Jesus’ stories, parables, and riddles leave us with a
better perspective since we studied the timing regarding those taken and left,
or the received and sent away, along with the function of the eagles and angels. Now let’s review a few more stories and
comparisons to gain a better perspective of what Jesus was telling us. We have
been given the plans and blueprints for the future so let’s dive in. It would be
helpful to read along with a Bible as we look into these mysterious sayings
that Jesus had for us.
After Jesus tells his disciples about those received and
those sent away, and that the eagles will gather those who will be sent away,
he goes on to tell his disciples a parable so that they would understand that all
people should pray and not give up. Jesus gives them this comparative story so
that people, especially in the days of the tribulation just before his return
to earth, will stay steady. He says there is a judge and a widow conversing.
The judge is not fearful of God and does not regard men. He essentially has
power as a judge and is not concerned with rules or laws. He can randomly rule in
whatever way he wants. That is how people see Yahweh. People have been mistakenly
led to believe that if there is a God, he randomly does whatever he wants
without regard for anything or anyone. There is also a widow who feels she has
been wronged by someone and she is comparable to people who feel that a God who
behaves in random ways will listen the more they nag. The judge gets tired of
the nagging widow and decides to help her so she won’t wear him down. Jesus
then says:
Luke 18:7 And will
not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones),
who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their
behalf? AMP
Remember the order of events. The eagles gather the
martyrs, the elect are gathered by the angels at the end of the tribulation,
and the eagles gather those sent away. The elect are those left on earth, or
who have died (not martyred) during the tribulation, who do not take the mark
of the beast or bow to his image. Those people who are going through the
tribulation should be crying out to God, nagging him. God will avenge them.
This is not to the redeemed because the redeemed are not on earth at this time.
This is not for the martyrs during the tribulation because they are not on
earth once they are martyred. This idea of praying and not fainting is written
to those who will be received, the ones the angels gather. But Jesus asks a
question that makes a very powerful statement.
Luke 18:8 I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge
them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence
in] faith on the earth? AMP
Jesus says that those people left on the earth during the
tribulation, who are crying out to God will be avenged. But when Jesus comes to
the earth at the end of the tribulation with his armies, will he find faith on
the earth? Will he find faithful people praying on the earth? This is a good
question. In those last days before Jesus comes, people will start to recognize
that the leader they thought was a great leader for Israel is really a
self-serving pawn of the devil. At that time, people will be faced with the
decision to accept Jesus as their Lord. Remember the redeemed are not on earth
at this time. That means if one publically declares Jesus as Lord, that one
will be killed. How many will be murdered who finally have come to believe on
Jesus? While we do not know the exact number, we do know that there is a
certain number of people that has to be fulfilled. The martyrs in Revelation
ask when they will be avenged, they are told they will be avenged when the
number is fulfilled. However, there will be pockets of people who live on the
earth who have not been martyred, but again remember that these are not the
redeemed. These people did not believe on Jesus before the tribulation started,
they believed on Jesus after the tribulation started. So Jesus’ question is
interesting because he is stating there will be very few left on earth who are
faithful. Again, the only people left on earth during the tribulation are those
who did not believe on Jesus before the harpazo. Instead they believe on Jesus
after the harpazo. In Luke 19 we will see how these people are judged when he
returns, and we will look at that in a bit.
As part of Jesus’ conversation with the disciples regarding
his coming in Matthew 24, we looked at the three questions the disciples asked
him. 1) When will the temple be destroyed? 2) When will Jesus come at the end
of the tribulation (parousia)? 3) When
is the end of the age when heaven and earth pass away? Jesus answered their
questions and explained that before his coming the eagles gather the martyrs,
and then he will come. At that time the angels will gather the elect from all
over the earth and heaven, and people will either be received or sent away. We
know from Luke that the eagles gather the sent away people to hades for one
thousand years. Jesus is explaining the kingdom of heaven and compares the
received ones as faithful servants who are promoted. He then goes on to define
the sent away ones as people who were evil servants who are sent to the place
of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then Jesus explains the kingdom of heaven as
ten virgins.
First of all, the virgins are unmarried women. Jesus’
comparison is not that these ladies did not have husbands and the kingdom of
heaven is only for single women. The comparison is that there are wise people
who enter and foolish people who do not. The word for wise means “perceptive
and thinking ahead”. The word for stupid is probably where we get our modern
word moron; it means “blockheaded or
stupid”.
Matt 25:2Five of them were stupid (thoughtless, without
forethought) and five were wise (sensible, intelligent, and prudent). AMP
NT:3474 moros (mo-ros'); probably from the base of NT:3466;
dull or stupid (as if shut up), i.e. heedless, (morally) blockhead,
(apparently) absurd: KJV - fool (-ish,
-ishness).(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.)
NT:5429 phronimos (fron'-ee-mos); from NT:5424; thoughtful,
i.e. sagacious or discreet (implying a cautious character; while NT:4680
denotes practical skill or acumen; and NT:4908 indicates rather intelligence or
mental acquirement); in a bad sense conceited (also in the comparative):KJV -
wise (-r).(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.)
This is the comparison, between the smart and the stupid
who both have the same opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The
custom of the day was that when a couple was to be married, the groom would
build an addition to his family’s home for his bride to be. When it was
finished and the groom’s father approved of the work, the groom would go out to
get his bride to be. This was a surprise to the bride, but as he goes out to
get her, family and friends all hear and make a procession and line the streets
because when he gets his bride that’s when the party starts. As people waited
along the streets to join the procession, they had their lamps so that they
could see, since this usually took place at night. Using an oil lamp means one
has to have oil. Prepared ahead of time, the smart ladies took oil and the
stupid ladies did not. Today, some women carry big purses to be prepared for
whatever may happen. The obvious understanding is that if you are carrying an
oil lamp you will need oil to keep it lit.
Matt 25:5 While the bridegroom lingered and was slow in
coming, they all began nodding their heads, and they fell asleep. AMP
In Jesus’ story, he says it took a while for the bridegroom
to come, so everyone slumbered and slept. That literally means they nodded off
and fell asleep. Now there is nothing wrong with the ladies for falling asleep.
Sleeping is not preventing anyone from the kingdom of heaven. In the middle of
the night someone announced that the bridegroom was coming. The ladies all woke
up and turned on their lamps. Just like today when our flashlight batteries die
we replace them with new batteries, some of the ladies were not prepared and
could not turn on their lights/lamps and wanted to borrow some oil/batteries.
The smart ladies suggested the stupid ones go get some oil from the vendors at
the “all night oil lamp store”.
Matt 25:9 But the wise replied, There will not be enough
for us and for you; go instead to the dealers and buy for yourselves. AMP
This tells us Jesus’ time frame. Jesus is giving us the
timing of this event by letting us know that one can freely buy and sell. If
this were taking place during the tribulation, the wise and stupid ladies would
all have to have the mark of the beast, and most likely if they did not they
would be martyred for trying to buy oil without the mark. Since the wise ladies
had oil, they must have been shopping at a time before the tribulation. Jesus
already told the disciples all of the events about the tribulation period, but
here he is telling the disciples something that happens before the tribulation
period. Incidentally, I’ve heard the most ridiculous stories regarding this
section of Jesus’ discussion with the disciples. Don’t listen to people who
make up ridiculous interpretations to further their religion. It’s all very
plain. The timing of this event does not take place during the tribulation. The
timing of this event is before the tribulation as we will note in the context
shortly.
Matt 25:10 But while they were going away to buy, the
bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage
feast; and the door was shut. AMP
While the stupid ladies went to buy some oil, the
bridegroom came, and all those that were prepared went into the wedding party
and they shut the door. We need to understand this in context of that time
because today we simply open doors when they are shut. This tells us that once
the door was shut they were not opening it again, meaning everyone had a narrow
time to enter and those who were prepared did enter. Compare this to the door
that opens in heaven in Revelation 4. If you miss entering through this door at
that time, there is no other way in. One can cry out to the bridegroom but it’s
too late. Sometimes in life we have a narrow window of time in which to
accomplish something, and here the consequences of missing the window of
opportunity leaves people outside the party.
Matt 25:11-12 Later the other virgins also came and said,
Lord, Lord, open [the door] to us! 12 But He replied, I solemnly declare to
you, I do not know you [I am not acquainted with you]. AMP
Notice that the stupid ladies called the bridegroom “Lord,
Lord”. Using that word twice suggests that they are pleading emotionally, but
the bridegroom did not know them. The smart ladies must have known the bridegroom,
but both smart and stupid people were invited to the kingdom of heaven. The
stupid people are not naturally born this way, they are lazy and think they do
not have to do things Jesus’ way. Because the smart people were prepared, they
knew the bridegroom and entered into His kingdom. The stupid ones wanted a
special dispensation to enter the kingdom of heaven in their own way at their
own time. Their boldness in knocking on the door and asking to enter shows that
either they are both simple and ignorant, or they had a narcissistic
entitlement issue. Just because one wants something doesn’t mean they are
entitled to it. And just because one asks for special favor does not mean one
receives special favor. Those who are redeemed are those who prepared by getting
to know Jesus. That is clear and simple.
At the time when everyone was on the roadside waiting for
the bridegroom, we see a glimpse of the stupid people’ attitudes when they ask
to have some oil. There is no quick fix to preparedness, and it is possible
that the attitude of the stupid people is that they rely on other people rather
than thinking ahead for themselves, and because they want the quick fix, the
bridegroom does not know them. Think of it this way, once Jesus calls from the
clouds, the door opens, and the redeemed leave. If someone thinks they can put
off making Jesus Lord until he calls, the reality is that they cannot. At this
point the stupid people are begging to be let in to the kingdom, but only the
ones who spent time preparing have entered. This is what the kingdom of heaven
is like. It is like prepared and unprepared people who are all invited, but
only the prepared ones enter. The people of Jesus’ time would have understood
this analogy as they would have always had to plan on having and taking oil if
they were going somewhere at night. They would have recognized the importance
of entering the kingdom of heaven by preparedness because they don’t know when the
door will open to the kingdom, just like a wedding of that time period no one
knew when the party would start.
Matt 25:13 Watch therefore [give strict attention and be
cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of
Man will come. AMP
Once the unprepared ones were left outside, they probably
returned to their homes with the realization that they missed the party. These
are people who knew who Jesus was but they had not prepared to enter His
kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. This is a shame but each individual makes those
choices. It is by His grace we are saved but it is not “works” to know Jesus.
It is not “works” to look ahead and be prepared. Making Jesus Lord before he
calls in not entering the kingdom by works. In our day, when we leave our home
we take our house key. That is simple. If we drive our car we take our driver’s
license. In the first century when one carried an oil lamp one took oil. It
would not be a surprise when the oil lamp goes out because people used them all
the time and knew how much oil one would need to keep it lit all night long. Which
brings us to Jesus’ next example in Matthew.
We have to note the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of
God” are two different kingdoms. The kingdom of heaven is for those who will go
to heaven at the harpazo, the redeemed. The story of the virgins sets us up
with this understanding by giving us the time frame of people outside when the
door of heaven opens. The door of heaven opens when Jesus calls from the
clouds. That is the timing of the kingdom of heaven. Remember humans are not in
heaven yet, the dead are either in hades or paradise until the dead rise. Where
do the dead rise to? Heaven. That is when the kingdom of heaven comes.
The kingdom of heaven is similar to a man who travels to a far
country and just before he goes he gives his servants some money to keep his
place running. Now this man we are talking about in Matthew 25:14 gives money to
each one according to that ones’ own dunamis.
Matt 25:15 To one he gave five talents [probably about
$5,000], to another two, to another one — to each in proportion to his own
personal ability. Then he departed and left the country. AMP
NT:1411 dunamis (doo'-nam-is); from NT:1410; force
(literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by
implication, a miracle itself): KJV - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily,
-y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty
(wonderful) work. (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.)
That’s strange. While ability
is an acceptable translation, really it is not simple physical or mental
ability but miraculous abilities. In other words, comparing the coming kingdom of
heaven to Jesus himself, Jesus leaves earth and gives his bond servants, those
who have committed to Him, spiritual aptitudes according to one’s own inherent power.
Some servants were more skilled at the master’s work than others, so it stands
to reason that those who worked hard in the master’s business and had been
working there longer had more to work with in his absence than those who had
only been working for the master a short time. So ability is attributed to the
amount of time one serves, meaning the longer one serves faithfully the more
adept one’s dunamis becomes. Dunamis is also translated power many times in the
text which, by this context, tells us our dumamis, our miracle working power,
can grow. This is for those who will enter the kingdom of heaven, remember that
is our subject.
There was one servant who only received one of his lord’s
talents and he concealed it in the ground. Whose spiritual money was it? It was
the Master’s. The servant didn’t use it, but concealed it. After a long time
the Master comes home and reconciles the impartation he gave his servants and
he finds that the one servant who had the one coin was not as committed of a
servant as the Master thought. The man’s reasoning for concealing the one coin
is that he was afraid, phobeo. Jesus
gives us an impartation and some are afraid to use it, and on the day Jesus
comes to open the door to the kingdom of heaven those who have used what Jesus
gave them will be given greater responsibilities. Those who hid their
impartation are thrown into the outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of
teeth. The Master calls the man wicked and slothful and says that this man knew
all about the Master. This indicates that when Jesus calls the redeemed, those
on the outside of the door, like the stupid unprepared people from our last
comparison, will not enter into the joy of the Lord. Like a wedding party, some
who think they know the Master or the bridegroom, but do not prepare themselves,
and use what he has given them, will find themselves on the outside of the
joyful party of the Lord. The unprofitable servant is thrown out into exterior
obscurity where there is crying and tooth grinding.
Matt 25:30 And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the
outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. AMP
I think we are sometimes horrified to think that the kingdom
of heaven is not for everyone as a happy all inclusive club med vacation. Jesus
is specifically explaining the kingdom of heaven and that is for the redeemed.
The lazy servant may have known about Jesus, but may not have made him Lord;
and like the unprepared ladies he might have thought he could simply say a few
magic words as the gathering occurs. In both stories, they may have even been
waiting for him with a short cut version of preparedness or a knowledge of what
he requires, but they still want to do things their own way. The Holy Spirit is
on the earth to lead everyone to Jesus. The more one knows Him the more
spiritual in-filling one has. The question becomes, how much have you grown
spiritually?
It is not up to us to decide how we will be redeemed, it is
up to Jesus to decide who is redeemed and how they are redeemed. He bought us
with his own blood, and even if we were on the clearance rack or the scratch
and dent pile, he bought us. He is bringing a moving van and a few angels to
bring us into the kingdom of heaven. We don’t determine who enters into the
kingdom of heaven, we do not have that authority. Religious institutions are
profitable, self-serving, and misleading by not telling people the truth, but
instead falsely assuring everyone goes to heaven. If you know Him, like
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you can be redeemed. Those men knew Yahweh before
the law was ever given. Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 8:11. From these two
comparative stories we see that the redeemed have prepared themselves, and they
know the bridegroom because they have grown spiritually. They have been given a
bit of the Master’s wealth and they utilize it to increase his capital by
increasing their own spirituality. This is a spiritual, miracle working talent.
Luke 19 is a different story all together but it has some
similar points as Matthew’s story. Luke’s story is about the kingdom of God.,
not the kingdom of heaven. We can see
the differences in the details regarding this subject. Most people want to make
these two stories the same and that creates all kinds of problems in the details.
The kingdom of heaven is for the redeemed and is a happy place where faithful
servants are set over many things. It is a joyful occasion. As we will see, the
kingdom of God is a place where good servants are given exousia, exercised authority over cities. This is not because of
spiritual talents but physical abilities. Let’s explore.
Luke 19:11 Now as they were listening to these things, He
proceeded to tell a parable, because He was approaching Jerusalem and because
they thought that the kingdom of God was going to be brought to light and shown
forth immediately. AMP
The disciples were thinking that the kingdom of God would
appear immediately and Jesus had to explain that there would be a period of
time before he comes for his servants. These servants are different than the
ones talked about in Matthew. The disciples thought that once he died and rose
the kingdom would come. From Matthew, the kingdom of heaven comes first, and then
later the kingdom of God will come.
So Jesus’ story in Matthew is of a man who leaves the
country with his servants in charge, while in Luke the man is a prince or king,
a nobleman. Both show not only the idea of time but the idea of activity on the
part of the servants.
Luke 19:12-13 He therefore said, A certain nobleman went
into a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom and then to return. 13
Calling ten of his [own] bond servants, he gave them ten minas [each equal to
about one hundred days' wages or nearly twenty dollars] and said to them, Buy
and sell with these while I go and then return. AMP
This story is about a nobleman, someone who was born into a
rank or position, like a prince or king. This man gave ten servants one mina
each, which is about three months’ salary. In this story everyone got the same
amount, it was not based on dunamis,
ability. That makes this story and the servants a bit different. Once the
nobleman left, the citizens who hated him sent him a message that they didn’t
want him to be their leader.
Luke 19:14 But his citizens detested him and sent an
embassy after him to say, We do not want this man to become ruler over us. AMP
After the ruler came back to town he called all the
servants and asked them how much money they gained.
Luke 19:16-17 The first one came before him, and he said,
Lord, your mina has made ten [additional] minas. 17 And he said to him, Well
done, excellent bond servant! Because you have been faithful and trustworthy in
a very little [thing], you shall have authority over ten cities. AMP
Jesus says the same thing here as in Matthew, that those
who have will be given. That is the same, in both stories. The servant who did
not make money for the nobleman was called wicked. In Matthew’s story the man
was called unprofitable and thrown into the outer darkness with weeping and
gnashing of teeth. In Luke’s story however Jesus says that immediately after
taking the mina from the wicked servant, to bring those enemies and slaughter
them. Those are very strong words.
Luke 19:26-27 And [said Jesus,] I tell you that to everyone
who gets and has will more be given, but from the man who does not get and does
not have, even what he has will be taken away. 27 [The indignant king ended by
saying] But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them
— bring them here and slaughter them in my presence! AMP
Let’s put this into context. Jesus is the nobleman who
leaves and gives his servants the same amount of money. This is not based on
dunamis abilities. That means these are different servants. People who may not
have dunamis, inherent miracle working power. All these servants get something that can
result in returns if they utilize what they are given. The servants who
multiply their money are given authority over cities by Jesus. Those servants
who do not multiply the money they are given are called “wicked”, and Jesus
seems to imply that they, along with Jesus’ enemies, will be slaughtered. This
is what Jesus comes back to do with His armies on the Day of the Lord. The
kingdom of God comes after all the servants have an opportunity to do something
with what they have been given. It is a comparison story so it is not about
money, but it is similar to multiplying money. Since everyone gets the same
thing, there is no one individual better than another, which means these people
are judged by more physical objectives rather than spiritual objectives like
the Matthew account.
The people that sent the delegate to tell the nobleman they
did not want him to be their ruler are the same people who reject Jesus’
Lordship yesterday, today, and tomorrow. All people are technically servants of
the creator, but these people reject their creator. In the tribulation many
will make the choice to serve the beast. But when Jesus comes he will slay
them.
Comparing the two kingdoms, the kingdom of heaven is a
joyful time coming before the tribulation. It is the time that all the redeemed,
on earth and in paradise, get called up to heaven. Those who were unprepared or
lazy will not be called up, even if they know who Jesus is, they must be
faithful servants. Jesus calls the servants who have increased their talents “good
and faithful”. The kingdom of God is the time when a new reign is established
at the end of the tribulation. When Jesus comes on the Day of the Lord with his
armies there will be those received and those sent away, and the people who
didn’t want Jesus to be their king will be sent away, slaughtered by his sword
as in Revelation 19:21. While the principal for both groups of people is the
same, those who increase what has been given to them will receive more, the
kingdom of heaven people rule over many things and enter the joy of their Lord,
while the kingdom of God people gain authority over cities on earth in the new
kingdom. These stories on the surface look the same, but as we can see they
really are not.
With this in mind, Jesus’ original question at the
beginning of our study was “will he really find faith on earth?” There will be
some faithful left on the earth, but the majority of faithful people will be
gathered before the tribulation, those are the redeemed who have prepared and
were willing to use the spiritual impartation given to them according to their
own dunamis.
Jesus’ stories are not mysterious, or dark sayings, or
riddles. They are very plain stories that tell us who, what, and when; but
religious leaders have not taught this and have mixed up Jesus’ words. The
details are always important and the Holy Spirit authored the writers to give
us these details. If we can continue to study with these details in mind,
Jesus’ words will open up to us all the things we thought were mysteries and
hard sayings. The future plans for all humanity are laid out plainly. It is now
our obligation to tell all people what Jesus told us, regardless of whether
they receive Jesus as Lord or not. There is a design for the future, it is not
a mystery; it is a clear blueprint, written to us and for us. It is best to be
prepared.
