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NASB | Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied up until John. |
Subject: Is prophecy dead? |
Bible Note: "11:3 John’s proclamation of the final judgment and salvation was not being fulfilled as John had anticipated in his preaching. Jesus assures John that the prophecy of Isa 35:5, 6 is happening. Isaiah had a vision of the blessings of healing, life, and good news in the final day. Jesus holds that this is happening in history in His Person, words, and works, though in an unexpected form. John did not perceive the difference between the messianic salvation of the new age, which has now come, and the age to come. He expected the structure of the old age to be disrupted by the coming of the Messiah and was perplexed because it was not happening. This is a question asking clarification, not a question of doubt. In the O.T., the Messiah is presented in a twofold character: one as a Suffering Servant and the other as a reigning monarch. The prophets could not see the great interval of time between the two comings of our Lord. 11:11 John is the last of the prophets belonging to the “old era.” This is confirmed by the use of the Greek word (“until,” in the exclusive sense of “since” in v. 13). John, the greatest of the prophets, brought the age of the Law and Prophets to an end, but, belonging to that age, he did not participate in the personal fellowship with the Messiah, nor in the realization of the blessings of the present age, which Christ’s kingdom has brought. Reference is not made to the final manifestation of the glorious kingdom. This explains why “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Believer's Study Bible) "The prophets and the law refers to the Old Testament, which anticipated the coming of the Messiah. Because John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ, the Old Testament anticipated John’s ministry as well." (Nelson Study Bible) "11:14 John himself is Elijah. Jesus is saying that if the Jews had received Him, they would also have understood that John fulfilled the OT prediction of the coming of Elijah before the Day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5). See note on 17:11-12." (Ryrie Expanded Edition Study Bible) |