The REAL reason for the parables about the Kingdom

[Retrobyter]

Shalom, everyone.

Well, Marilyn's had her say. It's time to reveal the REAL reason for the parables of Matthew 13.

I had posted earlier this portion:

These are parables about the KINGDOM. Since the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven (the two terms are synonymous), then we must look to see what that Kingdom is, first.

The Kingdom is NOT a "heavenly kingdom," not even in ONE "aspect!" The term "Kingdom of heaven" means a "kingdom that comes from the sky!" It's because the "KING HIMSELF comes from the sky" when He returns, and the Kingdom is intimately connected to the King! His offer of the Kingdom to Israel during His first advent was a LEGITIMATE OFFER! And, when He left this earth, He took the offer with Him! The offer was temporarily rescinded until a future time.

When He returns, He will bring the Kingdom with Him!

Luke 19:11-15
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
KJV

The key to the parables of Matthew 13 is in the ELEMENTS that are defined and the ACTIONS that the parable performs with those elements. Here are some of the parables' elements and actions:

I. THE SOWER (verses 3-9, 18-23)

Matthew 13:3
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
KJV

I.A. Elements of the parable
I.A.1. Seed = the word of the kingdom
I.A.2. Birds = the wicked one
I.A.3. Stony places = starts off good but is easily turned off
I.A.4. Thorns = hears the word but is easily distracted by everyday events
I.A.5. Good soil = hears, profits by it, and is profitable
I.B. Action of the parable
I.B.1. Seed is sown = the word of the kingdom is broadcast
I.B.2. Ground receives seed = message is heard
I.B.3. Seed sprouts and grows = message is applied

This first parable is the ONLY one of the seven that people recognize to be about this current time period, but again, this is a parable about the KINGDOM that is yet to come! It's not about the Kingdom being in this time period at all!

When a person hears the message about the Kingdom, He has one of four ways to deal with that message:

1. He can say, "That's nice," and quickly forget what he heard; the message never has a chance even to take root!
2. OR, he can recognize the importance of the message right away, but not know what to do with that message. Thus, when opposition arises, he just as quickly turns away from the message. The message about the coming Kingdom takes root and grows quickly, but it just as quickly dies away.
3. The third way one can react to the message is to start out correctly, allowing the message to take root deeply and have its rightful place in a person's life. However, that person has other thoughts that compete with the message about the Kingdom, and those other thoughts eventually take precedence and overpower the message about the Kingdom.
4. The fourth way one can react to the message about the Kingdom is to allow it to deeply take root in a person's life and let its importance dictate the direction of that person's life, all other thoughts being subject to that message about the Kingdom.

It's important to note that this message is NOT about "salvation," or rather, justification by God. It's about the arrival of the King and His Kingdom!

 

II. THE MAN WHO SOWED GOOD WHEAT (verses 24-30, 37-43)

Matthew 13:24
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
KJV

II.A. Elements of the parable
II.A.1. Sower = Son of man
II.A.2. Field = the world
II.A.3. Good seed = children of the kingdom
II.A.4. Tares = children of the wicked one
II.A.5. Enemy = the devil
II.A.6. Harvest = the end of the world
II.A.7. Reapers = the angels
II.A.8. Barn = the kingdom of their Father
II.B. Action of the parable
II.B.1. Sower sows good seed in his field = The Son of man sows the children of the kingdom in the world
II.B.2. Enemy sows tares among the wheat = The devil sows children of the wicked one among the children of the kingdom
II.B.3. The reapers notice the tares among the wheat = The angels notice the children of the wicked one among the children of the kingdom
II.B.4. The reapers ask the sower if they want them to pull up the tares = The angels ask the Son of man if He wants them to pull up the children of the wicked one
II.B.5. The sower replied to the reapers, “No or you may pull up the wheat with the tares; let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” = The Son of man replied to the angels, “No or you may pull up the children of the kingdom with the children of the wicked one; let both grow together until the end of the world, and in the end of the world I will say to the angels, ‘First gather together the children of the wicked one and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the children of the kingdom into my barn (a place of safety and preservation).’” They shall throw them in a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and grating of teeth, but then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Thus, this parable is about the FUTURE KINGDOM! He's saying that His Kingdom shall be infiltrated with people who know how to talk the talk, but are merely "look-alikes." During the Millennium, there will be some within the Messiah's Kingdom who will try to sabotage the efforts of the King. However, they will be so well entrenched that to root them out of His Kingdom would damage some of those who are TRUE but weak and immature children who have befriended these spies. Therefore, He will simply keep an eye on them and keep them in line, allowing them to flourish with His own children, until the Kingdom has run its course in the world. When His own children have matured so that they won't be greatly affected by the fate of these spies and saboteurs, He will reveal their true nature and root them out of His Kingdom first. THEN, He will be free to transfer the true children of His Kingdom to that of His Father.

 

III. THE KERNEL OF MUSTARD SEED (verses 31-32)

Matthew 13:31
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
KJV

III.A. Elements of the parable
III.A.1. A grain (kernel) of mustard seed = The kingdom of heaven
III.A.2. Other herbs = unknown; irrelevant
III.A.3. Birds of the air = unknown; irrelevant
III.B. Action of the parable
III.B.1. The kernel starts out small and insignificant = The kingdom of heaven starts out small and insignificant
III.B.2. The kernel becomes the largest of herbs and becomes a tree = The kingdom of heaven becomes the largest and most significant of governments
III.B.3. So much so that it provides nesting spots among its branches for the birds of the air = The kingdom of heaven provides safe dwelling places among its branches

Notice that the single kernel of mustard seed is likened to the Kingdom from the sky. This parable is talking about the GROWTH of His Kingdom! It will start out very small as kingdoms go. Just a small kingdom in the Land of Israel. However, it will GROW until it grows so large and significant as to be influential among the other kingdoms of the earth. I believe this parable is talking about the actual, physical size of His Kingdom, as He acquires more and more kings and their realms under the banner of His own. He will literally be a "King of kings," each king will still be the possessor of his own realm, but all these kings subjugated to the Melekh of Israel will answer to Him! And, the Messiah Yeshua` shall be the head of ALL the realms under Him!

This parable is reminiscent of Daniel's account of the rock that is cut out of a mountain and grows into a mountain that fills the earth.

 

IV. THE LEAVEN (verse 33)

Matthew 13:33
33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
KJV

IV.A. Elements of the parable
IV.A.1. The leaven (yeast; baking powder; substance to encourage bread to rise) = The kingdom of heaven [NOTE: The leaven is NOT sin!]
IV.A.2. Woman = unknown; irrelevant
IV.A.3. Three measures of meal (flour) = unknown; irrelevant
IV.B. Action of the parable
IV.B.1. Leaven is hidden in three measures of meal (flour) = The kingdom of heaven starts out hidden, insignificant, and in low concentration
IV.B.2. Leaven soon permeates the whole amount of flour = The kingdom of heaven ends up obvious, very significant, and in high concentration

This parable is primarily about the INFLUENCE of the Kingdom during the Millennium. It's like that old E. F. Hutton commercial: "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen." God's Messiah will be such a wise King that His Kingdom is constantly thriving no matter what happens in the economy of the world. So, wise leaders and businessmen will listen to and hang upon the words of the Messiah. It would only be wise and prudent to do so. If one wanted to survive and prosper economically, he will pay attention to what the Messiah - the Melekh of Israel - chooses to do.

One should note here that the purpose for the three measures (Greek: sata tria) of flour is to use a common measurement (in the Greek world) that adds up to an ephah of flour. "Sata" is the plural of "saton":

NT:4568 saton (sat'-on); of Hebrew origin [OT:5429]; a certain measure for things dry:
KJV - measure.

OT:5429 ce'ah (seh-aw'); from an unused root meaning to define; a seah, or certain measure (as determinative) for grain:
KJV - measure.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Nave's Topical Bible, according to Biblehub, says "Measure: An Ephah, Equal to Three Seah, and in Liquid, to a Bath, Containing About a Bushel and a Half." Therefore, the only purpose for this "three measures" is to convert from the Greek measure to the Hebrew measure of an Ephah. The bottom line is that this was a LARGE amount of flour (1.5 bushels)! Just a little leavening agent, like yeast, will eventually permeate the entire quantity of dough, even if it was a bushel and a half of dough!

 

V. THE BURIED TREASURE (verse 44)

Matthew 13:44
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
KJV

V.A. Elements of the parable
V.A.1. The buried treasure = The kingdom of heaven
V.A.2. The man = unknown; irrelevant; possibly anyone
V.A.3. The field = unknown; irrelevant
V.B. Action of the parable
V.B.1. Treasure is found = The kingdom of heaven is discovered
V.B.2. Treasure is re-hidden = The kingdom of heaven is re-hidden from others
V.B.3. Field is bought (with all of its natural resources and contents) = That which contains the kingdom of heaven is purchased
V.B.4. Treasure is claimed = The kingdom of heaven is claimed

This parable is talking about the discovery that people during the Millennium will make when they take a close look at the relatively quiet Kingdom of Israel under the Messiah Yeshua`. When they discover the Kingdom's VALUE, they will do whatever it takes to become a member of that Kingdom! Many will even treat it as a secret discovery that they will want to keep secret until they can procure the Kingdom for themselves!

 

VI. THE MERCHANT MAN (verses 45-46)

Matthew 13:45
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
KJV

VI.A. Elements of the parable
VI.A.1. The merchant man looking for valuable pearls = The kingdom of heaven [NOTE: The pearl of great price is NOT The kingdom of heaven]
VI.A.2. Pearls (even the pearl of great price) = unknown; irrelevant
VI.A.3. All that the merchant has = unknown; irrelevant
VI.B. Action of the parable
VI.B.1. Merchant searches for valuable pearls = The kingdom of heaven searches for valuables
VI.B.2. Merchant finds a high-quality, very valuable pearl = The kingdom of heaven finds a high-quality valuable
VI.B.3. Merchant sells all that he has = The kingdom of heaven sells all that it has
VI.B.4. Merchant buys the pearl = The kingdom of heaven buys the high-quality valuable (makes wise investments and turns a profit)

This parable is about the wisdom of haMelekh Israel, the King of Israel. One should carefully note that it is not the PEARL that is likened to the Kingdom but the MERCHANT who is likened to the Kingdom! The prowess of the wise King of Israel will be so great that He can essentially liquidate all of His assets to purchase a treasure, like this very valuable pearl, and purchase the treasure, always coming out "in the black" in every transaction!

 

VII. THE SEINING NET (verses 47-50)

Matthew 13:47
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
KJV

VII.A. Elements of the parable
VII.A.1. The seining net = The kingdom of heaven
VII.A.2. The good fish (good to eat) = The just (justified)
VII.A.3. The bad fish (not good to eat) = The wicked
VII.A.4. The fishermen = The angels
VII.B. Action of the parable
VII.B.1. Net was thrown into the sea around all the fish = The kingdom of heaven was thrown around all peoples within the kingdom’s time period
VII.B.2. When the net was full, the fishermen pulled it in = At the end of the world, the angels will gather all people in the kingdom for judgment
VII.B.3. The fishermen sat down and gathered the good fish into buckets to keep, but threw the bad fish away = The angels will come and separate the wicked from the just and shall throw the wicked into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and grating of teeth

This parable is talking about the all-encompassing Kingdom at the end of the Millennium - the end of the Age - when the Great White Throne Judgment occurs. When every one of His enemies are subdued and subjugated to His Kingship, THEN the Messiah Himself shall be seated upon the Great White Throne and pass judgment upon the world. One should remember the words of the Messiah:

John 5:22-23
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
KJV

 

VIII. THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY (verse 52)

Matthew 13:52
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
KJV

VIII.A. Elements of the parable
VIII.A.1. The man who is the head of a family = The scribe who is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven
VIII.A.2. The treasure = unknown; irrelevant
VIII.A.3. Things new = unknown; irrelevant
VIII.A.4. Things old = unknown; irrelevant
VIII.B. Action of the parable
VIII.B.1. Investigating the treasure of the household = Investigating the “treasure” of the kingdom of heaven
VIII.B.2. Discovers things new in the treasure = Discovers things new in the “treasure” of the kingdom of heaven
VIII.B.3. Discovers things old in the treasure = Discovers things old in the “treasure” of the kingdom of heaven

This, too, is a parable that is often forgotten within these parables of Matthew 13, I think because people like to limit the number of. The man who is the householder is taking inventory of the things within the house, possibly for the inheritance of the members of the family. Some new valuables will be present, like a recent acquisition; other priceless heirlooms will be considered valuable because of their sentimental value as well as their worth.

The scribe, a transcriber of the Tanakh (the OT), will discover valuable insights as he studies and copies the Scriptures, particularly those Scriptures that are prophetic, having to do with ADONAI and with His Messiah. He will discover things that are new, like the recent acquisitions of the Messiah, and things that are old, like the ancient prophetic portions of Isaiah or Zechariah or even David's Psalms, for instance, seeing their fulfillment in the Messiah's actions!

[Retrobyter]

3 hours ago, inchrist said:

I would hardly call the woman an unknown or irrelevant, nor would I call the three measures unknown or irrelevant.

The woman is the Ruwach ha’Qodesh, she could also be seen as Jerusalem, since Jerusalem is the mother of us all according to Galatians 4:26).

The earth is the whole batch of dough and the leaven would be the gospel message.

The 3 measures are the seeds of Abraham split into 3 groups.

1. The House of Judah

2. The House of Ephrayim 

3. Gentile nations grafted (Ezekiel 47:22-23; Romans 11:23-24).

This particular parable illustrates how Christ is building his kingdom for when he returns for the Millennium

Each parable actually builds on top of the other leading up to and into the millennium....you have instead placed them all into the Millennium which is incorrect.

Shalom, inchrist.

This is a LOAD of rubbish! You have absolutely NO proof for ANY of what you claim! STICK TO WHAT YESHUA` REVEALED ABOUT THE PARABLE! You have NO right to usurp the parable to say what YOU want it to say!

[Retrobyter]

3 hours ago, inchrist said:

Luke 19:11-15 is to be fulfilled in Revelation 11:15 aka the 7th trumpet

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever."

Here we see Christ receiving His kingdom. 

I would boldly state the Millennium starts at the 7th trumpet.

Shalom, again, inchrist.

Now, THIS is the truth! I can agree with you 100% here. See, here you've HARMONIZED Revelation with Luke, and that's okay to do. In fact, that's a GREAT way to understand Revelation in light of what the Messiah Yeshua` said!

[Retrobyter]

On 10/7/2016 at 9:50 AM, inchrist said:

ma nishma Retro

Well I agree it would be hard to prove the woman is the Holy Spirit...simply a matter of faith. So I would lean more to this woman being Jerusalem.

You see this same woman in Revelation 12. She is also declared the mother of us all Galatians 4:26

Nothing in scripture is irrelevant, that is where I have a fundamental issue with. Every word has its place and every word has its relevance. Likewise because you are unable to see the relevance, is not a blanket statement for the rest of us who do see the relevance.

Shalom, inchrist.

Actually, I DON'T see the "same woman" in Revelation 12 OR in Galatians 4:26! That puts an UNNECESSARY BURDEN on the interpretation of the parable! Yeshua`s parables were NOT designed with all the elements defined! They were told to get across a SINGLE, IMPORTANT THOUGHT! You have been greatly influenced by allegorical interpretation and figurative thinking, like several on this forum, but Yeshua` was NOT always interested in telling us what every little object in His parables meant! I'm not saying that the elements listed in a parable are TOTALLY irrelevant; I'm just saying that they are ONLY relevant to the parable in which they are used!

These elements only last as long as the parable in which they were used. Once the parable and its point are made, the elements are no longer extant! 

On 10/7/2016 at 9:50 AM, inchrist said:

The kingdom of God exerts its influence from within.

Yeast makes dough rise from within. Christ is discussing a kingdom principle.

The Gospel comes from within, and is to spread to all nations, Rising not so?

No, sorry; not so. The Kingdom of God - God's Kingdom - has YET to arrive! It won't arrive until the King Himself returns. Now, don't get me wrong. We can think of ourselves as subjects for the Kingdom when it does arrive, but currently the Kingdom is not actually present. Therefore, this parable is about a FUTURE Kingdom from God! As such, the parable is about the FUTURE! It's about what Yeshua` does when He returns! The Kingdom will start out small and insignificant among the nations of the world, but before long, the influence that our Master and King has will be hugely significant and the Kingdom will become GREATLY known among the nations of the world!

This is a parable about the Millennium to come.

On 10/7/2016 at 9:50 AM, inchrist said:

You will also notice the woman took the Yeast and hid it into three portions.

We know that all the hidden mysterious of God will be accomplished at the 7th trumpet rev 10:7

This hidden mystery has been sent out into three portions.

They mystery to the Jews

The mystery to the house of Ephraim

and the mystery to the gentile nations.

There is nothing to be hidden in the Millennium, so it does not fit that this parable is for the Millennium.

Again, this is not true. "The hidden mystery sent out to Jews, Efrayim, and the Gentiles are the three portions?" Nonsense! First, a "mystery" in the Scriptures is simply a "secret." It's NOT about God being "mysterious!" It's about God withholding some knowledge from those who won't receive it anyway and only allowing His disciples to know what's going on.

Furthermore, what is being "hidden" is the INFLUENCE that our Master has on this world! When Yeshua` was here during His first advent, He would CONSTANTLY deal with people on a one-by-one basis. That was SPECIFICALLY how He liked to deal with people. He would tell the recipients of His miracles, "Don't tell anyone!" Why not? Because when they did tell others, He was INUNDATED with crowds and He got very little done in the encounters! Today, we think we SHOULD be telling everyone what God has done for us! But, that was NOT how the Master worked during His first advent, and that will NOT be how He works during the Millennium! He hides it from the ones who need it - in plain view, mind you - but, He wants them to SEARCH it out for themselves!

On 10/7/2016 at 9:50 AM, inchrist said:

The three meals Jews, Ephraim and gentiles is a recurring theme, have a look at the parable of the mustard seed. (For the sake of repeating myself I copied what I said in Marilyn's thread on Matthew 13.)

In order for a seed to grow and be fruitful it needs to die first

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.

Paul also taught the same thing

What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else. 

So we can discover so far we have resurrection talk here in the parable of the Mustard seed.

We can also discover that the least (* smallest) becomes the greatest ( Most fruitful) is also a recurring theme. Take Paul for instance. 

Pauls name means “small” and he called himself “the least of the apostles" and Paul ended up becoming the most fruitful of all gospel writers.

The same pattern occurs with King Saul who recognized that the Tribe of Benjamin was the “smallest” of tribes and his family in particular was the “least” of the families in the tribe.

1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me like this?

The prophet Samuel then anointed Saul 1st Samuel 10:6 and the least became the greatest.

No, you've ADDED to what Yeshua` said in His parable! He never even IMPLIED such things! Oh, and those are not "three meals" like three dinners! They are "three MEASURES of meal or flour!" When that flour is mixed with water, it becomes dough. We add leavening to the dough! 

The parable about the mustard seed is about the literal SIZE of the Kingdom! It's not about this time period at all since the Kingdom is not in this time period at all!

On 10/7/2016 at 9:50 AM, inchrist said:

Finally we see the same pattern with Ephrayim, who was the "youngest" (smallest) of the seeds of the sons of Jacob who will in history become “a multitude of nations,” ( the greatest - the most fruitful), Ephrayim also meaning Double portion

Now you"ll soon discover that King Saul and Paul (Both Benjamites) and Ephrayim are all connected.

There is a parallel between King Saul and Paul, when King Saul was anointed He shall be turned into another man. 1 Samuel 10:6 ( we have a type of symbolism of resurrection here)

The same thing happened with Paul, Saul  of Tarsus changed into another man on the road to Damascus and was now called Paul ( we have a type of symbolism of resurrection here)

The same recurring them found in Rev 2:17

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

The reason why God chose Paul was to reverse the curse that King Saul brought upon the Tribe of Benjamin by appointing another “Saul” from the very same tribe who would be used to bring the house of Ephrayim to their Messiah & King from the Tribe of Judah.

And we find this connection in the story of Joseph, the Benjamites are key to bringing the House of Ephrayim back to their Messiah.

Joseph is a prophetic type of Jesus and Joseph told his brothers “you shall not see me until Benjamin comes back with you,”

Christ Said something similar  “you shall not see me until you recognize me as the one who comes in the name of YaHuWaH.”

Paul a Benjamite was tasked to go to the Gentiles and spreed the Gospel. Ephrayim is counted amongst the gentiles. Genesis 41:50–52 tells us Ephraim was born in Egypt and thus thought of himself as a Gentile until Jacob called Ephraim and made him realize he was an Israelite.

Unfortunately as we know Ephrayim sinned and was scattered amongst the nations and it is through their fall that the nations of the earth become rich by the gospel going forth to the house of Ephrayim which we find ourselves attached to, as Ephrayim so journs amongst the gentiles

So the church and Israel specifically to the House of Ephrayim are actually interchangeable as Ephrayim is destined to become Christianized as well as the gentile nations.

As I said the parables build on to each other

You're right that the parables build upon each other, but neither of these parables are about Jews vs. Efrayim vs. Gentiles! Nor are ANY of these parable about the "spread of the Gospel!" Unless you're talking about the "gospel of the Kingdom," which is NOT "the good news BELONGING TO the Kingdom (the Body of Christ) about the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ" but is the "the good news about the Kingdom," namely, "Thy God reigneth!" (Isa. 52:7)

[Buddy D. Mouse]

some posts are way too long

[AdHoc]

I enjoyed the OP AND the objections that followed. Instead of a long posting with argument and counter argument, I would like to set forth the reason for, and the main point of the parables in Matthew 13. But first we must define the Kingdom. A Kingdom is a sphere of rule where the king is present and his laws are executed. So when Jesus cast out demons He said that the kingdom had come. But He later left. The Church is now the only area where the rules of the King SHOULD be carried out. The King is present IN each citizen and these citizens have the "keys to the Kingdom". But on the earth at large the Gentiles rule. But their time is limited and soon their rule will be replaced by God's rule. This is the theme of the book of Daniel.

Our Lord Jesus came to offer Israel the Kingdom. Both John Baptist and our Lord Jesus "came preaching the Kingdom at hand". The subjects of the King, the Jews, refused the King and by Matthew Chapter 12 their rejection reached a pinnacle as they accused our Lord of being a servant of Satan. Because the King is rejected, He must withdraw and reach another People to establish His Kingdom. Thus, while the Gentiles rule the earth, Christ is building His Kingdom on enemy territory. And in the process of building His Kingdom there will be attempts to destroy this Kingdom by the "Prince of this world". These attempts will be subtle and how the Kingdom survives is a "Mystery". Thus, it is given ONLY to disciples of Jesus to know the "Mysteries of the Kingdom" by Parables.

The Sower. All FOUR recipients are Christians for the seed is "sown in their hearts" - even those who let the seed be stolen. The dangers facing the Christian in this world are summarized; (i) hardness of heart, (ii) cares and distractions of the world, and (iii) sufferings and persecution. Only a few Christians will bear fruit to the Lord.

The Darnel (or tares). The enemy, perceiving that God will have His people and their testimony on earth, raises up a COUNTERFEIT kingdom. This is the Roman Church. It looks, acts, speaks and does like the Church but it has its origin in another seed. Darnel looks just like wheat until the harvest. Wheat dries up at the root and is removed from the earth to God's house and barn. As it ripens it turns golden and bows its head of rich grain. The Darnel produces a black, spiny, poisonous fruit that sticks up proudly. This parable show the counterfeit religion being destroyed first - which agrees with Revelation 17.

The Mustard seed. God's People, the Church are called "the little flock" (Lk.12:32). Few are Christians compared with the worlds' population. The Mustard bush normally grows to maximum 2 meters/6 feet. It produces a piquant fruit. But something happened to it. It grows to be the big tree of Daniel 4 - Gentile government harboring demons and fallen angels. This is Christianity today - mixing in politics and and causing a shadow on earth rather than light. All manner of worldly things come out of the mega Churches.

The Leaven. Leaven is always negative in the Bible. It was forbidden with anything that depicted Christ. Our Lives must be without leaven and we must put it out of the Church (1st Cor.5). The woman is Mystery Babylon the great Whore. She takes Babylonian religion and inserts it into the doctrine of the Church, and she inserts defiling things into the Church. By 320 AD, Christianity was fully "leavened". This leaven can be seen and practiced on this Forum. The Roman Church is fully leavened with their doctrines and behavior.

Our Lord Jesus changes places for the next three parables. In Matthew 12, He was in a House. This was the House of Israel where His "brethren according to the flesh were". He leaves this house and teaches from the "sea" - a picture of the Nations. Now He enters another House where only He and His disciples are - the Church. Three parables follow - all pertaining to the Kingdom. When Jesus returns He will deal with THREE Peoples - (i) The Church, (ii) Israel, and (iii) the Nations or Gentiles.

The Christian who wants to inherit and enter the Kingdom must have the sure knowledge that it the grand "Treasure" to be gained. Over and over, in the four gospels, the coming Kingdom, when Christ sets it upon earth, is the grand PRIZE. A Christian must be prepared to "sell all" to gain this Kingdom. He must learn righteousness, prepare to lose goods, reputation, family relations and his very life if need be.

When Christ returns, He will restore Israel. According to Deuteronomy 30:1-5 Israel must return to the Law "with all their heart" in order for God to initiate this restoration. Their righteousness must be great (single great Pearl), and they must forsake their tradition (many small pearls). This a difficult parable because true students of the Bible only interpret scripture with scripture (2nd Pet.1:20). Israel is the only entity depicted by Pearls (Rev.21:9-21). Israel are blinded and in unbelief until the fullness of the Gentiles come in. They never believe in Jesus till He bursts forth from the clouds. Then they will mourn to see the one "they pierced". But we find a remnant of Israel "sealed" for God's purpose in Revelation 7. And this Remnant are those who "keep the commandments of God" in Revelation 12.

When our Lord Jesus returns He will judge the nations who survive the Great Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-46). The sea depicts the Nations (e.g. Ezek.26:3). In the Nations are some who helped "the least of the Lord's brethren" during the Great Tribulation. They are the good fish. But there will be those who made life worse and who set themselves against Christians during the Great Tribulation. They are the offending fish.

I take into account that the explanations are very abbreviated. There is much more to be seen in these parables concerning the Kingdom in mystery.