By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com
Q. What is the symbolism in Matt. 21.1-5 and the so-called “triumphal entry?”
A. There is a lot of symbolism going on and some allusions to prophecy yet unfulfilled. The day this occurred was the 10th day of Aviv, or Nisan, when the Passover lamb was selected and separated (Exo 12). Yeshua as our Passover lamb rides into Jerusalem and is selected by the people and for four days he is inspected by the priests, the Gentiles, the Jewish people and he was without spot or blemish. He initiates this aspect of fulfilling the Torah on the 10th of Nisan in our passage.
Prophetically this will happen again, only it will be the false messiah who will declare himself God. He does this at the mid-point of the tribulation period. Matt. 24 clearly says that Yeshua returns on Yom Kippur if you know the idioms for that particular festival. There are many allusions to his return in the Tanach as well and the ancient Rabbis believed that Messiah would come in Tishri and Yom Kippur, so this opinion is based on over 2000 years of interpretation.
IF Yeshua returns on a Yom Kippur, that means the tribulation starts on a Yom Kippur, with the half-way point or 1260 days later coming to Nisan 10 and it is the mid-point that the false messiah declares who he wants people to believe he is. He will be imitating what Yeshua is doing here in Matthew. Notice that he tells the disciples to get a donkey and a colt. I know we have all seen the movies where he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey but how many times have you seen him riding two animals. He says in v3 that he has “need of them (plural)”. Maybe he rode both at one time, or one then the other but the prophecy in Zechariah 9.9 clearly says that two animals will be used. Riding one donkey into Jerusalem was not uncommon, but a donkey and a colt would have been unusual for sure.
So, what is going on? The donkey symbolizes the old nature (Job 11.12) and it needs to be subjected to Yeshua. The colt symbolizes a “new generation”, the “younger” or in other words being “born again.” In the Scriptures it was always the younger (colt) that inherited over the older (donkey) and the examples are obvious. What the Lord was trying to say is that Adam lost the kingdom (the older brother, the flesh, the donkey) and cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Yeshua is the younger brother (colt, younger, second generation, born again, spirit) who regains the kingdom and that is what the people are expressing in our passage and that is why they are hailing him as king, although they probably didn’t see all of it at the time. They saw him as a deliverer from Rome like David and wanted him to act. They had no idea how right they were.
But, before we criticize them there are very few people reading this column who saw this in the Scriptures and you have read it and seen it hundreds of times. Many things were not revealed about Yeshua until after his resurrection and can only be revealed by the Spirit of God. Paul certainly saw these concepts, as did the other apostles, because they write about them but it had to be revealed to them.
Lastly, there is an interesting teaching from the rabbis on the Messiah. In Sanhedrin 98a and the Jewish Encyclopedia in an article called “The Antichrist” it says that Messiah will appear on a horse if the world is entirely righteous, and on a donkey if the world is entirely wicked. Well, that statement is true to a point but a little short. Messiah did appear on a donkey and the issue God had with sin had to be dealt with at the cross 4 days later. Messiah will also appear on a horse at his second coming to deliver his righteous ones (Rev 19, Matt. 24.22). There is much more to this but I hope this gives some insight into this very significant day in Yeshua’s life.
The La Quinta meeting room in Alvarado, 1165 Hwy 67W Alvarado, TX. 76009. (Behind Sonic)
For information Email at wmriley17@yahoo.com
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upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB95)
Friday, March 16, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The Man with an Unclean Spirit Likened to a Man with False Teachings
By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com
Q. What is Matt. 12.43-45 talking about when it says that when an unclean spirit leaves a man, it goes to the desert, and then can return with 7 more spirits, leaving the person worse off than before?
A. This is mainly a prophetic parable that relates all the back through v.22 when Yeshua healed a man that was demon-possessed. So let’s start in v 22 with a brief commentary about what is going on and that will clear up these verses. A man is blind and dumb/deaf and when Yeshua heals him, he is accused of doing so by Satan’s power. Yeshua responds back by saying Satan is not going to act contrary to his interests, and then let God get glory out of it. A kingdom or a house/family can’t function that way.
Now, the casting out of demons was nothing new, it was done before Yeshua came but they did it in the name of the Lord. Yeshua asks them if they cast out demons in the Lord’s name, why can’t he cast them out himself (because he is the Lord) or at least if you can do it, why can’t I? He goes on to say that he is not with me (Satan) is against me and be careful before you criticize. If you don’t believe me, that can be forgiven but if you willfully, maliciously oppose the Spirit of God then that will not be forgiven. They knew he was from God but opposed him for their own gain and power in this world.
He goes on to say a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. You won’t have a good tree with bad fruit and a bad tree with good fruit. A tree is known by its fruit. Now, he already taught on what good fruit was. It is scriptural doctrines. False teachers will bring bad doctrines and true teachers will bring truth (Matt 7.15-29). For example, the doctrine that says the Torah has been done away with is a false doctrine taught by false teachers, so it is bad fruit, and so on.
He is not addressing the scribes and Pharisee’s directly but he is talking to the general multitudes gathered there (12.45) but some of the Pharisee’s standing around demanded a sign from heaven to verify he was sent from God, to which Yeshua says that he will give them a sign from the earth. Just as Jonah was in the fish 3 days and 3 nights, so he will be in the earth 3 days and 3 nights. Ninevah was given 40 days to repent, Israel will be given 40 years. Ninevah repented, and Israel won’t as it will turn out because 40 years after Yeshua was resurrected the Romans came and destroyed the Temple and scattered the people. He then gives another example of gentile repentance with the Queen of the South who came to hear Solomon. She came from afar to hear Solomon, but the Jewish people didn’t have to leave the land to hear the Messiah himself, but they didn’t listen.
So, with that background we come to v 43-45. The unclean spirit going out refers to an outward reformation or profession brought about when Yeshua came and swept the house clean. The man is “Jacob” or the “house” of Israel. Before he came they appeared righteous with the oral law and man-made traditions and a lot of spiritual activity but weren’t. Yeshua comes along and “casts” out the unclean spirit (man’s traditions that has left him blind, deaf and dumb spiritually) out of the man (Jacob) which we just talked about as a contention with the religious leaders going back to v 22. The spirit cannot find rest because it is only happy when it is causing mischief to Gods Word by invalidating it with error.
Yeshua is crucified and resurrected and the spirit sees that there has been no true reformation in the people and returns more powerful than before, which was seen in the first century. The teachings of the apostle’s were rejected by the House of Israel overall and believers were persecuted, and again the house was empty of God but full of outward profession brought about by man’s traditions and works, which seemed like an “orderly” way of doing things but it was not from God. The dog returned to its vomit, forgot about Yeshua and the reforms he brought. They were worse off after Yeshua than before. Then Yeshua says that this story is the way it will be for that generation, which tells us he is giving a prophetic parable. I don’t think we can make this a doctrine about exorcisms as some do because by doing so they miss the whole point of the story.
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com
Q. What is Matt. 12.43-45 talking about when it says that when an unclean spirit leaves a man, it goes to the desert, and then can return with 7 more spirits, leaving the person worse off than before?
A. This is mainly a prophetic parable that relates all the back through v.22 when Yeshua healed a man that was demon-possessed. So let’s start in v 22 with a brief commentary about what is going on and that will clear up these verses. A man is blind and dumb/deaf and when Yeshua heals him, he is accused of doing so by Satan’s power. Yeshua responds back by saying Satan is not going to act contrary to his interests, and then let God get glory out of it. A kingdom or a house/family can’t function that way.
Now, the casting out of demons was nothing new, it was done before Yeshua came but they did it in the name of the Lord. Yeshua asks them if they cast out demons in the Lord’s name, why can’t he cast them out himself (because he is the Lord) or at least if you can do it, why can’t I? He goes on to say that he is not with me (Satan) is against me and be careful before you criticize. If you don’t believe me, that can be forgiven but if you willfully, maliciously oppose the Spirit of God then that will not be forgiven. They knew he was from God but opposed him for their own gain and power in this world.
He goes on to say a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. You won’t have a good tree with bad fruit and a bad tree with good fruit. A tree is known by its fruit. Now, he already taught on what good fruit was. It is scriptural doctrines. False teachers will bring bad doctrines and true teachers will bring truth (Matt 7.15-29). For example, the doctrine that says the Torah has been done away with is a false doctrine taught by false teachers, so it is bad fruit, and so on.
He is not addressing the scribes and Pharisee’s directly but he is talking to the general multitudes gathered there (12.45) but some of the Pharisee’s standing around demanded a sign from heaven to verify he was sent from God, to which Yeshua says that he will give them a sign from the earth. Just as Jonah was in the fish 3 days and 3 nights, so he will be in the earth 3 days and 3 nights. Ninevah was given 40 days to repent, Israel will be given 40 years. Ninevah repented, and Israel won’t as it will turn out because 40 years after Yeshua was resurrected the Romans came and destroyed the Temple and scattered the people. He then gives another example of gentile repentance with the Queen of the South who came to hear Solomon. She came from afar to hear Solomon, but the Jewish people didn’t have to leave the land to hear the Messiah himself, but they didn’t listen.
So, with that background we come to v 43-45. The unclean spirit going out refers to an outward reformation or profession brought about when Yeshua came and swept the house clean. The man is “Jacob” or the “house” of Israel. Before he came they appeared righteous with the oral law and man-made traditions and a lot of spiritual activity but weren’t. Yeshua comes along and “casts” out the unclean spirit (man’s traditions that has left him blind, deaf and dumb spiritually) out of the man (Jacob) which we just talked about as a contention with the religious leaders going back to v 22. The spirit cannot find rest because it is only happy when it is causing mischief to Gods Word by invalidating it with error.
Yeshua is crucified and resurrected and the spirit sees that there has been no true reformation in the people and returns more powerful than before, which was seen in the first century. The teachings of the apostle’s were rejected by the House of Israel overall and believers were persecuted, and again the house was empty of God but full of outward profession brought about by man’s traditions and works, which seemed like an “orderly” way of doing things but it was not from God. The dog returned to its vomit, forgot about Yeshua and the reforms he brought. They were worse off after Yeshua than before. Then Yeshua says that this story is the way it will be for that generation, which tells us he is giving a prophetic parable. I don’t think we can make this a doctrine about exorcisms as some do because by doing so they miss the whole point of the story.
Enmity Between the Woman and the Serpent, with Further Meaning
By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com
Q. What does it mean in Gen. 3.15 when it says that God will put enmity between the serpent and the woman, between your seed (serpent) and her seed?
A. This passage of course is talking about the fall of man and the repercussions. There is a lot going on here so we’ll break it down piece by piece to give you a glimpse of what is being said.
For God to put enmity between the serpent and the woman there must have been an affinity to begin with. But, as a result of the fall there will now be hatred. Good and evil have entered the picture now. Biologically a woman does not have seed so that tells us God is referring to something else here at a mystical or spiritual level. The woman is of course seen in Scripture as Israel and the congregation of believers down through the ages. Yeshua is the “seed” referred to here in particular and that is reinforced by Paul in Galatians. The “seed” of the serpent will be the False Messiah in particular.
But, at another level this is seen as believers against unbelievers in a larger sense. There is also another level this can be seen at. In Lev, 19.19 there is a commandment about not mixing 2 kinds of seed together in a field. What the heart of this commandment is saying is the field is the world. The two kinds of seed being referred to are God’s word and Satan’s perversion of it (see Mt 13.1-30). We know that seed will only reproduce after its own kind (Gen. 1.11) and Satan has tried to overtake the “field” by planting tares among the wheat. In other words, false doctrine has been interjected among good doctrine to lead astray many. Anyone who has read these articles for years knows what false doctrine is. But for those who may be reading this for the first time, false doctrine is just that, false teaching. Some examples for today would be that Sunday is the Sabbath now, the Law has been done away with, you can eat pork, Biblical festivals are no longer to be observed and replaced by Christmas, Easter, Lent, St. Valentines Day and the list can go on and on. Satan’s teachers have gone into the field and sowed tares among the wheat, false doctrine among the truth. Through this Satan has tried to establish his kingdom in place of the Kingdom of God.
This strategy isn’t going to work because in the end God will separate true believers from false, but for the time being it is allowed to happen. God’s word is the only “good seed” and it will always bear good fruit and Satan’s false doctrines will always bear bad fruit. That is how you can tell a false teacher (Mt.7.15-27). Anything that is contrary to the clear instruction of the Lord is false. This “mixing” of the seed will go on till the end of the age and it will continue to cause enmity between the seed of the woman (believers) and the seed of the serpent (unbelievers).
Yeshua used this concept many times in the Scriptures referring to those that didn’t believe as being “of your father the devil” (Jn. 8.44) and other places. You have this same concept illustrated in the metaphor of the “sheep and the goats” also. So, seed, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, light and darkness, green branches and dry branches, good fruit and bad fruit, sheep and wolves, good fish and bad fish all illustrate the concept introduced in Gen. 3.15. We are instructed not to mix the truth with error and I’m sorry to say that much of what is taught today is bad seed and it produces bad fruit, or doctrines. We are to put the good seed, the truth of the Word of God in our hearts and minds and it will produce the fruit that the husbandman intended.
All of this, and believe me there is much more, is all wrapped up in this enmity that will exist between the seed of the woman (those who are truly born again and in the body of Yeshua) and those who are of the seed of the serpent (Jn. 8.44).
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com
Q. What does it mean in Gen. 3.15 when it says that God will put enmity between the serpent and the woman, between your seed (serpent) and her seed?
A. This passage of course is talking about the fall of man and the repercussions. There is a lot going on here so we’ll break it down piece by piece to give you a glimpse of what is being said.
For God to put enmity between the serpent and the woman there must have been an affinity to begin with. But, as a result of the fall there will now be hatred. Good and evil have entered the picture now. Biologically a woman does not have seed so that tells us God is referring to something else here at a mystical or spiritual level. The woman is of course seen in Scripture as Israel and the congregation of believers down through the ages. Yeshua is the “seed” referred to here in particular and that is reinforced by Paul in Galatians. The “seed” of the serpent will be the False Messiah in particular.
But, at another level this is seen as believers against unbelievers in a larger sense. There is also another level this can be seen at. In Lev, 19.19 there is a commandment about not mixing 2 kinds of seed together in a field. What the heart of this commandment is saying is the field is the world. The two kinds of seed being referred to are God’s word and Satan’s perversion of it (see Mt 13.1-30). We know that seed will only reproduce after its own kind (Gen. 1.11) and Satan has tried to overtake the “field” by planting tares among the wheat. In other words, false doctrine has been interjected among good doctrine to lead astray many. Anyone who has read these articles for years knows what false doctrine is. But for those who may be reading this for the first time, false doctrine is just that, false teaching. Some examples for today would be that Sunday is the Sabbath now, the Law has been done away with, you can eat pork, Biblical festivals are no longer to be observed and replaced by Christmas, Easter, Lent, St. Valentines Day and the list can go on and on. Satan’s teachers have gone into the field and sowed tares among the wheat, false doctrine among the truth. Through this Satan has tried to establish his kingdom in place of the Kingdom of God.
This strategy isn’t going to work because in the end God will separate true believers from false, but for the time being it is allowed to happen. God’s word is the only “good seed” and it will always bear good fruit and Satan’s false doctrines will always bear bad fruit. That is how you can tell a false teacher (Mt.7.15-27). Anything that is contrary to the clear instruction of the Lord is false. This “mixing” of the seed will go on till the end of the age and it will continue to cause enmity between the seed of the woman (believers) and the seed of the serpent (unbelievers).
Yeshua used this concept many times in the Scriptures referring to those that didn’t believe as being “of your father the devil” (Jn. 8.44) and other places. You have this same concept illustrated in the metaphor of the “sheep and the goats” also. So, seed, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, light and darkness, green branches and dry branches, good fruit and bad fruit, sheep and wolves, good fish and bad fish all illustrate the concept introduced in Gen. 3.15. We are instructed not to mix the truth with error and I’m sorry to say that much of what is taught today is bad seed and it produces bad fruit, or doctrines. We are to put the good seed, the truth of the Word of God in our hearts and minds and it will produce the fruit that the husbandman intended.
All of this, and believe me there is much more, is all wrapped up in this enmity that will exist between the seed of the woman (those who are truly born again and in the body of Yeshua) and those who are of the seed of the serpent (Jn. 8.44).
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