Matthew chapters 5-7 is where we find the famous Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is essential to dispensationalism. They grant us the perfect opportunity to clearly see why dispensationalism is important to interpret the Bible and understand Christian doctrine.
Dispensationalism will show us that the beatitudes don’t apply to Christians. This may sound extreme, but we are going to prove it. People who believe in works for salvation, losing salvation, and Lordship salvation go to the beatitudes and apply them to Christians!
But this only promotes false doctrine. Christians claim that salvation by faith alone is the only way, correct? And that we can’t lose our salvation once the Holy Spirit has filled our hearts?
The Sermon on the Mount was speaking to the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven: God’s earthly kingdom. Its intended audience was Jews!
How do we know that the Kingdom of Heaven is earthly?
Because the Bible tells us so!
Matthew 11:12:“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Does this verse sound like heaven to you, or an earthly kingdom? There is no violence in heaven: that is what happens here on Earth. When does this earthly kingdom happen? The Kingdom of Heaven takes place during the millennium in Revelation 20.
Matthew 4:25 shows us clearly that Jesus was speaking directly to a Jewish audience: “And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.” Jesus is in Galilee preaching to the Jews about the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s future earthly kingdom. He is not speaking to the Christians of today.
Matthew 5 (The Beatitudes) is a Reference to the Millennium
In Matthew 5, Jesus Christ is speaking about the millennium. Jesus Christ’s teachings about the sermon in the mount do not make sense to apply today.
Matthew 5:20:“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
The Pharisees and scribes were the religious elite. They were the pinnacle of religion. Jesus said that we had to exceed their righteousness.
How is that possible before the millennium? That’s works, not faith alone. The church aged is marked by faith alone, but in the Kingdom of Heaven during the millennium, it will be marked by works AND faith.
Matthew 5:22:“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Have you ever been angry with a brother in Christ? We all have! But we know that we have salvation through faith. How are we in danger of the council in today’s times? It makes sense in the millennium because God will be ruling the Earth, and we will be living under works and faith salvation system. But that is not the reality of today. Jesus is clearly speaking of the future Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:29-30:“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
In the millennium, all of this makes so much more sense. If applied to today’s times, it is all contradictory. Dispensationalism is the key to understanding passages like these because we are able to see who the specific messages are intended to reach and what time period they speak to.
Matthew 7 speaks to the Kingdom of Heaven in the end times and not to us today.
Matthew 7:16-23:“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
In this passage, we see that bad trees producing bad fruits are considered to be lost. We know that we do not lose our salvation in today’s times. The blood of Christ covers us for any iniquity that we commit. That means that this passage must be speaking to the millennium when our works will determine whether we remain in the faith or not. This passage is from Matthew chapter 7, which we have already determined is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which speaks to a Jewish audience regarding the future, earthly Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5-7).
Let’s look at another example. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Even when we walk in the Spirit, will we ever see the Lord face-to-face in this life? No. But we will see God in the future Kingdom of Heaven during the millennium.
The millennium in Revelation 20 is the only time period that God is ruling on the Earth. This proves to us that this must be the time period to which Jesus is referring to. The order of the eras looks like this:
OT —> Church Age (current age) —> Tribulation —> Millennium.
Matthew 7:15-16:“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?”
Their fruits can reveal the wolf in sheep’s clothing! That’s why their fruit is so important. Works will determine our status as believers in the Kingdom of Heaven alongside our faith, unlike what we experience today. It’s hard to tell the wolves from the sheep today, but in God’s coming kingdom, it will be made evident.
A non-dispensationalist argument would pose the question: “what if I start to backslide and don’t keep producing good fruit after I’m saved? Have I lost my salvation?”
Matthew 7:21: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
What is the will of God for us to go to heaven? Is it to do good works or to receive Christ?
It is to receive Christ.