My previous blog I touched on what Jesus came to restore and that was relationship with the Father.  If you read the Old Covenant with spiritual eyes, you will see God was always trying to reach out to His people yet man had opted for a religion of a god-in-the-box theology, hence by the time Jesus came, even the gatekeepers could not discern the arrival of the Messiah.

Today we are left with a system looking toward a rapture (which is not going to happen in the sense that it is taught) and a literal second coming.  Jack van Impe’s last prediction was 2007; here we are in 2008. 

People have been taught to look outwards whereas we are to look inwards and this too is covered in Matthew 23.

Mat 23:1  Then Jesus spoke to the crowd and to His disciples,
Mat 23:2  saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
Mat 23:3  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do. But do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

How relevant is that of today’s priests and pastors?  Yes there are good teachings in the organized church but unfortunately, that is where most attendees get their spiritual food from, a 2nd-hand source.

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy and hard-to-carry burdens and lay them on men's shoulders. But they will not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5  But they do all their works in order to be seen of men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
Mat 23:6  And they love the first couch at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues church,
Mat 23:7  and greetings in the market-places, and to be called, Rabbi! Rabbi! (Pastor, Father, Reverend) by men.

I have done some alterations to the texts to bring it to the modern day.

Let us examine verse 4.

If we look at many of the “men of god” today, we see lavish lifestyles, beemers, private jets et al. and yes they teach, talk the talk but do not walk the walk.  They are no different to the scribes and Pharisees of yesteryear.  Their works are broadcast on TV; many Pentecostals have elders sitting on the stage supposedly interceding for the Pastor as he preaches etc.  Some of those seats seen on TV look like thrones. 

Verse 5: If we examine the works of the apostles, much of what they did was in humility and agreeably we have little record of how they dealt with offerings but the little we know, is that they distributed to each one as needed (Act 2:45)

They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

Back then, the demonstration of wealth/religious piety was either in chariots or in day to day garments.  Today we still have parallels in modern day Christendom.

Verse 6: I have seen in communion, the pew warmers get a vial of grape juice whereas the elders drink from a silver or gold cup, hygiene they say.

As for names and titles let’s see what Jesus says about it.

Mat 23:8  But you must not be called Rabbi (Pastor, Father, Reverend), for One is your teacher, Christ, and you are all brothers.
Mat 23:9  And call no one your father on the earth, for One is your Father in Heaven.
Mat 23:10  Nor be called teachers, for One is your Teacher, even Christ.
Mat 23:11  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12  And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased [humbled], and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Hmmm…

Mat 23:13  But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men. For you neither go in, nor do you allow those entering to go in.

Well, the way I see it, this is exactly what happens today.

A sinner’s prayer is recited and then they are told to join a bible believing church – mistake.

Then there are formulas of “growth” and all man-made.  Even suggesting where they start reading like John, then Matthew, Mark, Luke and John again, complete the New Testament et al.  Why not a simple, read your bible and trust the Holy Spirit to guide and teach the young believer?  Although intentions are likely honorable, the new believer may well find themselves quickly conforming to doctrines of men instead of developing a relationship with the Father.

Once they have a convert, it is important to get them in bondage to observation of creeds, statement of faiths, oblations et al.  Heaven forbid that that the Holy Spirit teach the convert personally hence most churches “forbid” Sola Scriptura and insist on Sola Fidae with Sola Gratia and Sola Christo coupled with the Law or variances of each of these.  (Read 5 Solas)

Mat 23:14  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and pray at length as a pretence. Therefore you shall receive the greater condemnation.

Well, we need only look at TBN to see this verse in action by the prosperity teachers under the guise of partnership as if they the proponents have a special anointing?  There is no special anointing for anyone, it is the same anointing for all; God is no respecter of persons.

We see people praying fervently, viz. long prayers, vain repetitions and Jesus taught a valuable lesson concerning this in Luke 18:11-15.

Mat 23:15  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell (Gehenna) than yourselves.

Let us pause here.

I have tried to give as much information as possible and up to here we clearly see Jesus condemning the religious order of the day.  Again, as in all the studies, we see hell aka Gehenna is directed at the religious.  Religion has always stood in the way of relationship with the Father.  With all its good intentions, it is only fit for destruction.

Now we need to ask ourselves, the proselyte does he/she the person go to hell based upon what we have examined so far?  No!

Jesus said:

Joh 12:47  And if any one hears My Words and does not believe, I do not judge him, for I do not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

So by inference, even the Pharisees do not go to hell.  Their teachings and religious lifestyles however do.  I will discuss this a bit more later.

Mat 23:16  Woe to you, blind guides, saying, Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
Mat 23:17  Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
Mat 23:18  And, Whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is a debtor!
Mat 23:19  Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
Mat 23:20  Therefore whoever shall swear by the altar swears by it, and by all things on it.
Mat 23:21  And whoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

Read 1 Kings 6 and 2 Chronicles 4-5:1 to understand what the gold of the temple means.

I have touched on that sacrifices were not oracles of God but let us look at the texts again:

Psa 40:6a  Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
Heb 10:5  Therefore when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me.
Heb 10:8  Previously saying,  Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them  (which are offered according to the law),
Heb 10:9  then He said, Behold, I have come to do Your will,  O God. He takes away the first that He may establish the second.

Religion has always been mans way to God and not God’s way to man.

Mat 23:22  And he who shall swear by Heaven swears by the throne of God, and by Him who sits on it.
Mat 23:23  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone.
Mat 23:24  Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
Mat 23:25  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26  Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28  Even so you also appear righteous to men outwardly, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Mat 23:29  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,
Mat 23:30  and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

I spoke earlier of outward verses inward; here we have it in verse 25.  We are taught by their fruits you shall know them (Mat 7:15-20) and from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt 12:34).  In this chapter, Jesus condemns in the strongest possible terms the outward conformity of religion when it is actually the heart of the man the Father sees, not his/her works.

Mat 23:31  Therefore you are witnesses to yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets;
Mat 23:32  and you fill up the measure of your fathers.
Mat 23:33  Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell (Gehenna)?

We see here again, religion is a witness unto itself and not the Father nor Jesus.

Mat 23:34  Therefore, behold, I send prophets and wise men and scribes to you. And you will kill and crucify some of them. And some of them you will scourge in your synagogues churches and persecute from city to city;
Mat 23:35  so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.

I have seen people excommunicated when they disagreed or challenged the teachings being offered.  I was excommunicated from a church when the Lord used this chapter as a central theme of prophesy and admonition to the leadership of the Church.  This was coupled with:

Eze 22:15 And I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you in the lands, and will destroy your uncleanness out of you.

Of 15 elders and a pastor, only one elder remains today.  It happened not once, but twice as I went back to the church and was challenged again when I had a vision for the church when the leadership had nothing.  The vision was fulfilled

Mat 23:36  Truly I say to you, All these things shall come on this generation.
Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!
Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

This generation was the living in the time of Jesus’ ministry and was fulfilled in ±70AD

Mat 23:39  For I say to you, You shall not see Me from now on until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Psa. 118:26

This last verse is taken many times out of context to illustrate a 2nd coming where the Jews will acknowledge Jesus as Messiah – Wrong!  Jesus came and his coming is perpetual present.  The CLV renders it better:

Mat 23:39 For I am saying to you: You may by no means be perceiving Me henceforth, till you should be saying, 'Blessed is He Who is coming in the name of the Lord!'" (CLV)

My interpretation:

For I say to you, you shall not perceive me until you acknowledge who I am saying “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Who came in the name of the Lord after Jesus?  The Holy Spirit. 

The second coming happened as Jesus prophesied and He still comes a second time today in the Holy Spirit when your eyes and ears are opened to the truth of His salvation.  He, Jesus, will sit on the throne of the temple of your heart; He will teach you in all things, He is your comforter, your brother and Savior.


Blessings