Southern Christian University

Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John

Class Session 10

James A. Turner

Please turn to Matthew chapter twenty‑one. When our time was up for Class Session Nine, we were reading from the latter part of the parable that Jesus gave the chief priests and the elders about the wicked husbandmen. You remember that Jesus had these men to condemn themselves when he asked them the question about their killing the servants and finally killing the Son. And, of course, the Son in the parable is Christ. In the parable, Jesus said they cast him forth, the son, out of the vineyard and killed him, and that is exactly what they were going to do. They were going to cast him outside the city and kill him. Then he asked that question, "When the Lord therefore of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" Notice they answered condemning themselves. "They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. And Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner: This was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation that bringeth forth fruits thereof. And he that falleth on this stone." And Christ is that stone. "Shall be broken to pieces. But on whomsoever it shall fall it will scatter him as dust. And when the chief priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they perceived that he spake of them. And when they sought to lay hold on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet." So by way of review, the householder in the parable is God. God had given the Jewish people wonderful opportunities. He had given them the Old Testament law. They were his chosen people and he did everything necessary to make the vineyard a good vineyard. He set a hedge about it and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower so the vineyard could be protected from theives.

The husbandmen are those chief priests and elders that Jesus gave the parable to. He also gave the parable of the two sons prior to this and now this parable about the wicked husbandmen. They are the wicked husbandmen, along with the scribes and Pharisees. The people of Israel down through the years have had a history of rejecting the prophets and all that God said unto them, even killing some of the prophets because of their trying to give God’s message to them. And as represented in the parable, they beat the servants. They killed another and stoned another. He sent other servants and they did likewise unto them. And finally he said, I will send my Son, and surely they will reverence my Son. Mark's account says, he had a beloved Son, and God sent him. And, of course, that Son is Christ. Jesus came to be a sin offering for man, and he knew exactly what was going to happen to him, that those wicked men, before the week was over, would condemn him to death. He set him forth what they would do by quoting from Psalms 118: 22-23 about that Christ would be the rejected stone. They are going to reject him, but he is still going to be made the head of the corner. And he says to them, "Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Of course, that would be the Gentile people. Although many thousands obeyed the gospel during the early days of the church (Acts 2:41, 2:47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1, 6:7), the Jewish people as a people rejected the way of salvation through Christ. And so the kingdom would in process of time be taken away from them and given to the Gentile people. Please remember that the new Israel of God is made up of both Jews and Gentiles who obey Christ (Isaiah 11:5, 11:10, 42:1-7, 49:1-6, 49:19-21; Romans 2:28-29; Philippians 3:4).

Notice that they recognized that he was talking about them. Verse forty‑five, "And when the chief priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they perceived that he spake of them." Well, if they had been humble men, they would have been humbled by the parable of the two sons, and this parable of the wicked husbandmen, and they would have turned from being wicked husbandmen and would have obeyed the Lord. But instead they sought to lay hold on him, but they were afraid to do so, because the people had great regard for him.

I believe we said we would turn to Isaiah chapter five and read about God's vineyard as set forth there. Isaiah chapter five beginning with verse one. It reads, "Let me sing of my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And he digged it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein: And he looked that he should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up: I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: It shall not be pruned, nor holed; and there shall come up briars and thorns: And I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. And he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there is no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land! In mine ears saith Jehovah of hosts, of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the homer of seed shall yield but an ephah. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry into the night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the lute, and the tabret, and the pipe, and the wine, are in their feasts: But they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither have they considered the operation of his hands. Therefore my people are gone into captivity, for lack of knowledge: And their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst." So you see what God has to say about his vineyard there in Isaiah 5:1-13.

Matthew Chapter 22

This chapter makes the third parable that Jesus gave to these chief priests and elders that came to him in the temple and wanted to know why he was doing the things that he was doing in the temple and by what authority doest thou these things and who gave thee this authority, as given in Matthew 21:23-32. Of course, Jesus cleansed the temple again on that occasion, much like he did the first time, as we've read about from the gospel of John. He cleansed the temple twice, once during the early part of his ministry, and then again in that last week of his ministry, he cleansed the temple again. We are ready to read this third parable he gave them. So we have the parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked husbandmen, and now the parable about marriage feast that the king made for his son. "And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them." See, he is talking to the chief priests and the Pharisees, the chief priests and the elders. Going back to verse forty‑five, when the chief priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they perceived that he spake of them. So he is still speaking to them. "Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son. And sent forth his servants to call them that are bidden to the marriage feast. And they would not come. And again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I made ready my dinner: My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: Come to the marriage feast. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise: And the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. But the king was wroth, and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the plains of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. And those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: And the wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not owned a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk."

I believe we will stop and discuss now the parable of the marriage feast and the slighted invitation. The king in the parable would be God, and the marriage feast for his Son would be that way of salvation given through Christ. Remember the church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:22-32). The king sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden, and the Jewish people were the first ones that were bidden. It is usually reckoned that it was about seven years after the gospel was preached to the Jewish people on Pentecost before it was carried formally to the Gentile people at the household of Cornelius. Announcement about the marriage and how the feast was made, and when the date was come he sends forth other servants to tell them everything is ready. I have made ready my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed and all things are ready, come to the marriage feast, but they made light of it. And surely these men were making light of the teachings of Christ and the way of salvation through Christ. They are determined that they are going to kill the Son and take over the vineyard. They had a lucrative money‑making business with the way they were doing things in the temple, and they wanted to hold on to their gravy train! Verse five, "They made light of it, and one went to his own farm, and another to his merchandise." And when you consider the economy of that day, that would pretty well get everybody. Basically, the society was an agrarian economy with a few people involved in merchandise, making shoes or other things that people needed. Those two occupation would get most of the society of that day, saying one went to his own farm and another to his merchandise. "And the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully and killed them." They probably had a part in getting John the Baptist put to death, they are going to condemn Christ to death before the week is over. Jesus had already told his disciples that the chief priests would condemn him and deliver him to the Gentiles to be killed and how that the Gentiles would mock him and scourge him (Matthew 20:17-19).

Matthew 22:7, "But the king was wroth: And he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers and burned their city." Would not verse seven refer to the Roman armies destroying Jerusalem in A.D. 70 Jesus plainly taught in Matthew 24:1-21 and Mark 13:1-2, and Luke 21:5-6 that not one stone of the temple would be left upon another. The Lord was concerned about having guests at the wedding feast. In Revelation 19:9-10, 21:1-4, eternal judgment is spoken of as a wedding feast. "Then saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the partings of the highways, and as many as ye find, bid to the marriage feast." Do you think that would represent the gospel going to the Gentiles and how that a lot of the Gentiles would receive the invitation! It has been that way for nearly twenty centuries. Those that are going out to invite would be those teachers and preachers of the gospel. Remember when Saul led that persecution against the church as given in Acts eight, they went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:3-4). It was not very long after the persecution led by Saul until the gospel was carried to the Gentile people. The book of Acts shows that after Saul’s or Paul’s conversion that the unbelieving Jews, persecuted Paul from city to city on that first journey and on that second journey.

It surely must have been real good news to Paul when the Lord appeared to him in Corinth in a vision and told him not to be afraid, that no man is going to set on thee to harm thee, for I have much people in this city (Acts 18:9-11). He had been driven out of one city after another on that first and second journey. So that must have been real good news to him. Verse ten, "Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: And the wedding was filled with guests." And you remember the parable of the net, catching good and bad fish, and the angels then separating the bad from the good in the day of judgment. So the wedding is filled with guests. "But when the king came in to behold the guests." And that surely will come at the time of judgment. "He saw that there was a man who had not on a wedding garment." And what would that mean, if a person does not have on a wedding garment? STUDENT: He didn't follow the way of righteousness.

BROTHER TURNER: Correct. He did not follow in the way of righteousness. The garment is spoken of in several references as righteous living. For instance, in the first part of chapter three of the Revelation, the church at Sardis as a whole was a dead church. The Lord said of that church, Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead. But he goes ahead to say in verse four, "Thou hast a few names in Sardis that did defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: For they are worthy." White, of course, would represent the way of righteousness and purity. And so there were present in that church, in that dead church, the church as a whole was dead, but there were those that were faithful that had not defiled their garments. They had on garments of righteousness. And then in the latter part of chapter three, to that church at Laodicea, those that thought that they were rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing. Let us read Revelation 3:18, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eye salve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see." In the Revelation, there are seven beatitudes. And the third beatitude in the Revelation is given in chapter sixteen and verse fifteen, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." For a man to walk naked would be not to have on ‑‑ as stated here in the parable, not have on a wedding garment, not have on a garment of righteousness, So the king goes in to see those at the wedding feast, and he finds one that did not have on a wedding garment. In verse twelve he saith unto him, "Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless." What would that mean, he was speechless?

STUDENT: There's no excuse.

BROTHER TURNER: Right. He had no excuse, and I wonder if that does not mean that in the day of judgment, that every man who has turned his nose up at the way of the Lord, that every one of those individuals will be speechless when they hear their doom.

STUDENT: I can certainly believe that.

BROTHER TURNER: Do you remember in Romans in the fourteenth chapter where it talks about every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. We will all stand before God, and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. That will be the state of those who reject the Lord, that they will be speechless, that they will have to recognize that they just deliberately did wrong themselves, and there will be no way they can blame it on somebody else, because they had an opportunity like other men had. "Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." What would the outer darkness and the weeping and the gnashing of teeth represent?

STUDENT: It would represent that second separation from God.

BROTHER TURNER: All right. That terrible place called hell. It is talking about final judgment, and, again, emphasizing the fact that there will be the good and the bad present. There will be some even in the church that had the appearance of being righteous, but the final analysis, they did not have on a wedding garment.

Matthew 22:15, "Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk." I would like to see if I can find Luke's on this. Luke gives it a little different way. Turn to Luke twenty and let us read verse beginning with verse nineteen. "And the scribes of the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour." That very hour that he concluded the parable. "And they feared the people: For they perceived that he spake this parable against them." Now, Luke gives that statement at the end of the parable of the wicked husbandmen, but here he is speaking of the things that we are ready to read from Matthew 22:20. "And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who feigned themselves to be righteous." Matthew does not say that. "That they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor." I guess that the Herodians were reasoning why Jesus would say that you are supposed to give all your allegiance to God, and you are not required by God to pay taxes to this sinful government. To say the least of it, some way or other they thought they would find an authority to have a legal case against him according to that reading. Is that not right? "Who feigned themselves to be righteous that they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor." And if they were delivering him up to the governor, they are supposed to have legal charges against him.

Matthew 22:16, "And they asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and accepteth not the person of any, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" They thought that either way that he answered that question, they would have him in big trouble! "But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Show me the denarious. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render unto them the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people, and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace. We will read Matthew's now, but Luke helps to give a real understanding of it. So back to 22:15 in Matthew, "Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk. And they sent to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying." Is it not strange how people can come together when they have a common enemy? They ordinarily would be enemies.

STUDENT: Right.

BROTHER TURNER: But they come together because they have one that they count as an enemy, both parties. "And they sent to him their disciples with the Herodians." The Herodians would uphold for Caesar's household or for the government, the authority of the Roman government, that the people ‑‑ the Jewish people despised to be under. "Saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth." Do you see what hypocrites they are, they feigned to be righteous. "And carest not for any one: For thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said." And you join the two accounts together, and you can see their wicked motives, and Jesus knew their wicked motives. "Why make ye trial of me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a denarious. And he saith unto them, whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's'; and unto God the things that are God's. And when they heard it they marveled, and left him, and went their way."

Now, in regard to his answer, render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's, the civil government has a right to tax the people, right? STUDENT: Yes, sir. BROTHER TURNER: And we are to pay our taxes whether we think they are fair or not. Now, in our system of government, we can take steps to try to get those tax laws changed, and you know how that certain income groups have been having to work four months just to pay federal taxes, and that is a shame! Of course, some changes have been made now for the better, but whether we think it's fair or not, the only proper thing for a Christian to do is to pay his taxes, for that belongs to Caesar. But if a government makes any law that is contrary to God's law, then God's law is to be supreme. The God fearing people in America ought not to have ever stopped praying in our schools. There would not have been a thing that the federal court system could have done about it, if they had had enough faith to continue on as usual, to read the Bible, and have prayer in our schools, but so many are ready to use any little excuse to not do such things. Some of course, do not want such things done, and according to the way some reason, is that, “we are just not supposed to” – We are supposed to turn away from the Christian religion, because we have some people in our society today that do not have any regard the Christian religion. Please remember this country was founded primarily on the basis of people searching for religious freedom. There is no separation of church and state in the Constitution as declared by a number of Federal Court Decisions.

The first part of the first amendment to the Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The first part of this clause meant that the government could not establish a state religion like they had in some of the states during the Colonial Period. In some of the states there were established religions like the Anglican Church or the Dutch Reform Church, and the people by law were taxed for the support of these churches whether they were members of those churches or not. Federal Courts have made a number of decisions in violation of the second part of the clause, or “prohibiting the free exercise.” Decisions that band prayers, and the reading of the scriptures in our schools are in violation of this clause. Congress and the Supreme Court still begin sessions with prayer, but counted unconstitutional for prayer in public schools! Some even want to take off of our currency, “In God We Trust!” I reckon they would substitute, “In The Devil We Trust”! Church going people should have never let such encroachments on the freedom of religion clause. Where do you stand?

Matthew 22:23, On that day came to him Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him saying, Teacher, Moses said, If a man died, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto his brother. Now, the law did provide, that is Deuteronomy 25:5, if a man died not having a child, the next brother was to take him and raise up seed, and that first son then would be counted as the deceased brother's son. One of the reasons for that was that the , land of Canaan was divided up to the tribes (Joshua 11:23, 13:32-14:5, 21:43-45) and it was not sold in perpetuity (Leviticus 25:23-28), therefore it was passed down from one generation to another (Numbers 36:1-11). So that would also have to do with a man having a son, so that the land would pass down.

We are ready to read from Deuteronomy 25:5. "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married without unto a stranger: Her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not be blotted out of Israel." Under the Old Testament system, the land was divided up to the twelve tribes, and the land was not sold in perpetuity, and it was to go from one generation to the other. And so this would also, I think, have to do with that. And so if a man died without having a firstborn, then his brother was to marry. "And if a man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders and say, my husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel. And he will not perform the duty of the husband's brother unto me. Then the elders of the city shall call him and speak unto him: And if he stand, and say, I like not to take her; then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house. And his name shall be called in Israel. The house of him that hath his shoe loosed." Do you remember from the book of Ruth about Boaz, about Naomi thinking that Boaz was first of kin, and he was not first of kin, but he went and settled it that day. He told the first of kin about how that the land would be his first. And if I am remembering correctly, he wanted it until he learned that a wife would be involved, then he did not want it. So he pulled off his shoe, did not he? And so you see that was according to the law.

The Sadducees thought that their story would show that there would be no resurrection, If it was any possibility of that being true, as one writer said, that seventh one sure was a bold man to marry a woman that had outlived six husbands already. For seven brothers would be fighting over the same woman. Do you think that there is any possibility of their story being true? As on writer said, “That seventh one sure was a bold man to marry a woman that had out lived six husbands already.” I believe he would be wondering why all those other husbands were dead!

STUDENT: That child had to be the son of the one that's involved.

BROTHER TURNER: I think that is the case.

STUDENT: The King James version says no child.

BROTHER TURNER: But we have about the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 36:1-11, and they were commanded to marry within the tribe. They did not have any brothers. Well, I think they are coming with a lie, the very idea of a woman marrying seven brothers, outliving seven brothers, and they come with that question, trying to prove another lie, that there would be no resurrection of the dead. It looks like to me they come with one lie trying to prove another lie. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or angels nor spirits. Do you remember – how that Paul before the Jewish counsel, as given in Acts twenty‑three, that he divided the counsel by saying, touching the hope of the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question, and Roman soldiers were sent to take Paul away from them for his life was in danger by the Sadducees.

And after them all the woman died: In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her?" So they just thought they had a question to show the impossibility of a resurrection, seven brothers fighting over one wife. In the resurrection, therefore whose wife shall she be for they all had her. Please turn to Exodus chapter three, and we will get the context of this passage, where the Lord referred to himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. When Moses was forty years of age, he had taken it upon himself to try to lead the people of Israel, and they rejected him, and he was not well‑prepared to lead them at that time Acts 7:27-34. He had been in the land of Midian for forty more years, getting wilderness training that he needed, and he led the flocks of his father-in-law to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb. And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: He looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said to him, Moses, Moses. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground (Ezodus 3:3-5).. And remember in Joshua5:13-15, the man that had his sword drawn and Joshua went to him and wanted to know whether he was for them or against them, andnd Joshua was told the same thing. So that person must be Christ on both occasions. "And he said, draw not nigh hither: Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God." And I believe that tells us that Christ was back there, and remember I Corinthians 10:4, they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. "And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the land into a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey." And then Moses begins to give every excuse he can think of as to why he is not the man that God should be calling on to lead his people out of Egyptian bondage.

Let us take time to look at the parallels in Mark and Luke about the Sadducees. Turn to Mark chapter twelve beginning with verse eighteen. "And there come unto him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were seven brethren: And the first took a wife, and died and left no seed. And the second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind him: And the third likewise. And the seven left no seed. In the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of them? For the seven had her to wife. And Jesus said unto them, Is it not for this cause that ye err, that ye not the scriptures, nor the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as angels in heaven. But as touching the dead, that they are raised: Have ye not read in the book of Moses, in the place concerning the bush." And so Mark gives a little more instruction there. How God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, so Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are living. God is not the God of the dead but of the living.

Now, turn to Luke twenty, and we will read Luke's account beginning with verse twenty‑seven. 20:27, "And there came unto him certain of the Sadducees, they that say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, Saying, Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, having a wife, and he be childless." And so it does not say male. Each one says childless. "His brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: And the first took a wife, and died childless. And the second and the third took her. Likewise the seven also left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died." She had outlived, according to them, seven brothers! "In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she be? For the seven had her to wife. Jesus said unto them, The sons of this world, marry and are given in marriage: But they that are accounted worthy to obtain to that world." That heavenly world. "And the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: For they are equal unto the angels." So Luke says equal unto the angels. For one thing they are eternal beings. "For neither can they die any more: For they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed in the place concerning the bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Now, he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. "For all live unto him. And certain of the scribes answered and said, Teacher, thou hast well said. For that they durst not any more ask him any questions."

Back to Matthew, and picking up with Matthew 22:34, "But the Pharisees when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together. And one of them, the lawyer, asked him a question, trying him, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" I believe I read that the Pharisees had come with six hundred different commands that were great commandments. If that be the case, you are asking a great question, and I guess again they thought that either way Jesus would answer the question, they would be read to say, there is not just one great commandment. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law and he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like unto it, is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law hangeth and the prophets." In Romans the thirteenth chapter, the writer ssys that love is the fulfillment of the law of Christ, and so it holds also unto the law of Christ, that the two great commandments are to love the Lord with all of your being and to love your neighbor as thyself. Everything else is to fall in proper place if we live to the standards of those two. "On these two commandments the whole law hangeth and the prophets." Now, Luke gives the detail on that. I am not sure I can find it. But he gives a detail that Matthew does not give, that when Jesus the lawyer answered that ‑‑ Well, it does not give what the lawyer answered, does it?

Let me see if I can find Luke. I think I know that I read the parallel in Luke. STUDENT: Would it be Luke 10:25?

BROTHER TURNER: I do not think it would be that far back, but check it.

STUDENT: "Yet certain lawyers stood up and tempted him."

STUDENT: No, that is different. He is asking him how can he inherit eternal life.

STUDENT: Luke 10:25, "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" No, I do not think this is a parallel. I think I am thinking right. I may have Luke and Mark mixed up where that the lawyer on this occasion, commended Jesus for his answer. And one of them says that Jesus saw that he answered discreetly and said, thou art not far from the kingdom of God. Maybe I will remember and find that and read it next time rather than take time now. But, anyway, there is a parallel to this, that a lawyer approved of what Jesus said, that those two were the greatest. And when Jesus saw that, he answered discreetly. Jesus said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. STUDENT: There's one in Mark, Mark chapter twelve.

BROTHER TURNER: I may have the two mixed up.

STUDENT: Mark 12:28.

BROTHER TURNER: Let us read it. Mark 12:28 beginning, "And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Of the truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one; and there is none other but he. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more important than whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." So this lawyer has considerable understanding, that this is more important, the animal sacrifices were necessary, but you are saying that this is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. "And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly." So I had Mark and Luke mixed up. "He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question."

Back to Matthew twenty‑two and verse forty‑one. "Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. Saying, What think ye of the Christ? Whose son is he? They said unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in the spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies underneath thy feet? If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." Notice that the quotation is from Psalms 110 and verse one. And that is an important reference about Christ, that he is to sit at the right hand of God, until all enemies are put under his feet. And it is quoted in Hebrews 1:13, "Which of the angels said he at any time, Sit thy on my right hand, until I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?" And then verse fourteen, "Are not angels ministering spirits, sent forth to them to do service for them that shall receive salvation?" That separates men from angels too.

STUDENT: Yes, it does.

BROTHER TURNER: Okay. They were willing to admit that he was a fleshly descendant of David, but they maybe did not recognize that he was also God in the flesh. And the reference, the Lord said unto my Lord, the first Lord would be God, his Father, said unto David's Lord, Christ, sit down on my right hand, until I put thine enemies underneath thy feet. So you see the question of Jesus, how then doth David in the spirit call him Lord. Please remember that Jesus’ earthly ministry is quickly coming to a close.

Chapter Twenty-three

In this chapter Jesus pronounced woes on the scribes and the Pharisees, and there is no group of people that the Lord pointed out more directly their sins than the scribes and the Pharisees and the chief priests and the elders. "Then saith Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: All things therefore, whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe." In other words, they tell you to obey the commandments of God, and then you observe them and do them. "But do not ye after their works: For they say, and do not." Do we have any in the church today that fit in that category of saying and not doing? Those people are usually ready to put heavy burdens on other people. "Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their fingers." You know there are some few in the church today that seem to want to be in a place of great authority, and they can figure out what everybody else is supposed to do and be doing, but sometimes they are not doing anything themselves.

STUDENT: That parallels with Romans, doesn't it? I have forgotten what chapter that was. BROTHER TURNER: Are you thinking about Romans chapter two where, “not the hearers of the law shall be justified before God, but the doers of the law. "Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on men's shoulder; but they themselves will not move them with their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen of men." And there is still some of that done. "For they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and they love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi." They really want to be recognized as great leaders, and we can have that kind of spirit among us today. Sometimes brethren want to be recognized on the basis of the degrees that they have, and some think that they stand just a little higher because of all the degrees that they have. According to this reference, that should not be the case! "But be not called Rabbi: For one is your Teacher, and all ye are brethren." So to look upon one another in that equal category. "Call no man your father on earth." Of course, that does not mean your real biological father, but it is talking about in a spiritual sense, do not call anyone your father. And think how that when the Pope when he comes to the United States, some of the news people will refer to him as the holy father. How ridiculous! "And call no man your father on earth: For one is your Father, even he who is in heaven. Neither be called ye masters: For one is your Master, even the Christ."

So this last statement is saying that Jesus is the Master of all Christians. "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." So Jesus has taught this over and over again that the one greatest in the kingdom of God is the one that serves God and other people.. Going back to Matthew twenty, remember the references. "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted." That reminds me of the words of the apostle Peter in I Peter five, I think beginning with verse five, where Peter says, yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility to serve one another, for God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble. Humble yourselves therefore unto the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all of your care upon him, for he careth for you." And so Peter, I guess, had heard the Lord emphasize many times that whosoever exalteth himself shall be humbled, and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. So, again, gird yourselves with humility to serve one another, and he might have been remembering what Jesus did as recorded in John thirteen as when Jesus took the towel after the supper and girded himself and washed the disciples feet.

Matthew 23:13, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: For ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to enter." They did everything that they could do to hinder the work of Christ, and to prevent people from entering into the kingdom of God. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites! For ye encompass sea and land, to make one proselyte, and when he has become so you make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves." So when they proselyte they surely went absolutely contrary to the way of God in their proselyting. "Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, is a debtor!" You remember that even Solomon's temple was decked out with a lot of gold. The timbers were overlaid with gold in the holy place and the most holy place of the temple (I Kings 6:20-30). Then, of course, the temple that King Herod had built had a lot of gold in it. So according to their traditions it was not wrong to swear by the temple, but it was wrong to swear by the gold of the temple. "Ye fools and blind: For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar." That would be the altar of burnt offering. "It is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it." The animal on the altar. "Is a debtor." So by their traditions it was not wrong to swear by the altar of burnt offerings, but it was wrong to swear by the bullocks or whatever was on that altar. "Ye blind, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?" They were making the animals on the altar greater than the altar of burnt offerings that God had ordained where men could make atonement for their sins (Deuteronomy 12:10-13; Leviticus 1:1-9, 4:1-10, 4:22-26).. In their sight, the altar did not matter, it was the animal on the altar. "He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein." God promised Solomon that in a sense his presence would beat the temple (I Kings 9:1-3).. "And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Matthew 23:23, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith: These ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone." Of course, the law plainly said that they were to give a tenth of everything Leviticus 27:30-33, but these would be little seasoning vegetables. They would not make a meal, but used to season the meal. They were very careful to give a tenth of those little seasoning vegetables, but Jesus said, you have overlooked those things that are more important. You leave undone the weighter matters of law, justice and mercy and faith, but he did not excuse them from those little things. He said, "But these ought ye have done and not left the other undone." But it does teach that some things are more important than others, right?

STUDENT: True.

BROTHER TURNER: That justice and mercy and faith are more important than the tithing of those little things, but tithing is still important. It was a violation of the law if they didn't give a tenth of everything. "Ye blind guides, that strain out a gnat, and swallow the camel." That is like Matthew chapter seven that a man having log in his own eye and wants to pick out ‑‑ according to the reading in one version, pick out a speck of sawdust in his brother's eye. And here he is a blind guide who wants to strain out the gnat and swallow the camel.

Matthew 23:25, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites! For ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess." And I guess they had some kind of ceremony of making sure the outside of the cups and the platters were clean. They went through the ceremony of cleansing them, but they did not give as much attention to the inside of the cup and platter. Suppose a man just cleansed his coffee cup every few days on the outside and never did clean it on the inside.

STUDENT: He might come up with a stomach virus.

BROTHER TURNER: Verse twenty‑six, "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outward appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." One of the parallels reads how they would devour widows households and then make pretense of their righteousness by praying. And so surely they were inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the sepulchers of the prophets and garnish the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should have not been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets." So one generation would look on those former generations that had put to death God’s prophets, and say if we had been back there, we would not have done it. "Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are the sons of them that slew the prophets." "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers." I wonder if verse thirty‑two does not mean, you just go ahead and do what you have decided to do. They had decided they were going to kill Jesus, so just go ahead now and fill ye up the measure of your fathers. "Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?" And when he refers to them as serpents, do you not think that would amount to being the sons of the devil? In the Revelation, one way that Satan is described is that old serpent (Revelation 12:9). "Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell? Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: And some of them shall ye kill." Think of their killing of Stephen as recorded in Acts seven, and of the apostle James in acts twelve, and they must have killed many others that God sent to them. "Some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city." And they surely persecuted Paul from city to city. Do you remember how that they were making great headway at Iconium when the Jews came over from Antioch of Pisidia and stirred up trouble against them. That pattern just pretty well always followed, that the Jews as they moved from city to city, they would stir up trouble against them. They were making good headway at Lystra when unbelieving Jews from Antioch and Iconium came and stirred up trouble against him there, and they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city for dead (Acts 14:19).. So they persecuted Paul from city to city.

Matthew 23:35"That upon you may come all the righteous bloodshed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." Notice that Stephen concluded his speech to the Sanhedrin in a very similar way. Acts chapter seven verse fifty‑one, "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they kill them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become the betrayers and murderers. Now ye who have received the law as was ordained by angels and kept it not." Then they killed Stephen. When people just have outward form, and want popularity, and want to be chief in everything, the Lord's wrath is against such a people. They are hypocrites before him! Verse thirty‑seven, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wrings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." It is talking about the temple. The Lord no longer is in that temple. It is left desolate. "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Think of the simplicity of the teaching of Jesus. The people of that day had a farming economy. Probably about every household would have a few chickens. I can remember the day when nearly every household in the country and some in cities had a few chickens. Surely the Jews knew how that a hen would gather her chickens under her wings, and how the mother hen would be clucking for the chicks to come get under her wing, and the chicks would go running to get under the wing of the mother hen. Let us see, I think it is Luke. I may be mixed up again. But I think it is Luke that gives a little more detail about this.

STUDENT: Luke 13:34 BROTHER TURNER: You said Luke thirteen?

STUDENT: Yes. BROTHER TURNER: And what verse?

STUDENT: Thirty‑four. BROTHER TURNER: Reading from Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her; how often would I gather thy children together, even as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! And I say unto you Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." That does look like it is a parallel, but I am wanting the passage that says that he wept over Jerusalem, but let us try to find that one and read it in our next class period.

Now, we come to Matthew chapter twenty‑four. I have handed out those papers, and I would like for you to read them, because I went into some more details when I taught the second lesson in the study of I Thessalonians, but I would like for you to look and notice that Jesus answered those three questions in order. "And Jesus went out from the temple: And was going on his way, and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple." Now, Herod had started a rebuilding program, and I believe it said it had taken forty‑six years. Well, that is recorded in the scriptures when Jesus said destroy this temple, talking about his body, and they said, forty‑six years the temple had been in the building and he will restore it one day. Verse two, "But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." The temple of Herod covered a number of acres and many buildings in that big plot of land, and some of the finest buildings of the day. It was very naturally, that the disciples marveled at the building, and they were showing him the stones of the temple, showing him the building of the temple. But he said the day is coming when there will not be one stone left upon another, that shall not be thrown down. "And he sat upon the mount of Olives. The disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Now, I would guess that the disciples expected all three of those to take place at one time. But the first question would be, when will Jerusalem be destroyed? The second one will be, what will be the sign of the coming of Christ? And the third one, and of the end of the world? But even though they may have expected all three of those things to be fulfilled at the same time, Jesus knew to the contrary, and he answered all three questions in order as given here in Matthew chapter twenty‑four. And so we will begin with that in our next part of this Class Session. (A brief recess was taken.)

We are ready to start reading again from Matthew chapter twenty‑four. The disciples asked Jesus three questions as given here by Matthew. And Jesus answered the questions in the order that the disciples asked them. Matthew 24:4, "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray." So beginning with verses five through fourteen, he is talking about things that would transpire before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies in 70 A.D. "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and shall leave many astray. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: See that ye be not troubled: For these things must needs come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And there shall be famines, and earthquakes, in divers places." Some of the premillennialist are ready to use this passage as though it is talking about before the coming of Christ in the second advent. "But all these things are the beginning of travail. Then shall they deliver ye up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: And ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake." So the Christians would be hated of all nations before the destruction of Jerusalem. "And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and should lead many astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come."

He is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem as shown very definitely then by verses fifteen through twenty‑two. "When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (let him that readeth, understand:) Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains." You see this is not eternal judgment. This is the destruction of Jerusalem. Both Matthew and Mark say, “when you see the abomination of desolation, which is spoken of through Daniel the prophet, but Luke says, “when you see Jerusalem encompassed with armies.” So it is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem. And when that time comes, then let them that are in Judaea flee into the mountains. "Let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house." Why? He needs to flee, to escape to the mountains because Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. "And let him that is in the field not return back to take his clothes. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" It would be hard for them to flee, especially with that small baby that is still sucking. "And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath." In the winter, it would be more difficult to flee from Jerusalem or Judaea, and the Jews thought that they were not to travel but a short distance on the Sabath. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be. And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved." Talking about the people, especially inside the city of Jerusalem. "But for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or here; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray if possible, even the elect." The elect would be the Christian people.

Matthew 24:25, "Behold, I told you beforehand." And so there would be false Christ that would rise up before the destruction of Jerusalem and after the destruction of Jerusalem. "Behold I told you beforehand, if therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man." A footnote in my American Standard Version of 1901 for “coming” says that the Greek word means presence, therefore it applies to the second advent of Christ. Revelation 1:7, "Every eye shall see him. And they that pierced him shall see him." Verse 28, "And wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

Now, beginning with verse twenty‑nine through thirty‑five. Some of our very best preachers are giving what I think is absolutely a wrong interpretation of these verses. They give it a figurative and symbolic interpretation, and I never have read or heard any of them speaking where they would deal with all three of the parallels. I go into some details in the paper that I handed out, and I hope you will give careful attention. I do not think this passage is to have a symbolic or figurative interpretation. It is talking about the second advent of Christ, the signs that would accompany his coming, but with those signs there is not time for people who are not prepared to meet him to change, but the signs will accompany his coming. "But immediately after the tribulation of those days." In the article that I handed out, I call attention to Adam Clark’s comments about the word immediately. He said that this passage was commonly thought of as being the second advent of Christ. And I quote him on page two, “commentators generally understand this and what follows of the end of the world, Christ' coming judgment. But the word immediately shows that our Lord is not speaking of any distant event but of something evenly consequent on calamities already predicted and that must be the destruction of Jerusalem.” And he quotes from Lightfoot, “the Jewish heaven shall perish and the sun and the moon and its glory shall be darkened and brought to nothing.” And compares it to Isaiah 13:10 and Ezekiel 32:7‑8. And these are the same Old Testament references that some of our brethren use to try to get a figurative and symbolic interpretation.

Now, when you read Isaiah thirteen, it is evident that Isaiah was not talking about end of time judgment, but in time judgment on the nation of Babylon. There is no question about it, but why does he use such language? The answer is given by Jude when he says that God's destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire is a type of eternal judgment. In other words, the language used is figurative language that would apply to eternal judgment. And notice the reading on page two, the last paragraph, these are the same references that are being used by some brethren as a basis for making Matthew 24:29-35 figurative. When you read all of Isaiah thirteen, it is very evident that Isaiah is using figurative language to describe God's in time rather than end of time judgment on the nation of Babylon because of her terrible wickedness. Why the use of such figurative language? The answer is that all such drastic in time judgments on nations like Babylon and Egypt are a type of eternal judgment when it will be literal. Verse seven of Jude reads, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, having given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire." Is Jude not saying that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a type of eternal judgment?

Adam Clark also found trouble with the word immediately and our brethren find trouble with immediately, these brethren that I am talking about. Now they are some of the most sincere and best brothers and best recognized as very outstanding preachers in our brotherhood, but I sincerely think their interpretation is wrong! I wish I had brought some paperclips where you could put one at Matthew twenty‑four and then Mark thirteen, and then a paperclip between Mark's and Luke's that is in chapter twenty‑one. Brother Lawrence Barclay gave me an article that he has written, in which he emphasizes from the Greek some of the meanings in respect to the word immediately as used in Matthew, that it is used as a word of transition. But if you notice from Mark's account, instead of immediately he says “after that tribulation”. Now, you need to write down your parallels to Matthew twenty‑nine through thirty‑five. They are Mark thirteen beginning with twenty‑four through thirty‑two, and Luke's parallel begins with Luke twenty‑one verses twenty‑five through thirty‑three.

And so let us read those parallels together. But back to Matthew 24:29, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven." And some brethren would rather talk about the “sign of the Son of man in heaven” than the coming of the Son of man on the clouds of heaven. "And then shall all tribes of the earth mourn." Brother Foy Wallace Jr. many years ago led the fight against premillennialism, but he let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction. And on Revelation 1:7, he made the comment that all tribes of the earth are the Jewish people. Well, Jewish people surely do not fit all tribes of the earth. "Then shall all tribes of the earth mourn." Why? They would not be prepared for that second advent of Christ, and it is too late for them to do anything about it. In the destruction of Jerusalem, the desciples were told to flee. "And they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." One question that these brethren need to be asked, Did anyone see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D? There is no Bible account, and I do not know of any secular history account of anyone seeing Christ coming in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., “coming on the clouds of the heaven”. You remember Acts1:9-11, when Jesus ascended, he ascended in the clouds. and the men that stood by in white apparel said, “why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus whom ye saw ascend into heaven, shall so come back in like manner.” I have it mixed up a little bit, but, anyway, he ascended in a cloud, and he is coming back in a cloud. When Jesus was before the Sanhedrin Court that condemned him to death. Matthew 26:63, "But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said, nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, coming on the clouds of heaven." So Christ is going to come back on the clouds of heaven, as plainly taught in the scriptures.

Matthew 24:31 "And he shall send forth his angels with the great sound of atrumpet; and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other." One of our preachers in a lecture on the lecture program entitled, Premillennialism True or False, said concerning this verse, and I quote, “Angel means message or messenger, and it is our studied conviction that the reference is here made to those teachers and preachers of the gospel who would be involved in getting the whole gospel to the whole world.” Well, remember Matthew 24:14, the gospel would be preached in the whole world before the destruction of Jerusalem. And when Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians in about 62 or 63 A.D., he said that it had come to them that had come in “all the world bearing fruit and increasing,” Colossians 1:5‑6. In verse twenty‑three, he affirms that the gospel had been preached in “all creation unto heaven, where I Paul have made a minister.” But here he makes it the gospel being preached – “the whole gospel preached to the whole world.” And we have three references which say it had already been preached to the whole world. He further said that the fall of Jerusalem, and the Jewish nation would contribute mightily in the power and providence of God to spread the gospel of Christ. Where is the Bible reference that says that the word was preached faster after the destruction of Jerusalem than before the destruction of Jerusalem. He also said, “The great sound of the trumpet is the sound of the gospel of Christ, God's only saving power.”

Do you remember I Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the ark angel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” The two classes of people in those last few verses of chapter four of Thessalonians, are the righteous living and the righteous dead. I Corinthians 15:52 reads, "We shall all be changed in a moment and a twinkling of an eye, at he last trump, for the trumpet shall sound. And we shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." And you remember the parable of the tares that we have studied, and the angels make the separation of the net that brought in, the good and the bad, and here he is making men angels, and the great sound of the trumpet being the sound of the gospel. Well, I think it is dangerous because it is violating a basic rules of, interpretation of scripture. The scripture is supposed to be left to be literal, unless there is something in a passage that shows that it cannot be literal. There are a lot of references in the book of Isaiah, which shows very definitely that it is not literal but figurative language. Isaiah even has the trees clapping their hands and a number of other like things. Sometimes other references may show that a particular passage is figurative and symbolic rather than literal, but there is nothing in this passage that causes it to be figurative and symbolic, and when you read it and give it a literal interpretation, then there is harmony of the scriptures. Another basic rule of interpretation is that the Bible is its best interpreter. When any passage is interpreted properly it will be in harmony with all other passages. The figurative interpretation is out of harmony with many other passages. Our “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace”(I Corinthians 14:33).

"Now from the fig tree learned her parable, when her branches now become tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: Even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors." And that Christ is nigh. "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Now, our brethren also find trouble with this generation shall not pass away. They want to make it just an ordinary generation, but read my comments on that. Adam Clark even said in his comments that this generation means the Jewish people, that they would not pass away until all those things were fulfilled.

Beginning with verse thirty‑six, he details about the second advent or the end of the world. "But of that day, and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." I remember a great brother saying that Jesus did not know when he was coming, and how could he know the signs of his coming. Well, how did he know it would be like it was in the days of Noah? He knew it would be unexpected like it was in the days of Noah. Turn to Mark 13:24 which is almost like Matthew’s.

The parallels to Matthew24:29-35 are Mark 13:24-31 and Luke 21:25-33. "But in those days after that tribulation." Instead of saying immediately, Mark says after that tribulation. What would he be referring to as that tribulation?

STUDENT: It had to be the destruction of Jerusalem.

BROTHER TURNER: All right. That would be the destruction of Jerusalem, and it could mean immediately from the standpoint of those things that are most important in God's plan of things. And the second advent of Christ would be the most important thing after the destruction of Jerusalem. "But in those days after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light. And the stars shall be fallen from heaven and the powers that are in the heaven shall be shaken. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory." All three of the synoptic writers talk about Jesus coming in the clouds with great power and glory and that he sends forth his angels to make a separation. "And then shall he send forth the angels and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of the heaven. Now from the fig tree learn her parable; when her branch is now become tender and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away: But my words shall not pass away: But of that day And that begins the answer to the third question. and that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." And remember Acts 17:31 where Paul said to the Athenians that, “God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by the man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he has raised him from the dead.” So there is an appointed day, but only God knows that day.

Turn to Luke twenty‑one, and the parallel begins with verse twenty‑five. I would like to call attention to verse twenty. Luke interprets the abomination of desolation as spoken of by Daniel the prophet. "But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand. Let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains." Instead of saying the abomination of desolation as spoken of by Daniel the prophet, Luke says when you see Jerusalem compassed by armies. Of course, it was Roman armies that destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Picking up with verse twenty‑five, which is the parallel to Matthew twenty‑four beginning with verse twenty‑nine. "And there shall be the signs in sun, and moon, and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity; for the roaring of the sea and the billows. Men fainting for fear, of expectation of the things which are coming on the world: For the powers of the heaven shall be shaken." Would not the shaking of the powers of the heavens, the sun, the moon and the stars, cause the roaring of the sea and the billows. Do you know that earthquakes or volcanic eruptions can cause tidal waves and bring great destruction in many parts of the world? And surely the things of heaven being shaken would cause the roaring of the seas and the billows. "Men fainting for fear, for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: For the powers of heaven shall be shaken." And notice that Luke also says, and then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and great glory. See, the signs just accompany the second advent of Christ. They do not have time to make any changes. "Then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." You need to ask, these brethren with the figurative interpretation, a question on verse twenty‑eight. What redemption is he talking about? Is he talking about redemptions in fleeing from Jerusalem? Did not all those who had obeyed Christ receive redemption by the blood of Christ as taught in the scriptures of Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 and Hebrews 9:15. Surely all of those who had obeyed Christ had redemption in Christ already. So what would verse twenty‑eight be talking about?

STUDENT: Salvation from Jerusalem.

BROTHER TURNER: No, it would be eternal redemption. That would not be much redemption for a woman with a child fleeing from Jerusalem. How could that be rightly spoken of as “for your redemption draweth nigh?”

STUDENT: They would probably starve out in the wilderness.

BROTHER TURNER: But you see that would be eternal redemption. Is not that right? Would not that have to be eternal redemption?

STUDENT: I agree.

BROTHER TURNER: “Lift up your head because your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:29, "And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of yourselves that the summer is now nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh." And, again, that would be talking about the eternal kingdom. The Colossians had been “translated out of kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son (Colossians 1:13).” On that first Pentecost after the ascension of Christ, the kingdom of God was fully established. The apostle John, and all of the first century brethren were “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience (Revelation 1:9).”And so verse thirty‑one has got to refer to that eternal kingdom. "Know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh." So another question that those brethren need to be asked is, “Did they not have the kingdom until 70 A.D.?”

STUDENT: So it would be related to verse twenty‑eight?

BROTHER TURNER: It would be related to verse twenty‑eight, right. And your redemption draw nigh. And the eternal kingdom. "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away: But my words shall not pass away." And then he goes ahead to show that that time will take nearly all men as a snare. And he said, "But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with suffering, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare. For so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth." In other words, the world as a whole will not be prepared for the coming of Christ. "But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and stand before the Son of man." Is not that eternal judgment?

Let us turn back to Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son but the Father only." And some of the premillennial writers will talk about that this is happening and this is happening which indicate that he will come soon, but the Bible says that no one knows when Christ shall come, and that the angels do not know, and that Christ does not know; that the Father only knows of that day and hour. We can be sure that he will not come as long as these preachers are saying that he is coming soon because I Thessalonians 5:3 says, “When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” Verse 37,. "And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall it be the coming of the Son of man." Again my Bible has a footnote which says that the Greek word means presence. So like the people in the days of Noah, were not prepared for that flood that took them away, the people of the earth will not be prepared for that day, for the coming of the Son of man, and there will be a separation. "And then shall two be in the field; one is taken, and one is left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. Watch therefore: For ye know not what day your Lord cometh."

Surely it is talking about the second advent of Christ. Those people who are going to have Christ to reign on earth try to get two physical bodily resurrections, and so this will be that time when, according to them, the righteous would be raptured up and the wicked left. They also try to make two bodily resurrections out of I Thessalonians 4:16 and Revelation 20:5-6. Please read the outline, Two Great Resurrections. "But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would have not suffered his house to be broken through. Therefore be ye also ready: For in the hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh." And remember in I Thessalonians chapter five, Paul talks about how that the unrighteous will not be expecting his coming, that he will come as a thief in the night. When they are saying “peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them.” So as long as we have men setting a time when Christ is coming, he will not come then. Because when he does come, the devil’s camp will be saying peace and safety. "Therefore be ye also ready." A child of God should be ready at all times to meet the Lord, right?

STUDENT: That's it.

BROTHER TURNER: And none of us know when that last day for us is coming. Any of us can be in a tragic accident, and that would be the hour when in one sense it would be our last hour. "Therefore be ye also ready: For the hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh." At least a man's eternal judgment would be decided. If he was in a tragic accident, if he is prepared, he is prepared. If he is not prepared, he is not prepared.

Matthew 24:45, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall set him over all that he has. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord tarrieth. And shall begin to beat his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." Every time we read that, it is talking about eternal punishment.

Chapter Twenty-five

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten virgins." Now, they are virgins, and that speaks good of them, but the problem is that they have not made proper preparations for the coming of the Lord. "Who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish and five were wise." But remember all ten of them were virgins. "For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them." And that would represent that they had not made proper preparation for the coming of the bridegroom. And the bridegroom would be what person?

STUDENT: Christ

BROTHER TURNER: Yes, Christ is the bridegroom of the church (Ephesians 5:22-32). "But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." This Parable is based on a true‑to‑life story of that day of the bridegroom coming, and sometimes his coming was later than the guests expected.. "But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come; ye forth to meet him. Then all of those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Per adventure; there will not be enough for us and you." And surely no person will have any righteousness to spare, right (Ezekiel 14:13-20)? When we have done all that we are bidden us to do, we are still unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10).. "Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready Those that had extra oil. went in with him to the marriage feast. And the door was shut." So those who had made adequate preparation went into the marriage feast. "Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know ye not. Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour." So emphasizing again how we need to prepared at all times and we need to make proper preparation.

Matthew 25:14, "For it is when a man goeth into another country, and calleth his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one; each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey." Now, notice that the man going in the far country gave talents to his servants according to their ability to use. One man had enough ability to use five talents. Another one had ability to use two and another one had ability to use one. Now, the one‑talent man is not condemned because he had only one talent, but because he did not use that talent. "Straightway he that received the five talents, went and traded with them, and made other five talents." A talent was a sum of money, worth about a thousand dollars, but because of its use in this parable it has come to mean our abilities and our opportunities. And the Lord expects us to use what we have been given. "In like manner he also that received the two, gained other two. But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his Lord's money. Now after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoneth with them." To the five‑talent man, the Lord said you have done well, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things, and “I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Likewise the two talents, but that one‑talent man had a wrong attitude, and he hid hisLord’s money. I guess we can count verse fourteen as our beginning place for next time, Matthew twenty‑five and verse fourteen.