A Side Trip to Matthew 5 and the Beatitudes
Bible Study Shorts
Before I go back to Isaiah 3, I want to revisit Matthew 5.
As a lit teacher, these verses will always remind me of Tom Sawyer's attempts to acquire the Beatitudes. Mark Twain's dry humor always makes me laugh. And we should try to start our days with a laugh.
Matthew 5: The Beatitudes
These are the verses where Jesus tells us who is going to be in the Millennial Kingdom. He was speaking to His Jewish brethren, who knew that there would be a resurrection of all Israel, but whose confidence in being the chosen people probably hadn't led many of them to wonder if their own individual behavior might admit them or keep them out of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus' ministry was first to the Jew, then to the Gentile, as Paul said. Jesus is breaking it to them gently that not everyone who says, "Lord, Lord" (picture Jews in prayer shawls davening at the Wailing Wall) is going to be a citizen of the Kingdom. With the resurrection of the dead of Israel also comes the judgment, and He lays out the criteria for Millennial Kingdom citizenship here:
Those who need God:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Those who have lost what they love:
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Those who are humble:
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Those who fast:
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Those who forgive:
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Those whose sins are confessed and covered by the blood of the Lamb:
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Those who reconcile, as far as it depends on them:
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Those who are hated for rebuking sin:
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Those who suffer for Christ's sake:
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Just a reminder to my fellow believers that Jesus saw EACH OF US when He spoke those words to the Jews of His day. He knew us before we were in our mothers' wombs, and He saw us at the wedding feast and ruling with Him in His kingdom. Keep that in mind as we witness the iron and clay of the ten toes in Daniel's vision pull apart here in the last days of the age of the Gentiles.
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