Matthew 26:57-68 is about WITNESS and TESTIMONY.
The church of God in the last days must bear witness. If we do not bear witness, we will deny God and be perished forever.
But, in Matthew 26:57-68, there are two kinds of witness and testimony as follows:
Matthew 26:59-63a
26:59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,
26:60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward
26:61 and said, “This fellowsaid, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”
26:62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is itthese men testify against You?”
26:63 But Jesus kept silent.
Facing the accusation of the two false witnesses, Jesus kept silent. If Jesus is silent, it means that there is no more time to correct it. The two false witnesses were never mentioned anymore in the Bible.
Judas was given opportunity, but he rejected it and he was perished forever.
Peter was also the false witness, but fortunately there was crowing of the rooster and Jesus was turning about Peter, such that he was saved.
The two witnesses appeared when Jesus cleaned the temple of God.
John 2:19-20
2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
2:20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
False witness is as follows:
The church of God in the last days must bear witness. If we do not bear witness, we will deny God and be perished forever.
But, in Matthew 26:57-68, there are two kinds of witness and testimony as follows:
- False or lying witness in verse 59-63a.
- True witness in verse 63b-66.
Matthew 26:59-63a
26:59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,
26:60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward
26:61 and said, “This fellowsaid, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”
26:62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is itthese men testify against You?”
26:63 But Jesus kept silent.
Facing the accusation of the two false witnesses, Jesus kept silent. If Jesus is silent, it means that there is no more time to correct it. The two false witnesses were never mentioned anymore in the Bible.
Judas was given opportunity, but he rejected it and he was perished forever.
Peter was also the false witness, but fortunately there was crowing of the rooster and Jesus was turning about Peter, such that he was saved.
The two witnesses appeared when Jesus cleaned the temple of God.
John 2:19-20
2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
2:20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
False witness is as follows:
- Life who hears the true teaching Word, but does not practice it, such that he does not experience purification and renewal of life. This kind of life preserves flesh man.
- Life who ministers God (in the temple of God), but only looking for physical matters.
- Life who is managed by buying-selling spirit, such that he is against the building of perfect body of Christ.
The consequence is entering the building of Babylon.
Revelation 17:5
17:5 And on her forehead a name waswritten:MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
- Not being faithful on one true teaching Word, such that not being faithful in ministry.
The example is Judas. Judas is not an ordinary man; he is an apostle and a treasurer.
Luke 22:3-4
22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
22:4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.
Fellowship without the true teaching Word is a conspiracy.
Judas, without any permission, joined fellowship with the chief priests who clearly had different teaching.
At the end of his life, Judas left his ministry and it was replaced by Matthias.
Matthew 27:3-5
27:3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
27:4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is thatto us? You see to it!”
27:5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
The consequence is Judas Iscariot hanged himself. It means as follows:- Being desperate and disappointed, rejecting God.
- Rejecting the sacrifice of Christ and keeping living in sins, bearing the curse of sins, living in difficulties and tears, up to perdition forever.
Matthew 25:21
25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done,good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Faithful and responsible life will get heavenly joy in the middle of curse ambience in this world. And to him will also be trusted the ministry of building perfect body of Christ, until we will really enter the Kingdom of Heaven. - Being desperate and disappointed, rejecting God.
- Being egoistic, prioritizing ourselves, not willing to sacrifice.
Isaiah 14:22-23
14:22 “For I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, And offspring and posterity,” says the Lord.
14:23 “I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, And marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the Lord of hosts
This kind of life is as marshes of muddy water, which only wants to receive blessings, but does not want to become blessing to the others.
Egoistic life does not want to give and visit the other members of the body of Christ who are in need.
Matthew 25:45-46
25:45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do itto one of the least of these, you did not do itto Me.’
25:46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Egoistic life does not want to do something that is asked by the true teaching Word. The consequence is sometime he will not be able to do that, and there will no more time to correct himself.
Ezekiel 47:11
47:11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.
Sometime, swamps will become the heap of salt as in the Dead Sea, where there is no more life.
The heap of salt denotes the heap of sins.
Egoistic life will become the place of heap of sins. This life will wallow in sins and has no more regrets.
True witness is not egoistic. True witness is willing to sacrifice everything for the importance of building body of Christ. Only one thing that should not be sacrificed, that is the true teaching Word. This kind of life will become the place of heap of God’s blessings, heap of God’s love. - Being controlled by evil and unclean spirit.
Revelation 18:2
18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
Evil spirit = fox = the bond of money.
This makes us stingy (cannot give) and greedy (robbing the others’ right, getting money in illegal way).
Unclean spirit = bird = eating-drinking sins (smoking, getting drunk, consuming drugs) and marrying and being given in marriage sins (sexuality sin with all its varieties).
Jesus groaned since foxes have holes and birds have nests, but He has nowhere to lay His head.
Do not make the temple of God as a den of thieves!
This morning, we have to become the true witness that is always placing Jesus as the Head, placing the true teaching Word in our life whatever the risks, such that we experience purification from evil and unclean spirit. Thus, the house of God will become a house of prayer, the place of God’s presence.
Isaiah 6:1
6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robefilled the temple.
The house of God or house of prayer is God’s throne, the place of God’s presence.
The throne of God is the place where we can call God’s name in faith. It is the place where we can touch the train of His robe in faith. Thus, we will experience the resurrection power of God which cannot be beaten by anything else.
The results are as follows:- The power of God’s protection and care miraculously.
Physically, there is care to provide the things we do not have, there is protection from all accidents and distresses, and from God’s judgments. - The power of God’s help miraculously.
Mark 5:25-29
5:25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
5:26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.
5:27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Himin the crowd and touched His garment.
5:28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in herbody that she was healed of the affliction.
A flow of blood for twelve years denotes something that has been rotten. But when she touched His garment, everything can be made well.
A flow of blood also denotes disunity. It will be changed with peace.
A flow of blood for twelve years also denotes something impossible. But when we touch His garment, everything will be made possible. - The power to beautify, to make everything beautiful in His time.
Exodus 28:31-33
28:31 “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
28:32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear.
28:33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:
Physically, everything will become beautiful in His time.
Spiritually, there is unity in one true teaching Word, unity in true worship. Household will become beautiful if there is unity in teaching Word and worship.
Spiritually, there is also renewal of life from flesh man to become spiritual man, from clay pot to become golden pot. At Jesus’ second coming, we will be renewed as God’s bride. It is the most beautiful on the glorious clouds, and we will be with God forever.
- The power of God’s protection and care miraculously.