Matthew — Lesson I – Javelin Thrower

by Gary L. Evans

Read Aloud

Matthew was one of our Lord’s Chosen Disciples. His name originally was Levi, and he was a tax collector for the Roman government. Matthew’s Gospel focuses on the fulfillment of Prophesy with the coming of The Messiah, Jesus, The Christ.

Matthew — Part 1

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew declares that his Gospel is “The Book of The Generation of Jesus Christ.” And he lists the genealogy of Joseph, who was the step father of Jesus, because God Most High was our Lord’s Father. But by adoption and the legal rights that provided, Jesus inherited the genealogy of Joseph.

Mat 1:2-16 Abraham begat Isaac;
and Isaac begat Jacob;
and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar;
and Phares begat Esrom;
and Esrom begat Aram;
And Aram begat Aminadab;
and Aminadab begat Naasson;
and Naasson begat Salmon;
And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab;
and Booz begat Obed of Ruth;
and Obed begat Jesse;
And Jesse begat David the king;
and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
And Solomon begat Roboam;
and Roboam begat Abia;
and Abia begat Asa;
And Asa begat Josaphat;
and Josaphat begat Joram;
and Joram begat Ozias;
And Ozias begat Joatham;
and Joatham begat Achaz;
and Achaz begat Ezekias;
And Ezekias begat Manasses;
and Manasses begat Amon;
and Amon begat Josias;
And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel;
and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
And Zorobabel begat Abiud;
and Abiud begat Eliakim;
and Eliakim begat Azor;
And Azor begat Sadoc;
and Sadoc begat Achim;
and Achim begat Eliud;
And Eliud begat Eleazar;
and Eleazar begat Matthan;
and Matthan begat Jacob;
And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Beginning from Abraham generation after generation, Matthew shows us the genealogy of Joseph and by law of Jesus. The most significant fact of Joseph’s genealogy is that Judah was his forefather, so Joseph was of the King Line of Israel, and by adoption, so was Jesus.

Mat 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Matthew shows how there were three sets of fourteen generations starting from Abraham until King David, and then counting from King David until they were enslaved in Babylon, and then counting from their Babylonian slavery until the birth of Christ. Note that the end-points of King David and Judah’s Babylonian slavery are counted twice because they are also used as the starting point of the next set, so the span of each set is 14 but the actual total number of generations is 40, not 42.

Note that the number of generations from Abraham to Christ Jesus is “Forty,” which in Biblical Numerics means “Probation.” So this fact suggests that God’s Chosen People were on Probation until the birth of The Messiah, which makes sense because before Jesus Christ came into the world, there was no way to obtain Eternal Life.

The traditional date of our Lord’s conception is in error, but has been carried down from generation to generation. We know the approximate dates of our Lord’s conception and then in turn His birth based on Luke’s Gospel which details the conception and birth of John The Baptist, the cousin of Jesus Christ. John’s father was Zacharias, a Levitical priest of the course of Abia, for which we have the exact date that Zacharias was performing his duties in The Temple when the angel Gabriel appeared to him. So after Zacharias completed his duties and returned home to his wife, Elizabeth, she conceived.

Then six months later Mary, who had just been impregnated by The Holy Spirit, came to visit Elizabeth, her cousin who was six months pregnant. So Jesus was conceived six months after John, and therefore was born six months after John. Simple calculations which any midwife can perform shows us that Jesus was conceived on or about December 25 and was born on or about September 29. For a detailed presentation of this knowledge, read my lesson, The Conception and Birth of Christ.

Mat 1:18-19 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

In those days, being engaged to be married was legally the same as actually being married. So when Mary suddenly became pregnant, Joseph assumed that she had committed adultery and had slept with another man. A divorce from her then would be necessary, but Joseph did not want to humiliate her publicly.

Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and addressed him as a descendant of King David, and then told him to accept Mary and marry her because her conception was by The Holy Spirit.

Mat 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 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.

The angel told Joseph to name the son, “Jesus,” which is from the Hebrew and means “Jehovah Savior.” Note that “Jehovah” means “The Eternal.” Then Matthew explains that The Lord was named this to fulfill prophecy, that His Name would be called, “Emmanuel,” which means, “God with us.”

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

So the fact that Mary was pregnant but still a virgin and then naming our Lord, “Jesus,” was to fulfill this prophesy of Isaiah.

Mat 1:24-25 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Then Joseph accepted Mary and married her, and her son was named, Jesus.

Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew — Part 2

Mat 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Does this passage say that “Three Kings” came to visit the Child Jesus? No. It doesn’t even say that “three” of anything came to visit. That falsehood is only by the Traditions and Doctrines invented by the minds of vain men, which Jesus hated because they confuse the people and prevent them from understanding The Truth of God’s Word.

The words “wise men” are from the Greek, “mag’-os,” which means “a Magian, that is, Oriental scientist; by implication a magician.” And this word is derived from the Hebrew word, “rab-mawg’,” which means “chief Magian; Rab-Mag, a Babylonian official.”

These men were disciples or descendants of the Babylonian Wise Men at the time of Daniel during Judah’s enslavement in Babylon. Smith’s Bible Dictionary provides a good introduction to the history of the ancient Magi. Consider this short excerpt:

“The Magi took their places among “the astrologers and star gazers and monthly prognosticators.” It is with such men that, we have to think of Daniel and his fellow exiles as associated. The office which Daniel accepted, Dan_5:11, was probably rab-mag — chief of the Magi.”

Dan 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

So here we learn that Daniel was made the Master of the Magi.

Dan 2:47-48 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

King Nebuchadnezzar had promoted Daniel to be Second in Command over Babylon, as well as Master of the Magi. Even though some of the Magi were nothing more than fortune tellers, others were astronomers who studied the organization and movements of the stars. And no doubt Daniel shared much of his wisdom and knowledge with his most trusted Magi, knowledge which predated the Flood of Noah, and those Magi in turn passed that knowledge down through the generations until the appearance of The Promised Messiah. In fact, much of that knowledge has been preserved to this day.

Gen 1:14-15 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

God created the “lights in the firmament” to be for signs, seasons, days, and years. The word “signs” is from the Hebrew “oth” which means, “a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.” So they can be signals or beacons of the time for certain events to occur on earth. And these Magi observed a light in the night sky which they said was a “star” that foretold the immediate coming of The Promised Messiah.

Dan 9:22-24 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Gabriel had appeared to Daniel to answer his prayer.

The term “weeks” represents weeks of years, or sevens, for a total of seventy sevens, which is a total of 490 years. Here is an example of this figure of speech in Scripture:

Gen 29:26-28 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

Laban had double crossed Jacob who had completed serving Laban for seven years for the hand of Rachel in marriage, and on their wedding night, after Jacob had no doubt had much to drink, Laban sent his older daughter Leah into Jacob’s tent. The next morning, Jacob complained to Laban about the double cross and demanded Rachel. Then Laban said, okay, just “fulfil her week,” meaning, “just work another seven years for Rachel also.” So we see that a “week” is sometimes used figuratively in the Hebrew for “seven years” instead of “seven days.” And so did the Angel use this figurative sense when giving this Prophesy to Daniel.

Also note that “the most Holy” can only mean “the Holy of Holies,” and does not refer to a man, so it refers to the final cleansing of the sanctuary. Recall that Jesus went into The Temple and became so angry because of the wickedness going on there that He took a cat of nine tails and literally whipped the backs of the money changers who were robbing the people and drove them out of The Temple.

Dan 9:25-26 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Note that the time of “The going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” was issued in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the great king Astyages, in 454 BC.

The first “seven weeks” mentioned is 49 years which corresponds to those “troublous times” of Ezra and Nehemiah.

So to this starting date of 454 BC we must add sixty-nine weeks which is 483 years, which brings us to 29 AD, the prophesied date of our Lord’s crucifixion.

Note that it says “shall Messiah be cut off,” which means that Christ would be killed. And we know that He was crucified at the end of His Ministry.

Luk 3:21-23 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Luke informs us that Jesus was 30 years old when He began His ministry which continued for three years until His crucifixion. Thus He lived for thirty-three years.

So according to the Prophesy given to Daniel by Gabriel, Jesus was to be born about 5 to 4 BC, and was to be crucified at about the age of thirty-three in 29 AD. Thus the Magi that came to see Herod knew these dates, because their forefathers had served under Daniel in ancient Babylon. The Magi claimed that they “had seen his star in the east,” so their knowledge of the approximate year of the appearance of The Promised Messiah enabled them to observe the Constellations of the Ancient Zodiac for precise timing of this expected event.

Do not confuse the modern day corrupted and counterfeit versions of the Zodiac with the original Ancient Zodiac which God gave to Adam and his descendants In The Beginning. Satanists have worked to confuse and corrupt all true knowledge since Cain was banished from The Garden. Recall that God had declared that the lights and stars in the heaven were given for “Signs and Seasons.” So He intended for the wise among us to understand those Signs and Seasons from the stars.

Psa 147:4-5 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

God not only knows the number of the stars in heaven, but He NAMED THE STARS. And their names were recorded in the ancient Zodiac. And their names naturally have meaning, just as names always do. And from their organization into constellations and their names, the stars of the Zodiac tell the story of God’s Divine Plan for The Ages.

A good introduction to The Ancient Zodiac is in Appendix 12 of The Companion Bible by E.W. Bullinger. And for a comprehensive study, read Dr. Bullinger’s book, The Witness of The Stars.

Mat 2:3-4 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

Herod respected the Magi who had likely come all the way from Persia in the East, so they were obviously certain this was the Prophesied Time, therefore Herod was too. So Herod demanded from the priests and scribes where would The Messiah be born?

Now why was King Herod so troubled? Because The Promised Messiah was declared to be King of Israel! And that meant that Herod’s throne was in danger.

Mat 2:5-6 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

The priests and scribes quoted from Micah.

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

So now Herod knew where to look for the Child.

Mat 2:7-8 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

Then Herod asked the Magi when they had first seen the star, because given that date, Herod would know the approximate age of the Child. Then Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem to look for The Messiah. And note that since the Magi could only estimate the approximate time of His expected appearance and location by following the star, and they also had to travel by caravan a very long distance to reach Jerusalem, the Child Jesus could now be up to a few years old. Note that these men were truly wise, because they did not trust King Herod in the least, even though he had said he wanted to go worship The Promised Messiah also.

Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew — Part 3

Mat 2:9-12 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Note that the Magi found the “house” where the Child was. So the young Jesus was not in a manger or in a barn. He was one or two years old by now. The Magi went into the house to present many expensive gifts to The King of Israel. And when they left the house, having been warned in a dream, they returned to their home country another way to evade Herod’s troops.

Smith’s Bible Dictionary provides us with definitions of Frankincense and Myrrh:

Frankincense is a vegetable resin, brittle, glittering, and of a bitter taste, used for the purpose of sacrificial fumigation. Exo_30:34-36. It was called frank because of the freeness with which, when burned, it gives forth its odor. It burns for a long time, with a steady flame. It is obtained by successive incisions in the bark of a tree called Arbor thuris. Frankincense is extremely expensive and has been used for thousands of years not only to burn as incense but also used topically and internally for numerous health benefits. It can be distilled into an oil which is a strong perfume that is also very medicinal.

Myrrh is also a very expensive substance mentioned in Exo_30:23, as one of the ingredients of the “oil of holy ointment.” Myrrh was highly fragrant and used for various purposes rubbing topically over the skin, and could be distilled into an oil, which was used cosmetically, medicinally, and for embalming. The Balsamodendron myrrha, which produces the myrrh of commerce, has a wood and bark which emit a strong odor; the gum which exudes from the bark is at first oily, but becomes hard by exposure to the air.

Mat 2:13-15 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Joseph was warned in a dream to escape to Egypt with his family until after Herod’s death. So they left Judea and went to live in Egypt. Matthew stated that this happened to fulfill Prophesy and then quoted from Hosea:

Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

In Scripture, The Lord considered Israel to be His Children and also in another sense to be His Wife. And The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel, which means, “he will rule with God.” So Prophesies regarding Israel often also refer to Christ.

Mat 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

When the Magi did not return to Herod, he became angry and sent his troops to Bethlehem and the surrounding region to slaughter all male children under two years old. Matthew explains that this was also the fulfillment of the Prophesy of Jeremiah:

Jer 31:15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

Ramah included four cities in the land of Benjamin. It was also considered as the general region around Bethlehem. Jeremiah introduces Rachel, the mother of Benjamin and in turn of that tribe, bewailing the captivity and slaughter of her descendants. Recall that Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob (Israel).

Gen 48:7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

Jacob buried the love of his life, Rachel, in Bethlehem after she died in childbirth.

Mat 2:19-23 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

After Herod died, an angel told Joseph in a dream to return to Israel with his family. But when they entered the land, they learned that Archelaus was now king. And after being warned in a dream, Joseph took his family to Nazareth. Matthew explains that this event was the fulfillment of Spoken Prophesy. There is no written reference, but the fact that the prophets spoke about it is significant, because it came to pass.

Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.