The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Matthew #2524

 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.
Now let's think about what has happened to this point. We read in Matthew 3:2 that John the Baptist came preaching repentance and declaring that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In fact, he came in the spirit and power of Elijah of whom it was written saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight (Matthew 3:3)." And so it came to pass that Messiah did come following that great Elijah ministry, exactly and according to all that was foretold of Him in the law and the prophets (Mat. 11:13), which meant that the people now had the true Bridegroom, the Living Word of God, right in their very midst. Yes, Emmanuel! Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

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,
To what can you compare this generation... which is like asking "What does it take for some people?" They have been "called to" as if by innocent children sitting in the town square bidding their friends to come join them, and saying...
[17] And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
The words "Danced... Lamented" is a figure of speech known as a Paronomasia which is a play on words that sound alike and tend to rhyme, but which do not necessarily have the same sense or meanings (see appendix six in the Companion Bible). An example in English would be our sayings an "Attitude of Gratitude", a good one to always remember, and "No Pain, No Gain" which many are going to intimately understand as "The Plan" unfolds in this final generation exactly as it is written!

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.
Remember John came eating locusts and honey and preached a strong message of repentance, even to the likes of Herod and Herodias. For that he was accused of being evil or as the liberals would say today, he was "mean spirited". True it is that "there is nothing new under the sun"!

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.
You see, it didn't matter how or in what manner the people were approached, the religious community was NOT receptive to Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Nevertheless, truth is truth, and the truth shall be made known... even by His wise children who love and serve Him, and as it is written they shall be both comforted and vindicated on that day of His second advent, "the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:2)". You "see", ultimately everyone is judged by Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and so it is that those who now heed and follow wisdom and truth, which is His Word, are made just (zadok) and they become wise children indeed. He that has an ear, let him hear... or as we say today, a word to the wise!

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:
If one has seen His mighty works and yet does not heed the invitation nor repent and come to Christ, then that one better expect some unbraiding and chastisement to follow. It is part of the loving plan of God and it is for the good of His children as in for their own good! Why? Because He loves all of His children and it is His desire that "ALL should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9), and if He has to "thump" some of them to get their attention, then so be it. But Woe unto them!
[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.
First of all, be it known that it is not a pleasant thing to be on the receiving end of God's "Woes"! But remember the Paronomasia, "No pain, no gain"! Secondly, notice that Christ is making the point concerning "the mighty works" of God as He singles out Chorazin, which means "a furnace of smoke", and Bethsaida, which means "house of fish". The fact that "fish" is symbolic of Christianity today and that the "smoke from the pit" in Rev. 9 speaks also of today, should alert the wise that He is speaking to the final generation, the generation of the fig tree, the generation that shall witness the wonderful and mighty works of God (Acts 2). Furthermore, He compares those two cities to the wealthy and prosperous ancient cities of Tyre (rock in Hebrew) and Sidon (catching fish in Hebrew), which are types given for this day!  The difference is that Tyre and Sidon did not have the witness of the mighty works of Christ! Otherwise they would have repented... because they were not of the generation of the fig tree, even from the beginning.
[22] But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
Again, the wonderful works of God were not made manifest in Tyre and Sidon and so at the second advent, when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns to the valley of Jehoshaphat (Jeho-shaphat means YHVH judges, see Joel 3), they shall receive more leniency from the Judge. But woe unto those of this froward generation!
[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.
Talk about exalted! Not only did Christ perform many mighty works in Capernaum, which means "City of Comfort", but Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, the Comforter Himself, dwelt at Capernaum during the whole period of His public ministry. The point is, had Sodom been so privileged to have the Comforter among them and to see the mighty works Capernaum saw, their city would not have been destroyed.
[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.
Christ is laying in on real thick to those who have seen and heard for you "see"... they are without excuse in turning their backs on Him! Therefore Christ will be much less tolerant in dealing with them on judgment day!

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.
There is that big little word "If" again!
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.
To "manifest" means to "make known". Remember it is written that there shall be many on the day who claim they "believe" but who shall not be known of 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.
The question is, "Do you love Him?" Are you grateful for the eyes and ears that see and understand? Hopefully you are for He is soooo... good to us!
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.
Not only are the wise and prudent of this world, those who are sharp in worldly matters such as the kenites, blind to the truth of His Word and "have none understanding", but so also are the Christian type scribes and Pharisees of today who are vainly puffed up in their minds and refuse to submit to the Word of God. They walk in darkness and teach their own traditions instead of His Word and therefore they preach "another Jesus" whom our people blindly follow because of their ignorance, their not knowing, the true Jesus Christ, the Word of God. 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."
[26] Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
The plan is set. The Day of the Lord, which is when "He shall come" at the second advent, is soon upon us. However, until that day Christ returns the good news is that those who "harden not their hearts (Heb. 4:7)", who exercise wisdom and come unto Him in repentance, believing and doing His will, He will surely come to them and reveal Himself unto them and they can enter into His rest today.
[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.
Do you know the Father? Christ said in John 14:9 "if you have seen me you have seen the Father"! How is that so? Because the Father is revealed by the Son, Jesus Christ, the Word of God! That may be a little "over the head" for some but it will become clear to you IF you will diligently study His Word and get to know 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?

See Fig Tree
Here are Christ's comforting words to those who have wisdom.
[28]Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Are you a willing laborer, a worker in the field? Are you burdened with that which is happening in the world or even in your own little world? You don't have to be! All you have to do is go to Him and to His Word and He will give you rest, which is "sabbath", which is peace of mind.

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.
What is a yoke? It is a harness that binds two animals, two workers (laborers) together. In other words, all you have to do is hook up with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and LEARN of Him, which is to GET TO KNOW HIM, and you SHALL FIND the peace of mind that transcends anything you will ever encounter in this flesh experience... GUARANTEED! Only it is up to YOU to take the action to take on His Yoke and learn of Him.

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.
Again, it is so easy to hook up with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and since He makes all your burdens so light and bearable (see also 1 Cor. 10:13), it makes one would wonder why anyone would want to walk through this valley of the shadow of death all by himself! Go figure!

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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