February 2, 2026

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17 ESV)          In the above verse Jesus contrasts the words “abolish” and “fulfill.” What did He mean? Too many people think “fulfill” means the same as “abolish.”  They actually think He came to abrogate the Law and the Prophets. To show what He really meant let’s look at some of the laws He did not abolish but fulfilled. Circumcision is not abolished. It is fulfilled in baptism according to Colossians 2:11-12. “In him also you were circumcised… in baptism…”  Since Christ kept the law by being circumcised, those who are baptized into His body are, too. New Moon Sabbaths The Feast of Passover is not abolished. It is fulfilled in The Lord’s Supper. The Lamb of God fulfills the Passover lamb. The Feast of Pentecost is not abolished. The feast that celebrated the giving of the Law on Sinai is fulfilled by the giving of the Law in the heart by the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Tabernacles is not abolished. It is fulfilled in the Great Commission throughout history.  Unclean foods are made clean in the conversion of Gentiles. “What God has cleansed you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17 ESV). The High Priest is not abolished but is fulfilled in Christ our High Priest who makes intercession for us. The Temple is not abolished, but is fulfilled as the living stones of the church. Israel is fulfilled as the church, the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16). “And so all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). Jerusalem is fulfilled in the New Jerusalem and Mt. Zion. “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels…” (Heb 12:22).   The Promised Land is not abolished, but is fulfilled by making Abraham’s children heirs of the whole world and not just that small piece of real estate. Paul understood this when he said, “the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13 ESV). Nowhere does the Old Testament say that Abraham’s heirs would inherit the world, but Paul was able to read the Promised Land type. The Ten Commandments are not abolished, but are fulfilled by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. By being under grace instead of under law, the Holy Spirit enables believers to keep them. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). The Civil Laws are not abolished but are to be fulfilled when civil governments obey the moral law of God. Armenia was the first Christian nation state, then Rome, then Christendom. Now we are living in a time when Gog and Magog are coming against the Camp of the Saints. But God will again rain down fire on them and the Little Stone of Daniel 2 will grow and grow until it fills the whole earth. The meek shall inherit the earth before Christ comes because “the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22) when Christ ascended to the Ancient of Days.

Has anyone ever been born again because they thought Christ was coming soon? Did the apostles ever tell unbelievers that? No, they only shared that with believers as the blessed hope. Paul preached that God “commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31 ESV). Paul also “reasonedabout righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come.” In other words he sought to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). That is the only Scriptural way to bring men to Christ. No one comes to Christ without the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has not been telling lies for the last 2000 years by telling people Christ is coming soon. If so, He would have been lying because 2000 years is not soon.  Both John and Jesus preached saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:2 & Mt 4:17). The kingdom of God is at hand because “kingdom” means “rule.” The rule of God is at hand. The rule of God has rules. Seek first the government of God and His righteous rules, and all your other needs shall be met (Mat 6:33). Only by preaching “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” will men be saved (Acts 20:21).

Judge Not Mat 7:1-23  Jesus did not say, “Judge not,” period. He told how to judge without being judged. “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”   Christians Are Accused Of Being Judgmental          When Christians are accused of being judgmental there is some truth in it.  Sinners feel judged when honest people just live a righteous life & mind their own business.  The whole Bible is judgmental.  That is the one and only reason proud men can’t stand to read it.  The Bible describes believers as seated on thrones with judgment committed to them (Rev 20:4).  Ephesians 2 says believers are seated with Christ in heavenly places.  Daniel foresaw this when he said, “the court shall be seated” (Dan 7:26) “and a judgment was made in favorof the saints of the Most High.”          The way this judgment takes place is by the preaching of God’s word.  To preach God’s word or to obey it requires a judgment.  But to reject it does also.  All through this chapter Jesus makes judgments and calls on the listeners to make judgments.  You be the judge.   So when He says, “Judge not,” He does not mean what hypocrites think He means.  When Jesus said, “Repent,” that was judgmental.  When God’s Law says, “Thou shalt not,” that is judgmental.  But the only legitimate way we can judge is if we first judge ourselves.  We must side with God’s judgment against ourselves.  The judging that Jesus hates is the one that has a “holier than thou” attitude or a self-justifying attitude, an attitude that “I’m good and you’re bad.”  Mercy, empathy, and love with a spirit of meekness should be our motive.  Redemption is the goal, not condemnation.   On the other hand, anyone who encounters the convincing power of the Holy Spirit is going to feel condemned (judged) just like we do.  To escape that feeling, rebels justify themselves and judge the messenger as being judgmental.  They justify themselves and judge God’s law.  They project onto the messenger their own condemnation.  Jesus is not saying simply “Judge not.”  He is saying if we judge ourselves first, then we can judge.  The only way to not be judged is to side with God against our selves and be justified by grace through faith.          Unbelievers try to justify themselves by judging the messenger.  Calling Christians judgmental is judging.  When they say, “Judge not,” they themselves are also judging.  Everyone makes judgments.  It’s impossible to not make them.  To discern between good & evil is to make a judgment.  But when man thinks he can decide for himself what is good and evil instead of submitting to God’s judgment, he has eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He has created a law unto himself.  He has become an autonomous judge that makes up his own rules of political correctness.          Autonomous Thought Is Judgmental          “Autonomous” means “self-made law.” Autonomous thought forces men to make a judgment by picking out some aspect of the creation as the origin of all meaning; and that aspect of creation is usually the state.  The state replaces God. In picking some aspect of creation as the origin of all meaning, the autonomous thinker is made captive to a kind of idol (a god) of his own making. Political correctness is an example of autonomous judgmentalism. This idol, this god bends his understanding to conform to its dictates as in statism.          Then Jesus continues in this same chapter into the matter of making a judgment concerning dogs and pigs (false teachers).   Judging Dogs And Pigs “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Mat 7:6).   To obey this command, one has to make a judgment as to who is or is not a dog and a pig.  Paul called the false teachers dogs (Phil 3:2).  Dogs not will enter the celestial City (Rev 22:15).  Jesus then makes a connection between not casting pearls to pigs and the prayer of faith.  Keep in mind He is not changing the subject.  This is in the context of judging in church discipline.   Judgment In Prayer  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mat 7:7).          What has prayer got to do with dogs and pigs?  The other time Jesus talks about asking and receiving in faith is in the context of making a judgment in church discipline.  In Mat 18:18 He says, “But if he refuses even to hear the church [false teachers refuse to hear the church], let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind [forbid] on earth will be bound [forbidden] in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit] on earth will be loosed [permitted] in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Mt 18:18-19).  “Two of you” means two or more of His disciples (not two of just anybody).  Binding and loosing has to do with making a judgment in prayer, a prayerful decision by the church to reject false teachers…dogs.           What do we learn from this?  How do we apply this to current events?  Any so-called Christian church that denies the infallible inspiration of Scripture, for example, as it is interpreted in the judgment of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds is under the wrath of God.  We have a great historical example of this judgment in the Arian controversy. The Arian Controversy          The period from A.D. 300 to 400 was one of the most important pivotal times in church history.  The church had just gone through ten persecutions by ten emperors

Was Elijah a happy man? He was not a rich man. He lived for a while off a poor widow. Another time he lived off the bread and meat that the ravens brought him. He was a desert man and a wanted man. At times he felt all alone. When Jezabel swore to have his blood in 24 hours, he was a fearful man. Yet days before that he was very bold. After hiding from King Ahab for three and a half years he dared to meet him for a showdown. Moderns would say he was bi-polar. He ascended to great heights on Mt. Carmel and days later descended to the depths of depression. Was he a happy man? He was not interested in being happy. The thought never entered his mind. He only cared about one thing – God’s kingdom. To modern cynics he was too radical. They would say he was too obsessed with the political situation. “Let people be. Why are you so radical? Why do you torment yourself so? You’re mad! You’re delusional. On top of that, you’re self-righteous. You think you’re the only one. You said, ‘It ain’t gonna rain ‘til I say so.’ Besides that you murdered the prophets of Baal! Would Jesus do that? You’re possessed! Why don’t you have some fun? Take a vacation once in a while.” Elijah told Ahab to call for 900 false prophets to be present for the showdown at Mt. Carmel. If they all showed up it was and earth-shattering experience that drastically transformed the political landscape, because after that, prophet after prophet appeared to give messages to Ahab. Before that they were all hiding in caves. The great passion of Elijah was the restoration of God’s kingdom and the destruction of Baal worship. God ordained him to anoint a new king for Israel, a new king for Syria, and a new prophet to take his place. The new king for Israel, Jehu, stamped out Baal worship and God rewarded him with the longest dynasty in Samaria’s history, 99 years. But the victory was not entire. Jehu failed to stamp out the golden calf worship.  Was Elijah a happy man? Who cares? Elijah did not.

We should not be surprised at all the atrocities and evil in the world. We should be surprised that most of us escape such curses that we deserve since the Fall. It is only by God’s grace that we are not all destroyed since Adam fell. “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob” (Mal 3:6). “Nothing can happen to you unless I let it happen,” saith the Lord. “And if I do, it is for your good, even unto death.” The “you” here are those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Someone might object that it is not fair for God to spare some and let the rest be destroyed. Remember the parable where the owner paid the same wage to those who worked one hour as he paid to those who had worked all day? Those who worked all day said, “It’s not fair!” What was the owner’s answer?  “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my ownthings? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Mt 20:15). Why do most people object that it is not fair for bad things to happen to some people? Is it not because they assume (presuppose) that nothing bad should happen to anyone, or at least not to innocent people? Is it a valid assumption? Not according to Scripture. No one is innocent. All are stained by Adam’s Fall and death came upon all.  It is an insult to God’s holiness to insist that He has an obligation to save everyone. For man to insist that is to make himself God’s judge. Such arrogance deserves the wages of sin (death). On judgment day every mouth will be stopped and all the world will be declared, “Guilty.”  The gift of God is eternal life to those whose names are found written in the Book Of Life.

I’m Not Under Law Romans 6:14-15 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. [15] What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! I would like to know how many people who say, “I’m not under law” can also call God’s law what the Apostle James called it.  “The Law of liberty” “the perfect law.” He says the doer of it will be blessed. (James 1:25).  I wonder how many people agree that… God’s Law Is Gracious  When Moses saw God’s glory, he saw it with his ears in these words: Exo 34:6  “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, [7] keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin….” I wonder how many people know that  Israel Found God’s Grace Jer 31:2 Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel…” What is grace? Charis  …is the New Testament Greek word for grace. It means unmerited favor, gift, thankfulness. To “say grace” or to “return grace” thanksgiving. Eucharist has the word charis in it. It means thanksgiving. A charismatic person is a gifted or graceful person. A graceful dancer is a gifted dancer. Grace is gifted ability. So if you say you’re under grace, you’re saying you have more ability. More Grace Is More Power Over Sin James 4:6 “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” Some people have more grace than others. And some have more grace than they used to have. And some are going to get more grace… “grace for grace” (John 1:16). The Bible Says … Giving Is A Grace …in 2 Corinthians 8. God says, “see that you abound in this grace” (8:7). So grace can abound or be little. Acts 4:33 says, Great Grace Was Upon The Apostles  “and with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”  Acts 11:23 says Grace Can Be Seen  “When [Paul] came and had seen the grace of God [on the church], he was glad…” Acts 13:43 says Grace Makes People Follow The Apostles  “…many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.”  Acts 18:27b says, “Faith Comes Through Grace.” Also, Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Gal 5:4 says, One Can Fall From Grace  It says, “you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.”  The reason they fell was because they only had common grace. The only reason anyone ever falls from grace is because they never had special grace. They only had common grace.  They Were Never Of Us John says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19 ESV). Grace Is Not License To Sin Have you ever heard someone say, “Don’t put that guilt trip on me! I’m not under law, I’m under grace”? Jude says false teachers “change the grace of our God into a license…” (Jude 4 NIV). They say, “Well, since we are not under the law but under grace, we do not need to keep the Law any longer.” Is that really what grace means? They have changed grace into a license. Grace Provides Dominion Over Sin God says, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14-15) Being under grace is the very reason why we don’t have to sin.  The person under grace will never get defensive and say, “Don’t put that guilt trip on me.” David was under grace. When Shimei cursed and accused him, he said, “Leave him alone. The Lord sent him.”  Some seem to think that grace is the same as mercy. Grace Is Not The Same As Mercy  Mercy is the result of grace, but it is not the same. Suppose a murderer has been sentenced to death. While he waits for execution the man is under the guilt and condemnation of the law. But just before the execution date the governor decides to pardon him.  Now he is no longer under the law but under grace. The law no longer condemns him. He is considered totally justified as far as the charges of the law are concerned. He is free to walk out of the prison and no policeman can lay hands upon him because the governor’s grace resulted in mercy.  But… No Man Can Be Pardoned Until Public Justice Is Satisfied. God told Moses He by no means clears the guilty without satisfaction. (Exodus 34:7) Grace cannot pardon without first satisfying the law. It’s called “atonement.” The Law Is What Grants Grace The whole plan of redemption is according to God’s law. The blood sacrifices foreshadowed the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God’s law requires satisfaction, and God’s law also provides it with the blood of Christ. In that sense the law brings liberty. Paul said he was not “without law toward God, but under law toward Christ” (1Cor 9:21).  The “Law Work” Produces Grace No one ever receives special grace who has not experienced the “law work” first. The law was our schoolmaster that brought us to Christ and it still is for those not under grace.  Here’s How The “Law-Work” Produces Grace.  1.) The sinner is first awakened by God and starts seeking salvation. 2.) The Holy Spirit applies more common grace by convincing him of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This pressure increases until he is brought

Luke 10:17-18 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” [18] And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”          Jesus had sent 72 disciples to go ahead of him into all the towns he planned to preach in. He said, “Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:9). He described this victory as Satan falling from heaven. In a figurative sense, every time the kingdom of God comes near, Satan falls. But, in a literal sense, he had not yet been cast out of heaven.          When was Satan thrown out? Jesus told when it would happen. A day or two before He went to the cross He said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31).           The Book of Revelation describes it thus: “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God’” (Revelation 12:9-10 ESV).          Jesus described it as “the judgment of this world” and as casting out “the ruler of this world.” When did this “judgment” take place?  Daniel foresaw it in a vision hundreds of years previously. He described it as a court session in which the Ancient of Days took his seat and “a judgment was made” in favor of God’s people (Dan 7:22 NKJV). This judgment was made when he saw One like a Son of Man coming to the Ancient of Days with the clouds of heaven “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:13).          Notice that the Son of Man is pictured as not coming down, but rather as ascending in the clouds to the Ancient of Days. This scene does not describe His second coming. It describes His ascension to the Father. As His disciples “were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). But the heavenly host above the clouds saw Him “coming to the Ancient of Days with the clouds of heaven.” And the Father said to Him, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalm 110:1). Matthew Henry agrees that “coming to the Ancient of Days” was the ascension when he says, “Our Savior seems plainly to refer to this vision when he says (Jn. 5:27) that the Father has therefore given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man,and because he is the person whom Daniel saw in vision, to whom a kingdom and dominion were to be given… here we are told, abundantly to our satisfaction, that he came to the Ancient of days; for he ascended to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God(Jn. 20:17); from him he came forth, and to him he returns, to be glorified with him, and to sit down at his right hand.” The Geneva and the Jamieson Faussett Brown commentaries agree.           That is when “the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom” (Dan 7:22). As soon as the judgment was made and the ruler of this world was cast out, John heard a voice saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10 ESV).          Does this mean our troubles are over because Satan is cast out? No. It means, “the devil has come down to [earth dwellers] in great wrath.” He now pursues the church that gave birth to the Son of God and makes war with her offspring (Rev 12:12-13). But the earth helps the church with such things as “Edicts of Toleration.”          Every time the New Testament mentions the Son of Man coming with the clouds it is not talking about His second coming. It is referencing His coming to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:13. Three Gospels quote Jesus as saying, “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:29, Mat 24:30, and Mark 13:26). Jesus referenced it again when He told the high priest, “I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mat 26:64).          The high priest died ten years later. When did he see this? Evidently he saw it when he died since after that is the judgment. Thus, every eye shall see Him coming on the clouds when they die. “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him” (Rev 1:7).

Mat 5:17-20 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all isaccomplished. [19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [but right now he is not called great by Christians, let alone on earth.] [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 2 Fulfilled Does Not Mean Abolished              Jesus makes it clear in verse 17 that He did not come to abolish the Old Testament but to fulfill it.  Then He says our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees or we will never enter the government of heaven.  Then, through the rest of this sermon, He explains how our righteousness must be accomplishedin order to enter the government of God. He did not invent a brand new law; it’s the same law that proceeded out of God’s nature both in creation and on Mt. Sinai.  3 Teaching That The Law Of Christ Replaced The Law  Of Moses Is A Doctrine Of Demons. God’s Law was always the Law of Christ. His going forth has been from of old, from everlasting. When God told Adam, “Don’t eat from that tree,” that was the Law of Christ. Centuries before Moses, the Christ said to Isaac, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Gen 26:4-5). That was the Law of Christ. When the Great I AM gave the Law to Moses that was the Law of Christ. The law of gravity and all natural laws are the law of Christ the Creator. Look at the 3  4 Requirements For Entrance Into God’s Government Jesus says in verse 17 that He did not come to abolish the Old Testament but to fulfillit. He says, “not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Verse 18). He says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Verse 20).  So, God’s Law must be accomplishedin us, our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, and God’s Law must be fulfilled in us before we can enter God’s government.  5 God’s Righteous Requirement Paul says, “God sent His Son… in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Romans 8:4).          God’s Law includes ceremonial laws, civil laws, and moral laws. All three parts are not abolished, but fulfilled. 6 Ceremonial Laws … are things like circumcision, blood sacrifices, unclean foods, and new moon Sabbaths. They are not abolished. They are still required and must be fulfilled. Circumcision is fulfilled in baptism. Passover is fulfilled in The Lord’s Supper. Pentecost celebrated the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai and was fulfilled when God put His law in our hearts by baptizing His church in the Holy Spirit on the Day Of Pentecost. The Feast Of Tabernacles is fulfilled in the Great Commission as God sends His messengers with the sound of a trumpet to gather His elect from the four winds. Unclean foods are made clean by the conversion of Gentiles (Acts 10). These are just a few examples. 7 God’s The Civil Laws …are fulfilled when nations establish Christ as their King. At that time the law shall go forth from Zion. It’s when there will be no more war and every man sits under his own vine and his own fig tree. That’s private property; and that means no socialism and no slavery. It means the death penalty for adultery. 8 The civil laws are actually Moral Laws Beginning with verse 21 of this chapter, Christ shows how The Ten Commandments Must Be Fulfilled in order to enter the kingdom of God. He contrasts the Pharisees’ wrong interpretation of Moses with the true meaning of Moses. The correct meaning exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Their interpretation of Moses, their traditions, made God’s word of no effect, but the true meaning gives life. Jesus was not contradicting Moses. He was contradicting their interpretation of Moses, their oral traditions.          He says it’s not enough to not murder, we must also not hate. He says it’s not enough to not commit adultery, but we also must not lust. He says it’s not right to use the law as an excuse to divorce whenever you want to. An eye for an eye is for court justice, and not as a personal excuse to get even 9. 6 times in this chapter Jesus says,  “You Have Heard, But I Say” He was blasting their oral traditions You have heard…but I say… Mt 5:21-22 (About murder) You have heard …but I say… Mt 5:27-28 (About adultery) It was also said… But I say… Mt. 5:31-32 (About divorce) You have heard… But I say… Mt 5:33-34 (About false witness) You have heard… But I say… Mt 5:38-39 (About eye for eye) You have heard… But I say… Mt 5:43-44 (About hating your enemy).  10 What had they heard? They had heard The Oral Tradition of the Jews He did not say, “Moses said.” He was not contradicting Moses, He was contradicting the oral traditions of the Jews. This oral tradition started in Babylon and later became known as the Talmud. Believers in the Talmud say that it supersedes the Law of Moses. This is why Revelation calls Jerusalem the Whore of Babylon, Sodom, Egypt, and False Prophet.          But don’t blame the Jews. They’re not the only ones that go by what they hear instead of what is written in Scripture. For most people, what they hear is their Bible, not what God says.  11 Danger! Doctrinal Systems Can Trump Scripture Don’t let hearsay trump Scripture! Spurgeon said, “I would sooner a hundred times over

Comparing Scripture with Scripture and using no commentary, one can see the identity of the white horse in Revelation 6 not as Christ, but as conquest or captivity (predatory beasts). Scripture explains itself in the chart below. This same symbol is used of Christ in Revelation 19 as the conquering king. In a sense, God rides all four horsemen: “O LORD,… Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?” (Hab 3:8)          Scholars I highly respect have identified the white horse of Revelation 6 as Christ.  But “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:13&17 ESV).           The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “They signify conquest, slaughter, dearth and death” If that is true, the white horse is conquest, the red is war, the black is dearth, and the pale is death.           Revelation 6:8 summarizes them as beasts (white horse), sword (red horse), famine (black horse), and pestilence (pale horse). The white horse goes forth conquering and to conquer just as the predatory beasts of Daniel 7 conquered the world.           In Jeremiah 15:3, God calls them “Four forms of destruction.”  In Ezekiel 14:21, God calls them “My four severe judgments.”  What are these four forms of judgment?   My Four Severe Judgments “For thus says the Lord God: ‘How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts [captivity] and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it?’” – (Ezekiel 14:21)          God calls them, “four forms of destruction” in Jeremiah. Four Forms Of Destruction ‘“And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction,’ says the LORD: ‘the sword to slay, the dogsto drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy’”  (Jeremiah 15:3).          The chart below proves that the white horse, as conqueror, is called beasts. This sampling of verses describe beasts as the hand of Nebuchadnezzar in some places, or into all kingdoms, under the yoke, or carried captive, etc. In each case the white horse is conquest.        War      Famine   Pestilence  Conquest Rev. 6:8         Sword   Famine   Death          Beasts Jer 16:4        Sword    Famine   Death          Beasts Jer 21:7      Sword    Famine   Pestilence  The hand of Nebuchadnessar  Jer 24:9-10   Sword   Famine  Pestilence   Carried into all kingdoms Ezek 5:17      Sword   Famine  Pestilence   Beasts Jer 32:24       Sword   Famine  Pestilence   Hand of Chaldeans Jer 32:17       Sword   Famine  Pestilence   Among all kingdoms Jer 38:2         Sword   Famine  Pestilence   To the Chaldeans Ezek 6:9-10 Sword   Famine  Pestilence    Carried captive Ezek 7:15-16 Sword   Famine  Pestilence  On the mountains Ezek 12:15-16 Sword   Famine  Pestilence  Among the nations          Christ is depicted in Revelation 19 as the Coming Conqueror on a white horse (Rev 19:11). The prophet Habakkuk reveals that God rides all four. “O LORD… Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?” (Hab 3:8). God says these four severe judgments are His. “I send My four severe judgments” (Ezek 14:21). They cannot ride unless God sends them. The devil can do nothing without God’s permission. For example, did God send the “9/11”destruction on the twin towers? The Bible gives the answer: “If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?” (Amos 3:6) Why does He do it? He does it as His judgment for sin. God Is The Absolute Sovereign          Whenever there is conquest, war, famine, and pestilence, they are sent as God’s four forms of destruction as His judgments for sin. The word accident cannot be found in the Bible. There is no such thing. Therefore, nothing can happen unless God does it. The buck stops with God.           The world is in a mess not because God is not in control. It is in a mess precisely becauseHe is in control. God sends death, destruction, crime, slavery, and war because of sin. The devil and evil men are simply God’s tools of wrath. But nothing can happen to those chosen by God unless He permits it. And if He does, it is for their good (Romans 8:28).           This is exactly how the Bible portrays God. Men resent this. Man wants to be the god to judge God. Rebellious man feels betrayed. He imagines that his rebellion can somehow save him.

When R.J. Rushdoony discusses the ascension and the session he lists the Scriptures that support it in the Old and New Testaments.[1] But he omits the one passage on which many of the New Testament verses are based. It is Daniel 7:13. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Daniel 7:13 ESV).          In this chapter Christ is ascending, not descending. The scene in the vision is the heavenly court session in which “thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat… and the court sat in judgment” (7:9-10). Then the Son of Man came and “judgment was given for the saints” (7:22). Then verses 26 and 27 summarize in saying, “But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:26-27 ESV). It is obvious that this judgment took place when the Son of Man came with the clouds to the Ancient of Days. He came in judgment when He ascended and sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. As the Creed says, “From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.”          When was this judgment to be made? Just a couple of days before Jesus went to the cross He told when it would be. He said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31 ESV). Now does not mean later. He ascended in the clouds to the Father and a judgment was made. That “…through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…” (Hebrews 2:14 ESV).          Through His death He cast Satan down to earth. This event is depicted in vision form in Revelation 12. “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:7-10 ESV). Notice that the words of Jesus in John 12:31 are echoed here. “Now… the accuser… has been thrown down…”           When did this happen? It happened when One like the Son of Man ascended to the Ancient of Days and judgment was made.          The war in heaven depicted by Michael was prophesied in Daniel 12.  “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. [2] And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1-2 ESV).          At what time was this war in heaven? For the answer, we must go to the preceding verse in Daniel 11:45.  “And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him” (Daniel 11:45 ESV). What enemy of God pitched his tents in the holy land? Was it not the “king” of Daniel 11:36? Both Rushdoony and Calvin say this “king” was Caesar. When Rome invaded Palestine in A.D. 66 the Jewish war began. For more details on this read my book, “The Visions Of Daniel.”          Again, this places the timing of Satan’s defeat. A.D. 70 took place because of the judgment made when One like the Son of Man ascended in the clouds to the Ancient of Days. Rome later fell for the same reason. Christ must “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25 ESV). His reign began when He ascended to the Ancient of Days. At that time “A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him [in the court session], and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:10 ESV). This took place when He ascended and He is still judging and making war. “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25 ESV).          Jesus Christ is the conquering Bright and Morning Star that is putting out all the other stars. The Father promises Him, “For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined” (Isaiah 60:12 NKJV). The father says to Him, “Ask of Me, and I will give YouThe nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:8 NKJV). But He is doing this “little by little.” “And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you” (Deut 7:22 NKJV). All of this until His final coming is the result of the judgment that was made when