MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Gospel of Matthew: Chapter Sixteen
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Man’s soul was created in the shadow-image of God (tselem in the Hebrew). God is sovereignty, man has volition; God is omniscient, man has mentality wherein he may store thought; God is righteousness and justice, man may acquire integrity; God is veracity, man may learn, and apply truth; God is infinite, man is finite. So, man’s characteristics are but a shadow of God’s attributes.
What is freedom? God gave us volition, in so doing, he made us responsible for our decisions. After giving us volition, he decreed that man’s volition would co-exist with his sovereignty. This means that God will never override or alter man’s will or volitional decisions. Thus, man under God’s program is free to succeed or free to fail, the true definition of freedom.
God has also delegated to mankind certain rights. Collectively, the citizenry of a nation has the right to defend with lethal force their freedom, property and privacy from any outside power attempting to remove these rights. A man has the right under God to defend and protect his wife and family with weapons if necessary. An individual has the right to defend his person from anything which he may deem harmful to him. For example, if an individual believes or knows that an experimental vaccine may be harmful to him, he should have the right to say, No. If the individual does not have this right, then it follows that a married man does not have the right to defend his home and nationally a citizenry do not have the right to defend their country. These rights stand or fall together.
If a military person is not allowed to defend his personal rights or the rights of his wife and family, then what is he defending? Certainly, not the rights of the citizenry of his nation!
We are all spiritual warriors and should conduct ourselves as fearless soldiers of the Lord. No matter how terrible it may become in the United States, it will not even come close to the pressure that believers will face in the Tribulation. If we should fall apart in the Church Age, then what does that say about our spiritual readiness and strength!
Matthew 16:1
Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σηµεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees came to Him, testing Him. And they asked Him to show them a sign [a miraculous sign] from Heaven.
In the Sanhedrin there were four groups of which the Pharisees (traditionalist and legalist) and Sadducees (rationalists). Even though the Pharisees and the Sadducees did not like each other, they united in their opposition towards the Lord. The Sadducees were the aristocrats of the Land, and the Pharisees were the religious zealots. The Pharisees believed in the supernatural; the Sadducees did not believe in divine revelation but trusted only in their reason. Thus, the Pharisees believed in both angels and resurrection; the Sadducees believed in neither.
They tested him in the hope of finding a flaw or something which they could attack. They want him to show them a sign proving that he is really the Messiah. This is a rather strange request when one realizes that Jesus Christ has been performing many miracles and fulfilling many scriptures demonstrating that he is the Messiah for about a year and a half. So, obviously they are not seeking to know the Messiah. They have already rejected him and the Old Testament Scriptures which reveal him. They are only looking for a way to discredit the Lord.
Matthew 16:2-3
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, [Ὀψίας γενοµένης λέγετε, Εὐδία, πυρράζει γὰρ ὁ οὐρανός· (3) καὶ πρωΐ, Σήµερον χειµών, πυρράζει γὰρ στυγνάζων ὁ οὐρανός. τὸ µὲν πρόσωπον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ γινώσκετε διακρίνειν, τὰ δὲ σηµεῖα τῶν καιρῶν οὐ δύνασθε.]
He answered and said to them, “When it is evening [the sun has not yet gone down], you say, Fair weather; for the sky is fiery red.” (3) And in the morning, “Foul weather today; for the sky is fiery red and cloudy [gloomy: not sunshine].” You can discern the face of the sky, but you cannot see the signs of the times [that Jesus is Messiah]!
The scribes and the Pharisees customarily foretold weather. The unholy alliance, the Pharisees and the Sadducees wanted a sign from heaven, so Jesus now directs their attention toward heaven. In the evening the Pharisees and the Sadducees were customarily looking at the sky, and as they did, they would predict the weather. But they could not look-into the Word of God and predict the coming of Messiah even though all of the signs of Messiah had been fulfilled. So, this is quite an obvious indictment. If the Pharisees and the Sadducees could look into the sky and predict the weather, then they should be able to look into the Word of God and understand that Jesus is Messiah.
In other words, He is facing them for the first time with the issue of authority, and sooner or later everyone must establish for himself an authority or criterion for his life. What is a greater criterion than the sky? The Word of God. The Pharisees are dogmatic about their observation of the sky, which is not always reliable. The sky is not the best criterion for predicting weather, yet it is their criterion. Much more the Bible ought to be their authority on Messiah. Jesus has been showing them signs for eighteen months, but all the miracles in the world cannot break down negative volition, and the fact that they want a sign is negative volition.
The Bible is the authority for all bona fide signs regarding Messiah and if the Bible had been the criterion for the Pharisees and the Sadducees, instead of religious traditions on the one hand and rationalism on the other, they would have correlated these miracles with Messiahship and would have believed in Jesus Christ. So, the Lord Jesus Christ is indicting them for their criterion failure.
Matthew 16:4
Γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ µοιχαλὶς σηµεῖον ἐπιζητεῖ, καὶ σηµεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ εἰ µὴ τὸ σηµεῖον Ἰωνᾶ. καὶ καταλιπὼν αὐτοὺς ἀπῆλθεν.
A wicked [unbelievers who reject Christ] and adulterous [religious] generation seeks after a sign. And there shall no sign be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah [Old Testament doctrine]. And He left them [walked away] and departed [left them mentally].
Jesus gave them something greater than the normal miracle; he gave them the miracle of his death and resurrection. Doctrine is much more powerful than miracles. Though all the miracles in the world cannot break down negative volition sometimes doctrine does. For example, the Lord’s half-brothers did not respond to His miracles, but they did believe after His resurrection. As His half-brothers, so the scribes and Pharisees will be alive at the time of his bodily death and subsequent resurrection.
Matthew 16:5-6
Καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ µαθηταὶ εἰς τὸ πέραν ἐπελάθοντο ἄρτους λαβεῖν. (6) ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὁρᾶτε καὶ προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῆς ζύµης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων.
And when His disciples had come to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], they forgot to take [their seven] loaves. (6) Then, Jesus said to them, “Take heed, and beware the leaven [false doctrine and criterion] of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees”.
Leaven is always used for something bad: a false criterion which produces false doctrine.
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The leaven of the Pharisees: religious legalism and traditionalism.
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The leaven of the Sadducees: religious rationalism.
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The leaven of Herod: the exploitation of others for one’s benefit.
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The leaven of the Corinthians: carnality (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
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The leaven of the Galatians: legalism.
Matthew 16:7-8
οἱ δὲ διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λέγοντες ὅτι Ἄρτους οὐκ ἐλάβοµεν. (8) γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Τί διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ὀλιγόπιστοι, ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἔχετε;
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no loaves”. (8) And knowing what they were saying, Jesus said to them, ‘You men of little faith [they have failed in faith perception and application regarding the first 6 verses in this chapter], why do you reason among yourselves that you do not have bread?’
He was not rebuking them for forgetting bread. He is rebuking them because they have no memory; no memory because they have no concentration; no doctrinal categories, nothing on which to establish a firm system of doctrine in the frontal lobe. If you do not have doctrine in your frontal lobe, you can’t think divine viewpoint, and when you cannot think divine viewpoint, how are you going to use faith. You cannot apply zero to something. So, they are doing a lot of thinking and a lot of pondering and a lot of discussion, but it is meaningless.
Jesus was warning regarding the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Only in their subjectivity, did they think that He was referring to their having left their bread behind.
Matthew 16:9-10
οὔπω νοεῖτε, οὐδὲ µνηµονεύετε τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους τῶν πεντακισχιλίων καὶ πόσους κοφίνους ἐλάβετε; (10) οὐδὲ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἄρτους τῶν τετρακισχιλίων καὶ πόσας σπυρίδας ἐλάβετε;
Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many hand baskets [twelve] you took up [My providing food for you is not an issue], (10) nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many lunch baskets you took up [seven]?
In feeding the 5 thousand and then later the 4 thousand, Jesus Christ was presenting himself as Messiah through these miracles. And if the Lord, can provide all this bread for these peoples, he could easily provide food for his disciples. So, he was obviously not making an issue out of their failure to bring the 7 baskets of bread.
This is calling for the application of doctrine which they learned by observing all the healing, followed by the miracle of multiplying the food. What is the application? Since Jesus manufactured food on the spot, the procurement of food is no problem, but it is something else to have doctrine in the frontal lobe. It is easy to get bread in the stomach, but it is not easy to get doctrine in the frontal lobes.
Matthew 16:11-13
πῶς οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι οὐ περὶ ἄρτων εἶπον ὑµῖν; προσέχετε δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ζύµης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων. (12) τότε συνῆκαν ὅτι οὐκ εἶπεν προσέχειν ἀπὸ τῆς ζύµης [τῶν ἄρτων] ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς διδαχῆς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων. (13) Ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὰ µέρη Καισαρείας τῆς Φιλίππου ἠρώτα τοὺς µαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγων, Τίνα λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;
How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about loaves, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? (12) Then, they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the [false] doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (13) And coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi [the tetrarchy of Herod Philip II], Jesus asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that the Son of Man is?’
Mark 8:27, “And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, ‘Whom do men say that I am?’
Matthew 16:14-15
οἱ δὲ εἶπαν, Οἱ µὲν Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν, ἄλλοι δὲ Ἠλίαν, ἕτεροι δὲ Ἰερεµίαν ἢ ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν. (15) λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ὑµεῖς δὲ τίνα µε λέγετε εἶναι;
And they said, ‘Some say, ‘John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ (15) He said to them, ‘But who do you say I am?’
He made it personal. It is easy to say what others say, but what do you say? (There is no privacy before the Lord).
Matthew 16:16
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Σίµων Πέτρος εἶπεν, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος.
And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
For once Peter got the right answer. This is an amazing thing in its context since the Pharisees and the Sadducees have rejected Him as the God-Man, as the Messiah, but Peter comes along and says: “You are Christ [humanity], you are Son of the living God [deity].”
Matthew 16:17
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Μακάριος εἶ, Σίµων Βαριωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷµα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέν σοι ἀλλí ὁ πατήρ µου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
Jesus answered and said to him, “You are blessed [because he has some doctrine], Simon, son of Jonah [his Aramaic name], for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven [the Father is the source of the Word of God].”
Why does Jesus mention the Father here? Because the Father is the source of all doctrine and divine viewpoint; He is the author of the plan.
Matthew 16:18
κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδοµήσω µου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.
And I also say to you that you are Peter [petros: a chip out of a rock], and on this rock [petra: a mountain of rock: on Christ] I will [future] build My church, and the gates of Hades [Satan] shall not prevail against it [Satan cannot prevent the formation of the body of Christ namely the Church].
Up until this time his name has been Simon, son of Jonas. Now it is Peter, a chip out of a rock, a piece of stone that fell off the mountain. The phrase, “upon this rock” refers to Christ for petra is a mountain. In effect Jesus is saying that Peter is a chip from this mountain. The Church is built on Christ, not on Peter. On the Day of Pentecost, when the Church starts Peter will enter into union with Christ and become a piece of the rock. The Church was founded on the God-Man, Jesus Christ in hypostatic union.
Matthew 16:19
δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖδας τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται δεδεµένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται λελυµένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
And I will give you [Peter] the keys of the kingdom of Heaven [the keys open the door of eternal life received at salvation]. And whatever you may bind on earth [aorist tense: point at which the decision is made for Christ], it will be bound in Heaven [God will back up the faith of anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ], and whatever you may loose on earth [those who reject the gospel message of Peter], it will be loosed in Heaven [those who reject the gospel will face eternal condemnation].
These keys were first given to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. This is the prerogative of witnessing for the resurrected Christ. Peter and the other ten apostles to Israel were commissioned on the Day of Pentecost to give out the gospel under the permanent rank of apostleship to the Church.
During the three years of public ministry, Jesus taught in the synagogues and taught the crowds which would follow him, whereas the apostles to Israel evangelized in all the other locations.
Matthew 9:35, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people [His credit card]”.
Matthew 10:1, 5-7, “And when He had called to himself His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits [demons], to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. (5) Jesus sent out these twelve, commanding them, saying [last minute instructions namely a briefing], “Do not go into the way of the gentiles, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans [were the transplanted gentiles who intermarried with the Jewish people in that area.]. (6) But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel [their objective].” (7) And as you go, proclaim, saying, “The kingdom of Heaven is at hand [since Christ is on the earth].”
Luke 6:12-16, “And it was at this time that he went off to the mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When he returned, he called his disciples (approximately five thousand) to him and chose twelve from among them whom he named his apostles [the temporary rank of apostleship; Eleven were given the permanent rank of apostleship on the Day of Pentecost.]: Simon whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.”
Matthew 16:20
τότε διεστείλατο τοῖς µαθηταῖς ἵνα µηδενὶ εἴπωσιν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός.
Then, He warned [a strict command] His disciples that they should not tell anyone that He was Christ [the Messiah].
The word “charge” means to command, a strict command. Why? Jesus must finish His ministry of miraculous signs to Israel, He must present His own credit card, and so the keys will not be given out until the day of Pentecost. Starting on the Day of Pentecost, they would present Christ as the Savior in resurrected body.
Matthew 16:21
Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς δεικνύειν τοῖς µαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυµα ἀπελθεῖν καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραµµατέων καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡµέρᾳ ἐγερθῆναι.
From that time [of the prophecy of the Church] Jesus began to show His disciples [the dative of advantage] that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things [the trials and the first three hours on the cross] from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to receive death [substitutionary spiritual death], and to be raised [the humanity of Christ received a resurrection body] on the third day.
Jesus had a hard time trying to teach these apostles. Jesus began to teach that the divine plan begins with the cross and without the cross, there would be no salvation, no Church Age, no spiritual life etc. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself made the decision to go to the cross and to endure the greatest possible suffering only because it was necessary. The apostles to Israel were slow to progress spiritually. For eighteen months, He would tell them about His future sufferings, death, and resurrection yet they were not able to make the application when it was fulfilled.
Matthew 16:22
καὶ προσλαβόµενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πέτρος ἤρξατο ἐπιτιµᾶν αὐτῷ λέγων, Ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε· οὐ µὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο.
Then Peter received Him as an equal and began to rebuke [a mild rebuke with someone with whom one is equal] Him [dative of dignity], saying, [God be] gracious to You, Lord! This shall never ever happen to You [You should never ever have to suffer the cross and be resurrected].
Peter had the temerity to rebuke the Lord. Peter in his arrogance has forgotten his relationship with the Lord and is way out of line. Maybe the compliment that that the Lord gave him before was more than Peter could handle.
Matthew 16:23
ὁ δὲ στραφεὶς εἶπεν τῷ Πέτρῳ, Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω µου, Σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλον εἶ ἐµοῦ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
But He turned [an aggressive whirl] and said to Peter, ‘Go away from me, Satan [the only one the Lord called Satan other than Satan himself]! You are an offense [stumbling block] to Me, for you do not think the things of God, but the things of man [the human viewpoint of demon influence].
Peter is not Satan, but he represents the Satanic viewpoint when he asks Jesus to by-pass the cross. In Matthew chapter four, Satan tried to disqualify Jesus from going to the cross. Now, Peter wants Christ to avoid the cross.
Matthew 16:24-27
Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς µαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω µου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω µοι. (25) ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δí ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐµοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν. (26) τί γὰρ ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὸν κόσµον ὅλον κερδήσῃ τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζηµιωθῇ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγµα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; (27) µέλλει γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ µετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τότε ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ.
Then, Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to follow after Me [execute the spiritual life as I have], let him deny himself [disregard one’s human priorities] and let him take up his cross [advance and endure undeserved suffering when it comes] and follow Me [fulfill the operational plan as Jesus fulfilled the Father’s proto-type plan for his life]. (25) For whoever desires to deliver his soul [through advancing spiritually] shall lose it [former values about life in his soul], and whoever desires to lose his soul for My sake [establishing correct priorities and eternal values] shall find it [capacity for life, love, and happiness]. (26) For what will it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world [tremendous power, approbation, wealth etc.] and lose his own soul [eternal judgment]? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul [nothing: it takes the cross]? (27) “For the Son of Man is going [destined] to come in the glory of His Father with his angels and will then recompense [reward] every man [every Old Testament believer] according to his production. (Did he execute the spiritual life or not?)
The “Son of Man,” a title of the humanity of Christ will return at the 2nd Advent at which time He will evaluate the Old Testament believers. Just as the Church Age believers will receive their rewards at the Rapture, so the Old Testament believers will receive their rewards at the 2nd Advent.
Matthew 16:28
ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι εἰσίν τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων οἵτινες οὐ µὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόµενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ.
“Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here [Peter, James and John] who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man, coming with His kingdom [six days later at His Transfiguration].
Peter, James, and John would not die until they had seen Christ as he would be seen at the 2nd Advent. Six days later they saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration (unknown location) as he would be at the 2nd Advent.
