Matthew chapter 4, and it reads…
Matt.4
[1] Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
He was led there by the Holy Spirit.
[2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
He was made weak in the flesh. I don’t think it would be wise for any of us to fast so long. It is not healthy to our bodies.
[3] And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
The tempter is Satan. Notice he said If thou be the Son of God. He knew who he was.
[4] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus is the living Word. His answer to Satan is scripture. But we’ll find out in a minute that Satan also knows scripture. But for now, Jesus answered him with Due.8;3 and it reads.
Due.8:3] And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Notice this is also prophesy. Back to Matthew…
Mat.4:5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
[6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
So here is Satan quoting scripture. But he twisted it enough to make it a lie. Lets go to Psalms 91 and find out what he changed and what he left out.
Psa.91:11] For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
It is written “in all thy ways”. Not “at any time” anytime we temp the Lord it is a sin. But look what he left out…
[12] They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[13] Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
I wonder why he would leave this verse 13 out. It says that Christ would trample the Dragon, another name of Satan.
Mat.4:7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Jesus quotes Due.6:16. And it reads.
Due.6:16] Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
What happened at Massah? That’s where Moses struck the rock twice. Lets read Exo.17:5-7.
Exo.17:5] And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
[6] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
[7] And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Instead Moses struck the Rock twice because his anger towards Israel was kindled. But this cost Moses the promised land. He would not be allowed to go into the promised land. For that we go to Num.20:7-13 and it reads.
[7] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
[8] Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
[9] And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
[10] And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Moses would have a heck of a time bringing forth water out of the rock. This, to the Lord was like crucifying Christ twice.
[11] And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
[12] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
[13] This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
Lets go back to Matthew.
Mat.4:8] Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
[9] And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
This shows us that this world is for Satan to give. But Jesus knows the word and so we find in 1John 2.15-17 and it reads.
1John.2:15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Back to Matthew, and it reads.
Mat.4:10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
[11] Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
It’s at this point that Satan is no longer on the earth, but is cast behind the throne of God. where Michael is holding him until he casts him out onto this earth at the 6th. trump. Rev.12:7-9. And it reads.
Rev.12:7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Back to Matthew.
Mat.4:12] Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
[13] And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
[14] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
[15] The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
[16] The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Again, Esaias is Isaiah, and where is this prophesy? Isa.9:1-6. And it reads.
Isa.9:1] Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
[2] The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
[3] Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
[4] For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
[5] For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
[6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
I love how the Old and the New Testament come together and give us a more clear view of God’s word. Lets go back to Matthew and it reads.
Mat.4:17] From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus began preaching after being baptized, and tested in the wilderness.
[18] And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
[19] And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
[20] And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
[21] And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
[22] And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
These men knew not that morning, that they would be called. But Jesus called them to work in his ministry. Have you ever wondered what your destiny is. Maybe in chapter 24 we’ll find out.
[23] And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Very important to know that sickness and being possessed are two different things.
[24] And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
Lunatic is of the moon. It is Satan’s spirit. There are evil spirits and then there is Satan’s spirit.
[25] And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
This must have been awesome, to follow Jesus and hear him teach. Wow. Lets go to his throne.
Father we thank you for your word, bless all those that love you. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible