Matthew 5 - the Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3.

After Jesus selects His first disciples, He lays out a blueprint for the individual who will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Referred to as the Beatitudes, we find this teaching in Matthew 5. 

As the multitudes followed Him and as His fame became great in all of Israel, Jesus left a wake of healed and delivered people behind Him. At this point, He went up to a high mountain and taught his disciples about the Kingdom.

Who will receive this wonderful Kingdom? It won't be those who believe they are righteous because of their law-keeping and their good deeds. No, it will be those who receive righteousness God's way - by and from Jesus Christ, His son - by His grace through our faith.

Those who are poor in spirit, who mourn and long within their hearts for something more than what religion offers, who hunger and thirsts for God, who desire mercy and peace from Him are the ones who seek after this Kingdom and receive it. Persecution from the religious sect will come, but great blessings will be the reward.

All of us who are IN Christ Jesus can attest that we have been that man at some point! And when we come to Him and get born again, we become rich in spirit, our mourning ceases, our thirst and hunger are quenched and satisfied! We are children of God, filled with His Spirit, becoming partakers of His divine nature. What could be better than that?!

Matthew 4 - Fishers of Men

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20.

After Jesus was tested in the wilderness, He began His ministry. When John the Baptist was placed in prison, Jesus left His home town and went to Capernaum where He began warning people to repent for the Kingdom of heaven was at hand, i.e. that it was very close.

His first disciples chosen were four fishermen, Peter and Andrew, who were brothers, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. We see from the prophecy in Ezekiel 47 that God prophesied that, in His kingdom, a large number of fish would swim in the river of life and that fishermen would line the banks, ready to bring in a haul. We know this a picture of the great harvest of souls upon the earth as the Gospel has gone forth for the past two thousand years!

Another signpost that Messiah has come!

Matthew 4 - Jesus' Baptism & Temptation

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptism as a public proclamation that He was the perfect, sinless, sacrifice for man's sins. After His sacrifice on the cross, there would be no more need to offer up bulls, sheep, and goats, and therefore the Mosaic, Levitical sacrificial system would be satisfied and become obsolete. His perfect, flawless, sinless God-blood would be the final blood offering the Father required.

Upon His baptism, an anointing came from heaven, where He was baptized with the Holy Spirit and declared by God to be His son, with whom He is well pleased. Essentially, the Father was declaring and proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Jesus was then led into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan. The purpose of His temptation was to prove His authenticity as Messiah. He satisfied the temptation of His flesh, soul, and spirit and emerged victorious, even after fasting 40 days and nights. He quoted the Word of God, believed it, and stood firm on it, thereby showing us, His body, how to likewise stand firm against the wiles of the devil!

Matthew 3 - John the Baptist, the return of Elijah

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Matthew 3:1-3.

The prophet Malachi warned Israel that before Messiah came, Elijah would return and prepare a way for His coming. We see in Matthew that John the Baptist came dressed like Elijah, acting and speaking like Elijah, baptizing people for the repentance of sins, basically fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of the "Voice crying out in the wilderness."

But Jesus later told his disciples that John fulfilled much more than this - he in fact was the promised Elijah who was prophesied to come and warn Israel to repent, get back to the law, and prepare for the Messiah and the new kingdom.

This was the predominant understanding of the church up until the mid 1800s when the futurist or "left behind" view came into vogue. There does not appear to be any biblical evidence that Elijah the Tishbite will return to earth and prepare the way for Messiah. Jesus claimed that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist, and of course, we already know that Messiah came, was crucified, buried but was raised up to glory!

Take a fresh look at Scripture and decide for yourself whether Elijah has indeed come, just as the Lord promised!

Matthew Chapter 2 - A Visit from the Wise Men

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

The visit from the wise men from the east (probably Babylon) was a picture of the Gentile world looking, waiting, and expecting a light to come from God that would show them the way to salvation. This was prophesied by Isaiah in chapters 42, 49 & 60 -- God marked Jesus' birth in the stars, and the wise men followed what they saw all the way to Jerusalem. I believe they were looking for the Messiah, God's anointed King of the Jews, who fulfilled Daniel's prophecies.

Sadly, Jerusalem was ignorant, complacent, and less than enthusiastic at the notion of an anointed king being born in their midst. From the very beginning of Jesus' life, we see the religious Jews desiring to kill him, and believing Israel, those with circumcised hearts, receiving Him with great joy. The same is true today.

We also see that King Herod was Satan's instrument to kill and destroy countless innocent babies. Much heartache has come to natural Israel for rejecting their Messiah. But the good news is that they can turn and receive Him at any time. As the Apostle Paul explains in Romans 11, they can be easily grafted back into God's olive tree, which represents Jesus Christ!

This wonderful gift is available to anyone who will receive it by faith!

Matthew Chapter 1 - Jesus, the Jewish Messiah

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

Join us for a study of the book of Matthew, written to a Jewish audience about a Jewish Messiah, Jesus, who fulfilled many of the Jewish prophecies in the Bible.

It's a wonderful book, but it is filled with warnings from the Lord, particularly to the religious leadership of that day who refused to believe. By rejecting the modern dispensationalist/futurist view regarding the End Times, we get a much clearer and more insightful understanding of Jesus' teachings. The more scriptural and historical view is that much of the End Times prophecies were fulfilled in 70 AD when God destroyed the temple and the city of Jerusalem through the means of the Roman army.

Keep an open mind as you read and study and you will be blessed!

Note: Further research shows that the blood of an infant is NOT determined solely by the father, but be both parents, from the baby's bone marrow. Regardless, Jesus is from the seed of God and not from sinful man.

The Gospel of Matthew by way of Daniel 9

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Daniel 9:24

The Gospel of Matthew is a book written to the Jewish people about a Jewish Messiah, Jesus, who fulfilled many Jewish prophecies.

There are some scriptures in Matthew that are confusing, particularly in the area of Jesus' revelation of End Times. This is because most of us have been taught the Dispensationalist or futurist view that there is a coming evil antichrist, a Great tribulation, that God will reveal Himself to Israel after all the Gentiles come into the church, and basically that the church is an afterthought--that Israel is His favorite, the apple of His eye, His chosen people. This teaching never sat right with me when I dug into the Word. The scriptures do not support this view.

After a year-long study of eschatology, mainly the Book of Daniel, I came to the realization that much of Biblical End Times scriptures referred to the events that happened to Israel and Jerusalem in 70 AD. On the day of Passover, exactly 40 years after the crucifixion, the Roman armies destroyed the temple and the city, as documented by the famous historian, Josephus. This is what is called the Preterist position, which was the predominant view held by the church fathers for years until the mid 1800s when the futurist view came into vogue.

As we study Matthew, we will look at the Word based on the supposition that the events of 70 AD fulfilled much of the End Times scriptures presented by Jesus. He was warning the rulers of that evil generation that rejecting Him would bring about terrible consequences. Judgment was coming and it came in 70 AD.

Here are some links to explore:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBlpbzWM5lI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc-6yN9I2MM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbTmTEVk8WE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GzcypwV9Kk
http://www.preteristarchive.com/StudyArchive/s/significance-of-ad70.html