December 27, 2016 - While the Bible is full of mysteries, today we look at samples of the 7 mysteries of Matthew Chapter 13 called by the Lord; "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven".
The parables of Jesus are actually stories told in the physical but talking about the spiritual, they are parallels between the two worlds.
"For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (Matt 13:12)
What could this mean? "Whoever has" is the believer who has accepted Jesus as Lord, more will be given him, eternal life in heaven. "Whoever does not have" are the lost, all they have are the things of this world, all of that will be taken from them for all things of this world will pass away.
The seven mysteries or parables in chapter 13 are:
(1) the sower, or the difference in people, from the hard-of-heart who will not listen to the Word, to the semi-annual Christian who goes to church only a couple of times per year, to the full-time Christian who has turned away and needs to be brought back into the flock, to the sold-out Christian who lives each day for the Lord.
(2) the wheat and the tares, the story of all Christians who must live here on earth in the midst of the children of the devil. Many of the tares will be so completely deceived by the devil that they will believe themselves to be children of the Lord.
(3) the mustard seed, the story of the gospel, beginning with Jesus and the 12 disciples and spreading all over the planet
(4) the leaven, commonly seen as the impurity in bread and in the church. No where in scripture is leaven considered good. As with the wheat and the tares, the tares never become wheat and are finally sorted out by the angels and burned in the fires of hell.
(5) the hidden treasure, heaven is such, a treasure hidden from view and only to be seen by those who believe, to gain it Jew and Gentile alike must forsake all of the world, or the field, and turn to the treasure alone.
(6) the pearl of great price, the true church, paid for by the blood of Christ, covering the world. The kingdom of heaven, the children of heaven paid for by Christ, baptized into one spirit into one body, now being prepared to be given back to Christ as the pearl of great price.
(7) the dragnet, the complete reaping of the world in the end of this age and in the day of judgment. When the just will be sorted out and taken into the temple of Christ while the unjust are judged guilty and thrown into the burning fires of hell. Let us be the "good ground" the bearers of good fruit for the Lord.
As Jesus said so often; he who has eyes, let him see and he who has ears let him hear. May we each one be the one who does see and hear the Word of God.
I pray if yo u do not know Jesus as your Lord and Redeemer that you find Him in the upcoming new year.
May God bless you each day...
