Everything in the gospel of Matthew is Jewish. To name a few, chapter 1 talks about the genealogy of the King, chapter 3 narrates John the Baptist introducing Jesus to the people of Israel, chapter 10 shows the Lord commanding His disciples, “Don’t go to the Gentiles”, and chapter 15 the Lord Himself “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” Nothing is mentioned about the assembly (church) except for a short glimpse in Matthew 16 “I will build my Assembly (church)” which is in the future tense pointing to later events in Acts 2. Therefore, it is improper for Christians to base their teachings on the gospel of Matthew because it is not directed to Christians but to Jews.
In the gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus did not reveal the assembly (church) period to the nation of Israel. Everything He has said and done was all directed to the nation of Israel. At that time, none of the disciples knew about the assembly (church) period for it was hidden from them until Acts 1 and 2. For instance, in Matthew 24 He told His disciples, omitting the assembly (church) period, about the seven years tribulation prophesied in Daniel 9:26. The disciples, being Jews, were concerned about the earthly kingdom, the blessing from King David. Becoming the head of all nations was a promise to them which is still to be fulfilled.
The Lord explained to His disciples everything concerning the nation of Israel by using many illustrations: the ten virgins, the fig tree, the temple destruction, the wheat and tares, the fishing net, the landowner, the unforgiving debtors, the Son of Man coming for Israel, the sheep and goats, etc. The disciples received all the teachings for the present and the future seven years great tribulation and the establishment of the Jewish kingdom on earth before the Lord’s crucifixion. They were told in advance what would happen to their nation from the plan of the Lord Himself.
After the resurrection, the Lord seemed not to go away from the disciples. But he told them that He will be with them until the end of the age. Note, however, that in Matthew 28 there is no mention of the Holy Spirit coming down and no mention of the ascension of the Lord to heaven. But those who were with Him were worshipping Him as their King. This is a little prelude of the time when the nation of Israel will finally recognize Him at the end of the great tribulation. He told the disciples to go and teach all the nations, making them their pupils, and baptizing them into the Triune God—the Trinity. Matthew 28:18-19,“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[b] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”This commission refers to the one mentioned in Revelations 7 about the 144,000 preachers. The 144,000 will preach to the whole world a unique message on entering the kingdom on earth, and Israel as a nation will be delivered through the coming of the King, the Lord Jesus at the very end. “Until the end of the age” refers to the time when everything is done and the promise to Israel is fulfilled. Though the commission was told to the disciples in Matthew 28, it was not for them to walk through. It was for those who will read the letter of Matthew during the great tribulation. (Read Gill's and Darby's Commentaries on Matthew 28:18-19).
To show the difference between the commission of Matthew 28 and the commission for the Assembly (church), let us look at Acts 1. When the disciples were with Jesus (Acts 1:6), they kept on asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore your kingdom?” He replied to them, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”But in verse 8 He told them, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. (Acts 2:1) And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” So we can see that what was given to them in Matthew 28 was for another dispensation. It is not the same for the assembly (church) period.
Aside from narrating Jesus’ ministry on earth, the gospels of Matthew and Mark could also be alike in the sense that they do not introduce the assembly (church) period in their endings. Some manuscripts of Mark end with chapter 16 verse 20, but earlier manuscripts omit the verses 9 to 20 which talks about the ascension of the Lord Jesus to heaven. So, for instance the gospel of Mark does not have the ascension (verses 9-20), it will be just like the gospel of Matthew. Only the gospel of Luke introduces the Assembly (church) at the end of chapter 24, which is interesting because Luke is also the author of Acts which notes the beginning of the assembly (church) period. But if we take the longer version of Mark with the ascension (verses 9-20), we will have Matthew strictly for the Jews but Mark and Luke introducing the assembly (church) period. The gospels of Mark and Luke, having the same ending, would emphasize the credibility of two witnesses, a Jew and a Gentile, used by God to reveal the assembly (church) period.
Mark 16:8- The most reliable early manuscripts of the gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the gospel. A few include both the “shorter ending” and the “longer ending” immediately after verse 8.
It would be better not to read the three gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—with the New Covenant Assembly (church) teachings. Instead, read them and link them with the Old Testament. For the New Covenant Assembly (church) teaching, it’s better to start with Acts until Revelations 1, 2, 3 and jump to Revelations 21 and 22. The Old Covenant pauses with the death of Jesus the Anointed One and continues with Matthew 28:19 and Revelations chapters 4 to 21 with the New Earth. (Read more on Universal Assembly)