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0THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM Felonyuk O.P.1, Kazakov V.N.2, Sinibabnov A.V.3, Rybolovlev M.A.4, Kavinsky V.V.5,
Volodchenkov M.I.6
1Felonyuk, Oleg Petrovich - Independent Researcher;
2Kazakov, Vladimir Nikolaevich - Independent Researcher;
3Sinibabnov, Andrey Vladimirovich - Translator;
4Rybolovlev, Mark Andreevich - Independent Researcher;
5Kavinsky, Veniamin Vitalievich - Independent Researcher;
6Volodchenkov, Mikhail Ivanovich - Independent Researcher.
Voronezh
Abstract: the verses of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament—the Gospel of Matthew—7:22-23 are examined in the article. The study is based on the analysis of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments of the New Version of the King James Bible (NKJV). By the method of comparative analysis of these verses with verses from the Gospel of John the 8th chapter (or, briefly, John 8:30-59), it was convincingly proved that the context of the verses from the Gospel of Matthew 7:22-23 refers only to the Jews, and not to the Church of God. This research was conducted according to the biblical method—"proof by the Scriptures."
Keywords: Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments of the New Version of the King James Bible (NKJV); History of the Church.
UDK 226.2, 226.5
Special Abbreviations
f., ff. — following verse, following verses.
Quotes
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible (NKJV).
Introduction
The purpose of the work is to study the verses from Matthew 7:22-23 in the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament (briefly, Matt. 7:22-23). The study is based on the analysis of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments of the New Version of the King James Bible (NKJV). By the method of comparative analysis of these verses with verses from the Gospel of John the 8th chapter (or, briefly, John 8:30-59), it was convincingly proved that the context of the verses from the Gospel of Matthew 7:22-23 refers only to the Jews, and not to the Church of God. This study was conducted by the biblical method and is based on a convincing argument of the verses of the Bible—'"proof by the Scriptures..." (Acts 18:28f) [1].
The presented work is thematically related to the authors' previous research [2-5, 7-9].
God knows His children—those who believe in Jesus Christ and always do His will. He knows them perfectly and constantly takes care of them, which is convincingly proven in the work [2].
God always has a reward for serving the Lord—salvation and eternal life, which is proved by the content of the works [4-5].
For obedience to the will of God (humility), the Lord also has a reward—healing and blessing, which is proved in the work [7].
The children of God are meek and humble people who have accepted these qualities from Christ (Matt. 11:29). They are completely obedient to the voice of the Lord—the Holy Spirit (the word of God)—which is proved by the content of the works [8-9].
The Lord Jesus Christ constantly identified Himself with the Father, but the concept of the Trinity in its entirety was revealed only during the New Testament. In the time of the Old Testament, it was given in images and prototypes, which is convincingly proved by the content of the work [3].
This study differs from the article [2] in that it examines another manuscript—a New Version of the King James Bible (Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, Second Edition; briefly-NKJV). Also, the article and the bibliography have been edited only for the English-speaking audience.
THE BIBLE (NKJV STUDY BIBLE)
The Gospel of Matthew's verses (Matthew 7:22-23 or, briefly, Matt. 7:22-23) are being studied. [1].
The initial objective is to identify those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and those He knows and calls His children.
1 JESUS CHRIST'S CHILDREN
The Holy Scripture (the Bible) reveals that those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are the children of God:
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:10-13).
Let's define the concepts of "Power" and "Child of God".
"Power (Gr. dwapiq Lat. potentia)—The ability to become or effect something. Also (Lat. potestas), rule or dominion in terms of law or legal jurisdiction." [10, 215].
"Child of God (See adoption). Adoption (Gr. vioffsoia)—Reception of a sinner into the familial relationship of a child to God as parent through Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:15, 23; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5)." [10, 4].
It follows that the Lord loves us, His sons and daughters, as the Father loves His Son—the Lord Jesus Christ.
"The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand." (John 3:35). Also:
"for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God." (John 16:27).
In summary, the Lord recognizes and cherishes us as His own children, and takes complete care of everyone throughout his lifetime. Of these people who recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, there is a church of God (Matt. 16:18-20ff).
2 THE BELIEVING JEWS (John 8:30-59)
The Gospel of John verses (John 8:30-59) are being studied. [1].
The Jewish people were taught by Jesus in the temple, and many believed in him:
"As He spoke these words, many believed in Him." (John 8:30ff).
Let us take a closer look at the actions of Jews who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord reminded them of a condition that they could have fulfilled as true disciples of Him, which was to stay in His word:
"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' " (John 8:31-32).
The Jews immediately began to argue and justify themselves, but Jesus saw their hearts, their thoughts, that they wanted to kill Him because they did not accept His word—His teaching about the kingdom of God. The reason for this is that Christ and the Jews have different fathers:
"Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. „1 know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."'' " (John 8:3438).
The Jews were proud of the fact that their father was Abraham:
"They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.'' " (John 8:39).
The church historian Eusebius Pamphilus, bishop of Caesarea (263-339), confirms the historical facts about Abraham. In the book "Church History", Eusebius of Caesarea wrote about Abraham:
"... Abraham, whom the Hebrews celebrate as their own founder and forefather." [1, 87 (I, IV, 5)].
The Holy Scriptures (the Bible) assert that carnal children are not children of God:
"But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all
Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." (Rom. 9:6-8).
Jesus rebuked the Jews, demonstrating to them that their father was the devil:
"Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.' " (John 8:42-47).
After these words the Jews began to accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan and a demon in him. But the Lord rejects these accusations and convincingly proves the importance of keeping the word of God for eternal life:
"Jesus answered, 'I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.' " (John 8:49-51).
The words of eternal life were closed to the Jews, so they did not understand the Lord's message, but remained convinced of their concepts:
"Then the Jews said to Him, 'Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, „If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death." ' " (John 8:52).
Jesus reveals to the Jews the great mystery of God's revelation, that His Father is God and that Abraham himself saw His day and rejoiced:
"Jesus answered, 'If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yetyou have not known Him, but I know Him. And ifI say, „I do not know Him," I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.' " (John 8:54-56).
The Jews were completely unaware of God's revelation about His Son, Lord Jesus Christ, because they lived and thought in carnal concepts.
Moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ reveals to the Jews the most significant truth: He is God and everything in heaven and on earth is created by Him (Col. 1:16ff).
"Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' " (John 8:58).
After these words, the Jews, as it seems from the text, understood perfectly what Jesus spoke to them (in their eyes He made Himself equal to God), decided to kill the Lord—to stone Him, as He said about it (vv. 37, 40):
"Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." (John 8:59).
The Name of God the Father is known by us from the Holy Scriptures:
" Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, „The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they say to me, „ What is His name?" what shall I say to them?' And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, „JAM has sent me to you." ' Moreover God said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: „The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations."...' " (Ex. 3:13-15).
The concept of the Trinity was only developed in images (prototypes) in the Old Testament, but it was revealed in its entirety only in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ was indeed God, and He spoke to the Jews many times about it directly:
" 'I and My Father are one.' Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, 'Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me? ' The Jews answered Him, saying, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.' " (John 10:30-33).
The Jews understood Jesus Christ perfectly, but they did not accept him because of their beliefs. The fact that they believed in Him is good, but they kept the law to justify themselves, so they were left without Christ:
"You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." (Gal. 5:4-6).
Conclusion. So we see that all these words spoken by Jesus Christ in (John 8:30-59) completely apply only to the Jews, and not to the believing children of God, whom the Lord knows and loves.
3 MATTHEW'S GOSPEL (Matt. 7:22-23)
Verses from the Gospel of Matthew are studied (Matthew 7:22-23), or, in the future, briefly — (Matt. 7:2223) [1]:
"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!''" (Matt. 7:22-23).
Some people think that these verses refer to believers who are members of the Church of God. But is it so? It is necessary to take into account the history of the events described and, most importantly, the context of Scriptures.
In the first century, at the time of the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, there were many different occult ministries in Israel: the Magi (Acts. 8:9), false prophets (Acts. 13:6), the soothsayers (Acts. 16:16), the conjurers (Acts. 19:13) and many others who produce abominations. Ordinary people, not knowing the truth of God, took all this for various miracles of God.
Professors of Dallas Bible Seminary John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck in their book "The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament" [11], commenting on the verses (Matthew 7:22-23), write about the importance of a personal relationship with the Lord for the fulfillment of God's will:
"Even if they (the so-called 'miracle workers' approx. the author) were doing supernatural deeds-prophesying in His name, driving out demons, and performing many miracles, they were not obedient to the Father, continually doing His will (Matt. 7:21). They would be refused admission to the kingdom because Jesus had no personal relationship with them (vv. 21, 23)." [11, 34].
These people who called themselves "miracle workers" were actually just "hiding behind" the name of the Lord for their vile deeds. They had no personal relationship with the Lord, so the Lord did not know them.
Eusebius of Caesarea in the book "Church History" gives historical facts about false teachers and false prophets:
"From them (various heresies, approx.) and the false Christs, false prophets, false apostles went; with their destructive speeches against God and Christ, they shattered the church unity." [1, 200 (IV, 22, 6)].
So, we see that all these "miracles" were false, because they were performed not for the glory of the Lord, but for the exaltation of their persons, for the affirmation of the egoistic thoughts of the heart. The Lord saw and knew everything, that's why He rejected all these presumptuous "miracle workers", saying to them: I never knew you. (Matt. 7:23).
The loving Lord could not say such words to the Church of God, to the children of God who believe in Him, whom He redeemed with His blood.
This leads to an important conclusion:
God wants every person to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with a sincere heart, to know His forgiveness, love and mercy and, believing in Him, to have a personal relationship with the Lord—eternal life in Christ Jesus.
CONCLUSION
Summarizing this analysis, we can draw the following conclusions.
1) The New King James Version (NKJV) shows God's greatest love for those who receive Him and believe in His love—His children (John 1:10-13). Of these people who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, the Church of God consists (Matt. 16:18-20).
2) Moreover, the Bible's example of verses (John 8:30-59) proves that the Lord spoke these words ("Your father is the devil") not to His children (of whom He is the Father), believing in Him, but to the Jews who even wanted to kill Him.
3) By the example of verses (Matt. 7:22-23), it is proved by the Scriptures that the Lord did not address these words ("I do not know you") to His children (whom He knows and loves) who believe in Him, but only to Jews alone.
References
1. Eusebius. (1990). The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine. By Eusebius (Author), Andrew Louth (Editor, Introduction), G. A. Williamson (Translator). Revised Edition. Penguin Classics. 480 p.
2. Felonyuk, O., Kazakov, V., Rybolovlev, M., Malchenko, A., Kavinsky, V. and Volodchenkov, M. (2023). Gospod' znaet veruyushchikh v Nego [The Lord knows those who believe in Him]. Problemy nauki [Problems of Science]. 5 (79), 4-9. (In Russian). (DOI: 10.24411/2413-2101-2023-10501).
3. Gruzdev, D.V. (Author) and Volodchenkov, M.I. (Comp. and ed.). (2023). Formirovanie dogmata o Troitse. Chast' I. Svidetel'stvo o Troichnosti Boga v Vetkhom Zavete [Formation of the Trinity Dogma. Part I. Testimony of the Trinity of God in the Old Testament]. Academy. 1 (74), 36-45. (In Russian). (DOI: 10.24411/2412-8236-2023-10101).
4. Gruzdev, D., Kolosov, S., Volodchenkov, M. and Kavinsky, V. (2022). Nagrada za sluzhenie Gospodu [Reward for serving the Lord]. Problemy nauki [Problems of Science]. 5 (73), 50-55. (In Russian). (DOI: 10.24411/2413-2101-2022-10503).
5. Gruzdev, D., Severov, P., Kolosov, S., Sinibabnov, A., Kavinsky, V. and Volodchenkov, M. (2023). Reward for Serving the Lord. Academy. 1 (74), 61-68. (DOI: 10.24411/2412-8236-2023-10103).
6. Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, Second Edition. (2007). Earl D. Radmacher, general editor. 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 2341 p.
7. Kolosov, S., Sinibabnov, P., Sinibabnov, A., Khripushin, P., Kavinsky, V. and Volodchenkov, M. (2023). Istselenie docheri Khananeyanki [The Healing of a Canaanite Woman's Daughter]. Probleny nauki [Problems of Science]. 3 (77), 58-63. (In Russian). (DOI: 10.24411/2413-2101-2023-10301).
8. Logunov Jr, A., Logunov, M., Logunov, K., Sinibabnov A., Kavinsky V. and Volodchenkov, M. (2023). Poslushanie glasu Gospoda [Obedience to the voice of the Lord]. Prosveshchenie i poznanie. 2 (21), 41-56. (In Russian). (DOI: 10.24412/2782-2613-2023-221-58-81).
9. Logunov Jr, A., Logunov, M., Logunov, K., Sinibabnov, A., Kavinsky, V. and Volodchenkov, M. (2023). Obedience to the Voice of the Lord. Academy. 2 (75), 37-45. (DOI: 10.24411/2412-8236-2023-10204).
10.McKim, D.K. (1996). Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. 1st Ed. Louisville, Kentucky, KY.: Westminster John Knox Press. 316 p.
11. Walvoord, J.F. and Zuck, R.B. (Gen. Eds.). (1983). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament. An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty. Based on the New International Version. Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook. 991 p.
