Rev 20:11-15 The Great White Throne, Part 1

[Study Aired July 4, 2025]

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

In this study we will concentrate on who and what “the Israel of God” is. It totally relates to who will be and who will not be in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 7 and Revlation 14 tell us that “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” consist of “12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel:

Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Rev 7:5  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. [etc.]

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

These verses have led many to believe that God’s elect are indeed physical Jews. After all chapter 7 mentions twelve tribes, each contributing 12,000 “servants of our God” (Rev 7:3).

It is that very phrase in Revelation 7:3 which will help us to understand who these 12 tribes truly represent. They signify “the servants of our God”, and that manifestly excludes the physical nation of Israel which has rejected their own Savior.

Then who is “the Israel of God?” If we can demonstrate that being an ‘Israelite’, from the Lord’s perspective, has nothing at all to do with being physically descended from Abraham, and instead it has everything to do with being one of the “servants of our God”, and that being a servant of God is now a spiritual matter only, then we will know who the Israel of God is.

The first New Testament revelation that being an Israelite is not necessarily connected to being a physical descendant of Abraham comes to us from John the Baptist when he says this to the Israelites of his day:

Luk 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

If indeed ‘stones’ can be used by the Lord to become “children unto Abraham”, then it would be no problem at all for the Lord to “raise up children unto Abraham” out of “those who are called uncircumcision by those who are called the circumcision”, which is exactly what the apostle Paul tells us He is doing, as we will soon see (Eph 2:11-22).

Before we look at who the holy spirit reveals to be the true “commonwealth of Isreal”, let’s first look at who the Lord Himself reveals to be His true ‘servants’ (Rev 7:3) and who He considers to be a true ‘spiritual’ Jew and a true ‘spiritual’ Israelite. This is what Christ Himself told a Gentile, Samaritan woman about who He was seeking to be His true servants:

Joh 4:5  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Joh 4:6  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Joh 4:7  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 4:8  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Joh 4:9  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Samaritans were apostates who had intermarried with Gentiles brought from Babylon. Samaritans were therefore considered to be worse than Gentiles. Therefore it was Christ who first took the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was the first of the twelve to preach the gospel to the Gentiles when he was made to speak to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius the Roman centurion. Shortly thereafter Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus. Christ had preached the gospel to the entire Samaritan city of Sychar many years before either Peter or Paul.

It is here in John 4 that the gospel was first preached to the Gentiles:

Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Joh 4:15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Joh 4:16  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
Joh 4:17  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
Joh 4:18  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [“The Jews” of Romans 2:28-29 as the next verse makes clear]
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers [true Jews, Rom 2:28-29] shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit [God is not descended from Abraham]: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Joh 4:27  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

It would be years later before these very apostles would be given the strength and spiritual maturity to follow Christ’s example and “call no man common or unclean”.

Act 10:25  And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
Act 10:26  But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
Act 10:27  And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
Act 10:28  And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Joh 4:28  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Joh 4:29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Joh 4:30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
Joh 4:31  In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
Joh 4:32  But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye [with your carnal mind] know not of.
Joh 4:33  Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Joh 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me [to save the world, (Joh 3:17)], and to finish his work.
Joh 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joh 4:36  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
Joh 4:39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
Joh 4:40  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Joh 4:41  And many more believed because of his own word;
Joh 4:42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

What both John the Baptist and Christ are telling us is that the day is coming, and is now here, where physical pedigree is no longer a factor in determining who is and who is not the seed of Abraham. As we said, John the Baptist told the Israelites of his day:

Luk 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Christ told the Samaritan woman:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Now we will add one more to our list of New Testament “replacement theologians.” Those who have no fear of the word of God refers to those who tremble at His Words and who believe these words:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Being a ‘Jew’ is now no longer a matter of physical pedigree, rather in Christ being a ‘Jew’ is now “of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter” and “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly”!

Do the scriptures teach the same principle concerning who is now counted as “part of the commonwealth of Israel”? Yes, as a matter of fact that is exactly what the scriptures teach, and it matters not how many Rabbis and ministers are upset with these words concerning who is an ‘Israelite’:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God.

“This principle” is the principle which states that being an Israelite “doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a “new creation.” This is such an important principle to the doctrine of Christ that He repeats it in:

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Someone will surely ask, “If all this is true, then why go to the trouble of naming all the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7?” The answer to that question is that Israel was composed of twelve tribes for the purpose of becoming the foundation of the Lord’s physical kingdom on this earth. Read the study on The Number Twelve – The Number of Foundations.

The Lord wants us to know that the spiritual foundation of His kingdom which will rule over “the kingdoms of this world… for a thousand years” is not connected to anything in this physical realm. Nevertheless, that kingdom is founded on the twelve spiritual tribes who are “the Israel of God… walking according to this rule [that] neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” avails as now becoming the twelve spiritual tribes of “the Israel of God”:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

This next point was made by the Lord Himself at the time of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding the colt of an ass. Remember as we read of these events that the Lord calls Israel “My fig tree” in the Old Testament:

Hos 9:10  I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joe 1:7  He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

As Christ was making His entry into Jerusalem the people “spread their garments in the way… and cut down branches of the trees and strawed them in the way”:

Mar 11:9  And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Mar 11:10  Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
Mar 11:11  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

The next day as Christ was returning to Jerusalem from Bethany, even though it was not yet time for a fig tree to have figs, Christ approached a fig tree and cursed it:

Mar 11:12  And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Immediately after cursing the fig tree Christ enters into the temple and cleanses it of the “den of thieves” it had become.

Mar 11:15  And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Mar 11:16  And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye [“My fig tree”, (Joel 1:7)] have made it a den of thieves.
Mar 11:18  And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
Mar 11:19  And when even was come, he went out of the city.
Mar 11:20  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Mar 11:21  And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

This fig tree was completely withered. The branches, the leaves, “the fig tree dried up from the roots.” Christ is both “the branch” and “the root.” He is “the root” of His fig tree, signifying “[His] fig tree” (Joel 1:7). This tree, signifying physical Israel, had no root of Christ in it.

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Rom 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Notice that Isaiah does not say “to it shall Israel seek”, nor “In Him shall Israel trust.” To the contrary this is what He says will happen to “Israel… according to the flesh”:

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Paul tells us that it is through the mercy of Gentile converts that Israel will receive mercy:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [Israel’s] unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy [Gentile Romans, (Rom 1:13)] they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 1:13  Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

Lest anyone miss this fact that physical Israel is no longer the sole object of the Lord’s affections Paul and Barnabas told the Jews of Pisidian Antioch:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

It was not just the Sadducees who hated Christ and wanted Him dead, as some ministers and rabbis are teaching. This false doctrine teaches that the Sadducees were nothing more than an arm of the Romans and that it was the Romans who wanted to kill Christ while Jews for the most part loved Christ. However, that is not what the New Testament teaches. John 8 tells us that it was “those Jews which believed on Him… wanted to kill [Him]:

Joh 8:30  As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Speaking to these same “Jews that believed on Him” Christ answers:

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

There is no mention of the Sadducees in John 8. Both John and Peter makes it clear that “Pilate would have let Him go.”

Joh 19:12  And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews [no mention of Sadducees] cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

Act 3:13  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Placing the death of Christ upon any particular group alone is to miss the whole point of Christ’s death. The doctrine of both the Old and New Testaments is that He came to bear the sins of all men, and it is the sins of all men which put Christ to death. Natural, physical Israel served as the instrument to reject their own Savior. Their rejection signifies what all but a remnant of Christianity has done and is doing to Christ and His doctrine until this very day. Being that physical nation the Lord has chosen to signify what we have all done, it is expedient that natural Israel be rejected by God and that the gospel must go to the Gentile Christians who have also rejected Christ and His doctrines, except for a very small remnant:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

So the twelve thousand from each tribe simply signify “the foundation of the apostles and prophets of the New Testament times.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye [Gentile Christians] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In our next study we will see how critical to the Lord’s goal of the destruction of death this great white throne is.

[Posted February 12, 2025]

Hi Mike,

Hope all is well with you, my question for you today centers around John 2:15 when Jesus is clearing out the temple.
This is one of those passages that completely divides the Christian community.

Some groups claim Jesus used the whip made of cords on both the money changers and the animals that were in the temple courtyard.

Others claim He only used the whip on the animals, not on the merchants and money changers.

Still others claim Jesus did not use the whip on people or animals, but rather simply held it above His head and waved it around in order to generate a sense of urgency.

It’s also worth noting that John is the only gospel writer who makes mention of the scourge made of small cords.

Matthew, Mark and Luke say nothing about it.

Is there any way to know for sure what Jesus did with this whip?

I only ask because Christians love to use this verse to justify using physical force against others. I want to be able to counter that argument.

Thank you always for your time and your help, and I hope to write to you again soon.

your brother, C_____

Hi C____

I have always dealt with the argument that Christ used that whip on the people who were defiling His Father’s house by simply quoting what the scriptures say:

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

It simply is not stated that Christ hit any person with His “scourge of small cords.” It is stated that He drove out “the sheep, and the oxen, and poured out the changers of money and overthrew the tables”.

I can clearly understand how a person who has no faith in the consistency of scripture would use these verses in the King James and in other translations to turn Christ into a hypocrite. It does indeed appear to say that Christ with His ‘scourge of small cords’ “drove them all out, and the sheep and the oxen”. I make no claim of being a Hebrew or Greek scholar, but I do claim to be familiar with the keys to the kingdom of heaven which unlock the knowledge of how to handle the Word of God. One of those ‘keys’ is:

Psa 119:160  The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever. (ASV)
Psa 119:160  The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (ESV)

The American Standard Version and The English Standard Version both get this verse right, but the King James, while it is generally a good version of scripture, blows it in translating Psalm 119:160:

Psa 119:160  Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. (KJV)

Just a terrible translation.

“True from the beginning” is a far cry from “the sum of thy word.”

It is obvious, when we approach the scriptures with the understanding that Truth is only found in ‘the sum of its words’, that the King James comes up short again in translating this story of Christ cleansing the temple here in John 5.

I will cut and paste a few words by a greater scholar than I am when it comes to what the Greek really says:

…At this point we need our Greek. John 2:15 reads as:”kai poiēsas phragellion ek schoiniōn pantas exebalen ek tou ierou ta te probata kai tous boas kai tōn kollubistōn execheen ta kermata kai tas trapezas anestrepsen…***

(Prepare to get technical for a few sentences…)

“The key word here is that little te, as it defines who the pantas (“all”) are. Te is generally used as either an appending link (“and”), or an inclusive prefix (“both”).

Thus the sentence could read either:

…he drove all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen…

or:

…he drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen…”
(End Quote, Emphasis Mine)

https://mattanslow.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/who-would-jesus-whip/

Because of the principle of “The sum [not ‘some’] of thy word is Truth” (Psa 119:160) it is clear to me that the latter translation, “all… both the sheep and the oxen”, is in accord with that “sum” of Christ’s words which include these teachings:

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Do any of those teachings sound like they are coming from a man who would beat His brother with a whip? I think not.

While it is John the Baptist is the one speaking, the scriptures still teach us… “do violence to no man”, and Christ said “the scriptures cannot be broken”, which is the another ‘key’ to understanding the scriptures. 

Here is what John told the Roman soldiers who asked him what they needed to do to be saved:

Luk 3:14  And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

Here now in John 10:35 is another ‘key to the kingdom of God’ which will always help us to properly understand scriptures when they sometimes seem difficult to understand:

Joh 10:35  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 

It simply is not consistent with the doctrines of Christ who taught us to be meek and humble and kind and to “turn to him the other cheek also”, then also teach that he violently whipped and scourged anyone in this present time:

Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Luk 6:29  And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

‘The sum of the Word’ leads us to believe that the scourge was for the cattle only. The fact that Christ is speaking to the sellers of doves after driving out the cattle indicate that the men involved in “making the Lord’s house a den of thieves” were still standing there so guilt ridden that they could not bring themselves to resist this righteously indignant Man. 

Here is the URL to ‘The Keys To The Kingdom’, which I consider to be one of the most profound papers I have ever written. You can also find it in the ‘Essential Reading’ section on the home page.

https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-keys-to-the-kingdom-of-heaven-part-1/

It is also very instructive to note that this cleansing of His temple, follows the conversion of water into wine, which is what we should get out  of this story. Christ converts us and then He sets about to cleanse His temple, which ‘temple’ is us, of all of our sins.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

I hope this is of some help to you. This story is designed to give those who want to believe that Christ went against His own principles a reason to do so. They have not yet been given faith in the Word of God, and if there is no sign of that ‘gift’ nor of being “dragged to [Christ]” then “after the first and second admonition reject”:

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [G1670: ‘helkuo’, drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Tit 3:10  A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Tit 3:11  Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Your fellow servant,

Mike

Gospels In Harmony – Jesus Curses the Fig Tree and Cleanses the Temple

Mat 21:12-16, 18-19, Mar 11:11-18, Luk 19:45-48, Joh 2:13–16

[Study Aired April 27, 2021]

Mar 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Mat 21:18a Now in the morning as he returned into the city, 
Mar 11:12b when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14a And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever 
Mat 21:19 [and] Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 
Mar 11:14b And his disciples heard it.

The following is an article from the website that gives us the spiritual significance of this story. Why Did Christ Curse the Fig Tree?

Hi Mike,

Why do you think Jesus cursed the fig tree, and how does it relate to us? This experience is listed in the scripture Mark 11:13-14. I would really appreciate it if you could help me understand it.

Thanks,
D____

Hi D____,

Thank you for your question about why Christ cursed the fig for not having fruit on it at a time when it wasn’t even expected to have fruit. Here are a couple of verses in the Old Testament which demonstrate the spiritual significance of the fig tree:

Hos 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joe 1:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

So the fig tree is a type of what had been, up to that time, God’s physically chosen people, the physical nation of Israel.

With this in mind let’s read those verses in Mark:

Mar 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Christ had come to them, but as with the fig tree, He deliberately came at the time when they weren’t even expected to bear any fruit. He came to them at a time when they were preordained to reject and crucify Him.

Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But Why did “His own receive Him not”? This is why:

Act 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Christ knew Israel would reject and crucify Him. That was why He came into this world:

Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

So Christ cursed His own fig tree for not bearing fruit even though He knew it was not the time for it to bear fruit. It all tells us simply that Israel was doing “whatsoever God’s hand and His counsel determined before to be done”. Christ was indeed hungry, but He was not pitching a temper tantrum, and He was not upset at the tree for not bearing fruit before its time. He did it all for our sakes, to teach us what He is doing:

2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Here is an Old Testament prophecy of what God intended to do with physical Israel and all physical nations, from the beginning:

Jer 8:13 I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

So here is that story again:

Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

The spiritual application of this story for all of us is that “the flesh profits nothing” and while in this flesh, it is not the season for bearing fruit. We must die first before we can bear fruit.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The spiritual lesson in this story is that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. Christ’s cursing of the fig tree at a time when it could not bring forth fruit is the cursing of all flesh, the old, “first man Adam” in all of us who must die and be destroyed for “the new man, the last Adam” to be born.

1Co 15:31 Every day do I die, by the glorying of you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: (YLT)

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

That is the spiritual message behind the physical cursing of the fig tree. I hope this helps to explain why Christ cursed the fig tree while it was not even the season for it to bear fruit.

Your brother in the Christ,
Mike [End quote]

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Joh 2:13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

Mat 21:12b and the seats of them that sold doves,

Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Joh 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

Mat 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
Mat 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Luk 19:47a And he taught daily in the temple. 

Mar 11:18a And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, Luk 19:48a And could not find what they might do: Mar 11:18b because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

There is a debate in the religious world as to whether the cleansing of the temple happened once or twice. Either John’s writing of this event represents the first time there was a temple cleansing and was not recorded in the other gospels, or else in John it is not the chronological order of the event which does happen in the gospels. Mat 21:12 and Mark 11:15 state the same account of this event. This is a study in itself and will not be searched out in this particular study. Either way it does not affect the spiritual significance of the spiritual understanding of the cleansing of the temple. As we know being the temple of God we are cleansed daily.

1Co 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of Godis holy, which temple ye are.

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1Jn 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Here are the first verses of the story of cleansing the temple, which we are.

Joh 2:13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

The following is the reason there were those that sold oxen, sheep and doves among other items. The money changers were there to exchange foreign monies into what the temple accepted as money for a fee of course.

Deu 14:22-26 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

If you have a long journey to the feast the Lord has set up a way to travel lightly until you arrived at the feast. We have established in earlier studies that at this point in our walk we have heard of Christ and his miracles and may have even witnessed them. We may see Christ as our savior but do not understand there are things yet to take place before he will truly be our King. The sellers and money changers were set up in the court of the temple and that is what upsets Christ and causes him to do the following because the temple is holy.

Joh 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

Mat 21:12b and the seats of them that sold doves,

Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Joh 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

As we said earlier the selling of these things is perfectly lawful that is not the issue. The issue Christ has is where they are selling. The temple even the court is holy and not to be used for this purpose. This action by Christ is spoken by Isaiah and Jeremiah in the following verses.

Isa 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

Mat 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

Once the temple is cleansed, healing begins. This again upsets the priests and scribes.

Mat 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Psa 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Keep in mind all this is within each of us and continues daily in our lives. The cleansing, healing, and even the displeasure of these thing taking place. This battle is our calling and will continue until the end.

2Co 10:2-7 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

Christ has now entered into the court of our temple and begun the cleansing process. There is much more to come.

Hello Mike,

I hope all is well with you and your family. I wanted to ask two questions concerning the scriptures. I was talking to a friend, and the subject of tithing came up. His brother told him, “if you don’t pay your tithes then your money is Cursed!” I was shocked to hear that. I pointed out the scriptures to show him where the bible clearly tells us we should not be giving out of a necessity, and tithing is a necessity to most in Babylon.

2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver

I was not hesitant to tell him again his brother is being deceived and told him to show these scriptures to his brother and let me know how these scripture fit in with tithing. (1Co 9:18, Act 20:33-35, etc) He told me he does not believe his money is cursed, and I told him he was right about that because only by believing your money is cursed in your heart, so is he.

Pro 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Many people preach tithing and prosperity. It is nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing not sparing the flock. I even heard John Hagee quote a verse telling us that God delights in our prosperity. Here is that verse:

Psa 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

What was so revealing was that in my e- sword when I put my mouse on the word “Prosperity” the Hebrew word is Shalom, so God does not delight in how much we can make, but He delights in our PEACE and friendliness. The question my friend asked me was about when Jesus told them give to Caesar his things and God his things, so he believes this verse is speaking about us tithing.

Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

I just wanted you to help me understand this scripture and see what it is spiritually telling us, so I don’t be teaching something I do not yet understand completely.
My other question is about the gospel of John chapter 2. Here is what is says.

Joh 2:13:15 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables.

What I am getting from this that this temple, which was filled with wickedness, was a shadow of what he is doing to his TRUE temple, which we are, and removing the wickedness within us(1Co 3:16) I was asking myself “why did Jesus get so angry about a temple which the Father does not dwell in?”

Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.

But it is WE who are his dwelling place:

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

In saying that, when I read that he DROVE THEM ALL OUT OF THE TEMPLE, which we are, I see they did not just POOF! Vanish but they were driven out little by little; they were removed. It is a process of how he comes into our life and removes that man of sin and starts rebuilding his temple in three days, which is the number of process.

Joh 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.

That is what I’m getting from this since this is written for our admonition to learn of it. Let me know if I’m correct on this question.

Your Brother In Christ,
Y____

Hi Y____,

You have hit the nail on the head concerning both the subject of tithing and why Christ drove the money changers out of the temple.
Tithing was done on the produce of the land and was given to the priest and Levites for the service of the people at the temple. Tithing has no place in the body of Christ, whose mantra is “the Lord loves a cheerful giver”, not a begrudging tithe payer.

2Co 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

I gave a talk 2004 called The Types and Shadows of The New Testament. In that talk I showed how all of Christ’s miracles of healing were types and shadows of what He is doing in us spiritually. We are being healed of every disease from the deadly disease of leprosy, to our crippled legs and arms and hands, to being born blind, and being raised from the spiritually dead state in which we come into this world.
So it is with the cleansing of the temple. That whole incident “happened to them and it is written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

None of this denies that “the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, but it does demonstrate that Christ’s words are spirit and that the holy spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

There was no spiritual body of Christ until after Pentecost, and the only shadow of good things to come was the physical temple, which was shortly thereafter destroyed. But Christ was already within us, long before the physical temple came crashing to the ground.

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Here is the “good thing to come which the tabernacle and the temple of the Old Testament, foreshadowed.

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

So yes, you are exactly right. The temple Christ cleared of its money changers is a type and a shadow of you and me and all the attempts to make money from the gospel. God bless you, as you come to know Him and His Son better every day.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike