SNT 0324 Matthew 2
Matthew 2
December 24, 1967
Briefly covers Jesus’ birth, but deals mainly with the first two years of his life; also scriptual and scientific information about the star..
SNT – 344
Format: audio
Publication Date: 12-24-1967
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
2Ti 2:15; Mat 2:1, 2
Mat 2:2-8; (Mic 5:2)
Mat 2:8, 9; Luk 2:21-23, 39, 40
Mat 2:9-18
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DRAFT
Snt-0324-Matthew2 DRAFT
SUMMARY KEYWORDS: child, Herod, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, born, star, wise men, east, astronomers, called, Judea, chief priests
Turn to the Gospel of Matthew. While you're turning to the Gospel of Matthew, I'm going to turn to Second Timothy. I want to read one verse from Second Timothy chapter two, which is very familiar to all of our people and among all the people that I ministered, to whom I've taught the Word. But it is this one verse of scripture in Second Timothy chapter two, verse 15, which we need to keep driving back into our minds, so that we retain the truth there of it says this study to show thyself approved undergone a workman who needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We are to study to show ourselves approved under God. And the only way that we can stand approved under God and before God is by rightly dividing the word of truth. To the end, we rightly divide the word we have the True Word of God, to the end, we wrongly divided we have air, and sincerity is no guarantee for three. So when we come to that season of the year, this festive time of Christmas, and this particular time of the year, we need to go back to that word of God, and let that word speak. Irrespective of our previous training or teaching, we just have to come back to that word and let that word be the authority for our thinking and for our lives. In the Gospel of Matthew, the second chapter, we have the record in the Word of God of the coming of the wise men. The Wise Man did not come to Bethlehem. The night Jesus Christ was born. There was no great star visible over Bethlehem, the night Jesus Christ was born. Only a little handful of people knew about the birth of Jesus Christ. And that little handful was made up of the lowly shepherds out on the Judean hills, who were visited by the angel Gabriel and a host of angels from heaven, who declared unto them, that the child Jesus had been burned, the Savior had been born in Bethlehem, and that they should go to Bethlehem, and that they would find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a stable. in a manger, as King James says, this was all that occurred. The night Jesus Christ was born, King Herod, all of his cabinet, the top echelon of society in and around Jerusalem and Bethlehem knew absolutely nothing about the birth of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The night Jesus Christ was born, as I said, the wise man did not arrive. And yet, live Sunday, Sunday School quarterly, for the teenagers, of which I have a copy and read a copy said that the night Jesus Christ was born, the wise men from the East came to Bethlehem in Judea, and that there were three wise men. How we can be so in air year after years, and call ourselves educated people. This is why when people talk to me about being educated, I sort of swallow that with a grain of salt too, though. We talk about college grads, university grads and the rest of them. We talk about being educated. We may be educated in mathematics. We may be educated in fields of science and philosophy and history. Or when it comes to being really educated, and knowing the accuracy of God's word, we are absolutely ignorant for the most part. That's right. Because any person that would sit down and think for a moment would know that it would take more than three wise men to come all the way from these big cause. In those days, you had to travel in caravans large groups, so that you would be protected from the onslaught of robbers and thieves. Who would have waylaid any three men? So they would travel in large groups. This just plain sheer thinking should have told us. But you know, our minds become so acclimatized to what we're taught that you may be an educated person, but you just do not think. Now when it comes to the wise man who came to Jerusalem, I mean, yes to Cambridge, Jerusalem. First, we're going to read the record in God's Word tonight, and let it set. And I think you'll see again, that it sets like a great diamond, and it has great fruit to teach chapter two, verse one. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of had the king, behold, there came wise man from the east. The word when the second word in that verse is the same Greek word, which is translated other places, after, and had they translated it after, it would have helped some people, at least to get started. Now, after Jesus Christ was born, it seems to they seem to read into this verse, Now at the time of Jesus's birth. That's not what it says. It is not at the time of Jesus's birth. But when Jesus had been born, or act three at Bard after he was born. And if you would read it, as it is in the text as follows. Now, after Jesus was born, In Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise man from the East to Jerusalem, then that verse does not tell you, when they came, does it? It just declares this a truth that these wise men came from the east. And they came were to Jerusalem. They came to Jerusalem. Why did they come to Jerusalem? Because Jerusalem was the capital city. Jerusalem was the place where the king resided. This is where he had his court. And so these astronomers, and I know that the SEC, the religious literate tore, the so called Christian literate tour of our day and time says that these men were astrologers. They were not astrologers. They cause astrology is in the wrong category. These men must have been great men who were able to astronomically figure the movement of stars. Now, I know what we think we think we're so wise today, and they could not have had that information. I believe that is a presumptuous position. Because with all of our wisdom, with all of our knowledge, have we been able to equal some of the things that the ancients did? For instance? How about the Great Pyramids, built without any powerful lifting equipment of some kind, as we know it today, other great things that have been accomplished. I believe that we are taking away from people certain things to which they're entitled. And I believe that those men of the East were great and wonderful men who had studied astronomy, and who perhaps knew more about astronomy, than we do today. As a matter of fact, they knew more about this particular thing than any astronomer I have read, in our day in our time. Because as you will see, these men had compiled some tremendous data when they came to Jerusalem. Verse two says, they said, where is he? Who is born king of the Judeans? For we have seen his star, not a star, not some star. But we have seen his star in the past and are come to worship him. Why did they come to Jerusalem? Why did they not go to Babylon? Why didn't they not go to Nineveh? Why did they just come to Druce? That's a question you've got sense. I think the answer lays in that this conjunction of stars which occurred that year when Christ was born It was so singularly unique that those stars always related themselves to the nation in the Near East, to which we refer to as Israel, or Jews or in the Palestinian area. And this is why these astronomers associated that particular star, which was a conjunction of stars, he they associated with Israel. And so they came to the capital city, Jerusalem, instead of going to some other city, they went to the capitol city, the same as you perhaps would do. If you were in a foreign country, you came to the United States to see the President, where would you go? Well, if he's holed, you go, the lighthouse wouldn't go to Washington. So they came to Jerusalem, this is what we have to see. And they said, where is he who is born king, they knew a King had been born. They knew it. Or we have seen his star in the east. It does not say where they saw it. But they saw it in the East. They saw it the night he was born at the time he was born, they saw his star in the east. Now those of us who live in this particular hemisphere, have never seen, for instance, the Southern Cross. I just do not know how far maybe Peter could tell me how far you have to go towards what he called that. equator before you can see the Southern Cross. Peter and Vivian Did Did you see the Southern Cross when you came from Australia? You showed up? We saw it when we were in in the Far East. Now you see, this is exactly what occurred, that at that time. This conjunction of Stars was visible in the East. And the East always refers in the Bible, a great deal further east than the Near East. But where they came from and who they weren't, the Bible does not tell us and if it doesn't tell us the best of guesses would not suffice. Well, they came and verse three says, when Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. He was troubled. Why? Because they reported that a king had been born and it was this report to King Herod who was the king, that really shocking. This is what disturbed him so that a king was born. Had they said to him, the whale, just a little old Jewish prophet, barn, that would not have taken him at all. But when they said to him, A King is born, a king was born, had got real disturbed by Lt. And all Jerusalem wedding. That word all is without distinction at all, without accepting all those in the cabinet. All of those members of the Senate in the House of Representatives who belong to the Herod rulership, they got together they talk this thing over and they really became disturbed. Verse four says, And when he Herod had gathered all the chief priests, and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them, where Christ should be born. Look how he got together, the chief priests and the scribes, the heads of the temple in Jerusalem, he got the chief priest and all the scribes, the members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the temple, he got all of these people together. And he said, Now, fellas, if you don't mind, we have please get your scrolls. And within the next six months or a year, report to me as a committee on where Jesus Christ should be born. No, yeah, you ought to read it in the original text. The word demanded in King James is not quite strong enough. And yet it is in one sense, if you can say demand and demand that you demand then you have the essence of that word. He said to the chief priest, he said, I want to know from you exactly where and when Jesus Christ was born. And he said, I want this data tonight.
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I'll bet those fellows stayed up all night. Afternoon just looking in the word trying to find out, because Herod demanded it. He didn't give them six months to report as a Committee. He said I got to do. He demanded, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. Verse five, and they reported to him and they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for Dotson is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are not the least among the princes of Judah. Four out of these shakaama governors that shall rule my people, Israel. Where are they? Right? Definitely. Definitely. I believe this record is from Isaiah fire. remember correctly, those of you have got a center reference your Bible is from Isaiah, this. This one that my mica, okay. Just a few books away. Okay. From mica, alright, this is the record they gave him. They were accurate in their report. But Herod had demanded, and I want you to notice what he demanded. He demanded to know where Christ should be was born. That's the key. Remember that now, all he wanted to know is where he was born. Now watch the next verse. Then Harris, when he had called the leaders of the temple, and the wise men together, know, he was a smart cookie. A wise king at this time, he knew you better get rid of the religious boys, because they'll throw a monkey wrench into this or do something. He said he never invited them in. But he did bring in the wise man. He dismissed this. Chief Priests describes the rest of the rulers of the Sanhedrin. Then he secretly That's what the word privly means. And Herod when he had secretly in secret, no NBC or ABC press, no news, media all out. It was behind closed doors secret meeting, secret meeting. And look what he said. He called the wise man inquired of them work diligently, diligently. Diligently meaning with minute accuracy. As to what time time time the star had appeared. Had that tremendous star been visible over Bethlehem, the place where Jesus Christ was born, the night he was born? Everybody in town would have known it right? Sure. It would have just been like a great advertisement for the whole community. Everybody would have said, Hey, what's going on what's going on? But that the star was visible, many, many, many, many miles away to a group of astronomers. And Herod said to them, Herod said to them not can you remember and tell me exactly minute Lee as to what time just exactly when did the star appear? He had not asked the chief priests that Addy or the scribes. He had only asked them as to where Christ should be born. But he asked the the astronomers The wise man, as to the time of that birth, or the time of that star.
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And verse eight and he Herod sent them they move the wise man to where Bethlehem and said go Now watch this, and said, Go and search diligently for the baby. No. The night Jesus Christ was born he was a was a baby. But a year and a half later, he would no longer be referred to as the baby biblically and technically speaking, a year and a half later, he would be referred to as a young child Right Right Mrs. Kelly and the October issue of the witness which he publishes every month, one of our weight grads, you know, one of our workers
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is the October issue. She said for some of these words, that I just want to share with you. First of all, there is the word the Greek word, but a post about b r e p h o s.
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This is a new barn, baby, helpless, unable to feed itself. This is the word that's translated child at times in the Bible. Then there is the second word is the word pi, D, O P ai, D, IOM. This is a young child and infant, a child still under the direction of its parents, or guardian. This is a child yet unable to speak, fluently. And the other word I can't read, I wrote the word fluidly in this text and I can't read my writing. That's why they didn't allow me to write on the film either. Well, anyways, this is the word pi d or BI D, IOM, a child under direction of its parents or its guardians, and one who cannot yet speak fluently and express themselves accurately. This is the word that is used here in verse eight of Matthew, chapter two. It is not the word by folks. But it is the word tidy own. The night Jesus Christ was born, and the angel said, you'll find this bay or this child in Bethlehem, it's the word by posts. But when the wise man came to Jerusalem, he was no longer eight, but posts. He was now a little plot child, but not old enough yet, that he could just express himself fluidly. Or well. I suppose this may take two your three or four I don't know. Some of you men were smarter. And some of you women maybe you did it too I'm not sure. But anyways, this is the the word. There's another word in the Greek used for when a child finally matures, and develops to where that child is capable of making intelligent decisions and is real, really taking its place in the family in which it's born. And that's the Greek word ah spelled h u ILS, which is pronounced Huiles. When the Bible says that we are sons of God, it talks about us being wheels, fully matured, sons of God. And yet there are sections in the Word of God, like in Corinthians, where he said he couldn't speak to them as unto full grown Christians. He could only speak to them as unter carnal, and the word is babes. But a little children who had no couldn't even fully express themselves. That's the only way you can talk to them. Well, I give you that from her particular witness magazine, because of the accuracy of the texts that are you hear in verse eight of chapter two of Matthew. It says he sent them to Bethlehem. Now, right there is where another great confusion has come in. There are two Beth lambs in the Near East. One Beth lamb is south of Jerusalem, in the land of Judea. And the prophet Micah, as well as the report of the key priests. And the scribes was that he was born were in Bethlehem of Judea. But there is a Bethlehem, up north, just south of Nazareth, in Galilee. And when Verse eight says, He sent them to Bethlehem, he did not send them to Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem. He's sent them to the Bethlehem, in the northern section, outside or close to the area of Nazareth, the home of Joseph and Mary, and where Jesus Christ was raised. Look, if you have if you have a map in the back of your Bible, of map of Canaan, for instance, at the time of the 12, tribes, the division to the 12 tribes, I believe you'll be able to see that Bethlehem on that map.
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Just take your time and look at it. It's a tremendous truth. And everybody that has read this verse, and the commentaries that report on it, speak always have it as Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, and it's not, it's the Bethlehem in the Northern Territory.
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Why? Because after Jesus Christ was born, keep your finger here in Matthew and go to Luke please.
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Verse 21, of chapter two of Luke. And when a days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus. Now, verse 22, and when the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Jesus to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord in the temple. You see, the circumcision took place, at the place where the child was born, like in the if you had a child born in your home, the child would be circumcised in your home. But you would take your child to the temple, if you lived in that area repurposed. Otherwise, you go to synagogue, you take your child to the temple. On the 41st day, there was a male child, a boy child, if it was a girl, child, you'd take
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it on the six days, 667 days for purification, took this much longer get pure because you had a girl or something.
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Now, on the 31st day, this is what verse 22 says, again, I believe your center reference may refer you back to Leviticus or some of the Old Testament records that tell you what I have just told you about a male child or the female child, the boy or the girl, the time that it took for purification. It's written in the Old Testament. It's 33 days for a boy 66 days for a girl. But the boy was Circumcised the eighth day and yad 33 and eight and you get some 41. That's when they brought him to the temple. And in verse 23, of Lupe, is the record of what happened there. But when verse 39, concludes, what they did there, read this verse 39. And when they Joseph and Mary had performed all things, according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city of LA, and verse 40, and a child grew and whacked, strong, the Child Jesus grew up were in Nazareth in Galilee, in their own city. So after the 31st day, where did Joseph and Mary go with Jesus? Back to Nazareth in Galilee, that's what the Word says. That's what it means. Now, sometime after this, the wise men come. And they do exactly what we've read tonight. And in verse eight, Herod says to them, now you go up to Bethlehem. Why did he send them to Bethlehem? Because he had learned also from the chief priests and the scribes, the record in the Word of God, that this Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem was up the seed of David. And that his, that his Joseph and Mary, or whoever the parents were, had gone up there because they were of the house and the lady Javan David. Now, this is why the northern Bethlehem was called Bethlehem because Bethlehem was the seat, the Center for the house of David people. And so some of the People that had at one time lived in southern Judea, how to be moved up to the north lived in that Bethlehem area and the Bethlehem represented the house, the lineage, the seed up what, David, that's the key to it. Herod didn't send themselves to Jerusalem had sent them north toward Nazareth. This is where he sent them. Because he knew that they were no longer there. Because what's no longer a baby? The time that he had inquired diligently had told him that by now, that one that had been born in Bethlehem of Judea, had gone back towards some other territory, and was no longer a baby, but was a young child. That's why Verse eight says, For the young child, and when you have found him bring me word that I may come and worship him.
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When they heard the king, they departed. They depart, they started out. Where did they start out for Bethlehem north, and low and low and low, low, the star, the star,
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which they saw in East at the time of the birth of Christ, that same star, the star that they had seen at that place, was now at this place, and it went before them. Why went before them as an astronomical term, as well as the words till it came and stood over, stood over, went before and stood over our boat, astronomical term. They came out of Jerusalem, they started north. And lo and behold, there it was evening, and they looked in the sky. And just like this, they recognize that it was the same star. And it went before them. How am I gonna describe it? Well, it's about like the moon, the moon comes up, and it goes like this. When it starts up over here to the east, and it starts up, it moves, it went before them, until it came to the place where it stood over. This is, is that the word vortex, boom, boom, perpendicular. This point here is not standing over this point, and this angle of the star, and it's like, to an astronomer would be going before but when it reaches this point, where it has that perfect, what I call alignment, harmony, perpendicular, right? It's the vortex that it stood over. That's the use for you talk about the accuracy of the word. And its dynamic, and why people want to believe anything else, but God's word. You got to be stupid and stupid to do that. For the word fits like a hand in a glove, and it makes sense. And it came and it stood over where the young child was. And verse 10, says, when they saw the star, the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. they rejoiced with an effervescence. They were just bubbling Oh. And verse 11, says, And when they came into the stable, no, he was born in a stable. That's right. But when the wise men came, they came into the White House, into the house. And there they saw verse 11, the young child, they saw the young child, not the baby. But the PI dome. They saw the young child with his mother with marry his mother that fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures this is interesting too, I guess from an oriental Eastern biblical custom. It's always hard for me to open a gift people give me a gift. I hate to open it in their presence. And I usually try if I can to slip out, not open it until they're gone. I think this is a carryover of my baby hood or something. I don't know what but Same way when I give a gift I don't particularly care for people open it in my presence I just in joy giving it and they can take it home and open it whenever they want to. But in the Bible, when you brought a gift, they did not open it, you open it and you presented it open to. So if you've got it all wrapped for Christmas, you have to unwrap and take all those pretty bows off. And all that time you went into it, you take it all off, and you open it. That's why the word says this is biblically accurate. They open their treasures, they open their treasures, and they presented on to him gifts. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The three gifts that had to be made to royalty. They presented to him because they had determined before they ever left the east that he was a watt king. And so they brought gifts with them. And they opened these gifts, and they presented on to him gold, frankincense and myrrh. And from those three gifts, we have concluded that there were only one, three wise men but it does not say that.
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Then verse 12, says in being warned of God in a dream, that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And there are only two ways in the in the Palestine area of the birth of Jesus Christ day and time that you could go to Nazareth are coming from the east. One would be to come via Jerusalem and come up the sea coast, in between the sea coast in the mountains, head toward Nazareth. The other was that you would have to come around from the east and coming to a road that led from the east directly through into the Galilee area. One day why wise men came that came the southern route came into Jerusalem. But when they went home, there was only one other way that could go they had to go east, from Nazareth from the Galilee area. And that's exactly what what it says they returned another way and that's the only way they could go. And verse 13, says, And when they departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying arise, take the young child, his mother and feed Egypt, bees out there until I bring the word for Herod will see the young child to destroy him. And when he when he arose, he took the young child in his mother my night they departed for Europe. They weren't aware why the word of God is what can't get away from the word means what it says and says what it means no matter whether you get it by angels, or whether you just read it line by line and word by word. That you see why every time I hear somebody say so a lot.
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I get real sharp. Because it's not a soul lot. It is a yes.
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When he said, go to Egypt, what do you mean? Go read, try. So we took him there. And it says verse 15, he was there until the death of parents. They might be fulfilled which was spoken to the Lord by the Prophet saying out of Egypt, I called my son. And it's a remarkable thing that we made such an error in the changing of our calendars. Because according to the calendar that you and I keep, Herod died at four BC around the 15th, or the 17th of March. And yet we date all of our time from the birth of Christ. So either the birth of Christ is offered calendars all must be the calendar. So it's a little difficult some time to explain to people how Jesus Christ was born, while Herod was living and then later on to have to tell him that Herod died for BZ What's a matter of the air in the calendar? We stayed there till Herod was dead. Then Herod, verse 16, goes back to the story of the Wiseman when he saw that he was mocked of the wise man was exceeding rot, and sent forth and flew all the children that were in the lot. Bethlehem, which Bethlehem southern or Northern, northern in the Bethlehem area, territory, in all the coasts of that Bethlehem area, from two years old and under. Now watch it, according to the time, which he had diligently inquired of us. He knew that that child was no longer six months old. He knew that that A child wasn't three months, he knew that child was not eight months, he knew that that child was over a year old. As a matter of fact, he knew that that child was right in the neighborhood of between one year in six months, and one year in nine months, it couldn't vary very much, because he had searched diligently all the time. And so he just flew everybody under two and over one. That's the text. I think our thinking and our teaching has been slow everybody from being a little baby all the way to two, right? But that's not what the word said. He took them under two, but older than the baby stage. He took the young child age, which would start him out a year in six months, approximately, and carry him on through and he knew he was in that period between a year and six months and two years so easily. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying in Ramah was their voice heard, lamentation and weeping and great morning, Rachel, weeping for her children and would not be comforted, because they are not. And this is the record of the wise man's coming to Bethlehem in the dark. When Jesus was in the house, when he was a little child, he was no longer a bank. And it is these wise men who brought their gifts to the royalty of gold, frankincense Edmar.