Matthew Chapter 16 "Effects of Discernment, Teaching, and Opposition." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org/plough.htm Matthew 16:1 "The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven." The Pharisees and the Sadducees are two different groups of the Jews. The Pharisees believed their was a God, where as the Sadducees did not. These two groups had witnessed the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand, they had seen the healing of many, as well as many other miracles. Now these bunches of tree stumps have the gall to come to Jesus and ask Him for a sign. They want to see a miracle. How in the world could anyone with common sense ask for a sign from Christ? They want one from the heaven. Something quite out of the ordinary. It is important that we understand something of the doctrines of these two cults. The Pharisees believed that there is life after death, and they were good students of God's Word, only they were a cult because of their particular belief. A "cult" is someone that has a certain belief, and sticks with it, in an honorable way. The Pharisees simply liked to add to that Word, and form religious ceremonies that were not in the Scripture. They formed traditions to go by. To the Pharisee the supernatural ideas of it's beliefs were from the Old Testament, and the beliefs and rituals of that teaching they wanted to spread abroad, and for everyone to observe the rituals. The rituals were more important them seeing the Messiah in the flesh, and the gospel that Jesus Christ taught. These Pharisees preferred to attach rituals to their foundation of teachings, making them of the traditions of men. This was definitely now an occult, for an occult is when their is a focus on the supernatural, and it is in the form of a secret. The members reach stages of understanding, and the secret controls their lives. It is more important then family, friends, and all physical things. The physical world simply becomes tools for the advancement of their supernatural rites, and system. The Sadducees, on the other hand, did not believe in the supernatural in any form, or life after death. They believed that you live through this life one time, and then you go into the ground and stay there. They were more like the evolutionists or an atheist of today, and both Christ, and His apostles use this knowledge, when there was a presence of both religions in the same crowd. The wise person, such as the Apostle Paul had them fighting against each other when he was under fire. In fact, the wise teacher today can have the denominations fighting against themselves, when they know the doctrines that each were established on, rather then Christ. These two groups have asked for a sign from Jesus Christ. Matthew 16:2 "He answered and said unto them, "When it is evening, ye say, 'It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.'" Jesus answers them with the an old seaman's expression, "red in the morning, sailors take warning; red at night is a sailors delight." Matthew 16:3 "And in the morning, ' It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring.' O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times." Jesus did not give them a sign, only He did call attention to their stupidity. They have watched for many months all of Jesus Christ's miracles, yet they still don't believe. Jesus sure did know how He was getting under their skin, and driving them nuts. Remember in the twelfth verse in the last chapter when the disciples came to Him in fear, "Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying." Jesus knew very well how much He was getting to them. If God's Word offends someone then they need offending. Matthew 16:4 "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas." And He left them, and departed." Jesus gave them all that they had the right to know, and He went out the door, and He was gone. I don't think that they were wise enough to know what He meant. Jesus was referring to the three days that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish. Jesus is referring to Jonah 1:17; "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Johah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." God told Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites, and repent, or He was going to destroy the city. Remember there was a prophecy given years before, and Jonah knew that Assyria was to be God's sword of judgment against Israel. Jonah figured that if Nineveh perished God would spare Israel, and Jonah was pleased to sacrifice his life for brother Israel. However God's plans were deeper then Jonah's, and He made a fish to bring Jonah to shore. Jonah was not a coward, but he was compassionate for the ten tribes to the north, the House of Israel. The twist that most preachers overlook, is that the Ninevites religion was the worship of Dagon, the fish; and when the big fish brought Jonah to the shore, and the people say Jonah stumbling down the beach, the word got out, and the city was ready to do whatever Jonah said. Jonah said repent, and the king decreed that everyone repented, and that is exactly what happened. Though Jonah didn't know it, what he did played right into God's plan, and the whole city thought Jonah came from Dagon, after all, to them Dagon was God, and he sent them Jonah, and left him on the beach. That three days that Jonah was in the great fishes belly, is the the only sign that Jesus will give them, and they will have to wait until after these Kenites [not of brother Judah] kill Him. Christ was three days in the tomb. Matthew 16:5 "And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread." Though the disciples had forgotten to take bread to eat, get a lot deeper into this then it appears on the surface. This is a spiritual lesson. Matthew 16:6 "Then Jesus said unto them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." The Pharisees and the Sadducees just happened to be the religious community at the time of Christ, and this warning "take heed and beware of the leaven" was directed at the leaven, or what they were teaching. You add leaven to the bread to make it get bigger; and the bread is the Word of God, what Jesus was teaching. Christ is the Bread of Life. Jesus is telling His disciples, and even the elect of this day, beware of the false teachings and those that that present themselves as being of God, when in fact, what they are giving out are the traditions of men and their own opinions. They do not follow the Word of God. Leaven is yeast, and when mother works that yeast into the dough in a short time that flat piece of dough starts to rise and pour over the pan. Then she kneads it again, and it rises until it puffs up and makes beautiful bread. The leaven penetrates the whole loaf. If you listen to false teachers, that take man's traditions, and the twisting of the Word of God by any denomination or church system, backed by the words of so-called authorities to penetrate your mind, then this warning by Jesus Christ is to you. Don't let any teaching be acceptable to you, without checking it out in the Word of God. The Bible is our authority, and if you are a Bible teacher, then teach the Word of God, Chapter by Chapter, and verse by verse. Jesus is saying, Don't listen to men, but listen to me. Is that complicated? Jesus performed two great miracles to point out one little fact, and that fact is so important that it will be ruining the entire Christ world if it is not followed. We are approaching the day where the entire loaf is leavening with false teaching, and false teachers coming in Christ's name, and they do not teach in Christ's Word, but the words of men. They lie to Christian souls starving for the truth, when they make their statements to be of God, but having twisted truth, making it a lie. When these preachers stand and say, "God spoke to me today", and then give out their own twisted message, and take your money. If that Word form God cannot be backed by the Word of God, they are false preachers, and they are filling your ears with lies. God does speak to us today, and He speaks to us from His Word. He reveals His truths form that Word, and makes them come alive in our minds. We put on our gospel armor of Ephesians 6:10-20 to fight against the spiritual war that is taking place in these latter days with Satan, and his demons, that armor comes wholly out of God's Word, and as we study the Word, it is the Holy Spirit of God that opens up the understand within our minds, or hearts. Ephesians 6:10-13; "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. [10] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [11] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [12] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." [13] Beware of the leaven. Matthew 16:7 "And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." Jesus is saying, Don't you let them put the smallest part of their lies in my bread of Life. Matthew 16:8 "Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, "O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?" Jesus is trying to wake the disciples up to what He is trying to teach them. O ye of little faith, wake up, and think, can't you see what I am trying to teach you? The lesson is not over the fact that they have left the bread from the miracles behind, but Christ is trying to get them to focus in on what is His bread. His bread is what He is trying to teach them, It is His words. Matthew 16:9 "Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?" Matthew 16:10 "Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?" Jesus is asking the disciples, can't you keep track what is my leaven and my bread? Any time you have a multitude, you are going to pick up some filth, some false teachings, and wrong opinions. Jesus is really downing these men that call themselves followers of Christ. Can't you keep the tally of what is mine, and what is not mine? Matthew 16:11 "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?" Jesus is telling them, face to face, don't you even remember what I told you about in explaining to you the parable of the sower, and the tares. I am not talking about bread here, get your mind on the subject, the leaven is the teachings of the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. The disciples were wondering, is He getting on us for leaving the bread over there on the other shore, and leaving behind our supplies? The leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees are the lies that come from the multitude, when you meet and have a "religious experience", shall we call it. Any time you have a meeting, and the sharing of religious experiences, that is not of God's Word, it is the leaven of the Pharisees. It is not the leaven of Christ that will lift up, but the lard of Satan that will weight you down, it is unclean, and unfit for consideration. Matthew 16:12 "Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." These twelve disciples finally got the message. Jesus is not talking about bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The doctrine that comes forth today, that is claimed to be from God, by idiots that are not even familiar with the Word of God. They can't even use the proper tools of study, and yet they set themselves up to be prophets and teachers. In Ezekiel 34:1-16; we read in our study that God has His eye on these false shepherds, and they will be the first and the most severe to be judged on on judgment day. God doesn't like it when someone misleads His flock. There is a copy of the Word of God that is clear and cannot be changed, in the Massorah, and that is the only form of God's Word that is precise. When these false shepherds run around and say things that do not check out with it, they lie, and are a disgrace to God. Matthew 16:13 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Ninety nine percent of what is taught in the churches today is the mechanics of church systems. The more the sayings and traditions of these systems are repeated, the more children, and the spiritual babes in Christ think it is Biblical. Many times these teachings and doctrines are even contrary to God's Word. Matthew 16:14 "And they said, "Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." The religious world then was just as confused as most of the Christian world today. Matthew 16:15 "He saith unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?" Jesus wanted the disciples to answer who they thought Jesus was, as it just isn't important who the world thinks Christ is, they don't have the eyes to see, and the ears to hear and understand anyhow. Matthew 16:16 "And Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." "The Christ", means "the Anointed One", and this is correct. Matthew 16:17 "And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Jesus is telling them, it wasn't some group of elders that revealed this to you, but the Almighty God revealed this through His Holy Spirit. Matthew 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Now instead of calling Simon Bar-jone, Jesus has given him a new name, Peter. Peter means Rock. The Rock is the foundation that the church is built on; and that Rock is Jesus Christ. Jesus is telling Peter that it is on the Rock of Jesus Christ that His church is built, and even the gates, or powers of Hell, Satan and his systems can not prevail against Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was foretold as the "foundation-stone" in Isaiah 28:16; "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." Jesus is that corner stone, precious and tried, and those that know Him, will wait on Him, and His return at the appointed time, and not make haste to follow the fake that comes first. Jesus fulfilled the role to perfection, for He is the only begotten of the Father. There are many conflicts over this one verse, as one church states our church is built of Peter, who was the founder of our Church, which was true in the Smyrna and Philadelphia. They miss the doctrine of this verse. Christ is the immovable rock [Petra], in the Greek. The church is the assembly of believers wherever they are, they are the elect of God, and not some building on a corner, or the intricate system that does it's business inside those walls. The church are the body of believers, of which there are many members, which have many different tasks to do, all within that one body of believers. Matthew 16:19 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The keys of the kingdom of heaven are the truths of understanding which allow us to see, hear and understand the full understanding of the kingdom of heaven. When you take that key, and unlock the minds of those that are held captive by the traditions of men, by the leaven of the doctrine of the elders and church systems, and of sin itself: When you unlock their minds, and free them of that, then God will also free them in heaven. As the freedom of Christ comes on earth, so also is the freedom and salvation brought in heaven. On the other hand, when you as part of the elect of God bind something or some person on earth that have misused the Word of God, that binding will also stand in heaven. This gives an under shepherd or lay person a lot of power. This power is in the hands of those who know the Word, have their foundation on Christ, and use the power designated to them. It is not given to a system, but to the individual. However you have to have the key, We know that the door is Christ, and the key to that door was David. You have to know the "key of David". You either have it, or you don't. You find in only in the church of Philadelphia, and Smyrna, which were the only churches that God found no fault with. This is found in Revelation 3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; 'These things saith He That is Holy [Christ], He that is True, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth;" If you have the key of David, you don't have to be afraid of any of the traditionalist, for they certainly don't have it. You have God's word locked in your mind, and the key of David. The key of David reveals these traditionalists, these modern day Pharisees that call themselves of God, but are of the synagogue of Satan. That is exactly how Satan works, he uses the Word of God, and twists that Word for his own pleasure. It is the mind of Satan's children, the Kenites which say they are Jews, but are not. Now apply this to today, they say they are of Christ, yet they do not teach the Word of God, but traditions. Revelation 1:9, 10; "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. [9] Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." [10] These traditionalists are the ones that change their doctrines, and the popularity of their systems change, one day they are against something, and later they are for it. Whatever they believe they take Scripture out of context, and even out of the dispensation it is applied to, to twist theWord to make it say what they want it to say. Friend, we are at the door of the "hour of temptation". That hour is when Satan is on earth, and in physical form, ruling as the Antichrist, and the entire world will believe him to be the true Christ, Jesus Christ. They will believe it because they do not have the key of David. The foundation to the understanding of the Key of David, is Matthew 13; the parables of the sower and the tares. Matthew 16:20 "Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ." Jesus has just revealed to His disciples that He is the Christ, the Messiah or coming Savior. Then He turned right around and told them not to reveal this to anyone else. Why? Because Jesus told the religious people of the day, that the only sign that they would be given was the sign of Jonah, being in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jesus hadn't been in the heart of the earth yet, nor had He been crucified yet. It wasn't time for Jesus to go to the cross yet, and what would take place will be as it was written, and prophesied by the Prophets from God. When Jesus went into the grave, and rose three days and three nights later, then it could be told who Jesus was. Matthew 16:21 "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed, and be raised again the third day." So once the twelve disciples finally know for a fact that Jesus is the Christ, He will now give the disciples the facts and details how He will enter into Jerusalem, to suffer the things prophesied, to be crucified, and raised on the third day. Why the third day? That is the sign of Jonah that Jesus gave to the Pharisees, and scribes, concerning who He was. This is the plan of God, as written in Hebrews 2:14; "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" It is only through the death of Christ of the cross, that the hold that the devil has on us can be broken. That is why the sign of Jonah is important; and that is also why the things that Jesus was going to do, and go through in Jerusalem be hid from the very people that were going to do it. Jesus is telling His disciples; "This is God's plan that the Son of God die crucified, whereby salvation can come into the world. So that when those who understand, repent and take Jesus into their hearts and minds, and their sins become as white as snow. Friend, there is no sin that you can commit that Jesus will not forgive you of, if you just repent it to Him. He will blot it out of his book, where it counts, and He will make you over into a new creature. His Spirit will dwell with your spirit, and the old things just will not matter any more. Matthew 16:22 "Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Be it far from thee Lord: this shall not be unto thee." The moral of what Jesus is trying to teach His disciples is that God's plan must come to pass. It is our duty, as a child of God to learn that plan, and learn what is written, then recognize it when you see it come to pass, and not argue against it. Once again, Peter shows the fact that he just wasn't listening, and didn't understand what Jesus had just told him. That He had to go to the cross and die, and be in the tomb three days. This was Satan's spirit speaking through Peter, for this is exactly what Satan did not want to happen. Christ's death, and resurrection, was Satan's death sentence. Matthew 16:23 "But He turned, and said unto Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Peter has just said that he would not allow this to happen, for he is speaking out against God and His plan. Jesus said to Peter, after these words came out of Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan". Man's emotions many times can cause them to go against what God's Word dictates. This is why Christianity is disciplined, and we must be disciples which is one who learns and then puts what he has learned towards discipline. Be a student of God's Word in the plan of God. When the events of the end times prophecies pass before you, be a wise student and and learn by them. They are sign post that God has placed to let you know just where we are in His perfect plan. When you are one of God's elect, and your emotions go against what God's Word says will come to pass, then these words of Christ would apply to you also, "Get behind me, Satan." It was Peter's love for Christ that caused Peter to blaspheme God. Satan had used Peter's emotions and love to turn him against Christ and to stumble. Love caused him to do it. This would be no difference then someone steps up to you and says, I'm going to kill your brother. Then you would say to your brother, I'm not going to let it happen, we are going to make a stand against them. This is human nature. Had Peter been disciplined in the teachings, he would not have argued against them. It was the religious community that killed Christ, and it is the religious community today that persecutes the true children of God. Matthew 16:24 "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, "I any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Jesus is now saying that a man must deny his own emotions that would cause you to break your discipline to God's word, simply to please the flesh nature within you. Your cross is your study of the Word, and the discipline that you show in following what it teaches. A cross is something you die on, and when you take up your cross, you place all your self notions, and pleasures beneath that which is part of the Christian's discipline as set forth in His Word. Don't play church, and let your emotions rule you, but do as Christ says. You must make the teaching, and the church, and your emotions a reality that if it was called upon you to die for Christ, you would be willing to sacrifice your own life, for the Word of God. Any thing short of that is play acting, and the cross becomes nothing but a trinket worn around your neck. If you were one of the two witness of the final days, you would gladly die for Christ. Matthew 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Whosoever shall lose his life as far as the flesh body is concerned, in the service of our Lord, shall have eternal life. The soul is eternal, and only God can destroy the soul at judgment. The flesh body will decay at death, however very shortly this flesh age will come to a close, and on the "day of the Lord", that day when the Jesus Christ will return as King of kings, and Lord of Lords, all flesh both good and bad will be gone, and we will be changed in the wink of an eye. I Corinthians 15:51, 52; "Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [51] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." [52] This is the same sleep that Paul addresses in I Thessalonians 4, where he is addressing the subject, "Where are the dead". Paul is stating that at the sounding of the last trump, in an instant, all souls will shed their physical bodies, and be changed to their incorruptible bodies. Death and hell fire of the soul does not come on this day, nor is there going to be a fly away, or rapture of the flesh body. Why? Because Christ is coming to earth to set up His kingdom on earth, that is what the Millennium age is all about. When the flesh body dies, it is gone, but the soul lives on. Matthew 16:26 "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" "The whole world" is this cosmos, this earth age of the flesh. The Bible tells us that this earth age, or flesh age shall end with this current generation. The exact time left is unknown, but we have the events spelled out in prophecy that are our guideposts to inform us of the seasons, and the sequential order of what shall come to pass. Though you gain all the power, and physical wealth of the world age now, once Christ returns, it will cease to exist, and for that short pleasure of wealth, you have given up your very soul. Never trade your soul for something in this world. Can you be bought? Well there has been a price so great already paid for your soul, and that price was the death of Christ on the cross. He made it possible for you to live eternally. Would you barter for anything that could cause you to lose your eternal life? It just isn't worth the wealth of the world, and a short pleasure, to lose what God has offered to you. You must follow Christ, and stay disciplined to His Word, for those that stay true, though they be poor, are rich in the world to come. Jesus addressed this in His promises to the church of Smyrna, in Revelation 2:10; "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Friend, that "crown of Life" is eternal life and there is nothing that Satan can offer you that can match the value of your crown of Life. That crown allows you to live eternally as a son of God, and be joint heirs with Jesus Christ in His eternal kingdom. It is your crown, and the mind of the flesh simply cannot understand what it's full meaning is. The pay scale for serving Christ on earth is tremendous, and is beyond the value of man's money system. The retirement benefits include a body that never grows old, a home that never ages, the fresh rivers of water that flows right from the throne of God, and those waters will never give you thirst. Friend, you just can not compare anything to your crown of Life, in this earth age. And you will have the love of God poured upon you, for serving in His service, and being faithful in the things that He has you do. Matthew 16:27 "For the son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works." First notice that there is no gender to every man. It applies to men and women in their soul, incorruptible bodies. When Jesus Christ returns as the King of kings, and Lord of lords, He will come with His angels, and in the glory and power of the Almighty Father. Remember back in I Corinthians 15:52, Paul told us exactly when that day would be, "At the last trump" the seventh trump. At that time Jesus will be handing out the rewards that you have earned while you were in the flesh, in this flesh earth age. The Millennium age is on earth, but it will not be part of this flesh age, for all flesh will be changed in the wink of an eye. Then it will be payday. Payday for your faith or belief? No my friend, PAYDAY FOR YOUR WORKS, those works for Christ in planting seeds, and showing kindness in the name of the Lord. For studying His Word, and being a doer of the Word that God has instructed us in. Rewards for the discipline in tending to the gifts that the Heavenly Father has placed in our hands to complete His work while in this earth age. This has nothing to do with the legality of saved by works or faith; it has everything to do with whether you were faithful in the things where God has placed you. Those things may consist of praying for the ones that the Holy Spirit of God has placed on your heart, or the development of your voice to where you can be used in the choir, and your tending to that some other gift. It may be the serving food at the mission weekly or monthly, with a warm smile, or even giving a glass of water in love and with a smile to the neighbor, as unto the Lord. Those are your works, my friend, it is not what you gave, but how you gave them. Was it in love, unto the Lord. That is what the rewards of your works are based on. Stop and evaluate your motives of what you do, and how and why you do it. That is all part of the discipline Christ is trying to instill in His disciples, and if you claim the name of Christ, my friend, it's aimed at you. Without works, you will be scantily clad in the life to come, for that is what your garment is made of. Nothing else gains rewards. Matthew 16:28 "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom." A lot of people have difficulty with this verse, however with the rest of God's Word it is simple. Jesus spoke of His crucifixion, and that He would rise on the third day, and when He rose He had His kingdom with Him. And all but Judas would see Him in His glorified body, the King of the kingdom. When Christ came out of the tomb, He became the King of His kingdom, and all those that claim the name of Christ are of the kingdom of God. The reason that Jesus did not say that all of them that stood there would "not taste of death" till they saw Jesus, the Son of man in His kingdom, is that When Judas betrayed Christ, the money was throne back at the Kenites then Judas went out and repented. We know from The Acts 1:18 that the Kenites killed Judas after his repentance, for they not only hung him, but slit him wide open. "Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." The Kenite religious leaders had the money, and it was the religious leaders that bought the potters field with the thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, and after they bought the field, they did their job on Judas. Many today believe the Kenite lie and traditional doctrine that Judas hung himself and slit himself wide open. This is why Jesus told the disciple that "some standing here", all but Judas saw Jesus Christ in that upper room, after His resurrection.
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