amazing facts bible questions

8/12/2019 Amazing Facts Bible Questions

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Matthew 3:10-12

And now also the axe 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. indeed ba!tise

you with water unto re!entance: but he that co"eth after "e is "ightier than ,

whose shoes a" not worthy to bear: he shall ba!tise you with the #oly $host, and

withfire: %hose fan isin his hand, and he will throughly !urge his floor, and gather

his wheat into the garner& but he will burn u! the chaff with un'uenchable fire.

In Jewish literature "fire" was a distinguishing feature of the final judgement. Fire

and water are two great natural purifying agencies, and it is appropriate that both shouldbe used to represent the regeneration of the heart. In a similar way, they are the two

agencies by means of which God has purified, or will purify, this earth from sin and

sinners (2 eter !#$%&. If men persistently cling to sin, they must e'entually beconsumed with it how much better it is to permit the )oly *pirit to carry forward the

purifying wor+ now, while probation still lingers - man will be either purged of sin or

purged along with it. aul said, "Fire shall try e'ery mans wor+" (/ 0or. !/!&.1he sense in which 0hrist was to baptise with fire is not certain. 1his statement

may ha'e pointed forward to entecost, when the disciples were baptised with the )oly

Ghost under the symbol of fire (-cts 2!, &. -gain, it may refer to the fires of the lastday, as may be implied by the parallel nature of 3att. !/2 (see on '. /2&. It may refer to

the grace of God purifying the soul. 4r, again, it may refer to the fiery trials that eter

spea+s of as testing the 0hristian (/ eter /2 cf. 5u+e /26, #7&. erhaps the words of

John the 8aptist include more than one aspect of the 8ible symbolism relating to fire.9hen John spo+e of "un:uenchable fire" he may ha'e had in mind the words of 3al. /,

concerning the day of the 5ord, "that shall burn as an o'en," when all the wic+ed will "be

stubble." 1he fire of that great day, 3alachi continues, would "burn them up" socompletely that "neither root nor branch" would remain (ch. / see also ch. !2, !&.

Far from con'eying the idea of a fire that burns eternally in which the wic+ed are

endlessly tormented, the *criptures emphasise the fact that the wic+ed are to be burnedup so completely that nothing will be left of them. 1he idea of an eternally burning hell

fire is foreign to the Inspired 9ord, as it is to the character of God. 1he *criptures stateconcerning *odom and Gomorrah that they are "set forth for an e;ample, suffering the

'engeance of eternal fire" (Jude % cf. 2 eter 2ebuchadne??ar too+ the city,

in #@< b.c. (Jer. #2/2, /! cf. >eh. /!&. Auite ob'iously the fire is not burning today. -schaff from a Judean threshing floor was utterly consumed, and nothing but ashes

remained, so the wic+ed will be burned with "un:uenchable fire" on the last great day

until nothing but their ashes remain (3al. !&. 1he wages of sin is death (Bom.


2/7

Matthew (:1)

*hin+ not that a" co"e to destroy the law, or the !ro!hets: a" not co"e to

destroy, but to fulfil.

In the *ermon on the 3ount the -uthor of the law made clear the true meaning ofits precepts, and the way in which its precepts, would find e;pression in the thin+ing and

li'ing of citi?ens of the +ingdom )e had come to establish. 1he great 5awgi'er )imself

now reaffirmed the pronouncements of *inai as binding upon those who would be )is

subjects, and announced that anyone who should presume to annul them either by preceptor by e;ample would "in no case enter into the +ingdom of hea'en" (3att. #27&.

1he assertion that by fulfilling the moral law 0hrist abrogated that law is not in harmony

with the conte;t of 0hrists statement. *uch an interpretation denies the meaning 0hristob'iously intended to con'ey, by ma+ing )im 'irtually say, contradictorily, that )e did

not come to "destroy" the law, but by fulfilling it to "abrogate" it 1he interpretation

ignores the strong antithesis in the word alla, "but," and ma+es the two ideas 'irtuallysynonymous 8y fulfilling the law 0hrist simply "filled" it "full" of meaningDby gi'ing

men an e;ample of perfect obedience to the will of God, in order that the same law

"might be fulfilled in us" (Bom. @!, & CC *e'enthCday -d'entist 8ible 0ommentary.

Matthew (:1

%hosoever therefore shall brea+ one of these least co""and"ents, and shall teach

"en so, he shall be called the least in the +ingdo" of heaven: but whosoever shall do

and teach them, the sa"e shall be called great in the +ingdo" of heaven.

8y using the wea+er form, "to loose", 0hrist may ha'e intended to show that e'en

a limited rela;ing of the commandments warrants the reputation of "least in the

+ingdom."1he scribes had meticulously arranged all the precepts of the law of God, the laws of

3oses, ci'il and ceremonial, and their own regulations in a scale of relati'e importance,on the presumption that when in conflict a re:uirement of lesser importance was nullified

by one of presumably greater importance. 8y means of this petty legalism it was possibleto de'ise means of circum'enting the plainest re:uirements of the law of God. For

illustrations of the application of this principle see 3att. 2!, /, /%$/6, 2!, 2 3ar+

%%$/! John %2!. It was considered a rabbinical prerogati'e to declare certain actions"permitted" or "forbidden." Jesus made it clear that, far from releasing men from the

precepts of the moral law, )e was e'en more strict than the official e;positors of the law,

the scribes and rabbis, for )e granted no e;ceptions at any time. -ll were e:ually andpermanently binding.

0ompare the e;ample of "Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin" (/

Eings //


3/7


4/7

Matthew (:1)

*hin+ not that a" co"e to destroy the law, or the !ro!hets: a" not co"e to

destroy, but to fulfill.

In the *ermon on the 3ount the -uthor of the law made clear the true meaning ofits precepts, and the way in which its precepts, would find e;pression in the thin+ing and

li'ing of citi?ens of the +ingdom )e had come to establish. 1he great 5awgi'er )imself

now reaffirmed the pronouncements of *inai as binding upon those who would be )is

subjects, and announced that anyone who should presume to annul them either by preceptor by e;ample would "in no case enter into the +ingdom of hea'en" (3att. #27&.

1he assertion that by fulfilling the moral law 0hrist abrogated that law is not in

harmony with the conte;t of 0hrists statement. *uch an interpretation denies themeaning 0hrist ob'iously intended to con'ey, by ma+ing )im 'irtually say,

contradictorily, that )e did not come to "destroy" the law, but by fulfilling it to

"abrogate" it 1he interpretation ignores the strong antithesis in the word , "but,"

and ma+es the two ideas 'irtually synonymous 8y fulfilling the law 0hrist simply

"filled" it "full" of meaningDby gi'ing men an e;ample of perfect obedience to the will

of God, in order that the same law "might be fulfilled in us" (Bom. @!, & CC *e'enthCday-d'entist 8ible 0ommentary.


5/7

Matthew 1/:1

And say also unto thee, *hat thou art eter, and u!on this roc+ will build "y

church& and the gates of hell shall not !revail against it.

1he father had re'ealed one truth ('. /%& Jesus now adds to it another. 1hese

words ha'e been 'ariously interpreted (/& that eter is this roc+,K (2& that eters faithin Jesus as the 0hrist is this roc+,K (!& that 0hrist )imself is this roc+.K ersuasi'e

reasons ha'e been set forth in fa'our of each of the three e;planations. 1he best way to

determine what 0hrist meant by these cryptic words is to in:uire of the *criptures

themsel'es what this figure of speech meant to Jewish listeners, particularly to those whoheard Jesus use it upon this occasion. 1he testimony of the writings of the disciples

themsel'es is ob'iously superior to what men ha'e since thought Jesus meant.

Fortunately, some of those who were eyewitnesses upon this occasion (see 2 eter //

/2&. 0losely associated with Jesus 0hrist as the chief corner stoneK in the foundationof the church are the apostles and prophetsK (ph. 227&. In the same sense that 0hrist is

the Boc+, a li'ing stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God,K all who belie'ein )im, as li'ely stones, are built up a spiritual houseK (/ eter 2, #&, fitly framed

together L an holy temple in the 5ordK (ph. 22/&. 8ut Jesus is e'er and only the

Boc+K on which the entire structure rests, for without )im there would be no church atall. Faith in )im as the *on of God ma+es it possible for us also to become sons of God

(see John //2 / John !/, 2&. 1he realisation that Jesus 0hrist is indeed the *on of God,

as eter emphatically affirmed upon this occasion (see 3att. /


6/7

that eter and James and John did not stri'e for supremacy in the church at Jerusalem,but chose James the Just as leader (0hurch )istory ii. /&. 4ther early Fathers of the

church, such as )ilary of -rles, taught the same.

It was only when scriptural support was sought in behalf of the claims of thebishop of Bome to the primacy of the church (see Hol. IH, p. @!


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0hrists triumph o'er death and the gra'e is the central truth of 0hristianity. It was notpossible for *atan to hold 0hrist with the cords of death (see -cts 22&, nor will it be

possible for him to hold any of those who belie'e in 0hrist (see John !/

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