom saints. So its appropriate in Matthew that the prayer should end with that cry, almost ver

batim from the lips of King David, about that wonderful day when the kingdom has come.


TEST #2

On a separate sheet of properly headed paper, answer the following questions. Please be sure to use complete sentences.

1. What are the three points of temptation listed in I John 2:15-17?2. How does Genesis 3:6 match these three points?3. Explain how the temptations of Christ match these three points.4. Every temptation presented to Christ involved phenomena that Scripture commands Him to perform at His second coming. True or False?5. What were the first words of Christs ministry after His baptism?6. What is the significance of Christs quotation for Deut. 8:3?7. What does the Devils quotation of Psalm 91:11, 12 demonstrate about his attitude toward and handling of the Scripture?8. To whom do the kingdoms of this world presently belong? Explain.

9. What is the significance of the fact that in response to each temptation Christ quotes from the same book of the Bible?10. What important division in Christs ministry begins in 4:12 with Johns imprisonment?11. Why does Christ go into Galilee to gather His little flock?12. Explain the reasoning behind the description the foolish nation, (Romans 10:19).13. Who are the little flock, and for what purpose are they formed?14. What is the gospel of the kingdom?15. What is the kingdom of heaven?



16. Why did the disciples abandon their nets to follow Jesus, (4:20-22)?17. Why did Christ heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people in connection with His preaching ministry?18. What is the main theme of the Sermon on the Mount?19. Demonstrate that the Sermon on the Mount is not doctrine for today.20. What special aspect of kingdom living is explained in the Beatitudes?21. If the kingdom of heaven is to be established on the earth, explain thepromise: for great is your reward in heaven.22. Explain what Christ means by His statement: Think not that I am come todestroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill, (5:17).23. The intensification of the standards of the law to the standards of themotives of the heart represents the advanced standards of the New Covenant. True or False?24. What is the proper application of the so-called Lords Prayer?25. Please explain how the disciples could seek forgiveness of sins on the basis of worksin other words, on the basis of their forgiveness of others.


Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 relate what is commonly known as the Sermon on theMount. The Lord Jesus Christ was giving the precepts and manifesto of His kingdom. He describes kingdom living: the character and lifestyle of the citizens of His kingdom. It is not doctrine for today, per se. It is not doctrine for the body of Christ, but it describes the doctrine that will affect the lifestyle of believers who will be citizens of that kingdom. He was offering the kingdom as being at hand at the time.In chapter 5 He describes the characteristics of the citizens of His kingdom. Then He begins to describe the intensification of the law in that kingdom. Obedi

ence will be based on a new heart attitude.In chapter 6 He addresses various issues that describe the attitude of the heart of the citizens of His kingdom toward relationships: the issues of giving, prayer, and in verse 16, self-denial, fasting, etc., into Chapter 7.Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

The implication there is very obvious; you dont need any commentary on the passage. There are no instructions in the Word of God that tell you to fast, even und

er the law program. There are no mandates that require fasting at certain intervals. Its entirely voluntary.He says, When you fast, dont go out with that old dog-eared look. Go take a bath, put on new clothes, get all spruced up, and look like you just finished a big steak dinner. Dont let on to anybody that you have been fasting. They were not to let people see they were fasting. It was to be done unto the Lord, not for outward show. Nobody should be standing on the street corner saying, I fast three times a week, and I do this, that, and the next thing. The Lord sees you in secret.I have said to you before that this issue of the heart-attitude is why all these



previous passages speak so pertinently in a spiritual way to you and me. Today in the dispensation of grace, it is a spiritual issue with the body of Christ,not a physical one. Its the attitude of the heart that counts, so we can gain something from these instructions. If the Pharisees and others in time past did all those external things that were required of them in vain, dont you know that we could do the same? The issue is not the external performance; the issue is doing what God would have you do. Self-denial is not for the purpose of making ashow. Paul calls it a fair show in the flesh. You do it for the Lord. When youdo it that way, the Lord will reward you. Now Hes going to talk about earthly possessions.Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:In other words, dont put all your money in things down here where somebody can take it away from you. Here, He is saying that if you have earthly riches, somebody may try to take it away from you.Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither mothnor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

That is an important principle. The thing you prize the most is where your affection, your heart, is going to be. Thats why Paul says,Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.He is not saying to lay up treasures in heaven. Hes saying that is where the riches are that God has given you. You are blessed with all spiritual blessings in

heavenly places. Your position is being seated in Christ in heavenly places.He says to put your affections, your heart, your love, on those things. Make those the most valuable worthy things in your life. Thats the principle. In contrast, these people here are to lay up their treasures in heaven.Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall sayall manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

When we went through that passage, I called your attention to the fact that Peter said they have an incorruptible reward reserved in heaven. Christ will bring

it back to the earth, and theyll have it when His kingdom comes.Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, The issue in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the gathering together of that little flock, the righteous nation, that goes into that kingdom. In the tribulation the things they treasure down here on the earth are going to burn. Their reward is reserved in heaven. Christ will bring it with Him when He comes back. The reward for their faithfulness in the tribulation is in the kingdom. It is reserved in heaven for them, and they will receive it here on earth.He is exhorting that little nation of believers to be faithful in view of that kingdom that is coming. You will see that as we go through the passage. It will be important for the saints to keep their heart fixed on what God is doing andon the coming kingdom, and not focus on what they will be going through down here in the great tribulation.

Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

The idea is that they must keep their heart on the right thing, or it will ruinthem. The light of the body is the eye. In other words, what goes in the eye-gate is going to control and dominate them.Do you remember the account in the Book of Numbers when Israel went into the land of Canaan? Do you remember what He told them to do with the images and statue



s those people had? He told them to burn them, break them, and destroy them. Have you ever seen pictures in encyclopedias of what those people were looking at? Well, if you want to see it, just go down to the drugstore, go into the back, and look at the pornography on the counter there. Did you ever see the pictures of the art the Greeks created, the murals of the naked men and women? Theyre not just out sunning themselves. Theyre out there in fornication, and adulterous, degenerate activities. Those Canaanites had all kinds of degenerate, pornographic pictures. They were everywhere. When Israel went in there, God told Israelto destroy those things.The Civil Liberties Union says, Censorship! But if you fill your mind with that,it will consume you and destroy you. The verse we already looked at over therein II Peter 2 talks about those people having eyes full of adultery, and they cannot cease from sin. Thats what He is talking about there: if thine eye be single, sngleness of purpose: just to focus on what God has for you, then the whole body will be full of light. But, if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be fullof darkness. And if you dont understand that, just go down there and buy some ofthose magazines, and read them for six weeks; and you'll see what happens to you.I have dealt with enough people through the yearsboth men and womento know that if you take in that stuff, it just reaches in and saps the very life of manhood and womanhood right out of you and destroys you. It makes you just a little sniveling blackout inside.Christ says, If you keep your eye on that treasure in heaven, keep your heart there, just keep looking at that and not on things down here; youll get through.

We have studied the issue of the night, (tribulation), and the day, (when Christ returns). They are in the darkness, but they ought to be looking for the light. See how that doctrine will work in that context? The eye being single has onefocus, and that is in verse 21.Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.Their heart is to be fixed on that treasure. Thats going to be the issue for those tribulation saints.Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.In the tribulation period, folks, money and possessions, just having a little change to rattle in their pocket, is going to be a problem for those people. Revelation 13 is a passage on the antichrist and the false prophet.

Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, freeand bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

In that tribulation, if they wont take the mark of the beast, they will not be able to go down to Dominicks, or Jewel, or Eagle, or to the Big Bear to get something to eat. What they are going to be required to do is to put their hand out and show the mark, the identification. Do you know what will happen to a saint of the Most High God in the tribulation? He cant buy; he cant sell. That means he cant engage in commerce. What is going to happen to his job? There goes the job. What is he going to do for groceries? He doesnt go down to the grocery store; because if he doesnt have the mark, they will lock him up. Do you see what a p

roblem it can be?All of a sudden, the saintsthat faithful remnant, the little flock in the tribulationare going to be placed in the position where poverty is going to overtake them. What if you were put in a position where you were going to lose your business, lose your job, lose your house, lose your car and your boat, lose all your possessions that you love and count on. Right now, you can sit back and say, Boy.Ive got it made; but what would you do if that happened to you? Do you see how the pressure gets turned on? That is what will be happening to these people. Notice the condition of that tribulation remnant in the Book of James.James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tong



16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body;what doth it profit?Do you see what he is saying there? Heres a brother or a sister who is naked, and is destitute, and cant buy or sell; and you come there and say, The Lord bless you, brother. Good guy. Keep it up, but you dont give him anything to eat, you dont help him out and minister to his needs. James says, You dont have faith. That s the issue. Why would that guy be poor and destitute of food and clothes? That is what will happen to believers in Israel in the tribulation. There is the apostate nation, and then theres the little, faithful, godly remnant. The antichrist goes after that faithful remnant.Psalm 10 is a Psalm about the second coming of Christ and the antichrist, the wicked one, the man of the earth. This is what that Jew in the tribulation is crying: Come back, Lord. Come back and save us. Psalm 10:1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places dothhe murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fa

therless.

This is like what you read in James. Why does he keep mentioning the poor? Isit just because its good for you if you dont have any money? Have you ever looked at all those verses back there in the Old Testament about the poor, the poor, the poor, especially in the Psalms? Come over to Psalm 82. It isnt that God picks out the poor in every generation; but there is a special class of poor peoplecoming up in the future that God is going to be especially interested in.Psalm 82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

Do you see what He is going to do there? Think about those verses in the context of the tribulation, and you will understand it. All of Psalm 82 is about Hissecond coming and the tribulation. Those people in the tribulation will be poor, because they dont take the mark of the beast.Psalm 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.Thats the second coming. Arise. Wasn't Christ standing up in Acts 7:56? Until the stoning of Stephen, the expectation was the second coming. Thats going to be the issue again in that tribulation. Those poor people over there are going to need some people to take care of them.What Christ is telling them in Matthew 6, is You cant serve God and material things. If all you value here are material things, they are what you have your eyes o

n. The only way you can endure is to put your eyes on your treasure up there in heaven. Think about that kingdom that is coming, and live for that.Come over to Isaiah 3. There are about thirty passages we could look at on thesubject. When I taught the Book of James a couple years ago, we spent a lot oftime studying in the Old Testament about the poor people. I am trying to help you understand this issue so you relate it to what is going on in Matthew 6. The Old Testament has a lot to say about the poor, especially these tribulation passages.Isaiah 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.That is Psalm 82:8. Arise, O God. He is standing and ready to come back.



Isaiah 3:14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people,and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Come over to Amos 2. The first two chapters of the Book of Amos are some of the most detailed passages on the second coming of Christ. If you want to study out the route He takes when He comes back, this is an essential passage to do that.Amos 2:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor,

Apostate Israel is in there just to get the remnant. They are going to take everything those people have. That poor guy only has dirt on his head after that,and they are going to take that, too. (Bullinger says, crush the head of the poor ones in the dust of the earth.) That is what you call cleaning the guys plow. Thts what they are doing. In the tribulation there is a group who will be doing that, and they are in line with the antichrist. Then there is that faithful remnant that endures the persecution and stays true.In Matthew 6 He is telling them that if their heart isnt right, they arent going to make it. So who does make it through this tribulation period? Who makes it t

hrough the wrath and doesnt get burned up? The people whose hearts are right. Peter says to make your calling and election sure. That faithful continuance in well doing is required.It is important to understand about the poverty of that time. Being provided with the physical and material things is important to the tribulation saints. Therest of Matthew 6 deals with that. It deals with what happened in early Acts, (giving up their possessions), and what would have happened to those people later on had they gone into the tribulation period, (their poverty and God's provision for them). Notice how He deals with the cares of this life. Hes been tellingthem not to put their heart on earthly possessions, but to remember that kingdom and what God has in store for them. Keep your heart up there, because if you dont, youll never make it through. Now, what about the cares of life?Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, an

d love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. [ Dont waver, saying, I want this. No, I want that. No, I want this. Dont ask God that way.] For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall recei

ve any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.Compare that with Matthew 6:24. You cant say, Im going to serve God; no, I am going to serve mammon, (things, money, possessions). You cant do both. What do you have to do? You have to make up your mind, dont you?One of the great preaching texts in the Old Testament is in 1 Kings 18. On Mount Carmel, Elijah cried to Israel, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.You know what I am talking about, dont you? He cant make up his mindback and forth, back and forth. Do you see why he isnt going to receive anything from God? If



you want to get something done for God, you had better make up your mind, and go do it. You can always sit around dreaming about things; and say, Im going to do this; Im going to do that, and never get anything done.When these people strike out for God, they know it is going to cost. Do you know what will happen if they take the mark of the beast? Its going to cost them later, isnt it? Do you know what will happen if they dont? It is going to cost them in the tribulation. They cant go back and forth all the time. Here Christ says they are going to serve one or the other. They might pretend to be serving God, when they are really serving the other; but they will be serving one or the other.Matthew 6:25 Therefore [because of that] I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, [That is, forget the here and now. Take no thought for your life.] whatye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. [That is, dont worry about what you are going to eat, what you are going to drink, and what you are going to wear.] Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?What are they going to do to you? Are they going to kill you? That is tough advice, isnt it? He says, What if somebody cuts your head off? Forget it, man. Life is more than that. Life is more than just what you put on your body and what you eat. Arent you glad of that? Some of you older folks have bodies that are beginning to wear out, they disappoint you and cant serve you like they used to.Arent you glad that your life is more that just the old body?Matthew 6:26 Behold [watch and look around you] the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Fat

her feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? [They dont work, but dothey starve? No, God takes care of them.]27 Which of you by taking thought c

an add one cubit unto his stature? [You cant make yourself grow by thinkingabout it.] 28 Andwhy take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how theygrow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, andto morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) [Hes not talking to Gentiles but to kingdom saints.] for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; andall these things shall be added unto you.All what things? The things you eat, drink, and put on your backyour clotheswillbe added unto you. You see, folks, the kingdom program provisions are ample for these peoples needs. Hes telling them not to get all bent out of shape about what will go on in that tribulation when they are poor, because theyre going to be r

ich. Can God take care of you? Sure, He can.The issue in Matthew 6 is that if they seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, if their mind is set on being that righteous nation and producing the lifestyle of that kingdom, God will provide all their needs. The added things willcome in the kingdom. In Luke 12:22-34, He talks to them about food, drink, andclothing; that all these things will be added to them.Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither



moth corrupteth.34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

He will come back down, and bring the kingdom with Him. He will set it up, andthey will be provided for there. In the kingdom, they will get the food, the clothes, and all they need. Thats why, in the Book of Acts, they were told to sell out; because they are a special class of people who have a special position inthat kingdom. Those tribulation saints will have a very special ministry in the kingdom. In Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came. This is talking about the people who got saved then.Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by theapostles.44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

In Chapter 4, you see the same thing happen:Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assemb

led together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul:neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

They sold their possessions as they were told, and put the proceeds in a commontreasury where believers could come and have their needs met.Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as werepossessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

You know the story of Ananias and Sapphira, who said they had brought all the proceeds from the sale of their possession, but didnt. They were killed, because they lied to God about what they had done.These people sold their possessions according to the instructions in Luke 12. They were not interested in what was going on down here. They knew they were going to get a position in the kingdom, where all these things and more will be the

irs. Christ had said, So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. So what did the disciples do? They left their nets, fishing boats, and their businesses; they left everything behind, and followed Him. Why? Because He had told them, It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Here and now was not the issue; the kingdom was the issue, and they couldnt serve both of them! Like Lot's wife, they cant look back. Like the man in Luke 9 putting his handto the plow and looking back isnt fit for the kingdom of God.In Revelation 14 you have a passage describing the one hundred forty-four thousand, whom that little flock in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and early Acts would ha



ve been, had the interruption of the prophetic program not taken place. Had the mystery program not been inserted there, that little flock would have been theones you are reading about in Revelation 14. The mystery program has interrupted it, but God will re-institute that prophetic program with the little nation over there in the form of the one hundred forty-four thousand.Revelation 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him dayand night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.They will live, serve, and function in that millennial temple where Christ willdwell.Revelation 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shalllead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Those people were told to sell out, because they are going to serve in the temple. They are going to replace that corrupt priesthood, and will function there.Think about Matthew 6 in the context of the kingdom provisions for them. Thatsthe issue. Thats why in early Acts they quit their jobs and sold everything. They didnt worry about those things, and had all things in common. They were having a foretaste of the powers of the world to come, right there in the early-Actsperiod.In the Old Testament, in Proverbs 6, He says, Go to the antconsider her ways. The

ant works and stores up for the rainy day. He said they should be like that.Paul said, But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 1 Timothy 5:8Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.But in the kingdom program, because that kingdom was in view, He said, Thereforetake no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. In other words, go to that temple and serve, because thats where I am going to come back for you. From Matthew to Acts 7, that program is in effect. In that time period, the kingdom preparation of that little flock was taken care of. That is what you are dealing w

ith in Matthew 6.Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.Dont worry about the next day. Just get by one day at a time. Alcoholics Anonymous uses that concept: One day at a time. Just get through one day at a time. Easy does it.Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.That passage is very controversial, and we will have to wait until the next lesson to consider it. But I want you to see why, all of a sudden, in Matthew 7:1,He says, Judge not, that ye be not judged. The tendency in Israels program is to b

elieve that when somebody is in poverty, God is against them.Do you remember Jobs friends? They said, Job, you wouldnt have these financial, family, and physical reversals unless God was against you. You are a great sinner. You need to get right. Poverty is going to overtake those believers in that tribulation. What its going to do is purge outthe rebel, (Ezek. 20:38), and only th true believers are going to make it through. But their fellow believers are warned, Dont make a mistake about what is going on like Jobs friends did. Jobs frie believed that the trials were because God was judging him for some secret sin,thus God was rejecting Job. That wasn't it.That brings up the issue of judgment. Well go through it in the next lesson, and



see how it works. That is not a passage you just want to pull out of context like some people do, and say, Well, its not nice to judge. He is not forbidding discriminating and making decisions based on proper value systems. What He is saying to them is, Dont make the mistake of thinking when you see these people in poverty that God is mad at them.You and I understand today that God does not inflict poverty, illness, and disease. He does not inflict financial reversals. He does not inflict family and social calamities upon you and me to get even with us. God doesnt say, Well, I dontlike the way you are acting, so I am going to refuse to listen to you or answeryour prayer. I am going to shut the door. No, God doesnt do those things today.The nature of the dispensation of grace is that God is not imputing our trespasses unto us. That doesnt mean that sin doesnt have a consequence. It does. If you make wrong decisions, you are going to pay for them. Sin always messes up your personal adjustments. Sin always messes up your testimony. Sin always brings about the natural consequences of sowing and reaping.We understand that is not the way God operates today in the age of grace. God deals with us today, as He does with all mankind, on the basis of grace. Isnt that wonderful? So there is no need of our misunderstanding what God is doing today. In their program at that time there was a great problem with that.I have to tell you that many people in the church today in the dispensation of grace who operate on the basis of Israels program, do make that mistake, dont they? They think, Boy, look at how God is blessing me. With all the financial things I have, that means that God is blessing me. Or we look at somebody and say, Oh,how terrible! God is getting even with him. That is just like what Jobs friends

told Job. If you said that, youd be forsaking grace, and will have gone back under that other program; because God is not dealing with us today on a performance/reward, failure/curse kind of a program. God is dealing with us on the basis of the free gift of grace. Its ours, and He has given it to us free-for-nothing,just on the basis of all He did through the work of Christ at Calvary. We haveit to enjoy, to learn about, to get excited about, to work in us, and bear fruit for Him.My friend, reversals come because we live in a creation that is cursed by mans sin. All too often it isnt just the happenstance of circumstances that bring it upon us, its our bad choices, our failures, and our faults. You see, in dealing with the details of life in a proper manner, who is accountable? God allows you and me under grace, always to be accountable for our decisions in every situation. We are accountable to respond to Him as He would have us respond.

So there is never any excuse for me to respond in an improper manner, in a manner that pleases or exalts me, or that has my best interests alone in view. The way to respond is with mutual consideration of others, placing their interests above ours, and putting them first. Why? Because Christ did that; He put us first so we can put others first.


The Sermon on the Mount is not doctrine that is applicable to us today. The passage is doctrinally applicable to the tribulation saints who are being exhortedto prepare to enter the kingdom of heaven, which was then proclaimed to be at hand. It describes the character and lifestyle of the people who will be the citizens of His kingdom.Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.



In Chapter 7 He begins to move on to relationships and attitudes of the kingdomsaints toward other people. He has been dealing with attitudes and cares of life in the preceding fifteen or twenty verses. Now He moves on to the attitudes toward other people, not just the affairs of life, but toward individuals. He says, When you look at other people, judge not, that ye be not judged. You are notto have a critical and condemning attitude about other people.He says, Judge not. That is a famous verse, and everybody who has ever been out witnessing or passing out tracts has heard people say, I dont believe in criticizing other peoples religion because the Bible says, Judge not, lest ye be judged. That isnt what that passage is talking about at all. It is not forbidding and telling you not to discriminate and not to have discernment. He is not forbidding discernment or the ability to evaluate things.1 Corinthians 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himselfis judged of no man.He can discern everything but nobody understands him. If one of the marks of spiritual maturity is the ability to judge all things, you know that this passageisnt telling you not to apply the marks of spiritual maturity. You know that isnt what He is talking about because of verse 6.Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, If you are not supposed to give holy things to the dogs and pearls to the swine, how are you supposed to know who the dogs and swine are if you cant discriminate between them? He is not forbidding you to have discernment. Hes not talking about going around and saying everything that happens is just okay. Dont judge, that

ye be not judged.Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, Arent you supposed to be able to identify false prophets? You see, when you read in verse 1, Judge not, He is not saying what most people say about the verse. Most people yank it out of its context and dont know what it means anyway. They are just using it to get you off their back. What does He mean? Judge not, that ye be not judged. Verses 2 through 5 explain it by way of application of that principle.Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: [Thats why youdont want to be quick in judgment, because you are going to get back what you give to people.] And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3 And why beholdest thou the mote [speck] that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam [log] that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

You can watch a guy and say, I see something wrong in your life, and you begin tocriticize him and condemn him for some little thing. Then he says, Why are you condemning me, when you have plenty of problems in your own life?

Let me tell you something. When you criticize other people, you are going to find out that no matter what you see in them, when you get close to the light youll see something bigger in your own life. Thats the idea. There is a verse like that in Pauls epistles; look in Romans 2. I say this to you men studying for theministry: one of the hardest things you will ever have to do in the ministry is to deal with this issue on a personal basis. When a preacher stands up and pre

aches about right and wrong, and has to speak out against sin; if he does it with a heart that is right before God, he does it with a great sense of humility.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

When you realize who you are, it never is easy. A lot of guys get all puffed up and tell everybody how to run their life, and try to be a policeman to the world. When you can do that without any heart for them and sense of your own sin, t



e he is talking about. Theyre just like dogs and pigs. Do you know whom he is talking about in that chapter? Look back to verse 1.2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, Privily, (privately), under the cloak, (the guise), of godly teachers, they bring in damnable heresies and false doctrine. Peter describes these people as dogs and pigs. There are other verses and passages that say that. Philippians 3:1-3 is a good passage to compare with these verses. You will find that is what they are talking about. Dogs and pigs refer to false prophets; and that is why, in Matthew 7:15, the subject of false prophets comes up again. In this chapter He is warning the believers about them.6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.They are going to destroy what you give them. They will tear it up, then theyregoing to turn around and come after you and destroy you. Its destructive to cast pearls to false teachers, and put your holy things under the false prophets ministry. What are the pearls and holy things? What do you think they are?6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.The pearls and holy things are Gods people. He says, them, not it. What kind of y people do you know of that Christ is talking about here? He is describing that holy, righteous nation. He is telling the people in here not to take those souls, (those holy things), that God is going to collect and put in His kingdom; d

ont cast those holy things out to those false teachers. You keep them inside the little flock, and minister to them. Dont be so unwise as to take the saints that God is gathering together in that little flock, that believing remnant, and put them under the ministry of the false system of the religious leaders of Israel. They were thus categorized.Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

What is the pearl of great price? Those are the saints of the Most High God. Thats the tribulation remnant. Thats that holy nation, the Little Flock. Come over to I Peter 2, and Ill show you.

I Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holypriesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Those saints in that little nation, the little flock, are lively stones.

I Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,

Do you see that? They are that believing remnant. Those people are described as holy, living stones. The pearl is not a gem. It is a living stone that is created by the secretions of an oyster or a clam around a little grain of sand that gets inside the shell. It is a living, growing, organically-produced thing of

great value. It is not really a stone, like a gem. It is lively.The context of Malachi 3:16 is the second coming of Christ, (Malachi 4:1).Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day [second coming] when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

He says, When I come back and collect my saints together, I am going to place the



m on a string like jewels and wear them for my glory. The Lord has a high regard for that remnant of people. He counts them as jewels, and He says, I am going to gather my precious ones together. Thats that holy nation, royal priesthood, that chosen generation inside that apostate nation.

Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, [Dont take that holy nation and throw it out to the false prophets.] neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Dont take what belongs to God and give it to the false prophets, thats the idea.Looseness wont do. You need to discriminate about the message and the messenger. Its a warning about the danger of false prophets. Everybody that comes along and preaches to those kingdom saints out of a Bible is not Gods man. Christ said, In that day, many false prophets shall arise. Well look at more warnings about them, and how to identify them.Matthew 7:7 Ask, This begins a new topic. What follows in verses 7-12, is an explanation of howto determine between strict judgment and laxness. How are they to have this discernment that is going to allow them not to criticize and condemn people, and yet not be loose on the other hand? How are they to maintain that balance?7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shallbe opened unto you:Somebody has pointed out that the word ask is spelled out in that verse: ask, seek, knock. Thats how they are going to be able to do these things.

Matthew 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, howmuch more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

You see the issue there has to do with provision being made for these saints tobe able to do the things that He is telling them to do. How are they going to get through all these tests that He is giving them? They will need discernment.How are they going to be able to get through the cares of life and through the t

emptations of riches and all of that? How are they going to be able to work through all those things? There will be provision for them on the basis of what God is doing in His program at the time.

In verse 11, (I love that verse), notice the Lords sense of humor. He says, If you being evil give good gifts to your children. You may miss that. He says, We take it for granted that you understand that you are just a bunch of rotten, evilpeople. If you then, being evilthere is no argument, just the assumption. Do you know why people dont like the Bible? The Bible is negative toward man. The Bible says, If ye then, being evil, give good gifts to your children. Do you know what we say? Arent we so good? At Christmas time, the spirit of Christmas is to do good to other people so we can feel good about doing it.Christ says, You are evil. If you can do something good, cant God Almighty do som

ething better? Do you see the comparison? If you evil people, you sinners, cando something good, how much more will God, who is good and righteous, be able to do, and will do good for His children?Modernists go through the Sermon on the Mount and make out that it doesnt teach anything prophetic, but they dont read the verses. They dont pay any attention tothe words. They just run through the passage and get a little sermonette out of it. A modernist will run through that passage, but would never stop on the verse about ye being evil. He would choke, spit, gag, and go on. But its there. Thats what the Lord does: He sticks those things in where you cant get rid of them.Luke 11:13 is a parallel passage. Begin with verse 9, and read.



Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them thatask him?Notice Luke says that He is going to give the Holy Spirit. Matthew just says He is going to give good things. The two are comparable. Getting the Holy Spirit in Luke, and the good things in Matthew, is the New Covenant provision. When Christ comes back and the New Covenant is put into effect, (Jeremiah 31), all of thethings He has been promising them and telling them about in Matthew will materialize and become a reality. All these things will be accomplished, because the Spirit of God is going to be placed in their heart. They are going to be able to live as He describes in the Sermon on the Mount, because He will give them a new heart and new spirit.About asking, seeking, and knocking, go to Isaiah 65. Read the whole chapter on the second coming and the millennium. Verse 24 tells you that those promises are going to be fulfilled absolutely.Isaiah 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, yeshall receive.1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:What Christ promises here will be literally true for them in the Kingdom. These

people will be totally equipped to endure through this Tribulation period. Has the Holy Spirit come yet in Matthew and Luke? No, these promises were given before the cross. In John 7:38, 39, and 40, (write those verses down), He says that the Holy Spirit has not been given because the Son of man has not been glorified. Christ said He had to go away, and then the Comforter would come. The Holy Spirit cannot come to abide until Christ goes away. The Holy Spirit later comes to the little flock, and His presence gives them the assurance that Christ'spromises to provide for them will be kept.In other words the promised empowerment and provisions of the New Covenant willbe fulfilled for these people. He is saying, You'll need these things, and God is good. He is better than you are, and if you give your kids what they need, wont God give you what you need? If your kid comes up and says, Daddy, I am hungry, ould you give him a rock to eat? Here, kid, go chew on this hard candy a while.

No, you wouldnt. You would be afraid youd have to pay a dentists bill. You are evil, but you have it figured out so it will come out to your advantage. Im sure you dont believe that, but dont you know yourself?Some of you have been saved and living for the Lord so that you are used to responding on the basis of grace to the things God wants you to do. You forget that old nature you tote around with you, dont you? Thank God if you do, but most of us dont. If you would give your child bread and not a stone, you shouldnt be afraid that God Almighty wont take care of you and provide for you too.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.Do you see that word therefore? That indicates a conclusion, and takes you allthe way back to verse 1: Judge not, that ye be not judged. The following versesbetween bring you to the conclusion in verse 12. In other words there are two e

xtremes, (being judgmental or being indiscriminate). Dont go to either extreme.Just trust God, and He will provide for you and give you the ability to get through it.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.That is what is called The Golden Rule. Thats the plan of salvation for almost all of modern religion in America and the world today. Most of Christianity uses that verse right there for the plan of salvation. Whatever you want other mento do to you, you do it to them, because thats the law and the prophets. That verse doesnt have anything to do with your salvation, you understand that. It has



Peter says, We have followed the strait way. Christ had told the little flock, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms. In Luke 9 and 14: Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Strait is the gate. This way is narrow, and it's tough. It will take some doing on their part, and it is something they have to decide here. Peter says, Weve entered in at the strait gate; weve forsaken all and followed you all the way. Peter asks:27 what shall we have therefore?28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, [the kingdom], ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, [Isnt that pretty strict? Sure it is. This is the strait way. You see, the believer has forsaken the apostate nation and gone into that little flock.] and shall inherit everlasting life.

The twelve apostles will inherit twelve thrones in that kingdom. Everybody in that remnant who has forsaken all and followed Christ and entered through that strait gate will get everlasting life in that kingdom. In Mark 9, notice the converse:Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to en

ter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire thatnever shall be quenched:That is the fire at the second advent. If you havent listened to those tapes, Eternal Judgment, you need to study them, and you will understand the doctrine and dispensational application of the passage. Notice that they are to get rid ofthe offending member in order to enter into life. If they don't, they go to hell.Mark 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enterinto the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hellfire:

He said, It is better to enter into life; it is better to enter into life; it is ter to enter into the kingdom. Life is a synonym in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for the kingdom. In Israels program, eternal life for those people is associated with that kingdom. Eternal life is never mentioned apart from that association. Nothing else ever enters their mind. When He says, Strait is the gate, andnarrow is the way which leadeth unto life, He is talking about leading them intothat Kingdom.Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figsof thistles?17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringe

th forth evil fruit.18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bringforth good fruit.19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

He begins to warn them about false prophets and how to identify them. The false prophets are going to try to lead these people in the wrong path. The false prophets are in apostate Israel. They are like the prophets in Jeremiah 14:14.



Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, God didnt send them. God didnt commission them. They went on their own. These false prophets are outside the little flock and are trying to lead them to destruction. Christ warns them, Dont take these believers and put them under the ministry of the false prophets. Beware! Watch out! Stay away from false prophets.Identify them, know who they are, and stay away from them.Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be yetherefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you

Those wolves are men. What kind of men are they?

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.He is talking about false prophets, false teachers. He is sending the little flock out into the midst of the nation. That apostate nation considered those people a foolish nation. Didnt they persecute them and try to rid Jerusalem and Judea of them? (Acts 1-7). Arent they doing everything they can to shut them up? Sure they are. Thats what He is talking about. Who was doing it in early Acts?It was the religious leaders of Israel. They were false prophets.The context in Matthew 24:6-10 is the second coming, (tribulation period), and the end of the world. Verse 15 takes place at the middle of the tribulation: When

ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophetMatthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.Many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. In the tribulation period there will be a concerted effort by false prophets to deceive people.Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, There will be people claiming to be the Messiah in the tribulation period. He doesnt want the little flock to be deceived into following them. They will be waiting for Christ to come back, and a false prophet will come along saying, I am the Christ. Christ says, Beware! Do you see why He warns them back in Matthew 7? I want youto grasp that.Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shal

l shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.These fellows are going to show great signs and wonders. If you check Revelation 13:13 and 16:14, you will see them going out working miracles, and you can goback to Matthew 7 and see it as well.Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; Not everybody who says, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom. That is what Israel will do. They claim to be Abrahams seed, dont they? Not everybody in the judgmentwho says, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom. Who will get into the kingdom?21 but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.The little flock will get in. Many will say to me in that day Notice that expression. Go back to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and you will read, over and over, th

e expression that day. That is a reference to the second coming of Christ and the Day of the Lord. That refers to that future time when Christ comes back. And then [in that day] will I profess unto them,

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?Prophesying, casting out devils, performing signs and wonders are wonderful things to do. They are going to come and tell about these wonderful things they have done, yet they are counterfeits.



23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.Depart from me ye that work wonderful works? You can do signs and wonders, prophesy, cast out devils, and do miracles, and yet be workers of iniquity, Christ says. You need to check them, He is saying. You need to be careful that you identify the true from the false prophet.Thats why the first chapter of John says, If we walk in the light as he is in thelight, we have fellowship one with another. He is describing the difference between light and darkness. Heres the light. Heres the darkness. Folks, you are either in the light or in the darkness. 1 John gives seven tests whereby they canidentify false prophets in that time period.In verses 21, 22, and 23, there is a lot about dispensational things, and I want to go over that next time. But first notice something about these false prophets. Just because something is supernatural doesnt mean that God is doing it. You must understand that. People think that just because something supernatural happens, God is doing it. It might be the wrong god; it might be the god of this world. He is supernatural, too. He can do a lot of things we cant do. He is the most brilliant, cunning, crafty, powerful creature in the universe. Do you know that? There isnt but One who out-classes Him, and that is God Almighty Himself. God made him so. You need to be careful, because he can deceive you.He is warning them in Matthew 7 to be careful. Beware! False prophets are going to come in and try to seduce you, (Mark 13). They will come in and try to prevent people from getting into the little flock and deceive the elect who are already in it. Theyre going to try to convince them that the apostate nation is the

right one and will try to draw away the elect. He is telling them to be aware, to watch out, to know who they are; because they want to lead you away from the kingdom. Christ will say to these false prophets, Depart from me; I never knewyou. You are not a part of the true nation.Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying,Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known and let us serve them;

This prophet actually produces a sign or wondera miracleit comes to pass. It is supernatural; it is real; it isnt bogus. Then, on the basis of this sign, they say, Let us go after other godsDeuteronomy 13:3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that

dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye lovethe LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God,

What is the test of a false prophet? Is it whether or not he could produce a miracle? The supernatural activity is not the test. The test is the Book, the commandments, the Word of God. Folks, those people back in Moses time had the written Word of God available to them, what was written up to that time. You take the Word of God, and test the prophet; and if what he tells you is not what God tells you to do, you reject him. Bury him under a big pile of stones. Get rid o

f him. In every age, the test of a false prophet is not supernatural signs, but the doctrine of the Word of God rightly divided.Come to I John 4, and Ill show you the test. You need to understand this passage, because there is a lot of confusion about this. You hear this passage explained in a number of ways. I John 4 gives instructions by which the believers at that time will be able to distinguish the false from the true. The Book of I John was written to give a seven-fold checklist whereby they could identify the true fellowshipthe true group of believers, the true ones who share in common this kingdom lifefrom the false fellowship. That is one of the purposes of I John: to help these people identify whos who.



1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether theyare of God: That verse isnt telling you that if some person is demon-possessed, you are supposed to go over to him and talk to the spirit in him. Just the other day a fellow told me that he had talked to a man who was demon-possessed; and he said, Spirit, identify yourself, and confess that Jesus is come in the flesh. I told him, Youre nuts. He said, Well, it answered me. It didnt answer him. Read what the verse says, people, and dont be like a silly little kid who never learned what God is talking about. Dont go away from this class using this verse in a wrong way. In the passage it is a spirit, not a disembodied spirit floating around, but a prophet. Look at the passage:I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether theyare of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

When you hear that preacher preach in the tribulation, you try him on the basisof who he says is the Messiah. That is a tribulation passage to help them identify false prophets.1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: [the last days] and as ye hav

e heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.19 They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they mightbe made manifest that they were not all of us.

Heres a bunch of people pretending to be the true flock, the real fellowship. Then they are deceived and fall away; they are led away by false prophets. John is saying that they werent part of us to start with. God is putting us though that time of testing to purge out the ones who arent real, and leave just the holy,righteous nationthe believersto go into the kingdom. Thats what is going on.1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye kn

ow it, and that no lie is of the truth.22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shallcontinue in the Son, and in the Father.25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

Hes warning about a bunch of false prophets. Hes telling them about that life over there in that kingdom, and how those folks know who the false prophets are. M

y point to you: He gives them the written Word of God with the standards and tests in it whereby they can identify who is who. I want you to understand what is going on with the little flock. That is the reason we spent so much time going over it in Matthew 3 and 4. Your grasp of those chapters will help you understand all the rest of the Book of Matthew.

MATTHEW 201-11



(Part 1, Lesson 21)

Father, we pray that you give us wisdom and insight as we look into your Word. Make it rich and real to us as it is to you. And well thank you in Christs name.Amen.Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.That is a verse you need to remember. People think that anybody who comes to them in the name of Christ, religion, Christianity, the Lord Jesus Christ, or thechurch, that they are okay, that you dont have to be careful of them and check them out. That isnt a very sound and sane way to go. Just because somebody namesthe name of Christ doesnt mean they are right. Speaking of the tribulation period, He said, Beware of false prophets. Watch out, because they are going to comeand try to fool you into thinking that they are my prophets, men sent from God.Notice how He describes them: They are wolves in sheeps clothing. Thats a great dscription. They are wearing sheeps clothing; that is, they look like the genuine thing. Youd never try to pass off a counterfeit by making it look like a counterfeit, would you? Theyre mild-mannered, well-bred, slick, and look real nice; but when whats inside shows up, they are wolves. Notice how you identify them.Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?What is the answer to that? No.

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Martin Luther once said, To check the fruit, you shake the tree. If you want to test the fruit, shake the tree and see what kind of fruit falls out of it. If apples fall out of it, you know what kind of tree you have. If acorns fall out, you know what kind of tree it is. Thats what you do. When people dont want you to shake themto test and try themI guess it is because they are afraid that when the fruit falls, it will be rotten.

Do you reckon one of those false prophets that comes to them in sheeps clothing would want them to shear the sheep, take the wool and sell it at the market? He wo

uldnt like that, because he doesnt want them to check him out and test him.

Remember verse 1: Judge not. In these verses he is telling them to check the fruit, (the product of their message). They are not to be judges; they are to be fruit inspectors. Dont forget that. Notice: check them by their fruits which are a product of their labor.John tells them to identify false prophets by their words.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether theyare of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

He might counterfeit the conduct, (the fruits), of the right messenger; but he isnt going to counterfeit the right message. He is going to come along with a counterfeit message. Satans program is good workshuman good: do good things, have the right kind of lifestyle, and make people like you.Do you know the very first thing that Adam and Eve did in the policy of evil after they fell? They made fig leaves to cover themselves. The first evil-thinking program that man entered into was doing good works to cover himself before God. You need to remember that when people come along with good works and self-righteous effort. It was Operation Fig Leaf, Operation Religion, Operation Self-righteousness. You are not checking them on their appearance. You are checking t



he message that they bring. Thats the key. There is something real special in verse 16.

Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Thorns and thistles are briar bushes. Grapes are a vine. The fig is a tree. All of those are types of the nation Israel, doctrinally. Remember what I have been telling you about the distinction being made between the little flockthe true vineand the apostate vine. He says, Do men gather grapes of thorns? (the apostate nation that the Book of Judges says is going to wind up in the fire, the tribulation). Are you going to get good fruit from the apostate nation or from the true vine? Where are you going to find the good fruit, in the little flock or inthe apostate nation? What He is describing in the metaphors He is using are the false prophets. There are many false prophets and many false christs who shall arise in that tribulation period. He is preparing that remnant, those kingdomcitizens, to withstand the deception that is going to try to take them down thebroad way that leads to destruction. He is trying to equip them so they will know how to serve Him in that day and not be deceived by the false prophets who are going to proclaim the antichrist to be Messiah, and do signs and wonders in His name.

He says the way to identify them is to check the words that come out of their mouth and make sure they match the Book, the doctrine from the Word of God rightly

divided, that is, the Word of God to them. Thats a good admonition for you andme, because we face false apostles today. The same general application and principle is true for us too.Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.You check them by their doctrine and by the Word. Look at the illustration He gives here:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; The issue is the kingdom of heaven. Its not talking about dying and going to heaven. Its not talking about getting into the body of Christ. The issue for themis getting into the kingdom of heaven.21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Notice their good works:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What did Christ say about their wonderful works? Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. That was a blow, wasn't it? That was some evaluation of their works, wasn't it? Thats some difference between Gods evaluation standard and mans religion, and what the world thinks of all these signs and wonders, prophesies, and casting out devils. He says that they are wicked works, and that He has no part in them.

I pointed this out to you last time, because you need to remember that just because something is supernatural, (casting out devils and doing many wonderful works, signs and wonders of the apostolic age), doesnt mean that God Almighty is theone doing it. Remember the example that I gave you in Deuteronomy 13. I referyou to our series of tapes on the Charismatic Movement, in case you need more study on that subject.Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.Notice that element of works. It is repeated in Verse 24.



24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man,

Thats like in James 2: faith and works: faith without works is dead, etc. I call your attention to the fact that faith plus works is always in the context. Itis in the context of the nation Israel getting into her kingdom and getting herinheritance. That is why that emphasis on the continuance of faith and works is there.

22 Many will say to me in that day [the Second Coming], Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?If you go back to the prophets in the Old Testament, you will often read about that day. That day is always the day of the Lord. It is the second coming of Christ. Many will say to me in that day [the second coming], Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?Beside that verse, you ought to write down 1 Samuel 18:10. You will see that Saul prophesied. Just because you prophesy folks, doesnt mean that God sent you.22 and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?These people had preached and prophesied in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but God hadnt sent them. Christ said that He never knew them and called them workers of iniquity. Listen, people; youd better not just believe everybody that comes along and preaches to you in Christs name. You had better check them out by tha

t Book. Do you see how important that is?22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?They have done all these wonderful works, yet they are counterfeits. He calls them workers of iniquity.23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.Come over to II Thessalonians, and notice that in the tribulation period the antichrist and his cohorts are going to be doing wonderful works, signs and wonders.II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed

, the son of perdition;4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

That is the antichrist.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth willlet, until he be taken out of the way.8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with thespirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

You shouldnt forget that. Was healing one of the sign gifts? Can Satan heal people? With people going around claiming to heal, youd better be careful. Do youknow why? That isnt the program today. Why would God want to do that kind of thing today? Would that validate His Word today? Would it make His Word more complete today? No. Is it something that is going to confirm that God is real and is working today? No, its not part of the program today. That is not the way God validates His Word today. That is not the way God confirms His reality today. God isnt going to get anything out of it today; and all that anybody would get is confusion, because that isnt the way He is working now; but it will be in the



kingdom.Why did He heal in the kingdom program? It is because He is going to bring a nation into a kingdom and restore health and longevity to them. When the antichrist comes to set up his kingdom, he comes with all those physical signs to counterfeit what Christ will bring. In Revelation 13:1 and 2, you see the antichrist.

Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.There is the antichrist himself getting healed. Now, talking about the false prophet in verse 11:

Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast,whose deadly wound was healed.13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven onthe earth in the sight of men,14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by asword, and did live.

The healing campaign that results in the antichrist being healed winds up beinga mass-media show that gains the whole worlds participation. Do you see how that just snowballs? Theres a false prophet out there working miracle after miracle.

Thats why I keep telling you folks, you and I who understand the grace messageand how it operates today dont need to be caught up in the world system. We need to operate on the basis of a sound, proper understanding of the program in which God has placed us today. We need to know these passages, where they fit, andwhy they fit that way. We need to know how God operates today; so when problems, trials, difficulties, and pressure come, we know how to properly respond to them. We dont want to be praying dumb, stupid, ignorant prayers that have nothingto do with how God operates today; and we need to take advantage of the comfortof the God of all comfort. We need to take advantage of the grace of Almighty God and all the divine assets that are in operation today.My friend, when God withdrew the healing program, He replaced it with somethingthat is far better. Dont you know that? Have you read II Corinthians 4, and 12,that He gave us something far better than anything they ever had in the physical

realm?2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Isn't it wonderful to know that somebody like dear old Mrs. Brown who just died, went to be with the Lord? She endured such a lot of suffering just because God was pleased for her to remain here and live for Him. She witnessed for Him right up to the end. Doesn't it mean a lot to you to know that her patient suffering and trust in Him worked for her a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory? The glory of God in eternity will be all the brighter because of it. Isnt that replacing healing with something far better? Isnt that much better than if Go

d had made her well and able to work as though she were twenty years old? Do you realize what would have happened to her in another sixty years if He had? She would have been right back here dying again.

Doesnt it give you hope to look at that future joy when you have to endure thosepressures and difficulties as you go through life as a member of the body of Christ? I sat by her bed and talked with her about those things. Do you know howshe looked at death? Shed say, Oh, Brother Jordan, I am ready to go. I wish I could go today. I wish the Lord would take me. Do you know why? Oh death, sweetrelief. To depart and be with Christ which is far better. Isnt that better than j



ust getting your toe fixed? I know, you are thinking about your gall bladder or your kidney or cancer. But wouldnt it be a lot better just to go and be with Christ? Isnt death a dishonorable discharge of the old man? Sure it is. Isnt death an enemy thats been defeated? Healing has been replaced with something far better. Paul said:2 Corinthians 12:9 Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, inpersecutions, in distresses for Christs sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Isnt that wonderful? God didnt short-change you when He changed the program. Godfixed you up just fine. Listen, ill-equipped, carnal believers today look in the Bible and look at the earthly promises to Israel rather than setting their affection on heavenly things. All they see is what they can touch and hold on to;so they turn in the Bible to where healing campaigns are in effect and say, Thatswhat I want God to do for me.I have told you before that you are not big enough to force God to do somethingHe doesnt intend to do. It isnt going to do you any good, but will cause you complete, total frustration to try to make Him. What you want to do is to recognize where these things are in Gods program. The reason why you need to do that is because Satan counterfeits them. These are things God isnt doing today. But folks, know that Satan can do them, and he will produce them. He does them to deceive and to ensnare you. In Matthew Christ says that those healers are workers of

iniquity. They might do them in the name of Christ; but my friend, it is Satanic, it is evil and wicked. You need to be prepared today, just like those saints in the tribulation need to be prepared so they wont be caught up in it.Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.Thats the unholy trinity: Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet.14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, Notice: the spirits of devils, working miracles! Dont let anybody tell you that the devil cant work miracles.

which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Folks, that is clear. When you go back to Matthew 7, you can understand why Christ warns those citizens of His kingdom about false prophets who come in and profess to be doing all these wonderful works in Christs name. They come along with all these signs and wonders falsely generated by Satan in his program and in his system in order to deceive.Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart fromme, ye that work iniquity.Some say that verse 23 is a contradiction. The Bible says that God knows everybody. The Bible says that God knows everything. Is there anything that God doesnt know? No. Why does God say, I never knew you? Wasnt He watching them? Was Heasleep while they were working? He didnt take cognizance of them? If that weretrue, why did He talk about them and prophesy about them in those other passages

, (Revelation and II Thessalonians, etc.)?What does He mean when He says, I never knew you? Basically, there are two answers to that. First, the word know can be used in the sense of knowing one intimately on a personal, friendly basis. Then there is the sense of merely being cognizant of someone. God sees and knows everything, but here it is used in the sense that He didnt know them on an intimate, personal basis. Come back to the Book of Amos, and see a similar use of it. He is talking to the children of Israel, (verse 1).

Amos 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I w



ill punish you for all your iniquities.

Did God know about all the other families of the earth and all the other nations of the earth? Sure He did. Look back to chapters 1 and 2, and you will see many of their names and some of the things they did. But what is specifically special about His relationship to Israel that would allow Him to say, You only haveI known? He only had an official relationship with one nation on the earth.How many nations on the earth did He recognize as having a standing before Him?Just one. How many nations on the earth could have said of them, For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? Just one. There was only one nation that had an intimate, personal relationship with God. So He is saying, You only have I known, (intimately known). You are the only one I had intimate relationships and intercourse with, and you are my friends. Therefore I am going to judge you, because you violated that privileged relationship.That is what He is saying back in Matthew 7 when He says, I never knew you. He is saying, I didnt know you in the sense of an intimate position of friendship. I didnt send you. You went out there and did all those works in my Name, but I didnt send you. You werent my representatives. You were doing it for somebody else.Come over to Luke 13, and notice how that works. I keep pointing these dispensational things out to you here, because I want you to see that if you recognize where you are dispensationally, you can understand what is going on here in the passage.I have showed you the issue of the little flock, the true righteous nation being

formed inside the apostate nation Israel. Christ calls it the true vine. The apostate vine has that little believing remnant within the nation. Christ was forming this new nation, and these are the people He is talking to, the true righteous nation. Weve seen several different names for this little flock: its that new nation within the apostate nation. Christ took the kingdom from the apostatenation and gave it to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Notice the comparison in the two parallel passages. What was really happening here?Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, openunto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and tho

u hast taught in our streets.27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me,all ye workers of iniquity.

Thats a parallel passage to Matthew 7:13-23, and it is worded a little differently. Here He says, I dont know where you are fromI dont know from whence you are. t is, they are counterfeits. They are not the true group. They are not the little flock; they are the apostate nation. He says something very interesting about them. He told them, I dont know where you are from. They said, You know us. replies, No, I dont know where you are from. Do you remember the verse in Romans where He says, For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel?The apostate nation thinks they are going to get into the kingdom just because they are a part of Israel. Write down John 8. Study that passage, and you will s

ee how works are required in this program. We have Abraham as our father. Christ says, If you are Abrahams seed you would believe me. They get into a big argumentabout that. They think that because they are the descendants of Abraham, and because of their national descendancy by their natural birth, theyre going to get the kingdom. Christ said to them, Thats not going to qualify you. Its by being born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.It isnt these people who are natural descendants, but it is those who by faith repent and submit to the baptism of repentance for the remission of sinsthe littleflockwho go into the kingdom. Its the believing remnant.



What you have in Matthew 7:23 are people who are a part of the counterfeit fellowship, not the real fellowship. They are a part of the counterfeit nation, notthe real nation. They are a part of apostate Israel, not believing Israel. They are a part of the generation upon whom Gods wrath is going to fall, not the generation that is going to inherit that kingdom.There are two groups in Israel, and they both are called Israel. They both claim Abraham as their daddy. He says that there are people out here who will claim to be true Israel, and they arent. There is also the little flock. You need to be informed so you can understand this. The little flock is going to have to face that kind of situation with the wheat and the tares growing together.Matthew 7:24 Therefore [thereforeon the basis of what He has told them beginning in verse 13.] whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them

Notice they must be hearers and doers of His sayings as described in James chapters 1 and 2. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, (James 1:22). That is why that admonition is in James. That is this program. Dont try to correct somebody who is reading from James and Matthew 7 by taking them to Ephesians 2: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, unless you first help him see the different dispensations. In this dispensation it is, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, (Romans 4:5).Dont grab Romans and run over to James 1 and 2, and try to make them fit together when they dont. Then you scratch your head and say, Its not really a contradictio

n, it just all means the same thing. You can read English well enough to know that it doesnt mean the same thing. What you have to do is to recognize where theprograms fit.In the passage here, the believer is the wise builder; the Christ-rejecter is the foolish builder.

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shallbe likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat up

on that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

That is a pretty clear illustration. There are two alternatives, two possibilities. There is the need to identify the true Israel and the apostate nation. Heis saying, There is a test coming, and I am the right foundation. Who is the rock? Christ is the Rock. If you arent built on me, youre going to fall. You are not going to make it.That is a good preaching text in any age, but the doctrine of the doing and theworking in this passage wont work today. The decision demanded defines the application. You have to be careful about taking that illustration and telling somebody that they have to hear the words and do them and then theyll stand on the judgment day. Do you see where people get that idea?Notice in the whole passage the issue is about continuing in good works to the e

nd, (faith plus works). All this is the national element of kingdom salvation.For the nation to get the kingdom there had to be that persevering in good works. It isnt talking about individual justification before God, but the national salvation that included their physical entrance into a kingdom. That is the reason for the works and the requirement for perseverance. He is not talking aboutindividual justification; he is talking about that nation getting her kingdom.24 I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:If Christ is the rock, who is the house?

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consid



er the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

That has to be us, doesnt it? Are we holy brethren? Are we partakers of the heavenly calling? Is Jesus Christ your apostle? Is He your High Priest? Do you see how you get into problems with that?

The apostle who wrote the Book of Hebrews is the Lord Jesus Christ. Whose apostle was Christ? Who is the apostle of our profession? Look at the first verse.The Book of Hebrews was written to the Hebrews. That wasnt hard to figure out,was it? In Romans 15:8, who was Christ an apostle to? Israelthe circumcision.

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,What is that? Look over in chapter 11.Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place whichhe should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker isGod.

14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God i

s not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Tell me something: where was this heavenly city that Abraham was looking for?Where was it supposed to be located? On the earth in Palestine. Dont you remember the promises in Genesis 13 and 15? So Abraham was looking for a city, not in heaven, but heavenly; built by the God of heaven on the earth, for Him. The God of heaven will come down here and set up a kingdom. Would that be a heavenlycity? If you were a partaker of that heavenly city in the kingdom of heaven which is established by the God of heaven on the earth, wouldnt that be a heavenly calling? Sure it would. Thats exactly what He is talking about there. He is talking about that inheritance that Abraham was expecting God to give him on the earth.

Hebrews 3:2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he whohath builded the house hath more honour than the house.4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we [underline it], if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Please notice that this is the same issue as in Matthew 3, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Unto the end of what? The end of their life? No.

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.To the end of what? To the end of the tribulation. If we hold fast, we get the kingdom. You see the same conditional element in Matthew 7, as in Hebrews 3.The reason for the conditional element is the national issue of the inheritanceof the kingdom of heaven. Again, it is not talking about individual justification here as it is in Romans. It is talking about Israels national salvation, theinheritance of her kingdom.Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat up



hand.

Matthew is going to describe for you miracles that demonstrate that Christ is the promised Messiah. You will see them as you go through the passage. He teaches dispensational truth in the order and procedure that he uses. Here he demonstrates some dispensational purposes of God.In the first four miracles, youll see four different views of the Lord Jesus Christ; you will see four different views of the nation Israel, and you will see four different views of sin. Christ is presented as the Son of God, the Son of Abraham, the Messiah and the Son of man. You see that sin defiles, paralyzes, inflames, and enslaves. You see Israel under the bondage of her own sin: she is defiled, she is paralyzed, she is inflamed, and she is enslaved. As you study this, you are seeing that Matthew groups all this with a teaching purpose in mind.Dont worry when you go over to Mark and Luke that the chronology isnt the same. They are more interested in the order of events. Matthew says, Look who He is. Look who He is. Look who He is. Look what He did.Matthew 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.A leper is a fitting type of the nation Israel. It is a type of the incurable nature of the defilement of sin. It is a fitting case with which to begin His manifestation to the nation Israel.Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head [of the nation] is sick, and the whole heart [of the nation] faint

. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed,neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.The whole body of the nation was corrupt and they hadnt made any attempt to get right. So His first miracle is the healing of a leper. Leprosy typifies the condition of Israel. The great need of the nation was to do what this leper did.What was that? To come to Christ for healing. What did Israel need to do then? They needed to come to Christ like this leper did. He did exactly what the nation should have done. What was Christs response?Matthew 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.Brother, He cured him by a touch that would have defiled any mere man. I hope you notice that. If you had reached out and touched that leper, you would have b

een unclean. Isnt that what the Old Testament says? Christ reached out with a touch and did what no mere man could do; He healed him. Instead of being contaminated himself, He healed him.Do you know who He is? Doesnt that demonstrate who He is? The Son of God. He is different from any other man. There He is, manifesting himself to be the Sonof God. Do you know who the Old Testament says is the only person who can cleanse leprosy? Jehovah. Christ comes and heals the man. So who is He? That isnttoo hard to figure out, is it? He is manifesting who He is.Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.Notice carefully. Thats a great verse to show people who say they just believe in the words of Jesus. They dont really believe that, because they dont do what th

at verse commands. According to Leviticus 14, he had to go offer a blood sacrifice for his cleansing. How many of you ever go offer a blood sacrifice? Whats the matter? Dont you believe what Jesus said? Thats a great verse to use to showthe dispensational difference. The explanation of that is that Christ lived under the law, a different program.

The man is told to go show the priest. When the guy comes in and shows the priest that he is clean, what should the priest have known? Who is in their midst?Messiah. Isaiah 35 says the leper will be cleansed when the Messiah shows up.That priest ought to have gotten excited. Dont you think he should have gone to



investigate who did it, and who He was, and who He said He was? Did he? There is no evidence of it.

The priest didnt go out and proclaim the good news that Jehovah has appeared in the midst of the people. When Christ appeared in their midst, the nation Israeldidnt accept Him and go out and proclaim, He is here. They were just like the priest. Do you see what this even typifies, and how it speaks to what was taking place?People ask, Why does He say to tell no man? The reason is that Christ is pressing he issue of the nation Israels responsibility herself to recognize and proclaim the Messiah. Go to the priest; dont go tell everybody; go to the priest, and let him tell everybody. Who is the priest? Who is the nation of priests? Israel. Do you see how that is supposed to work?Matthew 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to thisman, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily Isay unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

That centurion was a Gentile. Jesus said, I will come and heal him. The centurion said, No, no, hes over yonder. Just heal him right from here. Thatsa type and a picture of that distant Gentile crying out for help. You have to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ didnt come to cleanse just Israel. He came to cleanse Israel so that through them, He might reach the world. Over and over you are going to see Christ looking out yonder to the nations, and His heart longing to go to them; but Israel wont go! That is what is pictured here.The Gentiles are ready to hear and receive Him. Whats the matter? Israel doesnthave any faith. Israel wont get up and go. So what is He going to do? Hes going to let unbelieving Israel be burned up in the tribulation and take the righteou

s nation into the kingdom. By the way, you see Christ here as the Son of Abraham in the healing of the centurions servant. In Luke 7:2 and 3, a parallel passage, you will get some details you dont get in Matthew.Luke 7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

Do you see why they say that this Gentile is worthy? He has blessed Israel.

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseththee

The centurion came to Christ through Israel. When he did that, he got the bless

ing. He came the right way. You see Christ here as the Son of Abraham, ready to reach out to the Gentiles, but what is the hindrance? Israel is the hindrance.

Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.



He said, In that kingdom over there, the Gentiles are going to come in and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but the apostate nation is just going to be cast out. The little flock will go into the kingdom, and the apostate nation Israel will lose out. The Gentiles will get in. There will be a whole lot of descendants of Abraham that dont get in.

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Christ looks out over the crowd of anticipating Gentiles on that great day of millennial welcome; and the reason they sit there waiting, as Matthew is pointingout, is that Israel needs to get right. First, Israel needs to recognize who is in their midst. Second, Hey, there are some things we need to be doing out here. Lets get on with the program. What is Israel doing? The nation is in unbelief, and the judgment is going to come upon them. Folks, Hes warning them; and He's giving them the entire dispensational program, one lesson right after the other.

Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wifes motherlaid, and sick of a fever.Notice: Peters wifes mother. Did Peter have a wife? He didnt qualify as a pope,did he? Prepare your message, and put the title on the marquee: The Popes Wife.Matthew 8:15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, a

nd ministered unto them.Christ went into Peters house where Peters mother-in-law lay sick. Here He is referring to a family relationship. Christ belonged to Israel according to the flesh. He is Israels Messiah. There Israel lies sick of a fever, afflicted on a sickbed. He came in, and He touched her. He is personally present when He healsher. She arose and ministered to them. When Christ came in and healed her, the fever was subdued by His presence: He touched her and she was healed. Israelwill rise up in the strength of a new devotion to serve Him. Israel needed His hand, His personal touch. He was personally present there to give it, but they dont accept it.Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

When Christ came the multitudes were healed, (type of Israel's restoration, verse 15). When they bring the multitudes to that womans house, (the house of the restored lady), He begins to heal them. Israels restoration program is going to bring souls from every part of the land. They will come and be healed of sickness and demon-possession; the evil spirits will all be cast out and will no more grieve the people. Here you see the Son of man casting out Satan and healing allmanner of sicknesses and diseases.Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.Matthew 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment

to depart unto the other side.19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.There is something in verse 20 that you ought to notice. You would think that after all the wonderful things He did for them, they would welcome the opportunity to be a blessing to the nations as God intended them to be. You would think they would appreciate His plan to restore them to the place of service and ministry to the nations as He had shown His willingness to do. You would think that t



hey would at least have given Him a place to lie down, wouldn't you? Sad to say, they rejected Him.Do you know what is going to happen one day? He is going to come back. We live in the interval during His absence. I hope you see how Matthew put these things together in a way that it is impossible to mistake what the Saviour was doing, and the dispensational setting and thrust of His ministry at that time.


TEST #3

On a separate sheet of properly headed paper, answer the following questions incomplete sentences. You may use an unmarked Bible to read the passages and look up references.

1. What is the doctrinal application of the Sermon on the Mount?2. Why is the issue of money and riches of special importance for Christs hearers in 6:19-23?

3. Why did Christ say take no thought for your life, what ye shall eatdrinkput on?4. Explain how Matthew 6:33 relates doctrinally to the kingdom program.5. What is meant by Christs often quoted statement, Judge not lest ye be judged (7:1)?6. Who are the dogs and swine in 7:6? Give proof text.7. Who are the pearls in 7:6?8. What is the proper application of 7:7-12?9. What is the straight gate and to where does it lead?10. What is the broad way and to where does it lead?11. How are false prophets to be detected and identified?12. The wonderful works of 7:22 are counterfeit. How is this possible?13. What does Christ mean by the statement, I never knew you? How is this pos

sible if God knows all things?14. From the story of the two foundations in 7:24-27, identify the significance of the following:a. the houseb. the savedc. the rockd. the storm15. What is the dispensational significance of the miracles recorded in Matthew 8-9?16. The four miracles of 8:1-16 present what four-fold view of:a. Jesus Christb. Israelc. sin

17. How does the fact that Christ healed the leper by His touch prove His deity?18. Explain the dispensational significance of the healing of the Centurionsservant.19. How does 8:14 demonstrate that Peter would make a bad pope according toRoman Catholic standards?20. Matthew 8:17 demonstrates that healing is not in the atonement because itclearly says Isaiah 53:4 was fulfilled prior to and distinct from the cross work. True or False?




In the last lesson, I pointed out to you that after the Sermon on the Mount, (as we call it); beginning in Matthew 8:1, Jesus Christ was come down from the mountain. (He had gone up in Chapter 5.) In chapter 8, verse 2, Matthew begins torelate a series of miracles that Christ performed. The order of these miraclesobviously demonstrates that they are representative miracles. Matthew does notattempt, nor is it his purpose, to place them in chronological order. The order in which Matthew arranges the miracles is not the same as you find them in Mark and Luke.When you present evidence, you gather the information but do not always line itup chronologically. Sometimes you will arrange it to demonstrate a point. That is what Matthew is doing here. He is presenting the Lord Jesus Christ as Israels Messiah in a dispensationally significant manner. That tells you that he is bringing out these miracles for their representative value. They represent sometruth that he is trying to get across. Thats why these miracles are not in chronological order. When you study Mark and Luke, you notice immediately that noneof these miracles in Matthew are dealt with in such a detailed manner as they are in those books. Again Matthews intention is not to get all of the details of the event but to show you the event from a particular dispensational viewpoint.So we will go through this passage rather quickly, because Matthew goes through

these things quickly. I am doing that for two reasons. One is for times sake and the other is for the sake of the overview. Please remember that when you study the Bible dispensationally, you move from the general to the specific. You progress from the overview of events to the details. Unless you do that you willnever be able to understand these things. You need to do that with everything you learn. So if you can get the overview and the emphasis that he is presenting here, then the details will fit themselves naturally in order. We will try todo that.By the way you have seen the first miracle as He healed the leper. The leper is a demonstration and type of Israels great need. Its a picture of the nation; wesaw that in Isaiah chapter 1. Israel needed to do what that leper did; that is, they needed to come to Christ for cleansing.Then you see the centurion whose servant was grievously tormented by the palsy.

Christ healed him from afar, and He marveled at the faith of this Gentile. Itis a type of the far-off Gentile crying out in readiness to receive the Messiah, but what does Israel do? They dont respond and actually get in the way.Then you come to Peter whose mother-in-law is sick with a fever. Christ went in and healed her. She was restless and helpless, and He restored her. Jeremiah8:22 says, Is there no balm in Gilead that my people might recover? Here is Israels Messiah coming back and restoring His people.In the first miracle He shows Himself as the Son of God to Israel. In the second, He is the Son of Abraham with blessing going out to the nations. In this miracle He is Israels Messiah. Peters mother-in-law typifies Israel. Her relationship is restored, and she begins to minister to them immediately.Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that

were sick:They bring many to her house and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick. Sickness was healed, and spirits were cast out.17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet,saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.The result of the blessing, in verses 14 and 15, was her ministry going out forall people. They brought all who were possessed with devils, and He cast out the devils and healed all who were sick. This is a type of the millennial kingdom where the blessings are available for all when Israel has been restored to service for the Lord.



17 That it might be fulfilled Make a note to yourself to spend time some evening with a concordance. Start in chapter 1 of Matthew, and look up every time it says, that it might be fulfilled. Many things are being done so that it might be fulfilled. There is a chain reference that goes all the way through the Book of Matthew, and you can follow that chain and see these passages that are being fulfilled. Repeatedly they are second advent passages.These are second coming passages that are often applied to the first coming. The reason people apply the second coming passages to the first coming is becausethey confuse the first coming with the second coming. That is what the amillennialist does. He doesnt know how to distinguish between the two comings. He says that we are in the kingdom today, because the kingdom comes after Christs coming. Is that confusing? That is because they are confused. That is why they saywe are living in the kingdom today. Its like the old lady down south who heard a preacher say, We are in the kingdom, and Satan is bound with a chain today. When the lady went out the door, she said, Boy, he might be bound with a chain, but it sure is a long chain. If you think that Satan is bound today, and God Almighty is on the throne, you have some problems. I dont mean that God isnt sovereign over the universe, but I am talking about who is the prince of this world today.If you think this is the kingdom, well, we have problems. You know it is not.You should be familiar with this issue. Matthew applies those second coming passages to the first coming because the prophetic program doesnt foresee the gap of the mystery dispensation.The second coming of Christ is in view in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and up unti

l Acts 7. That is what they were looking for. That is the issue that was being pressed in that time period. A new opportunity began with the ministry of John the Baptist, and extended all the way over to the stoning of Stephen. That opportunity had to do with the Messiah being in Israels midst, and her kingdom actually being offered to her in early Acts.So the gospel writers used those second coming passages because, had Israel accepted Him as they should have done, they would have offered the sacrifice as Psalm 118 says they should, (the perfect antitype of Abraham, back in Genesis 22).They would have offered Him in faith, rather than in unbelief, understanding what they were doing. The Passover would have been sacrificed by the nation, Pentecost would have come, the tribulation could have taken place, and the kingdom could have come. All those things could have taken place in a short period of time.

It didnt come about, because it was not what God intended. The secret program that God had in mind interrupted the prophetic program, and the conclusion of it was postponed. So when you look at these passages, you have to remember that Christ went about healing that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias theprophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. This passage in Isaiah 53 was fulfilled at His first coming. In other words, there wasa foretaste of the millennial kingdom blessing when the nation will no longer say, I am sick, but they will be healed from all their diseases and sicknesses.Some people say there is healing in the atonement. The healing in the atonement is for Israel at the second coming of Christ in the kingdom. The healing, in the sense of a physical resurrection and recovery for the believer, is at the second advent. That is the how these passages in Matthew will be fulfilled.Matthew 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment

to depart unto the other side.19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

A man came along and said he wanted to be Christs disciple and follow Him. Thiswas in response to these first miracles.20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.In other words there is going to be a price to pay if he follows Christ. He isnt going to live in the Howard Johnson and the Holiday Inn. He isnt going to have



a mansion or a nice parsonage. He is going to be in trouble.20 The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; That is a literal reference, of course, to foxes and birds. It is interesting how the Bible uses those terms. Do you remember over in Luke 13: Go tell Herod,the old fox . . .? In the Bible, birds and the fowls of the air are used repeatedly as types of devils. When Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds, he was playingoff some of that mythical typology that was developed to counterfeit what the Bible says so you wont believe what the Bible says about it. You will think it isall mythology.Luke 8:4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him outof every city, he spake by a parable:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their heartsWhat does verse 5 say that took away the seed? The birds, the fowls of the air. Who does Christ say they represent in verse 12? The devil. Write down by that verse, Revelation 18:2, where you will see the same kind of illustration. InMatthew 13, the birds of the air lodge in the branches of the tree. In the Bible you will find birds as a type of demons. If you apply that to Matthew 8 where He says, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Sonof man hath not where to lay his head, He is warning the guy that the devil and his crowd are treated better than the Son of man and His followers.

You see, in Israel, the influence of the adversary gained more acceptance than the influence of the Son of man. That was the situation at that time. They were going to have to pay a price. He said, the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Notice that expression, the Son of man; that is a Messianic title. Remember in our studies in Daniel 7, that we saw Christ as the Son of man who came to the Ancient of days and received the crown and rulership over the whole earth.As the Son of Abraham and Son of David, He will get the land and the throne of Israel; but as the Son of man, (Adam), He gets the crown over all the earth. Asthe Son of God, He gets the crown over the whole universe, so that His reign extends out over everything.

It is interesting that Matthew 8:20 is the first time in the New Testament that the title the Son of man occurs. Its the first time that Christ is identified as the Son of man. The last reference to it is in Revelation 14:14. I wa

nt you to notice the comparison.Revelation 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud onesat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.In Matthew 8:20 the Son of man didnt have anywhere to lay His headan uncrowned head, and nowhere to lay it. In Revelation 14:14 His head is mentioned again; there He has a crown upon it, and He comes back in judgment to reap the harvest of the earth. Do you see the contrast? The Son of man is a reference to the earthlyministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first time He came, His head is uncrowned, and He had nowhere to lay it; His followers would have a price to pay. WhenHe comes back the second time, He will have a crown on His head. Do you reckonif a fellow walked up with a crown on his head, he could get a place to stay? Sure, he could. There wouldnt be any problem at all.

One time I stayed overnight in a motel in Florida. When I got up the next morning there was this big commotion, and I asked what was going on. They told me, Bob Hope is here! Bob Hope is here! I asked, What time did he get here? They answered, Oh, about midnight. I said, I got here before he did and you didnt make a fuss over me. You see, I had an uncrowned head. I found out he owned that motel; that made a difference. If I had owned the motel, do you know what they would have done? They would have done for me what they did for him. He wasnt just a big shot guy whose autograph you wanted. He owned the motel, and that made a difference. Do you think you



could get a place to stay if you owned the motel? I think you could.In Pauls epistles Christ is never referred to as the Son of man. That term is found in the Old Testament and in the gospel records; it skips over Pauls epistles, and then resumes in Hebrews and Revelation. It is a title in the prophetic program with reference to His earthly ministry.Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.The idea there is that there is a price to be paid if you are going to follow Christ, and you are going to have to be willing to pay it.Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.In Matthew 19 that rich young ruler comes to Christ, and he wanted to inherit eternal life. He wanted to have life in that kingdom. Christ said, Keep the commandments. He replied, I have kept them. Christ said, One thing you lack: you have to add that kingdom provision to the Law. Go sell everything you have. Get rid of the house, the business, the car,and everything else, and come with me; travel around with me with no place to lay your head.In Matthew 8 He was not saying He didnt literally have a place to sleep at night. He could sleep out under the stars, and the canopy of the heavens would be just as familiar to Him as the blanket you pull over you at night is to you. He was telling that scribe who wanted to follow Him that there was a price to pay, and the price was rejection. Come and take your cross and follow me. There was rej

ection; there was a price to be paid if you followed Christ in Israel in that day. That is true in any age, isnt it? Sure it is.Matthew 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me firstto go and bury my father.He would be some kind of disciple, wouldnt he? Me first. Who is supposed to be first? What kind of disciple are you if you are first? You are a pretty sorry disciple, arent you? What does Matthew 6:33 say about His disciples? He told Hisdisciples, just two chapters ago, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Here comes a guy, I want to follow you, but let me first That wont work.22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.The cross reference is in Luke 9. The idea is that if you want to follow me butnot forsake all, then you are not going to be my disciple. If you are always g

oing to be worrying about what it is going to cost you, you are not going to make it. That is what He is saying to them.Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Read that verse to a Modernist sometime. Boy, that would upset him, wouldnt it?Theyre always talking about peace on earth, disarmament, and all that. Christ said, I didnt come to take away the guns; I came to give you a gun. That is not the meek, mild, and lowly pacifist that everybody talks about. The reason for that is that the Lord Jesus Christ isnt kin to the great pacifists of the world. Heis not kin to Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King. He is not kin to these guys who bring peace in that way.He had a different kind of ministry, and they are not following in the footsteps

of Jesus when they do what they are doing. Good or bad, what they are doing is not the point. My point is that when Christ came, there was a price that had tobe paid to follow Him, and it wasnt going to be peace.Matthew 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of m



e.

The idea is that if they were worried about taking care of mommy and daddy until they die, there was going to be a sharp difference of opinion in Israel. There is going to be a division in Israel. There are going to be some people who get in that little flock by the baptism of repentance for remission of sins and are identified with the Messiah, but there will be some people who wont do it.That division isnt going to be something they are going just to discuss over teain polite terminology. There is going to be some heated debate and division about it. Mothers are going to get mad at daughters; sons against fathers; husbands against wives; and all the rest. Christ said, I came to make a difference in Israel. He is talking about that division and the formation of that little flock. If they were going to be a part of that little flock, they were going to haveto recognize it.There is a little section between verses 18 and 22 that gives you some responses to His discipleship demands. Matthew is going back to dealing with the miracles. You have those first four miracles, and then He shows you some responses. Two fellows came and wanted to follow Him. He told them that there is a price for all these blessings that God has for Israel. It is going to cost. It is going to cost being my follower, being identified with me, being a part of that little flock. Matthew goes back and lists some more miracles.Matthew 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.Who are His disciples? They are people who are willing to sell out and forsakeeverything and follow Him. There are people in verses 21 and 22 who are willing

to put Him first. They are willing to come and be identified with Him. What is going to happen to them?Matthew 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the shipwas covered with the waves: but he was asleep.25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

I love that. There was a great calm. He got up and said, Peace, be still, and it ecame smooth as glass just like that. Thats wonderful. Thats His power over crea

tion. Could He take care of the people who were with Him? Did it make any difference what kind of storm blew out there? Couldnt He keep them safe? Dont you see it right there in the miracle?Matthew is saying that Israel is like that leper who needs to come and be made clean. They need to get the message out to the Gentiles who can also come and be cleansed. All these blessings are to go out to everybody. Hey, there is a price to be paid if you are going to be His disciple. You have to pay the price.He has to be first. You have to take up your cross and follow Him, but He can take care of you.Do you see how Matthew is telling about those events and demonstrating His Messiahship for Israel. The Jews require a sign: They have to see it demonstrated infront of them. It was no problem for Him to ensure the safety of all those whowere with Him. Back in chapter 7 there was a tempest, (type of the tribulation)

, beating on that house built on the rock and another house built on the sand.Matthew 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.The little ship was a resting place. Peter said that back in Noahs day the ark was a like-figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us. They are safe in the ark, (in that little flock), and He is asleep. In the other storm in Matthew 14, He came to them walking on the sea; He wasnt in the ship with them. This time He is with them, but He is asleep. They have a panic attack.Matthew 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.



26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

That is His power. Imagine serving someone who can just speak and get the storm to settle down. Just watch Him. Peace, be still. That is something. That is God; that is who that is. That is the Creator with power over His creation. Hemanifests His power as Creator.27 But the men marveled, [That is an understatement.] saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!Come back with me to Psalm 107, and let me show you what kind of man He was.Psalm 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.Do you know who can do that? The He of verse 29 is the fellow who is in the shipwith them. Do you reckon that could give you some comfort? It sure could. Matthew 8 is one of the great proof texts in the Bible that Jesus Christ is Jehovah God in the flesh. That is one of the great demonstrations that Jesus is God.Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.There is said to be a problem in the passage if you compare it with Mark 5. Infact, the textual critics point out two problems and try to make a big deal outof them. If you believe the Bible, go by the Bible, and just take your time and think. Take a believing viewpoint and give the Bible the benefit of the doubt

if there is a problem: the Bible is right and I am wrong, the Bible is right and I am dumb. If you do that, you can figure these things out. Ill show you right here so you will know how to handle these things. In Matthew, notice that there are two Gergesenes possessed with devils.Mark 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

One man meets Him in Mark. Two men meet Him in Matthew. Is one different fromtwo? Ill show you a possible solution. How about Gadarenes and Gergesenes? Are they different? They are. The textual critics say Gergesenes in Matthew 8 iswrong, so they change it in the new Bibles, but not on great swelling manuscript

evidence. They change it on the basis of trying to make the things match up.That is one of the laws and principles of textual criticism by which they operate. They go for something that will make them all match. But folks, it isnt anyproblem when you see Gergesenes in one verse and Gadarenes in another. Could you think of a real good easy explanation for that?For instance, I have a boy whom we call Jody. On his birth certificate, his name is James Douglas. Do either of those names sound like Jody? They are different names, arent they? Come over to John 6; let me give you a verse for comparison.John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.Which is it: Galilee or Tiberias? Come over to John 21 and see where He is.John 21:1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the

sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.What sea was He on in verse 1? The Sea of Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee, right?It just has two names. Havent you ever been some place that had two names? Did you know that there are four different names given to the Sea of Galilee? Look them up. You can call it Galilee in one place and Tiberias in another and something else in another place. If it is all the same place with different names,could you figure out how Matthew 8:28 and Mark 5:1 could also be the same?What do you reckon a good explanation would be? In fact, they are two different localities right by each other on the seacoast. The guy is in a graveyard. Do you reckon they have the graveyard in the square on Main Street? Theyd have the



graveyard outside of town between the towns. Anyone with any experience traveling around can figure out those things. Thats the answer to the problem. When you see those kinds of differences, just look for an answer that makes sense. Youdont have to tear pages out of your Bible, but just think about it for a while.That is like the passage over in II Chronicles 9:25 where it says King Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots. In another place, (1 Kings 4:26), it says he had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots. People get all worried about those horses over there. All you have to do is to spend a half an hour reading, and you will see that in one place he is talking about horses for pulling chariots in battle. In the other place, he is talking about how many horses there are in the stalls. Anybody who uses horses in battle is goingto have a few spares around. If the Gentile nations around them were smart enough to do it, dont you think Israel was smart enough? Dont you think Solomon was smart enough to have a few spares? It is just a principle of applying sanctified common sense that God gave you to solve the problem.How about where it says there were two possessed with devils? That is something you have to notice in Mark and Luke compared with Matthew. Mark and Luke are focusing on the one demoniac, and Matthew is going to focus on the two. Why would that be? What does number two signify in the Bible? How many witnesses do you need to have an acceptable testimony? Two. Matthew is presenting evidence and testimony, so he presents the number of testimony.Besides that, isnt Matthew presenting the dispensational viewpoint? Yes, he is.How many branches of Israel were there at that time? There were two branches:Israel and Judah. Matthew is presenting the evidence of deliverance that Chris

t can bring for the both of them. Mark and Luke focus on the individual aspects rather than the dispensational significance. That is the reason why they are more interested in chronological order than details. Watch what he does as he goes through this passage. Again, it is the dispensational viewpoint that Matthew is interested in.Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, [type of Israel] coming out of the tombs, [they lived among the dead] exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.Was the nation at that time being a channel of blessing to the world, or were they being a hindrance?29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

That is an interesting verse to show what devils know, and when they know it will take place. In the tribulation period, Satan is going to be cast down to theearth. They know when that will take place and when they will be tormented.Matthew 8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, [they know what is coming] suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.Where did you read about swine before? Dont cast your pearls before swine, (7:6).

Dont give that which is holy to the dogs. What were the swine a type of? Israelsfalse prophets. The swine were a part of the apostate nation.32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into theherd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steepplace into the sea, and perished in the waters.

That apostate nation goes rushing on. They are not going to be delivered. TheLord Jesus Christ came and demonstrated His power to deliver the nation, and tobring them out of the oppression and possession of Satan. The devils wanted togo into the swine. He is able to deliver the men, (that remnant of believers),but the devils, (apostate nation), just rush headlong into the waters of judgment in the tribulation.Matthew 8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him,[They came out to thank Him for ridding them of their two worst public enemies?



No.] they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.Do you see those clouds of His rejection coming up on the horizon? He came as one who can deliver the believing nation, the little flock, and bring about judgment on the apostate nation. What do the people do when they see that miracle?Do they want Him? Do they want the deliverance He can bring them? No. They get up a committee to run Christ out of town. How would you like that for a recommendation?There are three places in the Bible where people ask Christ to leave town. That is amazing to me. You ought to study those passages to see why they ask Him to leave. You will see parallels in human nature around you, even in your own self. I want you to look back to verse 29.29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Notice what they call Christ: Jesus, thou Son of God. I want you to remember this: the only people in the Bible who ever address Him as Jesus are people who have contempt for Him, people who see themselves on an equal plane with Him or who are devils. They say, Hey, Jesus, come here. Jesus, do this for us: that kind of rreverence.John 13:13 Ye [disciples] call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.What do the people who love Him, follow Him, and believe in Him call Him? Lord. They dont say, Hey Jesus, come here, I want to talk to you. Do you know who does that? Pilate did. The unbelievers in Acts did it. Devils do it.That is how it is in the Bible. Listen to people around you today. Maybe in yo

ur speech you have some cleaning up to do. I challenge you to do it if you need to. I exhort you to do it. Anybody who has the proper appreciation and respect for the Lord Jesus Christ, if they understand who He is and that He is for ustoday, is not going to go around with that familiar attitude toward Him. You are going to call Him Lord Jesus Christ when you address Him.I dont mean you can never call Him Jesus, but never forget who He is. These people running around saying, Oh Jesus, blessed Jesus, and all that kind of thing arejust irreverant. God doesnt inspire people to do that. God doesnt lead people to do that. That is an irreverent attitude toward Him, and anybody schooled in the Word rightly divided wont have that attitude.The devils who say, Jesus are not your crowd, are they? How would you like somebody come up to you and say, Oh, Marty, blessed Marty, I want you to do help me tosomething, oh, Marty, blessed Marty? When you go to the grocery store, do you sa

y, Mr. grocery man, I need some paper towels, Mr. grocery man. Oh please, Mr. grocery man, would you help me find the dog food? Oh, Mr. grocery man, where arethe paper towels? Oh, please, Mr. grocery man, where is the spaghetti? Oh, Mr. grocery man, Mr. grocery man, would you please help me find the spinach? Do you talk to people like that? Why do you hear people pray like that then? Dear Father, we pray you do so-and-so, and dear Father we pray You dont have to repeat His name every three sentences. Do you ever hear that? I do, and I wonder what they are thinking about. Would you want anybody talk to you like that? Why do you think the Lord wants you to talk to Him that way? We get mindless little things that we put into our prayers, and we are not praying with intelligenceand thought. We are not talking to the Lord with the same thought and directness that we talk to one another. You dont talk to me that way. If you did, I would stop you. You ought to talk to the Lord with at least the intelligence level

that you use when you talk to your wife, or kids, your friends, or your neighbors, shouldnt you? And you want to talk with respect, dont you?The Lord doesnt inspire the folks who are always saying, Jesus this and Jesus that. It is not glorifying to Him. The way you know that is when you get in the Bible and find people who do that, those people are always contemptuous of Him. Notice what Paul says about the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;



There are a lot of things to note in the passage. Be of good cheer. A consciousnessof forgiveness of sins ought to produce joy and cheer. A consciousness of forgiveness of sins isnt going to produce wanton conduct, but cheer and joy and gratitude. Dont forget that. Matthew 9:3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This manblasphemeth.4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts I love that. He knew what they were thinking. Dont you reckon if you realized thatthe Lord knows what you are thinking, that would make you watch what you think? It sure would. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,(then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.7 And he arose, and departed to his house.8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Notice in verse 3 that they get mad at Him when He tells the man sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee. Why do they say that He is blaspheming? Come over toLuke 5, and notice the parallel passage there. Luke adds something that will explain that to you.

Luke 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is thiswhich speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? Thats a good question, isnt it? If I walked up to you, and I said, Art, your sins ae forgiven, what would you think of me? What do you think of somebody who comes along and says, Eeney meeney miney mo, e pluribus unum, hokus pokus, thy sins are forgiven? Youd say he was blaspheming, wouldnt you? Dont you say that men cant fo sins, but God only? That is a good question. Their reaction was a good reaction. Y

ou ought not to expect people to forgive your sins, because they cant do it. The only person who can forgive sins and cancel them is God Almighty, because that is whom the sins are against.

Matthew 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts Remember this statement Matthew makes on the deity of Christ, and come back to Psalm 103. It is interesting to me how the Bible just inserts these things where the textual critics, scholars, and especially the scoffers never expect them. They take out the verses, or they re-word the verses on the deity of Christ. Somebody like a Jehovahs Witness never thought about looking at that verse. Its just a little old verse that proves the deity of Christ, and there it is: Jesus, knowing their thoughts.

Psalm 139:1 O LORD [Jehovah], thou hast searched me, and known me.2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thoughtafar off. Who knows what you are thinking when you think it? God does. So in Matthew when Jesus Christ says, Thy sins be forgiven thee, they think He is blaspheming. He says, kay, you are thinking so-and-so. He is demonstrating Himself to be Jehovah God inthe flesh in their midst. Who was Messiah? He said: I will raise up a righteous Branch unto Davidand His name will be called THE LORD [Jehovah] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.



Here is Christ presenting Himself as JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. He is Messiah.

Matthew 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? Which one is easier to do: to forgive a guys sins, or perform like the Creator ofheaven and earth and strengthen a mans limb? Which is easier: to be the Forgiver of sins, or be the Creator? Both are God, arent they? Its six of one and halfa dozen of the other. He said, You think it is a big thing to forgive sins; what if I make the man walk? What if I demonstrate to you that I can do that?

Matthew 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.7 And he arose, and departed to his house. Who has power to forgive sins? Now there is a good proof text in your personal work when you are talking with somebody who says that some man they know about has power to forgive sins. Who has power on earth to forgive sins? The Lord Jesus Christ does.

Matthew 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgi

ve sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.7 And he arose, and departed to his house. Seeing the man healed, they received positive, conclusive evidence that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh. These Pharisees could hear His Words: thy sins be forgiven thee. They had confessional booths and all that nonsense. They wouldpronounce forgiveness, but all they could do was to say the words. They didnt have the power to forgive. Christ said, that you may know I have power to forgive themans sins; and so that he knows they are forgiven, Ill make him stand up and walkso there will be no doubt in your mind about it. That healing and restoration is an open demonstration that the Lord Jesus Christ was their Messiah who had come to forgive their sins and heal them. It is important that you notice the order the

re. Matthew 9:7 And he arose, and departed to his house.8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. That is the reaction that the nation should have had to the Messiah in their midst. That miracle is a foreshadowing of the great work of forgiveness and healingfor the nation. It is important that you see the order here. First, Christ heals his sins. If it is a big problem for you to believe I can forgive his sins, then Ill heal him. Ill raise him up, and then you will have conclusive evidence that I forgave his sins.

They witness three things that prove He is God. One, He forgives sins. Two, He reads their minds without their saying a word. He knows their thoughts, something that the Bible says only God can do. Three, He heals the man and enables the man to walk.

That order of the miracles is important concerning Israel. First, there will be forgiveness of sins for the nation. Then there will be their healing and restoration. Israel looked for deliverance, healing and restoration, but they were not concerned about having their sins forgiven. Christ said to them, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things, (physical things)



, shall be added unto you.

He said, All these physical things will come if you get the spiritual things right. So He said, Repent ? get the spiritual issue right ? for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Turn back to the Book of Psalms. I want you to understand the importance of the order. Dont ever think that in the prophetic program, (just because these people were promised material, physical, earthly blessings), that the spiritual side wasnot primarily the issue. They could not get the earthly, physical, material blessings God had promised them by covenant, (one of which was healing), until firstthey were right spiritually. You dont want to forget that. Sometimes when people, especially you fellows studying for the ministry, explain the difference betweenthe prophetic program and the mystery program, you give the impression that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places; and that they are blessed with all physical, earthly blessings. You should never think or imply thattheir blessings were just physical, and that the spiritual was not involved. Theissue of forgiveness and being right with God was the most important issue.

Israels prophetic program never places the material, physical blessings above the spiritual issues of faith and right standing with God. The spiritual was alwaysbasic. In the prophetic program when they were right with God, their sins forgiven, and they were walking with the Lord, then they had physical rewards.

Today we are made right with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, and the blessings that come from the Spirit of God are not physical. His purpose is not to bestow all those material blessings as He will in the prophetic program. Today the issue is our standing before God in Christ, the peace of God stabilizing our heart,and the development of Christian character; that is, the character that reflects the position that we have in Christspiritual issues, spiritual blessings. Israelwas promised physical blessings but only after their spiritual restoration. Go back and read Deuteronomy 28 where it confirms that they cant get the blessings unless their sins are forgiven.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, What is first? Obedience. It is always that way in the prophetic program.

Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; What is the first blessing and benefit they are told not to forget? First, He forgives all their iniquities. Second, He heals all their diseases. It is always that way: first, forgiveness; and then healing, (Matthew 1).

The problem that Israel was having was not that they would not receive the physical blessings; they would have gladly taken them. What they didnt want was to receive the counsel of God against themselves. They would not repent and get right spir

itually so that God could then send the physical blessings. In John 6 they triedto make Jesus King against His will. He had fed the five thousand, and they said, Lets make him king, and he will feed us. That was not His purpose in coming. Laten the chapter He said, I am the bread of life. What you need is spiritual bread.After you get that, then the physical will come. Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,



23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Notice the order. First, He is called Jesus, the Redeemer, the one who saves Hispeople from their sins. Then He is called Emmanuel, God with us. He will come back as the Redeemer; then there is the Day of Atonement, and then He will set up thekingdom and dwell with them. The order is always Redeemer first, then Emmanuel.Thats the focus concerning repentance. It had to do with getting right with God on a spiritual basis in order to then have the resultant earthly blessings. Turn to Acts 3 where Peter is preaching to the nation Israel. This is after the resurrection and ascension of Christ and after the Holy Spirit has come. Acts 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Peter said, You are the people who are going to bring untold blessings on the earth.

26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, inturning away every one of you from his iniquities.

God sent Him to you first, because it is through you the blessings are going to t

he nations. I want you to understand this matter. Some other verses are Romans 11:26 and 27; Micah 7:18; and Isaiah 43:25. You can find a lot of other verses like these. The order is important.

So in this miracle He forgave the mans sins, and He said, So that you know I am able to forgive the mans sins, I am going to heal him. This pictured Israels restoraton and the resultant physical benefit. It is a picture of what He, there in the midst of Israel, was to do for them: to forgive their iniquities and restore them back to the position of blessing that God had intended for them to have. After this miracle, there is a little aside Matthew just stuck in out of the blue.

Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose

, and followed him. It is interesting to me that when you open a book, you read a glowing report that someone has written on the inside flap of the cover about the author. Someone writes something real nice about him, and it is printed on the back. Somebody writes something nice, and they put it in the preface or the forward to the book. Matthew wrote nine chapters before, all of a sudden, he just inserts verse 9. John and Mark dont mention themselves at all. Inspiration kept Matthew from making too much of himself, which he could have done.

Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi [Matthew] the son of Alphaeus sittingat the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicansand sinners?17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.



Back in verse 15, Jesus sat at meat in his house: Matthews house. You see, Matthewbrought the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples into his house along with his own friends, publicans and sinners like himself. Matthew could have entertained Him by himself but you dont find that in the Book of Matthew. You dont even find thatit had anything to do with Matthew. Look at Matthew 9:10. Matthew 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, Whose house? It doesnt tell you in the Book of Matthew; you have to get that in Mark. When you read these things, you begin to notice that these things are placedin here by the Holy Spirit by design. Notice what follows: Matthew 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. In verse 13 He says, But go ye and learn what that meaneth, and then He quotes the Book of Hosea, chapter 6: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. He says, Go learnwhat Hosea meant when he wrote I will have mercy and not sacrifice: for I (Christ)

am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. You have to be careful to notice where the quote begins and ends.

What is going on there? After Christ demonstrated himself to be Jehovah by threeobvious manifestations in the first part of the chapter, you again see Him manifest himself; and He calls from among the publicans a man by the name of Matthew.He reaches in among the outcasts and calls Matthew to be a disciple. He entersMatthews house where He receives publicans and sinners, and the Pharisees begin to raise questions. He tells them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Who needed a physician? The man with the palsy needed a physician, not the guys who were able to walk in. The man who was sick was the one who needed to be healed.

He came to heal the sick and to call sinners to repentance. Do righteous people need to repent? No. They have nothing to repent of. Who needs to repent? Sinners. Ie came to call sinners to repentance, that was what He was going to do, wasnt it?If He came to heal the sick, wasnt that what He did? People who are not sick dont need a physician. He is saying, These people out here need me. You guys dont want meou dont need me. Why didnt they think they needed a physician? How many of you peo went to the doctor today? When is the last time you felt well and went to the doctor just to spend some money? You dont do that, do you? You go see the doctor when you are sick, not when you are well.

Christ was showing those people that He came to call sinners to repentance; so if they were going to follow Christ, what were they going to have to be? Sinners. I have talked to you repeatedly about His calling out that believing remnant. That w

as what He was doing. He said that the nation thought they were righteous. You know that is what He was saying; look at verse 13.

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice He said to go and learn what Hosea meant and expected when he said: I will havemercy, and not sacrifice. He rebuked them for not learning what Hosea meant. What did he mean?

You are all sinners, and you all need mercy. You dont need a lot of righteous activi



y. You dont need the works of self-righteousness: bringing sacrifices, observingthe new moon, and all that. What you need is Gods mercy.

I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. Hosea wasnt saying that God wasnt pleased wisacrifices because He commanded them to be offered, but they were to bring them with a free will and a heart of faith in response to how to please God in that day. What you need is mercy. Come as a sinner. Throw yourself on the mercy of God. Dnt come with a pompous attitude as though deserving of Gods attention because youbring a gift to the altar. That is what Christ was dealing with.

He was dealing with a bunch of people who thought they were righteous, and thought they were the cats meow, so to speak. They thought they were Gods chosen peoplest because they were the physical descendants of Abraham. They said, We have Abraham as our father. Christ told them, Hey, guys, you are missing it. First, you have o get your sins forgiven. Its the one who humbles himself and comes in faith thatGod exalts. Its the one who casts himself on Gods mercy, not the one who just performs self-righteous works to gain acceptance. Matthew 9:14 Then came to him the disciples of John, [the Baptist] saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? As you go through the gospels, you are going to find places where Johns disciples have problems as they watch the disciples of Christ. In John 3, John is ministering with his disciples; Jesus comes on the scene, and John says, He must increase

and I must decrease. John was saying, as it were, Okay guys, it is time for you to go follow Him, and they do. There were some who stayed with John and became confused, as John was later, (we will see that in Matthew 11). They came to Christ and asked, We fast often but your disciples dont fast. Why is that? Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? [Can they? No. When the bridegroom is there, you are having a good time, arent you? We went to a wedding the other day. Didnt everybody have a wonderful time? Weddings are wonderful.] but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. Underline that last phrase. You want to understand what is going on there. Whenthe Bridegroom is with the children, they dont mourn; but when He is taken away,

then they are going to mourn and they are going to fast. In other words, it was the time of His rejection.

Who is the bridegroom? Christ. Who are the children of the bride chamber? The disciples. Who is the bride? Israel? Do you have a verse? In the passage I see the childen of the bride chamber and the bridegroom, but I dont see a bride. Come over to Luke 12 if you want to throw a wrench into some popular beliefs real quick, and begin to take the words in your Bible for what they say. In Luke 12 Christ istalking to His disciples. Luke 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding;

Have you ever been to a wedding where there was no bride? She is not at the wedding. Isnt that a kick in the seat of the pants? You can go to that passage in Matthew22 where the king makes a marriage for his son. Everybody is there but the bride.Thats wild. Come over to Revelation 21. What am I trying to say to you? There is only one verse in the Bible that I have ever been able to find that identifies the bride, and it doesnt call her a bride. I dont know of one verse in the Bible that identifies anybody as a bride. The term the bride of Christ is not found New Testament terminology. Do you knowwhere that term comes from? It comes from the Roman Catholic Church. Did you know



that? If you go to a Roman Catholic church, sit down in the pew, and pull out the little book that gives you the order of the services of the Mass. It talks about the bride of Christ. I have been in a half a dozen Catholic Churches for funerals in the last few years. In those little booklets it refers to the service of The Bride of Christ. It is speaking about the congregation of the Roman Catholic Church.

Get your concordance and look it up. There is not a verse in the Bible that calls anybody the bride of Christ. That is interesting to me. You know, there are somefolks that just let the steam out from around their collar if you dont say that the church the body of Christ is the bride of Christ. Do you know that?

There are people who are called Baptist Briders. Have you heard of them? They say that if you are not a member of their denomination and baptized in water by one of their preachers, you are not a member of the bride of Christ. Thats okay because you are not a member of the bride of Christ anyway.

Revelation 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. If anything is ever going to match the term, the bride of Christ, this is goingto be it. That is as close to that term as you are going to get. The expression the bride of Christ does not appear in the Bible. The bride, the Lambs wife: Who is

he?

Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; According to the passage the bride of the Lamb is holy Jerusalem, the city. Write down in your notes, Isaiah 62:1-5, and you will see that the land of Palestine is called Beulah. Beulah means marriage. God will marry Israel back into their land. God will fix it so they are never again separated from that land. Read thosepassages back there in Isaiah and Hosea, and you will see that it is as though G

od marries Israel to that land, and they are called interchangeably by that name. They are joined to the land and will never again be taken away from it. In the Bible marriage is a description of a lasting, loving union. It is living,lasting; and it is a bond of love. In the Bible, marriage is a metaphor used forthe relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ with the New Jerusalem. It is interesting to me that hours and hours are spent discussing who the bride of Christ isand investigating the verses, and then you finally find out. Israel in the Mosaic Covenant was Gods wife. She is called that in the Book of Ezekiel. God divorced Israel because she was unfaithful. He will restore her back to that relationship that is described in Hosea 2, where God is called her husband. It is that restoredcovenant relationship that God will have with the nation Israel.

I dont want you to misunderstand. It is Israels relationship; that is the reason that it is in here. It is describing the union that Jehovah will have with that nation in that kingdom through that New Covenant. The reason you hear all the discussion and argument about the bride of Christ is that people try to apply it tothe body of Christ. It doesnt apply. It is Jewish terminology and Jewish principles that describe the relationship they will have in that kingdom when they willbe restored.

It is interesting when you take that into consideration, because in this passage the twelve apostles who are going to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve t



ribes of Israel are not called the bride. You would think that they would be, but they are not. They are called the children of the bride chamber. The reason is tha the terms, the bride of Christ and the wife of Jehovah are figures of speech descrbing the union, the oneness, that lasting relationship they will have. It is nota status like being a member of the body of Christ. It is a description of a relationship. For example, you are described as the body of Christ. You are also described as the temple of the living God. How many of you folks are a building? You understandthat as a figure of speech which describes a relationship that we have. Thats theissue with them.

Matthew 9:16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. He is talking about the change that is taking place when He takes the kingdom of God from apostate Israel, and gives it to that new nation that brings forth the fruits thereof. What is wine a type of in the Bible? The Holy Spirit. What is agarment a type of? Righteousness. His Spirit, His righteousness: to whom will theybe given? Is it going to be to apostate Israel, that worn out nation that wont get themselves right? Its going to be to the new righteous nation. In Acts 2 the Holy

Spirit comes upon the new nation, the believing remnant in Israel.

You see folks, the reason He said this in connection with Johns ministry was that something new began when John the Baptist showed up.

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. A new opportunity was at hand: the kingdom of God was available to them. John proclaimed the new opportunity to them. Christ came and identified Himself to Israeland offered Himself to the nation. A new opportunity was available there for them. God was not forming that new program out of the old garment.

Christ went up into Galilee and brought out these publicans and sinnersthe outcasts of the nation. He was making a new nation out of them, because they were the believers. He was not taking over the hierarchy, but He was taking the kingdom from them and placing it in a new wine bottle, in a new garment, making a new nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Thats why He said: Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to giveyou the kingdom. I am trying to get you to see the progress of the program there. Matthew is constantly pointing to the dispensational significance of what Christ is doing. The focus in Israel was between the righteous nation and the apostate nation. The issue in Israel was between receiving Johns baptism of repentance for remission of sin

s, and rejecting the counsel of God against themselves being not baptized with that baptismnot identifying themselves with that believing remnant. Christ was saying, That remnant is the group through which Gods program is operating, and you need to join with them.

Johns disciples asked Christ, Why dont your disciples mourn and fast like we do?

He said, I am with them right now, and it is time for them to be happy. But when Im rejected and taken from their midst, then there will be plenty of mourning to do.



In Matthew 16, Christ begins to tell them about His rejection and His coming death. What does Peter do? Does he believe it and fall down before Him? No, he doesnthould he have believed it? Sure, Christ told him. When He began to tell him He was going to be taken out of their midst, what should Peters response have been? He should have fasted. The verse says that when He is gone, then they should fast.

On the mount of transfiguration, Christ talked with Elijah and Moses about His coming death. After Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain, they tried but could not cast the devil out of a boy. They asked, Lord, why could we not do it?

He replied, Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Christ said, You arent staying up with the change in the program. When they didnt keep up withe advanced revelation that he gave them in Matthew 16, they didnt heal another person. In Matthew chapters 17-22, and on over to Acts 2, they didnt heal one more person. Do you know why they didnt? They were not keeping up with the changed program. He had been adjusting their thinking, but they didnt ever really comprehend what He told them about His death. That is just more indication that they didnt understand or grasp His rejection until after He was resurrected. This is an important passage from Chapter 9.


We are going to begin in Chapter 9, verse 18. This is an interesting passage.

Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certainruler, and worshipped him [Mark 5 says that this is a ruler of the synagogue, a

Jewish man.] there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. This man, according to Mark 5, is Jairus, a type of Israel. She is at deaths door, and Christ goes to give her life. She was as good as dead, we would say. Sheis a type of the condition of Israel, nationally and spiritually dead, as it were. Jairus comes and asks Christ to come heal his daughter. Watch what happens. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

You know that the number twelve is Israels number. Here is another woman who typifies Israel who has had a disease for twelve years: an issue of blood that was slowly sapping the life out of her. Blood defiles and makes her unclean. This woman is also a type of Israel. You will notice in the commentaries that theycall this woman a Gentile. She was not; she is a type of Israel.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.



22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter,

He said, Daughter, so you see she was not a Gentile. She was a daughter of Israel. Compare that with Luke 13:16 and you will see that is a term to describe an Israelite woman. 22 be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was madewhole from that hour. You have to get the picture. On His way to raise Jairus daughter, He was interrupted by this woman. If you go over to Mark 5, you will see that there is a tremendous amount of detail given. That is typical, as we have pointed out, of thediffering viewpoints of Matthew and Mark. Mark goes into a great deal of personal detail, which is peculiar to his viewpoint of Christ. Matthew gives you that panoramic overview because he is interested in the dispensational perspective. Hewants you to understand what is going on dispensationally in the passage.

Christ was on His way to raise Jairus daughter. (Again, she is a type of the nation Israel. Jairus daughter typifies the nation as a whole.) She is sick, right atthe point of death, could even be considered dead. He is on His way to raise her back to life, (a type of Israels restoration), and a woman who has an issue of blood touches him. The life is being sapped out of her. Her faith reaches out and touches the hem of His garment, His robe. In the Bible, a robe is a type of the character of a person. The white robes that were given to the saints demonstrated

purity and righteousness.

This woman reaches out and touches the hem of His garment. By faith she lays hold on who He is, on His essence, on His character that is being displayed therebefore them. (Remember Josephs coat of many colors. It displayed the character and the essence that his dad saw in him.) She reaches out by faith and figuratively speaking, takes hold of the essence of His character and who He is. Christ stops, turns around, and holds a conversation with her. It is important to understand what is going on. Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certa

in which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth While He is hurrying along to raise Jairus daughter, He is delayed. While the woman is interrupting him, Jairus gets the message that the girl has died. Dont bother Him. There is no reason for Him to come. She is dead. Notice the interruption. Three times in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is delayed. We ta

lk a lot about the delays in the timing of God: three times Christ is detainedon His way to do something, and He is delayed in getting there to accomplish that purpose. In other words, He had another purpose to accomplish before He reached His destination. This occurred three times. One time, the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee, and He was up on a mountain praying. He saw them out in the middle of the Sea in a great storm as they were about to drown. In the fourth watch of the night he went to them. He didnt go immediately because there was a purpose in the delay.



Another delay is in John 11 concerning Lazarus. He gets word that Lazarus is sick, and He tarries two days until Lazarus dies. He has a purpose to accomplishthrough that delay.

In Matthew He is on His way to raise this girl. I want you to understand that during the delay in fulfilling the purpose with the girl, He accomplishes something else. Then He continues on, and we will see that He does raise her. The delay is important.

Jairus daughter is a type of the nation Israel, and He is on His way to raise her, (as He will raise the nation Israel). On His way to raise the girl, He stops to heal a woman who reaches out to Him in faith. Jairus daughter wasnt reaching out in faith. Jairus was, but his daughter wasnt. She was dead. There was somebody else xercising faith for her. In fact, she cant do a thing until Christ raises her. Sheis helpless, beyond any hope.

On His way to raise her, (type of the nation Israel), He stops and heals a woman, (another type). That is, He raises up another group of people. Who are they? The little flock. Before He comes to raise up the nation and bring in the kingdom,John the Baptist comes. (In chapter 11 well see that John is concerned about the delay.) While Christ delays in raising the nation, He forms a remnant of believers, that little flock. He is going to accomplish this purpose before He goes on to deal with the nation and set up the kingdom.

In Romans 9 you saw that His delay in fulfilling His purpose for Israel was to accomplish another purpose that He had to perform first. He first intended to form the church the body of Christ in the dispensation of gracepeople to whom He wanted to show mercyand then He is going to accomplish His purpose with Israel.

There were interruptions, as described in Romans 9, in the ministry of Christ, and repeatedly in Israels history. God made a promise that He was going to set up His kingdom on earth, but first He had something else to do. In order to formthe little flock, He had to delay setting up the kingdom. That is what is going on here. Matthew is trying to show you that before raising up the nation, Christ delays and spends time in His earthly ministry. From the Book of Matthew tothe Book of John in His earthly ministry, Christ gathers together this little fl

ock and trains them for a ministry they will have after He ascends back to heaven. The Holy Spirit comes down on the little flock, and they are going to carry on that kingdom ministry. Christ understands He is going to die. The purpose of God is for Christ to accomplish a certain purpose in His earthly ministry before He brings in that kingdom. The King comes and presents Himself and forms the little nation, (typified by the woman with the issue of blood), the little flock.They will recognize who He is and receive Him, and then in the kingdom He will raise Jairus daughter, (type of Israel). Matthew 9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth

That particular verse is controversial. She is not dead, but sleepeth. What do you mean, sleepeth? She isnt taking a nap. Those people said, Shes dead. Christs into the house and says, Dont get all upset. She isnt dead. She is just asleep.

John 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death:



Christ said that Lazarus was asleep; He meant Lazarus was dead. In Matthew He said, The maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. That isconfusing, isnt it? I want you to understand something: the Lord defines deathas sleep.

Did you ever wonder why people put a body in a coffin so they are lying there looking like they are asleep with a pillow under their head and a blanket over them? Physical death is as though the body sleeps. Christ says, She is not dead.She is asleep. Everybody laughs at Him. It is a little confusing if she is dead, but He says she is not dead. The people missed it, didnt they? They looked at her, and they laughed Him to scorn. There is a serious issue here: are you going to agree with people, or are you going to agree with the Lord? I am going to agree with the Lord that she wasnt dead but just sleeping. Dont miss the point that is being made. Here is a woman who is a type of the nation Israel, and she is spiritually dead; but she isnt hopelessly dead. The people laughed Him to scorn. Matthew 9:25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. Christ put out the people, and then He raised her up. There is a marvelous truth here, and it is emphasized by the confusion over whether the girl is dead or not. There are people today that tell you that the nation Israel is dead, and th

at God is through with them: God has cut them off, and they arent any more. Is Israel dead today? They are. It isnt any value for anybody today to be an Israelite. It wouldnt help you to pack your bags and move to Israel and be an Israeli. It isnt going to help your country, your movement, or your religion to bless Israel today. Today, God doesnt bless anybody because they bless Israel. As far as God is concerned today, Israel has no status before Him as a nation. They are no more important to Him than Russia or the United States as far as nationality is concerned. I know that is blasphemy to a lot of people; but as far as God is concerned, all the nations of the earth today are on an absolutely equal basis. That is the very basis of the dispensation of grace, the reconciling of the world. Is the nation Israel dead today? They are, but they are not beyond Gods power to resurrect them. Job 14 is an interesting chapter.

Job 14:7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sproutagain, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

Come over to Romans 11, and let me show you an application of it. In Romans 11Israel is compared to an olive tree, and the nation Israel is cut down. Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happ

ened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid:but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world



You see that they are cast away, fallen, and diminished.

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Israel has been judicially blinded. They are dead today, as it were, as a nationof no standing with God, but verse 26 says: Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: How do you explain that? God Almighty says they are dead, and yet they are notdead. That is the situation in Matthew 9 with Jairus daughter. The people say, Shes dead.

Christ says, No, no, no. She is not dead. Its not permanent. She is not gone forever. She is just sleeping. Shes laid out there for a little while, but I am going to wake her up. What is going to happen? Although that tree is cut down to the ground at the root, through the scent of water, its going to sprout again. In the Bible water is a type of God the Holy Spirit. That little flock goes out,giving the scent of water to the nation. Christ says that the apostate nation wont receive Him. They wont respond, so He forms that little flock, puts His Spirit on them, and makes them a well of water of salvation. Zechariah 13 talks about a fountain being opened to Jerusalem and the house of D

avid for sin and for uncleanness. That fountain has water, not blood, in it. Ezekiel 36:25 says, Then will I sprinkle clean water, (type of the Holy Spirit), upon you. Isaiah 32:15 says that the Spirit will be poured upon them. That willbe water that He will pour out. That remnant of believers will go out and callthe nation to repentance. Jairus daughter is a type of the nation Israel. The woman with the issue of blood is a type of the little flock. Christ interrupts His journey to raise and save the nation, and take them into the kingdom. He first forms the little flock who understands who He is and claims Him by faith. He forms that little flock and then goes on to raise Jairus daughter. Notice again in the dispensational flow and typology here:

Matthew 9:25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. Write down by that verse, Isaiah 26:19; Hosea 6:2; Daniel 12:2 and Ezekiel 37:11 and 12. They present a type of the restoration of the nation Israel.

By the way, do you know how old that little girl was? She was twelve years oldaccording to Mark 5:42. You cant beat that typology, folks. This Book is so wonderfully and fearfully put together. It is so wonderfully made, that when you stand back and look at it and see what is going on, it makes your heat beat so fast it just wants to jump out of your chest. I want you to remember that Christ is on His way to raise Jairus daughter. He is

interrupted, and He stops in order to accomplish another purpose before He continues on. It is exactly like Romans 9 where God says He has other people to havemercy on before He concludes His purpose with Israel. Matthew 9:27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. Two miracles follow the raising of Jairus daughter: the two blind men gained their sight, then a little later, the dumb man was made to speak. When Jairus daughter is raised, (when Christ raises the daughter of Israel), then the blind are g



oing to see and the dumb are going to speak. When Israel is restored, the blind see and the dumb speak. The nations are brought to Him; the whole nation comes out. Matthew 9:27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. That passage is different from the one in Matthew 15:23. Matthew 15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughteris grievously vexed with a devil.23 But he answered her not a word The men in Matthew 9:27 come and say, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us, and Heheals them. What is the difference? Is He just a bigot or a racist, whatever people want to call Him? Is He a woman-hater? No, you know that is not true. InMatthew 15 that woman was a Syrophenician, a Greek, a Gentile. The term Son of David is a Jewish term to be used in the Jewish relationship.

Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be itunto you.

What was their faith? Their profession of faith was that He was the Son of David. When He says, According to your faith, be it unto you, He is not saying, Because you have enough faith. It is not their amount of faith. He is talking about the object of their faith. In other words, their faith is in the Son of David, the Sun of righteousness, who arises with healing in his wings. Okay, you can have the healing. It is important that you notice that it is not the measure or amount of faith, but the objectwhat their faith rested in. They were a part of the believing remna

nt, so they could have His healing. Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. When He told them that, it was as good as not telling them; they couldnt help telling. If you couldnt see, and all of a sudden you could, dont you know somebody is going to ask some questions?

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

The dumb nation is going to speak forth the praises of the Lord Jesus Christ when the devil is cast out of them. Thats exactly what will happen. He will bind Satan and cast him into the bottomless pit, and in the millennium Israel will speak forth His praises. Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils [Beelzebub]. When those guys come on the scene, they see all these marvelous things that neve



r had been seen before in Israel, but the Pharisees say, Harrumph, thats just thework of the devil. They dont believe the miracle, and they reject Him. Hence, in Matthew 10:1 He chooses out new leaders for the nation, and He ordains twelve apostles. The leaders of Israel reject Him, and at this point in the Book of Matthew you are beginning to get into that. The response of the nation as a whole, its leaders in particular, was negative. They respond in a negative way, and Heis going to choose new leaders in this passage, chapter 10:1-5, to head the nation.

Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Great results are going to follow: Israels rising from the dead and being able to see and speak forth the praises of God. Christ is demonstrating what is available to the nation if they would receive Him.

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Write down Ezekiel 34:1-5. In that passage, you will see that Matthew refers back to Ezekiel 34 which concerns Israels condition at the second coming of Christ. It says that Israel is going to be like sheep scattered abroad without a sheph

erd. The reason they dont have a shepherd is in verse 34: the leaders, the Pharisees, the pastors to the people would not recognize and receive the Lord JesusChrist. In Romans 9 and 10, Paul is very clear that the reason that Israel missed Him back here and were stumbling at that stumbling stone was because they werent walking by faith. Had they been walking by faith when Gods Word, (the Lord Jesus Christ), showed up, they would have believed Him; but they were going about to establish their own righteousness. They were doing it their own way and missed Him.Had they had the faith of those blind men, had their faith been in God and in Gods Word rather than in themselves, they would have recognized and received Him.Their faith would have led them to Him when He showed up. They didnt, thereforethey are out there leading the people blindly. They are just the blind leading

the blind, and they lead them into the ditch. Christ had compassion as He looked at the nation being led by blind leaders. Matthew 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous,but the labourers are few;38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. The leaders of Israel werent with the program, so He says, We need new leaders tobe the Lords laborers for His harvest. In the next chapter, Christ calls out andsends forth, for the first time, His laborers into His harvest. Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them

power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; Notice very carefully: in verse 1, He calls His twelve disciples; and in verse2, He calls them apostles. Right there in verse 1 He separates them; He calls the twelve apart. Then He sanctions them, gives them authority over unclean spirits, sickness and disease. Then He commissions them in verses 5-7 to go out and preach the gospel. First, He separates them. Come with me to Luke 6 and Mark 3, and see how He does this.



e for each of the tribes as it was when He first dealt with them.

Isaiah 32:1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.

Matthew 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, [the twelve] That ye whichhave followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Underline judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Folks, the twelve apostles represent the twelve tribes of Israel. They are twelve princes for the twelve thronesover the twelve tribes. That is why there are twelve apostles. In Matthew you have the King who ordains His twelve princes to go with Him to proclaim His kingdom. In order to prove that they were the true apostles, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner ofsickness and all manner of disease. He gave them the ability to demonstrate whothey were. They were fully equipped. Notice, He gave them power to heal all manner of sickness and disease. In Matthew 9:35 He is preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and

every disease. Remember that the first healing of any kind in the Bible is inconnection with Israels liberation from bondage to a foreign power. Come back to Exodus 15, and notice this very salient passage. Here is a passage that every healer, healing campaign leader, and tent preacher knows. Exodus 15:26 for I am the LORD that healeth thee. Have you ever heard R. W. Shambaugh, Ken Hagan, Kenny Copeland, Jimmy Swaggart,A. A. Allen or Oral Roberts quote that? They cry, I am the Lord God that healeth thee. If you have faith enough you can claim your healing. Not one of those birds knows what was going on. Look at that verse. Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD

thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeththee. 1. One: hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God.2. Two: do that which is right in His sight.3. Three: give ear to His commandments.4. Four: keep all His statutes. The healing is conditioned on the conduct listed in the verse. If they gave whole-hearted, full-time obedience, they got healed. They didnt get the botch of Egypt. The first healing in the Bible was done by Moses who put his hand in his bos

om and pulled it out and it was leprous. He put it back in and pulled it out and it was healed. That was a sign to give to the nation. The next sign was when Moses threw his rod on the ground and it became a serpent. He picked it up, and it became his rod again. It was a sign to give to the nation Israel. Check it in Exodus 4. The first healing in the Bible was associated with Israels Deliverer coming and identifying Himself, and bringing Israel out of Egypts bondage. So it is in Matthew when the nation is in bondage to Rome. The successor of Mose



s, that prophet like unto Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ, shows up with all His signs and wonders to prove who He is. Now He authorizes and sends forth His representatives. These men were chosen by the King; they were empowered by the King; they were sanctioned by the King; they were instructed by the King; they were sent out by the King; they represent the King; they will rule with the King. Theyrepresent Israel. Notice how He lists these mens names in pairs in verses 2, 3,and 4.

Matthew 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon,who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and Johnhis brother;3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; [the author of the book] James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy

; and there abide till ye go thence.12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom andGomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. That is the first commission that the Lord gives to them. We will study that in the next lesson. There is an interesting point in the passage. He sends themout to do all those things. Notice that Judas is one of the twelve. Do you believe Judas healed anybody? It says He sent them out with power. Do you think s

omeone like Judas could be around here today? You see, just because someone can do miraculous signs and wonders, doesnt mean that He is Gods man. He can be a counterfeit; he can be a four-flusher; he can be a Judas Iscariot. There is one thing you might look into because this will come up in the next class. Notice the passage in chapter 9. Matthew 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous,but the labourers are few;38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. By that verse write down John 4:35, where there is a similar passage. Christ is

in Samaria, and He is referring to the Samaritans being ready to get saved. In light of that, how do you explain the fact that in Matthew 10:5, He says to goexclusively to the nation of Israel? They are not to go to the Samaritans, butin John 4 He says that He must needs go through Samaria. Can you explain that?

Work on that this week, and have an explanation about the Samaritans ready to be saved and yet He tells His apostles they cant go there. The answer is clear inJohn 4. You ought to be able to compare Matthew 10:5, (not to go to the Samaritans), with John 3:16, and John 2:44.




We have come to the commission for the apostles in Matthew 10:5. We have seen how Christ has gone in among His disciples and has selected out the twelve apostles. He identifies the twelve. He is now going to give them a commission, the orders whereby they are to go forth and carry on their ministry at this time. Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go notinto the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy

; and there abide till ye go thence.12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom andGomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. That commission is the first He gave when He sent forth His apostles. These were the basic, standing instructions until He gave a later commission to them in His post-resurrection ministry. You want to be careful to understand the parts to this commission. You are pretty familiar with it, but just let me review it. I

am going to say it again, because you need to be sure to have the parts in order. Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go notinto the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

You need to remember that the apostles were being sent exclusively to Israel. The ministry of the twelve at this time was limited in its scope to the nation Israel. They were not to go to everybody. Thats in keeping with the ministry that the Lord Jesus Christ was carrying on at this time. Come over to Matthew 15. Jesus is talking to His disciples.

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Who was Christ commissioned to go to? To whom was He sent? Remember in John He said, As my Father hath sent me, so send I you. Did you realize that Christ had acommission? God the Father gave God the Son a commission and orders that He obeyed. He said, I do always those things that please Him [the Father]. And again,He said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. By that verse you want to write down Romans 15:8.



Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision forthe truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

That passage is clear that the ministry of Christ was limited exclusively to the nation Israel. Right? It is certainly focused on His ministry to Israel only. According to His own statements, He was a minister of the circumcision. Noticespecifically in Matthew 10, He says, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. When you point that out to somebody and show them Matthew 15:24 and Romans 15:8, what is the immediate reaction that you usually get? They say, I dont believe it. You can say, Show me a verse for not believing it.

Come over to John 3 and 4, and notice some verses that seemingly contradict Matthew 10. This is Christ speaking to Nicodemus, or it is possibly Johns commentary. I personally believe that these are the words of the Lord Jesus. Some peoplebelieve that Johns commentary stops at verse 13 or 15. Either way, (whether youbelieve that they are Christs words spoken to Nicodemus, or if you believe that it is Johns commentary on the purpose of Christ at that time), you are dealing with the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, thatwhosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the w

orld through him might be saved.

That certainly is not just Israel, but the whole world. Those are the inhabitants of the planet. God loved the world. If He loved the world, why does He notsay to go to the world instead of saying to restrict the ministry just to Israel? He says not to go to the Samaritans, the half-breeds of Israel, who were mixed in with the Gentiles. But look at John 4, and notice how readily the Samaritans did receive the Word when Christ preached to them. Remember the woman at the well in Samaria, and how she went back to her hometown. John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would t

arry with them: and he abode there two days.41 And many more believed because of his own word; These werent miracle believers who saw signs. They heard Him and believed Him. John 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Now wait a minute; go back to verse 35. John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white

already to harvest. He says, Hey, these Samaritans are ready to get on with the program. They are ready to believe. Weve seen over and over in Matthew, so far, that when He comes in contact with a Gentile, what are they ready to do? In chapter 2, the wise men, the kings of the east, came to Jerusalem seeking the King of the Jews. The Gentiles are there crying out, as it were, that they are ready. The Samaritans are ready.

Whats the problem? Why dont you just go after the Gentiles, then? Why dont you go



If there is any doubt in your mind about the message, the issue was the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The message that they are proclaiming is the kingdom promised in the Old Testament: that literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic kingdom with headquarters in Jerusalem with THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS reigning in their midst, is at hand. The issue is the literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, long-promised, predicted in the Old Testament, is at hand. The apostles go out with the message of the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel of the kingdom was the particular message preached at this time. You will remember from Matthew 24:14, that it contains a tribulation message, also. You want to remember how the first and second comings blend together: with the first coming looking forward to that second coming all through here. Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils If they meet a sick guy, they are to heal him. If they meet a leper, they are to reach out and cleanse the guy. Raising the dead is speaking of a guy who is dead and buried, and they are to raise him. cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. They have these miraculous powers. When we get to Matthew 17, we will see how t

hese powers are temporarily withdrawn from the apostles, and are then restored to them after the resurrection. They are sent out with miraculous powers to fulfill this commission, the Lord confirming the Word that they are preaching with the signs following. Matthew 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

In Acts 3 the lame man asks Peter for alms. Peter says, Silver and gold have I none. He hadnt taken a vow of poverty, and he wasnt just in between paychecks. There was a reason he had none. That is the program that these men were under.

9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves

: for the workman is worthy of his meat. They were not to lay up provisions on the earth for the future. Thats what He told them in Luke 12. Sometimes people say, We just believe in going by the words of Jesus. I believe that. I believe you ought to go by the Word of God. People say, I just want to go by the words in red. There is something especially divine about those words in red. You can skip over those black ones, but those red ones, you want to go by them. Here are some words of Jesus in red. See if you like these. Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; ..

What are the next four words? Do you know how many people do what that verse says? Not many. Do you know what people say? He didnt really mean that. I wonderwhat He really meant then. Did you ever try to obey that verse? You would soon be in trouble. I was in a meeting not too long ago where I was preaching about rightly dividing the Word, and I drew a little chart on the board. I mentioned that I used this verse with a fellow down south who was telling me that he followed what Jesus said, and that I didnt believe in the Bible or in the Lord. I said to him, I am wi



lling to wager that you wont do what Christ said to do. I read that verse, and the man wouldnt do it. I went through that illustration and explained that the passage doesnt apply to us because of whom it is written to, and that we are not involved in that message.

There was a deacon from a denominational church there. He came up to me after the meeting, and he said, You just saved my marriage.

I said, How did I do that?

He said, I have been telling my wife that I am going to sell out for God and do exactly what God tells me to do, and thats the verse that my preacher has been telling me that I had to obey. Now I see that I dont have to do that. He was a guywho was about to sell his house, his furniture, his business, and his car. When he did, his wife was going to leave him. That kind of thing can mess you up.Do you know that?

These men at this time were not to make provisions on the earth for the future.Remember when the children of Israel came out of Egypt and wandered forty years in the wilderness. Did they need anybody to give them shoes? Did they take acobbler around with them? No. Did they need a seamstress with them? No. Do you remember what they did for shoes and garments? Their garments didnt wax old. Their shoes didnt wear out. They had Gods provision. The issue here is about Godsmiraculous provision for them.

When Christ is in their midst, (this is important), they are not to make provisions for the future by laying up earthly supplies. Come with me to Luke 22, andnotice that the instructions change briefly between the time Christ dies at Calvary and when the Holy Spirit comes. Luke 22:35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. He asked them if they had needed anything when He sent them out in Matthew 10 and told them not to take purse or script. Did they lack anything? Were you provided for? They said that they wanted for nothing.

Luke 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him takeit, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. But now, signified that there was going to be a change. Did you ever wonder why Peter had a sword when they were in that garden? He almost cut that fellows headoff. Thats the kind of thing I wonder about: where in the world did Peter get that sword? Do you know why he had one? The Lord told him to go buy one.

38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

I want you to notice how He changes that command.

Luke 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him takeit, Before Christ leaves them, He tells them to buy a sword. There was going to bea time when they would need money and provisions. When He was with them, they didnt have any need. When He leaves them, they do.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit came, and did they have any need after that? They have everything in common, and no man had any lack. So when Christ leaves and send



s back the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, He functions as Christ in them, and theyagain have the provisions they need. 1. They go out exclusively to Israel.2. They preach, the kingdom is at hand.3. They have miraculous powers.4. They are not to lay up provisions on the earth for the future.

In verses 11through 15 notice how their ministry works on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant. As they go out, the spirit of judgment goes with them.

Matthew 10:11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Notice that if they go in a house and the people are worthy, they are to give them a blessing. If they are not worthy, that is, if they dont receive the message,they take back the blessing. The basis of that worthiness is the Abrahamic Covenant: I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee

Remember the account in Luke 7 where the Gentile centurion comes to Christ to ask for healing for his servant. A bunch of Jews come with him; and they say, Lord,he is worthy because he built us a synagogue. That is the issue. Look at verse 37, and you will see how these people are made worthy.

Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me:and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets r

eward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward.42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of coldwater only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. The idea is that the people who receive the disciples are receiving Christ. Theyare receiving the one who sent them. They are receiving the disciples, because they hear the Word, the good news of the kingdom at hand. They hear the message and believe the message. The worthy ones become a part of that little nation.

People, this passage is not about salvation and service in the dispensation of grace. This just wont fit. Its something entirely different.

Matthew 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

As they go, the people who accept the message get a blessing. If they reject the message, they are judged. There is a spirit of judgment about these apostlesas they go. When they enter a house, they try out people with the message, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. People who believe that kingdom message get the ble



ssing and peace. They get the reward, but judgment falls on the people who dontbelieve.

That is the reason that I keep telling you that if you comprehend the distinction of the little flock, the gospel accounts will make more sense to you, and youwill be able to understand them quickly. Do you see why we keep referring backto that issue of the little flock? The worthy ones are the little flock. Apostate Israel wont receive their message. They reject it, and He says it will be more tolerable for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for them. Do you remember when He said as it was in the days of Lot? Lot lived in Sodm. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. The apostate nation is going to be taken into judgment. The little flock is worthy, and will go right into the kingdom andreceive that reward.

You dont want to pass over a different context in verse 15. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. If it is more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, then it will be less tolerable for these people. The Bible teaches repeatedly that there are degrees of punishment for sin. There is equity of judgment based on a persons works. Come to chapter 11, and notice a couple verses like that.

Matthew 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. The wrath to come, (tribulation), will be poured out. Christ says, These people, (the apostate nation), are the generation that my wrath is going to fall on. Petertells the remnant, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Christ is sayingthat it is going to be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgmentthan it is for these apostates. In other words, it is going to be better for Tyre and Sidon at the Great White Throne Judgment than it will be for the apostate nation, because of the light and information that they had. Matthew 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the landof Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Mark 12:40 [Pharisees] Which devour widows houses, and for a pretence make longprayers: these shall receive greater damnation. Do you see that increased degree, greater damnation? Come with me to Luke 12, and see the illustration. Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lords will, and prepared not himself,neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes There is a difference between many stripes and few stripes. The difference is bas

ed on how much light the guy has. The man who knew the masters will gets the many wen he doesnt obey it. The guy who didnt know is punished, but doesnt get as severe judgment. Why? 48 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. In Romans 2 Paul lists the principles upon which Gods justice operates. The justice of God operates according to a set of standards that represent the integrity and holiness of God. His holiness and integrity are made up of two things: one is



His righteousness, the standard of His integrity; and then there is the justice of God which is the enforcer of that standard. Notice how the justice of God operates. Romans 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: There is an equity based on the works of the individual.

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: andthe dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. If an unsaved man leads a clean, moral life and doesnt reject light, his hell wont be quite as bad as somebodys who has gone out and sinned against the light God has given him. Now, if that is any consolation, its hell either way, brother. It isjudgment and wrath, but there is equity. God Almighty balances the books. There is all this nonsense about, Well, I believe that all my good works will outweigh my bad works. You will just get a little lighter hell, thats all. The fire wo be quite as hot for you as it could have been. You need to understand the issue

of degrees of punishment. Gods justice demands equity of judgment based upon the actions of the individual.

That means you need to understand Gods rejection of human good as well as human evil. Study the relevant passages, and notice the difference between the judgmentof the works of an unbeliever and rewards for works of a saved person. The answer to that is Dont reject Him, but get saved; and then you dont have to worry about i.

If you are hoping your good works are going to outweigh your bad works when youface God, and you think your good works count for something, you wont get quite as hot a hell as these Pharisees get if that is any consolation to you. You will go to hell, but it wont be quite as bad. Its going to be bad, you understand, about

as bad as you can imagine it to be, but if its any consolation, you can see people in hell who have it worse. Ill bet it wont make a bit of difference to you. Just there will be degrees of rewards, there will be degrees of punishment.

I say that to you guys who work down there at the Mission. You run into smart alecks now and then who think they have all the answers. You need to understand that. You also run into people along the way who genuinely dont understand and truly want to see.

Dont think for a minute that God Almighty doesnt see the suffering and all that goes on, on this planet, the unjust, undeserved suffering that people go through sometimes. Dont think, just because the wicked seem to prosper, that there wont be justice. There is going to be an eternal equity that God is going to fix, even amo

ng unsaved people. Thats a terrible place to get it fixedto get it all ironed out in hellbut that is what is going to happen. Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: Notice a new focus in Verse 16; there is a change in the instructions from thispoint onward. He is still commanding the twelve. Look at chapter 11:1. Matthew 11:1 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.



is bad. I am talking about religious councils of men getting together. Every timeyou read about them, they are bad. I have a natural knee-jerk reaction against that word. I know we use it, but I also know that every time there is a bunch of religious leaders getting together for a council meeting in the Bible, its to carry on some devilment. Thats what they will do here. 17 they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; They will take you to church and beat you. Synagogues places you in a Jewish context. 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, They will be brought before kings and Gentile governors of the world. for a testimony against them [Israel] and the Gentiles. For a testimony against them, not to them, that the leaders of Israel and the Gentiles have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, because they have rejected His messengers. That is, they had the opportunity, but they didnt take it.

He said, If you go in there for a testimony for my sake, it is going to be a testimony against those people, because your being there means that the offer was ma

de to them. It is a testimony against them for Christs sake. Now you find that happening in the early Acts period. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. Have you ever heard anybody quote that verse and say, When I preach, I never prepare a message. I just get up and God will give me the words? I have heard some people preach like that. I thought that that was what they were claiming, because it didnt sound as though they had studied ahead of time. In fact, I knew of a church down south in Biloxi, Mississippi where that was the order of the day. They went in for church service, and they never knew who was g

oing to preach. They would just call on somebody. Chester, its your turn. You come up and preach for us tonight. They trusted that God was going to give him the words to say.

20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Glory, hallelujah! Amen! And they quote that verse. You laugh at that, but those folks believed that verse, and were trying to do it. What a mess, but they all hada good time. They can have a good time at the corner pub and at the football game too. Having a good time doesnt mean a whole lot.

These fellows in the verse arent having a good time. They have been delivered up i

nto prison, scourged, and called on the carpet in front of the council. They arenot having a shouting good time, but the Spirit gives them what to say. That passage is fulfilled in Acts 2. That is exactly what happens. The Spirit of the Father speaks in them.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon ea



ch of them.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The Spirit of God is giving them the words to speak. They had a phenomenon therewhereby God Almighty places the words in their mouths. The words that came out of their mouths were the words that the Spirit of God gave them to say. The closest thing to that in the Bible is inspiration. Look back to chapter 1:16. Acts 1:16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, whichthe Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, The Holy Ghost by the mouth of David wrote Psalm 41:9. He says the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake. Acts 2:4 says, they began to speak with other tongues, as he Spirit gave them utterance. They were inspired; they had the words of God put in their mouth. Do you understand today why the Charismatic movement is so dangerous? They say that inspiration is still going on, when God says it is over with.

The fulfillment of Matthew 10 is over there in Acts 2. That is a blessing that God promised Israel when He put His Spirit in them as a part of the New Covenant,(Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31).

Matthew 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. There is going to be a tremendous division even to the point that family members turn against each other. Notice that they will rise up against each other and cause each other to be put to death. Remember that in the tribulation period, if they dont take the mark of the beast and dont worship him, and if they are true to the Lord and serve Him, they lose their heads. You talk about the Communist infiltration and the spy techniques: this is it to the maximum. I mean, the Communisttechniques are just a Sunday school picnic compared to this: mamas and dads turning in their children; husbands, their wives; and wives, their husbands; children, their parents; brother against sister.

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Notice that they are going to be hated. Christ is saying, They are going to treatyou like they treated me. Youll see that again later in the passage. 22 but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another It is interesting to me that in the tribulation period with all of the political, social, economic, and spiritual unrest, He tells them to flee. He never tells them to stand up and fight the government. That is interesting to me, because I ha

ve heard people say that in the tribulation, you need to fight the antichrist. In chapter 24, He says that when they see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place, Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. In other words, it is that non-resistance like over in chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 10:23 for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. In the next lesson, well talk about how it is that they would not have gone over t



he cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. Obviously He hasnt yet come. Vers22 and 23 are the key to the whole chapter, because the second coming of Christis in view. I point out to you again what I have tried to say all the way through Matthew so far, that until Acts 7, the second coming of Christ could have taken place right on schedule. Understand that they wont have gone over all the cities of Israel.

In Acts 3, when Peter says, Repent and be converted and God will send back Jesus, he didnt mean that He would come back that hour. There were some prophetic eventsthat had to take place, most notably, the seventieth week of Daniel. But the Jewish time schedule was ticking right up to Acts 7. The program was on schedule, and up until Acts 7 the second coming could have taken place. So all through these passages, you find the second coming talked about and offered to Israel over andover again, because the kingdom was at hand. The opportunity was there for them to receive it.

You and I understand that God, in His foreknowledge, from before the foundation of the world, knew that the nation was going to fall. He knew they were going to crucify Christ and blaspheme the Holy Spirit. All of that is involved in the prophetic program. The fall of Israel prophetically was no secret. The secret was that through their fall, in response to it, God was going to reach down and interruptthe prophetic program. Rather than pour out the wrath that He had warned them about because of their blasphemy and rebellion, He introduced a secret program.

Just as the time had come for the prophesied wrath, God interrupted the program, held back the wrath, and introduced grace and peace rather than judgment and war. But until that time, as far as the Scripture is concerned, from where they were, looking toward Acts 7, (not looking back like we do), legitimate offers weremade to Israel. The reason He could tell the apostles that they wouldnt go over the cities of Israel until the Son of man be come, was that it was a bona fide offer at the time. The only condition made was for the nation to be who they were supposed to be. But of course, the responsibility was laid on them for refusing.


Were going to begin in Matthew 10:22. Verses 22 and 23 are really the key to the chapter. Beginning with verse 16, it deals more with the issues in the Book of Acts than in the ministry of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Notice that the first fifteen verses are dealing with their ministry at the time. Later, these same men are to carry on the tribulation ministry, and this commission looks toward that. The whole of the chapter has the instructions that Christ gave to His apostles.

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his tw

elve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. The whole of chapter 10 looks toward their ministry. We have seen their calling,establishing, and commissioning. Now we are going to look particularly at the last part of the instructions that He gave. You will notice how verses 22 and 23 identify the second coming of Christ, which is in view.

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I



say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son ofman be come. Obviously the second coming is in view. This is something you have to get straight in your understanding: as I have told you repeatedly, until Acts 7, the secondcoming of Christ could have taken place on schedule just as the prophets had predicted. That doesnt mean that in Acts 3-7, Christ would have come back immediately. Why not? Obviously there are things in the prophetic Scripture that have to take place before He comes back: the seventieth week of Daniel, for example.

But the prophetic time-clock was ticking. We have learned that the sixty-ninth week ended right before Calvary, and that Christ gave an added year of opportunity to Israel after that sixty-ninth week was over. That added year extended from the cross to Acts 7. After that, the seventieth week of Daniel was the next event in prophecy. That unprophesied period of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week in Daniel was identified in the parable in Luke 13 in the ministry ofChrist as being that extra year.

The prophetic time-clock was ticking, and until Acts 7 the second coming of Christ could have occurred right on schedule. The seventieth week could have come, theantichrist, and all the other tribulation woes, the restoration of Israel, and establishment of His kingdom: those things were in view. The ministry of these men looks to that time. Hence, they are told they wont go over the cities of Israel until the Son of man be come.

You and I understand today, that is a ministry and testimony as yet unfulfilled, so some people say, Jesus made a mistake, because He stated this as a fact. Thereis something in that issue that you have to understand. When He said, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come, there is an understood condition that the prophetic program is to continue. Why didnt the Son of man come? Why wasnt the kingdom established on the earth long ago?

You and I know how God Almighty interrupted the prophetic program and put in a parenthetical dispensation. He has postponed the conclusion to a future time, future from today. He interrupted the prophetic program and introduced the dispensation of the grace of Godthe dispensation of the mysterya secret purpose that He had never revealed to anyone. He has delayed fulfilling His purpose with Israel in

order to accomplish a secret, hidden purpose that He only made known to and through the apostle Paul. It was not known at this time. It was still a mystery, still a secret, and not revealed at that time.

So we understand why the fulfillment didnt take place. There are four passages in the Book of Matthew that are sometimes used to prove that Jesus Christ made amistake. This is one of them. Ill show you the others. Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Remember that verse, because we are going to see one like it again in Matthew 10. That is speaking of the second advent of Christ with His angels. When He comes, t

hen he shall reward every man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Well, is there anybody standing around today who hasnt died and who was here then? No, they are all dead now. Then the passage is unfulfilled. Why? Because what Chrst said wasnt true? No. It is because there was a condition that was understood here. The opportunity was being given to them to receive the kingdom. If the propheticprogram had continued without interruption, then some of those people would neve



r have died and would have gone right into the kingdom. We understand that the prophetic program has been interrupted according to a secret purpose that it pleased God not to make known at that time. Matthew 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.34 Verily I say unto you, This generation [the generation that sees the fig treebud] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. He is telling them that the generation that sees the fig tree bud should not pass away, but these things werent fulfilled. Again, in the passage, the generation is understood to be the one that sees the fig tree bud. It could not have been the generation standing there at that time who would see His second coming. You understand that those passages are often used to prove that Christ made a mistake. The answer to that is two-fold. First, you need to understand that the prophetic program was interrupted, and that the interruption was a secret not made known at that time.

The other thing is to understand that that word till was conditioned on the assumption that the prophetic program would go on. They assumed, naturally, that it would go on uninterrupted. In the Greek, the word till has a little particle an (alpha nu) which isnt translated into English. I have checked about thirty different translations, and none of them translate it into English. It is a condition that is placed on the statement. It is not one of the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth class conditions in the Greek. Its not that second-class condition that says, Maybe you will, maybe you wont. (Thats fifty-fifty.) It is an understood cond that is not very strong, but a possibility, not expressed but understood. Ill give you an illustration. If I say, Shut the door. Shut is the verb, and door is the direct object; but whatis the subject in that sentence? The subject is you. The subject you is understood

. It is not expressed, but it is understood. That is the way the condition is expressed in English. One wouldnt say, You shall not have gone over the cities of Israel until maybe I come back. That would be too strong. It wouldnt express what ismeant in the Greek. We might say, We are going to have a picnic next Saturday. Will you bring hot dogs? Yes, Ill bring hot dogs to the picnic. So-and-so, will you bring chips? Yesips. So-and-so, will you bring Dr. Pepper to the picnic? Yes, I will. When they will bring the hot dogs, chips and the Dr. Pepper and then it rains, what do you do? You didnt say anything about that did you? You have an understanding that ifit rains, you wont go out in the field and have a picnic. No, you cancel the picnic. You understand that if it rains, the plans change. You dont say, You bring the cips if it doesnt rain. You bring the hot dogs if it doesnt rain. You bring the Dr.

epper if it doesnt rain. We understand that condition. Thats the way it is here intthew. There is a condition here that assumes that the prophetic program is going to continue on. Notice this is a second coming passage. He that endureth to the end shall be saved. Come over to chapter 24, and notice the expression the end. Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. The end of what? The end of your life? No, that isnt what He is talking about.



14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, Where are you prophetically? Verse 15 is the middle of the tribulation. What doesHe mean by enduring to the end? To the end of what? He is talking about enduring until the end of the tribulation. Over and over and over again, the end of the tribulation is called the end, the end, the end, the end. You understand that every time you see the expression the end, in the Bible, it doesnt mean the end of the tribulation; but in contexts that are clearly second coming passages, that iswhat is meant. Write down some references: Daniel 7:26; Daniel 8:17 and 19; Daniel 11:35 and 40; Daniel 12:4, 8, 9 and 13. Those are just a few of the passages. Come with me to Hebrews 3, and you will find the same kind of reference. Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; [not a body, but a house] whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. The Book of Hebrews is a tribulation epistle.

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; What is the beginning of their confidence? Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Jesus Christ is their apostle. They are called holy brethren. They are that separatd, holy, righteous nation, partakers of the heavenly calling.

In Hebrews 11:16 Abraham looked for a heavenly city. A city in heaven? No. He looked for a heavenly city in a country on the earth. The heavenly calling of the

Hebrews has to do with the God of heaven setting up a country and a city and a kingdom on the earth.

Peter talks about the hope that is reserved in heaven for you. It is going to be brought down to Earth when Christ comes. Hence, it is called the kingdom of heaven. If you want to know what the beginning of their confidence is, look at chapter 2, verse 3. Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, What salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord? I suggest to you that it is clear in the Book of Matthew that that salvation is kingdom salvatio

n having to do with Israels kingdom, that is, the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. 3 and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews is dealing with the kingdom and kingdom salvat



ion. Hence, He talks about enduring and holding that confidence steadfast to theend, (to the end of the tribulation).

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Please remember that the issue is national salvation, national endurance, and anational kingdom. Individual, personal justification before God was always on the basis of faith. When you study through that passage in Romans 3:24-31, you willclearly see that Paul demonstrates that justification before God has always been on the basis of faith in the message that God committed to people in their time period. The content of the message for individual justification depended on thedispensational revelation at the time. Individuals participate, but God has always dealt with Israel collectively. The package of national salvation had to do with that nation in a kingdom.

The nation had to manifest that salvation in a certain characteristic lifestyle.It was a physical nation with a physical establishment. Hence, it took physical preparation. The nation had to be physically preserved through a time of tremendous persecution as well as having a spiritual standing before God. Please rememberthat the nations salvation is in view here. Study Romans carefully to get that straight in your mind. Matthew 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: fo

r verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, tillthe Son of man be come. If they have not gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man comes, thatis going to help me understand Acts 1:8. If they are not going to get over the cities of Israel before the second coming of Christ can take place, then I know something about Acts 1:8. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. That is the landmass of the twelve tribes of the nation Israel. Judaea is the sou

thern kingdom, (two tribes). Samaria, (Israel), is the northern kingdom, (ten tribes). He said they wouldnt go over those cities in Israel until Christ came back. The last part of Verse 8, about their going to the uttermost parts of the earth,is something that is to take place in the kingdom after Christ comes back. I know that from Matthew 10:23.

You arent going to get over all the cities of Israel until I come back, and then you are going out in the kingdom. Psalm 2 is being referred to in Acts 1:8. It sayswhen Christ comes back and sets up His kingdom, then the Father will give Him the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. So I understand when I compare Acts 1:8 to Matthew 10:23, that the last part of the verse, going to the uttermost part of the earth, is a kingdom commission. That will help me with Matthew 28.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Christ says to these Jewish disciples: All power in heaven and earth is mine. I reign supreme. Go ye therefore and teach all nations. In the prophetic program according to Numbers 23:9, Israel is not reckoned among the nations. When you talk about the nations of the earth in the prophetic program, you are not talking abou



t Israel. That is different today, because we dont live in the prophetic program.When He says, Go ye, that is for Israel to go teach the nations. This is a kingdom commission, because they will go to the nations and the uttermost part of the earth after He comes back and establishes His kingdom. Matthew 28:20 lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world Christ, possessing all power in heaven and in earth, will be with them when this commission is in operation. It is important to know how Matthew 10:23 can help you understand some of those passages. When we get over to Matthew 28, you willsee that in the kingdom they are not going to need to teach every man to know the Lord, for they will know me from the least to the greatest. That is in the New Covenant as quoted in Hebrews 8:11. The nation will be converted, they will all bewitnesses, and carry the Word of God to the nations. That will take place in thekingdom.

There is one other thing about verse 23 that you need to notice. Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel. The cities of Israel include a territory that Heexcludes back in verse 5. Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: The Samaritans, of course, were the northern tribes. There were the Southern King

dom and the Northern Kingdom. During the earthly ministry of Christ, the Samaritans were excluded from the ministry of the apostles, who were to go just to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. You have to remember who the Samaritans were to understand why that exclusion was made. In 1 Kings 12, there was a political division in the kingdom after the death of King Solomon. It was divided between Jeroboam in the north and Rehoboam in the south. Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; [Jerusalem] in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Jeroboam, in the Northern Kingdom, correctly and logically realized that if his

citizens went down to the Southern Kingdom three times a year to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, that soon they wouldnt be interested in having a political division with two capitals. The nation would naturally want to reunite. So Jeroboam set up an alternative religious system with two places to go to worship: Dan and Beersheba, in the northern and southern parts of his kingdom. Just go to thechurch of your choice. Go to the nearest one to you. Why traipse all the way downto Jerusalem? Just go to the nearest one. He set up a counterfeit, Mosaic-type system in the Northern Kingdom, and established Baal worship. He established a pagan, idolatrous religion using the Mosaic Scripture to make it acceptable to his people. I want you to see what it says about the cities of Samaria. 1 Kings 13:32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places

Remember that we studied about Baal worship in Daniel. In Genesis 11, they took the image of the tower and built high places where they offered their sacrificesand did all their worship. God said, Dont make a grove or a high place where Baal worship takes place, because I hate it. 32 against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. The idea is that the cities of Samaria were wholly given over to this idolatry. G



od admonished that Northern Kingdom and sent prophets to warn them, but they continued on in their idolatry. Finally God said through Hosea, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Sennacherib, the Assyrian, came in and destroyed the NorthernKingdom so utterly that Amos said that it will never exist again. That kingdom will never be replaced. Sennacherib took those Israelites and scattered them amongthe Gentiles and planted Gentile cities all through that area.

Many of the faithful believers had already migrated from the north down to Jerusalem, (Chronicles), because they wanted to be near the temple. There were littlepockets of faithful ones up north, but the mass of the area had been in the hands of the Gentiles. In fact, it was called Galilee of the Gentiles. As far as Israelwas concerned, the remnant in Judah just considered that territory cut off. Because of that idolatry, they were excluded from the early ministry of the apostles.

Come over to John 4. Jesus is talking to an outcast, a woman of Samaria. She said, John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalemis the place where men ought to worship.21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Zechariah said that Judah first shall be saved. The issue is that down therein Judah is where the salvation of God is going to be.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Salvation was of the Jews, and it was in Judah and Jerusalem that the issue wasto be raised. The Samaritans were excluded because of that. But look at Acts 1:8. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in S

amaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. They go to Judah, Jerusalem, and Samaria. When you get past the cross, the apostles ministry is expanded, and the offer of the kingdom is made beyond Judaea. No longer are they just gathering together the governmental authority in the kingdomnation, but now the offer of the kingdom is being made in Acts. Samaria is nowincluded in the ministryafter Judah and Jerusalem, but they are included nonethelessand He said, Before you get over all those cities, Ill be back. Why are they included in Acts 1? The answer is found in John 10:16, a very controversial and misunderstood passage. John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down m

y life for the sheep.16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. The other sheepwhich are not of this fold is generally said to refer to the Gentiles. If you study your Bible, you are going to find that wasnt what He was saying at all. The other sheepwhich are not of this fold being brought into the one fold, reers to the time when Ezekiel said that God would bring the divided kingdom backtogether and once again make them one nation. He will never restore the divided nation; rather, through Judah, He is going to establish the nation again in its p



romised land. Ezekiel 37:15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah,and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. One stick for Judah and one stick for Ephraim; He puts them together, and now He has one stick.

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and

one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: There will be one Shepherd, one fold, and one King. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring Those other sheep which are not of this fod that He must bring back, has to do with uniting both kingdoms into one nation.

By the way, in John 4:4, Christ says, I must needs go through Samaria. He is demonstrating that He has to bring these people back, too. Thats why He says that the spiritual harvest is ready. If Judah had gotten right, they would have gone to Sama

ria too, but they didnt. The nation that was there in the land, had they receivedit, would have gone to Samaria, but they didnt. That is the issue that is being pressed here. That is why Samaria is added over there in Acts 1:8.

Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. [I hope you dont demand better treatment than your Lord got.] If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub

And they did in 9:34: But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through theprince of the devils. Thats who Beelzebub is.

25 how much more shall they call them of his household? You guys are going to have tough sledding ahead. 26 Fear them not therefore: From here on in the chapter, He is going to give them some encouragement for the tremendous persecution that is going to be heaped upon them by the apostate nation and the Gentiles.



26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. Write down by that verse: Deuteronomy 29:29 and Amos 3:7. You will see that there is nothing that God is going to do that He wont make known to His people. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. There was a time in His earthly ministry when Christ told them not to tell anybody who He was. In Matthew 9:30, He said to the man who had his sight restored, Tell no man. In chapters 12, 14, 16, and 17, He does miracles, is transfigured before them, and tells them not to tell anybody who He is. But there was a time coming, after the Spirit comes and when they get their ministry going, when He is going to instruct them to tell everybody. Dont be afraid and dont worry if they hate yu because of what you are preaching. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. In other words, Dont fear men; fear God. Notice, God is able to destroy both soul and body in hell; a man can kill the body, but is not able to kill the soul. Clearly the body and the soul are not the s

ame. When the body dies, the soul does not die; that is, it does not cease to exist or function in its designed purpose. This verse is clear that the spirit and body united are not the soul. The soul is not created by the joining of the spirit and the body. The body without the spirit is dead, but you can kill that body and not kill the soul according to the verse.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. The birds out there get attention, but you have special, individual attention down to the number of hairs on your head.

Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Fatherwhich is in heaven. The parallel verse is over there in Matthew 16:27. He comes in the glory of the Father and all the holy angels with Him. When He comes to set up the kingdom, He says, I will reward you according to your works. Ill confess you before my Father, o I will deny you before my Father.

That passage is often used as a proof text for salvation today. That passage is not, is not, is not a salvation verse for the dispensation of grace. If it were, then salvation would be by works. I know that invitations are given to make people w

alk down front. They get all hyper and try to get the pressure on. They say, You need to be a man and confess Christ; dont be a wimp. If you are man enough to step ouor Jesus, Hell step out for you on judgment day. If you deny Him, He will deny you. That verse hasnt anything to do with us. That is a second coming passage about savation in regard to the kingdom. Confessing or denying Him before men has to do with the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.



Dont think this. I have often thought of using this verse on a Christmas card. I dont get involved in sending out Christmas cards to people, but I have often thought about doing that. All the cards say, Peace on earth, good will toward men. He say, Dont think that about me! You see, He understood what was going to happen as a result of His coming. He knew they were going to reject Him. They were in the process of rejecting Him. In Chapters 11 and 12, you will see His official rejection. It had been crystallized by that time. He came to make a division in the nation, to call out the believing remnant, and to separate the believers from the unbelievers.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Those are the worthy people in verses 10-14. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that loseth his lifenot for stupiditys sake, but for my sake, not for religions

ke, but for Christs sakeshall find it. That is important. Verse 39 is not human viewpoint. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life formy sake shall find it, is another way of saying, Seek ye first the kingdom of Godand His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you. Thats going to be the case in the tribulation, brother. If they serve Him, off go their heads. If you lose your life for my sake, dont worry about it; Ill resurrect you. But you cut and run and you are not faithful and you dont endure to the end, you are not worthy of going into the kingdom. First John says, They went out from among us because they were not of us. Christ was making a division between the believers and the unbelievers. Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiv

eth him that sent me.41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward.42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of coldwater only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. In this passage it tells how they are identified as representing the Lord JesusChrist. If you do it to one of the disciples, you are doing it to Christ. In Matthew 25 at the judgment of the nations, He says, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. The disciples represent the Lord Jesus Christ, but they do more than just represent Him. Come ov

er to John 14, and notice that part of the blessing of the New Covenant has to do with the spiritual identification of the nation Israel with her Messiah.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth himnot, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shallbe in you. This is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit according to prophecy. I know people wh



o make a mistake thinking that the Holy Spirit doesnt indwell anybody before themembers of the body of Christ. That is not true. That is one of the old sayings around dispensational, fundamental groups, but it is not a fact. People come to this passage and say, Thats got to be us today, but that hasnt anything to do with us John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because Ilive, ye shall live also.20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. They are in Christ, and Christ is in them according to the prophetic program. Remember that. That is the indwelling of the Holy SpiritChrist dwelling in them byHis Spirit, and them dwelling in Christ by His Spiritand it is all in accord with prophecy, (Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Jeremiah 31:31-35).

The New Covenant provides for them to be identified in Christ, and Him in them according to the prophetic program. John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Later He says, as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Luke 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: You see the oneness in Acts 2, 3, and 4. The one accord that they had, came fromthis spiritual identification together according to the prophecy.

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; My point to you simply has to do with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit according to the prophetic program. That ought to help you when you come over to Acts 9 when Paul asks, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. Some people say that Paul was persecuting the body of Christ. The body of Christ wasnt there before Paul. He was persecuting those people with whom Christ was identified according to the prophetic program. When the verse says, He added unto the church daily such as should be saved in Acts 2, thats what is being done. They are added unto the church according to the prophetic program.

When Paul said, I have persecuted the church of God and wasted it, that is what he

is dealing with right there. When he said, There were some in Christ before me, thats what he meant. They were in Christ according to prophecy. You and I are in Christ today, but not according to the prophecy program. We arein Christ according to the mystery program, but that was not the message that was being preached then. So these people were identified with Christ. We have finished the chapter, and I want to go back to verse 28 and point out acouple things to you about the body and the soul.



Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

In other words, Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Christwill do that when He comes back. I have talked to you before that you need to get the tapes on Eternal Judgment, listen to those six tapes, and go over the dispensational considerations about hell. Christ teaches more about hell than anybodyelse in the Bible, and the reason is that at His second coming, the wrath of God is going to be poured out in unmixed fashion on this earth. Three times in the Bible, the wrath of God is poured out without mixture. One isat Calvary where the wrath of God is poured out against sin on the eternal Son of God as a sacrifice for your sin. The second one is in the tribulation when they drink of the wine of the wrath of God, Revelation 14 says, poured out without mixture. The third one is hell and the lake of fire.

Often when you read a passage in the Old Testament you say, Thats a person in thetribulation. Then you say, No, that is somebody in hell. No, that sounds like Chris on the cross. The reason for confusion is that those three times are similar: when the wrath of God is poured out without mixture. When He talks about His coming and about the wrath of God, there are some tremendously important things involved for you to grasp.

You want to understand, in the verse here, the nature of the soul and the body.

You have three parts: a spirit, a soul, and a body. It takes those three thingsto make up the essence of a human.

There is a common teaching that your soul and body are the same. It is clear in the verse that they are not. Write down 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Job 12:10; Job 14:22 and Job 33:18. The soul and the body are not the same. Before the dispensation of grace, the body and soul are often spoken of as one. The following verses are examples. Ezekiel 18:4 the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Exodus 1:5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls:

Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast Leviticus 7:18 the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. Leviticus 22:6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even,and shall not eat There are a number of other verses, but Ill just give you those examples. In the Old Testament, the soul and body are joined, hence they are often spoken of as the same.

When the Spirit of God comes to indwell the believer at the new birth, one of the things that takes place is a spiritual circumcision. Ezekiel 36 talks about God putting a new heart within them. The way that new heart is placed in them is bya spiritual circumcision of their heart, (Deuteronomy 30:1-8), that is, the cutting away of the flesh. Their soul and flesh are cut loose from one another; the old man, (the flesh, the old Adamic nature), is rendered dead, not to be considered anymore.

You and I as members of the body of Christ, also have that spiritual circumcision, (Colossians 2:11), just as we also have a regenerated spirit which is the new



birth in Israels context. In other words, we participate also in an indwelling Holy Spirit, which Israel will have. We have a Spirit baptism that is different from Israels. We have a sealing that Israel doesnt have.

My point is that you need to understand that the reason that sometimes you readverses where the soul and the body are identified together is that they are joined. There is no new birth, and there is no spiritual circumcision before Acts 2. Afterward they are identified together.

You need to remember that, because people think the soul and body are one because of those Old Testament passages. This passage obviously tells you that they are different. If you can kill the body and not kill the soul, they cant be the same.That is a proof text that you need to be familiar with.

One: the soul and body are not the same.Two: they are joined. Verses like the ones I gave you, and others, indicate that in the Old Testament they are used interchangeably. The soul is often used todescribe the living person, but it is also used to distinguish it from the body. Her soul was in departing, for she died. Rachel died, and her soul left her body. Tats where Plato got the idea. He plagiarized it from the Bible and never gave theBible credit.

Remember those things about the soul.

MATTHEW 201-18T(Part 1, Lesson 28)

TEST #4

On a separate sheet of properly headed paper, answer the following questions using complete sentences. You may use an unmarked Bible to read the passages and look up references.

1. Explain the representative nature of the miracles in Matthew 8 and 9. How does this help us understand a comparison of Matthew 8 and 9 with accounts in Mark and Luke?2. Matthew 8:20 is the first New Testament reference to the Son of Man. What is the last? Explain the connection.3. To follow Christ required what basic determination on the part of the disc

iple?4. For those who followed Him, what great truth did the calming of the seademonstrate?5. How does 8:26-27 demonstrate the deity of Christ?6. Matthew 8:28 and Mark 5:1 seem to contradict. What is the explanation?7. Why does Matthew speak of two men in 8:28, while Mark focuses on just theone?8. What is the underlying dispensational truth being demonstrated by the miracle of Matthew 8:28-34?9. From 8:29 what do we learn about those who address the Lord by His perso



nal name, Jesus?10. How does 9:2 contradict the claims of modern faith healers?11. Why is the order of 1.) forgiveness, and then 2.) healing, so importantin 9:4-7?12. Who was Matthew, and why is his call placed at this point in his account?13. What is the meaning of 9:10-13? Who were the righteous? The sinners?14. What should the Pharisees have learned from Hosea 6:6?15. Who are the children of the bridechamber (9:15)?16. What important dispensational event is referred to in 9:16-17?17. What is the significance of Christs delay in healing Jairus daughter? Who does the woman with the issue of blood represent?18. How do the next two miracles, (9:27-33), fit into the dispensational purpose of Matthews account?19. What is the significance of thou Son of David in 9:27? Why is this titlenot so honored in 15:22-23?20. From among whom were the 12 apostles selected?21. What is the definition of the term apostle?22. Why did Christ choose twelve apostles, rather than, say, seventy?23. What special powers were given to the twelve to sanction their authority?24. The first commission to the apostles restricted their ministry from going to the Gentiles. Explain this restriction in light of John 3:16-17, 4:42, etc.

25. In light of Matthew 10:23, John 4, etc. explain the exclusion of the Samaritans. Why are they included in Acts 1:8?26. What special message were the apostles to proclaim as they went under this commission?27. Why were they not to lay up provision on earth for the future, (10:9-10)?28. How does 10:15 establish the fact of degrees of punishment for the lost?29. To what point in time does 10:16-42 especially look?30. When was 10:20 fulfilled?31. What is the end of 10:22? Why would Christ give such instructions to Hisapostles at His first coming?32. Explain how 10:23 locates the time of the going unto the uttermost part of the world in Acts 1:8.

33. How does 10:28 demonstrate that the body and soul are not the same, andthat the soul does not cease to exist after the death of the body?34. Matthew 10:23-33 are excellent salvation verses for today, and should be used at invitation time. True or false?35. Matthew 10:40-42 demonstrate that kingdom saints are identified with Christ as His representatives. True or false?


MATTHEW (Part 1 - 202)






Matthew 11:1-15. I trust that the lessons are a blessing and profitable to youand that the things you are learning are helping in your study of the scripture. I personally pray for you individually, on a regular basis, at least weekly.I trust you pray for us and that God together would use us greatly in the days ahead for His glory.

Gentlemen, it is an unsurpassed privilege to represent the Lord Jesus Christ onplanet Earth today and to be equipped with the Word of God and the capacity to understand that we should rightly divide it. I trust you consider it so. Everysacrifice, everything we give, is so insignificant when compared to what He gave for us and has given to us because of Calvary. God help us to spend and be spent for Him.

Our Father, we come now to your Word, and we pray that you would bless it to our hearts. In Jesus name. Amen.

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding histwelve disciples,

It is important to understand that all of Chapter 10 is the commission that He gave to the apostles. It begins in Verse 5 and goes all the way down to the end



of the chapter.

11:1 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.

Their cities, of course, were located around the Sea of Galilee. In Verse 21, He mentions a couple of them: Chorazin and Bethsaida, near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is important to remember that because all of this is connected with what has gone on before and with the chapters ahead.

In Chapters 11 and 12 of Matthew, the rejection of Christ by the nation is madeobvious and open. Matthew tells you what He taught them in Chapters 5-7. He shows you how He demonstrated himself to be the rightful king in Chapters 8 and 9. In Chapter 10, He commissioned His apostles. In Chapters 11 and 12, Matthew relates how Christ was rejected, and you see the opposition hardening. Matthew demonstrates that it is obvious that He is being rejected.

In Matthew 13:1, it has gotten to the place where He goes outside of the house and speaks to them the mystery parables of the kingdom. He finally puts distance between Himself and the nation. Youll begin to get into that here in Chapter 11.

Matthew 11:2 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?

Now, John is in jail and it is important that you understand the prison ministry of John. Go back to Chapter 4 and Chapter 14.

Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

We have already learned that He went up north when John was cast into prison.

Matthew 14:3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

14:10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

John is in prison from Chapter 4 all the way to Chapter 14 and then he is killed. When you get to Chapter 11, he has been in prison for a considerable period of time. Come over to Mark and notice that John had carried on quite an extensive ministry even when in jail. John was a fascinating character.

Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married h

er.18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

John was a pretty plain-spoken preacher and Herodias got mad. Listen, if you preach against sin you are going to have problems. When John shakes his finger under the rulers nose and calls him an adulterer and tells him he has no right to be married to the woman he is married to, she gets mad and has him thrown in jail



. She couldnt have John killed because Herod feared him.

Mark 6:20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;

That is interesting. Old Herod had been watching John.

and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper, etc.

Herod had many opportunities to have an audience with John and he heard him gladly. Herod did many of the things that John told him he ought to do, but when John ran afoul of that woman, off came his head.

In Matthew 11, John has been in prison for some time so his disciples come and tell him what Christ is doing and John sends a message to Him. It is not strange that Johns disciples and Christs would be sending messages back and forth. Comeback to Chapter 9.

Matthew 9:14 Then came to him [Christ] the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

My point is that there is intercourse among the disciples. Johns disciples come

asking Jesus questions. When you get to Chapter 11, it is nothing new for Johnsdisciples to come to Jesus to get some information. Notice what the information is.

Matthew 11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

They ask, Are you really the Messiah? Now, compare that with John 1:

John 1:29 The next day John [the Baptist] seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him,the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

Now, was there any doubt in Johns mind about whether Jesus Christ was who God the Father said He was? None at all. John clearly identified Him as the Son of God, the Messiah King. John also identified Him in Verse 29, as the Redeemer, Behold, the Redeemer shall come out of Zion. Christ was obviously the Redeemer to br

ing Israels salvation.

Salvation for Israel meant salvation for the world, did it not? What shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead for all nations.

In Chapter 11, John identified Him as the Messiah, and now John has been in jail for some time. Christ has been doing all these miracles and demonstrating that He is the Messiah, but John tells his disciples to go down and ask Him, Are youreally the Messiah?



John takes a bad rap for this question sometimes. People say, Well, John has fallen into unbelief. It isnt really unbelief but more of a little faltering in hisbelief that doesnt really indicate a lack of faith. Look at Verse 7:

Matthew 11:7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with thewind?

No, John wasnt somebody who was vacillating back and forth. John is right on itall the time. Well then, if John is steady right on and not a reed shaken backand forth, back and forth, then what is the answer? Look what Christ says about him:

6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended [underline that] in me.

John was offended in Christ. You have to put yourself in his place. He hadnt lost his belief in Him but he was offended. You ask, What do you mean by he was offended? Well, John is the forerunner of the Messiah and he says, Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The Messiah shows up and what is the Messiah supposed to bring? The Kingdom. There is no doubt about that. And, where is the forerunner of the Messiah? Hes in jail. John is saying, Are you sure youve got all this together? This is not what I was expecting to happen. This is not what I was led to believe.

Isaiah 28:16 he that believeth shall not make haste.

Johns problem was that he was confused. He didnt understand the delay in bringing in the kingdom.

I remind you of the lesson on Matthew 9 where Christ was on the way to heal Jairus daughter, and He was interrupted and didnt get there until after she died. Hestopped in order to heal someone else. He had another purpose to accomplish first. Then He said, Shes not dead, and up she came. He tarried in order to form the new nation.

John didnt understand the delay. It wasnt given to him to understand. His mission was to introduce the Messiah, so Johns problem was that he was offended.

You have to put yourself in his shoes. Why in the world am I in jail? Where isthe Kingdom? Johns patience was being severely tested and tried. Like Moses in the Old Testament, he was confused and couldnt understand the delay in the fulfillment of the promise.

There were a lot of things that John didnt know about, so he looked to the Lord for help. He went to the right place. He was a man of faith. If he had not had an unwavering faith, he would not have looked to the Lord for succor and strength, a word of encouragement, clarification and cheer. That is what he did. John was a good man.

The Lord is allowing something to happen in Johns life that represents what He is

going to do in the Tribulation period with this Little Flock of believers.

There is set before John the test that is going to be set before that remnant.The disciples go back to John with Christs response.

Matthew 11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.



6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Dont be impatient. Wait on me. The disciples were to go back and show John all these things they had seen and the testimony of the prophesied works that identified Christ as the Messiah, not just because they were supernatural activities.

The miracles with the blind, the lame and the lepers identified Christ as the Messiah, not simply because they were supernatural. You need to remember that.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Matthew 24:23, 24; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10; Revelation 13, 16. You dont have to be Gods man to do miracles. You can be the anti-Christ or the false prophet (Revelation 13 and 19) doing miracles. 2 Thessalonians 2; Matthew 7. You can be the devils crowd and do miracles.

The miracles didnt prove that He was the Messiah King simply because they were supernatural miracles. Rather, they demonstrated who He was because his works were exactly what the scriptures said He would do. His works were an essential part of his credentials. The scriptures said that when Messiah comes there were certain things that were going to take place.

Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Notice Verse 4 carefully: Your God will come with vengeance and save you. There is going to be a time of Jacobs trouble (Jeremiah says) out of which Israel will be saved.

Who is Messiah going to be? He is going to be God Almighty, isnt he? Isnt the Messiah going to be THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, Jehovah God himself in human flesh sitting on Davids throne? Its a fact that He surely is. The Messiah King is Jehovah God. That is who He is.

Your God is going to come. Dont miss the force of Verse 4. I missed that for years. Just after I moved to Chicago I listened to a tape by Pastor J. C. OHair, one of the very first ones I ever listened to, and he quoted that passage and point

ed out what I am trying to say to you. It burns in my mind as I hope it does in yours.

Your God will come and save you. Then (when your God shows up with salvation), then

Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:

When are those things going to happen? When your God shows up. When you see those things happen, who is there? Messiah is there. These are the works that Christ was doing. I keep saying that to you. They were the precise, exact verifi

cation of who He was.

What if I say to you, I want you to go to the corner of 74th Court and Belmont Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. You will see a man in awhite suit wearing a black top hat, carrying a gold cane and a black briefcase made of Naugahyde. When you walk up to that man he will have a briefcase in hisleft hand and walking cane in his right hand. You are to tap him on the shoulder. He will turn around and say to you, E pluribus unum. When you find that person, then you will know hes the man I am sending you to.



Now if you go down there tomorrow afternoon about 2:30 and there is a fellow hanging out and you walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder and he says, Hey dude. Crazy, man, crazy. You wouldnt go around telling people that he is the guy I sent you to meet, would you? Why not? He doesnt fit the characteristics or description. You didnt go at the right time and didnt talk to the man with the briefcase and cane, white suit and top hat who said e pluribus unum.

Christs works fit the description of what scripture foretold.

Write down Isaiah 29:18; 42:7; 61:1and 2. These are more verses on the Messiahsworks.

John 5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know,and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

The Book of John is written to demonstrate and prove that Jesus Christ is the Me

ssiah, God with us. (Isaiah 35) It is a collection of seven mighty works that Hedid in their midst to demonstrate who He is.

John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Folks, I dont see how it could be any clearer that those works demonstrated who He was. They were a precise verification. They were a clear statement on His deity, that He was God come to save His people.

The disciples were to go back and show those works to John.

Matthew 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

In other words, blessed is the man who will look at those works and understand that I am the Messiah and not be offended just because things havent worked out the way he thinks they should have. By these things, the heart of all Israel is going to be tested in bearing sorrow, trial and burden in the tribulation.

[Some leave Johns ministry] and depart because of the persecution. They become offended in the program and depart from the faith, as it were. They dont continue, so they dont get the promised salvation in the kingdom.

Please remember that when you are dealing with Israels salvation program, they are faced with more than the issue of spiritual life. Eternal life for those people is that kingdom. Christ said that the people who endure through the tribulat

ion will receive that life. Now, how is that nation going to be able to tell who gets that life? The tribulation period comes and they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. They were not really, truly, genuine believers. They were just professing believers.

Has it ever dawned on you, as you look at the controversy between Calvinism andArminianism, how a Calvinist says that everybody who is a real believer will persevere and be saved? That is exactly what the passage says about eternal security. An Arminian says that you have to persevere in order to get eternal life.



n a prophet.10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

You see, He is saying that John is more than a prophet because he is the one prophet that God said would come before the Messiah showed up. He is that prophet that scripture wrote about and said would show up before I came.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:

That is some statement, isnt it? How would you like the Lord Jesus say that about you? He wouldnt, would he? But, He did about John. He was the forerunner ofthe Messiah. He was personally commissioned by God the Father.

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me,

John was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mothers womb (Luke 1). Do you knowanybody else like that? I dont know of another mortal in the Bible like that: filled with the Holy Ghost from his mothers womb. Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:

Still, did John see the (promised) kingdom? No, he didnt. Why? Because the kin

gdom hadnt come yet.

11 notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

John was the most blessed and privileged, the most used, the most highly exalted man ever to come on the scene so far and yet the guy that gets into that kingdom is going to have a greater position than John. The reason is that the personin the kingdom is going to have a greater opportunity. He is not talking aboutbeing better individually, personally greater, but about having a greater opportunity.

In the kingdom, Christ is going to be ruling in their presence. The world is go

ing to be regenerated and restored and the nations brought to the feet of the Messiah. The New Covenant will be put into effect.

He says that the least little humble servant in the kingdom is going to have a privilege that John never had, and there had never been a greater one than John on the earth up to this time.

There has been nobody greater than John, but the least in that kingdom will be greater. Folks, that kingdom is going to be something.


Compare that verse with Luke 16:16. I remind you again of the fact that, beginning with John the Baptist, something very special began to take place in the nation Israel. There is a dispensational change, you could say, that takes place beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist.

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

Since that time is the time when John began to preach. Beginning with John the Baptist, the issue became the Kingdom; it was no longer just the law and the proph



ets. The issue then became the reception or rejection of the King and that Kingdom vested in the King, especially in Johns ministry.

From the days of John the Baptist until now, he says. Johns testimony had been violently rejected by the Pharisees. Johns announcement of the King had been rejected. His testimony had been opposed.


The unlawful usurpers of the Kingdom had opposed it and the violent [those who opposed it] take it by force. They are trying to take the Kingdom by force. If you want to see that, come over to the parable of the householder in Matthew 21.

Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, andstoned another.36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my so

n.38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

The rulers of Israel at that time were really worse than the ones who had beaten and killed Christs servants because they took the Son Himself, and they didnt hesitate to do violence and kill Him. Christ identifies that violent bunch of people in Verses 41-45 where they perceived that he spake of them. He was talking tothe religious leaders of Israel. Those people, the apostate nation, who are opposing the Little Flock, are trying to take over the kingdom.

By the way, the nation Israel is Gods inheritance in the earth. Come with me to

Isaiah 19. Seizing the inheritance has to do with taking over the nation Israel.

Isaiah 19:25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

The inheritance is Israel. Those religious leaders are trying take over and take control of the nation.

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken fromyou, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

He will take the nation from the religious leaders and give it to the Little Flo

ck. That is what He is dealing with in Matthew 11:12.


The nation is held in the hands of those religious charlatans, and soon enough He is going to remove the authority from them and burn them up in the tribulation. He will give the nation to the Little Flock and establish the kingdom.

Matthew 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.



14 And if ye will receive it [the Kingdom], this [John the Baptist] is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come.15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

In other words, this is a hard saying.

Notice what He says there. If Israel had received the kingdom, John the Baptist would have been Elijah. There is a good deal of confusion when you read in the New Testament about who John the Baptist really was.

In the last chapter of the Old Testament, the last four names mentioned there are found in Verses 4 and 5 of Malachi. This chapter is about the second coming of Christ (Verses 1 and 2).

Malachi 4:4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb [Mt. Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Elijah the prophet is said clearly to be one of the two witnesses to Israel, according to Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11. The mention of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 is not New Testament, brand-new information. They were prophesied in Zechariah 4. One of them is Elijah; the name of the other is never clearly given. He is just called that prophet. Who is that prophet? That is Moses (Deutero

omy 18:18).

Interestingly enough, you know who they are because of the last four names in the Old Testament: Elijah, Moses, the Lord and Horeb. All four of those names are associated with the Second Coming of Christ.

So, they knew that, before the coming of the Messiah, Elijah would come. What was he going to do?

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger [Elijah], and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

That is Elijah coming to prepare the people before the Messiah comes, just as the two witnesses will do in the tribulation.

Come over to Matthew 3 where it states that this prophecy was fulfilled in Johnthe Baptist.

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

That quote is from Isaiah 40:3. It is the comparative passage with Malachi 3.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: is Malachi 3:1



The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, is Isaiah 40:3

There is no doubt about those passages being a clear reference (according to Matthew 3) to John the Baptist. Who was John? He was a voice crying in the wilderness. He was Elijah who is to come.

Look at John 1, and notice what John the Baptist says about himself:

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

Now, wait a minute. Matthew 3 says, He is the voice; He is Elijah. John says, No, I am not Elijah. That is confusing, isnt it? Christ says, And if ye will receive it, this is Elias.

If that isnt enough, come over to Matthew 17.

Matthew 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias [Elijah] must first come?11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and res

tore all things.12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Christ said, Elijah is come already. What is going on? In Verse 11, He says Elijah shall come and in Verse 12, He says Elijah has come already. He is talking about John the Baptist.

The answer for all of that is in Matthew 11:14 and Luke 1.

Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

Notice the second word in Matthew 11:14: And IF ye will receive it. If Israel had received her Messiah; if Israel had received her king; if Israel had received her kingdom, John the Baptist would have sufficed to have been Elijah. But, because God Almighty knew they were not going to respond, He didnt send Elijah; He sent John.

This is the angels message to Zacharias, John the Baptists daddy.

Luke 1:17 And he [John] shall go before him [Christ] in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

John the Baptist was a type of Elijah who would have fulfilled the prophecy if Christ had come back. The focus in Acts 1-7 is the second coming of Christ. From the time John shows up until Acts 7, the issue is the second advent of Jesus Christ. He presents himself to Israel and they reject Him. They allow John to be killed. They demand the crucifixion of Christ and finally they commit the murder of Stephen.

Their wickedness gets progressively worse and worse. They should have gone andsecured the release of John. They should have hailed Christ as their King, andthey should have received their kingdom, but they didnt. They didnt because of th



eir own willful, deliberate, conscious rejection.

God, knowing what they were going to do, sent John the Baptist instead of Elijah. He sent him in the spirit and power of Elijah, and had they received Christ,he would have been Elijah. The opportunity was in reality given to them, but in their own self will, they tried to take it over by violence.

Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.


Matthew, Chapter 11. We got down through Verse 15 last time where we saw Lord Jesus Christs testimony about John the Baptist and his ministry. He continues on in that vein in Verse 16:

Matthew 11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation?

You will want to remember the term this generation because it is going to show upagain in the Book of Matthew. Keep in mind that He is talking about the apostate nation Israel.

Somebody asked me the other day if the apostate nation was the right term to use.It is not a scriptural term but what, to me, seems to fit. The nation Israel had departed from what God had chosen them to be. In Isaiah 5, He planted a vine in Judah. That vine grew up, but instead of bringing forth good fruit it yielded wild grapes. So, we are talking about the wild vine, the apostate nation, thenation that had departed from what God desired them to be. Those are the people whom He is describing here. He goes on to talk about the Little Flock that is being formed within the nation, that believing remnant which, beginning with Johns

ministry, is the result of the ministry of Christ and the Twelve.

If you will keep that in your mind as you study the gospel accounts, it will help you to understand the following events, especially when we get over to the parables.

Matthew 11: 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 mournedunto you, and ye have not lamented.18 For John came neither eating nor drinking,

Notice in Verse 17, He says that this generation is like a bunch of people sitti

ng in the market and saying, We piped to you and you didnt dance. In other words, e played music and you didnt respond. So, we thought you were mourning so, we mourned unto you and you havent lamented. It doesnt make any difference what we do; nothing pleases you. Have you ever met anybody like that? You did one thing and they didnt want it. You did another thing and it didnt please them either. What do you do?

They say, It doesnt matter what God does, nothing pleases you. You dont pay any attention to anything.



Verse 18 gives the application.

Matthew 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hatha devil.

John was separated from the nation. We have talked about his going out into the wilderness and spending all of his life and his ministry out there, separated from the iniquity of the nation, calling that believing remnant out to him.

The nation says, Hes got a devil. He is a madman. He is crazy going out there wearing camels hair and eating locusts and wild honey and looking like a woolly bully big beard and long hair. I mean, he is nuts. He belongs over there in the cuckoo nest.

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.

John is out there alone, separated, having no contact with anybody. Hes mad, hes crazy, he is nuts! Thats what religion does to you: cuckoo, cuckoo.

Christ came and he was kind to the most wretched of men. He was a friend of publicans and sinners. He went out of his way to be kind and compassionate with everyone in Israel, and what did they say about him?

His was the opposite of Johns lifestyle and they said, Hes a glutton and a winebibber. Hes just chasing a drink and a free meal. He is a friend of publicans and sinners. You cant please them, you see.

God sent John and he sent Christ, and they just wont receive the message when God sends it.

19 But wisdom is justified of her children.

That is an interesting statement that you need to understand. I want you to get the context in Verse 20:

20 Then began he to upbraid the cities

Who is wisdom in the Bible? It is the Lord Jesus Christ.

19 But wisdom is justified of her children.

When wisdom shows up, her children recognize her. They know who she is. When wisdom comes along with her children, her offspring. they recognize her.

Again, the subject is the nation. In Isaiah 5, Israel is called the vine. When John the Baptist showed up, he began to call a remnant of believers out of thenation; they are identified together through the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The Lord Jesus Christ showed up with the apostles and they are also rejected. The nation Israel wont have either John or Christ. They wont re

ceive John and they have him thrown in prison; they wont receive Christ.

Christ says, Wisdom (the program of God) is justified of her children. Those whoare wise accept the message, repent, are baptized and become identified together as part of that believing remnant. The children of wisdom recognize the message that God sent, and they become a part of that program. They dont go on as though nothing has happened. They recognize what is going on.

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities



He is blasting this generation (unbelieving Israel) and asks, But whereunto shall I liken this generation? They are like a bunch of knot heads down at the citymarketplace whom you cant please, no matter what you do.

God sent them John and they didnt pay any attention. John was a man sent from God, directly commissioned by God Almighty to go to the people, in fulfillment of prophecy. Then God Himself came in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and doesthat nation get right, receive and hail Him? No, they just rebel. They wont have Him.

He says, If you were as smart as you think you are, you would recognize what is going on because wisdom is justified of her children. The children recognize her when she shows up. Because of their rejection, we read in Verse 20:

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works,which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

You see, He is saying that if those heathen had seen what you have seen, they would have gotten right. They would have gotten right last Wednesday. What is the matter with you this Wednesday? You see? They are not getting it.

22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

He says that when the evidence of who He was, was presented, it was powerful enough to subdue Tyre and Sidon and even Sodom. He says that Tyre and Sidon and Sodom would have understood, but not they.

Do you see how hard and wicked and confirmed they were in their rejection of Him

? They were determined not to get right and they didnt.

Luke 11:47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and yourfathers killed them.

They were a bunch of hypocrites.

Luke 11:48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

Notice the words this generation. You are just like your ancestors who killed theprophets. You are doing it now. God sent prophets and apostles (the twelve), and you wont receive them. You persecute them and slay them. Who sent the prophets and apostles? It says that the wisdom of God sent them.

Wisdom recognizes what God is doing. Gods wisdom is recognized by her children,but this generation doesnt recognize what wisdom is doing and opposes it. Let me show you how some accept and some reject Gods wisdom in Luke 7. Wisdom is recognized by her children and rejected by the others.



Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Do you remember that being said in Matthew 11?

29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God,

They said, God is right. How did they show their faith?

being baptized with the baptism of John.

John came along with a message that said, Repent! Turn around; change your mind. Hear what God is saying. Change your apostate ways and adjust your viewpointto what God is saying.

The publicans and the people said, God is right and we are wrong. They come and identify themselves together through the baptism of John.

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers [this generation] rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Do you understand the issue of Johns baptism? Its the means by which the believin

g remnant is identified together as the Little Flock, preparing themselves to go through the judgment that is going to fall on the nation in the tribulation and go on over into the kingdom. The believing remnant are the ones who will be kings and priests of our God over there in His kingdom. The others wont go into thekingdom but will be burned up in the fire. They are the generation upon whom the wrath of God will fall while the Little Flock goes into the kingdom. Thats the issue back in Matthew 11. He is saying that there has been enough evidence given to this generation to have convinced Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, but you didnt budge.

Matthew 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

You see, people, the more light you get from God - the more information from the Word of God - the greater your responsibility.

Tyre, Sidon and Sodom went to hell, and they will be in the lake of fire along with these people, but it wont be as bad for them. That demonstrates those degrees of punishment based on the amount of light you have been given and have rejected.

There are several things to take note of in that passage, and I want to point out one of them in Verse 20.

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

These cities of Israel repented not.

21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works,which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Notice, Tyre and Sidon did not repent, but would they have repented? Yes. Thatis an interesting statement. They did not repent, but it says that they would have repented had as powerful evidence been given them as was given here.



There is something here about Gods wisdom and foreknowledge that you want to notice. People ask, What does God know and when does He know it. God knows all the possibilities in every situation. When you consider the foreknowledge of God and what He knows, you have to understand that He knows what they would have done if they hadnt done what they did. God knows where you would have been tonight ifyou werent here. If you had not done what you did, He knows what you would havedone.

God knows all the possibilities and all the different issues out there. He knows every move you might ever possibly make. He knows them and He has you covered. It doesnt make any difference which one of those avenues you take, His Word is going to come out right on the money because He is God, and you are just you.

He has all that covered. When I realize that, I think, Man, that is wild. It isnot like playing a game of chess with Him. It is not that kind of competition.He just knows it all.

Someone asks, Does He know which choice youre going to make? Yes, He knows that too. When He says that you are without excuse, you can believe you are without excuse because He knows you are without excuse.

1 Samuel 23:5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So Da

vid saved the inhabitants of Keilah.6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah, 8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, 9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.10 Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, asthy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant.And the LORD said, He will come down.

When David learns that Saul will come down, he leaves. He says, If he is comingdown, I am out of here. So, he gets on Interstate 70 and beats it out of town.

13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

When Saul hears that David has left Keilah, he doesnt go down. Now, did God say he was going down in Verse 11? Yes. Did he go in Verse 13? No. You see, God knows what would have happened if David had stayed there. David was in Keilah, and God said that Saul was going to come down and get him. If David had stayed there, Saul would have come down, so David left. God knows all the possibilities, even the things that dont come about. Now, that is important to see when you go

back to Matthew 11, because you need to know how God works. Look at Verse 21 real carefully.

Matthew 11:21 they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Now, that is what God says and He knows the possibilities. God says, They wouldhave repented. When you read that verse, folks, it helps you adjust your theological thinking with regard to what is commonly called the doctrine of election. That verse there just runs right smack dab into the train going down the track ofCalvinism. That verse says that people who didnt repent would have repented. If



the Calvinist doctrine that says only the elect can repent, then Tyre and Sidon were elect because they would have repented, and yet they wound up in hell.

So, if only the elect can repent then Tyre and Sidon were elect because they would have repented. And yet, you have the would-be elect lost.

You see, the term election does not refer to something that happens to somebody prior to their salvation. This passage is a classic proof text about that. The elect are never lost so a lost person is never one of the elect. You sharethe election of the Lord Jesus Christ when you are placed into Him by God, the Holy Spirit. Paul says that it is in Christ that God has chosen us. So, you wantto remember that.

I understand that there are a lot of different ideas, viewpoints, theories and philosophies about election. I try to be respectful about it, but folks, somewhere down the line you have to get into the Word of God and let the Bible be the authority. You cant let a tenet of a doctrinal statement be your authority, but you have to take your system and doctrinal statements and conform them to the Word of God. They are going to burn, but the Book is going to stand.

Now, dont go away from here and say, Brother Rick doesnt believe in election. I dobelieve in election. I believe in Bible election just like the Bible teaches it. But, when you read passages in the Bible with the idea that God predestinated

some people to go to heaven and predestinated some people to go to hell, you have to realize that those are philosophical and theological doctrines that have been developed by men. You dont get that out of a true understanding of scripture.

Notice the time elements. Verse 20: Then began He to upbraid the cities .

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whoms

oever the Son will reveal him.

Verse 27 is a classic statement on the deity of Christ. There has never been anyone else who has lived on the face of the earth dare make a statement like that, and if they did, they couldnt get anybody to believe it. But, Christ did and He got people to believe it. Hes the only one who ever said that and got people to believe Him.

and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father,save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

He said, We are intimates. Thats a great statement on the deity of Christ.

Notice Christs sense of humor in Verse 25:

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

You have hidden these things from the smart, wise, educated elitists and youve revealed them to little bitty babies - these dummies over here. The people out here have closed their eyes so they cant see, so He didnt give it to them but revealed it to just simple little babies.



Notice where it says, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. There isan interesting thing here about the Lords sense of humor. Sometimes you see books, especially childrens Sunday School literature, where you get the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ never laughed. I have seen pictures of Him holding little babies in His arms. They picture him looking down at a baby with a poker-face that could eat oatmeal off a two-foot gas pipe, looking at the baby as though he never grinned. I feel sorry for anybody who doesnt have a personality. TheLord did: He laughed and chuckled. The Word of God is full of His sense of humor all the way through, and Christ had one. His sense of humor is in evidence here.

Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit,

See? He is happy.

and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

He rejoices in spirit and He is happy. That is not like your telling a joke and laughing about it. He is saying, Father, I appreciate what is going on here. That is just like the Lord. That is just like a real man. He says, Thanks for the testimony. That is Gods wisdom.

Did you know that God, in His wisdom, has fixed it so that man in his own wisdom, with his own education and ability, trusting his own noodle, will never find God or get anything from Him? It is one of the most backward, out-of-step, out-of-focus things you can ever imagine to take the wisdom of men and say thats Gods gift because God says, You take all that wisdom of men and let me show you my estimation of it.

1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written, I [God] will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.20 Where is the wise [the philosopher in the world]? where is the scribe [the scholar]? where is the disputer [debater] of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,

It was Gods genius to fix it so the world by its wisdom, philosophy, genius and mental capacity couldnt find Him.

Here is Gods sovereign free will. If you want to know what Gods sovereign will is for salvation, here it is.

it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Isnt that wonderful? By the foolishness of preaching . . . You dont do anything; yu just trust what Christ did for you at Calvary. It pleased God to save them that believe.

Now, you talk about making a mess of the wisdom of words: that does it, doesnt it? Men like the wisdom of words. They like to think they have a part in it. God says, Ill show you. You cant get saved except by resting in what I did. Ill tel you what Ill do. Ill just let you go and try to figure it out the best way youcan.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

The smartest person you ever met is someone who quit trusting his own might, his own wisdom, his own power, his own ability to figure this thing out, pushing an



d shoving this thing over here and covering that thing over there and just forgot all that and trusted God and what God said to him. You people need to realize that when you do that - you might not have a sixth-grade education, or you might have two PhDs and a ThD; it doesnt make any difference you are doing the smartest thing you ever did.

I am not against education. You should understand that. Here I am teaching. I think that if you have a mind you ought to use it, hone it, sharpen it and make it the best it ever can be. If you have the capacity to go to school and get some formal education, brother, go get it. There is a purpose to it. You people sitting here in this building come to study, week after week.

The local church is a classroom for the communication of doctrine and teaching from the Word of God. We study, we learn, we educate ourselves in the Word of God and in the things that help us understand scripture. We are in favor of education, but you want to keep human wisdom, mens ideas in proper perspective. Dont forget that. The Lord just backs off over there. He sees these wise, smart, religious people and He just chuckles, You guys arent ever going to get this. Do youknow why? Because they wouldnt believe Gods word to them.

When you go out from here believing Gods Word and get out there in life, do you know what the adversary tries to do? He tries to intimidate you and make you think that you are a second or third-class citizen and you dont have sense enough to be ambulating out there in society because, you are not one of us. When they blo

w that smoke at you, just open the window and let it out. Dont get your eyes all teary and foggy and get to coughing and choking and forget who you really are.You need to have confidence to know that when you rest in that Book, you are resting in the wisdom of God Almighty and that you are doing the only thing that is wise in the world. When you do that, you are doing just what the Lord says you ought to do.

Notice that He says He has revealed it unto babes. Come over to Matthew 16, Acts 4 and John 7, and let me show you these babies.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

You know the old blockhead, Simon Peter. How many sermons have you heard aboutthe impetuosity of Peter, running off at the mouth when he should have kept quiet? He was always impulsive, and one time he had the sword out, ready to cut off a mans head.

The other day I heard a man say that when Peter swung his sword around in the garden, he wasnt aiming at big toes, he was aiming at heads.

17 Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Christ is telling Peter that he is blessed and in a special category. Peter got

a special revelation from heaven. Old dumb Peter? Do you feel sorry for Peter? No, you would want to be like him, wouldnt you?

Come over to Acts 4 and notice what was said about those apostles.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived thatthey were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

You know, folks, there is a lot of difference between being unlettered and ignor



ant, in the worlds sense, and being stupid. You can be stupid and have so many degrees that you think you have a fever. The wisdom of men isnt the issue; its the wisdom of God. Most people who have their mind and eyes set on the worlds wisdom, think that because they attain a certain scholastic standing in the world, they have arrived, but they have missed the real wisdom.

Its like the preacher who went to a conference, and he signed his name Reverend So-and-so, PhD. (thats Post-hole Digger). Reverend So-and-so, DD (Dumb Dog). Theold country preacher signed his name Rev. So-and-so, RFD (Rural Free Delivery). Thats as good as anything else. There is a lot of difference between having the wisdom of the world and having the wisdom of God.

Notice what they say about the Lord Jesus Christ:

John 7:14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

Where did this guy get so smart? He never went to our school. He didnt graduatefrom an accredited, approved institution. Where did he get to be so smart?

Dont misunderstand me and go away from here thinking you can be mentally lazy and not have to study and go to school. Youd better. If you are going to serve God

Almighty, youd better take your mind and capacities and use them and hone them and have them the best they can be. But, dont you ever trust anything except what God says.

When they are going to stake their eternal destiny on the decisions of life, wise people hear the counsel of the Lord; that is where you should put your confidence. When somebody comes along blowing smoke at you, assuming that if you had all their education you would look differently at it, and you probably would, but you would be the loser for it. So, it is interesting just to find the Lord taking on those kinds of people.

Go back to Matthew 11:25 and notice the time element. What was the time? If you look back to Verses 3 and 4, youll see that it was the time when John was uncer

tain about Christ. In Verses 16-19, it was the time when the nation was rejecting Him. Verses 20-24 was the time of their final refusal. It was a terrible time in the life of Christ with something important happening here in this passage.

The old-time dispensational Bible preachers used to teach that the fall of Israel took place right here in Matthew 11 and 12 because they recognized that the time of the rejection of Christ was there. We are going to see in Chapter 12, when we start there in the next lesson, that they rejected Him as the Prophet, thePriest and the King; there was a complete rejection of the Messiah taking placehere. When that refusal begins to take place - they turn their back on Him andwont have anything to do with Him - the Lord Jesus Christ finds His rest in justbeing submissive to the Fathers will.

Is there a lesson in that for you? He just looks up to the Father and says, I thank you Father that all of this doesnt take you by surprise, that it is just like you said it would be. And He rests in an understanding and complete, total submission to the program of God that was in operation at the time.

Down in Verse 28 is when He offers an invitation to the nation. He has been rejected; their judgment has been predicted, and now He extends an invitation.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will



give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The emphasis in the passage is Come unto me. Previously, He had been preaching, Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Now He says, I am the issue.

John 15:1 I am the true vine,

Abide in me and I in you; in that way, you can bring forth fruit.

He is the issue now. He is the true nation. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.

All you that are working under the Old Covenant, all you who are distracted withthe strivings of self-effort, I will give you rest. That is the great subject over in Hebrews 4: rest, rest, rest. That speaks of that millennial rest, but itis more than that. Before they can get the blessings of the kingdom, they findrest for their souls.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Ill show you how to have it. Where are you going to find it? Youll find it just were He found it: in submission to Gods will, Gods Word, Gods program.

Take my yoke upon you. His yoke is the yoke of submission, but it is also the yoke of rejection.

Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is notworthy of me.

Taking up the cross and following Him is not talking about some tragedy in yourlife or some sickness. You hear people say, Well, I have my cross to bear. I have a drunken husband or a brawling wife, bad kids or a sick momma, some terriblecalamity or crisis in life. We all have our crosses to bear. That isnt what the c

ross is.

When He says, And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, He is talking about rejection. He is saying, If you wont follow me in my rejection, if you wont come and be a part of the remnant rejected by the nation, identified with me, you are not worthy and wont get into the kingdom.

He says, Come, take my yoke of rejection. The yoke of rejection is the burden that the Father gave Him to bear. Come, join me and learn of me.

If you want to know how to bear it, look back to Verses 25-27. Learn how He did it: complete and total submission to God the Father. He had just manifested the most complete submission to the Fathers will that you would ever want to see.

He found perfect rest to His soul as He did it. He says, Come learn of me. Illshow you how to get through the rejection. Ill show you how to get through the difficulties and problems. Come, learn of me and you will find rest for your soul.

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The yoke, the burden, of His rejection was easy and light. There isnt any way that can be possible except it be the Fathers will. Do you know something? When itis Gods will and when God wants something done, it doesnt make any difference what



it looks like to man.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about our light affliction, which is but for a moment. When you see some of the things he bore, they dont look so light, but he saysthat when you compare them with what is eternal, then they are.

What Christ is doing is giving them some doctrine to store up in their souls that they can live by. The writer of the Hebrews says:

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

You havent endured unto blood, striving against such contradiction of sinners. It says, Do you see Him in His rejection? He had some doctrine in His soul that allowed Him to endure. He knew the joy of that kingdom.

Thats what you do: you come to Him, you learn of Him and you store up sound doctrine that enables you to see that joy ahead. You operate on that, and you endure the rejection and the contradiction of sinners.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I willgive you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you,

Again, Come unto me. I am the true vine.

Joel 2:32 for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORDhath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Thats it. Come unto me and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart

He is not self-willed or proud.

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

That is a great passage. That is a great invitation.

You will see in the next chapter that the Lord Jesus Christ was rejected; not just the Kingdom. They rejected Him as He offers Himself to them. Then in Chapter 13, He goes out of the house and begins to speak in parables so that generationcant understand, but the Little Flock can.

There is something wonderful and practical here for you to see: His absolute, total and complete submission to the program of God (just like in Matthew 4, in the temptation) that brought perfect peace, even in a time of seeming total rever

sal, because He rested in what God was doing.

My friend, you and I can rest in what God is doing today. We dont have all those promises of physical blessing that they had. We look around and we see the spiritual nature of the age we live in and understand that God is forming a spiritual body of believers; He is forming and building up the Body of Christ. Thats how He operates today, and how much more can we rest in what God is doing now andrejoice in it.




Matthew 12:1 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. Notice the three words that set the time schedule of the chapter. It is important that you notice at that time. That is a reference to what we have seen in Chapter11 about the change of focus. Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities Because His witness about the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven being at hand and the offer of Himself had been rejected, He begins to upbraid the cities. From this time onward in the ministry of Christ, He changes His tone. His ministryis no longer the presentation of Himself as King, but now He begins actually todenounce the nation.

In Chapter 11, Verse 25, He thanks God for having shown the truth to the remnant, the Little Flock, this little group of people who are not the wise and prudent, not the self-sufficient religionists, but they are the ones who just rest in Him. He thanks God for that little remnant that is being called out and He makes the contrast between them and the religious, self-conceited people of the nation Israel who were rejecting Him. It is that time of the nations doubting and their refusal and their rejection of Him that you come to in Chapter 12.

We have studied enough in Matthew to know that he is reaching into the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and pulling out little incidents and instructions, little snapshots of events and putting them together, not in chronological order, but with the instructive, dispensational emphasis in view.

When you get to Chapter 12, Matthew groups together some things in the life of Christ that demonstrate fully the enmity that His nation had against Him; the full manifestation of His rejection by His own nation will be laid before you.

In Matthew 12, you see where He is rejected in all three of His great offices. He is Israels prophet, her priest and her king. In Verse 6, He identifies Himself as one greater than the Temple. In Verse 41, He is greater than Jonas, the prophet.In Verse 42, He is greater than Solomon the king. The greater prophet, the greater priest and the greater king has come and is rejected.

Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

He goes out of the nation, as it were; He withdraws Himself from the nation, the house of Israel, and sits down by the seaside looking over the sea. When we getto Chapter 13, you will understand that the Sea of Galilee is often used as a type of the nations of the world. He looks out over those nations, longing for their salvation. Gods covenant with Abraham was that salvation was to go to the nations through Israel.

Israel has rejected Him and He is outside of the house. He is outside with His disciples, and He begins to train those men whom He has called out of the house with Him. He begins to train that Little Flock for the ministry they will have in H



is absence, after His crucifixion and ascension.

My point to you, as we begin and go down through Chapter 12, is that you are dealing with a steamroller of information about the rejection of Christ by the nation, by his chosen people.

Mathew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day From here down into Chapter 13, we are going to deal with the issue of the Sabbath Day, so you want to notice that this is taking place on the Sabbath day. In fact, all the events that follow take place on the same day. Matthew 12:1 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 problem here is not that they were plucking ears of corn. It is not that they were hungry and were getting something to eat. By that verse, write Deuteronomy23:25.

Deuteronomy 23:25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, thenthou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.

Moses had a provision for people in the same situation as these disciples to take of the grain in the field. They were not violating the law of God by plucking the ears of corn. That is not the problem because they had the right and were notstealing. That provision was made in the Law of Moses for the nation Israel. There is a technical point here about the ears of corn that you need to be aware of. You read in commentaries and hear preachers say, It is wrong to say they are ears of corn because corn, as we know it, was supposed to have been unknown in Palestine and Egypt at that time. That is what they used to think but in recent years, they have come to understand that corn or something similar was known. So, when you hear someone say that, you know that they are reading a handbook or commentary or a Bible dictionary that was written a long time ago and not been updated

.

The term corn in your Bible doesnt necessarily refer to what you and I mean whenwe see the cornfields out in the country. In your notes, write down John 12:24; Ruth 3:7; Genesis 41:5-7. Come with me and look at Mark 4:28. The term corn is defined and used in all of those verses as a representative of the kernel. This is not talking about the crop but the kernel, the meat of the crop.

Mark 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. First you get the blade, the stalk, then the ear and then you get the full fruit, the full meat, in the ear. That is the way that word is used even yet in certai

n instances in horticulture. We limit the meaning of words because of our limited understanding. If you live in the Midwest, you are used to going through miles and miles of fields of a particular type of crop. For these men, the crop was probably barley or wheat rather than what we think of corn. The issue here is the heads of grain - the ears of corn.

Matthew 12:1 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.



Now, thats the problem. It wasnt that they were eating the grain but that they were violating the Sabbath Day laws and traditions that the elders and Pharisees maintained.

Come over to Matthew 15, and notice what is said about the tradition of the elders:

Matthew 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash nottheir hands when they eat bread.3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Things are beginning to get tough. They are beginning to play hard ball with oneanother. They are accusing Christ of not keeping the tradition of the elders. Jesus says, Well, your traditions dont match the Word of God. Why are you worried about my disciples violating your traditions when you dont worry about your traditions violating the Word of God? There is a little heat between them now.

What you are going to find consistently in Chapter 12 and onward is that there is more and more combativeness that goes all the way over to Matthew 22. In Matthew 22, Jesus opens up both barrels at them and finally the chapter ends by saying

, No man dared ask Him any more questions. Every time they asked Him a question, He answered it. Every time He asked them a question, they couldnt answer it. In other words, they gave up. He beat them and then they just went around behind His back and planned to kill Him. That plot to kill Him began in Matthew 12.

In Chapter 11, he describes the contention and what the controversy is all about. There were those who were wise and prudent, those self-sufficient religionists, who had their traditions and customs (Matthew 11:25). They were trusting in the traditions of their fathers, and they rested in that. Then, there were the babes, those who had nothing on their own, those who just had to rest in what their heavenly Father had provided for them. There were two groups and that is the contrasthere.

In Chapter 12, the Pharisees came to Him and raised a question that focused on the issue of ceremonial observances. They wanted to catch Him on a technicality of their denominational, religious tradition.

You know folks, the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3, For ye are yet carnal:for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? Denominationalism - establishing a body of tradition and scholarship that must be adhered to, must be followed, must be honored or God wont be pleased - is a thing that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what you call religion. Their reliious tradition and their obsession with ceremonial correctness to the exclusionof any spiritual insight, faith and obedience, destroyed them. It was a blindness

that fell over them.

My friend, it is true today. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the mindsof them which believe not, And the way he does it is with works of self-righteousness, self-sufficient religious activity, performance, self-assurance. He seeks to destroy your soul and the souls of others in that way.

That is the reason we look not to ourselves but look out yonder to what God has



done. Paul says, Our sufficiency is not of ourselves, but it is in Him. That is whyhe says, Stand fast in the Lord and in the power of His might, not in your own ability and your own strength. You take your stand in what God has done for you in Christ. They are different dispensations but the same truth is here in front of you in Matthew 12. It is always about faithful, obedient submission to God, or else the tenets of religious totalitarianism (because that is exactly what it is.) Notice how Jesus answers them. He says that what they did was in accordance withscripture; He goes right to the heart of the problem.

Matthew 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read They had read it. This was a sarcastic rebuke, that is what that was. He asked, You call yourselves a Bible church. Dont you read the Bible? I told you last time that the Lord was humorous, folks. He wasnt humorless, and He didnt sound like Alexander Scourby sounds when he reads what He said. (Ill just putit like that.) Did you ever listen to Bible tapes where you get the idea that Christ was always sober and serious. I mean, He had a sparkle in His eye and a bitein His speech and a certain inflection in His voice. Hey, dont you guys read that thing you carry around with you, that thing you have there in your hand. Dont you read that? It was that kind of sarcasm.

Matthew 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, Dont you guys know your Bible? Well, you see, they did know their Bible. Thats thng. He was not talking to a bunch of Bible blockheads. They knew their Bible. ThatJew, when he was just little, started learning and memorizing it. By the time hewas older he could quote the whole thing to you. He knew the all the Decalogue, the book of the Law. Jews didnt raise their kids like modern Americans do, like the gentiles do, justletting them do whatever they want to - watching TV, listening to rock and all that kind of stuff. They had to learn it. They had placards on the wall and they carried around little cards in their pockets. They had to learn it and they knew i

t. Matthew 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he wasan hungred, and they that were with him;4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was notlawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? He says, Havent you fellows ever thought through what you are asking me? You are fussing at us for violating your ceremonial laws about the Sabbath day - how far a guy can walk and what he can do on that day. Dont you remember what David did?

That is an important illustration. Christ cites two different accounts in scripture (1 Samuel 21 and Numbers 29) to contradict the popular thought of His day. Hedoesnt just stand up and demand the right for His disciples to do what they do or defend them with Deuteronomy, but He uses the Word of God to contradict the popular tradition of His day and to go right straight to the heart of the real issue, that is, who He was. Notice Verse 6: Matthew 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.



Who is that? That is Christ. You see He goes right to the point. Do you know whats the matter with you guys? Do you know why you are picking on my disciples? You dont like who I am. The reason you are coming after my disciples and hy you are hung up on your ceremonies is because you dont see who I am and you wont recognize who I am. You are rejecting me. Notice how He does that. Matthew 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he wasan hungred, and they that were with him; That is back in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. We are not going to take the time to read that because the reference is given for you here, and you can read that sometime whenyou get an opportunity. You will see that David the King was rejected by the nation and he was running. He has been rejected and he goes to the tabernacle for refuge. He is hungry and he eats the showbread, which was intended for the priests to eat. He was rejected and was not where he ought to be: on the throne in Jerusalem. Because he was rejected, a usurper whom the people gladly received was on the throne in his place. David was rejected and he went in and ate the showbread. Christ says, Cant the Sonof David (Himself) in a similar situation (rejected of His people), enjoy the same privileges that God allowed David to enjoy? He is saying, I am the Son of David.

You know that there is only one man in the Bible who ever carried the offices of prophet, priest and king outside of the Lord Jesus Christ? That was David. You know David was a king. He was a prophet because he wrote prophetic psalms, and he functioned as a priest. He ate that showbread, and in 2 Samuel 6, he went up and offered burnt offerings and sacrifices before the Lord and God accepted them.

Moses was a prophet (a prophet like unto me, Deuteronomy 18) and a king. You do remember that Moses was a king, dont you? Deuteronomy 33 says Moses was a king in Jeshurun, but he never was a priest. Aaron was the priest. Saul was a king and prophesied and tried to usurp the priests office so God took the throne away from him. Sauls problem was that all the time he wanted to be a religious boss and a priest.David is a complete type of those three things.

Christ said, Dont you remember David? He ate that showbread that belonged to the priests. In a similar situation, cant the Son of David, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king enjoy the same privileges? What about the priest? Matthew 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? Go back and read Numbers 29:32 and passages like that. On the Sabbath Day, they were supposed to rest, werent they? Do you know who worked the hardest in all Israel on the Sabbath Day? The priests offered the morning sacrifice, sacrifices all day long and the evening sacrifice.

When I was a kid, I used to wonder when people talked about the Sabbath. They boycotted a grocery store and places like that because they opened up on Sunday. That was terrible. The Blue Laws forbade them to open up on Sunday. How wicked it was to work on Sunday! You dont go out to eat on Sunday because you are making the people work in the restaurant. I remember when a McDonalds opened and people picketed out in front of it. This was back around 1955 or later. I was just a kid and I used to wonder, If youre supposed to rest all day on Sunday, why do we go to church from 9:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night? Why dont we stay home and sleep lateand watch TV all afternoon? It didnt make any sense to me until I got saved and got



in the Bible. I found that, first of all, Sunday wasnt the Sabbath, and that it didnt have anything to do with me anyway, even if had been the Sabbath.

You see folks, the Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel about the covenant that God made with Israel. The priests in Israel, carrying out the requirements of the Mosaic Covenant, worked on the Sabbath day and were blameless. God didnt hold them morally blameworthy because they offered the oblations morning and evening on the Sabbath day. In fact, He told them to do that.

You see, the Sabbath was a ceremonial commandment. It was a ceremonial sign, nota moral commandment; it was a sign between God and Israel.

Matthew 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. He is saying that He has rights that are greater than the Temple. He says, I am the great high priest. Do you know what they are doing to Him? They are rejecting Him.

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. Who is the guiltless one? Christ is. He is saying, I am perfect. I am guiltless.

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. He is saying, I am Jehovah God. That is a powerful statement there about who He is.The Sabbath was a sign and a token of the covenant between Israel and Jehovah God. God gave it to them and said, This is the sign of my covenant made with you through Moses. When He said, I am the Lord even of the Sabbath, He is saying, I am thord who created the Sabbath. I am Jehovah God. That is what He is saying. The Sabbah is the token of the covenant between Him and Israel, and if you are the Lord of the covenant, who are you? You are God Almighty, arent you? You have to be. Thereis no other way to understand that. He is saying, I am Jehovah and I am guiltless; you are rejecting me because you dont believe what the Bible says.

Can that be any more plain? He is talking to law-keeping, fundamental Pharisees - Old Testament Jews who were making the Word of God of none effect through the commandments and traditions that they added.

Matthew 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. That is a quotation out of Hosea 6:6. We have seen that quote once before in Matthew: Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Anything He quotes twice is very important. Go back and study Hosea, as we did in Chapter 9, and you will see that that passage has to do with a bunch of peoplewho are trying to get saved by sacrificial works of self-righteousness. They were bringing sacrifices, but they werent bringing them by faith. They were trusting in their works, not in Gods Word. The issue with God wasnt the sacrifice but the mercy. It wasnt the means; it was the motive. It wasnt what they were doing; the issuewas what they were trusting in. In Romans 9-11, the apostle Paul explains what happened to the nation Israel tha



t caused them to be set aside by God. He explains it from our perspective in thedispensation of Grace. He looks back and shows why Israel fell.

If you want to know what Paul preached to the nation Israel in the Book of Acts, you will find it in Romans 9, beginning in Verse 30 all the way down through Chapter 10. He is describing what he preached in the Book of Acts to Israel and how they came to reject the Messiah and His offer, both in His incarnation in the Book of Matthew and also in His resurrection in the Book of Acts through the ministry of the apostles. In the first twenty-nine verses of Acts 9, Paul has described how God has cut off the nation Israel and has set them aside. God has interrupted His purpose in bringing in a kingdom through the nation Israel. He has delayed that plan and reshaped Israel from a vessel of honor into a vessel of dishonor. He has set them aside and has turned to the gentiles. Romans 9:30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness [they had the Law],hath not attained to the law of righteousness.32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence:

and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. There was only one time in all history that God Almighty laid in Zion a rock ofoffense and a stumbling stone and that is the Lord Jesus Christ and his ministry that we are reading about back there in Matthew. It is also his ministry through his apostles in the early part of Acts, but specifically here in this passage when He is in their midst. They stumble at him and reject him; He is an embarrassment to them. Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. He was a rock of offece. He was a scandal to the nation. It was a scandalous thing that this one would come and profess to be our king. And, they did away with him and they fell.

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Havent you read and thought about what your Bible says? If you just understood what your Bible says to you in Hosea. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. The problem with Israel was that they did not believe the Scriptures. They werentpaying attention to what their Bible said. They were going about trying to establ

ish their own righteousness before God by their works and not by submitting themselves to the righteousness of God, which is the righteousness of faith.

Because of that, they missed the Lord Jesus Christ when He showed up. They missed Him because they werent seeking Him by faith. They were going about their own works of righteousness. They were focusing on their religious activities and their duty. That is the issue He presses over and over. He says to them in Romans 9, something He says to them in Matthew and John 8. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel Just because you are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, doesnt mean that you are going into the Kingdom when you die. That doesnt mean that you hav



e eternal life and are a child of God. You become a child of God by faith, not by being born of the flesh nor of the will of men not by personal resolve. John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. It isnt the natural birth; it isnt being a descendant of Abraham that gets you in, but its being a descendant of Abraham who, by faith, trusts Him. He says to those Pharisees, You are of your father, the devil. The devil was their spiritual father though they were the descendants of Abraham.

I hope you understand that if those people, who had a religion established by God Almighty with ceremonies and ordinances given to them by God Himself, could do those things with minute correctness and yet fail to rest in the God that gavethem, how much more would you and I be capable of doing that? You see, the issuewith God always is our faith resting in His Word to us. The reason Israel is missing Him here is that they dont have that faith. They are not resting in Gods Word to them but in what they can do. Matthew 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. If you had known this, you wouldnt have condemned me or rejected me. The Son of man, the guiltless one, is the Lord even of the Sabbath day. I am Jehovah God. I am t

he one you are looking for. I am the one come to execute the covenant and make it a reality. Matthew 12:9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. You see, they are just not going to let it go. He whacks them right between the eyes about what the real issue is, and they take the punch as thought it didnt ever happen, and they just continue on. They watch Him and they say to Him, Okay, there is a man with a withered hand. Is it lawful to heal him on the Sabbath day?

There is an interesting thing about that question. They obviously believed He cou

ld heal the man. These men understood that Christ was going around doing the things that the Scriptures said Messiah would do. They werent denying the reality. They were just blinded and would not recognize him. They refused to claim Him as their Messiah. They saw the works but refused to believe the significance of them. Matthew 12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not layhold on it, and lift it out? If any of you guys has a sheep and it falls into the ditch, and he is going to die, do you just go home and let him die? You claim the exception that Moses gave you and go get him, dont you?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do wellon the sabbath days. Christ gives it right back to them. He says, You break the Sabbath in exceptionalsituations and God allows it. That shows that God isnt so much a stickler for ceremonial observances as you are. Do you realize that the guys He is talking to, while they were crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ, wouldnt go into a certain building because they didnt want to become ceremonially unclean? Do you see what religion will do to you?



John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. There is a religious crowd who understood what Gods Word tells them about being defiled, obeying Gods commandment about keeping themselves clean so they can eat the Passover and yet they were getting ready to kill the Son of God. When I see that, it scares me because I stand in front of people like you. I teach and preachto you, and I sit there and hear people stand up here to teach. We study and read the Bible and say we are going to obey it, but you know, the issue before God isnt our knowing a lot of verses and correctly doing what the verses say. The issue is the motive of the heart, the faith.

This is a bunch of guys who are doing just what Gods Word told them to do while,at the same time, they are killing the Son of God Himself. A good work is only agood work when we do it because God tells us to do it. We do it out of faith, responding to His Word to us. You have to be very careful about ceremonialism and that kind of thing. We have to be very careful about slipping into what I call Bible-believing ritualism. OftenBible believers can know doctrines in the Word of God and they may mean no moreto them than beads on a Romanists rosary as he flips them by, no more that a cogon a prayer wheel at some heathen prayer festival. You never want it to be a mind

less rite. You always want your service and activity to come from the heart of faith. You always want it to be the word of faith, not that self-sufficient activity that comes from the flesh. Matthew 12:13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. It is important to notice that he stretched forth his hand and it was healed asthe result of obedience to the Word. The man responded to the Word. He couldnt stretch out his hand, but when Christ spoke, he stretched it forth. The healing power was in the Word, and the healing came as a response to the Word that the Lord Jesus Christ spake. He did all that on the sabbath day.

Go back to Ezekiel 20 and Exodus 31. I want you to see this thing about the sabbath day because you need to understand why they are doing what they are doing with regard to the Sabbath.

Ezekiel 20:20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Notice that the Sabbaths are a sign between God Almighty Jehovah and Israel:

Exodus 31:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy tothe LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refresh



ed.18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Concerning that Sabbath (and those other Sabbaths in Israel) Verse 16 says, Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. The sign of the Mosaic Covenant is the Sabbath day. The reason it is one of the Ten Commandments is because it is ceremonial sign of that covenant that God madewith the nation Israel.

God never gave the law to you or me or to any gentile today. Romans 2:14 says, the Gentiles, which have not the law. . . He didnt give the Sabbath to you and to me as a sign. It is a violation of the Word of God to speak that. It is spiritual thievery for someone today to come along and claim that sign representing the Mosaic Covenant between God and the nation Israel. It is spiritual thievery for you asa gentile, a member of the Body of Christ in 1985 or 2010, or in any year, to come along and claim it yourself when God Almighty gave it to somebody else.

Nobody has ever changed the Sabbath. It is still the seventh day of the week. It is still Saturday. Nobody has ever changed the purpose of it. There is no such thing as a Christian Sabbath. God gave the Sabbath as a ceremonial sign to the nation I

srael, and these Jews there in Matthew 12 were hung up on ceremonial observances. They were not hung up on the moral laws of God, for if they had been, they would have understood what He meant when He said, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. That is what He is telling them. If you people were interested in the moral and spiritual issues, you would believe in me. But you are hung up on all this ceremonial correctness. You are as blind as bats flying backwards in a dark room - likea blind man trying to find a black cat in a dark room. You dont have a prayer. Your not going to get it.

Now, the Sabbath was a Jewish sign, given to Israel by God to indicate to them that seventh day the millennial rest. That seventh day was a type of the kingdom. It was given to Israel as a sign of that coming kingdom rest.

So, it is interesting that these men are focused and hung up on that sign of the coming kingdom, but they are looking at it in the wrong way. They are going about to establish it themselves, and not submitting to the righteousness of God bywhich it is to be obtained.

Matthew 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. That is the first clearly stated plot to kill the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the first time these guys get together to find a way to destroy Him. His response to that is in Verses 15 and 16: 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes

followed him, and he healed them all;16 And charged them that they should not make him known: He withdraws Himself, and from this point onward, He no longer emphasizes His public ministry. No longer is He out teaching the masses; no longer is He out teaching the nation, trying to reach them with His preaching ministry. Rather, He backs away and withdraws and actually gives instructions not to tell people who He is.

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto t



hem in parables? The disciples ask Him, Why do you speak to the multitudes in parables? You used to talk tothem plainly, but now you are talking in parables. Why are you doing that? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you [the Little Flock] to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. How many times have you heard people say that Jesus told parables to make the truth clear and plain so everybody could understand it. Do you see that is exactlythe opposite of what He says? He says, I speak in parables so they cant get it andjust you, the Little Flock, the believing remnant can get it. Not only does He begin to de-emphasize His public ministry but He also ceases to stress His messianic office. In fact, that emphasis changes almost entirely.

After Peter has proclaimed Him the Christ, the Son of the living God, in Verses16 and 17, Jesus says He will build His church on that understanding of who He is as Messiah (Verse 18). Matthew 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that hewas Jesus the Christ.

Why would He do that?

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he mustgo unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. He ceases to stress not only His public ministry, but now He tells them not to go any more and tell people that He is the Messiah. He begins to train those twelve men for the ministry they are going to carry on after His death and His ascension back to the Fathers right hand. In His absence, they are going to be His official representatives and take to the Nation a renewed opportunity of repentance. From here on, He begins to place His attention on His replacements because the rejection of the nation has been finalized. As Luke says, He sets His face to go to

Jerusalem.

Mr. OHair wrote a book one time in which he said about this passage: He is no longer going to the throne; now He is going to the tree. Thats exactly right; there isa great change taking place here. After they had been up on the Mount of Transfiguration and had been eye-witnesses of the majesty and glory of His coming kingdom, Christ tells his disciples: Matthew 17:9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. You see His Messianic glory is not to be testified to right now because His reje

ction has been finalized and He is on His way to the tree. The testimony in the ministry of the apostles has to wait until after His resurrection and during Hisabsence as He sits at the right hand of the Father. Well study more about that, but it all begins in Matthew 12.

Matthew 12 is a tremendously important chapter. Thats why the old-time dispensationalists of a hundred years ago placed the fall of Israel right where we are reading. They saw the traumatic events that were beginning here and winding up at Calvary.



Israel didnt fall here, but she should have. She should have been set aside for rejecting and killing her Messiah and blaspheming the Holy Spirit. (Well read moreabout that later in the passage.) She didnt fall, and she wasnt set aside, becauseJesus Christ, as He hung on Calvary, pled, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Christ trained men to carry on a renewed offer of repentance in the early Acts period. He has trained them during this time to act in His absence, and it is notuntil you get way over to Acts 7 that God sets Israel aside. When He does, it isfor the same reason. They dont seek God by faith; they seek Him by works and go about to establish their own righteousness. Matthew 12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,saying,18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. In Verse 18, he is quoting from Isaiah 42: 18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

He is going to go out among the gentiles and fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. Thisis my servant who is going to execute the Abrahamic Covenant, and He is the onein whom all the nations of the earth will find their blessing. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. Is that acceptance or rejection? That is why He does what He does in Verses 15 and 16. He withdraws Himself and instructs them not to tell anybody Who He is. Neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. He has been rejected. The prophets told of His rejection.

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, He is going to be rejected, and He is going to leave them. He is not going to doone cotton-picking thing till he send forth judgment unto victory. Thats the Second Advent. They have rejected Him, He is going away and He is not going to operate in their midst until He comes back at the Second Coming until Hesends forth judgment unto victory. In Acts 7, when Stephen saw Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God the Father, He was ready come back and bring judgment. Revelation 19:11 says that He comes back to judge and make war. Is that the Dispe

nsation of Grace? Not hardly. It is the exact opposite. God has interrupted the program in this passage. He halted the prophetic program and introduced a new one,the Mystery program.

Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. People take that passage and say, See? That is a foreview of the Dispensation of Grace. Since we began studying in Matthew, I have told you that every time you rea



d gentile, you cant think dispensation of grace. You understand that.

In Matthew 10, Jesus tells them not to go to the gentiles. Why does He say that? Is it because He hates gentiles? No, He says it because Israel has to be saved first. It is through them that the gentiles find their salvation.

Notice Matthew 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Come over to Romans 5, and see exactly how that verse fits.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: In the Book of Matthew, in Christs ministry, of whom is He the minister? The circumcision. Why? To confirm the promises made unto the fathers. 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, Folks, gentile salvation has never, ever, been a secret. The very purpose, the very intent and goal of the Abrahamic covenant, the reason God saved Israel out from among the nations was so that He could send salvation through them back to the nations. Through Israel all the nations of the earth were to be blessed. Christcomes to call that nation and to form that believing nation through whom the testimony would go out. He brings the victory and then the gentiles trust Him.

Romans 15:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thyname.10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, What is that next word? With his people. Is that how you get saved today and rejoic? Israel is fallen, arent they? Today we rejoice in spite of their obstinacy and in spite of their being set aside. Here in the prophetic program, the focus of Christs ministry is to bring the nations to Himself through the ministry of the nation Israel. Romans 15:11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye pe

ople. Folks, the Kingdom age is going to be the time of world wide, gentile salvation. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Notice what He is going to do: He is going to rise to reign over the gentiles. In him [Christ] shall all the gentiles trust. Folks, that is the issue in the kingdom program. Paul knew it. You and I know it if we believe what God says. That is the focus in the Book of Matthew in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thats the issue in Matthew 12.

God the Son looks out there and desires to see the nation be who He chose them to be so that they could reach out to the nations. That wont happen until He has sent forth judgment unto victory. When that day comes, He will certainly bring victory.

We live in the interval between His rejection and the time of judgment unto victory. We live in the marvelous day of Gods amazing grace when He has withheld the wrath and extended grace in spite of the obstinacy of man, in spite of the rebellion of the favored nation, Israel. Through their fall, through their unbelief, He h



ad made an opportunity to extend that salvation to you and to me.

At that time, gentiles couldnt say, Today is the day of salvation, because there wasnt any salvation for gentiles apart from Israel, and Israel wasnt even saved yet.Now you and I can say, Today is the day of salvation for us.

If you are not saved, this is the day for you to trust the Lord Jesus Christ and get saved. I hope you can see that if you study the Bible. There is more to it than just reading a few little devotional verses. There are a lot of important things in the Bible that God desires for you to know and understand. If you have never trusted Him, you need to do that right now. Dont be like those Pharisees who trusted their self-righteous works, their religious ceremonies, their ceremonial correctness, what they were going to do and doand do and offer to God - keeping the commandments - because that caused them to stumble, die and go to hell. The wrath of God is on them.

What you need to do is to come by way of faith, understanding that Jesus Christwent to Calvary and paid for everything that is wrong with you and rest yourself just in Him - not in religion - but in the person of Gods Son.

Those of you who are saved, this is the day of our salvation. This is the day that salvation works. How we ought to be careful to be redeeming the time because the days are evil.


Matthew 12. You have to remember the setting of Matthew 12. The context here i

s the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ which is already a confirmed reality in the nation. The tone of the Lord begins to be more combative from now on, more denunciatory. He begins to confront them in regard to their refusal of him.

We have been down through Verse 21 and so we will begin at Verse 22.

Matthew 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, anddumb:

That is what happens when one is possessed of a devil. He cant see and talk.

and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

The people sized him up. They knew who he was. As we have come down through Matthew, we have seen this time and again. The person Jesus heals is a picture, a representative, of the nation. When Christ does these things, it is sort of like a little advertisement that you see on TV, a short video demonstrating what is going on in the national scene.

The people ask, Isnt this the Son of David? Isnt this the one we are supposed to believe in and receive? The people have identified him.



24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Did you notice the expression this fellow? Do you ever notice when you get mad at somebody, you talk about that guy, this guy, that fellow? They do that to Christ and it is a derogatory term. It is a term of vehement disdain. The Pharisees are saying that the miracles he performed could only be of satanic origin because the one who performed them wouldnt keep the sabbath. That has been the issueso far in the chapter. This all occurred the same day as we saw last time thatChapter 12; it is all one long encounter. He confronted them with their obstinate, slavish loyalty to the tradition of the elders and to the ceremonial observation of the sabbath. They are saying that the one who did those miracles cant be from God. He must be of the devil because he did the miracles on the sabbath day. He wont observe the ceremonial sabbath. He cant be right.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts,

Thats an interesting comment, isnt it? How would you like to be opposing someonewho could read your mind? That wouldnt be much fun, would it? Arent you glad the devil cant read your mind? It would be a mess if the devil could read your mind and tell what you were thinking. The devil cant read your mind. You do know that, dont you? He is not omniscient. He doesnt know everything. He is not like God Almighty. He doesnt know the thoughts of your heart. It would be a problem if the adversary could read your mind. Well, here Jesus knew their thoughts, so

he says to them:

25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Now, the issue there is about casting out devils by Beelzebub. If you go back to 2 Kings 1, he is called Baal-zebub. It is spelled differently in the New Testam

ent, but he is the same guy, a pagan god. Baal means lord of flies and filth. It is a term that is used to describe Satan, satanic worship and part of the activities involved in Baal worship. Beelzebub is the lord of flies and filthy things. Of course, flies are in the air and Satan is the prince of the air. His spirits are called unclean spirits.

What they are saying is that Christ is doing these miracles by satanic empowerment and that he is an emissary of Satan. They are calling him the devils man.

He said, A house divided against itself shall not stand. That makes good sense.

You probably thought Abraham Lincoln came up with that thought, didnt you? You people around this part of the country think Abraham Lincoln originated everythin

g good. I almost got thrown out of a mans house one time because I didnt bow down and salute Abraham Lincoln when I walked in the door. It took me awhile to get used to that.

How many of you know where the quote, Let liberty be proclaimed throughout the land comes from? It is on the Liberty Bell; you know that, dont you? Its in the Bible.

What Abraham Lincoln said A house divided against itself shall not stand, he didnjust come up with a good line. In Bartletts Familiar Quotations, it is attribute



d to Lincoln. He didnt originate that; he was just quoting the Lord Jesus Christ. A nation, a house, a city, a kingdom nothing divided against itself is goingto stand.

By the way, that quotation Let liberty be proclaimed is in the Book of Leviticus,talking about the year of the jubilee.

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

The way Satans kingdom was standing, in the passage, is quite obvious; it was byhaving his demons possess the nation Israel.

Christ says, If I were casting out devils from the people of Israel, that would be Satan destroying his own kingdom. Satans kingdom stood by having his demons possess the nation Israel. He was having them go in and corrupt the nation and land of Israel so they would be unusable by God Almighty.

What was God going to do with Israel? He was going to restore his own authority over the earth by establishing his Kingdom and reigning over the kings of the earth through that nation. If Satan could corrupt the nation and make the nation unusable by God, then his purpose would have been accomplished. It is that easy. Satans kingdom was able to stand and perpetuate itself by keeping Israel inan unusable situation. That is what is going on here.

Notice the conflict here between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God.

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

The children. (That is a nebulous reference because you dont know who they are.) Some say they are the twelve apostles. That is possible because they are going to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel but thats a far-fetched idea that the apostles are the children of the Pharisees. Mark calls them sons.

Who they probably were, is mentioned back in Chapter 7. There is somebody there

who isnt with Christ: the sons of the Pharisees casting out devils.

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

There is that satanic counterfeit. As Christ points to them, he says, They are going to condemn you. They are out there counterfeiting Christs ministry. That sort of thing is always going on. There is a real interesting account over in Acts 19:

Acts 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews [tent evangelists going all over the country], exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spiritsthe name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

And then the man jumped on those guys and beat the britches off them.



16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Thats where you get the idea that he beat the britches off them. He beat them up and they left naked. He got rid of them.

:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall thenhis kingdom stand?27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

He is saying, Your accusation makes your own children condemn you, or at least makes you condemn them.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Verse 28 is important because when Christ says if he casts out devils by the Spirit of God and that is what he is doing then the kingdom of God is come unto you.That is the issue.

The focus in the earthly ministry of Christ is the battle between Satans kingdomand Gods Kingdom. Christ said, I came healing the sick, casting out devils, clean

sing the leper and raising the dead. Whats going on here is a spiritual battle between the kingdom of God that I am operating and the kingdom of Satan who has bound the nation. As he forms that little remnant of believers, a battle rages between the Little Flock to whom God will give the kingdom, and whom Satan seeks to destroy, and the apostate nation out there.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Notice the strong man in Verse 29. The strong man is Satan. The house is the nation Israel.

Look down in Verse 43 and you will see another illustration.

Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh throughdry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.44 Then he saith, I will return into my house 45 Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

The man in the passage has to do with Israel. The strong man is Satan and the mans house is the nation Israel. Back in Verse 29, Israel is the house and Satan, the strong man, owns, controls and dominates the house. He possesses the nation and the people in the nation.

Jesus says, How can you go in and spoil a strong mans house and take what he has unless you first bind him? If you dont bind the strong man, hes going to fight andoppose you. You cant take what hes got unless you first bind the guy and neutralize him.

Christ says, I have come to set up my kingdom and repossess the earth, but my conflict is with the adversary. I am going to throw him out.

Let me show you what will happen in the Kingdom. Spoiling the strong mans houseis the whole issue of the Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of Satan. During th



e ministry of Christ, the challenge of Satans kingdom by Christ, as He came to repossess the nation Israel, produced an epidemic of demonic activity and demon possession. The Lord Jesus Christ answered that fierce epidemic of demonic activity which controlled the nation by casting out the devils, by casting out the sickness and disease, etc. all those things that were inflicted by the demons.

The whole issue in all that healing ministry had to do with the conflict between God and Satan over the possession of the nation Israel. Possessing Israel wasthe way Satans kingdom on earth could stand, that is, by keeping Israel in a condition that God couldnt use them.

In this passage in Zechariah, you have the Second Coming of Christ, the settingup of the Kingdom and Jerusalem open to the nations for the worship of Jehovah:

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

When Christ comes back and sets up his Kingdom, he is going to get rid of the false prophet and every unclean spirit. So, when Christ comes, what does he do?He comes healing because, in the Kingdom, there will no longer be sickness. Nob

ody will say, I am sick. They will all be well. It is the day when he fulfillsthe promise that I am the Lord that healeth thee. In that Kingdom, the unclean spirit will be cast out of the land. He came bringing a foretaste of his Kingdom. The issue was the conflict between one kingdom and the other.

Matthew 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man (Satan)? and then he will spoil his house.

Satans plan was to make it impossible for God to use Israel to regain the earth.Christ comes and says, I am going to take them. There is a conflict going on there.

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

The issue is who. Christ. He said, You think I came to bring peace? I tell you, nay, but a sword. Jesus Christ was a divider. He was dividing the true nation, that true remnant, that Little Flock, from the false, unbelieving, apostate bunch. He was dividing them. The people who received him identified with him byjoining that little Jewish Baptist church that began with John the Baptist.

Last week we got some literature from a Baptist preacher whom I happen to know.He was really raking us over the coals, and he said, All these people have a neurotic obsession with water baptism. All they are out to do is to destroy Baptist Churches. He carried on like a wild man.

It is strange to me that a Baptist would accuse Grace people of having an obsession with water baptism. He calls us hypers. He said, The only song the hyper-dispensationalists know is How Dry I Am. I thought, How ridiculous can anybody be. Baptist saying that we have a fixation with baptism when that guy cant tell youwho he is without mentioning it. Heres a guy to whom it is so important that he calls himself by the name of Baptist. The word baptist means one who baptizes. You talk about someone having such an obsession that he has to name himself afterit. Its your hobby, buddy, not mine. I am not the one interested in it. You are the one who is obsessed with it.



The thing about all that is, when you get involved in preaching and teaching the Word, you find out there are things that divide people.

Christ divided the nation Israel. There was a Jewish Baptist church that beganwith John the Baptist, and if you werent in that church, the wrath of God will fall on you and burn you to a fare-thee-well in the Tribulation period. That is all there was to it.

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

If a guy doesnt join my flock (my church), it is going to be too bad for him.

Concerning, He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad, look back to Chapter9, Verse 36 to see what that means.

Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

Arent you glad it says that? Thats a good invitation, isnt it? Someone says, Butfinish reading it.

but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

So, there is something called an unpardonable sin. When the Lord Jesus Christ came and cast out devils by the Spirit of God, the Kingdom of God had come unto them.

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom brought by the Spirit of God. When the Spirit of God shows up, the Kingdom is there.

You have to understand that the Kingdom of God deals with and focuses on that spiritual issue. This is the second time that Matthew has used that expression.

The first time was in Chapter 6.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Every other time, until this point, Matthew uses the expression the Kingdom of Heaven, describing the literal, visible, physical, earthly blessings that are going to be given to the nation Israel in reward for their obedience. But, God Almighty is looking first at that spiritual issue of their faithful obedience to Him. When they respond in faith to him, then there will be all these physical blessings and rewards that come because of their faithful obedience.

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God,

In Luke, he says, If I cast out devils by the finger of God. When you compare the two passages, what does it identify the finger of God as being? One says, I cast them out by the finger of God and the other says, I cast them out by the Holy Spirit. Then, who is the finger of God? The Holy Spirit. That isnt hard to figure out.

That tells you something. When the Ten Commandments were written back there in



Exodus by the finger of God, who wrote them? The Holy Spirit.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Every modernist you ever met and every amillennialist that knows anything aboutthe Bible knows that verse. Theyll say, See? The kingdom of God is not a literal visible, physical kingdom. The kingdom of God is something inside of people.

Now, you look at that verse. The kingdom of God is within you. Who is the you? T whom is he talking (Verse 20)? The Pharisees. Is the Kingdom of God inside the Pharisees? You know better that that. Hes not talking about the Kingdom of God being inside the Pharisees. They are a bunch of unbelievers. The word you, is plural. Thee and thou are singular. Ye and you are plural. The idea is, I am within you, in your midst, tonight. Its within you in the sense of being among you. Its with you.

How is the Kingdom of God in the midst of them? The Kingdom of God is in theirmidst in the person and the ministry of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Itis made obvious and evident to them as he comes and proclaims the kingdom gospel, casts out devils and ministers by the Spirit of God that the Kingdom of God ha

s come to them. The offer and opportunity is there. When the king shows up, the kingdom comes with him. He is its official head.

Dont let somebody take Luke 20:17 and trip you up. I was at a pastors conferencenot too long ago and in the middle of a meeting of Grace pastors men I know, love and respect when we were talking, one of them threw that verse out as a challenge to something that was being said. He took it as though that quotation, the kingdom of God is within you, was Christ talking to a bunch of saved people. So,you have to be careful. We talked about the verse and we agreed, and we got itall straightened out.

You need to know what the verse is talking about. The reason I went back therewas to get at the issues of the Spirit of God and the Kingdom of God. Christ co

mes and ministers by the Spirit of God and the Kingdom of God is there.

Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Please notice the sin and blasphemy in Verse 31 and 32. Blasphemy means to speak evil against. The sin involved in the passage is a sin of speech. It is talking about somebody who speaks against the Holy Ghost. Then I know something: I know that the unpardonable sin is not murder; the unpardonable sin is not adulter

y; the unpardonable sin is not refusing to believe; the unpardonable sin is notpersecuting the church, ad infinitum. It isnt all those things. The reason people get all upset and think they have committed the unpardonable sin is because,for almost 1,500 years, the Roman Catholic Church has been telling people that there are two kinds of sins: mortal and venial. For one (mortal), you cant get forgiveness and for the other you can. They use that passage to prove it.

32 shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.



Therefore, they say there are some sins you cant get forgiveness for in the world to come, and there are some you can get forgiveness for in the world to come, so you have a second chance. You can pray people out of purgatory. All kinds of wild and woolly things come out of that passage.

And that isnt the half of it; when you get over into Protestant circles, you will see this passage constantly misused when the gospel is being presented, sayingthat God has drawn a line out there and if you cross that line, you cant ever getsaved, so dont you go out of here tonight without walking down this aisle and taking my hand and trusting Christ as your Saviour. You need to come tonight before you cross Gods unseen deadline. You get all kinds of wild variations on that verse.

So, you should look carefully at this passage.

Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Then, there is a sin that is not going to be forgiven to some people. What is it?

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,

neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

The sin is a speaking sin, and it is speaking against the Holy Spirit.

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

(Chart) You have the ministry of the Lord Jesus. He goes to Calvary and he dies there. As he hangs on the cross, dying in shame and agony for the sins of the world, he looks out over the people who stand at the foot of the cross and he says, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. They cry, Away with him. We will have no king but Caesar. They speak against him and reject him. They demand that Herod take him and kill him. And he says, Father, forgive them.

Let me tell you something. It is clear that the unpardonable sin was not committed in Matthew to John. Do you know how I know it is clear? I know because Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary secured forgiveness for the nation. Had theyblasphemed and committed the unpardonable sin at that point in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? If they had, could he have gotten forgiveness for them? The answer is no.

1. The unpardonable sin is a speaking sin. It is not murder, adultery, persecution, fornication or whatever. Its an attitude that is demonstrated by speakingagainst the Holy Ghost. It is a specific type of sin.

2. It is not committed in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. We know it from Luke 23

:34. On Calvarys cross, Jesus Christ secured forgiveness for the nation.

3. The unpardonable sin is not committed today, in the dispensation of the grace of God. The apostle Paul, at the beginning of the dispensation said,

1 Timothy 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came



into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Was Paul a blasphemer? Yes. Did Paul get saved? Yes. Then, my friend, blaspheming in the Dispensation of Grace, even blasphemy against God the Holy Spirit,is forgiven. Christ ascends into heaven. The Holy Spirit comes down and empowers the ministry of the apostles. That Little Flock goes out with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul blasphemes against the ministry of God the Holy Spiritin that Little Flock, but God Almighty still saves him. Back in Matthew 12, itsays that a man wont get forgiveness for that sin, not in this world nor in the world to come.

One of the ways I know that a new dispensation is introduced here, and that it started with the ministry of the apostle Paul, is because God had to start something new in order to save Paul because he was a blasphemer. Paul was in line for the curse, and Matthew 12 says there isnt any forgiveness under the law system,either in this world or in the millennial age (the world to come). Therefore God had to insert a secret dispensation of grace thereby to save Paul.

That is one of the strongest arguments I know of to demonstrate that the Body of Christ and the Dispensation of Grace began with the ministry of the apostle Paul. There had to have been a dispensational change involved in his salvation; he

could not have been saved in the prophesied program.

I know the unpardonable sin was not committed in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.I know it isnt committed in the Dispensation of Grace. Nobody today has any possibility of going out and committing the unpardonable sin of Matthew 12.

Then, what in the world is it? Come with me over to Luke 19.

Luke 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

There is something that is going to happen in the Acts period. Jesus Christ goes away and sends the Holy Spirit back down on the Little Flock and sends them out to occupy and literally to possess the nation until he returns to set up his Kingdom.

The nation Israel, rather than responding to witness of the servants, hate him and say, We will not have this man reign over us. They said it at his incarnation and they say it now here in Acts 7. They send a messenger back up into heaven

and that messenger says, We will not have this man reign over us. Come back to Acts 7 and see it happen.

Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin, the religious leaders of Israel and he proclaims to them the opportunity that is extended to them. He proclaims it to them, being full of faith and power of the Holy Ghost. (Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Acts 6: 5, 8) He stood there with his face transformed as it had been the face of an angel, and he began to proclaim the message to them in Chapter 7.



Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Their fathers rejected and killed the prophets, blasphemed them and wouldnt havethem, and now these men were doing the same thing. They gnashed on Stephen with their teeth and picked up stones and stoned him.

55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, andsaw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

They killed him and he fell asleep. The nation Israel sent the message that the parable talks about: We will not have this man reign over us. They wont have him.

My friend, they speak against the Son of man at the cross, and they get forgiveness as Christ said they would. But here they blaspheme against God the Holy Spirit. They reject his witness in the apostles, they persecute them, they blaspheme against them, and that nation commits the unpardonable sin with the stoning of Stephen. Thats why God takes the kingdom from the nation and gives it to the Little Flock. The wrath of God will burn up the apostate nation in the Tribulation.

Notice He says, Not in this world neither in the world to come. This is the sin t

hat the nation committed in the Book of Acts, and they fell, but it is also a sin the nation can commit in the Tribulation.

You need to recognize that the unpardonable sin has to do with a sin that the nation commits. When he says that whosoever does it, he is talking about the people in Israel. The individuals had the personal responsibility and opportunity ofjoining the Little Flock of believers. Those who didnt, joined that unbelieving, apostate group and rejected the counsel of God against themselves and the wrath will get them.

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

That is what Jesus told them back in the Sermon on the Mount.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Christs estimation of them is that they are vipers and that their works demonstrate who they are. He has just told them in Verses 34 and 35 that the words revea

l their heart.

Someone has said, What is in the well of the heart will soon come up through thebucket of the mouth. That is true and will be demonstrated.

He said, Whichever of those two groups you are in and who you are will be made manifest through your mouth because the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a speaking sin. You can have all the outward righteousness of that Pharisee and yet sin with your mouth. Your mouth will reveal what is inside.



Folks, that is the absolute truth that you never want to forget about how your mouth reveals what is inside of you.

MATTHEW 202-5(Lesson 33)

Matthew 12. I want to go back over a couple verses we looked at last time. Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall beforgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. When we looked at this passage in the last lesson, we focused on the issue of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

A question arose after the lesson last week: Did Paul really blaspheme God the Holy Spirit? Youll remember, I pointed out to you that the apostle Paul blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and when he did that he alienated himself from any hope he might have had through the nation Israel. As an Israelite, Paul had a hope in God, but when he blasphemed against the Spirit of God, he, like his nation, lost that hope. 32 whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. There is time past which is a description that Paul uses in Ephesians 2, for things that happened before the Body of Christ came on the scene. Then, there is but nowand the ages to come.

In time past, the Lord Jesus Christ showed up and ministered to the nation Israel. He died at Calvary, ascended to heaven and sent back the Holy Spirit. Matthew to John is before the cross and the Book of Acts comes after. But now begins with the ministry of the apostle Paul and covers the dispensation of the grace of God,in which the Body of Christ is being formed. The ages to come has to do with the time of the tribulation wrath, the second coming of Christ, the kingdom and on out into the ages beyond that.

Back in time past, in his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ said that if they blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, it would not be forgiven them in this world, neither in the world to come.

But now is described as a mystery - a parenthetical, secret age - that isnt involved in the prophetic program, that is, in time past or the ages to come. Israel spoke against Christ, and they hanged him on the tree. Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. The Holy Ghost came in Acts 2 and witnessed to the nation through that little group of believers. When theapostle Paul came along, he was a part of his nation that blasphemed against Christ in Acts.



Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with speaking against the ministry ofthe Holy Spirit in the apostles.

Mark 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to say that the person bearing the testimony has an unclean spirit. They blasphemed against the witness that Christ bore inhis ministry, and they said that he had an unclean spirit. But, in Acts, they blasphemed against the witness of the Holy Spirit. The blasphemy against the Son ofman is forgiven them at Calvary. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

But, in Acts, when they blasphemed against the witness that the apostles gave forth, that testimony of the Holy Spirit through the Little Flock, then there wasno hope for them. There was no rescue for them, either then or in the kingdom, butonly eternal damnation.

I want you to understand how they blasphemed against the Holy Ghost.

Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Notice: they are resisting the testimony of the Spirit of God like their fathersdid. Nehemiah 9:30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. Do you see how God bore testimony to the people? How did he do it? It was by his Spirit in his prophets. You see, folks, the Holy Spirit didnt just come down in a f

og and send out a communication out of a cloud. God the Holy Spirit came into some people and through them bore testimony to the nation. That is what was going on back in Acts 2-7. When you get to Chapter 7, the nation blasphemed against the Holy Spirit. You know what it means when you get three strikes, dont you? You know what it means when you get three outs. (Cub fans always know that. J) God the Father bore testimony to the nation Israel through John the Baptist. God the Son came, and they nailed him to the tree. God the Holy Spirit came with the last offer for the nation to get right, the last chance for the nation to respond, and they blasphemed him. Eternal damnation was all that was left to them in Acts. Wrath was the onlything remaining for anyone who refused the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The next thing to come upon that nation was wrath.

In Acts 2, when Peter says, Save yourselves from this untoward generation, that is, the generation on which the wrath of God is going to fall. How were they to save themselves from that untoward generation? They were to become a member of the Little Flock. Israel was the people who were to save themselves from the wrath of God in the tribulation by joining this Little Flock, the believing remnant. The Spirit of God is borne by that believing remnant. As the believing Israelites get into it, a Jewish Baptist church begins. John the Baptist opens the door, which is the baptis



m of repentance for remission of sins. There is salvation into the kingdom by entering that little group, but the unbelieving nation will be burned up when the wrath of God falls on them. Paul was a member of this blaspheming nation for whom there wasnt any hope in the kingdom program. So, when the Lord Jesus Christ appears to Paul on the road to Damascus, saves him, gives him a revelation and sends him forth as the minister of his grace, he introduces a new program, a new dispensation, a new order. It was necessary for a new program to be introduced in order for Paul to be saved. In Ephesians 1, he says, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. If it hadnt been for the introduction of his grace and the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Paul would never have been able to have forgiveness of sins. You cannot commit the unpardonable sin today. The only sin a person commits today that makes all other sins unpardonable is unbelief. Unbelief is not the unpardonable sin, you understand. You can be an unbeliever, and not believe, and not believe, and then believe and get saved. Dying without the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour means that you pay for yourown sins. The only thing unpardonable today is to not trust the Saviour.

In Matthew 12, there was a sin that wouldnt be forgiven them, and that is the sin

that is spoken of in Acts. Come to John 12. Here is a passage we will go over next time in detail but Ill introduce it to you tonight.

John 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Notice: Jesus Christ preaches to the nation Israel in Matthew, Chapters 4 through 12. They dont believe on him that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by IsaiahBy John 12:39, write down Proverbs 29:1.

Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Where does the hard neck come from? Where does a hard heart come from? He, that being often reproved and doesnt believe, is hardened.

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. From this point in Matthew 12, where we are reading, to the end of Matthew, it is impossible for them to believe. He blinded the nation Israel so that they cruci

fied the Lord Jesus Christ. They did it ignorantly and in unbelief, and Christ could pray, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He blinded them, andthey didnt understand. They refused it, refused it, refused it, and hardness cameupon them, and he blinded them so they would kill the Son. They did crucify the Messiah and that did accomplish Gods purpose. He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Jesus Christ s the only human being who ever set foot on this earth with his absolute, total, complete destiny fixed before he ever got here. He went to Calvary according tothe determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, but those people who nailed hi



m there spent week after week, year after year, chapter after chapter with opportunity to believe. They wouldnt believe, they wouldnt believe, they wouldnt believe and then he confirms them in that unbelief and blinds them. Well see in Chapter 13 that he begins to teach them in a special way so they cannot understand the truth.

Up until this time in Matthew 12, they have been given opportunity. As I have said before, the old-time dispensationalists placed the fall of Israel in Matthew 11 and 12 because they recognized something taking place in Israel. The blindnesshad settled in on them. They refused to believe so He confirmed them in that unbelief and God blinded them. He hardened them. How are they hardened? It isnt just soething God did arbitrarily. He didnt just reach down and say, You, here, cant get sd, but you, over there, can. It is never that way. Some people believe that this guy can get saved and that guy cant. God never did anything like that. The explanation is in Proverbs 29:1.

(Always look for a verse to explain things for you when you dont understand. Whenyou find the verse, then believe the verse and stand on the verse.) Do you know how I know that God doesnt arbitrarily harden one man so that he cannever get saved and never gives him an opportunity to get saved? Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Do you know who hardens his neck? The man who wont believe, wont believe and wont blieve. John quotes Isaiah as saying that if they wont believe, therefore God fixes it so they cant believe. Light rejected becomes lightning. It kills you.

I have been telling you that there is something critical going on here in Matthew 12. That is the reason the issue of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is emphasized here. They blaspheme against the Son of man, and it will be forgiven them becauseGod blinded them so that they would crucify him. God blinded their minds in response to their unbelief so they would crucify the Messiah. He said that, because I blinded you, I will allow you to have another chance, a renewed opportunity.

When Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit gave that nation a renewed opportunity. In f

act, in Acts, Peter doesnt accuse them of murdering him. He said, It was not murder but manslaughter; you did it in ignorance. He changes the charge from murder to manslaughter and gives them an opportunity to flee to the cities of refuge, as in Hebrews 6:18, where it says they fled to Christ for salvation.

There is a lot of typology in that and I hope you follow it. If you didnt, write it down and work on it and maybe sometime you will remember that you heard it.

The Word of God just dovetails all together like that. Now go back to Matthew 12.

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

He is telling them just what John the Baptist told them: Bring forth fruits for repentance. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? He calls these people a generation of vipers. That is Christs estimation of the leaders of the nation Israel at this time. You need to notice that issue of the generation of vipers.



Matthew 23:31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. [Blaspheme the Son and kill him.]33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Thats pretty tough language, isnt it? Come over to Acts 3 and notice how Peter changes their description from snakes, vipers and serpents back to children.

Acts 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant They have had a renewed opportunity of repentance and restoration extended to them. By the time you come to the end of the Book of Acts, there is an interestinglittle incident that takes place in Acts 28. Acts 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped thesea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Remember the passage back in Mark 16 about their taking up serpents and being unharmed? Some people handle snakes based on that verse. In Exodus 4, when Moses was prepared and commissioned to go and stand before Pharaoh and declare, Let my peo

ple go, one of the signs he was given was taking up a serpent. In Mark 16, when the apostles were getting ready to be commissioned to go and stand before Caesar in Rome and say, Let my people go, one of the signs they were given to accredit them was taking up serpents. In this passage here, its a little different. Rather than taking up a serpent, the serpent attacks Paul. It comes out and grabs him and fastens itself on him. The heathen see it and say, Ah, thats a bad guy. Hes going to die. Paul shakes that se off into the fire and the fire consumes it. By that verse, you want to write down 1 Thessalonians 2:16 where the apostle describes the nation Israel: 1 Thessalonians 2:16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the utterm

ost.

What you have there in Acts 28, is an illustration of the nation Israel being cast off into the fire of Gods judgment. That is exactly what happens in Acts 28. Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, You see the official climax of the fall and the beginning of the diminishing ofthe nation Israel right there. They are just shaken off into the fire of Gods judgment.

Now they are serpents again. Their status has changed back, and they blaspheme the Holy Spirit here. They were serpents here in Acts, and they rejected him. Then they are children again with a renewed opportunity. They reject him again and Godsets that nation aside and introduces a new program where there is salvation onthe basis of grace to all men without any distinction as to race, religion, creed or anything else.< Matthew 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give



account thereof in the day of judgment.37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. There are a lot of practical and interesting things in that passage. Do you remember when we had about a forty-minute, verse-by-verse study of expressions that people use in daily speech that come right out of the Bible? People dont even knowthey are quoting the Bible when they quote those. That reference is even to the idle words. In other words, when you speak unguardedly your heart speaks. What is inside of you is revealed. Your words disclose what is in your heart. Notice what happens to them in Verse 38. Matthew 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered [changing the subject], saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seekethafter a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: What in the world is he talking about? That verse kind of confuses people sometimes. They ask for a sign. Why didnt he give them a sign? Well, he had just spent Chaters 4 - 12 giving them signs. Did they believe any of them? Had they accepted any of them? Look back to Verse 22.

Matthew 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.23 And all the people were amazed 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. They had been given sign, after sign, after sign, and they had rejected every one of them. Remember, this whole chapter is on one occasion. This was not spread over a long period of time. This all took place in a day. Matthew 12:13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might [get

everybody to believe on him?] Is that what Verse 14 says? Not on your life! You see, they had made a hypocritical request in Verse 38 with an evil design. They had already been given sign, after sign, after sign, and they had rejected every one of them.

Matthew 12:39 An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. That sign of Jonas is repeated again in Chapter 16.

Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. They are not honest about it. They are trying to tempt and challenge Jesus. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?



He says, You guys can predict the weather by the clouds at sunset, but dont you have any spiritual perception to see the signs of the times? The signs of the times wre what Jesus Christ was performing in their midst: the healing, cleansing theleper, raising the dead. Those signs demonstrated that he was Messiah, King, Redeemer and God who had come to them. It was time to receive him. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. That sign of the prophet Jonas was important. The only thing Christ promised them was the sign that could give them a new opportunity. He said, You are a stiff-necked, wicked and adulterous generation, and there will be no more signs. It is over. There isnt but one more sign that will be given you and that is the sign of the prophet Jonas. The reason that the sign of Jonas is given is because Jonas is atype of the nation Israel.

Jonah was told to go to the gentiles in Nineveh. He said, No, I wont obey God, and e ran away. God stopped him, and Jonah was cast into a turbulent sea (type of the tribulation). The mariners cast him into the sea and a whale swallowed him.

Dont worry because your Bible says it was a whale. People say it was really just a sea monster. What are you talking about, a sea dragon? You understand what a whal

e is, dont you? The Greek word just means a sea monster. If you saw a whale right next to you, wouldnt you call it a sea monster?

One time, I was out fishing from a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. It was one of those big charter boats, and all at once the captain shouted, Cut the line, cut the line! He ran up to the cockpit of that boat and powered the engine and off we went.I asked, What is going on? He said, Look back there! There was a big old shadow ine water. It was a whale that had come up next to the boat. The captain said that if it had bumped us, it would have sunk us. It was bigger than the boat. We ran off for about a half an hour and stopped, and do you know what swam up? There she was again. (She was, I guess, flirting with us.) Off we went again. We did that two more times, and that whale followed us both times, so back to shore we went. The fishing trip was over. I was glad it was because I didnt want to be bumped by a wha

le and have to swim back to shore.

If you see something like that, you say, That is a monster! You neednt have any prolem with that. By the way, Jonah was three days and three nights in the whales belly. He went down, down, down to the bottom of the sea. You dont have to worry about how Jonah stayed alive in the whales belly. That dude died, folks. Out the belly o hell cried I, said Jonah in Chapter 2. That mans soul went down to Abrahams bosom,down into the heart of the earth. He was deader than a mackerel that laid next to his body. On the third day, that old whale got indigestion and spit Jonah up onthe shore and God Almighty raised him from the dead. You dont have to wonder about somebody staying alive. Go over to the British Museum and you can find the record of a man who got swallowed by a whale back in the

whaling days of the British Empire. He lived a couple days inside a whale until they caught and killed that whale and got him out and he lived to tell about it.

Jonah died and then he was resurrected as a type of the resurrection of the nation Israel. After he was restored back to life he went to Nineveh, to the gentiles. Jesus is saying that they would be given but one sign and that is the sign of the prophet Jonas.



Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. I am going down for three days and three nights and rise again. The people who live with me will go on out and get on with the program.

You probably never heard it taught that way but you check it out and you will find that it fits. 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this [evil and adulterous] generation and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The men of Nineveh heard one sermon and they didnt see any miracles, but they believed and repented. Those ignorant, dumb, gentile men of Nineveh had more sense to recognize Gods Word from his prophet Jonah than the nation Israel had when the greater Prophet was in their midst. That is the judgment of God on them. He said, Those gentiles out there who didnt have any Word or light, got Gods Word from Jonah, repented, got right and God spared them. They are going to rise up and condemn Israel, the favored

nation.

42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. You see, those poor, ignorant gentiles understood the wisdom of God in His Word, whether by prophet (Jonah) or by king ( Solomon). They understood it better than the favored nation Israel, even though a greater Prophet and a greater King was there, showing signs, wonders and miracles. That just shows you the reason for the condemnation of the nation. They will be condemned by less privileged people who had heard less enlightened preaching than

they had, but those gentiles had faith in what they heard.

He now continues with an illustration of the judgment that is going to come upon the nation Israel. 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Christ applied the illustration in Verses 43-45 to the nation Israel as an evil, apostate, wicked generation. The man in Verse 43, out of whom the unclean spirits had gone, was this wicked generation. He said that when those unclean spirits had gone out and traveled around awhile and came back, the mans house was swept clean and garnished but it was empty. Then that unclean spirit goes out and gets seven other spirits worse than he. They all come back and inhabit the house. The last stte of that man is worse than before. That is a picture of the result of Israels missing the opportunity that was being presented to them at the time. The nation Israel is the antitype of that house h



aunted by evil spirits. Everything is ready, and God gives them an opportunity to be saved and to receive their blessings, but they refuse.

Christ came casting out evil spirits. He came to bind and cast out the strong man and to spoil his house. What does Israel do? They dont receive him in. You see, th mans house is empty. It didnt have that guest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who should have been invited in. The result is, that Israel has become the worlds haunted house. That house that should have been the house of the Lord in the earth for the nation is today just a haunted house. That is the tremendous curse upon them.

It was bad for Israel to miss the presentation of Christ in his earthly ministry. Im going to blind you now. They are blinded until the cross. Then there is a re opportunity in the Acts period. If they miss that one, the latter end of that man is worse than the first. He says, The first two times you have been forgiven for your blasphemy, but for the last one there is no forgiveness. Do you know what happened to that generation? They burn in the wrath of AlmightyGod against sin tonight, and they will for all eternity. The gentiles at Ninevehand the queen of Sheba will rise up in judgment against them over there at the great white throne judgment and they will testify against those people. By the way, the resurrection of the gentiles in Verses 41 and 42 is going to beat the same time as these peoples resurrection. That is an interesting thing.

46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! He is talking to the apostles and the Hebrew believers, the Little Flock. 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven [as He said in Matthew 5, 6 and 7], the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

That is where the fall of Israel is placed by the old-time Scofield-type dispensationalists. They said that the fall of Israel took place right there.

Christ publicly breaks the bonds that naturally existed between himself and hisearthly kin, his mother and his brothers. He breaks the bond and acknowledges only those as his people who were his by faith, manifested by doing the will of the Father, keeping the pattern of the Sermon on the Mount.

The fall of Israel is not taking place there.

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

During the earthly ministry of Christ, [See Chart] the Little Flock was being formed. He said that the kingdom was being taken from the nation and given to the Little Flock. He gathered the Little Flock together and then he turned from the nation. John 1:11 He came unto his own [Israel after the flesh], and his own received him not.12 But as many as received him [the Little Flock], to them gave he power to become the sons of God,



The Little Flock are the ones to whom the adoption pertains, which was a reference to Israel, my firstborn (Hosea 10). It was the public attestation and declaration that they were Gods sons. This is a tremendously important time period right here in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is his official turning away and taking the kingdom from that generation, leaving them desolate. He is giving it to his Little Flock and commissioning them to be what God had called Israel to be. Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. Matthew 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. He leaves that temple and when he goes out, He says, That is your house; it is not my house. One time He said, You have made My Fathers house a den of thieves. Nosays, Your house is left desolate. He is leaving.

He left the nation, and you can see why some of the old-timers would have mistaken that for the fall of Israel because he is turning from the nation; now the kingdom is taken from the apostate nation and given to a new nation, the Little Flock, that brings forth the fruits thereof.

In Matthew 13, He begins to give the mystery parables of the kingdom, and we wil

l pick up there in the next lesson.


Matthew 12. Before we go on to Chapter 13, I want to go back to pick up a verse we looked at last time in Chapter 12. I dont want you to miss it because it is a critically important verse.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Without any regard to the context, that verse is a proof text that demonstratesthat the Lord Jesus Christ did not die on Friday. Matthew 27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, In Good News For Modern Man, that verse is translated The day following Friday. That is a private interpretation that has nothing to do at all with translating. The

re is no word Friday in any Greek text ever been found anywhere, any time.

Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first dayof the week, The Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected on the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath. He was crucified on a day prior to the Sabbath.

The common teaching is that Christ died on Friday. For years Church tradition has taught that the day of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ was Friday. You



know that He was resurrected on Sunday morning. They came to the tomb and they saw that He was gone.

He was alive on Sunday, and the day before would be Saturday. The second day before would be Friday; the third day before would be Thursday; the fourth day before would be Wednesday. He came up on Sunday, the first day of the week. The traditional day for the crucifixion is Friday, what is called Good Friday. The way they get that out of the scripture is that He is resurrected the day after the Sabbath and crucified on the day before the Sabbath.

John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was anhigh day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they mightbe taken away. That is, He was crucified before the Sabbath Day. They want Him to be taken off the cross before the Sabbath Day because it would be a violation of their law toleave Him there.

The Sabbath Day is Saturday. He was resurrected the next day. He was down for three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Right? But if you look at Matthew 12:40 veryclosely you will notice that it says something a little different. Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;

Can you count three nights from Friday to Sunday? Can you count three nights in there? If you are going to get three days you also have to get three nights. Countbackwards, and you know you will be right: Saturday, first night; Friday, second night and day; Thursday, third night and day. If He was crucified on Thursday, you would have one night, one day; Friday: second night, second day; Saturday: third night, third day. Besides that, what time of the day did Jesus die? He went to the cross about nine in the morning and died about three in the afternoon. What does that verse in Matthew 12 say? It says He will be three days and three nights in the heart of theearth. That is not a reference to His burial. The reference is His going down into the heart of the earth. He died, and His soul left His body. He gave up the Ghost.

t says that He breathed the breath of life out of His body and He refused to breathe again. He died like nobody else ever died. I have been in the hospital time and again and have seen people beg God to let them die, and I have never yet seen anybody able to will himself to die. Jesus did; He just dismissed His spirit and His soul went down into the heart of the earth. Thursday is a day; Friday is a day; Saturday is a day: three days. Thursday is a night, Friday is a night and Saturday is a night: three nights. Did you ever notice that when they came to the tomb on that first Sunday morning that He was already gone? Mary came before it became light, early Sunday morning

. She came to the tomb, and the stone was rolled away; He had already been resurrected and He was already gone. After the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, He spent a little time in the tomb folding the napkin and putting it in place.

If you had been standing inside that tomb, you would have just watched Him emerge. Pretty soon His head would have disappeared into the rock and right on down. Pretty soon His feet would have disappeared right up into the rock.

If you had been outside and been watching the hewn rock covering the opening tothe tomb (on the hillside, not down in the ground) you would have seen His head



begin to appear - and there He was! He passed right through that rock; no problem at all.

He didnt have to have somebody push the stone out of the way for Him to get out. He wasnt like Lazarus. Christ had a different kind of body, a resurrection body, such as nobody ever had before. Other people had been resurrected; that is, they had been restored to life. Before Lazarus could come out of that tomb, they had tomove the stone away. He came hopping out and needed to have somebody remove his grave clothes.

Jesus stood up right out of those grave clothes and left them right on the slabin their convolutions and walked out. The angel came along and moved that stone out of the way so Mary, Peter and John and the rest of the people could go in and see that He was gone. Thats the reason the stone was moved. That took place during that night before Sunday morning. There are two interesting points here. Friday is the traditional day of the crucifixion. Fundamentalists they say the day was Wednesday, but Thursday will match the passages.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

It says, He rose the third day, not after three days. If you do something after three days, you will do it on the fourth day. If He died on Wednesday, He would have risen during the fourth night. It wont work. Let me show you Luke 24 which clears up the whole thing. Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. Now, they came on the first day of the week, which was Sunday. These ladies came

to the tomb and He had risen and He was gone. 5 [the men] said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? That is a great question. If you are talking about a resurrection text, thats a good one.

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, You know the story of the two on the road to Emmaus. Christ appeared to them, but they didnt know who He was.

21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and besi

de all this, to day [Sunday] is the third day since these things were done. If Sunday is the third day since these things were done, Saturday would be the second day, Friday would be the first day, so the day it was done was Thursday. Thisis like saying that it was done three days ago. It is easy to work that out if you let the words tell you. The passage that makes you to begin to do it and know that it is necessary to do it, is Matthew 12:40: Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth



. The criterion is that Christ is going to be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Notice carefully: how did a Jew count a day? The evening and themorning was the first day. Where do you read that? Genesis 1. If today was Wednesday, for a Jew, at 6:00 P.M. it becomes Thursday. A Jew goes to the synagogue on what we call Friday evening. Friday at 6:00 P.M. begins the Jewish Saturday (Sabbath). They count the night and the day. You read in your Bible, over and over again, the evening and the morning. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul says, Nght and day I have prayed for you. Thats the way they counted days. Did you notice hat this passage has it backwards? The Lord Jesus Christ knew He was going to die during the day and go down to the heart of the earth. First, a day, then a night.

The reason that I know that is important is because of the way the mention of those things accumulate. It isnt enough to say, Well, he was just making a general reference to three days, so the three nights arent important. He wasnt doing that, becuse He doesnt follow the standard way of expressing what a day was considered tobe. If you consider that an evening and a morning was the first day, and He is going to be down there three evenings and mornings, and that would be three days,that could be said to mean any portion of a day, but He said three days and three nights. If He was down on Wednesday afternoon, all of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and then He came up during the dark hours before the dawn of the first day o

f the week, that would be too many days and nights. The objection that people raise that causes them to go back to Wednesday, on the basis of this verse, is that a day contains twenty-four hours. If you have three days and three nights, you have seventy-two hours. If He had to be down for seventy-two hours, and He goes down at 3:00 on Thursday, He would have had to come up at 3:00 Sunday afternoon. So they say He had to go down on Wednesday at 3:00 and come up Saturday afternoon. If you try to make it seventy-two hours, you have problems. He doesnt come up Saturday afternoon; He doesnt come up until sometime inthe night on Saturday. The answer for that is in Matthew 27. The expression three days and three nights does not necessitate a seventy-two-hour period. It just requires a day and a night.

I flew to Canada just a few weeks ago and got to Vancouver about 6:30 on a Thursday evening. Somebody might say, When did you get here? I would say, I got here onursday. Was I there all day Thursday? You could say No, you were in Chicago on Thurday. I was here in Chicago until 1:00 on Thursday.

I flew back here the next week and left there about 10:30 in the morning and arrived back at 7:00 in the evening. I could say, I was in Vancouver Tuesday morning. h no, you werent. I saw you in Chicago on Tuesday. Couldnt you get confused unlessu understand that when you mention the day, you dont demand the whole period of twenty-four hours? It is the same with this expression. Matthew 27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chi

ef priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, Christ said, After three days I am going to rise again. They understood that the sepulcher should be watched until the third day. If they understood it to mean it couldnt happen before the seventy-two hours were up, they wouldnt want to keep theguard there for the entire seventy-two hours. They wouldnt want to post the guard



before seventy-two hours.

Write down in your notes 2 Chronicles 10:5, 12; Esther 4:16; 5:1; 1 Samuel 30:11-13. Check all those passages and you will see that three days does not necessarily encompass seventy-two hours; rather, it can refer to parts of those days.

So, on Thursday, when Christ goes down, a part of that day is counted as a day. Then, there is the first night, second night and third night. The reason you knowthat Friday wont fit is because three nights are required. The reason you know Wednesday wont fit is that it would mean He would have had to come up on Saturday afternoon.

The reason you know Thursday fits is because the two people on that Sunday say, This is the third day since it happened. You go back three days and there you are. That is clear as mud, isnt it?

You say, Wait a minute. Go back to John 19. You know, folks, there is a lot of religious tradition that we get involved in. Its like the date of the birth of Christ (Christmas) said to be on December 25. You know very well that Jesus wasnt born any time in December, but there is somethingvery significant, scripturally, about the time period around December 25. When we get closer to Christmas, I will try to remember to teach a little about that. Ch

rist was born in late September or early October, according to the dating information given in the Book of Luke.

At Christmas time, you hear some people say that you cant know when Jesus was born, so well just pick any date we want to. That is somebody who has never considered Luke 1, where the date of Christs birth is fixed for you if you understand the Old Testament system with regard to the priesthood. The same thing is true of the death of Christ. We get involved in a lot of tradition. I know some folks get real bent out of shape about these things, but I dont want you to get upset at me. You know you never want anybody to get mad at you, but there are just some things that are so, and some things that arent so.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost [He just died].31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) The Sabbath Day that followed the crucifixion of Christ was a special high day. It wasnt the weekly Sabbath Day. It says that the day He died was the preparation.

John 19:14 And it was the preparation of the passover, Do you know what the day the Passover lamb died and was eaten? You need to be familiar with this. You are not equipped if you dont know and are not familiar with

the Passover. On the tenth day of the month (Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23), they were to go outto the flock and select a lamb without spot and without blemish. They were to observe him on the eleventh, twelfth and the thirteenth days. On the fourteenth day, they were to take that lamb and kill him. On that evening, between the fourteenth day and fifteenth day, they were to roast that lamb and eat it. Beginning on the fifteenth day and for seven days, until the twenty-first day of the month, there was the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23). The first and last day of that feast are called holy convocations, when they can do no servile work.



What day is it when they do no work? The Sabbath. This is a special Sabbath Day of the month of Nisan (also called Abib). Count back from the fourteenth to the tenth and you have six days. You find that the Lord Jesus Christ made His entry into Jerusalem on that tenth day of the month (John 12). That is the day when the Israelites were out there selecting the Passover lamb. Christ came into Jerusalem, presenting Himself to the Nation as their Passover sacrifice. They watch Him and take Him out there, and they kill Him and He goes down.

So you have the day of the month and the day of the week of this Sabbath. What people miss in John 19 is that Friday was not the regular weekly Sabbath. Friday was a special Sabbath. Saturday was the weekly Sabbath, so there were two Sabbath days together. That is where the confusion comes from. It is important that you understand and know why you do what you are doing. There are things that you allow, things that you are willing to do because you want to do them. You dont want to make the mistake of saying youre doing it because God wants you to do it, if He didnt say for you to do it. You dont want to deceive yourself into thinking that you are doing something that God approves when it isnt. You need to understand the difference between something that is a conviction, because you see from the Bible that it is right to do, and something that you take the liberty to do because you want to do it.

Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, This chapter contains one of the three great discourses of the Book of Matthew. The first great discourse is called The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6 and 7). It contains the principles of the Kingdom. Matthew 13 is the second great discourse, and it contains the parables of the Kingdom. Then Matthew 24 is the third great discourse which is the Olivet discourse, the other Sermon on the Mount, and it contains the prophecies of the Kingdom. You have the principles of the Kingdom and the prophecies of the Kingdom given f

rom mountains: The Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet sermon on the mount. In between them, you have the parables of the Kingdom.

It is important that you notice the issue of the parables. I want, at least, to introduce something about them to you now, and we will go on with them in the next lesson. I want you to notice carefully why He spoke in parables, what the parables are about and how you interpret them. It is critical to get these issues straight in your mind before we begin to study them because this is the first time (Verse 3)in the New Testament that the word parable shows up. From here on out, the Lord Jesus Christ consistently uses the parable as a method of teaching, especially to the multitudes.

Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. Notice: that is a reference back to Chapters 11 and 12. I tried to show you when we came through Chapter 11, that the same day refers to the day of His rejection, when His rejection by the Nation and His rejection of the Nation are clearly manifested. They rejected Him and He rejects them. That information is poignantly brought to the surface in Chapters 11 and 12. Chapter 11 begins with John the Baptist questioning who He is.



Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities At that time, He begins to chastise the cities for their unbelief. Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lordof heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. He begins to give the invitation: Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; On that same Sabbath Day, He has a conversation with the Pharisees, and He heals the man with a withered hand. Matthew 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. This is the first time they come out with a clear plot to kill Him.

Matthew 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. That is a three-fold miracle. This guy is possessed with a devil, he is blind and he cant speak. This man has three things wrong with him and Christ healed him. I dont recall another time in Christs ministry when He took somebody with three maladies and fixed them all with one whack. He performed a tremendous miracle. The people recognized, Him but the Pharisees accused Him of being the devil (Matthew 12:23, 24). You see the rejection, the rejection, the rejection. I pointed out to you that, when you study through Matthew 12, you see Him presented as the King, as the Prophet and as the Priest, and He is rejected.

Matthew 12:46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. In other words, because the Nation has rejected Him, He cuts them off and rejects them. He breaks from those who are merely associated with Him naturally, even family members, and only because they are descendants of Abraham.

Look over in John 1 that speaks expressly to that issue. He breaks off the ties with His natural relatives. Clearly, Mary is repeatedly a type of the nation Israel in the Bible. His brothers are a type of my brethren. Just because they were relaed to Him physically didnt mean anything. He breaks off the natural ties with Hisfamily and establishes His relationship with the believers and only the believers, that Little Flock, the remnant.

John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. That is what you see in Matthew 11 and 12. In Matthew 1-10, He comes to them and



gives them demonstration after demonstration of who He is, their Messiah King. They reject Him. The issue is But as many as received him, to them gave he power tobecome the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

There are two groups in Israel. (We have talked about this repeatedly.) There isthe nation that Isaiah 5 calls the vine. Christ said that He planted a vine over there in Judah and it brought forth wild grapes. John the Baptist came along and began to preach to that remnant: Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The believers were identified together through Johns baptism of repentance for remission of sins. The Lord Jesus Christ came, and at this point, He is breaking off relations with His physical relatives, and He says that faith in Him is the issue.

There are two groups: the Nation which is the vine - He says, I am the true vine- and then the other group which He calls the Little Flock with whom He is going to have a relationship. 12 But as many as received him [the Little Flock], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Which were born, not of blood . . . Natural birth (nationality) is no longer going to be an issue. In Time Past, before the present dispensation, it was. It is still an issue in the sense that the Nation is still Israel. He is saying what Paul l

ater says, Not all they who are of Israel, are Israel. They were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man. Just because a priest said, Youre in, didnt make any difence.

Nor of the will of the flesh. Just because you said, I can do it - personal resolvont do it - but born of God.

The Little Flock, the believing remnant, is the one who receives the New Covenant blessing of the new birth. Look at what Jesus told Nicodemus: John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Look at that verse. Remember what I taught you about the difference between ye an

d thee. Thee is singular and ye is plural. I say unto thee (Nicodemus), ye (Israel) must be born again.

He is saying that this is an individual thing that every man in Israel has to participate in, but the Nation receives that new birth as a national promise thatcomes to the nation Israel as promised to her in the New Covenant.

He says, Nicodemus, you cant be out in that nation; youve got to be in that new nation because that is the group of people that will be born when the Holy Spirit comes. Matthew 13:1 The same day

The same day is the day when He is making clear His rejection. That comes up to a cimax, and then it is settled. You are right here at the crisis point in the ministry of Christ, and from here onward He no longer deals with them as He did previously. From this point onward, He withdraws Himself from the Nation. He goes out of the house (type of Israel) and sits by the sea; the multitudes come to Him, and He goes and gets into the boat and goes out over the sea. He is keeping a distance now between Him and the people. He backs away, and He is going to deal just with the Little Flock. He is going to train them for the ministry they will have after He dies and goes away. The Holy Spirit will come on them, and from Matthew 13 onward He is training the Little Flock for the ministry they will have in His



absence between the time He goes away and the time He comes back. From here on, He spends a great portion of His ministry focused on training that Little Flock for the ministry they will have in His absence.

That is what is involved in the parables of the Kingdom because the parables focus on that time period when He will go away and how the ministry will operate in His absence. Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. The house is a type of the nation Israel. Over and over, in the Bible the sea is ape of the nations. He goes out of the house and sits down by the seaside. He looks ut over the sea, and His heart longing for the gentiles. We have seen many timesin the gospels, especially in Matthew, how Christs heart desires to see salvation of God go to the nations, but it had to go to them through the nation Israel, according to the Abrahamic Covenant. Israel, rather than being the channel of blessing, her obstinacy was stopping and hindering the purpose of God in sending salvation to the nations.

So, He goes out of the house and sits down by the seaside and looks longingly out over the sea (gentiles). 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

He goes out on the sea and speaks back to the Israelites. Its as though He was out there at the place where His heart was, and He speaks back to the Nation.

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, His going out of the house and speaking to them in parables is very important. Notice that in Verse 36 that He sends the multitude away. Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

There are seven parables in Matthew 13. There is a total of twelve parables in the Book of Matthew. Seven are in Chapter 13, and then five later on. There are twelve parables of the Kingdom in Matthew. The seven in Matthew 13 are given in two sections. Four of them are outside the house and then the last three are inside the house.

When you study these things and go down through them you are going to see that,when He goes outside the house, He is going to give an external view. In the Bible, four is the number of the world. You will get the view of the Kingdom that the world would see. Inside, you are going to see the Kingdom from the internal perspective, from Gods perspective. What you are going to be dealing with in these parables is the way the Kingdom is going to function in the absence of the King.

Matthew 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith theysprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold,



some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Again, the parables are a new way of teaching. He hadnt taught them this way before. Thats the first occurrence of this word in the New Testament. Notice the reaction of His disciples:

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? They walk over to the side of the shore and shout to Him, Lord, why are you teaching like that now? They are sort of surprised about it. A parabolic way of teaching was different from the way they were used to. Then He goes on in Verses 11-17 to explain why He was teaching in parables.

(For next time, would you spend some time and read this chapter? Notice that He interprets three parables for you. On the basis of the way He interprets those parables you then are given enough information to interpret all of the other parables. Notice specifically why He says that He speaks to them in parables. Would youdo me a favor for the next class and do some homework? Write down on a piece of paper why Jesus spoke in parables. Get your answer from Matthew 13:10-17. Its as clear as the nose on a dogs face. You cant miss it. I want you to come up with your anwer out of the Bible and then we will talk about it and about some answers thatother people give.)

Just before we close, I want you to understand what you are dealing with when you see that word parable. Parable: para / ble (para / bole). Bole is a Greek word that means to throw. Para ns beside. (You are familiar with the word paraklete (para / klete) which is the word that is used to describe the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Kletos is the word that means to call. The Holy Spirit comes and is called along side and is a comforter

Para / bole means to throw beside. What the word literally describes is a methodof teaching and illustrating truth by bringing something alongside. He says, Heresa truth and He brings up alongside a corresponding illustration to teach this truth.

There are a lot of different figures of speech and the parable is one. That is the idea of what a parable intended to do. It is something to illustrate the truththat you want to teach. There are seven of these parables in this chapter. They are called The Mystery Parables of the Kingdom.

For next time, write down your answer on a piece of paper and well compare notesabout why Jesus spoke in parables.

MATTHEW 202-7

(Part 1, Lesson 35)

TEST #5

You may use and unmarked Bible to answer the following questions.

1. Why did Christ not release John from jail?2. What were the works of Christ to verify for John?3. Johns imprisonment compares to the testing the faithful remnant will face



during the tribulation period. T or F?4. How is it that the least of those in the kingdom will be greater than John?5. What is the dispensational importance of the ministry of John? (cf. Luke 16:16)6. Who are the violent in 11:12?7. Explain the meaning of 11:14 in relation to the coming of John and Elijah.8. How does 11:20-24 demonstrate the fallacy of the doctrine that only theelect can repent?9. What is the meaning of the invitation in Matt. 11:28-30?10. In Matt. 12 the full manifestation of the enmity against Christ is demonstrated. T or F?11. In Matt. 12:1-5 Christ cites scripture to contradict the popular traditions of His day. T or F?12. What is the meaning of Christs statement, In this place is one greater than the temple (12:6)?13. Matt. 12:14 is the first time Christs enemies come together to destroy Him. What is the reason for His reaction in verse 15,16 and how does this fulfill Isaiah 42.1-4 (Matt 12:17-21)?14. What is the real issue in the casting out of devils by Christ (12:22-30)?15. What is the unpardonable sin and when (if ever) was it committed?16. The sign of Jonah refers to what?

17. How does Matt 12:40 demonstrate that Christ did not die on a Friday?18. What is the meaning of Christs statement:a. a greater than Jonas is here (12:41)b. a greater than Solomon is here (12:42)19. In Matt 12:46-50 Christ publicly breaks the ties that naturally existedbetween Himself and His people after the flesh. Is this the fall of Israel? Prove your answer.20. What is the significance of Christs going out of the house in Matt. 13?


We are coming now to a place in the Book of Matthew where some very important things are beginning to come up. We have really come to the second part of the book in Matthew 13. Weve seen the crisis where the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ was determined. We got down through the first nine verses of Matthew 13, so well pick up in Verse 10, but lets begin reading in Verse 1.

Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a

ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower wentforth to sow;4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:



8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

In the last lesson, I asked you the question that the disciples asked the Lord:Why did he preach to them in parables? I challenged you to find the answer to that question.

Most of the time, you hear that the reason that Christ spoke in parables was sothat everybody could understand. The idea is that Jesus was a story-telling preacher. He went around telling stories and giving illustrations so everybody could understand every word that he said. He used common illustrations out of life so that the common people, who were not the educated intelligentsia, could understand.

The word parable, para-bole, means to throw alongside.

Christ would take a spiritual truth and illustrate it with some experience in nature or something they were familiar with. Therefore, he taught simply and concisely in parables so everybody could understand clearly what he was saying.

Do you agree with that? Does it sound okay?

I have looked at the commentaries that I have in the office. This little book I have here reflects basically what they all say:

The purpose of the parables, first of all, were illustrations which made spiritual truth plainer and clearer to the mind of the hearers. They put the truth in portable form so that it could be easily carried away and remembered. They weredesigned to avoid offense to those who were hostile and who were not prepared to receive the truth.

Now that is interesting. That generally is the idea delineated more specifically than in most commentaries.

Let me read to you Matthew 13:11, and let you hear what Christ said his reasoning was.

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them [the multitudes to whomhe spake the parables] it is not given.

They ask, Why are you preaching to the multitudes out there in parables? He says, Fellows, it is because this truth I am preaching is for you and not for them.

Now, that is exactly the opposite of what I read to you out of that book and what I said to you previously (with which perhaps you didnt agree), but I am sure what you have heard all of your life .

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.



Do you see that there are two classes of people? There is a group that doesnt see and that has rejected Christ. He goes out and speaks to them in parables. His purpose in speaking to them in parables was not to make the truth clear and plain to them. It was not to make the truth simple so they could understand it, take it home and not forget it.

The reason He spoke to them in parables was to conceal the truth from some while revealing it to others. It was to conceal the truth from those who had rejected Him so they couldnt see it. [T]hey seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, and so that the disciples could get it.

Folks, I realize that the Lord Jesus Christs statement about why He spoke in parables is not the popular interpretation about why He spoke in parables. But, I tell you, if you want to know why Christ spoke in parables you might as well take his Word for it instead of the author of this book I read from to you. This man is a good, godly, saved man writing a commentary about the Bible. I am not taking a slap at him. You dont need to get mad at him. His view reflects the view of the people after whom he has read. The better view is to believe what the Lord Jesus Christ said. I figure He knew why He spoke in parables better than this guy knows.

I am saying this rather tongue-in-cheek, but I realize what I am saying to you.The standard, popular interpretation is exactly the opposite of the truth. Jes

us Christ spoke in parables to conceal truth. He spoke to the multitudes in parables to conceal the truth from them so that it might be revealed just to His followers.

Mark 4:34 But without a parable spake he not unto them [the multitudes]:

He didnt preach to them from this point onward except in parables.

and when they were alone [Christ and the disciples], he expounded all things tohis disciples.

There were two groups. There was a group that rejected Him. We read in Matthew 11 and 12 where His rejection was determined. He went outside of the house and

sat by the seaside; the multitude came and He spoke to them in parables. ThenHe went back inside and began to explain the parables to His disciples.

He was preaching to them in parables in order to conceal the truth from one group and to reveal the truth just to a specific, elect, chosen group of people, His disciples. Again, I point out to you, that there were two groups of people inIsrael at the time. Keep that in your mind so it becomes as clear as crystal.There were two groups in the nation Israel, one of which was not responding to him.(Chart) Here you see Israel as the vine (Isaiah 5:1-7). In the earthly ministry of Christ, He preached to the nation and offered the kingdom to them. They refused him and rejected it, while the Little Flock, the believing remnant, was being formed within the nation. Christ spoke in parables so the nation couldnt get

it and the Little Flock could get it.

The reason that the nation didnt see and understand was their fault.

Matthew 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

There were two groups, the haves (the Little Flock) and the have-nots (the apostate nation that wouldnt believe).



13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

The difference is between seeing with your eyes and seeing with your understanding. You can say, I see that; that is, you can look at it with your eyes, but seeing it with your understanding is different. They heard the words but they didntunderstand. Their understanding wasnt enlightened. Why?

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing yeshall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing,and their eyes they have closed;

Notice: their eyes they have closed. What happens when you close your eyes? How many of you have trouble seeing when you have your eyes closed? That was what happened when they closed their eyes. Whose fault was it that they couldnt see? It was their fault.

15 lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

They didnt want to see or hear and believe. They could have. In Verse 9, He says, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Willful, deliberate, voluntary ignorancethats unbelief, rejection. Choosing not to know is willful ignorance. They didnthear because they didnt want to hear. Thats what Christ is talking about there.

Notice that Verse 14 is a quotation from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6. He is saying, Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not.For this people's heart is waxed gross so that the judgment that Isaiah proclaimed on them could be fulfilled. In other words - remember this! You must understand that Christs teaching these people in parables was associated with divine judgment on the nation. Parables must be associated with the judicial punishment of God inflicted upon a people who deliberately closed their eyes to divine truth. These people chose not receive the clear, plain message, and God Almightys judg

ment was to come upon them according to the Lord Jesus Christ, and so he spoke to them in a way that they could not understand.

There is something fascinating about this blindness. We have talked about the passage in John 12, but I want you to look at it more closely. There are two groups in the nation Israel in the gospel accounts and also in the early Acts period. If you are going to understand what is going on in the first seven chaptersin the Book of Acts, you have to first understand where that division came fromin the gospel accounts. What we are going to be studying in Matthew 13 is laying the groundwork for the post-resurrection ministry of the apostles.

John 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

They willfully, deliberately, knowingly refused to believe in spite of all the miracles that he did.

38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Isaiah says, Who is going to believe us? Nobody. Therefore, they didnt believe so that verse could be fulfilled. They chose willingly, deliberately not to belie



ve.

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Isaiah 6:10 is the same passage quoted in Matthew 13.

Notice Verse 37 carefully: they believed not on him. They refused to believe, willingly and deliberately. Therefore, God fixed it so they could not believe. The divine judgment inflicted by God on people who deliberately closed their eyesto divine truth was to send the message to them that now, even if they wanted to get it, they could not.

God Almighty blinded the nation Israel in the earthly ministry of Christ and used His ministry, as it were, to blind them so then they would crucify the Lord Jesus Christ. They took Him and killed Him. God used the nation Israel, although they were responsible for their unbelief, and the divine judgment fell on themso that they couldnt believe. He used them to crucify the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why, when Jesus Christ hung on that cross, He cried, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Do you see how God used them? Because God used them, God Almighty gave that nat

ion a renewed opportunity to repent in the early Acts period.

In Acts 1-7, you see once and again, the nation Israel given an opportunity to repent and respond to the message. There could be no misunderstanding; nothing was held back, no parabolic teaching. The offer was clearly given with signs and wonders confirming His Word.

Come over to Romans 11. That passage in Isaiah 6 is quoted again, this time bythe apostle Paul. Now, at the end of the Book of Acts, in chapter 28, the judicial pronouncement of God against Israel is given once again after they have refused the renewed opportunity of repentance extended to them in Acts.

Acts 28:25 And when they [the Jews in Rome] agreed not among themselves, they d

eparted, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, andhear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted,and I should heal them.28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

The judgment of God is pronounced on a nation that has refused Gods offer. Thatblindness that fell on Israel didnt begin in Acts 28. Acts 28 is when the public

declaration of the judgment of God is given. That judgment had already begun long before. In fact, it began back in Acts 7.

There is a doctrine called the Acts 28 position. They say that the nation Israelwas not set aside until the end of the Book of Acts. Folks, that is not what he is dealing with there. The last judicial pronouncement of God on them is given there, but the fall of Israel was back in Acts 7. From Acts 7 to 28, you havethe diminishing away of Israel, as they become less and less important. Finally,you hear Paul say that this divine judgment is settled and is a reality.



Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; butthe election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them tojealousy.12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

Do you get the idea that Israel has fallen? Do you get the idea that Israel isblinded? Do you get the idea that Israel is being set aside? They have been, most assuredly.

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lestye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Something has happened to Israel, and it began right back there in Acts 7; then, they fall away through the rest of the Acts period. The wrath of God is already on them. It isnt delayed until Acts 28.

1 Thessalonians 2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of Godwhich in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecutedus; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill uptheir sins alway:

Thats what is going on in the Book of Acts. The sin of that nation is being demonstrated; their rebellion, their unbelief, their refusal to see is being laid out for everyone to behold so that they are without excuse when God lops them off.

for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

The wrath is come is present tense. Right then, in Acts 18 when Paul wrote the book the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. You see, the nation Israel is fallen and on the way out. They are no longer the issue and there is a transitional period. God doesnt just instantly cut them off. They fall, and the manifestation of the fall of these people through whom God had worked and had been His channel of blessings for two millennia was now taking place. He set them aside gradually as He replaced their program with a new program that He never told anybody about.

There is a transition taking place through the last half of the Book of Acts, be

ginning with the ministry of the apostle Paul. That transition period is complete and the normal position of the body of Christ in the dispensation of grace is reached at the end of the Book of Acts. That is why Acts 28 is important. The fall of Israel began back in Acts 7 and goes all the way over to the end at Acts 28. The transition is over and all the transition-type experiences are over with, too. So thats why Acts 28 is a significant passage, which quotes again from Isaiah 6. The significance now is that the judgment of God has been totally and completely inflicted on a people who deliberately closed their eyes.

Please notice the two groups in Israel. The difference between the two groups i



s just one thing: it was the difference in their attitude toward the word of God. Is there a lesson in that for you? There had better be. The difference inthose two groups in Israel is their being able to see or not see, regardless ofwhether it was before the cross or in Acts; it was their attitude toward the word of God.

John 12:44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me,but on him that sent me.45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should notabide in darkness.47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

When you stand before that book, you had better be careful. That book is what is going to judge you in the last day. Its what is going to judge the nation. That book is the issue, not how you feel, not what some preacher says, not what tradition says; it is that book. That was the issue when Christ came to Israel.Their problem was that they rejected the counsel of God against them.

49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me acommandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

Thats it: just that different attitude toward the Word of God. In Matthew 13:16, notice the difference between the people who do not get it and the disciples who get it.

Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for theyhear.

The difference is that they had eyes that would see. The other people closed their eyes so they couldnt see. What happened? They couldnt see. The disciples had a heart attitude of faith. They had a positive volition toward the doctrine a

nd responded to the doctrine given to them. Their eyes would see. Heart attitude. Heart attitude.

The Bible, the word of God, is the only book in the world from which you can get different answers depending on the heart attitude with which you come to it. I tell you, people, that book is dangerous if you dont come to it with an attitude that says, Lord, You speak and I will listen. If you come to that book wanting to prove that what you believe is right and everybody else is wrong, you can prove it. If you want to prove that your preacher is right or wrong, or you want to prove your church is right and somebody else is wrong, you can prove it. There are verses in there that will break your theological neck.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 Even him [the anti-Christ], whose coming is after the worki

ng of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; becausethey received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Do you see why they dont get saved? They dont want it.

11 And for this cause [because they received not the love of the truth] God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.



God sent Israel a strong delusion. That means that God Almighty was the authorof falsehood to those who rejected the truth. That is rough, folks, thats rough. God is not the author of sin. You know that. The fact is that God will giveyou what you want. If you want more light, God will give you some light. If you dont want the light and you want darkness, then God will let you have what youwant. He isnt going to cram something down your throat. He isnt going to make you take something you dont want.

When you come to that book, let Israel be an example to you. They were Gods chosen people, a group of people that God had set His heart on; he chose the city from which he would reign; he gave them a deed to a piece of real estate They were special, favored, but they said, We dont want it. We will have Caesar. Do youknow who He gave them? He gave them Caesar, and He is going to give them the devil, the anti-Christ.

What that tells me is that when I come to that book, Id better have a special attitude. Id better come and say, Lord, You speak and I dont care whom you cross. If YOU contradict my grandma, thats okay.

I sat on the porch with a fellow one time and, pointing, he said, My granddaddy built that church down there. My daddy was a deacon in that church and now I ama deacon in that church. My boy is a deacon in that church. My grandkids are going to be deacons in that church, and I dont care what that Bible says, that chu

rch is right. Do you know something, folks? God Almighty fixed that book so if you come to it that way, you can find a verse and quote scripture to prove you and your church are right, but it still wont be right. Thats the living word ofGod, and it warns you that Hell give you what you come for. It depends on your heart attitude.

Do you know what Israel did? They didnt want Gods will, so God fixed it so they couldnt get it, but they would get what they wanted.

That is spiritual judgment. The Bible is the only book in the world that is going to give you a different answer depending on how you approach it. It dependson your heart attitude when you come to that book. You want to come and say, Lord, you speak. My system, my program, my ideas are all going to burn at the judg

ment seat of Christ; theyll all go up in flames. That book is going to stand, so Lord, you speak.

There are times when I act as though I am a little dogmatic and firm, and I tell you to go by the words on the page because I have to be able to read it. Gods word isnt some ethereal thing that floats around out there and mystifies everybody. I want to see it written in black and white and check it out and get it thatway.

I tell you folks, when I have that book in front of me - whether I am studying it, teaching or preaching it or just looking at it lying on the table - I know thats Gods book, the words of the Living God. I know that the attitude with which I come to that book will determine what I get out of it. If I want to be proud a

nd contentious, I can be proud and contentious and quote scripture to you and it wont make any difference about its authority.

There are going to be people dying and cast out on the lake of fire quoting verses. There are people all over this town, running up one side of the street anddown the other, quoting Acts 2:38: Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. They speak in tongues and get baptized, and what they want is to work for their salvation. They take a verse from Gods word; they grab it and run with it like a bass with the bait.



Do you know what is going to happen? They are just going to fall off into the lake of fire with all the damned, quoting Acts 2:38 and be mad at God because Hedidnt do what they believed He said. The problem is that God never told them todo that, but they dont care.

You need to understand that. That is what was happening to Israel here.

Why did He speak to them in parables? He spoke in parables because there were two groups in Israel. He wanted to blind the one group and conceal the truth from them, and He wanted to reveal it to the believers and build them up.

Now, what were the parables about? Come back to Matthew 13. What is the topicbeing dealt with?

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

The parables are about the Kingdom.

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom,

Its the word of the Kingdom, not the word of grace, but the Kingdom.

Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

What is the issue? The issue is the Kingdom. Write it down in your memory. Dont forget this. When Jesus Christ taught those people in parables, the subject that He was dealing with was the Kingdom, not the Church, the Body of Christ, not the Dispensation of Grace, but the establishment of the Kingdom. That is the issue in the parables.

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of he

aven is likened unto a man

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like

33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like



20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,

22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king,

25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins,

25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man

Every one of these parables is talking about the Kingdom. Okay, then what are t



he parables about? The topic they deal with is the establishment of the Kingdom. There are other parables, and they all focus on the establishment of the Kingdom, kingdom living, kingdom salvation or kingdom people. They all focus on some aspect of the Kingdom and those who are going to be used to establish that Kingdom one day.

Why did He speak in parables? To conceal the truth from some and to reveal it to others.

What are the parables about? They are about the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. That is what they focus on and that is the issue involved.

Doesnt He say in Matthew 13:11 that it is given unto you to know the mysteries ofthe kingdom of heaven? Thats exactly what the issue is. Remember where you are in the Book of Matthew. It is because of His rejection that He is now giving them the secrets about the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. He is going toreveal to them some truths about the Kingdom of Heaven that God has kept secretuntil Israels leaders had rejected Christ.

Matthew 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; andwithout a parable spake he not unto them:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

The Kingdom of Heaven wasnt a secret, was it? They knew all about that, but there were some things about how it was going to be established that had never beenmade known and that they didnt understand. In fact, the people right here in this passage didnt understand and so when the rejection of Christ took place, He began to give them some information.

Luke 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

You see, they didnt understand the time element concerning the establishment of the Kingdom, so He is going to give them some parables here to straighten out thi

s misconception. These parables give the details of the events that are going to follow His rejection. They reveal that the Kingdom is not going to be established at His first coming but rather at His second coming. Rather than being immediately established during Christs earthly ministry, the Kingdom is going to beestablished later. There are things that they are going to have to endure. Heis going to die, and they are going to carry on His ministry. The parables focus on their kingdom ministry in the absence of the king. He is away as an exilein the heavens.

To this Little Flock of people He said,


He said, Ill take it from this group and give it to that group. They will be theauthority and it is through their ministry that the Kingdom is going to be established. The parables are giving the details of the events that follow His rejection and that fill up the prophesied time while He is gone to a far country inexile.

The parables do not refer to the dispensation of grace. The parables do not talk about the mystery of the church, the body of Christ. There is, at this present time, a suspension of the kingdom program. At the end of the dispensation of



grace, the truths of the mystery parables will take up again and will have their final fulfillment.

The preaching of the kingdom of heaven is not Gods program for the dispensation of grace in which we live today. It has been interrupted. There were some secret things about the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven that these men neededto be told about. The parables are going to do that. They focus on some secrets about that establishment of the Kingdom, but they dont focus on the dispensation of grace or the mystery of the church, the body of Christ. They focus on theKingdom.

There is something you need to remember in your Bible study. Just because the same word occurs in different contexts doesnt mean it refers to the same thing. When you see the word mystery in the Bible, it doesnt always refer to the same mystery. There are at least seven different mysteries in the Bible. There is themystery of the Body of Christ in the dispensation in which we live. Then thereare mysteries, secrets that pertain to the kingdom of heaven. They are different and are what we are reading about here in the Book of Matthew.

First, you should remember why Christ spoke in parables: to conceal the truth from some and to reveal the truth to others. Dont let anybody ever trick you about that.

Second, you should note what are these parables are about. They are mysteries t

hat focus on the establishment of the Kingdom, about kingdom salvation and the people living in the Kingdom. The mystery parables in Matthew 13 focus especially on the details about how that Kingdom is going to operate in the absence of their king. It was a secret that they didnt understand. They never knew that. The prophets looked into the scripture, Peter says, and they could see the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, but it was a secret that they couldnt grasp about how those things were related. Christ explains it to them by giving parables so those without couldnt get it and then teaching it plainly to His disciples.

You will notice in Matthew 13:18 that He tells His disciples,

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

Then He interprets it for them. So, next time we are going to talk about how to interpret the parables by studying the two parables that Christ Himself interprets. On the basis of those two, you will see how to interpret the rest of the parables.

One other thing I want you to notice about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven:

Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:

and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

In other words, the things he is going to write about are the secrets of the seven stars.

Think about it for a minute. There are some mysteries, in Revelation 1, associated with the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. He calls it the mystery of the seven stars, the seven churches.

There are seven parables in Matthew 13. There are seven churches in Revelation



2 and 3. The parables are mystery parables. The churches are mystery (secret)churches. Does that suggest something to you? The seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are an enlargement of the parables of Matthew 13. The seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 fit in the tribulation period. Guess where the parables in Matthew 13 fit?

Notice one thing:

Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear

2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear




3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

To every one of those churches, he says, He that hath an ear, let him hear.

That is a particular statement that fits the nation Israels situation in the tribulation.

Matthew 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

The point is, folks, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear is a tribulation statement.

Matthew 11:15 is talking about Elijah; if they had received the kingdom, John wo

uld have been Elijah.

Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

I told you when we read through here that it was a tribulation statement. Thatexpression He that hath ears to hear, let him hear is the equivalent to the Old Testament expression selah. When you go back in the Psalms and Habakkuk 3, and you read selah, it means stop and think.

Listen, here is something you wont get out of the dictionary. Every time you see that word selah in the Psalms and in the prophets, it is a reference to the second coming of Christ. You check it out and find if it isnt true. Habakkuk 3 shows you that. Isaiah 28, talking about the Tribulation, says, He that believeth s

hall not make haste. He wont run down there real quick. Hell stop and think about what is going on. His attitude toward the Word of God is going to be one of faith.

When the Holy Spirit of God sprinkled that little word selah through those Psalms back there, those Psalms look prophetically into the heart of that remnant ofIsrael in the tribulation, and you see the heart of that nation crying out to God. Over and over they cry, How long, how long? Thats what the souls under the altar cry in Revelation 6. Theyre quoting from the Psalms.



That little word wasnt just the idea of some mad musician going through there with a bunch of notes sticking them in their poems or in the hymn book. God the Holy Spirit put those in to tell the readers to stop and think about what they were reading. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Every time the word appears, it is a reference to the tribulation remnant waiting for Christs return. Its anencouragement for them to think and to rest on the doctrine and not on what they see around them.

Dont you think it is going to be hard for those people to have to go on doctrineand not on what they see around them? You think its tough for you, dont you? Itsgoing to be tough for them, too.


We have come to a very important chapter in the Book of Matthew.

There are three discourses in the Book of Matthew. First, there is the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) where you have the principles of the kingdom laid down. Then, in Chapters 24 and 25 you have the Olivet discourse, the other sermon on the mount, where the prophecies of the kingdom are given. Then in Matthew 13, you have the parables of the kingdom. These parables are very important.

Thus far, down to Verse 17, I have tried to show you three basic things that are very important for you to notice about the parables. Why did Christ speak in parables? The Lord Jesus Christ did not speak in parables, as you often heard it said, in order to make things clear and plain to all His listeners and to illustrate truth. His purpose was not to illustrate a story to make it easy for ever

ybody to understand. Rather, He spoke in parables in order to hide the truth from a certain group of people and reveal it only to another group of people. Those He was revealing it to were, of course, the believing remnant, the little flock; and He was hiding the truth from everybody else.

He began to speak in parables in Matthew 13. It was said to be a judgment of God, in Verses 10-17. It was a judicial blinding that God caused so that the unbelievers couldnt get the truth and the believers could.

The second thing you need to notice is what the parables are about. The parables focus on the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto

them in parables?11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Them in Verse 11 are the unbelievers. They are not going to get it but you can. It is hidden from them and given to you. The parables are the mysteries, thesecrets not previously revealed, about the kingdom of heaven. They are not themysteries of the church, the body of Christ. They are not Pauls mysteries. Every time you read mystery in the Bible, it doesnt mean that it is Pauls mystery.



There are seven important mysteries in the Bible and this is one of them. Not all those mysteries were given to Paul. The mystery revealed to Paul is not theonly secret revealed in the Bible. When you read the word mystery in the Bible, dont think it is always to us. That is thinking like a Campbellite. When he sees the word baptize or baptism he thinks water. You mustnt think like that.

These parables reveal truth, and they conceal truth, but the focus of them is the kingdom of heaven. All the parables in the ministry of Christ are like that.

The third thing you want to remember is how to interpret the parables. Thats what we are going to get into now. I have given you four pointers already.

Number one: the details of the parables are important. When Christ interpretedtwo of the parables, He assigned meanings to the details of the parables. The notion that the details are just kind of general is not scriptural. If you interpret them that way, you dont interpret them like Jesus did. You are not following the lead that He gave.

Number two: some of the details have more than one meaning.

Number three: the interpretation is understood by comparing verses with verses. The way you understand the parable is by comparing different verses in the Bible that explain it for you. That ought to go without saying.

Number four: all the parables have to do with the establishment of the kingdom. They all focus on that issue.

I say all that to you by way of review because it is critical to remember thosethings when you go through the parables of the sower and the tares; these are the two that Jesus interpreted. He interpreted the first two parables that He gave to His disciples. When He explained them, He set the standard by which all of the other parables were to be interpreted.

You need to be aware of the fact that Mark 4 and Luke 8 both contain the parable of the sower as well as Matthew 13.

Mark 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of th

e kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins shouldbe forgiven them.

He was talking about the unbelieving nation. He said that these teachings are done to them (the multitudes) in parables so they cant see and cant get converted,and they cant get their sins forgiven.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

Then He goes on to tell the parable of the sower. Verse 13 is important. Dont you understand this parable of the sower? Well then, how are you going to understand the others? What does that imply? If you understand the parable of the sower, you will be able to understand the other parables, too. He interpreted the parable of the sower so that you will have a basic understanding of all the parables. He did that with two parables: the sower and the tares.

The parable of the sower is in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The parable of the tares is in Matthew only.



Again I point out to you, the issue in these parables is about the mysteries ofthe kingdom of heaven. They have to do with truths which have not been revealed prior to this time about the kingdom of heaven and about the little flock who are going to go out and establish that kingdom. Christ has gathered that littleflock of believers out of the nation Israel that has rejected Him. He has set His face to go to Calvary. Those things have been made plain to you in the gospel. Now He is beginning to train this little flock in view of the ministry thatthey are going to have in His absence, after His crucifixion and ascension.

The body of Christ is not in view here, so the little flock expects to go rightover into the tribulation where they will minister. Christ is training them now for the ministry they expect to have after His ascension. In other words, thesecrets of the kingdom of heaven have to do with their ministry that is going to be carried out in the absence of the King.

Now, we live in the dispensation of grace. The kingdom of heaven is not in effect today. If you look at the notes in a Scofield Reference Bible, and if you study the Scofield-type dispensationalism, you will see that most of those brethren teach that the mystery parables of the kingdom of heaven relate to the mystery of the dispensation of grace and that what you have today is the kingdom in a mystery form. But folks, when you recognize the difference between the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and the mystery revealed to the apostle Paul, you will recognize that the mysteries of the kingdom focus especially on that tribulation period, not on the dispensation of grace and the body of Christ.

There is at this present time, a delay in the coming of the kingdom of heaven.That interruption will end when the dispensation of grace is over and the body of Christ is taken out. Then the teaching in these parables will pick up again,right where they were interrupted, and will have their final conclusion.

As you study Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (the earthly ministry of Christ) and the early part of the Book of Acts, you need to be aware of the fact that the twelve apostles were at that time the witness that the hundred forty-four thousandwill be in the tribulation.

Why would there be twelve apostles here and one hundred forty-four thousand in the tribulation? What became of the twelve apostles? The dispensation of grace

has interrupted their program; they died and are no longer around. So, after the dispensation of grace, their ministry is resumed, and there will be twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

In Chapter 14 of the Book of the Revelation, for example, you will see that thethings said about the one hundred forty-four thousand are exactly what was saidabout, and were true of, the twelve apostles. This remnant, this little flock which is gathered together by the ministry of the twelve, will correspond to theremnant in the nation of Israel that is gathered together over in the tribulation period. The reason is because there has been an interruption in the kingdom program and its no longer in operation. After the interruption, it will take up again - with different characters - with the same program.

Matthew 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

The parable of the sower was originally given in Verses 3-9. Now He is going to interpret it for you.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;



Anon is a word you dont hear much any more. Its an old English word that means immediately. It still is in use and I have seen it recently in some contemporary books, but we dont use it much in America. It is still commonly used in England.

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word,and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Notice first that there was a man going out to sow seed. He sows the seed in the soil. What kind of ground that seed goes into determines what happens. There is the seed sown by the wayside and in stony ground. Then there is the thornyground and in good ground. The issue in the parable is how that seed is received into the hearts of the people.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.

The soil represents the hearts of the people who hear the word. What you see in

the parable are four different responses to the word of the kingdom as it willbe preached to the nation Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ is describing the responses that the nation Israel is going to give to the proclamation of the kingdom.

The sower is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like

33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leave

n,

In every other parable, He says that the kingdom of heaven is like something, butin the parable of the sower He doesnt use a simile.

37 He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

In the passage Christ is the sower. In the parable of the sower, He is not describing the kingdom but the word of the kingdom, the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. He describes the response that Israel will give to that ministry.

So, what you have here is the response that the nation is going to give to the ministry of the little flock, like the response they gave Christ and the apostles

. In particular, you have a description of the way that little flock is going to be increased. They are going to receive four different responses as they go out and preach. Now, it doesnt say there is an equal amount of seed sown on eachkind of ground, but there is a spiritual principle involved. If three of them dont produce well, thats one out of every four that gives a positive response.

Have you ever wondered why nobody responds positively when you are handing out tracts? You understand that even the ministry of Christ didnt get the majority tocome His way. That is something you want to remember.



Now, the sower is Christ, the Son of man.

Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,

In Luke 8, there is a parallel passage where Christ identifies the seed. Here is his explanation of the parable:

Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

The seed is the word of God, but it is not just any message from God. It is a very specific message from God about the kingdom. It is the gospel, the good news, about the kingdom of God. That word is what is planted in the hearts, and when it is planted in the good ground it brings forth everlasting life.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth

Do you know what gives life, imparts life and begets life? Its that book, folks. The word of God is the message that brings life to the heart of men when theybelieve. You dont want to forget that.

People dont have an option about how to get saved in any age. You dont decide inyour own mind, that by your own ability and wisdom, your own pushing, shoving and works how youre going to get to God. You are [by nature] in darkness; you aredead and there isnt any life in what you do, no matter how good and religious, right, aesthetic and philanthropic your motive might be. There isnt any life in that. Life is when Gods word comes in. It brings light and life. It is the seed.

Ill tell you something I read about. The oriental people eat a lot of rice. Five or six years ago a fellow in Japan invented imitation rice made from soy beans. (You cant eat the beans themselves, but this man made rice out of them.) He made a wager that they couldnt tell the difference between this imitation rice andreal rice. It was that good. It looked like rice and tasted like it. A farmer took him up on the challenge and won. He took some imitation rice and real ric

e and planted them. The real rice came up, but the imitation rice did nothing.There was life in that seed.

In this context, the seed is the word of the kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ sends forth the word of the kingdom in several ways.

Now, there is a common interpretation among dispensationalists about these fourpresentations. Ill tell you what it is and I dont really think it holds up but you need to know about it.

They say that the seed sown by the wayside represents the ministry of John the Baptist. They say that the seed sown on the stony ground is the earthly ministry of Christ. They say that the seed sown among the thorns is the ministry of the

twelve apostles in the early Acts period. Then, the good ground represents the tribulation saints.

Thats a handy way to explain it, but the problem is that it would mean that John, Jesus and the twelve never got anybody to respond to their ministries in a positive way. That isnt true. You dont wait until you get to the tribulation beforethere is any positive response. Rather than this representing Johns ministry, Christs ministry, the twelves ministry and then the tribulation - rather than beingin a sequence like that, its cumulative. These four responses are being given by the four kinds of hearers at the time in which they are being taught.



Notice the different types of soil and the different of responses:

Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in hisheart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

The man doesnt take in the seed sown by the wayside and then the birds of heavencome down and devour the seed. The man hears the word, but it isnt mixed with faith so it doesnt become a part of him. Satan comes along and takes it away.

Notice carefully what He calls Satan. Verse 19 says, then cometh the wicked one. If you compare this passage with Mark 4:15, you will see that the wicked one is Satan. The designation of Satan as the wicked one is a characteristic title of Satan at a certain time. Its a way of describing the adversary.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness ofhis coming:

That is the anti-Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,

the son of perdition;4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

That is the anti-Christ: he is that wicked one. The anti-Christ has this special title. When you read in the parable about the wicked one coming, it is Satan under a title that specifically looks toward the tribulation period. As we go down through these parables, you will see that they are looking especially at the nation Israel in that tribulation context. They are looking particularly at Israel in the tribulation time period.

Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls

came and devoured them up:

The fowls devoured them up. Do you remember the mention of the adversary in 1 Peter 5?

1 Peter 5:8 your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

You know that 1 Peter is one of the circumcision epistles, written especially to the tribulation saints in the context of that future time.

There is the wayside, where the people dont take in the word and Satan comes along, and through his opposition in the program of the anti-Christ, takes it away.

Matthew 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

The first guy didnt have any understanding. Here is somebody who does appear tobelieve the word but has no root, no depth of understanding.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulatio



n or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Now, this stony ground man appears to believe but he doesnt endure. He doesnt hold out; he doesnt last all the way to the end. He starts out well but as soon aspersecution and distress and difficulties come, he is like a flash in the pan.Hes gone. Does that remind you of anything?

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be thesign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

The disciples came and wanted to know about the end of the world. Verses 9 and10 talk about their being delivered up to affliction, killed, being an offense and betrayed.

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

He must endure affliction, betrayal, murder, false prophets and iniquity: But hethat shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Do you see that requirement to endure to the end? To the end of what?

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,

The abomination of desolation takes place right in the middle of the tribulation. An important issue in the tribulation will be not for somebody to say he believes and look like a believer. The real, true believer will be identified by enduring to the end.

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

One of the characteristics of the saints in the tribulation period is endurance. The fellow who is represented by the seed that falls on stony ground looks good, but pretty soon tribulation and persecution arise for those who believe the word, and he becomes offended and he quits. He has no endurance. Again, thats one kind of people there will be.

These men go out and preach, but they have to understand that there will be some people who wont listen to them. There will be some other people who will feignparticipation, but they arent going to last.

Matthew 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the w

ord, and he becometh unfruitful.

The thorny ground is somebody who receives the word, but the cares of the worldand the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and the guy becomes unfruitful. He is made unfruitful by the cares and riches of this world.

The first fellow is made unfruitful by the devil. He faces opposition from theadversary, and he doesnt receive the word.

The second guy has opposition from the flesh and he succumbs to that.



The third fellow is allured away by the world.

Notice the sources of temptation: the flesh, the world and the devil. Those three things were the sources of temptation that Christ endured in Matthew 4. Those are exactly the temptations that Israel will have to endure in the tribulation. Christ was the faithful one who overcame those temptations.

The thorny ground, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word and the man becomes unfruitful. He had some fruit but the word never grows to maturity because all these other things choke it out.

Do you know a verse that would fit this situation?

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Then He goes on and tells them not to store up treasures on earth but in heaven.

In the kingdom program there is a special issue about riches. (Now we are not to worship riches today; in no age are you supposed to worship riches.) But in the kingdom program there is a particular issue about riches the care and concern people have for living in the world - that is a special hindrance to them in be

ing a part of what God will be doing then.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and comeand follow me.22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

My uncle used to say that he didnt like to argue with the Bible, but when the Bible says the young man had great possessions, you might say that his possessionshad him. Thats the idea.

There is a special issue in that kingdom message about selling out. Remember, i

n Revelation 13, if the guy doesnt take the mark of the beast, he wont be able tobuy and or sell. You say, Well, I dont work for people so I dont have anything tosell. If you work forty hours a week for a man, you are selling your labor. You cant sell without the mark, so you lose your job.

You cant buy. The kids need groceries; you cant buy groceries. The kids cry formilk and bread and for some clothes. Authorities will come and say, What kind of parent are you? Child abuse! Well take away your children if you dont take care of them.

The cares of this world: are you worried about how you can get along? What does it do? It just drowns and chokes out the word and you just cant go along to perfection. Luke says that he doesnt bring any fruit to perfection. He starts but

is never able to get the crop in the barn,

Again, there are going to be people whom they minister to who begin well and goalong well for awhile, but they just cant get the crop in the barn because of all these cares.

Then there is also the good ground.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, s



ome an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The good ground is the man who hears the word, understands the word and bears fruit. Write down in your notes and check Revelation 2 and 3, where Christ tellsevery one of those churches, I know thy works. Works, fruit bearing, is an issuein the tribulation with regard to those people in that program.

Did you ever wonder why, in James 2, he says, Faith without works is dead? Faithhas always been the issue with God, but in the kingdom program, works (bringingforth fruit) are required with their faith in order to demonstrate who they areand to make their calling and election sure.

Notice the fruit bearing in the passage. The Little Flock is identified by thefact that they bear fruit.

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you [the religious leaders of Israel], The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth thefruits thereof.

That little flock, that group of true believers, is going to receive the kingdom and bring forth the fruit of the kingdom.

So the good ground - the guy who hears the word, understands it and brings forth fruit - will endure to the end and get the job done. There are three categorie

s of fruit.

Did you ever read over there in John 15 where Christ says to abide in me and I in you? He talks about pruning so they can bear fruit and more fruit and much fruit.

John 15:1 I am the true vine

There He is: He is the true nation.

There are four trees in the Bible; one is a vine tree. Out of Egypt I have brought my vine. The vine is a type of the national life of Israel. Where is the true nation? Christ says, I am the true vine [nation].

and my Father is the husbandman.2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

They bear fruit, thirty-fold. He is going to purge the vine so it will bring forth more fruit, sixty-fold.

John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

People can tell you are my disciple because you are bearing much fruit, a hundred-fold. Notice those degrees: fruit, more fruit, much fruit; some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred-fold. There are degrees in the fruit. He prunes them in order to increase the fruit.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him [Satan, 1] by the blood of the Lamb, and [2] by the word of their testimony; and [3] they loved not their lives unto the death.

There are some people who will overcome him by the blood. They are saved and th



at is their standing. (Hebrews 10, for example.) There are some others who gobeyond that and have works that accompany salvation and who carry out the testimony of Jesus Christ. Then, there are others who pay with their life. Revelation 2 says that they get the crown of life, a martyrs crown, for that.

Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are [1] called, and [2] chosen, and [3] faithful.

I am just trying to point out to you the degrees of the fruit-bearing. The issue there is the gathering together of that group.

In the parable of the sower, Christ is demonstrating how that little flock is going to be gathered together out of the nation, out of the apostate vine that brought forth bad grapes (Isaiah 5). The gospel of the kingdom is preached to thenation, and there are four kinds of responses. It is sown in the heart of one,and to him it is just a blank. He doesnt understand it at all. The devil comesand takes it away.

The next guy receives the word and responds to it. It springs up but as soon as persecution, difficulties and heartaches come and he begins to pay a price, hequits. He didnt really believe. It was just a flash in the pan.

Then the next group comes and gets involved; they go on a while and begin to bea

r some fruit. Then, all of a sudden all these problems come and begin to chokeout the word and they fall by the wayside. They dont continue, but fall away. It says that they fall away because they really werent true believers.

The purpose of the tribulation period is to purge out all those people who appear to be believers but are counterfeits, so that only the true group gets into the kingdom.

Christ is warning them about what is going to happen in their ministry.

In the next lesson, we will go down through the parable of the tares. There Hedescribes the ministry of the little flock after He has gone away.

The parable of the sower describes how the little flock is gathered together and what is going on in its midst. Peter, the apostles and the hundred forty-fourthousand all will understand that in their assembly, in their group, there willbe real, true believers and there will be some who pretend to believe.

Thats the reason that you read, in passages like 2 Peter 1:

2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neithe

r be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words, dont just have faith, but add all this fruit to your faith so that you are not barren nor unfruitful.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hathforgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlast



ing kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of thesethings, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

Be established in the truth so you dont fall away!

I dont know if you ever noticed that there are people who dont believe in eternalsecurity. There are also people who think that if you dont believe in eternal security you are not a Bible believer, but that isnt true. You can go to verse after verse after verse in that Bible where it teaches works with faith for salvation. Did you ever wonder why so many people who carry and read a Bible dont believe in eternal security? Did you ever wonder why they cant understand those verses about eternal security? Its because they read other verses that sound like you can lose it.

Listen to Jimmy Swaggart sometime on the TV. He reads verses and says, See there. You can lose your salvation unless you endure to the end.

You see, people, if you dont rightly divide the word of God, if you dont know what right division is all about, you will never be able to understand those parables.

Proverbs 26:7 The legs of the lame are not equal:

If a lame mans legs are not equal, how does he walk, straight or crooked? Crooked.

so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

If you dont rightly divide that book, you are never going to get the word of Godstraight. You are never going to be able to understand that book or believe that book if you are a fool. O, fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. If you are not going to believe what Almighty Gods word says,you will never get things straight. You will never be able to cut a straight line through the word of God.

Proverbs 26:9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,

A guy goes out and gets soused and he gets a thorn in his hand. He doesnt even know it is there. We say, He is three sheets in the wind. He is feeling no pain. Does that old drunk get the point of the thorn? No.

so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

You know if you are just waddling around in the word of God and you cant rightlydivide the word, you are never going to get the point; thats a fact. You cant get the parables straight and you cant get the point that Christ has in them if youdont rightly divide the word of God, and if you dont understand that God has a kingdom program in which those people manifest themselves as being a part of that faithful remnant by enduring. Those who endure are really the ones who received

the word in the good ground to start with.

You understand that it is different today, dont you? You know the program is different today, and the whole package of our salvation is different. They have aliteral, visible kingdom that they are going to receive, where they will receive honored positions and rewards. There are physical events that have to bring in that kingdom, and the entire issue here is about the nation bringing in the kingdom.

Listen, every individual who ever rested his faith in Gods word to him - no matte



r what the revelation in his time, no matter where it was in human history - any individual who ever trusted in what God said to him, God Almighty saved that man. On the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ, that man is as secure as you are. But God never told that to everybody because everybodys program isnt like our program. Our program is a grace program. Everything in our program is spiritual.

Name something physical that you are going to carry with you at the rapture. Iknow there are physical things here and now that you have to worry about and take care of. That is because He leaves us here to represent Him until the program of the body of Christ is brought to a conclusion.

Did you ever hear a spirit shout? I used to go to a church where people shouted a lot. Glory, hallelujah! Glory to God! Amen! It would scare you almost to death if somebody did that here, wouldnt it? Around here a good Amen gets folks allshaken, but down South they do a lot of shouting. We never waved hankies or ran up and down the aisles, but people would say, Glory to God! Every now and then some old sour saint would come in and would say, Thats not spiritual.

A friend of mine once asked, Have you ever heard a spirit shout? We have to havea body, a vehicle, to carry your soul and spirit around on this planet. Although we have a physical body here, our blessings are spiritual. The whole issue with us is spiritual. We are going to leave everything behind that we have here.You might look around for physical blessings here and there. God, give me a big

, fat bank account. I want to retire and go to Hawaii. What are you talking about anyway? Thats not your program.

You see, we have a spiritual program with spiritual blessings. Because it is grace, He gives it all to you ahead of time and you own every one of them. You dont need anything that He didnt already give you. You have all the divine operating assets God has for you. You have all those wonderful things right now. He has put you in the position of full grown sons so you have immediate access to it. That is what adoption is. You are not a little child who has an inheritance in the bank but cant spend it yet. You are full-grown and have immediate access to it all. All you have to do is get your nose in that book and find out what you have and put it to work in your life; live like the spiritual king that God has made you.

You see, your program is different so your provisions are different. If you dont rightly divide the word and get the programs mixed up, youre never going to know how God works today. You are never going to know what to expect God to do, and you are never going to know what God expects you to do. I am confident in youthat you wont be that way.


Matthew, Chapter 13. Now we are down to Verse 24 and will pick up the exposition there. I remind you that this is the chapter with the parables of the kingdom. We are at a point in the Book of Matthew where the rejection of the earthly ministry of Christ has been clearly identified. The pronouncement of the judgment has been made, and He begins to speak in parables in order to hide the truth from those people who have rejected Him and to make it known just to that Little



Flock.

We have seen the first parable, that of the sower. When Christ gave these parables, He interpreted the first two. There are more than these seven, later in the book, but when He gives the seventh one in Chapter 13, He interprets the first two. The first three parables that He interprets set the standard and tell you how to interpret all of the parables that He teaches.

We need to go carefully through the parables that He interprets because the following ones are going to be explained on the basis of the information and patterns that He lays down in these thrthat He does interpret. He gives a detailed exposition of the first two.

Weve been over the parable of the sower and have seen that it refers to the ministry of Christ when He is sowing the seed and gathering together the Little Flock.

The second parable begins in Verse 24, and it is the parable of the tares. It focuses on the ministry of the Little Flock in His absence. He is telling them what their ministry is going to be like when He sends them out.

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and wen

t his way.26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I willsay to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

In Verse 36, you will see that He gives the interpretation.

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house:

[You will remember that, in Verse 1, He goes outside the house to the seaside where He gives the first four parables. Then He goes inside the house in the intimate company of His disciples.]

and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

He had already given the interpretation of the first parable, and they come andask Him to explain the second one.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

Again, you have to keep in mind that in the first parable He is picturing the gathering of the Little Flock of believers; in this parable of the tares He is showing the sending forth of His Little Flock into the world. He is going to describe for them what their ministry is going to be like.

In Verse 37, the sower is the Son of man. In Verse 38, the field is the world.



The good seed are the children of the kingdom. The tares are the children of the wicked one.

Notice that the good seed is not said to be the word of God in this parable. In the first parable the seed was the word of God, the word of the kingdom. The seed now are said to be the children of the kingdom. The seed that He is sowingnow are the little flock. He is sending them out into the world, of course, with the word of God. This is their ministry as they go out. The sower is the Son of man.

When we studied the Book of Daniel, I tried to show you that Daniel sets down information in an outline to help you understand the prophetic program. It is the place to begin your study of prophecy. (You really should begin in Genesis 1 and go through the first twenty-five chapters - all of Genesis would be good - to understand the things that have their origin there.)

Then go to the book of Daniel to get an overview of the future issues. You getthe covenants and the divine institutions in Genesis and then you come to Daniel where you get the overall view of the times of the Gentiles and the last days.You find definitions of terms that are repeated in Matthew.

The sower is the Son of man. That is a very special title of the Lord Jesus Christ. It refers to Him in a very special capacity. We have studied this already, but I want you to look at the verse again:

Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they broughthim near before him.14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Who is the him in Verse 14? What is His title in Verse 13? He is the Son of man. he Son of man is a title that refers to the Messianic office, His kingship. It is a title given to Christ in His capacity as the one to whom the kingdom will be given and who will exercise dominion over the earth. Its a Messianic title.

The same title appears in the Book of The Revelation concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and His revelation, His coming back and taking up His reign in the earth.

Revelation 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man,

The title, the Son of man, first appears in the New Testament in Matthew 8:20.He said. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

The last place the title occurs is in Revelation 14:14. Revelation 14 is the si

xth of the chapter fourteens in the New Testament. Six is the number of man. Before the Book of Revelation, He had no place to lay His head, but in Revelation 14 you find the Son of man wearing a golden crown on His head. He comes back as the King.

It is interesting to notice that the title Son of man appears in the gospels and in Acts; it jumps over Pauls epistles and doesnt appear again until Paul is off the scene. It is never used in Pauls epistles because the issue in Pauls epistles is not the Messianic role, the Kingship role, of the Lord Jesus Christ.



The sower in Matthew 13 is the Son of man, Christ in His special role as Messiah.

These parables do not deal with the church, the body of Christ, or with the dispensation of grace. They deal with the time period when the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of man, the Messiah. People take the parables and apply them to the body of Christ and to the dispensation of grace. They say that it is Christendom in this age. These parables dont have anything to do with us, but they have todo with the Son of man sowing the good seed.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;38 The field is the world;

Matthew 15:24 But he [Christ] answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 13:38 The field [in which he sows the seed] is the world;

Then I know something: that parable does not relate to the earthly ministry ofChrist. It does not focus on the time period prior to His crucifixion. The parable does not focus on the time period of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John because a

t that time He wasnt sowing anybody out into the world. His ministry was restricted to Israel.

The parable was given during His earthly ministry for the purpose of preparing the Little Flock that He was gathering to send out into the world to minister during His absence after His ascension.

In the first parable, He gathers the Little Flock together. Then He sends themforth after He ascends into heaven. You see, these parables were given with the understanding that His rejection was final. Christ was officially rejected bythe nation in His incarnation, as related in the gospel accounts. After His resurrection, the little flock went out as His witness in the Acts period, as theywill again in the Tribulation. A witness is again given to the nation, a renewed

offer, another opportunity for them to repent and receive their Messiah and their kingdom. Again they reject Him; as they did in His incarnation, so also they did in His resurrection. We are dealing with that rejection right here in Matthew, and when we get to Acts, we will also see it there.

You need to understand that in the setting where we are now in Matthew, that rejection has become established, and He is making provisions for and instructing His disciples, that Little Flock, about a ministry that they are going to have in the future.

What are they going to do between His ascension and His return? He is telling them about their ministry.

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The good seed are the children of the kingdom. They are His Little Flock.

Come to Mark 16, and notice that He does sow these people into the world. Up until the crucifixion of Christ, His ministry is exclusively to the nation Israel, but after His crucifixion it expands and the scope of the ministry (not the theme of the ministry, not the content of the message preached, but the scope) is opened up and now it is to go out to all the world.



Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

(This situation, when He sat at meat with them, is related in Luke 24.)

14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth notshall be damned.

The time when they sat at meat together is in Luke 24, so the commission in Mark 16 took place at the same time. In Luke 24:45 and 46, He opens their understanding and explains some things.

Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in hisname among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

The scope of their ministry is no longer Israel only; now it is to go out to the world. It is to go to Israel first, but then it is to go to the world, to all nations, to every creature. The order of their going is clear: Jerusalem first.

Come to Acts 1, a passage you need to be familiar with. Every one of you oughtto be able to quote Acts 1:8.

Acts 1:6 When they [the apostles] therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time [begin the Church, the Body of Christ]?

That isnt what it says, is it? Do you see what they are interested in? They spent forty days with Him (Verse 3), being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. So they ask, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

The question isnt whether the kingdom will be restored to Israel, but is this the

time? They are looking for the time element.

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The order is clearly given. The point in the parable is that He sows them intothe world. The order is Jerusalem, then all Judaea, then Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the world. They are being sown into the world.

In the parable, their ministry is going to be the preaching of the gospel of the

kingdom in all the world.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom

There isnt any doubt about what gospel He sends them out to preach in Mark 16:15. Its the gospel of the kingdom.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;



Does that sound like Luke 24? Acts 1? Mark 16? It does, exactly.

and then shall the end come.

So He takes this Little Flock and He is going to sow them out to preach the word of the kingdom unto all the nations of the earth: Jerusalem. Judaea, Samaria, then out to the uttermost parts of the world. That is the ministry that they are going to have after His ascension.

Folks ask a lot of questions: Why is He going to send them out to all the world when the time of Gentile mass conversion is not until after Christ comes back inthe kingdom? There are two reasons.

First, He is going to send them out to the nations of the world as a witness inorder to gather Israel out of all of the nations of the earth. Where is Israelat this time? They are scattered, arent they? James calls them the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad. How do you get them if they are scattered? You gogather them.

So, He takes that good seed and sends them out in order to gather Israel from among the nations.

Isaiah 66:7 Before she [Israel] travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon asZion travailed, she brought forth her children.9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

Notice Verse 7: Before she had birth pains, she brought forth a man-child. InVerse 8, she does travail and then the nation is born. There are two issues there that people miss. There is a man-child born before the great travail. Thenthere is a great travail out of which a nation is born.

In Revelation 12: 5 you see the man-child. In Verses 1, 2 and 3, you see Israel and the dragon who fights against her.

Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nationswith a rod of iron:

The commentaries say the man-child is Christ.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Hereafter is from this point onward. Are you reading about the past, present or future? Future. (The fact is that in Revelation you start reading of future events from Verse 1 of Chapter 1.)

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy [not history],

The Book of Revelation is a book of prophecy. When you get to Chapter 12, Verse 5, youre reading about Israel bringing forth a man-child who is going to rule all nations. People say, Thats Christ, and they are right, but it also refers to others besides Christ. Look back at Chapter 2 where He is talking to the church at Thyatira.



Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shallthey be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.28 And I will give him the morning star.

The overcomers in those churches are going to rule with Christ in the kingdom with a rod of iron. There is a remnant of believers, like the little flock in the gospels and Acts period, who will rule with Christ in a special capacity in that kingdom.

Revelation 12:5 is the middle of the Tribulation, the Seventieth Week of Daniel.

Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

There is a mid-tribulation rapture, a catching up of a remnant in Israel, in the seventieth week. That remnant in Israel is the hundred and forty-four thousand in the tribulation. Its the little flock back in the gospels and Acts. (The dispensation of grace has interrupted their program.) The little flock, back in the gospels and Acts, corresponds to the hundred and forty-four thousand in the tribulation. Notice what happens after that man-child is caught up to heaven.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness,

Who is the woman? Israel is still here on the earth. Look at the verse. The woman brings forth a man-child who is raptured up and the woman, the remnant, isleft here. The nation doesnt go up, but a group of people from the nation goes up. Satan persecutes the woman and she flees into the wilderness.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

That little flock is going to be sown out there, and their testimony is going to produce a believing nation. Thats my point to you. Come back to Revelation 7.

Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Then he begins to describe them:

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Then he lists the tribes from which they come. Thats the passage about the hundred and forty-four thousand, the servants of God, who are sealed.

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, a



nd before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The first half of that period is called the tribulation. In Matthew 24, the lasthalf is called the great tribulation. The great tribulation out of which these people come is the last half of that seventieth week.

There are a hundred and forty-four thousand here on the earth in the first halfof the tribulation. When you get to Chapter 14, that hundred and forty-four thousand is up there before the throne of God in heaven. Between Chapters 7 and 14, that hundred and forty-four thousand have moved off the earth into the heavenwhere the throne of God is. They have been raptured, caught up.

Here you are dealing with the end of the three and a half years of the great tri

bulation. You see this group of people who have come out of it and have gone to heaven. (Remember that the remnant was sent out among the nations.)

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,

People say, Those are Gentiles. No, no, no, they are not Gentiles. That is Israel brought in from all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. It is likewhat is said in Acts 2:

Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Thats the issue. When the commentaries say that they are Gentiles, they miss the point. They are not Gentiles. Thats the way God will gather together the believing nation in the tribulation period. Just as they were gathered together in Christs day by the apostles, so they will be gathered together from among the nations in the tribulation by the hundred and forty-four thousand. These people come, in Revelation 7, Verses 15, 16 and 17, and they serve God day and night in His temple. Thats not the Gentiles doing that. Thats a promise held out to the nation Israel over and over in the Old Testament.

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

Where are the hundred and forty-four thousand at this time? They are on Mount Zion. They were on earth and now they are up there. How did they get up there?I dont know any other way than that they just got moved up there.

There is a group of a hundred and forty-four thousand down here in Revelation 12 on earth and they got raptured up there. Maybe sometimes you think that we are the only people who will get caught up, but that isnt true. Failure to recognize that causes people to go back over to Psalm 50, where He talks about these people being caught up there to Mount Zion, the city of the great King, and theysay, See? That is the rapture of the body of Christ. Our rapture isnt in Psalm 50



; its telling about these people.

Revelation 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders[in the third heaven]: and no man could learn that song butthe hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

They are the firstfruits of that remnant out of the nation that will follow.

So, why does He sow them into the world? Number one: to gather the believing remnant in Israel. Number two: He also sows them into the world as a warning about judgment to come.

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;

He is talking about the coming judgment and destruction.

They go out and preach the message of Christs coming, and that message to Israelis good news, isnt it? That is their hope, but that same message to the nationsof the earth is bad news because He is coming back to judge the nations. The message to them is to kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. (Psalm 2)

In Matthew 25, there is a warning to the Gentiles who are saved in the tribulation period.

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one

from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of myFather, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

The Gentiles who bless Israel receive Israels blessing, so there are Gentiles inthat tribulation who heed the warning. Some dont, of course, and they get the curse in Verse 41.

Do you remember Rahab? She was there in Jericho, a cursed city. She received the Israelite spies, and she was delivered from the wrath of God that destroyed the city. She told those spies, We heard what God did when He brought you all upout of Egypt, and I feared God. We call her Rahab, the harlot, but she had stopped

being a harlot twenty years before that. When she heard what God had done, she changed occupations. Did you read Joshua 2 to learn what her new occupation was? You did notice that, didnt you?

These Gentiles fear God, and they serve, help and bless Israel and so they receive the blessing because of it.

Isaiah 49:5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him,



Notice that somebody is going to be Gods servant. Didnt we read in Revelation 7:3 a while ago, about those hundred and forty-four thousand? What did he call them? Hurt not the servants of God. That hundred and forty-four thousand are a special class of people and are called servants of God.

To whom is the Book of the Revelation written?

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;

That book is written to a special class of people in the tribulation period whoare called servants. Here they are.

Isaiah 49:5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I beglorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel:

You see that servant going out to gather together and preserve the remnant in Israel,

I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

That servant there is Christ. He is training those apostles to go out to carryon His ministry in His absence and to represent Him. He tells those Gentiles, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

They represent Him. We have already studied that in Matthew 10. So, the good seed is sown out into the world.

Now, we have the parable of the tares. The tares are the children of the wicked one.

Matthew 13:38 but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Weve already learned, in Verse 19, that the wicked one is the anti-Christ. It is Satan, especially in the capacity that he will have in the tribulation period.The tares are the children of the wicked one. They are the ones that the devil sows (Revelation 13). The wicked one is empowered by Satan.

This verse is about the tribulation situation. The tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end ofthe world, and the reapers are the angels.

It is important that you understand that when the little flock goes out, it is going to face tremendous opposition. The anti-Christ is going to come professing the religion of Israel, and the little flock is going to stand against him. Th

ey are going to oppose him, and he is going to oppose them.

In the midst of their ministry, Satan is going to come in and sow counterfeits.There will be a counterfeit Israel claiming to be true believers in the tribulation. When Israel came out of Egypt, they came out with a mixed multitude. That is what there will be there in the tribulation. There will be a mixed multitude, as there always is. There is only one result of a mixed multitude and thatis the attempt to destroy what God is doing.

Gods standard is purity. Gods standard is total and absolute purity: an unmixed



seed. The adversary just wants you to compromise and join with the mixed multitude as it weakens, corrupts and counterfeits. Satans purpose is to destroy the little flock by planting the tares that grow up looking like the wheat. Thats why He says not to pull them up because they will uproot the wheat as well. It will be hard to tell them apart. Wait until the harvest and it wont be a problem once we see their fruit; remember all the injunctions about fruit. Thats important, people. He wasnt just giving spiritual applications so you could discern between the preachers on TV. He was bringing to their attention some very specific tests that they will have to deal with.

Revelation 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

There will be a bunch of people there who are saying they are apostles and are doing signs and wonders of the apostles (2 Thessalonians 2), but they are phonies. Now, could that get confusing?

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

There is a counterfeit program going on when this little flock is sent out intothe world with the good seed, the word of the kingdom, and they are going to hav

e to face opposition.

Just as in the first parable where you see Christ working, so in the second parable Satan is working. As the little flock goes out, there is going to be opposition from the false seed, the false children of the kingdom. There is always going to be a need to identify the true believers.

He says that conflict will continue until the harvest, which is the end of the world; that is, the end of the age, when this present evil world is no more, andthe kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever.

You understand that we use as dates B.C. (before the Christian era) and A.D. (an

no Domini, in the year of our Lord), but then it is going to be R.D. (the reignof our Lord). There is going to be an all-new world, the world to come.

Matthew 13:39 the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire:

Matthew 3:11 he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather

his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Hell burn up the chaff and the tares with unquenchable fire. That fire is the tribulation fire, especially associated with the second advent of Christ, and particularly that fire that we studied about which will be set on the earth and will burn down into hell. It is a monument on the earth where they can look down and see a living demonstration of Gods attitude toward sin.

Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailin



g and gnashing of teeth.

That means that they are going to hurt. There will be some squalling and whining because of the wrath of God. Everything in that parable is interpreted, but there is one thing that isnt said to be representative of something else: its thefire. Do you know why? Fire is the only literal thing in the parable. Its real.

Write down in your notes Revelation 14:14 to the end of chapter, and Matthew 24:36-42.

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

I have heard that passage preached for years as referring to the rapture. Whenthe rapture comes there will be two in the field; one will go and the other will

be left. Boohoo. It will be too bad. Over here there will be two men; one will be gone and the other left. Boohoo. Too bad.

That is not what that passage says. That passage doesnt have anything to do with the rapture of the Body of Christ. It hasnt anything to do with somebody beingcaught up into glory.

Matthew 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;

Where did the flood take them? To heaven? It took them to hell, didnt it? Theflood took them away in judgment. Who got saved? Noah. How? By being in theark. The flood didnt touch them. The only people who got wet in the flood, died.

39 so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken [taken in judgment and drowned in perdition], and the other left.

It is interesting in the parable that He says, First, gather the tares. Take the tares out and destroy them. Then the wheat goes into the barn (the saints go into the kingdom). Thats the harvest (Revelation 14).

Matthew 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmamen

t; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Thats what He is talking about: wise people who turn many to righteousness. Thats what those guys are going to be doing in that tribulation period when they are sown out into the world. They will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Matthew 13:43 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

In the first parable, He gathers the little flock. In the second parable, you s



ee the ministry of the little flock from Acts all the way over to the second coming of Christ. He describes the great satanic effort that is going to counterfeit their program and the opposition that these people are going to face.

Verse 25 says that those tares will be sown while men slept; therefore, the injunction that Christ gives to the apostles, over and over and over, is Watch, watch!Stay awake!

Now, there are a lot of spiritual applications you can make from the ministry of the Little Flock and the opposition of the adversary to the Word. You have anenemy, and he has a seed; he has children. He has a Bible. He is out sowing his seed, and he does it when men sleep. He imitates what God is doing. Thosemethods are true in every age. They are true today just as much as they will be out in the future.

These first two parables are dealing with gathering the remnant out of Israel.They are dealing with that time period.

By the way, He gave the parable in Luke 19 because they thought the kingdom wasgoing to appear immediately. It is like a man who goes away to receive a kingdom and leaves his stuff in the hands of servants. He says, Occupy until I come. That is what He is telling them here. He is describing their ministry during thattime period while He is away.


Matthew 13. We have studied the first two parables (the sower and the tares) and have looked at the interpretation of them in detail. I have tried to show you that Christ gave the interpretation of those parables as a pattern for interpre

ting all the rest of the parables.

The parables have to do with the dispensation of the kingdom. In fact, all of the parables in the Bible, including the very first one in the Book of Numbers, speak of Israel being distinct from all the other nations on the earth. The parables in the Scripture focus on the nation Israel.

Matthew 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; andwithout a parable spake he not unto them:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Christ quotes Psalm 78 to explain why He speaks in parables. He says that He taught in parables so that what was spoken in Psalm 78 might be fulfilled.

There is something in Psalm 78:1 that helps you understand what the parables are about. It is a Maschil of Asaph, an instruction that teaches.

Psalm 78:1 Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:



The rest of this chapter gives a biography of the nation Israel and especially of her sins from the time of the wilderness wandering until David. You get an insight into the things that are happening in Israel. He is saying, concerning their history from the exodus and forward into the future, I am going to give you some information about the things that are going to come to pass.

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

Then he recites Israels history through that time period. This is an interesting Psalm because there are tremendous things related in it that give insight intowhat is going on in Israel. It demonstrates that the Old Testament history is far more than just a record of mans quest for God and other things that you hear modernists say. Its a parable drawn from Old Testament history - Exodus, Joshua,First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles - that is an exact description of some things that are going to happen in the future in the tribulation period.

6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

These things are recorded here for future generations. I have told you, over and over, that when you study prophecy you need to remember what the prophets say.

Christ says that when these things happen, it is just like it was in Exodus or i

n Joshua or Judges. He says, What will take place at His second advent is like what happened in Judges 5, or Joshua 10, or Exodus 14. Hell give a reference and tell them to go back there.

When you read Exodus, Joshua and Judges, you are not just reading history; you are doing that, but there is also a doctrinal content. Do you remember what we said about the three applications of scripture?

One is the historical application: this event took place and meant something tosomebody at the time it was written.

Then there is the spiritual application of doctrines and biblical principles that are relevant throughout all the word of God. They are always true, and you ca

n get spiritual insight, help and instruction from them.

There is the doctrinal application. When you study the Bible, you ought to go for this one first; that is, those passages have something to do with every other verse in the Bible. The doctrinal application often concerns the tribulation.The books of Exodus, Joshua, Numbers and Judges contain more information aboutthe second coming of Christ and what is going to take place in the tribulation than the whole New Testament does. Well, probably that should be the case because they contain about the same amount of text. Thats true, but most people neverconsider those books when they think about the second coming of Christ and the things that are going to take place in the future because those scriptures are all back there in the Old Testament.

Psalm 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

The purpose of the parable is to show the deeper, hidden causes and forces in events that are veiled to the eyes of the uninstructed. He goes down through Psalm 78 and relates the failures of Israel. Then He says, You see how they failed there? Then He looks behind the scenes and tells you why they failed.

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.



They had all this equipment and armor and yet they were turned back and were defeated. Why?

10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

He identifies the failure and then gives the reason. This is very instructive.He is showing them things that the uninstructed dont see. It takes spiritual perception to look at the events and see what is going on behind the scene.

Thats the purpose of a parable. In scripture, parables and proverbs are very similar in that regard. When you come to Matthew 13, Christ quotes that passage from Psalms. He is saying that these parables are looking behind the scenes, as it were, and showing the hidden reasons that people just dont see immediately andthat take a little insight to perceive.

Matthew 13:35 I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which havebeen kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Again, the fact that the kingdom was going to be delayed and that there would be an extended interval between the first coming and the second coming of Christ was not something that was clearly known even in the prophetic program.Remember that it says in 1 Peter 1:10-12, the prophets inquired in time past abo

ut the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. They wanted to know, first of all, what they were talking about because they didnt understand what they were writing, and they didnt understand the time elements involved. They saw them all foretold together. In fact, sometimes they would see the suffering, then the glory, and the suffering again. Sometimes they would see glory, suffering and glory. Sometimes they would see glory, suffering, suffering and glory. It would get all mixed together in the prophets. Read those passages of the prophets back there: Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Events are not laid out chronologically in those books. There can be two thousand years involved in one comma in a verse dealing with the first and second comings of Christ. We can see that, looking back. Those prophets back there didnt see that.

What He is revealing in these parables in Matthew 13 is the fact that there is g

oing to be a period of time in which the King is absent, and the kingdom is going to be placed in the hands of His legitimate representatives, that little flock. They will carry on the ministry in His absence. It will seem to be a failure, but in reality it will not be. Then He will come back after His exile. Thatis what we are dealing with now in these parables in Matthew 13. We have seen it in the parables of the sower and the tares and wheat.

In the parable of the sower, we have seen Christ go out and establish the little flock. Then in the parable of the wheat and the tares, we see Satans work. Hecomes in as a counterfeiter, and we see his opposition with his evil counterfeit program working against the kingdom program.

Now, in the third and fourth parables about the mustard seed and the leaven, we

see the outworking of evil. Its certain that the little flock that Christ callsis going to have to stand against the opposition of the adversary. A formidable opposition by a mixed multitude will be in their midst.

Then we come to the last three parables, the fifth, sixth and seventh. The fifth is about the treasure hid in the field; the sixth is about the pearl of greatprice. The seventh is about the dragnet.

In the first parable He focused on the outward aspect of the kingdom; then He goes into the house and begins to focus on the pursuit of the kingdom. The second



, third and fourth ones - the tares, the mustard seed and the leaven - focus onthe presence of evil that has to be opposed by that little flock which Christ established. The treasure hid in the field and the pearl of great price describethe pursuit of the kingdom. The nation Israel is distinct from the nations of the earth. The little flock is distinct from the nation.

Last of all comes the parable of the dragnet: the harvest at the end of the ageand the judgment of the nations.

Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Here we see the influence of evil, which was represented in the second parable by the tares the activity of the wicked one.

What we see in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven are the reasons for the seeming failure of the kingdom message. In the last three, you see the ultimate success of it. Notice that the mustard seed is said to be the least of all seeds. The emphasis

is on the smallness of the seed in the beginning.

Matthew 13:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, itis the greatest among herbs,

In other words, this mustard seed is planted, and the natural outcome is that this little bitty seed grows into greatness. That is the natural program for thekingdom. The kingdom was to begin with a little group of people. Go back the reference to Gods promise to Abraham in Deuteronomy 7, where God says, I didnt choose you because you were the greatest of all the nations:

Deuteronomy 7: 1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite

s, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

When they go into the land, the number of the inhabitants is greater than they are.

7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were morein number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:

You see that the nation was the fewest of all the other people. They were nota big bunch of people but a little bunch of people.

Deuteronomy 10:22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons [seventy people]; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

They start out little and then they grow great. Come over to Deuteronomy 28 and notice how that affects their ministry in Matthew. The nation Israel started out small and insignificant like a mustard seed, but they are destined to becomeas numerous as the stars in the heavens.

Deuteronomy 28 and the first parts of Chapters 29, 30 and 32 are Second Advent p



assages. Beginning in Chapter 28:15, it deals with the tribulation period all the way through Chapter 32, after which the second advent of Christ takes place.

Deuteronomy 28:62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; [why?] because thou wouldest not obey the voice ofthe LORD thy God.

Gods judgment on that nation is that, although it might be great in number at one point, He is going to see to it that through the judgment of the tribulation period, it will be few in number.

Chapter 1 of Isaiah says it will be just a little remnant. So, what does Jesuscall His disciples in Luke 12:32? Fear not, little flock, not big flock. Do you gt the idea? The point emphasized about the mustard seed is that it is little, representing a little group of people. It has a little beginning, but what is it destined to be? God promised Abraham, I will multiply thy seed as the stars ofthe heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore [Genesis 22:17). They are destined to greatness in the kingdom. They begin little like a mustard seedand grow to fill the whole earth.

It became the greatest of all herbs (the greatest all the nations). Thats the promise. That is what the kingdom program is to be like. Notice that there is a problem interjected here.

Matthew 13:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, itis the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree,

Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself,upon the earth: and it was so.12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

He said that the herb was to bring forth seed after its kind. That means thereis no crossing over. Do you know what that does to the theory of evolution? It kicks it in the teeth. After his kind means that horses dont give birth to goats.

That means that things multiply and regenerate their own kind and not something else.

2 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God sawthat it was good.

The herb is supposed to yield seed after its own kind. An herb is supposed to produce an herb. A tree is supposed to produce a tree. Is an herb supposed to produce a tree? Is a tree supposed to produce an herb?

Matthew 13:32 but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree,

Now, wait a minute. Is the mustard seed supposed to produce a tree? If it follows the course that God ordained, is it going to become a tree? No. Then whathappened? Has Gods order been followed? It couldnt have been followed. So, something happened so that a monstrosity grows up here.

This mustard seed has grown up on its way to becoming great, but something causes it to go haywire. Rather than becoming an herb, it becomes a tree. He is saying that something beyond the natural, God-ordained order of events has taken place.



32 [it] becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

What in the world is that? You understand, people, that when the Lord Jesus Christ was giving this information, he was giving it so Bible believers could understand it. The people who were lazy and didnt study their Bible, who didnt reallycare about gaining spiritual insight and perception, couldnt get it. Remember what we learned about the purpose He had in teaching in parables. It was to hidetruth from some people and to reveal it to others; they were dark, inscrutable sayings to the uninstructed, but to the instructed they made things clear.

Notice that the thing becomes a tree.

32 so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Ezekiel 31:1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom artthou like in thy greatness?3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of t

he field.5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadowdwelt all great nations.

Whats the tree? Its Assyria, a great nation. In the boughs of this nation come the fowls of heaven. (By the way, in the parable of the sower, the fowls of theair were demons. The fowls of the air came and took that seed and snatched it away.) You need to remember that because it is going to come up again. Thats about Satan. Birds in the Bible, over and over and over, are references to demons.

(Did you know that it is said that there are only thirty-three original plots for art, theater, movies, novels, etc.? Did you know that every one of them comes out of your Bible? Every one of them comes out of that book in your hand. When you read that book you are reading the only scientific textbook that can explain everything going on in the universe, and if you want to understand what is going on in the universe you will get it out of that book, or you wont get it.

Spinoza and Kierkegaard are just kindergarten infants. They are like a bunch of blind bats flying backwards in a dark room; they dont know what is going on. If you want understanding, get into that book. Thats where the answer will be. That book is something else!)

So, the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches. Underneath it are thebeasts of the field. Do you know whom that is talking about? Its talking aboutthe anti-Christ.

Ezekiel 31:8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him:

Was the Assyrian or Pharaoh in the garden of God? Who was in the garden of God? Do you remember that we had something similar to this back in Ezekiel 28 where He talked about the king of Tyrus being in Eden, the garden of God? We saw tha



t it wasnt literally the king of Tyrus, but Satan, represented by the king of Tyrus.

9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the treesof Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

In that verse, he is talking about the anti-Christ. Matthew 13:32 tells about that kingdom being taken over by the anti-Christ. That little flock is going tohave to resist Satans opposition in their very midst. You know that will be so.

The Book of Daniel tells about the anti-Christ coming as the king of the north,king of Assyria, to save Israel, and he winds up sitting on the throne in the temple proclaiming himself to be God. His reign will extend and all the kingdoms of the earth will come under his authority.

In Matthew 13:32, the parable of the mustard seed, He is talking about the corruption that is going to happen to the sovereignty of the kingdom. Its going to appear that His kingdom is starting out in its greatness, but all of a sudden, corruption takes over, and when it does those men are to stand fast and say, The kingdom program hasnt failed. This is what He said would happen. They have to be informed about what is happening.

33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leave

n, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Now, lets look at the parable of the leaven. Leaven in the Bible is consistently a picture of false doctrine.

I realize that what I am saying to you is entirely different from what is usually taught about the parables. Generally, what you hear taught about the parableof the mustard seed is that it is a picture of the present concealment and the future greatness of the gospel; it is going to start out small and go out over the face of the earth, and everybody is going to get saved. So it is said.

They say that the parable of the leaven shows the leavening process of the gospe

l as it is placed in three measures of meal (the three branches of Christendom:the Roman Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Protestant Church). Those three branches go out loving the world and pretty soon it is so wonderful that God figures it is so much better to live down here than up there that He comes back. That is what the modernists say. That is what the liberals say. That is what people who are not dispensationalists have to say because it is all they know to say.

That hasnt anything to do with what the passage is about. In the Bible, leaven,over and over and over again, consistently so, is something to be avoided as evil.

Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of t

he Pharisees and of the Sadducees.7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye tookup?11 How is it that ye do not understand



You bunch of boneheaded nuts, cant you learn anything? As a teacher I understand sometimes how He felt, but anyway. . .

11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees is false doctrine. It is not hard toidentify their doctrine. The Pharisees had a very clear problem: they rejected the word of God in order to maintain their own tradition.

Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Then He goes on to deal with that. The leaven of the Pharisees had to do with hypocrisy.

I know that some of you people sometimes think I am a bully and that I preach and talk hard. I want you to know that is not true. I have never tried to preach hard or dogmatically or unkindly to anybody. If I come across that way, I am s

orry. It is just because I try hard to communicate what I believe. Maybe thatbothers some people because they would like for me to say, Maybe its this; maybe its that, and what do you think? Well, I never learned anything that way.

If I listen to somebody speak or read somebodys book, I dont want him to say, Maybe its this or maybe its that. What do you think? I want him to say, Maybe its thir maybe its that, but this is what I think and heres why. If he doesnt do that, I m never satisfied, so I try to tell you what I think. You can believe me or not. You have to believe the Bible. Dont go off and tell somebody that you believe something because I said it. Ill swear I didnt say it if you tell that to somebody. I dare you to let anybody come and tell me that you said you believe something because I taught it. I dont want you believe something because I said it, but I want you to understand what Im saying. I have learned that we live in a gene

ration where you have to speak clearly or people dont listen to you. That is important.

Im a cream puff; I know that. But if you think you have heard somebody talk tough, you ought to read Matthew 23 and John 8 sometime. The Lord Jesus Christ peeled the hide off these people. Matthew 23 has the most vilifying words to ever come out of the mouth of anybody on the face of the earth. It came out of the sinless, perfect lips of the Son of God, and there wasnt an ounce of hate in it, but that isnt the way men read it. He dealt with them in Verses 1-12 about their formalism, about their loving the salutations of men. He dealt with them about Baal worship. The issue was hypocrisy: having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

HYPOCRITES! Boy, He just stings them.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?



By the time He gets to Verse 33, the train is rolling down the track, I guarantee you.

Thats the issue: the false doctrine, the leaven of the Pharisees. It has to do with formalism. It has to do with taking the word of God and adding mens traditions and thus denying the word of God. (Mark 7 is another passage about this.)

Matthew 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection,

Those guys were materialists. They said there is no resurrection, no supernatural. There is just what I can feel, what I can touch, what I can see and what I can handle. They denied the resurrection; they denied angels and anything supernatural: false doctrine. They were the modernists of their day. The Pharisees were the fundamentalists of their day. You dont want to be a formalist, and you dont want to be a modernist.

You dont want to be on the one side with the recited prayers, long robes, turned-around collars and religious titles. Thats what Matthew 23 talks about: they loved salutations in the market with religious titles, calling one another Father and all that stuff.

Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father

, which is in heaven.

Dont be displaying degrees after your names, and that kind of formalism. Dont be using those recited prayers, memorizing a prayer and reciting it for outward show. He says, Forget that!

Dont go to the other extreme and forget the doctrine. Heres a dead orthodox guy with all the doctrine and form but no heart, and then theres the other guy with no doctrine.

There is one other group in Israel called the Herodians.

Mark 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the P

harisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

That group was politically-minded; they were a bunch of worldly people caught up in the world system.

So, you have three different groups in Israel. One is identified as being leavened with the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy formalism, dead orthodoxy.

There is also the leaven of the Sadducees: materialism. And then there is the leaven of the Herodians: worldliness.

Those three different classifications summed up the situation there in Israel wi

th regard to false doctrine.

Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven [false doctrine], which a woman took, and hid in three measures ofmeal, till the whole was leavened.

False doctrine is going to be taught during the ministry in this time period, and it is going to spread throughout the whole group. There is going to be a mixed multitude in the nation Israel that the little flock is going to have to contend against.



Now, who is the woman who adds the leaven? Revelation 2:20 and 17:5 make it very clear that the woman is Babylon.

Revelation 2:20 that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificedunto idols.

She is called Jezebel, who was a Baalite priestess of the Old Testament (Ahabs wife).

Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THEGREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

It is a description of the system which, in the Bible, is called Baal worship.It is the religion of the anti-Christ.

Mystery Babylon the great. She hides the leaven in three measures of meal. She comes in as a wolf in sheeps clothing. Do you remember the admonition about thatin Matthew 7?

Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

The Baal worshippers come in and hide false doctrine in three measures of meal.What is meal? Write down Leviticus 2:11 and look it up.

You read about the meat offering which was a type of the sinless, spotless character of the Lord Jesus Christ. That meat offering was never to have leaven in it. No leaven was ever to be introduced into the meat offering which represented the spotless character of Christ.

By the way, Jeremiah 23:38, talking about the word of God, says, What is the chaff to the wheat? The wheat is the word of God. The chaff is the false doctrine that was being taught in that day. The meal is fine wheat flour. The meal represents the word, whether it is the Living Word or the written word; whether it is

the doctrine about Christ or Christ Himself.

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Who is the corn of wheat? That is Christ. I show you the verse just to say toyou that the Lord Jesus Christ is associated with the illustration of the meal.

2 John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

There will be people in the tribulation period who will be going around corrupting the doctrine of Christ. If you read through 1 John 2 and 4, you will see that the issue in those passages is maintaining the purity of the doctrine of who Christ is.

In Matthew 16, Peter says, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. In John 20:31, he says, But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is theChrist, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.



In that kingdom program, in that Messianic church, the basic fundamental issue that they all had to believe and acknowledge was that Jesus Christ was their Messiah King. The anti-Christ is going to come and claim to be the Messiah King.

1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,

Folks, that is not a test for people today. That is not the test today. You hear people give accounts like this: Well go out here and exorcise some demons today. They talk with someone who has a demon and address that demon and say, Confess that Jesus is come in the flesh. The demon drops his voice down about six octaves and says, No. Just go read the Chicago Trib. It is just about as helpful. There is nothing to all that nonsense.

If you want to identify demon activity you dont go to that passage in 1 John 4.And if you did, the demons would know better. Im not kidding you. The demons have a better sense than some folks who go around quoting scripture.

At that time, its going to be a problem. Now, if you say the meal shows the doctrine of who Christ is, how about the three measures? If you go back to Genesis18, the first time that expression occurs in your Bible, Abraham had three guests come and he takes three measures of meal to make cakes for them. He asks Sarah to cook a meal for he plans to eat and have fellowship with the guests. Sharing the three measures of meal is sort of like saying having fellowship. It is sha

ring what you have in fellowship. That little flock is going to fellowship around the doctrine of Christ and who He is, but there is going to be a mixed multitude in their midst.

Do you remember the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2? Do you remember the instructions they are told to obey back in Leviticus 23:15 and following? When they make those loaves of bread, do you know what they are to add to it? They are to add leaven. They were to keep the leaven out of everything else, but they were to add leaven to the cakes that they ate on the Day of Pentecost. Do you know why?Because when Pentecost comes, there is going to be a mixed multitude in Israel.Isnt that the way it was? In Acts 2, didnt they fellowship around the apostles doctrine? Do you remember the verse in the latter part of Acts 2 where it says they were breaking bread from house to house?

Then, when you go to Acts 5 and read about Ananias and Sapphira, you see a mixed multitude right in their midst. God judges Ananias and Sapphira.

These parables are saying that the little flock is going to face the infiltration of false doctrine. The influence of that false doctrine and its infiltrationinto the nation Israel is going to be the reason for the delay in coming of thekingdom and the reason for the apparent defeat that is suffered by their ministries. But, their ministries are not failures.

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: andhis disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

Then He gives them the interpretation of the parable down through Verse 43. The tares among the wheat are the reason for the apostasy and defection in Israel,being the working of Satan and his policy of evil. The parable of the tares doesnt just tell you Satans policy of evil working, but it also tells you that Satansattempts to thwart Gods program end in failure. So He gives the apostles some parables that demonstrate the ultimate success of Gods purpose.

Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;



What is the field? The field is the world. What is the treasure? Thats the nation Israel. Write down Exodus 19:5 and Psalm 135:4. You will see that the nation Israel is called the treasure.

That treasure is hidden in the field. In James 1:1, he writes to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad. Psalm 83:3 and 4 say, They are my hidden ones. The context of that is the Tribulation. They are hidden during the Tribulation and scattered among the nations in the world (the field).

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

The nation Israel is hidden somewhere out there in the world, yet the future ofthat nation is bright because they are His treasure. When He finds them, for the joy of having found them, He goes and sells all that He has and buys the whole field. Somewhere out in the world is hidden a treasure, and that treasure in the field speaks of Israels being distinct from all the other nations in the earth; they are Gods treasure. The fact is that the future of that nation is as bright as the promises and purposes of God.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

The pearl of great price is a reference to that little flock, that little believing remnant within the nation, as distinct from the nation. It is that pearl of great price. A pearl is an organism. It is the only stone that is living andit is the product of great suffering and tribulation.

In 1 Peter 2, he describes the saints as a kingdom of priests, an holy nation. About five verses before that he calls them living stones. There isnt but one living stone in all of creation and thats a pearl. In Malachi 3:17, the Lord says, in that day, when I make up my jewels. The jewels describe people.

That merchant man, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Thats the requirement for participation in that little flock in the kingdom. They must sell what they have to gain that position.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.33 Sell that ye have, and give alms;

Matthew 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered thegood into vessels, but cast the bad away.49 So shall it be at the end of the world:

Christ gave an interpretation of the parable, but it is just a short explanation. He focused on the wicked:

49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The sea is a type of the gentile nations at the end of the world. He gathers th



e good fish and the bad fish out of the nations. Does that remind you of the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25?

You have all three groups in those last three parables. You have the nation Israel as distinct from all the other nations on the earth with a bright future. You have the little flock, the little remnant as distinct from the nation itself. Then you have the gentile nations that are left who go into the kingdom.

So, Gods purposes in the kingdom are accomplished for all three groups.

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

Daniel 12 says that they that are wise shall understand, and they shall turn many to righteousness. Daniel 11 says, And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: In Matthew 13:10, 11, 13, the nation doesnt get it. Verse 51shows that the Little Flock did. Because they understand, He says,

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto thekingdom of heaven

The Body of Christ is not involved in those parables. If you teach that they are, or if you think that they are, or if you try to make them that way, you are not instructed in the parables.

Is that clear enough? Did I say it so you understood it? Every scribe which isinstructed unto the kingdom of heaven The parables are about the kingdom of heaven.

52 Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

He says, Because you understand these parables and the advance revelations aboutthe kingdom program, you can put the new revelation together with the old revelation into one unified whole.

What does that tell you? If you understand what is going on in the passages, you can be a dispensationalist, cant you? These men were the dispensationalists of their day.


Matthew 13: the parables of the Kingdom. We have studied those parables and Matthew concludes this passage beginning in Verse 53.

Matthew 13:53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue



, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?57 And they were offended in him.

In other words, He astonished them. They were shocked at Him.

But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Chapter 13 ends with the Lord Jesus Christ being rejected as a prophet. We have seen Him come through the Book of Matthew and been presented as the king. Nowas a prophet He stands before them and gives them the mystery parables of the kingdom. He gives them revelation from God that they didnt know before about the kingdom program and when all that is concluded, in His character as a prophet then, they reject Him.

What you are going to do now is get off the parables and back into the historical narrative of Matthew. He is going right back to where He was in Chapters 10,11 and 12. You remember as we studied those chapters, I tried to show you that

the issue back there is His rejection. He is rejected; it is formalized, it isstatic and now when you come to the end of Chapter 13, going into Chapter 14, the fact of His rejection is now the governing thought. From here on out, it is a fact. Its not something they are about to do or going to do. Youre not going, going ? now you are gone. It is a fact that is dealt with from now on.

Chapter 14 develops some of the various features of the day of His rejection. In Chapter 14, you see, as you read it, He departs into a desert place. His disciples are out on a storm-tossed sea. You see the world in Matthew 14 as a deserted, dry, barren place and a tumultuous place engulfing His disciples. You seeChrist absent. He departs; He leaves. He goes up into the mountain and sends His disciples and the multitudes away. You see Him solitary and withdrawn, absent from them and yet coming to rescue them. He comes out of the deserted place a

nd heals the multitudes. He comes down off the mountaintop and walks across the sea, gets in the boat and saves them. He is absent but then He comes back anddelivers them. You see the disciples who are persecuted. We will read about Johns being killed. They are in darkness and dont understand how to feed the five thousand and then they are in tremendous turmoil and distress out on the sea.

Again, Matthew is selecting out incidences. Matthew paints with the pen of a dispensationalist. He is not worried so much about the chronological order; thatisnt his main focus. What he is doing is collecting together events and information out of the life of Christ that demonstrate the truth that he is trying to get over to you. As we have gone through Matthew, I have tried consistently not to get bogged down so much in the details of things. Too many people get boggeddown in the details of the differences between Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that

they miss the message that each one of the writers is trying to put across.

In all of my ministry and study of the Bible, I have never tried to develop a harmony of the gospels. Do you know what a harmony is? That is a book where youtry to put the whole life of Christ in the verses where they ought to be this one goes here and that one goes after that one, and so forth. The reason that I never did that and have never been impressed by people who did, is that I figurethat if God Almighty had wanted us to have one continuous harmony, do you know what He would have done? He would have had it written that way. He would have fixed it that way. If God Almighty saw fit to give you four different pictures o



f the accounts of the life of Christ, there must be a reason. So, instead of going the other route, I appreciate knowing when this happened and when that happened I am for that and I am not against it ? but I am saying to take that and make that the basis, you miss an awful lot.

So, the issue in this part of Matthew is His rejection. It is there, and He isgoing to begin to demonstrate from here on out His dealings with Israel and theprovisions that He is making for the Little Flock. In view of His coming absence, He begins to tell them and show them what is going to happen to them. He isgoing away and leave them here on earth in the early Acts period after His ascension in order to represent Him and carry on the ministry that He is now training them for.

If you understand that, when you get into the Book of Acts, you will know what to look for. You wont be looking for the Church, the Body of Christ. You will know that you are looking for the continuation of the program that Christ taught them about in His earthly ministry.

There is one thing that I dont want you to miss as we go down through the last few verses in Chapter 13. It is sort of technical but I want you to see it.

Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?56 And his sisters, are they not all with us?

Notice that Jesus has brothers and sisters. That verse demonstrates that Mary was not a perpetual virgin, as she is called. The idea of the Virgin Mary, the Blessed Virgin, etc. is doctrine that comes out of idolatry and part of Baal worship. Recently we looked at the passage in Jeremiah 44 about the Queen of Heaven. The Queen of Heaven is a term that has been used in Baal worship from time immemorial to describe the female deity in the heavens. She was called by a lot of different names. Today the Roman Church calls her Mary.

Mary was a virgin when Jesus Christ was born. He was her first born child and He did not have an earthly father. Subsequent to that, she had a husband, Joseph, with whom she had children: James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. Thats four brothers. He had sisters, (thats plural) so He had at least two sisters. Mary bore at

least seven children, one of whom was the Lord Jesus Christ with no earthly daddy. The other six had an earthly father whose name was Joseph and he was a carpenter.

I have a good friend in Buffalo, New York, who was raised a Roman Catholic in aRoman Catholic family: father, mother, sisters and brothers, all Catholic. He has another friend over there that went into their place of business one eveningto buy gas. He is witnessing to them and they are putting him off. He says tothem, Did you know that Mary had more children than Jesus? The old boy said, No, she didnt. Look at Matthew 13:55. My friend wrote it down and the fellow went homeand read it and it was sort of like punching him in the stomach. She did! Then he said, If they lied to me about that, I wonder what else they lied to me about. He called up my friend and they met that evening and showed him how to get saved

and the guy got saved. He called up his brother and he came over and then he got saved. They told their mother and father and they kicked them out, locked the garage and put them on the street. Hit the road. Youre not our sons anymore. Now they wont even come see their grandkids. They have nothing to do with them anymore. Thats religion.

The point is you want to remember that. They will tell you his brethren really means his cousins. For the answer to that, come to Luke 1.

Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth,



58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great

When God wants to say cousin do you know what He says? When He wants to say brethren, do you know what He says? You wouldnt think that would be hard to figure out, would you? But, it is for some folks. You see, God knows the difference between brethren and cousins. He knows the difference between somebodys brothers.

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, andJoses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?

Brothers. Sisters. Thats easy to understand. When you get people who want to change the Bible and try to get around the Word of God, whatever the tactics mightbe, it has always fascinated me how God seems to know that stuff is coming. Hefixes His Word so that you just cant get rid of every bit of evidence against you. Any time you set yourself up against the Word of God to have your own way, you can run around all the verses that you can think of, there is always going tobe a way God fixes it so you cant get around all of them.

These new Bibles change all these verses on the deity of Christ but there is one verse they have never been able to touch. Even in a Jehovahs Witness Bible it is right. Thomas bows down and says, My Lord and my God. Every time I read that,I say, Praise God. That is right in the New World translation. You can appreciate that, cant you? He has fixed it where no matter how hard they work at it they

never do get them all. That is because they dont study the Bible. They are just looking for these ones that someone points out to them.

There is an interesting passage here that demonstrates that Mary had other children. Jesus has gone into the Temple and cleansed it.

John 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

To whom is that a reference? Christ, right? They remember the verse and they know that is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Come back to Psalms 69 and see from where that is quoted. Psalm 69 is a great passage prophetically about the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming. It is called the Reproach Psalm.

Psalm 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

All these verses refer to Calvary.

Psalm 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches ofthem that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

That is Christ. There isnt any doubt that the passage is talking about Jesus Christ. Now, look at Verse 8.

8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's childr

en.

My mothers children. Who is talking? Christ. Now, that is pretty clear, isnt it?You never want to forget but be able to demonstrate that to people because that might help them see though some of the religious tyranny they are held under.

Matthew 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.



Herod hears about Jesus and is worried about who He is. He has a guilty conscience. He thinks Hes John because Herod has had him beheaded. This Herod is the son of the Herod in Matthew 2 who was the one who had the children killed when Jesus was born.

Matthew is getting back into the issue of the rejection of Christ. Herod killsJohn and that incident demonstrates the spirit and exhibits the attitude and heart of the nation Israel at that time for Israel permitted Herod to kill John. They allowed it; they didnt commit it, but they permitted it to happen. Herod takes this prophet, a man sent from God, keeps him in prison for a year and then cutsoff his head. John loses his head on Herods account. There is no excuse for the nation Israel having allowed that to happen. They should have intervened and stood up, but they did not. They are a blind people, led by a false and reckless king (Herod).

Verses 3-12 are sort of an aside. It tells you that Herod is worried because he thinks Jesus is John whom he killed. Matthew tells how it came about. This is where you find out what took place. John is killed previous to this but Matthew includes a little aside and he puts it in here to demonstrate the wickedness of Johns murder and the wickedness of Herod and the nation to allow it in such a vile, wicked, criminal fashion.

Matthew 14:3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

In other words, Herod had stolen his brothers wife and is living with her and old John goes in and pokes his bony, prophetic finger right under the nose of Herod and lets him have it. Old Herod got a little upset. Herod didnt get nearly asupset as Herodias did.

You know those proverbs about living in a little hovel instead of a wide house with a brawling woman. So Herod gets pushed into action because of Herodias.

4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

The people know John is a prophet and Herod fears them. Yet, they still allow Herod to commit murder. Watch the deceitfulness and wicked complicity that goeson.

6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

They have a pornographic, sex demonstration and she gets Herod all excited and worked up.

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

Baby, Ill give you anything you want.

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother,

Can you imagine a woman taking her daughter and using her to get to the man sheis living with all excited and bound in passion and lust so he will promise anything she wants just to have her. Herodias is out there with her daughter trying to get him to do that. This isnt just an innocent little sock hop going on here.



So the daughter says, Okay, heres what momma wants. Give me the head of John theBaptist in a charger. Do you see the conniving? Herodias coiled around the throne of Herod like a viper and used her daughter to enslave him.

9 And the king was sorry:

The reason he was sorry, it says over in Mark 6, was because Herod had the habit of having John come in and preach to him and he enjoyed it. Herod had enough religion in him so that he would listen. He was sorry he had to kill the guy.

9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which satwith him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

Now, thats a sad story of lust, crime and bloodshed. To be rejected by such a world is no dishonor. My friend, in such a world as is described here, its an honor to be persecuted and rejected. Its a reproach to be esteemed and thought well of by wickedness like that. You need to realize that the world out there thatwe live in, this is the way it works. The Word of God just lays bare the evil heart of wicked men and women and the lengths to which they are willing to go. To be rejected by that kind of wickedness and vileness is an honor, not a reproach. It is interesting to me that Herod had a conscience. Notice in Verse 2 that he

feels guilty about Johns death. In Verse 5, he is a coward. In Verse 7, he makes the promise with an oath. Its a degraded conscience for anybody to do something like that. In Verse 9, thats a debased conscience. Look at what he is doing.

For the oaths sake, just for his reputation and honor I keep my word. The drunorld of debauchery in front of some so-called friends is going to murder a man.

Do you see how twisted your logic can get? When you hear someone say, My conscience is my guide, remember old Herods conscience. The conscience is not an adequate guide. Your conscience, apart from the Word of God, is of no value at all.

Martin Luther said, My conscience is bound by the Word of God. Here I stand. Dont you let somebody come along and tell you that Martin Luther said he was followi

ng his conscience. He didnt say that one time. He said, I am following my conscience and my conscience is bound by the Word of God. Outside of the Word of God,it will wind up just like Herods.

11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

Everybody worries about what happened to the head of John the Baptist. Well, Idont know what happened. They took his headless body, buried it and went and told Jesus for some comfort and help.

Dont you know thats the place to go when you need comfort and help? Thats true, isnt it? Its true in any age. Hes the one to go to.

13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart:

Boy, you can have some fun with that verse: a ship in the desert. Well, if that isnt enough, look on down in the passage. Hes walking on water. If you can walk on water, why cant you have a ship in the desert? (I have used that verse on thekids at camp.)



We would say, deserted. Its empty. Hes not talking about something like the Sahar Desert. He departed into a deserted, lonely, solitary, quiet, private place.

and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

He departs and the work of rejection just goes on. So, He withdraws from the unbelieving nation and the apostate king. He sees Johns rejection as His own. Hesees himself in John as one in ministry and heart. And, Jesus felt the wrong.Through here over and over, He is Messiah in rejection. He is presented as theperfect sufferer, the one who enters into the sufferings of His people.

So, He departs and wants to go off and be by Himself, private and alone, to be able to weep and grieve over the death of His beloved friend and cousin, John. But, the multitude presses behind Him and yet, it doesnt stop His love for them.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

In spite of their rejection of Him by the nation, the leaders and Herod, in spite of their blind unbelief, yet He loves them still. It doesnt interrupt His love and concern for them and His purpose for them. At this point, in their rejection of Him, He doesnt cease to be the one who is going to supply their need. He d

emonstrates that by having compassion on them, healing them and providing for their need. In Verse 15, He is going to start feeding them.

In spite of their rejection, the fact of it being a reality, He demonstrates that He still is the one who loves them and is still the one who provides for their needs even in the desert place, even in the time and day of His rejection. Hestill is the one who has the nations best interest on His heart.

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

Can you imagine such a proposal? Imagine. His disciples come tell Him to send

away the multitude. Let them go take care of themselves. I mean, send them away from Jesus? Send them away from Christ? Send them away from the one that can meet their needs? Thats just the dullness of the human heart. Thats just the folly of the slowness of the heart to believe, even among the disciples. You seethat and you wonder, back in Chapter 13, when He asks if they understand and they say, Yes. You wonder if they really did. In fact, its pretty obvious that theyreally didnt. Send them away. That is never the right advice, is it?

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

You go give them something to eat. You take care of them.

16 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

He says, You cant do it? Well, bring them to me. Ill take care of it.

Even the disciples, in Verse 15, so concerned about Him that they say, Send awaythe multitudes, the ones His heart longs for. Dont you dare do it. What do you think is going on here? What do you think I have you for? Go meet their need. Go give them something to eat. But, Lord, we cant do it.

Can you imagine them saying that? There He is in their midst with all His power and glory of who He is and the demonstration. He has just been healing. If yo



u can heal people who are sick, is it going to be any problem for you to take care of their hunger? He says, I want you guys go out and be my ministers, and they say, We cant do it. We are not equipped and able. All weve got is five loaves, little corn sticks, and a couple little sardines.

Matthew 14:18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

Watch to see how this focuses on Him from now on.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, andgave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

He expected to use the twelve apostles, to find them capable of being the instruments of His action, being able to act at His bidding in His stead, in administering His blessing according to His power and His Word and going out and being His ministers to them; Hed already commissioned them to be that. They cant do it so He says, Ill do it. Bring them to me.

You know, the secret of spiritual ability in any age in every situation, to feeding the hungry, is to take them to Christ. Send them away to do it themselves?No. It is to take them to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In John 6, which is a related incident, Jesus looked around at the multitude that had left Him and looked at the disciples, and He asked, Are you going away too? They learned the lesson. Peter spoke up, To whom shall we go? You are the onewho has the words of eternal life. Sending them away is not the answer. Telling them to do it themselves isnt the answer. The answer is Christ. That is a wonderful spiritual truth that ought to captivate your heart.

9 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples,

He said, Here Pete, take a handful. Take some fish. Go. Philip, take a handful

. Take some fish. Go. Bartholomew . He gives to each of the twelve and they go out. Pretty soon Peter doesnt have any more so what does he do? Where does Peter have to go? Back to Christ to get some more, give it out and come back to Christ. Those disciples are constantly going back to Christ to get a replenished supply of provisions and take them out to the people.

How do the people come to Christ? Do they come individually? No, the disciples go out with the food and give it to the people. They get it from the hand of Christ and take it out to the people. They are learning a lesson. The provision comes from Christ and He says to them, You give them to eat. They say, We cant. says, Okay, Ill fix it so you can. Just keep everything focused on me. He sends them out with the provisions.

Do you know what happens? They got twelve basketfuls left over, more when theygot through than when they started. Isnt that interesting? There is more provision after the ministry is over with than when there was when they began.

Can I tell you that there is a spiritual principle in that book in every age about ministry? If you want to see overflowing abundance and provision and supplyin your spiritual life in the activity and ministry then get busy with the ministry. If you try to hoard it and sit on it and control it and pull it down and get control over everything, it will die.



You take that to account in the local church, you take it to account in your life, in missionary activity, whatever, and when you are trying to get, get, get, it kills the spiritual activity because God Almighty tells us to walk in love, and love is give, give, give, give, give. Its always that way.

I am going to give until I give out. He says. Dont worry about it. They keep giv out the fish and loaves. Do you know what happens? Each one of them has a basketful to take home. None of them had anything when they started. A little lad had the loaves and fishes (John 6). The disciples didnt even have them but nowthey all have a basket of their own. Thats something to remember.

God abundantly blesses and feeds the poor with bread. Come back to Psalm 132, a Psalm on the Second Coming of Christ, and see the significance of that.

Psalm 132:1 A Song of degrees. LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;

8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.10 For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fr

uit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.

That is what He is doing in Matthew 14. He is the center and it all focuses onHim. It was a witness that the one who could fulfill the promise was right there in their midst. He heals them; He brings them bread.

In the remainder of the chapter He delivers them by walking on the water. Do you know who the Bible says walks on water? Only one person God Almightly. In th

e Book of Job, He says, If you want to show who you are? Go walk on the sea. Only God does that. So, anybody that knew the Old Testament saw Him coming on thewater and they knew who He was. They knew who He was when He was providing that bread for them. The abundance of fragments that were left over who were they for?

Matthew 15:27 And she [a gentile woman] said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat ofthe crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

They get the overage. You are talking about the provisions and the abundance and the things given by God through Christ. Who is He? He is the one, though Heis rejected, in His absence, He is the one who is to provide for the nation andthe one who will bring the blessing.


TEST #6

Answer the following questions by listing the correct letter on a separate sheet



of properly headed paper.

1. Instead of a mystery form of the Kingdom of Heaven now on earth, let it berecognized that there is a present suspension of the Kingdom of Heaven. But atthe end of the present age these kingdom parables will take up again from wherethey were interrupted by the present suspension and will have their final fulfillment. T or F?2. Christ began to speak in parables in order to:a. illustrate spiritual truth by common life parallels.b. conceal truth from some of His hearers.c. simplify difficult to understand concepts.3. Matt. 13:9-13 indicates the reason some did not understand the parableswas that they:a. did not have enough education and exposure to the world.b. were not given the opportunity to understand.c. were willfully ignorant and did not want to hear and understand.4. The parables of Matt. 13 should be associated with:a. divine judgment.b. teaching truth so the simple can grasp it.c. a radical change taking place in Gods program at the time.5. The mystery parables of the kingdom focus on the:a. present suspension of the kingdom of heaven and the resultant dispensation of grace.b. events which were to follow the rejection of Christ and give the details

about the establishment of the kingdom.c. the deeper spiritual nature of the ministry and mission of Christ.6. In interpreting the parables:a. details are important and each is to be interpreted. T or F?b. some details have several meanings. T or F?c. We must be careful to distinguish those that identify the kingdom and those that do not. T or F?7. The apparent comparison between the mystery parables of Matt 13 and themystery of the churches in Rev. 1-3 is explained by understanding that:a. there is in fact no association at all.b. Rev. 2 & 3 are an enlargement of Matt. 13.8. Christ interprets two parables:a. to give a basis of understanding all the other parables.

b. to be sure His hearers did not miss their points.c. because otherwise no one would ever have known for sure what they meant.9. The seed sown by the Sower is:a. the word of the kingdom.b. the gospel of grace.c. the call to all the world to repent.10. The parable of the Sower sets forth:a. the gathering of the little flock.b. the many unbelievers in the world.c. how hard it is to get people to receive Christ as Saviour.11. The Wheat and Tares represent:a. that there are both saved and lost in every church.b. the ministry of the little flock until the return of Christ.

c. the fact that while Christian workers sleep, the adversary seeks to destroy the church with a mixed multitude.12. The parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven represent:a. the inward working of the kingdom of heaven in the world.b. the outward working of the kingdom of heaven in the world.c. the spread of the gospel ministry from its little beginnings until it compasses the whole earth.13. The Treasure hid in the field speaks of:a. the nation Israel.b. the Little Flock.



c. the Body of Christ.14. The pearl of great price represents:a. the Body of Christ.b. the nation Israel.c. the Little Flock15. The governing thought in this section of Matthew (i.e., 13:1-ff) is:a. the rejection of Christ by Israel.b. the urgency of Israels recognition of their Messiah.c. the compassion of Christ for His people.16. Mary, the mother of Jesus,a. had no other children but Christ.b. had four other children.c. had at least six other children.17. The murder of John the Baptist was a telling sign of:a. Israels blinded spiritual condition.b. Herods uncaring attitude toward the people he governed.c. Johns carelessness in attacking the ruler of Israel.18. By feeding the 5,000 plus people, Christ showed:a. His disciples that they should have come to Him first.b. He was the one who could feed Israels poor.c. They didnt need to carry food and provisions with them on their journeys.19. Following His departure into a desert place, Christ healed those who cameto Him to demonstrate:a. He still was greater than Herod.

b. He was still the supplier of their needs.c. He was through with the nation Israel and would give their blessings toothers.20. According to 13:52, a real scribe is one who:a. is a dispensationalist, putting old and new together in one unified whole.b. write down the new things Christ said to them beside the old things.c. speaks both the Mosaic Law and the kingdom program to his hearers.




Matthew 14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Christ has just fed the five thousand and He sends the multitude away. The disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee. The comparative passages are Mark 6 and John 6. In John 6, between the feeding of the five thousand and sending them away, they try to take Him by force and make Him king, not because they believe on Him as the Messiah, but because He fed them. Wouldnt you like to have somebody give you a free meal every day? He sends them away because they are just there to get fed.

John 6 is the great exposition on the bread of life which He gives because of their failure to understand the reason for the miracle that He did. Because of th

eir rejection of Him and their failure to see who He was, their desire was justfor the material blessings, not for righteousness.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The problem in Israel was that they were looking for the earthly, material blessings, and they werent seeking the spiritual blessings.

So, Christ separates Himself from the multitude because of their unbelief, and He sends His disciples in a ship to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Then He goes up onto a mountain to pray. The disciples are, of course, the little flock. They go out upon the Sea of Galilee and a storm comes up. Jesus comes walk

ing on the water. Pete hops out of the boat and walks out to Him. Peter is a type and a picture of the trying of your faith.

What is related in this passage is a historic incident, a tremendous miracle Christ performed, but again, its like all the other things we have seen in Matthew;it is given for its doctrinal and dispensational teachings. It is a picture ofwhat is ahead for the little flock. Christ has been rejected; now what is ahead? What is going to happen in the days ahead?

They are going to be ushered into a scene of trouble in the absence of their Lord. He is going to ascend into heaven (illustrated by His going up into a mountain). They are going to enter into a stormy time called the time of Jacobs trouble.

In this event, you have a picture of what is happening and what is ahead for them. He is trying to communicate some doctrine to His disciples. He is trying to show them some things that they can draw upon later when they get into a time of severe testing and trouble.

Matthew 14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves:for the wind was contrary.

If you read the account in Mark 6 and John 6, you will see that they were in the



middle of the lake. The Sea of Galilee, at its widest point, is just ten miles across. Its about eight miles by fifteen miles. If they were halfway across, they hadnt gotten very far. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them. They probably left about six p.m. The fourth watch would be between three and six oclock in the morning. Theyve been out there rowing for about nine hours and havent gotten but about four miles. Thats tough sledding; do you know that?I figure I could walk that far in nine hours, and I figure I could row a boat that long.

I used to fish a lot when I lived in Alabama. Did you ever see anybody scull aboat (not scuttle)? Thats the way river people drive a boat. They paddle with one oar over the stern of the boat. Theres a little notch cut into the stern board on the left hand side, and you lay the paddle in that and run the paddle backand forth. I can guarantee you that I could do that for nine hours and get across that lake and probably be half-way back. It doesnt usually take that long to get half-way across the lake, but the problem for the apostles was that there was a storm. Those men were having a real tough time getting anywhere.Jesus had gone up into the mountain, a type of the ascension of Christ. His disciples are out on the sea in the midst of a tremendous storm.

Matthew 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,

Have you ever wondered about that? Why wouldnt they be happy?

they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

That is a great statement on the deity of Christ.

Come back to Job and notice that he clearly identifies the one who can walk on water; its a sign of deity. There is a marvelous demonstration of the deity ofChrist in this miracle.

Job 9:1 Then Job answered and said,2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

If you are going to argue with God, you cant give Him an answer for one of a thousand questions that He asks you.

4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

Job is describing the majesty and awesomeness God.

8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

Job asks, Who is like Him who can tread on the waves of the sea? This is one of the manifestations of the majesty, deity, strength, power and greatness of Almighty God. Jesus came to His disciples in the midst of a storm-tossed sea. Those guys knew the Old Testament. They knew those verses and they should have known what was happening before their eyes. It was a tremendous manifestation of the deity of Christ to them; and what did they do? Did they rejoice? No, it saysthey were troubled; they were scared. Why in the world were they afraid?



In Mark 6, you have an account of the same event.

Mark 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

Do you know what the problem was with those men? Fear had mastered them. Fearhad overtaken them. Fear controlled them, and they didnt expect to be delivered. They were out in the middle of that stormy sea and were scared to death. WhenChrist came as the deliverer, they were afraid. You see, they hadnt learned thelesson in the feeding of the five thousand. They hadnt learned the doctrine that He was trying to communicate to them. They were operating on human viewpoint and their own emotions rather than having learned the lesson that God was tryingto teach them.

That point needs to be well taken about what is going on here. These are not just stories to attract the interest of little children in Sunday school. There are some powerful lessons being taught in the feeding of the five thousand and Christ walking on the water. There are some great prophetic truths here that involve the kingdom program that these apostles represent.

Christ came walking on the water on the stormy sea. The troubled sea is a type, a picture, of the tribulation period. Its a picture of the time of Jacobs trouble.

Daniel 7: 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dreamand visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sumof the matters.2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night,

This was a nighttime vision. Matthew 14 was a nighttime experience.

and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

The wind was whipping up a storm on the sea. This is a picture of the seventieth week of Daniel, the tribulation period, when the anti-Christ will persecute the nation Israel. He will torment and seek to wear out the saints of the most hig

h God (Daniel 7). Thats just a picture of Revelation 13:1 where John says he saw a beast rising out of the sea, having seven heads. The apostles trouble out on the sea pictures the time of great tribulation - that time of Jacobs trouble. Its a nighttime event, as are the tribulation and Daniel 7.

Christ came down from the mountain and appeared to them walking on the water - treading on Israels enemies. He appeared to them as who He is: the Son of God, Messiah, Jehovah himself, coming to rescue them.

Let me show you a passage about walking on the water. All these things are a type of what is going to happen in the tribulation involving the second coming ofJesus Christ. What you are seeing in the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus coming in the fourth watch of the night to rescue the apostles from the storm-t

ossed sea is a picture of the second coming of Christ. When that little flock gets into the real storm, the time of Jacobs trouble, they will have some information that theyve learned to draw upon. The things He is illustrating here will really come about, and they will have some truths they have been taught to get them through that time. In that great tribulation, he will feed them in the wilderness (Revelation 12).

Psalm 93 is the Second Coming of Christ going into the Millennium:

Psalm 93:1 The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed w



ith strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. [The storm is raging.]4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

When Christ comes back, the waves will be raging. The storm will be tossing, the billows raging, but He is mightier than they and He will just calm everythingdown. He will put it to rest and bring peace. When He walked across that water, it was a picture of what Israel is going to experience in that tribulation, how Christ will come and calm things down, deliver and rescue them. Its a type ofthe second coming of Christ.

Revelation 12:6 And the woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness,

Time-wise, this passage is in the middle of the seventieth week of Daniel 9, right in the middle of the tribulation, pictured by these men in the middle of theSea of Galilee.

Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place

prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Thats twelve hundred and sixty days, half of the seventieth week, three and a half years. Bring up in your mind the seventieth week of Daniel: seven years split in half equals three and a half years and three and a half years, forty-two months and forty-two months, 1260 days and 1260 days.

See how much that helps you when you study your Bible? You dont have to look upthe passage. You are familiar with the passage and can recall it quickly. Thatswhy it is important to be familiar with the passages; thats why you need to memorize. You need to remember the verses because it gives you great economy of time in your Bible study and that way you can learn more. Dont you want to do that?

Sure you do and that is why it is important.

The woman, Israel, flees into the wilderness where God feeds them, just like Christ took those people into the wilderness and fed them. In that tribulation period, He is going to feed Israel in the wilderness. In fact, Hosea 2:14 and 15 says that in the tribulation God is going to allure the nation Israel and bring them out into the wilderness and deal with them just like he did when He broughtthem up out of the land of Egypt.

This is a very important passage of scripture. This will help you as you study Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy because it gives you the doctrine aboutwhat you are reading.

Hosea 2:14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope:

Israel is going to return from the wilderness when she receives her blessings.

and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.



Where in the Bible do you read what it was like when Israel came up out of the land of Egypt and went into the wilderness? You read that in Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. He says here that the way He is going to deal with Israel in thetribulation period will be just like it was then. If you want to know what its going to be like for Israel in the tribulation, where can you go in your Bible to find some instruction? You go back to those books.

Dont you ever let anybody make you believe that the Old Testament is just a deadbook. It is a living book. Over and over again, when the prophets describe the second coming, the tribulation and the millennium, they say that it is as thiswas back in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings - thosebooks back there. You ought to be able to read them with fascination because of the doctrinal and dispensational types, pictures and instructions in them.

In Matthew 14, feeding them in the wilderness is a type of what He will do in the tribulation. Jesus fed the multitude; He provided for them. Then He came walking on the water when they were tossed in the storm. He came to deliver them.

Matthew 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

It is important that you understand the watches of the night, especially as they relate to the second coming of Christ. At that time, a night was divided intofour periods. Each of those periods was a watch. In the Old Testament, the Jew

s divided the night into three watches, but at this time the Romans were in control, so you go by the Roman system, and there were four watches.

Mark 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

There you see the names for the four watches. The first is even, which runs from 6:00 to 9:00 in the evening. Then there is midnight, which is from 9:00 to 12:00. The next one is cockcrowing, from 12:00 to 3:00. Then the next one is called morning, from 3:00 to 6:00 A.M.

So, there were four watches through the night. In Matthew 14, the coming of Christ (walking on the sea) was in the fourth watch of the night. Theres an interes

ting thing that you learn when you study Bible prophecy: the second coming of Christ is described as the sun coming up in the morning.

Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neitherroot nor branch.2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;

Who is the Sun of righteousness? That is Jesus Christ. His coming and the beginning of the millennium is like the sun coming up in the morning.

the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.



That kingdom is like the sun coming up so it is compared to the daytime.

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the nightcometh, when no man can work.5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

When Jesus Christ was here, it was daytime. He died on the cross, was resurrected and ascended up into heaven. While He is absent from the world, it is called the night. The time in your Bible between the ascension of Christ (His going upon the mountain) and the time He comes back is called the night in prophetic scripture. In fact, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10, describes the period in which we live today as night. He says that you are not children of the night but of the day. He is describing you as a child of God, not a child of Satan. You are apart of Gods program, not a part of the worlds program of Satans policy of evil. You are a part of what God is doing, not a part of what the world is doing. Without Jesus Christ, the world is in darkness, so the time period of His absence is described that way.

Now, this nighttime in John 9 is the tribulation period, the time between the ascension of Christ and His return.

Now, God made the sun to rule the day and the moon for a light at night. He made a lesser light to rule the night, and so you have the moon to be a testimony in the night.

The Song of Solomon is a book written about that little flock, that virgin daughter of Israel, that group of people who had a special relationship to Christ during that tribulation time.

Song of Solomon 6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as themoon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

There is somebody who is described both as the moon and the sun. They are a light and a testimony in the night and then they rise with Him in the kingdom, andthey shine forth as the sun as described in Matthew 13.

So, that little flock is described in prophetic scripture as a testimony during

that period of time. That is important to me because the fact of their relationship to Jesus Christ comes to these men at a particular time during the evening.

Think with me for a minute. How do you count? One, two, three and on up to ten and then eleven up to twenty and that would be another ten, right? God countsone, two, three, four, five, six, seven; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Did you ever wonder why, when He marked off the days, He counted one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, seven days; one day, two days, three days, four days, etc.? Did youever wonder why He didnt count up to ten like you do? Did you ever wonder why He didnt count up to twelve? Twelve is the number of governmental perfection; thats Israels number.

God counts up to seven because He operates by sevens. There are seven days; the seventh day is the Sabbath. The day after the seventh week is Pentecost, the fiftieth day. After seven months, He appointed the feast days: Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. After seven sevens of years, its the year of Jubilee.

Go back to Leviticus 23, 24 and 25, and you will see seven days, seven weeks, seven months, seven years, seven weeks of years: seven times of great celebration that mark the great seventh day that corresponds to the millennial rest. He created the heaven and the earth in six days. Beginning on the fifth day he creat



ed life, corresponding to the time that the Lord Jesus Christ showed up in human history.

You can forget evolution. You havent been around fifty billion years and your ancestors havent either. You can go down and see the displays in the Field Museum; all that is interesting. How old do you think Adam was when God made him? When Adam was two days old, do you know how he looked? Did he look like he was two days old? Adam was a grown man. Folks, when God created Adam, and when He made the creation out there, He created it with the appearance of age. The guys that run the carbon 14 dating tests never think about that. When the creation came into being, it had the appearance of age immediately. You could have taken the carbon 14 dating test a couple days after Adam stepped out into the garden, and the test might have showed it to be no-telling-how-many years old, but it was just fresh.

So when prophecy gives a time element it figures it this way. There is an interesting thing about life appearing on the fifth day and the seventh day of rest.Over and over in prophecy, you find the second coming, Christs appearing, beingassociated with the third day. One day, two days, and on the third day He comes back. The fifth day is the first day of animal life, the sixth day, and then on the seventh day He comes back.

All these people who try to date the second advent of Christ from the budding of the fig tree and the forty years in the wilderness, are all barking up the wron

g tree. Neither the budding fig tree nor the time in the wilderness is going to date the advent of Christ for you in any way, shape or form. We cant set a date. When they get into the tribulation, they can use this information to figure out the dating system. Those who are wise are going to understand and know about these things that we studied in Daniel.

We cant set the dates. Besides, if you are trying to date the second coming, isthat something that is going to help you? Are you waiting for the second advent of Christ? No. What are you waiting for? The rapture. When can that take place? Any second. Any time. Somebody says, It cant take place at any time because it will just take place at one particular time. God knows when that is and it cant be at any other time. What was that you said? Ive heard people argue aboutthat, but you cant see things the way God looks at them. Its a fact. As far as y

ou know, it can take place the next second. Well, if it doesnt, then you know it didnt. But, what do you know then? Then it might the next second.

But in the kingdom program there is information and a doctrine that will enablethose people to identify the time elements involved in the last days and the second coming of Christ.

In Exodus 19, theyre in the wilderness.

Exodus 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount,

20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount:

When the Lord came, He told Moses, Count one day, two days, and on the third dayI am coming down.

By the way, The Book of Psalms and 2 Peter 3 say that one day with the Lord is as



a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Hosea 6 is spoken as by a Jew in the tribulation talking about the second coming of Christ.

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he willheal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

After two days in the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,2 And was transfigured before them:

This was on the Mount of Transfiguration when they beheld the kingdom glory andmajesty of Christ. It takes place after six days.

Luke 9:28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he tookPeter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

What is after six and about eight? Seven. I cant understand it all but I know s

ome people that will those people in the tribulation. Those men out there on the storm-tossed sea will be able to understand it; God is going to give it to them because it belongs to them.

There is an interesting dating system given in John.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him

The next day means that there has already been one day, so between Verse 19 and Verse 29 is one day. Beginning at Verse 29 is the second day.

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

The next day is the third day.

43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee,

The day following makes the fourth day.

John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;

The third day. Does that go back before the fourth day or is that three more days? Thats three more days. One day, two days, three days, four days. One day, two days - then what happens the third day?

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of

Jesus was there:

Who does the mother picture? Thats Israel. You have the marriage supper of theLamb right there on the seventh day (Revelation 19). It s dated for you in John 1 and 2, using the system that God laid out in Genesis 1. Isnt that interesting?

In John 4, Christ goes down into Samaria and He preaches to the Samaritans.

John 4:43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.



44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

For two days He was rejected and He goes down and dwells with the Samaritans, the outcasts; then He comes back and is received. Doesnt that fascinate you? It sure fascinates me. Boy, thats interesting to me because He says that the Samaritans are ready to receive Him. He was down there two days with the outcasts demonstrating that they will accept Him.

Do you remember, back in Matthew 4, how that little flock was classed, where ittold who they were and where they came from? They were the outcasts, the nobodies. (In Acts 4, the religious leaders of Israel looked at them and said, Who in the world are these ignorant and unlearned people?)

He was with the outcasts, outside the camp (Verse 13), and then He comes back (second coming) and the nation is born in a day.

Over and over again in your Bible, when the number seven is divided, it is divided into four and three. That is the division of seven. It works almost everytime. One, two, three, four and then one, two, three. In Matthew 13, for example, in those seven parables of the kingdom, He spoke four of them outside the ho

use and three of them inside the house. When seven is divided, thats the way itsoften done.

John 11:6 When he [Christ] had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He didnt immediately go heal him. He waited two whole days (you read the passage). He didnt leave where He was until Lazarus was dead. He delayed going to Lazarus for two days in order for Lazarus to die. Then He went and raised him from the dead.

There are three times in your Bible where Jesus delayed going to the aid and rescue of His little flock. Why did he delay going to Lazarus?

John11:15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

The purpose in His delaying and allowing Lazarus to die was so that His disciples might believe. He was testing and trying their faith by His delay and givingthem an opportunity to see an example of His worthiness of their faith.

In the three instances where Jesus delayed His coming, His delay resulted in apparent harm coming to the little flock, His disciples. One of those three delays concerned Lazarus. Jairus daughter is another, and the third one is in Matthew14 on the Sea of Galilee.

Mark6:46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.47 And when even was come, [the first watch]

47 the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.48 And he saw them toiling in rowing;

He saw them toiling on the sea in the evening (6:00 to 9:00).

about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them,



They start rowing in the evening (first watch) and He doesnt go to them until the fourth watch. He let those fellows toil and sweat and row and stew all night long. He delays His coming to them. Why did He do that? He did it for the same reason that He delayed going to Lazarus and Jairus daughter. He did it to givethem an opportunity to trust Him; it was to test their faith.

Do you remember the verse about the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold? The trying of your faith worketh patience. (James 1) That passagewas written doctrinally about these people right here.

Matthew 14:26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Wouldnt that have been an opportunity for them to believe? He came and proclaimed Himself to be Jehovah. Read Isaiah 4 sometime and you will see that when He says, It is I; be not afraid, He was telling them that He was Jehovah. Why would they believe that? What was He doing? He was walking on water. Who else can do that? He said. Be of good cheer. It is I, [the Lord]. Dont be afraid. Ill takecare of you.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto theeon the water.

People usually say that Peter had great faith. But you look at the first word Peter said: If it be thou. Peter was not exercising great faith. Do you remember reading that same expression before in Matthew? Look back at Matthew 4:3 and you will see that when Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness he said, If thou bethe Son of God, turn these stones to bread.

Matthew 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:

There was Peter communicating the doctrine of the adversary and Christ rebuked him. Here is Peter echoing the Satanic policy of doubt.

You do remember the, Yea, Hath God Said Society, established in Genesis 3:1.

Yea, hath God said? They saw Him walking on the water and He said, It is I. What should they have said? Bless God. Hallelujah! Peter said, if it is really you, prove it to me. The issue in Peters mind was, are you really who you say you are? Well, my goodness gracious! If the guy is walking on the water, who do youthink he is? Bear Bryant? (Thats an Alabama joke.)

Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of [great faith? No.] O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Did you doubt who I said I was? What is going on here is the trying of their faith.

Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou,

In other words, if you are who you say you are, you can tell me to come to you on the water. Thats a good understanding in Peters mind about who the Messiah would be. He knew that if He were really the Messiah, then he could go out there and be identified with Him, but hes really questioning Him.

Christ says, Okay, come on. Im willing to try you out.



29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship,

Peter was a commercial fisherman and knew how to get into the boat, but he didntknow about getting out of a boat, especially in a storm.

he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Hes out on the water, without any natural support. He was out there with the billows rolling, and hes doing pretty well walking out there, but then suddenly he has a problem.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink,

He didnt begin to sink because of the storm. He is walking on the water in spite of the storm. The circumstances werent the problem. He had stopped looking atChrist.

Hebrews 12:1 let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, 2 Looking unto Jesus

He quit looking at Christ and began to look at circumstances. Have you ever noticed that when you do that, what a sinking feeling you begin to get? You quit looking at the position you have in Christ, the blessings you have in Christ, who

God has made you in Christ, and down you go. That is what happened to Peter.

Here you see the trying of his faith. He was demonstrating to Peter (who represents that little flock) that Christ alone was the issue. In that situation, the persecutions, the problems, the martyrdom - all the tremendous trouble that they face - arent the issue. The issue is Christ. He is the Christ and that is all that matters. Thats all that little flock needs to remember to get them safelyto the other side.

Matthew 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Immediately there was help. They had immediate deliverance.

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truththou art the Son of God.

You see, a great lesson has been taught and they acknowledge Him for who He is.They finally understand the issue there.

Psalm 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

In John 6:21, it says immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Can you understand why Matthew would have taken the account of Jesus walking onthe water and put it in here to demonstrate to you that Jesus is the Christ, the



Messiah? I hope you see the dispensational pen with which Matthew draws this picture.

Matthew 14:34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into allthat country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

They came to shore. They know who He is and the Millennial blessings, the blessings God promised the nation, flowed in their midst.

Christ was training His little flock in these events for the ministry that theyare going to have in His absence. He is taking them through these living experiences that will be illustrations of the doctrine and truth that will sustain them through that latter day.


Matthew 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Immediately you see the conflict there. They say, Why do your disciples do that? He says, Well, why do you do this? My disciples transgress the tradition of the elders. You are transgressing what God said. The conflict begins to come up here.

Down through Verse 20, Matthew is going to demonstrate the conflict between Christ and the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel. Here, he is going to depict their dilemma and focus on the moral condition of the nation, the motivation of their heart. Up until now, he has shown that they have rejected Christ andhave turned their back on Him, and he has shown Christs response. Now, he is going to focus on the reason why they rejected Him. What was at the very heart ofit? You know, when you are dealing with a problem, the key to solving it is togo to heart of the problem, and that is what he does here.

He reveals the very nature and basis of the opposition against Christ and the rejection of Christ.

Notice, in Verse 2, that the discussion is about the tradition of the elders. Come over to Mark 7 where he gives a few more details than Matthew does. It is important that you understand exactly what is going on here.

Mark 7:1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.



Now, the elders had these many traditions. There were hundreds and hundreds ofrules and regulations that they had added to the Mosaic Law. They had traditions instructing them to constantly wash their hands and regulations that had to be kept before they ate. Those rules had nothing to do with what God said in Hisword.

Do you remember Deuteronomy 4?

Deuteronomy 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

If they added to what God told them or left something out, then they were not obedient. What the Pharisees had done was to add to the word of God given to them in the law through Moses. Why in the world would they have added to the hundreds of instructions in Moses law? They took the law and then added more to it. When they did that, they destroyed their ability to worship God properly. God told them not to add to the word nor take away from it. They were to give exact obedience to what God said and not change it, no matter how worthy their motive.

In other words, they added all these regulations to help them obey what God hadsaid.

Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

You see, they took mans law and made it equal with Gods law and when they did that, they made Gods law useless and vain, of no value and with no purpose.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men,

That is, when their tradition contradicted the law, they gave precedence to thei

r tradition over the word of God. They laid aside the commandment of God. In other words, they ignored what God said and kept their human viewpoint, their religious traditions about the washing of pots, etc.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Do you see how serious that is?

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

They destroyed the value, the profit and the impact of the word of God by adding

to it their religious ceremonies and rites. The reason they did that was because they did not have a submissive heart to the word of God, but they had a heart of rebellion against the word of God.

Come over to Colossians 2 and notice what it says about this issue of followingtraditions. When you take the traditions of men, human viewpoint, in religiousmatters (or any matters, as far as that goes) and follow that as opposed to theword of God, that traditionalism, formalism and that leaven of the Pharisees, it destroys the impact of the word of God.



Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother,

God said, but you say . . . You are saying that what God says is good, but what really matters is what we say. That is substituting human viewpoint and tradition for what God says.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

You negate true worship; you cannot worship God by following human tradition. Now thats a serious thing to say, but that is not only true in the kingdom program or under the Law of Moses, but that is true today under grace. Thats true in every age, and this passage in Matthew 15 is a warning to traditionalists of every age. When you add to Gods word or delete from His word, you take away the value that God has put there. You make all of your worship, giving and all the restjust vain. Its empty, worthless and doesnt amount to anything.

1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

The blood of Christ redeemed them but I want you to notice what they are redeemed from. . . . [R]edeemed . . . from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers.

In other words, they were redeemed from religious bondage to a false system established by the elders. That is important to remember! Folks, they werent redeemed from sin only but also from the bondage that was imprisoning them. The bondage of sin held them by having imposed upon them a human religion; a man-made tradition bound them. God delivered them from religious bondage through the redemption that was in Christ Jesus.

When God Almighty brought Israel out of Egypt they were redeemed, as it were, by the Passover lamb. The Passover sanctified them and kept away the death angel.

They came out of Egypt by blood and by power, across the Red Sea, and three days out in the wilderness God came down and met with them. There they experienced spiritual redemption. Do you know what God redeemed them from when He brought them out of Egypt? He redeemed them from religious bondage. They were bound by the religious system of Egypt, and God redeemed Israel and brought them unto Himself.

In Matthew, God is redeeming Israel from the vain conversation, doctrine and manner of living that they had received by tradition from their fathers. He did it through Christ.

Folks, when you got saved, God redeemed you from all human viewpoint and all that religious tradition. Today, in the body of Christ, the saved Jew lays aside th

e tradition of his fathers. The saved gentile forsakes the tradition of his fathers. That saved Jew had Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all that tradition, and he lays it down. That saved gentile had his religious heritage: he was a Methodist, a Baptist, an Episcopalian, a Presbyterian, a Diana worshipper, or something else, and he lays aside all of that religion. Jew and gentile come together in the unity and the position that we have in Christ. Today, we lay aside all those traditions.

God was redeeming Israel from the bondage of human viewpoint expressed through those religious traditions. Thats a problem in every age: substituting human vie



wpoint for, or adding it to, the word of God.

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you [lest he carry you off as a captive] through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Youd better watch out for philosophy and tradition because those things produce empty, false systems that deceive people and put them in bondage and make them prisoners. Its as true today as it was then.

The only kind of tradition that is authorized in the word of God is identified for you in Second Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

Now, there is a tradition. There is something that is maintained historically.What is that tradition that we received of Paul?

14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

People, the only traditions that are binding on a believer today are the traditi

ons that are found in Pauls epistles. Doing anything else is not what God has authorized, and you are not to be bound by anything else. Dont detract from or add anything else to the things that God has given you. Let me tell you something: adhering to Pauls teachings only wont rob you of a thing. You will have so many things to do, if you do what Paul tells you to do, that you wont have time to worry about those things that you think might be lost to you.

Ill tell you what to do: you spend some time in 1 Thessalonians 5, Romans 12, Colossians 3, and Ephesians 4. It will take a week for you to write down all thethings he tells you to do in those chapters. In case you think you will lose out on some instructions, write them out and youll spend a lifetime learning how to put those things into practice. Youll have plenty to do. Those are the traditions that he gives us for godly edification which is by faith. Hes talking about

taking the doctrines of grace and seeing them live in your life.

So you have to be very careful about tradition. If tradition could invalidate the worship of the Pharisees, it could do it for you, so it is important to watch out for that. It is important not to be bound by anything except by the word of God.

Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye madethe commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

In other words, they had a tradition that was making the law of God meaninglessto the people. The tradition had to do with what Mark 7 (a parallel passage) calls Corban: giving a gift to the temple. God tells them to honor their father and mother, but if they dont, there will be punishment. They adopted a traditionthat if they brought a gift to the temple they could get out of their responsibility to take care of their parents. They could bring profit to the temple, andby doing that they could be exempt from their responsibility to do what Gods word says.



ngs, their own ways and their own viewpoint. It was an evil heart of unbelief in them. Thats why they reject Him.

Hes talking to the Pharisees up until now when He calls to the multitude and tells them, Listen to this, guys. Dont miss this. I want everybody to hear and understand.

Matthew 15:10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

In other words, its not physical things where the problem is. Its not what goes in but what comes out. Thats the problem. Its not the outward; the problem is what is inside. An old sin nature is what is inside. Youve got an old wicked heart: thats the problem.

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

The thing that makes a man wicked and vile isnt that he didnt wash his hands before he ate the pizza. You ought to wash your hands before you eat, you understand that, but that isnt the issue.

When you were a kid, didnt you eat mud pies? You never ate any dirt balls, did you? Well, we did. One time my mother was gone on a Saturday and my dad was going to cook lunch for us. He was going to cook liver because at our house we like it. He cooked liver and had potatoes and gravy. He breaded the liver in flour and it was just terrible. The others couldnt eat it but I did because I was hungry. We just said that dad was a bad cook but when my mother came home she found out that instead of getting the container of flour, he had gotten a jar nextto it with plaster of Paris and had breaded the liver and had thickened the gravy with plaster of Paris. At least I ate it. Others had more sense. Do you kno

w something? That didnt kill me.

Matthew 15:12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

You offended them. (I love that.) They got offended. They didnt like to hear what He said. He said, Did you see these religious leaders out here? The thing that is wrong with them is that they have a wicked heart. And, that offended them.Do you know why it offended them? In Verse 18, do you see the list of things He mentioned? If you compare the things that the Pharisees were doing in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will see that Jesus Christ was reading their mind to them because you can find that the Pharisees were guilty of every one of those things, all of those things inside.

Somebody said, Where sin is cherished, truth is never relished. Thats a fact. So, they got all mad and upset about it.

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

In other words, dont worry about those religious leaders out there. God is going to remove them. Hes going to root them up, take the kingdom from them and giveit to the Little Flock.



14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Proverbs 23:27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

If you study Proverbs, you will find out something about that strange woman andthat whore. The Book of Proverbs is not simply talking about some street walker down in the red light district. If you read the Book of Proverbs, you will see that the strange woman and the whore he is talking about have a spiritual connotation. Thats the lady of Revelation 17. You are familiar with that lady, the great whore that sits on the beast, that great city, which has written on her forehead, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Thats the great whore and strange woman in the Bible. Its the religious system of Baal worship.

What He is saying back in Matthew 15 is not to worry about those guys because God is going to root them up, take the kingdom from them and give it to the Little Flock. They are just blind leaders of the blind. They all are going to go right out there into that anti-Christ religion that will take them right into the Tribulation and get them destroyed.

Do you know where religious tradition will lead you today? Same place. Religio

us tradition always amalgamates its participants with the religious system of the world which is human viewpoint and tradition bound to the Word of God, destroying the profit of the Word of God, binding and seducing and deceiving followersinto thinking they are pleasing God by the tradition of their fathers. That can happen today and it is a warning for us today like it was to these people backhere.

Matthew 15:15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

Pete, cant you get anything straight? What do you see Jesus doing back in Verses 1-13? Do you see a parable in there anywhere? Theres no parable in there. Peter

thinks He is speaking figuratively in a parable but He isnt; it is literal. Itsreally the thing inside. Peter missed it.

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

That plaster of Paris that I ate just went right through. Dont you understand the problem?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

That is the greatest statement in the Bible about human depravity. The part ofyou that is kin to Adam, we call it an old sin nature. Folks, it is a corrupt sinful nature and the reason you are a sinner is not because you sin. You sin because you are a sinner. The problem is inherited, inherent and is within. The reason you are a sinner is not because your mouth says bad things or your hands do bad things, its because you have a nature that produces that and those things come from within you. They come naturally.



You never had anybody sit you down and teach you how to lie, did you? Almost every wicked thing a young man or young woman learned was from somebody just a little older. Thats the way the world operates. When a young man learns somethingwicked, he has learned it from somebody just a little older. Thats why you haveto be careful to guard your companions and associates because thats the way the system operates.

But folks, they didnt have to give the desire, they just had to fine tune your efforts a little bit, didnt they? That old wicked nature is there. Its within.

By the way, thats offensive to hear, isnt it? In Verse 12, it was offensive to the Pharisees. We live in a day when there is one element in preaching that mostpeople cant stand. The average Christian cant stand confrontational-type preaching: preaching that confronts you with sin and wrong and righteousness and duty.

When Paul says Whom we preach, warning every man, that word warning means to confront somebody with bad behavior, with wrong things, confront them with a view ofchanging their conduct and behavior. When you teach and admonish to counsel somebody with the view of changing their behavior toward what is right, thats an element that the human nature doesnt want to hear. You dont want a rebuke or reproof. The missing element in most preaching today in Bible-believing churches is that confrontational element that confronts you with truth and error and sin and says, Thats wrong. God forbid! We dont like that. Its offensive.

Do you know whom it offends? It offends the old man. Your new man never got mad at it. He sits there and says, Amen, brother, amen. Its the old man that wantsto run things in the flesh. The church at large walks in the flesh and thats what youre going to get.

Thats what was happening here. In that passage you see the basis for the reasonof the opposition and rejection of Christ. The reason that Israel rejected Christ was heart trouble. She wasnt right at heart and just misguided. She had an evil, wicked heart of unbelief. Regardless of the testimony raised before her,she was not going to believe. Thats what the problem was: bound by that wicked heart of unbelief.

The response to that begins in Verse 21 and from there until the end of the chapter you see that God is faithful to His promises. God is faithful not because of man or people or status, but God is faithful to do what He promised to do because of Himself.

Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre andSidon.

The coast is another way of saying the border or perimeter of the territory.

The last time you saw Tyre and Sidon was in Chapter 11 when He was pronouncing woe on Tyre and Sidon. Woes on those countries because He said that they were in a worse condition than Sodom and Gomorrah. They were classed as being more har

dened than Sodom and Gomorrah.

He now goes out to these places of judgment and these nations reject Him and from thence He demonstrates His faithfulness.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying,

This woman was a Canaanite. Mark 7:26 says she was a Greek woman and a Syrophenician by nationality, a half-breed, half Syrian and half Phoenician.



22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

She had a problem. Her daughter was demon-possessed. She came and cried, Oh, Lord. Thats a good start, but she cried to Him as the Son of David. She recognized that He was the Messiah, the Son of David.

23 But he answered her not a word.

You need to notice that. Thats a shocking thing to be said about Christ. Here was a woman in need, and she came to Him. She had a daughter vexed with a demon, and she cried out to Him in faith. She acknowledged Him to be Israels Messiah and king. He doesnt answer a word. The reason for that is, as the son of David,He couldnt do anything for this gentile woman. Why not? Because, as the son ofDavid, He was bound and pledged to be Israels Messiah, and it was through Israelthat the blessings had to come.

I have shown you repeatedly, as we have studied Matthew, that there is every indication that the gentiles out there were ready to respond. The problem was with Israel. Watch Him make that point to the disciples.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, say

ing, Send her away; for she crieth after us.24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

She is not trying to get them to heal her daughter. She is trying to get them to invoke Him to do it.

They come to Him and say, Lord, will you go over there and do what that woman wants? She is about to drive us up the wall. We are about to go crazy. Will you please just do what she wants so she will leave us alone?

24 But he answered and said,

(To whom is He talking? He is talking to the disciples.)

I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Now, think about what He was saying. He was reminding the disciples about the program of God that was in effect at that time. In that one verse, He sums up His ministry as it is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

We often point out a verse in Romans 15 to demonstrate what the earthly ministry of Christ was all about:

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [a minister of Israel] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the f

athers:

You see, Christ wasnt being reluctant, but He was simply saying - as He goes on to tell the woman - that the children (Israel) have to be dealt with first. They have to get right first and then it will be through them that the blessings goout to the nations.

8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truthof God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.



That is what the woman cried for. She said, Lord, I need mercy, thou son of David. But, as the son of David, He couldnt yet grant her mercy, because Israel wasntready to be the channel of blessing to the gentiles.

Notice how the mercy will come:

9 as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Do you see the prophetic program laid out there by Paul? The blessings of God will go to the gentiles through Israels rise to kingdom glory. In Matthew 15, Christ is saying that if you want to get that woman off your back and get the blessings going to the gentiles, youd better get Israels program moving. Israel has to get right.

15:25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

Three words: Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's [Israels] bread, and to cast it to dogs.

What kind of a response is that? Hey lady, it isnt right for me to help you. Come over to Mark 7 and see how that statement is supplemented.

Mark 7:27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it isnot meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

Israel first had to be filled, not just fed; they were being fed, but they had to be filled up and then the crumbs (blessings) could go to the dogs. The overage goes to the dogs.

Any way you want to cut it, Matthew 15:26 is a tough statement. Jesus Christ is calling that woman a dog. You can think about what that means, and thats rough. She is an outcast.

Notice how she replied. This woman succeeded in getting Christ to do somethingthat the Pharisees tried to get Him to do all during His earthly ministry but couldnt.

Matthew 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

She admitted, Im just a dog. Im no good. Im a dirty, rotten outcast.

Did the Pharisees say that in Verses 1-20? No way, man. They said, Look at us!

She said, Youre right, Lord. I am nothing. She wasnt claiming any worthiness inherself. She understood that.

27 Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

When she said that, she just turned the tables on the Lord. Because of that wom



ans faith and willingness to fit right into Gods program, she was entitled to theblessing.

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tendermercies of the wicked are cruel.

A righteous man takes care of his animals. He takes care of his dogs, doesnt he? She said, Youre right, Lord. Im a dog, an outcast. Im no good and I know who Iam. She took her place where she belonged and He responded to her faith. She said, Yes, Lord, but the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. She said, Lord, I want the blessing and I am completely willing to be subjectto your chosen people. I am willing to be subject to Israel. I am willing to get under the table and just eat the overage. She got what she asked because she came through Israel.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

When He said, Great is thy faith, it is important that you see what He is talkingabout.

Mark 7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.29 And he said unto her, For this saying

Because she said, The dogs under the table eat of the childrens crumbs, He told her, . . . Go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

In other words, Great is thy faith compares with Because of what you said. You see that woman had faith in the doctrine that was appropriate to that dispensational setting. Her faith rested in the program that God had in effect. She said, Youre right, Lord. Im getting underneath Israels table, and Im claiming a blessing sbject to Israel.

Christ responded to faith on other occasions that we have seen. He said, Man, look at this! This is what I have been trying to show Israel.

When she claimed the blessing through Israel, then she received it. It was just as if Israel was where they ought to have been and the blessings would have gone out to the gentiles.

Matthew 15:29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

God was glorified in the healing. You see Christ providing once again for His remnant. He was saying, I am faithful to provide the blessings Ive promised if Israel will get right. Ill take care of you. I will provide for the remnant of my people.

32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?



34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

He fed the five thousand before and now He feeds four thousand.

37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

Notice this very carefully: they ate and were filled. What did He tell the woman had to take place before the gentiles were blessed? The children had to be filled. Now they are filled and now there are seven baskets full left over. After the feeding of the five thousand, there were twelve baskets full left over, one for each of the tribes. Here, there are seven baskets full left over after feeding the four thousand.

What is the significance of the number four in the Bible? Four represents the world, the four corners of the earth. Seven is the number of completeness, perfection.

When they gathered up those seven baskets full, they gathered up a complete prov

ision for all of the needs of the world. The children are fed and the crumbs, the fragments, are left over. The overage is perfectly complete for the whole world. The children are fed and filled and the provision for the world is there.

Christ was telling the little flock, Israel, forget the apostate nation. The leaders - the Pharisees, the traditionalists - are going into the ditch. He said,Ive called out my people, and Im going to keep my promises. My purpose is going to be fulfilled. Im the one who will make provision for my people; my little flock is going to be fed, and the overage is going to be sufficient for the needs of all the world.

39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of M

agdala.

Over and over and over again, Matthew clearly teaches and paints the picture for us that Christ was the Messiah. The problem was Israels heart of unbelief; thats what hindered Israel. God was faithful to keep His promises, even in the faceof their unbelief. Calling out His people, that faithful remnant, for whom He will make perfect provision. They, having been filled, will take the blessings out to the nations and will have plenty to meet all needs.

MATTHEW 202-16

(Part 1, Lesson 44)

Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not disce



rn the signs of the times?4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

You should notice: And He left them, and departed. He bawled them out, in essence, and then walked out on them. You have a picture there of the unbelief of thenation Israel and then the judgment of God on Israel because of their unbelief,their rejection of Him and rebellion against Him. You see Him retire from their midst.

Ive told you that Matthew doesnt relate events in chronological order. He is trying to put across a truth and is painting a picture of Messiah. The reason we are studying Matthew is to see the dispensational issues involved in the earthly ministry of Christ.

In Matthew 1-10, you have the revelation of the king. In Chapters 11-13, you have the nations rebellion against the king and you see Him refused. In Chapter 14-20, Christ withdraws Himself from the nation, and you see the retirement of the king. Then in Chapters 21-27, you see His rejection. They take Him and nail Him to the tree. Then in Chapter 28, you see His resurrection.

At the point we are now, you see Him backing away from the nation. The reason is because of their unbelief. We saw in Chapter 15 the moral character and condi

tion of Israel and their opposition to Him. Now you see their judgment againstHim, the rank unbelief of the heart of these people against Christ. He withdraws Himself and He fulfills His purpose by taking His disciples aside to train them to replace Him. He is going to foretell His death in this chapter. He is going to tell them how He is going to die and go away and that they are going to stand in His stead. He is training the little flock, particularly the twelve as their leaders, to minister in His absence.

Israel is abandoned. He has left them and departed. Israel is abandoned, not the nation itself, but in the person of its leaders. The nation is a commonwealth which stands or falls on the basis of its leaders. So, He withdraws Himself from those leaders.

5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

His disciples come to Him and He is training them. He teaches His disciples inthe rest of the passage to take the place of those leaders that He has rejected. The kingdom is taken from them, the leaders of Israel, and given to a nation - that believing remnant, that little flock, the true Israel - that brings forththe fruits thereof.

Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desiredhim that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees are strange bedfellows. Opposition against Chri

st makes real strange bedfellows. You see that all through life; you see it today. People who wont have anything to do with each other will get together in order to oppose the Lord Jesus Christ and the word of God.

The Pharisees were alms-giving, tithing, righteous, fasting, praying, orthodox,long-robed fellows who were called Father. They believed in angels and spirits and in a literal resurrection. They had a universal church that encompassed landand sea to make converts. Does that description of a Pharisee sound like anybody you know? It ought to.



Read Matthew 23, Luke 18 and Acts 23 and you will see what a Pharisee is.

The Sadducees, on the other hand, were alms-giving, tithing, righteous, fasting, praying, liberal skeptics. They didnt believe in spirits, angels or a literal resurrection, but they will join an ecumenical movement of any kind, with anybody (as it shows in Verse 1) as long as it is against the Lord Jesus Christ. Theywere the ecumenical liberals. Matthew 22, 23 and Acts 23 will identify them for you.

It is interesting that they get together and do the same thing they have been doing all along (oppose Him), but this time the Lord doesnt mess around with them.

They ask for a sign and He answers, Whats the matter with you guys, are you justblowing smoke out your ears? (Thats a modern paraphrase but its in essence whatHe says.)

Out in the country, people say that if theres a ring around the moon, its going to rain. Ive heard that all my life. Its going to rain tonight.

How do you know, old timer?

I know, because there was a ring around the moon last night.

Sure enough, 98.7 percent of the time, it rains.

You can turn on the evening news and hear some meteorologist with a degree after his name saying, The barometer is falling so there is a storm on the way. There are different ways of doing it but the outcome is the same.

Christ tells them, You can predict the weather, but you cant tell whats going on before your eyes. You guys are just spiritual dingbats.

Matthew 16:3 O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

You leaders of Israel can see what is going on around you in creation, but you d

ont have enough spiritual perception to know what happening in Israel. They arespiritually blind. In Verse 4, He rebukes them.

4 A wicked and adulterous generation

We have seen this verse before back in Chapter 12. Didnt He just tell you back in Chapter 15:18 that the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart and they are the things that defile a man? Then He gives a long list of wicked things that come out of the heart. He has just identified who they are.

Didnt He just ask, back in Chapter 15:3, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Thats a wicked and adulterous generation, spiritually joined to idols. About Israel, God said, Ephraim is joined to idols. Let him alone. He accused him of spiritual adultery by being joined to an empty religion; they have apostasized fromGod and are worshipping other gods. He calls them a wicked and adulterous generation.

4 and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. A



nd he left them, and departed.

He leaves them with the judgment of God on the nation.

5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

His disciples are the focus from here on in the passage. But, notice what the disciples did. They forgot to bring bread. These disciples are obviously not yet ready to take care of themselves. If you go off on a journey like that and forget to take some hamburgers or something to eat, you havent been thinking very carefully.

They are off on a journey but dont have anything to eat. They are still in needof instruction.

6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye tookup?

Those miracles just took place in the previous chapter.

11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Do you see how confused those guys were? Christ told them something and they didnt get it and began to reason among themselves.

There is something here I want you to see about the leaven of the Pharisees. The disciples thought He was talking about literal bread when He was really talking figuratively about doctrine. The leaven of the Pharisees is the doctrine of the Pharisees. Remember back in Chapter 15:15 and 16:

Matthew 15:15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

He has just told them about evil coming out of the heart of men, and Peter thought that He was speaking figuratively when He was speaking literally. Do you see how confused they are? When He speaks literally, they think it is a spiritualtruth, and when He speaks figuratively, they take it literally. These guys are

in need of some instruction about whats going on.

Thats an illustration about your Bible. It is a two-edged sword. The Bible canteach truth and give you understanding, or it can deceive you rather than edifyyou, and it will do it on the basis of Hebrews 4:12.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.



It works either way. It will edify you or deceive you.

The heart attitude you have toward that book is more important than anything else. The problem with these disciples here is that their hearts werent adjusted properly. They were still in confusion, not because of rank unbelief but becauseof their lack of faith. O ye of little faith. They still didnt have the capacity to properly function on the doctrine in which they were being instructed. Whats in your heart is important and it will always manifest itself.

I read an article the other day about Neil Armstrong, the first guy to walk on the moon, and I thought, Theres a truth if ever there was one. The article said that God was more interested in what Neil Armstrong thought about when he saw his picture on the front of Time magazine than what he was thinking when he was walking on the moon. Do you understand what that means?

God was more interested in his pride of heart when he got that publicity and hype than what he was doing up there on the moon. Anybody could walk on the moon.He just happened to be the one who went up there and did it. The issue is really, how is your heart before the Lord? That is important and true in every age.

These apostles were having a little problem with their faith, so He has to instruct them. Notice the problem:

Matthew 16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we havetaken no bread.

Do you see how they reasoned? They started with themselves, not with God. Wrong reasoning always begins with man. When you are trying to find answers, solutions and directions to anything in life, you want to start with God. Men start with men, with themselves. Religion starts with man: Meet my needs, do what I want done, make me happy; do this for me, do that for me. What you need to do is to start with God. You dont start with man and work up, but you start with God and figure out what He is doing, and the rest will order itself out alright.

8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

Why are you guys worrying about not having bread? Do you realize what a dumb thing that was for them to do? In Verse 9, He says, Dont you remember how I fed thefive thousand and had twelve basketfuls left over? Verse 10 reminds them about His feeding the four thousand and had seven basketfuls left over, Now you dont have bread and you are worrying about eating? Think about whats going on! Wake up!

I can understand that. Sometimes you get hard-headed and the Lord has to knockreal hard on your head to make you wake up. Thats what Hes doing. When you reasoned among yourselves, why didnt you think about me, who I am and the provisions Imade for you; look beyond your own interests and look to what I am doing? Listen to me.

In Verse 12, they got it when they looked to Him. Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven. As soon as they looked to Him instead of themselves and their own circumstances, they realized, Oh, He wasnt talking about bread. Hes talking about doctrine (leaven).

Weve talked about how leaven in the Bible represents the evil doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

From Verses 6 to 12, Hes warning His disciples against the devices that the adver



sary uses against the truth. One of them is the doctrine of the Pharisees, andone is the doctrine of the Sadducees. They needed to be equipped to stand against those things. In your ministry, you need to know what how to identify the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

Hypocrisy, living a lie, is the leaven, the formalism, of the Pharisees: Havinga form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Thats Phariseeism, the outward show of religion: all of the giving of alms and tithes, the praying, the fasting, the orthodoxy, the religious titles and all the rest but no heart. Christ said, You look real nice on the outside, but on the inside you are full of dead mens bones. You are just whited sepulchers. There was no reality in them. Thats the leaven of the Pharisees. It is just formalism, religion, memorized prayers, outward show. You see a lot of that kind of religion today.

Matthew 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection,

The Sadducees are modernists and their leaven is materialism. Its materialistichumanism. Man is all there is; hes the issue and that is what they focus on. Thats what liberalism is all about. Liberalism - religious, social and political - is all based on the idea that man can pull himself up himself, by his own efforts. Weve got some problems but we can fix them. We dont need God; we will do it our way. Thats the Sadducees.

Brother Bob Jones used to say that the way you can remember the word Sadducee is that they didnt believe in resurrection. If you dont believe in resurrection, then you dont have a hope, and youre always sad, you see. Thats a good way to remember that.

We are not as others who have no hope. We are not sad, you see.

There is another group not mentioned in Matthew 16.

Mark 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

Now He warns about the leaven of Herod. The Herodians were a sect that was involved in political corruption and worldliness.

You have one group who is characterized by religious formalism, having the formbut no heart, no reality. Another group goes by human viewpoint, materialism; they are caught up in the things of the world, going along with the system, making it the best they can.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul talks about the leaven of the Corinthians. That leaven is immorality.

In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the leaven of the Galatians. That leaven is legalism, that is, the absence of grace in the dispensation of grace, the failureto rightly divide the word of God and to stand in the program that God has for today.

The first three, mentioned in the gospels, are the means whereby the adversary w



as opposing Gods work in the nation Israel. First, have all the forms of religion, sacrifices, rituals and all, but no heart, just tradition. Its just doing stuff like twiddling beads and that kind of thing.

If you cant get them with that, gather a bunch of intellectuals who make man thecenter of everything. Let mans intellect be the core and youve got the liberals.

And, if that doesnt do it, you have the Herodians who have joined up with the world.

Those three groups are the ones Christ warned them about. He said Those are poison. Stay away from them.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

Then they go off together for a sort of quiet afternoon together, and He asks them, Hey guys, who do men say that I am? Youve been getting the newspaper reportsand watching TV. Who do they say I am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

The common opinion was that Christ was somebody exceptional. Well, some say youare John the Baptist raised from the dead. (You remember Herods saying that backin Chapter 14.) Some say, John the Baptist raised from the dead. Others say, No, es Elijah. They knew Elijah was going to come before Messiah. [Chapter 11]. Somebdy else says, No, Hes Jeremias or one of the prophets.

I can understand where they got John the Baptist, and I can understand where they got Elijah (Malachi 4:5), but why would they think He was Jeremiah? Did you ever wonder about that? I have. Why would they say Jeremiah?

What you have in Jeremiah is a tribulation reference to the man child in Revelation 12.

Revelation 12:5 And she [Israel] brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Now, almost every commentary on the Book of Revelation will tell you that man child is Jesus Christ. That is not Jesus Christ. Let me show you how you know that.

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy.

What is the Book of Revelation? It is prophecy. It is not history. It is prophecy.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Hereafter is future. Did the Apostle John write Revelation before or after the ascension of Christ? Afterwards. So then, Revelation 12:5 takes place after thebirth, death and the ascension of Christ. Its a reference to the tribulation. Youll find that Revelation 12 is in the middle of the tribulation. This woman who brings forth the man child, Verse 6 says, flees into the wilderness.



Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a placeprepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.7 And there was war in heaven:

Thats the last three and a half years of the tribulation right there in Verse 6.This man child is caught up in the middle of the tribulation. That man child is a very interesting entity that is missed by most prophecy preachers. Most students of prophecy never even notice the context and just say, Thats Christ and go on. They dont notice that there is something in the tribulation identified as the man child

The prophet Jeremiah is a type of that man child.

Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

In Chapter 25, He sent him out to foretell the judgment of God on the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

He was a man, wasnt he? He was a man child. When you study the Book of Jeremiah, you will see a type of the remnant of Israel in the tribulation. It is an interesting study.

Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.

Lamentations 4:19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

That verse compares with Revelation 12 which tells where they flee.

20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD,

That word anointed refers to the anointed one, Christ.

the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,

That isnt referring to Christ. Thats somebody in the remnant who leads those people in the tribulation.

21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

Do you remember who lived in the land of Uz? Thats where Job lived? The forty-two chapters of the Book of Job compare to the forty-two months of the tribulation. In Job 3:3, he cries out to God and calls himself a man child.

What you have is Jeremiah as a type. Those Jews in Matthew 16 understood something about Bible prophecy that most people today have missed. You would expect them to understand things about their own prophecy.

Jeremiah is a type of somebody or some group of people in the tribulation. That man child turns out to be the hundred and forty-four thousand in Revelation 12



. At this time, it wasnt revealed that there would be a hundred and forty-four thousand, but the twelve apostles and the little flock in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and early Acts compare to the hundred and forty-four thousand in the tribulation, told about in the Book of The Revelation. They all compare to that remnant, that man child, and the anointed of the Lord back in Lamentations, Jeremiah, Job, First and Second Samuel and some other places.

It intrigues me as I study the prophetic scriptures to notice that there will be some vital point there, and I just keep reading it over. When you study prophecy, be careful to notice every detail and look for verses to explain it for you. It is fascinating.

Somebody asked me, Why are you studying books that are not for us today in the dispensation of grace? Do you know why? You could spend the rest of your life studying Matthew and digging into these things, putting them where they fit and understanding how God does that. Ill tell you that it will keep you from watching a whole lot of TV. Wouldnt that be for your spiritual profit and edification if you didnt watch so much TV? It keeps your mind in the right book; that is spiritually profitable. Its fascinating to study these things and see how God lines them out in the prophetic program and how they always come about just as He says.Youll never be like these guys here when He tells them, O ye of little faith. Do you know why? Because you are building faith and confidence in what Gods word says.

Often, when you have a problem about believing the book, when you need help from it, is that you havent been in it enough beforehand to know that you can trust it. If you dont understand that, its because you are not spending enough time in it.

There are some things in Jeremiah I dont profess to understand. I just know that the man child is a reference to the remnant of Israel in the Tribulation. InIsaiah 66:7, it talks about Zion bringing forth a man child, which is that remnant in the tribulation. Jeremiah is a type of that.

Who do they say Christ is? They answer, Its John. Its Jeremiah. Its Elijah or on of the other prophets. Everybody has his opinion, but do you notice any conviction in that? Oh, maybe its John or maybe its Elijah. Maybe its Jeremiah or another

prophet. There is no conviction in that because there is no faith there. Everybody has his own idea.

When you enter into a discussion, no matter what the issue is, but especially concerning spiritual things, dont leave everything open-ended so that it never comes to a conclusion where you can decide This is right. This is truth. That is the approach of a liberal mind, and it never gets you anywhere. Its the approach ofa skeptic, not the approach of faith. You are better off coming to a conclusion and making a firm decision, even if you later find out you were wrong, than you are just never deciding anything. All truth is not relative; there are absolutes. There are some things that you cant know for sure. Ive just told you that Iam not sure about that passage in Jeremiah. But, when you can know, you dont want to just form an opinion; you want to have faith.

Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Lets move this away from public opinion. Id like to find out what you guys say.Peter steps right up.

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

There is no uncertainty there, is there? He just spit it out, man. That kind o



f confidence shows the effect and power that comes from divine revelation.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, andhe to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

You see, Peter got a revelation from God the Father about who the Lord Jesus Christ was.

Matthew 16:17 for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Peter received a supernatural insight into Christs true person, His true work and who He really was. He got it from God the Father. He didnt get it by figuringit out. Peter stepped up, front and center, and spoke right out, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. He didnt bat an eye; out it came.

Peter was that way. Peter was a guileless guy. We are going to see that lateron in Matthew. He was just that way and he had that confidence and faith that comes from having gotten something directly from the Lord.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

That statement: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God is the foundationupon which He is going to build His church.

13 Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

16 Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

The Son of man and the Son of God are equal in the passage. Both are a reference to Israels Messiah, the one whom God had promised.

Notice this issue about the Christ, the Son of the living God, Israels Messiah King.

John 1:41 He [Andrew] first findeth his own brother Simon [Peter], and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Do you know how I know the word Messiah is equal to Christ? That verse right there told me. I didnt need a dictionary. All I just needed was to read my Bible. One is a Greek word and the other is a Hebrew word and both mean the anointedone.

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A

stone.

You want to notice that and compare it with Matthew 16:17.

Matthew 16:17 Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:

He has just told him in John 1:42, Thou art Simon the son of Jona. Bar means son: son of Jona. In John 1:42, He tells him his name is going to be changed to Cephas, another name for Peter, which means a stone.



Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. In other words, Here is who you are in the flesh, Simon Barjona, but this revelation wasnt given to who you are in the flesh. God the Father gave it to you.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;

He calls Peter Cephas. All these things are connected. Matthew 16 is the confirmation of what Christ had already revealed in John 1:

John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thouart the King of Israel.

That is who the Messiah is. He is the Christ, is the King of Israel.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Can you think of another verse like that, where it says Flesh and blood hath notrevealed it unto thee?

Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

Do you know where Paul got his revelation? Flesh and blood didnt reveal it to him.

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preachedof me is not after man.12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Just as Peter got the revelation about the person and work of Christ directly from God the Father without any flesh and blood intervening, so the apostle Paul received his revelation about the mystery directly from Christ without any fleshand blood intermediary. So, Paul can say in Galatians 2:7:

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

These two men, Peter and Paul, are of absolute equal authority. The apostle Paul could say, I wasnt a whit [not even a little sliver] behind the very chiefest of

the apostles. He could say it with regard to his appointment as an apostle just as Peter could say it about his. Their authority is equal.

Pauls message is simply one that comes later; hence, it supersedes the revelation that Peter got.

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.



It was a divine revelation and Christ confirms it.


The rock in the passage is the confession that Peter just made about the Lord Jesus Christ. In the next lesson, Ill demonstrate to you that the rock is Christ.

This rock (the doctrine that you just stated about who I am) is the foundation upon which my church is going to be built.

If the foundation of that church is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, and He is the Messiah, what is the church built upon? The fact that Jesus is the Messiah.

When He says, upon this rock I will build my church, who is the I in the passage? asnt He identified as the Messiah? Yes, He was. Then, what church is this? Itis Messiahs church, isnt it? Its the kingdom church. Its not the church, the bodyof Christ. It is the church associated with Israels Messiah. It is the Messianic Church. How do I know that? Because He said, I am going to build my church. And, who did the just say He was? The Messiah, Israels King.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever

thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. The church, the body of Christ, doesnt have any keys to it. Thats a fact.

This passage refers to Messiahs church, not the body of Christ of which we are apart today. The passage deals with Messiahs Church; just let the passage say what it says.

Well talk more about that in the next lesson.


Matthew 16:15 He [Jesus] saith unto them [the disciples], But whom say ye thatI am?16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Simon Peter is saying that Jesus is the Messiah. There is no doubt in his mind.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

God the Father gives to Peter a direct and special revelation as to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ so there isnt any confusion about it. Its a revelation that the Father gives, so He says, Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee. In other words, Peter has been given a supernatural insight into Christs true per



son and work.

In Galatians 1, Paul says that after God told him He was going to reveal His Son in him, Paul conferred not with flesh and blood. In Galatians 2, it says thatthose circumcision apostles came to understand that, just as He had wrought in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in Paul towardthe Gentiles. It is an interesting comparison there to see that, just as Petergot his revelation supernaturally, Paul got his message in just the same way apart from any human intervention.

Verse 18 is very important to understand because there is a lot of controversy about it. This is a very important point in the Book of Matthew. You have cometo a pivotal point here.


You need to pay close attention to every word in that verse in order to understand it. Jesus said to Peter, And I say also unto thee . . . In other words, the Father had given the revelation and now Christ is going to tell him something further.

That thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church. The recognition of Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the living God is to be the foundation of His

church.

The rock in the passage is the subject of a lot of controversy. This is the proof text that the Roman Catholic Church uses to prove that its church is built on Peter. They say that the word for rock, petra, is so like petros, Peter in Greek, that Christ is making a play on words and is saying, You, Peter, are a stoneand on you I am going to build my church.

They have the doctrine based on that idea called apostolic succession. They claim that Peter was the first pope, but Peter had a wife; at least, he had a mother-in-law. There are things about Peter that dont match their doctrine, but this passage is the proof text that they use.

In Latin, petros is Peter and petram is rock. They are not the same words in Greek or in Latin, but they are the same word in Aramaic. When you study the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) in school, you will study what is called the two-document theory. It was popularized by a guy named Streeter and taught all over the world in the 1920s. It was very popular in seminaries and Bible institutes where they dont uphold the authority of the word of God.

They say, in the two-document theory, that Matthew and Luke both used two documents to write their gospels. They say that they used the Book of Mark and also another document, which they call the Q document. So, they say that Matthew and Luke developed their gospel records using Mark and the Q document as their sources. The Q document is written in Aramaic, and in Aramaic Peter and rock are thesame word.

If you look in the commentaries about Matthew 16:18, and if they want to demonstrate that Peter is the rock, they say that the word is the same in the Q document, the Aramaic from which Matthew and Luke are supposed to have been copied.

When you hear that, do you know what you ought to do? Just yawn, look at yourwatch and ask, What time are we getting out? Dont pay any attention to that stuff. Just read Pogo and Lil Abner or change the channel and watch the news or The Flintstones or The Beverly Hillbillies or Hogans Heroes, or McHales Navy or something that makes sense. You dont have to tip your hat to that stuff and pretend you



think it is smart. Its not smart; it is rank unbelief. People get involved in such wranglings just to get away from the word of God.

I have told you time and again, when you find people messing around with the Bible like that, their motive will come out sooner or later. They are trying to change something because, somewhere down the line, they are going to deny it. So, you just take your Bible and leave it like it is and stick with people who leave it alone. Just believe it and study it. They might not be right every time,but at least they wont deny it. Youll make plenty of mistakes just trying to understand what is there, but if you go out on a limb and start denying it, then you dont have anything. Youll never know what is right; all youll think you know is what is wrong. Thats not the policy of faith but the approach of unbelief.

Who is the rock? Lets let Peter tell you who the rock is. When you want to understand something in the Bible, you do what no Romanist and no Bible critic everfigured out how to do; that is, you look for other relevant verses and compare scripture with scripture.

I once taught a Bible class in Selma, Alabama, for eight months at the home of the treasurer of the Roman Catholic Church in our town. I understood his doctrine, and I talked with him, the priest and all the Catholics from that church whocame to the class. Most were college graduates and had Masters degrees, so theywerent dummies. They knew what they believed and what their church taught, but the one thing they all said was, We dont know anything about the Bible.

They arent the only ones who dont know anything about it. A lot of Protestants are that way too, just dummies when it comes to the word of God.

If you want to understand something in the Bible, how do you find out? Do you run to the commentaries or ask the church leaders to tell you? No, you look forother verses of scripture to define it for you.

1 Peter 2:4 To whom [Christ] coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeedof men, but chosen of God, and precious,

The Lord is a living stone who has been rejected by men but chosen of God and is precious. Who is the stone, the Rock? The Lord Jesus Christ is.

7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The point is that Jesus Christ is the Rock. When you ask Peter, he says Christis a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. Unbelievers trip and fall over Him, but to us who are saved, He is the living stone and He is precious. Hes the foundation of what we are doing.

Lets ask the apostle Paul, Who is the Rock?

Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank ofthat spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Paul, who is the Rock?

Christ.

Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: thi



s is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Who is the stone the rock - in that passage? It is Christ. Who is the stone that the builders rejected? It is Christ. There is no doubt about that.

If you ask Peter who the rock is, he says, Christ. If you ask Paul who the rock is, he says Christ. If you ask Christ who the rock is, He says, I am. Who do you rckon the rock is? Now, that isnt very hard to figure out, but sometimes people have trouble with it.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [Christ] I will build my church;

But notice: it is a special issue about Christ. It isnt Christ as a baby in a manger. It isnt Christ hanging on a cross. It isnt Christ walking the shores of Galilee. It is Christ as a very special person. How is Jesus Christ characterized in this passage?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

He says, Bravo, Peter! God the Father revealed that to you. You see, the issue in the passage is the revelation and the insight into the character, work and the person of Jesus Christ.

He is saying to Peter, I want you to understand that the Father revealed to you who I am, and I am going to build my church on that understanding and the confession of the fact that I am the Messiah. The foundation, the rock, upon which that church is to be built is the confession that Peter made about Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ in a particular office and position as the Messiah, the King,and the Redeemer of Israel.

John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, [Why?]

that ye might believe

Believe what? What are you supposed to believe?

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have lifethrough his name.

Listen, people: the foundation of the kingdom church is recognition that Jesus is Israels Messiah, the Christ. Thats exactly what you see in the Book of Acts, in that Pentecostal Church.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Hey, Hes Christ! Hes Messiah! You didnt recognize Him. You crucified Him, but God has raised Him up and exalted Him and He is Messiah.

Acts 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest[be baptized]. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Sonof God.



I believe He is Messiah!

Okay, you can join the little flock.

You see, the entire focus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and early Acts is recognition of Jesus as the Messiah and that is the foundation of that church. He says in Matthew 16, Upon this rock I will build my church, my called-out assembly.

That word church is important. Its the Greek word ecclesia which means, a called-out group of people. From this point on in Matthew, His rejection is certain and He is focusing on that little flock, that little called-out group, that you see all through the Book of Acts. That foundation of the believing remnant, that little flock in Israel, is their acknowledgment of Christ as the Messiah.

Sometime, sit down and read the Book of First John, and you will see, over and over and over and over again, that the issue is Christ as Messiah.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock

The rock is Peters confession that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Upon this foundation, the acknowledgment of Christ as Messiah, I will build my church.

Now, our fundamentalist brethren have a real problem with that passage. They sa

y, From now on, He is going to talk about the church, as though the word church just pops up here in history and always applies to the same group of people.

Any time you hear somebody say that we live in the church age, please understand that that is the language of accommodation. That is not very scriptural or very correct language. God always had a church. Let me show you:

Acts 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

Hey folks, in time past, when they came out of Egypt and were in the wildernessunder Moses leadership, Israel was called the church in the wilderness.

What we are a part of today - the church, the body of Christ - is not the same church in the wilderness back there, is it? You know better than that. That was Israel then, and here we are today in the dispensation of grace. Just becauseyou see the word church, it doesnt mean the church that you and I are a part of in the dispensation of grace.

The dispensation of grace began with the ministry of the apostle Paul and it will extend all the way down through history (almost two thousand years now) untilthe time when God concludes it with the rapture, the taking to heaven, of the church, the body of Christ. The church today is called the body of Christ. The church in the wilderness back there was Israel. The church in Matthew 16 is a different church from either of them. Dont be thrown by the word church. God has al

ways had His called-out group of people that belong to Him by faith. They can always be called a church.

There are three churches that you have to clearly identify in the Bible. One is the church in the wilderness under Moses; that was Israel in time past. Another one is the church, the body of Christ of which we are a part today. It began with the ministry of the Apostle Paul and extends through the dispensation of grace in which we are living today, and all the saints will be caught out at once at the rapture when Christ comes back and takes us to heaven to be with Him.



The third church is that kingdom church that you are reading about in Matthew 16.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [this confession of me as Messiah] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

I will build my church. Who is saying my church? Thats Christ, isnt it? But whd you just learn about the identity of Christ? Who is He in the passage? He is Messiah. So what church is it? It is Messiahs church; its the kingdom church.That is the subject here, not the body of Christ, and not Israel in the wilderness. The topic being dealt with in the passage is the kingdom church. That ought to be clear from Verse 19.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys [of the body of Christ? No,] of the kingdom of heaven:

Do you know why? Because they are dealing with the kingdom church, a church ofprophecy.

In the Old Testament, you dont read the word church but the word congregation instead. We call ourselves, who are sitting here today, a congregation, dont we? Thats another way of saying church.

Hebrews 2:11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

In Verse 12, he is quoting from Psalm 22, a Psalm about the crucifixion of Christ.

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Thats the cry from the cross. As you read through the passage, you see what He endured at the crucifixion. When you get to Verses 19 - 21, there is a change.From Verse 22 through the end of the chapter, you see the resurrection of Christ

and then His coming kingdom.

Psalm 22:22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

In Hebrews 2:12, He said in the midst of the church. Then I know by comparing scripture with scripture that congregation and church are equal to each other. I know that when you say church it is the same as saying congregation, and when you say congregation its the same as saying church. I know that because my Bible says congregation in one passage and church when it quotes the passage in anotherplace; hence, the two terms are synonymous.

Psalm 22:25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation [Israel]:

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: 27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

The passage is talking about a kingdom church in prophecy, and that is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 16. Hes not talking about the secret church, the body of Christ, but a prophesied church.

30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.



31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

That seed is the little flock we read about over here in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I want you to understand the distinction clearly.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Go back with me to Deuteronomy to look at one more reference about the rock before we leave the passage in Matthew. I want you to see this passage about the second coming of Christ that is real interesting with regard to the rock. All ofDeuteronomy 32 is looking forward to the future return of Jesus Christ, when Hecomes back to the earth.

Deuteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect

Do you see Rock with a capital R? Thats Jehovah, the Lord. Thats a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

15 But Jeshurun [Israel] waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, an

d lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provokedthey him to anger.17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to newgods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God thatformed thee.

They just quit thinking about the Lord and went after other gods.

20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shallbe: for they are a very froward [crooked] generation, children in whom is no faith.

So, the tribulation comes on them, and you see it down through Verse 29.

29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end [last days]!30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, excepttheir Rock [the Lord] had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

Notice that verse about the unbelieving people who had forgotten God: For theirrock [lower case r] is not as our Rock [upper case R]. Who is the Rock? He is d. Isnt it interesting that when Israel went into apostasy they had a counterfeit rock with a lower case r? That is fascinating to me. It was a rock associated

with worshipping devils. They sacrificed to devils (Verse 17), worshipped idols and performed all these religious ceremonies. The Lord wasnt in it, but it was all built on a rock. This rock was not the Lord; it was somebody else.

36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.



They had a rock that they worshipped with sacrifices and drink offerings. Theyhad idols. Can you think of anything similar to that? I can: Baal worship, Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots.

Listen people, youd better stay away from that religious system completely because that verse says it is the religion of the anti-Christ. God Almighty is goingto judge that religion and burn it to a fare-thee-well. You wont be here when that happens. If you are saved, youll get out before all that happens, but you dont want your kids, your grandkids, your relatives and friends to go through it, do you?

I dont want anything I am a part of to wind up in that mess over there in the ash heap. I want everything I have to go with me up into glory when I go. They say, You cant take it with you. Well, you can send it on ahead. You can invest it in the right thing, cant you? You can invest it in the things of the Lord. We have a little poem that we teach the kids:

Only one life, twill soon be past;Only whats done for Christ will last.

The book says, He that doeth the will of the Father abideth forever. You are going to leave everything else behind, and it will just be burned up and be gone.

A guy once told that he went to the funeral of a millionaire. Someone asked him

later, How much did he leave? You know the answer, dont you?

He left it all.

As a believer, the decision you have to make now is to send some on ahead; makesome investment in what the Lord is doing. That is what I am talking about. You understand what I am saying: invest your treasure there.

Some people come to this passage in Matthew 16 and see the word rock, and they think thats us. Moses says, Their rock isnt as our rock. If your rock isnt the LoJesus Christ, you dont have any foundation, just quicksand.

Paul said, For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus

Christ. (I Corinthians 3:11)

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [Peters confession that Jesus is Messiah] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Now, hell is a real place. It has gates and the gates have bars on them (Jonah2). The gates have locks. Jesus said, I have the keys of death and hell. The gates of hell arent going to prevail against the kingdom church. All of Satans attempts to destroy it arent going to stop it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoeverthou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loo

se on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

That is a very important, misunderstood and misused verse. Last night on television, I saw a fellow try to weasel money out of people in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ using that verse right there. I said that exactly the way I meant to say it. He was weaseling and embezzling money out of people, taking money under false pretenses, telling them he had the keys of the kingdom of heaven. He was trying to get trick people and get money from them under false pretenses. Thatsembezzlement. That is stealing peoples money, taking it under false pretenses.People wouldnt send money if he didnt tell them those lies.



19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:

The keys denote that authority. If I give you the keys to my car, I am giving you entrance and access to it. If you have keys to a place, you have free access; that suggests administrative control. The administration of the kingdom of heaven is committed to Peter. Peter is the head of the twelve apostles.

Turn over to Chapter 18, and youll see that he gives the same authority to the disciples, to the little flock. He is talking to the disciples, the people in theMessianic church. (Back in Verse 17, He says to tell it [any dispute] to the church.)

18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is inheaven.

How many times have you heard Verses 19 and 20 quoted as prayer promises?

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

There are all kinds of opinions about that, you know. I heard Mr. OHair say on a tape, Where two or three are gathered together, take an offering. Thats not a badea. We believe in that and try to practice that, dont we? Its not scripture but its scriptural.

When He says, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, that is not a prayer promise. That passage doesnt have anything at all to do with praying. That passage identifies the quorum necessary to make a decision in the Messianic church. He commissions that church to have the authority to act in His absence. He gives them authority to bind something on earth, and it will be bound in heaven; if it is loosed on earth, it will be loosed in heaven. In other words, the quorum has authority to act for Him in Hisabsence. They will be His representatives and have the authority to make offici

al decisions in His behalf, and He will stand by their decisions. He not only gives them the power to do it, but He tells them what the necessary quorum is toact officially.

When we have a board meeting, we have to have a quorum. When we have a congregational meeting, we have to have a quorum, the minimum number of members present, to execute business. Thats what He is telling them there. It isnt a prayer promise.

Thats not a command for you to get two or three people together to agree, pray it through, pray it down, and it will come to pass because you folks agreed. Youstormed the battlements of heaven and God gave it to you. Thats nonsense. If God wanted something, you wouldnt have to beg and cry and squall and complain and g

ripe and grumble and make deals with Him. He is not deaf. His arm is not short. If He wanted to do something, you could just mention it and He could do it right then.

What do you think you have to do to get an answer from God? Begging Him isnt the issue in prayer. In fact, this isnt even a prayer passage at all. What He is doing is giving authority: whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching an



y thing that they shall ask, it shall be done.

In other words, what you guys agree on down here will be done up there. If youlet it go (loose it) down here, its official. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, thats the quorum. That authority to act officially for Christ in His absence was given to the little flock. It was given to Peter, individually, because Peter was the chief of the twelve. They had to have a leader and Peter was the man.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: andwhatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:

In Acts 1, they chose Matthias, they bound him over and gave him Judas position.They bound it on earth; it was bound in heaven.

Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. If you want to see an example of the use of that principle, come over to Galatians 2.

Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas [Peter], and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas theright hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

Have the twelve apostles been commissioned to go to the heathen? He had said, Go

into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Did that include the heathen? Sure it did. In this passage, did they loose themselves from the responsibility of going to the heathen? The so-called great commission, the post-resurrection commission, went out of commission right there based on the authority that God Almighty gave the apostles to act officially for Him in His absence.

If you want to get a bloody fight going, you try telling that to some people. Thats a fact. In Acts 15, the twelve apostles recognized the advanced revelationthat had been committed to the apostle Paul and they said, We see it; we recognize it, and well enter into a public agreement to that effect.

If Peter stood here tonight, he would tell you, Dont follow me; follow Paul becaus

e he is Gods spokesman for today. Any church built on Peter today ought to be pointing you to Paul.

Thats the way the apostles used the authority that Christ gave them.

Matthew 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Thats as if He were saying, Its too late to go out and tell people about it now. Yu cant go out and tell them who I am now. They arent going to receive it. Its too late.

He told Jeremiah not to pray for those people. Why would He tell him that? Bec

ause the judgment was coming, and they could hear the hoof beats of Nebuchadnezzars army coming across the desert. Judgment was on its way. There wasnt going to be any change. It was too late.

Thats the idea here. He tells His apostles, You understand who I am. I am the Messiah, but dont go tell anybody.

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests andscribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.



Notice: at this point, He began to tell them that He was going to go to Jerusalem and die. Do you realize that up until Matthew 16:21, Jesus Christ had never told His disciples that He was going to go and die? If He had told them prior to Matthew 16:21, that verse would be a lie because it says, From this time forth began Jesus to show His disciples that He was going to go to Jerusalem.

Folks, words couldnt be any plainer, could they? I dont care if nobody wants to believe it. You can believe it, cant you, because God said it? Somebody said, God said it; I believe it; that settles it. Baloney. God said it, and that settles it, whether you believe it or not. Thats a fact. Let God be true and every man a liar.

What you should say is, God said it and that settles it; therefore, I believe it.

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests andscribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.22 Then Peter took him, and began to [say, Thank God! Hallelujah! Youre going to the cross and die for my sins.]

When you look at Peter you would think he was a jug-head. Look at what he said:

22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Do you reckon that if Peter understood He was going to go to the cross and die for his sins, he would have said that? No.

23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:

Wow! Peter was the guy who had just gotten a revelation from the Father in Verse 16, and then to have Christ call him Satan! That is moving out of one realm into another real quickly.

23 thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

He begins to introduce the issue of the crucifixion and His resurrection.

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

He says that it is too late to go talk to these people. Its too late. They arent going to receive me. I am going to Jerusalem and they are going to kill me. Im going to suffer and I am going to die. After that, the kingdom is going to come,

Immediately, He begins to introduce His suffering, their suffering and rejection and then the glory that is going to follow. In prophecy, you see the sufferings and the glory that shall follow. He begins to introduce that theme here.

Well look at those things more closely as we go down through the passage in the next lesson.

Dont forget the identity of that rock in Verse 18. Remember who it is; know howto explain who it is; understand what He is saying. The rock there is the recog



nition of Christ as Israels Messiah, and on foundation of that confession of Christ as Israels Messiah, God is going to build the kingdom church. The church there is not the body of Christ but rather the Messianic Church. Remember that Godgave Peter the authority to bind and loose.

That isnt what that fellow on TV said last night. He said, I pray that God wouldloose the pocketbooks of the listeners. Well, do you have to be loose in the head to fall for something like that? No, you dont. There are a lot of folks out there who are sick, tired, scared and lonely, and they just shovel their money into that kind of thing thinking they are going to get something from God that way.

If that preacher stood up there and said, Everything God has for you is in Christ. What you need to do is trust Him, believe on Him and rest in Him. Then findout what God has done for you in Him, what God has made you in Him and let thatmotivate you, he wouldnt have as big offerings maybe, but hed be doing the right thing.

So then, dont let somebody come by and say that you need him to bind and loose.When those men did the binding, it was official.

Matthias was the twelfth apostle, not Paul. When they loosed themselves from that great commission and committed you to Paul, it was official.


TEST #7

On a separate sheet of properly headed paper, answer the following questions, using complete sentences where appropriate. You may use an unmarked Bible to look up references.

1. The scene of the disciples on the storm-tossed sea is a picture of what

future events?2. Christ walking on the water was a tremendous and clear demonstration of: (a) His Deity; (b) His concern for the disciples; (c) His victorious human nature? (Choose One)3. What is the significance of Christ coming during the fourth watch of the night?4. What are the four watches into which the night was divided?5 Draw a diagram and explain the prophetic connections associated with Chr

Matthew Part 1(Richard Jordan)

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Transcript of Matthew Part 1(Richard Jordan)