Christ Through the Bible- Matthew

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

Introduction

From several details in Matthew's Gospel it is clear he was writing for a Jewish audience. Many prophecies, known to the Jews from their scriptures are referred to. Matthew gives the genealogy of Jesus as well as recording several of Jesus' teachings, especially the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7.

The Gospel of Matthew, more than the other gospels, often concludes a passage by introducing an Old Testament Scripture and claiming Jesus has now fulfilled it.

In many cases, Matthew is simply drawing a parallel between events from the life of Jesus and events from Israel's history. Examples are:

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

Matthew 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

 Matthew 12:17-21 ¹⁷ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, ¹⁸ Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  ¹⁹ He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.  ²⁰ A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. ²¹ And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

(see Isaiah 41:8-9 for identification of the servant with Israel).

Structure of the Gospel

Just as Matthew draws parallels between Jesus' experiences and those of Israel, the gospel itself parallels the Torah, the five books of Moses. In Matthew, Jesus' teachings are combined into five long discourses.

Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7 (This sermon is putting teeth into the Old Testament Law

Missionary Discourse - Matthew 10

Parabolic Discourse - Matthew 13

Discourse on the Church - Matthew 18

Olivet Discourse - Matthew 24 (Simple outline of the Book of Revelation)

Each of these discourses contains more uninterrupted teaching than the parallel sections of Mark or Luke.

The phrase "kingdom of God" appears 62 times in the New Testament, but Matthew uses the substitute phrase "kingdom of heaven" 31 times, even where the parallel accounts in other gospels say "kingdom of God". This is likely due to a Jewish custom of never writing the word "God" as a precaution against using God's name in vain. 

What is interesting is in Matthew we see a preview of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John.  We are given a picture of the return of the King of Kings. I understand this may not be what is accepted by many “prophetic experts” but I will share this at the cost of offending some.  Take this with an open mind and search the Scriptures.  Matthew begins with the First Coming of Jesus Christ and towards the end of the book he speaks of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is not the King of the Jews He is the King of Kings.

The Book of Revelation Revealed in the Gospel of Matthew- The King is Coming Back

Just like each of us the disciple wanted to know when the end of time would take place.  They wanted to know how much time before the LORD set up His kingdom.  What were the signs of the end and when could they expect the LORD to return?

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

In the Book of Revelation, the LORD is showing what will happen during the Christian Era.  He reveals the various periods within the Church to show the fulfillment of prophecy.

The Ephesus Church Rev. 2:1-7

The word Ephesus means “to relax from effort,” which matches Jesus admonishment to them, to return to the first works of faith and love, with zeal and enthusiasm.  They lost their first love.

  ⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  ⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  ⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

This is the starting point of the Christian era.

The Apostles spread the gospel in many countries and planted new churches, which required a lot of patience. They were burdened by opposition, and many were persecuted and killed.  All the Apostles except John were killed by a violent death, which no doubt was disheartening to the church.  Many of them expected Jesus to return after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., so they may have relaxed their efforts.

You have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them, liars, but this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:2,6).  The Ephesus period saw the beginnings of some of the heresies which would later be accepted by the church—the doctrines of the “false apostles” and the “Nicolaitans.” Paul warned, “After my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29,30). “The mystery of lawlessness is already at work,” he declared (2 Thessalonians 2:7).  The Apostle John warned, “Even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). 

Although the apostles predicted apostasy in the Church, we see that in general, the church of the Ephesian period rejected the messages of the False Apostles—"You have found them, liars." The seeds of their false doctrines would spring up later in the heresies of the synagogue of Satan (2:9), the throne of Satan (2:13), the Nicolaitans (2:15), the doctrine of Balaam (2:14) and Jezebel (2:20).  But during the Ephesus period the church was successfully struggling to maintain moral and doctrinal purity— “But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate”  (Revelation 2:6).

Peter also predicted that “there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable soul for when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2 Peter 2:1,10,14,18,19).

A picture emerges of those who teach that behavior doesn’t matter, who offer a false promise of liberty expressed through “great swelling words of emptiness.”

“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25). But the reality in this world is that the church has an enemy, Satan, who works vigilantly, “secretly bringing in destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1).

The Smyrna Church  (Revelation 2:8-11)

The Persecuted Church

Smyrna comes from the word “myrrh” which is a tree resin with a bitter taste that was crushed and used in perfume, in incense, and as a preservative in burial. It’s a symbol of death, which is appropriate for this church era.

 ⁹ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

As the church grew, Christians faced continuous persecution (“I know your…tribulation”), some of it from the Romans, but much of it from the Jews, which resulted in the mutual hatred between Christians and Jews that developed during the Ephesus period.   Despite these bad relationships, Jesus did not condemn the Jews, but rather those “who say they are Jews and are not.” The apostle Paul clarifies this thought in Romans 2: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart” (Romans 2:28,29). In other words, born again, Spirit-led Christians are the true Jews. These are contrasted with “you who are called a Jew” who “boast in God, know His will, being instructed out of the law,” who “boast in the law” but “dishonor God through breaking the law” (vs. 17-23). Of these false Jews, he concludes that “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (v.24).

The Pergamos Church  313-538 A.D

Pergamos means: “Married to the tower.”

 Pagan worship originated in Babylon, where the tower represented their rise to become gods.

When the Medo-Persians conquered Babylon, the Babylonian priests moved to Pergamos and established a place of Satanic cultic idolatry, pagan worship, with various customs and deities.

Satan couldn’t destroy Jesus’ church with ten persecutions from Pagan Rome, so he changed his strategy to destroy it from within.  Constantine united Christianity with pagan idol worship and feasts, and fornication.  Pagan Rome had many gods and idols, which they weren’t going to give up. So, to make the Church more acceptable to them, the church took the idols and just gave them new names.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.  To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).  “Hidden manna” and “a new name written which no one knows” both emphasize the development of “hidden” or secret Christians who increasingly had to go “underground” in the face of rejection and persecution by the official state church, which was comprised of false “Balaam” leaders supported by immoral “Nicolaitan” masses. This division of the church became even more pronounced in the next Thyatira period in which the false church is characterized as Jezebel, and the true church went underground.

The Thyatira Church (Revelation 2:18-29)

Thyatira means “ruled by a woman,” which is the perfect name because this era was ruled by the Mother church of Rome. The pagan Church.

 ¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.

During this church age and the next, the Church at Rome tortured and killed over 50 million people they deemed heretics, most from Christ’s true church. The Roman Church found its source in Babylonian idolatry, including the declaration that Mary is the Queen of Heaven. This is a sad period of history in the church.  However, the Protestant church has a history that is just as sad.

They are the two lamp stands which stood as a witness against the Church during their 1,260 years of reign from 538-1798 A.D.

The Sardis Church

¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

The meaning of the word “Sardis” is the “escaping one,” or those who “come out,” so it is an excellent symbol of the Church during the Reformation period, when Martin Luther and several other reformers protested the false teaching, tyranny, and claims of the Roman Church and they heeded Jesus command and came out of her.

Satan played out historically during this church era. And you can see why this period is referred to as the time of Great Tribulation.  The Roman Church continued to persecute Christians, but more importantly, they implemented a new strategy of destroying  by infiltrating within.

Philadelphia Church Era

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (1800-1900)  In contrast to all the other churches, the Philadelphia church is not condemned for anything.  This period, from the mid eighteenth through the mid nineteenth centuries, was one in which the Christian church woke up from their “dead” Sardis condition and with their “Little strength” they “Kept [His] word,” triggering the greatest revivals since Pentecost.

The Great Tribulation

 ¹⁵ When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) ⁷ Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:  ¹⁸ Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. ¹⁹ And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ²⁰ But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: ²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  ²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.²³ Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  ²⁴ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  ²⁵ Behold, I have told you before. ²⁶ Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  ²⁷ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ²⁸ For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

End of the Christian Era- Seventh Trumpet Sounds

²⁹ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

The Second Coming  ³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

The Last Trumpet ³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Nation of Israel- The Fig Tree ³² Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: ³³ So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

  Promise ³⁴ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.  ³⁵ Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Day of His Coming Unknown ³⁶ But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Indication of the End Times Revealed ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  ³⁸ For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, ³⁹ And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ⁴⁰ Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  ⁴¹ Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  ⁴² Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

The Warning to Watch ⁴³ But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  ⁴⁴ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.  ⁴⁵ Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Blessing of Knowing and Promise ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  ⁴⁷ Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

The Laodicea Church- 1900-Present

 ⁴⁸ But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; ⁴⁹ And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; ⁵⁰ The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, ⁵¹ And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus then gives examples of this last Church in symbolic and figurative language

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  ² And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 

Lamps are a type of profession, the oil is a type of the Holy Spirit.

⁴ But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  ⁵ While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  ⁶ And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

The Church was not ready they had to “trim their lamps”  The call has gone out and the Church is starting to wake -up.  ⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

The foolish no longer had the Holy Spirit they had the form but lacked the power. ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves

Those who had prepared for the event had only enough for themselves.

Just an observation.  I have noticed that there are individuals who are interesting in finding the LORD, they have started to church, attend Bible studies, read the Bible, start searching the scriptures and are a seeker of TRUTH.  What is interesting is the individuals in the church who profess to serve the LORD have no time to disciple these individuals.  They can find time for sports, entertainment, and other activities but not time to help reach others for the LORD.  This is the very attitude that Jesus is talking about in the last Church Era.

Time Has Run Out ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  ¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Warning to Watch ¹³ Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.  ¹⁵ And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

The LORD has given to each of the responsibility to increase our spiritual gifts.

The Day of Reckoning ¹⁶ Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.  ¹⁷ And likewise, he that had received two, he also gained other two.  ¹⁸ But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.  ¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

The Wise and Foolish- Profession without the Holy Spirit ²⁰ And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.²¹ 

Promise His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.²² He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. ²³ His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Buried what was given at a great price. ²⁴ Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. ²⁶ His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: ²⁷ Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers and then at my coming, I should have received mine own with usury

Lost Blessing and Punishment ²⁸ Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.  ²⁹ For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.  ³⁰ And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Second Coming- Sealing the 144000 and the Great Multitude Saints³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.  The Seventh Seal Isn’t Opened until after the Account Of the 144,000 and Gentile Church.   Why? Because all of the redeemed need to be counted before the Lord closes the Christian era.

The Sealed Saints Are Called to Sit with the LORD. ³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:³⁵ For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

The Final Judgment ⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

This chapter is a summary of the vision John saw, given to him by Jesus Christ as seen in the first eleven chapters of the Book of Revelation.