Matthew Chapter 3

"The Forerunner; Baptism, John's Threatening."

"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea.."

This Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org/plough.htm

Matthew 3:1 "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,"

So we see that many years have gone by since the births, between Matthew two and three. This is the John that was in the womb of his mother Elisabeth, the cousin of Jesus' mother Mary. The last time John was mentioned he was leaping for joy at the presence of the Christ child, Jesus Christ. The time was six months after the feast of Abia, and that made Christ's conception December 25. This now is thirty years later, and John is now out in the wilderness.

Matthew 3:2 "And saying, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

"Repent" means to have a change of heart and mind. To feel remorse for your sinning against God, and your turning from the things, and thoughts that will give you a new direction. It will change you for the better.

Many people today feel that if they become a Christian, they will miss out on all the good things of life, however that just is not true. Christians enjoy everything in life more, their entire life is more peaceful, and a more trouble-free life. The "do-this", and "don't do that" boys would like to regulate your Christian life, however the freedom that we enjoy in Christ excludes those boys. Instead, we can study to learn more about our Heavenly Father, and then His Holy Spirit will direct our path, and we become regulated by our own conscience, which is regulated and in tune with God's Spirit.

Instead of strife, regulation, and judgment from the Kenite type mind from without; theirs is a calmness, and peace that only Jesus can give, when we know that our sins are forgiven, and we are at peace with our maker. We have the assurance that God will pick us up when we are down, and build a wall of protection around our mind, and family when it looks like the road is getting a little tough. We become "can do" type people when we are in God's will.

Matthew 3:3 "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' "

This is but a part of the full quotation that John gave in his sermon. The quotation is taken from Isaiah 40:3-31.

Isaiah 40:3; "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Isaiah 40:4 "And every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

Isaiah 40:5 "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

John the Baptist's sermon went on to cover the rest of that the chapter, that announced the coming of and arrival of the Messiah. It told how all the nations will submit to him, and lives would be changed. It is well worth the time to continue to the end of the chapter.

Matthew 3:4 "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey."

The camel's hair, leather girdle and meat of locust and honey were the identifying features of a prophet.

Matthew 3:5 "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,"

Matthew 3:6 "And were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins."

Many felt that John was Elijah the prophet, and he was very successful in preaching and turning many to God. However John wasn't, and he never claimed to be Elijah. When he was asked once; "Are you that prophet?" His answer was No.

In Luke 1:16 we read that John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah.

Luke 1:17 "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah], to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Later in Matthew 11:14 Jesus was asked by the Kenites about John the Baptist, if he was Elijah, Jesus answered them. If they have believed, he would have been Elijah." However they did not believe, in fact they beheaded John the Baptist. They killed John, and they crucified the Lord. That very last promise that our Lord God made to us before closing out the Old Testament, was the promise of the return of Elijah before the end of this flesh earth age.

Malachi 4:5-6; "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: [5] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Matthew 3:7 "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

The "generation of vipers" are serpents. They are the offspring of the snake. We are talking about the "Kenites", the Hebrew word that is properly translated, "sons of Cain". These are the same ones that Jesus spoke of in Saint John 8:44; when He said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

This is not spiritualizing a truth, but stating a fact. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were Kenites, and were offspring from the Nethinims that took over the Scribes and priest's duties that Ezra and Nehemiah wrote about. They are of the lineage of Cain, their father, that was born through the seduction [beguiling] by Satan of Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Who was the first murderer? It was Cain of course. Genesis 4:8; "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." Jesus goes deep into identifying the Kenites, as to who they were in Matthew 23. We see that Jesus is addressing the Scribes and Pharisees, and giving a warning to them. Then in verse thirty three;

Matthew 23:33-35; "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" [33] "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of the shall ye scourge in your syagogues, and persecute the from city to city: [34] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Able unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the Temple and the altar." [35]

We see that though the religious leaders of today have turned their back on what Jesus told us to learn, both John and Jesus alike knew who the Kenites are, and where they came from. In that, they knew the mind of the Kenite was of their father, Cain the murderer, and Satan the Devil. This is the cause of most of our trouble today, just as it was then. The mind of the Kenite, of lies, deceptions, and even murder come straight from Satan, through his son Cain.

You must keep these Kenites identified as you continue to study the Bible, for they are the negative force, that has rooted themselves into the religious orders of Judaism from Babylonian captivity to our Lord Jesus Christ's time, and hold high positions in the Temple as well as the government. The position of the Chief priest was appointed by the king of Roman rule, and the Sanhedrim, or "council-chamber" of the Temple, and government, which was like the Supreme Court of the land, were filled with Kenites. Those around Jesus, knew who they were, and their identification is what the "parable of the fig tree" is all about. We will discuss this in detail in Chapters thirteen, and twenty three. The thing to remember is that though they claim to be of Judah, they lie and have no Israel blood in them. This is where the warning of Jesus is aimed in Revelation 2:9; 3:9.

These Kenites carry the negative spirit within themselves, and when you get near them, you can discern it.

Matthew 3:8 "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:"

John the Baptist is saying, you can repent, and have salvation, but bring me the evidence of your repentance. The evidence is your love from the heart, rather then the deceiving, lying, and combative attitudes that were brought by these lawyers of that day. The Kenite Pharisees and Sadducees came out to rebuke and belittle John. John is saying to them, show me your evidence of repentance, if you claim to be of God.

Matthew 3:9 "And think not to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham to our father:' for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

There is quite a play on words here in the New Covenant. In the New Covenant it opens up that "whosoever shall believe on the Lord shall not perish, but have eternal life." This is everlasting life. The word "Abraham" in the Hebrew means, "father of many nations", and we see that in the word Abraham, are the many nations that will come forth as part of God's elect, to make up His people. They will come from all races, and tongues, and they all have one thing in common; "They all believe on the name of the Lord", and are raised up to Eternal life that God has extended to them.

This is where we get that Abraham is the father of all nations, for if he is, God can raise up any Gentile nation He pleases, and graft them to Himself. Why? Because Abraham had faith in God, and would offer even his own son up when He knew that He was too old to have another son. He knew that somehow God would restore Isaac to him, for God made a promise, and Abraham knew that God would keep that promise, even if God would turn the rocks into his children. With this faith, Abraham took the blade and was in the process of not even withholding Isaac, because God asked it of him.

It was by divine intervention that Isaac was born, when Sarah was years beyond childbearing, yet God promised that the seed [children] of Abraham would be as the sand of the sea shore, and the stars of the sky. On that day of sacrifice, God provided Abraham the ram in the bush as the sacrifice to Him; however, John the Baptist is now announcing that the true sacrifice that has come, and it will be Jesus Christ that would be the sacrifice for the sins of the World. Though God's hand held the hand of Abraham; God did not hold the hands of the executioners, as they slay the Son of God, and shed His blood. God did this because He loves you, and His Son Jesus Christ was in the will and obedience to His Father.

This is why John was able to say that God is able to raise up children to Him, from even these stones.

Matthew 3:10 "And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."

Trees are symbolic for people. The evil root of those trees that were in the garden of Eden, was the "tree of good and evil", and that tree is Satan, the Devil. It was Satan who God addressed as the serpent. The good fruit are those that have repented and know Jesus Christ as their Savior, however the fire that will consume the bad wood, or evil wood [Kenites and followers of Satan] will be consumed in the lake of fire. Jesus spoke of this time in Revelation 20:10-15.

Revelation 20:10; "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." This is following the time of the great tribulation of this earth age, Millennium age, and also the final Judgment. We see in verses twelve and thirteen that; "And they were judged every man according to their works." This is given twice. You will be judged by the things written in the Lamb's [Christ's] book of life, for the deeds and words spoken in this life.

Revelation 20:14-15; "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, This is the second death." [14] "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This my friend, is what John was talking about to those Pharisees. It is the parable of the tares, given in Matthew thirteen, and God tells us to leave them alone, it is not for us to judge them, for at the appointed time, it will be He and the angels that gather them and cast them into the fire.

These Kenites have grown to the point that their four hidden dynasties, Economics [banking and industry]; Education; Religion; and Politics are fused into one under their United Nations flag, and at God's appointed time, the gathering will take place. However, if one of those tares turn to Jesus Christ and repents, then he is no longer a tare, and this gathering of the wood to be burned does not apply to him. He is no longer a wicked one, but a son of the Living God by adoption, the same adoption that you and I claim in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He That cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" "Holy Ghost" is better translated, "Holy Spirit" from the Greek..

This "fire" came on Pentecost day by the Holy Spirit of God, and those that spoke there on that day, spoke in that cloven tongue. That tongue was not the turkey calls babel that is mouthed these days, but it was a clear speech that needed no interpretation. Check it out for yourselves, by turning to Acts 2. Those that speak confusion, are from Babylon, which in the Hebrew tongue is "confusion". But the voice that came from their mouth, when the words of the Holy Spirit was given was understood by all men that were present from all over the world.

"Tongues" means "languages"; and Acts 2:7-8 reads; "And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, "Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? [7] And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" [8] Did you get that, in the very dialect of the neighborhood that they were born in. There is no confusion to this tongue given by the Holy Spirit. That Spirit, which is the fire of God came down and entered into them. That fire warms the heart of them that love Him, and is a consuming fire to the wicked ones.

Matthew 3:12 "Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

This fan spoken of here is a "winnowing shovel [fan]". God's fan gets rid of the chaff; while Satan sifts to get rid of the wheat [Luke 22:31]. The wheat is symbolic of the rich golden grain, that is God's elect. Those that have repented and turned their lives around. While the chaff are all those whose names are not written in the Lambs book of Life. Those are the tares and things that look like wheat when it is beaten out on the thrashing floor. God's winnowing shovel will seperate thase tares from the wheat, and the chaff will be cast into the fire. As the wheat is dropped to the floor, the chaff blows away.

Matthew 3:13 "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him."

John knew and recognized Jesus as He walked up, for John and Jesus were cousins.

Matthew 3:14 "But John forbad Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" "

John was a very humble person, because in John's eyes it should be the other way around. John thought that Jesus should be the one to baptize him.

Matthew 3:15 "And Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffered Him."

John understood that it was necessary that Jesus be baptized, for His time had come, and so John went ahead and baptized Jesus. The word "baptize means to totally submerge. It comes from the word used to dye material. If you are going to dye a piece of material red, you have to have a container of water with red dye dissolved in it. The result then when the material is "baptized" or submerged, is that the material is completely red, inside and out.

When you ask, how do I know if and when I should be baptized? Well, Christ was, and baptism is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, through your outward commitment, that shows the world, and marks you as Christ's. Baptism by submerging in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the rite or ordinance by which you enter into the Body of Christ. It is your personal public profession of faith and discipleship to Jesus Christ. It shows your death to sin, and your washing afresh to a new life in our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Baptism we freely ask the Holy Spirit of God to enter and control our lives.

Baptism is essential to the believer, of the head of the church, Jesus Christ was baptized, and it is your public confession to the world of your faith in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:16 "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him."

This is recorded as prophecy is Isaiah 11:2. Lets start with verse one. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:" This rod is David, and the Branch that came from the root of David is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 11:2; "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear [reverence] of the Lord." Here are the seven spirits of God. These are the gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit, and these are what God will give us, as He sees our need for them. These "Spirits" or gifts are not given alike to every believer, however we are to use the gifts that He gives each of us, according to our abilities. The gift of "fear, or reverence" before the Lord, is ones gift of intercessory prayer, and this gift should be held very high.

Matthew 3:17 "And lo a voice form heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Truly our Heavenly Father was well pleased in His Son, Jesus Christ, who filled that position of the God head, and made the pathway complete, whereby man can have a way back to the Father, in repentance for man's sins. The blood of Christ paid the price, and the name of Jesus is the only name on earth whereby we can be saved.

Every part of Jesus life was foretold in the prophecies of the Old Testament, and when confronted by the Kenites, Jesus response was always, "It is written"; "Have you not read?"; and so on, to show that what He did was in accordance with what was foretold.

This is also applied to us in these end times, what will happen will also be as it was foretold, and this is why we must continue to study God's Word, that we will not be deceived by the lies and wonders of the Antichrist.

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