THE MANY TEACHINGS OF JESUS #2

 THE MANY TEACHINGS OF JESUS---- #2

YOU  MAY  MISS  

THE  PROPHECY  UNLESS........

I  AM  READING  ALL  THE  WORDS  CHRIST  SPOKE  AS  RECORDED  IN  THE  FOUR  GOSPELS;  WITH  A  RED  LETTER  BIBLE  IT  IS  EASY  TO  SEE  THEM.

THERE  IS  A  PROPHECY  IN  THE  BIBLE [FIRST  IN  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT]  THAT  HAS  A  DUAL  FULFILMENT.  A  PROPHECY  THAT  MOST  CHRISTIAN  RELIGIOUS  PEOPLE  WILL  MISS;  ONLY  THE  ASTUTE  WILL  FIND  IT.

It  begins  in  Matthew  11.

"And as they departed Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went you out to see in the wilderness? A reed shaken in the wind? What went you out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold they that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. What went you out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say unto you, and more than a prophet" (verses 7-9).

John [the baptist] was a very different person than the run of the mill people. He lived out in the wilderness. He was not like the average teacher or preacher of the time. He had a life-style that was different from most people as he preached and taught the way of the Lord. The "establishment" teachers and preachers of the Bible, did not take John seriously.....he was to them....well probably to most synagogue attenders.... "different" - and so it was only some who could recognize John was doing the work of the Lord; actually fulfilling a prophecy.

Jesus went on to say, "For this is he, for whom it is written, Behold I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare the way for you [meaning prepare the way for Christ]. Truly I say unto you, among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist.....and from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is gotten by force, and the forcefully strong will take it by force [you have to be right on the ball - exercising a strong mental attitude; the hungering and thirsting for righteousness that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5]......and IF YOU WILL RECEIVE IT [so obviously the inference is many will not receive it] THIS is Elijah, who was to come" (verses 10-14).

Now that prophecy is found in Malachi 4:5. And if you are already up on some Bible prophecy phrases,  you know the "day of the Lord" comes in the very end times, in fact during the last 42 months of this age [all that is explained to you in my many studies on the outline of Bible prophecy]. So this prophecy of Malachi has and END TIME fulfilment also. But BACK to Jesus in Matthew 11. 

Jesus goes on to say that most of the people had preconceived ideas as to HOW John should have been. Jesus put them like .... well we called the tune but you have not danced AS WE want it. Yes John did not come jumping to the people's and religionists call of how they thought it should be.

Jesus said John came neither eating or drinking as they wanted it to be, and so was basically [for sure the religious teachers] called a man with a demon. They also did not like Jesus NOT dancing to their tune either; because he was not like John the Baptist, but ate and drank with "sinners"  - they said he was "gluttonous and a winebibber (verses 14-19).

It did not matter what people thought about John the Baptist, that he was "strange" or "different" and not what they had expected with the prophecy of Malachi 4.

The MAJORITY of "religious" people just could not imagine this different kind of person, being the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi - they had pre-conceived ideas of what John should look like, where he should live, what he should dress like.  And with such strong ideas that was how Malachi 4 would be, in their minds. The prophecy was right under their nose and they walked right by it; no doubt waiting to see the real Old Testament Elijah raised from the dead, or someone fitting THEIR ideas of this person coming to live and act in ways that the teachers and people of the day, had set up in their minds as to how John should live and act.

Because John the Baptist was "different" than what they expected.....they could NOT SEE that HE was the very one to come in the "spirit" and "power" of the Old Testament Elijah.

WE  ARE  NOT  FINISHED  WITH  THIS  PROPHECY!!

We pick up the connection of this whole prophecy in Matthew 17.

JESUS had come down from the mount of transfiguration, where he told those with him, to not tell the VISION to anyone [it was not a reality but a vision they were permitted to see, Moses and Elijah were not really there, it was a vision of the glory in God's Kingdom] before his resurrection. They had seen in vision Elijah, so it prompted the question, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Ah yes the scribes knew that BEFORE the coming of the Messiah, Elijah was to come. They knew it from Malachi chapter 4!

Jesus answered them, "Elijah truly will come first and RESTORE ALL THINGS!  But I say unto you, Elijah has already come, and  THEY  KNEW HIM  NOT! ……."

THEN NOTICE  -  "Then the disciples UNDERSTOOD that he spoke to them of JOHN THE BAPTIST" (verses 9-13).

AH  DID  YOU CATCH IT?  ARE YOU SEEING WHAT JESUS IS TEACHING?

The "scribes" of that time KNEW the prophecy of Malachi 4…… before the Messiah comes, Elijah will come!

Jesus added something to the Old Testament prophecy:  THIS  ELIJAH SHALL  RESTORE  ALL  THINGS!

The prophecy in Malachi is for the very end time, before the DAY OF THE LORD an Elijah will come!

And Jesus made it plain that an Elijah  HAD  ALREADY  COME!

It was John the baptist  who  was  THE  ELIJAH  TO  COME  BEFORE the Messiah's FIRST COMING!

This  is  proof  that  prophecy  CAN  HAVE  a  DUAL  fulfilment!

The "original" Elijah was NOT brought out of the grave, nor did he come from heaven as many believe he is in heaven today [which just is not true at all - see the study "Death - What Then?" on this website.

The prophecy in Malachi is obviously DUAL in nature - there was one who came in the spirit and power of Elijah BEFORE Jesus the Messiah came the first time - it was JOHN the baptist!

There will come another ELIJAH - in the spirit and power of Elijah  -  BEFORE Jesus the Messiah COMES  AGAIN!

NOTE THIS ALSO - there is not one word in the Gospels or New Testament, that says John DID MIRACLES!  He taught; he preached - but nothing says he did MIRACLES!

JOHN TAUGHT THE TRUTHS OF GOD; John taught real REPENTANCE, THE TRUE  WAY TO SALVATION THROUGH THE MESSIAH.

Jesus  also  added  something  else:  The  Elijah  to  come  in  the  SECOND  fulfilment  of  Malachi  4  would  RESTORE  ALL  THINGS!

HENCE  A  RESTORING  WOULD  BE  NECESSARY!  Things  by  the  time  of  the  end  would  NEED  to  be  restored.  The  Christianity  of  the  world  and  in  the  true  Church  of  God,  would,  before  the  day  of  the  Lord,  NEED  TO  BE  RESTORED!

LOOK  AT  ALL  THE  FORMS  AND  SHAPES  OF  CHRISTIANITY  TODAY;  LOOK  AT  THE  DIFFERENCES  IN  7TH  DAY  SABBATH  CHURCHES  TODAY;  LOOK  AT  THE  DIFFERENCE  IN  ALL  THE  7TH  DAY  SABBATH  AND  FEASTS  OF  THE  LORD  GROUPS,  TODAY.  YOU  SHOULD  GET  THE  DRIFT,  IF  YOU  ARE  ASTUTE.

John the baptist was "different" -  he had a life-style that was WITHIN the way of the Lord, but he was different. Because he was different MANY - especially the "theology teachers" - just could NOT SEE him for what the Eternal God was doing through him. No doubt part of that was due to as Jesus once said, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own household."  It is the attitude of mind that, "Well we have known this guy, we have seen him grow into a man, we know he is a sinner; now we see he is also different in certain ways from the average person; he just cannot be anything God is using."

SO  IT  WAS  THEN  IN  JESUS'  DAY,  SO  IT  WILL  BE  AGAIN  BEFORE  THE  DAY  OF  THE  LORD.

The prophecy does not say HOW LONG before the day of the Lord this prophecy of Malachi will be fulfilled.

And that's where MANY will fall and fail to see the picture.

God  seldom  does  things  the  way  humans  want  it  done,  or  think  how  it  should  be  done.  Many  will  think  God  will  send  another  that  will  dress  kinda  "hippy  style"  and  live  outside  in  the  wild,  have  a  long  beard,  and  well….. look  like  another  John  the  baptist.  So  they  will  not  see,  they  will  miss  it  completely!

Many  may  think  the  end  time  Elijah  will  walk  around  with  some  placard  saying,  "REPENT  YE,  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand!"  And  with  his  strange  dress  and  long  beard  and  hair  catch  the  attention  of  the  world  TV  news  people,  to  be  on  the  world's  broad-casting.  Many  make  think  he  will  walk  into  the  United  Nations,  and  preach  before  them.  Many  may  think  he  just  must  to  go  to  the  Jewish  State  of  Israel,  and  preach  in  that  land.

Many  in  the  very  Sabbath observing  Churches  of  God,  with  all  their  theology  differences,  will  not  be  astute  enough  to  see  this  end  time  prophecy  before  them.  They  will  be  like  the  disciples  of  Christ,  they  will  not  see  the  prophecy  fulfilled,   UNTIL  Jesus  tells  them.  They  will  be  so  ASLEEP,  so  UN-ASTUTE,   so  BRAIN-DEAD,  or  so  much  like  the  church  at  LAODICEA  in Revelation 3,  thinking  they  are  just  fine  and  dandy,  so  in  tune  with  God,  that  they  need  for  nothing.  They  will  think  they  have  it  all,  and  certainly  don't  need  any  eye-slav  to  really  see  spiritually,  that  they  are  blind  and  naked. They  will  be  so  lukewarm  they  will  MISS  this  end  time  prophecy.

YOU  NEED  TO  BE  VERY  ASTUTE;  YOU  NEED  TO  READ  YOUR  BIBLE  FROM  COVER  TO  COVER;  YOU  NEED  TO  STUDY  TO  SHOW  YOURSELF  APPROVED  OF  GOD,  A  WORKMAN  THAT  NEEDS  NOT  BE  ASHAMED,  RIGHTLY  PUTTING  TOGETHER  THE  WORD  OF  THE  LORD.

DO  NOT  LET  THE  PROPHECY  OF  MALACHI  4  PASS  YOU  BY,  DON'T  AS  THEY  SAY  "MISS  THE  BOAT!"

Keith Hunt

………………..