Ken Blue Ministries

ENJOY THE SONG

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”Matthew 5:8.

 

The heart is the seat of all true righteousness, and of all wickedness. To be pure in heart, does not mean to be sinless. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Nevertheless, a person can love God to the degree that his motives and desires are to live a pure life, and please Him. This is the meaning here.

A great example is found in the following text. “⁴⁶ And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” John 1:46-47. Also, “With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.” 2 Samuel 22:27. We see this desire demonstrated in the 42^nd Psalm.  “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. ²  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” Psalm 42:1-2.

The following, no doubt, speaks of this remnant of Jews. “³ Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. ⁵ He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ⁶ This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Psalm 24:3-6. No doubt, the “hill of the LORD” is a reference to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The comment that they shall “see God,” is a figure of speech. First of all, God is invisible. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:” Colossians 1:15. Also, “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” Exodus 33:20.

No doubt, the comment refers to a manifestation of God in some form. “And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:21. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.” Exodus 19:9. “ And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: ²²  He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Exodus 13:21-22.

God is also a consuming fire. Thus, how He will manifest Himself to those within the Kingdom of Heaven is not certain, but it is certain that they will see Him. His presence will abide with them forever.

 

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

Mercy is one the greatest attributes of God. Those of us who have truly experienced His mercy, should find it easy to show mercy to others. Those of the Jewish remnant, who will be saved in the Tribulation, will also show mercy to their brethren. In return, they will receive mercy at the judgment as they enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Many of the parables illustrate the lack of mercy within the Jewish nation. The story of Lazarus is a perfect example. “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.” Luke 16:19-21. This shows how calloused the nation was.

 The following also demonstrates the lack of mercy Israel had for the poor and the sick. “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matthew 18:23-35.

Israel was filled with religion, but it was all hypocritical. They lacked the very heart of true religion. They had no concept of the heart God demanded. However, the Jewish remnant will demonstrate the mercy God had shown to them. “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42.

“But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.” Matthew 12:7.

 

 

 

 

”Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6.

These beatitudes comprise some of the greatest words ever penned. They, along with the Lord’s Prayer, have been a source of inspiration to millions, and continue to bless the hearts of Gods children. However, few pause to consider for whom they are intended, and the prophetical message contained in each beatitude. In these studies we have attempted to be true their original meaning as spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ.

This beatitude is a promise given to a specific group that hunger and thirst after righteousness.

“27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Matthew 19:27-29.

The above text speaks of a future time when Jesus will rule as King in Jerusalem. Peter and the others had given up everything to follow the Lord. Of course, he believed the Kingdom would be established immediately. They believed Jesus was their Messiah, and desired His Kingdom of righteousness. The Lord assures them that they would receive a hundredfold for their sacrifice. Their hunger and thirst for righteousness would be rewarded.

The following text teaches us the same truth. A Jewish remnant will “travail” for their king and His righteous Kingdom during the Tribulation. Assurance is given that such would be filled. The hunger and thirst for a righteous government will become a reality.

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. ⁶  A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies. ⁷  Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. ⁸  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. ⁹  Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. ¹⁰  Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: ¹¹  That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.” Isaiah 66:5-11.

The above words, “travailed, pain, suck and be satisfied,” describe the consolation of those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness.”

Within the Lord’s Prayer, we find these words; “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10. This will be their prayer during the Tribulation. These, hunger and thirst for God’s righteous Kingdom from Heaven. They will be heard, and filled.

“In your patience possess ye your souls.” Luke 21:19. Once more, the context is the Tribulation. Assurance is given in verse 27 that the Lord will return and rule. While they hunger and thirst for the kingdom, where righteousness will reign, they are encouraged to be patient and “possess” their souls. Thus, those who hunger and thirst after righteous, and endure to the end of the Tribulation, will witness the establishment of a righteous kingdom, and will be filled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew” 5:5.

The book of Matthew was written to demonstrate to Israel that Jesus Christ was their Messiah. This is attested to from the prophecies fulfilled, the voice of the father, and His resurrection. The Book describes that the King was present, thus the Kingdom of Heaven was theirs if they would repent and receive Him as Messiah, and King. There is nothing in the book about the church, which is His Body, and was a mystery.

We are dealing with the beatitudes, or the blessings awaiting the Jewish remnant whose character and actions manifest these. Sadly, because many fail to rightly divide the Scriptures, they spiritualize the sermon in an attempt to force it to fit the present day church.

The text addresses the meek, and their inheritance. One of the problems, when interpreting this passage, is our preconceived misunderstanding of the word “meek.” The best way to understand the meaning of the word in the context, is to allow Scripture to clarify what it is not.

We read in Scripture that Moses was the meekest man on the earth. “(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)” Numbers 12:3. A review of the life of Moses, will correct the concept that most have of the word. I will list these things, without adding the reference.

• Moses killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Jewish slave
• Moses confronted Pharaoh, and brought the plagues on Egypt, the last, killing all the first born of Egypt.
• Moses raised the rod and the sea closed on the whole Egyptian army.
• Moses came down from Mount Sinai, and crushed the golden calf to power, put it in the water, and forced them to drink it.
• Moses had the rebels within the congregation killed.
• Moses confronted Korah and his followers, and destroyed them by having the earth open and swallow them.
• Moses was willing to stand up against the whole nation of Israel and rebuke them. We witness this illustration when Jesus made a whip and cleansed the temple. Again, all the above go against the common idea of the meaning of meekness.

I am sure there is more we could find, but I believe these will suffice. Meekness is not an attitude of refusing to confront, or failing to deal with responsibilities. Vines Dictionary says, “…In Gal. 5:23 it is associated with enkrateia, “self-control. “Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words. It is having self under the control to the will of God.  I believe this is alluded to in Matthew 16:26. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” You will notice that the context is that of missing the Kingdom of Heaven. It is these, whose will is under submission to God, who enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The inheritance is the “earth.” Again, the world is not the subject here, but the land promised to Abraham and his earthly seed. “¹⁸ In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹ The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, ²⁰ And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, ²¹ And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21.  This is the earth the meek of Israel will inherit at the Second Advent of their Messiah. “²¹ For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. ²² But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.” Proverbs 2:21-22.

 

 

 

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN… #2

 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4.

 

 

 

 

In our last article about the Sermon on the Mount, we stressed the need to understand that the church of this dispensation is not the subject or the intent of the sermon. All is about Israel, a remnant, the Tribulation, and the Kingdom of Heaven. We also underscored the importance of distinguishing between the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and the Church. Without right division, this is impossible. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

This Beatitude deals with those who mourn. This is not speaking of the mourning that is appointed to all of us. “²² For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:22-23.

The mourning, in this context, speaks to a specific remnant who will mourn because of their previous rejection of their Messiah, and their personal sins.  “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”. Zechariah 12:10.

Until a Christian is able, and willing to understand the purpose of the book of Matthew, he will never understand the content within. One must understand the structure of the book, then the scope will become evident. Right division is the key.

Again, there is not one word in the sermon that is doctrinally directed to the Body of Christ, the Church. Those Jews who mourn over their sins of rejecting their Messiah, will find great comfort when He returns to them. They will be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven.