Matthew 24 - Part 27

In our last study we left off at the last three words in Matthew 24 :17, Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of [ek:G1537] his [autos:G846] house. [oikia:G3614] These three terms only surface together again in five other passages (including the parallel verse in Mark 13:15) and we will take a look at three of them:

After the Lord casts out a demon out of  man in the synagogue we read this in Luke 4:38,  And he arose out [ek:G1537] of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. [oikia:G3614]  And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him [autos:G846]  for her. [autos:G846] 

In Luke 8:27 we learn about one of the Gadarene demoniacs (there were two according to the other Gospel accounts): And when he [autos:G846]  went forth to land, there met him [autos:G846]  out of [ek:G1537]  the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in [any] house, [oikia:G3614] but in the tombs.

In John 12:3 we are presented with what Mary did to prepare the Lord for His death and burial: Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her [autos:G846] hair: and the house [oikia:G3614]  was filled with [autos:G846] the odour of the ointment.

Notice that in each of these three verses what God is associating with the house spiritually: sickness, demonic activity and preparation for death.

Let's proceed to verse 18 which states: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. Mark 13:16 and Luke 17:31 are parallel passages which reiterate this same admonition. 

What Is The Field?

One learns from Matthew 13:38 that the field is the world, which we call a "definition verse" as God is defining His own terms: The field [agros:G68] is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]. This word, field or agros forms the basis for our English word agronomy for example. In fact in the English language there are some 150,000 words that stem from Greek. Since God's judgment fell upon His own house first, as we have been discussing in Matthew 24, God commanded His people to present the Gospel to the nations of the elect in the field, which is the world (where God was still saving) during the latter part of the Great Tribulation, known as the "Latter Rain."  By contrast, the early or former rain had to do with the start of the New Testament churches on the Day of Pentecost (May 22, 33 AD).  The expression field or agros is  also utlized in Luke 17:7-8, But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he  

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is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? {8} And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? This Scripture corroborated the fact that God still had a task for His people to perform - that of  feeding God's sheep with Truth - when  it was understood that judgment day was a prolonged period of time, rather than a 24-hour day as had been presumed.

Return [epistrepho:G1994] Back [opiso:G3694]

The next  two words we want to examine in verse 18 are return back. They are  found together again in the parallel accounts of Mark 13:16 and Luke 17: 31, in addition to verse 33 of  Mark 8:31-33, as Jesus rebukes Peter in no uncertain terms: And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and [of] the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. {32} And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. {33} But when he had turned about [epistrepho:G1994] and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind [opiso:G3694] me, Satan: for thou savourest [regard] not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Back [opiso:G3694]

The term, back, like so many words in the Bible is used for the most part in a positive sense, such as to follow after, but it can also convey a negative connotation, and a spiritual direction that is antithetical to the Bible as these next Scriptures illustrate:

Luke 4:8 occurs in the context of the temptation in the wilderness, And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind [opiso:G3694] me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

John 6:66 sadly states: From that [time] many of his disciples went back, [opiso:G3694] and walked no more with him.

And Luke 9:62 drives home the point: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back,[opiso:G3694] is fit for the kingdom of God.

This reminds one of the warning found in verse 32 of Luke 17:31-32, which as I mentioned earlier is one of the parallel verses to Matthew 24:18, In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field [agros:G68], let him likewise not return [epistrepho:G1994] back. [opiso:G3694] {32} Remember Lot's wife. Let's recall what Lot's wife did back in Genesis 19:17 and 26 in which the command was given, but she did not heed it: And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look [nabat:H5027/TWOT:1282] not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. ... {26} But his wife looked back [nabat:H5027/TWOT:1282] from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.  Salt in this context is a picture of judgment.  Look[ing] back at Sodom was not just a casual glance, but revealed something far  deeper that was going on in Lot's wife's heart. She had physically left the city limits of Sodom, but her heart was still in Sodom. This is a classic illustration of the Biblical principle found in Matthew 6:21, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  

To Take [airo:G142] His [autos:G846] Clothes [himation:G2440]

The last phrase in verse 18 is to take his clothes, and two of these three terms are also found in the parallel verse in Luke 17:31a, however in this citation God emplyoys a different word - instead of clothes - it is stuff. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his [autos:G846]  stuff [skeuos:G4632] in the house, let him not come down to take [airo:G142] it [autos:G846] away [airo:G142]... This word, stuff, is translated goods in Mark 3:27, No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, [skeuos:G4632] except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. The strong man is Satan, and his house is his kingdom which the Lord Jesus plundered during the day of salvation to set His elect free. This same word, stuff or goods is also found twice in 2 Timothy 2:20-21, as vessels: But in a great house there are not only vessels [skeuos:G4632] of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. {21} If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel [skeuos:G4632] unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, [and] prepared unto every good work. Notice the separation of the vessels that God is both orchestrating and commending. We can also understand the word, clothes (or garment) in Matthew 24:18 to indicate what kind of spiritual covering one possesses. That which God's house (which He abandoned) provides, is motheaten as James 5:2 teaches, Your riches are corrupted, and your garments [himation:G2440] are motheaten [setobrotos:G4598]. The word moth, in this compound Greek word is ses (G4597) which stems from the Hebrew, cac (H5580/TWOT:1524), which is only found in Isaiah 51:8, as the worm, For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm [cac:H5580/TWOT:1524] shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation. 

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Mysterious Bible Graphemes

This is a new column that we are starting having to do with the letters or graphemes of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek alphabets. It is important to recognize that there is only one alphabet, although there are many systems of writing. That one alphabet is the Hebrew/Aramaic alphabet that God constructed, and from which the Greek alphabet and any other alphabet stems from. Furthermore,  the child of God recognizes that every word (and letter) in the Bible proceeds from the Mouth of God, as we read in Deuteronomy 8:3, And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

By the way, Hebrew is a consonantal language, so it does not contain any vowels. The majority of Hebrew words are based on a tri-consonantal root, called the (verb) sheresh (H8328/TWOT*:2471a) or (the noun) shoresh (H8327/TWOT:2471). What is remarkable about this three letter sheresh is the fact that it is inextricably linked to the Lord Jesus Christ (Who is the Word of God) and Who is identified as the Root in the subsequent citations:

Isaiah 11:1 and 10 affirm: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots [sheresh:H8328/TWOT:2471a] {10} And in that day there shall be a root [sheresh:H8328/TWOT:2471a] of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

We have understood that Jesse was the father of David, and David  is a magnificent type of the Lord Jesus. Remember that both are Shepherds...both are Men of War...both are Kings...both are Musicians to name just a few. 

One of the most significant citations that expresses the concept that Christ is intimately identified as the Root, is found in Isaiah 53:2, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root [sheresh:H8328/TWOT:2471a] out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

According to Jay P. Green Sr., there are 8,674 Hebrew words in the Old Testament, and 5,624 Greek words in the New Testament totalling 14,298 words. Indeed each of those words embodies one or more attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ, and serve to highlight the over-arching theme of Scripture which has to do with Christ and His Bride.

In light of this fact should we not acquaint ourselves and “make friends” (if you will) with each of these words (and their respective letters), and by doing so enrich our fellowship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who penned these divine words? 

1 John 1:1-3 affirm: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; {2} (For the life was manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) {3} That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

In this column we aim to  to briefly examine one Hebrew (and its corresponding Greek) letter each month in order to showcase the spiritual significance that God has hidden within them, as the words a are “letter-words.” In doing so we will uncover the parabolic richness that make up each God-breathed word found in the Bible by giving us a deeper appreciation of how every jot and tittle  (Matthew 5:18) will not only be fulfilled, but serves to glorify the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Incidentally, the “jot” or iota (G2503) ἰ expressed in Matthew 5:18 refers to the 9th letter of the Greek alphabet, which is turn, is related to the 10th (and smallest)  letter of the Hebrew alphabet which is the jod (H3027) י -  the letter-word for (an open) “hand” (as opposed to a fist).  The “tittle” or keraia (G2762) indicates the tiniest mark that would distinguish one Hebrew letter from another such as the “gap” (on the left side of the letter) that is “closed” or “open” for example in the letters cheth ח (the 8th Hebrew letter) and the he ה(the 9th Hebrew letter). This is sometimes referred to as a “crown” or “tip” or “point” as seen in the letters daleth ד (the 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and resh ר, (the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and in the letters beth ב (the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and the caph כ (the 11th letter of the Hebrew alphabet). For a complete list of the 22 letters in the Hebrew/Aramaic alphabet and the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet, please see the next page.

*Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT)

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Bible Study Resources

In this new column we want to explore a particular Bible study tool or aid each month  to enhance your study of God 's Word. These tools are invaluable for anyone who does  not know the original languages that God utilized as He penned the Holy Bible, namely, Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek. The resource that we want to highlight in this edition is A Concise Lexicon of the Biblical Languages, by the late Jay P. Green Sr. and Dr. Maurice Robinson, Ph.D.  Below you will find the first column of the first page in the Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic sections respectively:

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Bible Study Resources

Here are some of the features and highlights that this one volume tool offers:

• All three original languages are in one volume which is very convenient. 

• Key verse references in which the word is found are included.

• The words are also arranged alphabetically and coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance as well as to four other works for more detailed information, if desired: Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon, Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, and Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon 

• These other books can be helpful (like Strong's) but will certainly not give you the spiritual meaning of whatever verse or passage you happen to be studying.

•  Proper names also appear in alphabetical order, often with their meanings. 

•  The derivation of  the words is also given (including multiple usages of how the term is used) along  with grammatical information such as case, gender, and part of speech.

•  If there is a check mark (✓) and a number at the end of the entry, it indicates the Strong's number that    it stems from. 

•  If the word has derivatives that are similar in spelling they will also appear on the same page. 

•  This book uses a number of abbreviations in order to conserve space, and there is a handy index of these following the Preface, titled Other Terms And Descriptions.

• Please  refer to the Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic alphabet charts on page 3 of this edition if you need help remembering the letters. You will find that committing to memory these alphabets will greatly assist your study, as you will not be forced to rely on Strongs' numbers which, while useful, can also be confusing as the number sequences skip at times, and frequently, identically spelled words carry two different Strong's numbers. However, all Bible study aids (since they are the work of men) come with their own individual pros and cons, and you have to see what works best for you and your own personal learning style, whether auditory (hearing), visual (seeing), or tactile (doing). 

• This book can be ordered directly from the publisher (www.sgpbooks.com)  or elsewhere online, new and used.

 A Few Examples 

Let's consider the first entry in the Greek: A. The first line of text consists of a series of numbers which refer to the reference works mentioned above (on all the succeeding pages, except for the first page, these are labeled) The number "1" on the left side of the entry is Strong's number 1. Then in the middle it has the "Biblical Greek word": A, a; alpha.  The next number "1:1" is the volume/page number in Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, followed by "1a" which is Thayer's page/column number. The body of this entry then explains how this word is used: 

"alpha first letter of Greek alphabet. (a) as numeral one or first; (b) as a prefix, it may negate, using it as a contraction of ἄνευ (aneu) (without) 427 [This is the Strong's number for the preposition, ἄνευ (aneu) or without ] (e.g., 94)  [Strong's number 94 is identified as an example of this negation, since that word is ἄδικος (a-dikos), un-just or un-righteous]; or it may be copulative [i.e., "connecting words or clauses  linked in meaning"]  (e.g., 80)" [Strong's number 80 is  ἀδελφός (a-delphos), or brethren; delphos signifies womb] 

This is the first entry in Hebrew/Aramaic : "(Strong's #) 1...  אָב ... (Aleph) followed by the B-D-B (Brown Driver Briggs) #: 3a 

n.m. (noun, masculine) father, Gn. 44:19; (a) of parent, Gn. 50:16; (b) of God as Father of chosen, Dt. 32:6; (c) head or founder of group or clan, Gn. 4:20; (d) ancestor, Gn. 28:13; (e) term of respect, 2 K. 5:13. ✓ 2, 21"  [These are Strong's #'s on this page: 2 is identically spelled, and 21 is a derivative]: 

("Strong's #) 2...   אָב   ...  followed by the B-D-B #: 1078a 

father, variant of  1       

 ...  followed by the B-D-B #: 4a    ...   אֲבִי... 21                                

n. (noun) pr. (person? - not listed) f. (feminine) Abi (mother of Hezekiah), 2 K. 18:2; 2 Ch 29:1  ✓ 1

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A Word About Finances

In case you are not aware, like most 501 (c) 3 non-profits there are but two times in the year when we are able to “get ahead” financially.  One of these is at Christmas with year-end donations, the other is at tax time. As the Lord leads, would you consider making an extra gift above your regular giving if at all possible. If you are not a monthly donor, would you pray about becoming one? Our monthly prayer and faith partners are the lifeblood of this ministry and enable us to “feed God’s sheep” worldwide. Each of our staff are also volunteers and we do not receive a salary. Because our home is also our global headquarters for all our studio programming and administrative departments, we do receive a housing allowance from BMI. From time to time individuals have asked us about naming BMI in wills, annuities, and trusts. If you are interested in something of this nature please check with your financial advisor.

Prayer And Praise

• Please pray for our daughter, Maria as of this writing she has been missing from her group home for 9 days, and we have placed her on the Missing Persons list.

• Please pray for a special multimedia video series that we are working on titled the Treasure Of The Lamb - On The Road To Emmaus - based on the Resurrection and  the letters of the Greek alphabet.

We also covet your prayers for the following items that would help to expand our music ministry:

• BMI desires to obtain a series of music licenses in order to add to our music library, and create our own BMI app, which would play 24/7 God-glorifying spiritual songs and hymns, except for those times during the week when we broadcast live studies. The up front cost for this is approximately  $ 2000.00 

• BMI is also in the process of developing a prototype for a new Treasures From The Bible multimedia series. To do this we need a Yamaha CSP-170 digital piano that has the capability of adding a wide range of orchestral and individual instrument sounds that would be essential in creating such a program (since our 15 children are grown, and none of our 14 grandchildren live in this area). The cost for this piano is: $ 4700.00 .

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