Matthew

Matthew

Chapter 3
{Chapter 3 - the Heralds of the King}
{The herald announcing the arrival of the King- verses 1-6}
1~~In those days {Jesus is now 30ish} came John the
Baptizer . . . keeping on preaching in the desert of Judaea.

{Note: In this desert there are lots of snakes, but FEW PEOPLE (a few outlaws)! Not even a good caravan route. If you have a message, God provides the hearers.}

{Note: Circa 29 AD in the reign of Tiberius Caesar- Luke 3:1-3. This is toward the end of Jesus' earthly ministry. John is descended from Aaron (first High Priest - Ruben lost right for being unstable). John is a true Jewish Priest.}

{Verses 2-3 the Message of the Voice in the Desert}
2~~And kept on saying, "Change your mind {about Jesus being the Messiah/Christ -a command} . . . for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

{Note: Metanoeo is the Greek word for the mental changing of your mind. Note the Greek word for an emotional 'feeling sorry' is metamellomai.}

3~~"For this is He {John the Baptist}
that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah {Isaiah 40:3} saying,
'The voice of one . . .
proclaiming/speaking dogmatically in the desert . . .
Prepare you {hetoimazo}
the Way of the Lord {Idiom for salvation} . . .
make {poieo} His paths straight
{idiom for after salvation, use Rebound}.' "

{Note: 'Voice' here emphasizes that it is the message not the man that is important. From verse 8 coming up, we can clearly see here that John's message (summarized in this one verse) was two fold - believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved . . . then use I John 1:9 and rebound over and over throughout Phase II if you sin. We also know this from the Greek Syntax. 'Prepare' is 'hetoimazo' and it is in the aorist tense - one point in time divorced from time and perpetuated forever - salvation is a one-time decision and lasts forever! "make upright or straight' is poieo and is a present active imperative tense. It is a command and it in 'linear action sart' so it means it is a continual or perpetual thing you do over and over.}

{Life of the Herald}
4~~And the same John kept on having his clothing of camel's hair {simple - like a horse blanket}, and a leather belt about his loins. And his food was grasshoppers and wild honey.

{Note: John was from the tribe of Levi. He wore the 'rough clothing' of a camel skin with the hair facing in. His food was not grand! John was instructed by God to be a 'voice in the desert' and under the Law of Supreme Sacrifice, he did God's will! God would provide the hearers in the desert and they came!}

{Response to the Herald}
5~~ Then there kept on going out face to face with him, those of Jerusalem {headquarters of religion and legalism}, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan.

{Note: When a man has a message, people will come to HIM! Teach true doctrine and the hearers will come to you!}

{Two post salvation experiences}
6~~ And received baptism under the authority of him {a ritual as a witness to their salvation} in the Jordan {public} . . . confessing their sins {private - rebound}.

{Note: Baptism is a ritual that symbolizes union with Christ. Going under the water symbolizes I am identified with Christ and the kingdom of the regenerate (born again). Coming up into the air symbolizes Experientially being in Union with Christ today in heaven. Confessing their sins goes along with verse 3 'make His paths straight'. Means we know we will sin. When we do, state the case to God the Father, go back into fellowship with Him . . . filled with the Spirit.}

{Baptism of the King verses 7-17.}
{Rejection of 'Religion'}
7~~But when he saw many of the Pharisees {legalist - like conservative Judaism today} and Sadducees {like philosophical rationalists and liberals} kept on coming as candidates to his baptism, he said to them, "O generation of vipers {poisonous snakes - infecting their congregations with poisonous false teaching}, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

{Note: The wrath to come is the 'Baptism of Fire' - Judgment day. Snakes always run from fire!}

{Note: The temples in Jerusalem were missing people. The religious crowd wanted to see how John was doing it! They wanted to have it also - but refused to believe in Christ! They wanted ritual without reality and John refused.

8~~Produce production fit for repentance {salvation in context - declare your faith in Jesus Christ}.

{Note: These religious Jews thought they were born by their physical birth and keeping the Mosaic Law - legalism. John will point out it is the 'regeneration' or rebirth of Abraham that made him a Jew Not Abraham's physical birth. Not all Israel is Israel! They want to WORK for salvation. John tells them to produce what work they have done to warrant salvation based on their works!}

9~~"And think not to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.' "

{Note: If volition was not an issue, then God could make the stones in the Jordan as 'saved' children of Abraham. Remember that John is talking to very religious Jews. They know the Old Testament very well. This relates back to Joshua 4:5-9. Twelve stones in the Jordan and then twelve into the Jordan shows retroactive then current positional truth.}

{Note: Since volition (positive or negative) is the issue in the angelic conflict. Therefore children before they reach God consciousness and retarded people never reach the ability to have volition and are therefore outside the angelic conflict. If they die, they go straight to heaven because that is God's will to forgive them (they were condemned with the sin of the father at birth).

{Illustration of the baptism of fire}
10~~And now also the axe {divine judgment} is laid to the root of the trees {the Pharisees and all like them} . . . therefore every tree that does not bring forth good {good of intrinsic value} fruit is cut down and cast into the fire {baptism of fire}.

{Note: As unbelievers, these religious leaders are unable to produce divine good - you must be born again and operate under the filling of the Holy Spirit. These leaders are standing on their own human good for salvation and will 'get the axe'.}

{3 of 7 baptisms in one passage}
11~~ I make it a habit of baptizing {identify} you - to your advantage - with water {John's ritual water baptism} because of {your} repentance {change of mental attitude toward Christ - used more when the audience is Jewish}. But He that comes after me {a herald announcing the King} keeps on being mightier than I . . . Whose sandals I am not worthy to lace . . . He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit {pneuma - dry baptism - the way the Church Age begins and Church is formed -Union with Christ - a baptism of blessing} . . . and with fire {baptism of fire - a baptism of judgment}.

{Note: 'Baptizo' means to identify one thing with another. The converts are dunked in the Jordan waters and, therefore, the converts are identified with the knowledge that they are now in union with the Kingdom of God and the King Himself - Jesus Christ. This is a public declaration of your Faith in Christ and having salvation - NOT part of salvation itself.}

{Note: From Acts we can see that believers born in the Jewish Age did not receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. After the Church age began, the Filling of the Holy Spirit was immediate upon Faith in Christ. The Old Testament Saints did not receive the filling of the Holy Spirit all at one. It started in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and spread from there.}

{Note: Water is the method of bringing the Herald to the King. John will initially decline to baptize Jesus because he is used to baptizing converts only. But, it will be made clear to him that for converts baptism represents identification with the Kingdom of God, but with Jesus, water baptism is unique and represents identification of Jesus with the Plan of God. RBT is verifying the timing but it MAY be that Jesus was the last baptism mentioned in the bible and no further baptisms is authorized. There is no definite answer as of his study of 1965. Very little ritual is authorized in the Church Age so there is no way it can be distorted! The Lord's table and maybe baptism is all that is left.}

{Note: Pneuma - that which exists yet is invisible - we call it 'spirit'. Ghost was a word in the Classical Greek, but there is no word for Ghost in the Koi-ni Greek (common Greek) of the New Testament.}

{Baptism of Fire simply stated}
12~~ Whose {Jesus} grain shovel {constructed to separate the wheat from the tares} is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor {2nd Advent - separating unbelievers from among the believers going into the millennium} . . . and gather His wheat into the garner {believers remain in their physical bodies} . . . but He will burn - according to a norm or standard {katakaio} - the chaff with unquenchable {asbestos} fire - to their disadvantage.

{Note: Kaio does mean fire. Kata means according to a norm or standard. There is a different word in the Greek for a casual fire. So this fire's standard is attitude toward Jesus Christ. The chaff (unbelievers) will be burned away.}

{Note: Asbestos in the Greek means once it starts burning it will not stop. We got it backward in the English!}

{Verses 13-17 the Unique Baptism of all time - Jesus declares He will die for ALL the sins of mankind}
13~~Then {next in order} Jesus {WHILE John was speaking - very dramatic} made His public appearance {coming} from Galilee to the Jordan . . . to John . . . to receive baptism by him.

{Note: Baptism means to be identified with something. God's Plan for salvation for man. This will mark the beginning of Jesus' ministry on Earth. This baptism will identify Jesus with God's plan.}

14~~ Then John kept on refusing Him {over and over again no, no, no - doctrine says no!}, saying, "I have need to be baptized of
You . . . and You come to me?"

{Note: Baptism is for sinners ONLY who become saved so this confuses John! He knows why he baptizes and Jesus is perfect and is in no need of baptism and therefore is no candidate for cleansing of sins! John KNOWS from doctrine in his soul that he should NOT do this!}

15~~ But Jesus answering said to him, "PERMIT IT NOW! {a strong order from Jesus to John!} For in this way it is proper for us {Jesus and John} to {perform this Unique baptism to} fulfill all righteousness {in reality, all righteousness is fulfilled at the cross}." Then he permitted Him.

{Note: Water represents what Christ will do on the cross. Going down represents going on to the cross. All righteousness is fulfilled at the cross because there the One Who is all righteousness did all the work! GRACE: Name for the plan of God . . . all that God is able to do for us . . . because of the salvation work of Jesus Christ on the cross! There is NO WORK left for us to do for salvation - only the non-meritorious act of FAITH in Christ.}

16~~And after receiving baptism, Jesus went up immediately from the water {can not have the Crown without the Cross - going
under came first} . . . and, behold, the heavens suddenly received opening . . . and He {Jesus} saw the {Holy} Spirit of God {no man can see the Holy Spirit but the 2nd person of the Godhead in His Hypostatic Union} descending like a dove {analogy to fast movement}, and coming upon Himself.

{Note: Jesus is saying He will go to the cross FIRST then take the crown. In the next chapter Satan will make a bonafide offer to Jesus to take the crown and bypass the cross! Jesus refuses for US! There would be no salvation unless Jesus went to the cross.}

{Note: A dove will only land on something clean. A dove will not land on a dead body or on the water. So in this analogy, Jesus is CLEAN - pure righteousness!}

17~~ And behold, a Voice out of the heavens {God the Father is not seen, but is heard} saying dramatically, "This ONE keeps on being {absolute status quo} My Own beloved Son . . . in Whom I {God the Father} am well-pleased."

{Note: God the Father is well-pleased in context here by Jesus' public acknowledgment here in the Unique Baptism to fulfill God's plan and go to the cross as a substitute for us in the payment for our sins.}

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