Matthew Chapter 11

"Teachings"

This Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's transcription/ location is provided byhttp://www.theseason.org/plough.htm

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities."

After Jesus ended His teaching time with His disciples, He left them and went on to other cities alone preaching and teaching. His disciples went their ways also preaching and healing as they went to the Lost House of Israel. It is good to teach, however before you teach, you must learn what should be taught and understand it yourself.

Matthew 11:2 "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,"

John the Baptist will be beheaded shortly after this.

Matthew 11:3 "And said unto Him, "Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?"

Unfortunately this is one of the most misunderstood verses in the New Testament. John knew who Jesus was, they were cousins, and John baptized Jesus. In fact, John stated in verse 3:14, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" After Jesus was baptized, and the Holy Spirit of God came down, while John was standing there, a voice came from heaven; "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17

John knew from his study of the Minor Prophets that there were two Advents, and John's question here was not questioning whether Jesus was the Christ, for he knew that; John was inquiring if there was still a second Advent yet to come, besides His coming as a child.

Matthew 11:4 "Jesus answered and said unto them, "Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:"

Jesus told John's followers to stay by Him and listen and watch what I am doing, and then go and report back to him.

Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, 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."

When you see all six of these events taking place, one thing is obvious, and that is that salvation has come. This is the Advent of salvation, not for the advent of King of kings, and Lord of lords, as He will come for the Millennium kingdom. Christ has come to bring knowledge and salvation, and not to rule with a rod of iron.

Matthew 11:6 "And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

Jesus is saying, Blessed is he [she] that will not stumble at my teachings. That means blessed is he that hears those teachings and understands them.

Matthew 11:7 "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?" "

When John's friends had departed, Jesus turned to those standing by, and asked them; what did you expect to find out there in the wilderness, a weak-kneed man that would sway with every wind of doctrine? John wasn't that way. He had only one message that he cried out. "Repent", and many did.

Matthew 11:8 "But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings houses."

John wore the prophets clothing that many look down their noses at. John was not like any other preacher, for there was no sugar coating of God's Word when he spoke. He came right out and proclaimed; Ye hypocrites, Repent." He was direct, to the point, and bold.

Matthew 11:9 "But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet."

Matthew 11:10 "For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."

Jesus was quoting here from Malachi 3:1; "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:" Jesus is quoting here concerning Elijah's return before that dreadful day of the Lord.

Matthew 11:11 "Verily I way unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

From the violence that jailed John the Baptist, that claimed his life, this force will continue in power and force until the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. That day will be close of this earth age, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. At that time our Lord Jesus Christ will return for the second advent. We are entering a time when violence is becoming far worse then before, but when Satan the Antichrist returns to earth, the violence is not a physical violence, but spiritual violence and that force will claim the spiritual life of all mankind, except for God's elect.

The violence of the end times is by mental anguish, cruelty, and punishment, which comes from the Antichrist claiming something that he is not. It will be Satan in the role of Antichrist standing up and claiming to be Christ, and having the world believe it; and they will. As we get closer to the coming of the Antichrist, pay attention to the spiritually forceful ones becoming more violent in the push to place their false peace accords in place. You will know them by the words that come out of their mouths. The peace that they offer is a false peace, and the words that they say are lies.

Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied unto John."

Jesus is identifing John the Baptist as the last prophet before the first advent of Christ.

Matthew 11:14 "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come."

Did you notice, there is a condition within this statement. Jesus is saying that if you receive Christ as King of kings, then John the Baptist is Elijah, in which he was prophesied to come before the coming of Christ. However, Jesus was not received as a King, but as a common man and crook, for which He was hung on the cross. They did not receive John the Baptist as Elijah, and the coming of Elijah is recorded in Malachi 4:5; "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:"

Luke 1:17 tells us that John the Baptist came only in the spirit of Elijah; "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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." The spirit of Elijah was only the forerunner, and the entire world did not receive either John, nor Christ. John was asked if he was Elijah, point blank from the Pharisees, and John answered NO [John 1:21].

So, What is the Elijah ministry? It is the ministry that turns the hearts of the people [children] to their fathers [two of them]. That ministry comes at the end of this earth age, and the fathers are Jesus Christ, and Satan the Antichrist. God's children are the Elect of God, that know the Scriptures, and are not deceived when the six seals of deception are opened. They wait for their true Christ, and are the bride of Christ.

The children of Satan are all those that follow after the traditions of men, and doctrines that will lead them to the Antichrist, such as the rapture doctrine. They are the bride that adorns themselves for the wrong husband. They are the ones that will stand as the unfaithful wife at the return of Jesus Christ. They will commit their act in ignorance, because they just don't care to study the Word of God for the truth.

Even the Pharisees knew that Elijah was the forerunner of the Christ, and marked that time well, because they knew that the true Christ would come to earth then.

Matthew 11:15 "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus closes this part of the message with this statement, drawing our attention that it is important for us to learn and understand. Do you understand what the Elijah message is all about? It is important that you do. It marks the end of this flesh age, and the message is that you will know the true Christ, and the signs of the times, or you will be drawn to the Antichrist [Satan]. You that have ears to hear, pay attention, something important was just stated.

Matthew 11:16 "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows."

Jesus is trying to identify the generation of His times. He said that they like little children sitting in the street and playing games with their little friends.

Matthews 11:17 "And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented."

Jesus is comparing that generation with a bunch of children that are playing a game of a wedding, and they are saying, we played the wedding song, and you are not dancing. Your not happy when we wanted to play wedding. So next they said, let's play funeral, if you don't want to play wedding, then let's play funeral. Then when we play funeral you won't cry and mourn. If you don't want to be happy, and you don't want to be sad, what can we be.

This is very true even today. Jesus is pointing out that there is very little emotion attached to salvation, and the love of our Heavenly Father. Accepting Christ in most churches, is looked at as just another part of the service. When there should be hunger by the lost for Christ, it is like accepting a sales presentation of a bystander. Then when there should be great joy in the salvation of just one soul, that soul becomes just another statistic in the church record book.

Where is the joy over that one soul that comes into the kingdom of heaven, or the sorrow for the soul that parishes. Where is the emotions and hunger for the lost, and the sorrow of the sinner in their repentance.

Matthew 11:18 "For John come neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He hath a devil.'

Matthew 11:19 "The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."

Jesus is saying that while all these things are happening, and the people have no emotion, there are certain children that are not sleeping, but are paying attention. They will be justified by the wisdom they obtain. While God's children are obtaining wisdom, the children of the world are in a dorment mental state.

Matthew 11:20 "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:"

In those cities where Jesus went in and healed thousands, and He preached to them, and cast our evil spirits; the blind could see, the dumb could speak, and the lepers were cleansed. Whatever the people asked Christ for, He gave it to them; Yet, "they repented not". Friend, they believed, but they did not repent.

In those places where Jesus did most of His healing, the religious community wanted to kill him, murder him. How could a good man be destroyed for his good deeds? The only way that a man of God could ever understand this, is by understanding the "key of David", and the Kenites that came in unawares. When one understands the nature of the Kenites, they will then understand their method of doing things is just like their father, Cain, who was the first murder, and of his father the devil. If that is hard too understand, after you complete the book of Matthew, I hope you have a clear understanding.

Matthew 11:21 "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, 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."

Tyre was an island city built on a rock, and Sidon was a near by city. They were both where the Kenites called home. The people were the very offspring of Satan, through Cain. Jesus is saying that if these two cities had my miracles done in their town, like the mighty works that were done in Chorazin and Bethsaida, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. Sackcloth and ashes is an expression showing a true repentance.

Matthew 11:22 "But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you."

God was present in Chorazin and Bethsaida, and He performed many miracles, yet the people that saw the works of Christ did not repent. God was not present on Tyre and Sidon, nor did they have a prophet to show them the way. That is why the judgment will be more harsh on Chorazin and Bethsaida. They had the Word, and the benefits, and they refused to repent.

Matthew 11:23 "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."

Christ spent most of his time and teaching ministry in Capernaum. He called it His city. Jesus did most of his mighty works in Capernaum, and yet the people refused to repent. Jesus is telling them that if the works that He did in Capernaum were done in Sodom, they would have repented, and God would not have had to destroyed that city.

Friend, with all the religious freedoms, and access to scriptures, and good Bible teachers and reference materials, we have no excuse for our rejection of Jesus Christ. We have no excuse for being hard headed, and not repenting our sins. The punishment coming upon those of our generation will be harsh, for God will actually turn over all men and women on the face of this earth to the Antichrist. He will do it because they refuse to read and study His Word, and put on their spiritual armor to defend themselves against the fierce spiritual battle that is starting to take place.

Capernaum will face their sins at judgment, it is to late for them; however, you still have a chance to prepare yourself, and the start your preparation for the coming spiritual battle. The start is by your repenting of all your sins to our Heavenly Father in Jesus name, and turn from all sinful ways. You still have a choice, they don't. Capernaum believed, and were healed, but they refused to repent.

Matthew 11:24 "But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Friend, Jesus is pointing a finger at all those that have been given an opportunity to taste of His love and grace, and then turned their back on Him. To the person who is in a foreign religion, and never heard of the mercies and love of God, God will deal with them in tolerance even in their ignorance, however those that have seen and heard the Word, and know the consequences of sin, and then turn and reject God's love and forgiveness; there is no tolerance on judgement day for them.

God gave us His Word, and in that Word He outlined in detail exactly what our generation would face. As we watch the news and see what is going on in the world today, each day as the prophetical events of the final day prophecy come to pass, that is another witness to you that God's Holy Word is true, and He does have control on all times and events. It truly is time to wake up.

Matthew 11:25 "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

"At that time", is referring to the time that Jesus is answering these stiff necked people that rejected Jesus Christ. After they had seen all of His works of healing and heard His teaching, Our Lord is thanking His Heavenly Father that He had hid all the secrets from these people, for even if they would have seen, they would have treated the good news of the kingdom as trash.

Tyre and Sodom both reject God, and His laws, however they knew not of those laws. They were heathen, and ignorant of those teaching. This is not the case in Capernaum, because daily they watched Jesus heal people, and listened to them, to the point that it was just like another event in town. In fact Jesus was rather a bother to them, for they had their self-righteous Pharisees that set the standards for their walk, and Jesus became an obstacle to their religious form.

Those people that have not had the opportunity to see the works in person, or hear Jesus preach and still believe in Him, and take the writings of His Word as truth in faith, He offers each of these persons His Grace. That grace is salvation, it is unmerited favor before the Almighty Father, at the expence of Jesus Christ's shed blood on the cross. For that faith in His Son, even when we fall short, and have bad habits, and get down in the dumps; He will reach down and pick us up. Then upon our repentance, those things are blotted out, and will not be remembered at the time of Judgment. God takes care of His babes in Christ, that have taken what was revealed to us by the Spirit of God, and accepted by faith.

Matthew 11:26 "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight."

It pleased Christ that those who refused to believe Christ, even after they saw the works, and heard His teaching, remained blind to the truths and things of the kingdom.

Matthew 11:27 "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.

In other words, He blinded those people because there was no emotion in those people. What Christ is saying is that those that I chose, I open their eyes, then they see me.

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

The word "rest" means "sabbath" in the Hebrew tongue. Christ becomes our sabbath, all of our sabbaths when we accept Him, repent and believe on His name. What Christ is saying here is those that have eyes to see and ears to hear with understanding, and are laboring in this world; why do you carry your heavy burdens alone? Let me lighten those loads, and give you rest from your burdens and cares that weigh heavy on you..

Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

He is asking you to learn all about Him. When His Word becomes part of your life, and the central part of your heart, which is in your mind and what your are thinking, then the Holy Spirit will reveal His Word to you and you will find rest in your eternal living soul.

When you are looking at the taking of Christ's yoke as adding work to yourself, then your comparing yourself to a dumb ox. The purpose of the yoke, is to share the work [pulling] equally with each one that is hooked up to that yoke. Christ is telling us to take our heavy burdens, and hook them to His yoke, and let Christ share our burdens and make the stress and burdens lighter for us. The reason for the yoke is to take away the sharp points, and parts that would hurt the animal, and protect their skin and body from hurting. Christ is telling us to bring our loads to Him, and when we hook up to His yoke there is protection for us from our burdens.

When we take His teachings, and follow the guidelines that are set up in His Word; then bring our burdens to Him in prayer and repentence, those heavy burdens that we thought difficult, will be lightened as a balloon of hot air. However, then faith steps in, for we must place our faith in His promises, and not doubt the promises that he made to us.

Matthew 11:30 "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Taking Christ's yoke is not a problem, for it is Christ that does the harnessing. The master yokes the oxen, and places the traces upon them. Let Christ do that for you, and in that, you will find His rest. Christ's yoke will make your day go easy, and it will lighten the loads and pressures that this world places upon you.

The American Wisdom Series 
 http://www.americanwisdomseries.com

Presents 

Chapter 11

Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it?  Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
 published at http://www.theseason.org/ 

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

 Now here is our revised study of:

The

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

MATTHEW 

Chapter 11

"Teachings"

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities."

After Jesus ended His teaching time with His disciples, He left them and went on to other cities alone preaching and teaching. His disciples went their ways also preaching and healing as they went to the Lost House of Israel. It is good to teach, however before you teach, you must learn what should be taught and understand it yourself.

Matthew 11:2 "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,"

John the Baptist will be beheaded shortly after this.

Matthew 11:3 "And said unto Him, "Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?"

Unfortunately this is one of the most misunderstood verses in the New Testament. John knew who Jesus was, they were cousins, and John baptized Jesus. In fact, John stated in verse 3:14, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" After Jesus was baptized, and the Holy Spirit of God came down, while John was standing there, a voice came from heaven; "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17

John knew from his study of the Minor Prophets that there were two Advents, and John's question here was not questioning whether Jesus was the Christ, for he knew that; John was inquiring if there was still a second Advent yet to come, besides His coming as a child.

Matthew 11:4 "Jesus answered and said unto them, "Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:"

Jesus told John's followers to stay by Him and listen and watch what I am doing, and then go and report back to him.

Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, 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."

When you see all six of these events taking place, one thing is obvious, and that is that salvation has come. This is the Advent of salvation, not for the advent of King of kings, and Lord of lords, as He will come for the Millennium kingdom. Christ has come, this time, to bring knowledge and salvation, and not to rule with a rod of iron. That won't happen until the seventh trump, after Satan has been here for five months as the spurious messiah, claiming he is God.

Matthew 11:6 "And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

Jesus is saying, Blessed is he [she] that will not stumble at my teachings. That means blessed is he that hears those teachings and understands them.

Matthew 11:7 "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?" "

When John's friends had departed, Jesus turned to those standing by, and asked them; what did you expect to find out there in the wilderness, a weak-kneed man that would sway with every wind of doctrine? John wasn't that way. He had only one message that he cried out. "Repent", and many did.

Matthew 11:8 "But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings houses."

John wore the prophets clothing that many looked down their noses at. John was not like any other preacher, for there was no sugar coating of God's Word when he spoke. He came right out and proclaimed; Ye hypocrites, Repent." He was direct, to the point, and bold.

Matthew 11:9 "But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet."

Matthew 11:10 "For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."

Jesus was quoting here from Malachi 3:1; "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:" Jesus is quoting here concerning Elijah's return before that dreadful day of the Lord.

Matthew 11:11 "Verily I way unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

From the violence that jailed John the Baptist, that claimed his life, this force will continue in power and force until the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. That day will be thde close of this earth age, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. At that time our Lord Jesus Christ will return for the second advent. We are entering a time when violence is becoming far worse then before, but when Satan the Antichrist returns to earth, the violence iwll not be physical violence, but spiritual violence and that force will claim the spiritual life of all mankind, except for God's elect.

The violence of the end times is by mental anguish, cruelty, and punishment, which comes from the Antichrist claiming something that he is not. It will be Satan in the role of Antichrist standing up and claiming to be God, and having the world believe it; and they will. As we get closer to the coming of the Antichrist, pay attention to the spiritually forceful ones becoming more violent in the push to place their false peace accords in place. You will know them by the words that come out of their mouths. The peace that they offer is a false peace, and the words that they say are lies.

Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied unto John."

Jesus is identifing John the Baptist as the last prophet before the first advent of Christ.

Matthew 11:14 "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come."

Did you notice, there is a condition within this statement. Jesus is saying that if you receive Christ as King of kings, then John the Baptist is Elijah, in which he was prophesied to come before the coming of Christ. However, Jesus was not received as a King, but as a common man and crook, for which He was hung on the cross. They did not receive John the Baptist as Elijah, and the coming of Elijah is recorded in Malachi 4:5; "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:"

Luke 1:17 tells us that John the Baptist came only in the spirit of Elijah; "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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." The spirit of Elijah was only the forerunner, and the entire world did not receive either John, nor Christ. John was asked if he was Elijah, point blank from the Pharisees, and John answered NO [John 1:21].

So, What is the Elijah ministry? It is the ministry that turns the hearts of the people [children] to their fathers [two of them]. That ministry comes at the end of this earth age, and the fathers are Jesus Christ, and Satan the Antichrist. God's children are the Elect of God, that know the Scriptures, and are not deceived when the six seals of deception are opened. They wait for their true Christ, and are the bride of Christ.

The children of Satan are all those that follow after the traditions of men, and doctrines that will lead them to Satan the false-christ, such as the rapture doctrine. They are the bride that adorns themselves for the wrong husband. They are the ones that will stand as the unfaithful wife at the return of Jesus Christ. They will commit their act in ignorance, because they just don't care to study the Word of God for the truth.

Even the Pharisees knew that Elijah was the forerunner of the Christ, and marked that time well, because they knew that the true Christ would come to earth then.

Matthew 11:15 "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus closes this part of the message with this statement, drawing our attention that it is important for us to learn and understand. Do you understand what the Elijah message is all about? It is important that you do. It marks the end of this flesh age, and the message is that you will know the true Christ, and the signs of the times, or you will be drawn to the false-christ [Satan]. You that have ears to hear, pay attention, something important was just stated.

Matthew 11:16 "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows."

Jesus is trying to identify the generation of His times. He said that they like little children sitting in the street and playing games with their little friends.

Matthews 11:17 "And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented."

Jesus is comparing that generation with a bunch of children that are playing a game of a wedding, and they are saying, we played the wedding song, and you are not dancing. Your not happy when we wanted to play wedding. So next they said, let's play funeral, if you don't want to play wedding, then let's play funeral. Then when we play funeral you won't cry and mourn. If you don't want to be happy, and you don't want to be sad, what can we be.

This is very true even today. Jesus is pointing out that there is very little emotion attached to salvation, and the love of our Heavenly Father. Accepting Christ in most churches, is looked at as just another part of the service. When there should be hunger, by the lost, for Christ, it is like accepting a sales presentation of a bystander. Then when there should be great joy in the salvation of just one soul, that soul becomes just another statistic in the church record book.

Where is the joy over that one soul that comes into the kingdom of heaven, or the sorrow for the soul that parishes. Where is the emotions and hunger for the lost, and the sorrow of the sinner in their repentance.

Matthew 11:18 "For John come neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He hath a devil.'

Matthew 11:19 "The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."

Jesus is saying that while all these things are happening, and the people have no emotion, there are certain children that are not sleeping, but are paying attention. They will be justified by the wisdom they obtain. While God's children are obtaining wisdom, the children of the world are in a dorment mental state.

Matthew 11:20 "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:"

In those cities where Jesus went in and healed thousands, and He preached to them, and cast our evil spirits; the blind could see, the dumb could speak, and the lepers were cleansed. Whatever the people asked Christ for, He gave it to them; Yet, "they repented not". Friend, they believed, but they did not repent.

In those places where Jesus did most of His healing, the religious community wanted to kill him, murder him. How could a good man be destroyed for his good deeds? The only way that a man of God could ever understand this, is by understanding the "key of David", and the Kenites that came in unawares. When one understands the nature of the Kenites, they will then understand their method of doing things is just like their father, Cain, who was the first murder, and of his father the devil. If that is hard too understand, after you complete the book of Matthew, I hope you have a clear understanding.

Matthew 11:21 "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, 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."

Tyre was an island city built on a rock, and Sidon was a near by city. They were both where the Kenites called home. The people were the very offspring of Satan, through Cain. Jesus is saying that if these two cities had my miracles done in their town, like the mighty works that were done in Chorazin and Bethsaida, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. Sackcloth and ashes is an expression showing a true repentance.

Matthew 11:22 "But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you."

God was present in Chorazin and Bethsaida, and He performed many miracles, yet the people that saw the works of Christ did not repent. God was not present on Tyre and Sidon, nor did they have a prophet to show them the way. That is why the judgment will be more harsh on Chorazin and Bethsaida. They had the Word, and the benefits, and they refused to repent.

Matthew 11:23 "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."

Christ spent most of his time and teaching ministry in Capernaum. He called it His city. Jesus did most of his mighty works in Capernaum, and yet the people refused to repent. Jesus is telling them that if the works that He did in Capernaum were done in Sodom, they would have repented, and God would not have had to destroyed that city.

With all the religious freedoms, and access to scriptures, and Bible teachers,  and reference materials, that we have, we have no excuse for our rejection of Jesus Christ. We have no excuse for being hard headed, and not repenting our sins. The punishment coming upon those of our generation will be harsh, for God will actually turn over all men and women on the face of this earth to the Antichrist. He will do it because they refuse to read and study His Word, and put on their spiritual armor to defend themselves against the fierce spiritual battle that is starting to take place.

Capernaum will face their sins at judgment, it is to late for them; however, you still have a chance to prepare yourself, and the start your preparation for the coming spiritual battle. The start is by your repenting of all your sins to our Heavenly Father in Jesus name, and turn from all sinful ways. You still have a choice, they don't. Capernaum believed, and were healed physically, but they refused to repent so it's too late for them spiritually.

Matthew 11:24 "But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Friend, Jesus is pointing a finger at all those that have been given an opportunity to taste of His love and grace, and then turned their back on Him. To the person who is in a foreign religion, and never heard of the mercies and love of God, God will deal with them in tolerance even in their ignorance, however those that have seen and heard the Word, and know the consequences of sin, and then turn and reject God's love and forgiveness; there is no tolerance on judgement day for them.

God gave us His Word, and in that Word He outlined in detail exactly what our generation would face. As we watch the news and see what is going on in the world today, each day as the prophetical events of the final day prophecy come to pass, that is another witness to you that God's Holy Word is true, and He does have control on all times and events. It truly is time to wake up.

Matthew 11:25 "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

"At that time", is referring to the time that Jesus is answering these stiff necked people that rejected Jesus Christ. After they had seen all of His works of healing and heard His teaching, Our Lord is thanking His Heavenly Father that He had hid all the secrets from these people, for even if they would have seen, they would have treated the good news of the kingdom as trash.

Tyre and Sodom both reject God, and His laws, however they knew not of those laws. They were heathen, and ignorant of those teaching. This is not the case in Capernaum, because daily they watched Jesus heal people, and listened to them, to the point that it was just like another event in town. In fact Jesus was rather a bother to them, for they had their self-righteous Pharisees that set the standards for their walk, and Jesus became an obstacle to their religious form.

Those people that have not had the opportunity to see the works in person, or hear Jesus preach and still believe in Him, and take the writings of His Word as truth in faith, He offers each of these persons His Grace. That grace is salvation, it is unmerited favor before the Almighty Father, at the expence of Jesus Christ's shed blood on the cross. For that faith in His Son, even when we fall short, and have bad habits, and get down in the dumps; He will reach down and pick us up. Then upon our repentance, those things are blotted out, and will not be remembered at the time of Judgment. God takes care of His babes in Christ, that have taken what was revealed to us by the Spirit of God, and accepted by faith.

Matthew 11:26 "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight."

It pleased Christ that those who refused to believe Christ, even after they saw the works, and heard His teaching, remained blind to the truths and things of the kingdom.

Matthew 11:27 "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.

In other words, He blinded those people because there was no emotion in those people. What Christ is saying is that those that I chose, I open their eyes, then they see me.

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

The word "rest" means "sabbath" in the Hebrew tongue. Christ becomes our sabbath, all of our sabbaths when we accept Him, repent and believe on His name. What Christ is saying here is those that have eyes to see and ears to hear with understanding, and are laboring in this world; why do you carry your heavy burdens alone? Let me lighten those loads, and give you rest from your burdens and cares that weigh heavy on you..

Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

He is asking you to learn all about Him. When His Word becomes part of your life, and the central part of your heart, which is in your mind and what your are thinking, then the Holy Spirit will reveal His Word to you and you will find rest in your eternal living soul.

When you are looking at the taking of Christ's yoke as adding work to yourself, then you're comparing yourself to a dumb ox. The purpose of the yoke, is to share the work [pulling] equally with each one that is hooked up to that yoke. Christ is telling us to take our heavy burdens, and hook them to His yoke, and let Christ share our burdens and make the stress and burdens lighter for us. The reason for the yoke is to take away the sharp points, and parts that would hurt the animal, and protect their skin and body from hurting. Christ is telling us to bring our loads to Him, and when we hook up to His yoke there is protection for us from our burdens.

When we take His teachings, and follow the guidelines that are set up in His Word; then bring our burdens to Him in prayer and repentence, those heavy burdens that we thought difficult, will be lightened as a balloon of hot air. However, then faith steps in, for we must place our faith in His promises, and not doubt the promises that he made to us.

Matthew 11:30 "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Taking Christ's yoke is not a problem, for it is Christ that does the harnessing. The master yokes the oxen, and places the traces upon them. Let Christ do that for you, and in that, you will find His rest. Christ's yoke will make your day go easy, and it will lighten the loads and pressures that this world places upon you.

Jesus Christ has now finished giving His final instructions to His twelve disciples who are now also called apostles because He has chosen to "send them forth" to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to teach His Word and preach that the "the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mat. 10:7)". Of course as always, the good Shepherd leads the way and sets the example.

Matthew 11:1
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

teach, didasko, did-as'-ko, Greek 1321; a prolonged (causative) form of a primary verb dao (to learn); to teach (in the same broad application) :- teach.

preach, kerusso, kay-roos'-so, Greek 2784; of uncertain affinity; to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel) :- preach (-er), proclaim, publish.

You "see", Jesus Christ the Messiah, the One who was prophesied to come in all the Law and the Prophets (Mat. 11:13 below), is now out teaching and preaching in the cities while at the same time, John the Baptist, the one who prepared the way as the voice in the wilderness is bound in prison and his ministry is over. In fact, in real short order his very life will be over.

Let us see why he is in prison in the first place.

Mark 6:17
For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

[18] For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

[19] Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

[20] For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

Matthew 11:2
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

Now close your eyes and think for a moment. You "see", John was a student and an excellent teacher of God's Word who not only knew the scriptures well but he also knew with certitude, which is without a shadow of the doubt some scholars would like to attribute to him, that Christ was indeed the Son of God! To wit, he was right there at Christ's baptism and heard the voice from heaven as the Spirit of God descended like a dove saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased (Mat. 3:17)". Understand that it was John's very purpose and destiny to come and bear witness that Christ is the Son of God, and he did just that... never waving like some reed in the wind! John 1:-34, "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

Here then is the question John instructed his disciples to seek answer to from Jesus Christ, the Word of God. (Note to the deeper student: You will find that John is actually seeking an answer to the "if" in verse 14 (Mat. 11:14) concerning His ministry, which would have been counted as the Elijah ministry before the ushering in of the kingdom at the second advent if the people would not have rejected it!)

[3] And said unto him, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?

another = heteros, het'-er-os, Greek 2087; of uncertain affinity; (an-, the) other or different :- altered, else, next (day), one, (an-) other, some, strange.

Isaiah 35:4-6
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you.

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

[6] Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Here is what the angel told Zacharias concerning John:

Luke 1:15-17
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

[17] And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.

Here are words of the LORD in Malachi chapter 3.

Malachi 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

[2] But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:

Now let's hear the answer Christ sends back to John... for it is the answer itself which verifies what the actual question was!

Matthew 11:4
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

[5] The blind receive their sight, 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.

Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

[2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Here is the account in Luke:

Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

[19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Now back to Christ's answer to John. The last thing the two disciples were to tell John was...

Matthew 11:6
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

offended = skandalizo, skan-dal-id'-zo, Greek 4624; ("scandalize"); from Greek 4625 (skandalon); to entrap, i.e. trip up (figurative stumble [transitive] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure) :- (make to) offend.

Mark 4:17
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

To that end, John the Baptist gave a tremendous witness in the power and spirit of Elijah in paving the way for the advent of "He who was to come"!John spoke boldly and didn't pull any people-pleasing punches when it came to teaching God's Word. He was not a soft-spoken, mealy-mouthed pansy who wavered to and fro in his beliefs and his doctrine! He called a kenite a kenite right to their faces and he told king Herod that taking his brother's wife was sinful and against the law of Almighty God.

So now that Christ has answered the "advent" question concerning John's ministry to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, He is going to address the multitudes concerning John... who was His messenger sent forth to prepare the way. Of course we know that the "if" condition of verse 14 was not met and therefore we know there shall be another time of preparation before the second advent in which Malachi 4:5-6 will be fulfilled. Therefore, consider what your expectations are of "Elijah the prophet" who comes before the second advent and what his preparatory ministry will be like! Use John's ministry as a type... a word to the wise is sufficient!

Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Christ now addresses the multitude. The subject is John the Baptist!

Here is Question number one:

Matthew 11:7
And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

You can read more about John's ministry in Mark:

Mark 1:1-7
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

[2] As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

[3] The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

[4] John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Question number two:

Matthew 11:8
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

Mark 1:6
And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

Question number three.

[9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

[10] For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Malachi 3:1-2
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

[2]But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:

Matthew 11:11
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Luke 1:15-17
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

[17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.

Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

[13] For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

[14] And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest (or before) I come and smite the earth with a curse.

So the question is: "What do you expect to see in these last days concerning the Elijah ministry?"

1. Do you expect to see some "reed shaken in the wind"?

2. Do you expect to see some "man clothed in soft raiment"?

3. Do you expect to see a prophet.... or more than a prophet... sealing and "making ready a people prepared for the Lord"?

[15] He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 2 Cor. 11:4 "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

In our last study we learned that there would not have been a second advent IF they had received Messiah at which point, as Jesus Christ Himself said, John the Baptist would have been accounted as Elijah. However, the kingdom of God was rejected by that generation and so even though John came in the spirit and power of Elijah as it was written of him in Luke 1:17, he was not Elijah. John even so stated that fact when he was directly asked the question, "Are you Elijah?"

John 1:21
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

But alas, that wicked and adulterous (idolatrous) generation who both "heard" Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, and "saw" the mighty works He performed among them, refused to repentant and accept Him as Lord and Savior. They rejected the King and therefore His king-dom, which is the dominion of the King! You see, it is one thing to believe not when one has neither heard His voice nor seen His mighty works. It is quite another matter when people have Him in their very midst and reject Him because their religious leaders have trained them to follow man's ways and traditions while refusing to give ground to His Word of truth.

The point is, we have the Word of God extant and in our very midst in this final generation and yet most Christians, even those who have gone to church for decades, are Biblically illiterate and do not know that Word for the very same reason stated in the previous paragraph. In other words, their spiritual leaders have led them to follow a form of religion which they call Christianity but in reality it is only Churchianity composed of the vain traditional teachings and rituals of men which make void the true Word of God! That is precisely how Jesus Christ is forsaken and rejected in these last days and the false messiah accepted in His stead. A word to the "wise" is sufficient!Mark 7:7 "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

So take heed and pay close attention to Christ's words in today's study, for they are written for our final generation who has the written Word of God available and accessible to literally everyone, yet it is increasingly ignored and forsaken, even denied, by both our religious and civil leaders! Woe unto them!

Christ now gives us a simple analogy or parable to describe the generation that neither accepts Messiah nor repents of their idolatrous ways.

Matthew 11:16
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

[17] And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

So, simply put, we would say in English that "they did not leap... did not weep". In other words they did not "advance and dance", for even when they heard the wedding music itself they would not take action. And not only did they not RSVP and come to the wedding feast to which they were cordially invited, they would not "lament and repent" when they heard the sounds and mournings of the funeral, which will someday be their own if they do not repent and change their iniquitous ways. In other words, they would neither accept the invitation to come to Him, nor heed the warning of the ultimate consequences of their iniquities! What will it therefore take to bring them to their senses? The good news is, God has a plan and there is more to it than just the invitation and the warning for the unwilling and the unrepentant!

However, before we get a glimpse of the second advent when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords to execute justice throughout all the land, let's understand the next two verses which give further explanation to the parable above.

[18] For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

On the other hand... Christ came in just the opposite fashion, eating and drinking, attending weddings, and socializing in a friendly manner even with the common people. For that he was accused of being a glutton and a winebibber which is to be "non-religious" as the self-righteous see it. You just can't please religious hypocrites, can you?

[19] The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Now let's see what Christ has in store for those who have witnessed His mighty works among them and yet repented not!

Matthew 11:20
Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

[21]Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, 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 unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

[23] And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

[24] But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

So wake up and take heed! Stay in His Word and follow Him, doing those things which He has commanded, not because of the fear of judgment (which is actually reward for His servants), but because you love Him and are grateful having an "attitude of gratitude" for what He has done for you.

John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Matthew 7:21-23
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

[26] Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

[27]All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.

To wit, "all things" are even written and delivered unto us through Jesus Christ the Word of God, and those things He foretold us of, even His marvelous plan, shall unfold and happen exactly as they are written. Therefore go to Him as He has called you (next verse) and He will reveal those things to you and give you peace of mind. Mark 13:23 "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." You "see", it is written that the second advent shall be witnessed by those of the final generation which is identified through the knowledge of the parable of the fig tree which Christ commanded us to learn in Matthew 24 and Mark 13)! Have you learned it?

[28]Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Here is how it works! It is real simple, IF you are willing.

[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

How "wise" are you? You "see", you can receive His gentleness and kindness as you walk with Him, IF you take His yoke upon you. Or you take the "thumps and lumps" route all the way to the pit of hell if that is what you so choose, for the choice is yours!

[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

May God grant you rich understanding of His Word.

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Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net