by Gary L. Evans
Matthew — Part 4
Mat 3:1-3 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Matthew quoted from Isaiah:
Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
John The Baptist preached that the people must Repent and return to obedience to God’s Laws in order to prepare themselves for the appearance of The Messiah.
Mat 3:4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
John was a Levitical Priest but lived off the land in the wilderness area near the Jordan river. He gathered locusts and grasshoppers and wild honey for food.
Lev 11:21-22 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
Locusts and grasshoppers are clean to eat as food. And note that the word “beetle” in this verse refers to the “small locust” or “leaping locust,” not the insects we call “beetles” today. All other insects are forbidden because they carry diseases that will make us sick.
Mat 3:5-6 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
The people from all over that region came to hear John’s teaching, and they were brought to repentance and prayerful confession and were Baptized in the Jordan. The Lord promised to forgive us and remember His Covenants with us when we repent and confess to Him how we have transgressed against Him. Repentance and Confession in prayer to God was firmly taught in The Law and in The Prophets.
Psa 32:1-5 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
The word “Selah” is from the Hebrew “seh’-law” which means “suspension (of music), that is, pause.” The Psalms were often sung as songs or hymns, so “Selah” in the text indicated, “Pause, consider.”
When King David sinned against The Lord, he got down on his knees and prayed. Repentance and Confession in Prayer is the First Step in approaching God.
Mat 3:7-8 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
The word “generation” is from the Greek “ghen’-nay-mah” which means “offspring; by analogy produce (literally or figuratively).” The word can also mean “fruit” as in food or for a sacrifice.
The word “vipers” is from “ekh’-id-nah” which means “an adder or other poisonous snake (literally or figuratively).”
John literally called those Pharisees and Sadducees the offspring of poisonous snakes. He could discern who among all of the religious people of the Temple in Jerusalem were not truly descendants of Israel, but instead were descendants of Cain, The First Murderer, The Son of That Old Serpent, Satan, The Devil. And he called them out right to their face! John also said that such people were unfit to come to repentance. So we can see why John stayed out in the wilderness, because he couldn’t tolerate living and being near those wicked men in Jerusalem.
Mat 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
The Kenites had hidden themselves among the Scribes and Priests, even though they could not prove their genealogy as being from the Tribe of Levi. So they could not prove that they were really Levites ordained by God to be Scribes and Priests. John told them, don’t bother claiming to be descendants of Abraham, because God could turn stones into the descendants of Abraham if He wanted to!
Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
John declares that now is the time for the axe to cut down the trees that do not produce good fruit fit for repentance. And those worthless trees will be burned up in the fire.
Mat 3:11-12 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
John then said that The One Who was now coming would baptize with The Holy Spirit and with Fire. And that Fire would burn up the worthless chaff. So John is warning those hypocrites that The Day of Judgement was soon to come.
Mat 3:13-14 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Jesus came to see John The Baptist, His cousin, to be baptized in the river Jordan. But John complained that instead it was he who needed to be Baptized by Jesus.
Mat 3:15-17 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus had committed no sins to repent from, but insisted on setting the example that He would obey every Law and Precept and Sound Doctrine taught to the people to follow themselves. And then God spoke aloud from Heaven saying, “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased.”
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew — Part 5
Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
The word “tempted” is from the Greek “pi-rad’-zo” which means “to test (objectively), that is, endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline.” So it means “to test.”
After Jesus had been Baptized, He was given The Holy Spirit in Full Measure to begin His Ministry. But first, The Spirit took Him into the desert area to be tested by Satan. Jesus not only passed Satan’s testing, but He also Bound Satan. When Satan comes to this earth at the end as The Antichrist, he will give the whole world their FINAL EXAM. Do you have a destiny?
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
The word “fasted” is from “nace-tyoo’-o” which means “to abstain from food (religiously).” So a fast is simply not eating food for a period of time, although we may drink water as needed. Forty days is the maximum length of a long fast.
Mat 4:3-4 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Satan knew that Jesus was The Son of God, but he was trying to get Jesus to OBEY HIM. Whenever anyone obeys Satan, he then becomes Satan’s servant. It was a TRAP! How did Jesus escape Satan’s trap? By quoting The Law.
Deu 8:2-3 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
The word “manna” is from the Hebrew “mawn” and means “literally a whatness (so to speak), that is, manna (so called from the question about it).” Note that the symbolic meaning of Manna is The Bread of Life, that is, The Word of God, because God’s Word sustains our Life. But when the Hebrews found it laying on the ground every morning, they said, “What is this?” or “What is it?” And don’t most people the first time they read a page or two of The Bible say in response, What is this?
Jesus was very hungry after fasting for forty days, but He refused to obey Satan in any way. So He countered Satan’s demand by quoting The Scripture that taught us that we cannot have Life except by Every Word of God. And this is a critical precept, because food will sustain our flesh body, but after our body dies we will face The Judgement. Only God’s Word can protect us from The Second Death.
Mat 4:5-7 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Satan took Jesus to the highest point of The Temple in Jerusalem, and told Him to jump off to the ground down below to prove the Scripture regarding The Messiah. And Satan quoted the Scripture but mixed it with contradictions.
Psa 91:10-12 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Note that the Psalm contains a qualifier, “to keep thee in all thy ways.” What were The Ways of Jesus? Obedience to The Word of God. It doesn’t say “obedience to Satan.” But Satan left out that phrase changing the meaning. Satan also added a phrase that is not in the original, “lest at any time.” The Psalm does not say that. Satan just added it to confuse the meaning. The Lord’s Prophesies very often are to be fulfilled at a set time, not just at any time we might want it to be fulfilled.
This test shows us a perfect example of an Antichrist, and in this case, a preview of The Antichrist, Satan, The Devil. An antichrist contradicts The Word of God. And Jesus was not deceived and countered Satan by quoting from The Law.
Deu 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
NEVER TEST GOD! God’s Word is True and Faithful. But only an evil mind would dare to say in his heart, If God’s Word is true, then I can dare death to come my way and The Lord will save me. WRONG! Anyone who says, “If God’s Word is true then…” does not believe and has no faith. In fact, presuming to test God is an act of mockery. And the truth is, these verses in Psalms that Satan deceitfully quoted were referring to The Messiah, to Jesus Christ, not to some arrogant foolish person who is stupid enough to jump off a building or rush in unarmed to a tribe of headhunters daring death to come his way. Where in this Psalm did The Lord say He would save us from suicide?
Mat 4:8-10 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Then Satan took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain where all of the nations of the world could be seen. Then he Promised to give Jesus Dominion of all of those nations if Jesus would worship Satan. Again, it is clear that Satan’s test of Jesus has one major angle, to get Jesus to obey Satan and thereby become Satan’s Servant. Jesus countered Satan’s Offer by quoting from The Law.
Deu 6:13-15 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
The First Commandment commands us to worship The Most High God only, and not to worship any other god (elohim: man or angel).
The phrase in verse 10, “get thee hence” is from “hoop-ag’-o” which means “to lead (oneself) under, that is, withdraw or retire (as if sinking out of sight), literally or figuratively.” So in this context it means, “Get away from Me!”
Mat 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Jesus passed Satan’s Test perfectly and defeated him in his attempt to deceive Jesus, thereby Jesus bound Satan, because he was forced to obey Jesus from that moment on. And we see the proof when Jesus commanded Satan, “Get away from Me!” And Satan immediately obeyed and left Him. At that moment, Satan became The Servant of Jesus.
Rom 6:16-18 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew — Part 6
Mat 4:12-13 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Jesus left Nazareth where His family lived and where He had grown up and went to the city of Capernaum in Galilee. Here He would begin His Ministry.
Mat 4:14-16 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Matthew declared that this event was to fulfill the Prophesy of Isaiah.
Isa 9:1-2 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
The Smith’s Bible dictionary gives us descriptions of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Zeb’ulun. (a habitation). The tenth of the sons of Jacob, according to the order in which their births are enumerated, the sixth and last of Leah. His birth is mentioned in Gen_30:19-20. Of the individual Zebulun, nothing is recorded. The list of Genesis 46 ascribes to him three sons, founders of the chief families of the tribe, at the time of the migration to Egypt.
Naph’tali. (wrestling). The fifth son of Jacob, the second child name to him by Bilhah, Rachel’s slave. His birth and the bestowal of his name are recorded in Gen_30:8. When the census was taken at Mount Sinai, the tribe of Naphtali numbered no less than 53,400 fighting men, Num_1:43; Num_2:50, but when the borders of the Promised Land were reached, its numbers were reduced to 45,400. Num_26:48-50.
During the march through the wilderness, Naphtali occupied a position on the north of the sacred tent with Dan and Asher. Num_2:25-31. In the apportionment of the land, the lot of Naphtali was enclosed on three sides by those of other tribes. On the west lay Asher, on the south lay Zebulun, and on the east lay the TransJordanic Manasseh.
(In the division of the kingdom, Naphtali belonged to the kingdom of Israel, and later, was a part of Galilee, bordering on the northwestern part of the Sea of Galilee, and including Capernaum and Bethsaida. — Editor).
Everything that Jesus did and taught was to obey The Law and to fulfill Prophesy.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus taught that Repentance from transgression of God’s Laws was the first step in being forgiven by God and to then entering into The New Covenant.
Mat 4:18-20 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
There Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him. They were fishermen and worked for their father who owned a fishing operation. Jesus told them that He would make them “Fishers of Men.” Where was this Prophesied?
Eze 47:8-10 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
The Great Sea was The Mediterranean Sea in its literal sense, but it also has a figurative sense. Engedi was in Syria in the North West and along the West Coast. Eneglaim is placed south of Ar of Moab in the South East. So this Prophesy includes the entire region around Jerusalem from The Mediterranean Sea on the West Coast to the South East of Jerusalem near the desert region.
What are The Waters of Life, that wherever they go they bring Life to everyone?
Exo 15:25-26 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
What was the “Tree” that when cast into the poisonous waters change them into sweet water that brought healing to everyone who drank it? It was The Tree of Life, Which is Christ Jesus, The Messiah. And The Living Water is The Word of God. What is “The Great Sea” in its figurative sense?
Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
The “waters” of The Great Sea are Peoples, Multitudes, Nations, and Languages.
Ezekiel Prophesied that Fishers would “cast their nets,” that is, teach God’s Word, into “The Great Sea” which are “The Peoples, Nations, and Languages” of this world. And The Waters of Life, which is The Word of God, would give Life to all people that received it. Jesus in this way declared to Peter and Andrew that this was the time for Ezekiel’s Prophesy to be fulfilled and that they would take part in fulfilling it.
Mat 4:21-22 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Jesus continued walking along the shore and called James and his brother John to follow Him. They were also fishermen, but they just dropped everything and followed Jesus.
Mat 4:23-25 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
Then Jesus taught in the synagogues throughout Galilee about The Kingdom of Heaven, and healed the people of sickness and disease, cast out devils, healed those who were paralyzed. And the people began to follow Jesus wherever He traveled.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.