Repent for the Kingdom is at Hand

I've been giving a series of sermons on the teachings of Jesus Christ, and I've been covering it from the book of Matthew. And just as a little bit of review, let me just mention, as I've mentioned before, that each writer of the Gospels about Christ's life, wrote it from his own personal perspective and experience, and therefore he displayed or exhibited or showed certain qualities of Christ and Christ's life because of his personal background.

It is amazing how God uses people with their own angles and their ways and their things, and then puts that together and it inspires Scripture. It really is amazing how God does it. But these four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, use their own emphasis in some aspects of Jesus' life to bring out certain points with specific goals in mind and obviously as inspired by God.

Matthew was a Levite and a tax collector, or a Republican as its approximation, and as its then role, he was appointed by Caesar for that role. So from what we can understand, it would have been a lifetime appointment, and typically those people would be fairly well-off, let's call it wealthy.

And therefore, as a Levite, or a Levite, to be a tax collector, he was not seen in very good eyes by his care of Jews.

However, because of his background, being a Levite, being of very background as a Levite from the sons of Abraham from that tribe, he portrayed Jesus Christ throughout the Gospel as a king. And look, let's just start in Matthew chapter 1. Let's just go back a few little points. In Matthew chapter 1, verse 1, right there at the beginning, it says, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, now the word Christ, as you know, means the Messiah. So to the Jews, if they understood that, they say, Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. So there he is proving that the Messiah is a Messiah by genealogy, as being the son of David, king, and the son of Abraham, to whom the covenant of the scepter of rulership had been given.

So he's giving this from the genealogy, but also because of prophecy, because prophecy said that out of David's line, there would be a seed that would rule. Turn with me to Psalm 89, verse 20. And it says, I will make to endure forever, and is thrown as the days of heaven, which points to exactly what we heard in the sermon, that Christ will be the king of the kingdom of God, and that will endure forever. So right at the beginning, Matthew is pointing to Christ, the Messiah, the king, and by genealogy and by prophecy. So, the king. Now, Matthew, as a book, has basically two outlines. So it's got a double outline. One is a biographical outline, which basically describes how the son of David fulfilled the prophecies to be the Messiah. So it's how, through this biographical outline. And usually, those sections have terms like, from that time, and it covers four sections there. So we have, right at the beginning, obviously, it's the very first, these early years, from Matthew 1-1 until Matthew 4, verse 15. So that is the first section. So let's go, and you may want to keep a marker in Matthew, because we're going to be in and out of Matthew. But if you go up to Matthew 4, verse 15, that's where it ends, verse 16, I beg your pardon, that's where it ends, that 4 was the first early years of Christ. And then it goes on in verse 17 and starts a new biographical section, and says, from that time, Jesus began to preach and say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And from here, I got the title for the sermon today, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. And it ties very nicely with the sermonate, because we are looking forward to the kingdom of God. And Christ's mission, or basic purpose, during the core of his mission, of his preaching, of his job, was to call the nation to repentance, because the kingdom of God was at hand.

So, from Matthew 4, verse 17, through to Matthew 16, verse 20. So, if you turn to Matthew 16, verse 20. That is the section there where he has this call to repentance, this job, this mission of calling the nation to repentance. But then look at verse 21. From that time, then it's as if he turns a new leaf in his biographical description.

And then Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and strungs and be killed and be raised the third day. So, from that time, you start showing them scriptures and prophecies that part of the job of the Messiah, King, that he had to die and suffer. Obviously, you and I know it went right over the disciples head. Right over there, because even after he died, they couldn't believe it. So, it went right over there. But he did tell them about his suffering to come. So, that was, in a sense, like a third biographical subsection of the book of Matthew.

So, the first one was his very ears. The center part is the call to repentance, because the Kingdom of God is at hand. And now he gets to a section and he says that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer. And that continues until Matthew 26, 15. Matthew 26, 15.

So, if he turned to Matthew 26, 15. And that's the section where he fulfilled that role. But now, we get to a point in verse 16, he says, So, from that time, he sought opportunity to be trained. In other words, Judas is carrying. So, now we get to the final countdown that he is now marked. In a sense, he is selected to be the suffering lamb of God. And from that time, that's the last section, to his actual death and resurrection. So, we can see this biographical outline, which shows how the son of David fulfilled scripture, that he is a messiah, fulfills scriptures, prophecies, in other words, through his early life. He fulfilled prophecies by doing the job of the call to repentance, fulfilled prophecies that he would be the suffering servant, and fulfilled prophecies that he would actually suffer and die. So, that's one of the outlines of the book of Matthew. But there there is a parallel outline, which is a topical outline, which is his teachings, his presentations, his speeches, his discourses, of which there's five. In other words, what Jesus Christ taught his teachings. So, we have one section is like a timeline description based on these four areas of his early life, call to repentance, he must suffer and the actual suffering. So, like a timeline sequence on those events.

But then, throughout that, inserted in those sections, teachings that he taught during those activities, or those parts of fulfilling of prophecy.

And those we are usually divided by sentences like, when Jesus finished these things, they usually end with those. They are five. And I've already covered two of those in previous sermons. One was the first discourse or presentation, which is between Matthew 5, from Matthew 5 to 7, which is the Sermon on the Mount, which basically is the spiritual intent of the book.

Then it says, well, then when Jesus finished these things, then it continues in Matthew 8 and 9. And I've covered that previous as well, which is miracles that he performed during that period to prove that he was a Messiah. A number of miracles in Matthew 8 and 9.

And part of that, we also say that show that God in the end desires mercy and not sacrifice. As you can see that in Matthew 9, 13. In other words, call to repentance. God wants you to repent, and therefore God wants to show mercy to you, but you and I need to also be merciful. And so God is not looking for sacrifices, offering of balls and things like that. He wants us to change, and our living sacrifices are what counts. So, Matthew 8 and 9 covers those miracles that prove that he's an Messiah, because miracles of taking the blind and making them see and taking the diamond, let them speak, and the ones that were lying, being able to walk, complete amazing miracles that pointed to the Messiah. Then after that, he goes on to the second discourse, or the second speech, which is basically giving directions to his disciples. And then we covered as well, which basically showed the calling of the disciples and their mission, what they had to do, and giving them warnings, and giving them some encouragement. And that section is in Matthew 10. And in the last sermon on Matthew that I covered, that was what I did, showing that a disciple must follow his leader completely. And we showed in Matthew 10, if you go there to Matthew 10, there's basically three folded sets of teachings. There's the first portion, which we give verse 5 to 15, which are directions for the mission of how they were to fulfill that mission, and directions, in a sense, to ask how to fulfill that mission. Then the second section was from verse 16 to 23, saying there's a warning, saying, because you do God's work, you will be persecuted. There are implications for preaching the gospel. And then thirdly, from verse 24 to the end of that section of that chapter, is just encouragement. But a realistic form of encouragement. It's not saying, oh well, you will not go through suffering. You will go through suffering, but there will be a reward. There will be a judgment at the end. And therefore it says, fear not. Fear not. You must follow your teacher in everything, but there will be a reward for your works, because there will be a judgment at the end. So there is an encouragement. And from then, we move on to chapter 11, which says, now I've come to pass with Jesus that finished these signs, as I explained at the end of teaching, the ends with that sort of sentence. And then chapter 11 and 12 cover prophecies being fulfilled that prove that He is a Messiah. So we're going to be looking at that section, particularly chapter 11 today. So, in within the section of Matthew 4 through Matthew 16, which is the call to repentance, the first subsection we covered, which is Matthew 8 and 9, which are miracles pointing that He was a Messiah.

The second subsection is what we're going to start today, which are prophecies and warnings and the sign that He is a Messiah. That's Matthew 11 and 12. And then after that, then He goes back to additional teaching, which is Matthew 13, which is teaching. And then there's this third discourse, specifically about parables, seven parables that point to the kingdom of God. That shows what the kingdom of God is like. That's His third discourse. But today we're going to focus on Matthew 11. So, Matthew 11, the first part here is from verse 2 to verse 19. I don't know what's that? But anyway, something is getting on here. But anyway, must be Siri coming back. I saw it somewhere that was on the British Parliament. I saw it on the news that somebody was talking about Sylvia and next thing, bang, this thing comes out and starts talking as well. So anyway, this is the age we live in. Anyway, we're covering now Matthew 11, verse 2 through 19, which is pointing to a prophetic proof that Jesus Christ is inside. And that prophetic proof is John the Baptist. Because John the Baptist had been prophesied that He would come and He would point to the Messiah. So, it makes sense, logical sense, that the first one of the prophecies that He would measure in this section would be John the Baptist. Because in this section He's talking about prophecies that point to Christ being the Messiah. And so the very first one that makes sense to do it is a very man that was prophesied to come to be a prophet to point to Christ. Now, it says here in verse 2, and when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, He sent two of His disciples. Now, it's important to me interject here at this moment that, and when John had heard, it does not mean that this verse too happened exactly after the previous chapter in time. It's not a time statement of events. Okay? See, in Matthew 10, you guys have instruction to the disciples. Now, He's going into a block of section to prove that prophecy says that He, Christ, was the Messiah. And one of the sections is that when John the Baptist had heard this, so He brings that section in. But that is not necessarily in a sequence of events of what happened, because if you want to get the sequence of events of what happened, you need to go to Luke, the Gospel according to Luke. You see, briefly turn with me to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1, verse 1 through 3.

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative, to set in order a narrative, a narrative in order of those things which have been fulfilled amongst us, just as those who from the beginning with eyewitnesses and ministers of the war delivered them to us, it seemed good to me. Also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. So, Luke is the Gospel where we go and deal out at time sequence of events.

And we can see from Luke's account that John Baptist had been put in prison already before the instruction to the apostles. So, these, that. So, in Matthew, what do we have here? We have blocks of instruction from his early birth, his early life. Then we have Christ's teaching about repentance. And first, he proves that he is the Messiah because of miracles. Then he's teaching to the disciples. Then he goes on to prove that he is the Messiah by prophecy and various prophetic situations of events mentioned. And then he goes and points to parables that illustrate the kingdom of God.

So, it's part of the logic here. Can you follow the logic? But Luke on the other side is describing it as events step by step in their sequence, in the orderly sequence. Alright, so let's go back to Matthew 11, verses 2 and 3. And when John had heard this, and he was in prison, and he heard about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples instead. And as the disciples said to him, are you the coming one, or do we look for another? Are you the Messiah, or do we look for another?

Now, it sounds a bit strange. Now, he had been selected from birth. He knew from birth he was, they were cousins right there from childhood. He knew very well. So why was he asking this? Some people might say, well, maybe it was for John the Baptist's disciples sake. But he has another thing. Could he, John the Baptist, be hoping that he would be freed from prison? Because, let's look at some prophecies. Look at Isaiah 61, verse 1. Isaiah 61, verse 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.

In other words, the Spirit of the Father is upon me, Jesus Christ. Because the Lord, the Father, has anointed me, Jesus Christ, to preach good tidings to the poor. And he sent me to heal the broken arketh, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. So the Messiah is coming to proclaim liberty and to take those that are in slavery, let's call it that, out of prison and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. So John the Baptist could have said, well, now I'm in prison. When am I going to get out of this?

Have I done my job? Are you going to do your job? Maybe that was a... or is there somebody else that is coming? So that's one possibility there. There's other scriptures that are similar, like Isaiah 42, verse 17. Big part of 42, verse 7. Isaiah 42, verse 7. Let's look back. Isaiah 42, verse 7. And it's told, yeah, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison. Those with 15 darkness from the prison house. And so they were prophecies, and John the Baptist was looking at this and could be that it was the reason of the question. Now look at Christ's answer.

Let's go back to Matthew 11, verse 4 and 5. Jesus answered and said to them, Matthew 11, verse 4. Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind feet and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Christ, again, quotes prophecy about himself. But has he noticed something? In that prophecy, quotes, it's not mentioned that the prisons, the ones in jail, in prison, will be freed. But it's still a prophecy about Christ. That comes from Isaiah 35. So let's go to Isaiah 35. Isaiah 35, verse 4 and 6. Isaiah 35, verse 4.

The damned thing for waters shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. It does not talk about coming out of jail. Interesting, isn't it? So Christ is saying, see the words and for full prophecy. But you know, when you look at prophecy, it's like you look at various things in prophecy, and then you got certain parts of prophecy are for a certain time zone, like the first coming, and certain part of prophecy are for a different time zone, which is the second coming. But sometimes when you look at that prophecy, it's all written together. And that's why people sometimes don't understand. And so Christ correctly pointed Yah to a prophecy which did not include that coming out of prison, because that coming out of prison will happen in the kingdom of God in the second coming. And look how Christ now continues in Matthew 11 verse 6. Look at how Christ continues in Matthew 11 verse 6. And blessed is me, who is not offended because of me. Why does he say that? Because it will not happen as you expect. So you may be expecting to get out of jail, and maybe there's a little hidden message. Yahweh says you're going to die. So don't be offended. It's deep, isn't it? It's deep. It's quite meaningful. You see, the Jews were offended because they were expecting a Messiah to come and establish the kingdom, and they got a suffering servant, and they said, Ha Ha, he's a fake, he's a fox. Isaiah chapter 8. Verse 13 through 15. Isaiah 8. Verse 13 through 15. The Lord of hosts, him you shall help. They leave you fear, and they leave you dread. He'll be as a sanctuary. Christ is a sanctuary to us. But also, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and they shall fall and be broken, be snared, and taken under.

Many will fall. So again, this is fulfilling prophecy. It's fulfilling prophecy. And so, yes, going back to Matthew 11, look at the works.

And the works prove that Christ is a Messiah. Because he says, go and tell John the things which we hear and see in verse 4. So the works prove he's a Messiah. But don't expect it to be the way you expect it. And don't be offended. And sometimes we have prayers answered, and sometimes we don't. We just don't know fully God's mind. But don't be offended. We just gotta keep going. We just gotta keep going. You see, so who is John? John was the prophet that prophecies said would come before Christ's coming. And therefore, Matthew now explains how John points to him prophetically. And therefore, it's a prophecy that John coming, it's a prophecy that he's a Messiah. And he continues now in Matthew 11 verse 7 through 10. He says, report that Jesus began to stay to the multitudes concerning John the Baptist.

What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind. But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments. Indeed, those wears of clothing are in king's houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet. Yes! I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is me which written, I will send my message before your face. You will prepare your way before you. And it was, he's saying to them, John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy that he would come to point to me that I am the Messiah. That is plain. He's saying, John the Baptist coming, pointed to me as the first prophecy. That literally points to me that I am the Messiah. And that's why this section of the scriptures included right here.

In verse 7, continue in verse 7, what did you see? A reed shaken by the wind? Did you see somebody that kind of had a wishy-washy doctrine, vacillating like a reed shaken by the wind this way or that way? No! John the Baptist was very forceful. This is what it is, repent. Preparing the way, and he preached a baptism of repentance. Look at verse 8, and what did you going to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Did you see a person which was effeminate? No! He was firm in his worship. And then he says, verse 9, for what you got to see? A prophet? Yes!

You saw a prophet. John the Baptist was a prophet. And what did he prophesy? The coming of the Messiah. And that means, I am the Messiah. He prepared the way. He predicted the Messiah's coming. He introduced Christ to the nation. He introduced the Messiah to the nation, and he was prophesied to do that.

For this is the you whom it is written, Behold, I will spend my messenger before your face. Who will prepare your way before you? This is quoted from Malachi chapter 3 verse 1. So let's go to Malachi chapter 3 verse 1.

Behold, I will spend my messenger.

And he will prepare the way before me.

And the Lord, whom you seek, that's God, will come to his own temple.

Given the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, be all these comings, says the Lord of hosts.

He says, I will spend my messenger, which is John the Baptist, and he will prepare the way before me, which is Christ's first coming.

And the Lord, which whom you seek, the Messiah, the Lord whom you seek, he will start to become to his temple, first coming. He came to that physical temple. He was there. He, Christ, is the messenger of the covenant. He gave us the new covenant. In whom he delight? Be all Christ is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

So, Yah, we can see that Jesus Christ is divine. He is the Lord. And he came to his temple. Again, there's a dual prophecy, Yah. Because in his first coming, he came to a physical temple. In his second coming, he'll come to his temple, but who is his temple?

See, the temple is now destroyed! Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 16 and 17.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy you. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

So, in the first coming, Christ came to his temple. That was the physical temple. At his second coming, he's going to come to his temple, but it's ours, the church of God.

And so, continuing in Matthew 11, we finished reading verse 10. So, let's read verse 11.

Surely I say to you, among those born of woman, there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.

There's been no prophet that is greater than John the Baptist.

John was prophesied to come.

He was the prophet that was prophesied to come, not the prophet, because that's Christ, but it was a prophet that was prophesied to come, to introduce the Messiah.

What a big role that responsibility has.

But he, who is released in the kingdom of God, of God, of heaven, he that is the smallest, even just the doorkeeper in the kingdom of God, he's greater than John the Baptist. In other words, when you and I will be in the kingdom of God, even the smallest of us, with the smallest role, in our then full power and glory of children of God in the kingdom of God, we will do a greater and more glorious work then than even John the Baptist.

Continue verse 12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.

So from the days of John the Baptist till now, those that are coming into the kingdom of heaven, that are going in and becoming Christians, etc., are suffering persecution, are suffering violence.

And the violence taken by force. In other words, we have to overcome. We have to overcome. We can't succumb. We've got to overcome. Till the end. We must be faithful till the end.

Verse 13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied till John, that all the prophets pointed to the time of John, you know, as all the prophets disappointed to Christ.

All the prophecies pointed to Christ. And the law pointed to Christ.

You know, right even there, in Genesis 3, the law already pointed to Christ.

And Moses pointed, there will be a prophet like me, and he knew better listen. So the law pointed to Christ, and he magnified the law.

You know, Matthew 5, 17, I did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to magnify, to fulfill it.

He fulfilled the law and he fulfilled the prophets, because the law was magnified with the spiritual intent, and the prophets were completed by Christ being the prophet that was being pointed to, to bring the kingdom of God. And all the prophecies point to the kingdom of God, which requires Jesus Christ as the king.

So, yeah, we have that Matthew clearly reminds the reader, yeah?

The Jews, in this case, because it was written to the Jews, but to us, that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecies that he is the Messiah.

And verse 14, And if you are willing to receive, and if you are prepared to learn a little bit more, because you probably didn't know this, but now I'm telling you a little bit more. That's what Jesus is saying. And if you are prepared to receive, if you are willing to learn, John the Baptist is Elijah who is to come.

And never before they had that connection. So Christ is saying, and if you believe it or not, let me tell you something more. John the Baptist represents Elijah to come. He wears ears to give any year. So if you are attentive to this, hey, take attention, because this is true. Take note of it. Now, does it mean that John the Baptist was Elijah himself? No. In other words, does it mean that John the Baptist was Elijah resurrected? No.

Let's look at Luke chapter 1 verse 13 through 17. Luke chapter 1 verse 13 through 17. But the angel said to Zacharias, that's when he heard that he was going to have a boy, John the Baptist said, And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord they God. He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children of the obedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people, a surgeon for the Lord. It wasn't Elijah itself that was in the spirit and power of Elijah. And it was called the repentance, because that's what Elijah did. Called the nation to repent and change from false gods to the true God. And look at Malachi chapter 4 verse 5. Where this is quoted from, Malachi chapter 4 verse 5. So, my messenger John came in spirit and power of Elijah at his first coming. But yeah, we can see Elijah the prophet. It was a work will be done in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet before Christ's taken coming with a call to the repentance to the nations. Which is the work of the church of God today in the spirit and power of Elijah. And our job is to bring the hearts of the fathers to the children and hearts of the children to their fathers. Lest I come and strike the earth with the curse. And that's why we have things like youth camps and things like that. Bowling that family unity and bringing time and time again the importance and the value of family. So, let's continue with Matthew chapter 11. Just to be really reading verse 14. So, let's go to 15 through 17. You answer yes, yes, yes, yes. But to what shall I like in this generation? Yeah, there's a call to repentance. But what shall I like in you? These people. It's like children sitting in a market place and calling to their companions and saying, We play the flutes for you and you did not dance. We want to you and you did not lament. But Christ's saying, you guys are like children. They stare at the prisoners at hand and you're taking it as if it's a game. You're taking it lightly. It's like children. Nothing pleases them. Oh, I want to do this. No, I want to do that. They're going to do this, they're going to do that. They're going to do something else. It's this generation is like that. In other words, it's an obstinate, stubborn generation perverse and the same thing today. And they're not repenting. They're not taking the serious business of repentance. They're not taking it seriously. Verse 18, For John cannot eat, you know, drinking in his side. Oh, is it even? And some man can eat and drink in his side. Look, a glutton and a wine brother, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. You know, they go from one thing to another. But wisdom is justified by a children or by the works. Wisdom, the wisdom of this world is perverse. And the followers of the wisdom of this world justify themselves.

The works of the world prove that the wisdom of this world is woven. The works of this world, the results, the children of the things that people do in this world prove that their wisdom is woven. So wisdom is justified by a children. So you know what sort of wisdom it is by the way you conduct. Is it godly wisdom or worldly wisdom?

Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

1 Corinthians chapter 1.

Verse 21 through 24.

1 verse 21 through 24. For says, In the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom, did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

For Jews request us time, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews of stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than man, and the weakness of God is stronger than man. And therefore they stumble and fall. You see, because the wisdom of this world can't see it, and the wisdom of this world, it shows that they are of this world, but they are not. Look at Romans chapter 1 verse 22. Romans chapter 1 verse 22. The wisdom of this world says, "...professing to be wise, they become fools." But God is patient, and gives us time to repent. In his love, he gives us time to repent. So let's go back to Matthew. And we read verse 19, so let's go into verse 20. So, so far Christ says, listen, prophecy points to me that I'm the Messiah. John the Baptist pointed that.

But you are unrepentant. There's a call to repentance, but you are unrepentant. So now he warns them, he rebukes them. Because they're not heeding the call to repentance. Because He has a prophet. He has that prophet that was prophesied. He's the Messiah. The soterious person, and you're behaving like tits. So repent. Verse 20, they nearly began to rebuke the cities in which most of these mighty works had been done. Because they did not repent. Because they did not repent. He has that call to repent us. Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand, and they are not repenting. Verse 21, world to you, perizim, world to you, best say, for if these mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Spydon, they would have repented long ago in St. Lothinash. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable to Tyre and Spydon in the day of judgment. There's going to be a day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted in heaven, will be brought down to the grave, to Hades. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Spydon, it would have remained until today. But I say to you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Soddon in the day of judgment than for you.

So he sang, these people, Tyre, Soddon, Soddon, they would have repented. But you got a bigger prophecy, a bigger prophet, and you're not doing anything about it. Now look at Ezekiel 16, verse 33 through 35. Ezekiel 16. 33. When I bring back their captives, the captives of Soddon and their daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, when I bring them back, in other words, when I resurrect them and I bring them all back to this day of judgment, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them. So you all will get together at the same time in the day of judgment, that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comfort them. When your sisters, Soddon and her daughters returned to their former state, it was returned to a physical human life. And Samaria and her daughters returned to their former state, to a physical human life. You know, it was the Second Resurrection. Then you and your daughters will also, will return to your former state. You'll all be together. So that's what Christ said. When you all are together, I will be more lenient with the others than with you, because it would have repented. And so it's talking about the Second Resurrection. That's in Revelation 20, you know. After a thousand years, then they all came alive. Look at it. Revelation 20 verse 5. Revelation 20 verse 5, and then verse 2. Revelation 20 verse 5, it says, But the rest of the dead, that's those that come, return to the former state, did not live again until the thousand years were finished. That's the Second Resurrection. It was the rest of the dead. The First Resurrection happened before the thousand years. The rest of the dead will be after the thousand years. And that's where Tyre and Sogam and Bessida and Samaria, they'll all be together back to the former state. And that's the fantastic meaning of what Paul said in Romans chapter 11. Romans chapter 11, that whole chapter, you need to read it carefully, because it's an amazing chapter. Look at Romans chapter 11, how it starts, and basically how it finishes. Look at Romans chapter 11. It says, But I say, I say then, as God cast away His people, has gone, thrown away those old-time Israelites that died, and they were rebellious, says certainly not. For I'm an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. So God has not thrown those people away. They'll come back to their former state, and that'll be the day of judgment, as we saw. Now, we'll jump to verse 25. Verse 25, they say, For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you would be wise in your own opinion, that the blindness in part has happened to Israel. It was the Israelites that been blind, they haven't seen it, they haven't got it, they have been disobedient, they've been rebellious, they've been like children, they've been behave, they have not repented. But this is a blindness, so that God can show them mercy later. As happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And verse 26, and so all Israel will be saved. So those people that died, they'll be resurrected, they'll come to their former state, they'll learn the truth, they'll have to come to repentance, their minds are now open, and they will be saved. They all will be saved. Now, obviously there will be some that were rejected and were not, but the vast majority, all will be saved. And so it is a wonderful chapter for you to read it in that context. And that part of that is the value of the right bounds in Ezekiel 37 that you can read in your own time. And so going back to Matthew 11, Matthew 11, he says there will be a judgment. So he rebuked them. He rebuked them and he said, and he rebuked them because they did not repent.

So let's look now at verse 25 through verse 30. At that time, Jesus asked to them, and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have eaten these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. You see, they are children, and they don't have God's wisdom. They have waltz wisdom. And so they don't get it. Unless they repent. Even so, Father, for so it seems good in your sight. All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son waltz to reveal him. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Come to me, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle, I am meek, and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. You and I can't get it, unless God shows us and opens our mind, and so He can show mercy to us. But for us, the years open our minds. We know that we can have true peace of mind through Christ. The only peace of mind you and I can have is when we love God's way. We have to repent and truly love God's way, and then we can look forward, as we heard in the sermon end, to the wonderful Kingdom of God. And, brethren, Christ's calling then is the same today to us. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is ahead.