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

Presents 

MATTHEW

Chapter 28

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/ 

You can view it at the season`s web site (address above) as originally published
or here, as now edited by people at
 
The American Wisdom Series  

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 28

"Resurrection; Events at Sepulcher, in the City.

So as we read at the close of Matthew 27, the body of Christ was taken from the cross and redeemed by Joseph of Arimathaea, the rich man who was a relative of Jesus, and prepared and placed in the sepulcher, or tomb. Joseph had the door of the tomb block with a very large stone, and the Temple leaders, the chief priests set guards over the rock, and placed a seal on the tomb.

Matthew 28:1 "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalese and the other Mary to see the sepulchre."

This was not the high Sabbath, that occurred three days prior or on the Thursday; but the weekly Sabbath. This was the first day of the week, which begin at sundown, on Saturday evening at 6:00 P.M.  In the Companion Bible, Appendix # 166 gives us the details of what happened moment by moment, so their can be no confusion to the facts, as much of what is accepted is merely tradition, and not totally correct.

Matthew 28:2 "And, Behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it."

Keep in mind that the door did not need to be open for Christ to leave the tomb. When the angel of the Lord rolled the rock from the door, Christ had already risen.

Matthew 28:3 "His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:"

This is describing the countenance of the angel.

Matthew 28:4 "And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and become as dead men."

At the presence of the supernatural, and the brilliance of this angel, these guards, or keepers shook and passed out from fright. In our generation, there are very few people that have experienced any thing like this.

Matthew 28:5 "And the angel answered and said unto the women, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, Which was crucified."

The angel did not scare the women, but the angel instructed the women that Jesus was not here.

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

The seal that the chief priests had placed on the stone was broken, and the stone was rolled back, and this angel is sitting on the stone giving instruction to the woman. The women are told, "He is not here, He is already risen."

Jesus did not have to have the stone removed to depart from the tomb. This is why Jesus brought Peter, James and John up on the high mountain, as recorded in Matthew 17:1-7, to be three witnesses to the transformation of Jesus Christ's body, from the physical flesh body, into His transfigured body. "And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." [2]

While the disciples were watching Jesus and the other two men, Moses and Elias talking with Him, God Himself came and spoke to Peter, James and John, as it is recorded in Matthew 17:5; "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him."

This visual witness that these three disciples saw and heard, is addressed in Matthew 17:9;"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead." They were to share what they saw with no one until after the resurrection. Then after the resurrection, it was to be spread through out the world, even to our generation so that we could understand how this coming forth out of the sealed tomb could come to pass.

As recorded in John 20, when Mary heard what had happened to Jesus, she ran and told Peter, and together they ran back in excitement to see the empty tomb. Then in verse [4] "So they ran both together and the other disciple did out run Peter, and came first to the Sepulchre." [5] "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in."

Matthew 28:7 "And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you."

Christ Himself told them, being the Angel of the Lord.

Matthew 28:8 "And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word."

As these women ran in haste to tell the disciples, they had great reverence [fear] and joy.

Matthew 28:9 "And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "All hail," And they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him."

As these women were running to give the good news to the disciples, Jesus met them again, and greeted them with "All hail", which in our English is like a friendly, "Good morning." The women saw Jesus and now they recognized Jesus, and they knew for a fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

Some other accounts of this verse show where Mary Magdalene and the other women had a difficult time recognizing Jesus. How could this be? It is very difficult, when you are in the flesh body to recognize that the Messiah had a divine nature. That divine nature stated that Jesus would come forth from the tomb. Even though you can say that you believe, all the planning for the future of the person in the flesh is on the level of the flesh, rather then the divine nature of the supernatural.

It is also for this same reason that when the disciples first saw Jesus, they did not recognize Him, and asked for proof. Physically, though they walked and talked with Him over three years, and saw His miracles, and heard His teaching, yet the mind of the flesh would not allow them at first to accept the supernatural as fact, until they had proof. The disciples had the ability to see and touch for them selves the body of the crucified Christ, and those later, in the generations up to this end generation, must accept that which is written as fact, and that is what is called faith.

Our Savior is divine, and as the women fall down at Jesus feet, and worship Him, Jesus says to them:

Matthew 28:10 "Then said Jesus unto them, "Be not afaid: go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me."

Jesus is now in His transfigured body, the body that had conquered death, and notice now that Jesus is still calling His disciples "brethren". Jesus is showing His kinship to them, as their kinsman redeemer. Our Father's love for His children is the most precious thing that we have on this earth. That love of God is our hope, and salvation as we live in the flesh, and we have the assurance that we are never alone, He loves us, and His Spirit abides in us.

As each of us strive in the flesh body to follow Christ, we constantly find ourselves falling short; and when we do, there He is. Reaching down to us, and picking us up with His Spirit building our spirit up in support. When we sin we go to the Father in repentance, in Jesus name, for He paid the price for our forgiveness, and became the blood sacrifice for every person who will repent.

When you sin, that is not time for depression, but repentance for that sin. For when you are at your weakest, then you are at your strongest in Christ. Jesus paid the price so that you could be strong. He is not begging you to follow Him, for you have the choice of taking the blood of Jesus sacrifice, and through repentance have His blood be the covering to blot out all your sin; or friend you can refuse what Jesus is offering to you. Each of us must make the choice, and by the choice commits our soul to eternity, or destruction.

God's love is committed to all those that come to Him in this flesh body, and He is the one that makes the change in you. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This is the root of Christianity, and what we must believe to have the hope of eternal life of our souls.

Every time we pray, we must pray in His name, and ask in "Jesus name". Jesus paid the price, and to approach the Heavenly Father you must believe in His Son, and when you ask in Jesus name it certifies from your heart that you believe in Jesus Christ, and that He died for you. My friend, when you do, then you are worth the price that was paid for your eternal soul. It is God's desire that you repent, but He will not beg you to do it; you must come on your own free will.

Lets continue:

Matthew 28:11 "Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done."

The "watch" are those guards that were placed at the tomb by the chief priest, Caiaphus, so that the disciples would not steal the body. These guards saw every thing that happened, and reported it all back to the chief priests. They told of the supernatural angel that came and rolled back the stone, and inside the body was gone. It was not there. When this was all happening we just passed out, as the angel sat there.

I can just see the anger and red come to Caiaphus' face, as these guards were muttering though their story of the events of the last day, and the resurrection.

Matthew 28:12 "And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,"

These soldiers were sick frightened, and ready to tell their story to whom ever would listen. Then when all the religious leaders, their Sanhedrin, and the elders of the people were come together, they are in counsel again. The last time they were in counsel was to drum up false charges, and bring on their false witnesses to crucify Jesus, who was attacking their traditions, and hitting hard their money bags.

The Kenite mind knows that money will buy the man that lives by the flesh heart, and the religious leaders were the Kenite offspring of the Nethinims [Kenites] that are spoken of in the books of Ezra, and Nehemiah. Though Judas' price was thirty pieces of silver, these men cost them a very great amount.

Matthew 28:13 "Saying, "Say ye, 'His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept.' "

Keep in mind that this is the high priest, Caiaphus, and those religious sorts, telling these security guards what they have to say, as they probably signed their forms, and stuffed their pockets and bags with all of God's money from the offering plate, and temple treasury.

If you were to believe such a thing as this, where would your Christianity be today?

Matthew 28:14 "And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you."

Can't you see these sons of Satan, as they plot their every detail, in the lies that are to be told.They are telling the guards that if it ever comes to the attention of the government and Pilate that you are telling these lies, then we will bale you out, and secure your freedom.

Are you starting to see how Satan, and His offspring work through Satan work? There is not much difference then as now.

Matthew 28:15 "So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."

Your mind should immediately go to Revelation 2:9: and you better understand this verse or you will come down on Judah, and the house of Judah with much hate. We are talking about the Kenites here, that claim to be Judah, and the Kenites to this day, like to make this claim, "His blood is on our hands." As they try to drag Judah in on their lies. The Kenite will say that "Jesus was a illegitimate child, however the men of true Judah will not say that. This is one of the ways of telling the difference. God's elect will know them by their words.

Revelation 2:9; "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan," These that lie and are of the "synagogue of Satan" are Cain's children, the Kenites, in the Hebrew tongue. These people try to represent themselves as authority of God's Word, today and are called the higher critics.

You tell these types of higher critics today, those that have the mind of Cain by their list titles behind their names. When they speak, the authority is their mouth, and not the Word and Spirit of the Living God. They flaunt their degrees, and institutions that their learning came from. So they become the spokesmen and women for that institution. So if you don't know where the title came from, you really don't know what they stand for.

When these big mouth doctors walk up and spouts off, the lay person is to bow in humility before them and their wisdom, and then they spout out their blasphemy and traditions. These old boys simply do not like to be questioned of the garbage they spout, for their lies are supposed to become the truth by the mere fact that they uttered the words.

When you know God's Word, then these types of Satan's own stand out, and the elect of the last generation will not be deceived by them. It is time to study to know the entire plan of God, and be prepared to these blasphemers as they step to the pulpits, and speak out in the airwaves today. We are in the generation of the fig tree, and both the good and bad figs [Judah and the Kenites] have returned to establish the roots of that nation of Israel. The signs of the end times are here, and taking place rapidly.

It is time that we study to know those that are of Judah, and can tell the difference between them and the Kenites. The churches address in Revelation chapters two and three, are the types of churches that exist in the final generation. This is because John was brought "in the spirit to the Lord's day," [Revelation 1:10] and he was writing when Jesus revealed to him how the churches would be on that day.

Matthew 28:16 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them."

Remember, Jesus had told them to go to Galilee before He went to the Cross.

Matthew 28:17 "And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted."

We know the story of Thomas, where He had to touch the scars of the spear wound, and see the nail prints of Jesus hands and feet.

Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth."

Can you comprehend this? Not some power, but all power. Can you grasp what this means, or should mean to the Christian? When you enter into Christ, and He enters into you, that power is within you. With this statement in your heart, there should be no fear in your heart. When you study God's Word, and come to understand His Word, you know the authority that God has placed within you. There should be no doubt whatsoever in you mind, or heart when you use that power in the fulfillment of God's plan.

Many today misuse this power, and think that the power of God is a tool that they can use for their own personal gratification. They think that merely because they have said something God must in turn be the one who simply grants wishes. God is not a tool to be used for your every earthly flesh desires, but the power of God will protect, and fulfill all necessary needs that are in the will of God.

God knows your needs, and He also as given the necessary power for you to live and carry out His plan for your life. That allotment varies with each person, it is based on the size of spiritual stick that your heart will allow you to pick up. That will be determined by your growth and faith in the Lord God. The promises that the Father has made, and Jesus when He walked on the earth and spoke through His disciples; when the power was given to Jesus, are ours to claim without any doubts, when we are in Christ.

Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

Remember the veil has been rent to the Holy of Holies, and the Gentile nations can now also come before the throne of God in repentance. We are to teach them the plan of God, from the Word of God, where by Jesus shed blood on the cross can cover their sins also, and they can become the sons of God. We are to tell them of the good news, that the Messiah came to earth as a baby, lived, and was crucified for the sins of many, and by repenting to the Father in Jesus name, they also can have their souls become white as snow, and have eternal life.

Upon repentance, they will be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost,

Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Amen."

Did you see what we are to teach? We are to teach "all things" that Jesus has commanded you. and we know those things by studying His word. Jesus promised that He would be with us right up to the end of this earth age. That end may be close, but it hasn't happened yet. This earth age will end when Jesus returns at the seventh trumpet, and then he will be with us in person, as He sets up His Millennium kingdom.

First, however the time of the great deception [tribulation] will come, and many will be deceived because they were taught the Word of God, in our Christian churches, but were taught the traditions of men. Jesus is still with each of us, if we love Him, and live the lives as He has commanded us through His word.

Many today think that the church is a system, or building on the corner, but Christ's Church is made up of the body of believer, the many membered body of Christ. All believers on this entire earth, who believe in Jesus Christ are part of the body of Christ. Though there is much strife over one part calling itself the true body, over another, where there is faith in Jesus Christ, and His shed blood, and repentance in the heart of the individual, that person is part of the many membered body of Christ. We become members by our faith in Christ.

Lets try to understand a little just what "faith is".

The word "faith" comes from the Greek words "Pistis" (the noun form), and "Pisteo" (the verb form). The Christian must understand what faith is all about, as it is through faith, Paul says, we receive the grace of God and our eternal salvation (Ephesians 2:8). Faith is like fleeing to a shelter, or protection from something we are helpless against. The other case is when a injured person is required to put his full weight on his cane or crutches to stand.

Faith within a religious creed, states that if you believe right you have faith. As a creed faith becomes quite limited, but it is much broader than that.

Faith is based on action, the action which is your will-power. It is also based on your belief, which is a collection of all your ideas, giving you a basis for your doing what you do. This in turn gives us the confidence, or motive to keep on doing what we were doing. It is what you might call the A,B,C's of faith. Your action, based on your beliefs, and sustained by your confidence in who you have the faith in.

Faith then is what stimulates each of us to keep on going until our willpower takes hold, and it makes us act on the knowledge we possess. Faith must have an object to act upon, and to the Christian, that object is Jesus Christ, and all the promises that He has given to us who are in Him. It is our belief in His finished work on the cross, His teaching, and that when He came out of that tomb resurrected, He had conquered death. This was the fulfillment of all Bible prophecy, and it became a reality in our lives.

Different religious leaders have their cute definitions for "faith". Norman Vincent Peale and his positive thinking group say, "Faith is faith itself..." Dr. Robert Schuler, the television preacher put's it, "Faith is your own possibilities". The secular view is that reality and faith are substitutes for each other. This reality, to the worldly mind is nothing more than relationships. On the sea of relationships, everything is a direct response to all other relationships, or to persons, items, actions, beliefs, and so on. It is sort of like what the Yin...Yang relationship of the Chinese Taoism is based upon.

The world believes that all reactions to these relationships are quoted by the stars, chance, heredity, environment, and the list goes on. Like in the way of the Tao, nobody is at fault for any of their actions, because people just respond to the opposing forces around them. Did you ever hear, "His dad was a drunk", or "He comes from a poor environment", or the claim of child abuse, or any one of a number of reasons, and excuses?

The scientific Kenite minds have developed a form of understanding of why we do what we do, and it is called "Behavioral Psychology". The process is to release guilt from ones mind, and take away the need for repentance. It is the Satanic form of allowing one to explain away his every action. This is exactly what is at the very foundation of the eastern religions such as Buddhism.

What is interesting about the twelve precepts of "Behavioral Psychology", is that these precepts are exactly what was the precepts of the foundation of Buddhism was from it's beginning, as well as what it is today. To those of this thinking in the secular world, the life in the here-after, and the presence of an Almighty God, and His Son that came to earth to die on the cross, simply doesn't exist.

We can see that much of our thought, beliefs, and actions are not based on the Word of God, but are derived from heathen religious influences, and these traditions have crept into our lives and have been accepted. As Christians, we have allowed this to happen either knowingly or unknowingly, and if you fall from the study of God's Word, these false teachings will embed in our minds, and we will be deceived.

Faith is being removed from our children's minds by a teaching form called "Progressive Education". Progressive education as taught in most schools, has replaced values and morals with "feelings". This heathen form of thought was formed in the mid-twenties by John Dewey. He and other thinkers like him, such as Rousseau (in Emile), set the stage for the "New Age Movement" that is considered the authority of the world today.

The world simply can not understand why or how a person can perform a mass murder, or taking the life of small children, without any regards for the victim. They watch in disbelief as teenage suicide is on the rise, and the youth have so little respect of other people and their property, and they just can't see how it all came to pass. Yet in the same breath, they think nothing today about teaching their children, on a massive scale; "if it feels good, do it", or "follow your instincts".

We have two basic sources of influences. One has to be taught, and the other does not. One source is by God, directed through the influence of the Holy Spirit, and this influence is given to us in His Word, the Bible. This direction is best instilled in a person at youth, and gives him a foundation for getting through life.

When the influences of God's Holy Word is missing, the direction then is based on emotions and feelings. We know that neither of these two instincts can be trusted, with out a sound foundation. When ever the mind thinks, choices are made. If their is no standards taught or pre-set, then there is no points of reference for right and wrong, good or bad, and so on; and the mind runs wild and seeks to please it's own pleasures of the flesh. All choices made are then based on the emotions and feelings in the spur of the moment.

The Progressive Education then is based on what seems to be reality, as led by ones emotions and feelings. It leaves it up to the individual to determine that standards that are to be set, and all forms of faith are only what the person places in his or her own abilities, for they have no one to look to, except what they can do for themselves. There simply are no absolutes, everything exists in shades of truth. You might say that everything becomes relationships to everything else. What is important to them becomes "how you learn," and not "what you learn". John Dewey said everything you learn will change, so it then is not important what you learn, only the process of learning, and changing to it.

When fixed values of the Word of God is missing from a family, community and nation, what is left is emotions, feelings, and confusion. There is no direction. With no foundation, no set of values, no God given order, there is no reference point in that life. There are only foggy relationships, and truth isn't there. Morality is gone as well as lasting sets of values, and in it's place is confusion; a constant state of change.

Jesus was a realist, and our faith is based on facts of relationships that we accept, even though we may not fully understand them. These relationships are there, permanent and do exist. They are based on unchanging promises given to us by God, and written through His prophets in the Holy Bible. These relationships in our Christian life, are stead and true, and gives us a firm foundation to build our lives upon. Our foundation is built on each promise and commitment that God made to each of us who have repented of our sins in Jesus name, and turn to do and follow the instructions that He has given to us. Christianity is based on fact, it is a reality that is our way of life.

God is faithful to His word that is written, and we can and do count on it, for it is His promise. As each event of the prophets comes to pass, this is just another sign to us, that our Heavenly Father does have complete control over every thing that happens in this earth age. The Christian must act on the belief that God is going to back up every word that He has said. In Psalm 119:89; "Forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven". If God said it...I believe it...and that settles it.

So how does faith come to us? The Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith is the substance implanted in each believer by the Holy Spirit, and what this substance is, I can not explain, but that faith is the hope of our salvation. Hebrews 11:1; "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

There is only one way that you can be Christ's {His ownership, and that is "when the Spirit of God is in you", Then you are Christ's and Faith is formed in your heart by His spirit.

Faith is an act on our part, when we grab hold of God's Word, and take those promises that fit our life and circumstances, and hold on to them. Let His Word lead our lives, and we must act on those promises as a part of the reality of our lives. Go back to Psalm 119:89, when He said, "Forever O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven," and believe it.

For you faith in Christ, God places you in Christ and Christ then is in you. Perfection is not a requirement, but faith is. God is faithful to every promise in His word. We are to teach the truth of God's word, all of it. Teach them what God's plan and purpose for them is, so that Christ's love and life will begin to come into them.

When Christ picks up that pen and writes your name in the eternal Lamb's book of life, then you will begin to understand that life is all about, eternal life. The price has been paid, and it is up to you to reach out and take that life, and all the promises that go with it.

 
Editor's Note: We are going to stop here in our "Book of Matthew Study" to review some commentary from chapter28 in an earlier study we published of Matthew.  I don't believe you will find much difference in the general opinion of these two authors, but to read another person's perspective of events that took place may prove helpful in your understanding of the gospel of Matthew.

Teach them to hear the Word of God, to hear His Voice, and if they will so do, then His Spirit (Breath) will enter into them and they will come alive spiritually and enter into eternal life

Rejoice greatly and shout for joy, for all the many promises of God written in the law and the prophets declaring that He would send the greatest gift ever there was to mankind came to pass exactly as it was written.

Zech. 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout (for joy), O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
It is therefore fitting that the very name of the one who would write the gospel that commences the New Testament is "Matthew"... which means "Gift of Yahveh"?
Romans 6:23 "... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
He came to bring us salvation, to pay the price on the cross for our sins, to be our kinsman redeemer, and to defeat death (Heb. 2:14) that we might have the victory over the grave and enter into eternal life. There is no greater gift than what our Father has done for us (Jn. 3:16).

Today we conclude this great Book of Matthew which ends with a set of instructions for those who have come to know Him and love Him through His Word by following those things that are written. Turn to the Book of John and listen carefully to what Christ told His disciples.

John 14:15-23
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Jesus is not referring specifically to the Ten Commandments here, but to all the words and instructions that are written in the Word of God. And if you do those things that He commands us, then He will come unto you and give you comfort and peace of mind, even amidst all your enemies, and He will protect and lead you as a shepherd does his flock.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;
What is that other Comforter He shall give you? It is the Spirit of truth (next verse) which only comes to those who seek Him through His Word, for He reveals Himself to us through His Word. And as we absorb and become immersed in that truth we become filled with His Spirit and are comforted as we grow steadfast and assured of all His power and might and love He has for His children who love and obey Him. Otherwise, without that Spirit of truth sealed in our minds we will not be able to know Him, the real Jesus, and we will surely stumble and fall to the false messiah who comes first claiming to be the real Jesus and deceives the whole world into believing that he is by means of the great wonders and miracles he performs in the sight of men (Rev. 13:13-14). Yes, the world will receive that false messiah because they have not received the Spirit of truth to know the difference between the holy and the profane.
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
As you absorb His Word, your spirit (which is your intellect) unites with His Spirit and you become like minded as He is!  And "if" you follow His commands, He promises you peace of mind and serenity.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Again, this promise is based on the condition that you love Him by keeping His commandments (vs. 15), which is to believe in Him.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Do you understand how you can come to "see" Jesus Christ who is no longer in the flesh? You prayerfully open the book and "go up", as in elevate your mind from the flesh to the spiritual level, and go through the door to where He dwells (Rev. 4:1). You "see", Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is that door that leads to life!John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." The point is, you can faithfully go to church every Sunday and do all the things preachers tell you to do to please God, but if you do not enter in through the door you will never come to know Him. So if you claim to "know the Lord" but after many years of going to church you are still Biblically illiterate, you have deceived yourself, for you do not really know Him at all!
Read Mat. 7:21-23 and see what He has to say to the good church goers who remain Biblically illiterate.Matthew 7:21 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.


John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

[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.

There are two simple conditions in this verse. First,you must "have His commandments" which means you must have His Word stored in your mind.That does not mean you must have it memorized word for word, but without studying His Word and rightly dividing it (2 Tim. 2:15) you would have no idea what His commandments are... which most people do not! Secondly, after hearing His words, which are His commands, you must keep them, as in do them. James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
[22] Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
This question is of extreme importance and the answer Christ gives explains in real simple terms how He reveals Himself to His servants, those who love Him! Pay close attention to the biggest little word in the English language,"If", for it is so easy to overlook but it denotes a condition upon which the promises are given.
[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
If you want to "know the Lord" and be blessed (happy), then do according to His will, that which is written, and do not according to the traditions of men which make void the Word of God and lead people to worship the other Jesus, Satan as the spurious messiah, which means the "instead-of-christ".

Let us now begin our study of Matthew 28 which completes the great Book of Matthew. The crucifixion, burial, and resurrection have now taken place and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (see Mark 16:1) have come to see or gaze upon the sepulcher.

Matthew 28:1
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
You may recall from the last chapter that these two Mary's observed where and how the body of Christ was laid in Joseph of Arimathaea's tomb and saw the great stone rolled to the door of that sepulcher. Matthew 27:60-61 "And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. [61] And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre."
[2] And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
There was an earth shaking event that had taken place all right! Jesus Christ was already gone out of that tomb before the "Angel of the Lord" rolled back the stone. Furthermore, His body was no longer there for He had been transfigured.
[3] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
This is the same description we saw of Jesus Christ when He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration in Matthew 17:2.
Matthew 17:2
And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light.
This appearance of Jesus in His glorified body was an awesome sight in itself, a supernatural one, and then when they heard the voice from the cloud saying "...This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him", they were sore afraid.
Matthew 17:6-9
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
However, Jesus came and "touched them" and gave them comfort and assurance and said "arise" and be not afraid.
[7] And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

[8] And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

You "see", when they lifted up (opened) and looked with their flesh eyes, all they saw was Jesus in the flesh! So they "descended" down from on high, from the mountain of God, and Jesus gave them instruction not to tell the "vision" of His transfiguration to anyone UNTIL the Son of man be risen again from the dead, even further declaring that He would!
[9] And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
Thus the disciples beheld the glory of "thy King cometh unto thee" (Zech. 9:9) as His body was transfigured before them, and they would later understand how it is that His body would not be found in the tomb, which was the purpose of the vision.
In other words, after the resurrection they would be able to explain the disappearance of His body to the others as to why it was not to be found.

Now, let's return to Matthew 28 where the Angel of Lord has appeared and rolled back stone. Remember there were guards (keepers), even those sent by the chief priests (kenites), who were watching over the tomb to make sure that no one came and took the body. In so much as Jesus did not "touch" those "keepers", when they saw the supernatural, i.e. the Angel of the Lord whose "countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow", they were so frightened (shaken) that they fainted, as in passed out!

Matthew 28:4
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
They did not die but rather fainted for fear! The scene of these men having fainted perhaps even added to the fright of the women who had just come to the sepulcher, so the angel spoke and comforted them with the very words of the Lord that He had spoken to them previously (vs. 6).
[5] And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Do you seek Jesus, which was crucified? If so, in what manner do you seek Him?
[6] He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were eyewitnesses that the tomb was empty in that Jesus' body was not there.You "see", Jesus Christ is neither dead on the cross nor is He lying in the tomb. He is risen, as He said! So "if" you are seeking the body of Christ, you will not find it among the dead, spiritually speaking! Let's go to Luke's account and gather a little more knowledge from his account.
Luke 24:2
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

[3] And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

On a higher level you might ask yourself what is the body of Jesus Christ? It certainly is not dead and buried, is it?
This brings to mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 8:22 to the man who had to go and wait to bury his dying father before he could follow Christ, "But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." Nevertheless, keep this in mind when reading the question in verse 5 below!
[4] And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
It seems the whereabouts of the body of Christ is still perplexing to many folks who do not have eyes to "see" things on the spiritual level but rather view everything strictly in the flesh, because they only "see" on that level, i.e. through flesh eyes. Sometimes it helps to sit back and close those flesh eyes to be able to "see" the things that are spiritual in nature.

And so these two men in shining garments are now going to teach and remind them concerning the words which were already spoken in their ears by Jesus Christ Himself.

[5] And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Notice how a lack of understanding brings fear to their hearts and they "bow down their faces to the earth" when in fact "He is risen"! So the question then is, "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" Do you seek Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, or not? Then do as He instructs and He will reveal Himself to you.
[6] He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee,
Jesus specifically told His disciples before He was crucified where to go to see Him after He was risen. Let us learn from this example to know that if we follow the instructions He gives us, we too "shall see Him"! Let us return to Matthew 28 and read the instructions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary received.
Matthew 28:7
And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you.
Again, Jesus had already instructed His disciples that "after He is risen" He would go before them into Galilee. Matthew 26:32 "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee." "Galilee" means "circuit" or "circle". Luke also tells us in Luke 24:8 "And they remembered His words", which in realizing they have come to pass exactly as He said they would, they were filled with excitement and joy and were no longer fearful.
[8] And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word.
"Fear" as it used here means to "revere", as in "reverence for one's husband" as Thayer puts it, for terror brings no great joy. So see the picture portrayed for us here as these women who are now overjoyed and are running to "bring His disciples word", which were the words Christ had already told them beforehand would come to pass, which is that after He is risen from the dead (which He would) that He would see them in Galilee. And while they were en route doing that which they were instructed to do, Jesus met them and greeted them.
[9] And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him.
When Jesus greeted them with a friendly "good morning" and they finally recognized Him, they came to Him and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him. Now notice once again the instruction to "Be not afraid" but rather go follow these instructions. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Father's Word, we come to know Him and realize as verse 18 below will tell us that our Lord and Saviour has ALL POWER in both heaven and earth and so there is nothing to fear! You "see", there are "no giants" to those who love and serve Him and know of His might and strength.
[10] Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
The disciples are also going to have to do as Christ instructed them, even as He told them before His death and resurrection, if they are to "see" Him. Again, He told them beforehand, before the crucifixion, that after He is risen He would go before them and meet them in Galilee, that is if they desired to see Him!

Meanwhile as the disciples are seeking the living Christ, the kenites are busy trying to keep Him dead and buried!

[11] Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
The thing is, these keepers and guards did not really know what happened, did they? Remember they passed out and "fell down as dead men" when they saw the Angel of the Lord appear whose "countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow"! All they knew was that when they woke up after seeing someone supernatural, that the stone was rolled back and Jesus Christ was gone from the tomb! So some went and confided in the trust of the good religious men who hired them and told them what had happened. Uh oh! Meeting time! Time to convene the wicked conniving counsel of the murderous kenites, those chief priests who wear sheep's clothing and appear holier than thou before the people.

If in fact the guards told them the truth instead of making up some story to save their necks (militarily speaking, if a guard fell asleep on his watch it meant the death penalty), they could ill afford to have a story about an angel appearing, etc., etc., begin to circulate around for it would certainly lend credibility to the disciple's claim that He was resurrected according to His Word. Then too, the problem becomes even more complicated if the knowledge that the guards fell asleep on their watch ever got back to the governor, because he would surely have them court-martial and executed.

So, the good religious leaders of the people will simply resort to bribery and pay off the soldiers with large sums of money to make it worth their while to take the risk of being court-martialed and go LIE for them! Praise be to god who comes to their rescue... the gods of gold and silver that is!

[12] And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
That's the kenite way... temptation, extortion, bribery, murder, sex, you name it! They commonly use money, power, or ego, to control and manipulate those who walk in the flesh and not after the spirit, especially in their pursuit to discredit Christianity and the Word of God.

Here is the lie the soldiers were to spread in return for the big bucks they received from the coffers of the temple.

[13] Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept.
Now listen to the comforting guarantee that these kenites give to the soldiers to ease their minds of the life and death risk they are taking in saying they fell asleep and His disciples came and stole Him away.
[14] And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
I'm sorry, I just don't buy it! These lying, thieving, murderous religious hypocrites, these chief priests who speak so softly and convincingly, would let these guys hang in a heartbeat once the lies about Christ's body being stolen had been spread throughout the community and the damage was done! In fact, it would be a really good idea, and in keeping with the full pattern of the kenite, that once the lies were fully spread by the guards, to hire someone to go tell the governor that the guards fell asleep. That way, once the guards were executed, the truth concerning the Angel of Lord appearing at the sepulcher would never surface. Oh, and their conviction would be a legal piece of cake seeing that they already admitted to so many upstanding citizens that they fell asleep.

Ah! But the love of money can surely cloud one's thinking...

[15] So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Do you remember the Parable of the Tares from chapter 13 in this great Book of Matthew?  It is no coincidence that we find the lies and the operation of the synagogue of Satan just a few verses from the close of this book where the great teaching commission to the servants of God in these last days is given! For there are only two churches out of the seven in Rev. 2 & 3 who know and teach concerning the kenites in these last days. They are the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna.
Rev. 3:9 (Philadelphia)
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie;behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Rev. 2:9 (Smyrna)
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

These liars claim that they are descendants of Abraham and "God's chosen people" and through their deception have convinced the multitudes of Christianity that they are!
Furthermore, they now control the Four Hidden Dynasties of Religion, Politics, Economics, and Education... and oh... did I mention they still pay big bucks to have lies concerning Christ and Christianity and the Word of God spread throughout the land?


Click #1848, & #1011 or #1012 to learn more about the Four Hidden Dynasties of Religion, Politics, Economics, and Education.


This they do in many ways, like simply producing documentaries by so called religious "scholars", who are nothing more than higher critics who spread malicious half-truths and cast doubts and aspersions on historical fact and the Word of God.
The point is, if you do not know the difference between our brother Judah and the kenites, the good and bad figs of Jeremiah 24, and you do not know who and where the so-called lost tribes of the house of Israel are today, then you still walk in darkness as to what is happening in these last days.

If that's the case with you, then please get and read the booklet "The Abrahamic Covenant", by E. Raymond Capt. It will get you started in the right direction.You can purchase a copy from Artisan Publishers, P.O.Box 1529, Muskogee, Oklahoma 74402, (918) 682-8341, www.artisanpublishers.com


Now let's return to the concluding verses of Matthew, the Gift of Yahveh.
Matthew 28:16
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
[17] And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted.
Here's a more detailed of Jesus appearing to His disciples.
John 20:19-23
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Though the doors were shut, Jesus suddenly appeared and stood in their midst and gave them comfort! Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
[20] And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
[21] Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
How did the Father send Yahshua Messiah? Hebrews 10:7 "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." Now Jesus is sending out His disciples, armed with the Spirit of truth, to carry on the work which is the will of God. We will see what they are to do in the last verse of Matthew.
[22] And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
His disciples are to pass on His breath, which is His Spirit they received from Him, to their brothers and sisters who are starving in the midst of the great famine of these last days, which has so dried them up spiritually they have become as dead men's bones.
In fact, that is the exact analogy God gave to Ezekiel whom we shall visit a few verse hence. First, let's document from the Book of Amos what the great famine and dearth is in these last days.
Amos 8:11-13
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
The great famine in these last days is a great spiritual famine caused by the lack of hearing the words of the LORD.
You "see", there is so little of God's Word taught chapter by chapter and verse by verse in these last days that our people are starving for the true bread and living water which gives life!
[12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Again, there are so few churches that teach His Word these days. Instead, most follow traditions and host praise and worship services in lieu of feeding their congregations the life saving bread from the table of Lord, which His Word.
[13] In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
"In that day" is "this day" whereby our nation has become like a great valley full of spiritually dry bones! That is the picture that EZEK-I-EL (God is my strength) was given to show us a simple, graphic, extremely uncomplicated spiritual analogy.
Ezekiel 37:1-5
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
You can just picture Ezekiel sitting down in the midst of Death Valley surrounded by dry bones, can't you?
[2] And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
Unfortunately there were VERY MANY of those dry bones which were caused by the famine and drought of these last days! The question is: Is it possible for the spiritually dead to come alive, and if so, how can that happen?
[3] And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
Yes, the LORD knows how they can come alive and you can have a helping part in it, if you are one of God's elect who is made strong by eating the whole roll (Ezek. 3:1-3), which is the Word of God, as did Ezekiel whose name again means "God is my strength".

Here is what Ezekiel was commissioned to do:

[4] Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
It is important to understand that the word "prophesy" means to "teach"!
Ezekiel was told by God to go say unto the spiritually dead "Go to church every Sunday!"
NOT! He was to go tell them to "Hear the Word of the LORD!"
Hey, if their preachers and ministers had been doing their jobs and teaching them after the manner of "Thus saith the Lord God" and "It is written" instead of playing church and taking up collections, they wouldn't be a bunch of spiritual skeletons with no meat on their bones in the first place.
[5] Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
Teach them to hear the Word of God, to hear His Voice, and if they will so do, then His Spirit (Breath) will enter into them and they will come alive spiritually and enter into eternal life.
You "see", it is the Word of God which is ALIVE with His Spirit and only He has the POWER to give life eternal!
Furthermore, He not only has the power to grant eternal life, He has ALL power in both heaven and earth... ALL POWER that is! And you know what else? He has given us of His power, even over those snakes and lowlife kenites... even over Satan himself.Here is your documentation from Luke 10:19, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

To that end, if there is one thing you should have learned from your study of the Book of Matthew, it is that which is written in the following verse.

Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
If you have built your faith upon the rock to the point of knowing with certitude that Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, has been given ALL power in both heaven and earth and you are willing to trust in Him, to hear and obey His voice instead of following after the traditions of churchianity, then you are ready to be part of the brotherhood of brothers and sisters, the body of Christ, who receive His final instructions in this great Book of Matthew. Here it is!
[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Salvation is now open to all peoples of all nationalities and languages... to whosoever will repent and believe in Him, even the kenite!
And His servants are to go teach them to hear the Word of the LORD, to hear His voice, and to "baptize" whosoever will in the name, which means authority or power, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. However, and this may offend some, but that instruction does not mean to go around and simply baptize people with water and pronounce the correct sequence of words or use this form of His name or that. To "baptize" in Greek means to fully immerse in something, and not just water. John baptized with water but the baptism of He who came after John, Jesus Christ, is with the Holy Spirit (Mat. 3:11, Acts 1:5), not water.
The point is, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to be fully immersed in His Spirit, for as we have "seen" in John 20 and Ezekiel 37, it is His Spirit that quickens, as in makes alive!

Here are Christ's own words:

John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth (makes alive);the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Here then is what His "sent forth ones" (apostolos) are to teach:
Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I AM with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
One must first know what Christ's commands are in order to be able to teach them, right? That is why we first study His Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse, rightly dividing the word of truth, to show ourselves approved as workmen (laborers).
And if we show our love for Him by keeping His commands (Jn. 14:15) and we then teach others "to observe all the things whatsoever I have commanded you", then He has promised that He (the great "I AM") shall be with you even unto the end of the world, which is the end of this flesh age when He returns on His white horse as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Amen... which means "You can count on it! So be it! It's a sure thing!"

Thank you Father for your wonderful gift to us!

Romans 6:23 "... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

We repeat - You "see", Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is that door that leads to life!

John 14:15-23 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
[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.
[22] Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.


                               
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.  We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.


The American Wisdom Series

is

Published by:

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

Here at the American Wisdom Series our goal is to make you think about and question the wisdom of the current:
doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
 and teaching of our schools and media, (The Man on a Pale Horse)

The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?