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).
- 1st Corinthians 4:20 – It “…is not in word, but in power.”
- 1st 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 70th 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 of 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:
- You must be a Jew.
- Jesus Christ must be publicly manifest in bodily form, performing signs and wonders.
- You, as a Jew, are an eyewitness of the events in #2.
- 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 actually a heavenly truth wrapped in an earthly story for the purpose of HIDING the truth from those who don’t really want it anyway. (see 13:11-17)
- 13:55-56 – So much for Mary’s perpetual virginity!