MATTHEW CHAPTER 22

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I) INTRODUCTION

II) A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON THE EARTH PRESENTED BY JESUS TO THE JEWISH RULERS

[Mt 22:1-2]

A) TO WHOM WAS JESUS SPEAKING: HIS ENEMIES, THE JEWISH RULERS

[Mt 21:23]

B) A WEDDING BANQUET WITHIN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON THE EARTH

C) THE BANQUET IS A PAN-IN VIEW OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN NOT A PANORAMIC ONE

D) THE BANQUET'S SETTING IS ON THE EARTH DURING OUR LORD'S MILLENNIAL RULE

E) FIRST THE WEDDING OF THE LAMB TO HIS BRIDE, THE CHURCH, IN HEAVEN; THEN COMES THE SECOND COMING, THE JUDGMENT OF NATIONS AND WEDDING BANQUET ON THE EARTH DURING OUR LORD'S MILLENNIAL RULE

[Rev 19:1, 7, 9, 11-16]

F) OTHER SCRIPTURE PASSAGES SUPPORT AN EARTHLY BANQUET

1) THE WEDDING CEREMONY IN HEAVEN IS A DIFFERENT EVENT FROM THE WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB ON THE EARTH

a) CONSIDERING TO WHOM JESUS WAS SPEAKING: THE RULERS OF ISRAEL AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF SCRIPTURE, THE CONTEXT OF MT 22 IS AN EARTHLY BANQUET

b) AN EARTHLY BANQUET WOULD ENABLE ALL BELIEVERS OF ALL AGES TO ATTEND

c) SCRIPTURE ONLY PRESENTS ONE HISTORICAL BANQUET FOR THE END TIMES: AN EARTHLY ONE

[Isa 25:6-8]

[Lk 13:28-29]

d) THE PARABLE OF THE 10 VIRGINS AWAITING ENTRANCE TO THE BANQUET CAN ONLY HAVE AN EARTHLY SETTING

e) CONCLUSION:

ONE BANQUET - AN EARTHLY ONE

G) IF THE SUPPER IS TO BE HELD IN HEAVEN, (AND IT WILL NOT), THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS FOR OBJECTORS TO EXPLAIN SUFFERING IN HEAVEN

H) CONCLUSION

III) THE KING'S INVITATION IS REJECTED

[Mt 22:3-6]

[1 Cor 7:22]

A) THREE GROUPS OF THE KING'S SERVANTS ARE REJECTED

IV) THE KING TAKES REVENGE

[Mt 22:7]

[Lk 19:41-44]

V) ONE MUST BE WORTHY ENOUGH TO ATTEND THE BANQUET

[Mt 22:8]

[Ro 8:6-8]

VI) INVITATION IS EXTENDED TO ALL WHO WILL COME

[Mt 22:8-9]

[Mt 28:19]

VII) THE BANQUET HALL IS FILLED WITH ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THE INVITATION

[Mt 22:10]

A) SOME OF THE GUESTS WILL BE GOOD

B) SOME OF THE GUESTS WILL BE BAD

[2 Cor 5:10]

VIII) NOT ALL WHO ATTEND THE BANQUET WILL BE ACCEPTABLE

[Mt 22:11-12]

A) THE KING IS THERE TO VISIT, NOT TO JUDGE

B) NEITHER JUDGMENT UNTO THE LAKE OF FIRE HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS PORTRAYED IN THE WEDDING SUPPER PARABLE

C) JUDGMENT UNTO ETERNAL LIFE OCCURS BEFORE AND AFTER THE MILLENNIAL WEDDING BANQUET

D) COMPARE THE PASSAGE OF THE JUDGMENT OF NATIONS WHICH IS CRITICAL TO OUR STUDY:

[Mt 25:31-34, 41, 46]

[Ez 20:33-38]

E) SO THOSE WHO GAIN ADMISSION INTO THE BANQUET ARE ETERNALLY SECURE BELIEVERS

F) THE KING ADDRESSES THE INAPPROPRIATELY DRESSED MAN AS 'FRIEND' INDICATING A FRIENDLY ATTITUDE AND NOT AN ATTITUDE HE MIGHT HAVE TOWARD HIM IN ONE OF THE JUDGMENTS

[Mt 20:13-16]

[Mt 26:50]

G) THE FRIEND HAS NO EXPLANATION TO OFFER - NO EXCUSE

H) THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT PERFORMING ONE'S DIVINELY APPOINTED GOOD WORKS

I) THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST IS NOT SOMETHING SCRIPTURE PORTRAYS THAT ONE WOULD PUT AS WEDDING CLOTHES FOR THE WEDDING BANQUET IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AS A VOLUNTARY DEED FOR THIS SPECIFIC EVENT - HENCE THE WEDDING CLOTHES CANNOT REPRESENT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST

1) [Compare Ro 3:21-22]:

2) [Compare Ro 4:3]:

IX) THE OUTER DARKNESS AND WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH

[Mt 22:13]

A) THE OUTER DARKNESS IS NOT THE LAKE OF FIRE IN THE CONTEXT OF MT 22

[Titus 3:5]

[Jn 10:28-29]

[Eph 1:13-14]

1) IT IS DARKNESS BY CONTRAST TO THE BANQUET AND THE PRESENCE OF OUR LORD

a) THE PICTURE OF AN ANCIENT JEWISH WEDDING PROVIDES THIS CONTRAST

2) FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD IS DESCRIBED IN SCRIPTURE AS LIGHT AND THE LACK OF IT, I.E., DARKNESS:

[1 Jn 1:5-7a]

[Eph 5:8-11]

4) SCRIPTURE OFTEN MAGNIFIES CONTRASTS TO ILLUSTRATE IMPORTANT POINTS

[Lk 14:26]

[Ro 9:11-13]

5) IT IS THE BANQUET WHICH INDIVIDUALS ARE KICKED OUT OF NOT THE KINGDOM

[Mt 8:10-12]

6) SONS OF THE KINGDOM DEFINED

[Mt 9:15]

[Mt 23:15]

[Mt 13:38-41]

[Dt 7:6]

B) WHERE THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH

1) THE DEVASTATION IN THE UNFAITHFUL BELIEVER'S SOUL IS EXPRESSED THRU WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH

2) WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH IS NOT LIMITED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE

a) NUMEROUS PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE SHOW THAT THE TERMS WEEPING AND GNASHING HAVE A VARIETY OF MEANINGS

[Lk 13:23-30]

4) DOCTRINAL PASSAGES WHICH INDICATE MOMENTS OF SUFFERING IN HEAVEN

5) CONSIDER A NUMBER OF PASSAGES WHICH INDICATE THAT UNFAITHFUL BELIEVERS WILL ACTUALLY SUFFER FOR A TIME FOR THEIR UNFAITHFULNESS:

a) 1 COR 3:11-15 SPEAKS OF SUFFERING LOSS

b) 2 COR 5:10 INDICATES DISCIPLINE IS METED OUT

c) MARK 8:34-38 INDICATES THAT GOD WILL BE ASHAMED OF UNFAITHFUL BELIEVERS

d) MT 10:33 INDICATES THAT OUR LORD WILL DENY UNFAITHFUL BELIEVERS BEFORE GOD

e) 2 TIM 2:11-13 INDICATES THAT UNFAITHFUL BELIEVERS WILL BE DISOWNED

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF AN UNFAITHFUL LIFE FOR THE BELIEVER

[Mt 10:32-33]

[Mk 8:38]

[Mk 16:27]

[Eph 2:8-9]

[Mk 8:38 again]

X) MANY ARE INVITED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN

A) MANY = ALL MEN

[Mt 22:13-14]

[ 2 Pet 3:9]

[Jas 1:18-21]

[Mk 8:34-38]

B) INVITED = CALLED, CHOSEN = CALLED OUT

[Acts 9:15-16]

[Jn 15:16]

[Eph 2:10]

[Ro 12:3]

[1 Cor 3:12-15]

C) ELECTION AS IT RELATES TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 22

****** EXCERPT FROM STUDY ON ELECTION ******

OR SKIP TO NEXT SECTION: ALL TEARS WILL BE WIPED AWAY

FOREORDINATION= THE OVERALL PLAN FOR THE UNIVERSE WHICH IS DETERMINED BEFOREHAND BY GOD

[Compare Eph 1:4-5, 11]:

[Compare 1 Cor 2:7]:

DECREE = THE ACT BY WHICH GOD ESTABLISHED THE CERTAINTY OF WHAT HE FOREORDAINED

[Compare Dan 11:36]:

[Compare Lk 22:22]:

[Compare Acts 2:23]:

[Compare Acts 4:27-28]:

[Compare Lam 3:37-38]:

FOREKNOWLEDGE = WHAT GOD KNOWS WITH CERTAINTY WILL COME TO PASS BECAUSE HE HAS DECREED IT

[Ro 8:29]:

GOD DID NOT ELECT CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ON ACCOUNT OF FOREKNOWING THAT THEY WOULD ACCEPT CHRIST AS SAVIOR BUT ON ACCOUNT OF HIS DECREE THAT THEY WOULD ACCEPT CHRIST AS SAVIOR

[1 Pet 1:2]:

ELECTION:

ELECT AND ELECTION DEFINED

[Compare Ro 11:5-8]:

[1 Thes 1:4-5]:

[1 Pet 1:1-2]:

ONLY THOSE WHO ARE GIVEN BY THE FATHER TO THE SON WILL COME TO THE SON AND NO ONE CAN COME TO THE SON UNLESS THE FATHER DRAWS AND ENABLES HIM

[Compare Jn 6:37, 44, 65]:

[Compare Jn 12:32]:

[Jn 10:16]:

[2 Pet 2:1]:

[Compare Ro 8:7-8]:

[Compare 2 Cor 4:3-4]:

ELECTION IS THE WORK OF GOD. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF THE INDIVIDUAL ELECTING GOD AND THEN GOD ELECTING HIM IN RESPONSE - AND GOD'S JUSTICE IS NEVER IMPUGNED AS A RESULT

[Ro 9:10-23]:

ELECTION SEPARATES FROM AMONG MEN, ALL OF WHOM ARE UNDER CONDEMNATION, SOME TO FULFILL GOD'S PURPOSE OF SALVATION BY GRACE AND SOME TO FULFILL HIS PURPOSE OF DESTRUCTION

[Ro 9:10-23]:

THE ELECT WILL INEVITABLY TRUST IN CHRIST AS SAVIOR UNTO ETERNAL LIFE AND THE NON-ELECT WILL NOT

THE ELECT WILL INEVITABLY TRUST IN CHRIST AS SAVIOR UNTO ETERNAL LIFE

[Compare Ro 8:28-30]:

THE NON-ELECT WILL INEVITABLY NOT BELIEVE

[Compare 1 Peter 2:7-8]:

[Compare Ro 9:19-22]:

PREDESTINATION = THAT END WHICH IS DETERMINED BEFOREHAND BY GOD TO WHICH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ELECTED ARE SET APART AS PART OF GOD'S OVERALL AND FOREORDAINED PLAN

[Eph 1:4-5, 11]:

[Ro 8:29]:

[1 Cor 2:7]:

CALLED = TO BE SUMMONED FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE FOREKNOWN BY GOD BECAUSE GOD PREDESTINATED THEM TO BE CALLED AS A RESULT OF HIS FOREORDAINED PURPOSE AND PROGRAM

[Ro 8:29-30]:

[Jn 6:37, 44, 65]:

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SINNER = TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND BE SAVED, OF HIS OWN VOLITION

[1 Jn 2:2]:

[Jn 3:16]:

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BELIEVER: TO WALK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD

[Mt 22:14]:

[Compare Acts 9:15-16]:

[Compare Jn 15:16]:

[Compare Eph 2:10]:

[Compare Ro 12:3]:

[Compare 1 Cor 3:12-15]:

****** END OF EXCERPT ON ELECTION ******

MATTHEW CHAPTER 22 (cont.)

[Mt 22:13-14 cont.]:

XI) TEARS WILL BE WIPED AWAY - EVENTUALLY.

THE REGRET WILL BE FOR A SEASON

[Rev 21:1-4a]

[Isa 25:8a]

A) HEAVEN PROMISES DIFFERENT LEVELS OF REWARDS AND CAPACITY OF ENJOYMENT

[Mt 25:20-23]

[Lk 12:48b]

[Col 3:23-25]

B) THE DIFFERENCE IN HEAVEN WILL BE IN OPPORTUNITIES AND LEVELS OF SERVICE

[Lk 19:12-26] & [Mt 25:24-29]

C) FAITHFUL BELIEVERS WILL RECEIVE MORE AND THE REVERSE IS ALSO TRUE

[Lk 16:10]

[Mt 25:29-30]

MATTHEW 24 & 25 STUDY CONTINUED

THIS IS THE END OF THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY STUDY:

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