This might explain why in Matthew 4 Christ was not tempted any day earlier than the 40 days and 40 nights because God is in control of all things. If Christ had been tempted earlier it would not clearly point to The Day of Atonement as a likely Day for the Return of Jesus Christ with Him defeating all of the evil of this world by obeying God's Words.
Joel 2 describes the blowing of Trumpets on the Day that Christ returns on His Second Coming.
Another ancient tradition is that Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights ( Exodus 34:28) before receiving God's Commandments at Mount Sinai. The tradition states Moses received the Commandments on the Day of Atonement. The blowing of trumpets in Exodus 19 and 20 is associated with at Mount Sinai at that time.
So Christ was fasting during the same period as Moses, and Christ also stood with the Statutes, Laws, and Commandments of God on The Day of Atonement.
Here are some possible ways the 7 Feasts might point to the Life of Christ:
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled by Christ):
1.Passover, Exodus 12:1-14 (Death of Christ)
2.Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6 (Christ was without any sin)
3.Feast of FirstFruits, 23:10; Leviticus 23:9-14 (Resurrection of Christ)
Fall Feasts (To Be Fulfilled by Christ in the future):
4.Feast of Weeks / Pentecost, Leviticus 23: 16-21 (Holy Spirit indwelling in believers of Christ)
5.Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:23-25 [Rapture of believers of Christ; Second Exodus of 12 Tribes of Israel ( Jeremiah 31:7-11)]
6.Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23: 26-32 (The Second Coming of Christ)
7.Feast of Tabernacles, Leviticus 23:39-43 (Christ ruling in His New Kingdom for 1,000 years)
The 7 Feasts of the Lord Point to The Life of Jesus Christ
Before answering your question, some background information is needed about the 7 Feasts of the Lord, and the Season of Repentance.
There are the 7 Feasts of the Lord in the Bible. Most Christians do not observe them. The 7 Feasts of the Lord are listed below. A study of these Feasts reveals that they point to the Life and The Return of Jesus Christ. Please research this very interesting topic.
The 7 Feasts are one of the many ways that Christ is in the Old Testament.
Some say that ancient Jews observed a traditional 40 day period called Season of Repentance. Christ would have known about this tradition just as He knew about the tradition of Feast of Dedication ( John 10:22-23).
This Season of Repentance begins on the first day of the 6th Month, and ends on The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur in Hebrew) which is (the 10th day of the 7th month), a total of 40 days. Some modern congregations appropriately blow the shofar, a type of trumpet made from the horn of a specific animal, from this first day until the 40th day, The Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 16:8-34 describes the Day of Atonement as a day of fasting and self-denial. These verses describe that on The Day of Atonement the ancient High Priest made a sacrifice for the people of Israel and then a scapegoat was sent into the wilderness.
So the 40 day Season of Repentance might have been the time when Jesus was in the wilderness. Jesus was tempted on the 40th Day (Day of Atonement). On The Day of Atonement, Christ defeated the evil attempts against Him. Christ did this by steadfastly obeying the Word of God.
This might explain why in Matthew 4 Christ was not tempted any day earlier than the 40 days and 40 nights because God is in control of all things. If Christ had been tempted earlier it would not clearly point to The Day of Atonement as a likely Day for the Return of Jesus Christ with Him defeating all of the evil of this world by obeying God's Words.
Imagine fasting for 40 days as Jesus did. He was fully human and was most likely wasting away physically as most would be after that long of a fast. (I doubt He cheated on His fast). Satan thought that he had Jesus where he wanted Him, weak and willing to sell out. But the tempter did not know that the Holy Spirit was caring for Jesus and strengthening His life and spiritual nature during this time. The tempter underestimated the situation and was defeated by the very Word of God he thought he could ensnare Jesus with. Praise the Lord Almighty!
just to add to what great reply Brother Jesse gave, I think it's worth mentioning in verse 1 it says he was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tested.
My understanding is that the tempter (Satan) in Matthew chapter 4, he came after the 40 days because he knew Jesus was going to be hungry after fasting for 40 days. So the tempter came and appealed to the flesh and was trying to get Jesus to misuse His authority. Remember, he says you are hungry, right? Well, turn these stones into bread.
This was the first of three temptation. The first temptation was lust of the flesh. I wouldn't even call it lust. I mean when you are hungry, that is a little different than lust, but that is what the word lust means. It means to place your desire upon something, to satisfy your physical desires. That is the lust or desire of the flesh. And that's what the tempter was doing, appealing to the flesh.
The second temptation, in Matthew 4:5-7 is the pride of life. "Hey, you know the Jews are expecting their messiah to come down from heaven. Why don't you make a grand entrance?" Sensationalism! "Jump down and let them see you drop 450 feet, land on your feet, and say the Messiah is here!"
And thirdly in Matthew 4:8-10, we have the lust of the eyes. Satan took Him up on a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. It must have looked good! Satan tried to tempt Him that way.
I've heard a lesson once before on Mathew 4:1-10. Where the word tempted/tested can be used as to prove something, Not meaning to see if he can withstand the devil but to show that he could. Similar to the word used in
Luke 14:19. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to "PROVE" them: I pray thee have me excused.
I'm not sure how this would tie in to the lesson you studied, but I'll share this with you. I'm looking at those Greek words both in Matthew and Luke. In Matthew 4:1, the word tempted is PEIRASTHENAI which means to be tried. In verse 7, the word tempt is EKPEIRASEIS which means to put on trial. What's interesting about Matthew Chapter 4 is that in James 1:13, it tells us first of all that God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt anyone. You can't tempt Him and God Himself is not responsible for temptation.
As far as Jesus having to prove Himself, here is what I find interesting. In Matthew 4:3, it sounds like the tempter is asking Jesus to prove who He is. The tempter says "If thou be the Son of God, command these stones be made bread. That word "if" makes it sound like he's asking Jesus to prove who He is. That's what we get from the English text.
But here's why I love the Greek so much. The word "if" in the Greek text is what is called the first class condition assumed to be true. It can be translated "since." The devil, in tempting Jesus, was not tempting Him to prove that He was the Son of God. Satan is saying (since) you are the Son of God, then do this. Misuse your authority. Misuse your position. Be disobedient to your heavenly Father. But please note that Satan is not asking Jesus to prove Himself to be the Son of God, but actually questioning Him, baiting Him to disobey the commandments of God.
In Luke 14:19 the word prove is DOKIMASAI which means to test.
I'll share this with you, something I learned. A farmer in those days, if he had one pair of oxen, he would be considered fortunate. This is obviously a rich farmer. He just purchased five pairs of oxen. He's says, and I have to go and prove (DOKIMASAI/Test) them: so have me excused.
This is equivalent in our day to "I just bought a new car. I got to go test drive it and break it in, so have me excused."
Well, I'm off to bed. Hope to chat with you again soon. God Bless
You are welcome. And I do agree about the driver testing the car out to prove if what the dealer told him/her was true. But please keep in mind that Satan was not tempting Jesus in order for Him to prove who He was. Satan already knew who Jesus was. Again, that word "if" in the Greek text can be translated "since." So Satan was saying since you are the Son of God, do this. The Greek gives us a different outlook on what it's actually saying.
Thanks for the blessing. May the Lord continue to bless you also!
That's the way I've heard it taught and that is what I believe even more so.
I was viewing it as we're the car buyers and perhaps Satan was the instrument by which he was to be tested, The Dealership/Spirit sent him out on the test run. Matthew 4:1.
Boy! I hope noone read this but you!!
This is where I need Brother Chris to put this in English for me. Lol
Correct listing of The 7 Feasts
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled by Christ):
1.Passover, Exodus 12:1-14 (Death of Christ)
2.Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6 (Christ was without any sin)
3.Feast of Firstfruits, 23:10; Leviticus 23:9-14 (Resurrection of Christ)
Summer Feast (Fulfilled by Christ):
4.Feast of Weeks / Pentecost, Leviticus 23: 16-21 (Holy Spirit indwelling in believers of Christ)
Fall Feasts (To Be Fulfilled by Christ in the future):
5.Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:23-25 [Rapture of believers of Christ; Second Exodus of 12 Tribes of Israel ( Jeremiah 31:7-11)]
6.Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23: 26-32 (The Second Coming of Christ)
7.Feast of Tabernacles, Leviticus 23:39-43 (Christ ruling in His New Kingdom for 1,000 years)
Joel 2 describes the blowing of Trumpets on the Day that Christ returns on His Second Coming.
Another ancient tradition is that Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights ( Exodus 34:28) before receiving God's Commandments at Mount Sinai. The tradition states Moses received the Commandments on the Day of Atonement. The blowing of trumpets in Exodus 19 and 20 is associated with at Mount Sinai at that time.
So Christ was fasting during the same period as Moses, and Christ also stood with the Statutes, Laws, and Commandments of God on The Day of Atonement.
Here are some possible ways the 7 Feasts might point to the Life of Christ:
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled by Christ):
1.Passover, Exodus 12:1-14 (Death of Christ)
2.Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6 (Christ was without any sin)
3.Feast of FirstFruits, 23:10; Leviticus 23:9-14 (Resurrection of Christ)
Fall Feasts (To Be Fulfilled by Christ in the future):
4.Feast of Weeks / Pentecost, Leviticus 23: 16-21 (Holy Spirit indwelling in believers of Christ)
5.Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:23-25 [Rapture of believers of Christ; Second Exodus of 12 Tribes of Israel ( Jeremiah 31:7-11)]
6.Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23: 26-32 (The Second Coming of Christ)
7.Feast of Tabernacles, Leviticus 23:39-43 (Christ ruling in His New Kingdom for 1,000 years)
Before answering your question, some background information is needed about the 7 Feasts of the Lord, and the Season of Repentance.
There are the 7 Feasts of the Lord in the Bible. Most Christians do not observe them. The 7 Feasts of the Lord are listed below. A study of these Feasts reveals that they point to the Life and The Return of Jesus Christ. Please research this very interesting topic.
The 7 Feasts are one of the many ways that Christ is in the Old Testament.
Some say that ancient Jews observed a traditional 40 day period called Season of Repentance. Christ would have known about this tradition just as He knew about the tradition of Feast of Dedication ( John 10:22-23).
This Season of Repentance begins on the first day of the 6th Month, and ends on The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur in Hebrew) which is (the 10th day of the 7th month), a total of 40 days. Some modern congregations appropriately blow the shofar, a type of trumpet made from the horn of a specific animal, from this first day until the 40th day, The Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 16:8-34 describes the Day of Atonement as a day of fasting and self-denial. These verses describe that on The Day of Atonement the ancient High Priest made a sacrifice for the people of Israel and then a scapegoat was sent into the wilderness.
So the 40 day Season of Repentance might have been the time when Jesus was in the wilderness. Jesus was tempted on the 40th Day (Day of Atonement). On The Day of Atonement, Christ defeated the evil attempts against Him. Christ did this by steadfastly obeying the Word of God.
This might explain why in Matthew 4 Christ was not tempted any day earlier than the 40 days and 40 nights because God is in control of all things. If Christ had been tempted earlier it would not clearly point to The Day of Atonement as a likely Day for the Return of Jesus Christ with Him defeating all of the evil of this world by obeying God's Words.
Imagine fasting for 40 days as Jesus did. He was fully human and was most likely wasting away physically as most would be after that long of a fast. (I doubt He cheated on His fast). Satan thought that he had Jesus where he wanted Him, weak and willing to sell out. But the tempter did not know that the Holy Spirit was caring for Jesus and strengthening His life and spiritual nature during this time. The tempter underestimated the situation and was defeated by the very Word of God he thought he could ensnare Jesus with. Praise the Lord Almighty!
second mistake today oops.
but like whats been shared He wanted Jesus Christ weakest physically also he thought he would break down easier.
just to add to what great reply Brother Jesse gave, I think it's worth mentioning in verse 1 it says he was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tested.
Matthew 4:1-3.
God bless.
My understanding is that the tempter (Satan) in Matthew chapter 4, he came after the 40 days because he knew Jesus was going to be hungry after fasting for 40 days. So the tempter came and appealed to the flesh and was trying to get Jesus to misuse His authority. Remember, he says you are hungry, right? Well, turn these stones into bread.
This was the first of three temptation. The first temptation was lust of the flesh. I wouldn't even call it lust. I mean when you are hungry, that is a little different than lust, but that is what the word lust means. It means to place your desire upon something, to satisfy your physical desires. That is the lust or desire of the flesh. And that's what the tempter was doing, appealing to the flesh.
The second temptation, in Matthew 4:5-7 is the pride of life. "Hey, you know the Jews are expecting their messiah to come down from heaven. Why don't you make a grand entrance?" Sensationalism! "Jump down and let them see you drop 450 feet, land on your feet, and say the Messiah is here!"
And thirdly in Matthew 4:8-10, we have the lust of the eyes. Satan took Him up on a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. It must have looked good! Satan tried to tempt Him that way.
I've heard a lesson once before on Mathew 4:1-10. Where the word tempted/tested can be used as to prove something, Not meaning to see if he can withstand the devil but to show that he could. Similar to the word used in
Luke 14:19. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to "PROVE" them: I pray thee have me excused.
Even though a different Greek word.
What do you think?
I value your take.
God bless.
I'm not sure how this would tie in to the lesson you studied, but I'll share this with you. I'm looking at those Greek words both in Matthew and Luke. In Matthew 4:1, the word tempted is PEIRASTHENAI which means to be tried. In verse 7, the word tempt is EKPEIRASEIS which means to put on trial. What's interesting about Matthew Chapter 4 is that in James 1:13, it tells us first of all that God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt anyone. You can't tempt Him and God Himself is not responsible for temptation.
As far as Jesus having to prove Himself, here is what I find interesting. In Matthew 4:3, it sounds like the tempter is asking Jesus to prove who He is. The tempter says "If thou be the Son of God, command these stones be made bread. That word "if" makes it sound like he's asking Jesus to prove who He is. That's what we get from the English text.
But here's why I love the Greek so much. The word "if" in the Greek text is what is called the first class condition assumed to be true. It can be translated "since." The devil, in tempting Jesus, was not tempting Him to prove that He was the Son of God. Satan is saying (since) you are the Son of God, then do this. Misuse your authority. Misuse your position. Be disobedient to your heavenly Father. But please note that Satan is not asking Jesus to prove Himself to be the Son of God, but actually questioning Him, baiting Him to disobey the commandments of God.
In Luke 14:19 the word prove is DOKIMASAI which means to test.
I'll share this with you, something I learned. A farmer in those days, if he had one pair of oxen, he would be considered fortunate. This is obviously a rich farmer. He just purchased five pairs of oxen. He's says, and I have to go and prove (DOKIMASAI/Test) them: so have me excused.
This is equivalent in our day to "I just bought a new car. I got to go test drive it and break it in, so have me excused."
Well, I'm off to bed. Hope to chat with you again soon. God Bless
It's amazing how a little word like the word "IF" in the Greek can make a world of difference. Wow!
God bless.
That testing for the driver is to prove if it is what the dealer say it is. The testing in view of the dealership is to Prove it is what he say it is.
Thanks and God bless.
You are welcome. And I do agree about the driver testing the car out to prove if what the dealer told him/her was true. But please keep in mind that Satan was not tempting Jesus in order for Him to prove who He was. Satan already knew who Jesus was. Again, that word "if" in the Greek text can be translated "since." So Satan was saying since you are the Son of God, do this. The Greek gives us a different outlook on what it's actually saying.
Thanks for the blessing. May the Lord continue to bless you also!
That's the way I've heard it taught and that is what I believe even more so.
I was viewing it as we're the car buyers and perhaps Satan was the instrument by which he was to be tested, The Dealership/Spirit sent him out on the test run. Matthew 4:1.
Boy! I hope noone read this but you!!
This is where I need Brother Chris to put this in English for me. Lol
God bless.
just for added input.
I'll definitely study that.
Goodnight.
God bless.
John 10:10,
This was also a moment of Prophetic fulfillment. Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3, John 6:58,
Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12, Luke 4:10-11, Psalms 91:12, Matthew 4:6,
Exodus 34:28,
Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-21, 22-44,
Hopefully that helps
This comment thread is locked. Please enter a new comment below to start a new comment thread.
Note: Comment threads older than 2 months are automatically locked.
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Please Sign In or Register to post comments...
Report Comment
Which best represents the problem with the comment?