"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW" The Judgment Of The Nations (25:31-46) by Mark Copeland

 

 "THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

 The Judgment Of The Nations (25:31-46)

INTRODUCTION

1. Included in "The Olivet Discourse" are two parables, followed by a
   judgment scene...
   a. The parables are directed toward Jesus' disciples
      1) The first to encourage them to be watchful - Mt 25:1-13
      2) The second to admonish them to be productive - Mt 25:14-30
   b. The judgment scene depicts the nations brought before Jesus- Mt 25:31-46
      1) Note that it is the "nations" being judged, not disciples
      2) The nations are judged based upon their treatment of Jesus' disciples
         a) Those that showed mercy and kindness to His disciples are blessed
         b) Those that did not are condemned

2. Questions abound regarding "The Judgment Of The Nations"...
   a. Who are the "nations" in this passage?  All of mankind, or only the non-elect?
   b. Is this "judgment" scene depicting the Day of Judgment, or might
      it refer to a judgment that foreshadowed the Final Judgment?
   c. As part of "The Olivet Discourse", could Jesus still be talking
      about events related to the destruction of Jerusalem?

[However one may answer such questions, there are important lessons to
be gleaned from these words of Jesus.  But let's first consider how it
may be that Jesus is still referring to events related to the
destruction of Jerusalem described in Mt 24...]

I. THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS THEME

   A. AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF JOEL...
      1. The coming day of the Lord is depicted
         a. Following the outpouring of God's Spirit - Joel 2:28-29
         b. A great and terrible day is coming - Joel 2:30-31
         c. Yet salvation is available to those who accept it 

             - Joel  2:32; cf. Ac 2:16-21
      2. A "judgment of the nations" is then described
         a. The nations gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat - Joel  3:1-2a,12-16
         b. The nations judged on the basis of their treatment of God's people - Joel 3:2b-8

   B. AS FOUND IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE...
      1. Jesus foretold the coming day of the Lord - Mt 24:1-51
         a. Coming in destruction upon Jerusalem 
         b. With warnings to escape when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies
      2. A judgment of the nations is then described - Mt 25:31-46
         a. The nations gathered before Son of Man
         b. The nations judged on the basis of their treatment of God's
            people ("inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren")

   C. THIS IS A COMMON THEME IN THE SCRIPTURES...
      1. God describes judgment to come, using other nations as
         instruments of His wrath
      2. But He also holds the nations accountable for how His people
         are treated; for example...
         a. Assyria, the rod of God's anger - Isa 10:5-7,12-14,24-26
         b. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon - Amos 1:3,6,9,11,13
      3. Nations that went too far (e.g., abusing the innocent) were held accountable

   D. JESUS MAY BE USING THE SAME THEME...
      1. Describing a judgment upon the nations...
         a. Employing figures reminiscent of the Judgment at the Last Day; for example...
            1) The Son of Man coming in glory, sitting on His throne
            2) The nations divided like sheep and goats
            3) Judgment rendered, followed by reward or punishment
         b. For such judgments foreshadowed and typified the Final Judgment
      2. Describing a judgment of the nations...
         a. Which followed the Lord's judgment upon Jerusalem - Mt 24
         b. Regarding their treatment of His brethren (the disciples of Jesus)
         c. Nations who treated them kindly would be blessed, otherwise
            they would be condemned
         -- In the Book of Revelation, we see how Jesus dealt with the 
            Roman empire, used as the instrument of wrath in destroying
            Jerusalem, and then the object of wrath in its own judgment

[This may be what Jesus is doing at this point in "The Olivet
Discourse".  It would certainly serve to comfort His disciples, knowing
that nations which failed to show mercy to them would not go
unpunished.  Even if this is point of the text, we can still glean
important...]

II. LESSONS FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS

   A. THERE WILL BE A DAY OF JUDGMENT...
      1. Just as the Lord has judged nations throughout history
      2. So He will judge the world at the end of time, at the Last Day
         a. Jesus often spoke of the Judgment 

              - e.g., Mt 12:36-37, 41-42; Jn 12:47-48
         b. Paul also - e.g., Ac 17:30-31; 24:25; Ro 2:3-6; 14:10; 2Co 5:10; 2Ti 4:1
         c. Others as well - e.g., He 9:27; 1Pe 4:5; 2Pe 2:9; 3:7; 1Jn 4:17; Jude 6
      -- Are we preparing for the Day of Judgment?

   B. ONE ISSUE WILL BE HOW WE TREATED JESUS' BRETHREN...
      1. Of course, every deed, word, and thought will be judged (see above verses)
      2. But our text reminds us how Jesus takes the treatment of His brethren 

           - Mt 25:40,45
         a. "as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me"
         b. "as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me"
      3. Jesus made the same point to Saul on the road to Damascus  Ac 9:1-5
         a. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
         b. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."
         -- By persecuting the church, Saul was guilty of persecuting Christ!
      4. Jesus is the head, and His disciples (the church) is His body - Ep 1:22-23
         a. What we do or not do for His disciples, we do or not do for Christ!
         b. How is our treatment of our brethren?  Are we guilty of:
            1) Abusing them?
            2) Ignoring them?
            3) Failing to love them?
      -- What is our relationship with other Christians, especially in
         the context of the local church?

   C. THERE ARE PLACES PREPARED FOR AFTER THE JUDGMENT...
      1. One is for prepared people - Mt 25:34
         a. Described as "the kingdom prepared for you from the
            foundation of the world" - cf. 2Ti 4:18; 2Pe 1:11
         b. Described as "new heavens and a new earth in which 
            righteousness dwells" - cf. 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1
         c. Described as "the holy city, New Jerusalem" - cf. He 13:14;Re 3:12; 21:2-7
         -- This place is for those whose names are in the Lamb's book of Life - Re 20:11-15
      2. One is for unprepared people - Mt 25:41
         a. Described as "the everlasting fire prepared for the devil
            and his angels" - cf. Re 20:10
         b. Described as "the like of fire and brimstone" - Re 20:10, 14; 21:8
         c. Described as "the second death" - Re 20:14; 21:8
         -- This place is for those whose names are not in the book of life - Re 20:15
      3. Both places are prepared to last for eternity - Mt 25:46
         a. The one offering everlasting punishment
         b. The other offering eternal life

CONCLUSION

1. God's judgment upon nations in the past were written for our admonition - 1Co 10:11
   a. Such judgments reveal that God is a Righteous Judge
   b. Such judgments portend the Judgment to come at the Last Day

2. Whether or not Jesus uses the setting of the Final Judgment to
   describe judgment upon the nations following the destruction of
   Jerusalem, His words should cause us to consider...
   a. Are we preparing for the Day of Judgment?
   b. Involved in that preparation, is our relationship with our
      brethren what it ought to be?
   c. What will Jesus say to us on that Day?

May we all walk in the grace and mercy of the Lord with an obedient
faith and love, so that we may hear Him say:

   "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
   for you from the foundation of world." - Mt 25:34

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

The Order of the Lord’s Supper by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

 

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=470

The Order of the Lord’s Supper

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

In Matthew (26:26-27) and Mark’s (14:22-23) record of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus blessed the bread first and then the cup. However, Luke seems to give the opposite order with the cup mentioned first (22:17-19). Is this difference a discrepancy in which the inspired writers contradict each other?

It is certainly the case that Jesus only instituted the Lord’s Supper one time. He either blessed the bread first or He blessed the cup first. He did not do it both ways. So can we make sense of the text in such a way that the Bible is not discredited, recognizing that Jesus did not do it both ways? On that lone night so long ago, when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, which way did He do it? Bread then cup, or cup then bread?

It is clearly the case that Bible writers do not always claim to be representing a particular event in chronological sequence. Luke could have easily been treating the Passover and Lord’s Supper incident topically. In such a case, no contradiction would exist. However, in this particular instance, a different explanation presents itself.

Read carefully Luke’s reporting of the event:

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” …When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (22:7-21, emp. added).

Observe carefully that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the tail end of the observance of the Jewish Passover. One must be careful to distinguish between the two, particularly since the same emblems were used for both, and since the former typifies the latter. The killing of the Passover lamb under Judaism anticipated the death of Jesus Who, in turn, became “our Passover” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Luke, more than Matthew and Mark, demonstrates this close parallelism.¹

Luke actually has two allusions to “cup”—one in verse 17 and the other in verse 20. The first “cup” was taken during the Passover and the second “cup” was part of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.² Hence, Luke does not differ from Matthew and Mark in specifying the same order for partaking of the Lord’s Supper, i.e., first the bread and then the cup. Luke’s use in verse 21 of “likewise” refers back to “He took bread,” and “after supper” refers both to the bread and the cup of the Lord’s Supper.

This fact is further supported by Paul in his recounting of the occasion in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. Observe the indications of sequence he portrays—

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body (emp. added).

Observe that Paul goes out of his way to emphasize the order that Jesus instigated—bread/cup and eat/drink. He even clarified that the cup that is part of the Lord’s Supper was done “after supper,” i.e., after the Passover meal. So the “cup” of Luke 22:17-18 was the cup that was associated with the Passover meal—not the Lord’s Supper cup which is noted in verse 20 after the Passover meal and after the bread of the Lord’s Supper.

Another consideration pertains to the fact that Luke 22:17-20 constitutes a textual variant. However, the Committee for the UBS Greek text concluded that the cup-bread-cup sequence is authentic based on “the overwhelming preponderance of external evidence.”³ Further, Sir Frederick Kenyon and S.C.E. Legg offer the only plausible explanation for the existence of variants by noting:

The first cup given to the disciples to divide among themselves should be taken in connection with the previous verse (ver. 16) as referring to the eating of the Passover with them at the reunion in Heaven. This is followed by the institution of the Sacrament, to be repeated continually on earth in memory of Him. This gives an intelligible meaning to the whole, while at the same time it is easy to see that it would occasion difficulties of interpretation, which would give rise to the attempts at revision that appear in various forms of the shorter version.⁴

Hence, the first allusion to “cup” in verse 17 links back with the eating and drinking of the Passover meal in verses 15-16, while the second allusion to “cup” refers to the Lord’s Supper. Luke agrees with Matthew and Mark that, when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He first took the bread and then took the cup. There is no contradiction.

REFERENCES

¹ See J.W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton (no date), The Fourfold Gospel (Cincinnati, OH: The Standard Publishing Foundation), p. 646.

² Ibid, p. 658. See also J.W. McGarvey (1910),Short Essays in Biblical Criticism (Cincinnati, OH: The Standard Publishing Company), pp. 342-343.

³ Bruce Metzger (1971), A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (New York: United Bible Societies), p. 176.

⁴ Sir Frederick G. Kenyon and S.C.E. Legg (1937), “The Textual Data” in The Ministry and the Sacraments, ed. Roderic Dunkerley (London: SCM), pp. 285-286.

Suggested Resources

The Only True God by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

 

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=5014

The Only True God

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The Bible is full of scriptures that, when quoted without any consideration of the immediate and remote contexts, a person can misuse in all sorts of ways. As proof that we do not have to work to provide for our family’s material needs, some may quote Jesus’ statement, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27). In order to show that Jesus was a liar, the Bible critic might quote Jesus’ acknowledgement: “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true” (John 5:31). Those who exclude baptism from God’s plan of salvation often quote John 4:2: “Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples.” When the Bible reader is “rightly dividing” (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV) or “handling accurately the word of truth” (NASB), however, he will remember that “[t]he sum of thy [God’s] word is truth” (Psalm 119:160, emp. added). Since the Bible teaches “if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10; cf. 1 Timothy 5:8), Jesus never implied that working to help feed one’s family is wrong (John 6:27). “He simply was saying that spiritual food is more important than physical food, and as such, should be given a higher priority” (Butt, 2003, emp. in orig.). Jesus did not confess wrongdoing in John 5:31. He simply acknowledged that, in accordance with the law (cf. Deuteronomy 19:15), His testimony apart from other witnesses would be considered invalid or insufficient to establish truth (cf. John 8:13-20; see Lyons, 2004). Likewise, Jesus never taught that baptism was unnecessary for salvation. In fact, He taught the very opposite (cf. John 3:3,5; Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:18-20; see Lyons, 2003).

Consider another proof text from the Gospel of John regarding the nature of Christ. Some (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses) contend that Jesus was not deity since, on one occasion, He prayed to the Father: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3; cf. “Should You Believe...?,” 2000). Allegedly, by calling the Father, “the only true God,” Jesus excluded Himself from being deity. Such an interpretation of John 17:3, however, contradicts numerous other passages within John’s own gospel account. From beginning to end, John bore witness to the deity of Christ. Some of the evidence from the Gospel of John includes the following:

• In the very first verse of John, the apostle testified: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (emp. added; cf. 1:14,17).
• Two verses later the reader learns that “[a]ll things came into being by Him [the Word], and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:3, NASB).
• Still in the first chapter of John, the apostle testified that John the Baptizer was the one whom Isaiah foretold would “prepare...the way of Jehovah” (Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23; cf. 14:6). For Whom did John the Baptizer come to prepare the way? Isaiah called Him “Jehovah.” The apostle John, as well as John the Baptizer, referred to Jehovah as “Jesus” (John 1:17), “the Christ” (3:28), “the Word” (1:1), “the Light” (1:17), “the Lamb” (1:29), “the Truth” (5:33), etc.
• When the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well told Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming” (John 4:25), Jesus responded, “I who speak to you am He” (vs. 26). Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be called “Mighty God” (9:6) and “Jehovah” (40:3). Thus, by claiming to be the Messiah, Jesus was claiming to be God.
• In John chapter nine, Jesus miraculously healed a man with congenital blindness (vs. 1). When this man appeared before various Jews in the synagogue and called Jesus a prophet (vs. 17), he was instructed to “give glory to God,” not Jesus, because allegedly Jesus “is a sinner” (vs. 24). Later, after the man born blind was cast out of the synagogue, he confessed faith in Jesus and worshiped (Greek proskuneo) Him (vs. 38). In the Gospel of John, this word (proskuneo) is found 11 times: nine times in reference to worshiping the Father (John 4:2-24), once in reference to Greeks who came to “worship” in Jerusalem during Passover (12:20), and once in reference to the worship Jesus received from a man whom He had miraculously healed, and who had just confessed faith in Jesus. Indeed, by accepting worship Jesus acknowledged His deity (cf. Matthew 4:10; Hebrews 1:6).
• While at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, Jesus claimed: “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him” (vs. 31). Why did Jesus’ enemies want to stone Him? The Jews said to Christ: “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God” (vs. 33, emp. added; cf. 5:17-18).
• After Jesus rose from the dead, the apostle Thomas called Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus responded: “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (vs. 29). Notice that Jesus did not deny His deity, rather He acknowledged Thomas’ faith and commended future believers. Believers in what? In that which Thomas had just confessed—that Jesus is Lord and God.

It was in the overall context of John’s gospel account, which is filled with statements testifying of Jesus’ deity, that the apostle recorded Jesus’ prayer to His Father the night of His betrayal (John 17). But how can Jesus’ statement about His Father being “the only true God” (17:3) be harmonized with statements by Jesus, the apostle John, John the Baptizer, Thomas, etc. affirming the deity of Christ? When a person understands that Jesus’ statement was made in opposition to the world’s false gods, and not Himself, the reference to the Father being “the only true God” harmonizes perfectly with the many scriptures that attest to the deity of Christ (including those outside of the book of John; cf. Matthew 1:23; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:5-13). On the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion, it was completely natural for Him to pray that “all flesh/people” (John 17:2, NKJV/NIV), many of whom were (and still are) pagan idolaters, would come to know “the only true God” and receive eternal life (17:3). Thus, Jesus contrasted Himself not with the Father, but “with all forms of pagan polytheism, mystic pantheism, and philosophic naturalism” (Jamieson, et al., 1997).

Furthermore, if Jesus’ reference to the Father being “the only true God” somehow excludes Jesus from being deity, then (to be consistent) Jesus also must be disqualified from being man’s Savior. Jehovah said: “Besides me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11; cf. Hosea 13:4; Jude 25). Yet, Paul and Peter referred to Jesus as our “Savior” several times in their inspired writings (Ephesians 5:23; Philippians 3:20; 2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Peter 1:1,11; 2:20; etc.). Also, if Jesus is excluded from Godhood (based on a misinterpretation of John 17:3), then, pray tell, must God the Father be excluded from being man’s Lord? To the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote that there is “one Lord” (4:4, emp. added), and, according to Jude 4 (using Jehovah’s Witnesses own New World Translation) “our only Owner and Lord” is “Jesus Christ” (emp. added). Yet, in addition to Jesus being called Lord throughout the New Testament, so is God the Father (Matthew 11:25; Luke 1:32; Acts 1:25) and the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Obviously, when the Bible reveals that there is only one God, one Savior, one Lord, one Creator (Isaiah 44:24; John 1:3), etc., reason and revelation demand that we understand the inspired writers to be excluding everyone and everything—other than the triune God. As former Jehovah’s Witness David Reed explained: “Jesus’ being called our ‘only’ Lord does not rule out the Lordship of the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the Father’s being called the ‘only’ true God does not exclude the Son and the Holy Spirit from deity” (1986, p. 82).

REFERENCES

Butt, Kyle (2003), “Wearing Gold and Braided Hair,” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/articles/2264.

Jamieson, Robert, et al. (1997), Jamieson, Faussett, Brown Bible Commentary (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).

Lyons, Eric (2003), “The Bible’s Teaching on Baptism: Contradictory or Complementary?” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/articles/617.

Lyons, Eric (2004), “Was Jesus Trustworthy?” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/articles/516.

Reed, David (1986), Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

“Should You Believe in the Trinity?” (2000), The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

Spiritual Awareness by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

 

https://thepreachersword.com/2020/02/11/spiritual-awareness/#more-15393

Spiritual Awareness

“Eyes that look are common. Eyes that see are rare,” wrote J. Oswald Sanders in is classic book Spiritual Leadership.

Sanders further illustrated his point with this Bible example. “The Pharisees looked at Peter and saw only a poor, unlettered fisherman, totally insignificant, not worthy of a second look. Jesus saw Peter and discovered the prophet and preacher, saint and leader of the unique band of men who turned the world upside down.”

Continuing our theme for the year, “20/20 Vision: Restoring Our Focus,” it is vitally important for us to see, really see, what’s going on around us.

Spiritual awareness involves perception, recognition, and understanding. It requires attention to detail and being alert to the challenges we face. It is mindfulness. Comprehension. And realization.

One of the great challenges to our spiritual vision is dullness. My friend and preaching colleague, Gary Henry, wrote that dullness, “is a malady that affects many of us. I don’t mean that we ourselves are dull but that our attention to life has been dulled.”

Dullness blurs “the eyes of our understanding” and obscures our need for divine enlightenment (Eph 1:18). Dullness was one of the Pharisees’ problems in Jesus’ day. He applied Isaiah’s prophecy to their predicament when he said “seeing you will see and not perceive.” He sadly said, “the hearts of this people have grown dull” (Matt 13:14-15).

We need to be aware of the devil’s devious devices to entrap, ensnare, and entangle us in sin. He is subtle and sinister with his evil intentions to tempt and lead us away from the Lord. Be alert. Be watchful. Keep your eyes open. (1 Pet. 5:8)

Conversely, spiritual awareness not only sees what is wicked, but what is right. Its eyes are open to opportunities to do good. Help others. Share their resources. And bear the burdens of brothers and sisters who are hurting (Gal. 6:1-10).

In order to develop 20/20 spiritual vision and improve our spiritual awareness, several things are necessary.

1. Saturate your mind with Scripture.

The Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Ps 119:18). When we open our eyes to God’s Word, we see things from a different perceptive. With greater understanding. And deeper insight.

Psalm 103:7 says “(God) made known his ways to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel. The people saw what God did. But Moses saw why God did it. It’s the difference between knowledge and perception. Filling your heart with His Word will clarify many issues you face in life.

2. Realize God has a purpose for your life.

We are not put on earth to just eat, drink, party and consume resources. We’re here for a reason. Simply put, our ultimate purpose is found in Jesus Christ in order to give God glory (Eph 1:11-14). Paul says, “we are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). When you come to personally know Jesus, you will see things from God’s point of view. It will clarify your vision. Strengthen your character. Fortify your determination. And give you a clear vision of your purpose in life.

3. Slow down. Look around. And meditate.

John Maxwell calls this “the precious pause.” Our fast-paced culture with its 24-hour news cycle, instant information on our iPhones, and incessant urge to always be doing something, often leaves us weary, washed-out and short-sighted. Take time to relax. To think. To pray. To meditate. And to really see what is happening in the lives of those we love.

4. Look beyond the earthly.

Spiritual awareness of necessity must look beyond the pains, problems and even the prosperity of this life. Moses, the great leader of Israel, gave up pleasure and endured Pharaoh’s reproach to enjoy “greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” “He was looking to the reward.” And he “endured seeing Him who is invisible.” (Heb 11:24-27)

Believe this. And trust me. “There’s more to life than meets the eye.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

Does Jesus Have Two Bodies? by David Vaughn Elliott

 

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/02/does-jesus-have-two-bodies-by-david.html

Does Jesus Have Two Bodies?

by David Vaughn Elliott

No, we are not talking about Jesus' resurrected body. We are talking about His spiritual body--His people on earth today. Who are God's people today? Jews? Christians? Both? Does Jesus have two brides? Two bodies? Consider Ephesians 2:12-16.  

Before Jesus entered the world, the Gentiles were alienated from Israel, "having no hope, and without God." There was a God-built "wall" between Jews and Gentiles. But Jesus "is our peace, who has made both [Jews and Gentiles] one, and has broken down the middle wall... to make in himself of two one new man... in one body by the cross."  

Jesus has one body, composed of both Gentiles and Jews. Jesus broke down the wall that divided us. Yet, many still believe that today's unbelieving Jews are the people of God. This denies the work of the cross, by which Jesus has made Jews and Gentiles one body. Since Calvary, the only way to become a child of God is through a new birth, made possible by His precious blood. 

The converted Pharisee, Paul, emphasized that there is "one body... one hope... one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:4,5). Jesus is not a bigamist; He does not have two brides. Jesus is not a monster; He is not a head with two bodies. Through the cross of Calvary, Jesus destroyed the spiritual distinction between Jew and Gentile. "There is neither Jew nor Greek... for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).  

Before Jesus, the world was divided into two categories: Jews and Gentiles. After Jesus, the world is divided into two categories: saints and sinners. God has one people. Jesus has one body. No interpretation of Old or New Testament prophecy is acceptable if it distorts this central truth of the Gospel. 

The Good Old Days by J.C. Bailey

 

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Bailey/John/Carlos/1903/Articles/goodold.html
 

The Good Old Days

Apparently men have talked about the good old days for a long time, for Solomon had this to say: "Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? For thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this" (Eccl. 7:10).

So in Solomon's time it was not wise to say that the old days were the good days. What about now?

I am going to suggest that what was true in Solomon's time is true in our time. That some things were better in the old days we shall have to admit but the general picture is not better. I remember the day that war was declared in 1914 with the terrible war that continued for more than four years. We could hardly call that the good old days. I remember the grinding years of the depression when my wife made our own mattresses. She made shoes for her boys. With seven children we lived in a house that was so cold that my wife stayed up nearly all night to keep the fires burning. Even then it froze in the house. I was in Ontario in a meeting and all five boys had small pox. The depression began to lift when World War II began. We could hardly call those the good old days.

You say that people were more moral then than now. Ever since I was born there has been murder, suicide, rape and self-abuse among people. These things may have increased and the attitude of the general public towards them has grown worse, but I worked among the men of the world for several years, and any one that would talk about the good old days does not know or has a poor memory. Men beat their wives when they were drunk. Children were starved by drinking fathers in what was called the good old days. I remember my father served on a jury when a man and his two sons were tried for abusing 12 and 14 year-old girls that had been adopted. Our attitude toward foreigners was certainly not as good as it is today.

You say spiritually things were better. Were they? That some things were better we would have to admit but what about the general picture? There were some who argued that a nigger did not have a soul. There were some who argued that we did not need to preach to the heathen. Some white churches would not even let their baptistry be used to baptize black people. That was in the good old days. Black people could not attend school with white people and we could go on and on. Many believed in the superiority of the white race. In the light of our actions in those days of yesteryear we can hardly say those were the good old days.

A brother recently died in India. He was a little younger than I am. Yet, he was the first person to go to school in his village. He went on to be a school teacher, and was the first person to embrace Christianity in that village. There are now some 80 churches of Christ in the area. What a change from the good old days.

There have been efforts before the present one, to evangelize India but in the good old days two of the preachers left the truth and joined a denomination. In the good old days we were told that we did not need to send missionaries to India. We could leave it to the native preachers when there was work only among one tribe and that represented less than one tenth of one per cent of the population of India. In the good old days, we did not have any work in Nigeria and now there are tens of thousands of members of the church. I am told there are churches that have as many as 1000 members.

In the good old days there was work only in a few of the countries of Central and South America. Back in the good old days there were works in Brazil but they joined a denomination. In the various countries of the world there are thousands of native preachers who were not there in the good old days.

The Spanish Literature Ministry puts out more material to Latin America than was put out in all the world except the U.S.A. in the good old days.

It is true that it may be harder to win souls for Christ in Canada or the United States than it was 50 years ago, but in a great part of the world it is much easier.

More people will obey the gospel now than ever in the history of the world. These are the good days. Jesus could have said of now, "Lift up your eyes unto fields that are white unto harvest." It was not yesterday, it is not tomorrow, it is now. These are the good days. How good? Our faith will answer that question.

J. C. Bailey, 1986, Bengough, Saskatchewan

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

 

 

How the devil works by Gary Rose

 

^{Matthew 28:18; John 14:6; Galatians 2:11-20 and 1 Corinthians 1:10-31 should be sufficient to support the principles listed in ”The Devil’s Math”.}

^{The picture is interesting, but I like to see examples, so I thought of Jesus’ encounter with the Devil. It is found in Matthew chapter 4 and shows how the Devil works...}

^{Matthew 4 ( World English Bible )}

¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

² When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

³ The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you.’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.

⁹ He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”

Consider the following thoughts...

Satan will attack you when you are the most vulnerable. Vs, 2

When we are under stress, sometimes we just do not think clearly or logically. Stress can come in a variety of forms; sickness, danger, problems, worry, etc.. The one Satan took advantage of was Jesus’ hunger. Jesus didn’t succumb to Satan’s temptation, but rather looked to God in times of stress; so should we!

Satan will try to create doubt in your mind. Vs. 3

Satan is clever, he knows that if he can’t create doubt in your mind, he has won the battle. Remember Adam and Eve? Doubt led to disobedience and sin. Don’t ever doubt God’s love, for HE will take care of you. Beware when someone who uses the word “If” a lot, you will be glad you did.

Satan will try to get you to do something you shouldn’t in order to achieve a supposed “good” goal Vs 3-6

Jesus could have turned the stones into bread, but if he did, that would have shown that he really didn’t trust God to take care of him. As far as throwing himself down- what would be the point of that? It would have been an unnecessary test of God, and a sinful thing to do. Satan is in fact trying to goad Jesus into doing something he knows is wrong. This sounds a lot like those times I heard “I dare you to do that” or “I double dare you to do that”, and also remember those accepted dares didn’t end well.

Satan will offer you something “better than what God has given you” 8-10

God loves us and gives all we need. The unbridled acquisition of power, wealth and possessions is chasing after the wind – it is foolishness and can be very sinful. Also, God is God and Satan is merely a fallen angel. Put God first and he will bless you.

In this chapter, Satan tries to put a wedge between Jesus and his heavenly father, but our savior responds with the Scriptures. We should do the same. Know your enemy, understand how evil works and avoid sin at all costs. If you want to think about math, go to 2 Peter 1:5ff. And grow in grace and knowledge!