MATTHEW 8:5-13

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."

7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

9 "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

11 "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12 "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

Jesus came first to the Jews in accordance with the promises given to Israel through the prophets, but here was a Gentile (and a Roman) with more faith in Jesus than His own people.

This is the kind of faith Jesus wanted to see in the Jews to whom He has been teaching. Being Jewish will not get you into Heaven!!! As John the Baptist said.....

MATTHEW 3:8-10

8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Note carefully that Jesus told the Roman Centurion that as he had believed, so it would be done for him. Jesus saw his unswerving faith and did what was requested of Him as a reward for that faith, especially as the Centurion asked for healing for his servant, and nothing for himself.

Jesus also used the situation as a lesson to the Jews who were with Him, in that he was essentially saying, 'You have had the Law and the prophets to teach you and raise faith in you, and here is a Gentile who has had none of this and he still has more faith than you.'

Jesus also indicated that people from many Gentile nations would enter the kingdom of Heaven, but many of the Jews who were promised the kingdom would be cast out into darkness because of their unbelief.

The weeping and gnashing (grinding) of teeth would result from sorrow and self-incrimination, as well as the pain of eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire after their judgment.

MATTHEW 8:14-17

14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.

15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.

16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

This shows that Peter was married, as he had a mother-in-law. The Catholic Church wrongly claims that Peter was the first Pope and commands that their priests be celibate. Yet Peter was obviously married, so in this they violate even their own man-made laws.

Here we see Jesus fulfilling more prophesy spoken centuries before by the prophet Isaiah. Notice that Jesus took care of the physical and spiritual problems.

MATTHEW 8:18-22

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.

19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."

20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Jesus had the scribe think about the cost of discipleship, saying that even He, Jesus, had no home to call His own, and that discipleship would not be an easy road to follow.

Another wanted to first bury his father, but Jesus told him to let the spiritually dead bury their physically dead if he truly wanted to follow Jesus.

In both cases He was establishing priorities; put Jesus and His will first, then do whatever else you need to do.

MATTHEW 8:23-27

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.

25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

26 But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27 So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

A careful reading of the Gospel of Mark says that there were other little boats with the 12 disciples, so we need to understand that when it is talking about disciples here, it is talking about many people.

The Sea of Galilee lies in a depression below Mount Hermon which stands 9,230 feet above sea level and is perpetually snow-covered, providing for much of the water resources in the region.

During the hot summer months sudden downdrafts of cold air descend the mountain and sweep over the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Kinneret) producing sudden violent storms that lash the area. This is probably what happened here.

Possibly it was an attempt by Satan to kill Jesus or to drown His disciples, for if any drowned it would make Jesus seem powerless and not the Son of God as He claimed. Jesus, however showed His authority and power and by His word alone, stopped the storm.

He also rebuked them for their lack of faith, for even though the storm had been violent, He would not have allowed any of them to perish. Nothing is too difficult or impossible for the Lord.

JEREMIAH 32:26-27

26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

MARK 10:27

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

MATTHEW 8:28-34

28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.

29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.

31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."

32 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

Notice that the demons knew exactly who Jesus was, even though the men had never met Him. Demons are afraid of the power of God, they just don’t like to admit it to humans.

They are afraid because they know God is far more powerful than their master, Satan. But as they chose to follow Satan in the Rebellion, God judged them, gave them the same punishment slated for their master, and forced them to serve Satan.

This also shows that demons can enter and possess animals. Also notice that the demons asked permission to enter the swine, they have no authority to demand Jesus do anything.

It is amazing that after a demonstration of God’s power the people of the area wanted Jesus to leave.

MATTHEW 9:1-8

1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.

2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."

3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"

4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

5 "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?

6 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

7 And he arose and departed to his house.

8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Only God has the authority to forgive our sins. No man has the power to forgive the sins of others who have not sinned against them, personally.

However, if someone sins against you, you can forgive them for their transgressions against you, but you cannot forgive the sins committed against the Lord or against others. The person must still go before the Lord to ask forgiveness from the Lord for their transgressions committed against Him.

Every sin we commit is a sin of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord. This is why the Catholic Church cannot absolve anyone of their sins as they claim they do as this goes against Scripture and puts men in the position and power of God alone. They have no authority anywhere in Scripture to forgive sins in the place of God, as God has never given men this authority.

By forgiving sin, Jesus was showing that He was truly the Son of God. He was the Messiah they had been waiting for, for so many centuries.

Remember that part of their anger and fear was that with the coming of the Messiah the religious leaders would lose much of the power, wealth and position they had accumulated.

Jesus gave all honor and glory to God the Father, keeping none for Himself.

But in either case, again, it is God who has the power to forgive the sins of people, for remember, if people sin against God's children, they also sin against God who dwells within them.

As far as retaining sins, again skipping ahead a bit, Jesus said;

JOHN 20:21-23

21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Jesus was warning that whatever sins people did against the disciples would be forgiven if the disciples forgave them. If the disciples did not forgive, then God would not forgive the sins the people committed against the disciples either.

This was a warning to the disciples to forgive also, lest their sins in turn not be forgiven by God.

But in either case, again, it is God who has the power to forgive the sins of people, for remember, if people sin against God's children, they also sin against God who dwells within them.

MATTHEW 10:11-15

11 "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.

12 "And when you go into a household, greet it.

13 "If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

15 "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

This is the only case where the sins of a household or city will be retained against them. This is not to be done lightly, and only if they fulfill the conditions set by Jesus in the verses above.

MATTHEW 9:9

9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.

Notice that Matthew left everything behind and followed Jesus. He didn't ask to finish what he was doing first or tell Jesus that he would join Him in a little while when it would be more convenient, but he left books, collected taxes, everything, and went with Jesus.

This probably astonished some of Jesus' followers, for tax-collectors (Latin: publicans) were universally hated and despised people.

They were Jews who collected taxes for the Roman provincial governor and frequently collected above the amount set by the Romans and kept the difference. People didn't dare to complain, for the tax collector could bring word to the governor and the complainer could be imprisoned or worse.

When the Lord asks anything of us we must do it in His timing not ours. Serving the Lord is not always convenient in our selfish reasoning, but we are to respond immediately and with a happy and willing heart, not grudgingly and with complaint.

Remember that every choice we make is a free will choice. Jesus doesn't want anything from you that you are not willing to freely give.

MATTHEW 9:10-13

10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The scribes and Pharisees would not go near tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves and the like as they felt they would be defiled if they did. Thus, they condemned the sinners to destruction, not lifting a finger to help them come to righteousness.

Jesus showed His love and compassion by reaching out to these people, to bring the good news of salvation to those who so desperately needed to hear it, telling them that they could still enter the kingdom of Heaven if they repented and turned their lives around.

MATTHEW 9:14-17

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 "No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

17 "Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

The bridegroom spoken of here is Jesus, expressing His relationship with His people as being a bridegroom preparing to marry his betrothed. It is a symbol of the intimacy of God's relationship to His people in the emotional and spiritual sense, not the physical sense.

In the examples of the unshrunk cloth and the wineskins, Jesus is saying that the doctrine of Christianity isn't a "patch" or an extension of Judaism, but a whole new covenant. The new

wine / new cloth is the Holy Spirit and the old garment / wineskin is our old nature.

When we come to Jesus we are made new in Him and are filled with the Holy Spirit to help us to follow the will of the Lord.

MATTHEW 9:18-26

18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."

19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.

21 For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."

22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.

23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing,

24 He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him.

25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

26 And the report of this went out into all that land.

Jesus showed great compassion in both of these cases. He was not angry with the woman seeking healing without asking first, He instead commended her publicly for her faith.

The ruler (a synagogue official) also showed tremendous faith by asking Jesus to resurrect his daughter, publicly showing his belief that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the promised Messiah who alone would have such power.

In ancient times when a person died, professional mourners were hired to express grief on behalf of the bereaved, with noisy instruments and flutes which supposedly demonstrated the sorrow of the grief-stricken family members.

MATTHEW 9:27

27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

"Son of David" was one of the titles of the Messiah. These men were proclaiming their belief that Jesus was the promised One.

MATTHEW 9:28-31

28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."

30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."

31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.

"According to your faith..." Jesus healed this way many times, linking the healing to the amount of faith the person had in Him.

He told them to keep it quiet because He wanted people to believe because of His words not the miracles.

MATTHEW 9:32-34

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.

33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"

34 But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

This is one of the cases where demon possession caused a physical ailment, namely making the man unable to speak. How do we know when such a problem is demonic and when it is a truly physical ailment? We need to follow the discernment of the Holy Spirit in such cases, as He knows the difference.

The Pharisees in their envy and jealousy committed what has been called "the unforgivable sin", namely stating that the works of the Holy Spirit were the works of Satan. This is the only sin that will never be forgiven, blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

For important information on this subject, please go to the study concerning blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in this Web site.      

MATTHEW 9:35-38

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

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

38 "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

There are so many people who need to hear the truth of God. The Lord sends His people out in the world to tell every person about Him.

When He sends you, be sure that you finish the task you are given. If you don't go or don't complete your task for the Lord, be assured that the person(s) you were to help will receive His word even if He has to send another servant.

But if you refuse to do or complete the task, remember that when we stand before the Lord on the day of Judgement, we will be judged on what we did or didn't do to fulfill the Lord's will, not for our sins as they have been paid for and have been forgiven in Jesus

MATTHEW 10:1

1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Any power we have as servants of the Lord comes from Him. This is why there are no power struggles in God's kingdom and this also helps Christians to keep humble. He allows us to use His power to accomplish His will.

Again this proves Jesus' deity, as only God could give His power and authority to others; none of the prophets were able to do so.

MATTHEW 10:2-4

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Simon "hearing"; Peter - "stone" He was the elder brother of Andrew and a fisherman.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John were partners in a fishing business.

Andrew "manly" He was the younger brother of Simon Peter and a fisherman.

Andrew, Simon Peter, James and John were partners in a fishing business.

James (Greek; Hebrew, Jacob) "Supplanter; following after"; The elder brother of John; the son of Zebedee and Salome. James, John, Simon Peter and Andrew were partners in a fishing business.

John (Contraction of Hebrew: Jehohanan) "Jehovah is gracious" The younger brother of James; the son of Zebedee and Salome. John, James, Simon Peter and Andrew were partners in a fishing business.

Philip (Greek) “lover of horses” He was from the city of Bethsaida in Galilee.

Bartholomew "son of Tolmai" Generally believed to be the same person referred to as Nathanael (God has given) in the gospel of John.

Thomas (Greek: Didymus) "twin"

Matthew - "gift of God" (contraction of Mattathias, surnamed Levi (joining)). A publican or tax collector. The son of Alpheus (leader), possible brother to James the Less.

James (Greek; Hebrew, Jacob) "Supplanter; following after" Sometimes referred to as "James the less", not much is known about him. The son of Alphaeus (leader), possible brother of Matthew.

Lebbaeus "courageous" Also known as Judas "may God be praised" (Hebrew - Judah); surnamed Thaddaeus (praise).

Simon "hearing" He belonged to a faction of Zealots, assassins who were well known for their fierce desire to promote the strict following of the Mosaic laws and rituals. He was not the Simon listed as the brother of Jesus. For some reason he was known as a Canaanite, perhaps his father was of Canaanite ancestry.

Judas "may God be praised" Iscariot - "inhabitant of (the city of) Kerioth". He was the treasurer for the Apostles. He was also a thief and became a traitor to Jesus. The surname "Iscariot" was given to him to differentiate him from the other disciple named Judas (Lebbaeus).

MATTHEW 10:5-6

5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.

6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Jesus came first to Israel in accordance with God's promises through the prophets. Gentiles could still be saved while Jesus was on the Earth, but they weren't His focus.

After Israel as a nation rejected Him, then salvation was also offered to the Gentiles.

MATTHEW 10:7-15

7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

9 "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,

10 "nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

11 "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.

12 "And when you go into a household, greet it.

13 "If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

15 "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

If money is your god, preaching the Word of God is not your calling. Jesus was telling them to preach His word to meet the spiritual needs of the people and the people listening would provide for their physical needs. (Notice that their needs would be met, they would not be made rich.)

If the people refused to receive them or hear the Word of God then they were to shake the dust from their feet as they left. This places a curse from God on those people for refusing to hear the message of the Lord's servants.

MATTHEW 10:16-22

16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

17 "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.

18 "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

19 "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;

20 "for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

21 "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

22 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

When we are persecuted and go through trials we must remember that it is Jesus that is being rejected and we are the visible target for that retaliation. And when we stand before our persecutors, God Himself will give us wisdom and the words to say, wisdom that our enemies won't be able to counter.

The persecution He is speaking of here seems to refer to the End Times, in which people will betray each other to try to save their lives, and those who lose their faith and fall away will betray those who remain faithful. And remember, though we are sheep in the midst of wolves, even wolves fear the Shepherd.

MATTHEW 10:23-28

23 "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

25 "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

26 "Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

27 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.

28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.

If we are persecuted in one area, go to another and continue the work set out for us. God will deal with the persecutors.

Every deceitful word and deed will be known to all on the Day of Judgement, during the Judgment of the unrighteous.

Jesus tells us that whatever wisdom He gives us, we are to proclaim to others and not keep it hidden.

Therefore there should not be any secret "Christian" organizations like the Masons, who claim to preserve "hidden" knowledge, and reveal such arcane "knowledge" only to members of the organization.

Our lives are a very small time frame compared to eternity; and no matter whom you serve your spirit will live for eternity. You must decide where you will spend eternity, either in Heaven or Hell.

There is no such thing as "Purgatory", where you "pay" for your sins then enter Heaven, as Jesus has already paid for all sins with His atoning death.

All we must do is believe, and accept this priceless gift. After death you no longer have the freedom to choose Jesus, but until your last breath you can always come to Him.

MATTHEW 10:29-33

29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.

30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

33 "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Nothing happens without God's specific will being exercised in the matter. Don't fear your own death, but fear the wrath of God.

The only way to the Father is through Jesus, and if He denies you before the Father you cannot enter into heaven to spend eternity with Him. Never be ashamed of the Lord!

MATTHEW 10:34-36

34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law';

36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'

Many non-believers point to this and say that if Jesus is supposedly the "Prince of Peace", why would He say this?

If you think carefully about this, He is warning us that because of the battle lines drawn between believers and non-believers, the believers would be hated even by members of their own households.

I have heard where non-believing wives or husbands divorced the believing spouse because they didn't want to live with the believer any more.

Down through history during the persecutions of true Christians in Europe under the Roman Empire and the Catholic Inquisition, non-believers would betray believers to the authorities and would infiltrate groups of believers in order to betray them.

During the coming great persecution during the End Times, this will happen again and will be far more prevalent, as Satan will be banished to Earth to make his final stand and will be personally directing his demon forces here on Earth.

MATTHEW 10:37-39

37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

39 "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Some people have a big problem with these verses. This is a case of priorities, not a case of

loving your family less. Jesus must be first in your life, and doing His will must be your top priority.

But, this does not give you an excuse to ignore the needs of your family. I knew a man who made his wife go to work to support them, as he wanted to work at the church for the Lord, such as mowing the lawn, etc. This will not be commended or praised by the Lord as he neglected his family to do so.

Men it is your job to be the head of the household and provide for your family. God has given them to you to care for and you must be diligent to carry out this responsibility before the Lord.

There are many single people who can do work requested or required by the church, or they can even hire someone to do the work. You can do it if it does not impose a hardship on your family. Remember Paul's words on this subject;

I TIMOTHY 5:8

8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

If there is doubt in the matter, pray, asking what you should do. The Lord will not be pleased if you do work for Him that he does not want you to do, especially if you neglect your family to do so.

MATTHEW 10:40-42

40 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

41 "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

42 "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

Receive fellow believers as you would receive Jesus Himself, providing for their needs and providing vital fellowship to them.

And when the Lord brings someone across your path, ask the Lord if there is anything you can do for this person. If He says yes, then do what ever He says.

Don't judge the person on looks, wealth, etc. Every time you listen and do His will to help another you are helping one of His children and this will please Him. Show others kindness and compassion, just as Christ does in our lives.

MATTHEW 11:1-6

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples

3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:

5 "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

6 "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

The prophecies spoken many centuries ago were known to all Jewish people. They had been listening to them being preached in the Synagogue every week for most of their lives.

Everyone was waiting and watching to see if their generation might be the one to see the long awaited Messiah. They also knew the signs and wonders that would accompany the Messiah.

John knew very well that Jesus was the Messiah, but with this act he was directing his disciples to Jesus as the long-awaited Son of God. I think that John knew what was coming, and was preparing his disciples to follow Jesus after his death.

MATTHEW 11:7-15

7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

8 "But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

9 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

10 "For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'

11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

This was an electrifying statement by Jesus, for in telling the people that John was the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy of being the forerunner to the Messiah, He was claiming to be the promised Messiah.

Some people believe that God resurrected Elijah and sent him as John the Baptist, but this is not what the prophecies said. They actually read;

MALACHI 3:1

1 "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.

MALACHI 4:5-6

4 "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

At first this would seem to indicate that a resurrected Elijah would come to prepare the way for the Messiah.

However, a careful reading of a passage concerning John in the book of Luke clarifies the issue. An angel had appeared to John's father Zacharias before John's birth and had prophesied of him;

LUKE 1:12-17

12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

In verse 17 the angel says that John would go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah to reform the people and prepare them for the Messiah's coming.

Granted, John didn't perform the miracles of Elijah, but Elijah's main purpose was to bring the people back to the Lord, and to put an end to injustice and sin, just as John did.

So therefore, John did indeed come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and was indeed the forerunner of the Messiah. But he was not Elijah in a resurrected body.

Jesus' reference to the kingdom of Heaven suffering violence and the violent taking it by force referred to John's forced imprisonment and coming execution by Herod Antipas and the forthcoming imprisonment and execution of Jesus Himself.

MATTHEW 11:16-19

16 "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,

17 "and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.'

18 "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

19 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."

Jesus is telling the people that they will find fault with anyone who doesn't fit into their preconceived ideas of what a prophet or Messiah should be, something that unfortunately still goes on today.

Such people will never be satisfied with God's answer to His own prophecies.

(Winebibber - drunkard)

MATTHEW 11:20-24

20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:

21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 "But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

23 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hell; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24 "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

The cities of Tyre and Sidon were in Lebanon, ancient Phoenician cities. They were under Roman control during Jesus' time, but there were many temples there dedicated to different Greek, Roman and Mesopotamian gods. In essence, they were idol worshipers.

Sodom is much better known as one of the ancient cursed cities by the body of water known as the Dead Sea that God destroyed by raining fire and brimstone upon them for their wickedness. To say that Capernaum will suffer worse in the day of Judgment than Sodom is a frightening concept!

The biggest difference between Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum and the cities of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, is that while Tyre, Sidon and Sodom were wicked, if they had seen Jesus' miracles and had heard His message, they would have repented and believed. Yet Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had seen and heard, and had hardened their hearts anyway.

MATTHEW 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

26 "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

27 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Notice that Jesus gives all glory to His Father. Even if we worked for eternity, we could never fully pay for our sins for all of our works are corrupted by sin. Jesus, being perfect and sinless, has already paid for the sins of every person that has lived or will ever live in the future.

All He asks in return is for us to love Him above all else and to obey Him in all things. We must obey Him as He only wants the best for us, and even though we can't always know what that is, He knows what the future holds, so it is in our best interest to listen and obey.

Jesus is also saying that any who come to Him with a sincere heart will find spiritual peace and rest. And in learning about Him, we seek to become more like Him, and His Spirit transforms us, helping us to live a Godly life and become examples to others.

MATTHEW 12:1-8

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

4 "how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

5 "Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

6 "Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.

7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

This shows the corruption in the teachings of the Pharisees in that they considered the fact that the disciples were picking grain to eat was "work", carrying the concept of not working on the Sabbath to a ridiculous extent.

Jesus countered that in some cases there are exceptions to the rules, especially in unexpected or emergency situations.

When David was on the run from king Saul who sought to kill him, he and his men were hungry and ate of the showbread which according to the Law of Moses was only for the priests. But as he did it out of need and there was no other food available, it was lawful for him and his men to eat it.

The priests broke the Sabbath every time they performed sacrifices and circumcisions on the Sabbath, which would fall under the Law concerning working on the Sabbath, but God understood these things and allowed for such.

Jesus was telling them that He was Lord over the Sabbath and He understands when a need arises to eat or heal or save a life, even on the Sabbath. Jesus and the disciples had no house to live in, and nowhere to cook food ahead on the day before the Sabbath as most others did.

MATTHEW 12:9-14

9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" that they might accuse Him.

11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?

12 "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.

14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Again this shows the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in that they considered healing to be "work" and therefore forbidden on the Sabbath. This shows their growing desperation to find something to accuse Him of that they might have reason to bring Him to trial and be rid of Him.

They were afraid that Jesus, by exposing their corruption, would take away their power, position and eventually their wealth.

If the people knew that the traditions the Pharisees established were only to bring themselves glory and wealth, this could ruin the nice setup they had.

The people listened to them, believing them to be learned men, as most common people were illiterate and had to rely on their leaders to tell them what the Word of God said and to show them how to please the Lord.

The Pharisees were also jealous of Jesus' popularity and His miracles, for it took attention away from them, and focused it on this upstart teacher of righteousness.

MATTHEW 12:15-21

15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,

17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah 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 will declare justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;

21 And in His name Gentiles will trust."

The bruised reed and smoking flax are those who are weak in faith.

Jesus didn't confront the Pharisees as they plotted to destroy Him, because He knew this must happen for the will of the Father to be fulfilled. Jesus came to bring hope, He was not sent to fight against corrupt politicians or to put out religious fires.

Jesus came that we would have the hope of salvation, not to give us an easier physical life.

Jesus fulfilled the physical law of Moses and set down the spiritual laws of the New Testament for us to follow.

MATTHEW 12:22-30

22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27 "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Sometimes demon possession can cause physical deformities or ailments such as deafness and being mute (unable to speak) and in this case, being blind also.

How many people suffer these ailments today when casting out of demons could cure them, if demons are the cause of their affliction? But before you seek to cast demons out of a person, be very sure of what you are doing, and that this is of the Lord!!!!

Again, the Pharisees performed the "unforgivable sin", calling the work of the Holy Spirit the work of Satan, speaking as if they, as learned men, knew such things.

And Jesus brought up a valid point, in that if Satan cast out his own demons, he would be defeating his own purpose. Demons may try to hide within a person, but the discernment of the Holy Spirit will show them to be there.

The reference concerning "binding the strong man" is actually a double reference, in that the demons first have to bind the spirit of a person before they can possess them, and that God being greater in might and power can bind demons and cast them out.

MATTHEW 12:31-32

31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

32 "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Jesus lays down the law concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. As the Pharisees spoke out of ignorance, Jesus was willing to overlook their blasphemy this time.

But once He told them about what they had done, they were now responsible for that knowledge, and if they continued, they would never be forgiven.

(For further information on the subject, please see important information in the study concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in this Web site.)

MATTHEW 12:33-37

33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Jesus bluntly points out that it is what comes out of the mouth that makes a man unclean or defiled in God's sight, for the mouth speaks what is in the heart.

If cursing and coarse language come from your mouth on a regular basis, then you have a serious problem in that your heart is also corrupt. We all slip and occasionally let loose with coarse language, especially if we are angry or frustrated.

But if it happens often, or you use such language to the point of where it has lost it's meaning and just becomes a habitual thing, then you need to go before the Lord, repent, and ask Him to cleanse your heart of this corruption and then actively keep from using that kind of language again.

We need to watch what we say anyway, for as He said, we will be judged by our own words. Think about your everyday language and how you use it. Will your words commend you, or will they condemn you?

MATTHEW 12:38-42

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

42 "The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

The scribes and Pharisees had undoubtedly heard of Jesus' miracles and either wanted to see one for themselves, or they were seeking a reason to accuse Him. However Jesus wanted people to listen to His preaching, not to concentrate only on the miracles.

While seeing a miracle would indeed be profound, listening to the words spoken by the Son of God would touch their hearts forever and had the potential to change their daily lives.

These are literally words to live by. This is why reading the Word of God daily is so important for all Christians. Reading the Word, talking to the Lord and listening to His answers, will keep us on the right path in our walk with Jesus.

In reference to Jonah, Jesus was speaking of the three days He would spend in the tomb (and in Hell) after His crucifixion.

The reference to the Queen of the South, was referring to the Queen of Sheba (present day Yemen) who traveled hundreds of miles just to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and while One greater than both Jonah and Solomon was here, the people He spoke to rejected His words.

MATTHEW 12:43-45

43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.

44 "Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

45 "Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

This is why I mentioned earlier to be very sure you know what you are doing when casting out demons, and to be sure that this is what the Lord wants you to do.

For if you cast them out and the person does not accept Jesus, the demons will be back and will bring others worse and more powerful than themselves with them.

If you are not sure, in the name of Jesus, out loud command that the demons be bound, deafened, blinded and muted. By doing this, you will stop them from actively interfering in the life of the person you are trying to reach for Jesus, and they can freely make an intelligent choice without demons influencing their will.

They will remain bound until the Lord releases them, giving you the chance to talk to the person about Jesus. He or she may not choose to accept Him right then, and do not be discouraged by that. You will have planted seeds as the Lord has commanded us to do.

He is the one who causes the seeds to grow. We can water the seeds by continuing to speak to them about Jesus, but the final decision whether they accept Jesus as Savior and Lord is up to them.

If the person accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, then and only then it is safe for either you or the person involved to cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW 12:46-50

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.

47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."

48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"

49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!

50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

This shows that Jesus' physical brethren had no power over Him, as the Catholics teach. Mary was a sinner in need of salvation as much as any of us, and Jesus was pointing out that His brethren and kindred were those who did the will of His Father.

MATTHEW 13:1-17

1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.

2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4 "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.

5 "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.

6 "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

7 "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.

8 "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

9 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"

11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12 "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'

16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

17 "for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Word of God will be understood by those for whom the words are meant. Those who seek the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul will receive wisdom and understanding and will be greatly blessed.

This also shows that with the closing of the Book of Revelation the Word of God was made complete, for no further revelation was given as far as what was to be included in the Bible.

Therefore despite those who claim that other books such as the Book of Mormon are continuations of the Bible, we have the complete Scriptures with us today.

And we who do have His Word are greatly blessed, for there have been billions who haven't heard His Word, or if they did read or hear it, they didn't understand it and it didn't bear fruit within them.

But we in these times have God's completed Word, and we have seen and are still seeing the fulfillment of the prophecies given by the prophets, things which they prophesied about but didn't understand the meaning.

And just as Jesus said that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things the apostles did, I am certain they as well as the apostles desired to see the things which we see today in these End Times.

MATTHEW 13:18-23

18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:

19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

20 "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

21 "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

23 "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

The seeds that fell by the wayside:

This is why we must continuously and repeatedly read the Word of God. We must also use the Armor of God (found in Ephesians chapter 6), especially the Helmet of Salvation as this protects our minds, making it easier to remember what we have read in the Bible.

The seeds that fell in stony places:

It is easy to believe and worship when things are going well, with no persecution coming against us. But when the End Times get to the worst parts, the faith of many believers is likely to collapse if their faith is based on man made doctrines instead of based on God-given doctrines.

Such are the people who base their faith in the theory of the Pre-tribulation Rapture, because Scripture proves that they will still here during all the trials and tribulations to come.

For those wishing to know more about the timing of the Rapture, please see the End Times studies Parts 1-5 in this Web site.

The seeds that fell among the thorns:

Many people worry about physical needs and desires instead of relying of the Lord. The people who base their faith in the doctrine of "Name it and claim it" are likely to fit into this category. They want to follow God, but only if they can tell God what to do and what to give them and expect that God must do as they ask. This way they can have the world and claim to serve God. But there can only be one master of a house, and God is the Master and we are the servants.

The seeds that fell on good ground:

These are people who grow and mature in Jesus Christ and willingly serve Him and perform the works He assigns for them to do. Serving the Lord isn't a competition, we are to do our best and help others along the way.

And just because you may not have a visible, popular ministry before the Lord doesn't mean that your service is less valuable in His sight!

A good servant in a household is one who does their work so quietly and efficiently that the Master praises them for keeping the household running so smoothly. But if that servant starts to become lazy and not do their assigned tasks, then the whole household suffers.

There are many parts of your body that function so quietly and efficiently that we don't notice them. But let one of them start malfunctioning, and we notice it immediately!

Even so we are like a body, in which by helping our brethren we keep the body functioning efficiently. And if we slack off or fail in our duties, the body suffers.

God sees everything you do, and will reward you for the quality of your service to Him. He may reward you in this world with physical things, but He more than likely will reward you with treasures in Heaven where you will enjoy them for eternity and all in Heaven will know why you received them and will honor you.

MATTHEW 13:24-30

24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

25 "but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

26 "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

27 "So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'

28 "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'

29 "But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

30 'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

Tares are a weed called Darnel that looks like wheat as it grows, but does not produce a head of grain as wheat does.

And anyone who has pulled up weeds knows that if they grow close to flowers or other good plants when you pull up the weed you can many times uproot the good plant with it.

Those who believe in the "Pre-tribulation rapture" need to carefully read this parable and it's explanation. The "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" theory states that Jesus will return invisibly to take the believers with Him before the Great Tribulation starts, leaving the non-believers to face the wrath of the Antichrist. Those that accept Jesus during the Tribulation will be martyred for their faith and will be brought back with Jesus at His glorious return.

However if you note above, there are not two harvests, as would be the case of a Pre-tribulation Rapture, there is only one. Jesus never said he was coming back twice, He will only come back once at the end of the age, to imprison Satan and his demons and rule the Earth.

Note carefully that Jesus says that the wheat and tares are to grow together until the harvest, at which time the believers are separated from the non-believers; the righteous will rule with Jesus for 1,000 years and after the Great Judgment will enter into the kingdom of Heaven. The wicked in turn will be cast into Hell to await the Great Judgment and after they have been judged, will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.

But the parable states that there will only be one harvest when Jesus returns for His people, as is also shown in the Book of Revelation;

REVELATION 14:15-20

15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe."

19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

The first reaping is the Rapture of the living and the resurrected dead believers at Jesus' return. The second gathering is the destruction of the armies of the Antichrist at Armageddon. Note that they happen immediately, one right after the other.

MATTHEW 13:31-33

31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,

32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

Faith is like leaven (yeast in a loaf of bread), it permeates everything. Our faith continues to grow as long as we feed it, by reading the Word of God and talking to Him as well as listening to Him.

And like a mustard seed, faith starts out small and as we grow in Jesus and understand more about Him and His Word, it increases to the point of where it can defy even death itself and remove the natural fear that death brings.

MATTHEW 13:34-43

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,

35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

39 "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

40 "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.

41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,

42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Here Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and the tares. Again, Jesus says that at the end of the age He will send His angels to separate the righteous from the wicked, and the wicked will be cast into Hell to be tormented until the Great Judgment.

The righteous dead will be resurrected and will join those still living in new, eternal, glorified bodies and we will reign with Jesus over the Earth for the Millennium (1,000 years).

Then will come the Great Judgment in which the wicked will be judged before Jesus' throne, after which eternity will begin. But again, there will only be one harvest, not two.

(For those interested in the End Times and Scriptural proof that the Rapture will not occur until the end of the Great Tribulation, please see the End Times Studies Parts 1-5 in this Web site.)

MATTHEW 13:44-46

44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

46 "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Jesus should be so important to us that we are willing to give up anything and everything for Him.

MATTHEW 13:47-51

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,

48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.

49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,

50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

Here is another reference to Jesus' return at the end of the age. Notice again that there is a single gathering done at the end of the age, represented by the allegory of the gathering of fish.

There are not two gatherings in which the righteous are gathered first, then a second gathering of the remaining righteous and the wicked as postulated in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory.

The wicked are separated from the just and the wicked are cast into Hell while the good are taken to be with Him in His kingdom.

MATTHEW 13:52-53

52 Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.

The old treasures are the prophecies and teachings of the Old Testament, the new treasures are the teachings and prophecies of the New Testament.

A scribe that understood both would have the best of both worlds, especially seeing that the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus.

We truly need to thank the Lord that we have understanding of both Testaments, so that we have the riches of both with us!

MATTHEW 13:54-58

54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

55 "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?"

57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Jesus had at least 6 siblings; 4 brothers and at least 2 sisters. His siblings didn't believe in Jesus as their Savior until later.

In the New Testament or New Covenant, two of Jesus' brothers wrote books; Judas wrote the book of Jude and James wrote the book of James as well as becoming the undisputed leader (not Peter) of the Apostles and the early Church in Jerusalem as confirmed in the Book of Acts.

We need to remember that many of the poorer professions such as carpenters were illiterate, common people. Yet here is Jesus who never had a formal education but who could read, prophesy, perform miracles and confound the greatest teachers and scholars of His day.

They are saying, "We know Him and His family, that they are poor and uneducated. How did He get all of this?" They were as offended at His fame as they were envious of what He had.

MATTHEW 14:1-12

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus

2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."

3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.

7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."

9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.

10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.

11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

Remember that after the death of Herod the Great, Caesar Augustus had Judea and Galilee split into four separate provinces, namely Judea, Galilee, Trachonitis and Abilene.

Each of Herod's four surviving sons were given a province to rule, with Herod Archalaeus ruling Judea (later banished to Gaul (France) by Caesar Augustus), Herod Antipas ruling Galilee, Herod Philip ruling Trachonitus, and Herod Lysanius ruling Abilene.

Herodias was Herod Philip's wife, but being an ambitious woman, she married Herod Antipas without divorcing Philip as apparently Herod Philip wasn't as strong, ambitious, rich and powerful a king as was Herod Antipas. John the Baptist had publicly rebuked them both for the illicit marriage, and Herodias hated him for it and wanted revenge.

Apparently she knew her husband Herod Antipas well enough to have her daughter dance before him, and probably ensured that he was drunk enough to make a foolish oath as he did. And having instructed her daughter ahead of time, Salome knew what to respond to such an oath.

And Herodias knew that once the oath was spoken in front of guests, Herod didn't dare break it, lest he lose face before those at dinner with him.

So he had John executed and had the head brought to Salome. This is where we get the expression, "Having someone's head on a platter" when someone gets into trouble.

So when Herod heard about Jesus and His miracles he believed that God had sent John the Baptist back to take revenge on him, which must have frightened him badly.

MATTHEW 14:13-21

13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."

16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."

18 He said, "Bring them here to Me."

19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus had great compassion for these people and took care of both their spiritual and physical needs. He didn't want to send them away without eating, as some might faint from hunger along the way, and the size of the crowd would quickly have cleaned out the surrounding villages of food with some still not having food because there would be none left.

It is estimated that here were at least 20,000-30,000 people including women and children, that were fed that day.

MATTHEW 14:22-23

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

There are times when everyone needs time alone with God, Jesus was no different. Remember that Jesus had the same physical and emotional limitations as all humans.

He needed time to speak to His Father with nobody else around, and most of the time He was surrounded either by His students (the disciples) or the crowds of people that followed them to hear what Jesus had to say to them.

MATTHEW 14:24-33

24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."

28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on

the water."

29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

The fourth watch of the night would have been between 3:00 - 6:00 A.M. It still would have been dark, but the stars and moon were probably visible and the disciples could more than likely see the lights of the towns across the water to guide them.

The disciples probably didn't think about it being Jesus walking toward them, and it is easy to understand their terror at seeing a moonlit human figure walking across the water toward them, especially not having Jesus with them to protect them.

Peter had the courage to walk on the water to meet Jesus as He came to the boat in the storm. He believed that if Jesus said it was ok, then he could do anything. It was only when he took his eyes off of Jesus and realized the dangers around him that he began to sink. Turning back to Jesus saved his life. This is an important message for all of us to keep our eyes on Jesus.

MATTHEW 14:34-36

34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,

36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

No matter where He went, He had people coming to Him to be healed and crowding around Him. This must have made Him incredibly weary and frustrated, for people were more interested in being healed, than in hearing His message.

MATTHEW 15:1-6

1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,

2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

4 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'

5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"

6 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

The tradition the Pharisees enforced was that if the grown children gave money as a gift to the Temple in their parents' name, the child received the glory and honor of the donation (better seats in the Synagogue on Sabbath, in the Temple on Holy Day services, etc.) and they were then not required to do any more for their parents to help them. This helped the Pharisees become richer and more powerful.

MATTHEW 15:7-9

7 "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

The religious leaders had exhaustively examined the Law of Moses, trying to extract every bit of meaning from it, and had so many different teachers and sages "interpret" the Law that errors had crept into the Oral Law.

This had resulted in parallel man-made laws that had the same force as Scripture and in some cases superceded Scripture.

Unfortunately this still happens today as Rabbis and teachers try to adapt the Law of Moses to modern times. One result was the Talmud which was codified during the Babylonian captivity.

The Talmud has all of the interpretations of these teachers and sages, even though the teachers at times disagree on points of the Law and with each other.

Including all of the interpretations and arguments results in a very confusing book that is very hard to read, let alone understand.

It was for this reason that Jesus quoted "It is written..." when he spoke to Satan during the time of temptation in the wilderness, as written Scripture did not change as the Oral Law did.

MATTHEW 15:10-20

10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:

11 "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."

12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"

13 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

14 "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."

15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."

16 So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?

17 "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?

18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

20 "These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Another tradition of the Pharisees is shot down. They had taught that everything had to be ritually clean before it could be eaten, and if you ate clean food with unwashed hands, you became ritually defiled.

The Pharisees themselves would wash their hands after eating each course to ensure that their hands were clean before eating the next dish.

Jesus pointed out that eating with unwashed hands does not defile the spirit which is what God sees and judges. Washing is good hygiene, but does not make you defiled in the sight of God if you eat without washing your hands first.

The mouth speaks what is in the heart, and it is from the mouth that we praise or blaspheme God and curse men made in His image. A good person with a good heart will speak good things. A wicked person from an evil, defiled heart will speak evil things.

MATTHEW 15:21-28

21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."

23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."

24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"

26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Even though Jesus came first to the house of Israel, He did not ignore the needs of the Gentiles who came to Him in faith. Note that the woman called Him "Son of David". She knew Jesus to be the promised Messiah, even though most of Israel rejected Him.

Again it is shown that the faith of Gentiles like the Roman centurion earlier was greater than that of the Jews He had come to save.

MATTHEW 15:29-31

29 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.

30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.

31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus must have been weary with people bringing sick friends and family to Him to be healed, but He still showed compassion on them, because of the love of their friends and family who were willing to bring them to be healed. He wanted people to believe in Him and the Father because of His words rather than the miracles, but at the same time it fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah which said;

ISAIAH 29:18

18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

ISAIAH 35:5-6

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

6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing.

MATTHEW 15:32-39

32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."

33 Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"

34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few

little fish."

35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.

37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.

38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

Even though they had already fed more people with very little bread and fish, the disciples still wanted to make the people fend for themselves for some reason.

(Note: Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' followers, and it may have been at this time that He met her. "Magdalene" means that she was from the town of Magdala, much like Judas Iscariot was from the town of Kirioth.)

MATTHEW 16:1-4

1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.

2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';

3 "and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

4 "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.

The Sadducees and Pharisees were literate and had read the Scriptures. They knew of the coming Messiah and the signs to verify Him as the Son of God.

They continually wanted more proof of His identity as they didn't want to give up their power, positions, and wealth from all their corruption from their traditions that they taught as if they were Scripture.

Jesus basically told them that they could tell the type of weather that was coming during the day, but couldn't see from the Scriptures and from the fulfilled prophecies and the proofs He had given them that He was the promised Messiah.

But the sign He spoke of, would be greater than any ever given to any generation, namely His death and resurrection.

MATTHEW 16:5-12

5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

6 Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."

8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?

9 "Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?

10 "Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?

11 "How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The disciples were still thinking on physical matters while Jesus was speaking of spiritual matters.

The doctrines of men are like a spiritual poison, in that many man-made doctrines sound right on the surface, but they are displeasing to God and in some cases contrary to His Word.

MATTHEW 16:13-17

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"

14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

"Bar" means "son of " in Aramaic.

The Father chooses to whom He will reveal His truths. Some may think it natural for Peter to believe that Jesus was who He said He was based on what he had seen and heard, but remember many had already seen and did not believe.

MATTHEW 16:18-20

18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

The Catholic Church has grabbed this Scripture and has used it to give themselves power that they do not possess. The priests and Popes believe that they can bar anyone from entering Heaven, and that the Church was built on Peter, the “rock”.

However, what they do not tell you, is that Jesus used two different words here. "Peter"comes from the Latin "Petrus" meaning a stone. But the word Jesus used for "rock" was the Latin word "Petra" meaning bedrock.

In other words, Jesus was saying is that while Peter may be a rock in faith, it is upon He Himself, the bedrock, that the Church will be built.

The Church does not have Peter as it's foundation, it is Jesus the Rock (petra) that is the rock-solid foundation of the Church! Thus the legitimacy of the entire Papacy falls apart, for Jesus never commissioned a Pope. It is Jesus that is the head of the Church, not any man.

For further Scriptural proof of this, please see the study in this site on the subject.

As far as the "keys to the kingdom", the keys Jesus spoke of here are knowledge and understanding of God's will and His commandments. As He said to the experts in the Law of Moses in the book of Luke concerning what is required to enter Heaven;

LUKE 11:52

52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

As far as to bind and loose things in Heaven and Earth, Jesus has given us all the authority to bind Satan and his demons and their powers whether they be in Heaven or on the Earth at the time.

For example, when you bind Satan and his power, you bind him whether he is here on Earth, or standing before God's throne. You cannot however loose or bind another's sins, as some claim power to do. That power is God's alone and He has not given that power to men.

MATTHEW 16:21-23

21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus knew that He was here to accomplish the Father's will, and would let nothing stand in His way of completing His work.

Again Peter was still thinking of the physical not the spiritual implications of Jesus dying.

The disciples were slowly learning, but Jesus knew that He was running out of time to teach them.

Jesus didn't mean that Peter was Satan, but that like Satan, Peter was a hindrance to Jesus finishing what He had to do. Besides, Peter's rash action needed to be answered as the rest of the disciples would have been watching to see what would happen.

MATTHEW 16:24-26

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

26 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

We are only here in this world for a short time compared to eternity. Physically we can live up to 120 years, but our spirits will never die.

If you deny Jesus in word and deed you can lose your soul. Be sure to count the cost, whatever your decision, because once you die you can never change your decision.

This is where the expression "you can't take it with you" comes from, in that you can gain the whole world (as the Antichrist will) but still perish in the Lake of Fire for eternity.

Is what you may gain here worth an eternity in agony? For further information on how a loving God can send people to Hell, please see the study in this web site on the subject.

MATTHEW 16:27-28

27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

28 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

You will reap whatever you sow. Jesus speaks of this event as being when He would return in glory with His angels to claim His kingdom. Just as the reaping of the harvest is a single event so the return of Jesus to claim His kingdom will be a single event.

Judas Iscariot was the only one of the twelve that didn't see Jesus ascend into His Kingdom after the Resurrection.

MATTHEW 17:1-3

1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;

2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Moses represented the Law, Elijah the Prophets. This was to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets.

MATTHEW 17:4-8

4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Just as God had told Peter that Jesus is the Son of God, He must have told Peter, James and John that these were Moses and Elijah.

There were no pictures or statues of these men, so how else could he have known who they were?

Notice that God tells them to listen to His Son, acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God and letting them know that what Jesus has to tell them is much more important than building shrines, monasteries or churches to commemorate any event. They, with time, will perish, whereas He will not.

MATTHEW 17:9-13

9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."

10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.

12 "But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."

13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus is getting them to accept the idea that He must endure many things at the hands of men.

And He confirmed that John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah and was indeed the forerunner to the Messiah and whom Herod had beheaded. Jesus in turn would fulfill both the Law and the Prophets upon His resurrection and ascension to the Father.

MATTHEW 17:14-21

14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,

15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

16 "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."

17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me."

18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"

20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

21 "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

This shows us that there are many classifications of demons. Some are stronger than others. Always remember that when dealing with demons that it is the power of GOD not our own power that we use.

God allows us to use His power to accomplish His will. Never take the glory or praise for yourself.

Amazingly, only a small amount of faith can accomplish wondrous things, if there is no doubt to hinder it.

MATTHEW 17:22-23

22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,

23 "and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

Jesus is speaking of His death and resurrection. The disciples are learning to listen to Jesus; they may not have completely understood what He meant, but they knew something bad was coming.

MATTHEW 17:24-27

24 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"

25 He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"

26 Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.

27 "Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

The Temple tax was used for upkeep of the Temple such as any masonry repairs, carpentry work, etc.

Jesus was also showing that while they apparently didn't have any money, God would provide for their needs.

MATTHEW 18:1-5

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

In God's kingdom our goal isn't to be the richest or have the most worldly treasures. Our goal should be to have a child-like faith in Him and to do everything to the best of our ability for Him.

A child has complete faith and trust without reservation and in this way the Lord wants us to be like a child. He wants us to encourage and take care of each other, not discourage, fight and compete with each other.

MATTHEW 18:6-11

6 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

7 "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

8 "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.

9 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into Hell fire.

10 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

11 "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

We must be very careful not to cause a believer in Jesus to lose faith. It doesn't matter if it is caused by word or deed.

While everyone is responsible before the Lord for their own decisions; if a thoughtless word or deed causes someone to turn away from Jesus you will be held accountable for your part in the losing of a soul to Hell.

If something keeps tempting you to sin, get away from it. Even if you have to give up something that seems very important to you, if would be better than going to Hell.

MATTHEW 18:12-14

12 "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?

13 "And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

14 "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

A sheep was a shepherd's livelihood, and if one was lost or killed, it was costly to him. Therefore he would leave the 99 in a safe place, or with a co-worker and search for the lost sheep. Wolves, lions and bears abounded during those times, so it was important that the search be started immediately.

All of heaven rejoices when a sinner comes to Jesus. He knows that it must be a free will choice, but rejoices in each one who chooses Him.

MATTHEW 18:15-20

15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'

17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

The Law of Moses required that two or three witnesses be present when an accusation was brought against anyone.

If someone sins against you, try to settle differences quietly and only between you and the party involved.

If that doesn't work, take two or three neutral parties and both you and the other party state your case and let them judge between you.

If the other party will not accept their judgment, take it before the church elders and let them judge.

If they refuse to follow the Word of God regarding your dispute then all you can do is to forgive them, pray for them (handing them over to God) and then walk away.

Don't let their sin compromise your walk with Jesus.

MATTHEW 18:21-22

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

If we don't forgive others who have sinned against us, then God will not forgive our sins. Jesus was saying that we must continue to forgive over and over again, just as He forgives us over and over again.

Only Jesus and the person sinned against can forgive the sins of another.

Catholic priests put themselves in the place of Jesus when they claim to absolve the sins of others, something they have no power Scripturally to do. Are they God? Did they die for our sins? God has never given such authority to men!

MATTHEW 18:23-35

23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.

26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'

27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'

29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'

30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.

31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.

32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'

34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

Every sin that has been committed or that will be committed has been paid for by Jesus.

If we refuse to forgive others then God will not forgive us and we must pay for our own sins, as we will have rejected the gift of Jesus paying for our sins.

And like the servant who wouldn't forgive a small debt owed to him, God will not forgive our debt of sin to Jesus, and will cast us into Hell until we can pay for our own sins, something that is impossible to accomplish.

MATTHEW 19:1-6

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'

5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?

6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

When two people divorce it is like ripping a body into two pieces. Both will be missing vital parts that can never be replaced, except by God. And there will be many scars, some inside where few others will see them and others on the outside for all to see.

This is why we should seek God's advice when deciding to marry. Only He knows the true intent of the heart of another and only He knows what the future holds. God can make you whole again, but He is the only one who can.

MATTHEW 19:7-9

7 They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"

8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

If your spouse commits adultery, you can divorce them without penalty from God. The main idea here was that you cannot divorce your wife for trivial reasons. In God's eyes you have become one and He expects you to remain that way for life.

Also this is to prevent the terrible devastation that happens to children when their parents divorce. The children will survive, but there will be emotional scars that will take a long time to heal, if they ever do.

MATTHEW 19:10-12

10 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."

11 But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:

12 "For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

Unless you are born or called by God to be completely celibate in body, heart and soul, you shouldn't try to be. You will end up sinning because you will constantly be fighting yourself.

Remember, the apostles were married so celibacy is not a requirement to serve God! The apostle Paul never married and his celibacy was a gift from God. As he said concerning the issue;

I CORINTHIANS 7:7-9

7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;

9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Jesus originally settled the issue when He said that not all men can accept the saying, but only those to whom it is given.

Given by God, not forced upon by men, as celibacy is in the priesthood of the Catholic Church.

MATTHEW 19:13-15

13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

The faith, love, innocence and trust that children have is a special thing. Jesus would never turn away children.

MATTHEW 19:16-22

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,'

19 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"

21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

You must serve God above everything else. Money and riches are not evil, but the LOVE of money will separate you from the love of God. You can love God or you can love money, but not both.

MATTHEW 19:23-26

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"

26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

The poor have an easier time relying on God, as they have no other resources available to them. But rich people tend to rely on their money, power and position in society instead of God. It would not be easy to make that transition for a rich man.

The disciples were worried because several of them were wealthy men. But unlike most rich men, money wasn't their God. It was a tool used for their needs and the needs of others, but they gave it up at God’s request.

MATTHEW 19:27-30

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"

28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

30 "But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

The treasures we will receive in Heaven cannot compare with what we have on Earth.

What can compare to inheriting the kingdom of God Himself? What value can you place on eternal life? At the Judgment it seems that some who are saved last will be judged first, and vice versa.

MATTHEW 20:1-16

1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 "and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.

5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.

6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'

7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'

8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'

9 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.

10 "But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.

11 "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,

12 "saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'

13 "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.

15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'

16 "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."

Some people work for the Lord all their lives, while others come to the Lord much later in their lives and work only for a short time. We will all receive forgiveness and eternal life, regardless of how much time we serve Him.

The additional rewards we will receive will be a result of the quality of our service and obedience to our loving and compassionate Master for perhaps a longer period of our lives than others.

And should not eternal life with Jesus be reward enough for us, considering that He will reward us with access to Heaven and inheritance in His Father's kingdom out of His love and grace?

We should consider it a joy to work for such a Master, considering the priceless gifts He is giving us by His grace!

MATTHEW 20:17-19

17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them,

18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,

19 "and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again."

The Gentiles here are the Romans. Jesus is preparing them for the events about to unfold so that they will be ready when it happens.

One has to admire the tremendous courage Jesus showed, knowing what was going to happen to Him, yet still being willing to do His Father's will just so that we might be free of sin and have eternal life through Him!

People tend to forget that when Jesus walked the Earth, He was just as human as any of us. He felt hunger, weariness, both physical and emotional pain, sorrow, thirst, etc. just as we do.

The difference was that He was filled with the completeness of the Holy Spirit, whereas we receive a measure of the Spirit until we die and become perfect through Him. As John the Baptist stated of Him;

JOHN 3:34

34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.

Did this then make Him more than human? In no way, for He had to experience the fullness of what it was like to be human, to be both fully God and fully Man. As someone once said of Him, "Jesus Christ: God's Man and Man's God".

MATTHEW 20:20-23

20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

21 And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."

22 But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able."

23 So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."

The sons of Zebedee were James and John, called by Jesus "Sons of Thunder". Their mother was Salome, wife of Zebedee.

The baptism He spoke of was the baptism of the Holy Spirit; the cup which He spoke of, was the Communion cup He shared with the disciples at the Last Supper the night that Judas Iscariot betrayed Him to the High Priest and his henchmen.

This also shows that while Jesus and the Father are one, the Father as supreme still retains some things under His own power, again showing that the Father and Jesus are separate, yet one.

The best analogy I can come up with to explain this, would be like a king who has absolute authority and rule over his domain.

At his own discretion he elevates his son to be co-ruler with him and while the son has all of the power and authority of his father, the father is still greater than he because the father is the one who gave this power to his son and is therefore greater by that fact. And the father, being supreme, retains the right to do or keep things for himself, and the son would respect that right.

So it is also with the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.

Who will sit on the right and left sides of Jesus in His kingdom? It may be Moses and Elijah, considered to be the two greatest figures in the Bible outside of Jesus, or the Father may have one be the greatest in the kingdom and the other the least. Even Jesus Himself didn't know.

MATTHEW 20:24-28

24 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.

26 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

27 "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave

28 "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Unlike Satan's kingdom, serving Jesus isn't a competition. We are to always be humble in both His sight and in each other's. This will keep pride from sneaking in and causing God to humble us publicly.

Jesus took no pride in dwelling among us and performing the miracles He did, He did so out of His love and compassion for us.

Thus we should humbly serve our brethren, following Jesus' example to us.

MATTHEW 20:29-34

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"

31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"

32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

33 They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."

34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

One has to wonder at the selfish attitude of the crowd around Jesus. Here were two blind men who believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, begging for His attention in the hope of receiving their sight, and the crowd are telling them to shut up and not bother the Master.

We take our sight for granted and don't think of what a priceless gift it truly is to be able to physically see the world around us. Try walking around for a day or so with your eyes closed and see how you fare. Then consider a lifetime living like this and you will appreciate the gift of sight.

By calling Him "Lord" and "Son of David", they were publicly proclaiming Him as Messiah.

And note that Jesus had compassion on them and healed them as they asked.

MATTHEW 21:1-6

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

3 "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."

4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.

Jesus fulfilled every prophecy of the Old Covenant (Old Testament) ever written of Him. There are over 400 prophecies concerning the Messiah according to Biblical scholars.

By using the modern day science of probability in reference to prophecies, if only 8 of these prophecies were used in the probability equation, the chance that any one man who has ever lived fulfilling all 8 prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power! This would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (One in one hundred quadrillion).

In order to help us comprehend this, if we took one hundred quadrillion silver dollars and laid them down on the face of Texas, they would cover the State 2 feet deep. Now mark only one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the State.

Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wants, but he must pick up only one silver dollar and it must be the marked silver dollar. This man would have the same chances as a prophet writing 8 prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.

MATTHEW 21:7-11

7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"

10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"

11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

Notice that the people are hailing and praising Jesus as the promised Messiah, yet several days later these same people would be howling for His crucifixion.

We need to keep vigilance and not be easily swayed by others around us to do what is not right before the Lord. Even though this was prophesied, each person there had a choice to do right or wrong.

Remember the Lord will be our Judge, nobody else. You will be judged by your own actions and words, not by anyone else's.

MATTHEW 21:12-13

12 Then Jesus went into the Temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the Temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

This shows that anger is not a sin, if it is righteous anger.

The sacrificial system had become corrupted by the priests over the years. People were required by the Law of Moses to bring animals to the Temple for sacrifice.

The priests would find a "blemish" on most animals brought to them and reject the animal as an acceptable sacrifice. Then they would offer to sell one of their "pre-approved" animals for an acceptable sacrifice to be purchased for tidy profit for the priests.

In ancient times, animals were kept outside of the Temple itself until it was time to bring them in for sacrifice. Merchants approved by the priests were later allowed to bring their animals inside the Temple itself, making the Temple more like a zoo than a house of worship.

Just like today, money in ancient times had faces of rulers and pagan gods embossed on them which were considered by the Jews to be graven images (idols).

In order to ensure that no graven images were brought into the Temple, the money paid to the Temple as a Temple tax required money changers to exchange the common currency for the Temple coins, which were silver coins that bore no images, acceptable to bring into the Temple.

But instead of exchanging equal values, the priests made a profit by charging more for their coins than the value required to pay the Temple taxes.

MATTHEW 21:14-17

14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the Temple, and He healed them.

15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the Temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant

16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"

17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

The priests and scribes were extremely jealous of Jesus.

The people had known for a long time that the Messiah would be called the "Son of David", because the genealogical line of the Messiah would come through David's descendants as promised by God.

Jesus made them angry and indignant by stating that He not only understood the significance of what the people were saying, but that it was right and true.

MATTHEW 21:18-22

18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.

19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.

22 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

The fig tree could also be an analogy for unfruitful Christians. Jesus will expect us to bear fruit for Him, but if we continue to be barren of fruitful works in our lives, He will do to us as He did to the fig tree. He also spoke of this when He spoke this parable;

LUKE 13:6-9

6 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

7 "Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'

8 "But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

9 'And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

MATTHEW 21:23-27

23 Now when He came into the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"

24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:

25 "The baptism of John where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

26 "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."

27 So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Jesus created an interesting trap which quickly deflated the arrogance of these men.

He knew they wouldn't admit publicly what they thought of John the Baptist, but He was also letting them know that He knew their double-mindedness.

They would say one thing in public and another amongst themselves. I think the common people enjoyed seeing Jesus easily turn the tables on these pompous, arrogant religious leaders.

MATTHEW 21:28-32

28 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'

29 "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.

30 "Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.

31 "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

32 "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

This was a stinging public evaluation of the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, for they considered themselves to be pure and righteous, yet Jesus was telling them that the people they routinely condemned as "scum" and sinners would enter the kingdom of God before they would, being considered by God to be more righteous than they.

MATTHEW 21:33-46

33 "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.

34 "Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.

35 "And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

36 "Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.

37 "Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

38 "But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'

39 "So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"

41 They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."

42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

44 "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.

46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

The vineyard in this case, is the land of Israel, the vine-dressers the Jews, the servants the prophets, the son was Jesus, and the owner of the vineyard, God the Father.

God first sent prophets to speak to His people, to warn them of their wickedness and to exhort them to practice righteousness and they beat and killed the prophets.

Then God over time sent many prophets to speak to His people and many were beaten, imprisoned and killed.

Then God sent His Son and He was also beaten and killed, with the rulers figuring if they could kill the heir, they could have the land for themselves.

God had warned them through the prophets of the price of continued disobedience and wickedness but they refused to listen, as did their fathers when God finally sent Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar against them over 600 years before. And just as king Nebuchadnezzar burned the Temple and the city of Jerusalem and killed or deported most of the inhabitants to Babylon (he left the poor to care for the land), the Romans would burn the Temple and the city and would kill or sell the inhabitants as slaves throughout the Empire.

And it is fascinating to note that both Temples were destroyed on the exact same day, the first in 586 B.C. the second in 70 A.D.

The Babylonian captivity (called the Exile) only lasted for 70 years, but the Second Exile by the Romans lasted for 1,878 years.

MATTHEW 22:1-7

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:

2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,

3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

4 "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."'

5 "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.

6 "And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

7 "But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Jesus used the concept of marriage to show the intimate spiritual relationship between God and His people.

The Jews were the first guests invited by God, but most of them rejected Jesus and those who followed Him. Those who believed and followed Jesus were beaten, and killed and Jesus Himself was tortured and killed.

When the Jews as a nation had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, God the Father sent the Roman X and XIII legions to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple.

MATTHEW 22:8-10

8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9 'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'

10 "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

The Gentiles who believe that Jesus is the Messiah were then invited to the wedding feast, along with the few Jews that also believe in Jesus the Christ.

In other words, the message and gift of salvation was offered to the Gentiles as well.

MATTHEW 22:11-14

11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

12 "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.

13 "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."

The wedding garment is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, by which being clothed, God the Father sees the righteousness of Jesus in us, not our own righteousness.

Comparing righteousness to clothing is not new. The prophet Isaiah said;

ISAIAH 64:6

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The man not in a wedding garment could be a Jew that doesn't believe in Jesus, but believes that being a descendent of Abraham will save him. But as John the Baptist pointed out....

MATTHEW 3:9-10

9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The man not in a wedding garment could also be a man professing to be a Christian but doesn't have Jesus in his heart, doing great things in the name of Jesus, but really doing these things for his own glory, etc. And as Jesus said of such things.....

MATTHEW 7:21-23

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'

23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

MATTHEW 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.

16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.

17 "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?

19 "Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.

20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"

21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

Many tyrannical rulers develop "personality cults", where people revere the leader and elevate them to almost god-like status. The late Kim Il Sung of North Korea was such a figure, and even now the North Korean calendar has the year of his birth as "Year 1" of their calendar dating system. Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin are other examples.

The Pharisees and the Herodians despised each other and the fact that they teamed up shows the desperation of the religious leaders to get rid of Jesus.

They probably planned to ask Him questions to attempt to have Him either violate the Law of Moses, or to revile either Herod Antipas or Tiberius Caesar, which in any case could be used as a justification to put Him to death for blasphemy or treason.

But again Jesus neatly turned the tables on them, leaving them in open-mouthed astonishment. It was not yet time for Him to be put to death, and therefore any attempt to kill Him ahead of time would fail.

MATTHEW 22:23-33

23 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,

24 saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

25 "Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.

26 "Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.

27 "Last of all the woman died also.

28 "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."

29 Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.

30 "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.

31 "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

In the kingdom of Heaven there will be no need for male or female genders as there will be no need to have children to continue the race of Man.

The Sadducees truly showed their hypocrisy here as they were what was known as "Hellenized Jews", Jews who had adopted Greek customs and some Greek beliefs. The Sadducees believed that when a man died he went to Hades, the Greek place of the dead where the spirits wander for eternity in darkness beneath the Earth.

But here they were asking Jesus about the resurrection, something they didn't believe in themselves, in order to get Him to say something for which they could accuse Him.

Jesus in turn reminded them that when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush and stated His identity, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had long been dead. Yet God spoke as being their God as if they yet lived, for while they may be dead to us, they live to Him.

That is why praying to any deceased person such as "Mary" or the "saints" is necromancy (communication with the dead) forbidden and condemned by God as witchcraft, because "Mary" and the "saints" are dead to us. We cannot speak to them and they cannot hear us.

Prayers are only offered to deities (gods), so praying to "Mary" or the "saints" elevates them to the position of gods which is blasphemy.

Remember what happened when king Saul consulted the witch of En-dor because he wanted to speak to the spirit of the prophet Samuel? God destroyed Saul, his sons and many Israeli soldiers at the hands of the Philistines because of his consulting with a "familiar spirit".

Saul didn't speak to Samuel but spoke to a demon posing as Samuel, for no man has the power to raise the dead unless he is empowered to do so by God, and the witch of En-dor certainly wasn't a follower of God!

(For further information on this subject, please see the study in this site concerning this issue.)

MATTHEW 22:34-40

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,

36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

38 "This is the first and great commandment.

39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Think about every law and commandment spoken by the prophets in the name of the Lord. If you truly live by these two commandments you would be able to fulfill each one.

To love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind would mean knowing every Scriptural requirement and your love of God would cause you to want to follow them.

Likewise, if you love your neighbor you would extend them every courtesy and would always be helpful to them in every way possible.

The Pharisees, while probably gleeful that their rivals the Sadducees had been publicly embarrassed and silenced, gathered together because they knew they were in trouble.

They had to silence Him, and quickly, or they would lose everything. So, they prompted an expert in the Law of Moses to try to entangle Jesus again.

MATTHEW 22:41-46

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."

43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:

44 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?

45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"

46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

Jesus posed an interesting riddle to the Pharisees, in that in the book of Psalms David states that God spoke to someone greater than king David, the greatest king Israel has ever had, yet this person was David's son.

And as the son is never considered to be greater than his father, and David was the greatest king in Israeli history, who could God be speaking to but the Messiah, God's Son who would be of the line of David?

Needless to say they couldn't answer that one for if they did, they would be confirming Jesus' claim to be the promised Messiah.

The genealogical records would also show that He came from the line of Judah and was born in Bethlehem Ephrata in Judea just as the prophets foretold, adding further credence to His claim

MATTHEW 23:1-3

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,

2 saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

3 "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

The people were being read the correct Scriptures and needed to follow them. But the Pharisees and scribes spoke one thing but did quite another to make themselves rich with money, glory and power.

MATTHEW 23:4-7

4 "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

6 "They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

7 "greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'

They believed that they were too important to do menial labor and simply added their obligations onto the illiterate people they taught in the synagogue. They also added unnecessary restrictions to the Law but didn't follow their own restrictions.

For example, they accused Jesus of working because He healed on the Sabbath, but if one of them had been sick, he more than likely would not have hesitated to go to a physician and be healed on a Sabbath.

Outward appearances were very important to them, but as God had already explained to Samuel, God looks at the heart not the outward appearance of men. This includes everything from clothes and physical looks to words and deeds.

I SAMUEL 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

MATTHEW 23:8-10

8 "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

10 "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

Don't elevate someone because he is called to teach by the Lord. The only One that deserves our praise and worship is God. As brothers and sisters is Christ we are all equal in His eyes.

Jesus wasn't referring to paternal fathers when He said "Do not call anyone on Earth your father", He was referring to calling someone "father" in a religious sense. Catholics and other branches of that religion are taught to call all priests "Father" which violates Jesus' commandment above, for this puts each priest in the place of God, the Father of us all.

In the same vein, each priest, by claiming power to forgive sins in God's place puts himself in the seat Jesus Christ, who alone has the power to forgive all sins.

These are serious errors and violations of God's Word and those who call priests "Father" and go to "confession" for the forgiveness of their sins are partakers of these sins also.

You now know the truth, so it is up to you as to whether you continue in these violations or seek a church where the ministers do not claim such power.

MATTHEW 23:11-12

11 "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

We should never seek to be great among our brethren, but like Jesus, we should seek to be humble in the sight of all men and especially in the eyes of God.

No ministry here on Earth is any more important in the eyes of God than any other, and it is how well we served God and our brethren that will be important in His eyes.

MATTHEW 23:13

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Even though they weren't going to follow the Word of God and get into Heaven; they were also blocking the way for others to get into Heaven by making everything much more complicated than God had intended.

They read the correct Scriptures, but then told the people their very complicated interpretations of the required laws and commandments. This allowed them to bend and twist God's laws to their desires and exalt themselves as the only ones capable of understanding the Word of God.

God's Word is not difficult to understand. Read it and if you have any questions, ask Him. He loves it when we talk to Him on a personal basis.

MATTHEW 23:14

14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

These men would stand on the street corners and have a trumpet blown, to get everyone's attention, then pray long prayers to look pious and exalt themselves. They would tell everyone of all their charitable deeds in one breath and then with the next order a widow to be thrown out of her home because she was late paying the rent on the house that they owned.

Words need to match deeds in God's eyes!

MATTHEW 23:15

15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as yourselves.

A proselyte is a Gentile who converts to Judaism.

They were treated like a prize, and taught to follow the Word of God as the Pharisees did, only with twice the burden of rules and regulations, making them worse than their teachers.

MATTHEW 23:16-22

16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Temple, he is obliged to perform it.'

17 "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the Temple that sanctifies the gold?

18 "And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'

19 "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

20 "Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

21 "He who swears by the Temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

22 "And he who swears by Heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

If you read the above carefully, the Pharisees concentrated on the worth of the physical item, not the spiritual value or significance of that item. This shows their greediness and disregard for the sacred things of which they preached.

Any oath you swear must be upheld, regardless of what you swore by. How many times have you heard, or have even sworn yourself, saying "By God, I'm going to....." By swearing by God Himself, you have bound yourself to do what you have sworn you were going to do.

The better answer is to follow what Jesus said in;

MATTHEW 5:34-37

34 "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;

35 "nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

37 "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

James reiterates this when he said in;

JAMES 5:12

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.

MATTHEW 23:23

23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

While the tithing was important, they didn't think things like justice, mercy and faith were important at all. Those things weren't as easy to get praise and glory for like the tithes they brought before the crowds to impress the people.

Again, they followed the physical requirements of the Law but ignored the purpose of the Law, or they chose which parts they wanted to follow and not the rest, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of;

ISAIAH 29:13-14

13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

MATTHEW 23:24

24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Jesus points out that the scribes and Pharisees concentrate on parts of the Law but ignore or twist the rest to the point of where they rigidly teach and follow some commandments correctly but also teach and follow serious errors and are too blind to see the difference, in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy above.

MATTHEW 23:25-26

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

26 "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

This is a prime example of their errors. They rigidly observe hygienic commandments concerning the eating of foods so that they don't eat anything unclean, but they are unclean in heart which is what God sees.

Jesus is saying that if you are clean within, you will be clean without in God's eyes. If you are unclean within, outward cleansing will do you no good before God. As God told the prophet Samuel;

I SAMUEL 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

MATTHEW 23:27-28

27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

28 "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

In olden times people would whitewash the outside of the tombs so they would look nicer. But no matter what you do to the outside of a tomb, the inside will still be filled with decaying flesh and bones.

You also cannot fool God, as He knows your thoughts and the intent of your heart.

MATTHEW 23:29-36

29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

30 "and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'

31 "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.

33 "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of Hell?

34 "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

35 "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

36 "Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus was prophesying what they would do to His followers after His death. Following in the footsteps of their mentors, they would be no different than their forefathers, killing and persecuting those sent from God.

Jesus was adding the final fuel to the fires of their rage and hatred over His publicly exposing their erroneous teachings and practices which would result in their arresting Him and demanding His death.

MATTHEW 23:37-39

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate;

39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

God loves His children, but when they continuously rebel against Him, He will do what is necessary to teach them the right way to live for Him much as we discipline our children when they are disobedient. They were rebelling against the New Covenant spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet that was about to be set in place.

JEREMIAH 31:31-34

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah

32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.

33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

"Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord" is a phrase that is attributed to the Messiah. Remember the people shouted this when Jesus made His triumphant entry to Jerusalem while sitting on a donkey;

MATTHEW 21:7-9

7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"

MATTHEW 24:1-3

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the Temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the Temple.

2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

In 70 A.D., the infuriated Roman legions under general Titus burned the Temple. When the Temple was burned all the gold inside and on the roof melted between the stones in the walls and floors. Titus ordered each stone removed, the gold taken off the stone, then the stones to be thrown down the mountainside to ensure that the Temple would not be rebuilt.

Archaeological discoveries have shown that the paving stones by where the Temple once stood have been deeply scored and smashed from where the multi-ton stone blocks from the Temple came crashing down into the streets.

They razed the city, renamed it Aelia Capitolina, dedicated the ruins to Jupiter and forbid the Jews to come there to weep for the loss of their Temple.

These events are also recorded in the writings of the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, a general in the Jewish army captured by Roman general Vespasian during the final war with the Jews.

In the book of Daniel the angel Gabriel prophesied that seventy "weeks" (periods of seven years) would pass in order to rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity and bring the Messiah.

However it was prophesied that after 69 "weeks" the Messiah would be "cut off" (killed) but not for Himself (not for His own sins).

DANIEL 9:20-27

20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God,

21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.

23 "At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

25 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."

Note that the prophecy states that after 69 "weeks" (483 years) the Messiah would be cut off. And especially note that the 70th "week" is separated from the 69 previous "weeks".

In 457 B.C. Persian king Artaxerxes Longimanus gave Ezra the scribe permission to return and rebuild Jerusalem, which event is recorded in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

And exactly 483 years later, Jesus Christ made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, sitting on a donkey and acclaimed to be the Messiah by the people, just as the angel Gabriel had told Daniel nearly 500 years earlier.

When Jesus died, God's prophetic "clock" stopped, leaving the last "week" unfulfilled.

Jesus died in 26 A.D. and the final Jewish war with Rome started 40 years later, ending with the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation of Judea in 70 A.D. God's prophetic "clock" remained stopped during the 1,878 years when Israel was not a nation after its destruction by the Romans.

Jesus knew of the destruction to come, so He prophesied of the destruction of the Temple and the nation in the near future, then prophesied of the events during the interim time that Israel would be scattered to the corners of the earth.

The last "week" will be fulfilled when the coming Antichrist will make a 7 year peace treaty with Israel after WW III.

(For more information on the prophetical timing of Jesus birth and the final prophetical "week”, please follow the highlighted link in this sentence.)

Note: the link for the final prophetical "week" will send you to the "End Times Studies" menu. I would recommend that you read all five studies there to get the full account of the final week as prophesied in Daniel, the Gospels, several Epistles and the Book of Revelation. Things will make more sense that way

MATTHEW 24:4-13

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.

5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.

6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.

10 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

We have already seen the beginnings of Jesus' prophecies. There have been numerous people down through history claiming to be the Messiah, the latest being Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh, who was killed in Waco Texas in 1993, after Federal agents stormed his heavily-armed compound. There are others reported in the New Age circles today.

The news services constantly report of wars, famines, AIDS epidemics, increasing violence, murders and terrorism. There has been a marked increase of violent weather in the form of hurricanes, tornados, bitterly cold winters, blizzards and flooding, while other areas suffer from years-long drought.

Earthquakes (some generating tsunamis) are on the rise, as are the eruptions of volcanos. Increasing pollution is killing rivers, and oceanographers are reporting more and more "dead zones" in the ocean, where oxygen depletion due to pollutants is killing ocean life.

What we are seeing is just the beginning of the age of the End Times; there will be much more to come before the end of this age when Jesus returns. And understand this well, Christians will go through the tribulations of this age. We will not be "raptured" out before Jesus returns in glory to put an end to the Antichrist. (For Scriptural proof of this, please read all five of the End Times studies in this site.)

We are seeing a rise in atheism in America, where one person's challenge to things like having the words "under God" as being "offensive" can force an entire school to suspend the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

There have even been challenges (unsuccessful so far) to have the words "In God We Trust" removed from our currency. America still has too much religious background to have God thrown out completely from our social functions and workplaces, but when America is destroyed by WW III, that will swiftly change, fulfilling Jesus' words in verse 9 above.

(For further information concerning the destruction of America during WW III, please see the End Times Part 2 study in this site.)