The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Matthew 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 on one file

Now Matthew 1:

JESUS HEALS  THE LEPER

Jesus Christ has now completed His "Sermon on the Mount" which was an in-depth teaching session attended not by the multitudes, but rather by His disciples only, who went up into the mount to seek Him and "hear the Word of the Lord".You see, it would be His disciples, those disciplined in the knowledge and wisdom of His truth, both then and now in these last days, who would go forth and fulfill the great commission of bringing forth and declaring His righteousness by teaching the truth of His Word.

Now Christ is going to "come down from the mountain" and begin the second period of His ministry, showing that He is Lord by going among the people teaching and healing and casting out evil spirits with His Word (vs. 16). And once again great multitudes will follow Him (Mat. 4:2). However, if you are one of His disciples, one who is disciplined in His Word, you will not only witness the miracles He performs but you will be able to "see" and understand the lessons of those miracles on a different level than the multitudes.

Matthew 8:1
When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.
THE LEPER

The first lesson to be learned from the great Teacher concerns the cleansing of a leper which is done for a specific reason made known to us by Christ in verse 4.

[2] And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
The word "behold" lets us know that Christ wants us to carefully consider and understand what this is all about. So let us notice right away that the leper, who was "unclean" according to the law because of his leprosy, came directly to Jesus Christ, bypassing the priesthood, and worshipped Him. That means he revered (loved) the Lord and believed in Him and had the faith to know with certitude that He was able to cleanse him... IF it was His will!

You see, true faith is knowing without a shadow of doubt that Christ is able, that He has all power! That does not mean that He will always answer our prayers and requests according to our will and our desire, because He may have a purpose we have not yet "seen". For example, consider how the apostle Paul, a man of great faith, asked the Lord thrice to have the thorn in his flesh removed. The answer he got from the Lord was "no". 2 Cor. 12:9-10 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strengthis made perfect in weakness. 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, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

When the apostle Paul was told the reason Father wanted him to endure his infirmity, so that the power of Christ may rest upon him, he was simply overjoyed and was willing to bear anything that came his way.

Now back to the leper who asked to be "cleansed", which is what the subject is here!

[3] And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
[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.
Christ did not "cleanse" the leper to gain notoriety nor to show the world that He was able to do so.He specifically wanted this to be a message to the priesthood, for a testimony unto them, that they might know that Christ was among them and that He cleanses those who come directly to Him. You see, Christ will pay the price and shed His blood that whosoever will come to Him in belief that He is able to cleanse them, will be cleansed by that blood and set free from the penalty of death. That is why He wanted the leper to go to the priest and have him offer the gift that Moses commanded... for it would be a testimony unto them.Perhaps if we cover what the gift, the sacrifice required by the law, is... it will help in understanding the testimony that the cleansed leper gave. We find it in the 14th chapter of the Book of Leviticus:
Leviticus 14:3-7
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;

[4] Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

[5] And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:

[6] As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:

[7] And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

The priests do not have the power to heal nor to cleanse. And so it is today that one does not need to seek some priest or minister or "faith healer" to be cleansed. Just go directly to Jesus Christ and ask in belief, knowing that He is able, and He will cleanse you.

JESUS HEALS THE CENTURION

                 Matthew 8:5
                 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him,

"Caper-nahum" means city of consolation or comfort and "The Comforter" was indeed there when the centurion, which means captain of 100, came to Him and "beseeched" Him.

[6] And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Consider that this centurion did not ask for a healing for himself, but rather for his servant upon whom he obviously had great compassion. His servant was sick of the palsy which means that he was paralyzed.
[7] And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Take heed, for we are about to learn a great lesson concerning faith from this Roman gentile centurion! Christ said the "He would come" and heal his servant but notice what the centurion's reply was:
[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.
The centurion was an humble man indeed who understood the power and the authority of the "Word" which he documents in the example he now gives:
[9] For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
The centurion knew as one who had power and authority himself, that his own spoken words as a captain were all that was required to make things happen. Do you get the point, dear Christian? Christ is now going to compare this gentile's tremendous faith in the power and authority of the Word of God to the faith of the house of Israel*?

Why?

Because the majority of us Christians have forsaken (ignore) His Word and follow after the traditions of men which make void the Word of God... else we would not be a nation of Biblical illiterates, would we?



* Note: If you are not familiar with who the so-called "Lost 10 Tribes of the House of Israel" are and where they reside today, log unto pamphlet #1064 and #1120.

                             [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.

Again, why is Christ comparing the centurion's faith and belief in the power and authority of the Word of God to that of Israel's? Because the majority of the House of Israel, i.e. America, Great Britain, Canada, etc., do not have that kind of belief and trust in the power of His Word. Many of us have forsaken His Word and rather follow after the traditions of men.

Now notice what Christ has to say next concerning the lesson to be learned in this matter.

Matthew 8:11
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.
Dr. Bullinger notes in the Companion Bible on page 1323 that the word "many" is an inoffensive expression (called an euphemism)which Christ uses to refer to the "gentiles". In other words, Jesus Christ will open salvation to all people and many gentiles will come and sit down with Abraham in the kingdom of heaven while many of Israel will miss the cut. That's right, whosoever will can become a child of Abraham, whose name means "father of many nations".
[12] But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Christ is speaking about those Christians we read of in the last chapter who cry Lord, Lord, but do not study nor follow the Word of God. They therefore do not know the Word of God which means they do not know Jesus Christ. Let us gain some additional insight from Luke's account:
Luke 13:26-30
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou 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.

[28] There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

[29] And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

[30] And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

Again, Abraham means "father of many nations" for it would be through him that the promised seed, Messiah, would come and offer salvation to all. So what does "there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last" mean? Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (gentiles)." Salvation was first given unto Israel, yet there shall be "many" (gentiles) who take part in the first resurrection, i.e. sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while many of Israel will have to wait until last, until the end of the Millennium at the second resurrection.
Matthew 8:13
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.
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is the power and the authority! Know and Believe in His Word and you can claim the promises He has made to you!

JESUS HEALS PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW

Remember that Jesus Christ is in Capernaum and we now find He is about to enter into the house of one His chosen disciples, i.e. one of His elect, Peter, who we discover was a married man. So much for celibacy!

Matthew 8:14
And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
Jesus Christ takes care of His own and oft times He intercedes on the behalf of His elect without their even asking... of which we have an example right here. For when Christ saw Peter's mother-in-law "laid" or "laid out" on her death bed about to die, He took it upon Himself to touch her "hand" and heal her. And one little touch from the Lord is all that is needed to make one whole.
[15] And He touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
The "hand" is symbolic of doing work and so we see that when He touched her she immediately arose and began to serve in the body of Christ.
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:
It is the power of His Word, the Word of God, that is able to cast out evil spirits and it is He, not the power of some priest or "faith healer" who heals the sick, even the spiritually sick.

What is it we are to learn from this?

[17]That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Jesus Christ would not only pay the price and shed His blood upon the cross that we might be "cleansed" and set free as a bird in the open field, i.e. free from death, but He also took "the chastisement of our peace" in our stead. In other words, He took the beating and the lashing with the Roman cat of nine tails, so that He "bare our sicknesses", so that we might be healed. You see, "It is Written" in Isa. 53:4-5 and as it was written, so it was fulfilled:
Isaiah 53:4
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

[5] But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.

What truly marvelous lessons we have learned today from the greatest Teacher of all teachers. And the more we learn of His love and "see" His marvelous works, the closer we are drawn to Him in communion through the wine and the bread which symbolize the blood He shed for our transgressions and stripes He endured for our infirmities.

What a wonderful God we serve!

The beginnings of "sorrows" (labor pangs) which precede the birth of a new age.

In our last several studies we saw where Jesus Christ had come down from the mountain where He had been teaching His disciples, and began the second part of His ministry showing that He is Lord by going among the people teaching and healing and casting out evil spirits with His Word. As a result of these wonderful works, great multitudes began to follow Him and next we are going to see two examples of the "attitudes" among some of those in the multitudes when Christ gives them a command. Then we are going to see two examples of the power of the Word of God.

Let us begin with the lesson Christ teaches us concerning the "multitudes".

Matthew 8:18
Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
This is a simple direct command of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, to the multitudes, i.e. to the mainstream followers of Christ. Also, take notice of the fact that there are no conditions with respect to His "commandment to depart to the other side". So when you think about it, since this is a commandment directly from the Lord Jesus Christ, wouldn't you think that all who claim to be His followers would keep it by obeying it without any questions or doubts or excuses? Well, keeping His commandments depends on how much a person truly loves the Lord.
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
So Christ has given the direct "commandment to depart to the other side". Let's see how the multitude responds to His words.
Matthew 8:19
And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
Hey, that sounds real good, doesn't it? This scribe has resolutely decided to closely follow Jesus Christ "whithersoever" He goes and feels compelled to tell Him so! (I wonder if this scribe knows the scriptures well enough to be aware of the upcoming trip up the hill to Golgotha?) Nevertheless, Christ knows what is in each person's heart and it is apparent by His reply to this scribe, who is no doubt overcome with emotions and the warm fuzzies from observing the miracles and healings and teachings of the Master, that he does not truly know what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Here is what Jesus said to him:

[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.
Following Christ is first a spiritual matter, a way of life, a life long commitment, call it a life's journey, not just some physical place to go and nest on Sunday mornings. In fact, it is a marriage where you and Christ spiritually abide with each other (Jn. 15:4). You see, the problem with this scribe, which is characteristic of the multitudes, is that there is no room in his heart (mind, intellect) for Jesus Christ, the Word of God, to dwell... to lay His head. For that to occur a condition (IF) must be met which Christ explains in His own words in the Book of John.
John 14:23-24
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

[24] He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.



*Note: Christ used the examples of "foxes" (Ezek. 13:4) and "birds (fowl) of the air" (Mk. 4:4, 34) for a reason. They are both symbolic of religious leaders who lead our people to follow after a form of religion based on the traditions of men, i.e. churchianity, instead of teaching them His Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse that they might come to know Him and learn to walk in His ways (follow Him).


Here now is another characteristic response from among the multitudes to Jesus Christ's direct command to "depart to the other side":
Matthew 8:21
And another of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
The way this verse reads in English it sounds like the man's father is already dead. However, such is not the case else he would not have been there, because for one thing, back then they buried a person on the same day he or she died. So most likely this man's father was aged or ill and perhaps even in the process of dying. Nevertheless, this disciple thought that his obligations to his dying father were prohibitive to him being able to follow Christ.

Here is what the Lord said unto him. (By the way, did you notice that Christ is now being called "Lord"?)

[22] But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
Christ is speaking on a spiritual level to this man and telling him to choose life, as in follow the Word of God, even preach the kingdom of God as a disciple of His (Luke 9:60), and let the "spiritually dead" take care of their own.

You see, it is the Word of God, His spirit, that quickens (makes alive) the (spiritually) dead. In other words, it is His Word that gives life eternal to those who seek Him and believe in Him! John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

Let us turn to Dr. Luke's account of a similar statement Christ said to the multitudes and gain some additional wisdom concerning our priorities.

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 children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

The word "hate" in Greek is "miseo" which does not mean to loath or despise but simply "to love less by comparison". You "see", our Father is the closest relative we have, the Father of our very souls, and it is Him we are to love with all our heart and all our soul and all our spirit, i.e. with everything we've got, every fiber of our soul. Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

In fact, a true disciple of Christ knows and understands in his or her heart that this flesh and this flesh age are but temporary and there is "nothing under the sun" that even remotely comes close to the richness found in Christ. To that end, you may recall that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac upon the altar, which command Abraham obeyed because he loved and believed God.

Luke 14:33
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
The fact remains that most Christians (i.e. the multitudes of them) who claim to believe and follow Christ do not keep His commandments? If they did, then how could it be we are a nation where the majority still profess Christianity, i.e. claim to follow Christ, yet we are a nation of Biblical illiterates? Perhaps they just missed this command: 2 Tim. 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Well, it is now time to depart to "the other side" as Christ commanded in verse 18. Remember that He did not leave room for any doubt nor say "if we make it to the other side" or "hope we make it", etc. When Jesus Christ, the Word of God, said to depart, He meant we ARE GOING to the other side, not maybe!

The lessons we need to learn from the examples which follow are that as disciples of Christ, true follows of Him, we must believe and trust in His word and fully understand He has ALL power and authority in BOTH heaven and earth, both in the spiritual realm and the in earthly realm. All aboard!

Christ rebukes the "wind" and the "sea", and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:23
And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.
Do you think either of the two fellows we just read about followed Him on the ship? Christ did not reject either one of them... so let's hope so!

Now "behold" what happens next and "see" the power of Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

[24] And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep.
Should this come as a surprise to the followers of Jesus Christ? Did He promise those who follow Him that they would have "smooth sailing" the rest of their lives? Hardly. However, He did promise that we could have serenity and peace of mind in knowing that He "will never leave nor forsake us" (Heb. 13:5), that "He will be with us always, even unto the end" (Mat. 28:20). And so Christ shows us two things by example in verse 24: First, that He is with us, on board our ship, and secondly, that one can "rest peaceably" even through a great tempest in the sea, spiritually speaking!

The Greek word translated "tempest" in this verse is "seismos" which is the same word used for "earthquake" (Mk. 13:8). This has great relevancy for us these last days as we see the "sea and the waves roaring" (Luke 21:25).

tempest = G4578 seismos sice-mos'
From G4579; a commotion, that is, (of the air) a gale, (of the ground) an earthquake: - earthquake, tempest.
Matthew 8:25
And his disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
The disciples obviously had some doubts about the Word of God, even though Christ said they were going to the other side. But even though they were fearful (next verse) that they were not going to make it, that they might perish in the tempest, they at least knew who to turn to in the time of their troubles.
[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.
Christ first rebuked His disciples charging them with possessing little faith. Then He rebuked the winds and sea and there was a great calm... which gives us a good graphic illustration of just how quickly turning to Christ can "calm the storm" in our lives. Again, this is given for our benefit in these last days when the waters (people) are stirred up, agitated, by the blowing winds!
Wind = G417anemos,  an'-em-os


From the base of G109; wind; (plural) by implication (the four) quarters (of the earth): - wind.

Psalm 65 declares that the God of our salvation has the strength to "set fast" the mountains (nations) and to "still" the noise of the "seas" (peoples) and the "waves".
Psalm 65:5
By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

[6] Which by His strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

Again, mountains are symbolic of nations.
[7]Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
Seas are symbolic of people and waves are the movements or actions upon them. You see, it is written that in these last days the nations would be distressed, with perplexity (confusion, babylon), and "sea and the waves would be roaring". In fact, it is a sign of the times.
Luke 21:25-26
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
"Roaring" is "echeo" in Greek which means to "make a loud noise" or "reverberate"! The sea and waves roaring are caused by the rising of the beast in Rev. 13:1, i.e. the "New World Order" as it rises up out of the sea (from among the people) through the control of the four hidden dynasties. Christ told us in Mark 13 and Matthew 24 that when ethic nations and the royal nations (of the house of Israel) began to rise up along side each other, i.e. when globalization begins to take to take place politically, economically, etc., that it would cause earthquakes (seimos) in divers places, i.e. shakeups in different areas of society. For example, we have recently seen a great "seismos" in economics, in the corporate arena in America.
Mark 13:8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.


Note: #4016   "Nation against nation" doesn't mean what you first think it means!

Check out the word "troubles" in Mark 13:8. It comes from the root word "tarasso", Strong's #5015, which means: to stir or agitate (roil water): - trouble. All these are the beginnings of "sorrows" (labor pangs) which precede the birth of a new age.
Luke 21:26
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
This has nothing to do with "heart attacks" but rather with people spiritually "fainting", stumbling and falling down in the great deception of these last days, for soon there shall be a great "shaking" of the powers of heaven when Satan and his angels are cast out to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9).

Here is a little study of some of the terminology in verse 26 (definitions taken from Strong's) which you should find interesting in the current political/social atmosphere.

Hearts failing = apopsucho From G575 and G5594; to breathe out, that is, faint: - hearts failing.
 
Fear = phobos fob'-os
From a primary phebomai (to be put in fear); alarm or fright: - be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.
Looking after = prosdokia pros-dok-ee'-ah
From G4328; apprehension (of evil); by implication infliction anticipated: - expectation, looking after.
Coming = eperchomai ep-er'-khom-ahee
From G1909 and G2064; to supervene, that is, arrive, occur, impend, attack, (figuratively) influence: - come (in, upon).
Shaken = saleuo, sal-yoo'-o, Greek 4531; from Greek 4535 (salos); to waver, i.e. agitate, rock, topple or (by implication) destroy; figurative to disturb, incite :- move, shake (together), which can [-not] be shaken, stir up.


Let us now return to Matthew where Christ has just rebuked the "wind" and the "sea", and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:27
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!
The disciples were struck with deep awe when they saw Christ still the winds and the sea! For sure it must have been awesome to witness, but as it is written Christ has ALL POWER in both HEAVEN and EARTH. Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Therefore, have no fear! Christ is in complete control (has all power) and you know what else? He has given that power to His disciples which we will document a few verses hence!

Read on!

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.
Nobody messed with these two men who were possessed with demonic spirits because they were exceeding fierce and intimidating. But notice how they themselves cower before the presence of Jesus Christ, who they KNOW is the very Son of God.
[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?
There is a time coming when they shall be vexed and tormented for all eternity, which means they shall be destroyed along with all else that is evil and offends. Nevertheless, the point to made here is that they cried out because they knew that Christ was present and they knew who He was and that He had power over them. And if Jesus Christ is in you, you will also feel His presence and His power which He has given to His disciples, to those who truly love Him and follow Him. We find the documentation for that in Luke chapter 10.
Luke 10:17
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Understand that it is the power and authority of Christ, i.e. through His name, to which the devils are subject.
[18] And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

[19] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

He has given us power through His Word, His Spirit, over ALL the power of the enemy. And how much power does Christ have? Matthew 28:18-20 "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: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
[20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
 

Christ casts devils out of the herd of swine.

Let us continue now to observe the dialog between the demonic spirits and Jesus Christ.

Matthew 8:30
And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
It should be noted that the swine is not only an unclean animal but it is the lowest of all carnal flesh.
[31] So the devils besought Him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
The word "If" implies that they knew Christ would and could cast them out. So make no mistake about it... demonic spirits are subject to the power and authority of Jesus Christ. They even pleaded with Him to allow them (suffer us) to enter into the herd of swine, to which He gave His permission and said "Go"!
[32] And He said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
Behold! Did you see that? Did you see how the low-life swine would not be made subject to these demonic spirits and so the whole herd ran violently down a steep place and into the sea, and perished in the waters? Yes, even pigs have more sense than to put up with demonic spirits.

So a very good work has now been wrought by Jesus Christ and the two men possessed of the devils have been set free. That should bring good news to the community, shouldn't it?

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.
Hey, the good news of what happened spread quickly.
[34] And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw Him, they besought Him that He would depart out of their coasts.
Uh oh! They want Jesus to "get out of town"? Where is the happiness and gratitude for what the Lord has done?

Well... it seems that they are not focused on the life given to the two men who were possessed with the evil spirits but rather on the large herd of bacon and pork loins lying at the bottom of the sea. Dr. Bullinger says it like this in the Companion Bible on page 1325: "Those who defiled the temple lost their trade and those who defiled Israel (here) lost their animals." Well, we certainly see where their priorities lie.

Hey, they should look at this way... Christ did them a favor because they shouldn't be eating that stuff anyway.

Matthew 9 next:

Jesus and His disciples got along well with real "down to earth" people who were not "phony baloney" religionists.

It is hard to believe that anyone would ask Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, to leave their presence like the Local Pig Growers Association in Gergesenes did our last study. Nevertheless, Christ did as they wished and entered into a ship and went back to His own city.

Matthew 9:1
And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city.
Christ is now in Capernaum and we are about to see Messiah use a handicapped man of faith to witness unto unbelieving scribes. To that end, take notice that there is a "behold" in each of the next two verses to draw our close attention to that which is written. The first "behold" concerns those with faith in Christ and the second "behold" concerns those without faith who harbor evil thoughts in their hearts.
[2] And,behold, they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
These folks not only showed they had faith by bringing this paralyzed man (sick of the palsy) lying on a cot, to Jesus Christ, but He already knew what great faith was in their hearts just as verse 4 will document He already knew the evil thoughts of the scribes who were present at this "testimonial" event. You see, the scribes knew that only God can forgive a man's sins but they obviously did not believe that Christ was the Messiah, and Jesus knew it was so in their hearts. Therefore He would use this opportunity as a witness and testimony against their unbelief. Actually, the faith alone of this handicapped one to "be of good cheer" should have been witness enough to these scribes!

And as far as the paralytic man was concerned, when Christ told him to "be of good cheer" because he had received forgiveness for his sins, you can be sure he was indeed joyous over that! How so? Because we know he had "faith" and those who have faith are far more joyous over the spiritual things that pertain to salvation and the promise of eternal life living in an incorruptible body than the things that pertain to the flesh which they know shall surely perish. Therefore his spiritual cleansing made him spiritually whole and for men and women of faith, His grace is not only sufficient for them but something over which to rejoice and give thanks and "be of good cheer".

Now let's see how Christ uses this faithful handicapped person to teach certain of the scribes a spiritual lesson.

[3] And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
Again, these "certain" scribes did not believe that Christ was the Messiah and since God is the only one who can forgive sins, they reasoned that as a mere man, He was being blasphemous. Of course Christ knew exactly what they were thinking.
[4] And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
And now for the $64,000 question:
[5] For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
The one obvious point to this question is that neither would be "easier" for a "man" to say, for a mere man could not do either one! In other words, it would take divine authority, the power of Almighty God, to say either one and make it come to pass, wouldn't it? So if Christ demonstrated that He had the power to tell the paralytic man to "arise and walk" it would document that He had the power to do the other, i.e. to do the more important though unseen of the two which is to forgive him of his sins.
[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.
Uh oh! The unbelieving scribes now have a problem, don't they? Christ just gave awesome credentials that He was indeed the Son of God in the flesh (the Son of man) and that He did have power on earth to forgive sins.

Note: Christ always raised people up when He healed them. He never knocked them down!

                  [7] And he arose, and departed to his house.

Christ not only healed this man of his infirmity but also gave him the strength to be able to stand up and lift up his bed and walk away, for without it those unused and atrophied muscles would not have gotten the job done.

[8] But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
This is an interesting statement concerning the multitudes who although they marveled and glorified God and the works of God in giving power unto "a man", they still "saw" Christ as a "man" and not as the Messiah. This is pretty typical of some of the multitudes of Christians today who follow after miracles (even seeming miracles) performed in the sight of men but who remain ignorant of the true Word of God and therefore do not know Him (Mat. 7:23).

Next, Jesus calls a publican, a tax collector of all people, to be His disciple. Imagine that!

[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.
Remember from our first study that Matthew (called Levi in Mark) means "Gift of God"? It is a fitting name for one of God's elect, a true disciple of Jesus Christ who loves and serves Him by doing His will and serving the brethren. Are you a "Matthew" to those around you? Notice also in this "calling" that there was no pleading nor an "altar call" and that it is was Jesus Christ Himself, the Divine Word of God, who chose Matthew to follow Him. You see, as one of God's elect chosen before the foundation of this world (Eph. 1:4), Matthew instantly recognized the Voice of the True Shepherd and was therefore willing to "forsake all" and follow Christ.
Luke 5:28
And he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
Matthew rose to the occasion and followed Christ as do all of God's elect. Of course Matt's co-workers and his associates were real "sinners" as far as the goody-goody-two-shoe Pharisees were concerned. They (the Pharisees) would put people down just for the mere fact that they weren't "religious" in following after their traditions.
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.
Jesus and His disciples got along well with real "down to earth" people who were not "phony baloney" religionists. And you know what? It is much easier to converse with sinners and plant seeds of truth than it is with religious people, such as Christians who are "set in their ways" with the traditions of men and think they are "good" while others who do not meet their standards they consider to be beneath them and unworthy of their association. I'm sure you know the "religious" type. In fact, Luke's account of Christ's words gives us a real good description of how the self-righteous Pharisees looked upon publicans and sinners.
Luke 18:10
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

[11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Wow! The Pharisee is actually thanking God that he is not as other men are, but better than everyone else. "My, my! Aren't we something special on a stick?" The fact is that he is all of those things mentioned, an extortioner, unjust (being displayed right now), and an adulterer in the spiritual sense, i.e. an idolater!
[12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And just look at all my good works, God!
[13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
The Pharisee didn't have the time of day for the publican who was honest and humble before God. Good thing our Father did!
[14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
And so we have a good picture of Matthew 9:12 coming up... i.e. of the self-righteous (those who think they are whole) and the sinner (those who are sick in need of a physician).
Matthew 9:11
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
Obviously, these self-important, self-righteous hypocrites wouldn't be caught dead associating with such "low-lifes"! This statement also documents that these Pharisees had no love or compassion (as in mercy) for the spiritual welfare of publicans and sinners. Would seem that these great self-exalted "spiritual leaders" have determined that the salvation of the souls of such publicans and sinners isn't important to God. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (see Matthew 23:13)

By the way, instead of questioning His disciples (perhaps in hopes of seeing what else they might find to accuse Him of) you would think these Pharisees would have asked Christ directly! Nevertheless, He heard what they asked and gave them a fitting answer.

[12] But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Wow, that's a strong indictment of their hypocrisy, isn't it? Like so many "religious" people today, they think because of their sacrifices, the religious things they do, i.e. their offerings and their faithful church attendance and all the charities and missionaries they support, etc., that they are doing God's will and they are "whole", not like those sinners and publicans! In other words, they believe that they are in good standing with God and that He looks favorably upon them for their "wonderful works". Remember what Christ said about all that in Mat. 7:21-23? The point is, one cannot "repent" unless one knows he or she is a sinner and has need of repentance!

To that end, Jesus now instructs the Pharisees to go study and learn the meaning of the great analogy He just gave them. He refers them to the book of "salvation", which is the Book of Hosea in the Minor Prophets (Hosea means "salvation" in Hebrew), and in fact He even makes their homework easy for them by telling right where to go... no not there... but rather to where it is written "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" which is found in Hos. 6:6.

[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.
Our Father in not interested in a bunch of "religious" people doing "religious things" like giving sacrifices and burnt offerings. What He wants is for His children to be loving and merciful, not as the self-righteous Pharisees, and to come to Him in true repentance and love Him.Christ came to call sinners to repentance so if you are too good to follow Him and help call sinners too, then perhaps you are just too good for Jesus Christ.

Here is the passage of Hosea to which Christ referred:

Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
So if you are "playing church" then stop and "get real" and be honest with your Father and begin to study His Word, else how can you know how to follow Him? That's what the apostle Peter said as he closed his second epistle, "Grow in grace (loving kindness, mercy), and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)
[7] But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
To "deal treacherously" means to be "unfaithful" as in to break one's vows, i.e. to transgress the (marriage) covenant God made with you. Even this very day, though our people have the Written Words of the Living Word right on their coffee tables or book shelves, they ignore His warnings and the instructions He gave them through the prophets and the apostles and they have allowed themselves to be lulled to sleep and spiritually seduced by that old serpent, the false messiah, even Satan. And their "many" preachers of whom Christ warned them to be wary in Mat. 24 and Mk. 13, lead them right down the path to spiritual death by substituting a "form of worship" for the love and knowledge of His Word.In other words, they do not teach and communicate His Word book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse but rather substitute the religious traditions of men to which people become accustomed and firmly set in their ways.

We are now going to learn through Christ's simple analogies how incompatible the religious traditions of men are with the pure living truth of God's Word!

First, here is a question presented by John's disciples.

Matthew 9:14
Then came to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
So why didn't Christ's disciples fast like John's students and the Pharisees?
Matthew 9:15
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
The chamber of the bride, i.e. the bridechamber, is a joyous place as everyone is happy for the bride. So obviously that cannot possibly be a time of mourning, can it? Neither can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as the apostle John explains. It is also a time of rejoicing greatly.
John 3:29
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
The friend of the bridegroom, the best man, goes forth and helps make the preparations for the wedding. John, like the best man and friend of the Bridegroom, helped make the preparations for the Bridegroom's entrance. He was that voice in the wilderness crying "Make ye ready". (Of course God's elect, those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, know that Christ is still with us in Spirit in these last days.)

Now Christ lets us know that you cannot hang on to the old worn-out traditions of men's church systems and simply add some truth here and there and end up with an improvement.

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.
An old garment that has been worn and washed many times becomes not only thin through loss of material but also having been shrunk to its limit looses all its stretch and elasticity. In other words, there is no give left in it! So if you sew a patch of new (unfulled in Greek) cloth, which means it has not been washed and is therefore unshrunk, to an old garment, the new patch will soon pull away from the older material and the hole will now be "made worse", i.e. made even larger than before.

You see, some religious people have worn their old comfortable traditions for so long that those ways have become just like an old garment. But again, you cannot continue to wear the traditions of men thinking you can just patch up the old garment with a little truth here and there because you will end up with a bigger confusing mess than you started with. No, you must be willing to forsake the old garment and put on the new, which is that gospel armor of Ephesians chapter 6. The bottom line is... It's time for a new coat!

Here's another great analogy showing how the traditions of men and the truth of God's Word do not mix.

[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.
There are two things one needs to know in order to understand this analogy. First, many bottles back then were made of leather or from the skins of goats. As they aged they hardened and became less pliable, as if set in their ways.
G779 askos as-kos'
From the same as G778; a leathern (or skin) bag used as a bottle: - bottle.
Secondly, "new wine" is wine that not ceased the fermentation process which until completed continues to cause expansion. Therefore, if you put "new wine" in old hardened denominations which are not flexible and will not expand with the fermentation, those bottles with burst and you will end up with nothing! Yes, it is unfortunate that so many are that hardened by traditions that they unable to accept new (at least new to them) truth from our Father's Word.

How about you?   Are you willing to learn from the Word of God or will you stick to the traditions of men?

Let us read an excerpt from the introduction to E. W. Bullinger's book, "How to Enjoy the Bible", pg. 6:

"When we come to ask ourselves, and say, "Where did I learn this?" "How did I get this?" "Who taught me this?" it is astonishing to find out how much we have imbibed from man, and from tradition; and not directly and for ourselves from the Word of God.

All that we have learned from our youth up must be tested and proved by the Word of God. Where we find it is true we must learn it over again, from God. And where it will not stand the test of His Word we must be not only content, but thankful to give it up; and receive Divine revelation in the place of man's imagination."

That is some pretty good advice if you don't want end up as an old dried out bottle ready to split and crack when you hear new truth!

You "see", the sin of America in these last days is IDOLATRY

 Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 that there would be famine in the last days prior to His second advent. He also said in Mark 13:23 "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things" and so it is that through the prophet Amos He tells us exactly what the famine of these last days is and you know what?

Not a famine of bread nor water! We are in the midst of it now:

Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
[12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Many people from all over the country, from sea to shining sea, are looking for a church in their area that teaches the Bible straight on, book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. They keep searching around but cannot find one. Indeed, there are some good Bible teaching churches but unfortunately they are few and far between.
[13] In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
Because of the great spiritual dearth, our land has become as a spiritual desert, a parched valley full of dead dry bones as so graphically depicted and explained in Ezekiel 37... you know, the Valley of Dry Bones! (For additional study go to pamphlet #1274)  where God placed Ezekiel in the midst of a valley which was full of dry bones. & #1275)

This next verse explains the problem!

[14] They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
If you do some homework as instructed in 2 Tim 2:15, you will learn that Dan and Beer-sheba were where the idolatrous golden calves were set up for people to go and worship instead of having to go to Jerusalem according to the Word of God. So the people quickly began to suffer from the Mad Cow disease of idolatry, which is what the "Sin of Samaria" is!

You "see", the sin of America in these last days is IDOLATRY which is the following after the traditions of men instead of seeking after Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and getting to know Him! Though they do it in ignorance because they lack the knowledge of His Word, our people actually worship a false god, the instead of Jesus, the "other Jesus" who is preached through the traditions of men, the one Paul talks about and was concerned about in Cor. 11:4, "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." Again, the other Jesus is the one perpetuated by the traditions of men, not Jesus Christ the Word of God.

Remember in our last study Jesus explained by analogy that our people are so steeped in and accustomed to wearing the traditions of men that they cannot let go and put off that old garment. Even when they do hear new truth from the Word of God (New to them that is!) they take it and try to fit it into their traditions, which is like trying to patch up an old worn out robe with new pieces of unfulled cloth. It not only doesn't work but the holes in the old garment are made worse as the new cloth tears away from the old fabric and they end up with a bigger mess than they started with.

Christ then explained in another simple analogy that so many have become stiffened and hardened through their traditions, perpetuated by the "many" (Mat. 24:5) preachers and ministers who keep them in ignorance by not teaching His Word book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, that they are like old leather bottles which have lost their ability to stretch and expand.Thus when new wine which is symbolic of new truth is poured in, they cannot handle it and they burst asunder as the fermentation of the new wine tries to expand their minds.

Now Jesus Christ is about to "send forth" (apostolos) His 12 disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mat. 10:6) who like sheep that have no shepherd have been scattered abroad both literally, as history documents, and spiritually into a state of confusion. He has been teaching and instructing and admonishing His disciples (students) in preparation for the commission He will give them and now just before He sends them forth, He is going to let them (and us) "see" and learn about the spiritual condition of the true House of Israel, which today basically comprises the Christian nations of the world such as America, Great Britain, Canada, etc.

Finally, as the last item of our introductory, take note of the Biblical numerics given to us in this study for they play a major part in helping us understand on an "expanded level" that which is written. For example, the number "two" in Biblical numerics denotes witness and so it is that we are going to see "two" women and "two" men in our study give witness to the spiritual condition of the house of Israel. We will also find the number "12" used in these passages giving further emphasis that the witness refers to the 12 tribes of the House of Israel.

Matthew 9:18
While He spake these things unto them, behold, 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.
The phrase "While He spake these things unto them, behold..." connects this event, the dying of this 12 year old girl (Luke 8:42), to what Christ has been explaining to the scribes and Pharisees, and His disciples too, about the traditions of men causing people to become hardened (spiritually dead) and unable to expand their minds to accept "new wine" from the Word of God. In other words, the analogy we are going to see concerns the woman's spiritual death which will occur unless she is "raised up" from her "slumbering" by Jesus Christ, the Word God. (see Romans 11:7-8)

This father and certain ruler of the synagogue had the faith to know that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, could bring his dying daughter back to life.

[19] And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did His disciples.
All twelve disciples (Mat. 10:1) went with Christ to observe and be taught the spiritual lessons He prepared for them before He sent them forth to the lost sheep of the House of Israel to teach. If you are one of His disciples then follow Him also and pay close attention...He is teaching you, also.

So Christ and His disciples are on there way and... behold... what have we here?

[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:
We have the first woman, the "12" year old girl who is dead, and now a second woman who has been diseased with an issue of blood, i.e. hemorrhaging (haimorrheo), for "12" years. By the way, according to Lev. 15:25 if a woman has an issue of blood outside her normal period, then she is considered "unclean". That's right! The majority of the House of Israel are spiritually "unclean"! Leviticus 15:25 "And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean." Also, according to Luke's account the woman spent all her money upon doctors who did nothing for her... except take all of her money.

(Did you ever notice how that people will only pay their auto mechanics when they fix their cars but they pay their body mechanics (doctors) whether they fix their chassis or not.)

Luke 8:43
And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Well, this woman finally saw the light and came to Christ knowing and believing in her heart (within herself) that if she could but touch the vesture of Messiah, she would be made whole.
Matthew 9:21
For she said within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.
The word "garment" is "himation" in Greek (#2440) as is the same word translated "raiment" in Matthew 17:12 and "vesture" in Rev. 19:16.
Rev. 19:16
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Raiment is symbolic of righteousness and so this woman believed (had faith) that if she could get to and grab hold of His righteousness, the Word of God, that she would be made whole.
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.
The Comforter Himself was present to give comfort and He told the woman (He called her "Daughter") that her faith, i.e. her belief in seeking after the righteousness (garment) of Christ, has made her whole. And so it is with the House of Israel that she is diseased and unclean because she follows after the traditions of men, those "spiritual physicians" who cannot help her... but still take her money, instead of seeking to grab hold of the Word of God that she might be made whole. In other words, most of our people do not hunger and thirst after righteousness and so they are spiritually diseased and unclean. Go to the Great Physician and be made whole!

Ok, Jesus and His disciples have finally arrived at the ruler's house.

[23] And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
Back in those days, before Benjamin Franklin flew his kite, they didn't have electricity and thus there were no CD players and stereos on which to play sad mournful funeral music, so they hired professional rock and mourn groups... probably with names like the "Ungrateful Dead". Anyway, Christ saw all the commotion and entered into the ruler's house and took charge.
[24] He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn.
Jesus Christ told them to pack up the band and send the wailers home! The party's over because "the maid is not dead, just sleeping"! Understand that this was a direct statement from Jesus Christ, from the Living Word of God, and for that they laughed Him to scorn! So if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, take heed and take notice how people receive the truth from His lips; Yes, when they read it in their Bible, that is, if they even bother to read "The Little Black Book". Many Christians today will laugh and scorn when they hear one of God's servants tell them something which conflicts with their precious traditions, even if that servant documents it after the manner of "Thus saith the Lord" or "It is written"! Many of you have experienced this very thing when you tried to tell someone what really happened in the Garden of Eden, right? Pop! Crack! There goes another bottle!
[25] But when the people were put forth, He went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
In Luke's account we read that Christ cleared out everyone except for the mother and father of the maiden and His disciples (Peter, James, and John are specifically mentioned). He also "commanded" to give her "meat" after she arose.
Luke 8:55
And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and He commanded to give her meat.
"Meat" is symbolic of the more mature, meatier teachings of God's Word as opposed to just baby's food, i.e. milk, which represents the first steps or the basics of salvation and baptism which all too often is all that is ever fed to people in traditional churches.

Read what Paul has to say about "meat" in Hebrews chapter 5:

Hebrews 5:12-14
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. [13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. [14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Are you a "babe" or a mature Christian, one who is knowledgeable in our Father's Word? It is ok to be a babe if you are a new Christian, but if you have been one for a long time and you are still ignorant of His Word, quite frankly you are in trouble!
Matthew 9:26
And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
Still today, the fame that Christ raised the dead and healed the sick are all that most Christians see in what transpired in these miracles. They simply do not have "eyes to see" beyond the flesh which does appear, and into the spiritual dimension concerning those things which do not appear. To that end, in the teaching of this next miracle we will see two witnesses to the fact that the house of Israel (No, not the little country in the middle east) has been blinded and then what can be done about it. By the way, Paul documents that all but God's elect are spiritually blinded in this generation.
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.
However, salvation is open to all and "whosoever" chooses to follow in His path (akoloutheo), and seeks Him out, and believes in Him, shall have their eyes touched, anointed by the Word of God, and they shall be "spiritually" opened giving them "eyes to see".

Here is what happened when Jesus departed the house of the ruler.

Matthew 9:27
And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
Though they were blind they chose to follow Him in His path, crying unto Him, talking to Him, calling Him by the Messianic title, the Son of David, and asking for His mercy on them.The Son of David is used here noting that they knew the true lineage of Christ, which is what the key of David concerns in the church of Philadelphia in Rev. 3. You see, the true lineage of the House of Israel is essential knowledge to the opening of the eyes as it turns the hearts of the children back to their father(s). The fact is, "The orphaned children of the House of Israel are lost". The question is, "Do you know where they are today?" God certainly does. To wit, a watchman cannot be sent to them if he or she does know who and where they are, can he?

See pamphlets #1020 and #1064 concerning the House of Israel

[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.
They were determined and persistent in following Christ all the way into His house (i.e. where He dwells... hello?) which means they really hungered and thirsted for the Word of God, believing that He could give them eyes to see... and He can!
[29] Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
It was according to His mercy that they were healed and the healing was done to their faith, i.e. that their faith could be strengthened with eyes to see.
[30] And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
Christ did not open their eyes to demonstrate to the world that He is able to perform physical miracles and that is documented by the very fact He emphatically charged these two NOT to make it known. Well, it seems they blew the very first command they were given after receiving their new eyes!
[31] But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
Of course these two once blind men were excited and zealous about what happened! Who wouldn't be? However, when Christ opens one's spiritual eyes, that in itself does not give one instant knowledge of God's Word but is rather the beginning of being able to "see", to study and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), i.e. as a true disciple (student) of His. Perhaps in all their exuberance they wanted to be apostles... but you see... first one must be a disciple who has absorbed the meat of His Word. (See also Ezk. 3:1-9.)

Next up... a dumb man possessed with a demonic spirit.

[32] As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
Let's just get right down to the meat of this. A person who is possessed with an evil spirit cannot speak the "truth" and only Jesus Christ, the Word of God, has the "power" to cast out those evil spirits. To that end, Christ is just about to give that power to His disciples and make them apostles: 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."
[33] And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
Their shall also be a work performed in Israel in these last days that shall be marvellous and wonderful! It is the work of the "seed that shall come" (Ps. 22:30-31) who are the sons and the daughters, the brothers and sisters, of the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna who shall declare His righteousness, i.e. teach the truth of His Word. The works they do are spoken of in the quote from Joel in Acts chapter 2 and in the Song of Moses (Deut. 32) which the overcomers shall be singing at the victory celebration over the beast. Rev. 15:3 "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."

Though His works are truly to be marvelled (vs. 33), notice how the religious leaders view them!

[34] But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
The very works of Jesus Christ were called the works of Satan by the religionists back then and so are the wonderful works of God in these last days called the work of the devil by many in the religious community.
[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.
The teaching of the visions, the truth and the meat of the God's Word, to the House of Israel (Acts 2:17-18) and the proclaiming of the gospel of the kingdom in all the world (Matthew 24:14) are the works He shall do in these last days. And you know what? He shall accomplish them through both His servants and handmaidens!

And now Christ's final thoughts and words before He calls together His twelve disciples.

[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.
The word "fainted" is translated "harassed" in all the older manuscripts. You see, without a true shepherd like the Son of David, the true Shepherd, the sheep are unprotected from the wolves and the lions and the bears. And because they have had no one to lead them and protect them they have been relentlessly bombarded (harassed) with the traditions of men by the scribes and Pharisees and have thus been scattered abroad, which spiritually speaking means they are "scatter-brained", in a state of spiritual confusion, carried away by the king of Babylon (Satan, the false shepherd and his hirelings) into the land of Baby-lon (Baby-land or Babel-land) which means "land of confusion" (babel means "confusion" in Hebrew).

So as Jesus looked over this multitude of people who were without a shepherd, He had compassion on them, took pity on them, for they were spiritually scattered in all directions indeed. What a pitiful condition the children of Israel are in at this late hour. Worse yet, there are very few labourers, few true disciples who are knowledgeable of His Word and qualified to gather in the harvest. You "see", the false shepherds, the hirelings, are nothing more than robbers of our people, but it is not just the money they sheer from sheep althiugh that is a big problem. It is that by teaching people to follow the traditions of men instead of teaching them His Word, they rob them of the opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven! They rob them of life!

Matthew 23:13
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Go to the true Shepherd and listen to His voice for He will protect you and lead you to the lush green pastures of His Word.
John 10:11-12
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Even David was willing to risk his life to go after the predators such as the lion and the bear to protect his sheep.
[12] But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Yes, there are many false prophets, false shepherds, in the world of Christianity today, but there are few labourers who teach His Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse.
Matthew 9:37
Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Can you also look out upon the multitudes and "see" the spiritual condition of our people caused by the famine, the lack of "hearing the Word of God", and the constant bombardment of the traditions of men?

If so, and you are moved with compassion on them, then let us pray that our brothers and sisters will wake up from their sleep and become true labourers in the field!

[38] Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.
Notice whose harvest it is! It is the Lord's harvest and so He shall send forth labourers even at the time of the great harvest which is the final generation, the generation marked by the planting of both the good and the bad figs on May 15, 1948. Please log unto see Fig Tree.

Yes, it is the generation called the "Baby Boomers" which "shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled (Mat. 24:34)"! What a fitting description of this final generation!

Matthew 10 next:

True disciples of Jesus Christ, students of the Word of God, know who the lost sheep of the house of Israel are.

The word "disciple" means "learner" or "student" and so it is that a true disciple of Jesus Christ is one who is trained and educated in the Word of God. And so far in this great Book of Matthew, written by one whose name means "Gift of Yah", that training and education is precisely what has been transpiring between Jesus Christ and the twelve disciples He chose to follow Him. And now that they have gone up into the mountain and been instructed in His Word and have now both seen and understood the spiritual significance of the wonderful works He performed, they are now prepared, not by some seminary but by Jesus Christ the Word of God, to be sent forth as apostles to do the will of God and labor in His harvest. In fact, the very word "apostle" means "one that is sent forth".

To that end, we we saw in Mat. 9:38 where Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into His harvest. Now we are going to see the Messiah do just that, but not before He gives them some specific instructions. You will find that these important instructions pertaining to the manner of their "going forth" and serving Him as a laborer in the harvest, even the harvest of these last days, are followed by those who are truly sent forth by Him.

So if you see one who claims to come in Christ's name, i.e. in His authority as one of his ministers, and they do not do as Christ has commanded here in Matthew 10, then consider that something is surely amiss and be on guard!

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.
When the time had come according to the will of God, not according to man's will or even the disciples' will, Jesus Christ called His "12" disciples and "gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease". Understand that they have already witnessed Jesus Christ cast out evil spirits and heal all manner of sickness and disease and so they know it is by His authority, His power, the power of the Living Word of God, whose power they have now been given to exercise, that does the casting out and the healing. And when Jesus Christ gives one His power and authority, there is none other that is required... such as the authority granted to hirelings by man's religious institutions which demand their graduates teach the traditions of men instead of God's Word book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse.
[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 John his brother;
Notice we have now gone from 12 disciples to 12 apostles. Take notice also of the number "12" which is not only the number of the tribes of Israel, it is the number used to denote "governmental perfection" (see appendix 10 in the Companion Bible.) When you think about, if you have understanding concerning election, here is Yeshua Messiah, the King of kings, and 12 of His warriors now armed with His power. I'd say that is quite a representation of the kingdom of heaven, wouldn't you?

By the way, why do you suppose Jesus Christ gave us the names of these twelve apostles? Well, for one thing it shows that they did not carry and were not identified by big lofty religious titles like some of the high and mighty muckity mucks of some groups. You see, true servants of God do NOT elevate themselves above their brothers and sisters. For example, here is what John wrote concerning himself in the great Book of Revelation:

Rev 1:9
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The point is, be wary of anyone who considers himself or herself to be above you! The great teaching and bringing forth of the truth of God's Word in this final generation is done by the sons and daughters spoken of in Acts 2. They are the brothers and sisters of the church of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia) and the church of Smyrna in Rev. 3 & 2 respectively.
Matthew 10:3
Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Those who study deeper into the Word will find that these names are given in Aramaic, which further emphasizes the commonality of the apostles as they went among the people.
[4] Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
When one reads that Simon was a Canaanite, that alone should drive one to dig deeper to find out what is going on. You see, names and their meanings often reveal something about a person's character and give us insight as to who they are. For example, Philip means "lover of horses" whereas Thaddaeus means "large hearted, courageous". In addition to their names, we see that Matthew is further identified by his vocation (tax collector), Simon by the fact that he was zealous for the law, and Judas Iscariot (builder of cities) by the fact that he would betray Christ. Judas was also from the town of Kerioth, which was not in Galilee. In other words, he belonged to Judah.

Also, once you have dug a little deeper you will find that the Aramaic word "Canaanite" means "zealous" and that it is an epithet which by definition is "a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing". In other words, Simon was a zealous one which is why he is called Simon Zelotes (zealous) in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13.

Canaanite, G2581 ??????????  Kananites kan-an-ee'-tace
Of Chaldee origin (compare [H7067]); zealous; Cananites, an epithet. (By mistake for a derivative from G5477): - Canaanite [by mistake for a derivation from G5477].
Here is a summary chart of the names of the apostles and their meanings:
Apostle's Name Meaning of Name
Simon Peter Hearing, Rock
Andrew Manly
James son of Zebedee Supplanter (Jacob in Hebrew) son of "my gift"
John
Yahveh is a gracious giver
Philip
Lover of Horses
Bartholomew
Son of Tolmai
Thomas
Twin
Matthew
Gift of Yahveh
James (son of Alphaeus)
Supplanter,  son of Alphaeus (changing)
Lebbaeus (Thaddeus, Judas brother of James)
a man of heart, (large hearted, courageous) 
Simon the Canaanite (Zelotes) 
Simon the Zealous one
Judas Iscariot
He shall be praised, Iscariot = builder of cities
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:
This command has nothing to do with who receives salvation and who does not. In other words, even though Christ had not yet paid the price on the cross, which actually means salvation is not even available yet, He is not saying to ignore or even avoid the gentiles. The fact is that Jesus will soon pay the price on the cross so that salvation is open to all. What this command has to do with is the going forth and the teaching concerning the Shepherd of the lost sheep.
[6] But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
In other words, go tell the lost sheep of the house of Israel who they are and that their Shepherd is with them... and has been all along! Of course, a disciple of Christ cannot keep this commandment unless he or she knows who and where the lost sheep of the house of Israel are, can he? Christ is also NOT speaking about the house of Judah which is separate from the house of Israel and will remain so until the "two sticks (or branches)" are joined back together when Christ returns (Ezk. 37). The fact is that the majority of Christians do not know who the lost sheep of the house of Israel are even though many, many of them are truly of that house. That is why they are called lost, because they have lost their identity.

True disciples of Jesus Christ, students of the Word of God, know who the lost sheep of the house of Israel are. It is part of the Key of David given to the brothers and sisters of the church of Philadelphia (Rev. 3). The sheep have been "scattered" and have lost their way and so it is that the laborers who are sent forth are to show them who they are and "the way" to their Father's pasture!


Note: If you would like to know more about the lost sheep of the house of Israel, including where they are today, then purchase a copy of the booklet "The Abrahamic Covenant", by E. Raymond Capt. You will find it for sale at Artisan Publishers @ www.artisanpublishers.com or log unto pamphlets (Live Links to>>> #1020 and #1064 here on our web site,

[7] And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

What is a kingdom? It is a King and His dominion which is now also the Shepherd and His sheep! So go tell the lost sheep that the true Shepherd is at hand, that He is with them NOW. Not only that, tell them that He has been with them all along and show them how it came to be that they have been blinded and therefore are lost in that they cannot "see". Show them from the Word of God how it is that they have become spiritually sick, unclean as lepers, and spiritually dead as the dry bones of Ezk. 37. Let the Word of God cast out the evil spirits of the traditions of men and let their eyes be opened and cause them to be set FREE from the bondage of the wicked one to leap (for joy) as an hart!  Log unto pamphlet #1274

Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Isa 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Remember a few studies ago we learned that until a person is no longer spiritually blind to the truth but can hear His voice and walk in His ways, that he remains spiritually dumb and cannot speak the truth! You "see", it is the power of His truth, the Word of God, that heals the spiritually sick, makes clean the unclean, and gives LIFE, even life eternal, to the spiritually dead. Go labor in the harvest and tell that truth to the House of Israel and let the Power of the Word of God heal and save our beloved brothers and sisters.
Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Freely means just that... FREELY... i.e. without a cause or agenda, such as to profit or gain!
freely = G1432 ??????? dorean do-reh-an'
Accusative case of G1431 as adverb; gratuitously (literally or figuratively): - without a cause, freely, for naught, in vain.
The next two verses address, emphasize, and explain how the "freely" works!
Matthew 10:9
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.

It is too bad that the majority of our brothers and sisters do not understand these two verses for they go hand in hand in separating the men from the boys, the true servants sent forth by Jesus Christ from those who claim they are sent by Him. First, understand the difference between the words "purses" and "scrip". A purse is a money belt but if you will dig a little you find that a "scrip" is actually a "beggar's bag".

What Christ is saying is that if you do things His way and go forth teaching His truth as it is written, then you do not need financing nor do you need to beg or plead for money! The reason is very simple and that is because God will bless you and take care of your needs, for one cannot imagine the love and gratitude people have for their heavenly Father when the truth sets them free from the bondage of the traditions of men.

And so they recognize the truth that is being taught and voluntarily support that worthy effort.

To that end, just as Christ has instructed, those who teach the truth do it as freely as it was given unto them and so they never beg nor plead for money. Again, the reality is they do not have to. Therefore, any ministry who constantly pleads for money is a ministry who is going forth with a "scrip", which means what? They are disobeying Christ's commands, aren't they? You "see", a workman is worthy if he is a laborer who rightly divides the word of truth and teaches it as it is written. Quite frankly, those who lazily teach the traditions of men instead of God's Word and then pass the plate or plead for money, are not worthy. They have their reward!

2 Tim. 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Now here is another command when you go forth.
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.
In going forth to teach, we are to seek those who are worthy, which simply means those who sincerely seek Him, those who wish to study His Word and become fellow laborers with us (1 Thes. 3:2, Phm. 1:1). They are the ones with whom we spiritually abide.
[12] And when ye come into an house, salute it.
Always go into a house, any house, with a "salute" and a blessing, which means that you seek to embrace it. In other words, do not enter into someone's house with the intent to cause trouble or disrupt it. Of course you may find yourself in an old wine skin, nevertheless, entreat that house unless or until it proves itself unworthy.
[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.
If you find there is no civility in that house or even encounter hostility, then do not become hostile like them, but keep peace to yourself and move on as peacefully as possible!
[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.
Hey, if you have done all you can in attempting to peaceably entreat that house and teach the truth of God's Word and they flat out won't listen to "It it written" and "Thus saith the Lord", then shake the dust off your feet, or as we say wash your hands of that house or city.

Here is how Luke puts it:

Luke 10:11
Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
In other words, as the next verse shows, if they are not interested in the kingdom of God, in knowing the true Shepherd, then move on and leave it in God's hands and let Him be their judge.
Matthew 10:15
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.
The fire and hail and brimstone which befell Sodom and Gomorrah was for their lewd and immoral perversions. However, the spiritual adultery and the flat out rejection of the gospel of the kingdom of God coupled with the affront to His laborers will surely receive the greater condemnation.

This next verse is packed with both comfort and wisdom... so "behold"!

Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
If you put a sheep in the midst of wolves what do think will happen to that sheep? Now you see it, now you don't! Of course, if the Shepherd is right there with that sheep with His rod and His staff, He is more than able to protect that sheep. However, some sheep advice would be not to wander too far from the Shepherd nor foolishly stick your head in a wolf's mouth, right?

So the question is, "Who is the One who sends you forth?" (The capital "O" gave it away, didn't it?) Therefore if you are one of His sheep that means that Jesus Christ is your Shepherd and you shall not want (Ps. 23)! Nevertheless, we are not to be foolish and do stupid things. He expects His own who know the serpent's MO and are fully aware of his wicked devices, to be sharper than Satan, to exercise wisdom and responsibility and always use good common sense.

And though we seek to entreat each house peaceably as doves and not bring harm to others, be advised that those who seek to enter into our own house, are in for a fight in which they will wish they never engaged! Doves are truly harmless until someone messes with their nests or their youngin's!

Next Christ is going to instruct us what to do when trouble and persecution come our way... and by the way, if you follow in His steps, it will!

It is written that most of our loved ones, though they call themselves Christians, will be deceived by the spurious messiah, Satan when he comes to earth claiming to be Jesus, and will believe in their hearts that he is really Jesus Christ, the Messiah, when in fact he is none other that the "son of perdition", the son who has already been sentenced to die (Ezk. 28:18-19) and perish in the lake of fire.

Jesus Christ is now giving final instructions to His disciples (students) before sending them forth as apostles (ones sent forth) to teach the Word of God and "proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mat. 10:7)". He told them that they did not need financing for their journey (to teach His Word) so there was no need to take a purse, nor were they to take a "beggars bag" to plead for money, for as long they went forth as per His instructions, which means according to the Word of God, then He would see to it that their needs were well taken care of. You see, the reality is that our Father, the One who created and owns this vast universe, is quite capable of blessing and taking care of His own. Either you believe that or you don't! Those who spend a great deal of their teaching time asking and pleading for money, obviously don't!  In fact, they even rob, as in "take away", the very opportunity for the people to freely give. Think about it!

Christ also told His disciples that in their going forth they were to seek out those houses who were worthy, those who would receive His truth, and to freely and graciously give the truth and blessings of His Word, for the love of God, even as they received it freely and graciously from Him. That only makes sense for when you think about it, if one truly loves the Lord and His righteousness then how could one have it in his heart to do otherwise?

Then Jesus warned them that they would be as sheep sent forth in the midst of wolves. Therefore they should be wiser than the serpent always using good common sense so as to not invite trouble, while at the same time being peaceful and harmless as doves. Of course doves will defend their homes and their loved ones with a ferocity that would seem to many to be uncharacteristic of an otherwise peaceful bird. Those who come against or mess with the home or loved ones of a true Christian will likewise be surprised.

Nevertheless, even though the wolves will not be able to devour you, take heed and beware for men will deliver you up and persecute you because of the Christ in you, because of your discipleship and apostleship concerning what you believe and say and teach.

Matthew 10:17
But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
These are instructions to God's elect in this final generation concerning the witness and testimony that must be fulfilled as it is written concerning "that hour" (vs. 19) which is that final hour of temptation spoken of in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21.

To further document that fact, we will parallel some of the scriptures from Luke concerning these last days.

Luke 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Why would Christ allow this to happen to His servants? Because it is part of the plan to give witness to the wickedness of this generation and those who are part of it in the hopes that eventually some might be saved. You see, judgment is coming and if you know the proceedings of a courtroom, then you know that when there are multiple firsthand witnesses who as victims themselves give undeniable and irrefutable testimony against the persecutors, then the verdict of "guilty" is ironclad and indefensible.
Matthew 10:18
And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Luke 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Are you willing to be one who gives testimony against "them and the gentiles (meaning the nations)"? That is what the delivering up is all about! It is an act of love and service. Are you mature enough in His Word to understand the love of God involved in this in that it is ultimately for their own good else they be destroyed in the lake of fire? Remember, Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price by dying on the cross so that whosoever will, even the very sons of Cain, can have salvation!

The good news is that Christ has promised His servants that He will never leave them nor forsake them (Heb. 13:5). That means that the Shepherd will be with you always, even unto the end of the world (Mat. 28:20). And since you are to give testimony for Christ, you are not to worry nor be anxious nor premeditate about you will say. Why not? Because the Holy Spirit will speak through you at the time just as He did through those disciples on that first Pentecost Day following the resurrection, which as Peter documented was done to show us an example of how it will be in these last days.

Matthew 10:19
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.
Here is Luke's account.
Luke 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

Luke 21:15 For I will give you amouth and wisdom,which all your adversaries shallnot be able to gainsay norresist.

This documents what we stated earlier that the witness and testimony that the Holy Spirit shall give through you will be totally "irrefutable" and against which there is no "defense", no not even by Satan's best trial lawyers.
gainsay, G471 ??????? antepo an-tep'-o
From G473 and G2036; to refute or deny: - gainsay, say against.

resist, G436 ?????????? anthistemi anth-is'-tay-mee
From G473 and G2476; to stand against, that is, oppose: - resist, withstand.

So take comfort and be not anxious and always remember who it is that shall do the speaking through your lips!
Matthew 10:20
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
What an honor and privilege it is to be used in such a manner in serving our Father in these last days.
[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.
It is written that most of our loved ones, though they call themselves Christians, will be deceived by the spurious messiah, Satan when he comes to earth claiming to be Jesus, and will believe in their hearts that he is really Jesus Christ, the Messiah, when in fact he is none other that the "son of perdition", the son who has already been sentenced to die (Ezk. 28:18-19) and perish in the lake of fire.His name therefore IS "death" (Heb. 2:15).

The point is that your loved ones will believe they are doing the right thing by bringing you to the one they think is "Jesus" when in fact they shall unknowingly be delivering you up to death himself. How so unknowingly? Because they are Biblically ignorant of who is actually standing in the holy place and sitting in the temple claiming to be God (2 Thes. 2:4). Many have been listening to false shepherds who have been telling them that Christ is going to return at any moment and take them up in some "rapture" while the rest of us sinners are left here to face Satan, the false-christ. Do not listen to preachers and ministers and pastors, including this one, without first checking out what they say in the Word of God to see whether or not it aligns with that which is written. Start with the fact that Christ just said His disciples will be delivered up, not raptured out of here!

Luke 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

Current event note: It is amazing, since 9/11, to see that our government is now recruiting one million of our kinsfolk, our friends and brothers and sisters who are postal workers, utility workers, etc., i.e. those who have access and are most privy to our homes, to report any suspicious terrorist activity to the authorities. Just wait until the prince of spiritual terror arrives at the sound of the 6th Trump and exercises all the power of the first beast, which is the NWO. Then shall the betrayal and persecution be taken to a new level!

Matthew 10:22
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
hated, G3404 ?????? miseo mis-eh'-o
From a primary word ????? misos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension to love less: - hate (-ful).
Make no mistake about it! If you stay committed to the truth of God's Word, you shall be hated (i.e. persecuted) by all men! Therefore, "Beware of men: for they will deliver you up...!" However, since it is written that it is he that perseveres and endures to the end, shall be saved, then here is a question for the "rapture" enthusiasts who claim they are already saved by Christ yet want to escape from taking a stand and witnessing against the false-christ! "Do you know what the word 'endureth' means in vs. 22?" Check it out in your Strong's Concordance because it is the Greek word "hupomeno" which means to be tarry or stay behind... as in "Left Behind"!

You "see", God's warriors who have the gospel armour on and in place (Eph. 6) are going to stay right here and take a stand, even take "the stand", and endure and kick dragon unto the very end! God's elect are not fearful one bit of Satan and his troops! Have you not read that Christ has given them power over snakes and serpents and over all the power of the enemy (Satan)? He cannot hurt us for our Shepherd is always with us! Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Here then is Strong's definition of "endureth":

endureth, G5278 ???????? hupomeno hoop-om-en'-o
From G5259 and G3306; to stay under (behind), that is, remain; figuratively to undergo, that is, bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere: - abide, endure, (take) patient (-ly), suffer, tarry behind.
Well, so much for the "Rapture Theory" and man's vain and ignorant imaginations and traditions. You see, the woman who is taken first in the field in Matthew 24 is taken (as in seduced) by the false messiah who comes first claiming that he is Jesus, the true bridegroom, and he will take most "virgins" to himself and seduce them! In other words, they will marry the wrong husband, another Jesus who is not the true bridegroom. Paul warned us in 2 Cor. 11 about the "other Jesus", the false husband!
2 Cor. 11:1
Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.

[2] For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Will you remain working in the field as a faithful "virgin" or will you be as the first woman taken in the field who is spiritually seduced by Satan, the false-christ, and impregnated with his lies? That is why Christ will say later in Mat 24:19 "And woe unto them that are with child,and to them that give suck in those days!"When the true bridegroom returns and finds that His bride is nursing a baby, WOE!He won't be too pleased with her knowing that she has whored around with another Jesus, will He?
[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
The analogy of Eve being physically seduced in the fig grove is given to warn us to beware of the Satan's spiritual seduction in these last days, the generation of the fig tree! Why? Because he will claim he is Jesus... but that jesus is not our Jesus! Their rock is not our Rock, the true bridegroom.Therefore, beware of Left Behind stories and other un-Biblical fairy tales which will lead you to another Jesus... if you bear it!
[4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Do not "bear", as in put up with, false doctrines and evil spirits. Do as John admonishes us in 1 Jn. 4 and "try the spirits", testing (assaying) them with the Word of God to see whether or not they are of God. In other words, "Document, document, document!"

In our next study we will see what kind of commitment it takes to be a true disciple of Christ. Don't miss it!

You must go to Jesus Christ, to the Word of God, privately (Mark 13:3) when you do not know something and seek revelation (understanding) by listening to His Voice, hearing His words in your ear! Yes, His Word, it's written in your Bible!

It is written concerning the last days that if you are a true and faithful disciple and servant of Jesus Christ, then you should expect persecution to come your way and for some to even be delivered up before kings and rulers for HIS NAME'S SAKE to give "testimony against them and the nations"! Jesus Christ told us that in Mat. 10:18 and we can read it again in Mat. 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 which reads as follows:

Luke 21:12
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
The persecution and the delivering up are all part of the Plan of God to give witness and testimony to this froward generation.
[13] And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
However, Christ also said not to be anxious nor premeditate about what you shall say when that time comes for it is written that when you are delivered up for His name's sake, your Father through His Spirit will take charge of things.
Matthew 10:19
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.

[20] For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

So what kind of a Christian are you? Are you one who seeks to escape from the great tribulation of the spurious messiah, Satan claiming to be Jesus, (which contrary to popular belief is actually a time of peace and prosperity, Dan. 11:21-24) and be "raptured" out of here to avoid being delivered up to "death" to give testimony? Or are you a spiritual warrior who is not afraid to put on the whole gospel armor (Eph. 6) and take a stand against the fiery darts of the wicked one? If the latter be the case, then again, expect some adversities to come your way.


Editor's note: Most Christians, who are afraid of the coming tribulation, are afraid because they can't get their minds to think in the spirit; they rather are afraid for their little old flesh hides. The tribulation is all spiritual! Satan wants your soul, not your flesh and blood body!

Matthew 10:23 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 of man be come.

Always use the wisdom contained in the instructions of Jesus Christ who has already told us to keep our peace and depart "shaking the dust off of our feet" from those houses and cities where we are not welcome and who will not hear His Word (Mat. 10:14).The same applies when we are persecuted for His name's sake. Of course Christian soldiers do not quit serving Him when a little persecution comes their way. On the contrary, they are "doers" of His Word who shall stay in the field of battle and endure unto the end (Mat. 10:22)... "till the Son of man be come" (Mat. 10:23)! That last phrase lets us know that Christ is talking to His disciples about the events and the persecution of these last days, just prior to His second advent.  That means He is talking to you if you are one of His disciples!

[24] The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
A student is no better than his teacher nor is a servant more privileged than the one he serves under. However, it would be quite sufficient (even an honor) if the student was treated in the same manner as the teacher, wouldn't it? The whole point is, if they persecuted Jesus Christ your Lord and Master, they will persecute you His student (disciple) and His servant (apostle)! "It comes with the territory", as they say, so expect it as no surprise and be prepared!
[25] It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Beelzebub is one of Satan's names which means "Lord of the Dunghill" or even "Lord of the Flies (of the dunghill)" and when we get to chapter twelve we will see the religionists actually accuse Jesus Christ, the Word of God, of casting out demonic spirits by Beelzebub. So if you are a student who follows in the path of the master and you serve Him by planting seeds or going forth teaching the spirit of truth which is His Word, then expect your work to be labeled non-Christian and of the Devil. And if you are speaking His words after the manner of the watchmen (Ezk. 3:4), as in "It is written" and "Thus saith the Lord", then you do give witness for the One they are really accusing!
[26] Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Don't worry about those goons who persecute you and call you names! Stay focused on the "plan" knowing that God is uncovering, unveiling, ALL the heretofore hidden visions of the prophets (Dan. 12:9) to bring forth the marvelous light of His truth in these last days! And you know what else? He is using His disciples and His faithful, unswerving servants to do it. Those servants are the sons and daughters of Acts chapter two, the brothers and sisters of the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna (Rev. 2&3) who revere (love) their Father and keep His Word (i.e. do as He commands) regardless of whether or not it pleases men. In fact, you can rest assured that teaching the fire of His truth will not please most men, especially those of the religious community!
[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.
You must go to Jesus Christ, to the Word of God, privately (Mark 13:3) when you do not know something and seek revelation (understanding) by listening to His Voice, hearing His words in your ear!
Mark 13:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4  Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5  And Jesus answering them...
THAT, i.e. His Words which you hear with ears to hear, is that revealed light, His truth, and it is His Words that you are to preach, as in herald or proclaim like a watchman from the housetops.
Yes, His Word, it's writen in your Bible!
Ezekiel 3:10
Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
You are to hear ALL of His words in your ears! Again, it is His Words you are to proclaim and not the words of men and their traditions.
[11] And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
Be prepared for some major rejection because most people will not hear, as in listen and take heed to what you say, even though you speak His words by directly quoting from the Word of God. Quite frankly, God says they will not hearken unto you because they won't even listen to Him. So do not be discouraged if you are sent as a watchman to herald His Word from the housetops! Remember, those hardened (hardheaded) wine skins not only can't handle new wine, the truth of His Word, they don't want to even hear it! Ezekiel 3:7 "But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted."

Let us read one more time for emphasis what it is we are to hear in our ears.

Ezekiel 3:17
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
When you think about it, if you did not hear His words from His mouth then how could you proclaim what His Word says? Now here is another question: "Should one fear for his or her flesh life?" Those who believe in the "rapture" certainly seem to, for since they claim one must already be "saved" before he or she qualifies for the trip, the only thing the rapture can do is save the flesh from those who can kill the body. What does Christ say about fearing those who can kill the flesh body?
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.
By the way, the Greek word for "destroy" is "apollumi" which comes from the same root word used in Satan's name Apollyon in Rev. 9:11? "Apollumi" means to perish as in destroy fully to the point that it is no more, such as Satan will be when he perishes in the lake of fire (Ezek. 28:18-19). That is why Satan is called the "son of perdition (apoleia)" because he is the son who has been sentenced to perish.
destroy, G622 ????????? apollumi ap-ol'-loo-mee
From G575 and the base of G3639; to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: - destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.
Rev 9:11 "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
G623 ????????? Apolluon ap-ol-loo'-ohn
Active participle of G622; a destroyer (that is, Satan): - Apollyon.
You see, Dante's Inferno is an imagination of a man and is not scriptural in the least. Oh, there is a lake of fire but that lake does not come into existence until after the Millennium when the incorrigibly wicked shall be blotted out... as in gone forever!

Hey wait a minute! That is not commonly taught by the majority of Christianity (who teach that the wicked are going to be barbequed for ever and ever)! So what? God's Word says over and over again that the wicked are consumed away, that they PERISH! Even the most quoted verse of the Bible declares it to be so: Thus saith the Lord in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Yes, the word perish in John 3:16 is "apollumi" which now you know means to "destroy fully".

Now hear these words of your Father in your ear:

Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
This statement is given for our comfort in adding emphasis to "fear ye not those who can kill the body" by reminding us that our Father does not miss noticing even when the least valuable bird falls on the ground. If that's the case, then you can be sure He is completely and totally aware of exactly what is happening in the lives of His most precious children. It is just another way to show us that our Shepherd is right here with us at all times so there is no need to fear them which kill the body. A good shepherd always protects His sheep. And not only that, the fact is if you are one of Christ's disciples sent forth to do His will, then Satan does not have permission to harm one hair on your head... and your Father knows exactly how many you have.
[30] But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Here is Luke's account:
Luke 21:18 But there shall not a hair of your head perish.

Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

And so it is that those who patiently await and endure until the end, calling upon the name of Lord (which means to herald His righteousness, His Word), and who do not bow before the false-christ even in the face of what may appear to be certain death, the same shall be saved (Mat. 10:21).

It is amazing how good our Father is to us. Did you know that He has not only foretold us all these things (Mark 13:24) but He has also had "written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come (1 Cor. 10:13)", ensamples, types, acted out in HisStory to give us a visible similitude of those things that are invisible, i.e. that are spiritual?  And in so much as Christ brings the Book of Daniel into the picture in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 concerning "that same hour" of great tribulation when some of God's elect are delivered up to death, i.e. Apollyon, Satan, the abomination of desolation, the king of Babylon of Revelation, etc., we find an ensample in Daniel where "not an hair" on the head of His servants was harm when they were delivered up to death. In this ensample we see real fire being used that we might "see" spiritual fire, even the spiritual confrontation of these last days. To that end, let us go to the Book of Daniel and spend some time there learning from the type.

We pick up the story flow where the king of Babylon, Satan as a type of false-christ in the last days, has set up a golden image and as world ruler he has "heralded the command" to ALL people, nations, and languages to be in tune to the music and when they hear it to "fall down and worship" that image (see Rev. 13:15).

Here is the decree:

Dan 3:4 Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

Dan 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

The command is a "religious" command to worship the image of the beast!
Dan 3:6 And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
If you remain patiently in the field and hold fast to your Father's Word during that final hour of temptation when the "king of Babylon" is present, then some of you can fully expect to be put on the hot seat. The liberal main stream media already loves to put those who claim to be Christian on the hot seat... but as the saying goes, you ain't seen nothin' yet, for things are going to get much hotter!
Dan 3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
When the king of Babylon of Revelation comes, which is when Satan is cast out of heaven with his army of angels in Rev. 12:7-9, the majority of our Christian brothers and sisters will also bow down to Satan, the spurious messiah, and his NWO, along with the rest of the peoples and nations who bow down. The exception will be those who have the seal of God in their foreheads (Rev. 9:4), those who know their Father's Word and know exactly who the king of Babylon is. You see, only Christ's true disciples will "see" the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place claiming to be God.The rest of our Christian brothers and sisters will think they "see" Jesus Christ standing there. In other words, just as it is written in 2 Thes. 2, they will believe that the false messiah, the instead-of-Christ, is the real Jesus Christ.
Dan 3:8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
There you go! "Beware of men for they will deliver you up (Mat. 10:17)".
Dan 3:9 They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever.
These are your typical bunch of sweet talking, backstabbing "Chaldeans" brownnosing their king. They just love to ride on the Great Red Dragon's tail.

They are "little tattle tales" and here is their snitch report where they even cite excerpts from the official decree:

... Dan 3:12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
These "certain Jews" are defined in chapter one of Daniel as "... certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Dan 1:4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans." In other words, these are God's elect, His disciples and faithful servants who are skillful in all wisdom, especially the wisdom which comes from His Word, who are now delivered up to death, i.e. to the king of Babylon who is a type of the king of Babylon of these last days! Will they be put to death? We will soon find out!
Dan 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Nothing sets old hot headed Satan more lunar (as in loony) like true men and women of God who keep their Father's commands and tell it like it is without fear of what men might do to them! And so it is we now see these men delivered up before the king of Babylon who shall soon try to destroy them. Luke 21:12 "But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake."
Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
You better believe it is true, O' king of Babylon.
Dan 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Get this! The king of Babylon is challenging the God of Israel, the Creator of the Universe!
Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
"We are not careful" means they were neither anxious nor did they have to premeditate about what they were going to say.
Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
They knew God was with them... and we shall see a few verses hence that He indeed was! However, they also knew that even if God had a reason according to His will to allow them to die, they still would not bow to the golden image!
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Those are some pretty bold words and certainly no way to score brownie points to the worlds foremost egomaniac who likes to hear "O king, live forever", as we saw in vs. 9! Obviously Nebuchadnezzar interpreted what they said as "Take your image and shove it!" because he suddenly morphed into a great red fire-breathing dragon.
Dan 3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
"Turn up the heat! Turn up the heat!" By the way, "7" in Biblical numerics denotes spiritual completeness which lets those who have eyes to see know that this concerns the spiritual fire of these last days.
Dan 3:20 And he commanded the most mighty men that werein his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Did you get a load of this? Nebuchadnezzar didn't call forth ordinary "foot soldiers" or guards but rather he commanded the "most mighty men" that were "in his army" to bind and cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneggo into the burning fiery furnace. (A word to the wise.) Guess ol' Neb was a little anxious himself over the bold words God's servants said to him concerning Almighty God delivering them out of his hands!
Dan 3:21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
They had on the whole gospel armor of Ephesians 6 which is impervious to fiery darts... and fiery furnaces.
Dan 3:22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
Note: Read Rev. 11:5.
Dan 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Yes, The Shepherd was right there with them all the time!
Dan 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
There you are... not one little hair on their heads perished, nor was one even singed! Luke 21:18 "But there shall not a hair of your head perish."

So should you be anxious or worry about those who call kill the flesh when you know with certitude and it is written that your Father knows exactly what is happening in your life? Again, if He knows about the status of each little insignificant-by-comparison sparrow, like when one falls to the ground, how much more is He aware of each of His precious children, like when some of them are cast into a burning fiery furnace? Woe!

Matthew 10:31
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
This verse has got to be the most understated verse in all of scripture for God loves His precious children so much that He would die for them. In fact, He did just that!

Thank you Father for the love you have given us.

"What would it take for you to 'sell out' and compromise the Word of God? Could you be swayed from the truth of His Word because your family turned on you?

Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ, a follower and doer of His Word? If so, is there anything in this world that could separate you from the love of Christ? Think about it as we complete our study of the great tenth chapter of the Book of Matthew. Remember that Christ is about to send forth His disciples to labor in the field, thereby making them "apostles", the word itself meaning "sent forth". He has already forewarned them not to depart from His teachings but in doing so, i.e. by faithfully following the Master as His students, they could expect to be ridiculed and persecuted even as He was!  However, no matter how hot things "are wont to be", as the good Shepherd He will always be there in the midst of the fire to lead, guide, and protect His own.

Let us now take heed to His final instructions.

Matthew 10:32
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
This does not mean just to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that you believe He is Lord, for we have already seen that there are many who cry Lord, Lord, who are not in good standing with the Father. 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." You see, the word "confess" is the compound word in Greek "homologeo, from homou and logos" which means to profess or speak openly. Remember, Jesus Christ is still speaking to His disciples who He is about to send forth to teach His Word and proclaim the Kingdom of God, and He is giving them final instructions concerning the will of His Father!

And so it is that "whosoever" will confess Jesus Christ, the true Logos, the Word of God, before men instead of the "sweet little Lord Jesus" traditions of men, is that servant who shall be in good standing... having done the Father's will... and the Lord Jesus Christ who now sits at His right hand in heaven shall surely confess that faithful one before the Father!
On the other hand...

[33] But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
The "denying" Christ is speaking of here is in contrast to His words in verse 32. In other words, He isn't just talking about those who are non-believers and reject Him altogether as the Messiah. Do you realize that when one "confesses" the traditions of men instead of openly professing His Word, that person contradicts the Word of God which means he or she denies Him by refusing to teach the truth?      Woe!
deny, G720 ????????? arneomai ar-neh'-om-ahee
Perhaps from G1 (as a negative particle) and the middle of G4483; to contradict, that is, disavow, reject, abnegate: - deny, refuse.
Unfortunately there are many in this generation who come in the name of Christ claiming to be His ministers, as in Christian ministers, and they cry Lord, Lord, Praise the Lord, Jesus is the Christ, yet they deceive our people by refusing to teach His Word as it is written chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

In fact, this is the very first warning Christ gives concerning this final generation:

Matthew 24:4-5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Those priests, ministers, etc., who claim to be sent of Him to preach and teach His Word better take heed to His warnings and begin confessing His Word before men, else they shall find themselves "denied" by Christ Himself and on the outside looking in (Luke 13:28)!

If you think not, then read again Mat. 7:21-23.

Matthew 10:34
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
The sword Jesus Christ is talking about is His Word, the Word of God, as documented in Rev. 1:16, "And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword...". You will find in Hebrews 4:2 that Paul also speaks of the Word of God as analogous to a two-edged sword, which means it cuts both ways.

To better understand this we could consider another analogy used for the Word of God... Light! From the beginning God sent the Light into the world of darkness to divide the light from the darkness, the day from the night, even the children of light from the children of darkness. It is the Plan for this flesh age. Genesis 1:4 "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." You "see", Jesus Christ is that Light (John 1:1-12) which came into the world and those who dwell in Him are children of light. 1 Thes. 5:5 "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."

It is written that in this final generation of the fig tree that Satan, i.e. the Prince of Darkness, will appear as an angel of light to bring peace to this earth. However, it will be a false peace by a false messiah for the children of light know that there can be no real and lasting peace until the Prince of Peace comes to rule all nations with a rod of iron. To that end, there is a great spiritual battle raging in these last days and the true servants of God are mentally and spiritually prepared to war against the evil one and take a stand against his fiery darts.

Ephes. 6:11-17
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

This is spiritual "warfare", not peace!
[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Christian soldiers are ready to take a stand against the beast, not fly away into the clouds!
[14]Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

[16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

[17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Armour and shields and swords are used for "war" or "fighting".

Next, Christ tells us what happens, even at home, when we pick up that sword of truth He sent to us and begin to use it.

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.

If you carry the sword of truth then what you teach and confess before men conflicts with the traditions of men, which are what the majority of the Christian churches our loved ones attend teach them to follow!Therefore, even some of our closest loved ones will be at odds against us... because we holdfast and confess His truth. To that end, Jesus quotes from the great book of the prophet Micah whose name in Hebrew means "Who is like Yahveh?" Of course as Jeremiah states in Jer. 10:6, there is NONE like unto the LORD: "Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might." Here is what He says through His servant Micah:
Micah 7:5
Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
Use wisdom and prudence and trust only in the Lord thy God and wait on Him. In other words, don't put your trust in a friend, or a leader, or even a family member such as your wife (her that lies in your bosom). Stay in His Word and hold fast to His way no matter who rises up against you. For if he can, Satan will surely use even your loved ones to come against you to divide and separate you from the love of Christ!
Micah 7:6
For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
Yes, our own people, our loved ones of our own household, shall become spiritual adversaries to us. How and why is that possible? It is because of the zeal they have for Jesus, though he be the false Jesus, the one who shall soon come to bring peace on earth and convince them that he is the Messiah. It is because they are in a blind stupor of ignorance (Rom. 11) caused by the famine of these end times and they believe they are doing the right thing. To that end, those who have eyes to see and ears to hear who are part of that great witness of the brotherhood in this final generation, should always remember the words of Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross: Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

So now that Jesus Christ has foretold us that teaching the Word of God as it is written will at times cut and cause division and bring about persecution even from your closest loved ones, He now gives His disciples/apostles instructions concerning their priorities and their commitment to Him. The questions that arise are, "What would it take for you to 'sell out' and compromise the Word of God? Could you be swayed from the truth of His Word because your family turned on you? How about if you were delivered up to death, to antichrist himself, as were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneggo in type?"Jesus Christ says that if either is the case, you are not really not a true believer in Him and so you are not worthy of being His disciple.

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.
This is a matter of priority and by no means is meant to diminish one's love for his or her family. On the contrary, family is a wonderful thing and you should always love and spend time with your family, even and especially your heavenly Father who is your closest family member in that He is the Father and creator of your very soul. In other words, your "protos", your first and foremost love, is to God and His Word and if you leave that first love for whatever reason, then you have a problem such as those in the church of Ephesus who left their first love.
Rev. 2:4
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
first, protos, pro'-tos, Greek 4413; contracted superlative of Greek 4253 (pro); foremost (in time, place, order or importance) :- before, beginning, best, chief (-est), first (of all), former.

love, agape, ag-ah'-pay, Greek 26; from Greek 25 (agapao); love, i.e. affection or benevolence; specially (plural) a love-feast :- (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.

[5] Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
What are your priorities? How deep is your love and how committed are you to obeying the Word of God in doing His will?
Here is how Dr. Luke puts it:
Luke 14:26
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
To "hate" means to love less by comparison. In other words, your "first love" must be the Word of God and your commitment such as you will not compromise loving Him and "confessing" the truth of His Word for any reason whatsoever... no not for family or even if you are delivered up to death as were the three Hebrew children! You see, they didn't die but they were sure willing to rather than compromise their love for God and bow to the image of the beast.
Matthew 10:38
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
To "take up his cross" speaks of real conviction for the only reason one "takes up his cross" is to be nailed to it! This is the deep seated love and conviction of a disciple, a student, a true follower of Jesus Christ the Word of God. Quite frankly, if you are not willing to sacrifice all you have "under the sun" (even your own life as we read in Luke 14:26) for what you believe, i.e. to follow after Christ, then you are not a true believer and your conviction is not really conviction at all.
cross, stauros, stow-ros', Greek 4716; from the base of Greek 2476 (histemi); a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (special) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figurative exposure to death, i.e. self-denial; by implication the atonement of Christ :- cross.
The kind of deep-seated rock-solid faith and trust that would cause one to pick up his cross comes not by self determination or self will but by belief in Him, knowing with certitude because of the evidence (Heb. 11:1) of knowing His Word that we have the victory and that He is able to deliver us.
[39] He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Just know that there is nothing you can lose in this flesh life in enduring unto the end and doing the will of God that shall not be paled into insignificance by the crown of victory awaiting those who love and serve Him. On the other hand, those who place their hope in "flying away to save their souls" are going to lose out on the first resurrection to life eternal.
Matthew 10:40
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
This can only be true if you speak His Word, i.e. confess Him, and not the traditions of men, right? In His final prayer for His disciples the night before His crucifixion, Jesus Christ prayed that they would be sanctified through the Word, which is truth, and also for "them which shall believe on me through their word". So let us be sure to speak those words which are written so that those who receive them, receive Him, the truth, the Word of God.
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.

[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;

Let us likewise receive those who speak the truth of His word.
Matthew 10:41
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
The Greek word "prophetes" would better be translated "teacher" for it simply means "inspired speaker" or "gifted teacher". Some people get all bent out of shape because they think they should be doing more than studying and planting seeds in that they should likewise be gifted teachers. However, the point that Christ is making is that if you receive and accept a "prophet", meaning you support a true teacher who teaches the words and visions of the prophets (i.e. the Word of God) with understanding as they are written, then you receive the same eternal reward as that prophet and that teacher. You see, we are a brotherhood, meaning brothers and sisters of the same family of God, not some hierarchy such as Satan sets up his religions and churches with glorified leaders, etc.

And you know what else? The prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah and Daniel are all part of that same brotherhood who all receive the same eternal reward. Even the apostle John declared that he was one of our brothers (Philadelphia) and companions in tribulation (Smyrna) and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. In other words, John did not elevate himself above others.

Rev. 1:9
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So do not receive nor follow some man who sets himself above the brethren to receive glory for himself or herself, for you will not be blessed if you do. Follow Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as do the rest of the sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters, the "seed" He has sent in these last days to declare His righteousness, to confess the truth of His Word to this final generation. It is written (Ps. 22:30-31)!
Matthew 10:42
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Even if all a student of His Word, a disciple of His, is able to do is give a small cup of "living water" to a thirsty babe or plant a tiny seed of truth, that wonderful work of God does NOT go unnoticed by your Father, the One who knows even when a little sparrow falls to the ground. And that one shall also be a partaker of the same eternal reward as his or her brothers and sisters.

You see, you cannot out give your heavenly Father, for it is NOT about volume or quantity. It is about love and doing things His way, according to His will, that which you are able. And in doing so, you show your faith and your love for Him and so you shall in no wise lose your reward!

Matthew 11 next:

The "curse" that comes before the second advent is the accursed one, the abomination of desolation, i.e. Satan as the false Messiah.

Jesus Christ has now finished giving His final instructions to His twelve disciples who are now also called apostles because He has chosen to "send them forth" to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to teach His Word and preach that the "the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mat. 10:7)". Of course as always, the good Shepherd leads the way and sets the example.

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.
He both educated them and proclaimed the good news to them:
teach, didasko, did-as'-ko, Greek 1321; a prolonged (causative) form of a primary verb dao (to learn); to teach (in the same broad application) :- teach.

preach, kerusso, kay-roos'-so, Greek 2784; of uncertain affinity; to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel) :- preach (-er), proclaim, publish.

Now we have come to a section of scripture (Mat. 11:2-15) that seems most difficult for many scholars to explain. Perhaps that is because it is given to be understood by those who have eyes to see and ears to hear as documented in verse 15. Therefore, today's study may be a little deep for some who have just joined our studies.

You "see", Jesus Christ the Messiah, the One who was prophesied to come in all the Law and the Prophets (Mat. 11:13 below), is now out teaching and preaching in the cities while at the same time, John the Baptist, the one who prepared the way as the voice in the wilderness is bound in prison and his ministry is over. In fact, in real short order his very life will be over.

Let us see why he is in prison in the first place.

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 her.
Herod had taken his brother's wife and John kept telling him (which is what "had said" means in the next verse) that his actions and behavior were totally against God's law... which carries with it a penalty!
[18] For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
Never let it be said that John was not bold or that he was a people pleaser. It takes brazen courage (trust in God) to tell the ruler of the land that God's law condemns his or her actions. However, Herod himself actually had some healthy respect for John as a man of God, but NOT Herodias his brother's wife! She wanted to kill that far right wing conservative whom she probably accused of trying to impose his moral values upon her.
[19] Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
You've got to give Herod a little credit at this point! Again, he knows John is a just and upright man of God.
[20] For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
Nevertheless, John the Baptist is now bound in prison for righteousness sake, for His sake, for the sake of teaching God's Word boldly, and now he cannot observe firsthand the ministry of Jesus Christ. However, while in prison he receives word of the works He is performing.
Matthew 11:2
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
Of course the number "two" denotes "witness" in Biblical numerics, for "if two different persons agree in testimony then it is conclusive" (see appendix 10 in the back of the Companion Bible). But notice what it was that prompted John to send two of his students to Christ. It was when he heard about the "works of Christ"! What were the works of Christ John heard about that would cause him to seek an answer from the Word of God by asking a specific question concerning His coming? Well, we already read about them in chapter 9. Remember He healed the blind (Mat. 9:27), He healed the lame (Mat. 9:6), He caused the dumb to speak (Mat. 9:33), etc.

Now close your eyes and think for a moment. You "see", John was a student and an excellent teacher of God's Word who not only knew the scriptures well but he also knew with certitude, which is without a shadow of the doubt some scholars would like to attribute to him, that Christ was indeed the Son of God! To wit, he was right there at Christ's baptism and heard the voice from heaven as the Spirit of God descended like a dove saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased (Mat. 3:17)". Understand that it was John's very purpose and destiny to come and bear witness that Christ is the Son of God, and he did just that... never waving like some reed in the wind! John 1:-34, "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

Here then is the question John instructed his disciples to seek answer to from Jesus Christ, the Word of God. (Note to the deeper student: You will find that John is actually seeking an answer to the "if" in verse 14 (Mat. 11:14) concerning His ministry, which would have been counted as the Elijah ministry before the ushering in of the kingdom at the second advent if the people would not have rejected it!)

[3] And said unto him, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?
Remember it was the works of Christ which John heard about in prison that prompted this question. Again, John wanted to know "if" this just might be the time Isaiah spoke of in Isa. 35 concerning He that should come (at the second advent) or is it going to be at another time?
another = heteros, het'-er-os, Greek 2087; of uncertain affinity; (an-, the) other or different :- altered, else, next (day), one, (an-) other, some, strange.
The works John heard about certainly fit that of the second advent, even the day of vengeance of our God who comes with a recompense and to comfort all those who mourn.
Isaiah 35:4-6
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.
The following works "He that should come" would do, are the works of Christ John heard about in prison.
[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.

Again, these are the wonderful works Christ did in Matthew chapter nine that John would have heard about! Notice that they are tied in with the Day of Vengeance which is the second advent. Keep that thought in mind as we continue. Now let's consider one more thought. Do you not think that John the Baptist was fully aware of that which was written in the 3rd and 4th chapters of the Book of the Malachi, whose name means "My Messenger"? Of course he was. Do you not also think that His father Zacharias, who was told by the angel Gabriel what his son John's destiny was in preparing the way, discussed his future with him?

Here is what the angel told Zacharias concerning John:

Luke 1:15-17
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
And so John was great in the sight of the Lord, just as Christ will openly declare to the multitudes in Mat. 11:11 below!
[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This is the characteristic of the Elijah ministry, even of the last days.
[17] And he shall go before Him 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 knew that he had prepared the way for the first advent! How so? Because he bare witness and record that Jesus Christ was the Messiah! But what about the second advent? John is asking the simple question, will it happen now or will it happen at another time?

Here are words of the LORD in Malachi chapter 3.

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 the LORD of hosts.
Verse 2 speaks of the second advent.
[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' sope:
The answer as to who shall stand when Christ appears we read in Mat. 7:24-25. It is those who have built their houses upon the solid foundation of the Rock, the Word of God.

Now let's hear the answer Christ sends back to John... for it is the answer itself which verifies what the actual question was!

Matthew 11:4
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
This is an "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" answer from Christ to his faithful servant John who is in prison hearing what Christ is doing among the people.
[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.
Sure enough the first part of this verse pertains to those things of Isa. 35 but the "and the poor have the gospel preached to them" comes from another part of Isaiah which speaks of both the first and second advent.
Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

[2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Verse two speaks of both the first and second advents. In fact, in Luke chapter four we read where Christ went into the temple, was handed a scroll of Isaiah, and deliberately turned to the above verses in Isa. 61 and began reading. However, He stopped when He got to the second part of verse two which speaks of the day of vengeance, which is the second advent.

Here is the account in Luke:

Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Remember Christ told the two disciples John sent to Him to go tell John that in addition to the healing of the blind and lame, etc., that "the poor have the gospel preached to them". This is of the first advent, not the second.
[19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
This as far as Christ read in Isaiah and then He closed the book and said "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears".

Now back to Christ's answer to John. The last thing the two disciples were to tell John was...

Matthew 11:6
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Bingo! John now knows that he is not going to see the second advent at this time, but that there would be another time when "He shall come, with vengeance, even God with a recompense (Isa. 35:4)"! Again, John is in prison and probably knows or at least suspects that his days are numbered. What a great example this is to us today. I mean, there is the great prophet John the Baptist in prison for righteousness sake and he knows that he shall have to endure unto the end. Not to worry though, for John had great root and foundation in the Word of God, not wavering to and fro like a reed shaken in the wind. Therefore he would not be "offended", which is to apostatize, as in stumble and fall!
offended = skandalizo, skan-dal-id'-zo, Greek 4624; ("scandalize"); from Greek 4625 (skandalon); to entrap, i.e. trip up (figurative stumble [transitive] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure) :- (make to) offend.
It is those who have no root and foundation in the Word of God who shall "endure but for a time" and so shall be offended and stumble when affliction or persecution arises.
Mark 4:17
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
It is "... he that endureth to the end (who) shall be saved (Mat. 10:22)". And even though I'm sure Christ had great compassion for John and his plight, He was not worried about his enduring, unwavering faith. Nevertheless, He gave John those words of encouragement, "Blessed is he that shall not be offended in Him", even though John would have rather heard that his ministry fulfilled Mal. 4:5-6!

To that end, John the Baptist gave a tremendous witness in the power and spirit of Elijah in paving the way for the advent of "He who was to come"!John spoke boldly and didn't pull any people-pleasing punches when it came to teaching God's Word. He was not a soft-spoken, mealy-mouthed pansy who wavered to and fro in his beliefs and his doctrine! He called a kenite a kenite right to their faces and he told king Herod that taking his brother's wife was sinful and against the law of Almighty God.

So now that Christ has answered the "advent" question concerning John's ministry to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, He is going to address the multitudes concerning John... who was His messenger sent forth to prepare the way. Of course we know that the "if" condition of verse 14 was not met and therefore we know there shall be another time of preparation before the second advent in which Malachi 4:5-6 will be fulfilled. Therefore, consider what your expectations are of "Elijah the prophet" who comes before the second advent and what his preparatory ministry will be like! Use John's ministry as a type... a word to the wise is sufficient!

Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
What shall Elijah do when he comes? [Did you know that "olive" in Greek is "el-ah'-yah", Greek 1636; feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive (the tree or the fruit) :- olive (berry, tree)?]
[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
These fatherless children are the orphans, the lost children of the house of Israel, the same ones to whom the apostles were sent. Do you know who and where the lost tribes of the house of Israel are today? If not, Log unto #1064 and #1020 to read our study of the 10 lost tribes.

Christ now addresses the multitude. The subject is John the Baptist!

Here is Question number one:

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?
John heralded in the wilderness, as in "blew the trumpet" of truth!

You can read more about John's ministry in Mark:

Mark 1:1-7
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.

[3] The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Prepare ye the way! In other words, get ready for that day shall soon come. His paths are the paths of righteousness which is His Word.
[4] John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
John spoke boldly and plainly.Would you expect a messenger of God to be otherwise?

Question number two:

Matthew 11:8
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Did you expect to see some nice-guy, fancy-gowned, soft-spoken religionist in some big crystal cathedral?
Mark 1:6
And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
Remember John came in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet. In other words, he was "spiritually dressed" just like him. By the way, did you ever read how Elijah mocked the priests of Baal when they prayed to their god who is no god? 1 Kings 18:27 "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." True men of God appear to be harsh on false preachers, don't they?

Question number three.

[9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
You see, John was more than just a prophet with a vision of truth and understanding. He was the "messenger" who prepared the way before Christ! And he had many disciples, students of the Word of God, didn't he? Even some of the apostles, those Christ sent forth to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, were John's disciples. John 1:40 "One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."
[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.
Christ quoted from the book called "My Messenger", which is Malachi in Hebrew!
Malachi 3:1-2
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 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' sope:

John truly had a great ministry... great enough to be accounted to fulfill Mal. 4:5-6 had the people not rejected the kingdom.
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 least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
What a marvelous and touching tribute to the great John the Baptist. Remember it was prophesied before he was born that he would be great in the sight of the Lord and so indeed Christ confirmed and declared before the multitudes that he was!
Luke 1:15-17
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
John was also filled with that "olive oil", el-i-jah, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit!
[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Again, the children are those of the lost tribes of the House of Israel who discover their "roots" and return to their Father and the wisdom of the just, which is His Word from whence all true wisdom comes!
[17] And he shall go before him 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.
And so it shall be in these last days that Elijah shall come to "make ready a people", even of the children of the tribes of Israel (Rev. 7) to turn them to His Word through which they shall be sealed with His truth. And you will find that God has reserved 7,000 who shall not bow a knee to Baal (Rom. 11:1-6) to "go forth" and teach and preach in the spirit and power of Elijah in these last days. They are those 7 eyes (watchmen) of Zech. 4. In other words, they are God's elect, the "seed" of Ps. 22:30-31 who shall finish the work, the sons and daughters of Acts 2:17, the brothers and sisters of Rev. 3:7 (Philadelphia) who would come and declare His righteous to a people who shall be born, teaching His Word and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom!
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.
And now John, the last prophet to come before Christ, has been taken by force and is about to be beheaded because of an evil adulterous woman!
[13] For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
All the Prophets and the Law, even the entire OT, prophesied that "He would come", that Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, Emmanuel, would come and usher in the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven! John however was more than a prophet (vs. 9) in that he actually prepared the way before "He that was prophesied to come"! And had the people accepted Christ at His first advent, the ministry of John the Baptist would have been the Elijah ministry to come.
[14] And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
The big word in this verse is "IF" which denotes a condition! In other words, IF you will receive it, then John the Baptist would have been reckoned as Elijah and fulfilled the scripture concerning His messenger to come and prepare a people before the Day of the LORD.
Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Do you "see" that John was His "messenger" who would have fulfilled verse five and been accounted as Elijah the prophet?
[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest (or before) I come and smite the earth with a curse.
The "curse" that comes before the second advent is the accursed one, the abomination of desolation, Satan as the false Messiah.

So the question is: "What do you expect to see in these last days concerning the Elijah ministry?"

1. Do you expect to see some "reed shaken in the wind"?

2. Do you expect to see some "man clothed in soft raiment"?

3. Do you expect to see a prophet.... or more than a prophet... sealing and "making ready a people prepared for the Lord"?

[15] He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
May God grant you rich understanding of His Word.

 2 Cor. 11:4 "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

In our last study we learned that there would not have been a second advent IF they had received Messiah at which point, as Jesus Christ Himself said, John the Baptist would have been accounted as Elijah. However, the kingdom of God was rejected by that generation and so even though John came in the spirit and power of Elijah as it was written of him in Luke 1:17, he was not Elijah. John even so stated that fact when he was directly asked the question, "Are you Elijah?"

John 1:21
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Now let's think about what has happened to this point. We read in Matthew 3:2 that John the Baptist came preaching repentance and declaring that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In fact, he came in the spirit and power of Elijah of whom it was written saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight (Matthew 3:3)." And so it came to pass that Messiah did come following that great Elijah ministry, exactly and according to all that was foretold of Him in the law and the prophets (Mat. 11:13), which meant that the people now had the true Bridegroom, the Living Word of God, right in their very midst. Yes, Emmanuel! Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 "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."

But alas, that wicked and adulterous (idolatrous) generation who both "heard" Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, and "saw" the mighty works He performed among them, refused to repentant and accept Him as Lord and Savior. They rejected the King and therefore His king-dom, which is the dominion of the King! You see, it is one thing to believe not when one has neither heard His voice nor seen His mighty works. It is quite another matter when people have Him in their very midst and reject Him because their religious leaders have trained them to follow man's ways and traditions while refusing to give ground to His Word of truth.

The point is, we have the Word of God extant and in our very midst in this final generation and yet most Christians, even those who have gone to church for decades, are Biblically illiterate and do not know that Word for the very same reason stated in the previous paragraph. In other words, their spiritual leaders have led them to follow a form of religion which they call Christianity but in reality it is only Churchianity composed of the vain traditional teachings and rituals of men which make void the true Word of God! That is precisely how Jesus Christ is forsaken and rejected in these last days and the false messiah accepted in His stead. A word to the "wise" is sufficient!Mark 7:7 "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

So take heed and pay close attention to Christ's words in today's study, for they are written for our final generation who has the written Word of God available and accessible to literally everyone, yet it is increasingly ignored and forsaken, even denied, by both our religious and civil leaders! Woe unto them!

Christ now gives us a simple analogy or parable to describe the generation that neither accepts Messiah nor repents of their idolatrous ways.

Matthew 11:16
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
To what can you compare this generation... which is like asking "What does it take for some people?" They have been "called to" as if by innocent children sitting in the town square bidding their friends to come join them, and saying...
[17] And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
The words "Danced... Lamented" is a figure of speech known as a Paronomasia which is a play on words that sound alike and tend to rhyme, but which do not necessarily have the same sense or meanings (see appendix six in the Companion Bible). An example in English would be our sayings an "Attitude of Gratitude", a good one to always remember, and "No Pain, No Gain" which many are going to intimately understand as "The Plan" unfolds in this final generation exactly as it is written!

So, simply put, we would say in English that "they did not leap... did not weep". In other words they did not "advance and dance", for even when they heard the wedding music itself they would not take action. And not only did they not RSVP and come to the wedding feast to which they were cordially invited, they would not "lament and repent" when they heard the sounds and mournings of the funeral, which will someday be their own if they do not repent and change their iniquitous ways. In other words, they would neither accept the invitation to come to Him, nor heed the warning of the ultimate consequences of their iniquities! What will it therefore take to bring them to their senses? The good news is, God has a plan and there is more to it than just the invitation and the warning for the unwilling and the unrepentant!

However, before we get a glimpse of the second advent when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords to execute justice throughout all the land, let's understand the next two verses which give further explanation to the parable above.

[18] For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
Remember John came eating locusts and honey and preached a strong message of repentance, even to the likes of Herod and Herodias. For that he was accused of being evil or as the liberals would say today, he was "mean spirited". True it is that "there is nothing new under the sun"!

On the other hand... Christ came in just the opposite fashion, eating and drinking, attending weddings, and socializing in a friendly manner even with the common people. For that he was accused of being a glutton and a winebibber which is to be "non-religious" as the self-righteous see it. You just can't please religious hypocrites, can you?

[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. But wisdom is justified of her children.
You see, it didn't matter how or in what manner the people were approached, the religious community was NOT receptive to Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Nevertheless, truth is truth, and the truth shall be made known... even by His wise children who love and serve Him, and as it is written they shall be both comforted and vindicated on that day of His second advent, "the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:2)". You "see", ultimately everyone is judged by Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and so it is that those who now heed and follow wisdom and truth, which is His Word, are made just (zadok) and they become wise children indeed. He that has an ear, let him hear... or as we say today, a word to the wise!

Now let's see what Christ has in store for those who have witnessed His mighty works among them and yet repented not!

Matthew 11:20
Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
If one has seen His mighty works and yet does not heed the invitation nor repent and come to Christ, then that one better expect some unbraiding and chastisement to follow. It is part of the loving plan of God and it is for the good of His children as in for their own good! Why? Because He loves all of His children and it is His desire that "ALL should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9), and if He has to "thump" some of them to get their attention, then so be it. But Woe unto them!
[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.
First of all, be it known that it is not a pleasant thing to be on the receiving end of God's "Woes"! But remember the Paronomasia, "No pain, no gain"! Secondly, notice that Christ is making the point concerning "the mighty works" of God as He singles out Chorazin, which means "a furnace of smoke", and Bethsaida, which means "house of fish". The fact that "fish" is symbolic of Christianity today and that the "smoke from the pit" in Rev. 9 speaks also of today, should alert the wise that He is speaking to the final generation, the generation of the fig tree, the generation that shall witness the wonderful and mighty works of God (Acts 2). Furthermore, He compares those two cities to the wealthy and prosperous ancient cities of Tyre (rock in Hebrew) and Sidon (catching fish in Hebrew), which are types given for this dayThe difference is that Tyre and Sidon did not have the witness of the mighty works of Christ! Otherwise they would have repented... because they were not of the generation of the fig tree, even from the beginning.
[22] But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
Again, the wonderful works of God were not made manifest in Tyre and Sidon and so at the second advent, when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns to the valley of Jehoshaphat (Jeho-shaphat means YHVH judges, see Joel 3), they shall receive more leniency from the Judge. But woe unto those of this froward generation!
[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.
Talk about exalted! Not only did Christ perform many mighty works in Capernaum, which means "City of Comfort", but Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, the Comforter Himself, dwelt at Capernaum during the whole period of His public ministry. The point is, had Sodom been so privileged to have the Comforter among them and to see the mighty works Capernaum saw, their city would not have been destroyed.
[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.
Christ is laying in on real thick to those who have seen and heard for you "see"... they are without excuse in turning their backs on Him! Therefore Christ will be much less tolerant in dealing with them on judgment day!

So wake up and take heed! Stay in His Word and follow Him, doing those things which He has commanded, not because of the fear of judgment (which is actually reward for His servants), but because you love Him and are grateful having an "attitude of gratitude" for what He has done for you.

John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
There is that big little word "If" again!
John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
To "manifest" means to "make known". Remember it is written that there shall be many on the day who claim they "believe" but who shall not be known of Him.
Matthew 7:21-23
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. [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.
The question is, "Do you love Him?" Are you grateful for the eyes and ears that see and understand? Hopefully you are for He is soooo... good to us!
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.
Not only are the wise and prudent of this world, those who are sharp in worldly matters such as the kenites, blind to the truth of His Word and "have none understanding", but so also are the Christian type scribes and Pharisees of today who are vainly puffed up in their minds and refuse to submit to the Word of God. They walk in darkness and teach their own traditions instead of His Word and therefore they preach "another Jesus" whom our people blindly follow because of their ignorance, their not knowing, the true Jesus Christ, the Word of God. 2 Cor. 11:4 "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."
[26] Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
The plan is set. The Day of the Lord, which is when "He shall come" at the second advent, is soon upon us. However, until that day Christ returns the good news is that those who "harden not their hearts (Heb. 4:7)", who exercise wisdom and come unto Him in repentance, believing and doing His will, He will surely come to them and reveal Himself unto them and they can enter into His rest today.
[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 whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.
Do you know the Father? Christ said in John 14:9 "if you have seen me you have seen the Father"! How is that so? Because the Father is revealed by the Son, Jesus Christ, the Word of God! That may be a little "over the head" for some but it will become clear to you IF you will diligently study His Word and get to know Him.

To wit, "all things" are even written and delivered unto us through Jesus Christ the Word of God, and those things He foretold us of, even His marvelous plan, shall unfold and happen exactly as they are written. Therefore go to Him as He has called you (next verse) and He will reveal those things to you and give you peace of mind. Mark 13:23 "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." You "see", it is written that the second advent shall be witnessed by those of the final generation which is identified through the knowledge of the parable of the fig tree which Christ commanded us to learn in Matthew 24 and Mark 13)! Have you learned it?

See Fig Tree
Here are Christ's comforting words to those who have wisdom.
[28]Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Are you a willing laborer, a worker in the field? Are you burdened with that which is happening in the world or even in your own little world? You don't have to be! All you have to do is go to Him and to His Word and He will give you rest, which is "sabbath", which is peace of mind.

Here is how it works! It is real simple, IF you are willing.

[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.
What is a yoke? It is a harness that binds two animals, two workers (laborers) together. In other words, all you have to do is hook up with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and LEARN of Him, which is to GET TO KNOW HIM, and you SHALL FIND the peace of mind that transcends anything you will ever encounter in this flesh experience... GUARANTEED! Only it is up to YOU to take the action to take on His Yoke and learn of Him.

How "wise" are you? You "see", you can receive His gentleness and kindness as you walk with Him, IF you take His yoke upon you. Or you take the "thumps and lumps" route all the way to the pit of hell if that is what you so choose, for the choice is yours!

[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Again, it is so easy to hook up with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and since He makes all your burdens so light and bearable (see also 1 Cor. 10:13), it makes one would wonder why anyone would want to walk through this valley of the shadow of death all by himself! Go figure!

May God grant you rich understanding of His Word.

Matthew 12 next:

If you think you know Jesus Christ and yet you are ignorant of His Word, you are deceiving yourself and headed for a great fall when Satan shows up as the false-christ.

Jesus Christ told us at the conclusion of Matthew chapter eleven that if you are heavy laden and a willing "laborer", meaning that you are willing to "come to Him" and "take His yoke upon you" and "learn about Him", then He will give you "rest"!

Matthew 11:28-29
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.

The apostle Paul also exhorted us to labour to enter into His rest. (Note: The fourth chapter of Hebrews is an excellent source of related subject matter to today's study.
Hebrews 4:11
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Paul refers in this verse to that "example of unbelief" which is to follow the traditions of men that are contrary to His Word and therefore cause you to be disobedient to God's Word. Let not man deceive you! Always go to and follow Jesus Christ, the Word of God.
[12]For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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.
Paul does not say that the words of preachers and ministers can give you life, does he? It is ONLY God's Word which is alive (quick), for it is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. You see, eternal life is contained in the Word of God. John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think [are assured] ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Christ is the Living Word of God and the Bible is the Written Word of God which testifies of Him. The two are inseparable which means if you desire to "come to Him" and "learn of Him" then you must come to His Word which is quick (alive) and powerful to the point that it can change your whole life by causing your spirit (your intellect) to receive and unite with His Spirit (the Word of God, His intellect). Then shall you find that "rest" and peace of mind.

You "see", as Christians we must go to Him and "learn of Him" and mature to the point that we understand that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is our rest which means He is our "sabbath". In fact, the word "sabbath" means "rest". Yet there are those even this day who teach that you must keep a certain "day", even from sunset to sunset, in order to be in good standing with God. Is that true? We will find out in this study as Christ teaches us concerning the sabbath 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.
Jesus Christ, the true bread of life, always feeds those who hunger and labor for Him.Notice that it was Jesus who "went", as in led His disciples through the corn to work and harvest on the sabbath day, for He knew that they were "hungry". He also knew that this action would bring accusations from the religious community of hypocrites who are always judgmental of those who do not conform to their "elite" religious traditions. In fact, religious hypocrites will often throw common sense right out the window in lieu of breaking one of those precious traditions. Thus the letter of their law and tradition, to which they are "yoked", becomes more important than the love of Christ Himself as we will learn from the example and the teaching He brings forth here in Matthew 12. What's more is that their "yoke" is NOT light and easy to bear, but rather a burden and a heavy load to carry on your own.So cast off their yoke as in change yokes and hook up with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and tell religious hypocrites to bug off!
[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.
First of all, those who have already "gone to Him", to His Word, and "learned of Him" know that Jesus Christ IS the "fulfillment" of the law, including the Passover and ALL the Sabbath days, which is simply the schoolmaster that teaches us all about Him. In other words, just as He is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7) through whom we are forgiven and redeemed, so also is He our Sabbath through whom we are given rest!


Perhaps for the newer students we should pause at length here and review a portion of the ninth chapter of Hebrews to help us better understand how days and things, such as the "tabernacle" itself, were given to us to teach us all about the One to come, even Jesus Christ in whom we are complete (Col. 2:10).
"In the ninth chapter of Hebrews Paul compares the details of the earthly tabernacle, along with the ordinances of divine service, to the true tabernacle, Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us as our High Priest who entered into the Holy of Holies once and for all time. By teaching us in this manner, Paul shows us how perfectly the Old Covenant explains the New by letting us "see" how those shadows represent the true tabernacle, which is Jesus Christ. Col. 2:17 "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." For you see, the New Covenant is simply the fulfillment of, the reality of, the Old Covenant, that schoolmaster which brings us to know and understand Jesus Christ, the true tabernacle.

The ordinances of "divine service" and the "worldly sanctuary" were only figures, visible likenesses, images of the true tabernacle, Jesus Christ. In other words, they were earthly things our flesh eyes could see, things made and services performed to show us and teach us as a schoolmaster the things which cannot be seen, even His eternal power and Godhead, that power which can forgive sins and grant us "life" eternal. Romans 1:20 "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

And so it was that the worldly (earthly) tabernacle was made by men's hands according to the "pattern" God gave Moses, and the ordinances of divine service were ordained so that we might be able to clearly "see" and "understand", and come to know Jesus Christ, the true tabernacle and the one and only true sacrifice for sins. He was the "real thing", the reality, the One promised by the sworn oath of Almighty God who would come and "open the way", fulfilling all things. And once the reality came, all those representative "things" were completely done away with (Col. 2:14-17).

To that end, Paul is now going to give us a description of how the earthly tabernacle was set-up and what the ordinances of divine service (vs. 1) entailed pertaining to the Holy of Holies, the Holiest part of the sanctuary, and compare them to Christ. He speaks first of that part of the sanctuary wherein all the priests could go.

Hebrews 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.


The candlestick or lampstand with the seven lamps, the detailed description of which you can read in Ex. 25:31-40, was placed on the south side of the first apartment of the tabernacle, opposite the table of shewbread (Exodus 25:37) and it was lit permanently to give light inside the Holy Place. Wise virgins might find it interesting to know that the priests in the tabernacle were responsible, evening and morning, for trimming the wicks and filling up the seven lamps with the purest of olive oil sufficient to keep it burning throughout the night (see Mat. 25:1-13).

Exodus 27:20-21
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. [21] In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
You will also find that the shewbread, consisting of "twelve" loafs of "unleavened" bread, was placed on the "pure" table before the LORD and set in two rows of six cakes each.
Leviticus 24:5-7
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. [6] And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. [7] And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
One should take it upon himself or herself to study and learn all he or she can about the tabernacle and the things contained therein and the ordinances of service. Why? Because they teach us all about the true tabernacle, Jesus Christ, and the things of the spirit."

If you don't quite understand all of what was said or see how it relates, just read on and perhaps it will become more clear by the end of this study. Nevertheless, with that background in mind let us read how Jesus Christ responded with acute wisdom to the accusations of the Pharisees who just denounced the disciples for breaking the law regarding the sabbath day... which was that they were found to be working in the field on the day of rest!
Matthew 12:3 But He said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Christ often asked the question "Have ye you not read?" in responding to His accusers. In doing so they must give answer, even if it is solely to themselves in their own minds, which convicts them of having to admit that "yes", they have not read, or if they have it was without understanding, or they do know it to be true but simply refuse to submit to the truth.

Now notice that Jesus relates what has happened, i.e. His disciples going through the field plucking and eating the grain, to what David did in 1 Samuel 21 when he and his men were an hungered and they entered into the tabernacle and ate the shewbread!

[4] How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
You will find that the bread was taken off the shewbread table on the sabbath day and was carried to the house of the priest and divided among the priests. Again, Christ brings this forth this analogy for a good reason showing how David entered into the "tabernacle" (the temple was not yet built) which if you recall from Hebrews 9 was merely a shadow of the true tabernacle which is Christ. You "see", the priests not only worked on the Sabbath day, the priests also were to eat the shewbread. So where does that leave a disciple and laborer of Jesus Christ, a true Christian? Are not His elect both kings and priests? Rev. 1:6 "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
1 Samuel 21:5-6
And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
Therefore both David and his men were "undefiled" and working in the service of the Lord, as in they were laboring for Him.
[6] So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Remember that David was "anointed" and He was both a shepherd (priest) and a king. Not only that, there is NO OTHER BREAD for a true servant of the Lord than that which comes from His table and is sanctified in the tabernacle, i.e. is found in the Word of God! So you see, it IS lawful for priests to eat the shewbread on the sabbath day. So if you are a laborer and have come to Him and have learned of Him, then He will lead you his table and also give you rest (Ps. 23). This is really not difficult to understand, except for those who dwell in the "shadows" and have not come into His marvelous light. To that end, you can be sure the Pharisees didn't "get it"!

Now here is another teaching of Christ regarding the sabbath days!

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?
How do the priests profane the sabbath days in the temple? They WORK in the temple on the sabbath days! That's right! In fact, there were more sacrifices and therefore more work for the priests on the sabbaths than on any other day. That should give the wise a "good shadow" of the labor they shall do once they have entered into His rest! They cease from their own labor and begin to labor in his temple, the body of Christ.
[6] But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Again, the tabernacle, the temple and all that was in it was but a type and shadow of Him who was to come, Jesus Christ our high priest forever after the order of Melchisedek. In other words, the REAL temple, the true bread of life Himself, the true Sabbath (rest), was standing right there before their very eyes. But they knew Him not, neither did they have any understanding concerning His word, as the following verse documents.
[7] But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
If they had known that what all the sacrifices and days and ceremonies, etc. were for, which was to teach us and show us and bring us to the knowledge and love of Christ, then they would not have condemned the innocent. You see, your Father doesn't want burnt offerings nor for you to perform religious zippity-do-da trips around some altar. What He wants is for you to love Him and use good common sense!

Here is the verse Christ quoted from the great Book of Hosea, whose name means "salvation"!

Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
He wants you to "come to Him" in love and "learn of Him". And yet many today still think that Christianity is some sort of religion, a system of going to a tabernacle or church building, and keeping this day or that day, or doing this holy thing or performing that ritual. In doing so, they confirm by their actions that they do not understand that what our Father wants is our love, not burnt offerings. Again, Col. 2:10 states that we are complete in Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who as we have learned IS OUR SABBATH. In fact, IF you do not sabbath (rest) in Christ, you do not have nor do you keep the true Sabbath!
Matthew 12:8
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
The account in Mark precedes this same profound statement with the following verse.
Mark 2:27-28
And He said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
In other words, the sabbath was made for man in order to show man in a physical sense what "rest" is so he could relate it spiritually to our rest in Christ who is our Sabbath, our true rest! Why is this so difficult for some to understand? Again, it doesn't matter one iota what "day you keep" if you do not rest in Jesus Christ, for without Him you do not have rest!
[28] Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Understand that Jesus Christ is not only the true temple, He is also our Passover! Must you go out on the 10th day of the first month and find an unblemished lamb, then keep it until the 14th day and then kill it and eat it? Of course not, because Christ became our Passover just as He became our Sabbath. Get a certain "day" of the week out of your head (for we serve Him everyday) and elevate your thinking to the spiritual reality of Christ, because if you are in Him and you labor for Him, then you have already entered into that day, into the light, into His rest. You see, a day of the week can no more give you spiritual rest than one day a year (Passover) can atone for and blot out your sins. Only the real thing, Christ our Passover can forgive your sins and only Christ our Sabbath can give you rest! Again, that true rest and peace of mind can only be found by yoking yourself to Messiah and entering into the light and becoming a child of the DAY! Read 1 Thes. 5 and know that you are a child of light and your day doesn't change for you because you are always in the light, in Him. Therefore, Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath because He is our Sabbath. He is our REST.

Since this seems to be so difficult for so many people, let us go to Colossians chapter two and nail this down once and for all!

Paul writes:

Col. 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
You watch out for men, especially preachers and ministers who claim to be Christ's representatives! Search the scriptures and check out what they teach to see if it aligns with His Word, which is supreme over all!
[9] For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is all that you need... for if you have "seen" Him you have seen the Father (Jn. 4:46)! Therefore go to Him and learn of Him and tell the Father that you love Him.
[10] And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:
You are complete in Christ, the Word of God, NOT in any ordinance, ritual, ceremony, day of the week, position of the sun, etc., etc. So there is no need to pretend or play church!
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Circumcision is also not of the flesh, but of the heart (mind). (See Rom. 2:29.)
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

You are made alive (quickened) by Jesus Christ, the Word of God from the beginning who came to this earth and paid the price, fulfilling the witness of Him contained in the law and the prophets, all of which was a foreshadowing teaching us as a schoolmaster all about Him. Again, if you have been a Christian for some time now and you think you know Jesus Christ and yet you are ignorant of His Word, you are deceiving yourself and headed for a great fall when the false-christ, Satan, shows up.
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;
All blood sacrifices and ceremonial ritualisms involving days and sabbaths were nailed to the cross. Again, we no longer go out on the 10th day of the first month and find an unblemished lamb and keep it until the 14th day and then kill it and eat it. Why not? Because Christ was the fulfillment of that law and so He became the sacrifice once and for all and now IS our Passover! 1 Cor. 5:7 "... For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."
[15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
[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:
Religious hypocrites will judge you as the Pharisees did the disciples for being complete in Christ and not participating in the ritualistic keeping of certain days, etc. Do you need to follow man's traditions or be subject to the old ordinances or newly made ones instituted by man? Again, many say you must keep this day or that day in order to show yourself approved unto God. No, we keep Christ, the Word of God, who is our Passover, who is our Sabbath, who is our rest. Again, the ordinances of old were but "shadowings" of Christ who became those things and in whom we are COMPLETE (vs. 10)! Shadows are types, not the real thing!
[17]Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Again, if someone tells you that you must keep this ordinance or that day or perform this ritual, you know what... they are really not believers in Jesus Christ but have become "religious" in that they subject themselves and others to the yoke of bondage, to ordinances of old and/or the traditions of men.Think about it. The body, the true temple of God, is Jesus Christ and His many membered body!

Let us return to Matthew 12 where Christ has just finished explaining to the Pharisees that the Father does not want burnt offerings and sacrifices from His children. He wants them to turn to Him and love Him and learn of His ways. To that end, even the sabbath was made for man to teach him about God's love and the rest He will give all those who labor.

Matthew 12:9
And when He was departed thence, He went into their synagogue:
Next, we see what happens when the Word of God "goes forth" and enters into a church of play-actors and hypocrites.
[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.
The hand is used symbolically in scripture to symbolize "work" so the subject here is still "labor" and the "sabbath"! You "see", this man would be a laborer if it were not for his withered hand! Spiritually speaking, the Pharisees would in no wise heal a person that he or she might "labor and come unto Christ"! Got it? The fact of the matter is, the religious leaders of today... yes, those many preachers and teachers who come in Christ's name claiming to be His spokesmen and representatives, keep our people blind and lame and unable "to come unto Him" and to "learn of Him".

We see the real motive for these religious types in questioning Jesus Christ, the Word of God. It should be obvious that they ask not TO SEEK THE TRUTH but rather to find fault and make accusations that they may justify and perpetuate their own religious ordinances and traditions.

[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 lay hold on it, and lift it out?
They would save a sheep that has fallen into a pit on the sabbath day, but they will not "lay hold" to "lift out" one of His sheepfold who has "fallen into captivity"! In fact, they themselves are the ones who make blind and lame and wither the hands of His people that they are unable to labor and pluck and eat.

Note: Interestingly enough, this was not against their traditions at this time but they would shortly hereafter make it such.

[12] How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Make no mistake about it! It is lawful to "do well", to do the work of God in helping to lift up our brothers and sisters on the sabbath day, which is everyday for a laborer in Christ.
[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.
The man simply "stretched forth His hand" according to the command of Jesus Christ, and instantly his hand was made whole whereby he was now able to labor for Christ. That is all it takes for one who desires to become laborer and enter into His rest!

So... after seeing that miracle you would think that the Pharisees would be overjoyed at the wonderful works of God, wouldn't you? However, they were not in the least bit concerned about the welfare and healing of the people who they themselves have spiritually handicapped and kept in the pits. I mean, if you lift up the lame, and heal all the blind and diseased people, thereby setting them free in Christ, in the truth of His Word... then who would you have left to yourself to fill your own tabernacle and extract tithes and offerings from?

You "see", you can't have both a religion and Jesus Christ at the same time! One or the other must go! Unfortunately, it seems that "religious leaders" will always choose religion!  Therefore, the Truth must go!

[14] Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.
That's right! The religious Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus Christ the Word of God so that they could perpetuate their own traditions.And so it is with many groups today when the Word of God dares to enter into one of their churches and heals a small member, a withered hand, they criticize and council against that true Word of God and denounce those who labor and carry forth that Word.

John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

When you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you have got big, big problems!

If you recall from our last study, Jesus Christ had entered into the church of the Pharisees, which was their synagogue, their house, and proceeded to set one of His sheep free from the pit by healing a man's hand that had withered on the unfruitful vine. Matthew 12:9-10 "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." Now this miraculous healing from the Word of God Himself shall be the beginning of their house becoming divided. So, put on your eyes to see for understanding and picture in your mind's eye the following scene.

Matthew 12:14
Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.
The Pharisees have drawn their spiritual swords against Jesus Christ and are plotting to kill Him, though He has just performed a good and wonderful work right before their very eyes, even in their own house. Of course they did not view it in that "light"! They saw it as if He had just stolen one of their congregation from them, a sheep they had held captive by their own vain (empty) traditions of men. However, Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and to that end He is about to give them a witness they will never forget!

Watch and observe the wisdom and power of Messiah.

[15] But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all;
Christ withdrew Himself by walking out of their "house" (Hint: Satan's house!) and as He did He took all their goods with Him, i.e. their congregation followed Him right out the door! Of course this is not the vision that the carnal minded Pharisees saw walk out the door.

This will all be explained in a parable a few verses hence, but first notice that not only did great multitudes of people follow Jesus Christ as He departed from the synagogue, He healed all those who followed Him! Wow! You "see", they ALL needed (spiritually) healed after withering to the point of (spiritual) death in that "God forsaken" house!

Then He charged them not to make Him known, as in renown. In other words, He was not looking to "make a big splash" and be publicly exalted. Remember what we read of Him in Matthew 11:29 "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."

[16] And charged them that they should not make Him known:
Not only are the people witnessing the power of God as the Old Red Dragon is being kicked and bound (vs. 29) in his own house, but Messiah is fulfilling scripture and prophecy right before their eyes concerning the manner in which He is doing so! Take heed and observe from Messiah how to be wiser than the serpent!
[17] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
All the many prophecies that were fulfilled in and by Jesus Christ document without refute that Christ was indeed the Messiah. No other person could ever "fit the bill" as He did... like Ps. 22 or Zech. 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."

The next few verses are quoted from Isa. 42:1-4.

Matthew 12:18
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved (Son), in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Notice that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, comprising the triune Godhead, are all mentioned in this verse which is quoted from Isa. 42:1... which is in the Old Testament. Imagine that! You might also remember this verse from Matthew 3:17 at Jesus' baptism when a voice from heaven said "...This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Isaiah 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Justice in all the earth shall be executed in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3) at the second advent, which follows the witness and testimony of Jesus Christ that He gives with meekness and lowliness of heart... not contentiously, boisterously, or with vainglory.
Matthew 12:19
He shall not strive, nor cry (aloud); neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.
Isaiah 42:2
He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
He can be so loving and gentle that His touch will not even break a bruised reed and He can "trim a burning wick" without ousting the "light"!
Matthew 12:20
A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory.
Isaiah 42:3
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

[4] He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

Be ye likewise gentle and lovingly patient, not fainting nor growing weary, "till He have set judgment in the earth." Follow Christ's example in being wiser than the serpent for He has given us His power, His Spirit, His Word, to tread on snakes and scorpions and over ALL the power of the enemy! Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." This is true even if you are standing in the mist of Satan's camp for in Christ we have the victory!
[21] And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.
There is great purpose in the witness and testimony of Jesus Christ and His servants for God loves all of His children whether they be yellow, black, or white. They are all precious in His sight! To wit, Christ is also the hope of the gentiles!

So Jesus, now having perceived that the Pharisees were plotting to kill Him, walked out of their synagogue with a great multitude of people following Him and He healed them ALL.

Now notice what happened next.

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.
This is another wonderful and marvelous miracle showing the power of the Holy Spirit in that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, has power over the prince of darkness and all his evil spirits too! "And all the people were AMAZED" at what He had done (next verse)!
[23] And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
The people not only were in awe of His wondrous power to heal and cast out demonic spirits, they further recognized that this must be the Messiah, the son of David, the root and offspring of Jesse! In other words, there is no doubt that what is happening is of God! Now that is going to cause a real headache for the Pharisees! How in the world are these religious hypocrites and play actors going to explain this away!

Here's what they came up with...

[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 accused the Holy Spirit, the power of Almighty God, of being Satan's power, though they knew better! Unbelievable... or should I say unforgivable? Imagine after seeing His power and witnessing His wondrous works, they blatantly denied the power of the Holy Spirit and therefore Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by attributing His power to Satan himself!

But you see, here is the clincher! The Pharisees also just admitted that He did in fact cast out evil spirits which is a victory over Satan's kingdom!

Here is the wisdom with which Christ handled this and convicted them.

[25] And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Again, Jesus knew their evil thoughts and motives and He now exposes their evil hearts from which proceeds corrupt and evil fruit. We will learn and document from God's Word that these are kenites (sons of Cain) who are of their father the devil... who is the corrupt tree from which evil fruit is found.

So Christ has just made an irrefutable statement which has been true by observation since time immemorial, and that is that any kingdom or city or house which is divided against itself cannot stand! (Keep in mind what has transpired in that their house has just been divided!)

[26] And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
A king does not send his generals around to destroy his own troops, thereby causing the fall of his own kingdom! Truly this is unarguable in the simplicity of its logic! And you "see", Christ's works were CLEARLY destructive to Satan's kingdom to which they even admitted! In other words, they did not argue that He did good works and that He healed people and cast out evil spirits. Their argument was by whose POWER He did it... which they attributed to Beelzebub, the Lord of the Dunghill, i.e. Satan! Woe!
[27] And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Where's their power come from? Go ahead! Ask all these your children (those whom He had just healed) who has the power of God and let them be the judge of just how much power you have! You "see", though they pretended to have the power of God, the Pharisees and their disciples could not cast out demonic spirits, else they would have you'd think, but Christ did indeed cast them out in the sight of the people! Therefore who can demonstrate the real power of the Holy Spirit? Again, the Pharisees admitted that He cast out evil spirits and if that is something Satan would not do himself, to cast out his own troops to his own demise, then it must be that Christ did so by the Spirit of God! Thus, they are truly caught between a rock and a hard place here because their argument concerning Beelzebub will not hold up!
[28] But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
And it HAD come unto them! There was absolutely no other possibility or conclusion to be reached other than the UNDENIABLE fact that Jesus Christ cast out devils by the Spirit of God. The Pharisees therefore would have to admit that the kingdom of God, which is the King and His dominion, was right there among them. You must understand the importance of this in that their refusal to believe in Christ was not a matter of uncertainty or based on doubt or "unbelief" that He was the Messiah! They flat out willfully and knowingly, with their whole hearts and minds and souls, REJECTED and DENIED the Holy Spirit of God!

But wait, there's even more logic and proof declaring that Jesus Christ has the Spirit of God and the power over Satan!

[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.
This is precious indeed! For Christ did walk right into Satan's own house (their synagogue) and spoil (take) his goods from him, didn't He? This indeed was clear proof before their very eyes that He had "subdued" the power of the "strong man", Satan himself! To wit, Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God easily had the victory over Satan and the kingdom of darkness!  And naturally so... for Light always has the power over darkness.
[30] He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
And WOE be to those who work against the power of God to destroy His precious children, as in "scatter abroad" His sheep! This is serious business!When you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you have got big, big problems! To that end, in our next study we shall learn about the sin that is unforgivable!Don't miss it!

Do you know what the unpardonable sin is?

Many Christians worry that they might have already committed it because they are laden with guilt feelings or are ashamed because of some sin or sins they may have committed... such as committing adultery. However, in today's study we are going to learn that the only sin which shall not be forgiven unto men (anthropos) has nothing to do with your falling short in the flesh, nor is it even possible to commit at this present time.

To that end and in order to prepare our minds for understanding exactly what the unpardonable sin is, let us go to the Word of God and learn about the first one who committed the unforgivable sin. His name was Lucifer and although it happened in the "world that then was (2 Pet. 3:6)" when man was not in the flesh, keep in mind that there is "nothing new under the sun" and just as he was judged and consequently sentenced to be hewn down as a "corrupt tree" to be cast into and perish in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium, so shall those who follow in his footsteps by becoming corrupt trees themselves, likewise be sentenced to perish and be cast right along with him into that lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).

We begin in the 28th chapter of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 28:12
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
A lamentation is a sad song or sad story which this one indeed is, for it is about Satan, the fallen one, who is referred to here in Ezekiel 28 as the king of "Tyrus" which means "rock" in Hebrew. You see, Satan is the fake little rock, the false messiah, the abominable one, and NOT our Rock who is Jesus Christ the Living Word of God! "For their rock is not as our Rock... (Deut. 32:31)."

Now notice the status of this one among the children of God.

[13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
This verse documents that we are not talking about an earthly king but rather Satan, that old serpent from beginning who was in the garden of God. But notice that "every precious stone was his covering" which means that Satan wore the breastplate of a priest with the same exact stones as those of the Levitical Priesthood in Ex. 28. Check it out yourself. This is crucial to our understanding of the unpardonable sin for Satan was once "enlightened" and knew the truth of God's Word which at first he upheld in righteousness!

In other words, he was a priest of God, one who was anointed by God (next verse) to cover (guard) the mercy seat by upholding and maintaining our Father's truth and justice!

Ezekiel 28:14
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Again, Satan was in a high position of trust and responsibility and he once walked straight up and down, not to and fro, in the midst of the stones of fire, the children of God. In other words, he was perfect in following the ways of God... until his heart (mind) was lifted up which means he exalted himself!
[15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Satan began to exalt himself (Isa. 14) and as a result he became as a corrupt tree bearing bad fruit. Isaiah 14:13 "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north."

It was not just that iniquity was found in him, but that he "sinned", he "missed the mark", which is "chata" in Hebrew.

[16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence [i.e. corruption], and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Here is the definition of the Hebrew word "chata" translated "sinned":
sinned = chat*a', khaw-taw', Hebrew 2398; a primitive root; properly to miss; hence (figurative and general) to sin; by inferance to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causative) lead astray, condemn :- bear the blame, cleanse, commit [sin], by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend (-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin (-ful, -ness), trespass.
You see,the unpardonable sin that Satan committed in the first earth age that caused God to sentenced him to eternal "death" was to purposely and defiantly lead astray (chata) one third of God's children (Rev. 12:4), as in draw them away from His mercy seat of truth and justice and set himself up as the one with power and authority over the people and nations!
[17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Satan corrupted God's ways (His wisdom) and substituted his own wisdom, which is really antiwisdom.
[18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Satan has been sentenced to "perish" in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:10). That is why he is called the "son of perdition" in 2 Thes. 2 because he is the son who will perish. In fact, you will find his name is Apollyon in Rev. 9:11 which comes from the Greek word "apollumi" which means to "destroy fully".
[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
So you see, Satan was the first to commit the unpardonable sin and for that he shall be destroyed fully so that "never shall he be any more".

We also find this same knowledge of Satan as the corrupt tree, the Assyrian, "te-ashshur*" (box-tree), of Ezek. 31:3 who led astray and deceived all great nations in the first earth age and caused them all to dwell under his shadow (of darkness).

Ezekiel 31:3
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.
Trees are used symbolically throughout God's Word to represent men, even from the beginning in the garden. And this same "tree" who bore corrupt fruit in the first earth age, likewise bore corrupt fruit in this one... and by the way, the corrupt fruit was not an apple!

* See note in the Companion Bible, page 1150.

[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 the 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.

His influence branched out worldwide and became a "new world order". Again, their is nothing new under the sun.
[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 shadow dwelt all great nations.
My, that's a mighty big "tree" if all great nations can dwell under it, wouldn't you say?
[7] Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
"Waters" are also symbolic of people. Rev. 17:15 "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
[8] The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
Remember from Ezek. 28:17 that it was because of his beauty that he was lifted up and became a corrupt tree!
[9] I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
You will find that this good-for-nothing self-exalted "tree" will be hewn down and cast into the lake of fire as are all worthless trees that bear bad fruit. Again, trees are symbolic of people for actual trees cannot envy each other, can they? Nor do they have any knowledge of good and evil as did the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" that was "in the midst of the garden of God"... you know... the one that bore corrupt fruit! It is just that some people are little slow in understanding the simple analogies and figures of speech that the Holy Spirit uses to teach us.

Nevertheless, Satan willingly and unrepentantly committed sin (chata) for which there is no pardon by standing against the Holy Spirit of God and denying truth and justice to flow through him. You "see", he chose of his own free will rather to lead astray God's precious children. So with that knowledge and background in mind concerning the first unpardonable sin, and knowing that there is nothing new under the sun (i.e. in this flesh age), we are ready to return to Matthew and learn what "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is", for it is the only sin which shall not be forgiven unto men in this flesh age!

First however, you may recall from our last study that Jesus Christ revealed His power and His Spirit unto the Pharisees who not only witnessed His good works but even admitted that they were good works when they said that He did cast out evil spirits. However, rather than joining with Him and acknowledging the power of the Holy Spirit of God to overpower Satan's house, his evil empire, and "rescue the sheep from the pit", i.e. free the people from the evil one, they chose to willfully and purposely, because of the evil in their hearts (minds), stand against Him and deny His power and authority by actively accusing Him before the people of casting out evil spirits by the power of Beelzebub, one of Satan's names which means Lord of the Dunghill (how fitting). In other words, they attributed the good fruit He produced of coming from the "evil tree", of being produced by Satan himself, so that they could maintain their own self-exaltation, i.e. their power and authority over God's children, and keep them in bondage to their traditions of men, keeping also the children's hands withered that they might not be able to stretch forth and be healed and labor for the Lord!  Remember also that Jesus Christ "knew their thoughts", i.e. what was in their hearts, and they had become unrepentant corrupt trees which could only bear corrupt fruit!

Matthew 12:25
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
We learned in Matthew 7:9 that there is only one thing to do with a corrupt heart (Mat. 12:35) which is a corrupt tree (Mat. 7:18) that bears bad fruit: Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
 
Matthew 12:30
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Christ is talking about "laborers", not the "sheep" who are those who have fallen in the pit of deception by the wayside. You see, he "that is not with Christ" is one who is not yoked with Him... overcoming Satan and his evil spirits by the power of God and laboring with Christ to gather in the harvest! In other words, Christ is the Good Shepherd who gathers the sheep to himself, even "doing good" and lifting them out of the (Satan's) pit on the sabbath day as we read in Mat. 12:11. But you see, there is enmity (Gen. 3:15) between Christ and His laborers and Satan and his laborers who work and labor against Jesus Christ and the truth of His Holy Word. They are likened by Christ in the gospel of John to wolves who catch the sheep and scatter the sheep, i.e. lead them away from the true Shepherd!
John 10:12
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
So as a laborer, you are either with Christ or you are against Him.
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.
Upon repentance and belief in Him, ALL manner of sin and injurious words in this flesh age shall be forgiven unto men... except one, and that is "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit". Again, as a laborer, one who gathers in the harvest" are you "with Him" or "against Him"? In other words, "What kind of a tree are you?" You see, "trees" are not like "grass" for trees bear fruit, hopefully good fruit... spiritually speaking!

Let us look at the Greek word for "blasphemy" which is the act of being "blasphemous".

blasphemy = G988 e?mia blas-fay-me'-ah
From G989; vilification (especially against God): - blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.
blasphemous = G989 blasphemos blas'-fay-mos
From a derivative of G984 and G5345; scurrilous, that is, calumnious (against man), or (specifically) impious (against God): - blasphemer (-mous), railing.
"Calumnious" is the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to damage another's reputation (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary). Now notice the root words "blapto" and "pheme" from which blasphemous is derived.
blapto = G984 ??????? blapto blap'-to
A primary verb; properly to hinder, that is, (by implication) to injure: - hurt.
This is the key to understanding what blaspheme is. To deny and to willfully and purposely "hinder" is to stand against the Holy Spirit by denying the Holy Spirit and falsely teaching others, rumoring and claiming that His works are of Satan.
against = G5345 ????? pheme fay'-may
From G5346; a saying, that is, rumor (“fame”): - fame.
However, the time of the witness spoken of in Mark 13:11 has not yet come, and even then few people in this flesh age will even be in a position whereby they are able to commit the unforgivable sin. A word to the wise is sufficient.
[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.
In the light of His Spirit and with full knowledge of the presence of His power, for one to deny Him and teach against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven Him. You see, there is no sacrifice greater than that of Yeshua Messiah and if you "willfully" stand against Him, there is no atonement left for you! Think about it!

Again, what was the example set forth in Matthew 12? The Pharisees, the spiritual leaders, refused to teach the people the truth that the Tree of Life was present before them, that the Kingdom of God had come, and having seen and witnessed His power they stood right before Jesus Christ and knowingly and publicly denied His Spirit and taught others that His power was of Satan! That constitutes blaspheme against the Holy Spirit! Here it is:

[30] Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
Yes, they taught a boldfaced lie to the people, knowing in their HEARTS (Jesus knew their thoughts) that is was NOT the truth! In other words, they purposely and calumniously brought forth bad fruit, because of the evil in their hearts (minds)... because they were corrupt "trees".
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.
You "see", Jesus Christ had just produced "good fruit", even on the sabbath day, and by casting out Satan's demonics by the power of the Holy Spirit. Knowing therefore that it was good fruit, even as the Pharisees admitted and were convicted of it by Jesus Christ the Word of God, they refused to declare it to be so... i.e. to be a stand-up tree with Christ and declare it to be good fruit from the Tree of Life.

So if we were to ask the question, "Who can commit such an unforgivable sin?" The answer would be "trees"! Again, a word to the wise is sufficient. To that end, let's go back to Matthew 7 and review verses 15 to 20.

Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
The subject is false prophets who are those wolves of John 10:12 who look like shepherds but rather than gather the flock to Him, they "scattereth the sheep" with their traditions of men. Take heed for they are likened unto corrupt trees which produce corrupt fruit.
[16] Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
This analogy is simple, basic, and natural! You "see", one can easily tell the difference between a good tree and a bad tree by the fruit which is produced by the tree. To wit, if you walk up and pluck and orange from a branch, then without even seeing the trunk you know that it came from an orange tree and not a thistle... right?
[17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
All one has to do is check out the fruit.
[18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
This is the "heart" of the matter! Once a tree has become corrupt it is therefore good for nothing and must be gotten rid of.
[19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Their is no forgiveness for a corrupt tree that is incapable of producing anything other than corrupt fruit. It shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
[20] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
So take heed and understand the warning Christ has for the bad figs who are the kenites, the sons of Cain, and even to those teachers who are filled with their "leaven of hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1).
Matthew 12:34
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Jesus is talking directly to the kenites (vs. 25), the offspring (generation) of Kayin (Cain) who was the offspring of the viper (serpent) in the garden, who was and is the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" which bears bad fruit. How can one preach good things that bear good fruit for the harvest if one has an evil heart? He can't for his words are full of poisonous venom.
generation = gennema, ghen'-nay-mah, Greek 1081; from Greek 1080 (gennao); offspring; by analogy produce (literal or figurative) :- fruit, generation.
vipers = echidna, ekh'-id-nah, Greek 2191; of uncertain origin; an adder or other poisonous snake (literal or figurative) :- viper.
[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.
This is what the parable of good trees and corrupt trees is all about. Remember from Mat. 12:25 that Jesus "knew their thoughts", i.e. what was in their hearts!
[36] But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
This is serious business! God does not take lightly those who willfully work against Him by misleading and misguiding His children. You see, an "idle word" is not some harmless trivia like the joke of the day or what we call small talk or idle chat. Remember Christ is and has been addressing the kenites and talking about "fruit bearing" which comes from "speaking" which would better be translated "preaching"! Here is the definition of "idle" which comes from the Greek word "ergon" which means to work or labor.
idle = argos, ar-gos', Greek 692; from Greek 1 (a) (as a negative particle) and Greek 2041 (ergon); inactive, i.e. unemployed; (by implication) lazy, useless :- barren, idle, slow.

ergon, er'-gon, Greek 2041; from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act :- deed, doing, labour, work.

speak = laleo, lal-eh'-o, Greek 2980; a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. utter words :- preach, say, speak (after), talk, tell, utter. Compare Greek 3004 (lego).

Be careful what you preach my friend, for you SHALL be recompensed accordingly!
[37] For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
In other words, by your "words spoken", which is the doctrine you teach, you shall either be found just or condemned, a good tree bearing good fruit or a corrupt tree bearing evil fruit. Therefore you better make sure you teach and preach His words and do not work against Him for the time is coming when the Holy Spirit shall give witness and testimony... which is that hour when the unpardonable sin can be committed. We can read about it in Luke 12:8-12.
Luke 12:8
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
The time of that "confessing" before men is given to us in verses 11 and 12 below! (Look up "confess" for yourself in Strong's Concordance.)
[9] But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Here is Strong's definition of "denieth" which at this point needs no further explanation:
denieth = arneomai, ar-neh'-om-ahee, Greek 720; perhaps from Greek 1 (a) (as a negative particle) and the middle of Greek 4483 (rheo); to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate :- deny, refuse.
[10] And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Go ahead and deny the Spirit of God the opportunity to speak the truth through you! Go ahead and rather teach lies unto the people knowing full well you are standing against the Holy Spirit and attributing His good works to evil! Go ahead and see where it gets you! Take heed and "Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt".

However, if your heart is pure and you are a true servant of God, then you need take no anxious thought nor premeditate what you shall say when you are delivered up, for as it is written the Holy Spirit shall speak through you as He did those on that first Pentecost Day following the resurrection.

[11] And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
This gives us the time frame when it is possible to commit the unpardonable sin. It is when Satan is here defacto and God's elect are delivered up, at which time the Holy Spirit shall come upon them (as on that first Pentecost day in Acts 2) to give His witness and His testimony before men. Should one choose at that time to stand against and deny His Spirit before men, declaring the fruit of the good tree to be of the corrupt one, it shall constitute blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

The point is, stay in His Word and be filled with His Spirit and then there is no need to be anxious nor even think about what you will say at the time of the delivering up, for as He promised those who stand with Him, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

[12] For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Again, it is during that "same hour" when Satan is here, the hour of temptation when the Holy Spirit shall also be present and evident before men, that the unforgivable sin can be committed.

Until then, stay yoked with Him and focused in His Word. Remain steadfast as a faithful laborer with Christ until the end of this age and He shall indeed confess your name before the angels.

Thank you Father for your Word!

What part of three days and three nights don't our church leaders understand?

There is so much precious truth and wisdom contained in the Word of God that if one will only take the time with "opened eyes and ears" to go to His Word (open the Book,Yes, the little one laying there on the coffee table) and ask and seek and knock, then the door to spiritual riches beyond compare to any material riches "under the sun" shall be opened unto him. In fact, one can find eternal life and peace and happiness contained therein! John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think [means to know] ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

However, some would rather play church and rather than search the scriptures which testify of Him, building their foundation of faith upon the Rock, they choose rather to seek other things as evidence to testify of Him, like sideshows and signs and wonders.

Therefore consider the following scripture which begins today's study:

Matthew 12:38
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
The incredible part of all this is... that standing right before their very eyes was the One foretold of by the prophets, the Messiah, "Emmanuel" which means "God with us", and they knew Him not!

Stop and think about it a moment! Think about the fact that they had "in their midst" the "Tree of Life", the Living Word of God, yet even after seeing His power whereby people were healed and demonic spirits were cast out they still would not open their ears to "hear Him" and believe His words.

Well I suppose as wise old Solomon (mentioned by Christ later in this chapter) said, there is nothing new under the sun, for many people today have the written Word of God "in their midst" and yet they likewise will not open their ears to "hear Him" and believe His words!  No, they would much rather listen to men and follow vain religious traditions which make void the Word of God.

Nevertheless, these "certain scribes and Pharisees", no doubt the same "generation of vipers", i.e. kenites, that He has been addressing, answered Christ by tempting Him (Luke 11:16) and challenging Him both as a "Master" (teacher of the law) and as one whose power and authority comes from God. As the saying goes, "Like father, like son", for their father the devil (Jn. 8:44) did tempt Christ after the same manner in Matthew 4:6 at which time "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Mat. 4:7).

Of course those who possess wisdom concerning "good trees" and "corrupt trees" as per our earlier study, know that a "sign" would not satisfy the unbelief of these "certain scribes and Pharisees" which stems from an unrepentant and idolatrous heart.

Here is what Jesus said to the gathered crowd concerning their demand for a sign:

[39] But He answered and said unto them, 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:
The prophet Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites as Luke 19:30 declares, as well as a type and forerunner of the ministry of Christ. You "see", Jonah as a type of Christ was willing to die to save his brothers and sisters of the House of Israel from the onslaught of the Assyrians, who were a type and forerunner of the false-christ and his locust army to come upon God's people in this final generation.

And so it came to pass that Jonah, whose name means "Dove" which is used symbolically of the Holy Spirit, did die and was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights and was then vomited up on the shore to bring salvation to the gentiles, even the Assyrians! And guess what? When Jonah preached unto them they did repent*!

* It should be noted that the Assyrians worshipped Dagon, the "fish god", so when the people saw and/or heard that their god brought forth Jonah alive from its mouth, they took heed and "heard Jonah's words" and did repent. In other words, in their minds they believed Jonah was sent from God, and He was, just as Christ was sent from God!

Therefore as Jonah was sign unto the Ninevites, so likewise it would come to pass that the Son of God would be brought forth out the heart of the earth after three days and three nights and bring salvation to the gentiles... to "whosoever will".



Editors Note: That is three full days and three full nightsI guess most of us Christians aren't searching the scriptures very well, are we?  The last I knew Good Friday to Easter Sunday isn't three full days and nights!  No, we'ed sooner  follow a vain religious tradition!  See pamphlets  #1071 & #7014

[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.
Christ quoted this from Jonah 1:17 giving credentials to the Book of Jonah as representative of His ministry.

Now the "Master" gives them a witness and a Bible lesson!

[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.
Imagine that! What an indictment against that generation to show that the heathen Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah while these hardened religious hypocrites would not heed nor repent at the preaching of One greater that Jonah, Messiah Himself!

And not only would they not repent, they had no desire to seek His wisdom, the wisdom from the Living Word of God who was standing right there before their very eyes! Compare that to the following testimony of the Queen of Sheba.

[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.
Again, the entire embodiment of all wisdom, the Living Word of God, was standing right before them and yet they sought NOT after that wisdom! How about you? Do you seek wisdom from the Word of God and if so, to what length are you willing to go to seek and find that wisdom? The Queen of Sheba "heard" about the wisdom God had bestowed upon Solomon and she traveled from the far south (from the utmost parts of the earth, Luke 11:31) bringing great riches and spices and precious stones in exchange for having the opportunity to speak with Solomon and hear his wisdom and "commune with him of all that was in her heart". How precious indeed is that wisdom, the Word of God!
1 Kings 10:1-2
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. [2] And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
What an example this heathen queen was for all the world to see, even for those hardened scribes and Pharisees. It is certainly a tribute to her enthusiasm and heartfelt desire to seek wisdom and truth and justice and for that she was not in the least bit disappointed. In fact, she was filled with awe at the wisdom God had given Solomon for it far exceeded her expectations. You "see", that is precisely how the rich wisdom from the Word of God is to those who seek it. It becomes more precious than any material wealth this world has to offer. Proverbs 3:13-15 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. [14] For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. [15] She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her."Of course it goes without saying that rubies and fine gold do not lie in an open field for the lazy and non-laborers to gather and possess. One must seek and dig for fine gold and stones that are precious.To wit, if you seek and dig into His Word you shall find exceeding wealth and treasures that will make you spiritually rich beyond measure, even giving you eternal life. A word to the wise is sufficient.
1 Kings 10:7
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
The Queen of Sheba blessed and gave thanks and praise unto the LORD God for that which she had received and then gave graciously and liberally of her gold and silver and presented to the king more abundance of spices than anyone ever had before!
1 Kings 10:8-10
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. [9] Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. [10] And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
All this is in contrast to these cold hearted and hypocritical Pharisees who seek not wisdom from God but actually labor to destroy that wisdom and snuff it out by covering up the light of truth. That is why Christ used the common sense analogy in the like account in Luke 11:33-36 concerning "light" in which He pointed out that one doesn't light a candle and then try to hide it or place it under a bushel where no one can see it."No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. [34] The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. [35]Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. [36] If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."


Note: It comes as a surprise to many folks to learn that it is actually typical of church systems, though they even call themselves Christian, to cover-up and hide the truth of God's Word from the people and substitute their own form of worship and traditions instead! If you think that is not a true statement then perhaps you should obtain a copy of the letter that the translators of the 1611 King James wrote to the English reader!

Chances are you are not even aware that they wrote it because the "light snuffers" have had it removed from the publications of most Bibles... which only gives further witness to the darkness of their motives!

Here is just one excerpt from that letter (emphasis ours):

"Now the Church of Rome would seem at the length to bear a motherly affection towards her children, and to allow them the Scriptures in their mother tongue: but indeed it is a gift, not deserving to be called a gift, an unprofitable gift: [Sophecles] they must first get a License in writing before they may use them, and to get that, they must approve themselves to their Confessor, that is, to be such as are, if not frozen in the dregs, yet soured with the leaven of their superstition. Howbeit, it seemed too much to Clement the Eighth that there should be any License granted to have them in the vulgar tongue, and therefore he overruleth and frustrateth the grant of Pius the Fourth. [See the observation (set forth by Clemen. His authority) upon the 4. rule of Pius the 4. his making in the index, lib. prohib. pag. 15. ver. 5.] So much are they afraid of the light of the Scripture, (Lucifugae Scripturarum, as Tertulian speaketh) that they will not trust the people with it, no not as it is set forth by their own sworn men, no not with the License of their own Bishops and Inquisitors. Yea, so unwilling they are to communicate the Scriptures to the people's understanding in any sort, that they are not ashamed to confess, thatwe forced them to translate it into English against their wills. This seemeth to argue a bad cause, or a bad conscience, or both. Sure we are, that it is not he that hath good gold, that is afraid to bring it to the touchstone, but he that hath the counterfeit; [Tertul. de resur. carnis.] neither is it the true man that shunneth the light, but the malefactor, lest his deeds should be reproved [John 3:20]: neither is it the plain dealing Merchant that is unwilling to have the weights, or the meteyard brought in place, but he that useth deceit. But we will let them alone for this fault, and return to translation."
Therein lies the understanding of why the period preceding the Renaissance is called the "Dark Ages"! Satan tried to snuff out the "Lucifugae Scripturarum", the Light of Scripture. That's right the hypocritical religionists stuffed the light of truth under a bushel just as these certain scribes and Pharisees Christ is addressing also wished to do.

You "see", if one goes to the Word of God and is enlightened by the Tree of Life, then he or she will discover that there is only one High Priest and there is only one Mediator between God and man and that One is Jesus Christ. The truth will then sent that person free of the captivity of religion and men's traditions (as a sheep lifted out of the pit) and their blind eyes shall be opened and their withered hands will be made whole whereby they can labor for Him.



Now let's learn a lesson by analogy from the Master Teacher concerning the final generation.
Matthew 12:43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Do not make this mysterious nor complicated for Christ's personification of unclean spirits is really quite simple. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it may be gone for awhile but you can rest assured it will return and try to move back home! Religious leaders tell people to clean up their act and become good Christians, but without taking in the light from His Word the darkness that left them shall return.
[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.
If one cleans up his or her house and does not invite Christ, the Word of God, to dwell therein, then there will be no strong man there to protect it, or you could use Paul's analogy and say there is no armor of protection against evil spirits (Eph. 6). You "see", Christ has given His servants His power, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, to tread on serpents and scorpions thereby making the evil spirits subject unto His servants! Luke 10:19-20 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. [20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Understand, it is not your power they are subject to but rather His power, the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in your house!

However, if your house (mind) remains empty and swept and garnished, then you are inviting in more trouble than you started with!

[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 used the two states of this man, i.e. the former and the latter, to show us that because of the religious process of cleaning and sweeping and garnishing without taking in the Word of God, the spiritual wickedness of the final generation which shall be present just before the "rising of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba" shall be seven fold more spiritually wicked than the former. Those who have sought and found the wisdom Rev. 13:18 know that the spiritual wickedness of the house of Cain and those who have joined with that house have brought it to pass. As it is written, Babylon (meaning "confusion") the great shall become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and cage of every unclean and hateful bird!
Rev. 18:2
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
How can one escape from such confusion and religious captivity? Been paying attention to Christ's teaching? Repent at the hearing of the One greater than Jonah and diligently seek the precious wisdom of the One greater than Solomon to "commune with Him all that is in you heart". Then shall He dwell with you and you with Him and you shall be part of the family... the loving family of God. Let the Word of God explain it...
Matthew 12:46
While He yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him.
Do you seek and desire to commune with Christ, the Word of God? You must then go to Him and He will teach you wisdom.
[47] Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
His brethren (adelphos) and his mother "stood without", which means to stand outside of doors, and desired (did seek) to speak with Him! Christ will now use this as an analogy to teach "whosoever will" how to enter in at the door and become part of the family of God.
[48] But He answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
Who are those of the family of God?
[49] And He stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
His disciples, which means "students, disciplined in His Word" are the brotherhood, the beautiful family of God. And who can be a disciple of Christ? Anyone (whosoever as the next verse shows, even a kenite) who is willing to "hear His voice" (and repent like the Ninevites) and then "seek His wisdom" (with the hunger and thirst of the Queen of Sheba) can be part of the family of God.
[50] For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
The Father's will is His Word. If you love Him you will be a doer of it! John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Then shall your lamps be full of oil and your "house" shall be blessed with the seven spirits of God (Rev. 5:12 & 7:12) instead of the seven spirits of Satan!

In our next study we are going to begin the great 13th chapter of Matthew wherein is contained a parable that Christ said must be understood if one is to have the wisdom to understand any of His parables!

How truly precious is the Word of God and we plan to do some digging!

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.

We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.



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