The American Wisdom Series

Presents

Matthew #2523

The "curse" that comes before the second advent is the accursed one, the abomination of desolation, i.e. Satan as the false Messiah.

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.
He both educated them and proclaimed the good news to them:
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.

Now we have come to a section of scripture (Mat. 11:2-15) that seems most difficult for many scholars to explain. Perhaps that is because it is given to be understood by those who have eyes to see and ears to hear as documented in verse 15. Therefore, today's study may be a little deep for some who have just joined our studies.

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.
Herod had taken his brother's wife and John kept telling him (which is what "had said" means in the next verse) that his actions and behavior were totally against God's law... which carries with it a penalty!
[18] For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
Never let it be said that John was not bold or that he was a people pleaser. It takes brazen courage (trust in God) to tell the ruler of the land that God's law condemns his or her actions. However, Herod himself actually had some healthy respect for John as a man of God, but NOT Herodias his brother's wife! She wanted to kill that far right wing conservative whom she probably accused of trying to impose his moral values upon her.
[19] Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
You've got to give Herod a little credit at this point! Again, he knows John is a just and upright man of God.
[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.
Nevertheless, John the Baptist is now bound in prison for righteousness sake, for His sake, for the sake of teaching God's Word boldly, and now he cannot observe firsthand the ministry of Jesus Christ. However, while in prison he receives word of the works He is performing.
Matthew 11:2
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
Of course the number "two" denotes "witness" in Biblical numerics, for "if two different persons agree in testimony then it is conclusive" (see appendix 10 in the back of the Companion Bible). But notice what it was that prompted John to send two of his students to Christ. It was when he heard about the "works of Christ"! What were the works of Christ John heard about that would cause him to seek an answer from the Word of God by asking a specific question concerning His coming? Well, we already read about them in chapter 9. Remember He healed the blind (Mat. 9:27), He healed the lame (Mat. 9:6), He caused the dumb to speak (Mat. 9:33), etc.

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?
Remember it was the works of Christ which John heard about in prison that prompted this question. Again, John wanted to know "if" this just might be the time Isaiah spoke of in Isa. 35 concerning He that should come (at the second advent) or is it going to be at another time?
another = heteros, het'-er-os, Greek 2087; of uncertain affinity; (an-, the) other or different :- altered, else, next (day), one, (an-) other, some, strange.
The works John heard about certainly fit that of the second advent, even the day of vengeance of our God who comes with a recompense and to comfort all those who mourn.
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.
The following works "He that should come" would do, are the works of Christ John heard about in prison.
[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.

Again, these are the wonderful works Christ did in Matthew chapter nine that John would have heard about! Notice that they are tied in with the Day of Vengeance which is the second advent. Keep that thought in mind as we continue. Now let's consider one more thought. Do you not think that John the Baptist was fully aware of that which was written in the 3rd and 4th chapters of the Book of the Malachi, whose name means "My Messenger"? Of course he was. Do you not also think that His father Zacharias, who was told by the angel Gabriel what his son John's destiny was in preparing the way, discussed his future with him?

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.
And so John was great in the sight of the Lord, just as Christ will openly declare to the multitudes in Mat. 11:11 below!
[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This is the characteristic of the Elijah ministry, even of the last days.
[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.
John knew that he had prepared the way for the first advent! How so? Because he bare witness and record that Jesus Christ was the Messiah! But what about the second advent? John is asking the simple question, will it happen now or will it happen at another time?

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.
Verse 2 speaks of the second advent.
[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:
The answer as to who shall stand when Christ appears we read in Mat. 7:24-25. It is those who have built their houses upon the solid foundation of the Rock, the Word of God.

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:
This is an "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" answer from Christ to his faithful servant John who is in prison hearing what Christ is doing among the people.
[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.
Sure enough the first part of this verse pertains to those things of Isa. 35 but the "and the poor have the gospel preached to them" comes from another part of Isaiah which speaks of both the first and second advent.
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;

Verse two speaks of both the first and second advents. In fact, in Luke chapter four we read where Christ went into the temple, was handed a scroll of Isaiah, and deliberately turned to the above verses in Isa. 61 and began reading. However, He stopped when He got to the second part of verse two which speaks of the day of vengeance, which is the second advent.

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,
Remember Christ told the two disciples John sent to Him to go tell John that in addition to the healing of the blind and lame, etc., that "the poor have the gospel preached to them". This is of the first advent, not the second.
[19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
This as far as Christ read in Isaiah and then He closed the book and said "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears".

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.
Bingo! John now knows that he is not going to see the second advent at this time, but that there would be another time when "He shall come, with vengeance, even God with a recompense (Isa. 35:4)"! Again, John is in prison and probably knows or at least suspects that his days are numbered. What a great example this is to us today. I mean, there is the great prophet John the Baptist in prison for righteousness sake and he knows that he shall have to endure unto the end. Not to worry though, for John had great root and foundation in the Word of God, not wavering to and fro like a reed shaken in the wind. Therefore he would not be "offended", which is to apostatize, as in stumble and fall!
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.
It is those who have no root and foundation in the Word of God who shall "endure but for a time" and so shall be offended and stumble when affliction or persecution arises.
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.
It is "... he that endureth to the end (who) shall be saved (Mat. 10:22)". And even though I'm sure Christ had great compassion for John and his plight, He was not worried about his enduring, unwavering faith. Nevertheless, He gave John those words of encouragement, "Blessed is he that shall not be offended in Him", even though John would have rather heard that his ministry fulfilled Mal. 4:5-6!

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:
What shall Elijah do when he comes? [Did you know that "olive" in Greek is "el-ah'-yah", Greek 1636; feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive (the tree or the fruit) :- olive (berry, tree)?]
[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.
These fatherless children are the orphans, the lost children of the house of Israel, the same ones to whom the apostles were sent. Do you know who and where the lost tribes of the house of Israel are today? If not, Log unto #1064 and #1020 to read our study of the 10 lost tribes.

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?
John heralded in the wilderness, as in "blew the trumpet" of truth!

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.

Prepare ye the way! In other words, get ready for that day shall soon come. His paths are the paths of righteousness which is His Word.
[4] John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
John spoke boldly and plainly.Would you expect a messenger of God to be otherwise?

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.
Did you expect to see some nice-guy, fancy-gowned, soft-spoken religionist in some big crystal cathedral?
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;
Remember John came in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet. In other words, he was "spiritually dressed" just like him. By the way, did you ever read how Elijah mocked the priests of Baal when they prayed to their god who is no god? 1 Kings 18:27 "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." True men of God appear to be harsh on false preachers, don't they?

Question number three.

[9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
You see, John was more than just a prophet with a vision of truth and understanding. He was the "messenger" who prepared the way before Christ! And he had many disciples, students of the Word of God, didn't he? Even some of the apostles, those Christ sent forth to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, were John's disciples. John 1:40 "One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."
[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.
Christ quoted from the book called "My Messenger", which is Malachi in Hebrew!
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:

John truly had a great ministry... great enough to be accounted to fulfill Mal. 4:5-6 had the people not rejected the kingdom.
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.
What a marvelous and touching tribute to the great John the Baptist. Remember it was prophesied before he was born that he would be great in the sight of the Lord and so indeed Christ confirmed and declared before the multitudes that he was!
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.
John was also filled with that "olive oil", el-i-jah, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit!
[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Again, the children are those of the lost tribes of the House of Israel who discover their "roots" and return to their Father and the wisdom of the just, which is His Word from whence all true wisdom comes!
[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.
And so it shall be in these last days that Elijah shall come to "make ready a people", even of the children of the tribes of Israel (Rev. 7) to turn them to His Word through which they shall be sealed with His truth. And you will find that God has reserved 7,000 who shall not bow a knee to Baal (Rom. 11:1-6) to "go forth" and teach and preach in the spirit and power of Elijah in these last days. They are those 7 eyes (watchmen) of Zech. 4. In other words, they are God's elect, the "seed" of Ps. 22:30-31 who shall finish the work, the sons and daughters of Acts 2:17, the brothers and sisters of Rev. 3:7 (Philadelphia) who would come and declare His righteous to a people who shall be born, teaching His Word and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom!
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.
And now John, the last prophet to come before Christ, has been taken by force and is about to be beheaded because of an evil adulterous woman!
[13] For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
All the Prophets and the Law, even the entire OT, prophesied that "He would come", that Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, Emmanuel, would come and usher in the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven! John however was more than a prophet (vs. 9) in that he actually prepared the way before "He that was prophesied to come"! And had the people accepted Christ at His first advent, the ministry of John the Baptist would have been the Elijah ministry to come.
[14] And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
The big word in this verse is "IF" which denotes a condition! In other words, IF you will receive it, then John the Baptist would have been reckoned as Elijah and fulfilled the scripture concerning His messenger to come and prepare a people before the Day of the LORD.
Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Do you "see" that John was His "messenger" who would have fulfilled verse five and been accounted as Elijah the prophet?
[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.
The "curse" that comes before the second advent is the accursed one, the abomination of desolation, Satan as the false Messiah.

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.
May God grant you rich understanding of His Word.

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.


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