Archives for October 2025

OVERVIEW:

The refusal of the King and the “kingdom of heaven” (chapter 11); the official rejection of the King by the leaders of the nation of Israel (chapter 12); the kingdom is hidden in the form of parables (chapter 13).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we continue to pursue getting our doctrinal bearings in the New Testament, and particularly the gospel of Matthew, as has already been stated, keeping our eye on the Jew and the Jewish audience in this book is of utmost importance. Regardless of popular Laodicean teaching, the church has not replaced Israel, and the book of Revelation has some pretty strong things to say about “them which say they are Jews, and are not”! (see Revelation 2:9b and 3:9a) Remember, we are the parenthesis!

Daniel had a prophecy, you’ll remember, of 70 weeks of years (70×7=490 years). The way the prophecy has unfolded historically, is that the Jews “cut off” (i.e. crucified) their Messiah who had come to bring in the kingdom that had been promised to them after 69 of those weeks of years (483 years) had been completed. What that means, though, is that there is still one more week of years (7 years) remaining in Daniel’s prophecy! We now refer to that “week of years” as the “Tribulation Period”. Keep in mind that the parenthesis that we are presently living in (the Church Age) began after the stoning of Stephen, which was the nation of Israel’s final rejection of the kingdom, and will close at the rapture of the church. Once the parenthesis has been removed, the final “week of years” remaining in Daniel’s prophecy will kick back in, and God will, in fact, fulfill all of His promises to the Jews and the nation of Israel in the Old Testament regarding the “kingdom of heaven”. Again, we are the “PARENTHESIS” in God’s plan, certainly not the REPLACEMENT of Israel!

Now, let’s talk further about this thing of the “kingdom of heaven” that is strictly found in the gospel written to the Jews (Matthew). Note, as we talked about yesterday, that by in large, almost every commentator will say that the “kingdom of heaven” is the same as the “kingdom of God”. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth! This is where it is important not to leave the Bible in forming our definitions. Running to the Greek for our definition of these “kingdoms” is a key way of insuring that we will never really understand them biblically. If we just let the Bible be the Bible and provide its own definitions, there is a kingdom that was promised to the nation of Israel. It is a literal, physical, governmental, Davidic, Messianic kingdom on the EARTH. It is this kingdom to which Matthew is emphasizing and to which he specifically identifies as the “kingdom of heaven”. Many people get confused by the title, “kingdom of HEAVEN” when it is referring to a literal, physical kingdom on the EARTH, until they recognize that from God’s vantage point, the earth is actually the capitol of His heavens, and the place from which He has chosen His plan for the universe to be enacted. On the other hand, by biblical definition, the “kingdom of God” is something all-together different. Observe the biblical composite of this kingdom:

• Luke 17:20-21 – It doesn’t come “with observation”. You can’t necessarily “observe” it, or say, “here it is” or “there it is,” because it is “within you”.
• Romans 14:17 – It “…is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy…” So, though we can’t actually “observe” the “kingdom of God”, we can “observe” its affects in the lives of people (i.e. righteousness, peace, and joy).
• 1^st Corinthians 4:20 – It “…is not in word, but in power.”
• 1^st Corinthians 15:50 – “…flesh and blood cannot inherit” it…” (because it is not a PHYSICAL kingdom!)
• John 3:3 – You enter it by a spiritual birth (because it is a SPIRITUAL Kingdom!)

So, get planted in your mind, the “kingdom of God” is a SPIRITUAL kingdom, and the “kingdom of heaven” is a PHYSICAL kingdom.

Now, much of the confusion concerning these two kingdoms is because in the places where Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven”, the parallel accounts in the other Gospels many times contain the phrase “kingdom of God”. Rather than presumptuously concluding that they are the same thing, however, simply recognize the fact that Jesus Christ is actually the embodiment of both kingdoms, and so while He was on the earth, both kingdoms were present at the same time.

One of the reasons making this distinction between these kingdoms is so vital is because it affects the actual message that we preach! Today, we preach the “kingdom of God”. (Acts 8:12) The “Jewish message” of the kingdom of heaven was put on hold after Stephen’s final offer to the nation of Israel in Acts 7. It is a different message with different ramifications and promises that will be preached, once again, on this earth during Daniel’s 70^th week (the Tribulation Period), once we have been removed.

A few pithy comments about some of the verses in today’s reading:

• 11:5 – This lets us know why Matthew recorded the healing ministry of Jesus in chapters 8 and 9. These things were how God told Israel in the Old Testament they would be able to recognize their Messiah-King (see Isaiah 53:5-6; 61:1).
• 11:14 – Malachi 4:5 prophesied that Elijah would come before the establishment of the day of the Lord (i.e. the “kingdom of heaven”). Recognize, that had Israel received her King, the parenthesis (the Church Age) would have been non-existent. That is why the church was in a “mystery” form in the Old Testament. Jesus lets us know that, had the nation of Israel received her Messiah, John the Baptist would have been the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning Elijah’s coming. (Note, all the other Old Testament prophecies concerning the day of the Lord could have, and would have, been fulfilled.) As it stands, Elijah himself will return during the Tribulation Period along with Moses (Moses = the Law, Elijah = the Prophets).
• 12:23 – The people recognize Jesus is the Messiah! (i.e. “the son of David”)
• 12:24 – The Pharisees (religious leaders) don’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah! They attribute the power through which He performed His miracles to Satan!
• 12:31-32 – Note some things about the so-called “unpardonable sin”. There are four criteria to committing it:

1. You must be a Jew.
2. Jesus Christ must be publicly manifest in bodily form, performing signs and wonders.
3. You, as a Jew, are an eyewitness of the events in #2.
4. Your mind becomes so spiritually disoriented and perverted, and your heart becomes so hardened, that you attribute the power through which Christ worked to Satan.

Note the phrases in verse 32, “in this world” and “in the world to come”. There are only two times that all four criteria can be fulfilled. The first was during the earthly ministry of Jesus from 30 to 33 A.D. The second is during the millennium (“the kingdom of heaven”). Don’t worry, you haven’t, won’t, and can’t commit the “unpardonable sin”!

• 13:1 – This is identifying a major shift in Jesus’ ministry. Recognize that the “house” is a term used to refer to Israel. The “sea” is a term used to refer to Gentiles. The “kingdom of heaven” now goes into a parable form. Contrary to popular Laodicean teaching, a parable is NOT an earthly story that REVEALS a heavenly truth. A parable is a heavenly truth wrapped in an earthly story for the purpose of HIDING the truth from those who do not really want it anyway. (see 13:11-17)
• 13:55-56 – So much for Mary’s perpetual virginity!

OVERVIEW:

Christ presents Himself as Israel’s King by fulfilling the signs and wonders prophesied of the Messiah in the Old Testament (chapters 8 and 9); the twelve are “sent forth” to preach the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (chapter 10).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

There are several overarching errors Christians tend to make that just about insure that their biblical interpretation and application will not be correct. One of the most critical (and often made!) mistakes is thinking that the Bible is a “Christian” book that has primarily to do with us (“us,” as in “Christians”). You say, “How in the world could you say that? Do you mean to tell me that the Bible IS NOT a Christian book and that it DOES NOT primarily have to do with Christians?” Exactly!

The fact is, if we’re ever really going to “get it”, in terms of understanding the Bible, we must face the fact that the Bible is a JEWISH BOOK that has to do with a JEWISH KING, and a KINGDOM that has been promised to JEWS! How very stereotypical of Laodiceans (i.e. believers in the last days – Revelation 3:14-22, whose chief characteristic is that they are “lovers of their own selves” – 2^nd Timothy 3:1-2) to think that the Bible is all about us! We tend to get the idea that the theme of the Bible is really all about our salvation (Gentiles) and, “how nice, thoughtful, and unbelievably gracious it will be of God to allow the poor Jews in the last days to have a part in it all!” No, no, no! A thousand times, no! No wonder we get messed up!

The fact is, the Bible is predominantly about 7000 years in which those of us who comprise His church are merely a 2000-year parenthesis! Now, I must say, it is certainly a glorious parenthesis, a parenthesis that most definitely includes us and benefits us; one that is obviously part of a plan that God ordained before the foundation of the world; but to view the “parenthesis” of the church age as the theme or main subject of the Bible, or to interpret the Old Testament, and even more specifically, the Gospel of Matthew, through “Christian” glasses, is a grave error that will take the most sincere student of the Bible down a zillion rabbit trails, and ultimately down the path to false doctrine!

Always keep in mind that at least 95% of false doctrine is really nothing more than true Bible doctrine being applied to the wrong group of people and/or to the wrong time period (i.e. dispensation). Thus, our previous day’s comments about the Jew, in a devotional sense, being the “ancient landmark” in the Bible, and how that when that distinction is moved or removed, it causes us to make a doctrinal beeline right into “the fields of the fatherless”. (Proverbs 22:28; 23:10)

Let me reiterate the fact that much of the problem, particularly in Matthew’s Gospel, is that Christians fail to recognize that this Gospel is written to the JEWS, to present Christ, as THEIR Messiah-King, over the kingdom promised to THEM in the Old Testament. Just about every commentator in Christianity will talk about the Jewish nature of this Gospel, but will immediately begin to apply the teaching of Matthew’s Gospel to Christians living in the Church Age! The reality is, the Gospel of Matthew wasn’t written to teach us about the Church Age, so we must be very careful about making application of it to us, at least until the death of the Testator (after Matthew 27). Again, we must keep in the forefront of our thinking that this Gospel is all about the “kingdom of heaven”.

As we have previously talked about, it is a kingdom promised to the Jews, and that is why Matthew’s Gospel is the only Gospel that uses the phrase (33 times). Contrary to what most commentators say, the “kingdom of heaven” is not the same as the “kingdom of God” (a phrase found repeatedly in the other three Gospels), and the two phrases are not used interchangeably in the New Testament! To say that the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of God” are the same thing, or that the two phrases are used interchangeably in the New Testament, would be as absurd as saying that “God” and “Heaven” are the same thing, and that those two terms are used interchangeably in the Bible. (More will be said about the distinction between the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of God” in our next day’s Highlights and Insights.)

Be sure, as we make our way through Matthew, that you understand that the things contained in this Gospel have to do specifically with God’s intention to establish a LITERAL kingdom in Israel over which His Son will preside, and over which He will rule the whole world from a LITERAL throne in the LITERAL rebuilt temple in the LITERAL earthly Jerusalem. To apply the vast majority of the teaching found in Matthew to the parenthesis we call the Church Age is not only poor hermeneutics, but is an invitation to false doctrine!

A great case in point in today’s reading is in chapter 8 and verse 12. If we lose sight of the fact that the subject is the “kingdom of heaven”, we might end up believing something as biblically ludicrous and ridiculous as someone who has been born again, winding up in Hell!

A few pithy comments about some of the verses in today’s reading:

• 8:14 – How interesting that the so-called “first Pope” had a wife!
• 8:16 – Notice that nobody in Jesus’ healing line went away “unhealed” because of their “lack of faith”.
• 8:21 – Circle the word “Lord” and “me first” in this verse, and notice that the two concepts represented are mutually exclusive! Calling Jesus “Lord,” and yet, telling Him “me first”, however, does characterize the church in the last days! (2^nd Timothy 2:1-2)
• 8:26 -27 –The wind and the sea recognize the voice of the One who spoke them into existence, and obey! Oh, that humans would have that kind of discernment.
• 8:29 – Demons make an identification that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day (the Scribes and Pharisees) were never able to make: Jesus is the Son of God!
• 8:32 – The pigs do a “swine dive” off the cliff and commit “sooey–cide”. (Sorry!)
• 8:34 – The people were more freaked out by Jesus in their midst than by those who were demon possessed in their midst!
• 9:2 – There is a great practical lesson in this verse about doing whatever we can to bring the lost to Jesus!
• 9:11 – Hallelujah! Jesus has time for sinful people like me!
• 9:27 – Even blind people could “see” what the Pharisees couldn’t: that Jesus is the promised Messiah!
• 9:35 – The “gospel of the kingdom” is not the same gospel Paul preached or that he identified in 1^st Corinthians 15:3-4!
• 9:37-38 – Though we are in a different dispensation, these verses are extremely true!
• 10:1 – To this point, the “twelve” are referred to as “disciples”. As they are “sent forth” in this passage (10:5), they receive the title “apostles” (see 10:2). The word “apostle” means “sent one”. The word “apostle” in Latin is the word “missio” from which we get our word “missionary” to refer to ones who are “sent forth”.
• 10:5-6 – How about these verses to prove the Jewish nature of this gospel?!
• 10:22 – This verse is a doctrinal back-breaker unless you keep it in the context of the “kingdom of heaven”!

OVERVIEW:

The Constitution of the King and His Kingdom (chapters 5-7).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we make our way through the Gospel of Matthew, there are several things we must keep in the forefront of our thinking that will help to keep us from going out of bounds. First, understand that Matthew is not written from a chronological standpoint, as are the Gospels of Mark and Luke. I like the way John Phillips explains Matthew’s approach: “He tends to group his material in order to produce a cumulative effect for the point he is making that Jesus is the Messiah of the Jews. For example, beginning in chapter 5 (today’s reading), we have the Sermon on the Mount – what Jesus TAUGHT. This is followed by a series of miracles in chapters 8 to 9, by no means in the order of occurrence, but which show what Jesus WROUGHT. These miracles are followed in turn by a series of reactions to Jesus, illustrating what people THOUGHT. It seems clear that Matthew’s material is arranged so that it can be easily remembered and certainly the contents of his gospel are more easily remembered than the contents of the other synoptics.”

Secondly, keep in mind the specific Jewish nature of this Gospel. The book of Proverbs talks about the importance of identifying landmarks. Proverbs 22:28 says, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” Proverbs 23:10 adds, “Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless.” Obviously, from an historical standpoint, this has to do with the importance of identifying the land boundaries, and the importance of allowing them to remain in place. To apply the principle to the Bible itself, however, from a devotional standpoint, we could say that the “ancient landmark” of the Bible that we must never lose sight of, or remove, is the Jew! Once we lose sight of the Jew in terms of interpreting the Bible, we will find ourselves in “the fields of the fatherless”.

For example, there are four books of the Bible where people allow themselves to get doctrinally discombobulated: Matthew, Acts, Hebrews, and James. Almost every doctrinal controversy and division in the body of Christ is going to come out of a verse, passage, or chapter in one of those four books. Coincidentally enough, all four of them have something in common: they are all specifically related to the Jew! Once we lose the “ancient landmark” of the Jew in these books, we might well end up in “the fields of the fatherless” — believing in works for salvation; or that baptism is a requirement for salvation; or that you can lose your salvation; or that tongues and healing are for today; and on, and on, and on. All those false doctrines are propagated today because somebody lost sight of the Jew in these books!

So, recognizing the place of the Jew is very important as we come to Matthew’s record of the first sermon Jesus ever preached, what we have come to call, “The Sermon on the Mount.” Keep in mind that all the way through the Old Testament, God had been promising a kingdom to the Jews. They understood that kingdom to be a literal, earthly kingdom where God’s ruler (God’s “anointed” – Hebrew; God’s “Messiah” – Greek) would sit on the throne of David. That kingdom is what the book of Matthew is all about. It is referred to as the “kingdom of heaven,” and Matthew’s Gospel is the only Gospel in which the phrase appears; and where it is found some 32 times! Matthew’s Gospel presents Christ as King of the “kingdom of heaven.” It is also referred to as the “kingdom of Israel” in Acts 1:6.

In the previous scripture reading, the King appears (chapter 2), in chapter 3 He is heralded, and in today’s reading (chapter 5 and verse 1), He sits, and delivers the constitution for the kingdom! Recognize that the subject of His sermon isn’t “heaven” but the “kingdom of heaven”! (Note 5:3, 10, 19, 20; 7:21) Recognize also, that the sermon isn’t directed to the Gentiles, or to the church of God, but to Jews! (1^st Corinthians 10:32) Someone might say, “But it’s in the New Testament!” Sure, it is, but the context of the book, just like this sermon in chapters 5-7, is strictly Jewish!

One of the biblical realities many people seem to overlook, when reading the Gospels, is the fact that we don’t officially enter into the New Testament, according to the Bible’s definition, until the death of Christ, which in Matthew’s Gospel isn’t until chapter 27! Hebrews 9:16-17 says, “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force (is only enforced) AFTER MEN ARE DEAD: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” In the strictest sense of the word, what that means is that we don’t enter the New Testament until the very end of each of the Gospels, at the death of Christ. More will be said about this in the next daily reading.

As we read the “Sermon on the Mount” today, recognize that our Lord’s audience is Old Testament Hebrews who, at that time, were still under the law. His sermon is designed to present the real intent of the law, and to present the principles of the millennial kingdom (i.e. the “kingdom of heaven”). Yes, there are truths that we as Gentiles in the Church of God can apply devotionally to our lives, but it has no application whatsoever to how people are saved in the church age.