Matt. 5: 21-48. What does Christ mean when He says “you have heard, but I tell you?

The eternal home of God the Father (and everyone) is Earth.

1Ch_23:25 For David said, The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:

Rev_5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Psa_37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Psa_37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psa_37:22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

Mat_5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Job_19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zec 14:17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.


Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
Rev 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev 21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
Rev 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
Rev 21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
Rev 21:18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
Rev 21:19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
Rev 21:20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
Rev 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.


It is not man who will go to heaven to dwell with the Father and Jesus in the eternity but the Father and Jesus dwelling with Man upon the new Earth!

Heaven is the temporary dwelling place for God, angels and the spirits of the dead saints. The eternal home for all is the new Earth.

First verse...new Jerusalem.
Second verse...we are already reigning. What does it mean that the gates of hell will not prevail?
The meek inheriting the earth is a reversal of circumstances. A good example is Psalm 37:11. The meek shall inherit the land, and delight in abundance and prosperity. No eternal meaning; simply temporal.
Job 19:25...his redeemer did walk on the earth...literally.

I could keep going, but I doubt it would persuade you. But all the verses you listed have spiritual and temporal explanations. You already believe one way and you interpret those verses according to what you already believe. And in many cases, simply read in meaning that is not in the verses.
A good example is Job 19:25. Jesus did stand on the earth in a latter day. Why isn't what you know has occurred the meaning of the verse? Because you read it assuming some future event. It was future to Job. Why doesn't it mean the time Jesus lived on earth?

Still on the Earth.


Not with a rod of iron over the nations with Christ literally here after the second coming.

Job 19:25-27 says,

Job 19:25
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter [/hindermost] day upon the earth:
[that "hindermost" day, i.e. the last millennium, has not yet taken place, but will... and He will "stand on the earth" at that time]

Job 19:26
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
[all OT saints knew well regarding "[bodily] resurrection [definition: 'to stand again' (on the earth)]"... Job speaks of it here... Daniel was told of it (Dan12:13)... Martha spoke of it (Jn11:24; when speaking of "The Last Day"--"IN the Last Day--aka in the last millennium)]

Job 19:27
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. [again, alluding to bodily "resurrection"]

God breathes His message through imperfect vessels who often misunderstand what God is trying to say to them and through them. That should be clear from posts in this forum. Also God did not give his perfect Way to Moses, but accommodated the culture of Moses' day, banning the worst excesses but moving the Israelite culture on closer to His perfect Way. Jesus revealed, lived out and taught the perfect Way that Moses and the prophets teaching imperfectly revealed, due to the limitations of their cultural conditioning.
Thar's why Jesus said,
"You've heard it said.... but I say to you...."

i can relate I've got rid of many humps over the years chuckle. A lot of them where uninvited tho 🤔

I keep going back to "metanoia" being misunderstood in the meaning relative to the (perpetual) call for repentance, thinking beyond rather any sort of 'stop here' connotation. It's natural to be hesitant in going forward in faith but above natural to step into the red sea before it begins to split. "But I tell you..." is Jesus saying, "go beyond" (to the promised land, "don't look back" (to destruction) ... you have been set, and are, free, indeed. The water's fine, step out into it! Come, to where I am.

New Jerusalem is the church. This is what came down from heaven and started through the Spirit on Pentecost. It's new because it is under a new covenant and consists of people who are new creations. It is ruled by Jesus who dwells in believers...ruling and reigning with Him.
As Shepherd, He rules with an iron staff...meaning the gates of hell do not prevail against it.
What is the book of Revelation about?

This is referring to the ETERNITY! (after the Millennium, after the Great White Throne Judgment)

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

- Revelation 21:1-3 (KJV)

What is the message of Revelation?

Latter day refers to the latter days of the old covenant and into the new covenant. That is the time of Christ on earth. It is much the same as what Jesus spoke of Abraham...Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and saw it and was glad.

The book of Daniel and the book of Revelation pretty much address us!—those who are part of the final generation. "Shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end:" was the instruction given to Daniel. (Dan 12:4). God told him: "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand: but the wise shall understand." (Daniel 12:10). The book of Revelation reveals all the events of the end times.

Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

That means you believe all Christians (males, anyway) must be circumcised, for to partake of the Passover Lamb (Jesus), one must, in your view, be circumcised.

Your error is that you don't rightly discern between the old (Sinai) covenant and the covenant in Christ's blood.

They are DISTINCT covenants. You either relate to God through the Sinai covenant or through Christ's blood; not both.

And when were the things shut up revealed?

Foreshadows testify about what is to come and we should live in a way that testifies about the truth of what is to come by obeying God's law rather than a way that denies the truth of what is to come. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul spoke in regard to how Passover foreshadowed Christ by drawing the connection of him being our Passover Lamb, however, instead of concluding that we no longer need to bother observing Passover, he concluded that we should therefore continue to observe it.

In Deuteronomy 10:12-16, it instructs to circumcise our hearts and obey God's commandments. In Deuteronomy 30:1-10, it prophesies about a time when the Israelites will return from exile, God will circumcise their hearts, and they will return to obedience to the Mosaic Law. In Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27, the context is in regard to the New Covenant and the Israelites returning from exile and they describe God as circumcising our hearts by means of the Spirit and us returning to obedience to the Mosaic Law by saying that God will put the Mosaic Law in our minds and write it on our hearts and that He will take away our hearts of stone, give us hearts of flesh, and send His Spirit to lead us in obedience to the Mosaic Law. In Romans 2:25-29, the way to recognize that a Gentile has a circumcised heart is by observing their obedience to the Mosaic Law and circumcision of the heart is a matter of the Spirit, which is in contrast with Acts 7:51-53, where those who have uncircumcised hearts resist the Spirit and do not obey the Mosaic Law. So someone having a circumcised heart does not refer to anything other than them living in obedience to the Mosaic Law and the New Covenant is all about Israel returning to obedience to it.

In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Kingdom of God is composed of citizens who are children of Abraham who have repented and are living in obedience to it through faith in Christ. Christ set a perfect example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law and 1 John 2:6 says that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked, so being in Christ/repenting and walking in obedience to the Mosaic Law in accordance with the Gospel is indeed what places someone in the Kingdom. God giving the gift of the Mosaic Law is an act of God.

We’re now living in the latter days. Some of these things are being revealed now, as the Olivet prophecies in Mark 13, Luke, 21, and Matthew 24 show us. The seven seals in Revelation ch. 6 go right in line with these Olivet prophecies. God has foretold us all things.

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

Furthermore, there are many other verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being God's way, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Isaiah 2:2-3, Joshua 22:5, Psalms 119:1-3, and many others.

The Mosaic Law is God's way, the truth (Psalms 119:142), and the life (Deuteronomy 32:46-47), and the way to see and know the Father (Exodus 33:13), and Jesus embodied the Mosaic Law by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to it, so he is the embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life, and the way to see and know the Father (John 14:6-7).

In Matthew 4, Jesus consistently preceded quoting from what was written by saying "it is written...", but in Matthew 5, he consistently preceded quoting from what the people had heard being said by saying "you have heard that it was said...", so his emphasis on the different form of communication is important. Jesus was not sinning in violation of Deuteronomy 4:2 by making changes to what was written, but rather he was fulfilling the law by correcting what the people had heard being said and by teaching how to correctly obey it as it was originally intended. For example:

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

While the OT does instruct us to love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), it does not instruct us to hate our enemy, but rather loving our enemy is in accordance with verses like Exodus 23:4-5, Deuteronomy 23:7, Proverbs 24:17-18, and Proverbs 25:21-22. So the problem was not with what Moses originally taught, but with incorrectly teaching the people what he taught.

If it had been intended that God's law would change over time in accordance with changes in cultural conditioning, then there wouldn't be verses like Deuteronomy 4:2 that prohibit making changes to the Mosaic Law or Psalms 119:160, which says that all of God's righteous laws are eternal. In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, the way that God instructed His people to determine that someone is a false prophet or dreamer who is not speaking for Him even if they perform signs and wonders is if they speak against obeying the Mosaic Law, so God did not leave His people any room to follow someone who tried to make changes to His law.

I agree that they are distinct covenants, though Jeremiah 31:33 says that the New Covenant involves God putting the Mosaic Law in our minds and writing it on our heats, so following the Mosaic Law is not one of the ways in which they are distinct. All of God's covenants are made with the same eternal God with the same eternal nature, so the way to act in accordance with God's nature is therefore also eternal regardless of which covenant someone is under, if any. The Mosaic Law is God's word and Jesus is God's word made flesh, which means that he embodied the Mosaic Law by living in sinless obedience to it, so obeying God's word is the way to relate to Him and Jesus.

No one is arguing that Jesus wasn't our example. But we don't possess the ability to do as He does except He dwells within us.

Just copying what Jesus does is not keeping the law. Outwardly it appears we are. But unless He is working in through our hearts, we will not be keeping the commandments from the heart. You will be as the Pharisees...whited sepulchers outwardly, but inwardly full of dead men's bones.
We aren't to copy Jesus. We are to walk in the Spirit and the same power that raised Him from the dead will be at work in us to empower us to live as He did.
Copying what Jesus did doesn't constitute obedience. Christ living in a person constitutes the perfect keeping of the law completely.

Here’s an example of the Seals mirroring the Olivet prophecy:

Here is the first seal in Revelation ch. 6:
One might not know this, but this is the false christ being described above. The first seal is a warning not to be deceived.
———
And here it is in the Olivet prophecy:
And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. - Mark 13:5-6