"Matthew Chapter 28" "Resurrection; Events at Sepulcher, in the City. This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org/plough.htm So as we read at the close of Matthew 27, the body of Christ was taken from the cross and redeemed by Joseph of Arimathaea, the rich man who was a relative of Jesus, and prepared and placed in the sepulcher, or tomb. Joseph had the door of the tomb block with a very large stone, and the Temple leaders, the chief priests set guards over the rock, and placed a seal on the tomb. Matthew 28:1 "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalese and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." This was not the high Sabbath, that occurred three days prior or on the Thursday; but the weekly Sabbath. This was the first day of the week, which begin at sundown, on Saturday evening at 6:00 P.M. This was the first day of the feast, following the "preparation day". In the Companion Bible, Appendix # 166 gives us the details of what happened moment by moment, so their can be no confusion to the facts, as much of what is accepted is merely tradition, and not totally correct. Matthew 28:2 "And, Behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." Keep in mind that the door did not need to be open for Christ to leave the tomb. When the angel of the Lord rolled the rock from the door, Christ had already risen. Matthew 28:3 "His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:" This is describing the countenance of the angel. Matthew 28:4 "And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and become as dead men." At the presence of the supernatural, and the brilliance of this angel, these guards, or keepers shook and passed out from fright. In our generation, there are very few people that have experienced it. Matthew 28:5 "And the angel answered and said unto the women, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, Which was crucified." The angel did not scare the women, but the angel instructed the women that Jesus was not here. Matthew 28:6 "He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." The seal that the chief priests had placed on the stone was broken, and the stone was rolled back, and this angel is sitting on the stone giving instruction to the woman. The women are told, "He is not here, He is already risen." Jesus did not have to have the stone removed to depart from the tomb. This is why Jesus brought Peter, James and John up on the high mountain, as recorded in Matthew 17:1-7, to be three witnesses to the transformation of Jesus Christ's body, from the physical flesh body, into His transfigured body. "And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." [2] While the disciples were watching Jesus and the other two men, Moses and Elias talking with Him, God Himself came and spoke to Peter, James and John, as it is recorded in Matthew 17:5; "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." This visual witness that these three disciples saw and heard, is addressed in Matthew 17:9; "And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead." They were to share what they saw with no one until after the resurrection. Then after the resurrection, it was to be spread through out the world, even to our generation so that we could understand how this coming forth out of the sealed tomb could come to pass. As recorded in John 20, when Mary heard what had happened to Jesus, she ran and told Peter, and together they ran back in excitement to see the empty tomb. Then in verse [4] "So they ran both together and the other disciple did out run Peter, and came first to the Sepulchre." [5] "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in." Matthew 28:7 "And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you." Christ Himself told them, being the Angel of the Lord. Matthew 28:8 "And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word." As these women ran in haste to tell the disciples, they had great reverence [fear] and joy. Matthew 28:9 "And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "All hail," And they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him." As these women were running to give the good news to the disciples, Jesus met them again, and greeted them with "All hail", which in our English is like a friendly, "Good morning." The women saw Jesus and now they recognized Jesus, and they knew for a fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Some other accounts of this verse show where Mary Magdalene and the other women had a difficult time recognizing Jesus. How could this be? It is very difficult, when you are in the flesh body to recognize that the Messiah had a divine nature. That divine nature stated that Jesus would come forth from the tomb. Even though you can say that you believe, all the planning for the future of the person in the flesh is on the level of the flesh, rather then the divine nature of the supernatural. It is also for this same reason that when the disciples first saw Jesus, they did not recognize Him, and asked for proof. Physically, though they walked and talked with Him over three years, and saw His miracles, and heard His teaching, yet the mind of the flesh would not allow them at first to accept the supernatural as fact, until they had proof. The disciples had the ability to see and touch for them selves the body of the crucified Christ, and those later, in the generations up to this end generation, must accept that which is written as fact, and that is what is called faith. Our Savior is divine, and as the women fall down at Jesus feet, and worship Him, Jesus says to them: Matthew 28:10 "Then said Jesus unto them, "Be not afaid: go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me." Jesus is now in His transfigured body, the body that had conquered death, and notice now that Jesus is still calling His disciples "brethren". Jesus is showing His kinship to them, as their kinsman redeemer. Our Father's love for His children is the most precious thing that we have on this earth. That love of God is our hope, and salvation as we live in the flesh, and we have the assurance that we are never alone, He loves us, and His Spirit abides in us. As each of us strive in the flesh body to follow Christ, we constantly find ourselves falling short; and when we do, there He is. Reaching down to us, and picking us up with His Spirit building our spirit up in support. When we sin we go to the Father in repentance, in Jesus name, for He paid the price for our forgiveness, and became the blood sacrifice for every person that will repent. When you sin, that is not time for depression, but repentance for that sin. For when you are at your weakest, then you are at your strongest in Christ. Jesus paid the price so that you could be strong. He is not begging you to follow Him, for you have the choice of taking the blood of Jesus sacrifice, and through repentance have His blood be the covering to blot out all your sin; or friend you can refuse what Jesus is offering to you. Each of us must make the choice, and by the choice commits our soul to eternity, or destruction. God's love is committed to all those that come to Him in this flesh body, and He is the one that makes the change in you. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This is the root of Christianity, and what we must believe to have the hope of eternal life of our souls. Every time we pray, we must pray in His name, and ask in "Jesus name". Jesus paid the price, and to approach the Heavenly Father you must believe in His Son, and when you ask in Jesus name it certifies from your heart that you believe in Jesus Christ, and that He died for you. My friend, when you do, then you are worth the price that was paid for your eternal soul. It is God's desire that you repent, but He will not beg you to do it; you must come on your own free will. Lets continue: Matthew 28:11 "Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done." The "watch" are those guards that were placed at the tomb by the chief priest, Caiaphus, so that the disciples would not steal the body. These guards saw every thing that happened, and reported it all back to the chief priests. They told of the supernatural angel that came and rolled back the stone, and inside the body was gone. It was not there. When this was all happening we just passed out, as the angel sat there. I can just see the anger and red come to Caiaphus' face, as these guards were muttering though their story of the events of the last day, and the resurrection. Matthew 28:12 "And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers," These soldiers were wick frightened, and ready to tell their story to whom ever would listen. Then when all the religious leaders, their Sanhedrin, and the elders of the people were come together, they are in counsel again. The last time they were in counsel was to drum up false charges, and bring on their false witnesses to crucify Jesus, who was attacking their traditions, and hitting hard their money bags. The Kenite mind knows that money will buy the man that lives by the flesh heart, and the religious leaders were the Kenite offspring of the Nethinims [Kenites] that are spoken of in the books of Ezra, and Nehemiah. Though Judas' price was thirty pieces of silver, these men cost them a very great amount. Matthew 28:13 "Saying, "Say ye, 'His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept.' " Keep in mind that this is the high priest, Caiaphus, and those religious sorts, telling these security guards what they have to say, as they probably signed their forms, and stuffed their pockets and bags with all of God's money from the offering plate, and temple treasury. If you were to believe such a thing as this, where would your Christianity be today? Matthew 28:14 "And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you." Can't you see these sons of Satan, as they plot their every detail, in the lies that are to be told. They are telling the guards that if it ever comes to the attention of the government and Pilate that you are telling these lies, then we will bale you out, and secure your freedom. Are you starting to see how Satan, and His offspring work through Satan work? There is not much difference then as now. Matthew 28:15 "So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." Your mind should immediately go to Revelation 2:9: and you better understand this verse or you will come down on Judah, and the house of Judah with much hate. We are talking about the Kenites here, that claim to be Judah, and the Kenites to this day, like to make this claim, "His blood is on our hands." As they try to drag Judah in on their lies. The Kenite will say that "Jesus was a illegitimate child, however the men of true Judah will not say that. This is one of the ways of telling the difference. God's elect will know them by their words. Revelation 2:9; "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan," These that lie and are of the "synagogue of Satan" are Cain's children, the Kenites, in the Hebrew tongue. These people try to represent themselves as authority of God's Word, today and are called the higher critics. You tell these types of higher critics today, those that have the mind of Cain by their list titles behind their names. When they speak, the authority is their mouth, and not the Word and Spirit of the Living God. They flaunt their degrees, and institutions that their learning came from. So they become the spokesmen and women for that institution. So if you don't know where the title came from, you really don't know what they stand for. When this big mouth doctor walks up and spouts off, the lay person is to bow in humility before them and their wisdom, and then they spout out their blasphemy and traditions. These old boys simply do not like to be questioned of the garbage they spout, for their lies are suppose to become the truth by the mere fact that they uttered the words. When you know God's Word, then these types of Satan's own stand out, and the elect of the last generation will not be deceived by them. It is time to study to know the entire plan of God, and be prepared to these blasphemers as they step to the pulpits, and speak out in the airwaves today. We are in the generation of the fig tree, and both the good and bad figs [Judah and the Kenites] have returned to establish the roots of that nation of Israel. The signs of the end times are here, and taking place rapidly. It is time that we study to know those that are of Judah, and can tell the difference between them and the Kenites. The churches address in Revelation chapters two and three, are the types of churches that exist in the final generation. This is because John was brought "in the spirit to the Lord's day," [Revelation 1:10] and he was writing when Jesus revealed to him how the churches would be on that day. Matthew 28:16 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them." Remember, Jesus had told them to go to Galilee before He went to the Cross. Matthew 28:17 "And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted." We know the story of Thomas, where He had to touch the scars of the spear wound, and see the nail prints of Jesus hands and feet. Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." Can you comprehend this? Not some power, but all power. Can you grasp what this means, or should mean to the Christian? When you enter into Christ, and He enters into you, that power is within you. With this statement in your heart, there should be no fear in your heart. When you study God's Word, and come to understand His Word, you know the authority that God has placed within you. There should be no doubt whatsoever in you mind, or heart when you use that power in the fulfillment of God's plan. Many today misuse this power, and think that the power of God is a tool that they can use for their own personal gratification. They think that merely because they have said something God must in turn be the one who simply grants wishes. God is not a tool to be used for your every earthly flesh desires, but the power of God will protect, and fulfill all necessary needs that are in the will of God. God knows your needs, and He also as given the necessary power for you to live and carry out His plan for your life. That allotment varies with each person, it is based on the size of spiritual stick that your heart will allow you to pick up. That will be determined by your growth and faith in the Lord God. The promises that the Father has made, and Jesus when He walked on the earth and spoke through His disciples; when the power was given to Jesus, are ours to claim without any doubts, when we are in Christ. Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Remember the veil has been rent to the Holy of Holies, and the Gentile nations can now also come before the throne of God in repentance. We are to teach them the plan of God, from the Word of God, where by Jesus shed blood on the cross can cover their sins also, and they can become the sons of God. We are to tell them of the good news, that the Messiah came to earth as a baby, lived, and was crucified for the sins of many, and by repenting to the Father in Jesus name, they also can have their souls become white as snow, and have eternal life. Upon repentance, they will be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Amen." Did you see what we are to teach? We are to teach "all things" that Jesus has commanded you. and we know those things by studying His word. Jesus promised that He would be with us right up to the end of this earth age. That end may be close, but it hasn't happened yet. This earth age will end when Jesus returns at the seventh trumpet, and then he will be with us in person, as He sets up His Millennium kingdom. First, however the time of the great deception [tribulation] will come, and many will be deceived because they were not taught, and listened to the traditions of men. Jesus is still with each of us, as we love Him, and live the lives as He has commanded us through His word. Many today think that the church is a system, or building on the corner, but Christ Church is made up of the body of believer, the many membered body of Christ. All believers on this entire earth, who believe in Jesus Christ are part of the body of Christ. Though there is much strife over one part calling itself the true body, over another, where there is faith in Jesus Christ, and His shed blood, and repentance in the heart of the individual, that person is part of the many membered body of Christ. We become members by our faith in Christ. Lets try to understand a little just what "faith is". The word "faith" comes from the Greek words "Pistis" (the noun form), and "Pisteo" (the verb form). The Christian must understand what faith is all about, as it is through faith, Paul says, we receive the grace of God and our eternal salvation (Ephesians 2:8). Faith is like fleeing to a shelter, or protection from something we are helpless against. The other case is when a injured person is required to put his full weight on his cane or crutches to stand. Faith within a religious creed, states that if you believe right you have faith. As a creed faith becomes quite limited, but it is much broader than that. Faith is based on action, the action which is you will-power. It is also based on your belief, which is a collection of all your ideas, giving you a basis for your doing what you do. This in turn gives us the confidence, or motive to keep on doing what we were doing. It is what you might call the A,B,C's of faith. Your action, based on your beliefs, and sustained by you confidence in who you have the faith in. Faith then is what stimulates each of us to keep on going until our willpower takes hold, and it makes us act on the knowledge we posses. Faith must have an object to act upon, and to the Christian, that object is Jesus Christ, and all the promises that He has given to us who are in Him. It is our belief in His finished work on the cross, His teaching, and that when He came out of that tomb resurrected, He had conquered death. This was the fulfillment of all Bible prophecy, and it became a reality in our lives. Different religious leaders have their cute definitions for "faith". Norman Vincent Peale and his positive thinking group say, "Faith is faith itself..." Dr. Robert Schuler, the television preacher put's it, "Faith is your own possibilities". The secular view is that reality and faith are substitutes for each other. This reality, to the worldly mind is nothing more than relationships. On the sea of relationships, everything is a direct response to all other relationships, or to persons, items, actions, beliefs, and so on. It is sort of like what the Yin...Yang relationship of the Chinese Taoism is based upon. The world believes that all reactions to these relationships are quoted by the stars, chance, heredity, environment, and the list goes on. Like in the way of the Tao, nobody is at fault for any of their actions, because people just respond to the opposing forces around them. Did you ever hear, "His dad was a drunk", or "He comes from a poor environment", or the claim of child abuse, or any one of a number of reasons, and excuses? The scientific Kenite minds have developed a form of understanding of why we do what we do, and it is called "Behavioral Psychology". The process is to release guilt from ones mind, and take away the need for repentance. It is the Satanic form of allowing one to explain away his every action. This is exactly what is at the very foundation of the eastern religions such as Buddhism. What is interesting about the twelve precepts of "Behavioral Psychology", is that these precepts are exactly what was the precepts of the foundation of Buddhism was from it's beginning, as well as what it is today. To those of this thinking in the secular world, the life in the here-after, and the presence of an Almighty God, and His Son that came to earth to die on the cross, simply doesn't exist. We can see that much of our thought, beliefs, and actions are not based on the Word of God, but are derived from heathen religious influences, and these traditions have crept into our lives and have been accepted. As Christians, we have allowed this to happen either knowingly or unknowingly, and if you fall from the study of God's Word, these false teachings will embed in our minds, and we will be deceived. Faith is being removed from our children's minds by a teaching form called "Progressive Education". Progressive education as taught in most schools, has replaced values and morals with "feelings". This heathen form of thought was formed in the mid-twenties by John Dewey. He and other thinkers like him, such as Rousseau (in Emile), set the stage for the "New Age Movement" that is considered the authority of the world today. The world simply can not understand why or how a person can perform a mass murder, or taking the life of small children, without any regards for the victim. They watch in disbelief as teenage suicide is on the rise, and the youth have so little respect of other people and their property, and they just can't see how it all came to pass. Yet in the same breath, they think nothing today about teaching their children, on a massive scale; "if it feels good, do it", or "follow your instincts". We have two basic sources of influences. One has to be taught, and the other does not. One source is by God, directed through the influence of the Holy Spirit, and this influence is given to us in His Word, the Bible. This direction is best instilled in a person at youth, and gives him a foundation for getting through life. When the influences of God's Holy Word is missing, the direction then is based on emotions and feelings. We know that neither of these two instincts can be trusted, with out a sound foundation. When ever the mind thinks, choices are made. If their is no standards taught or pre-set, then there is no points of reference for right and wrong, good or bad, and so on; and the mind runs wild and seeks to please it's own pleasures of the flesh. All choices made are then based on the emotions and feelings in the spur of the moment. The Progressive Education then is based on what seems to be reality, as led by ones emotions and feelings. It leaves it up to the individual to determine that standards that are to be set, and all forms of faith are only what the person places in his or her own abilities, for they have no one to look to, except what they can do for themselves. There simply are no absolutes, of everything exists in shades of truth. You might say that everything becomes relationships to everything else. What is important to them becomes "how you learn," and not "what you learn". John Dewey said everything you learn will change, so it then is not important what you learn, only the process of learning, and changing to it. When fixed values of the Word of God is missing from a family, community and nation, what is left is emotions, feelings, and confusion. There is no direction. With no foundation, no set of values, no God given order, there is no reference point in that life. There are only foggy relationships, and truth isn't there. Morality is gone as well as lasting sets of values, and in it's place is confusion; a constant state of change. Jesus was a realist, and our faith is based on facts of relationships that we accept, even though we may not fully understand them. These relationships are there, permanent and do exist. They are based on unchanging promises given to us by God, and written through His prophets in the Holy Bible. These relationships in our Christian life, are stead and true, and gives us a firm foundation to build our lives upon. Our foundation is built on each promise and commitment that God made to each of us that have repented of our sins in Jesus name, and turn to do and follow the instructions that He has given to us. Christianity is a religion based on fact, it is a reality that is our way of life. God is faithful to His word that is written, and we can and do count on it, for it is His promise. As each event of the prophets comes to pass, this is just another sign to us, that our Heavenly Father does have complete control over every thing that happens in this earth age. The Christian must act on the belief that God is going to back up every word that He has said. In Psalm 119:89; "Forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven". If God said it...I believe it...and that settles it. So how does faith come to us? The Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith is the substance implanted in each believer by the Holy Spirit, and what this substance is , I can not explain, but that faith is the hope of our salvation. Hebrews 11:1; "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." There is only one was that you can be Christ's {His ownership, and that is "when the Spirit of God is in you", Then you are Christ's and Faith is formed in your heart by His spirit. Faith is an act on our part, when we grab hold of God's Word, and take those promises that fit our life and circumstances, and hold on to them. Let His Word lead our lives, and we must act on those promises as a part of the reality of our lives. Go back to Psalm 119:89, when He said, "Forever O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven," and believe it. For you faith in Christ, God places you in Christ and Christ then is in you. Perfection is not a requirement, but faith is. God is faithful to every promise in His word. We are to teach the truth of God's word, all of it. Teach them what God's plan and purpose for them is, so that Christ's love and life will begin to come into them. When Christ picks up that pen and writes your name in the eternal Lamb's book of life, then you will begin to understand what life is all about, eternal life. The price has been paid, and it is up to you to reach out and take that life, and all the promises that go with it.
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