The Book of Matthew - Part 26

The lesson on March 9. 2025 was part 26 of "The Book of Matthew" study.  We reviewed what we learned from the last lesson and then looked at two things brought up in Matthew 10 and 11.  First,  we looked at the limited protection Jesus provided his disciples in the progression of persecution coming to them in their testimony of the Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus.  In Matthew, it is recorded in Vs. 16 "Sheep among wolves"; Vs. 17 "Deliver you up, scourge you"; Vs. 18 "Brought before governors and kings <- for a testimony"; Vs. 19-20 "Spirit of the Father will speak in you"; Vs. 21 "Family members deliver you up to death"; Vs. 22 Hated of all men <- He that endureth to the end (Matt. 24:6,13,14)"; Vs. 23 "Persecute - flee to another city – Jesus would conditionally come"; and Vs. 25 "Master of the house “Beelzebub” so much more you". Wayne taught us two Greek words that refer to "the end", "συντέλεια" which means "sunteleia" or "the harvest" and "Telos" which means "the end". Both refer to the end but "sunteleia" has an extended end.  The second thing we looked at was the coming of Elijah.  John the Baptist would have been an Elijah if Israel had repented and accepted Jesus as Messiah. They didn't so Elijah must truly come and restore all things with Israel. We looked at Malachi 4:1-6 KJV; Matthew 17.9-13 KJV; Mark 9:11-13 KJV.

The scripture reading was from Malachi 4:1-6 KJV "1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."