This year we have been covering The Gospel According to Matthew. We have covered the first twenty-six chapters of Matthew. The last three months have each resulted in a record high number of visits to this blog. Again, thank you to all who have contributed to the discussion in the comments section making this blog unique!
Before we look at a very brief summary of Matthew chapter 26, let's put this chapter in context...
We have seen one way to look at Matthew is according to the five-fold ministry...
Matthew chapters 1-4 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Apostle. He began the Ultimate Ministry.
Matthew chapters 5-7 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Teacher. We have seen Jesus did NOT stray from the blatant doctrine He presented during these three chapters.
Matthew chapters 8-15 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Evangelist. The masses were drawn to Him.
Matthew chapters 16-25 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Prophet. He prepared His disciples for His departure.
Matthew chapter 26 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Pastor. He had taken care of His Flock and they were ready to become pastors themselves.
From the beginning of this year's Series, we stated EVERYONE referred to Jesus as Rabbi. He was training twelve students to become Rabbi's. Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering...which means the time when the disciples would "graduate" was also nearing.
(One of the thoughts behind Peter being sifted as wheat is that this was necessary in order to complete Peter's training towards becoming the leader of the disciples after Jesus left. We saw the sifting caused Peter to lose everything that would hinder him from being all God created him to be.)
SUMMARY MATTHEW CHAPTER 26
Matthew 26:1-5: Jesus prophecied about His crucifixion.
Matthew 26:6-16: Jesus taught and prophesied about His death when the woman poured the expensive ointment upon His head.
Matthew 26:17-30: Jesus presided over the Last Supper...which we have called the First New Testament Church Service.
Matthew 26:31-35: Jesus referred to Himself, through prophecy, as the Shepherd. Jesus prophecied Peter would deny Him when Peter said he would never be offended...which began the sifting process.
Matthew 26:36-46: Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:47-56: Jesus was betrayed into the hands of the elders Torah teachers.
Matthew 26:57-68: Jesus' mock trial before the Sanhedrin
Matthew 26:69-75: Peter's denial of Christ...the sifting process was completed.
On Monday, we will begin Matthew chapter 27...
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Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Matthew 26:69-75
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we covered Matthew 26:57-68. Here is the summary:
The religious leaders of Jesus' time did NOT know the difference between TRUTH and FACTS. They were comparative and sounded the same as the unclean spirits from Mark 5.
The result is they condemned Jesus to death BECAUSE of a TRUTH He spoke...and they OPENLY mocked and PHYSICALLY Abused Him.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:69-75
"69 Now Peter was sitting without in the court:.."
(This isn't the entire verse. I wanted to pause at this point to reference the Series titled, "Seven Steps in the Sifting Process".)
(In that Series, we called what Peter did here: "Step Five: Sitting Idle. In yesterday's post, we saw Jesus was getting Physically Abused...and Peter sat idle.)
(Now we can look at the entire verse...)
"69 Now Peter was sitting without in the court: and a maid came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus the Galilaean.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and saith unto them that were there, This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I know not the man."
(During Peter's first denial, he used the excuse he didn't understand what the person was talking about. During the second denial, Peter stated he didn't know Jesus. This is Step Six: Denial of God. While this is bad, there is still one more step to the sifting process...)
"73 And after a little while they that stood by came and said to Peter, Of a truth thou also art one of them; for thy speech maketh thee known.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, I know not the man. And straightway the cock crew."
(Peter's way of speaking proved he was one of Jesus' followers...so Peter changed his speech to the OPPOSITE: cursing and swearing (to God) that he did NOT know Jesus. This is the Seventh (and final) Step: Deliberate Sin.)
"75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."
(Peter did all seven steps to the sifting process. Peter fulfilled the prophecy Jesus stated to him. Once Peter became aware of this fact, he LEFT! This is Good! We have seen, Peter had been LUKEWARM ever since Step Four: Getting Offended. Even though Step Seven is COLD, Jesus stated in Revelation He would rather we were HOT or COLD...so He can get involved in our lives through Justice. Being LUKEWARM hinders God from moving in your life!)
(Some people teach Jesus meant that HOT and COLD were both Good in and of themselves. If they were, then Jesus stated something that was obvious and didn't need to be stated...especially in a book with the word "Revelation" in its title!)
("14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Revelation 3:14-16)
(The root words for HOT and COLD in Revelation 3:15 mean "going towards..." God would rather us walk towards Him (HOT) or walk away from Him (COLD) because He can help us either way. Being LUKEWARM is doing NOTHING...and God can't JUSTLY respond to us when we don't state our will either HOT or COLD.)
SUMMARY
Jesus' prophecy concerning Peter's denial came to pass. Peter completed the seven steps of the sifting process. He left and wept bitterly.
Tomorrow, we will summarize Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
The religious leaders of Jesus' time did NOT know the difference between TRUTH and FACTS. They were comparative and sounded the same as the unclean spirits from Mark 5.
The result is they condemned Jesus to death BECAUSE of a TRUTH He spoke...and they OPENLY mocked and PHYSICALLY Abused Him.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:69-75
"69 Now Peter was sitting without in the court:.."
(This isn't the entire verse. I wanted to pause at this point to reference the Series titled, "Seven Steps in the Sifting Process".)
(In that Series, we called what Peter did here: "Step Five: Sitting Idle. In yesterday's post, we saw Jesus was getting Physically Abused...and Peter sat idle.)
(Now we can look at the entire verse...)
"69 Now Peter was sitting without in the court: and a maid came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus the Galilaean.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and saith unto them that were there, This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I know not the man."
(During Peter's first denial, he used the excuse he didn't understand what the person was talking about. During the second denial, Peter stated he didn't know Jesus. This is Step Six: Denial of God. While this is bad, there is still one more step to the sifting process...)
"73 And after a little while they that stood by came and said to Peter, Of a truth thou also art one of them; for thy speech maketh thee known.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, I know not the man. And straightway the cock crew."
(Peter's way of speaking proved he was one of Jesus' followers...so Peter changed his speech to the OPPOSITE: cursing and swearing (to God) that he did NOT know Jesus. This is the Seventh (and final) Step: Deliberate Sin.)
"75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."
(Peter did all seven steps to the sifting process. Peter fulfilled the prophecy Jesus stated to him. Once Peter became aware of this fact, he LEFT! This is Good! We have seen, Peter had been LUKEWARM ever since Step Four: Getting Offended. Even though Step Seven is COLD, Jesus stated in Revelation He would rather we were HOT or COLD...so He can get involved in our lives through Justice. Being LUKEWARM hinders God from moving in your life!)
(Some people teach Jesus meant that HOT and COLD were both Good in and of themselves. If they were, then Jesus stated something that was obvious and didn't need to be stated...especially in a book with the word "Revelation" in its title!)
("14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Revelation 3:14-16)
(The root words for HOT and COLD in Revelation 3:15 mean "going towards..." God would rather us walk towards Him (HOT) or walk away from Him (COLD) because He can help us either way. Being LUKEWARM is doing NOTHING...and God can't JUSTLY respond to us when we don't state our will either HOT or COLD.)
SUMMARY
Jesus' prophecy concerning Peter's denial came to pass. Peter completed the seven steps of the sifting process. He left and wept bitterly.
Tomorrow, we will summarize Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Matthew 26:57-68
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we covered Matthew 26:47-56. Here is the summary:
Judas betrayed Jesus and experienced the greatest possible Judgment from sinning against a person.
Jesus intentionally chose NOT to respond in a Physical fashion. He even gave Reasons and an Example. This was contrasted with the religious leaders' example.
The disciples' Physical response to these Spiritual events was: ALL of them left Jesus and fled...even though they had stated less than two hours before that they would NEVER leave Jesus...even if it meant their death!
Today, we will continue looking at Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:57-68
"57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.
58 But Peter followed him afar off, unto the court of the high priest, and entered in, and sat with the officers, to see the end."
(The Torah teachers and elders were ALREADY waiting for Jesus to be brought to them for their mock trial! The Bible did NOT give all the steps, but I believe we can see that Judas' leaving the Last Supper led to people being assembled...and it took about 2 hours...the time Jesus spent in the garden of Gethsemane.)
(Verse 58 stated: Peter followed to see the end. So far, Peter had NOT seen ANYTHING through to the end. This must have meant something else...)
(During the Seven Steps of the Sifting Process Series, we called this Step Four. Here is an excerpt:
Fourth Step in sifting process: Simon got his feelings hurt...he got "offended".
Simon followed "afar off"...notice, if he was done with Jesus he would be gone. If he was supporting Jesus, he would be in the middle of everything...participating. Instead, he is following afar off...to see the end...almost as if to say, "If you don't want to do this my way, let's see how you handle it.")
"59 Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death;
60 and they found it not, though many false witnesses came. But afterward came two,
61 and said, This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62 And the high priest stood up, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?"
(The whole council is known as the Sanhedrin...the 71 member council that acted as the Supreme Court for the nation of Israel. The president of the Sanhedrin represented the nation before the Romans.)
(The Supreme Court was so corrupt at this point in history, they openly sought false witnesses! The openly sought to break God's Law! They had put their own traditions and culture above God's Doctrine...is this happening today?)
(It was a FACT (Right WHAT) that Jesus said He was able to build up the temple in three days. However, whether this was TRUTH or not depended on the HOW/WHY. We know the HOW was being killed unjustly so He could rise again. The WHY was GRACE would take the place of having to go to a Physical location to interact with God. Notice, the HOW/WHY depended on the Sanhedrin NOT wanting to know the HOW/WHY! Is Jesus going to give them the Right HOW/WHY?)
"63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God."
(Wow! There is A LOT in this one verse...)
(First of all, Jesus remained quiet. He did NOT do ANYTHING to cause His own death! God's Plan for our Redemption required an unjust sacrifice of a Being without sin...a Lamb without blemish. It required these people NOT to know the Right HOW/WHY.)
(Next, look CLOSELY at what the high priest said! Does this statement sound familiar?)
("11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the evil spirits went out.
13 But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this." Acts 19:11-14)
(We have seen the characteristics of successful Offensive Spiritual Warfare include:
1. The subject of the statement is the object of Offensive Spiritual Warfare
2. A will is stated for the object because the object doesn't have a free will...or for a person who is in agreement.
3. The statement is according to the faith of the individual.)
(In the passage from Acts 19, the sons of Sceva stated this backwards!
1. They made themselves the subject (I adjure you...)
2. They stated a will for themselves (I adjure you)
3. The statement was according to the faith of others (Jesus and Paul)
Was it successful?)
("15 And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds." Acts 19:15-18)
(One more example...look at how the unclean spirit spoke to Jesus in Mark 5:
"5 And always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him;
7 and crying out with a loud voice, he saith, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not." Mark 5:5-7)
(The unclean spirit sounded like the high priest from the Sanhedrin! Notice Jesus' response:
"8 For he said unto him, Come forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the man." Mark 5:8)
(Jesus did Offensive Spiritual Warfare PERFECTLY:
1. He made the unclean spirit the subject of the statement
2. He stated a will for the unclean spirit...unclean spirits have been judged and don't have the ability to act apart from their nature.
3. He stated it according to His faith.)
(The high priest of the Sanhedrin sounded just like the sons of Sceva (Acts 19) and the unclean spirit (Mark 5) when he spoke to Jesus. Jesus responded to the unclean spirit. Would Jesus respond to the high priest?)
"64 Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
(Jesus FIRST pointed out the high priest said Jesus was the Son of God. This was a fact (Right WHAT). The unclean spirit stated the same thing WITHIN a Question. Unclean spirits can speak lies (Wrong WHAT's) and facts (Right WHAT's). Unclean spirits cannot speak TRUTH (Right HOW/WHY). The purpose of this trial was NOT to speak TRUTH...it was to speak FACTS in order to destroy Jesus. We have seen that facts (Right WHAT's) without a Right HOW/WHY is the definition of DECEPTION.)
(Jesus THEN stated the NEXT TIME the religious leaders of the nation would SEE Him was when He PHYSICALLY comes to earth at the end of The Tribulation AND when Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God during Judgment Day. In order for THAT to happen, the Sanhedrin needs to be put back in place..the previous dispensation needs to come back! (Which is the Seventieth Week of Daniel.) This was TRUTH...a Right WHAT with a Right HOW/WHY. The religious leaders would see Him again (Right WHAT) because He is the Son of God (Right WHY) and He will be coming in the clouds at the end of The Tribulation (Right HOW). This was the ONLY statement Jesus made during His trial...)
"65 Then the high priest rent his garments, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard the blasphemy:
66 what think ye? They answered and said, He is worthy of death."
(The high priest used TRUTH to justify killing Jesus! This was the ULTIMATE INJUSTICE. The religious leaders of Jesus' time did NOT have a way to determine TRUTH. They confused FACTS with TRUTH. Do our current day religious leaders know the difference between TRUTH and FACTS?)
"67 Then did they spit in his face and buffet him: and some smote him with the palms of their hands,
68 saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ: who is he that struck thee?"
(Once the religious leaders chose an UNJUST path, they tried to stay ramped up emotionally in order NOT to think. They openly mocked Jesus and PHYSICALLY Abused Him. Spitting in the face was considered to be the ULTIMATE insult...)
SUMMARY
The religious leaders of Jesus' time did NOT know the difference between TRUTH and FACTS. They were comparative and sounded the same as the unclean spirits from Mark 5.
The result is they condemned Jesus to death BECAUSE of a TRUTH He spoke...and they OPENLY mocked and PHYSICALLY Abused Him.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...Next Post
Judas betrayed Jesus and experienced the greatest possible Judgment from sinning against a person.
Jesus intentionally chose NOT to respond in a Physical fashion. He even gave Reasons and an Example. This was contrasted with the religious leaders' example.
The disciples' Physical response to these Spiritual events was: ALL of them left Jesus and fled...even though they had stated less than two hours before that they would NEVER leave Jesus...even if it meant their death!
Today, we will continue looking at Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:57-68
"57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.
58 But Peter followed him afar off, unto the court of the high priest, and entered in, and sat with the officers, to see the end."
(The Torah teachers and elders were ALREADY waiting for Jesus to be brought to them for their mock trial! The Bible did NOT give all the steps, but I believe we can see that Judas' leaving the Last Supper led to people being assembled...and it took about 2 hours...the time Jesus spent in the garden of Gethsemane.)
(Verse 58 stated: Peter followed to see the end. So far, Peter had NOT seen ANYTHING through to the end. This must have meant something else...)
(During the Seven Steps of the Sifting Process Series, we called this Step Four. Here is an excerpt:
Fourth Step in sifting process: Simon got his feelings hurt...he got "offended".
Simon followed "afar off"...notice, if he was done with Jesus he would be gone. If he was supporting Jesus, he would be in the middle of everything...participating. Instead, he is following afar off...to see the end...almost as if to say, "If you don't want to do this my way, let's see how you handle it.")
"59 Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death;
60 and they found it not, though many false witnesses came. But afterward came two,
61 and said, This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62 And the high priest stood up, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?"
(The whole council is known as the Sanhedrin...the 71 member council that acted as the Supreme Court for the nation of Israel. The president of the Sanhedrin represented the nation before the Romans.)
(The Supreme Court was so corrupt at this point in history, they openly sought false witnesses! The openly sought to break God's Law! They had put their own traditions and culture above God's Doctrine...is this happening today?)
(It was a FACT (Right WHAT) that Jesus said He was able to build up the temple in three days. However, whether this was TRUTH or not depended on the HOW/WHY. We know the HOW was being killed unjustly so He could rise again. The WHY was GRACE would take the place of having to go to a Physical location to interact with God. Notice, the HOW/WHY depended on the Sanhedrin NOT wanting to know the HOW/WHY! Is Jesus going to give them the Right HOW/WHY?)
"63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God."
(Wow! There is A LOT in this one verse...)
(First of all, Jesus remained quiet. He did NOT do ANYTHING to cause His own death! God's Plan for our Redemption required an unjust sacrifice of a Being without sin...a Lamb without blemish. It required these people NOT to know the Right HOW/WHY.)
(Next, look CLOSELY at what the high priest said! Does this statement sound familiar?)
("11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the evil spirits went out.
13 But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this." Acts 19:11-14)
(We have seen the characteristics of successful Offensive Spiritual Warfare include:
1. The subject of the statement is the object of Offensive Spiritual Warfare
2. A will is stated for the object because the object doesn't have a free will...or for a person who is in agreement.
3. The statement is according to the faith of the individual.)
(In the passage from Acts 19, the sons of Sceva stated this backwards!
1. They made themselves the subject (I adjure you...)
2. They stated a will for themselves (I adjure you)
3. The statement was according to the faith of others (Jesus and Paul)
Was it successful?)
("15 And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds." Acts 19:15-18)
(One more example...look at how the unclean spirit spoke to Jesus in Mark 5:
"5 And always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him;
7 and crying out with a loud voice, he saith, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not." Mark 5:5-7)
(The unclean spirit sounded like the high priest from the Sanhedrin! Notice Jesus' response:
"8 For he said unto him, Come forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the man." Mark 5:8)
(Jesus did Offensive Spiritual Warfare PERFECTLY:
1. He made the unclean spirit the subject of the statement
2. He stated a will for the unclean spirit...unclean spirits have been judged and don't have the ability to act apart from their nature.
3. He stated it according to His faith.)
(The high priest of the Sanhedrin sounded just like the sons of Sceva (Acts 19) and the unclean spirit (Mark 5) when he spoke to Jesus. Jesus responded to the unclean spirit. Would Jesus respond to the high priest?)
"64 Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
(Jesus FIRST pointed out the high priest said Jesus was the Son of God. This was a fact (Right WHAT). The unclean spirit stated the same thing WITHIN a Question. Unclean spirits can speak lies (Wrong WHAT's) and facts (Right WHAT's). Unclean spirits cannot speak TRUTH (Right HOW/WHY). The purpose of this trial was NOT to speak TRUTH...it was to speak FACTS in order to destroy Jesus. We have seen that facts (Right WHAT's) without a Right HOW/WHY is the definition of DECEPTION.)
(Jesus THEN stated the NEXT TIME the religious leaders of the nation would SEE Him was when He PHYSICALLY comes to earth at the end of The Tribulation AND when Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God during Judgment Day. In order for THAT to happen, the Sanhedrin needs to be put back in place..the previous dispensation needs to come back! (Which is the Seventieth Week of Daniel.) This was TRUTH...a Right WHAT with a Right HOW/WHY. The religious leaders would see Him again (Right WHAT) because He is the Son of God (Right WHY) and He will be coming in the clouds at the end of The Tribulation (Right HOW). This was the ONLY statement Jesus made during His trial...)
"65 Then the high priest rent his garments, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard the blasphemy:
66 what think ye? They answered and said, He is worthy of death."
(The high priest used TRUTH to justify killing Jesus! This was the ULTIMATE INJUSTICE. The religious leaders of Jesus' time did NOT have a way to determine TRUTH. They confused FACTS with TRUTH. Do our current day religious leaders know the difference between TRUTH and FACTS?)
"67 Then did they spit in his face and buffet him: and some smote him with the palms of their hands,
68 saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ: who is he that struck thee?"
(Once the religious leaders chose an UNJUST path, they tried to stay ramped up emotionally in order NOT to think. They openly mocked Jesus and PHYSICALLY Abused Him. Spitting in the face was considered to be the ULTIMATE insult...)
SUMMARY
The religious leaders of Jesus' time did NOT know the difference between TRUTH and FACTS. They were comparative and sounded the same as the unclean spirits from Mark 5.
The result is they condemned Jesus to death BECAUSE of a TRUTH He spoke...and they OPENLY mocked and PHYSICALLY Abused Him.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...Next Post
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Matthew 26:47-56
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we covered Matthew 26:36-46. Here is the summary:
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for God to come up with another path to the cross. Jesus continued to pray in a contrastive fashion despite the fact His disciples did NOT watch and did NOT pray.
This story proves the Bible does NOT support the man-made doctrine of predestination. If ALL of the events are predetermined, Jesus would NOT have prayed to God for this cup to be avoided.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:47-58
"47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priest and elders of the people."
(The religious leaders came with swords and staves (clubs). There's no getting around this: religious leaders are capable of violence and Abuse...perhaps MORE capable because some religious leaders believe using force is not only God's Will, they also believe God wants them to encourage others to use force against others. We covered this two-fold religious leader belief in a post titled, "The System".)
"48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he: take him.
49 And straightway he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Rabbi; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him."
(We've talked about this before: Judas experienced the greatest Judgment from Justice EVER experienced in the history of the world for sinning against a person. Jesus is the embodiment of Right and Just. He NEVER did anything wrong. Judas betrayed Him. THEN, Judas acted like he didn't betray Him TO JESUS' FACE! JUDAS KISSED JESUS!!!! THEN...Jesus called Judas FRIEND!!!!)
(We have seen the sins we do against people are First Dimensional Sins. These sins are resolved through Justice and affect our Reward. Likewise, we saw the sins we do against God AND our response to our First Dimensional Sin are Second Dimensional Sins. These sins are resolved through Righteousness and affect our Salvation.)
(When we look at the Reward Model, Judas did the ULTIMATE sin against the Ultimate Good Person...AND Jesus INSTANTLY forgave him! Jesus' forgiveness allowed Justice to be equalled out NOW. The JUDGMENT through Justice ended up being so great, Judas committed suicide. I don't know HOW/WHY Judas would have been able to think correctly after this JUDGMENT...so, suicide actually makes me believe this story MORE.)
"51 And behold, one of them that were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear."
(In John's account, he stated this was Peter...and he even gave the name of the person who was struck:
"10 Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus.
11 Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" John 18:10-11)
(When we looked at Peter going through this seven step sifting process, we stated the story covered by today's post was "Step Three"...responding to Spiritual issues in a Fleshly/Physical manner. Remember, this point as we finish the rest of today's passage: EVERYONE handled a Spiritual issue in a Physical manner...except you-know-Who.)
"52 Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
(First, Jesus used Causality and Justice to explain WHY we OUGHT NOT respond Physically! If we respond in a Physical fashion, then we can expect the Just Effect would be others would respond to us in a Physical fashion. Jesus ALWAYS gave a Reason and a Value. However, Jesus isn't done giving a logical HOW/WHY for His WHAT...)
"53 Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?"
(Jesus showed that HE HIMSELF was the Ultimate example! He is MOST able to respond Physically!...and He is intentionally NOT responding Physically. I just used the word MOST...which is quantitative. HOW MUCH was Jesus able to respond Physically?)
(A legion is 6,000 members. Jesus stated He could have God send twelve legions of angels...which is 72,000 angels. HOW MUCH damage is an angel capable of inflicting? Look at Isaiah:
"36 And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." Isaiah 37:36)
(An angel is capable of killing 185,000 men in a night. 72,000 angels each capable of killing 185,000 men means Jesus could have responded with the ability to kill AT LEAST 13,320,000,000 men in one night! NO PERSON has ever intentionally foregone a greater ability to respond in a Physical fashion than Jesus could have!)
(Again, the previous post covered Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane...If Jesus was looking for a way NOT to go to the cross, He had the ability to avoid this. However, we saw yesterday, Jesus was looking for a different path to the cross...verse 54 PROVED that.)
"55 In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and ye took me not.
56 But all this is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled."
(Remember Zechariah?
"7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones." Zechariah 13:7)
SUMMARY
Judas betrayed Jesus and experienced the greatest possible Judgment from sinning against a person.
Jesus intentionally chose NOT to respond in a Physical fashion. He even gave Reasons and an Example. This was contrasted with the religious leaders' example.
The disciples' Physical response to these Spiritual events was: ALL of them left Jesus and fled...even though they had stated less than two hours before that they would NEVER leave Jesus...even if it meant their death!
Tomorrow, we will continue looking at Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for God to come up with another path to the cross. Jesus continued to pray in a contrastive fashion despite the fact His disciples did NOT watch and did NOT pray.
This story proves the Bible does NOT support the man-made doctrine of predestination. If ALL of the events are predetermined, Jesus would NOT have prayed to God for this cup to be avoided.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:47-58
"47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priest and elders of the people."
(The religious leaders came with swords and staves (clubs). There's no getting around this: religious leaders are capable of violence and Abuse...perhaps MORE capable because some religious leaders believe using force is not only God's Will, they also believe God wants them to encourage others to use force against others. We covered this two-fold religious leader belief in a post titled, "The System".)
"48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he: take him.
49 And straightway he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Rabbi; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him."
(We've talked about this before: Judas experienced the greatest Judgment from Justice EVER experienced in the history of the world for sinning against a person. Jesus is the embodiment of Right and Just. He NEVER did anything wrong. Judas betrayed Him. THEN, Judas acted like he didn't betray Him TO JESUS' FACE! JUDAS KISSED JESUS!!!! THEN...Jesus called Judas FRIEND!!!!)
(We have seen the sins we do against people are First Dimensional Sins. These sins are resolved through Justice and affect our Reward. Likewise, we saw the sins we do against God AND our response to our First Dimensional Sin are Second Dimensional Sins. These sins are resolved through Righteousness and affect our Salvation.)
(When we look at the Reward Model, Judas did the ULTIMATE sin against the Ultimate Good Person...AND Jesus INSTANTLY forgave him! Jesus' forgiveness allowed Justice to be equalled out NOW. The JUDGMENT through Justice ended up being so great, Judas committed suicide. I don't know HOW/WHY Judas would have been able to think correctly after this JUDGMENT...so, suicide actually makes me believe this story MORE.)
"51 And behold, one of them that were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear."
(In John's account, he stated this was Peter...and he even gave the name of the person who was struck:
"10 Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus.
11 Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" John 18:10-11)
(When we looked at Peter going through this seven step sifting process, we stated the story covered by today's post was "Step Three"...responding to Spiritual issues in a Fleshly/Physical manner. Remember, this point as we finish the rest of today's passage: EVERYONE handled a Spiritual issue in a Physical manner...except you-know-Who.)
"52 Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
(First, Jesus used Causality and Justice to explain WHY we OUGHT NOT respond Physically! If we respond in a Physical fashion, then we can expect the Just Effect would be others would respond to us in a Physical fashion. Jesus ALWAYS gave a Reason and a Value. However, Jesus isn't done giving a logical HOW/WHY for His WHAT...)
"53 Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?"
(Jesus showed that HE HIMSELF was the Ultimate example! He is MOST able to respond Physically!...and He is intentionally NOT responding Physically. I just used the word MOST...which is quantitative. HOW MUCH was Jesus able to respond Physically?)
(A legion is 6,000 members. Jesus stated He could have God send twelve legions of angels...which is 72,000 angels. HOW MUCH damage is an angel capable of inflicting? Look at Isaiah:
"36 And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." Isaiah 37:36)
(An angel is capable of killing 185,000 men in a night. 72,000 angels each capable of killing 185,000 men means Jesus could have responded with the ability to kill AT LEAST 13,320,000,000 men in one night! NO PERSON has ever intentionally foregone a greater ability to respond in a Physical fashion than Jesus could have!)
(Again, the previous post covered Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane...If Jesus was looking for a way NOT to go to the cross, He had the ability to avoid this. However, we saw yesterday, Jesus was looking for a different path to the cross...verse 54 PROVED that.)
"55 In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and ye took me not.
56 But all this is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled."
(Remember Zechariah?
"7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones." Zechariah 13:7)
SUMMARY
Judas betrayed Jesus and experienced the greatest possible Judgment from sinning against a person.
Jesus intentionally chose NOT to respond in a Physical fashion. He even gave Reasons and an Example. This was contrasted with the religious leaders' example.
The disciples' Physical response to these Spiritual events was: ALL of them left Jesus and fled...even though they had stated less than two hours before that they would NEVER leave Jesus...even if it meant their death!
Tomorrow, we will continue looking at Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Monday, October 25, 2010
Matthew 26:36-46
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we covered Matthew 26:31-35. Here is the summary:
Jesus prophesied about His death, the disciples scattering, and His meeting with the disciples after His resurrection.
However, the disciples that were present told Jesus He was wrong and that they would not deny Jesus even if they had to die with Him.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:36-46
"36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go yonder and pray."
(Gethsemane means "the oil press"...)
"37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me."
(Matthew chapter 17 began with Peter, James, and John witnessing the transfiguration. Now, the same three disciples were asked to WATCH with Jesus. The message of Matthew chapters 24 and 25 were to watch and be found DOING. In the previous post, we saw these three disciples, along with the other eight, all stated they would not scatter, but would even follow Jesus into death. Jesus is watching and praying. Will the eleven disciples ALSO watch and pray? Will the three, which included Peter, especially watch and pray?)
"39 And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
(I believe PRAYER is a critically important Doctrine. I have written repeatedly on this blog about the importance of prayer. It is a Doctrine that people think they understand, yet they cannot answer even the first few questions. Here's an excerpt from The Role of Prayer:)
(If you think you know someone who understands the doctrine of prayer, ask them these questions and see if their answers are abstract and/or contradictory:
-What is prayer?
-Why do we have to pray? (Can't God just give us what we need?)
-Can we change God's Will?
-Can we change God's Mind?
-What determines whether God does or doesn't answer a prayer?
-Are there limits to what we can pray about?
We have seen that a Calvinist (Matt Chandler) answers the question "Why do Calvinists pray?" with a question: "Do you think you can change God's Mind?" Calvinists cannot explain the doctrine of prayer...neither can traditionalists and post-moderns.
Doesn't it bother you that we can't get a non-contradictory explanation for the doctrine of prayer from pastors and theologians?)
(Here are a series of links if you want to increase your understanding on the doctrine of prayer:
What is Prayer?
Prayer Overview
Group Prayer)
(Here are foundational links on prayer:
Prayer and Witchcraft
Prayer Structure
Prayer Example
Accessing Spiritual Value
Hindering Prayers
Praying For Others To Get Saved
House of Prayer
David's "Wrong Prayer"
Jabez's Prayer)
(Here is a quick review on the doctrine of EVERY prayer in the Bible from the post titled, "Prayer Structure":
EVERY prayer in the Bible that was answered consisted of four parts:
1. Praise (recognition of God)
2. Building of faith through experience or understanding
3. Reference to Justice
4. Request
When people pray something different than this, they are praying a prayer that is NOT in the Bible.
1. Praise (recognition of God)
We have to recognize God and God’s power through praise. Our focus is on God as the source. Remember, it takes faith to pray and this is the beginning of our building that faith.
2. Building of faith through experience or understanding
The second step is to reference something that proves our faith. Remember, faith comes through understanding and/or experience. This is a continuation of the faith building process. We may reference an experience we had that proves God’s ability or we can reference understanding, usually a Biblical passage that proves God’s ability.
3. Reference to Justice
We know the goal is to ask God for a value, which is the fourth and final phase. How can we justly ask God for a value? We need to bring justice into the prayer. The third phase of the prayer focuses on us either showing why someone deserves a reward or why someone deserves a penalty. Referencing justice completes the building of faith process. It serves as the final proof to us that we can expect to get a response from God.
4. Request
Now, we are ready for the part we are all familiar with: asking a value. The final phase of the prayer is to express our will and ask God for a value. This is where we have to be careful.
In the cases where we are requesting a punishment, when we request the value, we can’t pray a specific punishment because that would be witchcraft. We pray for a result. First of all, it is best to pray for a result because God might have a better way than ours to bring about the result.
More importantly, the process of prayer finishes with us turning the situation over to God. So it shouldn’t matter to us how God brings about the result. The decision to turn it over to God must be final and made by faith. When we turn the situation over, we are telling God we won’t try to take justice into our own hands.)
(Back to Jesus' prayer in the garden...Jesus prayed that if it were possible to let this cup pass away from Him. Some people believe Jesus prayed to avoid crucifixion. THAT doesn't make sense because this was prophesied and, as we have seen, Matthew repeatedly recorded that Jesus told His disciples He would be crucified. Some people even teach that Jesus was asking for protection from the devil because if He died sooner, His death would mean nothing.)
(I think this cup means the specific events leading up to the crucifixion. The source of our value for Salvation is from Jesus' unjust death. Jesus was killed without just cause. He ONLY did Righteous works and He NEVER sinned. Upon His death, Justice would have to give Him infinite value because He could have lived forever. The devil couldn't ruin Jesus' plan by killing Him too early...the ONLY way the devil could ruin Jesus' plan was for Jesus to sin.)
(I believe that once the devil entered Judas, the causes were in place. The devil is NOT omnipresent. He can only be in one place at a time. When he went into Judas, God could THEN know for sure what effects were possible. We have covered this with Prophecy...More details can be obtained with events that are going to happen sooner rather than events that will happen later. The prophecies that are thousands of years old are more abstract than the prophecies that will happen sooner. Jesus told Peter that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Daniel stated Israel had 490 years to finish their dispensation from the time the decree was given to rebuild the wall.)
(I believe God told Jesus the WORST CASE SCENARIO for the events from this moment through the crucifixion. I believe Jesus was overwhelmed with the brutality. This is WHY a movie like "The Passion" needed to be made. Yes it is brutal...and THAT is the point. It was so brutal, the Son of God was asking The Father for another HOW...another WAY to the cross.)
(However, at the end of the prayer, Jesus stated that He left the decision in God's Hands...which is a PERFECT prayer.)
(When you pray according to the prayer structure in the Bible, you are stating your will to God how much of your Spiritual value you are willing to use to achieve the objective. If at the end of your prayer, you follow Jesus' example and leave it up to God, what you have actually done is given God a budget. You have stated how much Spiritual value you are willing to use. Leaving it up to God allows God to achieve the same objective with less value OR achieve a greater objective with the same value. It would be UNJUST of God to spend our value WITHOUT a statement of our will. We would have a case against God if He did this. Again, if you have any issues with this explanation for prayer, read the posts and let me know your SPECIFIC explanation of prayer along with your Biblical support.)
"40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(Jesus finished making His PERFECT request and went back to the three disciples. Jesus did NOT find them DOING. The three disciples were NOT watching. Jesus SPECIFICALLY told Peter to watch and pray...just like Luke's PERSPECTIVE on Matthew chapters 24 and 25! Jesus recognized Peter's spirit was willing. However, Jesus stated Peter's issue was his flesh.)
"42 Again a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done."
(Jesus prayed a second time...except this prayer was Contrastive! The first prayer stated that if it was possible this cup would be taken away. This prayer stated if it was NOT possible this cup is taken away. Jesus looked for every possible way to avoid this cup.)
(The lesson? Keep praying! However, make sure you pray differently. God is not going to hear just because you say the same words in the same order over an over. Remember, the words and their ORDER matter! When a prayer isn't answered it is either because the person didn't pray the RIGHT way (structure, faith, words, order, etc.) OR the person didn't have enough Spiritual value (through JUSTICE). Remember, Spiritual value is the same as Reward. Not knowing HOW/WHY God would answer your prayer is PROOF of lack of faith...lack of understanding and experience with God.)
"43 And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy."
(Jesus finished praying a second time and came back to the disciples. They were sleeping. WHY? Their eyes (flesh) were heavy. Jesus woke them the first time. What will He do this time?)
"44 And he left them again, and went away, and prayed a third time, saying again the same words."
(Jesus left them and KEPT PRAYING. We don't know the prayer, but it had the same words. I believe this third prayer was unique from the first two.)
"45 Then cometh he to the disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Arise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that betrayeth me."
(These are some of the saddest words recorded in the Bible. Jesus knew the time for praying was over. The physical effects were beginning to manifest. Notice, up until this point, Jesus believed it was possible for the events to CHANGE. This is yet another passage from the Bible FROM JESUS that contradicts Calvinism and predestination!)
(Verse 45 showed Jesus stated there was no reason to wake up because He got His answer. This cup was NOT going to pass. Nothing was going to stop the brutal events.)
(However, in verse 46, Jesus told the disciples to wake up because the betrayal was happening NOW. I don't know how much time elapsed between verses 45 and 46, but they have apparent contradictory goals: sleep and wake. The only answer is that there was some time between the two verses...)
SUMMARY
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for God to come up with another path to the cross. Jesus continued to pray in a contrastive fashion despite the fact His disciples did NOT watch and did NOT pray.
This story proves the Bible does NOT support the man-made doctrine of predestination. If ALL of the events are predetermined, Jesus would NOT have prayed to God for this cup to be avoided.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Jesus prophesied about His death, the disciples scattering, and His meeting with the disciples after His resurrection.
However, the disciples that were present told Jesus He was wrong and that they would not deny Jesus even if they had to die with Him.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:36-46
"36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go yonder and pray."
(Gethsemane means "the oil press"...)
"37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me."
(Matthew chapter 17 began with Peter, James, and John witnessing the transfiguration. Now, the same three disciples were asked to WATCH with Jesus. The message of Matthew chapters 24 and 25 were to watch and be found DOING. In the previous post, we saw these three disciples, along with the other eight, all stated they would not scatter, but would even follow Jesus into death. Jesus is watching and praying. Will the eleven disciples ALSO watch and pray? Will the three, which included Peter, especially watch and pray?)
"39 And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
(I believe PRAYER is a critically important Doctrine. I have written repeatedly on this blog about the importance of prayer. It is a Doctrine that people think they understand, yet they cannot answer even the first few questions. Here's an excerpt from The Role of Prayer:)
(If you think you know someone who understands the doctrine of prayer, ask them these questions and see if their answers are abstract and/or contradictory:
-What is prayer?
-Why do we have to pray? (Can't God just give us what we need?)
-Can we change God's Will?
-Can we change God's Mind?
-What determines whether God does or doesn't answer a prayer?
-Are there limits to what we can pray about?
We have seen that a Calvinist (Matt Chandler) answers the question "Why do Calvinists pray?" with a question: "Do you think you can change God's Mind?" Calvinists cannot explain the doctrine of prayer...neither can traditionalists and post-moderns.
Doesn't it bother you that we can't get a non-contradictory explanation for the doctrine of prayer from pastors and theologians?)
(Here are a series of links if you want to increase your understanding on the doctrine of prayer:
What is Prayer?
Prayer Overview
Group Prayer)
(Here are foundational links on prayer:
Prayer and Witchcraft
Prayer Structure
Prayer Example
Accessing Spiritual Value
Hindering Prayers
Praying For Others To Get Saved
House of Prayer
David's "Wrong Prayer"
Jabez's Prayer)
(Here is a quick review on the doctrine of EVERY prayer in the Bible from the post titled, "Prayer Structure":
EVERY prayer in the Bible that was answered consisted of four parts:
1. Praise (recognition of God)
2. Building of faith through experience or understanding
3. Reference to Justice
4. Request
When people pray something different than this, they are praying a prayer that is NOT in the Bible.
1. Praise (recognition of God)
We have to recognize God and God’s power through praise. Our focus is on God as the source. Remember, it takes faith to pray and this is the beginning of our building that faith.
2. Building of faith through experience or understanding
The second step is to reference something that proves our faith. Remember, faith comes through understanding and/or experience. This is a continuation of the faith building process. We may reference an experience we had that proves God’s ability or we can reference understanding, usually a Biblical passage that proves God’s ability.
3. Reference to Justice
We know the goal is to ask God for a value, which is the fourth and final phase. How can we justly ask God for a value? We need to bring justice into the prayer. The third phase of the prayer focuses on us either showing why someone deserves a reward or why someone deserves a penalty. Referencing justice completes the building of faith process. It serves as the final proof to us that we can expect to get a response from God.
4. Request
Now, we are ready for the part we are all familiar with: asking a value. The final phase of the prayer is to express our will and ask God for a value. This is where we have to be careful.
In the cases where we are requesting a punishment, when we request the value, we can’t pray a specific punishment because that would be witchcraft. We pray for a result. First of all, it is best to pray for a result because God might have a better way than ours to bring about the result.
More importantly, the process of prayer finishes with us turning the situation over to God. So it shouldn’t matter to us how God brings about the result. The decision to turn it over to God must be final and made by faith. When we turn the situation over, we are telling God we won’t try to take justice into our own hands.)
(Back to Jesus' prayer in the garden...Jesus prayed that if it were possible to let this cup pass away from Him. Some people believe Jesus prayed to avoid crucifixion. THAT doesn't make sense because this was prophesied and, as we have seen, Matthew repeatedly recorded that Jesus told His disciples He would be crucified. Some people even teach that Jesus was asking for protection from the devil because if He died sooner, His death would mean nothing.)
(I think this cup means the specific events leading up to the crucifixion. The source of our value for Salvation is from Jesus' unjust death. Jesus was killed without just cause. He ONLY did Righteous works and He NEVER sinned. Upon His death, Justice would have to give Him infinite value because He could have lived forever. The devil couldn't ruin Jesus' plan by killing Him too early...the ONLY way the devil could ruin Jesus' plan was for Jesus to sin.)
(I believe that once the devil entered Judas, the causes were in place. The devil is NOT omnipresent. He can only be in one place at a time. When he went into Judas, God could THEN know for sure what effects were possible. We have covered this with Prophecy...More details can be obtained with events that are going to happen sooner rather than events that will happen later. The prophecies that are thousands of years old are more abstract than the prophecies that will happen sooner. Jesus told Peter that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Daniel stated Israel had 490 years to finish their dispensation from the time the decree was given to rebuild the wall.)
(I believe God told Jesus the WORST CASE SCENARIO for the events from this moment through the crucifixion. I believe Jesus was overwhelmed with the brutality. This is WHY a movie like "The Passion" needed to be made. Yes it is brutal...and THAT is the point. It was so brutal, the Son of God was asking The Father for another HOW...another WAY to the cross.)
(However, at the end of the prayer, Jesus stated that He left the decision in God's Hands...which is a PERFECT prayer.)
(When you pray according to the prayer structure in the Bible, you are stating your will to God how much of your Spiritual value you are willing to use to achieve the objective. If at the end of your prayer, you follow Jesus' example and leave it up to God, what you have actually done is given God a budget. You have stated how much Spiritual value you are willing to use. Leaving it up to God allows God to achieve the same objective with less value OR achieve a greater objective with the same value. It would be UNJUST of God to spend our value WITHOUT a statement of our will. We would have a case against God if He did this. Again, if you have any issues with this explanation for prayer, read the posts and let me know your SPECIFIC explanation of prayer along with your Biblical support.)
"40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(Jesus finished making His PERFECT request and went back to the three disciples. Jesus did NOT find them DOING. The three disciples were NOT watching. Jesus SPECIFICALLY told Peter to watch and pray...just like Luke's PERSPECTIVE on Matthew chapters 24 and 25! Jesus recognized Peter's spirit was willing. However, Jesus stated Peter's issue was his flesh.)
"42 Again a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done."
(Jesus prayed a second time...except this prayer was Contrastive! The first prayer stated that if it was possible this cup would be taken away. This prayer stated if it was NOT possible this cup is taken away. Jesus looked for every possible way to avoid this cup.)
(The lesson? Keep praying! However, make sure you pray differently. God is not going to hear just because you say the same words in the same order over an over. Remember, the words and their ORDER matter! When a prayer isn't answered it is either because the person didn't pray the RIGHT way (structure, faith, words, order, etc.) OR the person didn't have enough Spiritual value (through JUSTICE). Remember, Spiritual value is the same as Reward. Not knowing HOW/WHY God would answer your prayer is PROOF of lack of faith...lack of understanding and experience with God.)
"43 And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy."
(Jesus finished praying a second time and came back to the disciples. They were sleeping. WHY? Their eyes (flesh) were heavy. Jesus woke them the first time. What will He do this time?)
"44 And he left them again, and went away, and prayed a third time, saying again the same words."
(Jesus left them and KEPT PRAYING. We don't know the prayer, but it had the same words. I believe this third prayer was unique from the first two.)
"45 Then cometh he to the disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Arise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that betrayeth me."
(These are some of the saddest words recorded in the Bible. Jesus knew the time for praying was over. The physical effects were beginning to manifest. Notice, up until this point, Jesus believed it was possible for the events to CHANGE. This is yet another passage from the Bible FROM JESUS that contradicts Calvinism and predestination!)
(Verse 45 showed Jesus stated there was no reason to wake up because He got His answer. This cup was NOT going to pass. Nothing was going to stop the brutal events.)
(However, in verse 46, Jesus told the disciples to wake up because the betrayal was happening NOW. I don't know how much time elapsed between verses 45 and 46, but they have apparent contradictory goals: sleep and wake. The only answer is that there was some time between the two verses...)
SUMMARY
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane for God to come up with another path to the cross. Jesus continued to pray in a contrastive fashion despite the fact His disciples did NOT watch and did NOT pray.
This story proves the Bible does NOT support the man-made doctrine of predestination. If ALL of the events are predetermined, Jesus would NOT have prayed to God for this cup to be avoided.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Friday, October 22, 2010
Matthew 26:31-35
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we covered Matthew 26:17-30. Here is the summary:
Jesus continued to prophesy about His betrayal and crucifixion during The Last Supper which was a Seder meal...the passover feast.
Judas had left to formally betray Jesus.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:31-35
"31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."
(Jesus referred to Himself as The Shepherd...which means Pastor! This completed Matthew's presentation of Jesus as being the ultimate of each of the five-fold ministers!
Matthew chapters 1-4 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Apostle. He began the Ultimate Ministry.
Matthew chapters 5-7 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Teacher. We have seen Jesus did NOT stray from the blatant doctrine He presented during these three chapters.
Matthew chapters 8-15 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Evangelist. The masses were drawn to Him.
Matthew chapters 16-26 showed Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure. Jesus explained what would happen in the future. From His warning about the leaven of the Pharisees, to the sign of Jonah, to His declaration He would die...Jesus spoke prophecy.
Now, in this verse, Jesus is presented as the Ultimate Pastor...The Shepherd. Actually, Jesus had been The Shepherd all along. He was facilitating the Purpose and Progress of the disciples...to the point of giving His life for them.)
(Also, Jesus referenced scripture with respect to being The Shepherd. The scripture was from Zechariah chapter 13. Remember, Zechariah chapter 14 described The Day of The Lord...the end of The Tribulation and the beginning of The Millennium. Zechariah chapter 14 is the final chapter in The Book of Zechariah. Zechariah chapter 13 sets up Zechariah chapter 14...and also referenced the end of The Tribulation and The Millennium!)
(The scripture Jesus' referenced is verse 7. Below is all of Zechariah chapter 13. The summary:
-Verses 1-5 describe the beginning of The Millennium
-Verses 6-7 refer to Jesus Physical presence during The Millennium
-Verses 8-9 refer to the events of The Tribulation...with a third of the people of Israel making it through The Tribulation to begin The Millennium! These verses serve as a transition into Zechariah chapter 14 which began with a description of The Day of The Lord...the HOW/WHY behind the WHAT of Zechariah 13:8-9.)
(Zechariah 13
"1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
3 And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive:
5 but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth.
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
9 And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.")
(Remember, Matthew wrote his account to the Jews. He presented the events that spoke to the Jews. Consequently, Matthew recorded a prophesy from Jesus that referenced the prophecies from Zechariah that focused on The Tribulation and The Millennium...just like we saw in Matthew chapters 24 and 25!)
(In fact, in the comments to yesterday's post, Ed Mabrie pointed out the prophecy about the thirty pieces of silver came from Zechariah 11!
"12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver.
13 And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah." Zechariah 11:12-13)
(Next month, we will see that Zechariah 11:13 is fulfilled in Matthew chapter 27.)
"32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee."
(Jesus PROPHESIED He would be raised up and meet with them again in Galilee. Notice, Jesus presented the disciples with GOOD NEWS! Did they HEAR this?)
"33 But Peter answered and said unto him, If all shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended."
(Wow! Peter just told Jesus that He was wrong...TO JESUS' FACE! Peter didn't appear to HEAR/UNDERSTAND the GOOD NEWS.)
"34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."
(Jesus again PROPHESIED.)
(This PROPHECY and the sifting process Peter went through was covered in a mini-Series. Here is the link: "The Sifting Process".)
(Here is an overview explanation from the post titled, "Sifting Process: Step One":
We covered how Jesus could state this prophetically in a post titled, "Simple Prophecy". Basically, we said that Simon already exhibited the causes that would lead Jesus to conclude the effects He stated. Here is the passage that shows the causes:
"5 Then he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all." (John 13:5-10, ASV)
Notice, Simon tells Jesus that He will NEVER wash his feet...then IMMEDIATELY changes his mind with one sentence from Jesus. Simon is showing he is in the flesh. He is proving that he is justifying himself! He is telling Jesus He is wrong to His Face! Jesus knows that this frame of mind will eventually lead to denying Jesus. Remember, from the Book of Job series, God is in control of the rooster crowing...so God can hold off the rooster until Simon denied Him three times.)
(Remember, in the post titled, "The First New Testament Church Service", we saw Jesus taught during The Last Supper. Matthew did NOT record this teaching in his account.)
"35 Peter saith unto him, Even if I must die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples."
(Peter AGAIN told Jesus He was wrong...TO JESUS' FACE! However, Matthew stated ALL the disciples stated this...except for Judas.)
SUMMARY
Jesus prophesied about His death, the disciples scattering, and His meeting with the disciples after His resurrection.
However, the disciples that were present told Jesus He was wrong and that they would not deny Jesus even if they had to die with Him.
On Monday, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Jesus continued to prophesy about His betrayal and crucifixion during The Last Supper which was a Seder meal...the passover feast.
Judas had left to formally betray Jesus.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:31-35
"31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."
(Jesus referred to Himself as The Shepherd...which means Pastor! This completed Matthew's presentation of Jesus as being the ultimate of each of the five-fold ministers!
Matthew chapters 1-4 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Apostle. He began the Ultimate Ministry.
Matthew chapters 5-7 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Teacher. We have seen Jesus did NOT stray from the blatant doctrine He presented during these three chapters.
Matthew chapters 8-15 showed Jesus as the Ultimate Evangelist. The masses were drawn to Him.
Matthew chapters 16-26 showed Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure. Jesus explained what would happen in the future. From His warning about the leaven of the Pharisees, to the sign of Jonah, to His declaration He would die...Jesus spoke prophecy.
Now, in this verse, Jesus is presented as the Ultimate Pastor...The Shepherd. Actually, Jesus had been The Shepherd all along. He was facilitating the Purpose and Progress of the disciples...to the point of giving His life for them.)
(Also, Jesus referenced scripture with respect to being The Shepherd. The scripture was from Zechariah chapter 13. Remember, Zechariah chapter 14 described The Day of The Lord...the end of The Tribulation and the beginning of The Millennium. Zechariah chapter 14 is the final chapter in The Book of Zechariah. Zechariah chapter 13 sets up Zechariah chapter 14...and also referenced the end of The Tribulation and The Millennium!)
(The scripture Jesus' referenced is verse 7. Below is all of Zechariah chapter 13. The summary:
-Verses 1-5 describe the beginning of The Millennium
-Verses 6-7 refer to Jesus Physical presence during The Millennium
-Verses 8-9 refer to the events of The Tribulation...with a third of the people of Israel making it through The Tribulation to begin The Millennium! These verses serve as a transition into Zechariah chapter 14 which began with a description of The Day of The Lord...the HOW/WHY behind the WHAT of Zechariah 13:8-9.)
(Zechariah 13
"1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
3 And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive:
5 but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth.
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
9 And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.")
(Remember, Matthew wrote his account to the Jews. He presented the events that spoke to the Jews. Consequently, Matthew recorded a prophesy from Jesus that referenced the prophecies from Zechariah that focused on The Tribulation and The Millennium...just like we saw in Matthew chapters 24 and 25!)
(In fact, in the comments to yesterday's post, Ed Mabrie pointed out the prophecy about the thirty pieces of silver came from Zechariah 11!
"12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver.
13 And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah." Zechariah 11:12-13)
(Next month, we will see that Zechariah 11:13 is fulfilled in Matthew chapter 27.)
"32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee."
(Jesus PROPHESIED He would be raised up and meet with them again in Galilee. Notice, Jesus presented the disciples with GOOD NEWS! Did they HEAR this?)
"33 But Peter answered and said unto him, If all shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended."
(Wow! Peter just told Jesus that He was wrong...TO JESUS' FACE! Peter didn't appear to HEAR/UNDERSTAND the GOOD NEWS.)
"34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."
(Jesus again PROPHESIED.)
(This PROPHECY and the sifting process Peter went through was covered in a mini-Series. Here is the link: "The Sifting Process".)
(Here is an overview explanation from the post titled, "Sifting Process: Step One":
We covered how Jesus could state this prophetically in a post titled, "Simple Prophecy". Basically, we said that Simon already exhibited the causes that would lead Jesus to conclude the effects He stated. Here is the passage that shows the causes:
"5 Then he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all." (John 13:5-10, ASV)
Notice, Simon tells Jesus that He will NEVER wash his feet...then IMMEDIATELY changes his mind with one sentence from Jesus. Simon is showing he is in the flesh. He is proving that he is justifying himself! He is telling Jesus He is wrong to His Face! Jesus knows that this frame of mind will eventually lead to denying Jesus. Remember, from the Book of Job series, God is in control of the rooster crowing...so God can hold off the rooster until Simon denied Him three times.)
(Remember, in the post titled, "The First New Testament Church Service", we saw Jesus taught during The Last Supper. Matthew did NOT record this teaching in his account.)
"35 Peter saith unto him, Even if I must die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples."
(Peter AGAIN told Jesus He was wrong...TO JESUS' FACE! However, Matthew stated ALL the disciples stated this...except for Judas.)
SUMMARY
Jesus prophesied about His death, the disciples scattering, and His meeting with the disciples after His resurrection.
However, the disciples that were present told Jesus He was wrong and that they would not deny Jesus even if they had to die with Him.
On Monday, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Matthew 26:17-30
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we covered Matthew 26:6-16. Here is the summary:
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover. He reinforced this point when a woman anointed Him with ointment during a meal in Simon the leper's house.
Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover. However, Judas went to the chief priests and made a deal (for thirty pieces of silver) to deliver Jesus into their hands.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:17-30
"17 Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the passover?"
(We have covered the timing of the feasts of unleavened bread, passover, and first fruits in the post titled, "The First Three Feasts of God". The first day of unleavened bread would be our Tuesday sunset to our Wednesday sunset.)
(The disciples asked Jesus about making ready the room and the lamb for the passover feast.)
"18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Teacher saith, My time is at hand; I keep the passover at thy house with my disciples."
(Notice, Jesus did eat the Passover. Jesus HIMSELF stated this. Some people today claim Jesus did NOT keep the passover.)
"19 And the disciples did as Jesus appointed them; and they made ready the passover."
(Matthew stated disciples did as Jesus appointed them. Luke was more SPECIFIC:
"7 And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed.
8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make ready for us the passover, that we may eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we make ready?" Luke 22:7-9)
(Peter and John would have gotten the lamb, taken it to the temple, and had it prepared according to the custom of the time. As for the rest of the passover tradition, here are two links:
Last Supper: Seder Overview
The Seder in The Gospels)
"20 Now when even was come, he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples;
21 and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."
(During the Seder meal, Jesus PROPHESIED that He would be betrayed. Jesus could do this because the CAUSES were in place...which was the beginning of Matthew chapter 26.)
"22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him every one, Is it I, Lord?"
(The disciples did NOT understand PROPHECY...they didn't understand the CAUSE had to be in place. They ought to have known if it was themself.)
"23 And he answered and said, He that dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born."
(Jesus stated it was someone in the room. Jesus also referenced the scriptures as it related to the condition of the betrayer. The betrayer does NOT go to Heaven. If they did, then it would NOT have been better that they were never born. Here are two scripture passages from Psalms...)
("22 Let their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; And make their loins continually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, And let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate; Let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity; And let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful: Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high." Psalm 69:22-28)
("6 Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin.
8 Let his days be few; And let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek their bread out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16 Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay them.
17 Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.
18 He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water, And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul." Psalm 109:6-20)
"25 And Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said."
(Judas asked if it he was the betrayer. Jesus stated he was. Judas knew this and was being deceptive.)
"26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins."
(Last year, we did an entire Series on The Last Supper. Our communion comes from the Seder meal! Here are posts that give the details:
Communion According to Paul
Communion Conclusions)
"29 But I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
(Again, the symbolism was covered in detail in the following posts:
Seder Symbolism
Last Supper Break
The "Last Supper Break" post explains how the first four feasts of God occurred on the SAME DAYS as critical events marking the end of the previous dispensation...and how the last three feasts of God will occur on the SAME DAYS as critical events marking the re-introduction of the previous dispensation...which is the Seventieth Week of Daniel...also known as The Tribulation.)
(Here is an excerpt from the post titled, "Seder Symbolism" explaining the four cups of wine:
"First Cup of Wine - a symbol of joy in the recognition that God alone can sanctify and consecrate us in order to be able to have the following meal of fellowship with God.
Second Cup of Wine - a toast to God for all the instruction we have been given, both during this meal and in our lives. UNDERSTANDING is a BIG part of this ceremony.
Third Cup of Wine symbolizes our Redemption. This cup represents Salvation...Jesus' Blood. Notice, this occurs AFTER the meal and all of the explanations...
Fourth Cup of Wine - praising God for the completion of EVERYTHING. This cup symbolizes the celebration we will have in Heaven.")
(After the meal, the third cup of wine is drunk with the Afikoman. The Afikomen symbolized the body of The Messiah. The third cup of wine symbolized Salvation...by the blood of the Messiah. Jesus drank of this cup and ate the Afikomen...which is our communion.)
(However, Jesus said He would not drink of the NEXT CUP of wine until He came back. The fourth cup symbolized COMPLETION. Jesus stated He wouldn't celebrate the completion of everything until He returned Physically...which occurs at the completion of The Tribulation...the completion of the fifth dispensation.)
"30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives."
(In other accounts, Judas left before this hymn was sung. He went to betray Jesus to the religious authorities.)
(Finally, last year we saw how The Last Supper was actually, The First New Testament Church Service. This verse covered the music/worship...which came at the end of the service! Check the link to see components and their order for Jesus' "church service".)
SUMMARY
Jesus continued to prophesy about His betrayal and crucifixion during The Last Supper which was a Seder meal...the passover feast.
Judas had left to formally betray Jesus.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover. He reinforced this point when a woman anointed Him with ointment during a meal in Simon the leper's house.
Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover. However, Judas went to the chief priests and made a deal (for thirty pieces of silver) to deliver Jesus into their hands.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:17-30
"17 Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the passover?"
(We have covered the timing of the feasts of unleavened bread, passover, and first fruits in the post titled, "The First Three Feasts of God". The first day of unleavened bread would be our Tuesday sunset to our Wednesday sunset.)
(The disciples asked Jesus about making ready the room and the lamb for the passover feast.)
"18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Teacher saith, My time is at hand; I keep the passover at thy house with my disciples."
(Notice, Jesus did eat the Passover. Jesus HIMSELF stated this. Some people today claim Jesus did NOT keep the passover.)
"19 And the disciples did as Jesus appointed them; and they made ready the passover."
(Matthew stated disciples did as Jesus appointed them. Luke was more SPECIFIC:
"7 And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed.
8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make ready for us the passover, that we may eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we make ready?" Luke 22:7-9)
(Peter and John would have gotten the lamb, taken it to the temple, and had it prepared according to the custom of the time. As for the rest of the passover tradition, here are two links:
Last Supper: Seder Overview
The Seder in The Gospels)
"20 Now when even was come, he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples;
21 and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."
(During the Seder meal, Jesus PROPHESIED that He would be betrayed. Jesus could do this because the CAUSES were in place...which was the beginning of Matthew chapter 26.)
"22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him every one, Is it I, Lord?"
(The disciples did NOT understand PROPHECY...they didn't understand the CAUSE had to be in place. They ought to have known if it was themself.)
"23 And he answered and said, He that dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born."
(Jesus stated it was someone in the room. Jesus also referenced the scriptures as it related to the condition of the betrayer. The betrayer does NOT go to Heaven. If they did, then it would NOT have been better that they were never born. Here are two scripture passages from Psalms...)
("22 Let their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; And make their loins continually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, And let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate; Let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity; And let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful: Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high." Psalm 69:22-28)
("6 Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin.
8 Let his days be few; And let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek their bread out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16 Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay them.
17 Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.
18 He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water, And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul." Psalm 109:6-20)
"25 And Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said."
(Judas asked if it he was the betrayer. Jesus stated he was. Judas knew this and was being deceptive.)
"26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins."
(Last year, we did an entire Series on The Last Supper. Our communion comes from the Seder meal! Here are posts that give the details:
Communion According to Paul
Communion Conclusions)
"29 But I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
(Again, the symbolism was covered in detail in the following posts:
Seder Symbolism
Last Supper Break
The "Last Supper Break" post explains how the first four feasts of God occurred on the SAME DAYS as critical events marking the end of the previous dispensation...and how the last three feasts of God will occur on the SAME DAYS as critical events marking the re-introduction of the previous dispensation...which is the Seventieth Week of Daniel...also known as The Tribulation.)
(Here is an excerpt from the post titled, "Seder Symbolism" explaining the four cups of wine:
"First Cup of Wine - a symbol of joy in the recognition that God alone can sanctify and consecrate us in order to be able to have the following meal of fellowship with God.
Second Cup of Wine - a toast to God for all the instruction we have been given, both during this meal and in our lives. UNDERSTANDING is a BIG part of this ceremony.
Third Cup of Wine symbolizes our Redemption. This cup represents Salvation...Jesus' Blood. Notice, this occurs AFTER the meal and all of the explanations...
Fourth Cup of Wine - praising God for the completion of EVERYTHING. This cup symbolizes the celebration we will have in Heaven.")
(After the meal, the third cup of wine is drunk with the Afikoman. The Afikomen symbolized the body of The Messiah. The third cup of wine symbolized Salvation...by the blood of the Messiah. Jesus drank of this cup and ate the Afikomen...which is our communion.)
(However, Jesus said He would not drink of the NEXT CUP of wine until He came back. The fourth cup symbolized COMPLETION. Jesus stated He wouldn't celebrate the completion of everything until He returned Physically...which occurs at the completion of The Tribulation...the completion of the fifth dispensation.)
"30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives."
(In other accounts, Judas left before this hymn was sung. He went to betray Jesus to the religious authorities.)
(Finally, last year we saw how The Last Supper was actually, The First New Testament Church Service. This verse covered the music/worship...which came at the end of the service! Check the link to see components and their order for Jesus' "church service".)
SUMMARY
Jesus continued to prophesy about His betrayal and crucifixion during The Last Supper which was a Seder meal...the passover feast.
Judas had left to formally betray Jesus.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Matthew 26:6-16
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. In the previous post, we began Matthew chapter 26. Here is the summary:
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover.
Meanwhile, Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:6-16
"6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 there came unto him a woman having an alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment, and she poured it upon his head, as he sat at meat."
(This was a different story than what was recorded in John 12:1-8...
"1 Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead.
2 So they made him a supper there: and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, that should betray him, saith,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred shillings, and given to the poor?
6 Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein.
7 Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.
8 For the poor ye have always with you; but me ye have not always.")
(John's account presented a story that took place six days before the passover. Matthew's account presented a story that took place within two days before the passover. John's account stated Mary took a pound of pure nard (not a liquid) and put it on His feet. Matthew's account stated a woman poured the ointment on Jesus' head.)
"8 But when the disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."
(In John's account, Judas asked why the pure nard wasn't sold and the money given to the poor...even though Judas did NOT intend on giving the money to the poor. In Matthew's account, it appeared that more than one disciple declared this woman's act as waste. Then, they stated the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Was this because days before the thought was put into their heads by Judas?)
"10 But Jesus perceiving it said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always."
(Jesus stated that we will ALWAYS have the poor with us. Does this mean NOT to help the poor? No. Likewise, we will never completely understand everything about God while we are on earth. Does this mean NOT to learn more? No.)
(Jesus could state we will ALWAYS have the poor with us because the causes were already in place. The world's system does NOT work like God's system. The world's system will fail because it is Unprofitable...it focuses on the Physical and results in a greater divide between the people who HAVE and those who HAVE NOT. We have seen, the Meaning of Life depends on Profitability...that EVERYONE interacts in their uniqueness so that the entire body is built up. God's System will work on ARE (which can grow forever). The world's system works on HAVE (which will eventually run out).)
(Jesus BLATANTLY stated He was going away.)
"12 For in that she poured this ointment upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial."
(Jesus got more SPECIFIC...He was going to die and be buried. This is prophecy...)
"13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."
(Jesus stated that wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, this passage will be a memorial for her. Notice, the usage of whole world means in EVERY SPOT IN THE WORLD. This verse did NOT state the Gospel would be preached in the whole world. It stated that WHERESOEVER in the WHOLE WORLD...meaning there is NOT one place in the world where the Gospel gets preached that this story won't be a memorial for her. It appears the usage of the term "whole world" means EVERY SPECIFIC PLACE IN THE WORLD.)
(We saw in Matthew chapter 24, the gospel of the kingdom WILL eventually be preached in the WHOLE WORLD. I believe this will happen during The Millennium.)
"14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 and said, What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they weighed unto him thirty pieces of silver."
(The Old Testament stated the price of slave is thirty pieces of silver.
"32 If the ox gore a man-servant or a maid-servant, there shall be given unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned." Exodus 21:32)
"16 And from that time he sought opportunity to deliver him unto them."
(Notice, Matthew chapter 26 began with the high priest NOT wanting to seize and kill Jesus during a feast. Now, the timing for Jesus being seized and killed was put in Judas' hands.)
SUMMARY
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover. He reinforced this point when a woman anointed Him with ointment during a meal in Simon the leper's house.
Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover. However, Judas went to the chief priests and made a deal (for thirty pieces of silver) to deliver Jesus into their hands.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover.
Meanwhile, Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover.
Today, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
MATTHEW 26:6-16
"6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 there came unto him a woman having an alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment, and she poured it upon his head, as he sat at meat."
(This was a different story than what was recorded in John 12:1-8...
"1 Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead.
2 So they made him a supper there: and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, that should betray him, saith,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred shillings, and given to the poor?
6 Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein.
7 Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.
8 For the poor ye have always with you; but me ye have not always.")
(John's account presented a story that took place six days before the passover. Matthew's account presented a story that took place within two days before the passover. John's account stated Mary took a pound of pure nard (not a liquid) and put it on His feet. Matthew's account stated a woman poured the ointment on Jesus' head.)
"8 But when the disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."
(In John's account, Judas asked why the pure nard wasn't sold and the money given to the poor...even though Judas did NOT intend on giving the money to the poor. In Matthew's account, it appeared that more than one disciple declared this woman's act as waste. Then, they stated the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Was this because days before the thought was put into their heads by Judas?)
"10 But Jesus perceiving it said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always."
(Jesus stated that we will ALWAYS have the poor with us. Does this mean NOT to help the poor? No. Likewise, we will never completely understand everything about God while we are on earth. Does this mean NOT to learn more? No.)
(Jesus could state we will ALWAYS have the poor with us because the causes were already in place. The world's system does NOT work like God's system. The world's system will fail because it is Unprofitable...it focuses on the Physical and results in a greater divide between the people who HAVE and those who HAVE NOT. We have seen, the Meaning of Life depends on Profitability...that EVERYONE interacts in their uniqueness so that the entire body is built up. God's System will work on ARE (which can grow forever). The world's system works on HAVE (which will eventually run out).)
(Jesus BLATANTLY stated He was going away.)
"12 For in that she poured this ointment upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial."
(Jesus got more SPECIFIC...He was going to die and be buried. This is prophecy...)
"13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."
(Jesus stated that wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, this passage will be a memorial for her. Notice, the usage of whole world means in EVERY SPOT IN THE WORLD. This verse did NOT state the Gospel would be preached in the whole world. It stated that WHERESOEVER in the WHOLE WORLD...meaning there is NOT one place in the world where the Gospel gets preached that this story won't be a memorial for her. It appears the usage of the term "whole world" means EVERY SPECIFIC PLACE IN THE WORLD.)
(We saw in Matthew chapter 24, the gospel of the kingdom WILL eventually be preached in the WHOLE WORLD. I believe this will happen during The Millennium.)
"14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 and said, What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they weighed unto him thirty pieces of silver."
(The Old Testament stated the price of slave is thirty pieces of silver.
"32 If the ox gore a man-servant or a maid-servant, there shall be given unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned." Exodus 21:32)
"16 And from that time he sought opportunity to deliver him unto them."
(Notice, Matthew chapter 26 began with the high priest NOT wanting to seize and kill Jesus during a feast. Now, the timing for Jesus being seized and killed was put in Judas' hands.)
SUMMARY
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover. He reinforced this point when a woman anointed Him with ointment during a meal in Simon the leper's house.
Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover. However, Judas went to the chief priests and made a deal (for thirty pieces of silver) to deliver Jesus into their hands.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Matthew 26:1-5
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. We have completed the first twenty-five chapters of Matthew. In the previous posts, we covered the similarity between Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21. We also looked at more passages from the Bible that specifically referred to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Here is the summary:
There are numerous verses in the Bible that referenced a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Contrary to popular opinion, I don't believe the verses in Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
As stated from the beginning of this Series, I believe The Gospel According to Matthew was written to the Jews. I believe Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the events during The Tribulation.
Today, we will continue our Series by beginning to look at Matthew chapter 26. Remember, in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus continued providing context to His warning from Matthew chapter 24 to watch and be found DOING. He told three parables:
-The Ten Virgins
-The Talents
-The Sheep and Goats
With each parable, the context increasingly pointed to His Physical coming at the end of The Tribulation!
MATTHEW 26:1-5
"1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples,
2 Ye know that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of man is delivered up to be crucified."
(This chapter began Matthew's account of Jesus' suffering.)
(We have covered "God's Seven Feasts. We have seen God's First Feast was Passover and the symbolism with Christ being the Passover Lamb.)
"3 Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the elders of the people, unto the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas;
4 and they took counsel together that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.
5 But they said, Not during the feast, lest a tumult arise among people."
(Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas according to John's account:
"12 So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him,
13 and led him to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
14 Now Caiaphas was he that gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. John 18:12-14)
(Caiaphas had prophesied about according to John's account:
"49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 Now this he said not of himself: but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation;
52 and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad." John 11:49-52)
(We will see Caiaphas was the trial judge for Jesus AND Peter!)
(Here is John's account concerning Jesus:
"24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore unto him, Art thou also one of his disciples? He denied, and said, I am not.
26 One of the servants of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
27 Peter therefore denied again: and straightway the cock crew.
28 They lead Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover." John 18:24-28)
(Here is Luke's account from The Book of Acts concerning Peter:
"1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
2 being sore troubled because they taught the people, and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in ward unto the morrow: for it was now eventide.
4 But many of them that heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;
6 and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power, or in what name, have ye done this?
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders,
9 if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole;
10 be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner.
12 And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.
13 Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
14 And seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
16 saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been wrought through them, is manifest to all that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
18 And they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye:
20 for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.
21 And they, when they had further threatened them, let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done.
22 For the man was more than forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was wrought." Acts 4:1-22)
(Josephus recorded that Vitellius (governor of Syria and eventual emperor) deposed Caiaphas and Pilate two years after the crucifixion. Caiaphas killed himself about 35 AD because he was unable to bear the disgrace and guilt for conspiring to murder Christ.)
SUMMARY
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover.
Meanwhile, Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
There are numerous verses in the Bible that referenced a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Contrary to popular opinion, I don't believe the verses in Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
As stated from the beginning of this Series, I believe The Gospel According to Matthew was written to the Jews. I believe Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the events during The Tribulation.
Today, we will continue our Series by beginning to look at Matthew chapter 26. Remember, in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus continued providing context to His warning from Matthew chapter 24 to watch and be found DOING. He told three parables:
-The Ten Virgins
-The Talents
-The Sheep and Goats
With each parable, the context increasingly pointed to His Physical coming at the end of The Tribulation!
MATTHEW 26:1-5
"1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples,
2 Ye know that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of man is delivered up to be crucified."
(This chapter began Matthew's account of Jesus' suffering.)
(We have covered "God's Seven Feasts. We have seen God's First Feast was Passover and the symbolism with Christ being the Passover Lamb.)
"3 Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the elders of the people, unto the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas;
4 and they took counsel together that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.
5 But they said, Not during the feast, lest a tumult arise among people."
(Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas according to John's account:
"12 So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him,
13 and led him to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
14 Now Caiaphas was he that gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. John 18:12-14)
(Caiaphas had prophesied about according to John's account:
"49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 Now this he said not of himself: but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation;
52 and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad." John 11:49-52)
(We will see Caiaphas was the trial judge for Jesus AND Peter!)
(Here is John's account concerning Jesus:
"24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore unto him, Art thou also one of his disciples? He denied, and said, I am not.
26 One of the servants of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
27 Peter therefore denied again: and straightway the cock crew.
28 They lead Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover." John 18:24-28)
(Here is Luke's account from The Book of Acts concerning Peter:
"1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
2 being sore troubled because they taught the people, and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in ward unto the morrow: for it was now eventide.
4 But many of them that heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;
6 and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power, or in what name, have ye done this?
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders,
9 if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole;
10 be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner.
12 And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.
13 Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
14 And seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
16 saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been wrought through them, is manifest to all that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
18 And they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye:
20 for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.
21 And they, when they had further threatened them, let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done.
22 For the man was more than forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was wrought." Acts 4:1-22)
(Josephus recorded that Vitellius (governor of Syria and eventual emperor) deposed Caiaphas and Pilate two years after the crucifixion. Caiaphas killed himself about 35 AD because he was unable to bear the disgrace and guilt for conspiring to murder Christ.)
SUMMARY
Matthew chapter 26 documented the beginning of Jesus' suffering. Jesus prophesied that He would be delivered up to be crucified in two days...during Passover.
Meanwhile, Caiaphas (the high priest) gathered the chief priests and the elders in order to devise a plan to take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. They did not want to do this during a feast...like Passover.
Tomorrow, we will continue with Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Monday, October 18, 2010
Rapture Perspectives
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. We have completed the first twenty-five chapters of Matthew. In the previous post, we covered the similarity between Luke chapter 21 and Matthew chapter 24. Here is the summary:
Luke chapter 21 is similar Mark chapter 13 and Matthew chapter 24.
However, Luke chapter 21 seems to be intended for people living BEFORE The Tribulation.
Matthew's account seems to have focused on events DURING The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and be found DOING so the Believer would be able to enter The Millennium.
Luke's account seems to have focused on events BEFORE The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and pray for Jesus' Spiritual coming.
Luke's account differed from Matthew chapter 24 in the following key ways:
-God would provide the words we need (via The Holy Spirit)
-Believers would not perish physically
-No mention of the abomination of desolation...instead, an event that has already occurred (Jerusalem surrounded)
-Gentiles will trod over Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles ends...Temple worship occurs during the beginning of The Tribulation which would be the time of the Jew...the re-establishment of the fifth dispensation (The Law).
-Redemption would come to those who watch and pray...instead of focusing on the cares of the world.
-Believers would avoid ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus
I believe Jesus stated many things...for BOTH those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Matthew's account focused on the Jews...those living DURING The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Mark's account focused on BOTH the Jews and the Christians.
I believe Luke's account focused on the Christians...those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation.
Today, we will look at other Bible references to the Believers who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation...
RAPTURE PERSPECTIVES
We have seen the references in Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 did NOT specifically refer to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. We saw they specifically referred to the end of The Tribulation.
Earlier this month, a commentor to a post attempted to explain there is no Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Their explanation involved doctrine without scriptural support, as well as ignoring/misinterpreting scripture that presented the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
As I have stated in the past, the reason so many people disagree over the time for the Rapture is that the Bible described more than one Rapture. In fact, it described seven overall. There is a Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation Rapture. It is man-made tradition (and NOT God's Doctrine) that there can ONLY be one Rapture associated with The Tribulation.
In the previous post, we saw verses from Luke 21 that SPECIFICALLY referenced the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Today's post will present additional passages from scripture that SPECIFICALLY referred to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of Believers.
John 14:1-3
"1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
(We have seen, this is the Meaning of Life. Jesus is currently preparing the new Jerusalem...which is Church...which is the Father's house. The new Jerusalem is roughly 1500 miles on a side...and 1500 miles high. The Believers will inhabit this city...which means each of us will have a house the size of a VERY LARGE mansion. This new Jerusalem is the Bride...which makes each of us a "cell" in the Bride. The word cell comes from the root word for room.)
(Jesus will come back for Believers and receive them unto Himself. There is NO judgment mentioned. This must take place before BOTH Jesus' judging at the end of The Tribulation and God the Father's judging at the end of The Millennium.)
I Corinthians 15:23
"23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming."
(Early in I Corinthians 15, Paul wrote that Christ rose first and then Believers in Christ will rise at His coming. Again, NO judgment is mentioned. This became more BLATANT later in the same chapter...)
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
"51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law:
57 but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord."
(The first two verses BLATANTLY stated Believers would be changed in the twinking of an eye at the last trump. We explained the context of this verse in a post titled, "The End of Our Dispensation".)
(Verse 54 referenced Isaiah 25:8...
"8 He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.")
(Verse 55 referenced Hosea 13:14...
"14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.")
(Paul stated an event would happen that would completely remove the sting of death and sin from Believers...in the twinkling of an eye. Again, there are NO judgments mentioned PRIOR to this event.)
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
"13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
(Verse 17 used the phrase caught up which is harpazo . This is where the word "rapture" comes from.)
(This passage lined up with I Corinthians 15 AND stated we would meet Jesus in the air. Again, this is Jesus Spiritual coming in the air...which is The Rapture. The fact it is Pre-Tribulation is something we ought to reference to comfort each other.)
Philippians 3:20-21
"20 For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself."
(The pharse "we wait for a Saviour" means that we watch for Jesus. The rest of the passage showed the watching was Spiritually.)
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
"1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;
3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;
9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:
12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14 whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."
(We have covered this passage IN DEPTH in the post titled, "The Day of The Lord (II Thessalonians)". Please click the previous link for details.)
(The SUMMARY of the previous passage: The anti-Christ cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit leaves with the Believers...which is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.)
(Most resources do not realize the following passage as a Rapture passage. David Taube sent me this one...)
James 5:4-8
"4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
(Verse 7 spoke of patience as we watch for the Spiritual coming of Jesus. The early rain is the Rapture of the Believers. The latter rain is a later Rapture.)
SUMMARY
There are numerous verses in the Bible that referenced a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Contrary to popular opinion, I don't believe the verses in Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
As stated from the beginning of this Series, I believe The Gospel According to Matthew was written to the Jews. I believe Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the events during The Tribulation.
Tomorrow, we will continue our Series and begin Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Luke chapter 21 is similar Mark chapter 13 and Matthew chapter 24.
However, Luke chapter 21 seems to be intended for people living BEFORE The Tribulation.
Matthew's account seems to have focused on events DURING The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and be found DOING so the Believer would be able to enter The Millennium.
Luke's account seems to have focused on events BEFORE The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and pray for Jesus' Spiritual coming.
Luke's account differed from Matthew chapter 24 in the following key ways:
-God would provide the words we need (via The Holy Spirit)
-Believers would not perish physically
-No mention of the abomination of desolation...instead, an event that has already occurred (Jerusalem surrounded)
-Gentiles will trod over Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles ends...Temple worship occurs during the beginning of The Tribulation which would be the time of the Jew...the re-establishment of the fifth dispensation (The Law).
-Redemption would come to those who watch and pray...instead of focusing on the cares of the world.
-Believers would avoid ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus
I believe Jesus stated many things...for BOTH those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Matthew's account focused on the Jews...those living DURING The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Mark's account focused on BOTH the Jews and the Christians.
I believe Luke's account focused on the Christians...those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation.
Today, we will look at other Bible references to the Believers who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation...
RAPTURE PERSPECTIVES
We have seen the references in Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 did NOT specifically refer to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. We saw they specifically referred to the end of The Tribulation.
Earlier this month, a commentor to a post attempted to explain there is no Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Their explanation involved doctrine without scriptural support, as well as ignoring/misinterpreting scripture that presented the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
As I have stated in the past, the reason so many people disagree over the time for the Rapture is that the Bible described more than one Rapture. In fact, it described seven overall. There is a Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation Rapture. It is man-made tradition (and NOT God's Doctrine) that there can ONLY be one Rapture associated with The Tribulation.
In the previous post, we saw verses from Luke 21 that SPECIFICALLY referenced the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Today's post will present additional passages from scripture that SPECIFICALLY referred to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of Believers.
John 14:1-3
"1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
(We have seen, this is the Meaning of Life. Jesus is currently preparing the new Jerusalem...which is Church...which is the Father's house. The new Jerusalem is roughly 1500 miles on a side...and 1500 miles high. The Believers will inhabit this city...which means each of us will have a house the size of a VERY LARGE mansion. This new Jerusalem is the Bride...which makes each of us a "cell" in the Bride. The word cell comes from the root word for room.)
(Jesus will come back for Believers and receive them unto Himself. There is NO judgment mentioned. This must take place before BOTH Jesus' judging at the end of The Tribulation and God the Father's judging at the end of The Millennium.)
I Corinthians 15:23
"23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming."
(Early in I Corinthians 15, Paul wrote that Christ rose first and then Believers in Christ will rise at His coming. Again, NO judgment is mentioned. This became more BLATANT later in the same chapter...)
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
"51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law:
57 but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord."
(The first two verses BLATANTLY stated Believers would be changed in the twinking of an eye at the last trump. We explained the context of this verse in a post titled, "The End of Our Dispensation".)
(Verse 54 referenced Isaiah 25:8...
"8 He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.")
(Verse 55 referenced Hosea 13:14...
"14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.")
(Paul stated an event would happen that would completely remove the sting of death and sin from Believers...in the twinkling of an eye. Again, there are NO judgments mentioned PRIOR to this event.)
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
"13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
(Verse 17 used the phrase caught up which is harpazo . This is where the word "rapture" comes from.)
(This passage lined up with I Corinthians 15 AND stated we would meet Jesus in the air. Again, this is Jesus Spiritual coming in the air...which is The Rapture. The fact it is Pre-Tribulation is something we ought to reference to comfort each other.)
Philippians 3:20-21
"20 For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself."
(The pharse "we wait for a Saviour" means that we watch for Jesus. The rest of the passage showed the watching was Spiritually.)
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
"1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;
3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;
9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:
12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14 whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."
(We have covered this passage IN DEPTH in the post titled, "The Day of The Lord (II Thessalonians)". Please click the previous link for details.)
(The SUMMARY of the previous passage: The anti-Christ cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit leaves with the Believers...which is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.)
(Most resources do not realize the following passage as a Rapture passage. David Taube sent me this one...)
James 5:4-8
"4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
(Verse 7 spoke of patience as we watch for the Spiritual coming of Jesus. The early rain is the Rapture of the Believers. The latter rain is a later Rapture.)
SUMMARY
There are numerous verses in the Bible that referenced a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Contrary to popular opinion, I don't believe the verses in Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
As stated from the beginning of this Series, I believe The Gospel According to Matthew was written to the Jews. I believe Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25 referenced the events during The Tribulation.
Tomorrow, we will continue our Series and begin Matthew chapter 26...
Next Post
Friday, October 15, 2010
Luke 21 (and Luke 17 excerpt)
This year we are covering The Gospel According to Matthew. We have completed the first twenty-five chapters of Matthew. In the previous post, we looked at Mark chapter 13. Here is the summary:
Mark chapter 13 is similar to Matthew chapter 24.
However, the differences seem to be intended for two different times.
Matthew's account seems to have focused on events DURING The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and be found DOING so the Believer would be able to enter The Millennium.
Mark's account seems to have focused on events BEFORE The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and pray.
Matthew's encouragement was closer to The Law...DOING Physical works.
Mark's encouragement was closer to grace via the Holy Spirit...Spiritual works (prayer).
Today, we will look at yet another Gospel account that is similar to Matthew chapter 24...
LUKE 21
"1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all:
4 for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had."
(Luke chapter 21 began with Jesus teaching His disciples about giving. Jesus stated the woman who gave all that she had actually gave a GREATER gift than those who gave out of their abundance...even though they quantitatively gave more! This is uniqueness.)
"5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings, he said,
6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
(These verses are similar to Mark 13:1-2 and Matthew 24:1-2.)
"7 And they asked him, saying, Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?"
(This verse is more similar to Mark 13:3 than Matthew 24:3. Two questions were asked concerning the destruction of the temple. However, the similarity with Matthew 24:3 is that specific disciples weren't mentioned...just an abstract "they asked him". This verse differed from both previous accounts by NOT mentioning the location being the mount of Olives.)
"8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.
9 And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
11 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven."
(This section is similar to Matthew 24:4-8 and Mark 13:5-8.)
"12 But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.
13 It shall turn out unto you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer:
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay."
(This section is similar to Mark 13:11...
"11 And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.")
(In yesterday's post, we saw there was no verse from Matthew 24 that was similar. Luke's account did NOT mention the Holy Spirit specifically, however, the ONLY way for Jesus to give us a mouth and wisdom is through the Holy Spirit. Remember, we have seen in II Thessalonians 2, the Holy Spirit leaves BEFORE The Tribulation so that the anti-Christ is able to be revealed! Jesus had to be speaking of a time BEFORE The Tribulation. This would make the PERSPECTIVE of this account similar to Mark's: focused on the disciples and, possibly, any Believer before the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.)
"16 But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
(This verses is similar to Matthew 24:9,13 and Mark 13:12,13.)
"18 And not a hair of your head shall perish.
19 In your patience ye shall win your souls."
(There are no verses similar to these two in Matthew's or Luke's accounts. This stated that people will NOT physically perish if they are patient. Remember, patience does NOT refer to the waiting. You are going to wait anyway. Patience is your ATTITUDE WHILE you wait. People with a good heart attitude will NOT physically perish. Which people? Believers BEFORE or DURING The Tribulation?)
"20 But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand."
(Again, another verse that is NOT similar to any verses in Matthew's or Mark's accounts. However, there was a reference earlier in Luke's account from Jesus that is important.)
("41 And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." Luke 19:41-44)
(The site of the view implied in this passage was from the mount of Olives. The phrase bank about thee is a physical barrier. The last phrase referred to Jerusalem NOT realizing from Daniel's Seventy Weeks that NOW was the time of the Messiah's visitation. Because Israel didn't recognize Jesus as Messiah, Jerusalem would be destroyed.)
(This was a prophetic description of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus in 70 AD. Titus could not take Jerusalem by force, so he surrounded it with a barrier and cut off the supplies. Basically, he starved the Israelites.)
(In Mark's and Matthew's accounts, the critical verse that spoke about the abomination of desolation from The Book of Daniel was mentioned. Luke did NOT have this mention in his account...)
"21 Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein.
22 For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people."
(This is similar to Mark 13:15-17 and Matthew 24:15-22. However, in BOTH Mark's and Matthew's accounts, it was stated these times would be such tribulation as has never been seen or ever will be seen. Clearly, Mark's and Matthew's account spoke of The Tribulation. Luke's account did NOT have this description.)
"24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
(There was no verse in Mark's or Matthew's account similar to this verse. There are two popular PERSPECTIVES on this verse...)
(PERSPECTIVE #1: The times of the Gentiles includes the last half of The Tribulation...after the abomination of desolation is set up.)
(PERSPECTIVE #2: The times of the Gentiles is fulfilled with the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Once the Holy Spirit leaves, our Gentile dispensation of grace is concluded and the seventieth week of Daniel begins...the fifth dispensation...which is actually the time of the Law...the time of the Jew. Remember, Temple worship isn't re-established until The Tribulation begins. So, Gentiles trod over Jerusalem until Temple worship is re-established.)
(Let's continue looking at the context of this account before coming to a conclusion on this PERSPECTIVE...)
"25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
(This is similar to Mark 13:24-26 and Matthew 24:29-31. This was a clear reference to Jesus' Physical coming to earth at the end of The Tribulation.)
"28 But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh."
(There is no verse in Mark's or Matthew's account similar to this verse.)
(Jesus stated that when these things BEGIN to come to pass, look up, and lift you heads...WHY? Because your REDEMPTION is near. Again, depending on your decision about PERSPECTIVE #1 AND PERSPECTIVE #2, this verse can be towards people living DURING The Tribulation or people living BEFORE The Tribulation.)
"29 And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees:
30 when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh.
31 Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."
(This is similar to Mark 13:28-31 and Matthew 24:32-35. Mark 13:32 and Matthew 24:36 mentioned not being able to know the hour and day of Jesus' coming. There is NO mention of not being able to know the hour and day in this account.)
"34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare:
35 for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth."
(There was no verse in Mark's and Matthew's account similar to these verses. Jesus focused on our hearts! He stated that we shouldn't be focused on overeating (surfeiting), getting drunk, and the cares of this world. We have covered these causes with the parable of the sower.)
(More importantly, Jesus said that day would come on those who were caught up with the cares of the world...basically a day like any other day. At the end of The Tribulation, there is going to be Armageddon...not exactly a day like every other day. The entire world will be at war. However, the time before the Pre-Tribulation Rapture would fit this passage more closely...a day like any other day.)
"36 But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
(WOW!)
(There was the FIRST mention of the Rapture in the New Testament!)
(At the end of The Tribulation, BOTH good ("sheep") and bad ("goats") people will stand before Jesus to be judged. At the end of The Millennium, EVERYONE will stand before God to be judged.)
(This verse told us to watch and pray (make supplication) to escape ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus. BOTH of these events OUGHT to be GOOD. The ONLY event that fits this verse is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. ONLY Believers will escape ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus!)
"37 And every day he was teaching in the temple; and every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that is called Olivet.
38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him."
(The end of this chapter stated Jesus came into the temple EVERY DAY...and spent EVERY NIGHT on the mount of Olives. It looks like there was more than one evening spent on the mount of Olives during the time of Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21...)
SUMMARY
Luke chapter 21 is similar Mark chapter 13 and Matthew chapter 24.
However, Luke chapter 21 seems to be intended for people living BEFORE The Tribulation.
Matthew's account seems to have focused on events DURING The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and be found DOING so the Believer would be able to enter The Millennium.
Luke's account seems to have focused on events BEFORE The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and pray for Jesus' Spiritual coming.
Luke's account differed from Matthew chapter 24 in the following key ways:
-God would provide the words we need (via The Holy Spirit)
-Believers would not perish physically
-No mention of the abomination of desolation...instead, an event that has already occurred (Jerusalem surrounded)
-Gentiles will trod over Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles ends...Temple worship occurs during the beginning of The Tribulation which would be the time of the Jew...the re-establishment of the fifth dispensation (The Law).
-Redemption would come to those who watch and pray...instead of focusing on the cares of the world.
-Believers would avoid ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus
I believe Jesus stated many things...for BOTH those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Matthew's account focused on the Jews...those living DURING The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Mark's account focused on BOTH the Jews and the Christians.
I believe Luke's account focused on the Christians...those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation.
On Monday, we will look at other Bible references to the Believers who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation...
Next Post
BONUS COVERAGE
Luke chapter 17 contained many of the same phrases used in Matthew chapter 24 (lightning, days of Noah, one taken and one left...). The chronology of Luke chapter 17 occurs BEFORE the events of Matthew chapter 24 AND it involved the Pharisees! Notice, the section below began with Jesus focusing on the Spiritual perspective (kingdom within you)...which is consistent with what we've read from Luke chapter 21. Here is the excerpt beginning with a question that was asked of Jesus by the Pharisees:
"20 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
24 for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
30 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34 I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
37 And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together." Luke 17:20-37
Mark chapter 13 is similar to Matthew chapter 24.
However, the differences seem to be intended for two different times.
Matthew's account seems to have focused on events DURING The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and be found DOING so the Believer would be able to enter The Millennium.
Mark's account seems to have focused on events BEFORE The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and pray.
Matthew's encouragement was closer to The Law...DOING Physical works.
Mark's encouragement was closer to grace via the Holy Spirit...Spiritual works (prayer).
Today, we will look at yet another Gospel account that is similar to Matthew chapter 24...
LUKE 21
"1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all:
4 for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had."
(Luke chapter 21 began with Jesus teaching His disciples about giving. Jesus stated the woman who gave all that she had actually gave a GREATER gift than those who gave out of their abundance...even though they quantitatively gave more! This is uniqueness.)
"5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings, he said,
6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
(These verses are similar to Mark 13:1-2 and Matthew 24:1-2.)
"7 And they asked him, saying, Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?"
(This verse is more similar to Mark 13:3 than Matthew 24:3. Two questions were asked concerning the destruction of the temple. However, the similarity with Matthew 24:3 is that specific disciples weren't mentioned...just an abstract "they asked him". This verse differed from both previous accounts by NOT mentioning the location being the mount of Olives.)
"8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.
9 And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
11 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven."
(This section is similar to Matthew 24:4-8 and Mark 13:5-8.)
"12 But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.
13 It shall turn out unto you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer:
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay."
(This section is similar to Mark 13:11...
"11 And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.")
(In yesterday's post, we saw there was no verse from Matthew 24 that was similar. Luke's account did NOT mention the Holy Spirit specifically, however, the ONLY way for Jesus to give us a mouth and wisdom is through the Holy Spirit. Remember, we have seen in II Thessalonians 2, the Holy Spirit leaves BEFORE The Tribulation so that the anti-Christ is able to be revealed! Jesus had to be speaking of a time BEFORE The Tribulation. This would make the PERSPECTIVE of this account similar to Mark's: focused on the disciples and, possibly, any Believer before the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.)
"16 But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
(This verses is similar to Matthew 24:9,13 and Mark 13:12,13.)
"18 And not a hair of your head shall perish.
19 In your patience ye shall win your souls."
(There are no verses similar to these two in Matthew's or Luke's accounts. This stated that people will NOT physically perish if they are patient. Remember, patience does NOT refer to the waiting. You are going to wait anyway. Patience is your ATTITUDE WHILE you wait. People with a good heart attitude will NOT physically perish. Which people? Believers BEFORE or DURING The Tribulation?)
"20 But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand."
(Again, another verse that is NOT similar to any verses in Matthew's or Mark's accounts. However, there was a reference earlier in Luke's account from Jesus that is important.)
("41 And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." Luke 19:41-44)
(The site of the view implied in this passage was from the mount of Olives. The phrase bank about thee is a physical barrier. The last phrase referred to Jerusalem NOT realizing from Daniel's Seventy Weeks that NOW was the time of the Messiah's visitation. Because Israel didn't recognize Jesus as Messiah, Jerusalem would be destroyed.)
(This was a prophetic description of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus in 70 AD. Titus could not take Jerusalem by force, so he surrounded it with a barrier and cut off the supplies. Basically, he starved the Israelites.)
(In Mark's and Matthew's accounts, the critical verse that spoke about the abomination of desolation from The Book of Daniel was mentioned. Luke did NOT have this mention in his account...)
"21 Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein.
22 For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people."
(This is similar to Mark 13:15-17 and Matthew 24:15-22. However, in BOTH Mark's and Matthew's accounts, it was stated these times would be such tribulation as has never been seen or ever will be seen. Clearly, Mark's and Matthew's account spoke of The Tribulation. Luke's account did NOT have this description.)
"24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
(There was no verse in Mark's or Matthew's account similar to this verse. There are two popular PERSPECTIVES on this verse...)
(PERSPECTIVE #1: The times of the Gentiles includes the last half of The Tribulation...after the abomination of desolation is set up.)
(PERSPECTIVE #2: The times of the Gentiles is fulfilled with the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Once the Holy Spirit leaves, our Gentile dispensation of grace is concluded and the seventieth week of Daniel begins...the fifth dispensation...which is actually the time of the Law...the time of the Jew. Remember, Temple worship isn't re-established until The Tribulation begins. So, Gentiles trod over Jerusalem until Temple worship is re-established.)
(Let's continue looking at the context of this account before coming to a conclusion on this PERSPECTIVE...)
"25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
(This is similar to Mark 13:24-26 and Matthew 24:29-31. This was a clear reference to Jesus' Physical coming to earth at the end of The Tribulation.)
"28 But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh."
(There is no verse in Mark's or Matthew's account similar to this verse.)
(Jesus stated that when these things BEGIN to come to pass, look up, and lift you heads...WHY? Because your REDEMPTION is near. Again, depending on your decision about PERSPECTIVE #1 AND PERSPECTIVE #2, this verse can be towards people living DURING The Tribulation or people living BEFORE The Tribulation.)
"29 And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees:
30 when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh.
31 Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."
(This is similar to Mark 13:28-31 and Matthew 24:32-35. Mark 13:32 and Matthew 24:36 mentioned not being able to know the hour and day of Jesus' coming. There is NO mention of not being able to know the hour and day in this account.)
"34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare:
35 for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth."
(There was no verse in Mark's and Matthew's account similar to these verses. Jesus focused on our hearts! He stated that we shouldn't be focused on overeating (surfeiting), getting drunk, and the cares of this world. We have covered these causes with the parable of the sower.)
(More importantly, Jesus said that day would come on those who were caught up with the cares of the world...basically a day like any other day. At the end of The Tribulation, there is going to be Armageddon...not exactly a day like every other day. The entire world will be at war. However, the time before the Pre-Tribulation Rapture would fit this passage more closely...a day like any other day.)
"36 But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
(WOW!)
(There was the FIRST mention of the Rapture in the New Testament!)
(At the end of The Tribulation, BOTH good ("sheep") and bad ("goats") people will stand before Jesus to be judged. At the end of The Millennium, EVERYONE will stand before God to be judged.)
(This verse told us to watch and pray (make supplication) to escape ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus. BOTH of these events OUGHT to be GOOD. The ONLY event that fits this verse is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. ONLY Believers will escape ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus!)
"37 And every day he was teaching in the temple; and every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that is called Olivet.
38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him."
(The end of this chapter stated Jesus came into the temple EVERY DAY...and spent EVERY NIGHT on the mount of Olives. It looks like there was more than one evening spent on the mount of Olives during the time of Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21...)
SUMMARY
Luke chapter 21 is similar Mark chapter 13 and Matthew chapter 24.
However, Luke chapter 21 seems to be intended for people living BEFORE The Tribulation.
Matthew's account seems to have focused on events DURING The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and be found DOING so the Believer would be able to enter The Millennium.
Luke's account seems to have focused on events BEFORE The Tribulation with the encouragement to watch and pray for Jesus' Spiritual coming.
Luke's account differed from Matthew chapter 24 in the following key ways:
-God would provide the words we need (via The Holy Spirit)
-Believers would not perish physically
-No mention of the abomination of desolation...instead, an event that has already occurred (Jerusalem surrounded)
-Gentiles will trod over Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles ends...Temple worship occurs during the beginning of The Tribulation which would be the time of the Jew...the re-establishment of the fifth dispensation (The Law).
-Redemption would come to those who watch and pray...instead of focusing on the cares of the world.
-Believers would avoid ALL THESE THINGS and stand before Jesus
I believe Jesus stated many things...for BOTH those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Matthew's account focused on the Jews...those living DURING The Tribulation and those saved AFTER The Tribulation.
I believe Mark's account focused on BOTH the Jews and the Christians.
I believe Luke's account focused on the Christians...those who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation.
On Monday, we will look at other Bible references to the Believers who are saved BEFORE The Tribulation...
Next Post
BONUS COVERAGE
Luke chapter 17 contained many of the same phrases used in Matthew chapter 24 (lightning, days of Noah, one taken and one left...). The chronology of Luke chapter 17 occurs BEFORE the events of Matthew chapter 24 AND it involved the Pharisees! Notice, the section below began with Jesus focusing on the Spiritual perspective (kingdom within you)...which is consistent with what we've read from Luke chapter 21. Here is the excerpt beginning with a question that was asked of Jesus by the Pharisees:
"20 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
24 for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
30 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34 I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
37 And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together." Luke 17:20-37
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